Non-contact electric power transmission apparatus

• US 6,489,874 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2001
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Mikihiro, Katsura, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuyen T.
• Application Number:
  US09/911,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20020057161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 336/130-135, 336/212, 336/115-128, 336/83, 310/114, 310/112, 310/184, 310/115, 310/116
• US Class Current: 336/130
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10

Abstract

A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus including a primary unit and a secondary unit. The primary unit includes a primary core and a power primary winding. A signal secondary winding is wound around the primary core and provided to be apart from the power primary winding to form a primary gap between the power primary winding and the signal secondary winding. The secondary unit includes a secondary core and a power secondary winding. A signal primary winding is wound around the secondary core and provided to be apart from the power secondary winding to form a secondary gap between the power secondary winding and the signal primary winding.

Claims

1. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus comprising:

a primary unit comprising;

a primary core having a first facing surface and a first winding axis substantially parallel to the first facing surface;

at least one power primary winding wound around the first winding axis of the primary core; and

at least one signal secondary winding wound around the first winding axis of the primary core and provided to be apart from the at least one power primary winding to form a primary gap between the at least one power primary winding and the at least one signal secondary winding; and

a secondary unit comprising;

a secondary core having a second facing surface and a second winding axis substantially parallel to the second facing surface;

at least one power secondary winding wound around the second winding axis of the secondary core;

at least one signal primary winding wound around the second winding axis of the secondary core and provided to be apart from the at least one power secondary winding to form a secondary gap between the at least one power secondary winding and the at least one signal primary winding; and

the secondary unit being configured to be placed with respect to the primary unit such that the second facing surface faces the first facing surface and such that said at least one power secondary winding and said at least one signal primary winding are electromagnetically connected to said at least one power primary winding and said at least one signal secondary winding, respectively.

2. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the primary gap has a first width between the at least one power primary winding and the at least one signal secondary winding;

the secondary gap has a second width between the at least one power secondary winding and the at least one signal primary winding; and

the first and second widths are formed such that a most effectively transmitted frequency of a signal which is configured to be transmitted from the at least one signal primary winding to the at least one signal secondary winding is higher than a frequency of electric power configured to be transmitted from the at least one power primary winding to the at least one power secondary winding.

3. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a detecting coil wound around the first winding axis of the primary core or the second winding axis of the secondary core and configured to detect that the at least one power secondary winding is positioned to face the at least one power primary winding along an entire length of the power secondary winding in a direction of the second winding axis.

4. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the detecting coil is wound around the first winding axis of the primary core and provided adjacent to the at least one signal secondary winding to be apart from the at least one power primary winding to form the primary gap between the at least one power primary winding and the at least one detecting coil.

5. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one power primary winding comprises first and second power primary windings each having a same winding number and a same length along the first winding axis of the primary core, the at least one signal secondary winding is provided between the first and second power primary windings to form first and second primary gaps between the first power primary winding and the at least one signal secondary winding and between the second power primary winding and the at least one signal secondary winding, respectively, and

the at least one secondary primary winding comprises a first and second power secondary windings each having a same winding number and a same length along the second winding axis of the secondary core, the at least one signal primary winding is provided between the first and second power secondary windings to form first and second secondary gaps between the first power secondary winding and the at least one signal primary winding and between the second power secondary winding and the at least one signal primary winding, respectively.

6. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one signal secondary winding includes first and second signal secondary windings, the first signal secondary winding being provided on one side of the at least one power primary winding to form a first primary gap between the first signal secondary winding and the at least one power primary winding, the second signal secondary winding being provided on another side of the at least one power primary winding to form a second primary gap between the second signal secondary winding and the at least one power primary winding.

7. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first and second primary gaps are formed to have widths such that most effectively transmitted frequencies of signals configured to be transmitted from the signal primary winding to the first and second signal secondary windings are different.

8. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first and second signal secondary windings are formed to have different winding numbers such that most effectively transmitted frequencies of signals which are configured to be transmitted from the at least one signal primary winding to the first and second signal secondary windings are different.

9. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first and second signal secondary windings are formed by winding wires having different diameters, respectively, such that most effectively transmitted frequencies of signals which are configured to be transmitted from the at least one signal primary winding to the first and second signal secondary windings are different.

10. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

at least one signal primary winding includes first and second signal primary windings, the first signal primary winding being provided on one side of the at least one power secondary winding to form a first secondary gap between the first signal primary winding and the at least one power secondary winding, the second signal primary winding being provided on another side of the at least one power secondary winding to form a second secondary gap between the second signal primary winding and the at least one power secondary winding.

11. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first and second secondary gaps are formed to have widths such that most effectively transmitted frequencies of signals which are configured to be transmitted from the first and second signal primary winding to the at least one signal secondary windings are different.

12. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first and second signal primary windings are formed to have different winding numbers such that most effectively transmitted frequencies of signals which are configured to be transmitted from the first and second signal primary winding to the at least one signal secondary windings are different.

13. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first and second signal primary windings are formed by winding wires having different diameters, respectively, such that most effectively transmitted frequencies of signals which are configured to be transmitted from the first and second signal primary windings to the signal secondary windings are different.

14. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the at least one signal primary winding includes first and second signal primary windings, the first signal primary winding being provided on one side of the at least one power secondary winding to form a first secondary gap between the first signal primary winding and the at least one power secondary winding, the second signal primary winding being provided on another side of the at least one power secondary winding to form a second secondary gap between the second signal primary winding and the at least one power secondary winding, and

the first and second signal secondary windings are formed to have different winding numbers and the first and second signal primary windings are formed to have different winding numbers such that most effectively transmitted frequencies of signals which are configured to be transmitted from the at least one signal primary winding to the first and second signal secondary windings are different.

15. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

at least one signal primary winding includes first and second signal primary windings, the first signal primary winding being provided on one side of the at least one power secondary winding to form a first secondary gap between the first signal primary winding and the at least one power secondary winding, the second signal primary winding being provided on another side of the at least one power secondary winding to form a second secondary gap between the second signal primary winding and the at least one power secondary winding, and

the first and second signal secondary windings are formed by winding wires having different diameters, respectively, and the first and second signal primary windings are formed by winding wires having different diameters, respectively, such that most effectively transmitted frequencies of signals which are configured to be transmitted from the at least one signal primary winding to the first and second signal secondary windings are different.

16. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the primary and secondary gaps are filled with non-magnetic material.

17. A non-contact electric power transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the primary and secondary gaps are filled with air.

18. An electric appliance comprising:

a primary unit comprising;

a primary core having a first facing surface and a first winding axis substantially parallel to the first facing surface;

at least one power primary winding wound around the first winding axis of the primary core; and

at least one signal secondary winding wound around the first winding axis of the primary core and provided to be apart from the at least one power primary winding to form a primary gap between the at least one power primary winding and the at least one signal secondary winding; and

a secondary unit comprising;

a secondary core having a second facing surface and a second winding axis substantially parallel to the second facing surface;

at least one power secondary winding wound around the second winding axis of the secondary core;

at least one signal primary winding wound around the second winding axis of the secondary core and provided to be apart from the at least one power secondary winding to form a secondary gap between the at least one power secondary winding and the at least one signal primary winding; and

the secondary unit being configured to be placed with respect to the primary unit such that the second facing surface faces the first facing surface and such that said at least one power secondary winding and said at least one signal primary winding are electromagnetically connected to said at least one power primary winding and said at least one signal secondary winding, respectively.