JP2023061269A - Power supply device and optical wireless power supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a power supply device and an optical wireless power supply system for realizing high power generation efficiency in a power supply target.SOLUTION: A power supply device comprises: a light source unit including a plurality of light-emitting elements disposed in an array shape and each emitting a parallel laser beam; an acquisition unit for acquiring information relating to a position, a size and a shape of a light-receiving unit to which power is to be supplied; a position control unit for controlling a direction of the light source unit so as to face the light-receiving unit based on the information relating to the position of the light-receiving unit; and a light source control unit for selecting and emitting a light-emitting element corresponding to the size and shape of the light-receiving unit among the plurality of light-emitting elements.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a power supply device and an optical wireless power supply system.

In recent years, the electrification of moving bodies and the creation of new electric moving bodies are progressing. In order to extend the moving distance of an electric vehicle, a power supply method for supplying electric power to the electric vehicle is required. Wired power feeding is an example of a power feeding method, but since wired power feeding limits the movement range of an electric vehicle, a wireless power feeding method is desired in order to greatly expand the usability of electric vehicles.

As wireless power feeding methods, an electromagnetic induction method, a magnetic resonance method, an electric field coupling method, a microwave space transmission method, an optical wireless power feeding method, and the like have been known so far. Among these, an "optical wireless power supply system" using a solar cell has attracted attention as a power supply system for electric vehicles.

In the optical wireless power supply system, the use of various light sources has been studied, but it is known that laser light is the most efficient from the viewpoint of photoelectric conversion efficiency.

However, since laser light has high directivity and a narrow beam width, there is a problem that the light is difficult to uniformly hit the entire solar cell that converts the optical energy of the laser light into electrical energy. When only a part of the solar cell, for example, a half or less of the light receiving surface of the solar cell is exposed to light, the power generation efficiency is lower than when the entire solar cell is exposed to light. Therefore, in the optical wireless power supply system using a solar cell, it is necessary that the solar cell is irradiated with a light beam of the same size as the solar cell, that the light intensity distribution of the entire solar cell is uniform, and that the light leaking from the solar cell module less is required.

So far, as a method of irradiating the entire solar cell with laser light evenly, we have used a fly-eye lens, etc., and used light with a certain wide beam width, such as Vixel (VCSEL: Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) and LED. A method of irradiating according to the shape of the solar cell has been reported (eg, Patent Document 1). According to the invention described in Patent Document 1, by providing an optical system including a pair of fly-eye lenses and an imaging lens on the path of a light beam incident on the photoelectric conversion element, uniform light is emitted over the entire surface of the photoelectric conversion element. The beam can be irradiated and the performance of the receiving module can be improved.

However, in such a configuration, when the solar cell or the light source moves, the entire solar cell is not uniformly irradiated with the light beam, which makes it difficult to obtain high power generation efficiency.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-36480

A power feeding device and an optical wireless power feeding system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure aim to provide a power feeding device and an optical wireless power feeding system for realizing high power feeding efficiency to a power feeding target.

A power supply device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a light source unit having a plurality of light emitting elements that are arranged in an array and each emits parallel laser light, and a light receiving unit to which power is to be supplied. an acquisition unit that acquires information; a position control unit that controls the orientation of the light source unit so as to face the light receiving unit based on information about the position of the light receiving unit; and a light source control unit that selects a light emitting element corresponding to the shape and causes it to emit light.

In the power supply device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light source control section may select a light emitting element to emit light from among the plurality of light emitting elements according to the relative movement of the light receiving section.

In the power supply device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, to detect the position, size, and shape of the light receiving unit based on the imaging unit that captures an image of the light receiving unit to be fed, and the image of the light receiving unit captured by the imaging unit. and an image recognition unit that performs image recognition.

An optical wireless power supply system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an optical wireless power supply system including a power supply device and a mobile body that receives power from the power supply device, wherein the mobile body receives laser light, It has a light receiving unit that converts into electric power, a power storage unit that stores the power converted by the light receiving unit, and a driving unit that drives the power device using the power stored in the power storage unit. A light source unit having a plurality of light emitting elements that are arranged and each emits parallel laser light; an acquisition unit that acquires information on the position, size and shape of the light receiving unit; a position control unit that controls the direction of the light source unit so as to face the light receiving unit; characterized by having

In the optical wireless power supply system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light source control section may select a light emitting element to emit light from among the plurality of light emitting elements according to the relative movement of the light receiving section.

In the optical wireless power supply system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the light receiving unit moves in a predetermined direction with respect to the light source unit, the light source control unit follows the movement of the light receiving unit and controls the plurality of light emitting elements. Among them, a light-emitting element that emits light may be selected.

In the optical wireless power supply system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light source unit is arranged at a position corresponding to the movable range of the moving body, and the light source control unit is arranged at a position corresponding to the position of the light receiving unit of the moving body. light-emitting elements may be selected.

In the optical wireless power supply system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light source control unit may instruct the moving object to move in the direction of movement by adjusting the intensity of the light emitted to the predetermined area of the light receiving unit.

In the optical wireless power supply system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light receiving unit includes a plurality of cells, the moving body includes a voltage detector that measures electromotive voltages in the plurality of cells, and the light source control unit includes a plurality of cells. The moving direction may be indicated to the moving body by adjusting the intensity of the light irradiated to the moving body.

In the optical wireless power supply system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light source control unit selects the light emitting element so as to irradiate light onto a predetermined area of the light receiving unit, thereby controlling the movement direction of the moving object. You can give instructions.

In the optical wireless power supply system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light receiving unit includes a plurality of cells, and the moving body measures the electromotive voltages in the plurality of cells, and calculates the power generation rate in the plurality of cells. The power supply device may include a calculation unit that calculates the amount of deviation between the position of the light receiving unit and the irradiation area of the laser light from the light source unit based on the power generation rates of the plurality of cells.

According to the power supply device and the optical wireless power supply system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide the power supply device and the optical wireless power supply system for achieving high power supply efficiency with respect to the power supply target.

