Sensor element based on magneto-thermoelectric effect, and realizing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9797962-B2
Application number	US-201214438003-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2012
Priority date	Oct 26, 2012
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A sensor element based on a magneto-thermoelectric effect and realizing method thereof are provided, the sensor element includes a plurality of thermoelectric elements having an angular structure and are located in a magnetic field; the thermoelectric element is made of magnetic material having a thermoelectric effect, and includes a first side, a second side, and an angular part formed by connecting the two sides; the angular part is provided with a heating device; and the temperature in the region where the other end of the first side and the second side are located are less than or equal to the ambient temperature.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor element based on magneto-thermoelectric effect, wherein the sensor element comprises a plurality of thermoelectric elements, each of which has an angular structure, in a magnetic field, the thermoelectric element is made of magnetic material having thermoelectric effect, and the thermoelectric element comprises a first side, a second side and an angular part formed by connecting the first side and the second side, and has magnetic anisotropy of thermoelectric effect, the angular part is provided with a heating device, and wherein when the sensor element is put into use, temperatures of regions where the other ends of the first side and the second side locate are less than or equal to ambient temperature, and the angular part of the thermoelectric element is heated to make a temperature of the angular part higher than temperatures of the other ends of the first side and the second side.

2. The sensor element according to claim 1 , wherein the heating device is an electric heating filament or an illumination device, the angular part is heated by electrifying the electric heating filament or by local illumination, and heating temperature is adjusted by current or light intensity.

3. The sensor element according to claim 2 , wherein a thin insulating layer is further disposed between the electric heating filament and the thermoelectric element.

4. The sensor element according to claim 1 , wherein the first side and the second side of the thermoelectric element are a same magnetic material having magneto-thermoelectric effect, or different magnetic materials having magneto-thermoelectric effect, an angle between the first side and the second side is in a range from 0 to 180 degrees, and the angular part is a bended part between the first side and the second side or a welded part between the first side and the second side.

5. The sensor element according to claim 4 , wherein the first side and the second side of the thermoelectric element are made of a filament of magnetic material, or are made by depositing a thin-film filament on an insulating substrate through vacuum coating and micromachining.

6. The sensor element according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of thermoelectric elements, each of which has an angular structure, in the magnetic field are connected in series, or connected in parallel, or connected in a combination of series and parallel; the plurality of thermoelectric elements are connected in sequence to form a coil-like shape with an end of the second side of one thermoelectric element being electrically connected using an additional filament to an end of the first side of a next thermoelectric element in a case that the plurality of thermoelectric elements are connected in series; and ends of the first sides of the thermoelectric elements are electrically connected to each other and ends of the second sides of the thermoelectric elements are electrically connected to each other in a case that the plurality of thermoelectric elements are connected in parallel.

7. The sensor element according to claim 6 , wherein an angle between the first side and the second side of one thermoelectric element is 90 degrees; and a section of a coil formed by the plurality of thermoelectric elements sequentially connected in series is right-triangle shaped.

8. The sensor element according to claim 1 , wherein the magnetic material of the thermoelectric element having thermoelectric effect is metal, semimetal, semiconductor, or conducting oxide.

9. The sensor element according to claim 1 , wherein a plane where the thermoelectric element locates is parallel to the magnetic field.

10. An implementation method of a sensor element based on magneto-thermoelectric effect, comprising:
placing a sensor element in a magnetic field, wherein the sensor element comprises a plurality of thermoelectric elements each of which has an angular structure, the thermoelectric element is made of magnetic material having thermoelectric effect, and the thermoelectric element comprises a first side, a second side and an angular part formed by connecting the first side and the second side, and has magnetic anisotropy of thermoelectric effect;
heating the angular part of the thermoelectric element, to make a temperature of the angular part higher than temperatures of the other ends of the first side and the second side; and
converting, by the sensor element, change of the magnetic field into an electric signal based on magneto-thermoelectric effect in a case that the magnetic field changes, and outputting the electric signal in a form of voltage from two ends of the sensor element.

Assignees

• Univ Soochow

Inventors

• Di Guoqing

Classifications

• G11B5/02

  Recording, reproducing, or erasing methods; Read, write or erase circuits therefor · CPC title

• G01R33/06

  using galvano-magnetic devices · CPC title

• G01R33/02 Primary

  Measuring direction or magnitude of magnetic fields or magnetic flux (G01R33/20 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01R33/007 Primary

  Environmental aspects, e.g. temperature variations, radiation, stray fields (G01R33/025 takes precedence) · CPC title