FOREIGN-MATTER-REMOVING DEVICE, GROUND EQUIPMENT FOR WIRELESS POWER-SUPPLYING SYSTEM, AND WIRELESS POWER-SUPPLYING SYSTEM

• US 20170043672A1
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IHI Corporation
• Original Assignee: IHI Corporation
• Inventors: Araki, Jun, Niizuma, Motonao, Tokura, Susumu
• Granted Patent: US 9,902,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/147 electro magnetic [EMI]
• 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: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/302 Cooling of charging equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 7/003 for vehicles using stored power (e.g. charging stations)
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/482 combined with the operation of windscreen wipers
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/52 Arrangement of nozzles; Liquid spreading meansnozzles per se B05B
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/56 specially adapted for cleaning other parts or devices than front windows or windscreens rear-view mirror arrangements mounted on vehicle exterior including cleaning devices B60R1/0602
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• 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

A foreign-matter-removing device for a coil device includes a liquid-jetting unit that washes away a foreign matter, which is present in an area through which a magnetic field generated in wireless supply of power using magnetic coupling of a receiving-side pad and a transmitting-side pad passes, by a jet of liquid.

Claims

1. A foreign-matter-removing device, comprising:

a liquid-jetting unit that washes a foreign matter away with a jet of liquid in an area through which a magnetic field generated in wireless supply of power using magnetic coupling of coil devices passes.

2. A foreign-matter-removing device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid-jetting unit jets the liquid when the magnetic field is generated.

3. A foreign-matter-removing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a liquid-collecting unit that collects the liquid jetted from the liquid-jetting unit; and

a liquid supply unit that supplies the liquid collected by the liquid-collecting unit to the liquid-jetting unit.

4. A foreign-matter-removing device according to any one of claim 1, further comprising:

a position-specifying unit that specifies a position of the foreign matter; and

a jet angle-adjusting unit that adjusts a jet angle of the liquid on the basis of the specification result of the position-specifying unit.

5. A foreign-matter-removing device according to any one of claim 1, wherein a groove is formed in an area of the coil device with which the foreign matter is able to come into contact, and

the liquid-jetting unit jets the liquid along the groove.

6. A ground equipment for a wireless power-supplying system including a coil device, comprising:

the foreign-matter-removing device according to any one of claim 1.

7. The ground equipment for a wireless power-supplying system according to claim 6, wherein the coil device includes an inclined portion inclined in a gravitational direction in an area with which the foreign matter is able to come into contact.

8. A wireless power-supplying system, comprising:

a ground equipment that includes a coil device; and

a movable body that includes a coil device which is able to face the coil device,

wherein at least one of the ground equipment and the movable body includes the foreign-matter-removing device according to any one of claim 1.

9. The wireless power-supplying system according to claim 8, wherein the coil device of at least one of the ground equipment and the movable body includes an inclined portion inclined in a gravitational direction in an area with which the foreign matter is able to come into contact.

10. The wireless power-supplying system according to claim 8, further comprising a control unit that stops the jet of liquid from the foreign-matter-removing device on the basis of a distance between the movable body and the coil device of the ground equipment.

11. A foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system that supplies power from a power-transmitting coil to a power-receiving coil in a wireless manner, the foreign-matter-removing device comprising:

an electroconductive rod-shaped wiper member that is movable along a top surface of a transmitting-side pad containing the power-transmitting coil;

a guide device that guides the wiper member along the top surface;

a ring-shaped coil that is disposed in the transmitting-side pad and generates a single-phase alternating current from an alternating magnetic field of the power-transmitting coil; and

a current supply control device that directly supplies the single-phase alternating current generated in the ring-shaped coil to the wiper member to cause the wiper member to move along the top surface.

12. The foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system according to claim 11, wherein the top surface of the transmitting-side pad is horizontal,

the wiper member extends horizontally over the top surface of the transmitting-side pad and is horizontally movable forward and backward perpendicularly to an axis thereof, and

the guide device includes a linear driving guide that supports both ends of the wiper member and that guides forward and backward movement of both of the ends and a current supply terminal that is disposed at both of the ends and that supplies the single-phase alternating current in an axis direction of the wiper member.

