US 5,282,104 A · Magnetic reading device with read head matrix network

Abstract

A magnetic reading device, of the type comprising multiple magnetic read heads, incorporates read heads each formed by a magneto-resistance element having a resistance which varies as a function of an outside magnetic field. The magnetic reading device comprises a network of line conductors intersected with a network of column conductors to form intersections at which a read head is provided. The first and second ends of each magneto-resistance element forming the read heads are respectively connected to a line conductor and to a column conductor of the corresponding intersection, and a control voltage is applied to the line and column conductors by a switching element for each line conductor, column conductors being connected to a current sensor. A simplification of the control of read heads results from this arrangement, while avoiding the effect of the heads not selected on the variations of current coming from the selected heads.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A magnetic reading device, comprising:

a plurality of magnetic read heads, each read head comprising a magnetoresistance element having a resistance which varies as a function of a magnetic field generated by an external magnetic field;
a plurality of line conductors intersecting with a plurality of column conductors with a respective read head being located approximately at the intersection of a respective pair of one of the line conductors and one of the column conductors, a magnetoresistance element of said respective read head having one end connected to the line conductor of said respective pair and another end connected to the column conductor of said respective pair, each column conductor of said plurality being furthermore, connected to a respective detector,
means for maintaining all the column conductors substantially at a common first electrical potential,
means for applying a second electrical potential on a selected line conductor of the plurality of line conductors while leaving all other line conductors substantially at said first potential.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Magnetic reading device with read head matrix network

Life of this patent

Magnetic reading device with read head matrix network

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15