Non-contact charging system

• US 9,333,870 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Shuta, Kume, Yasuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Diao, M'Baye
• Application Number:
  US14/321,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20150035482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109, 320/108, 307/9.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• 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 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• 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 non-contact charging system includes a charging device and a mobile object. The charging device includes a transmitter. The transmitter is provided at a predetermined position in a charging area and has a power transmission surface to transmit electric power using a magnetic field. The mobile object includes a receiver. The receiver is provided in the mobile object and has a power reception surface to receive the electric power from the charging device through the transmitter. The power transmission surface faces the power reception surface when the mobile object enters the charging area. At least one of the power transmission surface and the power reception surface is tilted relative to ground in the charging area in a longitudinal direction of the mobile object.

Claims

1. A non-contact charging system comprising:

a charging device including a transmitter that transmits electric power using a magnetic field; and

a mobile object including a receiver that receives the electric power from the charging device through the transmitter, wherein

the transmitter is fixed at a predetermined position in a charging area,

the receiver is fixed in the mobile object,

when the mobile object enters the charging area, a power transmission surface of the transmitter faces a power reception surface of the receiver, and

at least one of the power transmission surface and the power reception surface is tilted relative to ground in the charging area in a longitudinal direction of the mobile object.

2. The non-contact charging system of claim 1, wherein

the power transmission surface and the power reception surface are tilted such that a difference in tilt angle between the power transmission surface and the power reception surface in the longitudinal direction falls within a predetermined range when the mobile object is located within the charging area.

3. The non-contact charging system of claim 2, wherein

the predetermined range is a range in which a transmission efficiency of the electric power does not decrease or a range in which an intensity of a leakage magnetic field does not increase.

4. The non-contact charging system of claim 3, wherein

the power transmission surface is in parallel with the power reception surface while the mobile object is located within the charging area.

5. The non-contact charging system of claim 1, wherein

the receiver is located at an end in the longitudinal direction of the mobile object, and

the power reception surface is upwardly inclined toward an outside in the longitudinal direction in a side view of the mobile object.

6. The non-contact charging system of claim 1, wherein

the mobile object further includes at least one high-voltage component,

the receiver and the high-voltage component are located close to each other or in contact with each other along the longitudinal direction, and

the power reception surface is tilted relative to a direction normal to a surface of the high-voltage component facing the receiver.

7. A non-contact charging system comprising:

a charging device comprising;

a transmitter provided at a predetermined position in a charging area and having a power transmission surface to transmit electric power using a magnetic field; and

a mobile object comprising;

a receiver provided in the mobile object and having a power reception surface to receive the electric power from the charging device through the transmitter, the power transmission surface facing the power reception surface when the mobile object enters the charging area, at least one of the power transmission surface and the power reception surface being tilted relative to ground in the charging area in a longitudinal direction of the mobile object.

8. The non-contact charging system according to claim 7, wherein the transmitter is fixed at the predetermined position in the charging area and wherein the receiver is fixed in the mobile object.

9. The non-contact charging system according to claim 7, wherein

the power transmission surface and the power reception surface are tilted such that a difference in tilt angle between the power transmission surface and the power reception surface in the longitudinal direction falls within a predetermined range when the mobile object is located within the charging area.

10. The non-contact charging system according to claim 9, wherein

the predetermined range is a range in which a transmission efficiency of the electric power does not decrease or a range in which an intensity of a leakage magnetic field does not increase.

11. The non-contact charging system according to claim 10, wherein

the power transmission surface is in parallel with the power reception surface while the mobile object is located within the charging area.

12. The non-contact charging system according to claim 7, wherein

the receiver is located at an end of the mobile object in the longitudinal direction, and

the power reception surface is upwardly inclined toward an outside of the mobile object in the longitudinal direction in a side view of the mobile object.

13. The non-contact charging system according to claim 7, wherein

the mobile object further comprises at least one high-voltage component,

the receiver and the high-voltage component are located close to each other or in contact with each other along the longitudinal direction, and

the power reception surface is tilted relative to a direction normal to a surface of the high-voltage component facing the receiver.

14. The non-contact charging system according to claim 7, wherein

the charging device further comprises a controller, and

the controller controls the transmitter to transmit electric power to the mobile object using the magnetic field when the controller accepts a request signal from the mobile object.

15. The non-contact charging system according to claim 7, wherein

the transmitter is partially embedded in the ground of the charging area.