Patent ID: 8829888

Claim:
A utility meter for use in transmitting electrical energy from a power source to a user; said utility meter comprising: a sensor device positionable at least partially around a conductor to sense a current flowing through said conductor and to output a signal representative of said sensed current, said sensor device comprising: a non-magnetic substrate; a coil comprising a plurality of turns wound about said substrate, said coil defining an aperture through which said conductor is to be received; and a dielectric material having a dielectric constant and positioned adjacent to said coil and at least partially within said aperture such that said dielectric material is disposed between said coil and said conductor when said conductor is received through said aperture; and a meter control board in communication with said sensor device to receive said signal representative of said sensed current from said sensor device and to determine an amount of electricity transmitted through said conductor from said power source to said user over time; wherein said dielectric constant of said dielectric material is selected to reduce a capacitive coupling between said coil and said conductor and to consequently reduce a sensitivity of said sensor device such that said meter control board comprises only one calibration coefficient for calibrating said sensor device over a voltage range and current range; wherein said voltage range is about 60V to about 600V; and wherein said current range is about 0.1A to about 200A.