CURRENT SENSORS

REFERENCE DESIGN GUIDE

Application Note

This document describes several reference designs for current sensing applications with either
conventional or planar IMC-Hall® sensors. The design solutions cover various current ranges (from 2
to 2000A) and conductor types (bus bar, PCB, cable). Also included is a quick selection guide for
Melexis Hall effect current sensors, general magnetic design guidelines and information on
ferromagnetic materials.
CURRENT SENSORS
REFERENCE DESIGN GUIDE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CURRENT SENSOR TYPES.......................................................................................................................... 4
O CONVENTIONAL HALL SENSORS ........................................................................................................... 4
O PLANAR IMC-HALL® SENSORS ............................................................................................................ 4
1 CONVENTIONAL HALL SENSORS........................................................................................................ 5
1.1 QUICK SELECTION GUIDE ................................................................................................................ 6
Examples............................................................................................................................ 7
1.2 QUICK SELECTION GUIDE ................................................................................................................ 8
Main features (typical)....................................................................................................... 8
Option code and sensitivity ................................................................................................ 9
1.3 ERROR BUDGET CALCULATION .......................................................................................................... 9
2 PLANAR IMC-HALL® SENSORS ......................................................................................................... 11
2.1 IMC VERSIONS............................................................................................................................ 12
2.2 MAGNETIC DESIGN ...................................................................................................................... 13
Magnetic field estimation with shield .............................................................................. 13
Magnetic field estimation without shield......................................................................... 14
Dimensioning examples ................................................................................................... 15
Conductor with neck-down .............................................................................................. 16
Use of laminated shields .................................................................................................. 16
Cancelling stray field without shield ................................................................................ 17
Avoiding cross-talk without shield ................................................................................... 17
2.3 QUICK SELECTION GUIDE .............................................................................................................. 18
Main features (typical)..................................................................................................... 18
Option code and sensitivity range .................................................................................... 19
2.4 ERROR BUDGET CALCULATION ........................................................................................................ 19
2.5 PCB DESIGN: GUIDELINE .............................................................................................................. 20
2.6 REFERENCE DESIGNS .................................................................................................................... 22
PCB application, 2-10A range, multi-layer/multi-turn solution ........................................ 23
PCB application, 2-10A range, ferromagnetic shield solution .......................................... 24
PCB application, 10-50A range ........................................................................................ 25
Bus bar application, 50-250A range ................................................................................ 26
Bus bar application, 300-700A range .............................................................................. 27
Bus bar application, dual range 5A/200A ........................................................................ 28
Cable application, 10-100A range.................................................................................... 29
3 FERROMAGNETIC MATERIALS......................................................................................................... 30
3.1 SUPPLIERS .................................................................................................................................. 30
3.2 FERROMAGNETIC SHIELDS ............................................................................................................. 30
U-Shield ........................................................................................................................... 30
Mechanical assembly....................................................................................................... 31
3.3 FERROMAGNETIC CORES ............................................................................................................... 32
3.4 FERROMAGNETIC MATERIALS COMPARISON ...................................................................................... 32
4 END-OF-LINE CALIBRATION............................................................................................................. 33
4.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 33
4.2 DIRECT SENSOR CALIBRATION ........................................................................................................ 33
4.3 MICRO-CONTROLLER LEVEL CALIBRATION ......................................................................................... 33
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION................................................................................................................... 34

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CONTACT US .......................................................................................................................................... 34
DISCLAIMER ........................................................................................................................................... 35

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Current sensor types

Melexis provides two types of current sensors suitable for a broad range of applications.

o Conventional Hall sensors

These current sensors are sensitive to the magnetic field perpendicular to the chip surface. They are
meant to be used in combination with a ferromagnetic core. In a typical application, the core is
wrapped around the current-carrying conductor and concentrates the magnetic flux on a small air gap
(typically 2-5mm) where the sensor is inserted.

Pros
▪ Strong magnetic gain from the core
▪ Very robust against cross-talk
▪ Suitable for medium to very high currents

Cons
▪ Performance limited by the core (geometry
and material): saturation, hysteresis,
frequency response and thermal drift
▪ Bigger footprint (size, weight) than solutions
based on IMC-Hall® sensors

o Planar IMC-Hall® sensors

Thanks to the patented integrated magnetic concentrator (IMC) technology, IMC-Hall® sensors are
sensitive to magnetic fields parallel to the chip surface. Thus, the sensors can directly measure the
current flowing in a bus bar or a PCB trace below the package, without the need for a core.

