Patent ID: 8350656

Claim:
A rotary transformer comprising: a primary core having a primary coil wound thereon; and a secondary core having a secondary coil wound thereon, wherein the primary core and the secondary core are mounted for rotation relative to one another about an axis of rotation, one of the primary and secondary cores comprises a plurality of core segments arranged in spaced-apart relation relative to one another in a substantially circular array about the axis of rotation, one of the other of the primary and secondary cores having a substantially annular configuration, and one of the primary and secondary cores is substantially c-shaped in radial cross-section, the substantially c-shaped core comprising: a pair of facing poles defining a gap therebetween; and the plurality of core segments, each of the plurality of core segments defining a respective gap, wherein the substantially annular core is positioned such that at any instant rotational position between the primary and secondary cores, a respective section of the annular core lies substantially within the gap of each of the plurality of core segments.