ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND ELECTRIC SUPPLY ARRANGEMENT FOR THE SAME

• US 20140131121A1
• Filed: 01/16/2014
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: RUSK Intellectual Reserve AG
• Original Assignee: RUSK Intellectual Reserve AG
• Inventors: UENO, Ryuji, NAKATA, Misako
• Application Number:
  US14/156,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20140131121A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/2.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/53 in combination with an external power supply, e.g. from overhead contact lines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/00 Electric propulsion with power supply external to the vehicle electric propulsion for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways B60L13/00; in combination with batteries or fuel cells within the vehicle B60L50/53
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

In an electric vehicle, a power unit is installed in an internal space region of a tire of each of front and rear wheels. The unit has a plurality of power elements arranged on an inner peripheral surface of a ground contact portion of the tire. Each of the elements includes a core made of a permalloy, and a power coil wound around the core. When a periodically-changing magnetic field is generated in a region above a road by an electric supply arrangement installed in the road, each of the elements generates electric power. This electric power is supplied to a motor of the vehicle through a power distribution system. The motor drives front wheels. The electric vehicle can continuously run over long distances without charging a battery at a buttery station.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle comprising:

a motor for rotationally driving a plurality of wheels through a driving-force transmission mechanism;

a tire made of an electrical conductive material and attached to each of the wheels; and

a power distribution system electrically connecting the motor and the tire,

wherein the motor is adapted to be driven by electric power which is supplied from an electric supply plate disposed on a road surface, through the tire.

2. The electric vehicle as defined in claim 1, wherein the motor is adapted to rotationally drive one of a front wheel and a rear wheel in the wheels, and the tire made of the electrical conductive material is attached to a remaining one of the front and rear wheels.

3. The electric vehicle as defined in claim 1, which comprises a storage battery adapted, when electric power is supplied from the electric supply plate to the electric vehicle, to store a part or an entirety of the supplied electric power, and, when no electric power is supplied from the electric supply plate to the electric vehicle, to supply the stored electric power to the motor.

4. An electric supply arrangement for supplying electric power to the electric vehicle as defined in claim 1, comprising:

a first electric supply plate disposed on one side of the road surface;

a second electric supply plate disposed on the other side of the road surface;

an insulation section disposed between the first electric supply plate and the second electric supply plate to electrically insulate therebetween; and

a power source adapted to apply a voltage between the first electric supply plate and the second electric supply plate.