Application Spotlight August 2017

The trend towards using renewable energies continues unabated, especially in a broad global push for rechargeable electric vehicles.

In the development of an IC CPD (In-Cable Control and Protecting Device) for the charging cable of an electrically powered vehicle, a leading automobile manufacturer, replaced a previous design element with a current sensor from the ACST seriesmanufactured by ZETTLER Magnetics. The previous design featured a sensor in which the electrical conductor had to be routed through the core, resulting in significant assembly effort in association with high costs.

With the ACST series current sensor from ZETTLER Magnetics, the conductor (primary winding) is already integrated into the sensor, thereby allowing it to directly detect the current being applied to the printed circuit board. Another design requirement, increasing the cross-section of the primary winding necessary for detecting currents of up to 32A, was also realized. Apart from the height, it was possible to preserve the dimensions of max. 20.5 x 17.5 mm. The height had to be increased from 16.4 mm to 20.0 mm due to the attachment of an additional plastic hood to assure reliable insulation of the primary winding.

This application example demonstrates, once again, the versatility of Zettler Magnetics components, and our ability to find pragmatic and highly effective engineering solutions for our customers.