Current measuring apparatus using light-emitting devices

Claim 3

A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said electroluminescence means further comprises at least one diode.

Claim 4

A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said material further comprises a doped semiconductor material including a plurality of light emitting structures containing a doping material, said doped semiconductor material having band to band junctions and having charge carriers injected therein by said current so as to recombine said charge carriers via said band to band junctions and via said light emitting structures.

Claim 5

A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said electroluminescence means further comprises first and second material junctions electrically connected in series with said current, said first material junction having a first material composition and said second material junction having a second material composition different from said first material composition so as to generate dissimilar electroluminescent spectra within said first and second dissimilar wavelength intervals.

Claim 6

A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said first and second material junctions further comprise pn junctions.

Claim 7

A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said first and second material junctions further comprise Schottky junctions.

Claim 8

A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said first material composition comprises first doping means and said second material composition comprises second doping means different from said first doping means so as to generate said dissimilar electroluminescent spectra.

Claim 9

A device as claimed in claim 16 wherein said first and second material junctions further comprise metal insulator semiconductor junctions.

Claim 10

A device as claimed in claim 4, 5, 6 or 7 wherein said material further comprises a plurality of charge carriers injected in said first and second material junctions by said current and recombining in said material.

Claim 11

A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said material further comprises an undoped material.

Claim 12

A device as claimed in claim 9 wherein said material further comprises (Zn, O) doped material.

Claim 13

A device as claimed in claim 9 wherein said material further comprises (Cd, O) doped material.

Claim 14

A device as claimed in claim 9 wherein said material further comprises doped GaP material.

Claim 15

A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plurality of non-uniform current dependencies further comprises band to band type recombination current dependencies.

Claim 16

A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plurality of non-uniform current dependencies further comprises impurity type recombination current dependencies.

Claim 18

A device as claimed in claim 13 further comprising: means for dividing an output of said first photo-detector by an output of said second photo-detector and for producing a corresponding divided output; and means for generating an output signal representative of said current from said divided output of said means for dividing wherein said output signal is compensated for intensity variations unrelated to said current in said light generated by said electroluminescence means.

Claim 19

A current measuring device, comprising: means for generating light in response to stimulus by the current to be measured and being modulated thereby; at least two photo-detectors for detecting the light generated by said generating means, said at least two photo-detectors having different spectral sensitivity characteristics with respect to the wavelength of said light wherein at least one of said at least two photo-detectors optically contacts a photo-luminescence material; at least one optical fiber for transmitting said light from said generating means to said at least two photo-detectors; an optical filter for filtering the light transmitted to at least one of said at least two photo-detectors; means for generating a reference light signal; means for modulating said reference light generating signal at a frequency different than the modulation frequency of the light generated by said generating means, said at least one optical fiber transmitting the modulated reference signal to said means for generating light; means for dividing the output of one of said at least two photo-detectors by the output of another of said at least two photo-detectors; and means for generating an output signal representative of the current to be measured from the output of said means for dividing, said output signal being compensated for intensity variations unrelated to said current in said light generated by said generating means.

Claim 20

A current measuring device, comprising: means for generating light in response to stimulus by the current to be measured and being modulated thereby; at least two photo-detectors for detecting the light generated by said generating means, said at least two photo-detectors having different spectral sensitivity characteristics with respect to the wavelength of said light wherein at least one of said at least two photo-detectors optically contacts a photo-luminescence material; at least one optical fiber for transmitting said light from said generating means to said at least two photo-detectors; an optical filter for filtering the light transmitted to at least one of said at least two photo-detectors; means for generating a reference light signal; means for modulating said reference light generating signal at a frequency different than the modulation frequency of the light generated by said generating means, said at least one optical fiber transmitting the modulated reference signal to said means for generating light; means for dividing the output of one of said at least two photo-detectors by the output of another of said at least two photo-detectors; and means for generating an output signal representative of the current to be measured from the output of said means for dividing, said output signal being compensated for intensity variations unrelated to said current in said light generated by said generating means.

Claim 21

A current measuring device, comprising: means for generating light in response to stimulus by the current to be measured being modulated thereby; at least two photo-detectors for detecting the light generated by said generating means, said at least two photo-detectors having different spectral sensitivity characteristics with respect to the wavelength of said light, wherein at least one of said at least two photo-detectors is in optical contact with a photo-luminescent material and includes two pn junctions made of material with different band gaps such that the emitted light signal traverses said two pn junctions; at least one optical fiber for transmitting said light from said generating means to said at least two photo-detectors; an optical filter for filtering the light transmitted to at least one of said at least two photo-detectors; means for generating a reference light signal; means for modulating said reference light generating signal at a frequency different than the modulation frequency of the light generated by said generating means, said at least one optical fiber transmitting the modulated reference signal to said means for generating light; means for dividing the output of one of said at least two photo-detectors by the output of another of said at least two photo-detectors; and means for generating an output signal representative of the current to be measured from the output of said means for dividing, said output signal being compensated for intensity variations unrelated to said current in said light generated by said generating means.

Claim 22

A current measuring device, comprising: means for generating light in response to stimulus by the current to be measured being modulated thereby; at least two photo-detectors for detecting the light generated by said generating means, said at least two photo-detectors having different spectral sensitivity characteristics with respect to the wavelength of said light, wherein at least one of said at least two photo-detectors is in optical contact with a photo-luminescent material and includes two pn junctions made of material with different band gaps such that the emitted light signal traverses said two pn junctions; at least one optical fiber for transmitting said light from said generating means to said at least two photo-detectors; an optical filter for filtering the light transmitted to at least one of said at least two photo-detectors; means for generating a reference light signal; means for modulating said reference light generating signal at a frequency different than the modulation frequency of the light generated by said generating means, said at least one optical fiber transmitting the modulated reference signal to said means for generating light; means for dividing the output of one of said at least two photo-detectors by the output of another of said at least two photo-detectors; and means for generating an output signal representative of the current to be measured from the output of said means for dividing, said output signal being compensated for intensity variations unrelated to said current in said light generated by said generating means.

Claim 23

A current measuring device as in claim 19, wherein said means for generating light is a semiconductor diode.

Claim 24

A current measuring device as in claim 19, wherein said means for generating light is a semiconductor laser.

Claim 25

A current measuring device as in claim 19, wherein said means for generating light is a Schottky diode.

Claim 26

A current measuring device as in claim 19, wherein said means for generating light is a metal insulator semiconductor.

Claim 27

A current measuring device as in claim 19, wherein said means for generating light consists of two light emitting elements connected in series with one another.

Claim 28

A current measuring device as in claim 19, wherein said means for generating light is two light emitting elements connected in anti-parallel relationship and including a current transformer connected to the current to be measured.

Claim 29

A current measuring device as in claim 19, wherein said means for generating light is a semiconductor crystal doped such that two opposed sides have intersecting surfaces with both n type and p type conducting materials.

Claim 30

A current measuring device as in claim 25, wherein said reference light signal is transmitted to at least one of said at least two photo-detectors and the output signal thereof is input to said means for dividing.

Claim 31

A current measuring device as in claim 19 further comprising means for regulating the current and temperature of said means for generating a reference light signal.