JP3186674B2 - Contactless power supply system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a non-contact power supply system for supplying power to a vehicle traveling along a rail in a non-contact manner.
The present invention relates to a contactless power supply system for preventing a power supply cable disposed on a turntable for changing a vehicle course from being worn or damaged.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in a premises such as a warehouse or the like, a transport system for automatically transporting packages without manual operation includes a rail and a power supply unit installed along the transport route of the packages, and a power supply unit. And a mobile unit that actually carries the cargo while constantly receiving the power supply from the power supply unit. The power supply from the power supply unit to the mobile unit is usually performed in a non-contact form (non-contact power supply). Done in This is because if the power supply unit supplies power to the moving body by mechanically contacting the two (contact power supply), the power supply unit (including the power collection unit) that actually transfers power moves. As a result of friction caused by the movement of the body, the mobility of the moving body is reduced, and in addition, the power supply unit is worn due to this friction, and sufficient durability and reliability are obtained for the power supply unit. This is because such inconveniences as not being possible occur.

For this reason, in this type of transport system, a non-contact power supply system is used as a special mechanism for supplying power from the above-described power supply unit to the moving body in a non-contact manner. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a conventional contactless power supply system. In FIG. 1, a guide rail 1 is provided on a transport route, a vehicle 2 that is guided and travels with rollers (not shown) inscribed on the guide rail 1 is attached, and a power receiving unit 3 is attached to the vehicle 2. The power receiving unit 3 is attached to the vehicle 2 via the base 4.

In FIG. 1, a turntable 5 is installed in the middle of the transport route, and turns the vehicle 2 to another guide rail (A or B) by rotating while the vehicle 2 is mounted at the position P. Is possible.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a cross-sectional shape of the above-mentioned guide rail 1 and the power receiving unit 3. Two guide rails 1 are arranged in parallel, and two power supply lines 6 are provided on the side surfaces thereof.
Are arranged by the support member 7. Therefore, the power supply line 6 is arranged along the guide rail 1. The power receiving unit 3 has an E-shaped cross section, and a secondary coil 8 is wound around a central convex portion. The power receiving unit 3 is made of ferrite, and the power supply line 6 is provided in a concave portion having an E-shaped cross section.
Is located.

Then, a predetermined AC current (for example, 10 kHz) is supplied to the power supply line 6 by an AC power supply unit (not shown).
By energizing z), a voltage is induced in the secondary coil 8 of the power receiving unit 3. That is, a magnetic circuit is formed through the power receiving unit 3 and a part of the induction rail 1 around the power supply line 6 by passing a predetermined alternating current through the power supply line 6, and the magnetic circuit is formed in the secondary coil 8 by electromagnetic induction. Induce a voltage. In this manner, the obtained voltage (power) is
Used for moving.

In the contactless power supply system described above, it is necessary to provide a power supply line 6 also on the turntable 5 as shown in FIG. A power supply cable having a length equal to the length of the moving range is required for the feed. In the related art, a power supply cable having a length corresponding to the feed length is wired so as to be slack (idling) from a connection position of an AC power supply unit (not shown).

[0008]

As described above, according to the conventional method of arranging the power supply cable in the turntable, when the turntable is rotated, the feed portion of the idle power supply cable moves to rotate the turntable body and the rotating turntable. It has come into contact with rotary drive parts such as shafts or gears and is frequently worn, so that maintenance is indispensable, and it is necessary to periodically replace the power supply cable. In addition, when used in a clean room, dust may be generated, and the coating of the cable may come off to cause a short circuit.

In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention has an object to provide a non-contact power supply system with higher safety and durability by providing a mechanism for appropriately guiding and supporting the feed of a power supply cable in a turntable. And

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is constituted as follows. First, the present invention is applied to a non-contact power supply system that supplies power to a vehicle traveling along a rail in a non-contact manner, and includes a rail and a power supply line, and is used for changing the course of a vehicle that can rotate while the vehicle is mounted. A turntable; and a feeder cable supporting means for guiding and supporting the feed portion in the feeder cable for feeding power from the external power source to the feeder line so as to eliminate slack of the feed portion required for rotation of the turntable. .

