WO2020230535A1

WO2020230535A1 - Wireless power transmission device, vehicle seat, power transmission module, and power receiving module

Info

Publication number: WO2020230535A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/017044
Authority: WO
Inventors: 坂田　勉; 達也沼
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2019-05-10
Filing date: 2020-04-20
Publication date: 2020-11-19

Abstract

This wireless power transmission device is used by being attached to a movable device equipped with a fixed portion extending in a first direction and a movable portion capable of sliding in the first direction with respect to the fixed portion. The wireless power transmission device is provided with a power transmission module and a power receiving module. The power transmission module is provided with: a power transmission side frame disposed adjacent to the fixed portion; and a power transmission antenna supported on the power transmission side frame and having a shape extending in the first direction. The power receiving module is provided with: a power receiving side frame attached to the movable portion; and a power receiving antenna attached to the power receiving side frame and electromagnetically coupling with the power transmission antenna to receive power from the power transmission antenna. The power receiving antenna has a smaller dimension in the first direction than that of the power transmission antenna.

Description

Wireless power transmission equipment, vehicle seats, power transmission modules, and power reception modules

This disclosure relates to a wireless power transmission device, a vehicle seat, a power transmission module, and a power reception module.

Patent Document 1 discloses a power feeding mechanism for a slide sheet movably mounted on a rail provided on the floor of a vehicle body. This power feeding mechanism includes a power receiving unit having a power receiving coil and a power feeding unit having a power feeding coil that feeds the power receiving coil in a non-contact manner. The power receiving unit is provided on the slide sheet. The power feeding unit is provided on the floor of the vehicle body. The power receiving coils are provided at a plurality of locations in the slide sheet. Power is supplied from the power feeding coil to a plurality of power receiving coils in a non-contact manner.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-134513

The present disclosure provides a technique that enables space saving of a wireless power transmission device applicable to a device having a fixed portion and a movable portion.

The wireless power transmission device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is used by being attached to a movable device including a fixed portion extending in a first direction and a movable portion slidable in the first direction with respect to the fixed portion. Will be done. The wireless power transmission device includes a power transmission module and a power reception module. The power transmission module includes a power transmission side frame arranged adjacent to the fixed portion, and a power transmission antenna supported by the power transmission side frame and having a shape extending in the first direction. The power receiving module is a power receiving side frame attached to the movable portion and a power receiving antenna attached to the power receiving side frame and electromagnetically coupled with the power transmission antenna to receive power from the power transmission antenna. A power receiving antenna having a smaller dimension in the first direction than the above.

Comprehensive or specific embodiments of the present disclosure may be realized by devices, systems, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs, or recording media. Alternatively, it may be realized by any combination of devices, systems, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs, and recording media.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to realize space saving of a wireless power transmission device applicable to a device including a fixed portion and a movable portion.

It is a perspective view which shows the wireless power transmission apparatus by an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the power receiving module was removed from the power transmission module. It is a figure which shows typically the example of the slide seat for a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the slide sheet when cut in the plane parallel to both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction of a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the slide sheet when it cuts in the plane parallel to both the front-rear direction and the up-down direction of a vehicle. It is a figure which shows typically the example of the state which the wireless power transmission apparatus is attached to the slide sheet shown in FIG. 4A. It is sectional drawing which shows a part of the structure of a slide sheet in more detail. It is a top view which shows a part of the structure of a slide sheet in more detail. It is a figure which shows another example of arrangement of a wireless power transmission apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the wireless power transmission apparatus in the modification. It is a figure which shows the structure of the wireless power transmission apparatus in another modification. It is a figure which shows the structure of the wireless power transmission apparatus in still another modification. It is a figure which shows the structure of the wireless power transmission apparatus in another modification. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the circuit structure of the wireless power transmission apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the equivalent circuit of a power transmission antenna and a power reception antenna. It is a figure which shows the example of the equivalent circuit of a power transmission antenna and a power reception antenna. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a power transmission circuit. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of a power transmission circuit. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the power receiving circuit. It is a figure which shows the example of the circuit structure of the electric field coupling type wireless power transmission system.

(Findings underlying this disclosure)
The present inventors have found that the prior art described in the “Background Art” column has the following problems.

