Kabul University

Faculty of Engineering
EEE Department
Second Semester of Master Degree
HALL EFFECT SENSOR (Working Principle & Applications)

Submitted to: Dr. Mohebullah Wali

Submitted by: Abdul Mutaleb Alemi ID: 0043
Abstract
The Hall effect was first discovered by Dr. Edwin. After research, Dr. Hall found that when a
magnetic field is perpendicular to a piece of conductor that is subjected to direct current, a
potential difference appears at opposite edges of the conductor, which is called the Hall effect.
In this article, we have discussed the Hall effect sensor, which is based on the Hall effect.
Also, the Hall effect sensor has many applications in industry, medicine, vehicle control, etc .

Introduction
Magnetic sensors convert magnetic or magnetically coded information into electrical signals
for processing by electrical circuits that have various applications. one of these types of
sensors is the Hall effect sensor, which was first discovered by Edwin who was a PhD
candidate at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Hall concluded that when the magnetic field is
perpendicular to a thin rectangular face of gold through which current flows, a voltage
difference appears on opposite sides of the edges. that the received voltage is proportional to
the passing current and the flux density perpendicular to the conductor. Therefore, in general,
it can be said that an external magnetic field must be used to activate the Hall effect sensor,
and when the flux density of the magnetic field is placed in the vicinity of the sensor, the sensor
produces an output voltage, which is called the Hall voltage. And this sensor has many
advantages and is widely used in industries, for example, in switches, wheel speed sensors,
position sensors, etc.[1]

Working & Principle of Hall Effect Sensor

The working principles of the Hall effect sensor are made up by the Hall effect theorem, in this
sense it is called a Hall effect sensor. The subject of the Hall effect is that when a conductor
or semiconductor is subjected to a current that is in one direction and an external magnetic
field is applied perpendicular to it, a small voltage appears on the surface of the conductor or
semiconductor.

1
 a) Hall effect principle no magnetic field b) Hall effect principle, magnetic field peresent

Figure 1. Schematic of Hall sensor function. [5]

Hall effect sensor works in such a way that when an electric current passes through the sensor,
the electrons pass through the sensor like a straight line, and when an external magnetic field
acts on the sensor, it causes the charge carriers to form a curved path, thus the carrier Positive
electron carriers are attracted to one side and negative electron carriers are attracted to the
other side, and as a result, a potential difference occurs. [2]

Figure 2. Working and principle Hall sensor. [5]

2
Application of Hall Effect Sensor
Hall effect sensors are used in many industry sectors such as vehicle control, medical
telecommunications, etc. According to the application, it can be used in different ways. [3]
for example:

 Position Sensor
 Flow Measurement
 Liqued Measurement
 RPM Sensors
 Brushless DC Motor Sensors
 Curent Sensors
 Temperature or Pressure Sensors

Advantages
Hall Effect Sensors have the following advantages:

• Hall effect sensor can be used to measure position, speed and direction of movement.
• Because it is in a solid state, it does not wear or tear.
• They are almost maintenance free.
• They are strong.
• They are immune to vibration, dust and water.

Disadvantages
The Hall Effect Sensors have the following disadvantages:

 Its accuracy sometimes may not be accurate because the external magnetic field may
have an effect
 They are not capable to measure current flow at a distance more than 10 cm.
 High Temperature affects the conductor resistance. This will in turn affect the charge
carrier’s mobility and sensitivity of Hall Effect Sensors.

3
References:
1- Honeywell Inc, 2005, “Hall Effect sensing and application”, Sensing and Control, PP. 1-3.
2- Ramsden, Edward. “Hall-Effect Sensors Theory and Applications”, Newnes/Elsevier, 2th ed. USA, 2006,
ch 1, pp. 1-3.
3- Administrator. (2015, Sep 15), Hall Effect Sensors. Available: https://www.electronicshub.org/hall-
effect-sensors/
4- Ratna. (2018, Apr 25), Hall Effect Sensors. Available: https://electricalfundablog.com/hall-effect-
sensors-work-types-applications-advantages-disadvantages/
5- Sensorwiki. (2018, Nov 1), Hall Effect. Available: https://sensorwiki.org/sensors/hall_effect
6- Available: https://electronicscoach.com/hall-effect-sensor.html