Magnetic sensor device and magnetic sensor

Abstract

Check for failures in the magnetic sensor element. [Solution] The magnetic sensor device 1 comprises N (N≧2) magnetic sensor elements 12, N loop-shaped wirings 171 corresponding to each magnetic sensor element 12, an application unit 19 that applies alternating current to the N loop-shaped wirings 171, and a self-checking unit that checks for the occurrence of a failure in any of the magnetic sensor elements 12 based on the detection results of each magnetic sensor element 12 when the alternating current is applied by the application unit 19.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a magnetic sensor device and the like. BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Conventionally, a technique is known in which magnets (magnetic markers) are installed along a track, and these are detected by a magnetic sensor (more specifically, a plurality of magnetic sensor elements constituting the magnetic sensor) provided on the vehicle side, thereby detecting the position of the vehicle (see Patent Document 1). PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0003] PATENT DOCUMENT 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2022-170810 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0004] The technique of Patent Document 1 has few failures because, in principle of detecting the magnetic field generated by the magnet with the magnetic sensor element, it requires no power and has a simple structure. However, since the magnetic sensor element does not emit a signal by itself, there is a problem that it is difficult to detect a failure when it actually occurs.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a technique capable of verifying the occurrence of a failure in a magnetic sensor element. MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0006] A first invention for solving the above problem is: N (N≧2) magnetic sensor elements, and N loop wirings respectively corresponding to the magnetic sensor elements, and an applying means (for example, the applying unit 19 in FIG. 3) for applying an alternating current to the N loop wirings, and A checking means (for example, the self-checking unit 355 in Figure 9) checks for the occurrence of a failure in any of the magnetic sensor elements based on the detection results of each of the magnetic sensor elements when the alternating current is applied by the application means, This is a magnetic sensor device equipped with [a specific feature / feature].

[0007] According to the first invention, N loop-shaped wirings are arranged corresponding to each of the N magnetic sensor elements, and an alternating current can be applied to each loop-shaped wiring. Based on the detection results of each magnetic sensor element while the alternating current is applied, it is possible to check for the occurrence of a failure in any of the magnetic sensor elements.

[0008] The second invention relates to the above invention, The N loop-shaped wirings are configured such that their relative positional relationship with respect to the corresponding magnetic sensor element is the same. It is a magnetic sensor device.

[0009] According to the second invention, the relative positional relationship of the loop-shaped wiring for each of the N magnetic sensor elements can be configured similarly.

[0010] The third invention is, in the above invention, A connecting wire that sequentially connects the N loop-shaped wires, and a connecting wire that connects the N loop-shaped wires in series, Furthermore, The application means applies the alternating current to the N loop-shaped wiring by applying the alternating current to the connecting wiring. It is a magnetic sensor device.

[0011] According to the third invention, by arranging connecting wires that sequentially connect N loop-shaped wires in series, and applying an alternating current to the connecting wires, an alternating current can be applied to each loop-shaped wire.

[0012] The fourth invention is, in the above invention, The wiring formed by connecting the N loop-shaped wirings and the connecting wiring is a single continuous line of wiring. This is a magnetic sensor device.

[0013] According to the fourth invention, the N loop wirings and the connection wirings connecting them can be configured as a single-stroke drawn wiring.

[0014] In the fifth invention based on the above invention, A set of the connection wirings are arranged adjacent to each other such that the polarities of the currents flowing therethrough are opposite to each other. This is a magnetic sensor device.

[0015] According to the fifth invention, a set of wirings can be arranged adjacent to each other such that the polarities of the currents flowing therethrough are opposite to each other, so that the respective loop wirings can be connected in sequence.

[0016] In the sixth invention based on the above invention, The alternating current has a frequency between 10 Hz and 10 kHz. This is a magnetic sensor device.

[0017] According to the sixth invention, the frequency of the alternating current is set to a frequency between 10 Hz and 10 kHz.

