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US 2006/0232902 A1Published application
Current sensor
AssigneeCrane Co.
InventorsKevin Woolsey, L. Marion, Steven Knudson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A Hall effect generator chip is mounted between adjacent ends of an annular, horseshoe spacer of nonmagnetic material. The generator is sensitive to the flux density (B field) tangential to its top and bottom surfaces. The spacer and generator are sandwiched between ferromagnetic rings, each having a small air gap overlying/underlying the generator. A circuit including the generator supplies an output linearly proportional to the current of an adjacent conductor with reduced hysteresis and small variability over a temperature range.
Claims3
A sensor for sensing current flowing through a conductor comprising:
- a nonmagnetic mounting member;
- a Hall effect generator mounted on the member;
- a first ferromagnetic ring of generally C shape having opposing ends separated by an air gap, the ferromagnetic ring being mounted with the air gap overlying the generator but without the generator protruding into the air gap, and at least one loop of the conductor passing through the ferromagnetic ring;
- and
- a circuit including the generator for supplying an output as a function of the strength of a magnetic field having a direction tangential to the generator, which magnetic field is caused by current flowing through the conductor.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.