Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
  • G01R33/00—Arrangements or instruments for measuring magnetic variables
  • G01R33/02—Measuring direction or magnitude of magnetic fields or magnetic flux
  • G01R33/04—Measuring direction or magnitude of magnetic fields or magnetic flux using the flux-gate principle
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
  • G01R15/00—Details of measuring arrangements of the types provided for in groups G01R17/00 - G01R29/00, G01R33/00 - G01R33/26 or G01R35/00
  • G01R15/14—Adaptations providing voltage or current isolation, e.g. for high-voltage or high-current networks
  • G01R15/18—Adaptations providing voltage or current isolation, e.g. for high-voltage or high-current networks using inductive devices, e.g. transformers
  • G01R15/183—Adaptations providing voltage or current isolation, e.g. for high-voltage or high-current networks using inductive devices, e.g. transformers using transformers with a magnetic core
  • G01R15/185—Adaptations providing voltage or current isolation, e.g. for high-voltage or high-current networks using inductive devices, e.g. transformers using transformers with a magnetic core with compensation or feedback windings or interacting coils, e.g. 0-flux sensors
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
  • G01R19/00—Arrangements for measuring currents or voltages or for indicating presence or sign thereof
  • G01R19/18—Arrangements for measuring currents or voltages or for indicating presence or sign thereof using conversion of DC into AC, e.g. with choppers
  • G01R19/20—Arrangements for measuring currents or voltages or for indicating presence or sign thereof using conversion of DC into AC, e.g. with choppers using transductors, i.e. a magnetic core transducer the saturation of which is cyclically reversed by an AC source on the secondary side
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
  • G01R33/00—Arrangements or instruments for measuring magnetic variables
  • G01R33/0023—Electronic aspects, e.g. circuits for stimulation, evaluation, control; Treating the measured signals; calibration
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
  • G01R33/00—Arrangements or instruments for measuring magnetic variables
  • G01R33/0023—Electronic aspects, e.g. circuits for stimulation, evaluation, control; Treating the measured signals; calibration
  • G01R33/0035—Calibration of single magnetic sensors, e.g. integrated calibration

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a closed-loop current sensor, in particular of the fluxgate type.
• a conventional fluxgate sensor typically comprises a core in a soft magnetic material of high magnetic permeability that is subjected to an alternating magnetic field by an excitation coil of the fluxgate.
• the magnetic field of the excitation coil saturates the core in an alternating manner.
• a magnetic field for example an external magnetic field generated by a current flowing in a primary conductor
• the saturation characteristic of the soft magnetic core becomes (apparently, as seen from the secondary side) asymmetric and generates a corresponding signal in the circuit driving the fluxgate coil.
• the resulting signal is correlated to the amplitude of the external magnetic field.
• this signal is used in a feedback loop to drive a secondary coil on a magnetic circuit configured to cancel the effect of the external magnetic field.
• closed-loop fluxgate sensors are their measurement sensitivity and ability to accurately measure currents of small amplitude.
• such sensors are generally not best suited for the measurement of currents of large amplitude, and like other sensors, have a limited measurement range.
• Battery monitoring may include measuring different parameters of a battery system, temperature, voltage, impedance and current, in order to evaluate the status (charge, health) of the battery [2]. Often it is necessary to monitor complex systems made of several hundreds of blocks, e.g. at industrial UPS, telecommunications systems, or battery storage systems.
• the measurement range may typically vary from 10 mA up to 1000 A.
• Certain electrical motors, generators and other electrical drives may also require the measurement of currents over a very large range for accurate and reliable control of the drive or generator.
• An object of the invention is to provide a current sensor that accurately measures small currents, yet has a large measurement range.
• a fluxgate electrical current sensor comprising a measuring circuit and an inductor for measuring a primary current / P flowing in a primary conductor over a current range from a minimum measurable or specified current amplitude (L n ) to a maximum measurable or specified current amplitude (l max ), the inductor comprising a saturable magnetic core made of a highly permeable magnetic material and a secondary coil for applying an alternating excitation current / configured to alternatingly saturate the magnetic core, the coil being connected to the measuring circuit.
• the measuring circuit is configured to measure the saturation times U and t 2 of the magnetic core in opposing magnetic field directions and determine therefrom a value of the primary current for small current amplitudes, the measuring circuit being further configured for evaluating the average value of the excitation current / and determining therefrom the value of the primary current for large currents.
• a method of measuring an electrical current flowing in a primary conductor over a current range from a minimum specified current amplitude to a maximum specified current amplitude includes: - providing a current sensor including a measuring circuit and an inductor, the inductor comprising a secondary coil wound around a saturable magnetic core,
• the val ue of the intermed iate ampl itude, where the transition from the first measurement method to the second measurement method, may vary as a function of the values of l m ⁇ n and l max
• the current sensor according to this invention which is based on a technology of type "fluxgate", is economical to produce and implement yet has a wide measurement range while providing excellent accuracy.
• the sensor uses the magnetic field created by a primary current acting on a saturable inductor. By measuring the intervals to reach saturation and the inductor load current and making use of a suitable microcontroller it is possible to accurately evaluate the value of the primary current for both high and low current levels.