[0018] In the seventh invention based on the above invention, Said N is 4 or more, The N magnetic sensor elements are arranged in a planar shape. This is a magnetic sensor device.

[0019] According to the seventh invention, 4 or more magnetic sensor elements are arranged in a planar shape.

[0020] In the eighth invention based on the above invention, The verification means verifies the occurrence of a failure in any of the magnetic sensor elements based on the amplitude and phase of the alternating current based on the respective detection results of the N magnetic sensor elements. This is a magnetic sensor device.

[0021] According to the eighth invention, it is possible to check for the occurrence of a failure in any of the magnetic sensor elements based on the amplitude and phase of the alternating current obtained from the detection results of each of the N magnetic sensor elements.

[0022] The ninth invention is, The magnetic sensor in a magnetic sensor device comprising a magnetic sensor and a control device (for example, the magnetic sensor unit 10 in Figures 1, 3, and 9) N (N≧2) magnetic sensor elements, N loop-shaped wirings corresponding to each of the aforementioned magnetic sensor elements, An application means for applying alternating current to the N loop-shaped wirings, The magnetic sensor is such that the control device can check for a malfunction in any of the magnetic sensor elements based on the detection result of each of the magnetic sensor elements when the alternating current is applied by the application means.

[0023] According to the ninth invention, a magnetic sensor capable of achieving the same effects as the first invention can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0024] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of the application of an on-board device. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example of the arrangement of magnetic sensor elements in the magnetic sensor section. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example configuration of the magnetic sensor unit. [Figure 4] Schematic diagram of the wiring section. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the calculation results for the amplitude of each magnetic sensor element under normal conditions. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the calculation results for the amplitude of each magnetic sensor element when a failure occurs. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of the phase calculation results for each magnetic sensor element under normal conditions. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the phase calculation results for each magnetic sensor element when a failure occurs. [Figure 9]A block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of a control device. [Figure 10] A flowchart illustrating the processing flow performed by the control device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the application of the magnetic sensor device in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the magnetic sensor device 1 is mounted on a railway vehicle 3 that runs on a track 5 and comprises a magnetic sensor unit 10 and a control device 30. Multiple magnets 7 are installed on the track 5 at predetermined installation positions. For example, the magnets 7 are installed between the left and right rails.

[0026] The magnetic sensor unit 10 is installed on the bottom or bogie of the railway vehicle 3 in a position where it can detect the magnet 7 when passing over the installation location of the magnet 7. Preferably, the magnetic sensor unit 10 is installed in a position where it faces the magnet 7 when passing over the installation location of the magnet 7.

[0027] Figure 2 shows an example of the arrangement of magnetic sensor elements 12 in the magnetic sensor unit 10. As shown in Figure 2, the magnetic sensor unit 10 has N (N≧2) magnetic sensor elements 12 arranged in a planar direction facing the track 5. In the example in Figure 2, the magnetic sensor unit 10 shows a total of four magnetic sensor elements 12 (A) to (D) arranged in a planar direction, two rows in the left-right direction and two rows in the front-rear direction (direction of travel) of the railway vehicle 3. The spacing between adjacent magnetic sensor elements 12 is such that they do not overlap, and it is preferable that the distance between the centers of the magnetic sensor elements 12 in both the left-right and front-rear directions is within 150 mm.

[0028] The arrangement of magnetic sensor elements 12 in the magnetic sensor unit 10 is not limited to the example arrangement of 2 rows in the left-right direction and 2 rows in the front-back direction (travel direction), totaling 4 elements. It may also be an arrangement of 3 rows x 3 rows for a total of 9 elements, or 4 rows x 4 rows for a total of 16 elements, or an arrangement of 4 rows x 3 rows for a total of 12 elements with different numbers in the left-right and front-back directions. The arrangement can be set as appropriate. Furthermore, the magnetic sensor unit 10 may be configured with multiple magnetic sensor elements 12 arranged only in the left-right direction.

