ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY APPARATUS

• US 20100292859A1
• Filed: 11/28/2008
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dyden Corporation
• Original Assignee: Dyden Corporation
• Inventors: Kamohara, Hiroaki, Oda, Hidenori, Terasaki, Kouji
• Granted Patent: US 8,537,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 3/00 Feeding power to supply lines in contact with collector on vehicles; Arrangements for consuming regenerative power controlling rail vehicles by varying voltage of power fed to vehicle B60L; power distribution in general H02J
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/40 The network being an on-board power network, i.e. within a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/05 using capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/06 using impedances

Abstract

A power supply device comprises a capacitance (Ca) consisting of an overhead power line (100) and an electrode (20) extending in the longitudinal direction of the overhead power line (100) via an insulator (30), an inductance (La) connected in parallel with the capacitance (Ca), and an output portion (50) led out from both ends of a parallel circuit including the capacitance (Ca) and the inductance (La). The parallel circuit is operated as a parallel resonant circuit and power is supplied from the output portion (50), thereby obtaining a compact and simple structure and improving power supply efficiency to a load as compared with a conventional power supply device.

Claims

1. An electric power supply apparatus attached to an overhead line to supply an electric power to a load, comprising:

a capacitance defined by said overhead line, and an electrode extending along said overhead line in a longitudinal direction thereof, with a dielectric being intervened therebetween;

an inductance connected in parallel to said capacitance; and

an output section drawn from both ends of a parallel circuit including said capacitance and said inductance,

characterized by the fact that said parallel circuit is formed as a parallel resonance circuit, and that an electric power is output from said output section.

2. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 1, characterized by the fact that said inductance is a variable inductance, and that a value of said variable inductance is adjusted so that said parallel circuit is operated as the parallel resonance circuit.

3. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising

a variable capacitance connected in parallel to said capacitance,

characterized by the fact that a value of said variable capacitance is adjusted so that said parallel circuit is operated as the parallel resonance circuit.

4. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising

a transformer in which a primary voltage is stepped down, and in which a secondary voltage is output,

characterized by the fact that said inductance corresponds to an excitation susceptance component of said transformer, said output section being at a secondary side of said transformer.

5. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a transformer in which a primary voltage is stepped down, and in which a secondary voltage is output; and

an inductance connected in parallel at the secondary side of said transformer to a secondary winding thereof,

characterized by the fact that the inductance connected in parallel to said capacitance corresponds to an excitation susceptance component of said transformer, said output section being at a secondary side of said transformer.

6. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the inductance connected in parallel at the secondary side of said transformer to the secondary winding thereof is a variable inductance, and that a value of said variable inductance is adjusted so that said parallel circuit is operated as the parallel resonance circuit.

7. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 1, characterized by the fact that said electrode is a tubular conductor by which a given length of said overhead line is enclosed.

8. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 7, characterized by the fact that said electrode comprises a plurality of tubular conductors which have different diameters so that one of said tubular conductors is inserted into and abutted to another tubular conductor, and so that one of said tubular conductors is slidably received in another tubular conductor.

9. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 7, characterized by the fact that said electrode is defined by connecting a plurality of tubular conductors to each other.

10. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising

a transformer in which a primary voltage is stepped down, and in which a secondary voltage is output,

characterized by the fact that said inductance corresponds to an excitation susceptance component of said transformer, said output section being at a secondary side of said transformer.

11. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 2, characterized by the fact that said electrode is a tubular conductor by which a given length of said overhead line is enclosed.

12. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 3, characterized by the fact that said electrode is a tubular conductor by which a given length of said overhead line is enclosed.

13. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 4, characterized by the fact that said electrode is a tubular conductor by which a given length of said overhead line is enclosed.

14. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 5, characterized by the fact that said electrode is a tubular conductor by which a given length of said overhead line is enclosed.

15. The electric power supply apparatus as set forth in claim 6, characterized by the fact that said electrode is a tubular conductor by which a given length of said overhead line is enclosed.