Power supply apparatus, power supply system, vehicle, and electronic apparatus

• US 9,802,490 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2012
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mita, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dhillon, Jagdeep
• Application Number:
  US13/543,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20130015699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,942 Days
• Field of Search: 307104, 307149, 307 91, 307 102, 307 64, 320110, 320108, 320111, 320113, 455 25, 455 44, 455 20
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• 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 53/124 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: H01J 17/00 Gas-filled discharge tubes with solid cathode H01J25/00, H01J27/00, H01J31/00 - H01J41/00 , H01J11/00 take precedence; gas filled spark gaps H01T; Marx converters H02M7/26
• 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 50/50 using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• 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: 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 power transfer unit configured to transfer power using magnetic fields, and a foreign object remover configured to remove a foreign object in the vicinity of a power transfer path when the power is transferred.

Claims

1. An energy transmitter, comprising:

a first power transmission coil configured to wirelessly transmit power;

a first container that contains the first power transmission coil, the first container being configured to move relative to a base surface so as to move the first power transmission coil relative to the base surface; and

a second container that contains a second power transmission coil, a top portion of the second container is connected to a bottom portion of the first container,

wherein the first container is configured to move based on a relative position between the second power transmission coil and a power receiver unit.

2. The energy transmitter of claim 1, wherein the wireless power transmission is defined by a magnetic field generated by the energy transmitter.

3. The energy transmitter of claim 1,

wherein the second power transmission coil is configured to transmit power to the first power transmission coil, the first power transmission coil is configured to retransmit the power transmitted to it, and

the first power transmission coil is configured to move relative to the second power transmission coil, the movement being at least one of a horizontal movement, a vertical movement, or a rotational movement.

4. The energy transmitter of claim 1, further comprising a foreign object remover configured to displace a foreign object on a top portion of the first container by generating at least one of a tilt movement, a rotation movement, a vibration movement, a wiping movement, or a discharge of gas.

5. The energy transmitter of claim 4, wherein the foreign object remover includes at least one of (i) a wiper configured to cause the foreign object to be displaced relative to the wireless power transmission, and (ii) a gas outlet configured to discharge a gas to cause the foreign object to be displaced relative to the wireless power transmission.

6. The energy transmitter of claim 1, wherein the first power transmission coil is further configured to wirelessly transmit power to the power receiver unit.

7. A power supply system comprising the energy transmitter of claim 1.

8. The power supply system of claim 7, wherein

the second power transmission coil is configured to transmit power to the first power transmission coil, the first power transmission coil configured to retransmit the power transmitted to it, and the first power transmission coil is configured to move relative to the second power transmission coil, the movement being at least one of a horizontal movement, a vertical movement, or a rotational movement.

9. The power supply system of claim 7, comprising a foreign object remover configured to displace a foreign object relative to the wireless power transmission by generating at least one of a tilt movement, a rotation movement, or a vibration movement.

10. The energy transmitter of claim 1, wherein the first container, in which the first power transmission coil is housed, is disposed on the second container.