Laminated figure 8 power meter core

摘要

An improved laminated ferromagnetic figure 8 power meter core is provided. The core is (31) fabricated from a plurality of ferromagnetic plates (37) and is formed in the general shape of a figure 8. The central leg (34) of the core has a cross-sectional area that is larger than the cross-sectional area of other parts of the core. The core gap, in which a Hall-effect sensor (36) is located, has gap faces with chamfered or rounded over edges to reduce fringing and bypassing effects. The core is formed without discontinuous corners that can result in local saturation and, in use, accommodates electrical power conductors (38, 39) in an over-under looping relationship through the openings of the core to provide a more homogeneous magnetic flux within the core and thus more reliable metering. The overall result is a core with a higher saturation point and thus a wider dynamic range than prior art cores.