Electric current sensor

Abstract

This current sensor (1) includes: four or more even-numbered magnetosensitive elements (20a to 20j) arranged side by side within a reference plane (XZ) orthogonal to a reference line (Y); and arithmetic circuits (201 to 203) that, on the basis of the outputs of the even-numbered magnetosensitive elements (20a to 20j), calculate the displacement of a current path (10) to be measured disposed so as to extend in the reference direction (Y). The even-numbered magnetosensitive elements (20a to 20j) include first pairs of magnetosensitive elements (20a, 20b; 20c, 20f; 20d, 20e; 20g, 20j; 20h, 20i) that exhibit line symmetry with respect to a first straight line (Z), and second pairs of magnetosensitive elements (20c, 20d; 20f, 20e; 20g, 20h; 20j, 20i) that exhibit line symmetry with respect to a second straight line (X). Each of the magnetosensitive elements among the first pairs of magneto-sensitive elements coincides with a sensitivity axis obtained by mirror-image-inverting and reversing the sensitivity axis of the other magneto-sensitive element among the first pairs of magneto-sensitive elements with respect to the first straight line (Z), or a sensitivity axis obtained by mirror-image-inverting the sensitivity axis of said other magneto-sensitive element with respect to the first straight line (Z). Each of sensitivity axis of the magnetosensitive elements of the second pairs of magneto-sensitive elements coincides with a sensitivity axis obtained by mirror-image-inverting and reversing the sensitivity axis of the other magneto-sensitive element among the second pairs of magneto-sensitive elements with respect to the second straight line (X), or a sensitivity axis obtained by mirror-image-inverting the sensitivity axis of said other magneto-sensitive element with respect to the second straight line.

Description

Current Sensor

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a current sensor.

[0002] A current sensor has been proposed that uses multiple magnetically sensitive elements to detect the magnetic field generated in the surrounding space by the current flowing through the current path under test and calculates the current value based on the detected magnetic field. In this type of current sensor, the magnetic field generated at each magnetically sensitive element by the current under test varies depending on the relative positional relationship between the current path under test and the magnetically sensitive elements, so the measured current value fluctuates depending on the relative positional deviation between the current path under test and the magnetically sensitive elements. To reduce such current measurement errors, a current sensor has been proposed that measures the position of the current path under test using the magnetic field detected by multiple magnetically sensitive elements arranged around the current path under test and corrects the current value based on the measured position of the current path under test (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Special Publication No. 2023-541200

[0004] However, the conventional current sensor has a problem in that the accuracy of detecting the position of the current path to be measured is reduced by a disturbance magnetic field created by a current flowing through an adjacent current path disposed adjacent to the current path to be measured.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a current sensor that can detect the position of a current path to be measured with high accuracy even in the presence of a disturbance magnetic field caused by an adjacent current path or the like.

[0006] A current sensor according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: an even number of magnetic sensitive elements, four or more, arranged side by side in a reference plane orthogonal to a reference line extending in a predetermined reference direction; and an arithmetic circuit that calculates the displacement of a current path to be measured that is arranged to extend in the reference direction based on outputs of the even number of magnetic sensitive elements, wherein the even number of magnetic sensitive elements include a first pair of magnetic sensitive elements that are arranged in positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a first line that passes through an intersection of the reference line and the reference plane and is orthogonal to the reference line; and the even number of magnetic sensitive elements include a second pair of magnetic sensitive elements that are arranged in positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a second line that is orthogonal to both the reference line and the first line and passes through the intersection; Each of the one magnetic sensitive elements of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements coincides with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other magnetic sensitive element of the first pair with respect to the first straight line, or the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other magnetic sensitive element of the first pair with respect to the first straight line; and each of the sensitivity axes of the one magnetic sensitive element of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements coincides with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other magnetic sensitive element of the second pair with respect to the second straight line, or the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other magnetic sensitive element of the second pair with respect to the second straight line.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a current sensor that has high resistance to disturbance magnetic fields caused by adjacent current paths and the like, and that can accurately measure the position of the current path to be measured.

[0008] 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a circuit breaker (including a circuit breaker body and a terminal cover) including a current sensor according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a main part of the circuit breaker shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a main part of the circuit breaker shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a circuit breaker body according to the first embodiment and a circuit board in a terminal cover. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an arrangement of magnetic sensing elements and sensitivity axes of a current sensor according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a current sensor according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first position detection unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a calculation circuit shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a principle of position detection of a current path to be measured in the first position detection unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a principle of cancellation of a disturbance magnetic field in the first position detection unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a calculation circuit shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a principle of position detection of a current path to be measured in the second position detection unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a third position detection unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a calculation circuit shown in FIG. 15. 29 is a diagram showing the principle of position detection of a current path to be measured in the third position detection unit according to embodiment 1. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing the principle of cancellation of a disturbance magnetic field in the third position detection unit according to embodiment 1. FIG. 30 is a diagram showing the arrangement of magnetic sensitive elements and sensitivity axes of a current sensor according to embodiment 2. FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a current sensor according to embodiment 2. FIG. 32 is a diagram showing the arrangement of magnetic sensitive elements and sensitivity axes of a current sensor according to embodiment 3. FIG. 33 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a current sensor according to embodiment 3. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing the arrangement of magnetic sensitive elements and sensitivity axes of a current sensor according to embodiment 4. FIG. 35 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of magnetic sensitive elements and sensitivity axes of a current sensor according to embodiment 5. FIG. 36 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a current sensor according to embodiment 5. FIG. 37 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a first position detection unit according to embodiment 5. FIG. 38 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an arithmetic circuit shown in FIG. 27. FIG. 39 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a second position detection unit according to embodiment 5. FIG. 39 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an arithmetic circuit shown in FIG. 29.Fig. 31 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a third position detection unit according to embodiment 5. Fig. 32 is a block diagram showing an arithmetic circuit shown in Fig. 31.

[0009] Hereinafter, current sensors according to embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and the embodiments can be appropriately combined and modified.

[0010] <<1>> Embodiment 1 <<1-1>> Circuit Breaker Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a circuit breaker 2 (including a circuit breaker body 3 and a terminal cover 4) including a current sensor according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the main parts of the circuit breaker 2 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view showing the main parts of the circuit breaker 2 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the circuit breaker body 3 and a board 40 inside the terminal cover 4. Figs. 1 to 4 show coordinate axes of an xyz Cartesian coordinate system showing the appearance of the circuit breaker 2. The x-axis is the coordinate axis in the horizontal direction of the circuit breaker 2, the y-axis is the coordinate axis in the vertical direction of the circuit breaker 2, and the z-axis is the coordinate axis in the depth direction (or thickness direction) of the circuit breaker 2.

[0011] The circuit breaker 2 has a circuit breaker body 3 and a terminal cover 4. The circuit breaker body 3 has current paths 11 (U phase), 12 (V phase), and 13 (W phase), which are three-phase current lines, and an operating handle 6 that a user uses to turn the current paths on and off (i.e., to conduct and interrupt). The circuit breaker body 3 has a surface (front surface) 7 and a bottom surface 8, and the terminal cover 4 is attached to the surface 7 side of the circuit breaker body 3. The terminal cover 4 has an end 4a that is a portion outside (on the -x side) of the current path 11, a line-to-line portion 4b that is a portion between the current paths 11 and 12, a line-to-line portion 4c that is a portion between the current paths 12 and 13, and an end 4d that is a portion outside (on the +x side) of the current path 13.

[0012] 3, the terminal cover 4 has a substrate 40 on which a plurality of magnetically sensitive elements (i.e., magnetic sensors) constituting the current sensor are attached. The substrate 40 has a shape that matches the shape of the housing 5. The substrate 40 has an end region 41 that is an area outside (-x side) of the current path 11, an inter-line region 42 that is an area between the current paths 11 and 12, an inter-line region 43 that is an area between the current paths 12 and 13, and an end region 44 that is an area outside (+x side) of the current path 13.

[0013] The terminal cover 4 has a function of covering the terminals of the current paths 11, 12, and 13 of the circuit breaker body 3. The terminal cover 4 has a function of measuring the current value of the current flowing through the current path, the voltage of the current path, the amount of power supplied through the current path, etc. A measuring unit is provided inside the housing 5 of the terminal cover 4 to measure a value indicating the current flowing through the current path.

[0014] For example, in the first embodiment, the measurement unit includes two current sensors 1. The two current sensors 1 measure a U-phase current, which is a current flowing in a U-phase current path 11, and a W-phase current, which is a current flowing in a W-phase current path 13. A V-phase current, which is a current flowing in a V-phase current path 12, is calculated based on the measured values ​​of the U-phase current and the W-phase current. The measurement unit also includes multiple voltage sensors (not shown) that measure the voltages of the current paths 11, 12, and 13, and calculates the power supplied to the load device through the circuit breaker 2 based on the measured voltage values ​​and the measured current values ​​by the two current sensors 1. In the first embodiment, the circuit breaker 2 is only required to have at least one current sensor 1, and does not necessarily have to have two current sensors 1.

[0015] An even number of magnetically sensitive elements, four or more, are mounted on the substrate 40 of the terminal cover 4. The magnetically sensitive elements are elements capable of detecting magnetic fields, and the type is not limited. For example, the magnetically sensitive elements are magnetoresistive elements and Hall elements. The magnetoresistive elements are, for example, giant magnetoresistance (GMR) elements, tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) elements, or anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) elements.