[0029] The magnetic sensor element 12 is an element that detects a magnetic field and outputs a current or voltage as a detected value corresponding to the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field. In this embodiment, the magnetic sensor element 12 is a three-axis sensor having three detection axes (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis), with the X-axis aligned with the front-to-back direction of the railway vehicle 3, the Y-axis aligned with the left-to-right direction of the railway vehicle 3, and the Z-axis aligned with the up-to-down direction of the railway vehicle 3. For example, the magnetic sensor element 12 is a Hall element, a magnetoresistive element (MR element), a magnetoimpedance element (MI element), a flux-gate sensor, etc. The detected value of the magnetic sensor element 12 is output to the control device 30.

[0030] The control device 30 uses the detection of magnetism by the magnetic sensor unit 10 to determine when the railway vehicle 3 has passed the location where the magnet 7 is installed. In this embodiment, a reference magnetic field distribution is prepared in advance for each type of magnet 7. The reference magnetic field distribution is the reference for the magnetic field distribution detected when passing the location where the corresponding type of magnet 7 is installed. For example, the reference magnetic field distribution can be determined based on the magnetic field distribution detected by the magnetic sensor unit 10 when the railway vehicle 3 actually runs on the track 5 after the magnet 7 has been installed on the track 5. Alternatively, since the magnetic field distribution detected by the magnetic sensor unit 10 is determined by the relative positional relationship between the magnet 7 and the magnetic sensor unit 10, the reference magnetic field distribution can also be determined by experimental results in a laboratory or factory, or by computer simulations.

[0031] While the railway vehicle 3 is in motion, the control device 30 compares the magnetic field distribution detected by the magnetic sensor unit 10 (detected magnetic field distribution) with the reference magnetic field distribution for each type of magnet 7. For example, the control device 30 calculates a correlation coefficient between the detected magnetic field distribution and each reference magnetic field distribution. The correlation coefficient is calculated as a value between "-1" and "1", and a larger absolute value (closer to "1") indicates a stronger correlation (= higher similarity), while a smaller absolute value indicates a weaker correlation (= lower similarity). The control device 30 determines that a reference magnetic field distribution whose calculated correlation coefficient is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (for example, "0.9") is a match with the detected magnetic field distribution. If the control device 30 determines that a match exists for any of the reference magnetic field distributions, it determines that the vehicle has passed the installation location of a magnet 7 of the type corresponding to that reference magnetic field distribution.

[0032] [detail] The magnetic sensor device 1 of this embodiment has a self-checking function. The self-checking function applies an alternating magnetic field to each of the N magnetic sensor elements 12 and checks for the occurrence of a malfunction by checking whether each magnetic sensor element 12 correctly detects it.

[0033] 1. Configuration of the magnetic sensor element Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the magnetic sensor unit 10 in this embodiment, and is a schematic plan view of the magnetic sensor unit 10 as seen from above. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the wiring unit 17 extracted from Figure 3 and displayed transparently. As shown in Figure 3, the magnetic sensor unit 10 of this embodiment comprises a mounting substrate 15 on which a plurality of magnetic sensor elements 12(A) to (D) are mounted (for example, a total of four, in two rows in the left-right direction and two rows in the up-down direction), a wiring unit 17 formed on the back surface of the mounting substrate 15, and an application unit 19 for applying an AC current for self-checking to the wiring unit 17.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4, the wiring section 17 consists of N loop-shaped wirings 171 (171-1 to 171-4) corresponding to each of the N (N=4 in this embodiment) magnetic sensor elements 12, and connecting wirings 173 that sequentially connect the N loop-shaped wirings 171 in series. In this embodiment, the wiring of the wiring section 17, in which the N loop-shaped wirings 171 and the connecting wirings 173 that sequentially connect them are connected, forms a single continuous line of wiring. The arrows shown along the wiring in Figure 4 indicate that it is a single continuous line of wiring. If the mounting substrate 15 is a multilayer substrate, the wiring of the wiring section 17 may be formed in an intermediate layer. It is preferable that the wiring be formed by copper foil patterns on the printed circuit board.

