Contactless power feeding system, movable device and method for controlling power feeding of contactless power feeding system

• US 10,177,599 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2013
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Abe, Hideaki, Tsujimoto, Toyohiko, Ozaki, Mamoru, Kohara, Hiroshi, Akiyama, Toshihiro, Yabuta, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Inge, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/438,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20150255992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• Field of Search: 307 65, 307104
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge

Abstract

A contactless power feeding system comprises a power feeding device and a movable device. The movable device is installed on a power feeding case of the power feeding device, and a liquid crystal TV (E) is installed on the movable device. The liquid crystal TV (E) can be arranged at a desired position on a wall (W) in a room (R) by moving the movable device along the power feeding case. The liquid crystal TV (E) can be arranged at a desired height by moving the liquid crystal TV (E) in the axial direction of a guide pipe provided on a power receiving case. The liquid crystal TV (E) can be directed in a desired direction by rotating the liquid crystal TV (E) around the guide pipe. The contactless power feeding system feeds power to the liquid crystal TV (E) via the power feeding device and the movable device.

Claims

1. A contactless power supplying system comprising:

a power supplying device including

a power supplying housing including a front surface, which is a power supplying surface that extends in a certain direction, and

a primary coil arranged in the power supplying housing and extending in the certain direction, wherein the primary coil is configured to generate alternating flux when receiving high-frequency current; and

a movable device including;

a power receiving housing including a rear surface, which is a power receiving surface,

a coupling member arranged on an upper surface of the power receiving housing so that the power receiving housing is arranged at a certain position where the power receiving surface faces the power supplying surface,

a secondary coil arranged in the power receiving housing, wherein the secondary coil is configured to interlink with the alternating flux and generate induced voltage,

a power circuit arranged in the power receiving housing, wherein the power circuit is configured to generate output voltage from the induced voltage, and

an output terminal extending out of the power receiving housing via a connection wire, wherein the output terminal is configured to output the output voltage of the power circuit,

wherein the coupling member includes a portion that a) extends above an upper surface of the power supply housing and b) includes a guided projection, wherein the upper surface of the power supplying housing, which is a coupling surface, includes a guide portion that is configured to guide movement of the power receiving housing and the coupling member in the certain direction by engaging in a movable manner with the guided projection.

2. The contactless power supplying system according to claim 1, wherein the primary coil faces the power supplying surface in the power supplying housing and forms a single elongated coil surface extending in the certain direction.

3. The contactless power supplying system according to claim 1, wherein

the primary coil forms a plurality of coil surfaces arranged in the certain direction in the power supplying device, and

a middle position of one of the coil surfaces is deviated from a middle position of an adjacent coil surface in the certain direction.

4. The contactless power supplying system according to claim 1, wherein

the primary coil is an array of a plurality of primary coils arranged in the certain direction in the power supplying device, and

each of the primary coils forms a coil surface that faces the power supplying surface.

5. The contactless power supplying system according to claim 1, wherein the movable device includes a position adjusting member that changes one or both of a position and a direction of the output terminal relative to the power receiving housing.

6. The contactless power supplying system according to claim 5, wherein the output terminal is attached to the position adjusting member.

7. The contactless power supplying system according to claim 5, comprising a fixture arranged on the position adjusting member, wherein the fixture holds an electronic device, and the output terminal is attached to the fixture.

8. The contactless power supplying system according to claim 1, wherein the contactless power supplying system is configured so that a plurality of the movable devices are arranged on the power supplying housing of the power supplying device.

9. The contactless power supplying system according to claim 1, wherein the position member is configured to engage the power supplying housing so that the power receiving housing is arranged on the power supplying housing in a removable manner.

10. The contactless power supplying system according to claim 1, wherein

the movable device includes a power supplying port corresponding to a power plug or a connector of an electronic device, and

the output terminal is an electrode of the power supplying port.

