Abstract:
The present invention is a two-dimensional magnetic sensor, comprising two miniaturized MI elements and an integrated circuit, which boasts a wide magnetic field measurability range, low power consumption, and an extremely small size, which is suitable for use as an electronic compass in, for instance, mobile devices like mobile phones.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to high-sensitivity two-dimensional magnetic sensors that detect terrestrial magnetic fields and the like.  
         PRIOR ART  
         [0002]    Concerning magnetic field detection devices which detect terrestrial magnetic fields, and invention which uses the highly sensitive MI element is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) 2001-296127. The invention described therein places MI elements in two axes, uses a negative feedback circuit, etc., and performs heat compensation with a differential circuit.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    An electronic compass with a miniature size and efficient power use suitable for portability is needed for mobile devices, including mobile phones. Such an electronic compass would need a two-dimensional, highly sensitive magnetic sensor.  
           [0004]    Such a magnetic sensor would require a range in which output voltage is linear in response to the strength of the magnetic field (hereafter called the magnetic field measurability range) of ±2.7 G or more. When used in a device like a mobile phone, this two-dimensional magnetic sensor will inevitably be used in a variety of locations, some of which will have magnetic field strengths much greater than ±2.7 G.  
           [0005]    The magnetic field detection device of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) 2001-296127, when not equipped with a negative feedback circuit, had a linear magnetic filed measurability range of ±40 A/m (that is, 0.5 G), and thus was not suitable as such for use as an electronic compass. To resolve that problem, the invention was equipped with a coil which provided negative feedback and used a circuit that was constantly passing current.  
           [0006]    The above technology used two MI elements for each axis as well as a differential circuit to perform a differential operation on these two signals, and because it used a negative feedback circuit, the scale of the electric circuit increased and became unsuitable for miniaturization. Power consumption also increased due to the flow of negative feedback current which was used to enlarge the magnetic field measurability range. Finally, the size of the prior MI element was large—3 mm wide, 2 mm tall, and 4 mm long—making its application in miniature electronic devices difficult.  
           [0007]    Thus, to resolve the above problems, it was necessary to develop a two-dimensional magnetic sensor that was smaller, used less power, and had a wider magnetic field measurability range.  
           [0008]    Thereupon, the present inventors, having researched the miniaturization of the MI element, came upon the following construction.  
           [0009]    A two-dimensional magnetic sensor which detects external magnetic fields comprises a first magneto-impedance sensor element, called the first MI element, provided to detect the first axial component of said external magnetic field, and which comprises a first magneto-sensitive element less than 2 mm long and a first electromagnetic coil which is wound around the said first magneto-sensitive element; a second magneto-impedance sensor element, called the second MI element, provided to detect the second axial component of said external magnetic field and which comprises a second magneto-sensitive element less than 2 mm long and a second electromagnetic coil which is wound around the said second magneto-sensitive element; and an integrated circuit comprising an oscillating means which supplies a pulse or high-frequency current, a means for switching current alternatingly between said first MI element and said second MI element, a means for detecting the output voltage from the electromagnetic coils of said first and second MI elements, and an amplifier which amplifies the output voltage of said detection means.  
           [0010]    The most important feature of the present invention is that, by shortening the length of the first and second magneto-sensitive elements to 2 mm or less, which is shorter than those of the past, the range in which output voltage is linear with respect to the strength of the magnetic field (that is, the magnetic field measurability range) now reaches ±10 G without the use of a negative feedback circuit. Hereby an expansion of the magnetic field measurability range not previously possible, the miniaturization of the MI element and the omission of a negative feedback circuit, and a substantial reduction of power consumption via the omission of a negative feedback circuit are all realized.  
           [0011]    In addition, the use of a switching means to switch current back and forth between the elements allows for a further reduction in power consumption.  
           [0012]    In addition, in each of the above MI elements, the inside diameter is less than 200 μm by virtue of the fact that there is no circuit board fixing the magneto-sensitive element between the magneto-sensitive element and the electromagnetic coil and only an insulator surrounds the magneto-sensitive element, and the first electromagnetic coil has a coil spacing per unit length of less than 100 μm/turn.  
           [0013]    In the above construction, because the electro-magnetic coil is held using only an insulator around the magneto-sensitive element, the inside diameter can be reduced to less than 200 μm, and a further overall miniaturization of the MI element may be achieved while improving the output voltage.  
           [0014]    Finally, the output voltage increases because of the turns per unit length increase due to the reduction of coil spacing per unit length in the electromagnetic coil. In practice, it is favorable to have 100 μm/turn or less. If the present output voltage is ample, the MI element may be shortened.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 shows a front view of the MI element of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the MI element of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 3 shows a circuit diagram of a two-dimensional magnetic sensor which uses the MI element of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 4 shows a parts layout with the circuit of FIG. 3 made into an integrated circuit and mounted on the same substrate as the MI element.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 5 shows a sensor output versus external magnetic field for a two-dimensional magnetic sensor using the MI element of the preferred embodiment of the present invention and for a sensor which uses the circuitry (with no negative feedback circuit) and MI element of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) 2001-296127. 
