Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.

Masayuki Obana

Hideto Ando

Shinji Sugihara

Toshihiro Kobayashi

Takafumi Noguchi

Tsutomu Takeya

Akira Miyatake

Kazuaki Kaneko

Yuki Imai

Kunio Yamanaka

Kenichiro Ikeda

Kyoko Hotta

A magnetic sensor including a first magneto resistive effect element located on a first surface of a substrate and having a sensitivity axis in a first direction that is one of in-plane directions of the first surface, a positioning soft magnetic body including a first most proximal portion of which a relative position with respect to the magneto resistive effect element is defined, and provided in a non-contact manner with respect to the first magneto resistive effect element, and a first soft magnetic body and a second soft magnetic body juxtaposed in the first direction and extending in a direction away from the first surface, and each of the first soft magnetic body and the second soft magnetic body is magnetically connected to the positioning soft magnetic body.

Magnetic sensor

A magnetic field component in a Z direction is guided by a magnetic field guide layer and applied to a magnetic sensor in an X direction that is the same as a sensitivity axis direction thereof, and a detection output is obtained. A bridge circuit is formed with a plurality of magnetic sensors and configured such that an output is not provided for a magnetic field component in the X direction. However, when an external magnetic field in the X direction is drawn to the magnetic field guide layer, variation of sensitivity for the X direction may occur. Thus, soft magnetic characteristics of a first portion of the magnetic field guide layer are deteriorated to decrease the magnetic permeability of the first portion.

Magnetic detection device

A magnetic sensor includes a non-bias structure element section that has a laminated structure in which a fixed magnetic layer, a non-magnetic material layer, a free magnetic layer, and a protection layer are laminated, and that is extended in an X1-X2 direction; and soft magnetic bodies that are arranged on the element section in a contactless manner. The soft magnetic bodies include a first section, a second section, and a third section. The second section is located on a Y2 side of the element section and the third section is located on a Y1 side thereof. The second section of one of soft magnetic bodies faces the third section of the other soft magnetic body in a Y1-Y2 direction through the element section. An electrode layer is provided on the element section which faces the joint sections of the second section and the third section in the Y1-Y2 direction.

Magnetic sensor for improving hysteresis and linearity

A magnetic sensor includes a plurality of magnetoresistive elements that are formed by stacking a magnetic layer and a non-magnetic layer on a substrate and that exhibit a magnetoresistive effect and a soft magnetic member that converts a vertical magnetic field component into a horizontal magnetic field component. The soft magnetic member is formed of a plurality of first and second soft magnetic portions respectively extending in an X1-X2 direction and a Y1-Y2 direction, combined together in the shape of a lattice. The magnetoresistive elements have a sensitivity direction in the Y2 direction and include a magnetoresistive element located on a Y1 side portion side of the first soft magnetic portion and a magnetoresistive element located on a Y2 side portion side of the first soft magnetic portion, respectively receiving horizontal magnetic field components from the Y1 direction and Y2 direction.

Growing community of inventors

Niigata-ken, Japan

Masayuki Obana