11. A contactless power supplying system used with an electronic device, comprising:

a power supplying device including;

a power supplying housing including a front surface, which is a power supplying surface that extends in a certain direction, and

a primary coil including a coil surface arranged in the power supplying housing in the certain direction, wherein the primary coil is configured to generate alternating flux when receiving high-frequency current; and

a movable device including;

a power receiving housing including a rear surface, which is a power receiving surface,

a coupling member arranged on an upper surface of the power receiving housing so that the power receiving housing is arranged at a certain position where the power receiving surface faces the power supplying surface,

a position adjusting member connected to the power receiving housing to adjust one or both of a relative position and a relative angle of the power receiving housing and an electronic device,

a secondary coil arranged in the power receiving housing, wherein the secondary coil is configured to interlink with the alternating flux and generate induced voltage,

a power circuit arranged in the power receiving housing, wherein the power circuit is configured to generate output voltage from the induced voltage output from the secondary coil, and

an output terminal arranged in the power receiving housing, wherein the output terminal is configured to output the output voltage of the power circuit, wherein

the coupling member includes a portion that a) extends above an upper surface of the power supply housing and b) includes a guided projection, wherein the upper surface of the power supplying housing, which is a coupling surface, includes a guide portion that is configured to guide movement of the power receiving housing and the coupling member in the certain direction by engaging in a movable manner with the guided projection.

12. The contactless power supplying system according to claim 11, further comprising a fixture arranged in the position adjusting member, wherein the fixture holds the electronic device, and the power circuit and the output terminal are arranged in the fixture.

13. A movable device for use with a power supplying device, wherein the power supplying device includes a power supplying housing including a front surface, which is a power supplying surface that extends in a certain direction, and an upper surface, which is a coupling surface and a primary coil, which is arranged in the power supplying housing in the certain direction, the primary coil is configured to generate alternating flux when receiving high-frequency current, the movable device comprising:

a power receiving housing including a rear surface, which is a power receiving surface;

a coupling member arranged on an upper surface of the power receiving housing so that the power receiving housing is arranged at a certain position where the power receiving surface faces the power supplying surface;

a secondary coil arranged in the power receiving housing, wherein the secondary coil is configured to interlink with the alternating flux and generates induced voltage;

a power circuit arranged in the power receiving housing, wherein the power circuit is configured to generate output voltage from the induced voltage; and

an output terminal extending out of the power receiving housing via a connection wire, wherein the output terminal is configured to output the output voltage of the power circuit, wherein

the coupling member includes a portion that a) extends above the upper surface of the power supplying housing and b) includes a guided projection configured to engage in a movable manner with a guide portion included in the upper surface of the power supplying housing to guide movement of the power receiving housing and the coupling member in the certain direction.

14. The movable device according to claim 13, further comprising a position adjusting member connected to the power receiving housing to change one or both of a position and a direction of the output terminal relative to the power receiving housing.

15. The movable device according to claim 14, wherein the output terminal is attached to the position adjusting member.

16. The contactless power supplying system according to claim 14, further comprising a fixture arranged on the position adjusting member, wherein the fixture holds an electronic device that receives power from the output terminal, and the output terminal is attached to the fixture.

17. The movable device according to claim 13, wherein a hanger is formed integrally with or suspended from the power receiving housing.

18. The movable device according to claim 17, wherein

the hanger includes a hanger body and a fan motor, which is arranged in the hanger body and connected to the output terminal, and

the hanger body includes a discharge hole that discharges a current, which is generated by the fan motor, out of the hanger body.

19. The movable device according to claim 13, further comprising an indicator lamp that indicates a condition of power received from the power supplying device.

20. A method of controlling power supplied to a contactless power supplying system including

a power supplying device including:

a power supplying housing including a front surface, which is a power supplying surface that extends in a certain direction, and an upper surface, which is a coupling surface; and

a plurality of primary coils arranged in the power supplying housing in the certain direction, wherein the plurality of primary coils is configured to generate alternating flux when receiving high-frequency current, and each of the primary coils forms a coil surface that faces the power supplying surface, and

a movable device including;

a power receiving housing including a rear surface, which is a power receiving surface;

a coupling member arranged on an upper surface of the power receiving housing so that the power receiving housing is arranged at a certain position where the power receiving surface faces the power supplying surface;

a secondary coil arranged in the power receiving housing, wherein the secondary coil is configured to interlink with the alternating flux and generates induced voltage;

a power circuit arranged in the power receiving housing, wherein the power circuit is configured to generate output voltage from the induced voltage; and

an output terminal that extends out of the power receiving housing via a connection wire, wherein the output terminal outputs the output voltage of the power circuit, wherein

the upper surface of the power supplying housing comprises a guide portion that guides movement of the power receiving housing and the coupling member in the certain direction, and

the coupling member includes a portion that a) extends above the upper surface of the power supplying housing and b) comprises a guided projection configured to engage in a movable manner with the guide portion of the power supplying housing,

the method comprising selectively supplying high-frequency current to the one of the plurality of primary coils that faces the power receiving surface of the power receiving housing with the guided projection of the movable device engaged with the guide portion of the power supplying device.