Power transmission structure for road

Abstract

To provide a power transmission structure for a road and a pavement block that eliminate the need for wiring work between the pavement blocks even when power is transmitted from a power source to a load via the pavement block forming the road.SOLUTION: When power is transmitted from a power source to a load via a road formed by laying pavement blocks 8, wireless power supply is used for power transmission between the pavement blocks 8. When an electromagnetic inductive method is used as the wireless power supply, a power supply connection block 20 that receives an alternating current from an AC power supply 6 generates an electro-motive force in a path forming member 53e and transmits power. A plurality of load blocks 30f, 30g and a plurality of load blocks 30h, 30i are respectively disposed on side surfaces of a relay block 80. The path forming members 53f to 53i are connected in parallel to a path forming member 53e, generate electromotive forces in the path forming members of the load blocks 30 disposed at opposite positions, and transmit electric power sent from the path forming member 53e.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power transmission structure for a road, and more particularly to a power transmission structure for a road formed by laying paving blocks. [Background technology]

[0002] It has been common to use electricity to perform road markings, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technology for supplying electricity to light-emitting markings buried in the road surface, in which a paving block (solar panel block) equipped with a solar panel and a power storage device is wired to a paving block (light-emitting display block) equipped with an LED by a wiring cord, and the LED is made to emit light using the power stored in the power storage device from the solar panel to perform road markings. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-108052 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-270443 A [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-176304 [Patent Document 4] International Publication No. 2014 / 147857 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the past, it was necessary to wire a paving block equipped with a power source such as a solar panel to a paving block equipped with a load such as an LED using a power line called a wiring cord. Therefore, wiring work is required when laying the paving block.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a road power transmission structure and paving blocks that eliminate the need for wiring work between paving blocks, even when power is transmitted from a power source to a load via the paving blocks that form the road. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The road power transmission structure of the present invention is a road formed by laying a plurality of paving blocks, and in the road power transmission structure for transmitting power from a power source to a load, a path forming paving block located on a power transmission path between the power source and the load among the plurality of paving blocks is provided with a path forming member on a side of the path forming paving block that acts as at least one of a power transmitting means for transmitting power from the power source to the adjacent path forming paving block, or a power receiving means for receiving power transmitted from the adjacent path forming paving block, and the path forming member acting as the power receiving means is connected in parallel with the other plurality of path forming members acting as the power transmitting means inside the path forming paving block, or the path forming member acting as the power transmitting means is connected in parallel with the other plurality of path forming members acting as the power receiving means inside the path forming paving block, and adjacent path forming paving blocks transmit and receive power between the path forming members that they each have using wireless power supply.

[0007] The multiple path forming members are arranged on the same side of the polygonal path forming pavement block, and power is transmitted and received between the path forming members arranged on the side of one or more adjacent path forming pavement blocks using wireless power supply.

[0008] The road is formed by combining path-forming paving blocks of different sizes. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the inventions described in claims 1 and 3, it is possible to provide a road power transmission structure that does not require wiring between pavement blocks even when transmitting power from a power source to a load via the pavement blocks that form the road. Also, even if one of the path forming members connected in parallel becomes unable to transmit or receive power, the other path forming members can still transmit and receive power.

