COIL APPARATUS HAVING COIL ARRANGEMENT THAT INCLUDES A FERRITE LAYER AND A THERMALLY-CONDUCTIVE SILICONE LAYER

• US 20130181797A1
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hickox, Jeffrey Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,760,253 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 336/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/22 Cooling by heat conduction through solid or powdered fillings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4902 Electromagnet, transformer or inductor

Abstract

A coil apparatus includes a first housing and a second housing that surroundingly encloses the first housing. The first housing has a coil arrangement disposed therein. The coil arrangement includes a ferrite layer and a thermally-conductive silicone layer that overlies the ferrite layer. A wire conductor surrounds the first housing. A structure is received in a opening defined in the first housing to be in thermal communication with the thermally-conductive silicone layer. Another thermally-conductive silicone layer overlies the first housing and the structure so that the structure is also in thermal communication therewith. A metal layer further overlies the thermally-conductive silicone layer that overlies the first housing. The second housing includes a non-dielectric cover and a dielectric cavity portion that receives the coil arrangement. The coil apparatus is associated with an electrical charging system (ECS) that electrically charges an energy storage device (ESD) disposed on a motorized vehicle.

Claims

1. A coil apparatus comprising:

a housing including a coil arrangement disposed therein, the coil arrangement containing,

a ferrite layer, and

a thermally-conductive silicone layer overlying the ferrite layer.

2. The coil apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing is formed of a dielectric material and the coil apparatus further includes,

a wire conductor that surroundingly encloses the housing.

3. The coil apparatus of claim 1, further including,

a thermally-conductive silicone layer disposed external to the housing in an overlying relationship thereto.

4. The coil apparatus of claim 3, further including,

a metal layer that overlies the thermally-conductive silicone layer that is disposed external to the housing.

5. The coil apparatus of claim 3, wherein the housing is formed of a dielectric material, and the housing further includes an opening defined therein configured to receive a structure formed from a non-dielectric material, and when said structure is received in the opening, said structure is in thermal communication, respectively, with the thermally-conductive silicone layer of the coil arrangement and the thermally-conductive silicone layer disposed external to the housing.

6. The coil apparatus of claim 5, wherein the structure is formed from at least one of a copper and a copper alloy material.

7. The coil apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing is a first housing and the coil apparatus includes,

a second housing that enclosingly surrounds the first housing, and

a thermally-conductive silicone layer is disposed intermediate the first housing and an internal surface of the second housing.

8. The coil apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second housing includes a cover and a cavity portion that includes a cavity configured to receive the first housing, and

the first housing is formed from a dielectric material,

the cover of the second housing is formed of a non-dielectric material, and

the cavity portion of the second housing is formed from a dielectric material, and an air gap layer is disposed intermediate the first housing and an internal surface of the cavity portion of the second housing.

9. The coil apparatus of claim 8, wherein the cover is formed from at least one of an aluminum and an aluminum alloy material.

10. The coil apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil apparatus is associated with an electrical charging system (ECS) configured to electrically charge an energy storage device (ESD).

11. The coil apparatus of claim 10, wherein the ECS is associated with a vehicle and the ESD and the coil apparatus, respectively, are disposed on the vehicle.

12. A method to manufacture a coil apparatus, comprising:

providing a housing;

providing a ferrite layer to overlie an internal surface of the housing; and

overlying a thermally-conductive silicone layer over the ferrite layer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the housing is a first housing and the method further includes,

wrapping a wire conductor around the first housing;

receiving said first housing with said wrapped wire conductor in a cavity defined in a cavity portion of a second housing; and

receiving a metallic structure in to an opening defined in said first housing so that said metallic structure is in thermal communication with said thermally-conductive silicone layer.

14. The method of claim 13, further including,

providing a thermally-conductive silicone layer to overlie the first housing and the metallic structure received in the opening so that the thermally-conductive silicone layer that overlies the first housing is also at least in thermal communication with the metallic structure.

15. The method of claim 14, further including,

providing a metal layer to overllie said thermally-conductive silicone layer that overlies said first housing.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the steps in the method are performed in the order recited.

17. The method of claim 15, further including,

attaching a cover to a cavity portion, wherein the cover and the cavity portion form the second housing so that said second housing surroundingly encloses the first housing, the thermally-conductive layer that overlies the first housing, and the metal layer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the cover is formed of at least one of aluminum and aluminum alloy and the wire conductor comprises litz wire conductor.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the coil apparatus is associated with an electrical charging system (ECS), said coil apparatus being a first coil apparatus and the ECS further including a second coil apparatus, and the first coil apparatus is configured to wirelessly receive energy from the second coil apparatus.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the housing of the first coil apparatus is a first housing and the first coil apparatus includes a second housing that surroundingly encloses the first housing, and the second housing includes a non-dielectric portion and a dielectric portion, and the ECS is configured to electrically charge an energy storage device (ESD) disposed on a vehicle, and the first coil apparatus is configured for attachment to the vehicle through the non-dielectric portion, and when the ECS electrically charges the ESD, the first coil apparatus receives a majority portion of said energy from the second coil apparatus through said dielectric portion, and a greater amount of heat is transferred out from edges of the first coil apparatus than from a center portion of the first coil apparatus.