[0016] <<1-2>> Current Sensor 1 FIG. 5 illustrates the arrangement of the magnetically sensitive elements and the sensitivity axis of the current sensor 1 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 5, the reference line Y is a straight line parallel to the y-axis in FIGS. 1 to 4. The current path 10 to be measured, which is the current line to be measured (e.g., one of the current paths 11, 12, and 13), is positioned on the reference line Y so as to extend in a reference direction parallel to the y-axis. In reality, there may be a positional deviation between the position of the current path 10 to be measured and the position of the reference line Y. The reference plane XZ is a plane perpendicular to the reference line Y. In FIG. 5, the first line Z intersects the reference line Y at the intersection of the reference line Y and the reference plane XZ and is a straight line parallel to the z-axis in FIGS. 1 to 4. The second line X intersects both the reference line Y and the first line Z and is a straight line parallel to the x-axis in FIGS. 1 to 4. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are coordinate axes of an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system used to explain the arrangement of a plurality of magnetic sensing elements and the orientation of the sensitivity axes.

[0017] The current sensor 1 according to the first embodiment includes an even number of magnetically sensitive elements, four or more, arranged in a reference plane XZ perpendicular to a reference line Y extending in a predetermined reference direction (i.e., the Y-axis direction). In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the current sensor 1 includes ten magnetically sensitive elements 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h, 20i, and 20j (also referred to as "magnetically sensitive elements 20" or "magnetically sensitive elements 20a to 20j"). In the first embodiment, the magnetically sensitive elements 20a to 20j include a row of magnetically sensitive elements 20g, 20c, 20a, 20d, and 20h arranged parallel to the Z-axis, and a row of magnetically sensitive elements 20j, 20f, 20b, 20e, and 20i. While two rows of magnetically sensitive elements are shown in FIG. 5 , the arrangement of the magnetically sensitive elements is not limited to two rows.

[0018] The magnetic sensitive elements 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h, 20i, and 20j each have a sensitivity axis 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 30e, 30f, 30g, 30h, 30i, and 30j (also referred to as "sensitivity axis 30" or "sensitivity axes 30a to 30j"). The magnetic sensitive elements 20 detect a magnetic field in the direction of the sensitivity axis 30 (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5, also referred to as the "magnetic sensing direction") at the position of the magnetic sensitive element 20, and output a signal having a value corresponding to the strength of the magnetic field in the direction of the sensitivity axis 30. There is no limit to the number of magnetic sensitive elements 20, as long as it is an even number of four or more.

[0019] The magnetic sensitive elements 20a to 20j include a first pair of magnetic sensitive elements arranged at positions that are line-symmetric with respect to a first line Z that passes through the intersection of the reference line Y and the reference plane XZ and is perpendicular to the reference line Y. In the example of Fig. 5, the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements are magnetic sensitive elements 20a and 20b, magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20f, magnetic sensitive elements 20d and 20e, magnetic sensitive elements 20g and 20j, and magnetic sensitive elements 20h and 20i. However, the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements is not limited to the example of Fig. 5.

[0020] Furthermore, the magnetic sensitive elements 20a to 20j include a second pair of magnetic sensitive elements arranged at positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a second line X that is perpendicular to both the reference line Y and the first line Z and passes through the intersection point. In the example of Fig. 5, the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements are magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20d, magnetic sensitive elements 20f and 20e, magnetic sensitive elements 20g and 20h, and magnetic sensitive elements 20j and 20i. In this way, the magnetic sensitive elements 20c to 20j that are part of the magnetic sensitive elements 20a to 20j are not only the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements but also the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements. However, the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements is not limited to the example of Fig. 5.

[0021] The sensitivity axis of one of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements coincides with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting (rotating 180 degrees) the sensitivity axis of the other of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements with respect to the first straight line Z. For example, the sensitivity axes 30a, 30c, 30d, 30g, and 30h of the magnetic sensitive elements 20a, 20c, 20d, 20g, and 20h of one of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements coincide with the sensitivity axes 30b, 30f, 30e, 30j, and 30i of the other of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20b, 20f, 20e, 20j, and 20i with respect to the first straight line Z. In other words, the sensitivity axes 30a, 30c, 30d, 30g, and 30h are mirror images of each other and are antiparallel to the sensitivity axes 30b, 30f, 30e, 30j, and 30i. "Antiparallel" means that the sensitivity axes are parallel to each other and point in opposite directions.

[0022] The sensitivity axis of one of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements coincides with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements with respect to the second line X. For example, the sensitivity axes 30c, 30f, 30g, and 30j of one of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20c, 20f, 20g, and 20j coincide with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axes 30d, 30e, 30h, and 30i of the other of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20d, 20e, 20h, and 20i with respect to the second line X. In other words, the sensitivity axes obtained by mirroring the sensitivity axes 30c, 30f, 30g, and 30j with respect to the second line X are antiparallel to the sensitivity axes 30d, 30e, 30h, and 30i.

[0023] 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of current sensor 1 according to embodiment 1. Current sensor 1 includes a current detection unit 50, a first position detection unit 51, a second position detection unit 52, and a third position detection unit 53.

[0024] The current detection unit 50 generates a voltage signal V that indicates the value of a current flowing through the current path 10 to be measured based on the output voltage of at least one of the magnetic sensing elements 20a to 20j. ｃｕｒ Output.

[0025] The first position detection unit 51 detects the output voltages of the four magnetic sensing elements in both the first pair and the second pair and outputs a voltage signal V ｃｕｒ Based on this, the direction (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ ) to the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ Output.

[0026] The second position detection unit 52 detects the output voltages of the four magnetic sensing elements in both the first pair and the second pair, the output voltages of the two magnetic sensing elements in the first pair, and a voltage signal V ｃｕｒ and a voltage signal V indicating a displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in a direction along the second straight line X. ｐｏｓ２ Output.

[0027] The third position detection unit 53 detects the output voltages of the eight magnetic sensing elements in both the first pair and the second pair and outputs a voltage signal V ｃｕｒ and a voltage signal V indicating a displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in a direction along the first straight line Z. ｐｏｓ３ Output.

[0028] 5, the first position detection unit 51 includes four magnetic sensing elements 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f, the second position detection unit 52 includes six magnetic sensing elements 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f, and the third position detection unit 53 includes eight magnetic sensing elements 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h, 20i, and 20j. Magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20f, which are part of the magnetic sensing elements 20a to 20j, are magnetic sensing elements included in the first position detection unit 51, and are also magnetic sensing elements included in the second and third position detection units 52 and 53. However, the magnetic sensing elements included in the first to third position detection units 51, 52, and 53 are not limited to the example in FIG.

[0029] The current sensor 1 shown in FIG. 6 detects voltage signals V ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ２ , V ｐｏｓ３The circuit further includes an arithmetic circuit 200 that calculates the position where the current path to be measured 10, which is a conductor arranged to extend in the reference direction (i.e., a direction parallel to the reference line Y), penetrates the reference plane XZ based on the three voltage signals V. The arithmetic circuit 200 is configured by, for example, a semiconductor integrated circuit, a microprocessor, etc. The arithmetic circuit 200 may be located anywhere. The arithmetic circuit 200 may be an external observation device or an external computer. The arithmetic circuit 200 calculates the position where the current path to be measured 10, which is a conductor arranged to extend in the reference direction (i.e., a direction parallel to the reference line Y), penetrates the reference plane XZ based on the three voltage signals V. ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ２ , V ｐｏｓ３ Based on this, a voltage signal V indicating the position where the current path 10 to be measured, which is arranged to extend in the reference direction, penetrates the reference plane XZ is obtained. ｐｏｓ Output.

[0030] The current sensor 1 outputs a voltage signal V that indicates the value of a current flowing through a current path 10 to be measured. ｃｕｒ and a voltage signal V indicating the position where the current path 10 to be measured passes through the reference plane XZ. ｐｏｓ The voltage signal V corresponding to the current measurement value by the current sensor 1 is output. ｃｕｒ changes depending on the positional relationship between the current path 10 to be measured and the magnetic sensing element 20, the voltage signal V corresponding to the position of the current path 10 to be measured detected by the current sensor 1 ｐｏｓ Using this, a voltage signal V corresponding to the measured current value is obtained. ｃｕｒ The value of the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ Based on the value of ｃｕｒ If it is determined that the measurement accuracy falls below a preset threshold, an alarm may be issued to notify the user of the decrease in measurement accuracy.

[0031] 6 includes a current detection unit 50, but if it is sufficient to detect only the position where the current path 10 to be measured penetrates the reference plane XZ, the current sensor 1 does not necessarily need to include the current detection unit 50. In this case, the voltage signal V input to the first to third position detection units 51, 52, and 53 ｃｕｒ Instead, a current value measured using an external current sensor may be used.