[0035] Here, the control device 30 determines the passage of the location where the magnet 7 is installed by detecting the magnetic field generated by the magnet 7 based on the detection values ​​of each magnetic sensor element 12 while the railway vehicle 3 is in motion. For this reason, it is preferable to separate the detected value of the magnetic field generated by the magnet 7 from the detected value of the self-checking magnetic field generated by the application of the self-checking AC current to each loop-shaped wiring 171. For example, if the detected values ​​of the self-checking magnetic field detected by each magnetic sensor element 12 can be made the same, the same magnetic field will be generated in a biased manner, and the detected value of the self-checking magnetic field can be separated and removed. Furthermore, it is preferable to configure each magnetic sensor element 12 so that, as much as possible, only the magnetic field generated by the corresponding loop-shaped wiring 171 acts on it, out of the magnetic fields that can be generated at various points in the wiring section 17.

[0036] In this embodiment, the N loop-shaped wirings 171 are arranged to surround the corresponding magnetic sensor elements 12 when viewed from above. More specifically, each loop-shaped wiring 171 has the same shape and is sized so that the magnetic sensor elements 12 fit inside the loop when viewed from above. Each loop-shaped wiring 171 is arranged to have a similar relative positional relationship with respect to the corresponding magnetic sensor element 12. In the example shown in Figure 3, each loop-shaped wiring 171 is arranged with its center aligned so that the magnetic sensor element 12 is located in the center of the loop. This ensures that each magnetic sensor element 12 is subjected to a similar biasing magnetic field for self-checking. Furthermore, the connecting wirings 173 that connect each loop-shaped wiring 171 are configured so that a pair of wires are placed next to each other with opposite polarity of the current flowing through them. This reduces the magnetic field generated from the connecting wirings 173 and suppresses its influence on the self-checking magnetic field detected by each magnetic sensor element 12.

[0037] Furthermore, the arrangement of each loop-shaped wiring 171 is not limited to aligning their centers, as long as the relative positional relationship with respect to the corresponding magnetic sensor element 12 is the same. For example, the magnetic sensor elements 12 may be arranged with their centers offset, as long as they are contained within the loop.

[0038] The application unit 19 applies alternating current to the N loop-shaped wirings 171 corresponding to each magnetic sensor element 12 by applying alternating current to the connecting wiring 173. This causes an alternating magnetic field of the same magnitude to act on each magnetic sensor element 12. The applied alternating current is preferably at a frequency where the phase difference (time difference) in the detection magnetic field of each magnetic sensor element 12 can be ignored, specifically, a frequency where the wavelength is sufficiently long compared to the total length of the connecting wiring 173. In this embodiment, the application unit 19 applies an alternating current with a frequency between 10 Hz and 10 kHz. Note that the waveform of the alternating current does not necessarily have to be a sine wave. A triangular wave or a square wave may also be used.

[0039] 2. Regarding the investigation of failure occurrence The control device 30 controls the execution of the self-checking function at predetermined timings. For example, this control is performed before the start of operation of the railway vehicle 3 or after the end of operation. In this embodiment, the control device 30 controls the application unit 19 to apply alternating current to the N loop-shaped wirings 171 for a predetermined check time. The control device 30 then checks for a failure in any of the magnetic sensor elements 12 based on the detection results of each magnetic sensor element 12 while the alternating current is applied to each loop-shaped wiring 171 by the application unit 19. Specifically, first, the control device 30 calculates the amplitude and phase of the alternating current from the detected values ​​of each magnetic sensor element 12. For each magnetic sensor element 12, the control device 30 performs frequency analysis using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on the time-series data of the detected values ​​of the magnetic sensor element 12 to calculate the amplitude and phase.

