Wireless power transfer apparatus and power supplies including overlapping magnetic cores

• US 9,984,815 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Capital Unlimited Co. (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Eaton Capital Unlimited Co. (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Xu, Jun, Wang, Xiaojun, Gu, Yilei
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bukhari, Aqeel
• Application Number:
  US14/579,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20160181821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/24 Magnetic cores
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2823 Wires H01F27/2866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/36 Electric or magnetic shields or screens movable for varying inductance H01F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/366 made of ferromagnetic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/38 Auxiliary core members; Auxiliary coils or windings
• 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 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections

Abstract

A primary coil can be inside the recess, where the primary coil is wound around the center of the recess. A secondary magnetic core can include a protruding center portion that is configured for insertion into the center of the recess so that the protruding center portion overlaps the primary magnetic core side wall and is configured to provide separation between the primary magnetic core and the secondary magnetic core. A secondary coil can be wound around the protruding center portion of the secondary magnetic core.

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer apparatus comprising:

a primary portion of the wireless power transfer apparatus comprising;

a primary magnetic core forming a recess, the recess having a center, a side wall, and a base defining a bottom of the recess; and

a primary coil inside the recess, the primary coil wound around the center of the recess; and

a secondary portion of the wireless power transfer apparatus separated from the primary portion of the wireless power transfer, the secondary portion comprising;

a secondary magnetic core including a protruding center portion; and

a secondary coil wound around the protruding center portion of the secondary magnetic core,

wherein the secondary portion is configured for insertion into the primary portion so that at least a portion of the secondary coil wrapped around the protruding center portion overlaps the primary magnetic core side wall and is configured to provide separation between the primary magnetic core and the secondary magnetic core.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a separator structure comprising a high permeability material, the separator structure configured to maintain the separation between the primary portion and the secondary portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a separator structure comprising a high permeability material, the separator structure between the protruding center portion of the secondary magnetic core and the bottom of the primary magnetic core, the separator structure configured to maintain the separation of the protruding center portion and the bottom of the primary magnetic core when the protruding portion is fully inserted into the recess.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the separator structure further comprises:

an enclosure of the secondary portion or of the primary portion.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the separator structure further comprises:

a first enclosure of the primary portion; and

a second enclosure of the secondary portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the separation is less than about 5 mm and greater than about 1 mm.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the separator structure includes ferromagnetic particles.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a wireless power transfer transmitter circuit included in the primary portion and electrically coupled to the primary coil, the wireless power transfer transmitter circuit configured to operate responsive to an AC input voltage; and

a wireless power transfer receiver circuit included in the secondary portion and electrically coupled to the secondary coil, the wireless power transfer receiver circuit configured to provide a DC output voltage to a load responsive to power from the wireless power transfer transmitter circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the DC output voltage comprises about 12 Volts DC.

10. The wireless power transfer apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of primary portions electrically coupled together with one another; and

a plurality of secondary portions electrically coupled together with one another.

11. The wireless power transfer apparatus of claim 10 wherein the plurality of secondary portions further comprises:

a plurality of wireless power transfer receiver circuits, each being connected to a respective secondary coil included in one of the plurality of secondary portions, the plurality of wireless power transfer receiver circuits each providing a respective DC output voltage to a respective DC bus.

12. The wireless power transfer apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

a wireless power transfer receiver circuit, electrically coupled to each secondary coil included in the plurality of secondary portions, the wireless power transfer receiver circuit providing a plurality of DC output voltages to respective DC busses.

13. The wireless power transfer apparatus of claim 10 wherein the secondary portion is included in a server rack.