Patent ID: 7187168

Claim:
A direction sensor comprising: a substrate; a first detecting circuit formed on the substrate and including at least two detecting elements; a second detecting circuit formed on the substrate and including at least two detecting elements; a first magnetic bias application part disposed facing toward the first detecting circuit, the first magnetic bias application part operable to apply a magnetic bias to the first detecting circuit by producing a magnetic field; and a second magnetic bias application part disposed facing toward the second detecting circuit, the second magnetic bias application part operable to apply a magnetic bias to the second detecting circuit by producing a magnetic field having a direction that is different from a direction of the magnetic field produced by the first magnetic bias application part, wherein the first detecting circuit includes: a first detecting element having a longitudinal pattern direction; a second detecting element having a longitudinal pattern direction that is different from the longitudinal pattern direction of the first detecting element, the second detecting element being electrically connected to the first detecting element in series; a third detecting element having a longitudinal pattern direction that is in parallel with the longitudinal pattern direction of the second detecting element; and a fourth detecting element having a longitudinal pattern direction that is in parallel with the longitudinal pattern direction of the first detecting element, the fourth detecting element being electrically connected to the third detecting element in series, wherein the first detecting element and the second detecting element in series are electrically connected in parallel to the third detecting element and the fourth detecting element series, wherein the second detecting circuit includes: a fifth detecting element having a longitudinal pattern direction; a sixth detecting element having a longitudinal pattern direction that is different from the longitudinal pattern direction of the fifth detecting element, the sixth detecting element being electrically connected to the fifth detecting element in series; a seventh detecting element having a longitudinal pattern direction that is in parallel with the longitudinal pattern direction of the sixth detecting element; and an eighth detecting element having a longitudinal pattern direction that is in parallel with the longitudinal pattern direction of the fifth detecting element, the eighth detecting element being electrically connected to the seventh detecting element in series, and wherein the fifth detecting element and the sixth detecting element are electrically connected in parallel, and the seventh detecting element and the eighth detecting element are electrically connected in parallel.