Pros
▪ Sensitive to magnetic field parallel to the chip
surface, for easy integration and low footprint
▪ IMC is made of amorphous magnetic material
featuring very high permeability and very low
hysteresis
▪ Magnetic gain from IMC

Cons
▪ Requires magnetic shielding or specific design
to avoid cross-talk and/or noise from external
fields

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1 Conventional Hall Sensors

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1.1 Quick Selection Guide

Conventional hall sensors are typically enclosed in the air gap of a ferromagnetic core (ring or square),
wrapped around the current-carrying conductor.

I
d

The magnetic field B at the sensor position (in the center of the air gap), for a current I and a
ferromagnetic core with air gap d, can be approximated as:

𝐼𝐼 [𝐴𝐴]
B [mT] = 1.25 ×
𝑑𝑑 [𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚]
Equation 1: Magnetic field estimation formula for core configuration.
The naming convention for ferromagnetic cores is C followed by the air gap dimension (for instance,
C5 for a 5mm air gap shield).

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Examples

MLX91207 DVK core A

1.68
I = 100A  B = 1.25 x 100 [A] / 1.68 [mm] = 74.4 [mT]
required sensor sensitivity: S = 2000 [mV] / 74.4 [mT] = 26.9 [mV/mT]

3.5 MLX91207 DVK core B

I = 200A  B = 1.25 x 200 [A] / 3.5 [mm] = 71.4 [mT]
required sensor sensitivity: S = 2000 [mV] / 71.4 [mT] = 28 [mV/mT]

C-5
5 I = 500A  B = 1.25 x 500 [A] / 5 [mm] = 125 [mT]
required sensor sensitivity: S = 2000 [mV] / 125 [mT] = 16 [mV/mT]

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1.2 Quick Selection Guide

Melexis provides a list of sensors that can be selected for different applications. Each sensor can be
bought with a factory trimmed sensitivity, using a specific option code. Sensitivity can be tuned
according to customer needs.

Main features (typical)

91207 91209 91217 91219

Sensitivity [mV/mT] * 5-45 5-150 5-150 7-150
Thermal sensitivity drift [%S] ** ±1.5 ±1.5 ±1 ±1
Thermal offset drift [mV] ±20 ±10 ±5 ±5
Non-linearity [%F.S.] ±0.1 ±0.4 ±0.4 ±0.3
Response time [µs] 8 2 2 2
Bandwidth [kHz] 60 250 250 400
Noise [mVrms] 10 10 10 3
Analog output Yes Yes Yes Yes
PWM output Yes No No No
Programmable Yes Yes Yes Yes
Diagnostic functions
▪ Over/Under-voltage detection Yes Yes Yes No
▪ Broken-track detection Yes No Yes No
▪ Clamping Yes No Yes No
▪ Over Current Detection No No No Yes
Possible supply voltages [V] 5 5 5 5, 3.3
SOIC-
Package SOIC-8 VA (SIP) SIP4-VA
8/SIP4-VA
Operating temperature range [°C] -40-150 -40-150 -40-150 -40-150
Table 1: Main features and specifications of conventional Hall effect current sensors, at operating
temperature T = -40°C to 125°C, unless otherwise specified.
* Programmable.
** Thermal sensitivity drift is better for temperatures lower than 100°C.

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Option code and sensitivity

Sensor Option code Sensitivity range (typical) [mV/mT]

CAA-005 15-45 (25)
MLX91207 CAA-007 5-20 (10)
CAA-015 15-45 (25)
CAA-000 5-150 (50)
CAA-001 5-150 (15)
MLX91209
CAA-002 5-150 (7.3)
CAA-003 5-150 (19)
ACA-000 5-150 (10)
ACA-001 5-150 (15)
MLX91217 ACA-002 5-150 (17)
ACA-003 5-150 (9)
ACA-005 5-150 (13)
AAA-500 7-105 (7)
MLX91219
AAA-501 7-105 (10)
Table 2: Option code and sensitivity range of conventional Hall effect current sensors. Please contact
the Melexis sales department to have customized versions. Different leads bending options are also
available.

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 1: Different leads bending options: (a) straight leads, (b, c) bent leads, (d) and planar leads.

