Inductive charging system employing a fluid-cooled transformer coil and transmission cable

Abstract

An inductive charging apparatus for use in charging batteries of an electric vehicle. The apparatus has a power source, cooling fluid pumping and cooling apparatus, and a charge port disposed in the electric vehicle. An inductive charging coupler that is insertable into the charge port comprises a housing, a ferrite puck, and an insulated, liquid-cooled, current-carrying conductive tubular transformer coil disposed around the puck. A liquid-cooled, liquid-carrying tubular transmission cable is coupled to the power source, to the cooling fluid pumping and cooling apparatus, and to the transformer coil. The transmission cable couples current from the power source to the transformer coil, and couples cooling fluid between the cooling fluid pumping and cooling apparatus and the transformer coil. The transformer coil may be a multilevel helix, spiral fluid-cooled transformer coil such as an eight turn (although n turns are possible), two level helix, four turn spiral winding. The transformer coil comprises an insulated tube high current carrying capacity conductor that optimizes AC and high frequency losses while providing a heat exchanger for the apparatus.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.