• the primary current value may be determined based on a value of the saturation time in one direction divided by the sum of the saturation times in both directions (/ P is proportional to U I (U + t 2 )).
• the measuring method for small currents is preferably employed for primary currents respecting the following condition:
• the measurement of the primary current may be based on an evaluation of the average value of the excitation current.
• Figure 1 is a simplified illustration of a battery monitoring system indicating the measured parameters
• Figure 2 illustrates a saturable inductor of a current sensor according to an embodiment of this invention and its main parameters
• Figure 3 is a graphical illustration of an idealized characteristic B(H) of the inductor
• Figure 4 is a graphical illustration of an idealized characteristic of flux linkage ⁇ (i) as a function of current / flowing in a secondary coil of the inductor;
• Figure 6 is a graphical illustration of a shifting of the inductance value for a primary current (current to be measured) greater than zero (/ P > 0);
• Figure 7 illustrates a circuit diagram of an embodiment of a measuring circuit of a current sensor according to this invention.
• Figures 8a and 8b are simplified graphs illustrating the shifting of the inductance value, respectively the saturation times U and t 2 for a positive primary current
• Figures 9a and 9b are graphical illustrations of the inductance as a function of current respectively the current as a function of time for a positive primary current to depict the relationship between the primary current and the excitation current;
• Figures 10a and 10b are similar to figures 9a, 9b but for a negative primary current;
• Figure 1 1 is a screen-shot of an oscilloscope illustrating saturation times for a positive excitation current signal P and a negative excitation current signal N for a primary current that is 0;
• Figure 12 is a screen-shot of an oscilloscope for a voltage U m at a primary current of 1000 Ampere;
• Figure 13 to 15 illustrate test results of a prototype current sensor made according to the invention where figure 13 illustrates measured current error in milliamperes for a primary current in the range of -1 to +1 amperes, figure 14 illustrates the sensor error in percentage for a primary current ranging from -15 to +15 amperes, and figure 15 illustrates the sensor error in percentage for a primary current in the range of -1000 to +1000 amperes.
• a current sensor for measuring a primary current / P flowing in a primary conductor 2, for example connected to a battery 1 or other electrical device or motor, the primary current corresponding to the charge or discharge current of the battery, or a drive current of an electrical motor.
• the sensor comprises an inductor 4 (representing an inductance L) connected to a measuring circuit 6.
• the inductor comprises a magnetic circuit 8 comprising a magnetic core 10 made of a high magnetic permeability material (soft magnetic material), and a secondary coil (also called herein excitation coil) 12 wound around at least a portion of the saturable magnetic core 10.
• the secondary coil 12 is connected to the measuring circuit 6 which feeds an excitation current +/, -/ through the secondary coil, the excitation current being configured to alternatingly saturate the magnetic core in one direction and then in the opposed direction.
• the magnetic core is in the form of an annular closed ring having a central passage 14 through which the primary conductor extends.
• the primary conductor is shown as a single conductor passing straight through the central passage of the magnetic core, however it is also possible to have a primary conductor with one or more turns (windings) around a portion of the saturable core.
• the portion of primary conductor may be integrated to the current sensor and comprises connection terminals for connection to an external primary conductor of the system to be measured.
• the primary conductor may also be separate from the sensor and inserted through the sensor.
• the magnetic core may have other shapes than circular, for example rectangular, square, polygonal or other shapes.
• the magnetic core of the inductor may also form a non-closed circuit, for example in the form of a bar or an almost closed magnetic core with an air gap.
• the magnetic core may also be formed of more than one part, for example of two halves or two parts that are assembled together around the primary conductor.
• the current sensor may comprise a magnetic core that does not have a central passage through which the primary conductor extends whereby the primary conductor can be positioned in proximity of the magnetic core or wound around in one or more turns around a portion of the magnetic core. In these various configurations, the functioning principle remains essentially the same whereby the excitation in the secondary coil is an alternating current that saturates the magnetic core in alternating directions, and where the primary current generates a magnetic field that affects the saturation characteristic of the magnetic core.
• the measuring circuit measures the shift of the inductance characteristic as a function of the excitation current, this shift being essentially proportional to the amplitude of the primary current.
• this measuring principle is no longer employed because the core is already completely saturated without any secondary
• the measuring circuit thus employs another measurement method, this method comprising evaluating the average value of the secondary coil excitation current during the time the excitation voltage is supplied, i.e. U or t 2 which corresponds to the amplitude of the primary current as described in more detail hereafter.
• a single, simple and low cost sensor can thus be used for measuring a very large current range.
• Figures 1 and 2 illustrate parameters of a battery monitoring system with a closed- loop current sensor, where: N is the number of secondary turns
• / P is the primary current (to be measured), and ⁇ is the magnetic flux.
• the main difficulty in this type of application is the measurement of the current, because it can vary in a very large range, from the few milliamperes of the trickle charging (float) currents to the several hundreds of ampere of the battery discharge and recharge currents.