The power supply cable supporting means is, for example, a cylindrical body rotatable around a central axis, and the power supply cable can be wound on a side surface thereof, and a part of the power supply cable is fixed on the side surface. And a biasing member for biasing the cylindrical body in a winding direction of the power supply cable. Thereby, the cylindrical rotating body can feed and wind the power supply cable corresponding to the movement of the power supply cable attachment portion during the rotation of the turntable.

The power supply cable supporting means is coaxially fixed on the turntable, for example, and has one end fixed to the power supply cable so that the power supply cable can be wound around the pulley, and supports the power supply cable. And a biasing mechanism for biasing the power supply cable in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the power supply cable is stretched. Thus, the biasing mechanism applies an appropriate tension to the power supply cable, and removes play of the power supply cable in response to the movement of the power supply cable connection position on the pulley groove during rotation of the turntable.

The power supply cable supporting means is, for example, coaxial with the turntable and has a fixed sprocket which does not rotate, a power supply cable connected to one end, and a sprocket fixed to the other end, and is mounted on the rotating surface of the turntable. The sprocket includes a swing arm rotatably mounted around a central axis of the sprocket, and a chain extending between the sprocket fixed on the arm and the fixed sprocket.

Thus, even when the turntable is rotating, the distance between the AC power supply unit and the tip of the swing arm is kept constant, and the power supply cable of a fixed length is continuously extended without slack.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall top view (a) and an overall side view (b) of a feeder cable support mechanism and a turntable to be connected according to a first embodiment based on the second aspect of the present invention. In this figure, on a turntable 5, a guide rail 1 and a power supply line 6 are installed in parallel in the same manner as a normal transport route.

In the structure of the non-contact power supply system described above, the phase difference between the high-frequency currents of the two power supply lines 6 at one power receiving point may be about 180 °, and the arrangement length of any of the power supply lines 6 may be used. Since it is sufficiently short compared to the transmission speed of the high-frequency current, one feed line 6 is disposed on the side of the guide rail 1 in a folded state. That is, two power supply lines 6 are connected between the AC power supply unit 10 and the turntable 5, and in the embodiment of the present invention, the power supply cable 11 is wound up as a single power supply cable 11 for convenience.

A cylindrical rotating body 13 having a rotating shaft 12 at the center axis is out of the rotation range of the turntable 5 as shown in the top view of FIG. 1A and as shown in the side view of FIG. It is rotatably mounted at a position below (inside) a suitable rotation surface. A part of the power supply cable 11 is fixed to a substantially center on the side surface of the cylindrical rotating body 13 by a fixed bracket 14, and a spiral spring 15 as an urging member is wound around one end of the cylindrical rotating body 13. I have.

With the above construction, the cylindrical rotating body 13 is urged in the direction of rotation F in FIG. 1B, for example, to cope with the movement of the power supply cable mounting portion 16 when the turntable 5 rotates. Feeding and winding of the power supply cable 11 can be performed. In addition, since the power supply cable mounting portion 16 moves over a wide range when the turntable 5 rotates, the cylindrical rotating body 13 needs to have a sufficient length to secure a cable winding range on the cylindrical rotating body 13. is there.

The urging member is not limited to a spiral spring, but may be a coil spring or a plate spring. FIG. 2 is a view (bottom view) of a turntable provided with a power supply cable support mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the inside. In this figure, a feeder cable take-up pulley 17 is fixed to the lower surface of the turntable 5 coaxially with the turntable 5, a feeder cable 11 from the AC power supply unit 10 is connected to the pulley groove, and disposed on the upper surface of the turntable 5. To the feeding line 6.

A tension arm 19 urged upward in FIG. 1 by a coil spring 18 is mounted on the rotating shaft 20 between the AC power supply unit 10 and the winding pulley 17 and is stretched. The roller 21 is brought into contact with the power supply cable 11 to urge the power supply cable 11 in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction.

With the above configuration, the tension arm 19 applies an appropriate tension to the power supply cable 11 so that the power supply cable 11 corresponding to the movement of the power cable connection position on the pulley groove when the turntable 5 rotates.
Get rid of the play.

