US 12,203,964 B2
Fluxgate current transducer with an analog measurement channel
Damien Barthelemy, Carouge (CH); Damien Coutellier, Miribel (FR); and Atef Lekdim, Villeurbanne (FR)
Assigned to LEM International SA, Meyrin (CH)
Appl. No. 18/580,691
Filed by LEM INTERNATIONAL SA, Meyrin (CH)
PCT Filed Jul. 15, 2022, PCT No. PCT/EP2022/069946
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 19, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/001719, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 26, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 21186819 (EP), filed on Jul. 20, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0264204 A1, Aug. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. G01R 15/18 (2006.01); G01R 19/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 15/183 (2013.01) [G01R 19/0038 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Fluxgate current transducer including a control circuit and a fluxgate device comprising a saturable soft magnetic core surrounded by an excitation coil, the control circuit comprising an excitation coil drive circuit connected to the excitation coil configured to generate an alternating magnetic field to alternatingly saturate the soft magnetic core, the excitation coil comprising a first winding and a second winding connected together at a common point forming an input of the first winding and an output of the second winding, the first winding connected in series to a first switch and the second winding connected in series to a second switch, the first and second switches controlled by the control circuit to provide an excitation coil current in the first winding generating a magnetic field in the magnetic core in a first direction, and an excitation coil current in the second winding generating a magnetic field in the magnetic core in a second direction opposite to the first direction, wherein the transducer comprises an analog measurement channel M2 connected to the excitation coil after the first and second switches, comprising an ADC module, and wherein the analog measurement channel further comprises a DAC connected to the ADC module and further connected to an input of a comparator having a first input connected to the excitation coil.