| US 7,589,928 B2 | ||
| Magnetic recording device including a thermal proximity sensor | ||
| Mallika Roy, Edina, Minn. (US); Kaizhong Gao, Eden Prairie, Minn. (US); Insik Jin, Eagan, Minn. (US); William Bruce Fitzpatrick, Prior Lake, Minn. (US); Housan S. Dakroub, Dearborn Heights, Mich. (US); Sining Mao, Eden Prairie, Minn. (US); Song S. Xue, Edina, Minn. (US); Jeffrey Howard Lake, Bloomington, Minn. (US); and Dadi Setiadi, Edina, Minn. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Seagate Technology LLC, Scotts Valley, Calif. (US) | ||
| Filed on Mar. 16, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/724,739. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0225426 A1, Sep. 18, 2008 | ||
| Int. Cl. G11B 21/02 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 360—75 [360/69] | 20 Claims |
| 1. A system comprising:
a magnetic device comprising a main pole for writing to a magnetic medium and a read element for reading from the magnetic
medium;
a thermal sensor spaced from the main pole and separate from the read sensor, disposed adjacent to the magnetic device and
at or near a medium confronting surface proximate the magnetic medium, wherein the sensor generates signals related to thermal
variations caused by changes in a distance between the magnetic device and the magnetic medium, wherein a resistance of the
sensor increases in response to the thermal variations, and wherein the increase in resistance is measured by passing a sense
current through the sensor;
a heating element for heating the sensor to vary a sensitivity of the sensor to the thermal variations; wherein the sense
current passes through the sensor and the heating element in series or in parallel;
an actuator separate from the sensor for varying the distance between the magnetic device and the magnetic medium; and
a controller that controls the actuator to control the distance between the magnetic device and the magnetic medium in response
to the sensor signals.
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