[0010] According to the invention recited in claim 2, power can be transmitted and received by utilizing wireless power supply between a plurality of path forming members arranged on the side surface of one path forming paving block. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a road to which a power transmission structure for a road in accordance with a first embodiment is applied, as viewed from above. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a power supply connection block in embodiment 1, where (a) is a plan view of the surface of the power supply connection block when viewed from above, (b) is a front view of the power supply connection block when viewed from the side toward the bottom of the figure, and (c) is a side view of the power supply connection block when viewed from the side toward the right of the figure. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of a load block in embodiment 1, where (a) is a plan view of the surface of the load block when viewed from above, (b) is a front view of the load block when viewed from the side toward the bottom of the figure, and (c) is a side view of the load block when viewed from the side toward the right of the figure. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are schematic configuration diagrams of a relay block in embodiment 1, in which (a) is a plan view of the surface layer of the relay block seen from above, and (b) is a front view of the relay block seen from the side in the lower direction of the figure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the paving blocks shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 when laid on a roadbed, as viewed from above. [Figure 6] 5 is an enlarged plan view showing an engagement portion between the power supply connection block shown in FIG. 2 and the relay block shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 7]10 is a schematic plan view showing a modified example of the arrangement pattern of the path forming members in the relay block in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of another relay block according to the first embodiment, seen from above. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of connection of path forming pavement blocks using other relay blocks in embodiment 1. [Figure 10] A diagram showing an example of connection of path forming pavement blocks using relay blocks in embodiment 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Embodiment 1 (Road Structure) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a road to which the road power transmission structure according to the present invention is applied, as viewed from above. The road 2 shown in FIG. 1 extends in the vertical direction of the drawing. Curbs 4 are provided on both sides of the road 2. An AC power source 6 is provided on the outside of the road 2, on the left-hand curb 4 in FIG. 1. The AC power source 6 is an example of a power source that supplies power to a load. Note that a "load" is a structure that consumes power. The power source does not necessarily have to be installed on the side of the road 2, i.e., on the curb 4, but may be installed in a position that allows a wired connection to a power source connection block outside the paving block 8, or a solar power generation system or the like may be provided inside the paving block 8 as a power source.

[0014] The road 2 in this embodiment is formed by laying paving blocks 8. "Paving blocks" are paving members that are laid side by side on the roadbed to form the paved surface of the road 2. The paving blocks 8 may be formed in various shapes, sizes, and materials depending on the application. For example, precast concrete slabs are also included in the paving blocks. The paving blocks 8 in this embodiment will be described taking a general rectangular shape, particularly a square, as an example.

[0015] The paving blocks 8 in this embodiment are laid in a regular row and column as shown in FIG. 1. The road 2 in this embodiment is assumed to be an interlocking block pavement. In other words, the paving blocks 8 in this embodiment are interlocking blocks. An "interlocking block" is defined as a paving block in which, when a load is applied, the gaps 14 (joints) between the blocks are filled with sand (hereinafter referred to as "joint sand"), providing an interlocking effect (load dispersion effect) between the blocks. Therefore, when the paving blocks 8 are laid, joints are formed between adjacent paving blocks 8 as shown in FIG. 1.

[0016] As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, multiple types of paving blocks 8 are prepared. That is, the paving blocks 8 can be broadly divided into paving blocks 8 that are provided with a power transmission mechanism by being located on the power transmission path between the power source and the load (also called "path-forming paving blocks") 8, and paving blocks 8 that are not located on the power transmission path and therefore do not need to be provided with a power transmission mechanism. This embodiment is characterized by the power transmission structure of the road using the former path-forming paving blocks. Therefore, in the following description, when "paving blocks 8" are written, unless otherwise specified, it refers to the path-forming paving blocks 8 that are located on the above-mentioned power transmission path among the paving blocks 8 used to form the road 2.

[0017] One of the paving blocks 8 is a paving block 8j equipped with an illuminant 10. The illuminant 10 is an example of a load. The load is not limited to the illuminant 10 formed by an LED or the like, but may be any electrically-actuated object such as a heating element such as a heating wire, or various sensors. In the following description, a paving block 8 equipped with a load is specifically referred to as a "load block" 8j. FIG. 1 illustrates a road 2 on which three load blocks 8j are laid, but the number and arrangement of the load blocks 8j, as well as the type of load, may be appropriately determined depending on the application of the load block 8j.

[0018] In this embodiment, the load is provided inside the paving block 8, but it may be provided outside the paving block 8. In this case, the path forming paving block 8 not including the load block 8j is used only as a power transmission path.

[0019] The light emitter 10 in this embodiment emits light when supplied with power from an AC power source 6. For this purpose, a power transmission path 12 is formed between the AC power source 6 and a load block 8j via a plurality of paving blocks 8a to 8i. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the paving blocks 8a to 8j correspond to the path-forming paving blocks 8.

[0020] In this embodiment, power transmission between the path forming pavement blocks 8 that form the road 2 is performed using wireless power supply. In this embodiment, when there is no need to distinguish between the pavement blocks 8a to 8j using subscripts, they are collectively referred to as "pavement blocks 8."

