Inductive power transfer coil assembly and system

• US 10,454,304 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Page-Wood, Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): Deberadinis, Robert L
• Application Number:
  US15/817,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20180145539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/02 Casings
• 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

Abstract

An inductive power transfer coil assembly including: a coil contained within a housing; and a mount having a base for attachment to a surface and a cavity dimensioned to receive the housing so as to allow the housing to be positioned along the cavity towards or away from the base at a desired position; and a securing mechanism to secure the housing at a desired position with respect to the mount.

Claims

1. An inductive power transfer coil assembly including:

a. a coil contained within a housing;

b. a mount having a base for attachment to a surface and a cavity dimensioned to receive the housing so as to allow the housing to be positioned along the cavity towards or away from the base at a desired position; and

c. a securing mechanism to secure the housing at a desired position with respect to the mount.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the securing mechanism includes a resilient sleeve that may be compressed between the mount and the housing to secure the housing relative to the mount.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2 including a clamp which has a ramped face adjacent the resilient sleeve to compress the resilient sleeve as the clamp moves towards the base.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein the clamp is of annular form and comprises an external thread to engage with an internal thread in the cavity to allow the distance of the clamp from the base to be adjusted by relative rotation.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein the resilient sleeve is in the form of a ring and includes a plurality of axially extending castellations.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 5 wherein resilient sleeve has axially extending castellations in both axial directions.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mount has a plurality of apertures provided within one or more flanges extending from the mount to allow mounting to a surface.

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assembly is adapted to secure the coil to within a predetermined working range of a second coil in order to allow inductive power transfer between the coils.

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coil is coupled to inductive power transfer circuitry in an inductive power transfer transceiver.

10. An assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the inductive power transfer assembly is mounted on a surface opposite a corresponding second assembly with a second coil, and wherein the inductive power transfer assembly is adapted to secure its coil to within a predetermined working range of the second coil to allow inductive power transfer between the coils.