     
    
     EXPLANATION OF THE MARKS  
       [0020]    [0020] 1  Electrode substrate,  2  Amorphous wire,  3  Electro-magnetic coil,  4  Insulating resin,  5  Electrode,  6  Axis output switching circuit,  7  Signal generator,  8  Simultaneous detection circuit,  9  Amplifier,  10  MI element,  111  Groove face,  112  Upper groove face,  31  One side of the electro-magnetic coil,  32  The other side of the electromagnetic coil,  70  Integrated circuit,  100  Two-dimensional magnetic sensor.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0021]    The preferred embodiment of the MI element of the present invention is explained using FIGS. 1 and 2.  
         [0022]    A two-dimensional magnetic sensor according to the preferred embodiment which detects external magnetic field comprises; a first and second magneto-impedance sensor elements, called a first and second MI element, mounted respectively on a device mount board to detect first and second axial components of the external magnetic field, comprise first and second magneto-sensitive element and first and second electromagnetic coils which are wound around said first and second magneto-sensitive element, and an integrated circuit, mounted on said device mounted board, comprising an oscillating means which supplies a pulse or high-frequency current, a means for switching current alternatingly between said first MI element and said second MI element, a means for detecting the output voltage from the electromagnetic coils of said first and second MI elements, and an amplifier which amplifies the output voltage of said detection means.  
         [0023]    Substrate  1  as the device mount board measures 0.5 mm wide, 0.5 mm tall, and 2 mm long. The magneto-sensitive element is amorphous wire  2 , made of a CoFeSiB alloy with a 30 μm diameter. Electro-magnetic coil  3  is formed by a two-layer structure made of coil side  31  which is placed in groove face  111  and other side coil  32  placed on groove upper face  112  (upper face  41  of resin  4 ), and has an average equivalent inside diameter (the area formed by the height and width and the circular diameter which determines that area) of 66 μm. The coil spacing per unit length of electromagnetic coil  3  is 50 μm per turn.  
         [0024]    Resin  4 , which possesses insulating properties, is placed between amorphous wire  2  and electromagnetic coil  3 , and insulates the conductive magnetic amorphous wire from the electromagnetic coil. Electrode  5  has four total parts, electromagnetic coil terminals  51  and terminals  52  of the magneto-sensitive element, printed on the upper face of the substrate. The two ends of electromagnetic coil  3  and the two ends of amorphous wire  2  are connected at electrode  5 . What is comprised as above is the electromagnetic coil equipped MI element  10  of the present invention. Incidentally, the size of the present element is the same as the size of the electrode circuit board.  
         [0025]    Next, we examine the circuit diagram of a two-dimensional magnetic sensor which uses said MI element  10  in FIG. 3.  
         [0026]    The oscillating means, signal generator  7 , has two output terminals X and Y which are connected to the MI elements of the X and Y axes, respectively. Signal generator  6  uses the control signal of the axis output switching circuit to switch the pulse alternatingly between the MI elements of the X and Y axes. Hereby the use of the two MI elements is halved, resulting in power economization.  
         [0027]    Signal generator  6  generates a 200 MHz, 170 mA pulse signal with a period of 1 μsec. The pulse signal is sent to amorphous wires  2  of the MI elements, at which point a voltage proportional to the external magnetic field (terrestrial magnetism) is generated in electro-magnetic coil  3 .  
         [0028]    The detecting means, simultaneous detection circuit  8 , detects said voltage which is generated in electromagnetic coil  3  simultaneously with the MI element current.  
         [0029]    Amplifier  9  amplifies the voltage to the desired level and outputs it. All the operations after the signal generator are repeated alternating in the MI elements of the X and Y axes.  
         [0030]    In FIG. 4, the circuit of FIG. 3 is shown as an integrated circuit mounted on the same substrate as the MI element. In this figure, X and Y MI elements  10  are placed orthogonally to one another. The circuit of FIG. 3 is now integrated circuit  70 . The size of this two-dimensional magnetic sensor  100 , though not shown in the figure, is extremely small at 5 mm by  5  mm when equipped with electrodes. Direction is obtained from the output voltages of the X and Y axes using a publicly known method.  
         [0031]    The sensor output from said circuit is shown in FIG. 5.  
         [0032]    The strength of the external magnetic field is shown horizontally and sensor output is shown vertically. The solid line shows the output from the present preferred embodiment, and shows near perfect linearity between −10 G and +10 G. The preferred embodiment, then, achieves the magnetic field measurability range necessary for an electronic compass, ±2.7 G, with plenty of room to spare. For comparison, the dotted line shows the sensor output when the circuitry (with no negative feedback circuit) and MI element of Japanese Patent Laid-open (Kokai) 2001-296127 are used. The prior example&#39;s output peak was at one. These results have allows for the expansion of the magnetic field measurability range to ±10 G without using a negative feedback circuit. The present preferred embodiment allows for a wider magnetic field measurability not previously possible, a miniaturization of the MI element as well as an overall miniaturization due to the omission of the negative feedback coil, negative feedback circuit, and differential circuit, and, with the omission of the negative feedback current and the use of a switching means, a substantial reduction in power consumption.