In the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the power transmission coil is attached to the floor under the slide seat, and the power receiving coil is attached to the lower part of the seat surface of the seat. In this configuration, the power transmission coil occupies the floor surface under the slide sheet, which increases the size of the device. Further, the scope of application of the technique of Patent Document 1 is limited to vehicle slide seats, and application to other uses is not expected.

Based on the above considerations, the present inventors have come up with a configuration of a wireless power transmission device that can be widely applied to a device having a fixed portion and a movable portion and can realize space saving. The outline of the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below.

The wireless power transmission device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is attached to a movable device including a fixed portion extending in a first direction and a movable portion slidable in the first direction with respect to the fixed portion. Is used. The wireless power transmission device includes a power transmission module and a power reception module. The power transmission module includes a power transmission side frame arranged adjacent to the fixed portion, and a power transmission antenna supported by the power transmission side frame and having a shape extending in the first direction. The power receiving module includes a power receiving side frame attached to the movable portion, and a power receiving antenna attached to the power receiving side frame and electromagnetically coupled with the power transmission antenna to receive power from the power transmission antenna. The power receiving antenna has a smaller dimension in the first direction than the power transmitting antenna.

According to the above configuration, the power transmission module includes a power transmission side frame arranged adjacent to the fixed portion, and a power transmission antenna supported by the power transmission side frame and having a shape extending in the first direction. .. The power receiving module includes a power receiving side frame attached to the movable portion, and a power receiving antenna attached to the power receiving side frame and electromagnetically coupled with the power transmission antenna to receive power from the power transmission antenna. With such a configuration, it is possible to save space in the wireless power transmission device, as will be described in detail later.

The movable device may be, for example, a slide seat for a vehicle or a slide rail which is a component thereof. The movable device may be, for example, a seat having a movable portion used in a place other than the vehicle, a sliding door, or the like, in addition to the sliding seat for the vehicle. The movable part of the movable device may be configured to slide by an electrical or mechanical mechanism, or may be configured to slide manually.

In the present disclosure, "electromagnetically coupled" means coupling by magnetic field coupling or electric field coupling. Each of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna can be, for example, a coil that transmits or receives power by magnetic field coupling. Each of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna may be an electrode or a group of electrodes that transmits or receives power by electric field coupling. As used herein, the term "antenna" is used as a concept that includes coils and electrodes that can be used for power transmission.

The power transmission module may further include a power transmission circuit that supplies AC power to the power transmission antenna. The power receiving module may further include a power receiving circuit that converts the power received by the power receiving antenna into other forms of power and supplies it to the load. The power transmission circuit may include, for example, an inverter circuit that converts DC power supplied from an external power source into AC power. The power receiving circuit may include, for example, a rectifier circuit that converts AC power received by the power receiving antenna into DC power and outputs it. The power transmission circuit and the power reception circuit are connected to the power transmission antenna and the power reception antenna, respectively.

The power transmission circuit may be arranged outside the power transmission side frame. According to such a configuration, the transmission side frame can be made smaller. Similarly, the power receiving circuit may be arranged outside the power receiving side frame. According to such a configuration, the power receiving side frame can be made smaller.

The power transmission circuit may be arranged inside the power transmission side frame. According to such a configuration, the wiring connecting the power transmission antenna and the power transmission circuit can be shortened, so that the loss of the transmitted power can be reduced. Similarly, the power receiving circuit may be arranged inside the power receiving side frame. According to such a configuration, the wiring connecting the power receiving antenna and the power receiving circuit can be accommodated inside the power receiving side frame, so that the loss of the transmitted power can be reduced.

The movable device may include one or more slide rails. The fixed portion may be a fixed rail of the slide rail. The movable portion may be a movable rail of the slide rail. According to the configuration in which the power transmission module is attached to the fixed rail and the power reception module is attached to the movable rail, it becomes easy to keep the distance between the power transmission antenna and the power reception antenna constant, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in power transmission efficiency. ..

The slide rail can be, for example, a slide rail for a vehicle seat. The slide rail may be a rail for a sliding door of a vehicle, or may be a slide rail used for purposes other than the vehicle.

