GMI Magnetic Field Sensor based on Time-coded Principle

A GMI magnetic field sensor working based on time-coded principle has been investigated and designed. The laboratory model has been constructed and tested carefully, demonstrating the sensitivity of $3\;{\mu}s/{\mu}T$ in the field range of ${\pm}100\;{\mu}T$. An amorphous thin wire, $100\;{\mu}m$ in diameter ${\times}50\;mm$ in length, was chosen to be sensing element which was fit into a small field modulation coil of 60 mm in length. The sensor is working based on a time-coded principle that, with the magnetic field modulation was chosen in range of hundreds of Hz, the change in time interval of two adjacent GMI peaks relating to external DC magnetic field is proportional to the intensity of the external field to be measured. This mechanism has made a great improvement to the linearity of the sensor.