Apparatus for current measurement by means of the faraday effect

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF AN ELECTRICAL CURRENT FLOWING IN A HIGH-VOLTAGE CONDUCTOR BY MEANS OF A DEVICE MODULATING THE LIGHT FLUX OF A POLARIZED LIGHT BEAM, COMPRISING A LIGHT EMITTING MEANS FOR EMITTING A LIGHT BEAM, OPTICAL REFLECTING MEANS DIVIDING SAID LIGHT BEAM INTO A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE LIGHT NEAMS AND DISPOSED IN THE VICINITY OF SAID HIGH-VOLTAGE CONDUCTOR, POLARIZING MEANS PRODUCING THE POLARIZATION OF SAID SEPARATE LIGHT BEAMS, A FARADAY EFFECT DEVICE FOR EACH SEPARATE LIGHT BEAM INCLUDING A MAGNETO-OPTICALLY ACTIVE BODY TRAVERSED BY SAID SEPARATE LIGHT BEAM AND ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING MEANS PRODUCING A MAGNETIC FIELD IN SAID BODY, SAID CONDUCTING MEANS BEING ENERGIZED BY SAID CURRENT FLOWING THROUGH SAID HIGH-VOLTAGE CONDUCTOR TO MAGNETICALLY ROTATE THE PLANE OF POLARIZATION OF SAID SEPARATE LIGHT BEAM AS A FUNCTION OF SAID CURRENT, OPTICAL GUIDE MEANS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY BETWEEN SAID HIGH-VOLTAGE CONDUCTOR AND THE EARTH FOR DIRECTING SAID SEPARATE LIGHT BEAMS EMERGING FROM SAID FARADAY EFFECT DEVICES FROM THE LATTER TO THE EARTH SURFACE AND A PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERTING DEVICE FOR EACH OF SAID POLARIZED SEPARATE LIGHT BEAMS EMERGINING FROM SAID GUIDE MEANS FOR ELABORATING SAID SEPARATE LIGHT BEAM TO PRODUCE AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL WHICH IS CHARACTERISTIC FOR THE DEGREE OF ROTATION OF THE PLANE OF POLARIZATION OF SAID SEPARATE LIGHT BEAM IN SAID FARADAY EFFECT DEVICE AND WHICH IS A FUNCTION OF THE VALUE OF SAID CURRENT.

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF AN ELECTRICAL CURRENT FLOWING IN A HIGH-VOLTAGE CONDUCTOR BY MEANS OF A DEVICE MODULATING THE LIGHT FLUX OF A POLARIZED LIGHT BEAM, COMPRISING A LIGHT EMITTING MEANS FOR EMITTING A LIGHT BEAM, OPTICAL REFLECTING MEANS DIVIDING SAID LIGHT BEAM INTO A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE LIGHT NEAMS AND DISPOSED IN THE VICINITY OF SAID HIGH-VOLTAGE CONDUCTOR, POLARIZING MEANS PRODUCING THE POLARIZATION OF SAID SEPARATE LIGHT BEAMS, A FARADAY EFFECT DEVICE FOR EACH SEPARATE LIGHT BEAM INCLUDING A MAGNETO-OPTICALLY ACTIVE BODY TRAVERSED BY SAID SEPARATE LIGHT BEAM AND ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING MEANS PRODUCING A MAGNETIC FIELD IN SAID BODY, SAID CONDUCTING MEANS BEING ENERGIZED BY SAID CURRENT FLOWING THROUGH SAID HIGH-VOLTAGE CONDUCTOR TO MAGNETICALLY ROTATE THE PLANE OF POLARIZATION OF SAID SEPARATE LIGHT BEAM AS A FUNCTION OF SAID CURRENT, OPTICAL GUIDE MEANS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY BETWEEN SAID HIGH-VOLTAGE CONDUCTOR AND THE EARTH FOR DIRECTING SAID SEPARATE LIGHT BEAMS EMERGING FROM SAID FARADAY EFFECT DEVICES FROM THE LATTER TO THE EARTH SURFACE AND A PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERTING DEVICE FOR EACH OF SAID POLARIZED SEPARATE LIGHT BEAMS EMERGINING FROM SAID GUIDE MEANS FOR ELABORATING SAID SEPARATE LIGHT BEAM TO PRODUCE AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL WHICH IS CHARACTERISTIC FOR THE DEGREE OF ROTATION OF THE PLANE OF POLARIZATION OF SAID SEPARATE LIGHT BEAM IN SAID FARADAY EFFECT DEVICE AND WHICH IS A FUNCTION OF THE VALUE OF SAID CURRENT.