Saturble core device with DC component elimination for measuring an external magnetic field

• US 4,972,146 A
• Filed: 04/21/1989
• Issued: 11/20/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Eckardt, Dieter, Hettich, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Strecker, Gerard R.
• Application Number:
  US07/347,778
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 324/249, 324/253-255, 33/361, 340/870.33, 307/358
• US Class Current: 324/253
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/04 using the flux-gate principle

Abstract

A device for measuring a magnetic field which is constant or varies over time, includes at least one core (3, 4) consisting of a material having high permeability, a coil (5, 6) for the magnetization of this core via an alternating current source (I) connected to the coil, and at least one measuring coil (7, 8) in which a voltage is induced corresponding to the magnetic field resulting in the coil produced by means of the applied alternating current and the external magnetic field to be measured. In order to measure very small magnetic fields and relative changes in the fields, an integrating device (9) connected with the measuring coil (7, 8), an arrangement for subtracting the d.c. voltage component from the alternating voltage component of the measurement voltage (U_ai) and a device for detecting the peak values of consecutive half-waves of the output signal (U_x) of the subtracting arrangement (13, 10) are provided.

Claims

1. Device for measuring an external magnetic field comprising

two cores consisting of a material having high permeability;

two magnetizing coils connected in series one to another and to a source of alternating current and each being coupled to an assigned core to magnetize the same;

two measuring coils connected in series one to another and each being coupled to an assigned core and being exposed to the external magnetic field to be measured; and

integrating device connected at its input with the measuring coils to integrate a measurement voltage (U_a) induced in the measuring coils due to the combined alternating magnetic field in the cores generated by the magnetizing coils, and the external magnetic field to be measured, and producing an integrated voltage (U_ai) at its output;

separating means having an input connected to the output of the integrating device for separating a direct current component (U=) from the integrated voltage (U_ai);

a subtracting device connected with the output of the integrating device and the output of the separating means to subtract the direct current component (U=) from the integrated voltage (U_ai) and to produce an output signal (U_x) devoid of the direct current component;

a regulating device connected to the output of the subtracting device, an output of the regulating device being connected with a coil for compensating a steady field in said cores; and

another output of the regulating device being connected to a device for controlling the selection of sampling time points (t_m) at the peak values of the measurement voltage (U_a).

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein two identical measuring coils oppositely wound on the assigned cores, are connected in series to the input of the integrating device.

3. Device for measuring an external magnetic field, comprising

at least one core consisting of a material having high permeability;

a magnetizing coil connected to a source of alternating current and being coupled to said core to magnetize the same;

a measuring coil coupled to said core and being exposed to the external magnetic field to be measured;

an integrating device connected at its input with the measuring coil to integrate a voltage (U_a) induced in the measuring coil due to the combined alternating magnetic field in the core generated by the magnetizing coil, and the external magnetic field to be measured, and producing an integrated voltage (U_ai) at its output;

separating means having an input connected to the output of the integrating device for separating a direct current component (U=) from the integrated voltage (U_ai);

a subtracting device connected with the output of the integrating device and the output of the separating means to subtract the direct current component (U=) from the integrated voltage (U_ai), and to produce an output signal (U_x) devoid of the direct current component connected to the subtracting device; and

a device for detecting the maximum values of consecutive half-waves of the output signal (U_x).

4. Device according to claim 3, wherein the detecting device includes means for forming the difference of the maximum value of two consecutive half-waves.

5. Device according to claim 4, wherein the difference forming means includes a two-position switching device which operates in dependency on the sign of the half-waves of the output signal (U_x) to deliver the positive half-waves to one switching output and the negative half-waves to another switching output, a sample-and-hold device connected to each switching output of the switching device, and an adder connected to the outputs of respective sample-and-hold devices.

6. Device according to claim 5, further comprising a coil for compensating a steady field in said core and a driving stage having an input connected to an output of the adder and an output connected to the compensating coil.

7. Device according to claim 3, wherein the separating means includes a low-pass filter, and the subtracting device includes a difference amplifier whose non-inverting input is directly connected to the output of the integrating device and whose inverting input is connected to the output of the integrating device via the low-pass filter.