# US 2014/0197694 A1 · Contactless connector system tolerant of position displacement between transmitter coil and receiver coil and having high transmission efficiency > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0197694 A1 - Document ID: US20140197694A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/236,429 - Filed: 2013-05-27 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2012-05-28 - Assignees: Panasonic Corporation - Applicants: Panasonic Corporation - Inventors: Kenichi Asanuma; Atsushi Yamamoto; Tsutomu Sakata; Akio Hidaka; Toshiaki Kikui - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140197694A1 ## CPC - 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} - H01F 38/14: Inductive couplings - 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} - H02J 50/10: using inductive coupling - H02J 50/12: of the resonant type - H02J 50/70: involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - H01F: MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES ## Abstract A contactless connector apparatus is provided with a first coil closely opposed to a second coil so as to be electromagnetically coupled thereto. The first coil includes: an inner transmitter coil wound around an axis passing through its center; and an outer transmitter coil wound around the axis and outside the inner coil. One end of the outer transmitter coil is connected to one end of the inner transmitter coil such that, when a current flows through the transmitter coils, a direction of a loop current generated around the axis by a current flowing through the inner transmitter coil is opposite to that of a loop current generated around the axis by a current flowing through the outer transmitter coil. A self-inductance of the outer transmitter coil is larger than that of the inner transmitter coil. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-16. (canceled) ### Claim 17 A contactless connector apparatus comprising a first coil closely opposed to a second coil so as to be electromagnetically coupled to the second coil, wherein the first coil includes: an inner coil wound around an axis passing through a center of the first coil; and an outer coil wound around the axis and outside the inner coil, wherein one end of the outer coil and one end of the inner coil are connected to each other such that, when a current flows through the first coil, a direction of a loop current generated around the axis by a current flowing through the inner coil is opposite to a direction of a loop current generated around the axis by a current flowing through the outer coil, and wherein the inner coil and the outer coil are configured such that: a self-inductance of the outer coil is larger than a self-inductance of the inner coil, a mutual inductance between the inner coil and the second coil increases as a displacement of the second coil to the first coil increases, the displacement indicating a distance between the center of the first coil and a center of the second coil, a mutual inductance between the outer coil and the second coil decreases as the displacement of the second coil increases, when the center of the first coil and the center of the second coil are close to each other, a negative mutual inductance occurs between the inner coil and the second coil, a positive mutual inductance occurs between the outer coil and the second coil, and an absolute value of the mutual inductance between the outer coil and the second coil is larger than an absolute value of the mutual inductance between the inner coil and the second coil, the displacement of the second coil obtained when the mutual inductance between the outer coil and the second coil is zero is larger than the displacement of the second coil obtained when the mutual inductance between the inner coil and the second coil is zero. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The contactless connector apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein a ratio of the self-inductance of the inner coil to the self-inductance of the outer coil is greater than 0 and less than 0.45. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The contactless connector apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein a direction in which the inner coil is wound around the axis is opposite to a direction in which the outer coil is wound around the axis. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The contactless connector apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein a direction in which the inner coil is wound around the axis is same as a direction in which the outer coil is wound around the axis. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The contactless connector apparatus as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a magnetic substrate provided on one side with respect to the first coil, the one side being opposite to a side where the second coil is provided close to the first coil. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The contactless connector apparatus as claimed in claim 21, further comprising a conducting wire connected to the first coil, wherein the magnetic substrate has a groove into which at least a part of the first coil and the conducting wire is inserted. ### Claim 23 (depends on 17) The contactless connector apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first coil has a first end close to the axis and a second end remote from the axis, and wherein the contactless connector apparatus further comprises a conducting wire connected to the first end, and the conducting wire is wound around the axis so as to gradually increase a distance from the axis. ### Claim 24 (depends on 17) The contactless connector apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein each of the outer coil and the inner coil is formed on at least one surface of a printed circuit board using a circuit patterning method. ### Claim 25 (depends on 17) The contactless connector apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein one end of the outer coil and one end of the inner coil are connected to each other through an impedance element, and the impedance element is one of a resistor, a capacitor, an inductor, and a current inverter circuit. ### Claim 26 (depends on 17) The contactless connector apparatus as claimed in claim 17, comprising a plurality of first coils wound around a plurality of parallel axes located at regular intervals, respectively. ### Claim 27 (depends on 17) The contactless connector apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first coil and the second coil are wound around the axis, over substantially the same range from the axis. ### Claim 28 A contactless connector system comprising: a transmitter contactless connector apparatus comprising a first coil closely opposed to a second coil so as to be electromagnetically coupled to the second coil; and a receiver contactless connector apparatus comprising the second coil, wherein the first coil includes: an inner coil wound around an axis passing through a center of the first coil; and an outer coil wound around the axis and outside the inner coil, wherein one end of the outer coil and one end of the inner coil are connected to each other such that, when a current flows through the first coil, a direction of a loop current generated around the axis by a current flowing through the inner coil is opposite to a direction of a loop current generated around the axis by a current flowing through the outer coil, and wherein the inner coil and the outer coil are configured such that: a self-inductance of the outer coil is larger than a self-inductance of the inner coil, a mutual inductance between the inner coil and the second coil increases as a displacement of the second coil to the first coil increases, the displacement indicating a distance between the center of the first coil and a center of the second coil, a mutual inductance between the outer coil and the second coil decreases as the displacement of the second coil increases, when the center of the first coil and the center of the second coil are close to each other, a negative mutual inductance occurs between the inner coil and the second coil, a positive mutual inductance occurs between the outer coil and the second coil, and an absolute value of the mutual inductance between the outer coil and the second coil is larger than an absolute value of the mutual inductance between the inner coil and the second coil, the displacement of the second coil obtained when the mutual inductance between the outer coil and the second coil is zero is larger than the displacement of the second coil obtained when the mutual inductance between the inner coil and the second coil is zero. ### Claim 29 A power transmission apparatus comprising: a power transmitter circuit; and a contactless connector apparatus connected to the power transmitter circuit, wherein the contactless connector apparatus comprises a first coil closely opposed to a second coil so as to be electromagnetically coupled to the second coil, wherein the first coil includes: an inner coil wound around an axis passing through a center of the first coil; and an outer coil wound around the axis and outside the inner coil, wherein one end of the outer coil and one end of the inner coil are connected to each other such that, when a current flows through the first coil, a direction of a loop current generated around the axis by a current flowing through the inner coil is opposite to a direction of a loop current generated around the axis by a current flowing through the outer coil, and wherein the inner coil and the outer coil are configured such that: a self-inductance of the outer coil is larger than a self-inductance of the inner coil, a mutual inductance between the inner coil and the second coil increases as a displacement of the second coil to the first coil increases, the displacement indicating a distance between the center of the first coil and a center of the second coil, a mutual inductance between the outer coil and the second coil decreases as the displacement of the second coil increases, when the center of the first coil and the center of the second coil are close to each other, a negative mutual inductance occurs between the inner coil and the second coil, a positive mutual inductance occurs between the outer coil and the second coil, and an absolute value of the mutual inductance between the outer coil and the second coil is larger than an absolute value of the mutual inductance between the inner coil and the second coil, the displacement of the second coil obtained when the mutual inductance between the outer coil and the second coil is zero is larger than the displacement of the second coil obtained when the mutual inductance between the inner coil and the second coil is zero.