6122results about "Voltage/current isolation" patented technology

A system and method in which an overhead high voltage transmission line sensor system is able to measure one or more of temperature, current, and line sag for a conductor within a high voltage transmission line system. The sensor system may be able to clamp to a transmission conductor or splice, harvest power from the transmission line, and/or transmit data corresponding to measurements of current, temperature, and line sag.

A current sensor is described that uses a plurality of magnetic field sensors positioned around a current carrying conductor. The sensor can be hinged to allow clamping to a conductor. The current sensor provides high measurement accuracy for both DC and AC currents, and is substantially immune to the effects of temperature, conductor position, nearby current carrying conductors and aging.

The present invention provides a new application for an inductive coupler (12) used proximate a power transmission line (14). The magnetic field based power measurement method and system discussed herein in unique and differs from the prior technology by using near-real time intervals and periods that occur systemically in parallel with electrical systems rather than an accumulated period with little or no active capacity or proactive features. The inductive coupler (12) described herewith is used to collect, measure, and/or extract electromagnetic changes.

An integrated sensor includes a magnetoresistance element electrically coupled to a device disposed on or integrated in a silicon substrate. A conductor is provided proximate to the magnetoresistance element. The integrated sensor can be used to provide various devices, such as a current sensor, a magnetic field sensor, or an isolator. Further, the integrated sensor can be used in an open loop configuration or in a closed loop configuration in which an additional conductor is provided. The magntoresistance element may be formed over the silicon substrate or on a separate, non-silicon substrate. Also described is an integrated sensor comprising a substrate, a magnetic field transducer disposed over a surface of the substrate, and a conductor disposed over the surface of the substrate proximate to the magnetic field transducer. The magnetic field transducer can be a Hall effect transducer or a magnetoresistance element.

Embodiments of the subject invention relate to a method and apparatus for determining information regarding a load in a planar wireless power transfer system by extracting system operating parameters from one or more test points in the transmitter circuit. As shown in FIG. 1, a specific embodiment showing three test points in the transmitter circuit from which operating parameters can be extracted. The transmitter circuit is designed to produce a magnetic field, by driving the transmitter coil, which inductively couples to a receiver coil such that power is provided to a receiver. By extracting operating parameters from the transmitter circuit, the receiver does not need to incorporate sophisticated signal processing and can be manufactured with low cost.

An integrated current sensor includes a magnetic field transducer such as a Hall effect sensor, a magnetic core, and an electrical conductor. The conductor includes features for receiving portions of the Hall effect sensor and the core and the elements are dimensioned such that little or no relative movement among the elements is possible.

An integrated circuit current sensor includes a lead frame having at least two leads coupled to provide a current conductor portion, and substrate having a first surface in which is disposed one or more magnetic field transducers, with the first surface being proximate the current conductor portion and a second surface distal from the current conductor portion. In one particular embodiment, the substrate is disposed having the first surface of the substrate above the current conductor portion and the second surface of the substrate above the first surface. In this particular embodiment, the substrate is oriented upside-down in the integrated circuit relative to a conventional orientation. With this arrangement, a current sensor is provided for which the one or more magnetic field transducers are very close to the current conductor portion, resulting in a current sensor having improved sensitivity.

A remote battery monitoring system and sensors are disclosed in which a plurality of telesensors are connected to batteries in a battery string. The telesensor measure battery data such as voltage, current, and temperature and wirelessly transmit the battery data to a control and collection unit. The control and collection unit receives, processes, analyzes, and stores the battery data. Remote monitoring software running on the control and collection unit can be configured to provide warning alarms when the battery data is outside present limits.

A sensor for contactlessly detecting currents, has a sensor element having a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), and detection circuitry, the sensor element having a resistance which varies with the magnetic field, and the detection circuitry is arranged to detect a tunnel current flowing through the tunnel junction. The sensor element may share an MTJ stack with memory elements. Also it can provide easy integration with next generation CMOS processes, including MRAM technology, be more compact, and use less power. Solutions for increasing sensitivity of the sensor, such as providing a flux concentrator, and for generating higher magnetic fields with a same current, such as forming L-shaped conductor elements, are given. The greater sensitivity enables less post processing to be used, to save power for applications such as mobile devices. Applications include current sensors, built-in current sensors, and IDDQ and IDDT testing, even for next generation CMOS processes.

