Patent ID: 7952345

Claim:
A current determiner within an integrated circuit for providing at an output thereof representations of input currents provided therein from sources of such currents, said current determiner comprising: a substrate within said integrated circuit; a first input conductor supported on said substrate within said integrated circuit suited for conducting said input currents therethrough; a support structure outside of said integrated circuit supporting said integrated circuit that is formed of a magnetically permeable material as a first shield/concentrator layer of said material and that is positioned on a side of said substrate opposite a side thereof facing said first input conductor to serve as a magnetic field concentrator; and a first current sensor supported on said substrate within said integrated circuit on a side of said first input conductor opposite said side thereof facing said substrate so as to be adjacent to, yet spaced apart from, said first input conductor at said opposite side thereof to thereby be electrically isolated from any direct circuit interconnection therewith on said substrate but positioned in those magnetic fields arising from said input currents, said first current sensor being formed of a plurality of magnetoresistive, anisotropic, ferromagnetic thin-film layers at least two of which are separated from one another by a nonmagnetic layer positioned therebetween.