Current sensor and device for measuring an electrical current

• US 10,416,196 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2016
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Urankar, Lionel
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thienvu V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stables, David M
• Application Number:
  US15/341,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20170146572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/181 using coils without a magnetic core, e.g. Rogowski coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/0092 measuring current only all subgroups of G01R19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/00 Arrangements for measuring electric power or power factor G01R7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/08 responsive to excess current responsive to abnormal temperature caused by excess current H02H5/04

Abstract

A current sensor of Rogowski type including two layers of coils surrounding a current conductor, each layer of coils including a plurality of windings wound on a plurality of axes forming the contour of polygons of identical forms, arranged on parallel planes, and placed facing one another such that each corner zone of the first polygon is situated facing a corresponding corner zone of the second polygon and such that, in each corner zone, turns of the winding of the first layer of coils have different orientations from those of the turns of the winding of the second layer of coils in the facing corner zone.

Claims

1. A Rogowski current sensor, comprising:

a first layer of coils and a second layer of coils configured to surround a current conductor so as to perform a measurement of a current flowing in the current conductor,

the first layer of coils comprising a first plurality of windings linked together, each winding of the first plurality having a longitudinal axis arranged in a first plane and first turns that are substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, crossovers of the longitudinal axes of said each winding of the first plurality forming first corner zones corresponding to vertices of a first polygon in the first plane,

the second layer of coils comprising a second plurality of windings linked together, each winding of the second plurality having a longitudinal axis arranged in a second plane, parallel to the first plane, and second turns that are substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, crossovers of the longitudinal axes of said each winding of the second plurality forming second corner zones corresponding to vertices of a second polygon in the second plane, and

the first and second polygons being disposed facing one another such that each of the first corner zones of the first polygon is respectively situated facing a corresponding each of the second corner zones of the second polygon,

wherein in each of the first and the second corner zones, an orientation of the first turns of the winding of the first layer of coils is different from an orientation of the second turns of the winding of the second layer of coils in a facing corner zone.

2. The current sensor according to claim 1, wherein said each of the first and the second corner zones is occupied by an end of a single winding, and an end of an adjacent winding thereto extends substantially as far as a side of the single winding occupying said each of the first and the second corner zones.

3. The current sensor according to claim 2, wherein the longitudinal axis of said each winding of the first plurality along each side of the first polygon is parallel to the longitudinal axis of said each winding of the second plurality along each side of the second polygon facing thereto.

4. The current sensor according to claim 1, wherein the windings of the first plurality are linked in series and the windings of the second plurality are linked in series.

5. The current sensor according to claim 1, wherein a direction of coiling of the windings of the first plurality is reversed with respect to a direction of coiling of the windings of the second plurality.

6. The current sensor according to claim 1, wherein a shape of the first and the second polygons is a rectangle or a square.

7. The current sensor according to claim 6, wherein for each corner zone of the first and the second polygons, the first turns of the winding of the first plurality in the first corner zones are oriented substantially at right angles with respect to the second turns of the winding of the second plurality in the second corner zones facing thereto.

8. The current sensor according to claim 1, wherein coils of the first and the second layers of coils are produced according to a printed circuit technique.

9. The current sensor according to claim 1, wherein coils of the first and the second layers of coils are produced by depositing an electrically conducting material on an insulating support with a silk-screen printing technique.

10. The current sensor according to claim 1, wherein coils of the first and the second layers of coils are produced according to a three-dimensional printing technique.

11. An apparatus for measuring electrical power or energy, comprising:

at least one current sensor linked to at least one circuit configured to process a signal representative of a current flowing in at least one current conductor; and

at least one current sensor according to claim 1.

12. The apparatus for measuring electrical power or energy according to claim 11, wherein:

a first end of the first layer of coils is linked to a reference potential of the apparatus,

a second end of the first layer of coils is linked to a first input of an amplifier,

a first end of the second layer of coils is linked to the reference potential of the apparatus, and

a second end of the second layer of coils is linked to a second input of the amplifier.

13. An electrical trip unit, comprising:

at least one current sensor according to claim 1; and

at least one processing circuit connected to the at least one current sensor and being configured to receive at least one signal representative of a current flowing in at least one current conductor.

14. A switching device, comprising:

an electrical trip unit according to claim 13; and

an electrical contact opening mechanism linked to the electrical trip unit and being configured to open electrical contacts.