Hall element device

Claim 2

A Hall element device comprising a plurality of Hall elements (Hl, H2) including a first and last Hall element, each said Hall element including a first input (CT11, CT21), a second input (CT12, CT22), a first output (OT11, OT21) and a second output (OT12, OT22); control current means (Il, 12), electrically connected to each said first input (CT11, CT21), for driving each said Hall element; characterized in that means (OA), electrically connected between adjacent Hall elements, for maintaining said second output (OT12) of the one adjacent Hall element (Hl) and the first output (OT21) of the other adjacent Hall element (H2) at the same potential and for preventing current from passing across' the adjacent Hall elements is provided, said means including a first input electrically connected to said second output of one said adjacent Hall element, a second input electrically connected to said first input of the other adjacent Hall element, and an output electrically connected to said second input of the other adjacent Hall element, whereby the voltage across the first output (OT11) of the first Hall element (Hl) and the second output (OT22) of the last Hall element (H2) represents the sum of, or the difference between the voltages across all of said adjacent Hall elements.

Claim 3

A Hall element device, according to claim'1, characterized in that each said means for maintaining and for preventing is an operational amplifier.

Claim 4

A Hall element device, according to claim 1, characterized in that a single power source (PS), electrically connected to said control current means, is provided.

Claim 5

A Hall element device, according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of power sources are provided, each said Hall element powered by a corresponding power source.

Claim 6

A Hall element device, according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that each said operational amplifier has an input impedance higher than the input impedance of said adjacent Hall elements and provides a feedback loop to maintain said second output of the one adjacent Hall element and said first output of the other adjacent Hall element at the same potential.

Claim 7

A Hall element device comprising a first and second Hall element (Hl, H2) operably connected to said device, each said Hall elements including a first input (CT11, CT21), a second input. (CT12, CT22), a first output (OT11, OT21) and a second output (OT12, OT22), said. second input (CT12) of said first Hall element connected to ground; magnetic field means (Ml, M2), operably connected to said device, for influencing said first and second Hall element with a magnetic field; first converter means (VIC1), connected to said first input of said first Hall element, for controlling said first Hall element with a current proportional to a first .load voltage; second converter means (VIC2), connected to said first input of said second Hall element, for controlling said second Hall element with a current proportional to a second load voltage; and detector circuit means (DC) having a first input connected to said second output of said first Hall element and a second input connected to said second output of said second Hall element, for detecting a voltage proportional to the power consumed; characterized in that circuit means (OA) is provided, said means having a first input connected to said first output (OT12) of said first Hall element (Hl), a second input connected to said first output (OT21) of said second Hall element (H2) and an output connected to said second input (CT22) of said second Hall element (H2), for maintaining said first outputs of said first and second Hall elements at the same potential and for preventing current from passing across said first and second Hall elements.

Claim 8

A Hall element device comprising a first and second Hall element (Hl, H2) operably connected to said device, each said Hall elements including a first input (CT11, CT21), a second input. (CT12, CT22), a first output (OT11, OT21) and a second output (OT12, OT22), said. second input (CT12) of said first Hall element connected to ground; magnetic field means (Ml, M2), operably connected to said device, for influencing said first and second Hall element with a magnetic field; first converter means (VIC1), connected to said first input of said first Hall element, for controlling said first Hall element with a current proportional to a first .load voltage; second converter means (VIC2), connected to said first input of said second Hall element, for controlling said second Hall element with a current proportional to a second load voltage; and detector circuit means (DC) having a first input connected to said second output of said first Hall element and a second input connected to said second output of said second Hall element, for detecting a voltage proportional to the power consumed; characterized in that circuit means (OA) is provided, said means having a first input connected to said first output (OT12) of said first Hall element (Hl), a second input connected to said first output (OT21) of said second Hall element (H2) and an output connected to said second input (CT22) of said second Hall element (H2), for maintaining said first outputs of said first and second Hall elements at the same potential and for preventing current from passing across said first and second Hall elements.

Claim 9

A Hall element device, according to claim 6, characterized in that said circuit means is an operational amplifier and said first and second converter means each includes a transformer, an operational amplifier (OAll, OA22) having an input connected to said transformer and an output, and a resistor (Rl, R2) connected to said output of said operational amplifier.

Claim 10

A Hall element device according to claim 6, characterized in that said detector circuit means includes first and second operational amplifier (OA33, OA44) each having a first input, a second input and an output, said first input of said first operational amplifier connected to said second output (OT11) of said first Hall element (Hl) and said first input of said second operational amplifier connected to said second output (OT22) of said second Hall element (H2), and a resistor capacitor circuit connected to each said output and each said second input.

Claim 11

A Hall element device which comprises: an n (n > 2) number of voltage-current conversion units (Il, 12, ..., Ik-1, Ik, ..., In) supplied with a first reference potential; and an n number Hall elements (H1, H2, ..., Hk-1, Hk, ..., Hn) each provided with a first and second control current-supplying terminals and a first and second output terminals, the first control current-supplying terminal of each of said plural Hall elements being connected to the corresponding voltage-current conversion unit; characterized in that each of the operational amplifiers (OA1, OA2, ..., OAk-1, OAk) is connected between respective adjacent Hall elements; the noninverted input terminal of each said operational amplifier (OAk-I) having a K-1 order (k = 2, ..., n) is connected to the second output terminal (OTk-1,2) of a Hall element (Hk-1) having a k-1 order; the inverted input terminal of said operational amplifier (OAk-1) having the k-1 order is connected to the first output terminal (OTk,l) of a Hall element (Hk) having a k order; the output terminal of said operational amplifier (OAk-1) having the k-1 order is connected to the second control current-supplying terminal (CTk,2) of a Hall element (Hk) having a k order; the second control current-supplying terminal (CT12) of the first Hall element (Hl) is supplied with a second reference potential; and a voltage representing a sum of the voltages of every two adjacent Hall elements, or a difference between said voltages is produced from between the first output terminal (OTll) of the first Hall element (Hl) and the second output terminal (OTn2) of a Hall element (Hn) having an n order.

Claim 12

A Hall element device which comprises: an n (n > 2) number of voltage-current conversion units (Il, 12, ..., Ik-1, Ik, ..., In) supplied with a first reference potential; and an n number Hall elements (H1, H2, ..., Hk-1, Hk, ..., Hn) each provided with a first and second control current-supplying terminals and a first and second output terminals, the first control current-supplying terminal of each of said plural Hall elements being connected to the corresponding voltage-current conversion unit; characterized in that each of the operational amplifiers (OA1, OA2, ..., OAk-1, OAk) is connected between respective adjacent Hall elements; the noninverted input terminal of each said operational amplifier (OAk-I) having a K-1 order (k = 2, ..., n) is connected to the second output terminal (OTk-1,2) of a Hall element (Hk-1) having a k-1 order; the inverted input terminal of said operational amplifier (OAk-1) having the k-1 order is connected to the first output terminal (OTk,l) of a Hall element (Hk) having a k order; the output terminal of said operational amplifier (OAk-1) having the k-1 order is connected to the second control current-supplying terminal (CTk,2) of a Hall element (Hk) having a k order; the second control current-supplying terminal (CT12) of the first Hall element (Hl) is supplied with a second reference potential; and a voltage representing a sum of the voltages of every two adjacent Hall elements, or a difference between said voltages is produced from between the first output terminal (OTll) of the first Hall element (Hl) and the second output terminal (OTn2) of a Hall element (Hn) having an n order.

Claim 13

The Hall element device according to claim 9, characterized in that the voltage-current conversion units is formed of a constant current circuit.