AN3306

The Pulse current sensor

Doc ID 18182 Rev 1

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The Pulse current sensor

While the Rogowski coil principle is well-known and has been widely implemented in various

current sensing devices, the engineering challenge has been to control the winding

characteristics to achieve the accurate current measurements required for metering

applications. Pulse Engineering Inc. has developed a precision winding technique that

controls the parameters which directly influence the output voltage. A patent-pending

segmented winding approach allows for a high number of winding turns per unit length to

provide a sufficiently large output voltage for detection and integration.

The Pulse current sensor is an air coil winding which has a highly linear output voltage over

a very wide dynamic current range, meeting the Class 0.2 S accuracy limits defined by the

IEC 62053-22 meter standard for currents from 0.1 A to 200 A. A specially designed winding

configuration meets Class 1 requirements for immunity to external magnetic fields. An

additional Faraday shield over the winding prevents electrostatic voltage coupling from the

AC voltage of the conductor. This also acts as an effective barrier against external electrical

fields associated with nearby current-carrying conductors and automatic meter-reading

radio signals.

Pulse has implemented this winding technique in a highly automatable, low-cost standard

product, the PA2999.006NL, shown in Figure 3. It is lightweight and, due to the Rogowski

coil as a voltage source, is a zero power-consumption device with a stable voltage over a

wide temperature range. Further information on this product is available at

www.pulseeng.com

Figure 3.

The PA2999.006NL current sensor