CALIBRATION APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR A THERMAL PROXIMITY SENSOR

摘要

APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR CALIBRATING A THERMAL PROXIMITY SENSOR (16) ARE DISCLOSED. THERMAL RESPONSES FROM A THERMAL PROXIMITY SENSOR (16) ARE USED TO SENSE THE INSTANTANEOUS DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SENSOR (16) AND A MEDIUM (12) OVER WHICH THE SENSOR (16) IS MOVED, IN A DATA STORAGE SYSTEM. SENSING THE INSTANTANEOUS DISTANCE RESULTS IN DETECTION OF TOPOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS (13,14) ON THE MEDIUM (12). CALIBRATION TECHNIQUES FOR THE SENSOR (16) ARE DISCLOSED HEREIN AND INVOLVE, IN ONE ASPECT, USING PRIMARILY ELECTRICAL MEASUREMENTS TO CALIBRATE THE SENSOR (16); AND IN ANOTHER ASPECT, VARYING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SENSOR (16) AND THE MEDIUM (12), OBTAINING ACTUAL THERMAL RESPONSES FROM THE SENSOR (16), AND USING THE ACTUAL RESPONSES (VIA DIRECT COMPARISON OR CURVE FITTING) TO CALIBRATE THE SENSOR (16). IN ONE EMBODIMENT, THE SENSOR (16) IS A MAGNETORESISTIVE ACCESS ELEMENT USED TO ACCESS DATA ON THE MEDIUM (12). FIGURE 1