KR20220067869A - System for wireless power transmission of container - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a system for wirelessly transmitting power between a plurality of containers stacked in vertical and horizontal directions, wherein each of the plurality of containers comprises: a battery charged with power received from an external power source or a neighbor container neighboring each other among the plurality of containers; a receiving coil receiving first alternating current power from a first neighbor container; a converter converting the first alternating current power into first direct current power to charge the battery; an inverter converting second direct current, charged in the battery, into second alternating current power; and a transmitting coil transmitting the second alternating current to a second neighboring container. The present invention can reduce the weight of the container by minimizing the capacity of the battery.

Description

Container wireless power transmission system {SYSTEM FOR WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSION OF CONTAINER}

The present invention relates to a wireless power transmission system for a container, and more particularly, to a technology for efficiently transmitting energy to a smart container.

A smart container is a container with an IoT (Internet Of Things) function that can monitor the state information and container location information of products loaded in the container by embedding or attaching sensors and communication devices to the container. Energy (power) supply is essential for performance.

Also, similarly, containers that require power supply include refrigeration and refrigeration containers, and these refrigeration and refrigeration containers receive energy through a battery built into the container.

In general, refrigerated and refrigerated containers charge their batteries through a wired connection at electric charging stations installed in ports and airports. Separate energy charging is not possible during container operation. It must be supplied, and for this purpose, a built-in large-capacity battery is required.

Since these smart containers or refrigeration and refrigeration containers are stacked, stored, and moved in multiple layers due to the nature of the container for loading products, they entail many restrictions on energy supply.

Specifically, the refrigerating and refrigerating container has a large-capacity battery for driving the cooling device, and the large-capacity battery causes problems such as an increase in the weight of the container and a decrease in the loading space.

In addition, the battery charging of the refrigeration and refrigeration containers is made through a wired connection at a predetermined place (eg, an electric charging station in a port and an airport), and there is a difficulty in charging the battery of the upper container in an environment in which the containers are stacked. However, Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2019-0047229 discloses a relay transmission method for wirelessly charging the battery of the lower container in an environment in which containers are stacked in multiple layers, and then transmitting power to the battery of the upper container.

However, since this relay transmission method can only perform one-time charging at a fixed place, when the logistics transportation period is unexpectedly increased due to the limitation of the charging place and the decrease in efficiency due to relay charging, and natural disasters such as wind storms and typhoons, There is a problem in that the operation of the freezing and refrigerating containers cannot be performed normally due to battery discharge.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0047229

In order to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, the present invention can minimize the battery capacity, reduce the weight of the container due to the low-capacity battery and at the same time increase the loading space of the product, wireless power transmission of the container The purpose is to provide a system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container wireless power transmission system capable of efficiently and easily transmitting power even in a multi-layered container environment.

The technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned above can be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below. There will be.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a system for wirelessly transmitting power between a plurality of containers stacked in vertical and horizontal directions, wherein the plurality of containers are adjacent to each other from an external power source or the plurality of containers. A battery for charging power received from a neighboring container, a receiving coil for receiving first AC power from the first neighboring container, a converter converting the first AC power into first DC power to charge the battery, and charging the battery Provided is a wireless power transmission system for a container, comprising: an inverter for converting second DC power to second AC power; and a power transmission coil for transmitting second AC power to a second neighboring container.

Here, the plurality of containers may further include a controller that receives battery charging information from the second neighboring container and controls the inverter based on the battery charging information received from the second neighboring container.

In addition, the power receiving coil may include a horizontal power receiving coil receiving the first AC power from the horizontal neighboring container and a vertical power receiving coil receiving the second AC power from the neighboring vertical neighboring container in the vertical direction. have.

In addition, the power transmission coil may include a horizontal power transmission coil for transmitting the second AC power to the horizontal neighboring containers and a vertical power transmission coil for transmitting the second AC power to the vertical neighboring containers in the vertical direction. have.

In addition, the inverter may include a horizontal inverter providing the second AC power to the horizontal power transmission coil and a vertical inverter providing the second AC power to the vertical power transmission coil.

In addition, the control unit may selectively drive and control the horizontal inverter and the vertical inverter.