[0040] Figure 5 shows an example of the calculation results for the amplitude of each magnetic sensor element 12 under normal conditions, and Figure 6 shows an example of the calculation results for the amplitude of each magnetic sensor element 12 when a failure occurs. Furthermore, Figure 7 shows an example of the calculation results for the phase of each magnetic sensor element 12 under normal conditions, and Figure 8 shows an example of the calculation results for the phase of each magnetic sensor element 12 when a failure occurs.

[0041] As described above, while the application unit 19 is applying alternating current to each loop-shaped wiring 171 (during the verification time), basically, an alternating magnetic field of the same magnitude and the same phase (more precisely, there is a negligible phase difference, so they are approximately the same phase) acts on each magnetic sensor element 12. Therefore, as shown in Figure 5, under normal conditions, the amplitude of the alternating current obtained from the detected value of each magnetic sensor element 12 will all be approximately the same value (approximately 3.5 [μT] in the example of Figure 5). The same applies to the phase, which will all be approximately the same value (a value between 70 [°] and 80 [°] in the example of Figure 7).

[0042] In contrast, if there is a magnetic sensor element 12 whose calculated amplitude and phase values ​​are significantly different from those of the other magnetic sensor elements 12, it can be determined that a malfunction has occurred in that magnetic sensor element 12. In the examples in Figures 6 and 8, the amplitude and phase values ​​of magnetic sensor element 12 (C) are clearly smaller than those of the other magnetic sensor elements 12.

[0043] Therefore, the control device 30 determines whether there are outliers in the amplitude of each calculated magnetic sensor element 12, and similarly determines whether there are outliers in the phase of each calculated magnetic sensor element 12. If the control device 30 determines that there are outliers, it determines that a failure has occurred in the magnetic sensor element 12 related to the outlier. The method for determining outliers is not particularly limited, and known methods such as methods for determining values ​​that deviate significantly from the mean, or methods using the interquartile range, may be appropriately adopted. In this embodiment, in order to prevent false determination of failure, if the amplitude or phase related to the same magnetic sensor element 12 is continuously determined to be an outlier for a predetermined period of time, it is determined that a failure has occurred in the magnetic sensor element 12. In the examples of Figures 6 and 8, it is determined that a failure has occurred in the magnetic sensor element 12 of (C), and notification control is performed by displaying a message to that effect or outputting a warning sound.

[0044] Although an example was shown where outliers are calculated to determine the occurrence of a fault, it is also possible to pre-define threshold ranges for amplitude and phase, and determine that a fault has occurred in a magnetic sensor element 12 if the amplitude or phase of that element shows a value outside the corresponding threshold range.

[0045] [Functional Configuration] Figure 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the control device 30. As shown in Figure 9, the control device 30, together with the magnetic sensor unit 10, constitutes the magnetic sensor device 1. The control device 30 comprises an operation unit 310, a display unit 320, a communication unit 330, a processing unit 350, and a storage unit 370, and is configured as a type of computer system.

[0046] The operation unit 310 is implemented by an input device such as a button switch or a touch panel, and outputs an operation signal to the processing unit 350 in accordance with the operation input. The display unit 320 is implemented by a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a touch panel, and displays various information in accordance with the display signal from the processing unit 350. The communication unit 330 is implemented by a wired or wireless communication device, and communicates with a predetermined external device.

[0047] The processing unit 350 is implemented, for example, by an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a control board including said arithmetic circuit, and controls the operation of the magnetic sensor device 1, including the control device 30, by performing various arithmetic processes based on programs and data stored in the storage unit 370. In this embodiment, the processing unit 350 includes a detection unit 351, a determination unit 353, and a self-checking unit 355. Each of these functional units may be an arithmetic processing block implemented as software by executing a program, or it may be a circuit block implemented by a signal processing circuit. In this embodiment, the processing unit 350 is described as an arithmetic processing block implemented as software by executing a predetermined program.