A clamping current and voltage sensor provides an isolated and convenient technique for measuring current passing through a conductor such as an AC branch circuit wire, as well as providing an indication of an electrostatic potential on the wire, which can be used to indicate the phase of the voltage on the wire, and optionally a magnitude of the voltage. The device includes a body formed from two handle portions that contain the current and voltage sensors within an aperture at the distal end, which may be a ferrite cylinder with a hall effect sensor disposed in a gap along the circumference to measure current, or alternatively a winding provided through the cylinder along its axis and a capacitive plate or wire disposed adjacent to, or within, the ferrite cylinder to provide the indication of the voltage. When the handles are compressed the aperture is opened to permit insertion of a wire for measurement.

An integrated circuit current sensor includes a lead frame having at least two leads coupled to provide a current conductor portion, and a substrate having a first surface in which is disposed one or more magnetic field sensing elements, with the first surface being proximate to the current conductor portion and a second surface distal from the current conductor portion. In one particular embodiment, the substrate is disposed having the first surface of the substrate above the current conductor portion and the second surface of the substrate above the first surface. In this particular embodiment, the substrate is oriented upside-down in the integrated circuit in a flip-chap arrangement. The current sensor can also include an electromagnetic shield disposed between the current conductor portion and the magnetic field sensing elements.

An integrated circuit current sensor includes a lead frame having at least two leads coupled to provide a current conductor portion, and a substrate having a first surface in which is disposed one or more magnetic field sensing elements, with the first surface being proximate to the current conductor portion and a second surface distal from the current conductor portion. In one particular embodiment, the substrate is disposed having the first surface of the substrate above the current conductor portion and the second surface of the substrate above the first surface. In this particular embodiment, the substrate is oriented upside-down in the integrated circuit in a flip-chap arrangement. The integrated circuit includes an overcurrent circuit responsive to a voltage drop generated by a current.

The present invention provides a current sensor capable of adjusting an offset value at a zero magnetic field more easily and detecting a current magnetic field generated by a current to be detected with high sensitivity and high precision. The current sensor has: first and second magnetoresistive elements disposed along a conductor so that resistance values change in directions opposite to each other in accordance with a current magnetic field generated by a current to be detected flowing in the conductor; and first and second constant current sources that supply constant currents equal to each other to the first and second magnetoresistive elements, respectively. The current sensor further includes a differential amplifier that detects the difference between voltage drops occurring in the first and second magnetoresistive elements by the constant current. The current to be detected is detected on the basis of the difference between the voltage drops.

A current transformer includes a Rogowski coil, having an opening at the center in which a conductor penetrates, comprising, a printed circuit board having a plurality of layers forming at least first to fourth circuit board surfaces including a circuit board top surface, a circuit board bottom surface and circuit board conducting internal surfaces between the circuit board top surface and the circuit board bottom surface, a plurality of radial metal foils, each metal foil radiating from a center that is approximately the center of the opening, mounted on the first to fourth circuit board surfaces, a first winding formed by electrically connecting metal foils on the first and second circuit board surfaces with first plated through holes penetrating the first and second circuit board surfaces in a thickness direction of the printed circuit board, a second winding formed by electrically connecting metal foils on the third and fourth circuit board surfaces with second plated through holes penetrating the third and fourth circuit board surfaces in a thickness direction of the printed circuit board, a first return circuit line electrically connected with the first winding in series, a second return circuit line electrically connected with the second winding in series, and a pair of the first winding and the first return circuit line and a pair of the second winding and the second return circuit line being electrically connected in series.

A current sensor assembly includes a sensor coil, an electrostatic shield coil, a core, a housing, and a magnetic shield. The sensing coil, electrostatic shield coil, core, housing, and magnetic shield can be of toroidal symmetry and arranged coaxially about a pair of primary current conductors. The conductors can be either asymmetric or symmetric with respect to the geometric center of the remaining sensor assembly. The core and a secondary winding make up a current sensor. The core is cylindrically shaped and fabricated of non-magnetic material. The secondary winding is wound over the cylindrical core to form a toroidally shaped winding. When assembled into the current sensor assembly, the core and windings are disposed around two single turn primary windings through which AC currents to be measured flow. Alternatively, the conductor can be flat and the sensor can be a solid state sensor that includes an electrostatic shield. The conductor can have a magnetic flux concentrator positioned about the conductor in the same region where the sensor is located.

Apparatus and method for measuring current drain and reporting power consumption using current transformer with primary windings made of low ohmic alloy, enabling the use of the secondary coil to power the sensing and reporting circuits eliminating the power wasted by AC-DC power adaptors used for the current sensors. The saving is substantial as the current sensors will not drain a current when the AC outlets are disconnected from a load or when the load is switched off. The apparatus using low ohmic alloy is extended to the structuring of terminals, including power pins, power sockets and combinations to provide a low ohmic sensing elements in AC plugs, outlets, adaptors and extension cables with multi outlets, dissipating the heat from the sensing elements by the plugs and the larger metal heat dissipation.