Current sensor

A current sensor comprising:

• a magnetic detection element that senses a magnetic flux generated from a current path to perform electromagnetic conversion;
• and
• at least two magnetic shields that are arranged around the magnetic detection element and shield an external magnetic flux affecting the magnetic detection element, wherein:
• the at least two magnetic shields include a first magnetic shield and a second magnetic shield facing each other across the magnetic detection element and the current path;
• at least one of the first magnetic shield and the second magnetic shield includes at least two base portions and a coupling portion coupling the at least two base portions, and the at least one of the first magnetic shield and the second magnetic field has a recess recessed from a periphery in a surface facing the other of the first magnetic shield and the second magnetic shield;
• and
• the recess is a bottomed hole portion surrounded by a bottom and an annular sidewall.

A current sensor comprising:

• a magnetic detection element that senses a magnetic flux generated from a current path to perform electromagnetic conversion;
• and
• at least two magnetic shields that are arranged around the magnetic detection element and shield an external magnetic flux affecting the magnetic detection element, wherein:
• the at least two magnetic shields include a first magnetic shield and a second magnetic shield facing each other across the magnetic detection element and the current path;
• at least one of the first magnetic shield and the second magnetic shield includes at least two base portions and a coupling portion coupling the at least two base portions, and the at least one of the first magnetic shield and the second magnetic field has a recess recessed from a periphery in a surface facing the other of the first magnetic shield and the second magnetic shield;
• an upper phase and a lower phase are stacked in a thickness direction of the magnetic shield, the upper phase including two or more current paths included in the current path and the lower phase including two or more current paths included in the current path;
• the magnetic detection element includes two or more upper phase magnetic detection elements respectively facing the current paths in the upper phase, and two or more lower phase magnetic detection elements respectively facing the current paths in the lower phase;
• and
• the at least two magnetic shields include a first upper phase magnetic shield and a second upper phase magnetic shield facing across the current paths in the upper phase and the upper phase magnetic detection elements, and the at least two magnetic shields include a first lower phase magnetic shield and a second lower phase magnetic shield facing across the current paths in the lower phase and the lower phase magnetic detection elements.

A current sensor comprising:

• a magnetic detection element that senses a magnetic flux generated from a current path to perform electromagnetic conversion;
• and
• at least two magnetic shields that are arranged around the magnetic detection element and shield an external magnetic flux affecting the magnetic detection element, wherein:
• the at least two magnetic shields include a first magnetic shield and a second magnetic shield facing each other across the magnetic detection element and the current path;
• at least one of the first magnetic shield and the second magnetic shield includes at least two base portions and a coupling portion coupling the at least two base portions, and the at least one of the first magnetic shield and the second magnetic field has a recess recessed from a periphery in a surface facing the other of the first magnetic shield and the second magnetic shield;
• the magnetic detection element includes two or more magnetic detection elements respectively facing two or more current paths included in the current path;
• each of the first magnetic shield and the second magnetic shield includes a surface layer portion and a protrusion, the surface layer portion including the coupling portion and an end layer portion provided continuously with the coupling portion in each of the base portions, and the protrusion protruding from the end layer portion in each of the base portions;
• the recess is formed between the protrusions of each of the first magnetic shield and the second magnetic field;
• the protrusion of the first magnetic shield and the protrusion of the second magnetic shield face each other;
• each of the magnetic detection elements is individually disposed in a facing region between the protrusion of the first magnetic shield and the protrusion of the second magnetic shield facing each other;
• and
• at least one of the first magnetic shield and the second magnetic shield has a shape adjusted such that a leakage magnetic field from the recess in the first magnetic shield and a leakage magnetic field from the recess in the second magnetic shield cancel out each other and the leakage magnetic fields do not reach the magnetic detection elements.