The seat of the vehicle may include a left leg and a right leg. The slide rail may include a left slide rail that supports the left leg and a right slide rail that supports the right leg. The power transmission side frame may be attached to a side portion of the fixed rail on one of the left side slide rail and the right side slide rail. The power receiving side frame may be attached to a side portion of the movable rail on one of the left side slide rail and the right side slide rail. For example, the power transmission side frame may be attached to the inner side of the fixed rail on one of the left side slide rail and the right side slide rail. The power receiving side frame may be attached to the inner side portion of the movable rail on the left side slide rail and the right side slide rail. According to such a configuration, the power transmitting side frame and the power receiving side frame are arranged under the seat, so that they do not occupy the space outside the left side slide rail and the right side slide rail.

As described above, the movable device can be provided in a vehicle, for example. Each of the power transmitting antenna and the power receiving antenna may be arranged perpendicular to the floor surface of the vehicle. According to such a configuration, the width of each of the power transmission module and the power reception module can be reduced.

Each of the power transmitting antenna and the power receiving antenna may be arranged parallel to the floor surface of the vehicle. According to such a configuration, the height of each of the power transmission module and the power reception module can be reduced.

The power transmission side frame may include a housing having a slit extending in the first direction. The power receiving side frame includes a first portion arranged inside the housing, a second portion fixed to the movable portion, the first portion and the second portion through the slit. It may include a third portion connecting the and. According to such a configuration, the power transmitting antenna and the power receiving antenna are housed inside the housing of the power transmitting side frame. Therefore, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering between the power transmission antenna and the power reception antenna.

The slit may be open to the side of the housing. According to such a configuration, the possibility that foreign matter passes through the slit and enters the inside of the housing can be further reduced.

When the movable device is provided in the vehicle, the first direction in which the movable portion slides may be parallel to the floor surface of the vehicle or may be inclined with respect to the floor surface. As used herein, the term "parallel" is not limited to a state of being strictly parallel, but also includes a state of being tilted within a range that can be recognized as substantially parallel.

The vehicle slide seat of the present disclosure may include any of the above-mentioned wireless power transmission devices, the movable device, and a seat supported by the movable portion of the movable device.

The present disclosure also includes a power transmission module used in any of the above-mentioned wireless power transmission devices and a power receiving module used in any of the above-mentioned wireless power transmission devices.

In this specification, "load" means any device operated by electric power. The "load" may include electronic devices such as electric motors for reclining seats, seating sensors, heaters, air conditioners, speakers, or cameras. The load operates by the power output from the power receiving circuit.

(Embodiment)
Hereinafter, more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters and duplicate explanations for substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy of the following description and to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art. It should be noted that the inventors provide the accompanying drawings and the following description in order for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, which are intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims. is not. In the following description, the same or similar components are designated by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wireless power transmission device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 shows XYZ coordinates indicating the X, Y, and Z directions orthogonal to each other. In the following description, the illustrated XYZ coordinates are used.

The wireless power transmission device is used by being attached to a device having a fixed portion and a movable portion (referred to as a "movable device" in the present specification). The wireless power transmission device includes a power transmission module 100 arranged in the vicinity of the fixed portion and a power receiving module 200 attached to the movable portion. In this example, the movable portion is configured to be slidable in the X direction with respect to the fixed portion. When the movable portion moves in the X direction, the power receiving module 200 also moves in the X direction.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the power receiving module 200 is removed from the power transmission module 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the power transmission module 100 includes a power transmission antenna 110 and a power transmission side frame 130 that supports the power transmission antenna 110. The power transmission side frame 130 is arranged adjacent to the fixed portion of the movable device. The power transmission side frame 130 may be in contact with the fixed portion or may be adjacent to the fixed portion with a gap. The power transmission side frame 130 may be fixed so as not to move with respect to the fixed portion. The power transmission side frame 130 includes a housing having a slit 134 extending in the X direction. The power transmission antenna 110 is arranged inside the housing. The power transmission antenna 110 has a shape extending in the X direction. In the present embodiment, the power transmission antenna 110 is a power transmission coil having a coil surface substantially parallel to a plane including the X direction and the Z direction. The power transmission antenna 110 is connected to a power transmission circuit (not shown). The power transmission circuit supplies AC power to the power transmission antenna 110. Instead of the power transmission coil, two or more power transmission electrodes extending in parallel may be used. In that case, voltages having opposite polarities are applied to the two adjacent power transmission electrodes from the power transmission circuit.

