SHUNT SENSOR AND SHUNT SENSOR ASSEMBLY

• US 20110267038A1
• Filed: 04/30/2010
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silergy Semiconductor (Samoa) Ltd. (Silergy Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Teridian Semiconductor Corp. (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Homma, Wolfhard J., Laiz, Carlos A., Boutorabi, Kourosh
• Granted Patent: US 8,493,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/126
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/203 Resistors used for electric measuring, e.g. decade resistors standards, resistors for comparators, series resistors, shunts resistors in general H01C; microwave or radiowave terminations H01P1/26; coupling devices H01R

Abstract

The present disclosure describes configurations for current shunt sensors and current shunt sensor assemblies having improved electromagnetic cross-talk rejection that can be used in single-phase/split-phase and poly-phase power metering applications. Some embodiments of the current shunt sensors and current shunt sensor assemblies reduce the need for a shielding material around current shunt sensors in single-phase/split-phase and poly-phase power metering applications. Some embodiments of the current shunt sensors achieve improved electromagnetic cross-talk rejection through a substantially symmetrical arrangement of component parts along the primary path of current flow. Some embodiments of the current shunt sensors achieve improved electromagnetic cross-talk rejection by symmetrical configurations that, in operation, induce complementary parasitic currents or voltages that substantially cancel each other out and do not substantially affect primary current flow through the current shunt sensor.

Claims

1. A current shunt sensor, comprising:

first and second conductive mounting element each having respective first and second ends; and

a resistor between the respective first ends of the first and second conductive mounting elements;

wherein the first and second conducting mounting elements and the resistor form a planar surface defined in part by a central lengthwise axis, and wherein current shunt sensor is symmetric along the central lengthwise axis.

2. The current shunt sensor of claim 1 further comprising:

first, second, third and fourth measurement connections;

wherein the planar surface is also defined in part by a second axis substantially perpendicular to the central lengthwise axis,

wherein the first and third measurement connections are on the first conductive mounting element on one side of the second axis and substantially equidistant from the central lengthwise axis, and

wherein the second and fourth measurement connections are on the second conductive mounting element on the other side of the second axis and substantially equidistant from the central lengthwise axis.

3. The current shunt sensor of claim 2, wherein the first and second measurement connections are equidistant from second axis, and the third and fourth measurement connection are equidistant from the second axis.

4. The current shunt sensor of claim 1 further comprising:

first and second measurement connections,

wherein the first measurement connection is on the first conductive mounting element substantially on the central lengthwise axis, and the second measurement connection is on the second conductive mounting element substantially on the central lengthwise axis

5. The current shunt sensor of claim 4, wherein the planar surface is also defined in part by a second axis substantially perpendicular to the central lengthwise axis, and the first and second measurement connections are equidistant from the second axis.

6. The current shunt sensor of claim 1, wherein the resistor comprises at least one of Manganin and Constantin.

7. The current shunt sensor of claim 1, wherein the planar surface is also defined in part by a second axis that is between the first and second conductive mounting elements and substantially perpendicular to the central lengthwise axis, and wherein the first and second conductive mounting elements are symmetrical along the second axis.

8. A current shunt sensor assembly comprising:

a plurality of current shunt sensors, each current shunt sensor comprising first and second conductive mounting element each having respective first and second ends, and a resistor between the respective first ends of the first and second conductive mounting elements, and wherein the first and second conducting mounting elements and the resistor form a planar surface defined in part by a respective central lengthwise axis, and wherein each current shunt sensor is symmetric along the respective central lengthwise axis,

wherein the plurality of current shunt sensors is arranged so that the respective lengthwise axis of each of the current shunt sensors are parallel to one another.

9. A current shunt sensor comprising:

first and second conductive mounting element each having respective first and second ends;

a resistor between the respective first ends of the first and second conductive mounting elements; and

first and second measurement connections;

wherein the first and second conducting mounting elements and the resistor form a planar surface defined in part by a central lengthwise axis, and wherein current shunt sensor is symmetric along the central lengthwise axis, and

wherein the first and second measurement connections are symmetrically located on the corresponding first and second conductive mounting elements. along the central lengthwise axis.

10. The current shunt sensor of claim 9, wherein the first and second measurement connections are symmetrically located on the corresponding first and second conductive mounting elements along the central lengthwise axis.

11. The current shunt sensor of claim 9, wherein the first and second measurement connections are symmetrically located on the corresponding first and second conductive mounting elements on either side of the central lengthwise axis.

12. The current shunt sensor of claim 11, further comprising third and fourth measurement connections symmetrically located on the corresponding first and second conductive mounting elements on either side of the central lengthwise axis.

13. A current shunt sensor comprising:

first and second conductive mounting element each having respective first and second ends; and

a resistor between the respective first ends of the first and second conductive mounting elements;

first and second measurement contacts;

wherein the combination of the first and second conducting mounting elements and the resistor are substantially symmetric along a central lengthwise axis corresponding to a direction of current flow.

14. The current shunt sensor of claim 13 wherein the combination of the first and second conducting mounting elements and the resistor are substantially symmetric along a second axis perpendicular to the central lengthwise axis.

15. The current shunt sensor of claim 14, further comprising first, second, third and fourth measurement connections, wherein the first and third measurement connections are on the first conductive mounting element on one side of the second axis and substantially equidistant from the central lengthwise axis, and wherein the second and fourth measurement connections are on the second conductive mounting element on the other side of the second axis and substantially equidistant from the central lengthwise axis.

16. The current shunt sensor of claim 13, further comprising first and second measurement connections, wherein the first measurement connection is on the first conductive mounting element substantially on the central lengthwise axis, and the second measurement connection is on the second conductive mounting element substantially on the central lengthwise axis.

17. The current shunt sensor of claim 16 further defined in part by a second axis substantially perpendicular to the central lengthwise axis, and the first and second measurement connections are equidistant from the second axis.