Coil device, wireless power transfer system, and auxiliary magnetic member

• US 10,673,276 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2017
• Issued: 06/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IHI Corporation
• Original Assignee: IHI Corporation
• Inventors: Tokura, Susumu, Hara, Masakazu, Furiya, Kentarou, Araki, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Isla, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torres Ruiz, Johali A
• Application Number:
  US15/584,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20170237291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/00 Current collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles current collectors in general H01R41/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 7/00 Power lines or rails specially adapted for electrically-propelled vehicles of special types, e.g. suspension tramway, ropeway, underground railway
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/38 Auxiliary core members; Auxiliary coils or windings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 3/14 Constrictions; Gaps, e.g. air-gaps in magnetic shunt paths H01F3/12
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 37/00 Fixed inductances not covered by group H01F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Provided is a first coil device that faces a second coil device in a facing direction, and wirelessly transmits or receives power, the first coil device including a first coil portion, and a first auxiliary magnetic member provided adjacent to the first coil portion in a first direction orthogonal to the facing direction. The first auxiliary magnetic member is configured to be closer to the second coil device with increasing distance in the first direction from the first coil portion.

Claims

1. A first coil device that wirelessly transmits power to or receives power from a second facing coil device upon alignment of the first and second coil devices within an acceptable alignment range, the first coil device comprising:

a first coil portion; and

a first auxiliary magnetic member provided adjacent to the first coil portion in a first direction orthogonal to a facing direction, wherein the first auxiliary magnetic member has a facing surface configured to face the second coil device in the facing direction defined between a proximal edge closest to the first coil portion and a distal edge furthest from first coil portion with a distance to the second coil device increasing from the distal edge of the first auxiliary magnetic member to the proximal edge of the first auxiliary magnetic member,

wherein the distal edge projects above the first coil portion in the facing direction whereby flux leakage of power exchange is suppressed due to a shorter distance of the distal edge to the second coil device upon the condition that the first and second coil devices are disposed at a limit of the acceptable alignment range in the first direction, and

the first auxiliary magnetic member includes a plurality of magnetic elements of differing heights arranged side by side in the first direction in a stepped arrangement from shortest to tallest such that a shortest magnetic element is disposed closest to the first coil portion to define the proximal edge and a tallest magnetic element is disposed furthest from the first coil portion to define the distal edge.

2. The first coil device according to claim 1, wherein a space is provided between the first auxiliary magnetic member and the first coil portion.

3. The first coil device according to claim 1, wherein the first auxiliary magnetic member includes a plurality of divided magnetic members arranged side by side in the first direction.

4. The first coil device according to claim 3, wherein a gap is provided between the plurality of divided magnetic members.

5. The first coil device according to claim 1, wherein the facing surface extends along a circumference of a circle, a center of which is at an end portion of a second coil portion, passing through an end portion of the first coil portion when a position of the end portion of the first coil portion is matched with a position of the end portion of the second coil portion in the first direction.

6. The first coil device according to claim 1, wherein the first auxiliary magnetic member is provided adjacent to the first coil portion in a second direction orthogonal to each of the facing direction and the first direction.

7. The first coil device according to claim 1, wherein a slope of the facing surface is adjustable.

8. A wireless power transfer system comprising:

the first coil device according to claim 1; and

the second coil device that faces the first coil device to wirelessly transmits or receives power to and from the first coil device,

wherein the second coil device includes

a second coil portion, and

a second auxiliary magnetic member provided adjacent to the second coil portion in the first direction, and

the second auxiliary magnetic member is configured to be closer to the first coil device with increasing distance in the first direction from the second coil portion.

9. The first coil device according to claim 1, wherein the first coil portion includes a ferrite plate.

10. The first coil device according to claim 9, wherein a space is provided between the first auxiliary magnetic member and an end portion of the ferrite plate in the first direction, and

wherein the proximal edge of the first auxiliary magnetic member is disposed such that the space is provided in the first direction with respect to the end portion of the ferrite plate.

11. The first coil device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of magnetic elements are joined to each other without gaps therebetween.

12. The first coil device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of magnetic elements are selectively spaced from each other with gaps therebetween.

13. An auxiliary magnetic member provided, among a first coil device and a second coil device, at least in the first coil device for performing wireless power transfer, the auxiliary magnet member comprising:

a facing surface that is separated from the second coil device by a distance in a facing direction in which the first coil device faces the second coil device; and

a first surface that is adjacent to a coil portion of the first coil device in a first direction orthogonal to the facing direction;

wherein the facing surface is configured to be closer to the second coil device in the facing direction with a distance to the second coil device increasing from a distal end to the coil portion, and

wherein the distal end is located above the first coil portion in the facing direction, and

the auxiliary magnetic member includes a plurality of magnetic elements of differing heights arranged side by side in the first direction in a stepped arrangement from shortest to tallest such that a shortest magnetic element is disposed closest to the first coil portion to define the proximal edge and a tallest magnetic element is disposed furthest from the first coil portion to define the distal edge.

14. A first coil device that wirelessly transmits power to or receives power from a second facing coil device upon alignment of the first and second coil devices within an acceptable alignment range, the first coil device comprising:

a first coil portion; and

a first auxiliary magnetic member provided adjacent to the first coil portion in a first direction orthogonal to a facing direction, wherein the first auxiliary magnetic member includes a plurality of magnetic elements of differing heights arranged side by side in the first direction from shortest to tallest,

wherein the first auxiliary magnetic member has a facing surface configured to face the second coil device in the facing direction defined from a shortest magnetic element disposed closest to the first coil portion and a tallest magnetic element disposed furthest from the first coil portion with a distance to the second coil device increasing from the tallest magnetic element of the first auxiliary magnetic member to the first coil portion whereby flux leakage of power exchange is suppressed due to a shorter distance of the tallest magnetic element to the second coil device upon the condition that the first and second coil devices are disposed at a limit of the acceptable alignment range in the first direction.

15. The first coil device according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of magnetic elements are joined to each other without gaps therebetween.

16. The first coil device according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of magnetic elements are selectively spaced from each other with gaps therebetween.

17. A first coil device that wirelessly transmits power to or receives power from a second facing coil device upon alignment of the first and second coil devices within an acceptable alignment range, the first coil device comprising:

a first coil portion; and

a first auxiliary magnetic member provided adjacent to the first coil portion in a first direction orthogonal to a facing direction, wherein the first auxiliary magnetic member has a facing surface configured to face the second coil device in the facing direction defined between a proximal edge closest to the first coil portion and a distal edge furthest from first coil portion with a distance to the second coil device increasing from the distal edge of the first auxiliary magnetic member to the first coil portion whereby flux leakage of power exchange is suppressed due to a shorter distance of the distal edge to the second coil device upon the condition that the first and second coil devices are disposed at a limit of the acceptable alignment range in the first direction,

wherein the facing surface extends along a circumference of a circle, a center of which is at an end portion of a second coil portion, passing through an end portion of the first coil portion when a position of the end portion of the first coil portion is matched with a position of the end portion of the second coil portion in the first direction, and

the first auxiliary magnetic member includes a plurality of magnetic elements of differing heights arranged side by side in the first direction in a stepped arrangement from shortest to tallest such that a shortest magnetic element is disposed closest to the first coil portion to define the proximal edge and a tallest magnetic element is disposed furthest from the first coil portion to define the distal edge.

18. The first coil device according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of magnetic elements are joined to each other without gaps therebetween.

19. The first coil device according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of magnetic elements are selectively spaced from each other with gaps therebetween.