Dual-Path Current Measurement Conductor Mitigating Skin Effect
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current measurement devices face challenges in accurately measuring current magnitudes due to the skin effect, which causes current concentration on the surface of conductive wires, leading to decreased magnetic field intensity as frequency increases, especially in high-frequency applications.
Innovation Solution
The current measurement module incorporates a current measurement conductor with two parallel current paths and a gap between them, where magnetic field sensing elements are positioned to detect the magnetic fields generated by the currents flowing through these paths. The conductor's design, with specific length ratios of the current paths and gap, reduces the influence of the skin effect by ensuring the current flows closer to the center, and the magnetic field sensing elements are strategically placed to measure the current magnitudes accurately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a conventional current measurement device uses a single current path, then the device complexity is low, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to skin effect at high frequencies
Solution Approach 1:
The current measurement conductor is divided into two parallel current paths (first current path and second current path) instead of using a single current path. This segmentation allows the magnetic field sensing element to detect the magnetic field generated by both paths, improving measurement accuracy by reducing the skin effect influence while maintaining manageable device complexity through a systematic dual-path configuration.
2Measurement precision
If the current path length is increased to improve measurement accuracy, then the magnetic field intensity increases, but the skin effect becomes more pronounced at high frequencies
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the current path into two parallel paths with controlled lengths, the patent achieves effective magnetic field detection without requiring excessive length in a single path. The dual-path configuration allows the magnetic field sensing element to capture the combined magnetic field effect while keeping individual path lengths moderate, thus reducing skin effect influence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different length characteristics to different parts of the conductor structure. The first current path has a different length than the second current path, and both are optimized to have lengths shorter than the skin depth at the target frequency. This local quality optimization ensures that current distributes more uniformly across the conductor cross-section, reducing skin effect while maintaining adequate magnetic field generation for accurate measurement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration effectively reduces the impact of the skin effect, allowing for accurate measurement of current magnitudes across a range of frequencies, with the current measurement conductor in the fourth example showing the least effect from the skin effect compared to other configurations.
Implementation Method 1
two current paths 13 and 14 extend in parallel to each other... magnetic field sensing elements 22 and 23... detect the magnetic fields generated by the currents flowing through these paths
Implementation Method 2
the skin effect, which causes current concentration on the surface of conductive wires, leading to decreased magnetic field intensity as frequency increases
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a current measurement module including: a conductor which has two main body portions and two current paths disposed between the two main body portions and extending in parallel with a gap; two magnetic field sensing elements which each have a magnetosensitive surface disposed such that magnetic fields generated by current flowing through the two current paths penetrate the magnetosensitive surface in directions opposite to each other; and a substrate which supports the two magnetic field sensing elements and is attached to the conductor, the two main body portions each have a slit which extends from the gap and is narrower than the gap, and the substrate is inserted into the slit and the gap.