OPTICAL SENSOR ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR MEASURING CURRENT IN AN ELECTRIC POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

摘要

An optical sensor assembly (10) has a base unit (20), an optical current sensor (40), and a magnetic concentrator (54). The optical current sensor (40) is mounted on the base unit (20) and includes a polarized light input (42), a reflective prism (44), and a light output (46). The magnetic concentrator (54) defines an airgap (60) and is mounted on a concentrator housing (30) such that the magnetic concentrator (54) fits around the current carrying cable (12) when the base unit (20) is hung from the current carrying cable (12) in a closed position. The reflective prism (44) is operably positioned in the airgap (60) when the concentrator housing (30) is in the closed position. The optical sensor assembly (10) enables a method of measuring a current through the current carrying cable (12).