journal article·2026-02-01Open access

Angle-compensated non-invasive current measurement of multi-conductor cables via a TMR sensor-array

Fugui Liu, Shuai Zhao, Shuokao Mu, Yongjian Li, Changgeng Zhang

AIP Advances· Volume 16· Issue 2

Abstract

Real-time current monitoring of currents in smart grid poses significant challenges, particularly within multi-conductor cables where inherent phase imbalance and complex electromagnetic coupling distort the magnetic field patterns, complicating accurate measurement. Conventional non-invasive techniques are often applied to a single conductor, insufficient adaptability to multiple varying conductor arrangements, and require operational interruption for installation. To address these issues, this study designs an angle-compensated non-invasive current measurement method for multi-conductor cables with an annular TMR sensor array. A current inversion model incorporating conductor position and inclination parameters is established. A dual-stage optimization strategy combining Particle Swarm Optimization and the Levenberg–Marquardt Algorithm is proposed to solve the inversion problem efficiently. Experimental results demonstrate that the maximum current error remains below 7% under balanced three-phase conditions. The method also maintains high accuracy in the presence of conductor eccentricity, enabling reliable non-invasive current measurement across diverse multi-conductor configurations.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Magnetic Field Sensors Techniques · Magneto-Optical Properties and Applications · Electrical and Bioimpedance Tomography

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

State Key Laboratory of Smart Power Distribution Equipment and System, Hebei University of Technology , 300130 Tianjin,

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province · the Funds for Creative Research Groups of Hebei Province, China

References (10)

Show source-provided references
1. A coreless current probe for multicore cables10.1109/jsen.2022.3201840 ↗
2. Rectangular magnetic sensor array for current measurement by the quadrature method10.1109/tps.2017.2757032 ↗
3. Design and implementation of a multi-purpose TMR sensor matrix for wireless electric vehicle charging10.1109/jsen.2018.2883708 ↗
4. A contactless method for unbalanced loading detection in power distribution lines by magnetic measurements10.1109/tim.2020.2983339 ↗
5. Real-time wireless, contactless, and coreless monitoring of the current distribution in substation conductors for fault diagnosis10.1109/jsen.2018.2884566 ↗
6. Adaptive positioning current measurement method for multi-conductor system based on linear magnetic sensor array10.1016/j.ijepes.2022.108692 ↗
7. Current measurement with 3-D coreless TMR sensor array for inclined conductor10.1109/jsen.2019.2914939 ↗
8. A new method for power current measurement using a coreless Hall effect current transformer10.1109/tim.2010.2049234 ↗
9. Data-driven deep convolutional neural networks for electromagnetic field estimation of transformers10.1109/tasc.2024.3420184 ↗
10. The influence of interference sources on a magnetic field-based current sensor for multiconductor measurement10.1109/jsen.2018.2849510 ↗