NONCONTACT POWER RECEIVING APPARATUS AND VEHICLE INCLUDING THE SAME

• US 20100295506A1
• Filed: 09/19/2008
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 8,421,409 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A noncontact power receiving apparatus for receiving electric power from a power transmission coil transmitting the electric power received from a power supply includes: a power reception coil for receiving, by means of electromagnetic resonance, electric power transmitted from the power transmission coil; a rectifier for rectifying the electric power received by the power reception coil; a load supplied with the electric power rectified by the rectifier; and a first relay provided on a path over which the electric power is transmitted from the power reception coil to the rectifier, for cutting off the electric power.

Claims

1. A noncontact power receiving apparatus for receiving electric power from a power transmission coil transmitting the electric power received from a power supply, said noncontact power receiving apparatus comprising:

a power reception coil for receiving, by means of electromagnetic resonance, electric power transmitted from said power transmission coil;

a rectifier for rectifying the electric power received by said power reception coil;

a load supplied with the electric power rectified by said rectifier; and

a first relay provided on a path over which the electric power is transmitted from said power reception coil to said rectifier, for cutting off the electric power.

2. The noncontact power receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a voltage conversion unit for making a voltage conversion to supply the electric power rectified by said rectifier to said load; and

a second relay provided on a path over which the electric power is transmitted from said voltage conversion unit to said load, for cutting off the electric power.

3. The noncontact power receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said load is a power storage device,

said noncontact power receiving apparatus further comprises:

a first voltage detection unit for detecting a voltage on a power transmission path connecting said voltage conversion unit and said second relay; and

a control unit for controlling said second relay, and

said control unit performs a cutoff confirming operation of causing, when said power transmission coil does not transmit electric power, said second relay cut off the path over which the electric power is transmitted from said voltage conversion unit to said load, and determining, based on the voltage detected by said first voltage detection unit, whether said second relay is normally cut off.

4. The noncontact power receiving apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a communication unit for communicating with a power feeding apparatus transmitting electric power by means of said power transmission coil, wherein

after said control unit confirms, through said cutoff confirming operation, that said second relay s normally cut off, said control unit causes said first relay to be in a connecting state, and requests, by means of said communication unit, said power feeding apparatus to transmit electric power.

5. The noncontact power receiving apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a first voltage detection unit for detecting a voltage on a power transmission path connecting said voltage conversion unit and said second relay;

a second voltage detection unit for detecting a voltage on a power transmission path connecting said rectifier and said voltage conversion unit;

a communication unit for communicating with a power feeding apparatus transmitting electric power by means of said power transmission coil; and

a control unit for controlling said second relay, wherein

after said control unit requests, by means of said communication unit, said power feeding apparatus to stop transmitting electric power, said control unit controls said second relay to be cut off and, when the voltage detected by said second voltage detection unit becomes not more than a predetermined value, said control unit determines whether said second relay is normally cut off, based on the voltage detected by said first voltage detection unit.

6. The noncontact power receiving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

when said control unit determines that said second relay is normally cut off, said control unit controls said first relay to be cut off, and terminates reception of the electric power.

7. The noncontact power receiving apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a control unit for controlling said first relay and said second relay, wherein

when reception of the electric power is normally terminated, said control unit causes said first relay to be cut off after causing said second relay to be cut off and, when reception of the electric power is abnormally terminated due to occurrence of a failure requiring repair, said control unit causes said first relay to be cut off before causing said second relay to be cut off.

8. The noncontact power receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said load is a power storage device,

said noncontact power receiving apparatus further comprises:

a first voltage detection unit for detecting a voltage on a power transmission path connecting said voltage conversion unit and said second relay; and

a control unit for controlling said second relay, and

said control unit performs a cutoff confirming operation of causing, when said power transmission coil does not transmit electric power, said second relay to cut off the path over which the electric power is transmitted from said voltage conversion unit to said load, and determining, based on the voltage detected by said first voltage detection unit, whether said second relay is normally cut off.

9. The noncontact power receiving apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said first relay includes a pair of relays connected respectively to opposite ends of said power reception coil,

said noncontact power receiving apparatus further comprises a communication unit for communicating with a power feeding apparatus transmitting electric power by means of said power transmission coil, and

after said control unit confirms, through said cutoff confirming operation, that said second relay is normally cut off, said control unit causes one of the relays of said pair to be in a connecting state and causes the other relay to be in a cutoff state, requests, by means of said communication unit, said power feeding apparatus to transmit electric power, and confirms whether said other relay of said pair is normally controlled to be in a cutoff state.

10. The noncontact power receiving apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a second voltage detection unit for detecting a voltage on a power transmission path connecting said rectifier and said voltage conversion unit, wherein

said control unit requests said power feeding apparatus to transmit electric power and, when the voltage detected by said second voltage detection unit does not increase, said control unit determines that said other relay of said pair is normally cut off.

11. The noncontact power receiving apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

when said control unit determines that said other relay of said pair is normally cut off, said control unit requests said power feeding apparatus to temporarily stop transmitting electric power, controls said one relay of said pair to be in a cutoff state and controls said other relay of said pair to be in a connecting state, requests again said power feeding apparatus to transmit electric power, and confirms whether said one relay of said pair is normally cut off.

12. The noncontact power receiving apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

after said control unit confirms that both of said other relay and said one relay of said pair can be normally cut off, said control unit controls both of said first relay and said second relay to be in a connecting state, requests said power feeding apparatus to transmit electric power, and causes said load to be supplied with the electric power.

13. A vehicle comprising a noncontact power receiving apparatus for receiving electric power from a power transmission coil transmitting the electric power received from a power supply, said noncontact power receiving apparatus including:

a power reception coil for receiving, by means of electromagnetic resonance, electric power transmitted from said power transmission coil;

a rectifier for rectifying the electric power received by said power reception coil;

a load supplied with the electric power rectified by said rectifier; and

a first relay provided on a path over which the electric power is transmitted from said power reception coil to said rectifier, for cutting off the electric power.

14. The vehicle according to claim 13, wherein said noncontact power receiving apparatus further includes:

a voltage conversion unit for making a voltage conversion to supply the electric power rectified by said rectifier to said load; and

a second relay provided on a path over which the electric power is transmitted from said voltage conversion unit to said load, for cutting off the electric power.