Noncontact power feed system, noncontact relay apparatus, noncontract power reception apparatus, and noncontact power feed method

• US 8,552,594 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Wada, Hirotsugu, Fujimaki, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): AMAYA, CARLOS DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/820,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20110018359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 307/104
• 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: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/50 using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• 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 noncontact power feed system includes: a noncontact power feed apparatus including a power feed resonance device to supply alternate-current power to an electronic apparatus by resonance in a noncontact manner, and an alternate-current power source section to generate the alternate-current power and supply it to the power feed resonance device; a noncontact relay apparatus including a relay resonance device to receive the alternate-current power and relay it to another electronic apparatus by resonance in a noncontact manner, a relay-side rectifier circuit to form direct-current power for output, and a movement means for moving the noncontact relay apparatus by the direct-current power; and at least one noncontact power reception apparatus including a power reception resonance device to receive the alternate-current power by magnetic field resonance in a noncontact manner, a power-reception-side rectifier circuit to form direct-current power for output, and a load means driven by the direct-current power.

Claims

1. A noncontact power feed system, comprising:

a noncontact power feed apparatus including

a power feed resonance device to supply alternate-current power to an electronic apparatus by resonance in a noncontact manner, and

an alternate-current power source section to generate the alternate-current power having a frequency corresponding to a resonant frequency of the power feed resonance device and supply the alternate-current power to the power feed resonance device;

a noncontact relay apparatus including

a relay resonance device to receive supply of the alternate-current power from the power feed resonance device of the noncontact power feed apparatus by resonance in a noncontact manner and relay the alternate-current power to another electronic apparatus by resonance in a noncontact manner,

a relay-side rectifier circuit to form direct-current power based on the alternate-current power supplied from the relay resonance device and output the direct-current power, and

a movement means for moving the noncontact relay apparatus by being driven by the direct-current power from the relay-side rectifier circuit; and

at least one noncontact power reception apparatus including

a power reception resonance device to receive supply of the alternate-current power from the relay resonance device of the noncontact relay apparatus by magnetic field resonance in a noncontact manner,

a power-reception-side rectifier circuit to form direct-current power based on the alternate-current power supplied from the power reception resonance device and output the direct-current power, and

a load means driven by the direct-current power from the power-reception-side rectifier circuit.

2. The noncontact power feed system according to claim 1, wherein the noncontact power feed apparatus includes a power-feed-side coupling device that is provided between the alternate-current power source section and the power feed resonance device, and receives the supply of the alternate-current power from the alternate-current power source section and supplies the alternate-current power to the power feed resonance device by electromagnetic induction,

wherein the noncontact relay apparatus includes a relay-side coupling device that is provided between the relay resonance device and the relay-side rectifier circuit, and receives the supply of the alternate-current power from the relay resonance device by the electromagnetic induction and supplies the alternate-current power to the relay-side rectifier circuit, and

wherein the at least one noncontact power reception apparatus includes a power-reception-side coupling device that is provided between the power reception resonance device and the power-reception-side rectifier circuit, and receives the supply of the alternate- current power from the power reception resonance device by the electromagnetic induction and supplies the alternate-current power to the power-reception-side rectifier circuit.

3. The noncontact power feed system according to claim 1, wherein the noncontact power feed apparatus includes a transmission means for transmitting information,

wherein the noncontact relay apparatus includes a reception and transmission means for receiving the information from the noncontact power feed apparatus and transmitting the information to the at least one noncontact power reception apparatus,

wherein the load means of the at least one noncontact power reception apparatus is a display means, and

wherein the at least one noncontact power reception apparatus includes

a reception means for receiving information, and

a display control means for displaying the information received by the reception means on the display means.

4. The noncontact power feed system according to claim 1, wherein the noncontact relay apparatus includes

an acceptance means for accepting an input of information, and

a transmission means for transmitting the information accepted via the acceptance means,

wherein the load means of the at least one noncontact power reception apparatus is a display means, and

wherein the at least one noncontact power reception apparatus includes

a reception means for receiving information, and

a display control means for displaying the information received by the reception means on the display means.

