MEASURING SHUNT

Abstract

A measuring shunt includes a resistance element and a magnetic core. The resistance element includes two main contacts and a middle section extending between the main contacts for conducting an electrical current between the two main contacts through the middle section. The magnetic core extends in an annular manner around the middle section of the resistance element.

Claims

1.-7. (canceled)

8. A measuring shunt, comprising: a resistance element including a first main contact, a second main contact, and a middle section extending between the first and second main contacts for conducting an electric current between the first and second main contacts through the middle section, said middle section having a U-shaped configuration defining two limbs and a central section extending between the two limbs; a magnetic core extending in an annular manner around the middle section of the resistance element, said magnetic core having a first side facing the first main contact and a second side facing the second main contact; and a first auxiliary contact and a second auxiliary contact for tapping a measurement voltage which drops between a first measurement point and a second measurement point of the resistance element, the first and second measurement points being located on different ones of the first and second sides of the magnetic core, with the second measurement point being located on the second side of the magnetic core, said second auxiliary contact extending from the second measurement point through the magnetic core to the first side of the magnetic core, said first and second auxiliary contacts being generated by two slots in the resistance element, with each of the slots extending through a subsection of the central section and one of the two limbs of the middle section to an end of the resistance element in a region of the first main contact.

9. The measuring shunt of claim 8, wherein the first auxiliary contact extends from the first measurement point entirely on the first side of the magnetic core.

10. The measuring shunt of claim 8, wherein the magnetic core includes two core parts which are joined together.

11. The measuring shunt of claim 8, wherein the magnetic core is arranged in spaced-apart relation from the resistance element to define an air gap there between.

12. The measuring shunt of claim 8, wherein the magnetic core is injection-molded around the middle section of the resistance element.

13. A circuit arrangement, comprising: at least two half-bridges connected in parallel, each of the at least two half-bridges having bridge arms; an electronic switch arranged in each of the bridge arms of the at least two half-bridges; and a measuring shunt arranged in the bridge arms of the at least two half-bridges, said measuring shunt comprising a resistance element including a first rain contact, a second main contact, and a middle section extending between the first and second main contacts for conducting an electric current between the first and second main contacts through the middle section, said middle section having a U-shaped configuration defining two limbs and a central section extending between the two limbs, a magnetic core extending in an annular manner around the middle section of the resistance element, said magnetic core having a first side facing the first main contact and a second side facing the second main contact, and a first auxiliary contact and a second auxiliary contact for tapping a measurement voltage which drops between a first measurement point and a second measurement point of the resistance element, the first and second measurement points being located on different ones of the first and second sides of the magnetic core, with the second measurement point being located on the second side of the magnetic core, said second auxiliary contact extending from the second measurement point through the magnetic core to the first side of the magnetic core, said first and second auxiliary contacts being generated by two slots in the resistance element, with each of the slots extending through a subsection of the central section and one of the two limbs of the middle section to an end of the resistance element in a region of the first main contact.

14. The circuit arrangement of claim 13, wherein the first auxiliary contact of the measuring shunt extends from the first measurement point entirely on the first side of the magnetic core.

15. The circuit arrangement of claim 13, wherein the magnetic core of the measuring shunt includes two core parts which are joined together.

16. The circuit arrangement of claim 13, wherein the magnetic core of the measuring shunt is arranged in spaced-apart relation from the resistance element to define an air gap there between.

17. The circuit arrangement of claim 13, wherein the magnetic core of the measuring shunt is injection-molded around the middle section of the resistance element.

18. A power converter, comprising a circuit arrangement, said circuit arrangement comprising at least two half-bridges connected in parallel, each of the at least two half-bridges having bridge arms, an electronic switch arranged in each of the bridge arms of the at least two half-bridges, and a measuring shunt arranged in the bridge arms of the at least two half-bridges, said measuring shunt comprising a resistance element including a first main contact, a second main contact, and a middle section extending between the first and second main contacts for conducting an electric current between the first and second main contacts through the middle section, said middle section having a U-shaped configuration defining two limbs and a central section extending between the two limbs, a magnetic core extending in an annular manner around the middle section of the resistance element, said magnetic core having a first side facing the first main contact and a second side facing the second main contact, and a first auxiliary contact and a second auxiliary contact for tapping a measurement voltage which drops between a first measurement point and a second measurement point of the resistance element, the first and second measurement points being located on different ones of the first and second sides of the magnetic core, with the second measurement point being located on the second side of the magnetic core, said second auxiliary contact extending from the second measurement point through the magnetic core to the first side of the magnetic core, said first and second auxiliary contacts being generated by two slots in the resistance element, with each of the slots extending through a subsection of the central section and one of the two limbs of the middle section to an end of the resistance element in a region of the first main contact.

19. The power converter of claim 18, wherein the first auxiliary contact of the measuring shunt extends from the first measurement point entirely on the first side of the magnetic core.

20. The power converter of claim 18, wherein the magnetic core of the measuring shunt includes two core parts which are joined together.

21. The power converter of claim 18, wherein the magnetic core of the measuring shunt is arranged in spaced-apart relation from the resistance element to define an air gap there between.

22. The power converter of claim 18, wherein the magnetic core of the measuring shunt is injection-molded around the middle section of the resistance element.