13. The foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system according to claim 12, wherein the current supply control device supplies the single-phase alternating current, which is an alternating current and is synchronized with the transmitting-side pad, to the wiper member and switches the single-phase alternating current between an in-phase and a reversed phase.

14. The foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system according to claim 12, wherein the top surface of the transmitting-side pad has a truncated cone shape having a high center,

the wiper member extends outward along a ridge of the truncated cone shape from the center of the transmitting-side pad and is horizontally rotatable about the center, and

the guide device includes a rotation guide that guides the center of the wiper member to be horizontally rotatable and a current supply terminal that supplies the single-phase alternating current in the axis direction from both ends of the wiper member.

15. The foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system according to claim 12, wherein the top surface of the transmitting-side pad is horizontal,

the wiper member extends outward in a spiral shape along a ridge of the truncated cone shape from the center of the transmitting-side pad and is horizontally rotatable about the center, and

the guide device includes a rotation guide that guides the center of the wiper member to be horizontally rotatable and a current supply terminal that supplies the single-phase alternating current in the axis direction from both ends of the wiper member.

16. The foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system according to claim 12, further comprising a foreign matter detector that detects a foreign matter located on the top surface of the transmitting-side pad,

wherein the current supply control device supplies the single-phase alternating current to the wiper member when the foreign matter is detected by the foreign matter detector.

17. The foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system according to claim 16, wherein the foreign matter detector detects a variation in voltage or impedance of the power-transmitting coil, a variation in a magnetic field in the transmitting-side pad, or a variation in temperature due to emission of heat from the foreign matter.

18. A foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system that supplies power from a power-transmitting coil to a power-receiving coil in a wireless manner, the foreign-matter-removing device comprising:

a flexible sheet that is movable along a top surface of a transmitting-side pad containing the power-transmitting coil;

a ring-shaped coil that is disposed in the transmitting-side pad and generates a single-phase alternating current from an alternating magnetic field of the power-transmitting coil;

a sheet-moving device that is driven by a single-phase alternating current and moves the sheet along the top surface of the transmitting-side pad; and

a current supply control device that supplies the single-phase alternating current generated in the ring-shaped coil to the sheet-moving device and controls the sheet-moving device.

19. The foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system according to claim 18, further comprising a foreign matter detector that detects a foreign matter located on the top surface of the transmitting-side pad,

wherein the current supply control device causes the sheet-moving device to operate when the foreign matter is detected by the foreign matter detector.

20. The foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system according to claim 19, wherein the foreign matter detector detects a variation in voltage or impedance of the power-transmitting coil, a variation in a magnetic field in the transmitting-side pad, or a variation in temperature due to emission of heat from the foreign matter.

21. The foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system according to claim 18, wherein the sheet-moving device includes:

a forward winding roll that is located outside one end of the transmitting-side pad and winds the sheet in a forward winding direction;

a reverse winding roll that is located outside the other end of the transmitting-side pad and winds the sheet in a reverse winding direction; and

a forward winding motor that rotationally drives the forward winding roll in the forward winding direction with the single-phase alternating current.

22. The foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system according to claim 21, further comprising a reverse winding motor that rotationally drives the reverse winding roll in the reverse winding direction with the single-phase alternating current,

wherein the current supply control device alternately rotationally drives the forward winding motor and the reverse winding motor.

23. The foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system according to claim 18, wherein the sheet-moving device includes:

a downstream roll that is located outside one end of the transmitting-side pad;

an upstream roll that is located outside the other end of the transmitting-side pad; and

a driving motor that rotationally drives the downstream roll or the upstream roll with the single-phase alternating current, and

the sheet is spanned between the downstream roll and the upstream roll in an endless manner.

24. The foreign-matter-removing device for a wireless power-supplying system according to claim 18, wherein the sheet has an adhesive matter, concave-convex portions, corrugated grooves, or hooks on a surface thereof such that the foreign matter hardly slides.