Pick-up apparatus for inductive power transfer systems
View Patent ↗An Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) pick-up apparatus includes a magnetically permeable core, a first coil, being wound about the core so as to be inductive coupled therewith such that a current induced in the first coil is most sensitive to a first directional component of magnetic flux and a second coil, being wound about the core so as to be inductively coupled therewith such that a current induced in the second coil is most sensitive to a second directional component of magnetic flux. The first directional component is substantially orthogonal to the second directional component.
1. An Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) pick-up apparatus comprising:
a magnetically permeable core;
a first coil, being wound about the core so as to be inductive coupled therewith such that a current induced in the first coil is most sensitive to a first directional component of magnetic flux; and
a second coil, being wound about the core so as to be inductively coupled therewith such that a current induced in the second coil is most sensitive to a second directional component of magnetic flux;
wherein the first directional component is substantially orthogonal to the second directional component.
2. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first directional component is a vertical component of magnetic flux and the second directional component is a horizontal component of magnetic flux.
3. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second coils are wound orthogonally to each other such that the current induced in one coil is most sensitive to the first directional component of magnetic flux, and the current induced in the other coil is most sensitive to the second directional component of magnetic flux.
4. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first coil comprises a first pair of half-coils, and the second coil comprises a second pair of half-coils.
5. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the core is constructed with a flat E cross-section.
6. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the core is constructed from a permeable ferrous material such as ferrite.
7. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each coil is independently tuned with one or more capacitors.
8. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises an electrical circuit to independently rectify the current induced in each coil.
9. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises an electrical circuit to sum and regulate the rectified output from the coils such that the total output power is essentially constant over a wide range of lateral movement of the apparatus relative to the source of magnetic flux.
10. An Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) pick-up apparatus comprising:
a magnetically permeable E-shaped core having at least three substantially parallel legs and connection regions connecting adjacent legs to each other, the connection regions having an axis which is orthogonal to the axes of the legs;
a first set of part-coils and a second set of part-coils each wound about the core so as to be inductively coupled therewith, the first set being arranged such that the current induced therein is most sensitive to a directional component of magnetic flux substantially parallel to the axes of the legs, and the second set being arranged to be sensitive to a directional component of magnetic flux substantially parallel to the axis of the connection portions.
11. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein at least one of the part-coils of the first set and at least one of the part-coils of the second set is provided on one of the connection regions and at least one of the part-coils of each set is provided on one or more other connection regions.
12. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein one or more separate tuning capacitors are provided for each coil set.
13. An Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) pick-up apparatus comprising:
a magnetically permeable core;
a first coil, being wound about the core so as to be inductive coupled therewith such that a current induced in the first coil is most sensitive to a first directional component of magnetic flux;
a second coil, being wound about the core so as to be inductively coupled therewith such that a current induced in the second coil is most sensitive to a second directional component of magnetic flux; and
a track having one or more primary conductors, the one or more primary conductors being capable of providing the magnetic flux;
wherein the first directional component is substantially orthogonal to the second directional component.
14. An Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) pick-up apparatus comprising:
a magnetically permeable E-shaped core having at least three substantially parallel legs and connection regions connecting adjacent legs to each other, the connection regions having an axis which is orthogonal to the axes of the legs;
a first set of part-coils and a second set of part-coils each wound about the core so as to be inductively coupled therewith, the first set being arranged such that the current induced therein is most sensitive to a directional component of magnetic flux substantially parallel to the axes of the legs, and the second set being arranged to be sensitive to a directional component of magnetic flux substantially parallel to the axis of the connection portions; and
a track having one or more primary conductors, the one or more primary conductors being capable of providing the magnetic flux.