Transformer Isolation Core for Miniaturized Power Converters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power converters face challenges in miniaturization due to the need for maintaining adequate creepage and clearance distances, which increases leakage inductance and limits transformer size, while also posing safety risks at high voltages.
Innovation Solution
A transformer design featuring a solid electrical insulator with a sealed interior space housing the core and primary winding, and a secondary winding wound on the exterior surface of the insulator, providing a physical barrier and reducing the need for extensive creepage and clearance distances, thus allowing for miniaturization without compromising safety or performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If large creepage and clearance distances are maintained between windings and magnetic core, then safety requirements are met, but leakage inductance increases and device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the transformer structure into two isolated sections: a primary side with the magnetic core and primary winding, and a secondary side with the secondary winding, separated by a physical barrier (solid insulator or creepage barrier). This segmentation allows each side to be compact while maintaining adequate isolation distances only where necessary for safety, reducing overall device volume compared to conventional designs that require large clearance throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary element (solid insulator or creepage barrier) between the primary and secondary windings to provide electrical isolation. This intermediary allows the windings to be positioned closer together than would be possible without such a barrier, reducing leakage inductance and device size while still meeting safety requirements for creepage and clearance distances.
2Reliability
If large creepage and clearance distances are maintained between windings and magnetic core, then safety requirements are met, but leakage inductance increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the transformer into isolated primary and secondary sections separated by a barrier, the patent allows optimization of magnetic coupling on each side independently. The primary winding can be closely coupled to the magnetic core while the secondary winding is isolated, minimizing leakage inductance without compromising safety isolation distances.
Solution Approach 2:
The solid insulator or creepage barrier acts as an intermediary that provides electrical isolation while allowing magnetic field coupling to occur through the barrier material. This enables close positioning of windings for low leakage inductance while maintaining adequate creepage and clearance distances for safety through the intermediary barrier structure.
3Volume of moving object
If compact design is used, then device size is reduced, but creepage and clearance distances may be insufficient for high voltage safety
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the compact transformer design into isolated primary and secondary compartments separated by a barrier structure. This segmentation allows the overall device to be compact while ensuring that adequate creepage and clearance distances are maintained within each segmented section, meeting high voltage safety requirements despite the reduced overall size.
Solution Approach 2:
The solid insulator or creepage barrier serves as an intermediary element that enables compact design by providing concentrated electrical isolation at critical interfaces. This allows the device to maintain small overall dimensions while ensuring sufficient creepage and clearance distances are achieved through the intermediary barrier structure between high voltage regions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design minimizes leakage inductance, enables smaller power converter devices, and maintains safety by reducing the risk of electrical arcing, while ensuring compliance with safety requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a solid electrical insulator that includes a sealed interior space in which the core and the first winding are housed... the solid electrical insulator provides a physical barrier between the first winding and the second winding
Implementation Method 2
a core, and a solid electrical insulator that includes a sealed interior space in which the core and the first winding are housed
Implementation Method 3
a first winding that includes electrically conductive material, a second winding that includes electrically conductive material
Data Source
AI summary
A transformer includes an isolation core casing of a power converter. The transformer includes a primary winding, a secondary winding, a magnetic core, a cover, and a cup. The cover and cup are joined and sealed together to form the core casing. The primary winding is wound directly on the magnetic core, and the magnetic core is sealed within the core casing. The secondary winding is wound around the core casing such that the primary and secondary windings are electrically isolated from each other by a solid insulation barrier provided by the core casing, resulting in no increase in the creepage or the clearance path between the primary and the secondary windings, which allows the transformer to be miniaturized without negatively affecting safety and converter performance due to leakage inductance.