[0032] <<1-3>> First Position Detector 51> The first position detector 51 according to the first embodiment includes four magnetic sensing elements 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f, which are part of the magnetic sensing elements 20a to 20j of the current sensor 1 shown in Fig. 5. In an XZ coordinate system in which the second line X and the first line Z are the coordinate axes (X axis and Z axis), the coordinates of the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f are expressed as (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ The direction of the sensitivity axes 30c, 30d, 30e, and 30f of the magnetic sensing elements 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f, that is, the angle θ of the magnetic sensing direction when the +Z direction is taken as 0° and the rotation direction when the right-handed screw advances in the +Y direction is taken as positive. ｃ , θ ｄ , θ ｅ , θ ｆ are θ １ , -θ １ , θ １ +180°, -θ １ It is -180°.

[0033] 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first position detection unit 51 according to the first embodiment. The first position detection unit 51 detects an output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ Based on this, the direction (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ The calculation circuit 201 calculates the output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ, V ｅ , V ｆ and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ Based on this, the direction (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ ) to the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ Output.

[0034] 8 is a block diagram showing the arithmetic circuit 201 shown in FIG. The arithmetic circuit 201 multiplies the outputs of at least one of the first pair and the second pair of magnetic sensing elements by a weighting coefficient of equal magnitude. For example, the arithmetic circuit 201 multiplies the output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ is the weighting coefficient w ０ , -w ０ By weighting and adding using ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ and a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ It outputs a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ is the direction (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ ) and is given by the following equation (1). The weighted sum appearing in the numerator on the right side of equation (1) is also proportional to the current flowing through the current path 10 under test, so the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ By dividing by , a quantity independent of the current flowing through the current path 10 to be measured is obtained.

[0035] In this way, the outputs of at least one of the first and second pairs of magnetic sensing elements are multiplied by weighting coefficients of equal magnitude. The weighting coefficient of one of the first pair of magnetic sensing elements is equal to the weighting coefficient of the other of the first pair of magnetic sensing elements, with the sign reversed. The weighting coefficient of one of the second pair of magnetic sensing elements is equal to the weighting coefficient of the other of the second pair of magnetic sensing elements, with the sign reversed. In this case, as clearly shown in Equation (1), the block diagram of FIG. 8 may be modified so that the sum or difference of the outputs of at least one of the first and second pairs of magnetic sensing elements is calculated and then multiplied by a common weighting coefficient. On the other hand, if there is variation in the sensitivity of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20f, a correction coefficient for aligning the net sensitivity may be incorporated into the weighting coefficient to correct the sensitivity. In this case, the value of the weighting coefficient may be different for each of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20f.

[0036] <<1-4>> Current Path Position Detection by First Position Detection Unit 51> Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the principle of position detection of the current path 10 to be measured by the first position detection unit 51 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 9 shows an example in which the current path 10 to be measured is located on the reference line Y. Fig. 9 shows how a magnetic field 100 is generated by a current flowing through the current path 10 to be measured.

[0037] In Figure 9, when the current path 10 to be measured is on the reference line Y, the components of the magnetic field 100 generated by the current path 10 to be measured at the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20f in the direction of the sensitivity axes 30c to 30f are all equal. In this case, the weighted sum given by equation (1) is calculated as follows: ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ cancel each other out, and the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ will be 0.

[0038] When the current path 10 to be measured passes through the reference plane XZ on the first straight line Z, the output voltage V ｃ , V ｆ are equal to each other, and the output voltages V ｄ , V ｅare equal to each other, the weighted sum given by equation (1) is obtained as follows: ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ cancel each other out, and the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ will be 0.

[0039] When the current path 10 to be measured passes through the reference plane XZ on the second straight line X, the output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ are equal to each other, and the output voltages V ｅ , V ｆ are equal to each other, the weighted sum given by equation (1) is obtained as follows: ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ cancel each other out, and the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ will be 0.

[0040] Next, in Fig. 9, consider the case where the current path 10 to be measured is displaced from the reference line Y toward the magnetic sensing element 20c. The magnitude of the magnetic field 100 generated by the current path 10 to be measured is inversely proportional to the distance from the current path 10 to be measured. Therefore, the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing element 20c is ｃ increases, and the output voltage V ｅ However, reflecting the distance dependency of the magnetic field 100, the output voltage V ｃ The increase in the output voltage V ｅ The output voltage V ｄ , V ｆ The change in the voltage signal V given by equation (1) is relatively small and can be ignored. ｐｏｓ１ is the output voltage V ｃ , V ｅ Weighting coefficient w multiplied by ０ By the same principle, when the current path 10 to be measured is displaced from the reference line Y in the direction of the magnetic sensing element 20e, the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ is the output voltage V ｃ , V ｅ Weighting coefficient w multiplied by ０ has the same sign as

[0041] 9, consider the case where the current path 10 to be measured is displaced from the reference line Y toward the magnetic sensing element 20d. The magnitude of the magnetic field 100 generated by the current path 10 to be measured is inversely proportional to the distance from the current path 10 to be measured. Therefore, the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing element 20d is ｄ increases, and the output voltage V ｆ However, reflecting the distance dependency of the magnetic field 100, the output voltage V ｄ The increase in the output voltage V ｆ The output voltage V ｃ , V ｅ The change in the voltage signal V given by equation (1) is relatively small and can be ignored. ｐｏｓ１ is the output voltage V ｄ , V ｆ Weighting coefficient -w ０ By the same principle, when the current path 10 to be measured is displaced from the reference line Y in the direction of the magnetic sensing element 20f, the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ is the output voltage V ｄ , V ｆ Weighting coefficient -w ０ has the same sign as

[0042] In this way, the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ The increase or decrease of V changes depending on the sign of the weighting coefficient of the magnetic sensing element 20 in the direction of displacement of the current path 10 to be measured. In other words, when viewed as a function of the position (X, Z) where the current path 10 to be measured penetrates the reference plane XZ, ｐｏｓ１ Reflecting the symmetry of the weighting coefficients of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20f, the voltage signal V is antisymmetric with respect to both the first line Z and the second line X, as given by the following equation (2). ｐｏｓ１ On the basis of the above, it is possible to distinguish between the displacement of the current path 10 to the magnetic sensing element 20c or 20e and the displacement to the magnetic sensing element 20d or 20f. ｐｏｓ１ There are an infinite number of positions (X, Z) on the XZ plane that give the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１The position (X, Z) where the current path to be measured 10 penetrates the reference plane XZ cannot be uniquely determined based on only the above.

[0043] <<1-5>> Cancellation of a disturbance magnetic field in the first position detection unit 51 Figure 10 is a diagram showing the principle of cancellation of a disturbance magnetic field in the first position detection unit 51 according to embodiment 1. Figure 10 shows an example in which an adjacent current path 14 parallel to the reference line Y is located in the +X direction of the current path 10 under measurement, and an adjacent current path 15 parallel to the reference line Y is located in the +Z direction of the current path 10 under measurement. Figure 10 shows how a disturbance magnetic field 104 is generated by a current flowing through the adjacent current path 14, and a disturbance magnetic field 105 is generated by a current flowing through the adjacent current path 15.

[0044] 10, the components of the disturbance magnetic field 104 generated by the adjacent current path 14 at the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20c and 20d in the directions of the sensitivity axes 30c and 30d are equal to each other, and the components of the disturbance magnetic field 104 generated by the adjacent current path 14 at the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20e and 20f in the directions of the sensitivity axes 30e and 30f are equal to each other. Therefore, when the weighted sum given by equation (1) is taken, the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing elements 20c and 20d is ｃ , V ｄ between the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing elements 20e and 20f ｅ , V ｆ Therefore, in the first position detection unit 51, the influence of the disturbance magnetic field from the adjacent current path 14 can be reduced.

[0045] 10, the components of the disturbance magnetic field 105 generated by the adjacent current path 15 at the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20c and 20f in the directions of the sensitivity axes 30c and 30f are equal to each other, and the components of the disturbance magnetic field 105 generated by the adjacent current path 15 at the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20d and 20e in the directions of the sensitivity axes 30d and 30e are equal to each other. Therefore, when the weighted sum given by equation (1) is taken, the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing elements 20c and 20f is ｃ , V ｆ between the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing elements 20d and 20e ｄ , V ｅand the contributions from the disturbance magnetic field 105 cancel each other out. Therefore, the first position detection unit 51 can reduce the influence of the disturbance magnetic field from the adjacent current path 15. Due to the arrangement of the magnetic sensing element groups 20c to 20f and the symmetry between the sensitivity axes and the weighting coefficients, the influence of the disturbance magnetic field can also be reduced for the adjacent current path in the -X direction and the adjacent current path in the -Z direction using the same principle.

[0046] <<1-6>> Second Position Detector 52> The second position detector 52 according to the first embodiment includes six magnetic sensing elements 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f, which are part of the magnetic sensing elements 20a to 20j of the current sensor 1 shown in Fig. 5. In the XZ coordinate system, the coordinates of the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f are expressed as (x ０ , 0), (-x ０ , 0), (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ ) The direction of the sensitivity axes 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 30e, and 30f of the magnetic sensing elements 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f, that is, the angle θ of the magnetic sensing direction when the +Z direction is taken as 0° and the rotation direction when the right-handed screw advances in the +Y direction is taken as positive. ａ , θ ｂ , θ ｃ , θ ｄ , θ ｅ , θ ｆ are 180°, 0°, and θ １ , -θ １ , θ １ +180°, -θ １ 5, the magnitude of the X coordinate of the magneto-sensitive elements 20a and 20b is equal to the magnitude of the X coordinate of the magneto-sensitive elements 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f, but the two may be different.