[0048] The detection unit 351 continuously detects the magnetic field distribution (detected magnetic field distribution) based on the detection values ​​of each magnetic sensor element 12 of the magnetic sensor unit 10 while the railway vehicle 3 is in motion.

[0049] The determination unit 353 compares a reference magnetic field distribution, which serves as a reference for the magnetic field distribution detected by the detection unit 351 when passing the installation position of the magnet 7, with the detected magnetic field distribution detected by the detection unit 351, thereby determining whether the vehicle has passed the installation position of the magnet 7 and determining the type of the magnet 7.

[0050] The self-checking unit 355 is a functional unit that performs a self-checking function. At a predetermined timing, it controls the application unit 19 to apply alternating current to each loop-shaped wiring 171 corresponding to each of the N magnetic sensor elements 12 for a predetermined check time. The self-checking unit 355 then checks for the occurrence of a failure in any of the magnetic sensor elements 12 based on the detection results of each magnetic sensor element 12 while the alternating current is applied to each loop-shaped wiring 171 by the application unit 19.

[0051] The memory unit 370 is implemented using a storage medium such as an IC memory or a hard disk. The memory unit 370 pre-stores programs for operating the magnetic sensor device 1, including the control device 30, and for realizing various functions, as well as data used during the execution of such programs, or temporarily stores them each time processing is performed. In this embodiment, the memory unit 370 stores installation magnet data 371, reference magnetic field distribution data 373, detection data 375, and self-check data 377.

[0052] The installation magnet data 371 stores data on the magnets 7 installed on the track 5. For each installation location of the magnets 7, the installation magnet data 371 sets the type of magnet 7 to be installed and the kilometer distance of the installation location. The reference magnetic field distribution data 373 stores reference magnetic field distribution data for each type of magnet 7. The detection data 375 is generated for each detection by the magnetic sensor unit 10 and stores the detected values ​​of each magnetic sensor element 12. The self-check data 377 stores data on the amplitude and phase of the alternating current calculated for each magnetic sensor element 12 based on the detected values ​​of the magnetic sensor elements 12 during the execution of the self-check function, as well as the results of fault determination.

[0053] [Process Flow] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the processing flow related to the execution of the self-checking function. In this process, the self-checking unit 355 first controls the application unit 19 to apply alternating current to the connecting wiring 173 for a predetermined checking time, thereby applying alternating current to each loop-shaped wiring 171 corresponding to each of the N magnetic sensor elements 12 (step S1).

[0054] Next, the self-checking unit 355 performs frequency analysis using FFT on the detected values ​​of each magnetic sensor element 12 as needed to calculate the amplitude and phase for each magnetic sensor element 12 (step S3).

[0055] Then, the self-checking unit 355 determines the outliers included in the amplitude of each magnetic sensor element 12 calculated in step S3 (step S5), and also determines the outliers included in the phase of each magnetic sensor element 12 calculated in step S3 (step S7). After that, during the check time (step S9: NO), it returns to step S3 and repeats the above process.

[0056] Then, if the verification time has elapsed (step S9: YES), the self-verification unit 355 refers to the outlier determination result for amplitude in step S5 and the outlier determination result for phase in step S7, and if there is a magnetic sensor element 12 whose amplitude and / or phase values ​​have been outliers for a predetermined period of time (step S11: YES), it determines that a failure has occurred in the magnetic sensor element 12 (step S13). In that case, the self-verification unit 355 performs control to notify the system of the failure of the magnetic sensor element 12 (step S15).

[0057] As described above, according to this embodiment, N loop-shaped wirings 171 are arranged corresponding to N magnetic sensor elements 12, and by applying an alternating current to a connecting wiring 173 that connects each loop-shaped wiring 171 in series, an alternating current can be applied to each loop-shaped wiring 171. Then, from the time-series data of the detected values ​​of each magnetic sensor element 12 while an alternating current is applied to each loop-shaped wiring 171, the amplitude and phase of the alternating magnetic field acting on each magnetic sensor element 12 can be calculated, and it can be determined that a failure has occurred in a magnetic sensor element 12 whose amplitude and / or phase are outliers. This makes it possible to realize a method for checking for the occurrence of a failure in any of the magnetic sensor elements 12 in a magnetic sensor device 1 (magnetic sensor unit 10) composed of N (N≧2) magnetic sensor elements 12.

