Connector for charging

• US 6,042,385 A
• Filed: 06/25/1997
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Arisaka, Shuji, Watanabe, Kunihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephan, Steven L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Byrd, Eugene G.
• Application Number:
  US08/882,139
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 439/38, 439/950, 336/83, 336/212, 336/216, 336/DIG. 2, 320/108
• US Class Current: 439/38
• 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: B60L 53/34 Plug-like or socket-like devices specially adapted for contactless inductive charging of electric vehicles positioning means for charging devices using inductive energy transfer B60L53/38
• 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: Y10S 439/95 Electrical connector adapted to transmit electricity to mating connector without physical contact, e.g. by induction, magnetism, or electrostatic field

Abstract

A connector for charging includes: a power supply connector element having a primary coil to be connected to a charging power source and a first core; and a vehicle connector element having a secondary coil to be connected to a battery mounted on a vehicle and a second core, the first and second cores constituting a magnetic circuit which passes through the primary and secondary coils, thereby allowing the battery to be charged by an electromotive power induced in the secondary coil, wherein a region occupied by one of the first and second cores is smaller than a region occupied by the other of the first and second cores.

Claims

1. A connector for charging comprising:

a power supply connector element having a primary coil to be connected to a charging power source and a first core; and

a vehicle connector element having a secondary coil to be connected to a battery mounted on a vehicle and a second core, said first and second cores constituting a magnetic circuit which passes through said primary and secondary coils, thereby allowing said battery to be charged by an electromotive power induced in said secondary coil, one of said first and second cores formed into an I-like section shape formed in the shape of a rectangular block, the cross-section of the I-like section shape comprising;

a first uninterrupted side face;

a second uninterrupted side face opposing the first uninterrupted side face;

an uninterrupted top face joining the side faces; and

an uninterrupted bottom face joining the side faces and opposing the uninterrupted top face,

wherein

a region occupied by one of said first and second cores is smaller than a region occupied by the other of said first and second cores.

2. A connector for charging according to claim 1, wherein one of said first and second cores has an E-like section shape, said primary coil is wound on a center projection of said one core, the other of said first and second cores has an I-like section shape, said secondary coil is attached to a face of said other core, said face opposing the connector element having the E-like section shape, each of said primary coil and said secondary coil having a center hole, said center projection of said one core extending through said center hole of said primary coil and projecting into said center hole of said secondary coil, and said magnetic circuit is configured by causing tip ends of three projections of said one core having an E-like section shape to be connected with center and end portions of said other core having an I-like section shape.

3. A connector for charging according to claim 1, wherein one of said first and second cores has a substantially U-like section shape, said primary coil is wound on said one core, the other of said first and second cores has said I-like section shape, said secondary coil is wound on said other core, and said magnetic circuit is configured by causing end portions of said one core having said U-like section shape to be connected with end portions of said other core having said I-like section shape.

6. A connector for charging according to claim 1, wherein one of said first and second cores has a substantially G-like section shape, said primary coil is wound on said one core, the other of said first and second cores has said I-like section shape, said I-like section shape being a short I-like section shape which has a width enough that said secondary coil is wound, and said magnetic circuit is configured by causing end portions of said other core having said I-like section shape to be connected with end portions of said one core having said G-like section shape.

7. A connector for charging according to claim 1, wherein said magnetic circuit is constituted in closed loop shape.

8. A connector for charging according to claim 1, wherein each of said first and second cores has a junction face which is contacted to each other when said magnetic circuit is configured, said junction face being perpendicular to an attaching direction of said both connector elements.

9. A connector for charging according to claim 1, wherein each of said first and second cores has a junction face which is contacted to each other when said magnetic circuit is configured, said junction face being parallel to an attaching direction of said both connector elements.

10. A connector for charging according to claim 1, wherein the primary and secondary coils being in contact with each other and each having a side laying in a respective plane and a center hole, a center line aligned to each of the center holes, and the side of each of the primary and secondary coils being perpendicular to the center line of each respective center hole.

4. A connector for charging comprising:

a power supply connector element having a primary coil to be connected to a charging power source and a first core; and

a vehicle connector element having a secondary coil to be connected to a battery mounted on a vehicle and a second core, said first and second cores constituting a magnetic circuit which passes through said primary and secondary coils, thereby allowing said battery to be charged by an electromotive power induced in said secondary coil, wherein

a region occupied by one of said first and second cores is smaller than a region occupied by the other of said first and second cores; and

one of said first and second cores has a substantially U-like section shape, said primary coil is attached within end portions of said one core, the other of said first and second cores has a substantially T-like section shape, said secondary coil is wound on a center projection of said other core, the primary and secondary coils each having a side laying in a respective plane and a center hole, a center line aligned to each of the center holes, and the side of each of the primary and secondary coils being perpendicular to the center line of each respective center hole, said sides of each of the primary and secondary coils being in contact with each other, and said magnetic circuit is configured so that said primary and secondary coils are concentrically arranged around said projection of said other core by causing said end portions of said one core having said substantially U-like section shape to be connected with end portions of said other core having said substantially T-like section shape and causing a tip end of said projection of said other core to be connected with said center portion of said one core.

5. A connector for charging according to claim 4, wherein an inner periphery of said primary coil laps an outer periphery of said secondary coil.