Sensor for magnetizable materials

Claim 2

A sensor for magnetizable materials comprising: a substrate; an inductive component including thin layers fixed on said substrate, one of said layers being made of magnetizable material, said one layer forming a magnetic circuit with a gap therein, other of said layers passing partly over and partly under said magnetic circuit at a point along said circuit remote from said gap, said other layers forming a coil surrounding said circuit; and intermediate layers insulating said circuit from said coil, wherein said magnetic circuit is made of at least one ferromagnetic amorphous metal alloy, wherein said alloy includes transition elements of the iron group, and wherein said alloy contains metalloids selected from the group consisting of (C, Si, Ge).

Claim 3

A sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said alloy contains elements selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, and niobium.

Claim 4

A sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein: at least 95% (atomic %) of said alloy is selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, and niobium.

Claim 5

A flowmeter comprising: a housing having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet; a rotor rotatable in said housing, said rotor having vanes to be rotated with said rotor by fluid impinging upon said vanes, said vanes having ferromagnetic portions; a substrate; an inductive component including thin layers fixed on said substrate, one of said layers being made of magnetizable material, said one layer forming a magnetic circuit with a gap therein positioned proximate to the path of said ferromagnetic portions to have the reluctance of said magnetic circuit changed by passage of said ferromagnetic portions in proximity thereto, other of said layers passing partly over and partly under said magnetic circuit at a point along said circuit remote from said gap, said other layers forming a coil surrounding said circuit, and a plurality of intermediate layers insulating said curcuit from said coil, wherein said magnetic circuit is comprised of at least one ferromagnetic amorphous metal alloy; a pulse counter having an input and an output; an indicator responsive to said pulse counter output for producing an indication of the number of pulses produced at said pulse counter output; and wherein said coil is connected to said pulse counter input to cause the same to produce an output pulse each time one of said ferromagnetic portions passes said gap.

Claim 6

A flowmeter comprising: a housing having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet; a rotor rotatable in said housing, said rotor having vanes to be rotated with said rotor by fluid impinging upon said vanes, said vanes having ferromagnetic portions; a substrate; an inductive component including thin layers fixed on said substrate, one of said layers being made of magnetizable material, said one layer forming a magnetic circuit with a gap therein positioned proximate to the path of said ferromagnetic portions to have the reluctance of said magnetic circuit changed by passage of said ferromagnetic portions in proximity thereto, other of said layers passing partly over and partly under said magnetic circuit at a point along said circuit remote from said gap, said other layers forming a coil surrounding said circuit, and a plurality of intermediate layers insulating said curcuit from said coil, wherein said magnetic circuit is comprised of at least one ferromagnetic amorphous metal alloy; a pulse counter having an input and an output; an indicator responsive to said pulse counter output for producing an indication of the number of pulses produced at said pulse counter output; and wherein said coil is connected to said pulse counter input to cause the same to produce an output pulse each time one of said ferromagnetic portions passes said gap.