US 4,654,573 A · Power transfer device

Abstract

Apparatus for transferring electrical power between a power supplying apparatus and power consuming apparatus and having a separable high frequency transformer with a primary permanently mounted to the power supply apparatus and a secondary mounted about the power consuming apparatus. A charging control circuit mounted on the consuming apparatus, e.g. a mobile vehicle includes means for detecting current and voltage delivered through the transformer, and also for monitoring storage batteries within the vehicle. The power supply apparatus includes a power supply circuit comprising a ferrite core transformer and capacitor forming a parallel resonant circuit. The primaries of the transformer are alternately driven by a driver about opposing polarities. The drivers are controlled by a voltage-controlled pulse-width modulator which provides a square wave input to the drivers to cause them to alternatively energize the ferrite core transformer. Power is transferred across the inductor to the resonant circuit as portions of a sine wave. The power supply circuit also includes an internal current sensing circuit to shut current build-up down when current in the resonant circuit becomes too high, and an external control loop which senses power demands of the charging control circuit delivered via an optical communications link within the separable transformer.

Claims7

Dependent claims

Apparatus for a transfer of power between a power supplying apparatus and power consuming apparatus comprising:

a separable transformer means including a first transformer half and a second transformer half adapted for magnetic coupling, each of said halves having a core of ferrite material for operating at a frequency of at least approximately twenty-five kilohertz;
a charging control circuit connected to the first transformer half and to a plurality of storage batteries for determining an amount of current flowing through the transformer and comparing said amount of current with an amount of charge needed by said plurality of storage batteries to establish a power demand signal;
a first optical communications means connected to the charging control circuit for transmitting said power demand signal;
a power supply circuit having drive power transistors connected to said second transformer half and including transfer means to transfer energy at a frequency of at least approximately twenty-five kilohertz through said transformer;
and
a second communications means connected to said power supply circuit for receiving a demand signal responsive to said power demand signal from said first communication means to vary an on/off cycle of said drive power transistors whereby an amount of power delivered through said transformer may be regulated thereby.

3 more elements

Apparatus for transfer of power between a power supply apparatus and a power consumming apparatus comprising:

a separable transformer comprising a first and a second pot core half, each of said pot core halves including a plurality of windings surrounded by an insulating material;
a charging control circuit, connected to the first pot core half and to at least one storage cell and including at least a first sensing means for sensing a flow of current through the transformer and generating a control signal;
a power supply circuit connected to said second half core including at least a first regulating means for regulating a flow of current through the transformer to said cell, the power supply circuit including a resonant tank circuit means for inductively transferring power at a sine wave, said power being transferred at a first frequency;
and
an optical transmission link for coupling the control signal with said first regulating means of the power supply circuit.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Power transfer device

Life of this patent

Power transfer device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims7