Flexible sensor technology

An electrical system comprising:

• a first thin-film having an electronic conductivity of less than a millionth of a siemens per meter;
• a permalloy directly printed onto the first thin-film having a magnetic permeability greater than a predetermined level having a thickness within a range of about 1 to 20 microns;
• a second thin-film printed directly onto the permalloy that encapsulates the permalloy onto the first thin-film;
• and
• a plurality of conductive traces printed directly onto a plurality of surfaces of the first-thin-film, the permalloy, and the second thin-film.

A method a fabricating a sensor mounted to a cable without incising, shearing, or severing the cable, comprising:

• printing a first thin-film having an electronic conductivity of less than a millionth of a siemens/m in a first cylindrical form;
• printing a permalloy directly onto the cylindrical form of the first thin-film having a magnetic permeability greater than a predetermined level having a thickness within a range of about 1 to 20 microns in a second cylindrical form;
• printing a second thin-film directly onto the second cylindrical form of the permalloy to encapsulate the permalloy onto the first thin-film in a third cylindrical form;
• printing a plurality of conductive traces directly onto a plurality of surfaces of the first-thin-film, the permalloy, and the second thin-film in a fourth cylindrical form to render a current sensor;
• and
• printing a third film onto the conductive traces to encapsulate the current sensor, the third thin film forming a fin structure that surrounds the cable and that absorbs and dissipates heat produced by the sensor and the cable the sensor it is mounted to;
• where the conductive traces are wrapped around a portion of the cable that it monitors;
• and
• where the first thin film, the second thin film, and the third thin film comprise a thermoplastic or thermosetting plastic and the the first cylindrical form, the second cylindrical form, and the third cylindrical form include a longitudinal opening sized to receive the cable in a co-axial alignment and protect a portion of the cable from environmental surroundings.