1.3 Error budget calculation

Error budget consists in the total 6σ error expected on the output signal (calculates as %FS). To be
evaluated, it is necessary to divide errors in 2 categories: sensitivity errors (𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆 ) and offset errors (𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 ).
They are calculated as the square root of the sum of squares of all contributions on respectively
sensitivity 𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆𝑖𝑖 and offset 𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑖 (Equation 2).

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𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 = �� 𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑖 2
𝑖𝑖

Equation 2: Formula for sensitivity and offset error calculation.

The error budget is then calculated by multiplying the applied current times the sensitivity error and
then summing the offset error, as in Equation 3.

𝜖𝜖𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 = 𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆 × 𝐼𝐼 + 𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜

Equation 3: Formula for calculation of total error.

An example of budget error plot (Figure 2) and data (Table 3) are shown for device MLX91217.

Error MLX91217

Sensitivity accuracy limit 0.1%

(𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆1 )

Thermal sensitivity drift 1%

(𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆2 )

Sensitivity drift over lifetime 1%

(𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆3 )

Non-linearity error (𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆4 ) 0.4%

Assembly tolerances (𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆5 ) 0%

Sensitivity error (𝝐𝝐𝑺𝑺 ) 1.47%

Offset accuracy limit (𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑓𝑓1 ) 0.05%

Noise (𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑓𝑓2 ) 0.11%

Thermal offset drift (𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑓𝑓3 ) 0.25%

Offset drift over lifetime 0.5%

(𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑓𝑓4 )

Offset error (𝝐𝝐𝒐𝒐𝒐𝒐𝒐𝒐 ) 0.57%

Table 3: Error contributions and values for Figure 2: Budget error plot for sensor
sensitivity and offset errors for sensor MLX91217 MLX91217, and different cores configurations.

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2 Planar IMC-Hall® Sensors

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2.1 IMC versions

IMC-Hall® sensors are available in 4 different versions/sizes covering a broad range of sensitivities
and magnetic field ranges: Low Field (LF), High Field (HF), Very High Field (VHF), Extra High Field
(XHF). With its strong magnetic gain, the biggest IMC (LF) is ideally suited for applications with low
currents, requiring high magnetic sensitivities (up to 700mV/mT). At the other end of the scale, the
smallest IMC (XHF) can linearly sense strong magnetic fields up to ±90mT, for current sensing
applications with very high-power densities.

Figure 3: Sensitivity range of each IMC version.

Figure 4: Linearity range for different IMC configurations.

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Shield Current [A]

width [mm] 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 3000 4000
25 LF HF VHF XHF OCR SAT
20 LF HF VHF XHF OCR SAT
15 LF HF VHF XHF OCR SAT
12 LF HF VHF XHF OCR SAT
Legend:
LF - Low field
HF - High field
VHF - Very HF
XHF - Extra HF
OCR - Over-current range
SAT - IMC® Saturation

Table 4: Optimal IMC configuration for different current ranges. Saturation of shields should also be
considered. Contact our technical support team to optimize the choice of shields.

2.2 Magnetic design

Magnetic field estimation with shield

In a typical application, a U-shaped ferromagnetic shield is wrapped around the current conductor to
protect the sensor from external fields and improve the overall robustness of the sensing solution.

Figure 5: Shield dimensions on sensor.

The most important dimension of the shield is the inner width. In this configuration, the magnetic field
B measured by the sensor for a current I and an inner width W can be estimated as:

𝐼𝐼 [𝐴𝐴]
B [mT] = 1.25 ×
𝑊𝑊 [𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚]
Equation 4: Magnetic field estimation formula for shield configuration.
The current in the conductor generates a magnetic field around it. The ferromagnetic shield will guide
the magnetic field lines such that a homogeneous magnetic field is generated in the U-shield between
the two legs of the shield, as it is shown in Figure 6.

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Melexis Sensor

Current Conductor
Shield

Figure 6: Magnetic field lines distribution in a typical application

Based on these considerations, the following magnetic design rules are essential in order to ensure
optimal performances:
1. The current sensing module should respect the Ferromagnetic Shield, Current Conductor, and
Melexis Sensor order of components.
2. In order to have an increased signal-to-noise ratio, the sensor should be mounted at a certain
depth inside the opening of the shield, where the field lines are quasi-parallel to each other,
and therefore homogeneous. A rule of thumb is that the distance from the sensor to the upper
side of the shield (H’) should be higher or equal to half the width of the shield (W).

