Charging apparatus for electric vehicle

• US 9,566,870 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2012
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Inventors: Amma, Kenichi, Yamazaki, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): GRANT, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US13/876,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20130175987A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,861 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109
• 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 53/302 Cooling of charging equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A charging apparatus for an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle is parked on a power transmission unit provided on the ground, a power receiving unit provided on a lower surface of a vehicle body of the electric vehicle is aligned with the power transmission unit, and the power receiving unit receives electric power energy aerially fed from the power transmission unit to charge a battery mounted on the electric vehicle in a non-contact manner, and the charging apparatus includes a shielding unit for shielding an operation surface of the power receiving unit from outside without hindering power transmission and receiving action. A rolling screen is preferable as the shielding unit.

Claims

1. A charging apparatus for an electric vehicle in which the electric vehicle is parked on a power transmission unit provided on the ground, a power receiving unit provided on a lower surface of a vehicle body of the electric vehicle is aligned with the power transmission unit, and the power receiving unit receives electric power energy aerially fed from the power transmission unit to charge a battery mounted on the electric vehicle in a non-contact manner, the charging apparatus comprising:

a shielding unit for shielding an operation surface of at least one of the power receiving unit and the power transmission unit from outside without hindering power transmission and receiving action,

wherein the shielding unit is a rolling screen provided to cover the operation surface,

wherein the rolling screen is made of a material that does not hinder power transmission and receiving action, and always covers the operation surface during charging and during traveling of the electric vehicle, and

wherein a portion of the rolling screen covering an entire surface of the operation surface can be changed by the rolling-up mechanism.

2. The charging apparatus for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a sweeping unit for sweeping off dirt adhering to the surface of the rolling screen during rolling-up operations of the rolling screen.