PCB Integrated Fluxgate Current Sensor for Battery Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of fluxgate current sensors into battery management units (BMUs) is currently costly and time-consuming due to the need for separate components and manual wiring, which increases material and manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A fluxgate current sensor is integrated directly onto the printed circuit board (PCB) of the BMU, featuring a magnetic core with through-holes and windings, where the sensor electronics measure and cancel magnetic flux, allowing for a compact and efficient design that eliminates the need for separate components and manual wiring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate fluxgate current sensor with magnetic core and windings is used, then current measurement function is achieved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the fluxgate current sensor components (magnetic core, excitation windings, compensation windings) directly into the PCB of the battery management unit. The magnetic core is integrated as a through-hole structure in the PCB, and the windings are formed as conductive traces on the PCB layers, eliminating the need for separate sensor components and external wiring harnesses.
Solution Approach 2:
The PCB serves multiple functions: it provides the structural base for the battery management unit, implements the electronic circuitry, and simultaneously houses the fluxgate current sensor components. The magnetic core and windings are not separate add-on components but are built-in features of the PCB itself, making the PCB a multi-functional element.
2Reliability
If manual wiring and separate components are used for fluxgate sensor, then current sensing is achieved, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fluxgate sensor components are merged into the PCB manufacturing process itself. The magnetic core is created as a through-hole structure during PCB fabrication, and the windings are formed as conductive traces on the PCB layers, allowing the entire sensor assembly to be produced in one manufacturing step rather than requiring separate assembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The magnetic core and windings are prepared in advance as integral parts of the PCB during the PCB fabrication process. This preliminary integration means that when the battery management unit is assembled, the fluxgate sensor is already in place and requires no additional assembly steps, thereby increasing manufacturing productivity.
3Ease of manufacture
If integrated PCB fluxgate sensor is used, then material requirements and manufacturing costs reduce, but integration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The PCB is designed with distinct functional zones: the magnetic core is implemented as a through-hole structure in specific PCB layers, while the excitation and compensation windings are formed as conductive traces on different PCB layers. This segmentation allows each component to be independently designed and manufactured using standard PCB fabrication techniques, reducing overall integration complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fluxgate sensor components are distributed across multiple PCB layers in the vertical dimension. The magnetic core occupies through-holes spanning multiple layers, while the windings are formed as traces on different copper layers, utilizing the third dimension (depth) of the PCB to organize complex sensor structures without increasing surface area or complicating the planar layout.
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 integration reduces material requirements and manufacturing costs while simplifying the implementation of the fluxgate current sensor into battery systems, enabling faster and more cost-effective production and installation.
Implementation Method 1
at least one excitation winding (320 A) arranged around the magnetic core (310)
Implementation Method 2
at least one compensation winding (320 B) arranged around the magnetic core (310)
Implementation Method 3
sensor electronics (10) integrated into the printed circuit board (240)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4A~4B
AI summary
The present invention refers to a battery management unit (200) for a battery system with a conductor or busbar (150), the battery management unit (200) comprising a printed circuit board (240) and a fluxgate current sensor, wherein each component of the fluxgate current sensor is integrated on the printed circuit board (240), and wherein the magnetic core (310) of the fluxgate current sensor is arranged so on the printed circuit board (240) that the battery management unit (200) is mountable such into the battery system that the conductor or busbar (150) of the battery system passes through the through-hole (310') of the magnetic core (310). The present invention is further related to a battery system comprising the battery management unit according to the invention and to a method for implementing said battery management unit into a battery system.