Inductive power transfer assembly

• US 10,593,468 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2018
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Liang, Ren, Saining
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Arun C
• Application Number:
  US16/134,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20190311848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/06 Mounting, supporting or suspending transformers, reactors or choke coils not being of the signal type
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/24 Magnetic cores
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/28 Coils; Windings; Conductive connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/346 Preventing or reducing leakage fields using magnetic shields H01F27/36; using auxiliary windings H01F27/38
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction

Abstract

An inductive power transfer assembly comprising a magnetic core having a base portion, a first limb, and a second limb, wherein the first limb and the second limb extend, in a direction, from a surface of the base portion a first power transfer coil and a second power transfer coil, wherein the first power transfer coil is wound about the first limb, and wherein the second power transfer coil is wound about the second limb; and inverter circuitry connected to the first power transfer coil and the second power transfer coil, wherein the inverter circuitry, during operation, causes the first power transfer coil and the second power transfer coil to generate flux having opposing polarity.

Claims

1. An inductive power transfer assembly comprising:

a magnetic core having a base portion, a first limb, and a second limb, wherein the first limb and the second limb extend, in a direction, from a surface of the base portion;

a first power transfer coil and a second power transfer coil, wherein the first power transfer coil is wound about the first limb, and wherein the second power transfer coil is wound about the second limb; and

inverter circuitry connected to the first power transfer coil and the second power transfer coil, wherein the inverter circuitry, during operation, causes the first power transfer coil and the second power transfer coil to generate flux having opposing polarity.

2. The inductive power transfer assembly of claim 1, wherein the flux generated by the first power transfer coil and the second power transfer coil during operation produces a directional flux field, wherein the directional flux field is directed away from the base portion, along the direction of extension of the first limb and the second limb.

3. The inductive power transfer assembly of claim 1, wherein the first limb extends from the surface of the base portion along an axis, and wherein the first power transfer coil is wound about the limb circumferentially along the axis.

4. The inductive power transfer assembly of claim 3, wherein the axis is normal to the surface of the base portion of the magnetic core.

5. The inductive power transfer assembly of claim 4, wherein the first limb and second limb extend from a flat portion of the base portion of the magnetic core.

6. The inductive power transfer assembly of claim 1, wherein the first limb and the second limb have the same size and shape.

7. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 1 wherein the coils are arranged to couple to an inductive power receiver.

8. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 1 wherein the base having a width wider that a width of the coils.

9. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 8 wherein the base is 1/%, 5% or 10% wider that the coils.

10. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 1 wherein the limbs being substantially inset from the base.

11. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 1 wherein the base is between 0.4 mm and 2 mm in height, the limbs are between 1.8 mm and 5 mm in height.

12. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 1 wherein the coils include between 15 and 30 turns and are 2 layers.

13. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 1 further comprising a partial copper electromagnetic shield or copper plating.

14. The inductive power transmitter in claim 1 wherein the core is a moulded ferrite core.

15. An inductive power transfer assembly comprising:

a magnetic core having a base portion, a first limb and a second limb, wherein the first limb and the second limb extend, in a direction, from a surface of the base portion;

a first power transfer coil and a second power transfer coil, wherein the first power transfer coil is wound about the first limb, and wherein the second power transfer coil is wound about the second limb; and

a transverse power transfer coil, wherein the transverse power transfer coil is wound about the base portion.

16. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 15 further comprising a converter connected to the two power receiving coils and receiving current from each coil with opposing polarity.

17. The inductive power transfer assembly of claim 16, wherein the current received from each coil is derived from flux received in the respective limb about which the coil is wound.

18. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 15 wherein the two power transfer coils are arranged to couple to a first type of inductive power transmitter and the transverse power transfer coil is arranged to couple to a second type of inductive power transmitter.

19. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 18 wherein the base being substantially similar in length to a base of the first type of inductive power transmitter.

20. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 15 wherein the core further comprising a central limb.

21. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 20 wherein the transverse power transfer coil is provided around the central limb and the base.

22. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 15 wherein the base is between 1-50, 2-30, or 3-10 times as long as it is wide.

23. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 15 mounted within an associated wirelessly rechargeable stylus.

24. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 23 wherein the assembly is mounted within a compartment in the stylus and the assembly further comprising a partial copper electromagnetic shield in the compartment or copper plating of the compartment or the stylus.

25. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 15 wherein the limbs are each between 5-45%, 25-30% of the length of the base.

26. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 15 wherein a space between the limbs is between 5-60%, 10-50% or 20-40% of the length of the base.

27. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 15 wherein the base is between 1.1 mm and 2 mm in height, the limbs are between 1.8 mm and 5 mm in height.

28. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 15 wherein the coils include between 20 and 40 turns and are 3 layers.

29. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 15 wherein the core is a moulded ferrite core.

30. The inductive power transfer assembly in claim 15 wherein a winding ratio between each of the first and second power transfer coils and the transverse power transfer coil is between 1:

10 and 3;

1, between 1;

2 and 3;

2, between 5;

8 and 7;

5.

31. An inductive power transfer system comprising:

an inductive power transmitter assembly and an inductive power receiver assembly, the inductive power transmitter assembly comprising;

a magnetic core having a base portion, a first limb, and a second limb, wherein the first limb and the second limb extend, in a direction, from a surface of the base portion;

a first power transfer coil and a second power transfer coil, wherein the first power transfer coil is wound about the first limb, and wherein the second power transfer coil is wound about the second limb; and

inverter circuitry connected to the first power transfer coil and the second power transfer coil, wherein the inverter circuitry, during operation, causes the first power transfer coil and the second power transfer coil to generate flux having opposing polarity,

the inductive power receiver assembly comprising;

a magnetic core having a base portion, a first limb and a second limb, wherein the first limb and the second limb extend, in a direction, from a surface of the base portion;

a first power transfer coil and a second power transfer coil, wherein the first power transfer coil is wound about the first limb, and wherein the second power transfer coil is wound about the second limb; and

a transverse power transfer coil, wherein the transfer power transfer coil is wound about the base portion, and

wherein the first limb and second limb of the transmitter and the first limb and second limb of the receiver are configured to be aligned with each other in use.

32. The inductive power transfer system in claim 31, wherein at least a portion of each of the first and second limbs of the transmitter assembly have a greater length along a long axis of the transmitter core than the length of each of the first and second limbs of the receiver assembly along a long axis of the receiver core.