Description

[0020] The above-described characteristics, features and advantages of this invention, as well as the manner in which these are realized, will become more clearly and easily intelligible in connection with the following description of exemplary embodiments which are explained in more detail with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a first perspective representation of a measuring shunt,

[0022] FIG. 2 shows a second perspective representation of the measuring shunt shown in FIG. 1,

[0023] FIG. 3 shows a circuit arrangement with two parallel-connected half-bridges of electronic switches,

[0024] FIG. 4 shows a circuit diagram of a power converter.

[0025] Parts which correspond to one another are provided with the same reference characters in the figures.

[0026] FIGS. 1 and 2 show two different perspective representations of an exemplary embodiment of a measuring shunt 1 according to the invention, wherein a Cartesian coordinate system with coordinates X, Y, Z is drawn to clarify the perspectives represented in each case. The measuring shunt 1 has a resistance element 3 and a magnetic core 5.

[0027] The resistance element 3 has two main contacts 7, 9, a middle section 11 and two auxiliary contacts 13, 15. The middle section 11 extends between the main contacts 7, 9. The middle section 11 is embodied as U-shaped with two limbs 17, 19 and a central section 21 extending between the limbs 17, 19. Each main contact 7, 9 is angled from one of the legs 17, 19, such that the main contacts 7, 9 protrude from the middle section 11 on opposing sides and directed away from one another.

[0028] The magnetic core 5 extends in an annular manner around the central section 21 of the resistance element 3 and is spaced apart from the central section 21 by an air gap 23. The magnetic core 5 consists of two core parts 25, 27 which are joined together and are each embodied as U-shaped. The magnetic core 5 has the shape of a cuboid with an opening, through which the central section 21 of the resistance element 3 extends.

[0029] Each auxiliary contact 13, 15 extends from a measurement point 29, 31 in the central section 21 to one end of the resistance element 3 in the region of a first main contact 7. In this case the two measurement points 29, 31 are arranged on different sides of the magnetic core 5. A first auxiliary contact 13 extends from a first measurement point 29 entirely on one side of the magnetic core 5 facing the first main contact 7. The second auxiliary contact 15 extends from the second measurement point 31, which is located on a side of the magnetic core 5 facing the second main contact 9, through the magnetic core 5 to the side of the magnetic core 5 facing the first main contact 7.

[0030] The auxiliary contacts 13, 15 of the exemplary embodiment of a measuring shunt 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are generated by two slots 33, 35 in the resistance element 3, each of which extends through a subsection of the central section 21 and a first limb 17 of the middle section 11 to the end of the resistance element 3 in the region of the first main contact 7. The slots 33, 35 separate the two auxiliary contacts 13, 15 from one another and from the first main contact 7, wherein a first slot 33 separates the first auxiliary contact 13 from the first main contact 7 and the second slot 35 separates the two auxiliary contacts 13, 15 from one another.

[0031] The resistance element 3 serves to measure an electrical current which flows between the main contacts 7, 9 through the middle section 3. The electrical current is measured according to the principle of four-wire measurement via an electrical measurement voltage applied between the two measurement points 29, 31, which is tapped at the auxiliary contacts 13, 15.

[0032] The magnetic core 5 serves to decouple electronic switches 43 connected in parallel, as in the circuit arrangement 37 shown in FIG. 3.

[0033] In alternative exemplary embodiments of the measuring shunt 1, the auxiliary contacts 13, 15 can be embodied in a different manner than in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is essential, however, that one of the two auxiliary contacts 13 or 15 extends through the magnetic core 5 parallel to a direction of flow of an electric current flowing through the resistance element 3. Furthermore, the magnetic core 5 can be embodied in a different manner than in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. For example, the magnetic core 5 can be injection-molded around the middle section 11 of the resistance element 3, for example from a mixture of a carrier material, for example a plastic, and a magnetic material, for example a magnetic powder.

[0034] FIG. 3 shows a circuit diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a circuit arrangement 37 according to the invention with two half-bridges 39, 41 connected in parallel to one another, in each of the bridge arms of which an electronic switch 43 is arranged. A measuring shunt 1 embodied as in FIGS. 1 and 2 is arranged in the bridge arm of each half-bridge 39, 41, with which an electric current 11, 12 flowing in the bridge arm and through the resistance element 3 of the measuring shunt 1 via an electric measuring voltage UI, U2 is measured, which is tapped at the auxiliary contacts 13, 15 of the measuring shunt 1. A first bridge arm of each half-bridge 39, 41 is connected to a first DC line 45 of the circuit arrangement 37. The second bridge arm of each half-bridge 39, 41 is connected to a second DC line 47 of the circuit arrangement 37. The measuring shunts 1 are connected on the output side to an AC line 49 of the circuit arrangement 37. In the exemplary embodiment of a circuit arrangement 37 according to the invention shown in FIG. 3 the electronic switches 43 are insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT), but in other exemplary embodiments can also be other semiconductor switches, for example metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET).

[0035] FIG. 4 shows a circuit diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a power converter 51 according to the invention, The power converter 51 has two converter DC lines 53, 55, three converter AC lines 57 to 59 and three circuit arrangements 37 each embodied as in FIG. 3. The first DC line 45 of each circuit arrangement 37 is connected to a first converter DC line 53. The second DC line 47 of each circuit arrangement 37 is connected to the second converter DC line 55. The AC line 49 of each circuit arrangement 37 is connected to a converter AC line 57 to 59.

[0036] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail based on preferred exemplary embodiments, the invention is not restricted by the examples given and other variations can be derived therefrom by a person skilled in the art without departing from the protective scope of the invention.