Multilayer separate windings of inductive charge coupler for automobile battery charging transformer

• US 5,463,303 A
• Filed: 11/02/1993
• Issued: 10/31/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanzer, Herbert J., Hall, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kozma, Thomas J.
• Application Number:
  US08/146,763
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 320/2, 336/60, 336/61, 336/59, 336/58, 336/55, 336/183, 336/DIG. 2, 336/83
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 336/02 Separable

Abstract

The primary windings and part of the magnetic circuit of an automobile battery charging transformer are mounted in a separable multiple panel inductive charge coupler which is insertable into and removable from corresponding inductive charge receptacle slots in the automobile adjacent the transformer secondary windings and magnetic structure. The use of thin primary and secondary coils decreases the resistance losses in the coils. When the inductive charge coupler is in place and is energized, the primary winding energizes the secondary winding to permit charging of the batteries on the automobile.

Claims

1. An automobile charging transformer comprising:

a transformer primary inductive charge coupler for attachment to a fixed alternating current power supply, said coupler having a plurality of spaced primary electric coils;

a transformer secondary inductive charge receptacle with secondary coils for mounting in the automobile to charge the battery of the automobile, said transformer secondary inductive charge receptacle having a plurality of slots therein, each corresponding to one of said primary electric coils; and

a magnetic core associated with said primary electric coils and said secondary electric coils to complete the magnetic circuit through said primary and secondary coils, said transformer primary inductive charge coupler being separable from said transformer secondary inductive charge receptacle so that the automobile can depart from the fixed power supply.

2. The automobile charging transformer of claim 1 wherein each of said primary coils and each of said secondary coils has a magnetic member therein to complete the magnetic circuit therethrough.

3. The automobile charging transformer of claim 2 wherein each of said coils is a flat annular coil having a rectangular cross section.

4. The automobile charging transformer of claim 2 wherein there is one more of said secondary coils than said primary coils so that said secondary coils lie on both sides of said transformer primary inductive charge coupler as well as between the primary coils thereof.

5. The automobile charging transformer of claim 4 wherein there is means for cooling said transformer associated with said transformer.

6. The automobile charging transformer of claim 5 wherein said means for cooling comprises a coolant fluid passage adjacent at least one of said secondary windings and means for extracting heat from said coolant fluid passage.

7. An electric automobile having an electric propulsion motor and an electric battery connected to and energize said propulsion motor and charging means for said battery so that said battery can be charged from a fixed power source, comprising:

a transformer secondary mounted on said automobile, said transformer secondary having at least three secondary coils with slots between said secondary coils to define a transformer secondary inductive charge receptacle on said automobile;

a transformer primary inductive charge coupler connected to a fixed power source, said inductive charge coupler having at least two transformer primary coils therein, one corresponding to each of said slots between said transformer secondary coils, said transformer primary inductive charge coupler being configured to be inserted into said inductive charge receptacle so that said transformer primary and transformer secondary coils are alternated and lying adjacent each other; and

magnetic core material associated with said primary and secondary coils to complete a magnetic circuit through said coils so that said coils are magnetically coupled.

8. The automobile of claim 7 wherein said primary and secondary coils are both of flat annular toroids of rectangular cross section and circular openings therethrough have magnetic material therein so as to complete the magnetic circuit through the interior of said coils.

9. The automobile of claim 8 wherein there are n+1 secondary coils to define n spaces therebetween and there are n number of primary coils to correspond to said spaces.

10. The automobile of claim 9 where n is three.

11. The automobile of claim 9 wherein there is a coolant fluid passage adjacent at least two of said coils and there is means for extracting heat from said fluid passage to cool said transformer.

12. The automobile of claim 7 wherein each of said primary and each of said secondary coils is a single turn coil.

13. The automobile of claim 7 wherein each of said coils is a circular coil.

14. The automobile of claim 7 wherein each of said coils is a single turn circular coil.