Temperature compensated current measurement device
First Claim
1. An apparatus for measuring current, the apparatus comprising:
- a) a conductive shunt for developing a voltage drop due to current flow therethrough;
b) a low noise input network connected to said conductive shunt;
c) a fixed gain amplifier connected to said low noise input network to amplify said voltage drop to produce a current signal representing current flow through said conductive shunt; and
d) an attenuator connected to said amplifier to attenuate said current signal, said attenuator including a temperature sensor for sensing temperature of said shunt and connected to said fixed gain amplifier such that said current signal is attenuated by an amount dependent upon temperature of said shunt.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method for measuring electric current. The apparatus includes a conductive shunt for developing a voltage drop in response to current flow through the shunt, a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the shunt, and an amplifier for amplifying the voltage drop across the shunt. The voltage drop developed by the shunt has a known dependence upon the temperature of the shunt. The amplifier has an output for producing a current signal indicative of current flow through the shunt and has a gain dependent upon the temperature of the shunt, to compensate the current signal for changes in the voltage drop across the shunt due to the known dependence upon temperature of the voltage drop developed by the shunt.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. An apparatus for measuring current, the apparatus comprising:
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a) a conductive shunt for developing a voltage drop due to current flow therethrough; b) a low noise input network connected to said conductive shunt; c) a fixed gain amplifier connected to said low noise input network to amplify said voltage drop to produce a current signal representing current flow through said conductive shunt; and d) an attenuator connected to said amplifier to attenuate said current signal, said attenuator including a temperature sensor for sensing temperature of said shunt and connected to said fixed gain amplifier such that said current signal is attenuated by an amount dependent upon temperature of said shunt. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of measuring current, the method comprising:
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a) developing a voltage drop across a conductive shunt; b) applying said voltage drop to a low noise input network connected to a fixed gain amplifier; c) amplifying said voltage drop with said fixed gain amplifier to produce a current signal representing current flow through said conductive shunt; and d) attenuating said current signal by an amount dependent upon temperature of said shunt to compensate said current signal for changes in said voltage drop across said shunt due to said known dependence of said shunt upon temperature.
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Specification