Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) is a practical method for recharging Electric Vehicles (EVs) because is it safe, efficient and convenient. Couplers or Power Pads are the power transmitters and receivers used with such contactless charging systems. Due to improvements in power electronic components, the performance and efficiency of an IPT system is largely determined by the coupling or flux linkage between these pads. Conventional couplers are based on circular pad designs and due to their geometry have fundamentally limited magnetic flux above the pad. This results in poor coupling at any realistic spacing between the ground pad and the vehicle pickup mounted on the chassis. Performance, when added to the high tolerance to misalignment required for a practical EV charging system, necessarily results in circular pads that are large, heavy and expensive. A new pad topology termed a flux pipe is proposed in this paper that overcomes difficulties associated with conventional circular pads. Due to the magnetic structure, the topology has a significantly improved flux path making more efficient and compact IPT charging systems possible.
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