COUPLER FOR USE IN A POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

• US 20140333400A1
• Filed: 12/06/2012
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Greengage Lighting Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Isotera Ltd. (Greengage Agritech Limited)
• Inventors: Rimmer, Philip John
• Granted Patent: US 10,002,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 336/45
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/24 Magnetic cores
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/266 Fastening or mounting the core on casing or support on coil H01F27/30
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 29/10 having movable part of magnetic circuit high leakage transformers H01F38/08; dynamo-electric machines with movable part of magnetic circuit H02K23/44, H02K23/48
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 3/08 made from powder powder coatings on sheets H01F3/02; on strips or ribbons H01F3/04; on wires H01F3/06

Abstract

A novel coupler, coupler housing and ferrite core and associated elements and concepts thereof and therefor for use in particular with an Inductive Power Transfer or Distributed Power System.

Claims

1. A two-part ferrite core wherein one part is slideable with respect to the other part in one direction through a central position to expose at least one channel and in another direction back through the central position to expose at least one other channel and wherein the parts are continuously urged together and remain in contact with one another.

4. The core according to claim 1, wherein sliding of the parts with respect to one another provides a wiping and/or cleaning effect.

6. The coupler according to claim 71, wherein a locating mechanism is provided on one or both of the housing and a part of the ferrite core, which locating mechanism resists movement of the one part of the ferrite core with respect to the housing.

7. The coupler according to claim 6, wherein the locating mechanism comprises a co-operating protrusion on one of the housing or core part and a co-operating indentation formed on the other of the core part for the housing.

8. The coupler according to claim 6, wherein the locating mechanism is provided at a precise location to register one part of the core accurately with respect to another part of the core.

9. The coupler according to claim 8, wherein multiple locating positions are provided to resist movement of one part of the core with respect to another part of the core from each of the multiple positions.

10. The coupler according to claim 71, wherein a spring mechanism is provided to urge one part of the core towards and into engagement with another part of the core over the extent of movement of the one part of the core with respect to the other part of the core between the two most remote of multiple locking positions in which the position of the one part of the core is accurately registered with respect to another part of the core.

11. The coupler according to claim 10, wherein one extent of movement of one part of the core with respect to another part of the core is the extent to which a channel in one part of the core is exposed allowing a winding to be inserted and the other extent is defined by an opening of the other channel in a part of the core.

12. The coupler according to claim 71, wherein the housing or a part of the housing exerts a positive force on the two parts of the core towards one another when aligned in an in-use position with respect to one another.

19. The core according to claim 1, wherein the core is a transformer core having a pair of channels formed therein along an elongate axis of the core, wherein the core has a greater dimension along its length than along its width or height (normal to the elongate axis).

20. The core according to claim 19, wherein the length dimension is more than 10% or 20% or 30% or 40% or 50% greater than a dimension of the core in another orthogonal axis.

26. The core according to claim 1, for use as a transformer, wherein Ae is the value of the cross-sectional area of the magnetic path of the core and Le is the magnetic path length of the core, and wherein Ae/Le is significantly in excess of 0.002 metres.

27. The core according to claim 26 wherein Ae/Le is in the region 0.005 to 0.015 metres or 0.008 to 0.012 metres or is approximately 0.01 metres.

30. The core according to claim 1, for use as a transformer, wherein Ae is the value of the cross-sectional area of the magnetic path and Aw is the cross-sectional area of the core winding, and wherein Ae/Aw is significantly in excess of 1.

31. The core according to claim 30 wherein Ae/Aw is in the region of greater than 5 or 10 or 15 or is approximately 20.

34. The coupler according to claim 12, wherein a force exerted on the core is concentrated on sweet spots.

41. The core according to claim 1, wherein mating surfaces of the two parts are lapped and/or comprise regions having undulations or pores of no more than 1 micron in depth.

42. The core according to claim 41 wherein the mating surfaces are treated with a low viscosity lubricant.

47. The coupler according to claim 71, comprising means for positively urging or holding two parts of the core together including a cam mechanism whereby variable force can be applied.

50. The core according to claim 1, wherein a force is applied to positively urge two parts of the core together with a pressure in the region of 10 to 100 kPa.

61. A power distribution system comprising at least one coupler according to claim 71.

69. The core according to claim 1, wherein the parts are urged together and remain in contact with one other over an extent of movement of one part with respect to the other part between defined preferred limits of the movement.

70. The core according to claim 1, comprising an E-core, wherein the one part is slideable with respect to the other part to expose either one channel in the E-core or the other channel in the E-core.

71. A coupler comprising a housing and the core according to claim 1.

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