Non contact power transfer device and vehicle equipped therewith

• US 8,646,585 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2008
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Shinji, Mizutani, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCARRY JR, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US13/123,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20110254378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,951 Days
• Field of Search: 191 2- 7, 191/10, 191/22.R, 191/22.C, 307104-106
• US Class Current: 191/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/005 without mechanical contact between the collector and the power supply line
• 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: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• 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: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• 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 non contact electric power transfer device includes: a self resonant coil; an induction coil capable of transmitting and receiving electric power to and from an induction coil capable of the self resonance coil through electromagnetic induction; and a bobbin that has at least one of the self resonant coil and the induction coil attached thereto, and has an accommodation chamber defined therein and capable of accommodating a device therein.

Claims

1. A non-contact electric power transfer device comprising:

a first self-resonant coil at least one of transmitting and receiving electric power to and from an opposite, second self-resonant coil through a magnetic field resonance;

an induction coil at least one of extracting the electric power that the first self-resonant coil received through electromagnetic induction, and feeding the first self-resonant coil with electric power through electromagnetic induction; and

an accommodation chamber formed in an air core portion of the first self-resonant coil and the induction coil, the accommodation chamber accommodating a device therein.

2. The non-contact electric power transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the first self-resonant coil and the induction coil are mounted in a vehicle, the second self-resonant coil is disposed external to the vehicle, the second self-resonant coil transfers electric power to the first self-resonant coil, the first self-resonant coil receives the electric power transferred from the second self-resonant coil, and the first self-resonant coil and the induction coil configure at least a portion of a power reception device.

3. The non-contact electric power transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the second self-resonant coil is mounted in a vehicle, the first self-resonant coil and the induction coil are disposed external to the vehicle, the first self-resonant coil transfers electric power to the second self-resonant coil, the second self-resonant coil receives the electric power transferred from the first self-resonant coil, and first self-resonant coil and the induction coil configure at least a portion of a power transmission device.

9. The non-contact electric power transfer device according to claim 1, wherein:

the first self-resonant coil includes a main body unit and an impedance variation unit varying the main body unit in inductance; and

the impedance variation unit is accommodated in the accommodation chamber.

10. The non-contact electric power transfer device according to claim 9, wherein:

the main body unit is divided at a center thereof into a first portion and a second portion;

the impedance variation unit includes a relay provided at the center of the main body unit and connecting the first portion and the second portion in a power reception mode and disconnecting the first portion and the second portion in a non-power reception mode; and

the relay is accommodated in the accommodation chamber.

11. The non-contact electric power transfer device according to claim 1, wherein:

the first self-resonant coil includes the main body unit and a capacitance variation unit varying the main body unit in capacitance; and

the capacitance variation unit is accommodated in the accommodation chamber.

12. The non-contact electric power transfer device according to claim 11, wherein:

the capacitance variation unit includes a lead connected to an end of the main body unit, a relay connected to the lead, and a capacitor connected by the relay via the lead to the main body unit in a power reception mode and disconnected by the relay from the main body in a non-power reception mode; and

at least one of the relay and the capacitor is accommodated in the accommodation chamber.

13. The non-contact electric power transfer device according to claim 1, further comprising a rectifier connected to the induction coil, wherein the rectifier is accommodated in the accommodation chamber.

14. The non-contact electric power transfer device according to claim 1, further comprising a voltage converter connected to the induction coil, wherein the voltage converter is accommodated in the accommodation chamber.

15. A vehicle comprising the non-contact electric power transfer device according to claim 1.

4. The non-contact electric power transfer first self-resonant coil attached thereto, wherein the accommodation chamber is defined in the bobbin.

5. The non-contact electric power transfer device according to claim 4, wherein the bobbin has an axial width smaller than a width of the bobbin.

6. The non-contact electric power transfer device according to claim 4, wherein the device accommodated in the bobbin at the accommodation chamber includes a capacitor connected to the first self-resonant coil.

7. The non-contact electric power transfer device according to claim 6, wherein the device accommodated in the bobbin at the accommodation chamber is adapted to be a switching device switching a first state selected in a power reception mode and having the first self-resonant coil magnetically coupled with the second self-resonant coil through magnetic field resonance, and a second state selected in a non-power reception mode and having the first self-resonant coil magnetically coupled with the second self-resonant coil through resonance less strongly than the first state.

8. The non-contact electric power transfer device according to claim 4, wherein the first self-resonant coil includes:

a wound portion spaced from an outer circumferential surface of the bobbin and wound along the outer circumferential surface of the bobbin; and

a supporting portion connected to the bobbin and supporting the wound portion.