[0047] 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the second position detection unit 52 according to the first embodiment. The second position detection unit 52 detects an output voltage V ａ, V ｂ , V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ The calculation circuit 202 calculates the displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in the direction along the second straight line X based on the output voltage V ａ , V ｂ , V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ Based on this, a voltage signal V indicating the displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in the direction along the second straight line X is ｐｏｓ２ Output.

[0048] 12 is a block diagram showing the arithmetic circuit 202 shown in FIG. The arithmetic circuit 202 multiplies the outputs of at least one of the first pair and the second pair of magnetic sensing elements by a weighting coefficient of equal magnitude. For example, the arithmetic circuit 202 multiplies the output voltage V ａ , V ｂ , V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ is the weighting coefficient w １ , -w １ , w ２ , -w ２ By weighting and adding using ａ , V ｂ , V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ and a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ２ It outputs a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ２ corresponds to the displacement of the current path 10 under measurement in the direction along the second straight line X, and is given by the following equation (3). The weighted sum appearing in the numerator on the right side of equation (3) is also proportional to the current flowing through the current path 10 under measurement, so the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ By dividing by , a quantity independent of the current flowing through the current path 10 to be measured is obtained.

[0049] In this way, the outputs of at least one of the first and second pairs of magnetic sensing elements are multiplied by weighting coefficients of equal magnitude. The weighting coefficient of one of the first pair of magnetic sensing elements is equal to the weighting coefficient of the other of the first pair of magnetic sensing elements with the sign reversed. The weighting coefficient of one of the second pair of magnetic sensing elements is equal to the weighting coefficient of the other of the second pair of magnetic sensing elements. In this case, as clearly shown in Equation (3), the block diagram of FIG. 12 may be modified so that the sum or difference of the outputs of at least one of the first and second pairs of magnetic sensing elements is calculated, then multiplied by a common weighting coefficient, and finally summed. On the other hand, if there is variation in the sensitivity of the magnetic sensing elements 20a-20f, a correction coefficient for aligning the net sensitivity may be incorporated into the weighting coefficient to correct the sensitivity. In this case, the value of the weighting coefficient may be different for each of the magnetic sensing elements 20a-20f.

[0050] <<1-7>> Current Path Position Detection by Second Position Detection Unit 52 Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the principle of position detection of the current path 10 to be measured by the second position detection unit 52 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 13 shows an example in which the current path 10 to be measured is located on the reference line Y. Fig. 13 shows how a magnetic field 100 is generated by a current flowing through the current path 10 to be measured.

[0051] 13, when the current path 10 to be measured is on the reference line Y, the components of the sensitivity axes 30a and 30b of the magnetic field 100 that the current path 10 to be measured creates at the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20a and 20b are equal to each other, and the components of the sensitivity axes 30c to 30f of the magnetic field 100 that the current path 10 to be measured creates at the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20f are all equal. In this case, when the weighted sum given by equation (3) is taken, the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing elements 20a to 20f is ａ , V ｂ , V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ cancel each other out, and the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ２ will be 0.

[0052] When the current path 10 to be measured passes through the reference plane XZ on the first straight line Z, the output voltage V ａ , V ｂ are equal to each other, and the output voltages V ｃ , V ｆ are equal to each other, and the output voltages V ｄ , V ｅ are equal to each other, the weighted sum given by equation (3) is obtained as follows: ａ , V ｂ , V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ cancel each other out, and the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ２ will be 0.

[0053] When viewed as a function of the position (X, Z) at which the current path 10 to be measured penetrates the reference plane XZ, the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ２ Reflecting the symmetry of the weighting coefficients of the magnetic sensing elements 20a to 20f, the voltage signal V is antisymmetric with respect to the first line Z and symmetric with respect to the second line X, as given by the following equation (4). ｐｏｓ２ On the other hand, it is possible to distinguish between the displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in the +X direction and the displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in the −X direction based on the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ２ There are an infinite number of positions (X, Z) on the XZ plane that give the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ２ The position (X, Z) where the current path to be measured 10 penetrates the reference plane XZ cannot be uniquely determined based on only the above.

[0054] <<1-8>> Cancellation of a disturbance magnetic field in the second position detection unit 52 Figure 14 is a diagram showing the principle of cancellation of a disturbance magnetic field in the second position detection unit 52 according to embodiment 1. Figure 14 shows an example in which an adjacent current path 14 parallel to the reference line Y is located in the +X direction of the current path 10 under measurement, and an adjacent current path 15 parallel to the reference line Y is located in the +Z direction of the current path 10 under measurement. Figure 14 shows how a disturbance magnetic field 104 is generated by the current flowing through the adjacent current path 14, and a disturbance magnetic field 105 is generated by the current flowing through the adjacent current path 15.

[0055] In Figure 14, the magnetic sensing elements that are significantly affected by the disturbance magnetic field 104 created by the adjacent current path 14 are the three magnetic sensing elements 20a, 20c, and 20d that are close to the adjacent current path 14. This is because the magnitude of the magnetic field is inversely proportional to the distance from the current path. The components of the disturbance magnetic field 104 created by the adjacent current path 14 at the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20a, 20c, and 20d in the directions of the sensitivity axes 30a, 30c, and 30d all have positive values, and of these, the components of the disturbance magnetic field 104 created at the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20c and 20d in the directions of the sensitivity axes 30c and 30d are equal to each other. Therefore, the weighting coefficient w of the magnetic sensing element 20a １ , a weighting coefficient −w common to the magnetic sensing elements 20c and 20d ２ and opposite signs (i.e. w １ And lol ２ The ratio of the two sizes, w ２ / w １ By adjusting the weighted sum given by equation (3), the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing element 20a is ａ and the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing elements 20c and 20d. ｃ , V ｄ Therefore, in the second position detection unit 52, the influence of the disturbance magnetic field from the adjacent current path 14 can be reduced.

[0056] 14, the components of the disturbance magnetic field 105 generated by the adjacent current path 15 at the positions of the magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20f in the directions of the sensitivity axes 30c and 30f are equal to each other, the components of the disturbance magnetic field 105 generated by the adjacent current path 15 at the positions of the magnetic sensitive elements 20a and 20b in the directions of the sensitivity axes 30a and 30b are equal to each other, and the components of the disturbance magnetic field 105 generated by the adjacent current path 15 at the positions of the magnetic sensitive elements 20d and 20e in the directions of the sensitivity axes 30d and 30e are equal to each other. Therefore, when the weighted sum given by equation (3) is taken, the output voltage V of the magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20f is ｃ , V ｆ between the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing elements 20a and 20b ａ , V ｂ Between the magnetic sensing element 20 ｄ , 20 ｅ Output voltage V ｄ , V ｅ and the contributions from the disturbance magnetic field 105 cancel each other out. Therefore, the second position detection unit 52 can reduce the influence of the disturbance magnetic field from the adjacent current path 15. Due to the arrangement of the magnetic sensing element groups 20a to 20f and the symmetry between the sensitivity axes and the weighting coefficients, the influence of the disturbance magnetic field can also be reduced for the adjacent current path in the -X direction and the adjacent current path in the -Z direction using the same principle.

[0057] <<1-9>> Third Position Detector 53 The third position detector 53 according to the first embodiment includes eight magnetic sensing elements 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h, 20i, and 20j, which are part of the magnetic sensing elements 20a to 20j of the current sensor 1 shown in Fig. 5. In the XZ coordinate system, the coordinates of the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h, 20i, and 20j are expressed as (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , z ２ ), (x ０ , -z ２ ), (-x ０ , -z ２ ), (-x ０ , z ２) The direction of the sensitivity axes 30c, 30d, 30e, 30f, 30g, 30h, 30i, and 30j of the magnetic sensing elements 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h, 20i, and 20j, that is, the angle θ of the magnetic sensing direction when the +Z direction is taken as 0° and the rotation direction when the right-handed screw advances in the +Y direction is taken as positive. ｃ , θ ｄ , θ ｅ , θ ｆ , θ ｇ , θ ｈ , θ ｉ , θ ｊ are θ １ , -θ １ , θ １ +180°, -θ １ -180°, θ ２ , -θ ２ , θ ２ +180°, -θ ２ 5, the magnitude of the X coordinate of the magneto-sensitive elements 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f is equal to the magnitude of the X coordinate of the magneto-sensitive elements 20g, 20h, 20i, and 20j, but the two may be different.

[0058] 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the third position detector 53 according to the first embodiment. The third position detector 53 detects the output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ , V ｇ , V ｈ , V ｉ , V ｊ and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ The calculation circuit 203 calculates the displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in the direction along the first straight line Z based on the output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ , V ｇ , V ｈ , V ｉ , V ｊ and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒBased on this, a voltage signal V indicating the displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in the direction along the first straight line Z is ｐｏｓ３ Output.