1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an optical wireless power feeding system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a power supply device and a moving object according to Example 1 of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining how the power supply device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure irradiates the light receiving unit of the moving body with laser light; FIG. 2 is a plan view of a light source section of the power supply device according to Example 1 of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining operations of the power supply device and the moving object according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure; 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation procedure of the power supply device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure; FIGS. 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining how the power supply device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure irradiates a moving light receiving unit with laser light, and FIGS. 4D to 4F are plan views of the light source part of the power supply device. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an outline of an optical wireless power supply system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an outline of an optical wireless power feeding system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an outline of an optical wireless power feeding system according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a power supply device and a moving body that configure an optical wireless power supply system according to Example 5 of the present disclosure; FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure for determining whether or not there is a shift in the irradiation area based on information about the state of power generation from a moving object in the wireless optical power supply system according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure for calculating a deviation amount of an irradiation area based on information about a power generation state from a moving object in the wireless optical power supply system according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. In the optical wireless power supply system according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure, the solar cell in the case where the irradiation area of the laser light irradiated to the solar cell is shifted in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction with respect to the light receiving area of the solar cell 1 and 2 are diagrams showing examples of irradiation regions of laser light. In the optical wireless power supply system according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure, the irradiation area of the solar cell and the laser light when the irradiation area of the laser light irradiated to the solar cell is twisted with respect to the light receiving area of the solar cell It is a figure which shows the example of.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A power supply device and an optical wireless power supply system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, it should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to those embodiments, but extends to the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

First, an outline of an optical wireless power supply system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 shows a diagram for explaining an outline of an optical wireless power supply system 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The optical wireless power supply system 300 has a power supply device 100 and a moving body 200 that receives power from the power supply device 100 . A mobile object (eg, drone) 200 can be charged in the power supply area 400 . The moving object 200 may move to the power feeding area 400 and charge when the power for moving the moving object 200 is reduced and charging becomes necessary, or when an instruction to charge is received. The moving body 200 may store the position of the power supply area 400 in advance. The moving body 200 captures an image of the power supply device 100 using an imaging unit 24 such as a camera, and causes the light receiving unit 21 to face the power supply device 100 .

In the power supply area 400, for example, the power supply device 100 provided on a structure 500 such as a steel tower is arranged. The power supply device 100 includes an image capturing unit 5 such as a camera, and captures an image of the moving object 200. When it is determined that the moving object 200 is to be supplied with power based on the imaged image, the power supply device 100 outputs power from the light source unit 1 to the moving object 200. The laser light L is applied to the light receiving portion 21 of . The light source unit 1 is provided with a plurality of light emitting elements. The light source control unit 4 selects a light emitting element corresponding to the size and shape of the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200 from among the plurality of light emitting elements, and emits light to irradiate the laser light L thereon. A solar cell is provided in the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200, and the solar cell converts the received laser light into electric energy and stores the electric energy in an electric storage unit (not shown). The moving object 200 can continue moving using the stored power.

Laser light has high directivity, and has the property that the beam diameter does not widen even if the distance between the power supply device 100 and the moving body 200 is, for example, several kilometers. On the other hand, the size of the solar cell forming the light receiving section 21 of the moving body 200 is, for example, a rectangle with a side of several centimeters to about 10 centimeters. The energy conversion efficiency of a solar cell decreases if the laser light does not uniformly irradiate the entire light receiving area. The power supply device 100 constituting the optical wireless power supply system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has a configuration in which the solar cells of the mobile body 200 are evenly irradiated with laser light even when the mobile body 200 moves. have. The configuration of the power supply device 100 will be described below.

[Example 1]
First, a power supply device according to Example 1 of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the power supply device 100 and the moving object 200 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. An optical wireless power supply system 300 includes a power supply device 100 and a mobile body 200 . FIG. 3 shows a diagram for explaining how the power supply device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure irradiates the light receiving unit 21 of the moving object 200 with the laser light L. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the light source unit 1 of the power supply device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The power supply device 100 has a light source section 1 , an acquisition section 2 , a position control section 3 and a light source control section 4 . The power supply device 100 may further include an imaging unit 5 , an image recognition unit 6 , a detection unit 7 , a communication unit 8 and a storage unit 9 . These configurations are connected by a bus 10 .

The light source unit 1 has a plurality of light emitting elements that are arranged in an array and emit parallel laser beams. As the light emitting element, for example, a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL: Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) may be used. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and laser light sources other than vixels may be used. A vixel emits a laser beam vertically from the top surface. Although the size of one vixel is as small as several to ten micrometers, a high-power light source can be configured by arranging a plurality of vixels in an array or two-dimensional array. By using vixels as the plurality of light emitting elements for emitting laser light, the light source section 1 can be made into a surface emitting laser array.

The acquisition unit 2 acquires information about the position, size, and shape of the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200 to which power is to be supplied.

The position control section 3 controls the orientation of the light source section 1 so as to face the light receiving section 21 based on the information regarding the position of the light receiving section 21 . As the position control unit 3, for example, an actuator and a microcomputer such as a CPU for controlling the actuator may be used. The position control unit 3 can control the orientation of the light source unit 1 by following the position of the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200 . Therefore, the position control unit 3 can track the position of the light receiving unit 21 even when the relative positions of the power supply device 100 and the moving body 200 fluctuate while the light source unit 1 is emitting laser light. As a result, the light receiving section 21 of the moving body 200 can be accurately irradiated with the laser light emitted from the light source section 1 . Tracking here refers to continuing to detect the detected light receiving section 21 . The power supply device 100 may track the light receiving unit 21 by any method such as radio wave, image recognition, sensor, or the like.

The light source control unit 4 selects a light emitting element corresponding to the size and shape of the light receiving unit 21 from among the plurality of light emitting elements and causes it to emit light. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the light source unit 1 includes five pixels V1 to V5, the light source control unit 4 controls the solar cells of the moving body 200 among the pixels V1 to V5, which are the plurality of light emitting elements. Select pixels V2 to V4, which are light-emitting elements corresponding to the size and shape of the light-receiving section 21 that constitutes , and emit light. The laser light L is emitted by the pixels V2 to V4 and is applied to the light receiving section 21. As shown in FIG.

Here, the area where the plurality of light emitting elements of the light source section 1 are arranged is preferably larger than the light receiving section 21 . For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged in a region S0 of the light source section 1 indicated by a dashed line. Although FIG. 4 shows an example in which five light-emitting elements are arranged in the vertical direction and five in the horizontal direction, the present invention is not limited to such an example.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that the first solar cell, which is the light receiving section 21 of the moving body 200, has the rectangular size and shape indicated by S10. At this time, when irradiating the first solar cell with laser light, two vixels including the vixel V11 in the region indicated by S10 are selected from among the plurality of light emitting elements of the light source unit 1, and light is emitted. Let Therefore, in this case, the area S0 in which the plurality of light emitting elements of the light source section 1 are arranged is larger than the size S10 of the light receiving section 21 .

Also, as shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that the second solar cell, which is the light receiving portion 21 of the moving body 200, has the rectangular size and shape indicated by S20. At this time, when irradiating the second solar cell with laser light, 12 vixels including the vixel V21 in the region indicated by S20 are selected from among the plurality of light emitting elements of the light source unit 1, and emit light. Let Accordingly, in this case, the area S0 in which the plurality of light emitting elements of the light source section 1 are arranged is larger than the size S20 of the light receiving section 21 .