[0021] Incidentally, "wireless power supply" can be defined as a technology for transmitting power without using electric wires. There are various types of wireless power supply, such as electromagnetic induction, electric field coupling, and electromagnetic wave. The structure of the path forming pavement block 8, which is characteristic of this embodiment, will be described below, but here, the path forming pavement block 8 using the electromagnetic induction method, which is not a magnetic field resonance type, will be described as an example.

[0022] The path forming pavement block 8 used in this embodiment has a path forming member that functions as at least one of a power transmission means for transmitting power to an adjacent path forming pavement block 8 and a power receiving means for receiving power transmitted from another adjacent pavement block 8 when laid on the road 2, and forms a part of the power transmission path 12. In other words, the pavement block 8 in this embodiment can be classified into three types: a type that has a power transmission means but does not have a power receiving means, a type that has a power receiving means but does not have a power transmission means, and a type that has both a power transmission means and a power receiving means. Below, the power source connection block 20, the load block 30, and the relay block 40 corresponding to each type will be described. Note that when the power source connection block 20, the load block 30, and the relay block 40 are collectively referred to as the "path forming pavement block 8" or simply as the "pavement block 8" as described above.

[0023] (Basic structure of path-forming paving blocks) First, Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the power connection block 20 in this embodiment. Of these, Fig. 2(a) is a plan view of the surface layer of the power connection block 20 forming the surface of the road 2 when viewed from above. Fig. 2(b) is a front view of the power connection block 20 shown in Fig. 2(a) when viewed from the side in the lower direction of the figure. Fig. 2(c) is a side view of the power connection block 20 shown in Fig. 2(a) when viewed from the side in the right direction of the figure. As is clear from Fig. 2(a), Fig. 2(c) shows a view from the side where the path forming member is arranged, and Fig. 2(b) shows a view from the side where the path forming member is not arranged.

[0024] The power connection block 20 is a paving block for connecting a power source 6 installed outside the road 2. The power connection block 20 comprises a main body 21 that forms a paving block, and positioning members 22a, 22b, and 22c that are provided on the side of the main body 21. Note that when there is no need to distinguish between them using suffixes such as positioning member 22a, they will be collectively referred to as "positioning member 22". The same applies to other components such as positioning member 32 described below.

[0025] The positioning member 22 determines the positional relationship between the adjacent paving blocks 8 so that the paving blocks 8 are installed at a predetermined distance from each other when the paving blocks 8 are laid on the roadbed. Since the road 2 in this embodiment is an interlocking block pavement, it is necessary to form gaps between the paving blocks 8 as described above. The positioning member 22 in this embodiment is formed by a protrusion that protrudes from the side of the power connection block 20 toward the adjacent paving block 8, and a predetermined gap is formed between the adjacent paving blocks 8 depending on the height (protrusion amount) of the positioning member 22. When the paving blocks 8 are laid, the positioning members 22a, 22c are fitted between the positioning members 22 of the adjacent paving blocks 8 to engage with the adjacent paving blocks 8. As a result, the positioning member 22 has the effect of preventing the horizontal displacement of the paving blocks 8.

[0026] Moreover, the positioning member 22 in this embodiment has a hollow shape. The position on the side of the power connection block 20 where the positioning member 22 is to be disposed is open. In other words, the positioning member 22 is a protrusion that protrudes from the opening in the side of the power connection block 20. Note that, in this embodiment, the positioning member 22 is attached as a separate member to the opening in the side of the paving block 8, but the positioning member 22 may be formed integrally with the paving block 8.

[0027] Positioning members 22a and 22c, each formed with only one protrusion on its side, are disposed at the center in the width direction of power connection block 20. Positioning member 22b is composed of a pair of protrusions. Each protrusion of positioning member 22b is located at a position that is line-symmetrical about the center in the width direction of power connection block 20, and is disposed at a position that allows it to sandwich the positioning member having only one protrusion of an adjacent paving block 8 when the paving blocks 8 are laid as described above.

[0028] Meanwhile, positioning members 22 are arranged on each side of the paving block 8. In this embodiment, positioning members consisting of one protrusion, such as positioning members 22a and 22c, are arranged on the side located on the upper and right side of the paving block 8 in the drawing. On the other hand, positioning members consisting of a pair of protrusions, such as positioning member 22b, are arranged on the side located on the left and lower side of the paving block 8. Then, each paving block 8 is laid on the roadbed so that the positioning member consisting of one protrusion and the positioning member consisting of a pair of protrusions face each other, and the positioning member consisting of one protrusion and the positioning member consisting of a pair of protrusions engage with each other to be positioned. For this reason, the paving block 8 is laid on the roadbed without changing the orientation shown in the drawing.