A current sensor for individually detecting a current flowing in each of at least three current paths, the current sensor comprising

• a plurality of phases respectively corresponding to the at least three current paths, each of the phases including:
• a magnetic detection element facing one of the current paths, sensing a magnetic field generated from the current path, and converting the magnetic field into an electric signal;
• and
• a magnetic shield portion shielding an external magnetic field affecting the magnetic detection element and including a pair of first shield and a second shield facing each other across the current path and the magnetic detection element, wherein:
• in each of the phases, the first shied, the current path, the magnetic detection element, and the second shield are stacked in this order in a stacking direction and the phases are arranged in an arrangement direction orthogonal to the stacking direction;
• a phase at an end in the arrangement direction among the plurality of phases is defined as an end phase;
• the first shield in the end phase is defined as a first end phase shield;
• the second shield in the end phase is defined as a second end phase shield;
• the magnetic detection element in the end phase is defined as an end phase detection element;
• at least one of the first end phase shield and the second end phase shield includes a magnetic field exchanger configured to perform magnetic field exchange between the first end phase shield and the second end phase shield such that a leakage magnetic field from an extreme end of one of the first end phase shield and the second end phase shield in the arrangement direction reaches the other of the first end phase shield and the second end phase shield more easily than the end phase detection element;
• the first shield in a phase other than the end phase is defined as a first intervening shield;
• the second shield in a phase other than the end phase is defined as a second intervening shield;
• the magnetic detection element between the first intervening shield and the second intervening shield is defined as an intervening detection element;
• and
• at least one of the first end phase shield and the second end phase shield includes as the magnetic field exchanger a section where a length from a portion facing the end phase detection element to the extreme end, in which the leakage magnetic field is generated, is larger than a length from a portion facing the intervening detection element to an end adjacent to the extreme end in the corresponding first intervening shield and second intervening shield in the arrangement direction.

The current sensor according to claim 26 for individually detecting a current flowing in each of at least three current paths, wherein:

• the first shield in a phase other than the end phase is defined as a first intervening shield;
• the second shield in a phase other than the end phase is defined as a second intervening shield;
• the magnetic detection element between the first intervening shield and the second intervening shield is defined as an intervening detection element;
• and
• at least one of the first end phase shield and the second end phase shield includes as the magnetic field exchanger a section where a length from a portion facing the end phase detection element to the extreme end, in which the leakage magnetic field is generated, is larger than a length from a portion facing the intervening detection element to an end adjacent to the extreme end in the corresponding first intervening shield and second intervening shield in the arrangement direction.

A current sensor for individually detecting a current flowing in each of a plurality of current paths, the current sensor comprising

• a plurality of phases respectively corresponding to the plurality of current paths, each of the phases including:
• a magnetic detection element facing one of the current paths, sensing a magnetic field generated from the current path, and converting the magnetic field into an electric signal;
• and
• a magnetic shield portion shielding an external magnetic field affecting the magnetic detection element and including a pair of first shield and a second shield facing each other across the current path and the magnetic detection element, wherein:
• in each of the phases, the first shied, the current path, the magnetic detection element, and the second shield are stacked in this order in a stacking direction and the phases are arranged in an arrangement direction orthogonal to the stacking direction;
• a phase at an end in the arrangement direction among the plurality of phases is defined as an end phase;
• the first shield in the end phase is defined as a first end phase shield;
• the second shield in the end phase is defined as a second end phase shield;
• the magnetic detection element in the end phase is defined as an end phase detection element;
• at least one of the first end phase shield and the second end phase shield includes a magnetic field exchanger configured to perform magnetic field exchange between the first end phase shield and the second end phase shield such that a leakage magnetic field from an extreme end of one of the first end phase shield and the second end phase shield in the arrangement direction reaches the other of the first end phase shield and the second end phase shield more easily than the end phase detection element;
• and
• each of the first shield and the second shield is coupled to each other correspondingly to each of the plurality of phases by a thin portion having a thickness less than the first shield and the second shield in the stacking direction.