Thus, it is preferable that the region S0 in which the plurality of light emitting elements of the light source unit 1 are arranged is larger than the regions (S10, S20) corresponding to the size and shape of the solar cell to which power is to be supplied. With such a configuration, when irradiating a solar cell having a size equal to or smaller than that of the light source unit 1 with a laser beam, the size and shape of the plurality of light emitting elements of the light source unit 1 correspond to the solar cell. By selecting a corresponding light-emitting element and causing it to emit light, it is possible to irradiate a laser beam matching the shape of the solar cell and supply power.

That is, among the plurality of light emitting elements included in the light source unit 1, there is no need to emit light from the light emitting elements (for example, V0) outside the region corresponding to the solar cell to which power is to be supplied. Power supply efficiency can be improved.

Moreover, it is possible to irradiate a laser beam suitable for a solar cell having an arbitrary shape equal to or smaller than the size of the light source unit 1 . Furthermore, as will be described later, when the light source unit 1 or the light receiving unit 21 moves, the relative positions of the light source unit 1 and the light receiving unit 21 move within the area where the light source unit 1 can irradiate. However, tracking can be easily performed by changing the range of the light emitting element that emits light.

The imaging unit 5 images the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200 to which power is supplied. For example, a camera may be used as the imaging unit 5 . The imaging unit 5 may capture an image of one or a plurality of markers provided around the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200, and detect the position of the light receiving unit 21 based on the captured image of the marker. Here, the markers are not limited to those separately arranged on the moving body 200 for position detection, and a plurality of feature points that can be extracted by image recognition processing may be used instead of the markers.

The image recognition unit 6 may perform image recognition to detect the position, size and shape of the light receiving unit 21 based on the image of the light receiving unit 21 captured by the imaging unit 5 . By using image recognition, the power supply device 100 can accurately grasp the position, size and shape of the light receiving section 21 of the moving body 200 . As an image recognition method, for example, segmentation that recognizes the area occupied by the light receiving unit in the image may be used.

The detector 7 may detect the position, size and shape of the light receiver 21 . The detection unit 7 may detect at least one of the distance to the mobile object 200 and the angle to the mobile object 200 in addition to the position of the mobile object 200 . A sensor such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) or radar, or a combination thereof may be used for the detection unit 7 . By using a sensor such as LiDAR, the position of the mobile object 200, the distance from the power supply device 100 to the mobile object 200, and the angle with respect to the mobile object 200 can be accurately detected.

The communication unit 8 may receive information regarding the position, size and shape of the light receiving unit 21 . The communication unit 8 may receive, from the moving body 200, a signal requesting power supply, information indicating that the power storage in the power storage unit has been completed, information regarding the power generation state in the light receiving unit, and the like.

The storage unit 9 may be, for example, a semiconductor memory, a computer-readable storage medium, or the like. The storage unit 9 may store image information of the mobile object 200 , identification information about the mobile object 200 , and a program for controlling the power supply device 100 .

The moving object 200 moves using electrical energy, and may be, for example, a drone or an electric vehicle. However, the moving body 200 is not limited to these examples. The moving body 200 has a light receiving unit 21, a power storage unit 22, a driving unit 23, an imaging unit 24, a detecting unit 25, a control unit 26, a communication unit 27, and a storage unit 28, and these are connected by a bus 20 .

The light receiving unit 21 receives the laser beam L from the light source unit 1 of the power supply device 100 and converts it into electric power. A solar cell such as a silicon solar cell may be used for the light receiving section 21 . Any of monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and amorphous silicon can be used for silicon solar cells, but monocrystalline silicon is preferred because of its high power conversion efficiency. The light-receiving unit 21 includes solar cells using multi-element compound semiconductors (CIS (Copper Indium Selenium) solar cells, CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenium) solar cells), III-V group multi-junction solar cells (GaAs group solar cells etc.) may be used.

In the case of silicon solar cells, since the electromotive voltage is about 0.8 V, it is necessary to connect a plurality of cells in series in order to increase the output voltage. When one silicon solar cell is divided into a plurality of cells, it is preferable that each cell has a uniform electromotive voltage, so that each cell is preferably uniformly irradiated with light. Therefore, the light source unit 1 of the power supply device 100 preferably emits laser light having a uniform intensity distribution so that the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200 can receive laser light of uniform intensity.

In the case of silicon solar cells, the wavelength corresponding to the bandgap of silicon (Si) is about 1.1 μm, and since light that does not have energy equal to or greater than the bandgap energy is not absorbed, the irradiated laser light corresponds to the bandgap. The wavelength must be shorter than the wavelength used for On the other hand, most of the energy of light with a wavelength much shorter than the wavelength corresponding to the bandgap causes heat generation in the silicon solar cell, resulting in a decrease in energy conversion efficiency. Therefore, in the silicon solar cell, considering the energy conversion efficiency, the wavelength of the laser light irradiated by the light source unit 1 of the power supply device 100 is slightly shorter than 1.1 μm, which corresponds to the bandgap of silicon. A wavelength of about 1 μm is preferable. In addition, since the laser light with a wavelength of 1 μm has a longer wavelength than the range of visible light, it can be said that it is safe for the human body.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the light receiving section 21 may be surrounded by a reflector 30 . By providing the reflector 30, it is possible to prevent the laser light incident on the light receiving section 21 from leaking to the outside.

The power storage unit 22 stores the electric power converted by the light receiving unit 21 . The power storage unit 22 may be a storage battery such as a secondary battery. As the storage battery, for example, a lithium ion battery, a lithium polymer battery, or the like may be used.

Drive unit 23 drives the power plant using the electric power stored in power storage unit 22 . If the mobile object 200 is a drone, the drive unit 23 may be a motor that rotates the rotor blades. Alternatively, if the moving body 200 is an electric vehicle, the drive unit 23 may be a motor that rotates the wheels.

The imaging unit 24 captures an image of the power supply device 100 that emits laser light. For example, a camera may be used as the imaging unit 24 .

The detection unit 25 detects the position of the power supply device 100 based on the image captured by the imaging unit 24 . The detection unit 25 may detect the power supply device 100 included in the image by image recognition. By using image recognition, the moving body 200 can accurately grasp the position of the power supply device 100 .

The control unit 26 controls the position of the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200 so as to face the light source unit 1 of the power supply device 100 . In this case, the control unit 26 may control the position of only the light receiving unit 21, or may control the position of the moving body 200 as a whole. A microcomputer such as a CPU may be used for the control unit 26 . The control unit 26 can control the orientation of the light receiving unit 21 by following the position of the power supply device 100 . Therefore, the control unit 26 can track the position of the power supply device 100 even when the relative positions of the power supply device 100 and the moving object 200 fluctuate while the light source unit 1 is emitting laser light. , the light receiving section 21 of the moving body 200 can be accurately irradiated with the laser light emitted from the light source section 1 . Tracking here refers to continuing to detect the detected power supply device 100 . The moving object 200 may track the power supply device 100 by any method such as radio waves, image recognition, sensors, or the like.

