US-12618877-B2 - Current sensor apparatus

US12618877B2US 12618877 B2US12618877 B2US 12618877B2US-12618877-B2

Abstract

Current sensors and components for measuring electrical current are provided. The current sensor component comprises a wire coil wrapped around a core and a pinboard coupled to the wire coil. The pinboard comprises a holder mounted on at least a portion of the wire coil and a pair of metal pins, wherein first ends of the pair of metal pins are coupled to the wire coil and configured to receive a voltage signal from the wire coil, and second ends of the pair of metal pins are coupled to an interface of a circuit board and configured to transfer the voltage signal from the wire coil to the circuit board.

Inventors

Liansheng Han
Chao Yu
Haiyang Li
Lei Ai
Jun Wang
Fan Yang

Assignees

HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230606
Priority Date: 20220620

Claims (16)

1 . A current sensor component comprising: a wire coil wrapped around a core; and a pinboard coupled to the wire coil, wherein the pinboard comprises: a holder coupled at a first end of the pinboard, wherein the holder is configured to clamp around at least a portion of the wire coil, wherein at least two surfaces of the holder are in contact with the wire coil; an anchor coupled to the pinboard, wherein the anchor is configured to engage with a housing to stabilize the pinboard within the housing; and a pair of metal pins coupled at a second end of the pinboard, wherein: first ends of the pair of metal pins are coupled to the wire coil and configured to receive a voltage signal from the wire coil; and second ends of the pair of metal pins are coupled to an interface of a circuit board and configured to transfer the voltage signal from the wire coil to the circuit board, wherein the first end and the second end of the pinboard are diametrically opposite.
2 . The current sensor component of claim 1 wherein the first ends of the pair of metal pins comprise contacts configured for contacting with opposing ends of the wire coil.
3 . The current sensor component of claim 1 wherein the holder comprises a fixture that maintains at least the wire coil in a fixed position within a housing.
4 . The current sensor component of claim 1 wherein the holder further comprises a clamp.
5 . The current sensor component of claim 1 wherein the circuit board is configured to generate a digital output corresponding to the voltage signal.
6 . A current sensor comprising: a coil current sensor element including a wire coil wrapped around a core material; a circuit board including one or more components configured to process a voltage signal from the coil current sensor element; a pinboard coupled to the coil current sensor element, wherein the pinboard comprises: a holder coupled at a first end of the pinboard, wherein the holder is configured to clamp around at least a portion of the wire coil, wherein at least two surfaces of the holder are in contact with the wire coil; an anchor coupled to the pinboard, wherein the anchor is configured to engage with a housing to stabilize the pinboard within the housing; and a pair of metal pins coupled at a second end of the pinboard, wherein the pair of metal pins is configured about the wire coil of the coil current sensor element, the pair of metal pins configured to transfer the voltage signal from the coil current sensor element to the one or more components of the circuit board, wherein the first end and the second end of the pinboard are diametrically opposite; and a housing encapsulating the coil current sensor element, the circuit board, and the pinboard.
7 . The current sensor of claim 6 wherein the one or more components of the circuit board comprise at least one voltage signal processing device.
8 . The current sensor of claim 6 wherein the circuit board is configured to generate a digital output corresponding to the voltage signal.
9 . The current sensor of claim 6 wherein the holder comprises a fixture that maintains at least the coil current sensor element in a fixed position within the housing.
10 . The current sensor of claim 6 wherein the pair of metal pins comprise contacts configured for contacting with opposing ends of the wire coil.
11 . A current sensor comprising: an open-loop current sensor element; a Hall-effect sensor coupled to the open-loop current sensor element, the Hall-effect sensor configured to generate a first output based on operation of the open-loop current sensor element; a coil current sensor element configured to generate a second output, wherein (i) the coil current sensor element comprises a pinboard and (ii) the pinboard comprises: a holder configured to clamp around at least a portion of the coil current sensor element, wherein at least two surfaces of the holder are in contact with a wire coil, and a pair of metal pins configured about the wire coil of the coil current sensor element; and a circuit board coupled to the Hall-effect sensor at a first location and coupled to the coil current sensor element via the pair of metal pins at a second location, the circuit board configured to generate a digital output based on at least one of the first output and the second output, wherein (i) the first location is positioned in a first quadrant while the second location is positioned in a second quadrant, and (ii) the first quadrant is different from the second quadrant in a cartesian plane.