The power receiving module 200 includes a power receiving side frame 230 and a power receiving antenna 210 attached to the power receiving side frame 230. The power receiving side frame 230 is attached to a movable portion of the movable device. The power receiving side frame 230 in the present embodiment passes through a first portion 231 arranged inside the housing of the power transmission side frame 130, a second portion 232 fixed to the movable portion of the movable device, and a slit 134. Includes a third portion 233 that connects the first portion 231 and the second portion 232. In this example, when the power receiving module 200 is attached to the power transmission module 100, the first portion 231 and the third portion 233 of the power receiving side frame 230 are substantially parallel to the XZ plane, and the second portion 232 is It is almost parallel to the XY plane. The power receiving antenna 210 is arranged inside the first portion 231 of the power receiving side frame 230. The power receiving antenna 210 receives power by electromagnetically coupling with the power transmitting antenna 110 in a state of facing the power transmitting antenna 110 through a gap. The power receiving antenna 210 in the present embodiment is a power receiving coil that magnetically couples with the power transmission coil in the power transmission antenna 110 to receive power from the power transmission coil. Instead of the power receiving coil, two or more power receiving electrodes extending in parallel may be used. The power receiving antenna 210 is connected to a power receiving circuit (not shown). The power receiving circuit converts the AC power received by the power receiving antenna into other forms of DC power or AC power used by the load and outputs it.

The dimension of the power receiving antenna 210 in the X direction is smaller than the dimension of the power transmitting antenna 110 in the X direction. The power receiving module 200 can slide in the X direction within the range of the slit 134 with respect to the power transmission module 100. Even when the power receiving module 200 slides, the state in which the power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210 face each other is maintained. With such a structure, power transmission is maintained even when the movable portion slides with respect to the fixed portion.

As described above, in the wireless power transmission device of the present embodiment, the power transmission module 100 is fixed to the fixed portion, and the power receiving module 200 is fixed to the movable portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the distance between the power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210 from deviating from the designed value. In the configuration in which the power transmission coil is arranged on the floor of the vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1, the position of the power transmission coil is likely to shift. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the distance between the power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210 is kept substantially constant, more stable power transmission is possible. Further, since the wireless power transmission device can be arranged in a relatively small space adjacent to the movable device, space saving can be realized.

The above wireless power transmission device can be used by being attached to, for example, a vehicle slide seat. An example of such an embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a vehicle slide sheet. The vehicle slide seat includes a seat 10, a slide rail 20, and a wireless power transmission device 50 attached to the slide rail 20. The wireless power transmission device 50 includes a power transmission module 100 and a power reception module 200. The power transmission module 100 includes a power transmission antenna 110. The power receiving module 200 includes a power receiving antenna 210. The slide rail 20 includes a fixed rail attached to the vehicle body and a movable rail that can slide with respect to the fixed rail. The seat 10 is attached to a movable rail and can be slid back and forth. The power transmission module 100 is attached to the fixed rail, and the power receiving module 200 is attached to the movable rail. With such a structure, electric power is wirelessly transmitted from the power transmitting antenna 110 to the power receiving antenna 210. The transmitted power is supplied to a load such as a motor for reclining, a seating sensor, or a heater.

4A and 4B are diagrams showing an example of the cross-sectional structure of the slide sheet. FIG. 4A shows a cross section of the slide sheet when cut in a plane parallel to both the left-right direction and the up-down direction of the vehicle. FIG. 4B shows a cross section of the slide sheet when cut in a plane parallel to both the front-rear direction and the up-down direction of the vehicle. The seat 10 in this example includes a total of four legs 12 on the front, rear, left and right sides. The number of legs 12 is not limited to four, and may be, for example, two on the left and right. The slide rail includes a left slide rail that supports the left leg 12 and a right slide rail that supports the right leg 12. Each of the left slide rail and the right slide rail includes a fixed rail 22 and a movable rail 24. The fixed rail 22 and the movable rail 24 have a structure that is parallel to the floor surface of the vehicle and extends in the X direction that coincides with the traveling direction. The movable rail 24 can slide in the X direction with respect to the fixed rail 22. FIG. 4A shows a state in which floor mats 30 are laid on the outside and inside of the left and right fixed rails 22 and no wireless power transmission device is provided. The two legs 12 on the left side are connected to the movable rail 24 on the left side. The two legs 12 on the right side are connected to the movable rail 24 on the right side. In the example of FIG. 4B, a load 300 such as a seating sensor, a reclining motor, or a heater is arranged below the seat 10. The position of the load 300 is arbitrary and is not limited to the position shown in the drawing.