The communication unit 27 transmits and receives information to and from the power supply device 100 . The communication unit 27 may transmit, to the power supply device 100, a signal requesting power supply, information indicating that the power storage in the power storage unit 22 has been completed, information regarding the state of power generation in the light receiving unit 21, and the like.

The storage unit 28 may be, for example, a semiconductor memory. The storage unit 28 may store position information of the power supply area 400, identification information about the power supply device 100, a program for controlling the mobile object 200, and the like.

FIG. 5 shows a sequence diagram for explaining the operations of the power supply device 100 and the moving body 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In step S101, the moving object 200 moves to a nearby power supply area 400 (see FIG. 1) when the remaining charge is low. The position of the power supply area 400 may be stored in advance in the storage unit 28 of the mobile object 200 .

Next, in step S<b>102 , the moving object 200 detects the power supply device 100 . The moving body 200 may capture an image of the power supply device 100 using the imaging unit 24, and the detection unit 25 may detect the position of the power supply device 100 based on the captured image.

Next, in step S<b>103 , the moving body 200 controls the orientation of the solar cell, which is the light receiving section 21 . Since mobile body 200 detects the position of power supply device 100 , controller 26 can control the direction of the solar cell so that the solar cell faces the position of power supply device 100 . The control unit 26 may control only the orientation of the solar cells without changing the position of the moving object 200, or the control unit 26 may control the driving unit 23 to change the orientation of the moving object 200 as a whole. , the solar cell that is the light receiving unit 21 may be controlled to face the power supply device 100 .

Next, in step S<b>104 , the moving body 200 requests power supply from the power supply apparatus 100 . For example, the communication unit 27 of the moving object 200 may request power supply by transmitting a signal requesting power supply to the power supply apparatus 100 . However, when the power supply device 100 detects that the mobile body 200 has entered the power supply area 400, power may be automatically supplied to the mobile body 200. In this case, the mobile body 200 may not request power supply to the power supply apparatus 100 .

Next, in step S<b>105 , the power supply device 100 detects the position, size, and shape of the solar cell, which is the light receiving section 21 of the moving body 200 . For example, the imaging unit 5 of the power supply device 100 captures an image of the solar cell that is the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200, the image recognition unit 6 performs image processing based on the captured image, and the detection unit 7 receives light. The position, size, and shape of the solar cell, which is part 21, may be detected. Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that the solar cell, which is the light receiving section 21 of the moving body 200, is detected to have the rectangular size and shape indicated by S20.

Next, in step S<b>106 , the power supply device 100 controls the orientation of the pixel array, which is the light source unit 1 . The position control unit 3 of the power supply device 100 may control only the light source unit 1 to direct the direction of the pixel array toward the solar cell, which is the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200, or the direction of the entire power supply device 100. By controlling, the direction of the pixel array, which is the light source unit 1, may be directed toward the solar cell, which is the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200. FIG. Alternatively, the position control section 3 may control the direction of the laser light by controlling the angle of a mirror that reflects the laser light.

Next, in step S107, the light source control unit 4 selects pixels to emit light according to the shape of the solar cell. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when irradiating a solar cell having a rectangular size and shape indicated by S20 with a laser beam, the position of the center of the solar cell and the light emitting element included in the region S20 12 pixels including the pixel V21 in the area indicated by S20 are selected from among the plurality of light emitting elements of the light source unit 1 so that the position of the center of the beam coincides.

Next, in step S<b>108 , the power supply device 100 irradiates the moving body 200 with laser light.

Next, in step S109, the entire solar cell, which is the light receiving portion 21, is irradiated with laser light. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the laser light emitted from 12 vixels including the vixel V21 in the region indicated by S20 becomes a beam light having the same shape as the solar cell. irradiated all over. In the solar cell, which is the light receiving unit 21 , the energy of the laser light is converted into electric energy, and the converted electric energy is stored in the electric storage unit 22 .

As described above, optical wireless power feeding to the moving object 200 is performed by the laser light L emitted from the light source unit 1 of the power feeding device 100 . Note that when sufficient electric power is stored in power storage unit 22 of mobile object 200, communication unit 27 of mobile object 200 notifies communication unit 8 of power supply device 100 that power supply has been completed. you can

(Tracking by power supply device)
Next, a tracking method by the power supply device 100 when the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200 moves relative to the power supply device 100 will be described. In the tracking by the power supply device 100, the light source control unit 4 of the power supply device 100 selects the light emitting element to emit light from among the plurality of light emitting elements of the light source unit 1 according to the relative movement of the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200. It is executed by FIG. 6 shows a flowchart for explaining the operation procedure of the power supply device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

First, in step S<b>201 , the imaging unit 5 of the power supply device 100 captures an image of the solar cell, which is the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200 .

Next, in step S202, the acquisition unit 2 of the power supply device 100 acquires information on the position, size, and shape of the solar cell.

Next, in step S203, the position control unit 3 of the power supply device 100 causes the pixel array, which is the light source unit 1, and the solar cell to face each other.

Next, in step S<b>204 , the light source control unit 4 of the power supply device 100 determines the light emitting area of the pixel array, which is the light source unit 1 .

Next, in step S205, the light source control unit 4 of the power supply device 100 selectively causes the pixel array to emit light.

Next, in step S206, power is supplied by irradiating the solar cell.

Next, in step S<b>207 , the image recognition unit 6 of the power supply device 100 detects whether or not the solar cell has moved from the image of the solar cell captured by the imaging unit 5 .

If no movement of the solar cell is detected in step S207, the process returns to step S204 to continue power supply to the solar cell.

On the other hand, if the movement of the solar cell is detected in step S207, the position of the pixel to emit light is adjusted in accordance with the movement direction in step S208.

