Current sensor including a housing surrounded by bent portions of primary conductors

1. A current sensor comprising:

a plurality of primary conductors, through each of which a current to be measured flows and which are arranged parallel or substantially parallel to each other;

a plurality of magnetic sensors, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of primary conductors and detects an intensity of a magnetic field generated by the current to be measured that flows through the corresponding primary conductor; and

a single housing that accommodates the plurality of magnetic sensors; wherein

each of the plurality of primary conductors includes a front surface and a back surface, has a length direction, a width direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the length direction, and a thickness direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the length direction and the width direction, and further includes a bent portion that is bent to surround at least a portion of an outer periphery of the housing at an intermediate position in the length direction when viewed in the width direction;

the housing is disposed in a region surrounded by the bent portion of each of the plurality of primary conductors when viewed in the width direction;

each of the plurality of primary conductors includes one path portion and another path portion through which portions of the current separately flow at an intermediate position in the length direction;

the one path portion and the other path portion each include the bent portion; and

the housing is disposed in a region surrounded by the bent portion of the one path portion and the bent portion of the other path portion when viewed in the width direction.

2. The current sensor according to claim 1 , wherein

the housing has a longitudinal direction; and

the longitudinal direction of the housing coincides or substantially coincides with the width direction of each of the plurality of primary conductors.

3. The current sensor according to claim 1 , wherein

the bent portion of the one path portion bulges at a front surface of each of the plurality of primary conductors; and

the bent portion of the other path portion bulges at a second surface of each of the plurality of primary conductors.

4. The current sensor according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of primary conductors includes the bent portion that bulges at a front surface of each of the plurality of primary conductors.

5. The current sensor according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of primary conductors includes the bent portion that bulges at a back surface of each of the plurality of primary conductors.

6. The current sensor according to claim 1 , wherein

the bent portion of the one path portion and the bent portion of the other path portion each includes one end and another end in the length direction;

the one end of the bent portion of the one path portion and the other end of the bent portion of the one path portion in the length direction are at different positions in the thickness direction;

the one end of the bent portion of the other path portion and the other end of the bent portion of the other path portion in the length direction are at different positions in the thickness direction;

the one end of the bent portion of the one path portion and the one end of the bent portion of the other path portion in the length direction are at a same or substantially a same position in the thickness direction;

the other end of the bent portion of the one path portion and the other end of the bent portion of the other path portion in the length direction are at a same or substantially a same position in the thickness direction;

the one path portion includes a crank portion that connects a position of the one end of the bent portion of the one path portion and a position of the other end of the bent portion of the one path portion in the thickness direction;

the bent portion of the other path portion includes a crank portion that connects a position of the one end of the bent portion of the other path portion and a position of the other end of the bent portion of the other path portion in the thickness direction; and

the crank portion of the bent portion of the one path portion and the crank portion of the bent portion of the other path portion are spaced apart from each other in the length direction.

7. The current sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the one path portion and the other path portion are included in a single conductor.

8. The current sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes an engagement portion that engages with one of the plurality of primary conductors.

9. The current sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising a base to which the plurality of primary conductors and the plurality of magnetic sensors are attached.

10. The current sensor according to claim 9 , wherein the base includes a plurality of grooves that are shaped so as to match shapes of the plurality of primary conductors.

11. The current sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the one path portion and the other path portion are respectively included in two separate conductors.

12. The current sensor according to claim 11 , wherein the two conductors are electrically connected to each other at both ends thereof.

13. The current sensor according to claim 11 , wherein the two conductors are spaced apart from each other in the width direction of plurality of primary conductors and extend parallel or substantially parallel to each other in the length direction of the plurality of primary conductors.

14. The current sensor according to claim 11 , wherein the two conductors extend parallel or substantially parallel to each other in the length direction of the plurality of primary conductor and are stacked on one another in the thickness direction of the plurality of primary conductors.

15. The current sensor according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of primary conductors includes a slit that extends in the length direction of the plurality of primary conductors adjacent to the bent portion in the width direction of the plurality of primary conductors.

16. The current sensor according to claim 1 , wherein

the bent portion of the one path portion is an arch-shaped portion including a first projecting portion, a second projecting portion, and an extending portion;

the first projecting portion and the second projecting portion are spaced apart from each other and project in a direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to a first surface of a respective one of the plurality of primary conductors;

the extending portion extends in the length direction of the plurality of primary conductors and connects the first projecting portion and the second projecting portion to each other;

the bent portion of the other path portion is an inverted-arch-shaped portion includes a third projecting portion, a fourth projecting portion, and an extending portion;

the third projecting portion and the fourth projecting portion are spaced apart from each other and project in a direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to a second surface of the respective one of the plurality of primary conductors;

the extending portion extends in the length direction of the plurality of primary conductors and connects the third projecting portion and the fourth projecting portion to each other.

17. The current sensor according to claim 16 , wherein the arch-shaped portion and the inverted-arch-shaped portion have the same or substantially the same shape.

18. The current sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the housing is made of polyphenylene sulfide.