FIG. 5A is a diagram schematically showing an example of a state in which the wireless power transmission device 50 is attached to the slide sheet shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the structure of the slide sheet in more detail. FIG. 5C is a top view showing a part of the structure of the slide sheet in more detail. In this example, the wireless power transmission device 50 is arranged inside the left and right slide rails, that is, under the seat 10. With such an arrangement, it is possible to avoid occupying the space beside the seat 10.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the power transmission side frame 130 is attached to the inner side portion of the fixed rail 22 on the left slide rail. The power receiving side frame 230 is attached to the inner side portion of the movable rail 24 on the left slide rail. The power transmission side frame 130 may be attached to the outer side portion of the fixed rail 22 on the left slide rail. Similarly, the power receiving side frame 230 may be attached to the outer side of the movable rail 24 on the left slide rail. The power transmitting side frame 130 and the power receiving side frame 230 may be attached to the side portion of the right side slide rail. For example, as shown in FIG. 5D, these frames may be provided on the outer side of the right slide rail.

As shown in FIG. 5C, the fixed rail 22, the movable rail 24, the power transmission side frame 130, and the power reception side frame 230 have a structure extending in the X direction, which is the traveling direction of the vehicle. The power transmission side frame 130 is attached to the fixed rail 22 via the fixing member 136. The fixing member 136 can be any fixing means, such as bolts, screws, or adhesives. The power receiving side frame 230 is also fixed to the movable rail 24 by fixing means such as bolts, screws, or adhesives. The movable rail 24 and the power receiving side frame 230 can slide along the X direction with respect to the fixed rail 22 and the power transmitting side frame 130. As a result, the seat 10 can be slid in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. This slide may be done manually or electrically.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the housing of the power transmission side frame 130 has a slit 134. The slit 134 extends in the X direction. A power transmission antenna 110 and a power transmission circuit 120 are mounted inside the housing of the power transmission side frame 130. The power transmission antenna 110 and the power transmission circuit 120 are electrically connected via wiring (not shown). The power receiving side frame 230 has a first portion 231 arranged inside the housing of the power transmitting side frame 130, a second portion 232 fixed to the movable rail 24, and a first portion passing through the slit 134. Includes a third portion 233 that connects the 231 and the second portion 232. A power receiving antenna 210 and a power receiving circuit 220 are attached to the first portion 231 of the power receiving side frame 230. The power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210 are arranged so as to face each other. Even when the power receiving side frame 230 slides, the power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210 are maintained in a state of facing each other at a constant interval.

In this example, the power receiving side frame 230 is fixed to the movable rail 24, and the power transmitting side frame 130 is fixed to the fixed rail 22. With such a structure, it is possible to prevent the distance between the power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210 from deviating from the designed value. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in power transmission efficiency due to the deviation of the antenna spacing from the design value.

The wireless power transmission device 50 is arranged not in the entire space between the left and right slide rails, but in a part of the space. Compared with the configuration of Patent Document 1, the ratio of occupying the space between the slide rails can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the slit 134 is open to the side of the housing, and the power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210 are surrounded by the housing. According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent foreign matter such as dust from entering the housing. Further, each of the power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210 is arranged vertically on the floor surface of the vehicle. With such an arrangement, even if a foreign matter enters the housing, the foreign matter falls to the bottom of the housing, so that the foreign matter can be prevented from staying between the power transmission antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210. Further, by arranging each antenna vertically on the floor surface, the size of the wireless power transmission device in the lateral direction of the vehicle can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the power transmission circuit 120 is arranged inside the housing of the power transmission side frame 130, and the power reception circuit 220 is attached to the power reception side frame 230. Since the power transmission circuit 120 is close to the power transmission antenna 110 and the power reception circuit 220 is close to the power reception antenna 210, long wiring is not required and electric power can be efficiently transmitted.

FIG. 5E is a diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of FIG. 5B. In this example, the power transmission circuit 120 and the power reception circuit 220 are arranged outside the housing of the power transmission side frame 130. The power transmission circuit 120 and the power reception circuit 220 may be arranged at locations apart from the power transmission side frame 130 and the power reception side frame 230, respectively. With the configuration of FIG. 5E, the housing can be made even thinner. The power transmission circuit 120 is connected to the power transmission antenna 110 via wiring, and the power reception circuit 220 is connected to the power reception antenna 210 via wiring. The power transmission circuit 120 and the power reception circuit 220 may be arranged in any free space around the housing.