[0029] However, as shown in Fig. 2, the positioning member 22 is not provided on the side surface facing the AC power source 6. This is because, as shown in Fig. 1, the side surface of the power source connection block 20 facing the AC power source 6 faces the curbstone 4 rather than the paving block 8, making the positioning member 22 unnecessary. However, if a recess into which the positioning member 22 can be inserted is provided in the curbstone 4, the positioning member 22 may also be provided on the side surface of the power source connection block 20 facing the curbstone 4.

[0030] The power supply connection block 20 includes, inside a main body 21, a power transmission mechanism including a path forming member (hereinafter also referred to as a "power transmission coil") 23 and a power line 24 acting as a power transmission means, and a fault diagnosis coil 25. In FIG. 2, the internal configuration is illustrated typically by dashed lines and dashed lines. The power line 24 electrically connects the power transmission coil 23 to the AC power supply 6, and transmits power from the AC power supply 6 to the power transmission coil 23. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the connection to the AC power supply 6 is made by wire in consideration of versatility, but if the AC power supply 6 has a configuration compatible with wireless power supply, the path forming member may be used to receive power from the AC power supply 6.

[0031] In Fig. 2, the power line 24 is illustrated by a single dashed line for the sake of convenience, without indicating its width. Also, in Fig. 2(b) and (c), the power line 24 is omitted in order to prioritize ease of viewing the drawings. This method of drawing the drawings is the same for Figs. 3 and 4, which will be described later.

[0032] When an electromagnetic induction method is used for wireless power supply, the path forming member 23 includes an iron core 26 and a coil 27. In this embodiment, the iron core 26 is formed as an assembly of three rod-shaped iron cores 26a, 26b, and 26c extending in the direction of the adjacent paving block 8. The iron core 26 is simply shaped like the English letter "E." The coil 27 is wound around the iron core 26a located in the center. The iron core 26 is preferably formed from laminated steel plate to suppress heat generation due to eddy currents.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, in the case of the path forming member 23 arranged on the side where the positioning member 22a having one protrusion is provided, the central core 26a of the core 26 is formed longer than the cores 26b and 26c located at both ends. The cores 26b and 26c at both ends have the same length and are arranged at a position where they abut the inner side of the paving block 8. On the other hand, the central core 26a protrudes from the opening of the side of the paving block 8 and enters the inside of the hollow protrusion. As a result, the tip of the core 26a is arranged so that it abuts the surface of the tip of the protrusion of the positioning member 22a. In other words, when the paving block 8 is laid, the tip of the core 26a is arranged at a position opposite to the tip of the central core of the iron core provided in the path forming member located at the opposing position of the adjacent paving block 8. Generally, where the core is disconnected in the electromagnetic induction coil, a loss of magnetic flux occurs. In this embodiment, as described above, the iron core 26a is disposed so as to extend into the positioning member 22a, so that loss of magnetic flux can be minimized.

[0034] 2(b), the positioning member 22 is shorter than the thickness of the paving block 8. Therefore, as will be described in detail later, the entire periphery of the positioning member 22 can be surrounded by joint sand mixed with iron sand.

[0035] The power transmission coil 23 is provided on the side facing one of the adjacent path-forming pavement blocks 8 (hereinafter also referred to as an "adjacent pavement block") when the pavement blocks 8 are laid on the road 2. The power transmission coil 23 transmits power from the AC power source 6 to the adjacent pavement block.

[0036] The fault diagnosis coil 25 is an example of a diagnostic component that enables diagnosis of the power transmission mechanism inside the paving block 8 from the surface of the paving block 8. Since the power transmission mechanism in the power connection block 20 is composed of the power transmission coil 23 and the power line 24, the fault diagnosis coil 25 has a function of detecting a fault occurring in at least one of the power transmission coil 23 or the power line 24. More specifically, the fault diagnosis coil 25 is arranged so that the magnetic flux penetrates in a direction perpendicular to the block surface. For example, if no magnetic flux is detected when a maintenance worker brings a portable magnetic sensor close to the installation position of the fault diagnosis coil 25, it can be diagnosed that the power transmission mechanism is faulty. The fault diagnosis coil 25 may be arranged in a place other than that shown in the figure, as long as it is electrically connected to the power line 24.