In addition, the transmitting coil may transmit communication power required for the second neighboring container to transmit charging information of the battery to the second neighboring container.

Also, the external power source may be a solar power collector.

In addition, the controller may determine the power transmission path based on at least one of the amount of power collected by the external power source, the amount of power required of the plurality of containers, and power transmission efficiency between the plurality of containers.

Also, the controller may give charging priorities to the plurality of containers according to the types of products included in the plurality of containers, and determine a power transmission path according to the charging priorities.

In addition, the control unit calculates a cost function value for each of a plurality of containers based on the amount of power required of the plurality of containers and power transmission efficiency between the plurality of containers, maps the cost function value to a matrix indicating positions of the plurality of containers, and the cost The function value can be used to determine the power transmission path.

According to the present invention, since energy can be charged all the time even during container operation, the battery capacity can be minimized, and the weight of the container can be reduced due to the low-capacity battery, and the loading space of the product can be increased.

In addition, according to the present invention, power can be easily transmitted even in a multi-layered container environment by transmitting power in a relay wireless transmission method.

In addition, according to the present invention, power can be efficiently transmitted to a plurality of containers stacked in multiple layers by determining an optimal power transmission path and transmitting power.

The effects obtainable in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned may be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the following description. will be.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a system for wireless power transmission of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the wireless power transmission system of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied in a stacking environment of a container for a ship.
3 is a diagram illustrating a power transmission path of a wireless power transmission system of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a schematic block diagram of a container wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram illustrating a communication method and a vertical and horizontal direction transmission method of a container wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram illustrating a matrix indicating a location of a container in a wireless power transmission system for a container according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram for explaining a method of determining a power transmission path in a container wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In order to fully understand the configuration and effect of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, and may be embodied in various forms and various modifications may be made. However, the description of the present embodiment is provided so that the disclosure of the present invention is complete, and to fully inform those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs, the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawings, components are enlarged in size from reality for convenience of description, and ratios of each component may be exaggerated or reduced.

Terms such as 'first' and 'second' may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the above terms. The above terms may be used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a 'first component' may be termed a 'second component', and similarly, a 'second component' may also be termed a 'first component'. can Also, the singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless otherwise defined, terms used in the embodiments of the present invention may be interpreted as meanings commonly known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

1 is a view for schematically explaining a wireless power transmission system of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a wireless power transmission system of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied in a stacked environment of a container for ships It is a drawing showing an example. And, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a power transmission path of a container wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the container wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an external power source 10 and a plurality of containers 20 . Here, the external power source 10 may be a solar power collector, but is not limited thereto, and any device capable of collecting, generating, or supplying power is sufficient.

First, the container wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention transmits power generated from the external power source 10 to the first container 20 closest to the external power source by wire or wirelessly. Then, the first container 20 wirelessly transmits power to the second container 20 adjacent to the first container 20 after charging its own battery with the received power. Similarly, the second container 20 wirelessly transmits power to the third container 20 adjacent to the second container 20 after charging its own battery with the received power.

In this relay transmission method, the plurality of containers 20 wirelessly transmit power to neighboring containers 20 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the container wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention may be applied in a stacked environment of the container 20 for ships.

Here, the plurality of containers 20 are transported in a stacked state on the ship 10 . When the logistics transportation period is unexpectedly increased due to natural disasters such as wind storms and typhoons, the operation of the containers 20 is delayed due to battery discharge. There is a problem that cannot be done normally.

In order to solve such a problem, the wireless power transmission system of the container according to the embodiment of the present invention is an external power source 10 (eg, a solar power collector) to the outside of the ship 1 or the uppermost container 20 . battery provided in each container 20 by wirelessly transmitting the power collected by the solar power collector 10 to the adjacent containers 20 in the vertical and horizontal directions in a relay transmission method. can be charged all the time.

As shown in FIG. 3 , in the wireless power transmission system for containers according to an embodiment of the present invention, in an environment in which a plurality of containers 20 are stacked in vertical and horizontal directions, vertical and Horizontal transmission is possible, and vertical and horizontal power reception are possible. In addition, both a top-down power transmission scheme (a) and a bottom-up power transmission scheme (b) can be implemented.

