Power inductor with variable width air gap
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsMyung Ki Sung, Wanfeng Li, Leyi Zhu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A power inductor includes a housing and a magnetic core disposed in the housing. The core includes a first segment and a second segment spaced apart from each other to define a gap. The first and second segments are supported in the housing such that the they are movable relative to each other to increase and decrease the size of the gap. A fluid having a positive thermal expansion coefficient is disposed in the housing such that expansion and contraction of the fluid due to change in temperature increases and decreases the gap, respectively.
Claims19
A power inductor comprising:
- a housing;
- a magnetic core disposed in the housing and including a first segment and a second segment spaced apart from each other to define a gap, the first and second segments being supported in the housing such that the first and second segments are movable relative to each other to increase and decrease the size of the gap;
- windings coiled around the core;
- a damper;
- and
- a fluid packet disposed in the gap, the fluid packet including a fluid encapsulated in a flexible membrane, the fluid having a positive thermal expansion coefficient configured to enlarge the packet in response to a temperature of the fluid increasing to separate the first and second segments and increase a width of the gap, and configured to contract the packet in response to the temperature decreasing to allow the damper to urge the first and second segments towards each other and reduce the width of the gap.
A power inductor comprising:
- a housing;
- a magnetic core disposed in the housing and including a first segment and a second segment spaced apart from each other to define a gap, the first and second segments being supported in the housing such that the first and second segments are movable relative to each other to increase and decrease the size of the gap;
- and
- a fluid packet having a positive thermal expansion coefficient fluid encapsulated in a flexible membrane, the fluid packet being disposed in the gap such that expansion and contraction of the fluid, due to change in temperature, increases and decreases the size of the gap, respectively.
A power inductor comprising:
- a housing;
- a magnetic core disposed in the housing and including a first segment and a second segment spaced apart from each other to define a gap, the first and second segments being supported in the housing such that the first and second segments are movable relative to each other to increase and decrease the size of the gap;
- and
- a fluid having a positive thermal expansion coefficient disposed in the gap such that expansion and contraction of the fluid due to change in temperature increases and decreases the gap, respectively;
- a damper disposed between the housing and one of the first and second segments, wherein the damper is configured to compress when the fluid thermally expands to allow the gap to increase in size and to rebound when the fluid thermally contracts to decrease the size of the gap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.