[0037] The fault diagnosis coil 25 in this embodiment is provided inside the paving block 8 and cannot be seen from outside the paving block 8. For this reason, the maintenance worker must know in advance the buried position of the fault diagnosis coil 25. Alternatively, a mark indicating the buried position of the fault diagnosis coil 25 may be attached to the surface of the paving block 8. Note that, if the diagnostic member is provided so that it can be seen from outside the paving block 8, it is not necessary to know in advance the buried position or to mark it.

[0038] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the load block 30 in this embodiment. Of these, FIG. 3(a) is a plan view of the surface layer of the load block 30 forming the surface of the road 2 when viewed from above. FIG. 3(b) is a front view of the load block 30 shown in FIG. 3(a) when viewed from the side in the lower direction of the figure. FIG. 3(c) is a side view of the load block 30 shown in FIG. 3(a) when viewed from the side in the left direction of the figure. As is clear from FIG. 3(a), FIG. 3(c) shows a view from the side where the path forming member is arranged, and FIG. 3(b) shows a view from the side where the path forming member is not arranged.

[0039] The load block 30 is a paving block having a load 10 therein. The load block 30 includes a main body 31 forming a paving block, and positioning members 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32d provided on the side surfaces of the main body 31.

[0040] The positioning member 32 is an equivalent component to the positioning member 22 in the power connection block 20, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The position on the side of the load block 30 where the positioning member 32 is to be disposed is open. The positioning member 32 has a hollow shape, similar to the positioning member 22. The left side of the power connection block 20 shown in FIG. 2 is assumed to be in contact with the curbstone 4, and therefore does not have the positioning member 22. The load block 30 shown in FIG. 3 is assumed to be installed in a position not in contact with the curbstone 4, such as the paving block 8j exemplified in FIG. 1, and therefore has positioning members 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32d provided on all of the side surfaces.

[0041] The load block 30 has, inside the main body 31, a path forming member (hereinafter also referred to as a "receiving coil") 33 acting as a power receiving means, a power transmission mechanism including a power line 34 and a conversion circuit 38, a light-emitting body 10 as a load, and a fault diagnosis coil 35.

[0042] The power receiving coil 33 is provided on the side facing an adjacent pavement block 8 (adjacent pavement block) when laid on the road 2. The power receiving coil 33 receives power transmitted from the adjacent pavement block. The path forming member 33 acts as a power receiving means when it is located opposite the power transmitting means provided on the side of the adjacent pavement block, and functions as the power receiving coil 33. The power line 34 electrically connects the power receiving coil 33 to the light-emitting body 10, and transmits the power received by the power receiving coil 33 from the AC power source 6 to the light-emitting body 10.

[0043] When the electromagnetic induction method is used for wireless power supply, the path forming member 33 basically includes an iron core 36 and a coil 37, similar to the structure of the path forming member 23 described with reference to FIG. 2. The path forming member (power transmission coil) 23 acting as a power transmitting means is provided on the inner surface on which the positioning member 22a consisting of one protrusion is disposed, as shown in FIG. 2, so that the path forming member (power receiving coil) 33 acting as a power receiving means at a position opposite the power transmitting coil 23 is provided on the inner surface on which the positioning member 32d consisting of two protrusions is disposed, as shown in FIG. 3. The path forming member 33 has a structure that is linearly symmetrical with the path forming member 23 at the opposite position. That is, the iron core 36 has a shape that is an inverted shape of the English letter "E". However, the iron core 36a at the center of the iron core 36 is formed shorter than the iron cores 36b and 36c located at both ends. The iron cores 36b and 36c have the same length. The central core 36a is disposed at a position where it abuts against the inner side surface of the paving block 8. Meanwhile, the cores 36b and 36c protrude from the openings in the side surface of the paving block 8 and enter the inside of the hollow projection. As a result, the tips of the cores 36b and 36c are disposed at a position where they abut against the surface of the tip of the positioning member 32d. In other words, when the paving block 8 is laid, the tips of the cores 36b and 36c are disposed at a position where they face the tips of the cores at both ends of the cores provided in the path forming members located at opposing positions of the adjacent paving blocks 8. The coil 37 is wound around the central core 36a in the same manner as the path forming member 23.

