Addressing a Special Case of Zero-Crossing Range Adjustment Detection in a Passive Autoranging Circuit for the FBG/PZT Photonic Current Transducer

This paper analyses a special case in evaluating the passive autoranging (AR) technique that dynamically extends the measurement range of a fiber Bragg grating/piezoelectric transducer (FBG/PZT) operating with a current transformer (CT) to realize a dual-purpose metering and protection photonic current transducer (PCT). The technique relies on shorting serially connected burden resistors operating with the CT, using MOSFET switches that react to a changing input current to extend measurement range. The rapid changes in the voltage at the FBG/PZT transducer that are associated with the MOSFET switching are then used on the FBG interrogator side to select the correct measurement range. However, when the MOSFET switching in the AR circuit occurs near the zero-crossing of the input current, the rapid changes in the voltage presented to the FBG/PZT no longer occur, rendering the correct range setting at the interrogator side problematic. The basic switching detection algorithm based on voltage derivative (dV/dt) thresholds proposed in the previous research is not sufficiently sensitive in these conditions, leading to incorrect range selection. To address this, a new detection algorithm based on temporal slope differencing around the zero-crossing is proposed as an additional detection mechanism for these special cases. Thus, the improved hybrid algorithm additionally computes the derivative dV/dt at the FBG/PZT voltage signal within a focused 6 ms temporal window centered around the zero-crossing point, a 3 ms window before and after each zero-crossing instance. It then compares the difference between these two values to a predefined threshold. If the difference exceeds the threshold, a switching event is identified. This method reliably detects even subtle switching events near zero crossings, enabling the accurate reconstruction of the burden current. The performance of the improved algorithm is validated through simulations and experimental results involving zero-crossing switching scenarios. Results indicate that the proposed algorithm improves MOSFET switching detection and facilitates reliable waveform reconstruction without requiring additional hardware.