(Tracking in a minute range by light emission control of the light source)
FIG. 7 shows a diagram for explaining how the power supply device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure irradiates the moving light receiving unit 21 with laser light. FIGS. 7A to 7C are examples of an image 40 including the solar cell, which is the light receiving unit 21 of the moving object 200, captured by the imaging unit 5 of the power supply device 100. FIG. 7D to 7F are plan views of the light source section 1 of the power supply device 100. FIG. Here, the area shown in the image 40 shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C corresponds to the irradiation range of the laser light when all the plurality of light emitting elements included in the light source unit 1 are caused to emit light. It is assumed that there is

As shown in FIG. 7(a), in the image 40 captured by the imaging unit 5, when the light receiving unit 21 constituting the solar cell is positioned on the left side, the solar cell The hatched four vixels, including the vixel V31 in the region S30 of the light source unit 1 facing the light receiving unit 21 constituting , emit light, and the entire light receiving unit 21 is irradiated with laser light.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7A, in the image 40, the light receiving section 21 constituting the solar cell moves in the direction of arrow A1, and as shown in FIG. Assume that the position of the portion 21 has moved toward the center of the image 40 . In this case, when the vixels included in the region S30 of FIG. 7D are caused to emit light, the entire light receiving section 21 after movement is not irradiated with laser light. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7(e), the hatched four vixels including the vixel V41 included in the region S40 corresponding to the position of the light receiving part 21 constituting the solar cell after the movement are caused to emit light. . Then, the laser beams emitted from the four vixels included in the region S40 are applied to the entire light-receiving section 21 after movement shown in FIG. 7(b). The position of the light source section 1 in FIG. 7(e) is the same as the position of the light source section 1 in FIG. 7(d). The light source control unit 4 changes the light emitting region of the light source unit 1 from S30 to S40 to follow the movement of the light receiving unit 21, and performs tracking so that the entire light receiving unit 21 is irradiated with laser light. there is

Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, in the image 40, the light receiving portion 21 constituting the solar cell moves in the direction of arrow A2, and as shown in FIG. 7C, the light receiving portion 21 constituting the solar cell Assume that the position of 21 has moved to the right in the image 40 . In this case, when the vixels included in the region S40 of FIG. 7E are caused to emit light, the entire light receiving section 21 after movement is not irradiated with laser light. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7(f), the hatched four vixels including the vixel V51 included in the region S50 corresponding to the position of the light receiving section 21 constituting the solar cell after the movement are caused to emit light. . Then, the laser beams emitted from the four vixels included in the region S50 are applied to the entire light-receiving section 21 after movement shown in FIG. 7(c). The position of the light source section 1 in FIG. 7(f) is the same as the position of the light source section 1 in FIG. 7(e). The light source control unit 4 changes the light emitting region of the light source unit 1 from S40 to S50 to follow the movement of the light receiving unit 21, and performs tracking so that the entire light receiving unit 21 is irradiated with laser light. there is

As described above, in the power supply device according to the first embodiment, when the light receiving unit 21 moves in a predetermined direction with respect to the light source unit 1, the light source control unit 4 follows the movement of the light receiving unit 21, Since the light emitting element to emit light is selected from among the plurality of light emitting elements, the moving solar cell can be tracked without changing the position of the light source unit 1 .

Note that when the position of the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200 moves beyond the range of the image 40, if the position of the light source unit 1 remains fixed, the entire light receiving unit 21 after movement is irradiated with laser light. Therefore, tracking may be performed by adjusting the position of the light source unit 1 itself, such as by changing the direction of the light source unit 1 .

FIGS. 7A to 7F show an example of tracking when the position of the light receiving unit 21 constituting the solar cell moves horizontally in the image 40, but the tracking is not limited to such an example. Even if the light receiving section 21 moves in an arbitrary direction in the image 40, tracking can be performed by selecting a light emitting element corresponding to the position of the light receiving section 21 and emitting light. As described above, according to the power supply device 100 according to the first embodiment, even when the position of the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 200 moves with respect to the power supply device 100, the light source control unit 4 of the power supply device 100 By selecting a light-emitting element so as to eliminate the deviation between the position before movement and the position after movement of the light receiving section 21, the entire light receiving section 21 is irradiated with laser light, and high power supply efficiency is maintained. can be done.

[Example 2]
In the above description, an example in which the mobile object is a drone has been described, but the mobile object is not limited to a flying object such as a drone. For example, the mobile body may be a mobile body such as an electric vehicle. Here, a case where the moving object is an electric vehicle will be described as an example. FIG. 8 shows a diagram for explaining an outline of an optical wireless power supply system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The optical wireless power supply system 300 includes a power supply device 100 and an electric vehicle 600 that is a moving object that receives power from the power supply device 100 .

First, electric vehicle 600 , which is a mobile object, enters power supply area 400 . Electric vehicle 600 may move to power supply area 400 to be charged when the electric power for moving electric vehicle 600 is reduced and charging becomes necessary, or when an instruction to charge is received. The electric vehicle 600 receives radio waves emitted by the power supply device 100 installed on the utility pole 700, grasps the position of the light source unit 1, and detects the direction of the light receiving unit 21 provided in the electric vehicle 600. Control to face 100.

The power supply device 100 includes an image pickup unit 5 such as a camera, picks up an image of the electric vehicle 600, and detects the position of the light receiving unit 21 based on the picked up image. The light source unit 1 is provided with a plurality of light emitting elements. The light source control unit 4 selects a light emitting element corresponding to the size and shape of the light receiving unit 21 of the electric vehicle 600 from among the plurality of light emitting elements, and emits light to irradiate the laser beam L thereon. A solar cell is provided in the light receiving unit 21 of the electric vehicle 600, and the solar cell converts the received laser light into electric energy and stores the electric energy in an electric storage unit (not shown). Electric vehicle 600 can continue to move using the stored electric power. As described above, optical wireless power feeding from the power feeding device 100 to the electric vehicle 600 can be performed.

It should be noted that electric vehicle 600 may move, for example, in the direction of arrow A0 while power supply device 100 is supplying power to electric vehicle 600 . Since the power supply device 100 tracks the position of the light receiving section 21 of the electric vehicle 600, the light receiving section 21 can be irradiated with the laser light L emitted from the light source section 1 even when the electric vehicle 600 is moving. It's for. In this case, power supply device 100 and electric vehicle 600 may track each other.

[Example 3]
Next, an optical wireless power supply system according to Example 3 of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 9 shows a diagram for explaining an outline of an optical wireless power feeding system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. In the optical wireless power supply system according to the third embodiment, the light source units (1U, 1D) are arranged at positions corresponding to the movable range of the moving body (200, 800), and the light source control units (4U, 4D) It is characterized in that a light-emitting element arranged at a position corresponding to the position of the light-receiving portion of (200, 800) is selected. Here, a case where the mobile object 200 is a drone will be described as an example, but the mobile object 200 is not limited to a drone. Although FIG. 9 shows an example in which the movable range of the moving body 200 is the building 1000, it is not limited to such an example.

