Assembly for supplying a consumer with electric power

• US 8,174,152 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Auckland UniServices Limited (Auckland University), Lantal Textiles
• Original Assignee: Auckland UniServices Limited (Auckland University), Lantal Textiles
• Inventors: Baumann, Urs, Boys, John Talbot, Covic, Grant Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARRIES, DRU M
• Application Number:
  US12/084,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20090289505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,020 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 27/02 Carpets; Stair runners; Bedside rugs; Foot mats mat-like foot scrapers A47L23/22 ; doormats A47L23/26
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• 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 53/126 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 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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

An arrangement for supplying a load with electrical energy from a power source comprises a textile, woven floor covering (101) with longitudinally running warp threads and transversely running weft threads, three or more current conductors (106) that are spaced apart and substantially parallel to one another being woven in either as warp threads or as weft threads, the current conductors replacing part of a filling warp, a binding warp or the weft threads during the weaving operation. The arrangement also comprises a feed for the connection of the current conductors (106) to the power source and a coupling device (130) for picking up electrical energy from the current conductors (106) in the floor covering (101) and transporting it further to the load when the coupling device (130) is brought into a power pick-up area of the floor covering (101). The coupling device (130) is formed in particular in such a way that electrical energy can be inductively picked up from the current conductors (106) running in the floor covering. The supply arrangement allows a high degree of flexibility and can be integrated well in rooms.

Claims

1. Arrangement for supplying a load with electrical energy from a power source, comprising

a) a textile, woven floor covering with longitudinally running warp threads and transversely running weft threads, three or more current conductors that are spaced apart and substantially parallel to one another being woven in either as warp threads or as weft threads;

b) a feed for the connection of the current conductors to the power source; and

c) a coupling device for picking up electrical energy from the current conductors in the floor covering and transporting it further to the load when the coupling device is brought into a power pick-up area of the floor covering.

2. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the coupling device is formed in such a way that electrical energy can be inductively picked up from the current conductors.

3. Arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the three or more current conductors form a first group, via which electrical energy is transmitted in a first direction, and a second group, via which electrical energy is transmitted in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, each group producing a magnetic field which determines the power pick-up area of the floor covering.

4. Arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the first group and the second group respectively comprise two or more current conductors.

5. Arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the feed is formed in such a way that, on connection of the current conductors to the power source, an extensive magnetic field distribution is created in the area of the connected current conductors, so that in this area an electrical power output that is required as a minimum for the load can be picked up substantially everywhere, independently of the position of the coupling device.

6. Arrangement according to claim 4, wherein in each case a number of current conductors of a group are electrically connected in parallel.

7. Arrangement according to claim 6, wherein current conductors of neighbouring groups are connected individually to one another, and in that a sequence of the current conductors is changed over between the neighbouring groups in such a way that a distance from at least one of the current conductors to a nearest outermost current conductor of the respective group varies between a first of the neighbouring groups and a second of the neighbouring groups.

8. Arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the three or more current conductors form a first group, via which electrical energy is transmitted in a first direction, and a second group, via which electrical energy is transmitted in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, neighbouring current conductors respectively belonging alternately to the first group and the second group.

9. Arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the feed is formed in such a way that, on connection of the current conductors to the power source, a magnetic field distribution with at least one localized maximum is created in the area of the connected current conductors, while the magnetic field is small in the remaining regions of this area.

10. Arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the floor covering is provided with an element made of ferromagnetic material at the at least one localized maximum of the magnetic field distribution.

11. Arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the element made of ferromagnetic material is woven in between the current conductors and extends in the transverse direction over a number of neighbouring current conductors.

12. Arrangement according to claim 11, wherein a number of spaced-apart elements made of ferromagnetic material are arranged and in that a number of localized maxima are created.

13. Arrangement according to claim 10, wherein at least one current conductor forms at least one loop or winding around the ferromagnetic element.

14. Arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the coupling device comprises at least one winding for the inductive coupling with the current conductors.

15. Arrangement according to claim 14, wherein a number of spatially distributed windings, which can be connected together as required, are provided.

16. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the coupling device comprises contact clamps, in order to pick up electrical energy from the current conductors.

17. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the feed comprises flat contacts arranged at an edge of the floor covering for contacting the current conductors in a conducting manner.

18. Lighting element for an arrangement according to claim 17, comprising

a) a coupling device for picking up electrical energy from the current conductors in the floor covering when the coupling device is brought into a power pick-up area of the floor covering;

b) an electronic transducer unit, electrically connected to the coupling device, for producing a useful current from the electrical energy picked up;

c) a light source, electrically connected to the transducer unit.

19. Textile, woven carpet, in particular for an arrangement according to claim 1, with longitudinally running warp threads and transversely running weft threads, wherein three or more current conductors that are spaced apart and substantially parallel to one another are woven in either as warp threads or as weft threads the current conductors replacing part of a filling warp, a binding warp or the weft threads during the weaving operation.

20. Floor covering according to claim 19, wherein the warp threads comprise filling warps, binding warps and pile warps, the current conductors being woven in as filling warps.

21. Floor covering according to claim 19, wherein each current conductor has a sheathing insulating layer.

22. Floor covering according to claim 19, wherein the current conductors are formed as metal stranded conductors.

23. Floor covering according to claim 19, wherein the spacing between two neighbouring current conductors is 0.5-2 cm.