HELICAL-SHAPED CURRENT SENSOR

摘要

In order to attach a current sensor to a wire to be measured, conventional current sensors have a construction in which a case is divided or a construction in which a notch is provided in a semiconductor substrate. However, there have been problems concerning assembly errors and changes that occur over time after attachment, or concerning a reduction in measurement accuracy as a result of it not being possible to arrange sensors in a uniform manner. To address these problems, a helical-shaped current sensor which has high measurement accuracy and is capable of being subsequently attached to an existing wire to be measured is provided. The current sensor comprises a support body (11) that is arranged so as to surround the outer periphery of the wire to be measured, and a plurality of magnetic sensors that are supported by the support body (11). The current sensor detects, by means of the magnetic sensors, magnetism that is generated when current flows in the wire to be measured. The support body (11) has a helical shape, and the gap of the helical shape of the support body (11) is a gap of at least the outer periphery of the wire to be measured.