FIG. 6A is a diagram showing another modification of the present embodiment. In this example, the power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210 are arranged parallel to the floor surface of the vehicle. According to such a configuration, the dimension in the height direction of the housing can be reduced.

FIG. 6B is a diagram showing still another modification of the present embodiment. In this example, the power transmission antenna 110 and the power reception antenna 210 are arranged parallel to the floor surface of the vehicle, and the power transmission circuit 120 and the power reception circuit 220 are arranged outside the housing. According to such a configuration, the height dimension of the housing can be further reduced.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing still another modification of the present embodiment. In this example, the vehicle body frame 60 has a recess, and the power transmission side frame 130 is arranged in the recess. Other than that, it is the same as the configuration of FIG. 5E. With such a configuration, the power transmission side frame 130 can be arranged at a lower position, and the space inside the vehicle can be made wider. In this example, the same configuration as in FIG. 5E is adopted, but the same configuration as in FIG. 5B, FIG. 6A, or FIG. 6B may be adopted.

As described above, by wirelessly supplying electric power to the vehicle slide seat, it is possible to arrange the seat without impairing the flexibility. When power is supplied by a wired cable, a cable bear (registered trademark) or the like is required to protect the cable, and space for that is required. Also, since the cable bends when moving the seat, it is necessary to use a strong cable so that the cable does not break. By applying the wireless power transmission system to the in-vehicle seat as in the present embodiment, the space can be reduced and the above-mentioned problems related to the cable can be solved.

Next, an example of the circuit configuration of the wireless power transmission device of this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the circuit configuration of the wireless power transmission device. FIG. 8 also shows the power supply 400 and the load 300, which are external components of the wireless power transmission device. The wireless power transmission device includes a power transmission module 100 and a power reception module 200. The power transmission module 100 includes a power transmission circuit 120 and a power transmission antenna 110. The power receiving module 200 includes a power receiving antenna 210 and a power receiving circuit 220.

The power transmission circuit 120 includes an inverter circuit 120a, a pulse output circuit 120b, and a power transmission control circuit 120c. The pulse output circuit 120b is, for example, a gate driver circuit, and supplies a pulse signal to a plurality of switching elements of the inverter circuit 120a in response to an instruction from the power transmission control circuit 120c. The power transmission control circuit 120c is an integrated circuit including a memory and a processor, such as a microcontroller unit (MCU). The pulse output circuit 120b is controlled by the processor executing the computer program stored in the memory.

The inverter circuit 120a is connected to an external power supply 400 and receives DC power from the power supply 400. The inverter circuit 120a converts the supplied DC power into AC power and outputs it.

The power receiving circuit 220 includes, for example, a rectifier circuit. The rectifier circuit can be any rectifier circuit, such as a single-phase full-wave rectifier circuit or a single-phase half-wave rectifier circuit. The rectifier circuit converts the AC power output from the power receiving antenna 210 into DC power and outputs it. The power receiving circuit 220 may include other components (not shown) such as a DC-DC converter.

FIG. 9A is a diagram showing an example of an equivalent circuit of the power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210. Each of the power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210 in this example has a resonant circuit configuration including a coil and a capacitor as shown in FIG. 9A. Each antenna is not limited to a series resonance circuit, and may be a parallel resonance circuit. For example, as shown in FIG. 9B, the power transmitting antenna 110 may have a structure of a series resonance circuit, and the power receiving antenna 210 may have a structure of a parallel resonance circuit. Each coil may be, for example, a flat coil or a laminated coil formed on a circuit board, or a wound coil using a copper wire, a litz wire, a twisted wire, or the like. For each capacitor, any type of capacitor having, for example, a chip shape or a lead shape can be used. It is also possible to make the capacitance between the two wires via air function as each capacitor. The self-resonant characteristics of each coil may be used in place of these capacitors.

The resonance frequency f0 of the resonance circuit is typically set to match the transmission frequency f1 at the time of power transmission. Each resonance frequency f0 of the resonance circuit does not have to exactly match the transmission frequency f1. The resonance frequency f0 may be set to a value within the range of, for example, about 50 to 150% of the transmission frequency f1. The frequency f1 of the power transmission can be set to a value in the range of, for example, 50 Hz to 300 GHz, 20 kHz to 10 GHz in one example, 20 kHz to 20 MHz in another example, and 80 kHz to 14 MHz in another example.