• the main parameters of the saturable inductor are defined in fig. 2. While knowing the characteristics B(H) of the core, as well as the geometric parameters of the magnetic circuit, the inductance val ue can be defined as a function of the excitation current /.
• B(H) magnetic induction B as a function of the magnetic field H of the magnetic circuit
• B(H) magnetic induction B as a function of the magnetic field H
• ⁇ 0 is the permeability coefficient of air
• ⁇ r is the relative permeability coefficient of the magnetic material of the circuit.
• Figure 4 illustrates an idealized characteristic ⁇ (i), the flux linkage, as a function of current.
• the geometric parameters of the magnetic circuit as well as the number of turns N allow to determine the relationship between the flux linkage ⁇ and the excitation current /.
• Figure 5 illustrates an idealized inductance value as a function of the excitation current. When the magnetic material is not saturated, this value can be obtained from
• the inductance value L f is ⁇ r times higher than L ⁇ .
• the saturated value of the inductance L ⁇ is zero.
• H P the magnetic field strength created by the primary current.
• B(H) ⁇ o - ⁇ r -(H -H 9 ) ⁇
• N 1 B ⁇ o ⁇ r (-ri --r ip)
• Figure 6 illustrates a shifting of the inductance value for a positive primary current (Ip > 0).
• the positive saturation current is h, while the negative saturation current is / 2 .
• the characteristic /.(/) is not symmetrical any more.
• Figure 7 illustrates a measuring circuit layout of an embodiment of a sensor according to this invention.
• the current to be measured is the primary current of a current transformer built with a suitable toroidal core.
• the H-bridge excites the secondary coil alternatively with a positive and a negative voltage.
• the coil resistance is R 5 .
• the excitation current is measured with the resistance R m .
• a measurement cycle may comprise four steps. At the beginning of the measuring sequence, the inductance is "unloaded", i.e. the current in the winding is zero, and all switches are open.
• Step 1 The MOSFETs "P" are switched on.
• the inductor 4 which represents an inductance L is charged with a positive current +/, according to the directions shown in fig. 7. Once saturation is reached, the transistors are switched off.
• Step 2) The inductance discharges itself through the free-wheeling diodes of the "N" switches. Before passing to next step, the inductance is preferably completely discharged. Step 3) The MOSFETs "N" are switched on. This time a negative current in the inductance builds up. When saturation is reached, the switches are turned off.
• Step 4 The inductance discharge itself through the free-wheeling diodes of the "P" switches. Again the discharge of the inductance is preferably completed before the beginning of next sequence.
• the measured values of the times U, t 2 to reach saturation and of the average excitation current i istg e during phases P resp. N are used to calculate the primary current. These operations may be performed by a microcontroller (not shown) to which the measuring circuit is connected, during the two charging periods, for example making use of an ADC unit and a timer of the microcontroller. When saturation is reached, the rapid increase of the excitation current / through the measuring resistance R m may be detected through a comparator. The saturation time U, t 2 is calculated between the closing of the switches and the detection of saturation. The average value of the excitation current /average can then be calculated . For a zero primary current, a measuring sequence requires for example about 180 ms.
• the primary current is a function of the times to saturation.
• fig. 8 the behaviour for a positive primary current is shown.
• Figure 8 illustrates saturation times U and t 2 for a positive primary current
• V 0 ZR 2.4 A
• the MOSFETs were switched off at about 1 .25 A (/threshold) because the application didn't require a higher current value.
• the above measuring method for small primary currents can be used for primary currents respecting the following condition:
• this condition means a measuring range (primary current) of ⁇ 7 A.
• a different measuring method is used.
• Figure 9 illustrates relationships between / P and /average- Th e relationships established for the measurement of small primary currents discussed above can no longer be used .
• the measurement is made by evaluating the average value of the excitation current during the phases "P" or "N".
• the fig . 1 1 shows the times to saturation for zero primary current.
• the P (respectively N) signal imposes the beginning of the positive (respectively negative) charging phase.
• the U m signal is the voltage on the measuring resistance R m .
• the threshold is reached immediately, and this allows to determine the flow direction of the primary current.
• relation (23) allows the calculation of its average value:
• Figure 13 illustrates a transducer current error (mA) for
• Figure 13 illustrates a transducer current error (%) for
• FIG 15 illustrates a transducer current error (%) for

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Power Engineering (AREA)
• Measurement Of Current Or Voltage (AREA)
• Measuring Instrument Details And Bridges, And Automatic Balancing Devices (AREA)

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• 2009
  • 2009-05-11 EP EP09159946A patent/EP2251704A1/en not_active Withdrawn
• 2010
  • 2010-05-10 JP JP2012510416A patent/JP5606521B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2010-05-10 WO PCT/IB2010/052059 patent/WO2010131187A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2010-05-10 US US13/319,916 patent/US8797020B2/en active Active
  • 2010-05-10 EP EP10726246.1A patent/EP2430469B1/en not_active Not-in-force
  • 2010-05-10 CN CN201080020584.9A patent/CN102422174B/zh active Active

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