[0058] In the above embodiment, an alternating current is applied to the connecting wiring 173 for a predetermined duration at a predetermined timing, thereby applying an alternating current to the N loop-shaped wirings 171 to check for fault occurrence. Alternatively, the system may be configured to continuously apply an alternating current to each loop-shaped wiring 171 while the railway vehicle 3 is running, thereby checking for fault occurrence.

[0059] As described above, the magnetic field for self-checking acts as a bias on each of the magnetic sensor elements 12. Therefore, while the railway vehicle 3 is in motion, this bias component can be separated and used for self-checking, and the remaining component can be used to detect the magnetic field generated by the magnet 7. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1…Magnetic sensor device 10…Magnetic sensor section 12…Magnetic sensor element 15… Implemented circuit board 17...Wiring section 171... Loop-shaped wiring 173...Connection wiring 19... Application part 30...Control device 350... Processing Unit 351...Detection unit 353...Judgment section 355...Self-Assessment Department 370...Storage section 371…Installed magnet data 373...Reference magnetic field distribution data 375…Detection data 377…Self-assessment data 3…Railway vehicles 5... Orbit

Claims

1. N (N≧2) magnetic sensor elements, N loop-shaped wirings corresponding to each of the aforementioned magnetic sensor elements, An application means for applying alternating current to the N loop-shaped wirings, A verification means for checking for the occurrence of a failure in any of the magnetic sensor elements based on the detection results of each of the magnetic sensor elements when the alternating current is applied by the application means, In addition to being equipped, With a pair of wires arranged side by side such that the polarity of the current flowing through them is reversed, a connecting wire connects the application means to each of the N loop-shaped wires. Furthermore, The application means applies the alternating current to the N loop-shaped wiring by applying the alternating current to the connecting wiring, The aforementioned connecting wiring does not intersect with the loop-shaped wiring when viewed from above, and connects the application means to each of the N loop-shaped wirings. The set of wiring constituting the aforementioned connecting wiring is a single-stroke wiring that, when traced along the direction of current flow, does not cross each other in a top view, and traces the N loop-shaped wiring in series. Magnetic sensor device.

2. The N loop-shaped wirings are configured such that their relative positional relationship with respect to the corresponding magnetic sensor element is the same. The magnetic sensor device according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned alternating current has a frequency between 10 Hz and 10 kHz. The magnetic sensor device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned N is 4 or greater. The N magnetic sensor elements are arranged in a planar manner. The magnetic sensor device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The verification means checks for the occurrence of a failure in any of the N magnetic sensor elements based on the amplitude and phase of the alternating current based on the detection results of each of the N magnetic sensor elements. The magnetic sensor device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. N (N≧2) magnetic sensor elements, N loop-shaped wirings corresponding to each of the aforementioned magnetic sensor elements, The N loop-shaped wirings are provided with an application means for applying an AC current for self-checking, Having, With a pair of wires arranged side by side such that the polarity of the current flowing through them is reversed, a connecting wire connects the application means to each of the N loop-shaped wires. It further possesses, The application means applies the alternating current to the N loop-shaped wiring by applying the alternating current to the connecting wiring, The aforementioned connecting wiring does not intersect with the loop-shaped wiring when viewed from above, and connects the application means to each of the N loop-shaped wirings. The set of wiring constituting the aforementioned connecting wiring is a single-stroke wiring that, when traced along the direction of current flow, does not cross each other in a top view, and traces the N loop-shaped wiring in series. Magnetic sensor.

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