The direct current power supply 400 includes, for example, a commercial power supply, a primary battery, a secondary battery, a solar cell, a fuel cell, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) power supply, a high-capacity capacitor (for example, an electric double layer capacitor), and a voltage connected to the commercial power supply. It may be any power source such as a converter.

FIG. 10A is a diagram showing a configuration example of the inverter circuit 120a. The inverter circuit 120a includes a plurality of switching elements S1 to S4 that change the conduction / non-conduction state according to the pulse signal supplied from the pulse output circuit 120b. By changing the conduction / non-conduction state of each switching element, the input DC power can be converted into AC power. In the example shown in FIG. 10A, a full bridge type inverter circuit including four switching elements S1 to S4 is used. In this example, each switching element is an IGBT (Insulated-gate bipolar transistor), but other types of switching elements such as MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effective Transistor) may be used.

In the example shown in FIG. 10A, of the four switching elements S1 to S4, the switching elements S1 and S4 (referred to as the first switching element pair) output a voltage having the same polarity as the supplied DC voltage when conducting. On the other hand, the switching elements S2 and S3 (referred to as a second switching element pair) output a voltage having a polarity opposite to the supplied DC voltage when conducting. The pulse output circuit 120b supplies a pulse signal to the gates of the four switching elements S1 to S4 according to the instruction from the control circuit 120c. At this time, by adjusting the phase difference between the two pulse signals supplied to the first switching element pair (S1 and S4) and the phase difference between the two pulse signals supplied to the second switching element pair (S2 and S3). , The amplitude of the output voltage can be controlled.

FIG. 10B is a diagram showing another configuration example of the inverter circuit 120a. The inverter circuit 120a in this example is a half-bridge type inverter circuit. In this case, the amplitude of the output voltage can be controlled by controlling the duty ratio of the pulse signal input to each switching element.

The inverter circuit 120a shown in FIG. 10B is a half-bridge type inverter circuit including two switching elements S1 and S2 and two capacitors. The two switching elements S1 and S2 and the two capacitors C1 and C2 are connected in parallel. One end of the power transmission antenna 110 is connected to a point between the two switching elements S1 and S2, and the other end is connected to a point between the two capacitors C1 and C2.

The control circuit 120c and the pulse output circuit 120b supply a pulse signal to each switching element so that the switching elements S1 and S2 are turned on alternately. As a result, DC power is converted into AC power.

In this example, by adjusting the duty ratio of the pulse signal (that is, the ratio of the period to be turned on in one cycle), the output time ratio of the output voltage V (that is, the non-zero value in one cycle) is set. The percentage of the period taken) can be adjusted. Thereby, the amplitude of the voltage of the AC power input to the power transmission antenna 110 can be adjusted. Such duty control can be similarly applied when a full bridge type inverter circuit as shown in FIG. 10A is used.

FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration example of the power receiving circuit 220. In this example, the power receiving circuit 220 is a full-wave rectifier circuit that includes a diode bridge and a smoothing capacitor. The power receiving circuit 220 may have the configuration of another rectifier. The power receiving circuit 220 converts the received AC energy into DC energy that can be used by the load 300 and outputs it.

Although omitted in FIG. 8, a matching circuit for impedance matching may be arranged between the power transmission circuit 120 and the power transmission antenna 110, and between the power reception antenna 210 and the power reception circuit 220. Further, each of the power transmission circuit 120 and the power reception circuit 220 may include various converter circuits for voltage conversion. Further, each of the power transmission module 100 and the power reception module 200 may be provided with a communication circuit for communicating with each other.

According to the above configuration, electric power can be wirelessly transmitted between the power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210. Even if the power receiving antenna 210 slides in one direction with respect to the power transmitting antenna 110 during power transmission, the facing state is maintained, so that the power supply to the load 300 can be continued.