12 . The current sensor of claim 11 wherein the first location comprises at least a 90° angle of rotation away from the second location.
13 . The current sensor of claim 11 wherein the holder comprises a fixture that maintains at least the wire coil in a fixed position within a housing.
14 . The current sensor of claim 11 wherein the holder further comprises a clamp.
15 . The current sensor of claim 11 wherein the digital output comprises a current reading corresponding to at least one of the first output and the second output.
16 . The current sensor of claim 11 wherein the pair of metal pins comprise contacts configured for contacting with opposing ends of the wire coil.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a) to Chinese Application No. 202210696721.5, filed Jun. 20, 2022, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to current sensors, and in particular, improved current sensor elements and components. BACKGROUND Current sensors are employed in many industrial and automotive applications, such as battery management systems. In order to obtain detailed information about state of health and state of charge of battery, integrating accurate sensors into a battery monitoring system is critical. Current sensors may be employed to measure the current flowing into (when charging) and out of (when discharging) the battery. Applicant has identified many technical challenges and difficulties associated with conventional current sensors. BRIEF SUMMARY Various embodiments described herein relate to components, apparatuses, and systems for measuring electrical current. In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, a component of a current sensor apparatus is provided. In some embodiments, the component comprises a wire coil wrapped around a core and a pinboard coupled to the wire coil. The pinboard comprises a holder mounted on at least a portion of the wire coil and a pair of metal pins, wherein first ends of the pair of metal pins are coupled to the wire coil and configured to receive a voltage signal from the wire coil, and second ends of the pair of metal pins are coupled to an interface of a circuit board and configured to transfer the voltage signal from the wire coil to the circuit board. In some embodiments, the first ends of the pair of metal pins may comprise contacts configured for contacting with opposing ends of the wire coil. In some embodiments, at least two surfaces of the holder may be in contact with the wire coil. In some embodiments, the holder may comprise a fixture that maintains at least the wire coil in a fixed position within a housing. In some embodiments, the holder may further comprise a clamp. In some embodiments, the circuit board may be configured to generate a digital output corresponding to the voltage signal. According to another embodiment, a current sensor is provided. In some embodiments, the current sensor comprises a coil current sensor element including a wire coil wrapped around a core material, a circuit board including one or more components configured to process a voltage signal from the coil current sensor element, and a pinboard coupled to the coil current sensor element. The pinboard comprises a holder mounted on at least a portion of the wire coil, and a pair of metal pins configured about a wire coil of the coil current sensor element, wherein the pair of metal pins are configured to transfer the voltage signal from the coil current sensor element to the one or more components of the circuit board. The current sensor may further comprise a housing encapsulating the coil current sensor element, the circuit board, and the pinboard. In some embodiments, the one or more components of the circuit board may comprise at least one voltage signal processing device. In some embodiments, the circuit board may be configured to generate a digital output corresponding to the voltage signal. In some embodiments, the holder may comprise a fixture that maintains at least the coil current sensor element in a fixed position within the housing. In some embodiments, the pair of metal pins may comprise contacts configured for contacting with opposing ends of the wire coil. In some embodiments, at least two surfaces of the holder may be in contact with the wire coil. According to yet another embodiment, the current sensor comprises an open-loop current sensor element and a Hall-effect sensor coupled to the open-loop current sensor element. The Hall-effect sensor may be configured to generate a first output based on operation of the open-loop current sensor element. The current sensor further comprises a coil current sensor element configured to generate a second output. The coil current sensor element includes a pinboard comprising a holder mounted on at least a portion of the coil current sensor element, and a pair of metal pins configured about a wire coil of the coil current sensor element. The current sensor further comprises a circuit board coupled to the Hall-effect sensor at a first location and coupled to the coil current sensor element via the pair of metal pins at a second location, wherein the circuit board is configured to generate a digital output based on at least one of the first output and the second output, wherein the first location is orthogonally non-overlapping with respect to the second location. In some embodiments, the first location may comprise a first quadrant and the second location may comprise a second quadrant. In some embodiments, the firs