In FIG. 9, power supply devices (not shown) are arranged on the ceiling and floor of a building 1000 . A light source control unit 4U is arranged on the ceiling of the building 1000, and a light source control unit 4D is arranged on the floor. Similarly, a plurality of pixel arrays 1U, which are light sources, are arranged on the ceiling of the building 1000, and a plurality of pixel arrays 1D, which are light sources, are arranged on the floor. The moving body 200 can move within the building 1000 . That is, a plurality of pixel arrays (1U, 1D), which are light sources, are arranged within a building 1000, which is the movable range of the moving body 200. FIG. Note that FIG. 9 shows an example in which a plurality of pixel arrays (1U, 1D) are arranged in an array in the horizontal direction, but the present invention is not limited to such an example, and includes directions perpendicular to the plane of the paper. may be arranged in a two-dimensional array.

In FIG. 9, the moving body 200 has light receiving portions (21U, 21D) on its upper and lower portions. Among the surfaces forming the light receiving unit 21U, the solar cells are arranged on the surface facing the plurality of pixel arrays 1U arranged on the ceiling. Similarly, among the surfaces constituting the light receiving section 21D, the solar cells are arranged on the surface facing the plurality of pixel arrays 1D arranged on the floor.

Imaging units (5U, 5D) are provided on the upper and lower sides of the building 1000, and capture images of the light receiving units (21U, 21D) of the moving object 200, respectively. An acquisition unit (not shown) of the power supply device acquires information on the position, size, and shape of the solar cells provided in the light receiving units (21U, 21D) from the images captured by the imaging units (5U, 5D). can be done.

The light source control units (4U, 4D) select moving objects among the plurality of pixel arrays (1U, 1D) based on information on the position, size, and shape of the solar cells provided in the light receiving units (21U, 21D). The light emitting elements arranged at positions corresponding to the positions of the light receiving portions (21U, 21D) of 200 are selected. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the light source control unit 4U arranged on the ceiling has a light emitting element (V1 , V2). The laser beams (L1, L2) emitted from the light emitting elements (V1, V2) are applied to the light receiving section 21U arranged above the moving body 200. As shown in FIG. Similarly, the light source control unit 4D arranged on the floor selects the light emitting elements (V3, V4) arranged at positions corresponding to the positions of the light receiving units 21D of the moving body 200 among the plurality of pixel arrays 1D. The laser beams (L3, L4) emitted from the light emitting elements (V3, V4) are applied to the light receiving section 21D arranged below the moving body 200. As shown in FIG.

Further, when the moving body 200 moves within the building 1000, the light emitting elements arranged at the positions corresponding to the light receiving portions (21U, 21D) of the moving body after movement may be selected to emit light. By adopting such a configuration, the power supply device can detect the light receiving portions (21U, 21D ), the moving body 200 can be supplied with power by causing the light-emitting element arranged at the position corresponding to the position corresponding to the position corresponding to .

Also, the mobile object may be, for example, an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle) 800 that travels on the floor surface of the building 1000 . The AGV 800 is provided with a light receiving unit 210, and the light receiving unit 210 is provided with solar cells on both the ceiling-side surface and the floor-side surface. Here, it is assumed that AGV 800 moves in the direction of arrow A3 and moves under shield 900, as shown in FIG. In this case, at a position before the AGV 800 is blocked by the shield 900, power can be supplied by laser light emitted from the plurality of pixel arrays 1U arranged on the ceiling of the building 1000 to the upper surface of the light receiving unit 210. . On the other hand, when the AGV 800 moves under the shield 900, the laser light emitted from the plurality of pixel arrays 1U arranged on the ceiling of the building 1000 is blocked by the shield 900. cannot be irradiated. On the other hand, among the plurality of vixel arrays 1D arranged on the floor of the building 1000, the vixels (V5, V6) arranged at positions corresponding to the shape of the light receiving section 210 emit laser light to the lower surface of the light receiving section 210. It can illuminate and the AGV 800 can be powered. In this way, by arranging the light source units on both the ceiling and the floor of the building 1000, even if the light receiving unit of the moving object is blocked from one light source unit by a shield, the other light source unit is not blocked. Power can be supplied by irradiating a laser beam from the light source.

In the above description, an example is shown in which the light source unit is arranged on the ceiling and floor of the building 1000, which is the movable range of the moving body. You may make it arrange|position on other surfaces other than a floor, such as a side surface. Also, the light source units may be arranged on a plurality of surfaces of the building 1000 within the movable range of the moving object so that power can be supplied even when there is a shield between the moving object and the light source unit.

As described above, according to the optical wireless power supply system according to the third embodiment, the moving body can receive laser light from the power supply device in accordance with the shape of the light receiving unit at any position within the movable range. Efficiency can be increased.

[Example 4]
Next, an optical wireless power feeding system according to a fourth embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 shows a diagram for explaining an outline of an optical wireless power feeding system according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. In the optical wireless power supply system according to the fourth embodiment, the light receiving unit of the moving object includes a plurality of cells, the moving object includes a voltage detector that measures electromotive voltages in the plurality of cells, and the light source control unit of the power supply device includes: It is characterized in that the moving direction is indicated to the moving body by adjusting the intensity of the light irradiated to the plurality of cells.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the light-receiving part of the moving body 200 is composed of two cells, one of which is C1 and the other is C2. Cell C1 is irradiated with laser light L1 from pixel V1, and cell C2 is irradiated with laser light L2 from pixel V2. The two cells (C1, C2) may be provided with voltage detectors to measure the electromotive voltage generated. By measuring the electromotive voltage with a voltage detector, it is possible to determine the magnitude of the intensity of the laser light irradiated to the two cells (C1, C2).

The light source control unit 4U of the power supply device may instruct the moving body 200 to move in the direction of the arrow A by making the intensity of the laser beam L1 higher than that of the laser beam L2. Further, the light source control unit 4U of the power supply device may instruct the moving body 200 to move in the direction of the arrow B by making the intensity of the laser beam L2 higher than that of the laser beam L1. Such control of the direction of movement of the moving object based on the intensity of the laser beam can be executed by a program stored in the storage unit of the moving object.

Alternatively, the light source control unit 4U selects light emitting elements so as to irradiate predetermined regions (C3, C4) of the light receiving unit of the other moving body 202 with light, thereby changing the moving direction of the moving body 200. can be indicated. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, it is assumed that the light-receiving part of the moving body 202 has a plurality of cells (C3, C4). At this time, the moving body 202 may be moved in the direction of the arrow C when the light source control unit 4U selects the light emitting element of the pixel array 1U so that the cell C3 is irradiated with the laser light L7. On the other hand, the moving body 202 may be moved in the direction of the arrow D when the light source control unit 4U selects the light emitting element of the pixel array 1U so that the cell C4 is irradiated with laser light.

As described above, by dividing the light receiving portion of the moving body into a plurality of cells and adjusting the intensity of the laser beam irradiated to the light receiving portion, it is possible to instruct the moving direction of the moving body. can be omitted.