4 is a schematic block diagram of a container wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A container wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a system for wirelessly transmitting power between a plurality of containers 20 stacked in vertical and horizontal directions.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the plurality of containers 20 includes a battery 110 , a power receiving coil 120 , a converter 130 , an inverter 140 , a power transmitting coil 150 , and a control unit 160 . can be configured.

The battery 110 may be charged with power received from an external power source 10 or from neighboring containers 20 adjacent to each other among the plurality of containers 20 .

The power receiving coil 120 may receive the first AC power from the first neighboring container 20 . Specifically, the power receiving coil 120 of the N-th container (X _N ) may receive the first AC power from the power transmitting coil 150 of the (N-1)-th container (X _(N-1) ).

The converter 130 may convert the first AC power into the first DC power. Specifically, in the N-th container (X _N ), the converter 130 may convert the first AC power received by the power receiving coil 120 into the first DC power to charge the battery 110 .

The inverter 140 may convert the second DC power charged in the battery 110 into second AC power, and the transmission coil 150 may transmit the second AC power to the second neighboring container 20 . . Specifically, the inverter 140 in the _{N-th container (X N )} may convert the second DC power charged in the battery 110 into the second AC power, and the transmission coil ( 150 ) may transmit the second AC power to the power receiving coil 120 of the (N+1)-th container X _(N+1) .

The controller 160 receives charging information of the battery 110 from the second neighboring container 20 , and operates the inverter 140 based on the charging information of the battery 110 received from the second neighboring container 20 . can be controlled

Specifically, in order for the (N+1)-th container (X _(N+1) ) to receive the second AC power, the control unit 160 of the (N+1)-th container (X _(N+1) ), At least one of own container information, for example, charging information of the battery 110 , state information of a product included in the container 20 , and location information of the container 20 to the controller 160 of the Nth container X _N can send Then, in the N-th container (X _N ), the controller 160 controls the inverter 140 based on the received battery 110 charging information of the (N+1)-th container (X _(N+1) ). can do.

Here, the container information may be transmitted in an in-band communication method. Here, the in-band communication method is a communication method using the same frequency band as the wireless power transmission frequency.

The transmitting coil 150 may transmit communication power required for the second neighboring container 20 to transmit container information to the second neighboring container 20 . Specifically, the transmitting coil 150 of the N-th container (X _N ) may transmit communication power to the power receiving coil 120 of the (N+1)-th container (X _(N+1) ). Then, the control unit 160 of the (N+1)-th container X _(N+1) may transmit container information to the control unit 160 of the N-th container X _N by using the received communication power.

Accordingly, even when the battery 110 of the (N+1)-th container X _(N+1) is completely discharged, container information can be transmitted to the N-th container X _N .

5 is a block diagram illustrating a communication method and a vertical and horizontal direction transmission method of a container wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the power receiving coil 120 may include a horizontal power receiving coil 121 and a vertical power receiving coil 122 .

Here, the horizontal power receiving coil 121 receives the first AC power from the horizontal neighboring containers 20 adjacent in the horizontal direction, and the vertical power receiving coil 122 receives the first AC power from the neighboring vertical neighboring containers 20 in the vertical direction. AC power can be received.

The power transmission coil 150 may include a horizontal power transmission coil 151 and a vertical power transmission coil 152 . Here, the horizontal power transmission coil 151 transmits the second AC power to the horizontal neighboring containers 20 adjacent in the horizontal direction, and the vertical power transmission coil 152 transmits the second AC power to the neighboring vertical neighboring containers 20 in the vertical direction. AC power can be transmitted.

In addition, the converter 130 converts the first AC power received by the horizontal power receiving coil 121 and the vertical power receiving coil 122 into first DC power under the control of the controller 160 to charge the battery 110 . can do it

Specifically, the horizontal power receiving coil 121 of the container (X _MN ) located at the coordinates (M, N) is the horizontal power transmitting coil of the container (X _(M-1)N ) located at the coordinates ((M-1), N) The first AC power is received from 151, and the vertical power receiving coil 122 of the container (X _MN ) located at the coordinates (M, N) is located at the coordinates (M, (N-1)) of the container (X _{M ( N-1)} ), the first AC power may be received from the vertical power transmission coil 152 .