[0044] The fault diagnosis coil 35 has the same configuration as the fault diagnosis coil 25, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. The conversion circuit 38 is a circuit that converts current from AC to DC. Since it is assumed that the light-emitting body 10 in this embodiment uses a DC power source, the conversion circuit 38 is provided between the power receiving coil 33 and the light-emitting body 10. If the light-emitting body 10 uses an AC power source, the conversion circuit 38 is not necessary.

[0045] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a relay block 40 in this embodiment. Of these, Fig. 4(a) is a plan view of the surface layer of the relay block 40 that forms the surface of the road 2, as viewed from above. Fig. 4(b) is a front view of the relay block 40 shown in Fig. 4(a), as viewed from the side in the lower direction of the figure. Fig. 4(b) illustrates a side on which no path forming member is provided.

[0046] The relay block 40 is a paving block that does not include a power source 6 or a load 10, and relays power transmitted from the power source 6 to the load 10. Therefore, the relay block 40 includes at least one path forming member that acts as a power receiving means and one path forming member that acts as a power transmitting means. Fig. 4 shows an example of a relay block 40 that includes one path forming member 43 that acts as a power receiving means and one path forming member 143 that acts as a power transmitting means.

[0047] The relay block 40 includes a main body 41 forming a paving block, and positioning members 42a, 42b, 42c, and 42d provided on the side of the main body 41. The positioning member 42 is a component equivalent to the positioning member 22 in the power connection block 20 and the positioning member 32 in the load block 30, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0048] The relay block 40 has a path forming member (power receiving coil) 43 acting as a power receiving means, a path forming member (power transmitting coil) 143 acting as a power transmitting means, a power transmission mechanism including a power line 44, and a fault diagnosis coil 45 inside the main body 41.

[0049] The power receiving coil 43 has the same structure as the power receiving coil 33 shown in Fig. 3, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Also, the power transmitting coil 143 has the same structure as the power transmitting coil 23 shown in Fig. 2, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Therefore, a side view of the relay block 40 as seen from the left-right side of the drawing is omitted because Fig. 2(c) and Fig. 3(c) can be used instead.

[0050] Power line 44 electrically connects power receiving coil 43 and power transmitting coil 143, and transmits the power received by power receiving coil 43 to power transmitting coil 143. Fault diagnosis coil 45 has the same configuration as fault diagnosis coil 25, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0051] The three types of path forming pavement blocks 8 used in this embodiment, namely, the power supply connection block 20, the load block 30 and the relay block 40, have been described above.

[0052] In addition, when the road 2 is paved with interlocking blocks, the paving blocks 8 that are not located on the power transmission path 12 do not need to have a power transmission mechanism built in like the path-forming paving blocks 8 described above, but may have positioning members on their sides, as with the path-forming paving blocks 8, to form a fixed gap 14 between adjacent paving blocks 8.

[0053] Fig. 5 is a plan view of the path forming paving blocks 20, 30, 40 shown in Figs. 2 to 4 when laid on the roadbed, as viewed from above, and shows the engagement state of the positioning members 22, 32, 42. The gaps 14 between the path forming paving blocks 20, 30, 40 are filled with joint sand 18, but the joint sand 18 near the positioning member between the relay block 40 and the load block 30 is omitted from Fig. 5 so that the engagement relationship between the positioning member 42a and the positioning member 32d can be seen.

[0054] Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view showing the engagement portion between the power connection block 20 shown in Fig. 2 and the relay block 40 shown in Fig. 4. Note that in Fig. 6, unlike Figs. 2 and 4, the power lines 24, 44 and the coils 27, 47 are shown in solid lines and the iron cores 26, 46 are shown in grayscale, but the structure of each paving block 20, 40 is the same as the structure shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

[0055] Hereinafter, the operation from transmitting power from the AC power source 6 to making the light emitter 10 emit light will be described with reference to Figs.

[0056] As described above, each paving block 8 is laid by fitting a positioning member 22 consisting of one protrusion, such as positioning member 22a, between positioning members 22 consisting of a pair of two protrusions, such as positioning member 42d. Gaps 14 of a predetermined width are formed between adjacent paving blocks 8 by the positioning member 22. Joint sand 18 is filled into the gaps 14.