In the above description, an example of instructing a moving object on a two-dimensional plane has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the vertical movement of the movable body may be controlled by changing the intensity or period of the laser beam that irradiates the light-receiving part of the movable body.

[Example 5]
Next, an optical wireless power supply system 301 according to Example 5 of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of a power supply device 101 and a moving object 201 that configure an optical wireless power supply system 301 according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. In the optical wireless power supply system 301 according to the fifth embodiment, the light receiving unit 21 includes a plurality of cells, and the moving body 201 measures electromotive voltages in the plurality of cells, and calculates the power generation rate in the plurality of cells. The power supply device 101 has a calculation unit 11 that calculates the amount of deviation between the position of the light receiving unit 21 and the irradiation area of the laser light from the light source unit 1 based on the power generation rates of the plurality of cells. characterized by points. In the power supply device 100 according to the first embodiment, the position of the light receiving unit 21 of the moving object 200 to be supplied with power is determined based on the image captured by the imaging unit 5 . Therefore, whether or not the position of the light receiving section 21 is shifted from the original position can be determined based on the image captured by the imaging section 5 . On the other hand, the wireless optical power supply system 301 according to the fifth embodiment receives information about the power generation status of the light receiving unit 21 of the moving object 201, and the calculating unit 11 calculates the position of the light receiving unit 21 based on the received information. is deviated from its original position, and the amount of deviation is calculated.

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart for explaining the procedure for determining whether or not there is a shift in the irradiation area based on the information about the power generation status from the moving body 201 in the wireless optical power supply system 301 according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. . Since the procedure from steps S301 to S306 is the same as the procedure from steps S201 to S206 shown in FIG. 6, detailed description thereof will be omitted. As described above, a solar cell has a plurality of cells connected in series in order to output a high electromotive voltage. Therefore, a voltage detector for detecting the output voltage is provided in each of the plurality of cells that constitute the solar battery, and the output voltage of each cell is detected. The communication unit 27 of the mobile object 201 transmits information about the power generation status of each cell to the communication unit 8 of the power supply device 101 . In step S<b>307 , the communication unit 8 of the power supply device 101 receives information about the power generation status of each cell of the solar battery from the communication unit 27 of the mobile object 201 .

Next, in step S<b>308 , the calculation unit 11 of the power supply device 101 determines whether or not there is a unit cell whose power generation rate is not 100% among the individual cells of the received solar battery, which is the light receiving unit 21 . That is, by calculating the maximum value of the power generation amount of each cell and standardizing the power generation amount of each cell with the calculated maximum value, it is determined whether or not the power generation rate is 100%. The fact that the power generation rate of the cell is not 100% means that a part of the solar cell constituting the cell is not irradiated with laser light. Here, since the shape of the entire light-receiving region of the light-receiving unit 21 constituting the solar cell and the shape of the laser light irradiation region are the same shape, if there is a part of the cell that is not irradiated with the laser light, It can be seen that the position of the light receiving part 21 and the position of the irradiation area of the laser light are shifted.

In step S308, if there is no unit cell whose power generation rate is not 100% (No in step S308), that is, if the entire light-receiving surface of each of the plurality of cells of the solar battery is irradiated with laser light, the deviation is It is determined that there is no laser beam, and the process returns to step S304 to continue the laser beam irradiation.

On the other hand, if there is a unit cell whose power generation rate is not 100% in step S308 (Yes in step S308), it is determined that the position of the light receiving unit 21 constituting the solar cell and the position of the laser beam irradiation area are misaligned. Then, in step S309, the calculator 11 calculates the amount of deviation.

FIG. 13 illustrates a procedure for the power supply device 101 to calculate the displacement amount of the irradiation area based on the information about the power generation status from the moving object 201 in the optical wireless power supply system 301 according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. A flow chart is shown. In FIG. 14, in the optical wireless power supply system 301 according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure, the irradiation area of the laser light irradiated to the light receiving unit 21 constituting the solar cell is horizontal with respect to the light receiving area of the solar cell. and an example of a solar cell and a laser light irradiation region in the case of being shifted in the vertical direction. FIG. 15 shows the solar cell in the case where the irradiation area of the laser light irradiated to the light receiving unit 21 is twisted with respect to the light receiving area of the solar cell in the optical wireless power supply system 301 according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. and an example of a region irradiated with laser light.

First, in step S401, the light source unit 1 of the power supply device 101 irradiates the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 201 with laser light, and the voltage detector of the moving body 201 detects individual cells of the solar battery that is the light receiving unit 21. Detect the amount of power generation.

Next, in step S402, the communication unit 8 of the power supply device 101 receives the detection result of the power generation amount of each cell of the light receiving unit 21 from the communication unit 27 of the moving body 201, and the calculation unit 11 calculates the power generation amount of all the cells. Determine if the amounts are the same.

In step S402, if the power generation amounts of all the cells are the same (Yes in step S402), it is determined that there is no difference in step S403.

On the other hand, in step S402, if the power generation amount of all the cells is not the same, that is, if there is a cell with a power generation amount different from that of the other cells among the plurality of cells (No in step S402), the light receiving unit It is judged that the position of 21 and the irradiation area of the laser light are shifted, and the laser light is not uniformly irradiated to the entire solar cell. In this case, the position of the light receiving unit 21 and the irradiation area of the laser light are shifted only in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. It is conceivable that it is twisted at an angle of

Next, in step S404, the calculation unit 11 determines that among the plurality of cells forming the light receiving unit 21 of the moving body 201, there is an adjacent cell with the same power generation amount that is less than the maximum power generation amount. decide whether to

When the position of the light receiving unit 21 and the irradiation area 2000 of the laser light are shifted only in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, the position of the light receiving unit 21 and the irradiation area 2000 of the laser light are, for example, as shown in FIG. positional relationship. Here, a case where the solar cell is divided into a total of 9 cells R11 to R33 of 3 rows and 3 columns will be described as an example. In FIG. 14, it can be seen that the laser light is not applied to some of the cells R11, R21, R31, R32, and R33. If the power generation amount of cells R12, R22, R13, and R23, which are all irradiated with laser light, is the maximum value, the power generation amount of cells (R11, etc.) partially not irradiated with laser light is less than the maximum value. is. Furthermore, when the adjacent cells R11 and R21 have the same amount of power generation, the amount of deviation in the cell R11 and the amount of deviation in the cell R21 are the same, and the position of the light receiving section 21 and the irradiation area 2000 of the laser light are horizontal. It can be seen that it is misaligned only in the directional and vertical directions and is not twisted.

Therefore, in such a case, in step S404, adjacent cells (for example, R11, R21, R31, R32, R33) whose power generation amount is less than the maximum value have the same power generation amount (for example, R11, R21). If so (Yes in step S404), it is determined in step S405 that there is no twist, and the amount of horizontal or vertical misalignment is calculated.

