Patent ID: 7193411

Claim:
An angle sensor comprising: a magnetoresistive element that includes a pinned magnetic layer having a fixed magnetization direction and a free magnetic layer having a magnetization direction that varies in proportion to an external magnetic field; a substrate for supporting the magnetoresistive element; and a rotor that forms a magnetic field and faces the magnetoresistive element, wherein the magnetoresistive element includes a plurality of X-axis segments that extend in an X-axis direction being the width direction of the substrate, and a plurality of Y-axis segments that extend in a Y-axis direction being the depth direction of the substrate, the X-axis segments and the Y-axis segments having the same length and width, and being alternately connected to each other to form a single continuous structure, and wherein each of the Y-axis segments is connected to each surface of the X-axis segments extending in the Y-axis direction, and each of the X-axis segments is connected to each surface of the Y-axis segments extending in the X-axis direction, so that the magnetoresistive element forms at least one row extending in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction, and each end of the rows in the same direction is alternately connected to form a single continuous structure, when said at least one row comprises a plurality of rows.