𝑊𝑊
𝐻𝐻 ′ ≥
2
Equation 5: Optimal distance of sensor to the top of the shield.

Typically, the shield thickness ranges between 0.8 and 1.5mm (proportional to current range). The
height and depth are between 12 and 15mm, in order to properly surround the sensor in each
direction. The naming convention of ferromagnetic shields is U (for standard shields) or LU (for
laminated shields) followed by the width number (for instance, L20). NiFe and SiFe are two available
materials. Different properties are described in section 3.4.

Magnetic field estimation without shield

Depending on application environment and requirements, the ferromagnetic shield is not necessarily
required. However, this configuration would lead to a drastic reduction of stray field immunity.

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Figure 7: dimensions on sensor without shield.

Without shield, the magnetic field B measured by the sensor for a current I, a trace width W and a
vertical position H can be approximated as:

𝐼𝐼 [𝐴𝐴]
B [mT] = 1.25 ×
2 × (𝑊𝑊 + 2𝐻𝐻) [𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚]
Equation 6: Magnetic field estimation formula for a configuration without shield.

Dimensioning examples

Table 5 provides suggested system dimensions for various current ranges, based on a typical design
with a sensor on top of a straight bus bar surrounded by a U-shaped ferromagnetic shield. These
dimensions can be easily scaled up or down for higher or lower currents according to the magnetic
field estimation formula provided above, even if a solution with narrow shields is preferable.

Shield geometry Sensor

Current Magnetic Field
[A] (peak) Width Thickness [mT] (peak) Sensitivity
Version
[mm] [mm] [mV/mT]

190 12 0.8 20 HF 100

500 12 1.5 50 VHF 40
700 15 3 60 VHF 30
1000 15 3 90 XHF 20
1200 20 3 75 XHF 25

Table 5: Example of configurations for different current peaks. Other combinations are possible,
please contact Melexis sales department in case interested.

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Figure 8: Example of 3-phase inverter current sensing solution with IMC-Hall® sensors.

Conductor with neck-down

In order to limit the cost, size and weight of the shield on systems with wide bus bars, we recommend
reducing its cross-section locally, as illustrated in Figure 9. Such a neck-down has minimal impact on
the electrical resistance and allows for a much more compact current sensing solution.

≈12

≈18 ≈10

Figure 9: Necked-down bus bar example.

Use of laminated shields

Laminated shields are made of a stack of thin sheets separated by insulators. This allows to reduce the
effect of eddy currents (that are generated in the shield by time oscillating fields, and cause gain
reduction and phase shift of the sensor signal), boosting the sensing performances. Moreover, for
very high currents (typically above 800A), it is often more efficient and cost-effective to use a
laminated shield so that the in-plane thickness can be increased, decreasing the depth and overall
footprint for the same performance.

Figure 10: Shield configuration for very high currents.

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Cancelling stray field without shield

In AC applications, external stray fields can be cancelled out by the microcontroller. Computing the
difference between max and min sensor output values provides a signal independent of any parasitic
DC field.

Figure 11: Stray field cancelling without shield.

Avoiding cross-talk without shield

Even without ferromagnetic shield, cross-talk between adjacent current tracks can be avoided by
design. Figure 12 illustrates a concept of current trace layout with slots to force the current to flow
perpendicular to the main track axis. The sensors are rotated by 90° with their sensitive axis (blue
arrow) parallel to the current trace. With such a configuration, there is virtually no cross-talk between
phases.

Figure 12: Current trace layout with slots and rotated sensors to avoid cross-talk between phases.

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2.3 Quick Selection Guide

Melexis provides a list of sensors that can be selected for different applications. Each sensor can be
bought with a factory trimmed sensitivity, using a specific option code. Sensitivity can be tuned
according to customer needs.

Main features (typical)