Next, a method for calculating the amount of deviation will be described. If the power generation amounts of the cells R11 and R21 are less than the maximum value and are the same, it can be seen that there is a vertical deviation. Let the horizontal length of cell R11 be X ₀ and the vertical length be Y ₀ . When the amount of power generation in the cell R11 is α% of the maximum value, the amount of power generation is proportional to the light-receiving area of the laser light, so the amount of deviation ΔY can be calculated as ΔY=α/100×Y ₀ .

Similarly, when the power generation amounts of the cells R32 and R33 are less than the maximum value and are the same, it can be seen that there is a horizontal deviation. Let the horizontal length of cell R33 be X ₀ and the vertical length be Y ₀ . When the amount of power generation in the cell R33 is β% of the maximum value, the amount of power generation is proportional to the light receiving area of the laser light, so the amount of deviation ΔX can be calculated as ΔX=β/100×X ₀ .

Next, in step S<b>406 , the power supply device 101 adjusts the amount of deviation of the light source section 1 . This allows the light source unit 1 of the power supply device 101 to irradiate the entire light receiving unit 21 constituting the solar cell with laser light.

In step S404, if there is no adjacent cell (eg, R11, R21, R31, R32, R33) with the same power generation capacity (eg, R11, R21) (step S404) If No in S404), the irradiation area of the laser light is twisted with respect to the light receiving area of the solar cell, so in step S407, the twisting direction is determined.

In FIG. 15, it is assumed that the power generation rates of cells R11, R21, and R31 are D%, E%, and F%, respectively. At this time, if there is a relationship of D>E>F, the laser irradiation areas in the cells R11, R21, and R31 decrease in this order. That is, the irradiation area of the laser light is twisted clockwise with respect to the position of the light receiving section 21 that constitutes the solar cell.

Therefore, next in step S408, the position control unit 3 rotates the angle of the light source unit 1 counterclockwise. After that, returning to step S404, it is determined whether or not the twist has been eliminated.

In step S404, if there is a twist between the light receiving unit 21 constituting the solar cell and the laser light irradiation area (No in step S404), the direction of rotation of the twist is determined in step S407, and step S408 is performed. Adjust the torsion angle at In this case, the magnitude of the twist angle to be adjusted may be determined by referring to the previous twist angle adjustment result. After that, returning to step S404 again, it is determined whether or not the twist has been eliminated.

In step S404, when the twist between the light-receiving unit 21 constituting the solar cell and the laser light irradiation area is eliminated (Yes in step S404), in step S406, the amount of horizontal or vertical misalignment is adjusted. In S310, the light emitting area is adjusted so as to eliminate the deviation.

As described above, if there is a twist between the light receiving section 21 and the laser light irradiation area, the twist is first eliminated, and then the horizontal and vertical deviations are adjusted. In this manner, highly efficient power supply can be realized by matching the light receiving section 21 constituting the solar cell with the laser beam irradiation area based on the information about the amount of power generated by the solar cell.

1 light source unit 2 acquisition unit 3 position control unit 4 light source control unit 5 imaging unit 6 image recognition unit 7 detection unit 8 communication unit 9 storage unit 10 bus 11 calculation unit 20 bus 21 light receiving unit 22 power storage unit 23 driving unit 24 imaging unit 25 Detection unit 26 Control unit 27 Communication unit 28 Storage unit 29 Power generation rate calculation unit 100 Power supply device 200 Moving body

Claims (11)

a light source unit having a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in an array and each emitting parallel laser light;
an acquisition unit that acquires information about the position, size, and shape of the light receiving unit to be fed;
a position control unit that controls the direction of the light source unit so as to face the light receiving unit based on the information about the position of the light receiving unit;
a light source control unit that selects a light emitting element corresponding to the size and shape of the light receiving unit from among the plurality of light emitting elements and causes it to emit light;
A power supply device comprising: 2. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein said light source control section selects a light emitting element to emit light from among said plurality of light emitting elements according to relative movement of said light receiving section. an imaging unit that captures an image of a light-receiving unit to be fed;
An image recognition unit that performs image recognition to detect the position, size and shape of the light receiving unit based on the image of the light receiving unit captured by the imaging unit,
The power supply device according to claim 1 or 2. An optical wireless power supply system including a power supply device and a mobile body that receives power from the power supply device,
The moving body is
a light receiving unit that receives laser light and converts it into electric power;
a power storage unit that stores electric power converted by the light receiving unit;
a drive unit that drives a power unit using the electric power stored by the power storage unit;
has
The power supply device
a light source unit having a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in an array and each emitting parallel laser light;
an acquisition unit that acquires information about the position, size and shape of the light receiving unit;
a position control unit that controls the orientation of the light source unit so as to face the light receiving unit based on information about the position of the light receiving unit;
a light source control unit that selects a light emitting element corresponding to the size and shape of the light receiving unit from among the plurality of light emitting elements and causes it to emit light;
having
An optical wireless power supply system characterized by: 5. The optical wireless power supply system according to claim 4, wherein said light source control section selects a light emitting element to emit light from among said plurality of light emitting elements according to relative movement of said light receiving section. When the light receiving unit moves in a predetermined direction with respect to the light source unit, the light source control unit selects a light emitting element to emit light from among the plurality of light emitting elements by following the movement of the light receiving unit. The optical wireless power supply system according to claim 4 or 5. The light source unit is arranged at a position corresponding to the movable range of the moving body,
The light source control unit selects a light emitting element arranged at a position corresponding to the position of the light receiving unit of the moving body.
The optical wireless power supply system according to any one of claims 4 to 6. 8. The light source control unit according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the light source control unit instructs the movement direction to the moving body by adjusting the intensity of light irradiated to a predetermined area of the light receiving unit. Optical wireless power supply system. The light receiving unit includes a plurality of cells,
The moving body includes a voltage detector that measures electromotive voltages in the plurality of cells,
The light source control unit instructs the movement direction to the moving body by adjusting the intensity of the light irradiated to the plurality of cells.
The optical wireless power supply system according to any one of claims 4 to 8. 10. The light source controller according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the light source controller selects the light emitting element so as to irradiate light onto a predetermined area of the light receiver, thereby instructing the moving body on the moving direction. 1. The optical wireless power supply system according to claim 1. The light receiving unit includes a plurality of cells,
The moving body includes a power generation rate calculation unit that measures electromotive voltages in the plurality of cells and calculates power generation rates in the plurality of cells,
The power supply device has a calculation unit that calculates the amount of deviation between the position of the light receiving unit and the irradiation area of the laser light from the light source unit, based on the power generation rate of the plurality of cells.
The optical wireless power supply system according to any one of claims 4 to 10.

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