[0059] 16 is a block diagram showing the arithmetic circuit 203 shown in FIG. 15. The arithmetic circuit 203 multiplies the outputs of at least one of the first pair and the second pair of magnetic sensing elements by a weighting coefficient of equal magnitude. For example, the arithmetic circuit 203 multiplies the output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ , V ｇ , V ｈ , V ｉ , V ｊ is the weighting coefficient w ３ , -w ３ , w ４ , -w ４ By weighting and adding using ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ , V ｇ , V ｈ , V ｉ , V ｊ and a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ３ It outputs a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ３ corresponds to the displacement of the current path 10 under measurement in the direction along the first straight line Z, and is given by the following equation (5). The weighted sum appearing in the numerator on the right side of equation (5) is also proportional to the current flowing through the current path 10 under measurement, so the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ By dividing by , a quantity independent of the current flowing through the current path 10 to be measured is obtained.

[0060] In this way, the outputs of at least one of the first and second pairs of magnetic sensing elements are multiplied by weighting coefficients of equal magnitude. The weighting coefficient of one of the first pair of magnetic sensing elements is equal to the weighting coefficient of the other of the first pair of magnetic sensing elements. The weighting coefficient of one of the second pair of magnetic sensing elements is equal to the weighting coefficient of the other of the second pair of magnetic sensing elements with the sign reversed. In this case, as clearly shown in Equation (5), the block diagram of FIG. 16 may be modified so that the sum or difference of the outputs of at least one of the first and second pairs of magnetic sensing elements is calculated, then multiplied by a common weighting coefficient, and finally summed. On the other hand, if there is variation in the sensitivity of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20j, a correction coefficient for aligning the net sensitivity may be incorporated into the weighting coefficient to correct the sensitivity. In this case, the value of the weighting coefficient may be different for each of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20j.

[0061] <<1-10>> Position detection of current path by third position detection unit 53 Fig. 17 is a diagram showing the principle of position detection of the current path 10 to be measured by the third position detection unit 53 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 17 shows an example in which the current path 10 to be measured is located on the reference line Y. Fig. 17 shows how a magnetic field 100 is generated by a current flowing through the current path 10 to be measured.

[0062] 17, when the current path 10 to be measured is on the reference line Y, the components of the magnetic field 100 that the current path 10 to be measured creates at the positions of the magnetic sensitive elements 20c to 20f are all equal in the direction of the sensitivity axes 30c to 30f, and the components of the magnetic field 100 that the current path 10 to be measured creates at the positions of the magnetic sensitive elements 20g to 20j are all equal in the direction of the sensitivity axes 30g to 30j. In this case, when the weighted sum given by equation (5) is taken, the output voltage V of the magnetic sensitive elements 20c to 20j is ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ , V ｇ , V ｈ , V ｉ , V ｊ cancel each other out, and the voltage signal V ｄｅｔ３ will be 0.

[0063] When the current path 10 to be measured passes through the reference plane XZ on the second straight line X, the output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ are equal to each other, and the output voltages V ｅ , V ｆ are equal to each other, and the output voltages V ｇ , V ｈ are equal to each other, and the output voltages V ｉ , V ｊ are equal to each other, the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20j is obtained by taking the weighted sum given by equation (5). ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ , V ｇ , V ｈ , V ｉ , V ｊ cancel each other out, and the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ３ will be 0.

[0064] When viewed as a function of the position (X, Z) at which the current path 10 to be measured penetrates the reference plane XZ, the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ３ Reflecting the symmetry of the weighting coefficients of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20j, the voltage signal V is symmetrical with respect to the first line Z and antisymmetrical with respect to the second line X, as given by the following equation (6). ｐｏｓ３ On the other hand, it is possible to distinguish between the displacement of the current path 10 to the +Z direction and the displacement of the current path 10 to the −Z direction based on the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ３ There are an infinite number of positions (X, Z) on the XZ plane that give the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ３ The position (X, Z) where the current path to be measured 10 penetrates the reference plane XZ cannot be uniquely determined based on only the above.

[0065] <<1-11>> Cancellation of a disturbance magnetic field in the third position detection unit 53 Figure 18 is a diagram showing the principle of cancellation of a disturbance magnetic field in the third position detection unit 53 according to embodiment 1. Figure 18 shows an example in which an adjacent current path 14 parallel to the reference line Y is located in the +X direction of the current path 10 under measurement, and an adjacent current path 15 parallel to the reference line Y is located in the +Z direction of the current path 10 under measurement. Figure 18 shows how a disturbance magnetic field 104 is generated by the current flowing through the adjacent current path 14, and a disturbance magnetic field 105 is generated by the current flowing through the adjacent current path 15.

[0066] 18, the components of the disturbance magnetic field 104 generated by the adjacent current path 14 at the positions of the magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20d in the directions of the sensitivity axes 30c and 30d are equal to each other, the components of the disturbance magnetic field 104 generated by the adjacent current path 14 at the positions of the magnetic sensitive elements 20e and 20f in the directions of the sensitivity axes 30e and 30f are equal to each other, the components of the disturbance magnetic field 104 generated by the adjacent current path 14 at the positions of the magnetic sensitive elements 20g and 20h in the directions of the sensitivity axes 30g and 30h are equal to each other, and the components of the disturbance magnetic field 104 generated by the adjacent current path 14 at the positions of the magnetic sensitive elements 20i and 20j in the directions of the sensitivity axes 30i and 30j are equal to each other. Therefore, when the weighted sum given by equation (5) is taken, the output voltage V of the magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20d is ｃ , V ｄ between the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing elements 20e and 20f ｅ , V ｆ Between the magnetic sensing elements 20g and 20h, the output voltage V ｇ , V ｈ between the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing elements 20i and 20j ｉ , V ｊ Therefore, in the third position detection unit 53, the influence of the disturbance magnetic field from the adjacent current path 14 can be reduced.

[0067] In Figure 18, the magnetic sensing elements that are significantly affected by the disturbance magnetic field 105 created by the adjacent current path 15 are the four magnetic sensing elements 20c, 20f, 20g, and 20j that are close to the adjacent current path 15. This is because the magnitude of the magnetic field is inversely proportional to the distance from the current path. The components of the disturbance magnetic field 105 created by the adjacent current path 15 at the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20c and 20f in the direction of the sensitivity axes 30c and 30f have equal negative values, and the components of the disturbance magnetic field 105 created by the adjacent current path 15 at the positions of the magnetic sensing elements 20g and 20j in the direction of the sensitivity axes 30g and 30j have equal positive values. Therefore, the weighting coefficient w common to the magnetic sensing elements 20c and 20f ３ is a weighting coefficient w common to the magnetic sensing elements 20g and 20j. ４ The ratio of the magnitudes of the two is w ４ / w ３ By adjusting the weighted sum given by equation (5), the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing elements 20c and 20f is ｃ , V ｆ and the output voltage V of the magnetic sensing elements 20g and 20j. ｇ , V ｊ and the magnetic field 105 cancel each other out. Therefore, the third position detection unit 53 can reduce the influence of the disturbance magnetic field from the adjacent current path 15. Due to the arrangement of the magnetic sensing element groups 20c to 20j and the symmetry between the sensitivity axes and the weighting coefficients, the influence of the disturbance magnetic field can be reduced by the same principle for the adjacent current path in the -X direction and the adjacent current path in the -Z direction.

[0068] <<1-12>> Effects (Effect 1) According to the current sensor 1 of the first embodiment, the first to third position detection units 51, 52, and 53 each generate a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ２ , V ｐｏｓ３ In the process of calculating the voltage signal V, the contribution of the disturbance magnetic field caused by the adjacent current paths 14 and 15 can be canceled out. ｐｏｓ This can reduce the influence of the disturbance magnetic field that appears in the

[0069] (Effect 2) When viewed as a function of the position (X, Z) where the current path 10 to be measured penetrates the reference plane XZ, the voltage signal Vｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ２ , V ｐｏｓ３ The contours of the voltage signal V have different symmetries given by equations (2), (4), and (6), respectively. ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ２ , V ｐｏｓ３ By referring to at least two of these, the position (X, Z) where the current path to be measured 10 penetrates the reference plane XZ can be uniquely determined. ｐｏｓ２ , V ｐｏｓ３ It is desirable to be able to refer to two voltage signals whose symmetry axes Z and X are perpendicular to each other, as shown in the figure. The more voltage signals that can be referred to, the higher the position detection accuracy. According to the current sensor 1, three voltage signals V ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ２ , V ｐｏｓ３ and two of these voltage signals V ｐｏｓ２ , V ｐｏｓ３ Since the symmetry axes Z and X are perpendicular to each other, the position can be detected with high accuracy.

[0070] <<2>> Second Embodiment FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of magnetically sensitive elements and the sensitivity axis of a current sensor 1a according to a second embodiment. The current sensor 1a according to the second embodiment differs from the current sensor 1 according to the first embodiment in that the magnetically sensitive elements 20a and 20b are not arranged on the second line X and the number of magnetically sensitive elements is eight. In the example of FIG. 19, the current sensor 1a has eight magnetically sensitive elements 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h, 20i, and 20j. In the second embodiment, the magnetically sensitive elements 20c to 20j include a row of magnetically sensitive elements 20g, 20c, 20d, and 20h aligned parallel to the Z axis and a row of magnetically sensitive elements 20j, 20f, 20e, and 20i. Although FIG. 19 illustrates two rows of magnetically sensitive elements, the arrangement of the magnetically sensitive elements is not limited to two rows.

