Method of manufacturing heat dissipating transformer coil
AssigneeNorthrop Grumman Corporation
InventorsPatricia A. O'Donnell, Charles S. Kerfoot, Joseph J. Springer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An easy to assemble transformer for use in an electronics module of an electric vehicle. The transformer can be assembled from the "top down," thus alleviating the need to build the transformer as a subassembly unit. During manufacture of the transformer, windings are wound onto a thermally conductive coil form. Next upper and lower E-shaped core members are inserted into openings in the top and bottom of the form so that the side legs and the center legs of the E's touch and are in alignment. The thermally conductive coil form has a portion that touches a cold plate when the transformer is mounted on the cold plate. The transformer is further secured to the cold plate by a mounting bracket.
Claims9
A method of manufacturing a transformer for use in an electric vehicle electronics module that includes a cold plate, comprising the steps of:
- placing an E-shaped lower core member, having a pair of side legs and an ascending center leg, on the cold plate;
- placing a vertically oriented hollow coil form of thermally conductive material and having first and second open ends over the lower core member so that said first open end of the coil form slidably fits over the ascending center leg of the lower core member,
- said coil form additionally having windings wrapped therearound and in thermal contact therewith;
- connecting the coil form in thermal contact with the cold plate so as to establish a low thermal impedance path between the windings and the cold plate;
- and
- placing an E-shaped upper core member, having a pair of side legs and a descending center leg, on the lower core member so that said second open end of the coil form slidably fits over the descending center leg of the upper core member, thereby aligning the side legs and the ascending and descending center legs of the upper and lower core members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.