91208 91216 91218***

Sensitivity [mV/mT] *
▪ Extra High Field version (XHF) 20-125 18-125
▪ Very High Field version (VHF) 30-200 30-200 30-200
▪ High Field version (HF) 50-300 50-350
▪ Low Field version (LF) 100-700
Thermal sensitivity drift [%S] ** ±1.5 ±1 ±1
Thermal offset drift [mV] ±10 ±5 ±5
Non-linearity [%F.S.] ±0.5 ±0.3 ±0.3
Response time [µs] 2 2 2
Bandwidth [kHz] 250 250 400
Noise [mVrms] 10 6.5 5
Analog output Yes Yes Yes
PWM output No No No
Programmable Yes Yes Yes
Diagnostic functions
▪ Over/Under-voltage detection Yes Yes No
▪ Broken-track detection No Yes No
▪ Clamping No Yes No
▪ Over Current Detection No No Yes
Possible supply voltages [V] 5 5 5, 3.3
Package SOIC-8 SOIC-8 SOIC-8
Temp. range [°C] -40-150 -40-150 -40-150
Table 6: Main features and specifications of planar IMC-Hall® current sensors. Operating temperature
T = -40°C to 125°C, unless otherwise specified.
* Programmable
** Thermal sensitivity drift is better for temperatures lower than 100°C.
*** Target specifications.

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Option code and sensitivity range

Sensor Option code IMC version Sensitivity range (typical) [mV/mT]

CAL-000 LF 100-700 (250)
CAH-000 HF 50-300 (100)
MLX91208
CAV-000 VHF 30-200 (40)
CAV-001 VHF 30-200 (60)
ACH-000 HF 50-350 (100)
ACV-000 VHF 30-200 (40)
ACV-001 VHF 30-200 (60)
MLX91216 ACV-002 VHF 30-200 (30)
ACX-000 XHF 20-125 (25)
ACX-001 XHF 20-125 (30)
ACX-002 XHF 20-125 (20)
ARV-5XX VHF 30-200
ARV-500 VHF 30-200 (40)
ARV-501 VHF 30-200 (60)
ARV-502 VHF 30-200 (30)
MLX91218
ARX-5XX XHF 18-125
ARV-303* VHF 18-125 (30)
ARX-300* XHF 12-80 (14)

Table 7: Option code and sensitivity range of planar IMC-Hall® current sensors (supply voltage equal
to 5V unless otherwise specified). Please contact the Melexis sales department to have customized
versions.
* Supply voltage 3.3V

2.4 Error budget calculation

Error budget calculation for IMC-Hall® sensors is performed with the same method as discussed for
conventional Hall sensors in section 1.3. An example of error budget analysis for sensor MLX91216 is
shown in Table 8 and Figure 13.

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Error MLX91216

Sensitivity accuracy limit 0.1%

(𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆1 )

Thermal sensitivity drift 1%

(𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆2 )

Sensitivity drift over lifetime 1%

(𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆3 )

Non-linearity error (𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆4 ) 0.5%

Assembly tolerances (𝜖𝜖𝑆𝑆5 ) 0%

Sensitivity error (𝝐𝝐𝑺𝑺 ) 1.5%

Offset accuracy limit (𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑓𝑓1 ) 0.05%

Hysteresis (𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑓𝑓2 ) 0.24%

Noise (𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑓𝑓3 ) 0.16%

Thermal offset drift (𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑓𝑓4 ) 0.4%

Offset drift over lifetime 0.5%

(𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑓𝑓5 )

Offset error (𝝐𝝐𝒐𝒐𝒐𝒐𝒐𝒐 ) 0.57%

Table 8: Error contributions and values for Figure 13: Budget error plot for sensor MLX91216,
sensitivity and offset errors for sensor and different shields configurations.
MLX91216.

2.5 PCB Design: Guideline

The PCB design and layout play an important role in the final performances of the current sensing
module. More specifically, two different aspects are to be considered when designing the ground layer
on the PCB.
When an application implies high voltage switching (for instance in motor control applications), an
expanded ground layer, as depicted in Figure 14, will help reducing the parasitic coupling capacitance
generated by voltage time transients (dV/dt).

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Figure 14: Current sensing structure. Expanded Ground Layer on PCB in order to reduce the parasitic
coupling capacitance (coming from voltage transients).

At the same time, the ground layer can have a big impact on the response time.
If the ground layer covers all the surface of the PCB and surrounds the two legs of the shield, Eddy
currents will start to flow circularly around them, generating a counter-magnetic field which slows
down the response time of the sensor.
In order to avoid increased response time, the ground layer should be divided such that it interrupts
the circulations of Eddy currents around the shield.

Figure 15: Current Sensing Structure – Designing the Ground Layer on the PCB such that Eddy Currents
circulations is interrupted

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2.6 Reference Designs

Table 9 shows an overview of reference designs based on planar IMC-Hall® current sensors.

Application Solution Illustration

Multi-turn and multi-layer PCB
PCB trace current
Single layer PCB with C-shaped
2-10A
ferromagnetic shield

PCB trace current

Single layer PCB with or without
ferromagnetic shield
10-50A

Bus bar
High field sensor with 12mm U-
shaped ferromagnetic shield
50-250A

Bus bar
Very high field sensor with 12mm
U-shaped ferromagnetic shield
300-700A

High dynamic range

Dual range sensor with U-shaped
and C-shaped shields
50mA to 250A

Non-intrusive current
sensing from cable Simple PCB with clamp-on shield
wrapped around the cable
10-100A

Table 9: Overview of the reference designs based on planar IMC-Hall® current sensors.

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PCB application, 2-10A range, multi-layer/multi-turn solution

▪ PCB with multiple layers and trace windings (current loops) for very high sensitivity.
▪ Can be used with or without ferromagnetic shield, depending on sensitivity and accuracy
requirements.

Figure 16: PCB layout example for very high sensitivity with 6 windings on 3 layers.

3 windings 3 windings 6 windings 6 windings

w/o shield w/ shield w/o shield w/ shield
Sensitivity (max) [mV/A] 210 350 420 700

Table 10: Maximum achievable sensitivities with Melexis evaluation boards.

550mV/A

330mV/A

Figure 17: Example of output functions for a six-winding evaluation board, with/without shield.

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PCB application, 2-10A range, ferromagnetic shield solution

▪ PCB with one layer and a single current trace (no windings).
▪ Closed ferromagnetic shield for high magnetic gain.

Assembly Concepts

Figure 18: Shield in one piece inserted through slots on the PCB edge.

Figure 19: Shield in two parts inserted in PCB slits and assembled together.

167mV/A

Figure 20: Example of output function for a single-layer PCB with closed shield.

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PCB application, 10-50A range

▪ PCB with one layer and a single current trace.

▪ To be used with or without ferromagnetic shield (U-shaped).
▪ Sensitivity: up to 60mV/A (without shield) and 170mV/A (with shield).

Figure 21: Single-layer evaluation board without and with shield.

Figure 22: Shield assembly through PCB slits.

65mV/A

40mV/A

Figure 23: Example of output function for a single-layer PCB, with/without shield.

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Bus bar application, 50-250A range

▪ The high field (HF) sensor on PCB is mounted directly above the conductor.
▪ A simple, low-cost and compact U-shaped shield is mounted around the sensor to protect it from
stray fields and ensure good signal robustness against vibrations and displacements.
▪ With the dimensions demonstrated here, the linearity error is lower than ± 1.5A up to ±250A.

Figure 24: Demonstrator based on MLX91206 HF sensor and U12 shield with 0.8mm thickness.

Figure 25: Shield dimensions.

20mV/A

Figure 26: Typical output and non-linearity of a sensor calibrated for ±100A.

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Bus bar application, 300-700A range

▪ With the very high field (VHF) sensor, the measurement range can be extended to 700A while
keeping the same inner width than for the previous design (12mm). Only the shield thickness must
be adapted from 0.8 to 1.5mm.
▪ The linearity error is lower than ±5A up to ±650A.
▪ Very compact solution to measure 700A with a footprint of less than 2cm2.

12
1.5

Figure 27: Demonstrator based on MLX91208 VHF sensor and U12 shield with 1.5mm thickness.

Figure 28: Sensor output and linearity error versus current.

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Bus bar application, dual range 5A/200A

▪ Solution for applications with a wide dynamic range.

▪ One sensor with C-shaped (closed) shield for high accuracy at small currents (typ. ±5A).
▪ One sensor with U-shaped shield for high saturation limit (typ. ±200A).
▪ Other combinations of ranges are possible depending on the application requirements.

±5A range ±200A range

View Dimension [mm]

thickness = 0.8mm

S=400mV/A S=10mV/A
20-25mA accuracy 200mA accuracy

Figure 29: Typical output of the 5A and 200A range sensors.

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Cable application, 10-100A range

▪ The clamp-on shield gathers the magnetic field around the cable and concentrates it above the
sensor package. Small air gap ensures high magnetic gain.
▪ Shield geometry can be adapted to match various cable diameters and current ranges.

Figure 30: Cable clamp concepts (left: monolithic shield, right: two-part shield in plastic housing).

Figure 31: Implementation examples (monolithic and two-part shield in plastic housing).

50mV/A

Figure 32: Example of output function with a cable-clamp demonstrator calibrated for ±40A.

