Patent ID: 7492543

Claim:
A control device of a storage apparatus having a head which has a reading element and a recording element, is provided with a heater which changes a protrusion value by thermal expansion involved in electric power distribution and heating, and accesses data by flying above a rotating recording medium, the control device characterized by having a parameter administration unit which registers and administers a base heater control value which sets electric power supplied to the heater upon preheating, recording, and reproduction and an adjustment heater control value which sets electric power supplied to the heater upon preheating and reproduction except for recording; a write clearance control unit which, upon recording, performs preheating by electric power distribution to the heater by a control value, which is obtained by adding the base heater control value to the adjustment heater control value, from a sector position which is before by a predetermined set sector number and switches the electric power distribution to that merely by the base heater control value when the head reaches the target sector so as to perform write heating; a read clearance control unit which, upon reproduction, performs preheating by electric power distribution to the heater by the control value, which is obtained by adding the base heater control value to the adjustment heater control value, from a sector position which is before by the set sector number and maintains the control value when the head reaches a target sector so as to perform read heating; a heater control value measurement unit which, upon desired correction, measures a contact heater control value when the head is brought into contact with a medium surface while gradually increasing the adjustment heater control value from a predetermined initial value, sets the initial value to the adjustment heater control value, and sets the value, which is obtained by subtracting a minimum clearance heater control value corresponding to a predetermined minimum clearance and the initial value from the contact heater control value, as a base heater control value; and a write assist adjustment unit which adjusts the adjustment heater control value measured by the heater control value measurement unit to a heater control value which improves characteristic deterioration immediately after recording is started wherein preheating is switched to write heating.