Power supply apparatus

• US 9,979,229 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2013
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tatsuta, Toshiki, Ohashi, Osamu, Nishio, Tsuyoshi, Asaoka, Noriaki, Koizumi, Masayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dhillon, Jagdeep
• Application Number:
  US14/387,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20150102664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,902 Days
• Field of Search: 307104, 307149, 307108, 307 91, 307 101, 320108, 320109, 320110, 320107, 336 84 C
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• 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: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• 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 10/70 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

In the power supply apparatus (100), on an upper surface (202a), which is the surface opposing the power-receiving unit (153) of a cabinet (103b), in the portion where a power supply coil (103a) is projected when the power supply coil (103a) is projected on the cabinet (103b) toward the direction of the power-receiving unit (153), a first inclined part (203) gradually approaching the power supply coil (103a) from the top section (205) toward the inner edge section (211) of the power supply coil (103a) is formed in the radial direction of the power supply coil (103a), and in the portion where the power supply coil (103a) is projected, a second inclined part (204) gradually approaching the power supply coil (103a) from the top section (205) toward the outer periphery (212) of the power supply coil (103a) is formed in the radial direction of the power supply coil (103a).

Claims

1. An electric supply apparatus that contactlessly supplies electric power to an electric reception section provided in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

an electric supply coil configured to face the electric reception section and supply electric power to the electric reception section, the electricity supply coil having a ring shape, an in-edge, an out-edge, and a middle portion, the in-edge being adjacent to a hollow portion of the ring shape in a radial direction of the electricity supply coil, the out-edge being outer than the in-edge in the radial direction, the middle portion being between the in-edge and the out-edge in the radial direction; and

a casing which houses the electricity supply coil, the casing having a first surface configured to face the electricity reception section and a second surface on which the electricity supply coil is located,

wherein

the first surface has an inclined portion with a first region and a second region, the first region overlapping at least a part of the middle portion of the electricity supply coil in a center axis direction of the electricity supply coil, the second region overlapping at least a part of the hollow portion of the ring shape of the electricity supply coil in the center axis direction, and

wherein a first distance between the first region of the inclined portion of the first surface and the second surface is larger than a thickness of the electricity supply coil at the in-edge in the center axis direction, and a second distance between the second region of the inclined portion of the first surface and the second surface is smaller than the thickness of the electricity supply coil at the in-edge in the center axis direction.

2. The electric supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first region is located at an intermediate position between an inner edge portion of the electric supply coil and an outer circumference of the electric supply coil in a direction of a central axis of the electric supply coil.

3. The electric supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portion includes a surface covered with a material having a frictional coefficient less than a predetermined value.

4. The electric supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a trench formed in a recessed portion on the first surface of the casing, said trench being configured to house a foreign object sliding down from the inclined portion.

5. The electric supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reinforcement member that supports the inclined portion.