Line-frequency rotary transformer for computed tomography gantry

1. A line-frequency rotary transformer, comprising:

a primary core comprising:

a first plurality of E-core steel laminates arranged in a first ring couplable to a stator, and

a primary winding disposed within said first ring and configured to transmit line-frequency alternating current (AC) power; and

a secondary core magnetically couplable to said primary core, said secondary core comprising:

a second plurality of E-core steel laminates arranged in a second ring couplable to a gantry rotatably couplable to said stator, and

a secondary winding disposed within said second ring and configured to receive a line-frequency AC power induced in said secondary winding through said primary core and said secondary core by said primary winding.

2. The line-frequency rotary transformer of claim 1 , wherein said primary winding is configured to transmit 60 Hz AC power to said secondary winding.

3. The line-frequency rotary transformer of claim 1 , wherein said first plurality of E-core steel laminates is interleaved with non-conductive spacers to form said first ring.

4. The line-frequency rotary transformer of claim 1 , wherein each E-core steel laminate of said first plurality of E-core steel laminates and said second plurality of E-core steel laminates comprises two side posts and a center post, said two side posts each having a width equal to half a center post width.

5. The line-frequency rotary transformer of claim 1 , wherein said first ring is disposed adjacent to said second ring and separated therefrom by an air gap.

6. The line-frequency rotary transformer of claim 1 , wherein said air gap has a width of 0.5 to 5 millimeters (mm).

7. The line-frequency rotary transformer of claim 6 , wherein said first plurality of E-core steel laminates and said second plurality of E-core steel laminates have a magnetizing inductance to leakage inductance ratio of 3:1.

8. A method of powering a gantry computed tomography (CT) system, said method comprising:

providing line-frequency alternating current (AC) input power to a primary side of a line-frequency rotary transformer on a stator of the gantry CT system, the primary side including a primary core comprising a first plurality of E-core steel laminates arranged in a first ring couplable to the stator, and a primary winding disposed within the first ring and to which the line-frequency AC input power is supplied;

inducing a line-frequency AC output power on a secondary side of the line-frequency rotary transformer on a gantry of the gantry CT system, the secondary side comprising a secondary core magnetically couplable to the primary core, the secondary core comprising a second plurality of E-core steel laminates arranged in a second ring couplable to a gantry rotatably couplable to the stator, and a secondary winding disposed within the second ring and into which the line-frequency AC output power is induced; and

supplying the line-frequency AC output power to an X-ray source and an X-ray detector.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising disposing the secondary side of the line-frequency rotary transformer on the gantry adjacent to the primary side of the line-frequency rotary transformer on the stator to define an air gap between the primary side and the secondary side.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the air gap has a width ranging from 1 millimeter to 3 millimeters.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising rotating the gantry about the stator.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein providing the line-frequency AC input power comprises providing 60 Hertz AC power.