Multiple layer capacitor divider voltage sensors suitable for circuit breakers and related circuit breakers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9389246-B2
Application number	US-201414150140-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2014
Priority date	Jan 8, 2014
Publication date	Jul 12, 2016
Grant date	Jul 12, 2016

Abstract

Multi-layer capacitor divider voltage sensors include a plurality of voltage sensor conductive layers having sensor to ground interface surfaces. Respective voltage sensor conductive layers are connected to each other and sensor output voltage Vs by continuations of material forming the interface surfaces extending therebetween. The voltage sensors also include a plurality of conductive ground layers connected to electrical ground, the ground layers interleaved with the voltage sensor conductive layers so that a conductive ground layer resides between adjacent conductive voltage sensor layers. A first voltage sensor conductive layer (closest to a line conductor) is electrically connected to the other conductive voltage sensor layers and output voltage Vs and has a sensor to conductor interface surface with a corresponding interface area. The interface areas and the gap distances are configured to provide desired capacitance for attenuation of conductor voltage Vc for a suitably sized Vs in a compact sensor package.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A capacitor divider voltage sensor, comprising: a plurality of voltage sensor conductive layers having sensor to ground interface surfaces, wherein respective voltage sensor conductive layers are electrically connected to each other and a sensor output voltage Vs; and a plurality of conductive ground layers connected to electrical ground, the conductive ground layers interleaved with the voltage sensor conductive layers so that a ground layer resides between adjacent voltage sensor conductive layers, wherein the plurality of voltage sensor conductive layers with the sensor to ground interfaces includes a first voltage sensor layer that is closest to a line conductor, wherein the first voltage sensor layer has a sensor to conductor interface surface facing the line conductor with a corresponding interface area and also has the sensor to ground interface on an opposing primary surface, wherein the first voltage sensor layer is separated from the line conductor by at least one dielectric or insulating material to reside a distance “gsc” away from the line conductor, wherein the capacitor divider voltage sensor defines a first capacitor “Csc” with capacitance from the voltage sensor to line conductor being proportional to the area of the interface surface between the first voltage sensor layer and the conductor and being inversely proportional to “gsc”, wherein each voltage sensor conductive layer with the sensor to ground interface surface has a respective area and resides a distance “gsg” from a neighboring ground layer, wherein the capacitor divider voltage sensor defines a second capacitor “Csg” with capacitance from the capacitor divider voltage sensor to ground being proportional to the area of the sensor to ground interface surfaces and the number of conductive layers with respective sensor to ground interface surfaces and is inversely proportional to “gsg”, and wherein the voltage sensor conductive layers and ground layers are defined by a continuous length of a flexible substrate with opposing first and second conductive surfaces separated by a dielectric film, the first conductive surface forming the voltage sensor conductive layers and the second conductive surface forming the conductive ground layers.

2. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the capacitor divider voltage sensor has the same number of ground and voltage sensor layers forming sensor to ground interface surfaces.

3. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the capacitor divider voltage sensor is configured so that an outer layer is a ground layer to thereby shield the sensor from external electric fields.

4. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first voltage sensor layer has a sensor to conductor interface surface with a corresponding surface area that is between about 1 mm2 to about 1,000 mm2.

5. A capacitor divider voltage sensor, comprising: a plurality of voltage sensor conductive layers having sensor to ground interface surfaces, wherein respective voltage sensor conductive layers are electrically connected to each other and a sensor output voltage Vs; and a plurality of conductive ground layers connected to electrical ground, the conductive ground layers interleaved with the voltage sensor conductive layers so that a ground layer resides between adjacent voltage sensor conductive layers, wherein the plurality of voltage sensor conductive layers with the sensor to ground interfaces includes a first voltage sensor layer that is closest to a line conductor, wherein the first voltage sensor layer has a sensor to conductor interface surface facing the line conductor with a corresponding interface area and also has the sensor to ground interface on an opposing primary surface, wherein the first voltage sensor layer is separated from the line conductor by at least one dielectric or insulating material to reside a distance “gsc” away from the line conductor, wherein the capacitor divider voltage sensor defines a first capacitor “Csc” with capacitance from the voltage sensor to line conductor being proportional to the area of the interface surface between the first voltage sensor layer and the conductor and being inversely proportional to “gsc”, wherein each voltage sensor conductive layer with the sensor to ground interface surface has a respective area and resides a distance “gsg” from a neighboring ground layer, wherein the capacitor divider voltage sensor defines a second capacitor “Csg” with capacitance from the capacitor divider voltage sensor to ground being proportional to the area of the sensor to ground interface surfaces and the number of conductive layers with respective sensor to ground interface surfaces and is inversely proportional to “gsg”, wherein the respective voltage sensor conductor layers are electrically connected by continuations of material forming the interface surfaces, and wherein the capacitor divider voltage sensor is configured so that the continuations of material of respective ground and voltage sensor conductive layers are orthogonal to the sensor to ground interface surfaces.

6. The sensor of claim 5 , wherein the continuations of material and the voltage sensor layers with the sensor to ground interfaces have a common length dimension.

7. A capacitor divider voltage sensor, comprising: a plurality of voltage sensor conductive layers having sensor to ground interface surfaces, wherein respective voltage sensor conductive layers are electrically connected to each other and a sensor output voltage Vs; and a plurality of conductive ground layers connected to electrical ground, the conductive ground layers interleaved with the voltage sensor conductive layers so that a ground layer resides between adjacent voltage sensor conductive layers, wherein the plurality of voltage sensor conductive layers with the sensor to ground interfaces includes a first voltage sensor layer that is closest to a line conductor, wherein the first voltage sensor layer has a sensor to conductor interface surface facing the line conductor with a corresponding interface area and also has the sensor to ground interface on an opposing primary surface, wherein the first voltage sensor layer is separated from the line conductor by at least one dielectric or insulating material to reside a distance “gsc” away from the line conductor, wherein the capacitor divider voltage sensor defines a first capacitor “Csc” with capacitance from the voltage sensor to line conductor being proportional to the area of the interface surface between the first voltage sensor layer and the conductor and being inversely proportional to “gsc”, wherein each voltage sensor conductive layer with the sensor to ground interface surface has a respective area and resides a distance “gsg” from a neighboring ground layer, wherein the capacitor divider voltage sensor defines a second capacitor “Csg” with capacitance from the capacitor divider voltage sensor to ground being proportional to the area of the sensor to ground interface surfaces and the number of conductive layers with respective sensor to ground interface surfaces and is inversely proportional to “gsg”, wherein the voltage sensor conductive layers and ground layers are defined by a flexible substrate with opposing first and second conductive surfaces separated by a dielectric film, the first conductive surface forming the voltage sensor conductive layers and the second conductive surface forming the conductive ground layers, and wherein the film thickness defines the distance gsg between adjacent conductive voltage sensor and conductor layers.

8. The sensor of claim 7 , wherein the flexible substrate is folded into a plurality of closely spaced apart stacked sections.

9. The sensor of claim 7 , wherein the flexible substrate has a body with a serpentine or undul

Assignees

• Eaton Corp

Inventors

• Juds Mark Allan
• Eckroth Kurt Von
• Trublowski John
• Kodela Naresh Kumar

Classifications

• H01G4/306

  made by thin film techniques · CPC title

• G01R15/06 Primary

  having reactive components, e.g. capacitive transformer · CPC title

• G01R15/16

  using capacitive devices · CPC title

• H01G4/30

  Stacked capacitors (H01G4/33 takes precedence) · CPC title