[0071] The magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20j have sensitivity axes 30c to 30j (also referred to as "sensitivity axis 30"), respectively. The magnetic sensing element 20 detects a magnetic field in the direction of the sensitivity axis 30 (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 19) at the position of the magnetic sensing element 20, and outputs an output signal having a value corresponding to the strength of the magnetic field in the direction of the sensitivity axis 30.

[0072] The magnetic sensitive elements 20c to 20j include a first pair of magnetic sensitive elements arranged at positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a first line Z that passes through the intersection of the reference line Y and the reference plane XZ and is perpendicular to the reference line Y. In the example of Fig. 19, the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements are magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20f, magnetic sensitive elements 20d and 20e, magnetic sensitive elements 20g and 20j, and magnetic sensitive elements 20h and 20i. However, the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements is not limited to the example of Fig. 19.

[0073] Furthermore, the magnetic sensitive elements 20c to 20j include a second pair of magnetic sensitive elements arranged at positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a second line X that is perpendicular to both the reference line Y and the first line Z and passes through the intersection point. In the example of Fig. 19, the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements are magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20d, magnetic sensitive elements 20g and 20h, magnetic sensitive elements 20f and 20e, and magnetic sensitive elements 20j and 20i. In this way, the magnetic sensitive elements 20c to 20j are not only a first pair of magnetic sensitive elements but also a second pair of magnetic sensitive elements. However, the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements is not limited to the example of Fig. 19.

[0074] The sensitivity axis of one of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements coincides with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements with respect to the first straight line Z. For example, the sensitivity axes 30c, 30d, 30g, and 30h of one of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20c, 20d, 20g, and 20h coincide with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axes 30f, 30e, 30j, and 30i of the other of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20f, 20e, 20j, and 20i with respect to the first straight line Z. In other words, the sensitivity axes obtained by mirroring the sensitivity axes 30c, 30d, 30g, and 30h with respect to the first straight line Z are antiparallel to the sensitivity axes 30f, 30e, 30j, and 30i.

[0075] The sensitivity axis of one of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements coincides with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements with respect to the second line X. For example, the sensitivity axes 30c, 30f, 30g, and 30j of one of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20c, 20f, 20g, and 20j coincide with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axes 30d, 30e, 30h, and 30i of the other of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20d, 20e, 20h, and 20i with respect to the second line X. In other words, the sensitivity axes obtained by mirroring the sensitivity axes 30c, 30f, 30g, and 30j with respect to the second line X are antiparallel to the sensitivity axes 30d, 30e, 30h, and 30i.

[0076] 20 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a current sensor 1a according to the second embodiment. The current sensor 1a according to the second embodiment differs from the current sensor 1 according to the first embodiment in that it does not have a second position detection unit 52 and has two position detection units. The current sensor 1a includes a current detection unit 50a, a first position detection unit 51a, and a third position detection unit 53a. The current detection unit 50a generates a voltage signal V that indicates the value of a current flowing through the current path 10 to be measured based on the output voltage of at least one of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20j. ｃｕｒ The first position detection unit 51a outputs the output voltages of the four magnetic sensing elements in both the first pair and the second pair and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ Based on this, the direction (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ ) to the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ The third position detection unit 53a detects the output voltages of the eight magnetic sensing elements in both the first pair and the second pair and outputs a voltage signal V ｃｕｒ and a voltage signal V indicating a displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in a direction along the first straight line Z. ｐｏｓ３The first and third position detection units 51a and 53a in the second embodiment are the same as the first and third position detection units 51 and 53 in the first embodiment.

[0077] 19, the first position detection unit 51a includes four magnetic sensing elements 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f, and the third position detection unit 53a includes eight magnetic sensing elements 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h, 20i, and 20j. Magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20f, which are part of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20j, are included in the first position detection unit 51a and are also included in the third position detection unit 53a. However, the magnetic sensing elements included in the first and third position detection units 51a and 53a are not limited to the example of FIG.

[0078] The current sensor 1a shown in FIG. 20 detects a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ３ The calculation circuit 200a further includes a calculation circuit 200a that calculates the position where the current path 10 to be measured penetrates the reference plane XZ based on the two voltage signals V ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ３ Based on this, a voltage signal V indicating the position where the current path 10 to be measured passes through the reference plane XZ is ｐｏｓ Output.

[0079] According to the current sensor 1a of the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the first and third position detection units 51a and 53a each generate a voltage signal V that indicates the displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in each direction. ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ３ In the process of calculating the voltage signal V, the contribution of the disturbance magnetic field caused by the adjacent current paths 14 and 15 can be canceled out. ｐｏｓ This can reduce the influence of the disturbance magnetic field that appears in the

[0080] Furthermore, according to the current sensor 1a of the second embodiment, two voltage signals V ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ３ By referring to the above, the position (X, Z) where the current path to be measured 10 passes through the reference plane XZ can be uniquely determined, as in the first embodiment.

[0081] Furthermore, according to the current sensor 1a, the configuration of the current sensor can be simplified compared to the case of embodiment 1. Except for the above, embodiment 2 is similar to embodiment 1.

[0082] <3> Third Embodiment Figure 21 is a diagram showing the arrangement of magnetically sensitive elements and sensitivity axes of a current sensor 1b according to a third embodiment. The current sensor 1b according to the third embodiment differs from the current sensor 1 according to the first embodiment in that it does not include magnetically sensitive elements 20g, 20h, 20i, and 20j and has six magnetically sensitive elements. In the example of Figure 21, the current sensor 1b has six magnetically sensitive elements 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f. In the third embodiment, the magnetically sensitive elements 20a to 20f include a row of magnetically sensitive elements 20c, 20a, and 20d aligned parallel to the Z axis and a row of magnetically sensitive elements 20f, 20b, and 20e. Although two rows of magnetically sensitive elements are shown in Figure 21, the arrangement of the magnetically sensitive elements is not limited to two rows.

[0083] The magnetic sensing elements 20a to 20f have sensitivity axes 30a to 30f (also referred to as "sensitivity axes 30"). The magnetic sensing elements 20 detect the magnetic field in the direction of the sensitivity axes 30 (the direction of the arrows in FIG. 21) at the position of the magnetic sensing element 20, and output a signal having a value corresponding to the strength of the magnetic field in the direction of the sensitivity axes 30.

[0084] The magnetic sensitive elements 20a to 20f include a first pair of magnetic sensitive elements arranged at positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a first line Z that passes through the intersection of the reference line Y and the reference plane XZ and is perpendicular to the reference line Y. In the example of Fig. 21, the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements are magnetic sensitive elements 20a and 20b, magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20f, and magnetic sensitive elements 20d and 20e. However, the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements is not limited to the example of Fig. 21.

[0085] Furthermore, the magnetic sensitive elements 20a to 20f include a second pair of magnetic sensitive elements arranged at positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a second line X that is perpendicular to both the reference line Y and the first line Z and passes through the intersection point. In the example of Fig. 21, the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements are magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20d, and magnetic sensitive elements 20f and 20e. In this way, the magnetic sensitive elements 20c to 20f are the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements as well as the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements. However, the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements is not limited to the example of Fig. 21.

[0086] The sensitivity axis of one of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements coincides with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements with respect to the first straight line Z. For example, the sensitivity axes 30a, 30c, 30d of one of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20a, 20c, 20d coincide with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axes 30b, 30f, 30e of the other of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20b, 20f, 20e with respect to the first straight line Z. In other words, the sensitivity axes obtained by mirroring the sensitivity axes 30a, 30c, 30d with respect to the first straight line Z are antiparallel to the sensitivity axes 30b, 30f, 30e.

[0087] The sensitivity axis of one of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements coincides with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements with respect to the second line X. For example, the sensitivity axes 30c and 30f of one of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20f coincide with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axes 30d and 30e of the other of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20d and 20e with respect to the second line X. In other words, the sensitivity axes obtained by mirroring the sensitivity axes 30c and 30f with respect to the second line X are antiparallel to the sensitivity axes 30d and 30e.

[0088] 22 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a current sensor 1b according to the third embodiment. The current sensor 1b according to the third embodiment differs from the current sensor 1 according to the first embodiment in that it does not have a third position detection unit 53 and has two position detection units. The current sensor 1b includes a current detection unit 50b, a first position detection unit 51b, and a second position detection unit 52b. The current detection unit 50b generates a voltage signal V ｃｕｒ The first position detection unit 51b outputs the output voltages of the four magnetic sensing elements in both the first pair and the second pair and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ Based on this, the direction (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ ) to the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ The second position detection unit 52b outputs the output voltages of the four magnetic sensing elements in both the first pair and the second pair, the output voltages of the two magnetic sensing elements in the first pair, and a voltage signal V ｃｕｒ and a voltage signal V indicating a displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in a direction along the second straight line X. ｐｏｓ２ The first and second position detection units 51b and 52b in the third embodiment are the same as the first and second position detection units 51 and 52 in the first embodiment.

[0089] 21, the first position detection unit 51b includes four magnetic sensing elements 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f, and the second position detection unit 52b includes six magnetic sensing elements 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f. Magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20f, which are part of the magnetic sensing elements 20a to 20f, are magnetic sensing elements included in the first position detection unit 51b and also in the second position detection unit 52b. However, the magnetic sensing elements included in the first and second position detection units 51b and 52b are not limited to the example in FIG. 21.

