Electromagnetic energy harvester for aircraft applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10468180-B2
Application number	US-201715680828-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2017
Priority date	Aug 18, 2017
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

An energy harvester system includes an aircraft power cable carrying an alternating current and an energy harvester. The energy harvester includes a ferromagnetic ring encircling the aircraft power cable and configured so that the alternating current in the aircraft power cable generates magnetic flux in the ferromagnetic ring and an inductive coil wrapped around at least a portion of the ferromagnetic ring to generate a voltage from the magnetic flux in the ferromagnetic ring.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An energy harvester system comprising:
an aircraft power cable carrying an alternating current therethrough;
an energy harvester comprising:
a ferromagnetic ring encircling the aircraft power cable and configured so that the alternating current in the aircraft power cable generates magnetic flux in the ferromagnetic ring; and
an inductive coil wrapped around at least a portion of the ferromagnetic ring to generate a voltage from the magnetic flux in the ferromagnetic ring;

a step-up transformer electrically coupled to the energy harvester via the inductive coil to step up the voltage generated by the inductive coil; and
a tuning capacitor is electrically coupled to the step-up transformer.

2. The energy harvester system of claim 1 , wherein the ferromagnetic ring is a split ferromagnetic ring.

3. The energy harvester system of claim 1 , wherein the tuning capacitor has a value that yields peak output voltage for a frequency of the alternating current.

4. The energy harvester system of claim 1 , wherein the energy harvester is electrically coupled to a load via the inductive coil to provide power to the load.

5. The energy harvester system of claim 4 , wherein the load is at least one sensor of an aircraft.

6. The energy harvester system of claim 1 , wherein the ferromagnetic ring is made of ferrite.

7. The energy harvester system of claim 1 , wherein a frequency of the alternating current is 200-2000 Hz.

8. A method comprising:
generating a magnetic flux in a ferromagnetic ring that encircles an aircraft power cable using an alternating current of the aircraft power cable;
generating a voltage from the magnetic flux in the ferromagnetic ring using an inductive coil wrapped around at least a portion of the ferromagnetic ring; and
stepping up the voltage generated by the inductive coil using a step-up transformer electrically coupled to the inductive coil,
wherein a tuning capacitor is electrically coupled to the step-up transformer.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the ferromagnetic ring is a split ferromagnetic ring.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the tuning capacitor has a value that yields peak output voltage for a frequency of the alternating current.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising providing power to a load using the inductive coil.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the load is at least one sensor of an aircraft.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the ferromagnetic ring is made of ferrite.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein a frequency of the alternating current is 200-2000 Hz.

Assignees

• Rosemount Aerospace Inc

Inventors

• Gieras Jacek F

Classifications

• H01F38/30

  Constructions · CPC title

• H01P1/19

  using a ferromagnetic device · CPC title

• H02J50/10

  using inductive coupling · CPC title

• G05F3/04 Primary

  wherein the variable is AC · CPC title

• H01F38/14 Primary

  Inductive couplings {(for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10)} · CPC title