In the above embodiment, the power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210 are realized by coils. Not limited to such a configuration, each of the power transmitting antenna 110 and the power receiving antenna 210 may be composed of two or more electrodes. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of such a configuration. In this example, each of the transmitting antenna 110 and the receiving antenna 210 includes two electrodes extending in parallel. The two electrodes in the power receiving antenna 210 are arranged to face the two electrodes in the power transmitting antenna 110 with a gap. AC voltage is applied from the power transmission circuit 120 to the two electrodes of the power transmission antenna 110. As a result, electric power is transmitted wirelessly by electric field coupling (also referred to as “capacitive coupling”) between the two electrodes of the power receiving antenna 210 and the two electrodes of the power transmitting antenna 110. Even with such a configuration, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

The wireless power transmission device in the above embodiment is used by being attached to a device in which the movable part slides linearly with respect to the fixed part. The wireless power transmission device is not limited to such a configuration, and the wireless power transmission device may be attached to a device in which the movable portion slides in a curve with respect to the fixed portion.

The technology of the present disclosure can be used in a device including a fixed portion and a movable portion, such as a slide rail or a slide door for a vehicle seat, for example.

10 Seat 12 Legs 20 Slide rail 22 Fixed rail 24 Movable rail 30 Floor mat 50 Wireless power transmission device 60 Body frame 100 Power transmission module 110 Power transmission antenna 120 Power transmission circuit 130 Power transmission side frame 134 Slit 136 Fixed member 200 Power reception module 210 Power reception antenna 220 Power receiving circuit 230 Power receiving side frame 231 First part of power receiving side frame 232 Second part of power receiving side frame 233 Third part of power receiving side frame 300 Load 400 Power supply

Claims

A wireless power transmission device used by being attached to a movable device having a fixed portion extending in a first direction and a movable portion slidable in the first direction with respect to the fixed portion.
Power transmission module and
Power receiving module and
With
The power transmission module
A power transmission side frame arranged adjacent to the fixed portion and
A power transmission antenna supported by the power transmission side frame and having a shape extending in the first direction,
With
The power receiving module
The power receiving side frame attached to the movable part and
A power receiving antenna that is attached to the power receiving side frame and electromagnetically couples with the power transmitting antenna to receive power from the power transmitting antenna, and has a smaller dimension in the first direction than the power transmitting antenna.
To prepare
Wireless power transmission device.
The power transmission module further includes a power transmission circuit that supplies AC power to the power transmission antenna.
The power receiving module further includes a power receiving circuit that converts the power received by the power receiving antenna into another form of power and supplies it to the load.
The wireless power transmission device according to claim 1.
The power transmission circuit is arranged outside the power transmission side frame.
The power receiving circuit is arranged outside the power receiving side frame.
The wireless power transmission device according to claim 2.
The movable device includes one or more slide rails.
The fixed portion is a fixed rail of the slide rail.
The movable portion is a movable rail of the slide rail.
The wireless power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The wireless power transmission device according to claim 4, wherein the slide rail is a slide rail for a vehicle seat.
The seat comprises a left leg and a right leg.
The slide rail includes a left slide rail that supports the left leg and a right slide rail that supports the right leg.
The power transmission side frame is attached to a side portion of the fixed rail on one of the left side slide rail and the right side slide rail.
The power receiving side frame is attached to the side portion of the movable rail on the left side slide rail and the right side slide rail.
The wireless power transmission device according to claim 5.
The power transmission side frame is attached to the inner side portion of the fixed rail on the left side slide rail and the right side slide rail.
The power receiving side frame is attached to the inner side portion of the movable rail on the left side slide rail and the right side slide rail.
The wireless power transmission device according to claim 6.
The movable device is provided on the vehicle.
The wireless power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein each of the power transmission antenna and the power reception antenna is arranged vertically on the floor surface.
The movable device is provided on the vehicle.
The wireless power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein each of the power transmission antenna and the power reception antenna is arranged in parallel with the floor surface.
The power transmission side frame includes a housing having a slit extending in the first direction.
The power receiving side frame includes a first portion arranged inside the housing, a second portion fixed to the movable portion, the first portion and the second portion through the slit. Including a third part that connects with,
The wireless power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
The wireless power transmission device according to claim 10, wherein the slit opens to a side portion of the housing.
The movable device is provided on the vehicle.
The first direction is parallel to the floor of the vehicle.
The wireless power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
The power transmission antenna is a power transmission coil.
The power receiving antenna is a power receiving coil.
The wireless power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.
The wireless power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.
With the movable device
A seat supported by the movable portion of the movable device and
Vehicle slide seats.
A power transmission module used in the wireless power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.
A power receiving module used in the wireless power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.