[0090] The current sensor 1b shown in FIG. 22 detects a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ２ The calculation circuit 200b further includes a calculation circuit 200b that calculates the position where the current path 10 to be measured penetrates the reference plane XZ based on the two voltage signals V ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ２ Based on this, a voltage signal V indicating the position where the current path 10 to be measured passes through the reference plane XZ is ｐｏｓ Output.

[0091] According to the current sensor 1b of the third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the first and second position detection units 51b and 52b each generate a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ２ In the process of calculating the voltage signal V, the contribution of the disturbance magnetic field caused by the adjacent current paths 14 and 15 can be canceled out. ｐｏｓ This can reduce the influence of the disturbance magnetic field that appears in the

[0092] According to the current sensor 1b, two voltage signals V ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ２ By referring to the above, the position (X, Z) where the current path to be measured 10 passes through the reference plane XZ can be uniquely determined, as in the first embodiment.

[0093] Furthermore, according to current sensor 1b, the configuration of the current sensor can be simplified more than in the case of embodiment 1. Except for the above, embodiment 3 is similar to embodiment 1.

[0094] <<4>> Embodiment 4 Fig. 23 is a diagram showing the arrangement of magnetically sensitive elements and sensitivity axes of a current sensor 1c according to embodiment 4. The current sensor 1c according to embodiment 4 differs from the current sensor 1 according to embodiment 1 in that it does not have magnetically sensitive elements 20a, 20b, 20g, 20h, 20i, and 20j and has four magnetically sensitive elements. In the example of Fig. 23, the current sensor 1c has four magnetically sensitive elements 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f.

[0095] In the fourth embodiment, the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20f include a row of magnetic sensing elements 20c and 20d and a row of magnetic sensing elements 20f and 20e aligned parallel to the Z axis. The magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20f have sensitivity axes 30c to 30f (also referred to as "sensitivity axis 30"). The magnetic sensing element 20 detects the magnetic field in the direction of the sensitivity axis 30 (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 23) at the position of the magnetic sensing element 20, and outputs an output signal having a value corresponding to the strength of the magnetic field in the direction of the sensitivity axis 30.

[0096] The magnetic sensitive elements 20c to 20f include a first pair of magnetic sensitive elements arranged at positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a first line Z that passes through the intersection of the reference line Y and the reference plane XZ and is perpendicular to the reference line Y. In the example of Fig. 23, the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements are magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20f, and magnetic sensitive elements 20d and 20e. However, the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements is not limited to the example of Fig. 23.

[0097] Furthermore, the magnetic sensitive elements 20c to 20f include a second pair of magnetic sensitive elements arranged at positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a second line X that is perpendicular to both the reference line Y and the first line Z and passes through the intersection point. In the example of Fig. 23, the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements are magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20d, and magnetic sensitive elements 20f and 20e. In this way, the magnetic sensitive elements 20c to 20f are not only a first pair of magnetic sensitive elements but also a second pair of magnetic sensitive elements. However, the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements is not limited to the example of Fig. 23.

[0098] The sensitivity axis of one of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements coincides with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements with respect to the first straight line Z. For example, the sensitivity axes 30c and 30d of one of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20d coincide with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axes 30f and 30e of the other of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20f and 20e with respect to the first straight line Z. In other words, the sensitivity axes obtained by mirroring the sensitivity axes 30c and 30d with respect to the first straight line Z are antiparallel to the sensitivity axes 30f and 30e.

[0099] The sensitivity axis of one of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements coincides with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements with respect to the second line X. For example, the sensitivity axes 30c and 30f of one of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20c and 20f coincide with the sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axes 30d and 30e of the other of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements 20d and 20e with respect to the second line X. In other words, the sensitivity axes obtained by mirroring the sensitivity axes 30c and 30f with respect to the second line X are antiparallel to the sensitivity axes 30d and 30e.

[0100] 24 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a current sensor 1c according to a fourth embodiment. The current sensor 1c according to the fourth embodiment differs from the current sensor 1 according to the first embodiment in that it does not have second and third position detection units 52, 53, but has only one position detection unit, and does not have an arithmetic circuit equivalent to the arithmetic circuit 200 in the first embodiment. The current sensor 1c includes a current detection unit 50c and a first position detection unit 51c. The current detection unit 50c outputs a voltage signal V ｃｕｒ The first position detection unit 51c outputs the output voltages of the four magnetic sensing elements in both the first pair and the second pair and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ Based on this, the direction (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ ) to the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ The first position detector 51c in the fourth embodiment is the same as the first position detector 51 in the first embodiment.

[0101] 23, the first position detection unit 51c includes four magnetic sensing elements 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f. However, the magnetic sensing elements included in the first position detection unit 51c are not limited to those in the example of FIG.

[0102] According to the current sensor 1c of the fourth embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the first position detection unit 51c detects a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ In the process of calculating the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ The influence of the disturbance magnetic field appearing in the current sensor 1c can be reduced. Furthermore, the current sensor 1c can have a simpler configuration than the current sensor of embodiment 1. The current sensor 1c can be used when the direction of displacement of the current path 10 to be measured is limited and it is not necessary to uniquely determine the position where the current path 10 to be measured passes through the reference plane XZ.

[0103] <<5>> Fifth Embodiment Fig. 25 is a diagram showing the arrangement of magnetically sensitive elements and sensitivity axes of a current sensor 1d according to a fifth embodiment. In Fig. 25, parts that are the same as or correspond to parts shown in Fig. 5 (first embodiment) are assigned the same reference numerals as those shown in Fig. 5. The current sensor 1d according to the fifth embodiment differs from the current sensor 1 according to the first embodiment in that the orientations of the sensitivity axes 30a', 30c', 30d', 30g', and 30h' of the magnetically sensitive elements 20a, 20c, 20d, 20g, and 20h are opposite to the orientations of the sensitivity axes 30a, 30c, 30d, 30g, and 30h of the magnetically sensitive elements 20a, 20c, 20d, 20g, and 20h in the current sensor 1 according to the first embodiment. That is, the sensitivity axes 30a', 30c', 30d', 30g', and 30h' in FIG. 25 and the sensitivity axes 30a, 30c, 30d, 30g, and 30h in FIG. 5 (first embodiment) are in an anti-parallel relationship.

[0104] 26 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a current sensor 1d according to the fifth embodiment. The current sensor 1d includes a current detection unit 50d, a first position detection unit 51d, a second position detection unit 52d, and a third position detection unit 53d. The current detection unit 50d generates a voltage signal V representing the value of a current flowing through the current path 10 to be measured based on the output voltage of at least one of the magnetic sensing elements 20a to 20j. ｃｕｒ The first position detection unit 51d outputs the output voltages of the four magnetic sensing elements in both the first pair and the second pair and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒBased on this, the direction (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ ) to the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ The second position detection unit 52d outputs the output voltages of the four magnetic sensing elements in both the first pair and the second pair, the output voltages of the two magnetic sensing elements in the first pair, and a voltage signal V ｃｕｒ and a voltage signal V indicating a displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in a direction along the second straight line X. ｐｏｓ２ The third position detection unit 53d outputs the output voltages of the eight magnetic sensing elements in both the first pair and the second pair and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ and a voltage signal V indicating a displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in a direction along the first straight line Z. ｐｏｓ３ Output.

[0105] In the example of Figure 25, the first position detection unit 51d includes four magnetically sensitive elements 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f, the second position detection unit 52d includes six magnetically sensitive elements 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f, and the third position detection unit 53d includes eight magnetically sensitive elements 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h, 20i, and 20j. Magnetically sensitive elements 20c to 20f, which are part of the magnetically sensitive elements 20a to 20j, are magnetically sensitive elements included in the first position detection unit 51d, as well as magnetically sensitive elements included in the second position detection unit 52d and the third position detection unit 53d. However, the magnetically sensitive elements included in the first to third position detection units 51d, 52d, and 53d are not limited to the example of Figure 25.

[0106] The current sensor 1d shown in FIG. 26 detects voltage signals V ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ２ , V ｐｏｓ３ The calculation circuit 200d further includes a calculation circuit 200d that calculates the position where the current path 10 to be measured penetrates the reference plane XZ based on the three voltage signals V ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ２ , Vｐｏｓ３ Based on this, a voltage signal V indicating the position where the current path 10 to be measured passes through the reference plane XZ is ｐｏｓ Output.

[0107] 27 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a first position detector 51d according to embodiment 5. The first position detector 51d detects an output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ Based on this, the direction (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ The calculation circuit 201d further includes an arithmetic circuit 201d for calculating the displacement of the output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ Based on this, the direction (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ ) to the voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ Output.

[0108] 28 is a block diagram showing the arithmetic circuit 201d shown in FIG. 27. The arithmetic circuit 201d multiplies the outputs of at least one of the first pair and the second pair of magnetic sensing elements by a weighting coefficient of equal magnitude. For example, the arithmetic circuit 201d multiplies the output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ is the weighting coefficient w ０ , -w ０By weighting and adding using ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ and a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ It outputs a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ１ is the direction (x ０ , z １ ), (x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , -z １ ), (-x ０ , z １ ) and is given by the following equation (7). The weighted sum appearing in the numerator on the right side of equation (7) is also proportional to the current flowing through the current path 10 under test, so the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ By dividing by , a quantity independent of the current flowing through the current path 10 to be measured is obtained.

