VEHICLE AND EXTERNAL POWER FEEDING APPARATUS

• US 20130300359A1
• Filed: 02/04/2011
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Toru, Ichikawa, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 9,296,349 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• 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 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 7/003 for vehicles using stored power (e.g. charging stations)
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/033 characterised by the use of electrical cells or batteries for propulsion puposes B60K1/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06; testing of charge state G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/36 Electric or magnetic shields or screens movable for varying inductance H01F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/363 made of electrically conductive material
• 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 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An electrical powered vehicle is equipped with a coil unit capable of receiving electric power from a facility self-resonant coil external to the vehicle. The electrical powered vehicle includes: a pair of side members aligned in a widthwise direction of the vehicle and extending in a fore-aft direction of the vehicle; a vehicle self-resonant coil coupled with the facility self-resonant coil resonantly via an electromagnetic field to be capable of at least one of transmitting electric power and receiving electric power; and a vehicle capacitor provided to the vehicle self-resonant coil between the paired side members.

Claims

1. A vehicle equipped with a coil unit capable of receiving electric power from a facility self-resonant coil external to the vehicle, comprising:

a pair of side members aligned in a widthwise direction of the vehicle and extending in a fore-aft direction of the vehicle;

a vehicle self-resonant coil coupled with said facility self-resonant coil resonantly via an electromagnetic field to be capable of receiving electric power from said facility self-resonant coil; and

a vehicle capacitor provided to said vehicle self-resonant coil between said pair of side members.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

said vehicle capacitor is provided between a lateral side of the vehicle and a virtual line extending in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle through a widthwise center of the vehicle; and

said vehicle capacitor is disposed at a position closer to said virtual line than said lateral side of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a floor panel provided on said side members;

a center tunnel that is formed at said floor panel to extend in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle through a widthwise center of the vehicle and is also formed to be raised upwards; and

a shield material provided at an internal surface of said center tunnel and a lower surface of said floor panel, wherein

said vehicle capacitor is disposed under said floor panel in said center tunnel or around an opening of said center tunnel.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a floor panel provided on said side members, wherein:

said vehicle self-resonant coil is disposed under said floor panel; and

said vehicle self-resonant coil is spaced from said floor panel.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising:

a center tunnel that is formed at said floor panel to be located at a widthwise center of the vehicle and extend in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle, and also be raised upwards; and

an exhaust pipe extending in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle and having at least a portion entering said center tunnel, wherein;

said vehicle self-resonant coil includes

a first arcuate portion aligned with said exhaust pipe in a horizontal direction,

a second arcuate portion aligned with said exhaust pipe in the horizontal direction opposite to said first arcuate portion with said exhaust pipe posed therebetween, and

a connection portion passing upwardly of said exhaust pipe and connecting said first arcuate portion and said second arcuate portion together; and

a distance between said connection portion and said exhaust pipe in a vertical direction is larger than a distance between said connection portion and said center tunnel in the vertical direction.

6. The vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising:

a center tunnel that is formed at said floor panel to be located at a widthwise center of the vehicle and extend in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle, and also be raised upwards; and

an exhaust pipe extending in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle and having at least a portion entering said center tunnel, wherein;

said vehicle self-resonant coil includes

a first arcuate portion aligned with said exhaust pipe in a horizontal direction,

a second arcuate portion aligned with said exhaust pipe in the horizontal direction opposite to said first arcuate portion with said exhaust pipe posed therebetween, and

a connection portion passing downwardly of said exhaust pipe and connecting said first arcuate portion and said second arcuate portion together; and

a distance between said connection portion and said exhaust pipe in a vertical direction is larger than a distance between said exhaust pipe and said center tunnel in the vertical direction.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a battery; and

an electromagnetic induction coil electrically connected to said battery and capable of receiving electric power from said vehicle self-resonant coil through electromagnetic induction, wherein

said electromagnetic induction coil and said vehicle self-resonant coil are aligned in a horizontal direction.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising:

a floor panel provided on said side members; and

an exhaust pipe disposed downwardly of said floor panel and extending in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle, wherein;

said vehicle self-resonant coil includes

a first arcuate portion aligned with said exhaust pipe in the horizontal direction,

a second arcuate portion aligned with said exhaust pipe in the horizontal direction opposite to said first arcuate portion with said exhaust pipe posed therebetween, and

a first connection portion passing upwardly of said exhaust pipe and connecting said first arcuate portion and said second arcuate portion together; and

said electromagnetic induction coil includes

a third arcuate portion aligned with said exhaust pipe in the horizontal direction,

a fourth arcuate portion aligned with said exhaust pipe in the horizontal direction opposite to said third arcuate portion with said exhaust pipe posed therebetween, and

a second connection portion passing upwardly of said exhaust pipe and connecting said third arcuate portion and said fourth arcuate portion together.

9. The vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising:

a floor panel provided on said members; and

an exhaust pipe disposed downwardly of said floor panel and extending in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle, wherein;

said vehicle self-resonant coil includes

a first arcuate portion aligned with said exhaust pipe in the horizontal direction,

a second arcuate portion aligned with said exhaust pipe in the horizontal direction opposite to said first arcuate portion with said exhaust pipe posed therebetween, and

a first connection portion passing downwardly of said exhaust pipe and connecting said first arcuate portion and said second arcuate portion together; and

said electromagnetic induction coil includes

a third arcuate portion aligned with said exhaust pipe in the horizontal direction,

a fourth arcuate portion aligned with said exhaust pipe in the horizontal direction opposite to said third arcuate portion with said exhaust pipe posed therebetween, and

a second connection portion passing downwardly of said exhaust pipe and connecting said third arcuate portion and said fourth arcuate portion together.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a floor panel provided on said side members;

an exhaust pipe disposed downwardly of said floor panel and extending in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle;

a first securing member that secures said vehicle capacitor to said floor panel; and

a second securing member that is provided separately from said first securing member and secures said exhaust pipe to said floor panel.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a floor panel provided on said side members; and

an exhaust pipe disposed downwardly of said floor panel and extending in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle, wherein

said exhaust pipe includes a pipe body and a pipe shield material covering a portion of said pipe body located under said coil unit.

12. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a floor panel provided on said side members; and

a shield material provided between said vehicle self-resonant coil and said floor panel.

13. An external power feeding apparatus provided in a space allowing a vehicle to be stopped therein, said vehicle including a pair of spaced side members, a floor panel provided on said pair of side members, a vehicle self-resonant coil, and a vehicle capacitor disposed under said floor panel between said side members and connected to said vehicle self-resonant coil, the external power feeding apparatus comprising:

a facility self-resonant coil coupled with said vehicle self-resonant coil resonantly via an electromagnetic field to be capable of transmitting electric power to said vehicle self-resonant coil; and

a facility capacitor connected to said facility self-resonant coil,

said facility capacitor being positioned below and between said side members when said vehicle is stopped in said space.

14. The external power feeding apparatus according to claim 13, wherein:

said vehicle self-resonant coil includes

a first arcuate portion aligned in a horizontal direction with an exhaust pipe located under said floor panel,

a second arcuate portion aligned with said exhaust pipe in the horizontal direction opposite to said first arcuate portion with said exhaust pipe posed therebetween, and

a connection portion crossing over said exhaust pipe and connecting said first arcuate portion and said second arcuate portion together;

said facility self-resonant coil is a planar coil;

said vehicle self-resonant coil and said facility self-resonant coil substantially match in diameter; and

said facility capacitor is larger in capacitance than said vehicle capacitor.