Arrangement and Method for Measuring a Current Flowing in an Electrical Conductor

• US 20100181991A1
• Filed: 02/02/2010
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Epcos AG (TDK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Epcos AG (TDK Corporation)
• Inventors: Neudecker, Martin, Roellgen, Bernhard
• Granted Patent: US 7,911,198 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/117.H
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/207 Constructional details independent of the type of device used

Abstract

An arrangement and a method are used for measuring current flowing in an electrical conductor with a magnetic circuit that has an air gap for coupling to the electrical conductor. The air gap of the magnetic circuit contains a magnetic-field-sensitive component that is used to measure the magnetic field generated by the electrical conductor, wherein, the air gap of the magnetic circuit contains a control core, wherein the control core has a control winding for the magnetic saturation of the control core. In the vicinity of the magnetic-field-sensitive component there are several additional elements that are suitable for conducting interfering magnetic fields in the surroundings of the magnetic-field-sensitive component independent of the control cores.

Claims

1. An arrangement for measuring a current flowing in an electrical conductor, the arrangement comprising:

a magnetic circuit with an air gap for coupling to the electrical conductor;

a control core for controlling the air gap, the control core being arranged in the air gap, the control core having a control winding for magnetic saturation of the control core;

a magnetic-field-sensitive component arranged in the air gap of the magnetic circuit for measuring a magnetic field generated by the electrical conductor, the magnetic-field-sensitive component being arranged on a first side of the control core; and

a plurality of additional elements that are suitable for conducting magnetic fields in surroundings of the magnetic-field-sensitive component independent of the control core, the additional elements being located near the magnetic-field-sensitive component, wherein a first additional element is arranged within the control core and a second additional element is arranged outside of the control core.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a second magnetic-field-sensitive component arranged on a second side of the control core opposite the magnetic-field-sensitive component.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the additional elements can be magnetized.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the additional elements have a relative permeability of greater than 1.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the additional elements are made from a soft-magnetic material.

6. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the additional elements have a relative permeability that is greater than or equal to a relative permeability of the control core.

7. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the additional elements have an arbitrary form or are each made from several individual elements.

8. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the additional elements comprise a portion of the control core.

9. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the additional elements have a residual permeability when the control core is saturated.

10. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the additional elements contain ferromagnetic metals.

11. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic circuit has an additional winding.

12. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic circuit surrounds the electrical conductor.

13. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the control core comprises a ferrite core.

14. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the control core has a rectangular frame and has, on at least one side of the frame, a control winding for the magnetic saturation of the control core.

15. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the control core has a control winding on two opposite sides.

16. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic circuit and control core are spaced apart from each other, so that the arrangement has a gap on both sides between the magnetic circuit and the control core.

17. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic-field-sensitive component is a Hall sensor.

18. A method for measuring a current flowing in an electrical conductor, the method comprising:

coupling a magnetic circuit with the electrical conductor, wherein the magnetic circuit has an air gap and a control core arranged in the air gap for controlling the air gap,

measuring a first magnetic field in a case of a saturated control core through one or more magnetic-field-sensitive components arranged in the air gap;

measuring a second magnetic field in a case of an unsaturated control core through the one or more magnetic-field-sensitive component; and

eliminating interference influences of external magnetic fields by balancing out the interference influences both for the measurement of the first magnetic field and also for the measurement of the second magnetic field through additional elements that are suitable, independent of the control core, for conducting magnetic fields in surroundings of a magnetic-field-sensitive component.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein eliminating interference influences further comprises:

increasing a sensitivity for measuring the external magnetic fields in the case of the saturated control core through a first additional element arranged in an interior of the control core.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the step of eliminating interference influences further comprises:

balancing out incident angles of the external magnetic fields in the case of the saturated and in the case of the unsaturated control core through both the first additional element arranged in the interior of the control core and also a second additional element arranged outside of the control core.