Coil unit, wireless power feeding device, wireless power receiving device and wireless power transmission device

• US 10,374,467 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2017
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TDK Corporation
• Original Assignee: TDK Corporation
• Inventors: Murashige, Takuya, Ohnishi, Masahide, Sugasawa, Masayuki, Kobayashi, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Borroto, Alfonso Perez
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yeshaw, Esayas G
• Application Number:
  US15/472,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20170288469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/02 Casings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2823 Wires H01F27/2866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/36 Electric or magnetic shields or screens movable for varying inductance H01F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/363 made of electrically conductive material
• 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 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A coil unit provided on a ground side, including a coil, at least one sensor for detecting an object existing above or around the coil unit, a housing for accommodating the coil and the at least one sensor, wherein, the housing is provided with a dividing plate and at least one pillar for maintaining the internal space of the space for sensor, the dividing plate divides the space into a space for coil and a space for sensor located vertically above the space for coil, the space for coil is for accommodating the coil and the space for sensor is for accommodating the at least one sensor, and the at least one sensor is disposed on the dividing plate without contacting with an upper inner surface portion of the housing in the space for sensor.

Claims

1. A coil unit provided on a ground side, comprising

a coil,

at least one sensor for detecting an object existing above or around the coil unit, and

a housing for accommodating the coil and the at least one sensor,

wherein, the housing is provided with a dividing plate and at least one pillar, in which the dividing plate is for dividing the space into a space for coil and a space for sensor located vertically above the space for coil, and the space for coil is for accommodating the coil and the space for sensor is for accommodating the at least one sensor, and the at least one pillar is for maintaining the internal space of the space for sensor,

and the at least one sensor is disposed on the dividing plate without contacting with an upper inner surface portion of the housing in the space for sensor.

2. The coil unit according to claim 1, wherein,

the at least one sensor is a coil for detecting metal.

3. The coil unit according to claim 1, wherein,

the at least one sensor has a hole penetrating in a vertical direction and the at least one pillar passes through the hole of the at least one sensor to extend vertically.

4. The coil unit according to claim 1, wherein,

the at least one sensor comprises a plurality of sensors.

5. The coil unit according to claim 1, wherein,

the at least one pillar comprises a plurality of pillars.

6. The coil unit according to claim 1, wherein,

the housing has a projecting part extending vertically downward from the dividing plate in the space for coil.

7. The coil unit according to claim 6, wherein,

the projecting part has a shape of a hollow tubular.

8. The coil unit according to claim 6, wherein,

the coil is wound with the inner peripheral edge in contact with the projecting part.

9. The coil unit according to claim 1, wherein,

the coil is a coil in which the feeding and receiving of an alternating current power is performed through a magnetic field.

10. A wireless power feeding device provided on the ground side, wherein,

the wireless power feeding device comprises the coil unit according to claim 1.

11. A wireless power receiving device provided on the ground side, wherein,

the wireless power receiving device comprises the coil unit according to claim 1.

12. A wireless power transmission device comprising a wireless power feeding device provided on a ground side and a wireless power receiving device mounted in a vehicle, wherein,

the wireless power feeding device is the wireless power feeding device according to claim 10.

13. A wireless power transmission device comprising a wireless power feeding device mounted in a vehicle and a wireless power receiving device provided on a ground side, wherein,

the wireless power receiving device is the wireless power receiving device according to claim 11.

14. A wireless power transmission device comprising a power supply device on a vehicle side mounted in the vehicle and a power supply device on the ground side in which the feeding and receiving of electric power is performed wirelessly between the power supply device on the vehicle side and the power supply device on the ground side, wherein,

the power supply device on the ground side comprises the coil unit according to claim 9.