15. The noncontact power feed system of claim 1, wherein the noncontact relay apparatus is an automobile which is driven by the direct-current power supplied to a motor and is in motion, along a predetermined guide, with respect to the stationary power feed resonance device and the power reception resonance device.

5. A noncontact relay apparatus, comprising:

a relay resonance device to receive supply of alternate-current power from a power feed resonance device of a noncontact power feed apparatus by resonance in a noncontact manner and relay the alternate-current power to another electronic apparatus by resonance in a noncontact manner;

a relay-side rectifier circuit to form direct-current power based on the alternate-current power supplied from the relay resonance device and output the direct-current power; and

a moving means for moving the noncontact relay apparatus by being driven by the direct-current power from the relay-side rectifier circuit.

6. The noncontact relay apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising

a relay-side coupling device that is provided between the relay resonance device and the relay-side rectifier circuit, and receives the supply of the alternate-current power from the relay resonance device by electromagnetic induction and supplies the alternate-current power to the relay-side rectifier circuit.

7. The noncontact relay apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising

a reception and transmission means for receiving information from the noncontact power feed apparatus and transmitting the information to a noncontact power reception apparatus.

8. The noncontact relay apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

an acceptance means for accepting an input of information; and

a transmission means for transmitting the information accepted via the acceptance means.

9. A noncontact power reception apparatus, comprising:

a power reception resonance device to receive supply of alternate-current power from a relay resonance device of a noncontact power reception/relay apparatus having a movable structure driven by alternating current supplied by magnetic field resonance in a noncontact manner;

a power-reception-side rectifier circuit to form direct-current power based on the alternate-current power supplied from the power reception resonance device and output the direct-current power; and

a load means driven by the direct-current power from the power-reception-side rectifier circuit.

10. The noncontact power reception apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising

a power-reception-side coupling device that is provided between the power reception resonance device and the power-reception-side rectifier circuit, and receives supply of the alternate-current power from the power reception resonance device by electromagnetic induction and supplies the alternate-current power to the power-reception-side rectifier circuit.

11. The noncontact power reception apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the load means is a display means,

the noncontact power reception apparatus further comprising:

a reception means for receiving information; and

a display control means for displaying the information received by the reception means on the display means.

12. A noncontact power feed method in a noncontact power feed system, comprising:

transmitting, by a first apparatus, alternate-current power via a first resonance coil in a resonance system;

receiving, by a second apparatus, the alternate-current power transmitted from the first apparatus via a second resonance coil resonating at a frequency that is one of the same and substantially the same as a frequency of the first resonance coil of the first apparatus;

relaying and transmitting, by the second resonance coil of the second apparatus, the alternate-current power received from the first apparatus;

moving, the second apparatus by using the alternate-current power received from the first apparatus;

receiving, by a third apparatus, the alternate-current power transmitted from the second apparatus via a third resonance coil resonating at a frequency that is one of the same and substantially the same as the frequency of the second resonance coil of the second apparatus when the second apparatus comes close to the third apparatus; and

driving, by the third apparatus, a predetermined load circuit by using the alternate-current power received from the second apparatus.

13. A noncontact power feed method in a noncontact relay apparatus, comprising:

receiving alternate-current power transmitted from a noncontact power feed apparatus via a reception and transmission resonance coil resonating in a non-contact manner at a frequency that is one of the same and substantially the same as a frequency of a transmission resonance coil of the noncontact power feed apparatus;

relaying and transmitting the alternate-current power received from the noncontact power feed apparatus via the reception and transmission resonance coil; and

moving the noncontact relay apparatus by using the alternate-current power received from the noncontact power feed apparatus.

14. A noncontact power feed method in a noncontact power reception apparatus, comprising:

receiving alternate-current power transmitted from a noncontact power relay apparatus via a reception resonance coil resonating in a non-contact manner at a frequency that is one of the same and substantially the same as a frequency of a reception and transmission resonance coil of the noncontact power relay apparatus when the noncontact power relay apparatus having a movable structure driven by an alternating current comes close to the noncontact power reception apparatus; and

driving a predetermined load circuit by using the alternate-current power received from the noncontact power reception/relay apparatus.