FIG. 3 is a view (bottom view) of a turntable provided with a power supply cable support mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the inside. In this figure, a fixed non-rotating sprocket 22 is provided coaxially with the turntable 5 on the lower surface of the turntable 5, and a power supply cable 11 from the AC power supply unit 10 is connected to one end, and a sprocket 23 is fixed to the other end. Swing arm 24
Is mounted on the turntable 5 outside the circumference of the fixed sprocket 22. Here, the swing arm 24 is pivotally mounted so that the center of a sprocket (hereinafter referred to as an arm sprocket 23) on the swing arm 24 becomes an axis and is rotatable. Then, a rubber chain 25 is applied to the fixed sprocket 22 and the arm sprocket 23 with appropriate tension.
Is passed over.

The operation of the power supply cable supporting mechanism having the above configuration will be described below. First, from the posture in which the swing arm 24 leans forward toward the AC power supply unit 10 as shown in FIG. 3A, when the turntable 5 rotates leftward in FIG. 3A, as shown in FIG. The relative movement (rotation, feed) of the rubber chain 25 from the fixed sprocket 22 causes the arm sprocket 23 to rotate clockwise in the figure R, and the swing arm 24 to which the sprocket is fixed also rotates clockwise by the same amount of rotation. To rotate.
As a result, the swing arm 24 stands upright in the upward direction in FIG. 3B, and the operation of extending the play of the power supply cable 11 having a certain length upward is performed.

Conversely, when the turntable 5 is rotated rightward from the state shown in FIG. 3A, the rubber chain 2 is relatively moved from the fixed sprocket 22 as shown in FIG.
5 (rotation, feed) by moving the arm sprocket 23
Rotates counterclockwise L in the figure, and the swing arm 24 to which the arm sprocket 23 is fixed also rotates counterclockwise by the same amount of rotation. As a result, the AC power supply unit 10
, The swing arm 24 is further inclined forward to feed the power supply cable 11 having a fixed length.

With the above operation, the turntable 5
Even during rotation, the distance (distance) between the AC power supply unit 10 and the tip of the swing arm 24 is kept constant, and the power supply cable 11 of a fixed length can be continuously extended without slack.

In this embodiment, the length of the fixed length power supply cable 11 is determined by the radius of the fixed sprocket 22 and the arm sprocket 23, the distance between the centers of the fixed sprocket 22 and the arm sprocket 23, and the length of the swing arm 24. Adjusted by setting.

The means for rotating the swing arm 24 is not limited to a rubber chain and a sprocket, and a combination of a belt and a pulley can be used if the tension applied is appropriate.

The power supply cable support mechanism according to the present invention described above is configured on the premise that it is applied to a turntable, which is one of vehicle route changing means. The first embodiment and the second embodiment can be applied to a certain slide table.

A configuration in the case where the slide table is used as a vehicle course changing means will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a case where the slide table 26 is used as another vehicle course changing means. The slide table 26 is installed in the middle of the transport route, and can move the vehicle 2 to another guide rail (A 'or B') by moving in parallel while the vehicle 2 is placed at the position P '. It has a configuration.

Next, FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a configuration in a case where the power supply cable support mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention is applied to the slide table 26 configured as described above.
In this figure, on the slide table 26, the guide rail 1 and the power supply line 6 are installed in parallel in the same manner as in the case of the turntable, and on the lower surface of the slide table 26, the power supply cable 11 is connected to the AC power supply unit 10 and the slide table. 26 are connected. Then, the same cylindrical rotary member 13 as in the first embodiment is used for the slide table 2.
6 and rotatably mounted in a direction orthogonal to an extension of the parallel movement direction.

With the above-described configuration, the cylindrical rotating body 13 can feed and wind the power supply cable 11 corresponding to the movement of the power supply cable mounting portion 16 when the slide table 26 moves in parallel.

FIG. 6 is a view (bottom view) of the slide table 26 when the power supply cable support mechanism of the second embodiment of the present invention is applied to the slide table 26 as viewed from the inside. In this figure, the AC power supply unit 10 is located at a position spaced a sufficient distance from an extension of the slide table 26 in the parallel movement direction. It should be installed at a position within the range of movement of the table. The other difference from the configuration when applied to the turntable is that the power supply cable winding pulley is not provided on the lower surface of the slide table 26, and the power supply cable 1 is not provided.
1 is directly connected between the AC power supply unit 10 and the slide table 26. A tension arm 19 urged leftward in FIG. 2 by a coil spring 18 is mounted on the rotating shaft 20 between the AC power supply unit 10 and the take-up pulley. The roller 21 abuts against the roller 21 to urge the roller 21 in a direction orthogonal to the stretching direction.

