Alignment independent and self aligning inductive power transfer system

Claim 2

An inductive power transfer device for an appliance, comprising (a) a housing; (b) at least one primary inductor arranged in an array within said housing; (c) means for connecting said primary inductor with a power supply; and (d) at least one switch connected between said primary inductor, respectively, and said connecting means, said switch being operable to selectively activate a respective primary inductor, whereby when an appliance having a secondary inductor is placed on said housing, power is transferred to the appliance via a transformer defined by said primary inductor and the secondary inductor

Claim 3

An inductive power transfer device for an appliance, comprising: (a) a housing; (b) at least on primary inductor arranged in an array within said housing; (c) means for connecting said primary inductor with a power supply; and (d) at least on switch connected between said primary inductor and said connecting means, respectively, said switch being operable to selectively activate a respective primary indictor, whereby when a appliance having a secondary inductor is placed on said housing, power is transferred to the appliance via a transformer defined by said primary inductor and the secondary inductor; wherein at least one of said primary inductors has a longitudinal axis arranged normal to the longitudinal axis of other primary inductors.

Claim 4

An inductive power transfer device for an appliance, comprising: (a) a housing; (b) at least on primary inductor arranged in an array within said housing; (c) means for connecting said primary inductor with a power supply; and (d) at least on switch connected between said primary inductor and said connecting means, respectively, said switch being operable to selectively activate a respective primary indictor, whereby when a appliance having a secondary inductor is placed on said housing, power is transferred to the appliance via a transformer defined by said primary inductor and the secondary inductor; wherein at least one of said primary inductors has a longitudinal axis arranged normal to the longitudinal axis of other primary inductors.

Claim 5

The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising a capacitor connected with each of said primary inductors.

Claim 6

Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , and further comprising a power source connected with connecting means, and a capacitor connected between said power source and ground.

Claim 7

The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said housing has a thin top wall, said primary inductors being arranged adjacent to said top wall for defining transformer with a secondary inductor in an appliance resting on said top wall.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said top wall is flat and said primary inductors are arranged in a plane parallel to and below said top wall.

Claim 9

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said primary inductors each comprise a coil wound about a magnetic core.

Claim 10

Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said each of said magnetic cores include a flattened portion adjacent to said top wall, whereby said primary inductors match a configuration of corresponding secondary inductors in an appliance and retain the appliance on the housing surface.

Claim 11

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , and further comprising means for aligning at least one of said primary inductors with a secondary inductor in the appliance.

Claim 12

Apparatus claimed in claim 9 , wherein said housing top wall contains a plurality of projections for mating with recesses in a bottom wall of the appliance to align the appliance secondary inductor with at least one of said primary inductors.

Claim 13

Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said alignment means adjusts the orientation of said primary inductors relative to said housing.

Claim 14

Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said primary inductors each comprise a coil wound about a magnetic core and having end portions which move in response to the presence of and in alignment with a secondary inductor in the appliance, the secondary inductor also including a magnetic core having a coil wound thereon.

Claim 15

An electrical appliance comprising: (a) a housing; (b) means arranged in said housing to provide power to the appliance; (c) a plurality of secondary inductors connected with said power means; and (d) switching means connected with each of said secondary inductors for controlling the transfer of energy from said secondary inductors to said power means.

Claim 16

An electrical appliance comprising: (a) a housing; (b) means arranged in said housing to provide power to the appliance; (c) a plurality of secondary inductors connected with said power means; and (d) switching means connected with each of said secondary inductors for controlling the transfer of energy from said secondary inductors to said power means.

Claim 17

An electrical appliance as claimed in claim 13 , wherein said secondary inductors have an annular configuration and are coaxially arranged, each of said inductors being interconnected and movable relative to an adjacent inductor in response to the presence of a primary inductor to align said secondary inductors with said primary inductors.

Claim 18

An electrical appliance as claimed in claim 14 , and further comprising a sliding annular contact connected with said secondary inductors, the longitudinal position of said contact defining which of said inductors are free to move for alignment with said primary inductors.

