Tunable inductor and methods to realize tunable inductor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025132088-A1
Application number	US-202318490574-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 19, 2023
Priority date	Oct 19, 2023
Publication date	Apr 24, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A tunable inductor is provided including a core having a closed shape and including first through third legs. A first winding wound around the first leg is coupled to a first controller configured to provide DC power to the first winding. The first winding is configured to generate a DC flux in a DC flux path in response to the DC power, the DC flux path passing through a first magnetoelectric material coupled to the core. A second winding wound around the second leg is coupled to the first controller and is configured to generate the DC flux in response to the DC power. A third leg between the first leg and the second leg is coupled to an AC power source configured to provide AC power to the third winding. The third winding is configured to generate AC flux in an AC flux path based on the AC power.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A tunable inductor comprising:
a core having a closed shape and comprising a first leg, a second leg, and a third leg between the first leg and the second leg; a first winding wound around the first leg; a second winding wound around the second leg; a third winding wound around the third leg; and a first magnetoelectric material coupled to the core, wherein:
the first winding is coupled to a first controller configured to provide DC power to the first winding, and the first winding is configured to generate a DC flux in a DC flux path in response to the DC power, the DC flux path passing through the first magnetoelectric material;
the second winding is coupled to the first controller and is configured to generate the DC flux in response to the DC power; and
the third winding is coupled to an AC power source configured to provide AC power to the third winding, and the third winding is configured to generate AC flux in an AC flux path in response to the AC power, the AC flux path passing through the first magnetoelectric material.

2 . The tunable inductor of claim 1 , wherein the first magnetoelectric material is coupled to a portion of the core that is not wound by the first winding, the second winding, or the third winding.

3 . The tunable inductor of claim 2 , wherein the portion of the core comprises:
an upper portion of the core, wherein the upper portion is between the first leg and the second leg; or a lower portion of the core, wherein the lower portion is between the first leg and the second leg.

4 . The tunable inductor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second magnetoelectric material coupled to the core, wherein: the DC flux path further passes through the second magnetoelectric material; the AC flux path further passes through the second magnetoelectric material; and the second magnetoelectric material is coupled to a portion of the core that is not wound by the first winding, the second winding, or the third winding.

5 . The tunable inductor of claim 4 , wherein:
the DC flux path passes through the first leg, the second leg, the third leg, the first magnetoelectric material, and the second magnetoelectric material; the AC flux path passes through the third leg, the first magnetoelectric material, and the first leg in a counterclockwise direction; and the AC flux path passes through the third leg, the second magnetoelectric material, and the second leg in a clockwise direction.

6 . The tunable inductor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second controller configured to control one or more properties of the first magnetoelectric material, wherein the second controller is configured to control the one or more properties based on at least one of:
a reluctance of a first branch of the tunable inductor, the first branch comprising the first leg, the third leg, and a first upper portion between the first leg and the third leg; and
a second reluctance of a second branch of the tunable inductor, the second branch comprising the second leg, the third leg, and a second upper portion between the second leg and the third leg.

7 . The tunable inductor of claim 1 , wherein the tunable inductor is absent an air gap.

8 . A tunable inductor comprising:
a core having a closed shape and comprising a first leg, a second leg, and a third leg between the first leg and the second leg; a first winding wound around the first leg; and a second winding wound around the second leg, wherein a first winding direction of an upper half of the second winding is opposite to a second winding direction of a lower half of the second winding, wherein:
the first winding is coupled to a controller configured to provide DC power to the first winding, and the first winding is configured to generate a DC flux in a DC flux path in response to the DC power, the DC flux path passing through the first leg, the third leg, and the second leg; and
the second winding is coupled to an AC power source configured to provide AC power to the second winding, and the second winding is configured to generate AC flux in a plurality of AC flux paths in response to the AC power, wherein:
a first AC flux path of the plurality of AC flux paths passes through an upper portion of the core and returns via a path perpendicular to the third leg; and
a second AC flux path of the plurality of AC flux paths passes through a lower portion of the core and returns via a second path perpendicular to the third leg.

9 . The tunable inductor of claim 8 , further comprising:
a first magnetoelectric material coupled to a portion of the core that is not wound by the first winding or the second winding, wherein:
the DC flux path passes through the first magnetoelectric material; and
the first AC flux path passes through the first magnetoelectric material.

10 . The tunable inductor of claim 9 , wherein the portion of the core comprises:
the upper portion of the core, wherein the upper portion is between the first leg and the second leg; or the lower portion of the core, wherein the lower portion is between the first leg and the second leg.

11 . The tunable inductor of claim 9 , further comprising:
a second magnetoelectric material coupled to a second portion of the core that is not wound by the first winding or the second winding, wherein:
the DC flux path further passes through the second magnetoelectric material; and
the first AC flux path or the second AC flux path passes through the second magnetoelectric material.

12 . The tunable inductor of claim 8 , wherein:
a first distance between the first leg and the third leg is less than a second distance between the second leg and the third leg.

13 . The tunable inductor of claim 8 , further comprising:
a controller configured to control one or more properties of one or more magnetoelectric materials coupled to portion of the core that is not wound by the first winding or the second winding, wherein the controller is configured to control the one or more properties based on one or more target properties of the tunable inductor.

14 . The tunable inductor of claim 8 , wherein the tunable inductor is absent an air gap.

15 . A tunable inductor comprising:
a core having a closed shape and comprising a first leg and a second leg; a first winding wound around the first leg; and a second winding wound around the second leg, wherein a first winding direction of an upper half of the second winding is opposite to a second winding direction of a lower half of the second winding, wherein:
the first winding is coupled to a controller configured to provide DC power to the first winding, and the first winding is configured to generate a DC flux in a DC flux path in response to the DC power, the DC flux path passing through the first leg and the second leg; and
the second winding is coupled to an AC power source configured to provide AC power to the second winding, and the second winding is configured to generate AC flux in a plurality of AC flux paths in response to the AC power, wherein:
a first AC flux path of the plurality of AC flux paths passes through an upper leg of the core and returns via a path perpendicular or almost perpendicular to the first leg and the second leg; and
a second AC flux path of the plurality of AC flux paths passes through a lower leg of the core and returns via a second path perpendicular or almost perpendicular to the first leg and the second leg.

16 . The tunable inductor of claim 15 , further comprising:
a first magnetoelectric material coupled to a portion of the cor

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Liu Bo
• Channegowda Parikshith

Classifications

• H01F17/04

  with magnetic core · CPC title

• H01F3/14

  Constrictions; Gaps, e.g. air-gaps (in magnetic shunt paths H01F3/12) · CPC title

• H01F2003/106

  Magnetic circuits using combinations of different magnetic materials · CPC title

• H01F27/38

  Auxiliary core members; Auxiliary coils or windings · CPC title

• H01F2029/143

  with control winding for generating magnetic bias · CPC title