Sensor assembly

US5719494A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Lust Antriebstechnik GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Fritz Dettmann · Solms, DE
• Uwe Loreit · Wetzlar, DE
• Jürgen Kunze · Rutesheim, DE
• Karl-Heinz Lust · Biebertal, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 13, 1995
• Grant date: Feb 17, 1998
• Expiry date: Oct 13, 2015

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01R33/096
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A sensor assembly for measuring current I.sub.o is disclosed. The sensor assembly includes four magnetoresistive resistors (1, 2, 3, 4) arranged to form a Wheatstone bridge. The bridge is disposed over a U shaped conductor 14. The resistors are arranged so that two resistors (1,2) forming one bridge branch are disposed over one leg of the conductor and the two resistors (3,4) forming the other bridge branch are disposed over the other leg of the conductor. Each resistor is formed out of a number of magnetoresistive strips (1', 2', 3', 4'). The magnetoresistive strips forming the individual bridge branch resistors are interleaved so as to ensure the resistors forming each bridge branch have substantially the same temperature. When current I.sub.o is applied to the conductor, the equal and opposite magnetic fields that develop around the individual bridge branches cause the Wheatstone bridge to produce a signal U.sub.a that is a function of the current.