Patent ID: 8289020

Claim:
A magnetic sensor device, comprising: an operating portion operable at an operating position on a single axis; a magnetic field generating means attached to the operating portion and configured to radially generate a magnetic field from a center thereof toward an outer periphery; and a first magnetic sensor comprising a bridge circuit comprised of a first magnetoresistance element and a second magnetoresistance element each having a magnetic sensing portion orthogonal to each other in a magnetic sensing direction thereof and a third magnetoresistance element and a fourth magnetoresistance element each having a magnetic sensing portion orthogonal to each other in a magnetic sensing direction thereof, wherein a first line is defined by projecting a trajectory of the center of the magnetic field generating means on a plane defined by the magnetic sensing portion, wherein the first magnetic sensor is disposed such that the magnetic sensing portion of the first to fourth magnetoresistance elements intersects at an angle of substantially 45 degrees with a second line intersecting with the first line at an angle of substantially 45 degrees, and an element center of the first to fourth magnetoresistance elements is on the second line.