Distributed gap inductor filter apparatus and method of use thereof
View Patent ↗The invention comprises a high frequency inductor filter apparatus and method of use thereof. In one embodiment, an inductor is used to filter/convert power, where the inductor comprises a distributed gap core and/or a powdered core material. The inductor core is wound with one or more turns, where multiple turns are optionally electrically wired in parallel. In one example, the minimum carrier frequency is above that usable by an iron-steel inductor, such as greater than ten kiloHertz at fifty or more amperes. The core is optionally an annular core, solid rod core, or a core used for multiple phases, such as a ‘C’ or ‘E’ core. Optionally, the inductor is used in an inductor/converter apparatus, where output power has a carrier frequency, modulated by a fundamental frequency, and a set of harmonic frequencies, in conjunction with one or more of a silicon carbide, gallium arsenide, and/or gallium nitride based transistor.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
an inductor, said inductor comprising:
a core comprising a distributed gap material; and
a winding, said winding comprising at least ten wires wound about a section of said distributed gap material of said core, said at least ten wires wired electrically in parallel, said winding further comprising:
a first layer of turns circumferentially wound around a section of said core, said first layer of turns comprising a first average distance from a center of said section of said core;
a second layer of turns circumferentially wound around said section of said core, said second layer of turns comprising a second average distance from said center of said section of said core, said second average distance at least one-half winding cross-section distance longer than said first average distance, at least one turn of said first layer of turns wired electrically in parallel with at least one turn of said second layer of turns,
said core further comprising at least one of:
a U-shaped core half; and
an E-shaped core half.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a gallium arsenide based transistor functionally electrically wired to a filter, said filter comprising said inductor and a capacitor.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a capacitor; and
a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) insulated gate bipolar transistor, said insulated gate bipolar transistor electrically wired to a filter, said filter comprising said inductor and said capacitor, wherein said metal in said MOSFET comprises at least one of a metal and a polysilicon.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , said insulated gate bipolar transistor further comprising:
a form of gallium arsenide; and
a gallium arsenide based transistor.
5. A method for filtering power, comprising the steps of:
providing electrical power comprising a carrier frequency, a current, and a voltage;
providing an inductor-capacitor filter, comprising:
an inductor, said inductor comprising:
a core comprising a distributed gap material; and
a winding, said winding comprising at least ten wires wound about a section of said distributed gap material of said core, said at least ten wires wired electrically in parallel; and
a capacitor electrically linked to said inductor;
filtering the electrical power using said inductor-capacitor filter;
attenuating a first harmonic of the carrier frequency by greater than eighteen decibels, the carrier frequency greater than ten kiloHertz, the current greater than forty amperes; and
attenuating at least a first ten harmonics of the carrier frequency by at least sixty percent using said inductor comprising a resonance frequency greater than one hundred kiloHertz and less than three megaHertz,
said core comprising at least one of:
an annular shape;
a rod shape;
a C-half shape; and
an E-half shape.
6. The method of claim 5 , said winding further comprising:
a first layer of turns circumferentially wound around a section of said core, said first layer of turns comprising a first average distance from a center of said section of said core;
a second layer of turns circumferentially wound around said section of said core, said second layer of turns comprising a second average distance from said center of said section of said core, said second distance greater than said first distance; and
a third layer of turns circumferentially wound around said section of said core, said third layer of turns comprising a third average distance from said center of said section of said core, said third average distance greater than said second average distance, at least one turn of said first layer of turns wired electrically in parallel with at least one turn of said third layer of turns.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the step of:
switching said electrical power using an insulated gate bipolar transistor, said insulated gate bipolar transistor proximately electrically wired to said inductor-capacitor filter.
8. The method of claim 7 , said step of switching further comprising the step of:
using a gallium arsenide based transistor.