[0057] 5 shows an arrangement in which the power connection block 20, the load block 30, and the relay block 40 are arranged side by side. As a result, the power transmission coil 23 of the power connection block 20 and the power receiving coil 43 of the relay block 40 are arranged in opposing positions. Also, the power transmission coil 143 of the relay block 40 and the power receiving coil 33 of the load block 30 are arranged in opposing positions.

[0058] An alternating current from the AC power source 6 flows through the power line 24 to the power transmitting coil 23 of the power connection block 20. This generates a magnetic flux in the power transmitting coil 23. This magnetic flux penetrates the side surface of the power connection block 20 perpendicularly, and generates an electromotive force by electromagnetic induction in the power receiving coil 43 of the relay block 40 adjacent to the power connection block 20, which faces the side surface through which the magnetic flux penetrates.

[0059] At this time, the positioning members 22a and 42d appropriately position the coils 23 and 43, thereby reducing magnetic flux loss. In addition, the iron core 26a around which the coil 27 of the power transmitting coil 23 is wound extends close to the power receiving coil 43, thereby further reducing magnetic flux loss.

[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the joint sand 18 filled in the gaps 14 is a suitable mixture of iron sand and silica sand. By mixing iron sand into the joint sand 18, it is possible to prevent further loss of magnetic flux in the gaps 14 between the paving blocks 20, 40 while suppressing eddy currents. In addition, the binding by magnetic flux also prevents the joint sand 18 from flowing out from the periphery of the positioning member 42d. However, although the joint sand 18 mixed with iron sand may be filled in the entire gaps 14 between the paving blocks 8, the effect of preventing magnetic flux loss can be further enhanced by filling only the vicinity of the iron cores 26, 46.

[0061] In the relay block 40, the power received by the power receiving coil 43 from the power connection block 20 is sent to the power transmitting coil 143 through the power line 44. The power receiving coil 33 of the load block 30 is disposed at a position facing the power transmitting coil 143 of the relay block 40. The power transmission from the power transmitting coil 143 that has received power to the power receiving coil 33 has the same effect as the power transmission from the power transmitting coil 23 to the power receiving coil 43, so a description thereof will be omitted. In addition, for the joint sand 18 filled around the positioning members 42a and 32d, an appropriate mixture of iron sand and silica sand is used, as in the vicinity of the positioning member 42d.

[0062] In the load block 30, the power received by the power receiving coil 33 from the relay block 40 is sent to the conversion circuit 38 through the power line 34, and is converted from AC to DC by the conversion circuit 38. The light emitter 10 emits light by receiving the power converted to DC.

[0063] As described above, in this embodiment, wireless power supply can be used to transmit power from the AC power source 6 to the light-emitting body 10, which is a load. When the positions of the power source and the load are determined, the power transmission path 12 between them is also determined. In this embodiment, however, if the above-mentioned path-forming paving blocks 20, 30, 40 are disposed as the paving blocks 8 located on the power transmission path 12, there is no need to electrically connect the power source and the load with a wire.

[0064] Depending on the relative positions of the power source and the load, multiple relay blocks 40, for example, paving blocks 8b to 8i as shown in Figure 1, may be used, or the power source connection block 20 and the load block 30 may be laid adjacent to each other without using relay blocks 40.

[0065] Incidentally, the light-emitting body 10 shown in FIG. 1 emits light by receiving power from the AC power source 6 via a plurality of relay blocks 40, but the power transmission path 12 may change its path along the way. For example, in FIG. 1, the power transmission path 12 is bent by a paving block 8h. Also, the power transmission path 12 is branched by paving blocks 8b and 8e. In other words, the power transmission path 12 cannot be formed by the relay block 40 shown in FIG. 4 alone. Therefore, a modified example of the relay block 40, particularly an arrangement pattern of the path-forming members in the relay block, will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0066] (Application example of path-forming paving blocks) (Series connection of path forming components) In the relay block 40 shown in FIG. 4, the path forming members 43 and 143 are provided on the opposing side surfaces. In contrast, in the relay block 50 shown in FIG. 7(a), the path forming members 53a, 53b, 53c, and 53d are provided on each side surface. The path forming members 53a, 53b, 53c, and 53d are connected in series by the power line 54. For example, when the path forming member 53a acts as a power receiving means, the power received by the path forming member 53a is distributed to the other path forming members 53b, 53c, and 53d through the power line 54. In other words, the path forming members 53b, 53c, and 53d act as power transmitting means. In this way, in the relay block 50 shown in FIG. 7(a), the power received by one power receiving means can be distributed to multiple power transmitting means.