In addition, the horizontal power receiving coil 121 of the container (X _(M+1)N ) located at the coordinates ((M+1), N) is the horizontal transmitting coil 121 of the container (X _MN ) located at the coordinates (M, N) ( 151) receives the second AC power, and the vertical power receiving coil 122 of the container (X _{M (N+1)} ) located at the coordinates (M, (N+1)) is the container located at the coordinates (M, N) The second AC power may be received from the vertical power transmission coil 152 of (X _MN ).

The inverter 140 may include a horizontal inverter 141 and a vertical inverter 142 . Here, the horizontal inverter 141 may provide the second AC power to the horizontal power transmission coil 151 , and the vertical inverter 142 may provide the second AC power to the vertical power transmission coil 152 .

The controller 160 may selectively drive and control the horizontal inverter 141 and the vertical inverter 142 according to the power transmission path.

In order for the container (X _MN ) located at the coordinates (M, N) to receive the first AC power, the controller 160 of the container (X _MN ) located at the coordinates (M, N) may include its container information, for example, a battery At least one of the charging information of 110, the state information of the product included in the container 20, and the location information of the container 20, the container (X _{(M-1) located at the coordinates ((M-1), N) N} ) and the coordinates (M, (N-1)) may be transmitted to the control unit 160 of the container (X _{M (N-1)} ), respectively. Then, within the container (X _(M-1)N ) located at the coordinates ((M-1), N) and the container X _M (N-1) ) located at the coordinates (M, (N-1)), The controller 160 may control the inverter 140 based on the battery 110 charging information of the container (X _MN ) located at the received coordinates (M, N).

In addition, in order for the container (X _(M+1)N ) located at the coordinates ((M+1), N) to receive the second AC power, the container X _{( M+1)N} ), the control unit 160 may transmit its own container information to the control unit 160 of the container X _MN located at the coordinates (M, N). Then, within the container (X _MN ) located at the coordinates (M, N), the controller 160 controls the battery (X (M+1)N ) of the container (X _(M+1)N ) located at the received coordinates ((M+1), N). 110) It is possible to control the inverter 140 based on the charging information.

In addition, in order for the container (X _{M (N+1)} ) located at the coordinates (M, (N+1)) to receive the second AC power, the container (X _M ) located at the coordinates (M, (N+1)) The control unit 160 of _(N+1) ) may transmit its container information to the control unit 160 of the container X _MN located at the coordinates (M, N). Then, within the container (X _MN ) located at the coordinates (M, N), the controller 160 controls the battery (X _{M (N+1)} ) of the container located at the received coordinates (M, (N+1)) ( 110) It is possible to control the inverter 140 based on the charging information.

Here, the container information may be transmitted in an in-band communication method.

6 is a diagram illustrating a matrix indicating the location of a container in a wireless power transmission system for a container according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a container wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention, It is a diagram for explaining a method of determining a power transmission path.

The controller 160 may determine a power transmission path based on at least one of the amount of power collected by the external power source 10 , the amount of power required of the plurality of containers 20 , and power transmission efficiency between the plurality of containers 20 .

Specifically, the control unit 160 may determine a power transmission path to be the shortest path from the container 20 having a low power requirement to the container 20 having a high power requirement to increase power transmission efficiency.

In addition, since the plurality of containers 20 transmit power to another neighboring container 20 after charging their own battery 110 with the received power, the container 20 with a small amount of power required on the power transmission path The more it is included, the faster the transmission speed and the better the transmission efficiency. Accordingly, the power transmission path may be determined such that more containers 20 with a small amount of power required are included.

In addition, when the amount of power collected by the external power source 10 is lower than the total amount of power required of the plurality of containers 20 , the controller 160 may control a plurality of containers ( 20) may be given a charging priority, and a power transmission path may be determined according to the charging priority.

For example, when a product included in the container 20 is a product that is vulnerable to temperature, such as a medicine, a power transmission path may be determined so that power may be preferentially transmitted to the container 20 by giving a high charging priority.