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3 Ferromagnetic materials
3.1 Suppliers
Melexis partnered with MagLab and PML India for ferromagnetic material supply.

www.maglab.ch www.pmlindia.com

Recently, PML and MagLab signed an exclusive collaboration in the field of contactless current sensing.
This cooperation between MagLab and PML offers an efficient and cost-effective solution for
customers requiring magnetic shields. MagLab takes care of the engineering side, while PML
manufactures the products to our specifications.

3.2 Ferromagnetic shields

U-Shield

Standard (U) and laminated (LU) shields can be ordered using the following order codes convention
(valid for both types).

U-Shield – Width – Length – Height – Thickness (– Ni)

Order code example W [mm] L [mm] H [mm] T [mm]

U-Shield – 12 – 13 – 12.5 – 0.8 12 13 12.5 0.8

Material Specification T [mm] Ni [%]

Standard material 0.8 48
Other Thickness options 0.35 / 0.5 / 1 / 1.2 …

Figure 33: Ordering information for the standard U-shield from MagLab.

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Mechanical assembly

Ferromagnetic shields can be assembled by crimping, screwing or bonding (glue or tape). They can
also be encapsulated in a pre-molded plastic case. The optimal solution depends on the application.
In any case, care should be taken to avoid mechanical stress on the part of the shield involved in the
magnetic measuring circuit.

Figure 34: Several solutions for shield assembly.

One of the most common solutions is to use a pre-molded plastic case, with slots to insert the shields,
as illustrated on the pictures below.

Figure 35: Assembly with pre-molded plastic case.

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3.3 Ferromagnetic cores

Amorphous ferromagnetic cores can be ordered with the following order codes convention.

AMC1R5 – L
Order code example L [mm]
AMC1R5 – 5 5

Laminated cores can be ordered using the following order codes convention.

Ca – b – c

Order code example a [mm] b [mm] c [mm]

C2.5 – 4 – 3.8 2.5 4 3.8

3.4 Ferromagnetic materials comparison

The performance of the current sensing solution relies on the careful selection of a proper core or
shield material and manufacturing conditions (annealing, lamination, etc.).
Table 11 displays the main features of the most common material types.

Saturation field Hysteresis

Material Price
density BSAT[T] [%FS]
SiFe $$ 1.5 <0.25%
50% NiFe $$$ 1.3 <0.1%
ferrite $ 0.5 0.1%

Table 11: Features of most common ferromagnetic core materials.

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4 End-of-line Calibration
4.1 Introduction
Each current sensor is individually tested and calibrated over temperature on the Melexis production
line. However, in order to achieve optimal accuracy, a final calibration is required at customer-side
after assembly to compensate for mechanical tolerances (sensor position deviations, shield
dimensions, etc.)
This final calibration can be done in two ways: either by using the Melexis tools to directly program
the sensor EEPROM, or by adjusting the gain/offset at microcontroller level.

4.2 Direct sensor calibration

All current sensor products (starting from MLX91206) can be programmed using the Melexis universal
programmer (PTC-04) and related software. The PTC-04 communicates with the sensor through 3- or
4-wire connectors, and with the PC through USB or RS-232. Melexis provides a library of sensor-
specific high-level functions (.dll), which can be used to develop custom software using common
programming language (C/C++, Labview, etc.)
The calibration is a fast two-step process: the sensor output function (gain and offset) is adjusted
automatically based on two reference measurements (i.e. zero current and nominal current).

Figure 36: scheme of PTC-04 connection.

4.3 Micro-controller level calibration

A micro-controller level correction is recommended for multi-sensors applications, i.e. on power
distribution units, where typically 12 to 24 sensors are on the same PCB in order to monitor the current
of each channel.
All of these Melexis current sensors are factory calibrated over temperature. After assembling of the
factory-calibrated sensors on each channel, a reference current is applied on each channel. The output
voltage of each sensor is measured and the required corrective factor is thus calculated and stored in
the microcontroller.

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Additional Information

Please refer to the following document for additional information on specific topics:

Typical cores and shield geometries

Standard designs of laminated and un-laminated U-shields and C-cores.

Current sensors programming and calibration

Different options available for customers in terms of sensor calibration.

Magnetic linearity and hysteresis

Application note focusing on the magnetic performance of Hall sensors and ferromagnetic materials.

Contact us

To get in contact with our current sensors application team, please fill and submit the technical inquiry
form.

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