With the above-described configuration, the tension arm 19 applies an appropriate tension to the power supply cable 11 to eliminate the play of the power supply cable 11 corresponding to the movement of the power supply cable connection position when the slide table 26 moves in parallel.

The configuration for supporting and winding the power supply cable 11 according to the present invention is not limited to the above three embodiments, and other modifications can be made in detail.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the turntable is rotated, the feed portion of the power supply cable is dragged and comes into contact with the rotating turntable body such as the rotating turntable body or the rotating shaft or gear. In order to prevent frequent wear, maintenance such as regular inspection and regular replacement of the power supply cable, which was conventionally required, becomes unnecessary.
Higher durability and safety can be secured. Therefore, it can greatly contribute to the expansion of applications of the non-contact power supply system and the automatic traveling vehicle transport system using the same.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A and 1B are an overall top view (a) and an overall side view (b) of a feed cable support mechanism and a turntable to be connected in a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall bottom view of a power supply cable support mechanism and a turntable to be connected according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an overall bottom view of a turntable provided with a power supply cable support mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a non-contact power supply system using a slide table.

FIG. 5 is an overall bottom view of the power supply cable support mechanism and a connected slide table according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an overall bottom view of a power supply cable support mechanism and a connected slide table according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a non-contact power supply system using a turntable.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional shape of a guide rail and a power receiving unit in a conventional non-contact power feeding system and a mounting of a vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Vehicle 3 Power receiving unit 5 Turntable 6 Power supply line 8 Secondary coil 9 Power supply line attachment part 10 AC power supply unit 11 Power supply cable 13 Cylindrical rotator 14 Fixed bracket 15 Spiral spring 16 Power supply cable attachment part 17 Winding pulley 18 Coil spring 19 Tension Arm 21 Roller 22 Fixed sprocket 23 Arm sprocket 24 Swing arm 25 Rubber chain 26 Slide table

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H02G 11/00 B60M 7/00

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A power supply for a vehicle traveling along a rail is not connected to a power supply.
In a non-contact power supply system that supplies power by contact, the system includes the rail and the power supply line, and rotates while a vehicle is mounted.
A turntable for changing the course of the vehicle that can be turned, and a power supply cable for supplying power to the power supply line from an external power supply
Feed part required for rotation of the turntable in the
Feeder for guiding and supporting the feed portion to eliminate slack
Cable feeding means , wherein the feeding cable supporting means is a cylindrical body rotatable around a central axis, the power feeding cable can be wound on a side surface thereof, and a part of the power feeding cable is fixed on the side surface. it characterized in that it consists a cylindrical body that is, a biasing member for biasing the cylindrical body in the winding rotation direction of the feeding cable
Non-contact power supply system. 2. A power supply for a vehicle traveling along a rail is not connected to a power supply.
In a non-contact power supply system that supplies power by contact, the system includes the rail and the power supply line, and rotates while a vehicle is mounted.
A turntable for changing the course of the vehicle that can be turned, and a power supply cable for supplying power to the power supply line from an external power supply
Feed part required for rotation of the turntable in the
Feeder for guiding and supporting the feed portion to eliminate slack
A pulley that is coaxially fixed on the turntable and that is connected to one end of the power supply cable so that the power supply cable can be wound around the power supply cable; non-contact power supply system that is characterized in that the stretched direction of the feeding cable while supporting the cable is composed of a biasing mechanism that biases the feeding cable in the orthogonal direction. 3. A power supply for a vehicle traveling along a rail is not supplied.
In a non-contact power supply system that supplies power by contact, the system includes the rail and the power supply line, and rotates while a vehicle is mounted.
A turntable for changing the course of the vehicle that can be turned, and a power supply cable for supplying power to the power supply line from an external power supply
Feed part required for rotation of the turntable in the
Feeder for guiding and supporting the feed portion to eliminate slack
A fixed sprocket which is coaxial with the turntable and does not rotate; a power supply cable connected to one end; a sprocket is fixed to the other end; and rotation of the turntable. A swing arm rotatably mounted on a surface so as to be rotatable around the center axis of the sprocket, and a chain or belt extending between the sprocket fixed on the arm and the fixed sprocket. non-contact power supply system that.