X₂₄

X₃₄

X₃₅

X₃₆

X₄₆)를 결정할 수 있다.The control unit 160 calculates a cost function value for each of the plurality of containers 20 based on the power required of the plurality of containers 20 and power transmission efficiency between the plurality of containers, and sets the cost function value to the plurality of containers 20 . can be mapped to a matrix indicating the position of . In addition, the power transmission path may be determined using the cost function value. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the optimal power transmission path X ₂₃ using the cost function value of the matrix calculated based on the required amount of power (or the amount of charge) of the battery 110 .

X ₂₄

X ₃₄

X ₃₅

X ₃₆

X ₄₆ ) can be determined.

As described above, since the wireless power transmission system of the container according to the embodiment of the present invention can always charge energy even during the operation of the container 20, it is possible to minimize the battery capacity, and due to the low-capacity battery 110, the container ( 20), while reducing the weight of the product, it is possible to increase the loading space of the product.

In addition, the wireless power transmission system of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention transmits power in a relay wireless transmission method, so that power can be easily transmitted even in the multi-layered container 20 environment.

In addition, the wireless power transmission system of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention can transmit power by determining an optimal power transmission path, thereby efficiently transmitting power to a plurality of containers 20 stacked in multiple layers.

In the detailed description of the present invention, although specific embodiments have been described, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and should be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

110: battery
120: faucet coil
130: converter
140: inverter
150: transmission coil
160: control unit

Claims (11)

A system for wirelessly transmitting power between a plurality of containers stacked in vertical and horizontal directions, comprising:
The plurality of containers
a battery for charging power received from an external power source or from neighboring containers among the plurality of containers;
a power receiving coil receiving first AC power from the first neighboring container;
a converter converting the first AC power into first DC power to charge the battery; and
an inverter converting the second DC power charged in the battery into second AC power;
a transmission coil for transmitting the second AC power to a second neighboring container
A container's wireless power transmission system comprising a.
The method of claim 1,
The plurality of containers
A control unit receiving the charging information of the battery from the second neighboring container and controlling the inverter based on the charging information of the battery received from the second neighboring container
Container's wireless power transfer system.
3. The method of claim 2,
The power receiving coil is
a horizontal power receiving coil configured to receive the first AC power from a horizontally adjacent horizontal neighboring container; and
A vertical power receiving coil configured to receive the first AC power from neighboring vertical neighboring containers in the vertical direction.
Container's wireless power transfer system.
3. The method of claim 2,
The transmission coil is
a horizontal transmission coil for transmitting the second AC power to horizontal neighboring containers in a horizontal direction; and
Comprising a vertical power transmission coil for transmitting the second AC power to the neighboring vertical container in the vertical direction
Container's wireless power transfer system.
5. The method of claim 4,
The inverter is
a horizontal inverter providing the second AC power to the horizontal power transmission coil; and
and a vertical inverter providing the second AC power to the vertical power transmission coil.
Container's wireless power transfer system.
6. The method of claim 5,
the control unit
To selectively drive and control the horizontal inverter and the vertical inverter
Container's wireless power transfer system.
3. The method of claim 2,
The transmission coil is
The second neighboring container transmits communication power required for transmission of charging information of the battery to the second neighboring container.
Container's wireless power transfer system.
The method of claim 1,
The external power source is a solar power collector
Container's wireless power transfer system.
3. The method of claim 2,
the control unit
determining a power transmission path based on at least one of the amount of power collected by the external power source, the amount of power required of the plurality of containers, and power transmission efficiency between the plurality of containers
Container's wireless power transfer system.
3. The method of claim 2,
the control unit
Giving a charging priority to the plurality of containers according to the type of product included in the plurality of containers, and determining a power transmission path according to the charging priority
Container's wireless power transfer system.
3. The method of claim 2,
the control unit
calculating a cost function value for each of the plurality of containers based on the amount of power required of the plurality of containers and power transmission efficiency between the plurality of containers, and mapping the cost function value to a matrix indicating positions of the plurality of containers, and Determining the power transmission path using the cost function value
Container's wireless power transfer system.

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