Vehicle electric power supply system

• US 9,260,029 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2015
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IHI Corporation
• Original Assignee: IHI Corporation
• Inventors: Niizuma, Motonao
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jason C
• Application Number:
  US14/684,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20150210178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 312 Days
• Field of Search: 191/10, 191/11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• 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 53/32 by charging in short intervals along the itinerary, e.g. during short stops
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 7/003 for vehicles using stored power (e.g. charging stations)
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• 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

The present invention is vehicle electric power supply system (A) that supplies electric power wirelessly to a vehicle (M) that is positioned within an electric power supply area (X). The vehicle electric power supply system (A) has: a power-receiving device (m1) that is provided in the vehicle; a plurality of power-transmitting devices (1a1, 1a2, 1a3, 1b1, 1b2, 1b3, 1c1, 1c2, 1c3) that are provided at mutually different positions within the electric power supply area; a position detecting device (4) that detects the position of the power-receiving device within the electric power supply area; and a control device (4) that, based on detection results from the position detecting device, selects from among the plurality of power-transmitting devices the power-transmitting device that is located in a position that corresponds to the power-receiving device, and then causes power to be supplied wirelessly from the selected power-transmitting device.

Claims

1. A vehicle electric power supply system that supplies electric power wirelessly to a vehicle that is positioned within an electric power supply area, the system comprising:

a power-receiving device that is provided in the vehicle;

a plurality of power-transmitting devices that are provided at mutually different positions within the electric power supply area;

a position detecting device that detects the position of the power-receiving device within the electric power supply area; and

a control device that, based on detection results from the position detecting device, selects from among the plurality of power-transmitting devices the power-transmitting device that is located in a position that corresponds to the power-receiving device, and then causes power to be supplied wirelessly from the selected power-transmitting device,

wherein, when the position detecting device has detected the positions of a plurality of the power-receiving devices within the electric power supply area, then the control device selects, based on the detection results from the position detecting device, from among the plurality of power-transmitting devices, the respective power-transmitting devices that are placed in positions that correspond to each one of the plurality of power-receiving devices, and causes power to be supplied wirelessly from the selected power-transmitting devices.

2. The vehicle electric power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the control device selects, based on the detection results from the position detecting device, from among the plurality of power-transmitting devices, the respective power-transmitting devices that are located in the closest positions to each one of the plurality of power-receiving devices, and then causes power to be supplied wirelessly from the selected power-transmitting devices.

3. The vehicle electric power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the power-transmitting devices are provided with power-transmitting coils, and the power-receiving device are provided with power-receiving coils, and

the power-transmitting devices transmit power wirelessly by causing their power-transmitting coils to be electromagnetically coupled with the power-receiving coils.

4. The vehicle electric power supply system according to claim 2, wherein the power-transmitting devices are provided with power-transmitting coils, and the power-receiving devices are provided with power-receiving coils, and

the power-transmitting devices transmit power wirelessly by causing their power-transmitting coils to be electromagnetically coupled with the power-receiving coils.

5. The vehicle electric power supply system according to claim 3, wherein the power-transmitting coils and the power-receiving coils are used as the position detecting device.

6. The vehicle electric power supply system according to claim 4, wherein the power-transmitting coils and the power-receiving coils are used as the position detecting device.