Claim 19

An electrical appliance as claimed in claim 13 , wherein said secondary inductor is movable within said housing for alignment with a primary inductor of the power transfer device.

Claim 20

An inductive power transfer device for an appliance, comprising: (a) a source housing; (b) at least one primary inductor within said housing; (c) means for connecting said primary inductor with a power supply; (d) at least one secondary inductor within said appliance; and (e) non-mechanical coil mobility means to move at least one of: at least of said primary inductors within said housing or at least one of said secondary inductors such as to increase electromagnetic alignment between said at least one of said primary inductors and said at least one of said secondary inductors.

Claim 21

An inductive power transfer device for an appliance, comprising: (a) a source housing; (b) at least one primary inductor within said housing; (c) means for connecting said primary inductor with a power supply; (d) at least one secondary inductor within said appliance; and (e) non-mechanical coil mobility means to move at least one of: at least of said primary inductors within said housing or at least one of said secondary inductors such as to increase electromagnetic alignment between said at least one of said primary inductors and said at least one of said secondary inductors.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein said inductor alignment means includes at least one core magnet.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein at least one of said primary or secondary inductors is a flexible coil.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the motion produced by said movement means is facilitated by a vibrator.

Claim 25

The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein said movement means comprises piezoelectric means.

Claim 26

The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein said movement means comprises magnetically permeable fibers.

Claim 27

The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein only at least one of said primary inductors within said housing moves.

Claim 28

The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein only at least one of said secondary inductors within said appliance moves.

Claim 29

The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein both at least one of said primary inductors and at least one of said secondary inductors moves toward electromagnetic alignment with respect to each other.

Claim 30

An inductive power transfer device for an appliance, comprising: (a) a source housing; (b) at least one primary inductor within said housing, each said inductor comprising a plurality of physically separated coil means; (c) means for connecting said at least one primary inductor with a power supply; (d) at least one secondary inductor within said appliance; (e) sensing means to detect those coil means which are in effective presence of a magnetic field emanating from said at least one secondary inductor; and (f) switching means to provide sufficient power to said detected coil means to cause current to flow from said at least one secondary inductor.

Claim 31

An inductive power transfer device for an appliance, comprising: (a) a source housing; (b) at least one primary inductor within said housing, each said inductor comprising a plurality of physically separated coil means; (c) means for connecting said at least one primary inductor with a power supply; (d) at least one secondary inductor within said appliance; (e) sensing means to detect those coil means which are in effective presence of a magnetic field emanating from said at least one secondary inductor; and (f) switching means to provide sufficient power to said detected coil means to cause current to flow from said at least one secondary inductor.

Claim 32

An inductive power transfer device for an appliance, comprising: (a) a source housing; (b) an array of primary inductors, said array comprising either (i) at least one plane of primary inductors, each said plane comprising either at least one first inductor positioned at a certain angle and at least one secondary inductor positioned at a different angle; or (ii) a plurality of planes of primary inductor, each said plane comprising a plurality of inductors positioned at a certain angle different from the angle of the other respective planes; (c) means for connecting said at least one plane of primary inductor with a power supply; (d) at least one secondary inductor within said appliance, and wherein said at least one secondary inductor receives energy from at least a portion of said array of primary inductors.

Claim 33

An inductive power transfer device for an appliance, comprising: (a) a source housing; (b) an array of primary inductors, said array comprising either (i) at least one plane of primary inductors, each said plane comprising either at least one first inductor positioned at a certain angle and at least one secondary inductor positioned at a different angle; or (ii) a plurality of planes of primary inductor, each said plane comprising a plurality of inductors positioned at a certain angle different from the angle of the other respective planes; (c) means for connecting said at least one plane of primary inductor with a power supply; (d) at least one secondary inductor within said appliance, and wherein said at least one secondary inductor receives energy from at least a portion of said array of primary inductors.

Claim 34

The apparatus of claim 27 further comprising: (A) sensing means to detect those inductors of said primary inductors which are in effective presence of a magnetic field emanating from said at least one secondary inductor; and (B) switching means to provide sufficient power to said detected inductors of said primary inductors to cause current t flow from said at least one secondary inductor.