Patent ID: 9373361
Filing Date: 2016-06-21
CPC Classification: G01K,G11B

Claim Text:
1. An apparatus, comprising: a slider supporting a read/write transducer configured to interact with a magnetic recording medium, the slider comprising an airbearing surface; and a multi-element sensor situated on the transducer at or near the airbearing surface, the multi-element sensor comprising at least three sensor elements each having a temperature coefficient of resistance; wherein at least two of the at least three sensor elements are arranged in a co-parallel relationship on the transducer and configured to sense for asperities of the medium, contact between the slider and the medium, slider-medium spacing changes, or topographical surface features of the medium, and one of the at least three sensor elements is configured as a dual-stage sensor comprising a first sensor stage configured to sense asperities of the medium and a second sensor stage configured to sense for contact and spacing changes between the slider and the medium.