Non-contact power supply apparatus

• US 5,428,521 A
• Filed: 10/19/1993
• Issued: 06/27/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.), Kigawa Electronic Engineering Laboratory, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.), Kigawa Electronic Engineering Laboratory, Inc.
• Inventors: Higuchi, Shinichi, Kigawa, Michio
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephan, Steven L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERHANE, ADOLF D
• Application Number:
  US08/138,860
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 363/22, 363/23, 363/97, 363/131, 323/299, 331/112, 331/113 R, 331/114
• US Class Current: 363/22
• 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 5/005 with inductive power transfer for charging H02J7/025
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/28 using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode to produce the intermediate ac
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3384 of the parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

OBJECT: To provide a non-contact power supply apparatus capable of supplying stable power very efficiently even when changes in load at the receiving side occur by tuning AC frequency supplied to the oscillating circuit on the receiving side and the resonant frequency of the resonance circuit on the receiving side. CONSTITUENTS: At the receiving side is provided a resonance circuit 3 in which resonance coil L3 on the receiving side is connected in parallel with resonance capacitor C3. At the supplying side are provided a detecting coil L2 which detects resonant frequency of resonance circuit 3 on the receiving side and a control means 1 which tunes AC frequency supplied to the aforementioned oscillating circuit 2 on the supplying side with resonant frequency of the aforementioned oscillating circuit 3 on the receiving side according to the frequency of induced electromotive force detected by said detecting coil L2.

Claims

1. A non-contact power supply apparatus for supplying power to a load, the apparatus comprising:

a power source having a positive electrode and a negative electrode;

a supplying oscillating circuit including a first coil and a second coil connected in series, the positive electrode of the power source being connected between the first coil and the second coil;

a receiving resonance coil electromagnetically coupled to the supplying oscillating circuit, the receiving resonance coil being connected to the load; and

a frequency control circuit including a detecting coil electromagnetically coupled to the receiving resonance coil, and a switching circuit connected to the detecting coil for switching current direction in the first coil and the second coil in response to a voltage across the detecting coil;

wherein the voltage across the detecting coil changes in response to a magnetic flux produced by the receiving resonance coil.

2. A non-contact power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching circuit comprises:

a first transistor having a base connected to a first end of the detecting coil, a collector connected to the first coil, and an emitter connected to the negative electrode of the power source; and

a second transistor having a base connected to a second end of the detecting coil, a collector connected to the second coil, and an emitter connected to the negative electrode of the power source.

3. A non-contact power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a rectifying circuit connected to the receiving resonance coil; and

a smoothing circuit connected to the rectifying circuit for smoothing a rectified current output by the rectifying circuit, the smoothing circuit including a coil and a capacitor connected in series with the coil and in parallel with the load.

4. A non-contact power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving resonance coil is comprised of a resonance capacitor connected in parallel with the resonance coil.

5. A non-contact power supply apparatus for supplying power to a battery, the apparatus comprising:

a DC power source;

a supplying oscillating coil connected to the DC power source, the supplying oscillating coil generating a first magnetic flux in response to electrical currents flowing in first and second directions;

a receiving resonance coil electromagnetically coupled to the supplying oscillating coil and being connected to the load, the receiving resonance coil producing an induction electromotive force in response to a variation in the magnetic flux of the supplying oscillating coil;

a detecting coil electromagnetically coupled to the receiving resonance coil, a voltage across the detecting coil being altered by a second magnetic flux generated by the receiving resonance coil; and

a switching circuit connected to the supplying oscillating coil and to the detecting coil for controlling current direction through the supplying oscillating coil in response to the voltage across the detecting coil;

wherein the induction electromotive force produced by the receiving resonance coil is rectified, smoothed and applied to the battery.

6. A non-contact power supply apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the switching circuit comprises:

a first transistor having a base connected to a first end of the detecting coil, a collector connected to a first end of the supplying oscillating coil, and an emitter connected to a negative electrode of the DC power source; and

a second transistor having a base connected to a second end of the detecting coil, a collector connected to a second end of the supplying oscillating coil, and an emitter connected to a negative electrode of the power source.

7. A non-contact power supply apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a spacing distance between the supplying oscillating coil and the receiving resonance coil is 5 mm or less.