[0109] In this way, the outputs of at least one of the first and second pairs of magnetic sensing elements are multiplied by weighting coefficients of equal magnitude. The weighting coefficient of one of the first pair of magnetic sensing elements is equal to the weighting coefficient of the other of the first pair of magnetic sensing elements. The weighting coefficient of one of the second pair of magnetic sensing elements is equal to the weighting coefficient of the other of the second pair of magnetic sensing elements with the sign reversed. In this case, as clearly shown in Equation (7), the block diagram of FIG. 28 may be modified so that the sum or difference of the outputs of at least one of the first and second pairs of magnetic sensing elements is calculated and then multiplied by a common weighting coefficient. On the other hand, if there is variation in the sensitivity of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20f, a correction coefficient for aligning the net sensitivity may be incorporated into the weighting coefficient to correct the sensitivity. In this case, the value of the weighting coefficient may be different for each of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20f.

[0110] 29 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a second position detector 52d according to embodiment 5. The second position detector 52d detects an output voltage V ａ , V ｂ , V ｃ , V ｄ , Vｅ , V ｆ and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ The calculation circuit 202d further includes an arithmetic circuit 202d that calculates the displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in the direction along the second straight line X based on the output voltage V ａ , V ｂ , V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ Based on this, a voltage signal V indicating the displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in the direction along the second straight line X is ｐｏｓ２ Output.

[0111] 30 is a block diagram showing the arithmetic circuit 202d shown in FIG. 29. The arithmetic circuit 202d multiplies the outputs of at least one of the first pair and the second pair of magnetic sensing elements by a weighting coefficient of equal magnitude. For example, the arithmetic circuit 202d multiplies the output voltage V ａ , V ｂ , V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ weighting coefficient -w １ , w ２ By weighting and adding using ａ , V ｂ , V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ and a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ２ It outputs a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ２ corresponds to the displacement of the current path 10 under measurement in the direction along the second straight line X, and is given by the following equation (8). The weighted sum appearing in the numerator on the right side of equation (8) is also proportional to the current flowing through the current path 10 under measurement, so the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ By dividing by , a quantity independent of the current flowing through the current path 10 to be measured is obtained.

[0112] In this way, the outputs of at least one of the first and second pairs of magnetic sensing elements are multiplied by the same weighting coefficient. In this case, as clearly shown in equation (8), the block diagram of FIG. 30 may be modified so that the outputs of at least one of the first and second pairs of magnetic sensing elements are summed, multiplied by a common weighting coefficient, and finally summed. On the other hand, if there is variation in the sensitivity of the magnetic sensing elements 20a to 20f, the sensitivity may be corrected by incorporating a correction coefficient into the weighting coefficient to make the net sensitivity uniform. In this case, the value of the weighting coefficient may be different for each of the magnetic sensing elements 20a to 20f.

[0113] 31 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a third position detector 53d according to embodiment 5. The third position detector 53d detects an output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ , V ｇ , V ｈ , V ｉ , V ｊ and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ The calculation circuit 203d further includes an arithmetic circuit 203d that calculates the displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in the direction along the first straight line Z based on the output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ , V ｇ , V ｈ , V ｉ , V ｊ and the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ Based on this, a voltage signal V indicating the displacement of the current path 10 to be measured in the direction along the first straight line Z is ｐｏｓ３ Output.

[0114] 32 is a block diagram showing the arithmetic circuit 203d shown in FIG. 31. The arithmetic circuit 203d multiplies the outputs of at least one of the first pair and the second pair of magnetic sensing elements by a weighting coefficient of equal magnitude. For example, the arithmetic circuit 203d multiplies the output voltage V ｃ , V ｄ, V ｅ , V ｆ , V ｇ , V ｈ , V ｉ , V ｊ is the weighting coefficient w ３ , -w ３ , w ４ , -w ４ By weighting and adding using ｃ , V ｄ , V ｅ , V ｆ , V ｇ , V ｈ , V ｉ , V ｊ and a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ３ It outputs a voltage signal V ｐｏｓ３ corresponds to the displacement of the current path 10 under measurement in the direction along the first straight line Z, and is given by the following equation (9). The weighted sum appearing in the numerator on the right side of equation (9) is also proportional to the current flowing through the current path 10 under measurement, so the voltage signal V ｃｕｒ By dividing by , a quantity independent of the current flowing through the current path 10 to be measured is obtained.

[0115] In this way, the outputs of at least one of the first and second pairs of magnetic sensing elements are multiplied by weighting coefficients of equal magnitude. The weighting coefficient of one of the first pair of magnetic sensing elements is equal to the weighting coefficient of the other of the first pair of magnetic sensing elements, with the sign reversed. The weighting coefficient of one of the second pair of magnetic sensing elements is equal to the weighting coefficient of the other of the second pair of magnetic sensing elements, with the sign reversed. In this case, as clearly shown in equation (9), the block diagram of FIG. 32 may be modified so that the sum or difference of the outputs of at least one of the first and second pairs of magnetic sensing elements is taken, then multiplied by a common weighting coefficient, and finally the sum is taken. On the other hand, if there is variation in the sensitivity of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20j, the sensitivity may be corrected by incorporating a correction coefficient into the weighting coefficient to make the net sensitivity uniform. In this case, the values ​​of the weighting coefficients may be different for each of the magnetic sensing elements 20c to 20j.

[0116] According to the current sensor 1d of the fifth embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effects (Effect 1) and (Effect 2) as in the case of the first embodiment. Except for the above, the fifth embodiment is similar to the first embodiment.

[0117] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1, 1a to 1d current sensors, 2 circuit breaker, 3 breaker body, 4 terminal cover, 5 housing, 10 current path to be measured, 11, 12, 13 current path, 20a to 20j magnetic sensing element, 30a to 30j sensitivity axis, 30a', 30c', 30d', 30g', 30h' sensitivity axis, 40 substrate, 50 current detection unit, 51 first position detection unit, 52 second position detection unit, 53 third position detection unit, 200, 200a to 200d calculation circuit, 201, 202, 203, 201d, 202d, 203d calculation circuit, Y reference line, Z first straight line, X second straight line, XZ reference plane, V ａ ~V ｊ Output voltage, V ｃｕｒ Voltage signal (current value), V ｐｏｓ Voltage signal, V ｐｏｓ１ , V ｐｏｓ２ , V ｐｏｓ３ Voltage signal (weighted sum), w ０ , w １ , w ２ , w ３ , w ４ , -w ０ , -w １ , -w ２ , -w ３ , -w ４ Weighting factor.

Claims

1. A magnetic sensing device comprising: an even number of magnetic sensing elements, four or more, arranged side by side in a reference plane perpendicular to a reference line extending in a predetermined reference direction; and an arithmetic circuit that calculates the displacement of a current path to be measured that is arranged to extend in the reference direction based on the outputs of the even number of magnetic sensing elements, wherein the even number of magnetic sensing elements include a first pair of magnetic sensing elements that are arranged in positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a first line that passes through an intersection of the reference line and the reference plane and is perpendicular to the reference line; and the even number of magnetic sensing elements include a second pair of magnetic sensing elements that are arranged in positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a second line that is perpendicular to both the reference line and the first line and passes through the intersection. A current sensor characterized in that each of the one magnetic sensitive elements of the first pair of magnetic sensitive elements coincides with a sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other magnetic sensitive element of the first pair with respect to the first straight line, or a sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other magnetic sensitive element of the first pair with respect to the first straight line, and each of the sensitivity axes of the one magnetic sensitive element of the second pair of magnetic sensitive elements coincides with a sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other magnetic sensitive element of the second pair with respect to the second straight line, or a sensitivity axis obtained by mirroring and inverting the sensitivity axis of the other magnetic sensitive element of the second pair with respect to the second straight line.

2. The current sensor according to claim 1, wherein the even number of magnetic sensitive elements includes four magnetic sensitive elements forming both the first pair and the second pair.

3. The current sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that the even number of magnetic sensitive elements includes: four magnetic sensitive elements forming both the first pair and the second pair; and two magnetic sensitive elements forming one of the first pair and the second pair.

4. The current sensor according to claim 1, wherein the even number of magnetic sensitive elements includes eight magnetic sensitive elements forming both the first pair and the second pair.

5. The current sensor according to claim 1, wherein the even number of magnetic sensitive elements includes: eight magnetic sensitive elements forming both the first pair and the second pair; and two magnetic sensitive elements forming one of the first pair and the second pair.

6. A current sensor as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the arithmetic circuit calculates the displacement of the current path to be measured, which is arranged to extend in the reference direction, based on the weighted sum of the outputs of the even number of magnetic sensing elements.

7. The current sensor according to claim 6, wherein the arithmetic circuit multiplies the outputs of at least one of the first pair and the second pair of magnetic sensing elements by weighting coefficients of equal magnitude.

8. A current sensor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising an arithmetic circuit that calculates the position at which the current path to be measured, which is arranged to extend in the reference direction, penetrates the reference plane based on the outputs of a plurality of the arithmetic circuits.

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