Abstract: The present disclosure provides a magnetic multi-turn sensor comprising a continuous coil of magnetoresistive elements and a method of manufacturing said sensor. The continuous coil is formed on a substrate such as a silicon wafer that has been fabricated so as to form a trench and bridge arrangement that enables the inner and outer spiral to be connected without interfering with the magnetoresistive elements of the spiral winding in between. Once the substrate has been fabricated with the trench and bridge arrangement, a film of the magnetoresistive material can be deposited to form a continuous coil on the surface of the substrate, wherein a portion of the coil is formed in the trench and a portion of the coil is formed on the bridge.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a device for initializing a multi-turn sensor that initializes the sensor almost instantaneously, thereby consuming very little energy. The initialisation device is provided in the form of a conductor that is placed a small distance above or below the sensor spiral, the conductor being configured so that it crosses at least two opposing corners of the spiral. A current is then applied to the conductor to generate a magnetic field in the corner sections of the spiral to nucleate domain walls. Once the domain walls have been nucleated, the external magnetic field will drive the pairs of domain walls away from each other towards the adjacent corners, changing the magnetic alignment of the tracks as they pass through. As such, the spiral can be initialised very quickly by applying a current to the conductor in the correct direction.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides magnetic sensor system that includes a magnetic sensor package comprising a magnetic single turn sensor and a magnetic multi-turn sensor, and a shield arrangement for shielding the magnetic sensor from stray magnetic fields. The shielding arrangement comprises a ferromagnetic tube that houses one or more magnets and connects to an end of rotating shaft, such that rotation of the shaft causes a corresponding rotation of the ferromagnetic tube and magnets. The magnetic sensor package is positioned on a surface of a PCB substrate, which is positioned in close proximity to the ferromagnetic tube and magnet arrangement. A shielding device is then arranged in close proximity to the magnetic sensor package, for example, on the opposite side of the PCB substrate or directly between the PCB substrate and the ferromagnetic tube, to provide additional shielding of any stray magnetic fields.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method of monitoring the magnetic field in which a magnetic sensor is operating in to ensure that the sensor is operating within its defined magnetic window. For example, the method uses the sensor output of either a multi-turn sensor, or some other magnetoresistive sensor that is being used in conjunction with the multi-turn sensor, for example, a magnetic single turn sensor or a second multi-turn sensor, to monitor the operating magnetic field.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method of monitoring the magnetic field in which a magnetic sensor is operating in to ensure that the sensor is operating within its defined magnetic window. For example, the method uses the sensor output of either a multi-turn sensor, or some other magnetoresistive sensor that is being used in conjunction with the multi-turn sensor, for example, a magnetic single turn sensor or a second multi-turn sensor, to monitor the operating magnetic field.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method of monitoring the magnetic field in which a magnetic sensor is operating in to ensure that the sensor is operating within its defined magnetic window. For example, the method uses the sensor output of either a multi-turn sensor, or some other magnetoresistive sensor that is being used in conjunction with the multi-turn sensor, for example, a magnetic single turn sensor or a second multi-turn sensor, to monitor the operating magnetic field.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides magnetic sensor system that includes a magnetic sensing device comprising a magnetic multi-turn sensor, and an initialization device for setting the magnetic multi-turn sensor in a known state ready for use. The initialization device is in the form of a substrate, such as a printed circuit board, comprising one or more wires. A strong electrical pulse is applied to the one or more wires, which thereby generate a magnetic field that is strong enough to cause the magnetoresistive elements of the magnetic multi-turn sensor to be filled with domain walls, thereby magnetising each element into an initialized state.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides magnetic sensor system that includes a magnetic sensor package comprising a magnetic single turn sensor and a magnetic multi-turn sensor, and a shield arrangement for shielding the magnetic sensor from stray magnetic fields. The shielding arrangement comprises a ferromagnetic tube that houses one or more magnets and connects to an end of rotating shaft, such that rotation of the shaft causes a corresponding rotation of the ferromagnetic tube and magnets. The magnetic sensor package is positioned on a surface of a PCB substrate, which is positioned in close proximity to the ferromagnetic tube and magnet arrangement. A shielding device is then arranged in close proximity to the magnetic sensor package, for example, on the opposite side of the PCB substrate or directly between the PCB substrate and the ferromagnetic tube, to provide additional shielding of any stray magnetic fields.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a magnetic multi-turn sensor comprising a continuous coil of magnetoresistive elements and a method of manufacturing said sensor. The continuous coil is formed on a substrate such as a silicon wafer that has been fabricated so as to form a trench and bridge arrangement that enables the inner and outer spiral to be connected without interfering with the magnetoresistive elements of the spiral winding in between. Once the substrate has been fabricated with the trench and bridge arrangement, a film of the magnetoresistive material can be deposited to form a continuous coil on the surface of the substrate, wherein a portion of the coil is formed in the trench and a portion of the coil is formed on the bridge.

Abstract: A giant magnetoresistance (GMR) element is provided for use in a magnetic multi-turn sensor in which the free layer, that is, the layer that changes its magnetization direction in response to an external magnetic field so as to provide a resistance change, is thick enough to provide good shape anisotropy without exhibiting an AMR effect. To achieve this, at least a portion of the free layer comprises a plurality of layers of at least two different materials, specifically, a plurality of layers of at least a first material that is ferromagnetic and a plurality of layers of at least a second material that is known not to exhibit an AMR effect and that does not interfere with the GMR effect of the layers of ferromagnetic material.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method of monitoring the magnetic field in which a magnetic sensor is operating in to ensure that the sensor is operating within its defined magnetic window. For example, the method uses the sensor output of either a multi-turn sensor, or some other magnetoresistive sensor that is being used in conjunction with the multi-turn sensor, for example, a magnetic single turn sensor or a second multi-turn sensor, to monitor the operating magnetic field.

Abstract: A magnetostrictive layer system is suggested comprising at least one layer sequence comprising an anti-ferromagnetic, (AFM), layer and a magnetostrictive, ferromagnetic, FM, layer arranged directly thereon, wherein the layer sequence has an associated exchange bias, EB, field, the EB-induced degree of magnetization of the FM layer in the absence of an external magnetic field being within a range between 85% and 100%, and the angle ?opt, which is enclosed by the EB field direction and the magnetostriction direction, that has the maximum piezomagnetic coefficient in the absence of an external magnetic field, within a plane parallel to the AFM layer and the FM layer lies within a range between 10° and 80°.