Rogowski Coil Assemblies Mounted on PCB Traces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Rogowski coil assemblies are bulky and costly due to their housing, which limits their integration in compact devices like utility meters and sacrifices measurement sensitivity when coils are etched into printed circuit boards.
Innovation Solution
A Rogowski coil assembly where multiple coil sections are mounted on an external surface of a printed circuit board using circuit traces that retain and connect the coils, providing a higher winding density and eliminating the need for a housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If Rogowski coils are housed within a plastic casing, then the coils are protected and held together, but the size and cost of the assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the plastic housing from the Rogowski coil assembly, extracting the protective function and replacing it with integration onto a printed circuit board. The coil is mounted directly on the PCB with terminals that provide both mechanical support and electrical connection, eliminating the need for a separate protective casing while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into the printed circuit board: the PCB serves as the mechanical support structure, the electrical connection medium through traces, and the terminal structure for external wiring. This merging of support, connection, and termination functions into a single integrated substrate eliminates the need for separate housing and reduces overall assembly size.
2Volume of moving object
If Rogowski coils are etched into a printed circuit board, then the assembly size is reduced, but measurement sensitivity is sacrificed due to insufficient windings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different construction approaches to different parts of the coil structure. The coil windings themselves are made from solid conductor material (wire or ribbon) mounted on the PCB surface, allowing for sufficient turns and winding density to maintain sensitivity. The PCB provides the mechanical support and electrical connection, while the conductor material provides the magnetic coupling capability. This local differentiation of materials and functions enables both compact size and adequate measurement precision.
3Reliability
If conventional Rogowski coil assemblies are used, then measurement functionality is provided, but cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the Rogowski coil with the printed circuit board into a single integrated assembly. The PCB traces provide electrical connection between coil terminals and external circuitry, eliminating the need for separate wiring harnesses and connectors. The coil windings are directly mounted on the PCB surface with their ends forming terminals that are electrically connected to trace patterns on the board, creating a compact integrated sensor assembly that reduces component count and assembly complexity.
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 reduces the size and cost of the coil assembly while enhancing measurement accuracy by allowing more windings and improving sensitivity compared to conventional etched coils.
Implementation Method 1
current flowing through a conductor generates a magnetic field that induces a voltage in the coil
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
Rogowski coil assemblies (110, 115, 120, 125) and methods (200) for providing or forming Rogowski coil assemblies (110, 115, 120, 125) are provided. A Rogowski coil assembly (110, 115, 120, 125) may include a printed circuit board (105) and a plurality of Rogowski coil sections (130a-f) mounted to an external surface of the printed circuit board (105) by one or more respective circuit traces (140a-f). The circuit traces (140a-f) may retain and connect the plurality of Rogowski coil sections (130a-f).