Electric vehicle

• US 8,517,126 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Atarashi, Hirofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): WALTERS, JOHN DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US13/581,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20120318586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 180/165, 180/2.1, 180/65.1, 180/65.22, 180/65.31, 307/104, 320/104, 320/108, 320/109
• US Class Current: 180/2.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/02 with liquid cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/04 Arrangement or mounting of radiators, radiator shutters, or radiator blinds B60K11/085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/006 the electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0438 Arrangement under the floor
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/12 Buck converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0061 relating to electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/005 without mechanical contact between the collector and the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• 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 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 7/003 for vehicles using stored power (e.g. charging stations)
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/61 Arrangements of controllers for electric machines, e.g. inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/502 the energy repeater being integrated together with the emitter or the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 : involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Disclosed is an electric vehicle which receives power from a road surface by means of a wireless connection, in which an optimal configuration of a repeater (which is a resonator) and a receiving coil relative to the vehicle body is clarified. A first coil configuring the repeater forms a first wireless connection with a receiver coil, and a second coil forms a second wireless connection with a transmitting coil. The first coil is proximally arranged below the receiving coil and is aligned with the receiving coil, which is on the top side of a vehicle underbody panel; the second coil is arranged on the bottom side of the vehicle underbody panel. A performance indicator k*Q of the path from the transmitting coil below the road surface to the receiving coil of the electric vehicle is increased.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle propelled by drive power from an electric motor, which is energized by electric power from an electric storage device, comprising:

an electric receiving coil disposed above a vehicle underfloor panel, for supplying electric power to the electric storage device; and

a relay for transmitting electric power from an electric transmitting coil disposed underneath a road surface to the electric receiving coil through at least one of an electromagnetic induction wireless coupling and a resonant wireless coupling, wherein;

the relay comprises a first coil, a second coil, and a capacitor that jointly constitute a resonant circuit;

the first coil and the electric receiving coil jointly constitute a first wireless coupling;

the second coil and the electric transmitting coil jointly constitute a second wireless coupling;

the first coil is disposed above the vehicle underfloor panel and beneath the electric receiving coil in close proximity thereto, in order to make a coupling strength k of the first wireless coupling greater than a coupling strength k of the second wireless coupling; and

the second coil is disposed beneath the vehicle underfloor panel, and an index Q of the second wireless coupling concerning energy retained thereby is greater than an index Q of the first wireless coupling concerning energy retained thereby.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electric receiving coil and the first coil are aligned coaxially with each other.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the capacitor of the relay is disposed above the vehicle underfloor panel above which the first coil is disposed.

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the capacitor of the relay is disposed above the vehicle underfloor panel above which the first coil is disposed.