[0067] 7(a) shows an example in which a path forming member 53 is disposed on each side surface, while Fig. 7(b), (c), and (d) show an example of a relay block 60 in which path forming members 63 are disposed on three side surfaces. In the case of this arrangement pattern, for example, power received from one path forming member 63a is distributed to the other two path forming members 63b and 63c acting as power transmission means via a power line branched into two locations.

[0068] 7(e), (f), and (g) show an example of a relay block 70 in which path forming members 73 are provided on two side surfaces. In the case of this arrangement pattern, for example, power received from one path forming member 73a is sent to the other path forming member 73b acting as a power transmission means via a power line. The arrangement pattern shown in FIG. 7(f) corresponds to the relay block 40 shown in FIG. 4 described above. By using a relay block 70 in which path forming members 73 are provided on adjacent side surfaces, such as the relay block 70 shown in FIG. 7(e), (f), and (g), the power transmission path 12 shown in FIG. 1 can be realized.

[0069] 2 shows an example of a power supply connection block 20 having a path forming member 23 on the side surface on the right side of the drawing, and FIG 3 shows an example of a load block 30 having a path forming member 33 on the side surface on the left side of the drawing. However, as shown in FIG 7, a plurality of path forming members may also be provided on the power supply connection block 20 and the load block 30. Also, the power lines 24, 34 of the power supply connection block 20 and the load block 30 may be wired in a manner other than a straight line.

[0070] Now, for example, suppose that the relay block 60 shown in Fig. 7(b) is placed adjacent to the relay block 50 shown in Fig. 7(a) below in the drawing. Such a placement is possible due to the relationship of the positioning members, more specifically, the relationship of the protrusions provided on each positioning member. In this case, the path forming member 53d of the relay block 50 and the path forming member 63b of the relay block 60 are disposed in opposing positions.

[0071] As described above, when the path forming member 53a of the relay block 50 acts as a power receiving means, the power received by the path forming member 53a is sent to the path forming member 53d, so that the path forming member 53d acts as a power transmitting means. When the path forming member 53d acts as a power transmitting means, the path forming member 63b facing the path forming member 53d acts as a receiving means. On the other hand, as described above, when the path forming member 63a of the relay block 60 acts as a power receiving means, the power received by the path forming member 63a is sent to the path forming member 63b, so that the path forming member 63b acts as a power transmitting means.

[0072] In the power transmission path shown in Figs. 2 to 7, the power source is assumed to be located on the left side of the drawing, so the path forming member located on the left side of the paving block 8 acts as the power receiving means, and the path forming members located on the other sides act as the power transmitting means. However, the path forming member in this embodiment acts as the power transmitting means or the power receiving means depending on the positional relationship of the paving block 8 when laid on the road 2, like the path forming member 63b. Therefore, in the above description, for convenience of explanation, the path forming member is named as the power transmitting coil and the power receiving coil. However, the path forming member may actually act as the power transmitting means or the power receiving means depending on the positional relationship of the paving block 8, in other words, depending on the arrangement on the power transmission path.

[0073] In this case, the relay blocks 70 shown in Fig. 7(e) and Fig. 7(g) have path forming members with the same arrangement pattern, but are required separately due to the correspondence with the positioning members having one or two protrusions. If all the positioning members are formed with the same shape, the relay blocks 70 shown in Fig. 7(e) and Fig. 7(g) can be made common.

[0074] If a paving block has three or more path-forming members, it is possible to have the multiple path-forming members act as receiving means rather than transmitting means. In other words, it is possible to integrate power from multiple sources, for example, although frequency control may be required in the case of AC.

[0075] In the above explanation, the path formation paving block 8 is used as an example of wireless power supply using an electromagnetic induction method other than the magnetic field resonance type, but it may also be realized using an electromagnetic induction method other than the magnetic field resonance type, an electric field coupling method, an electromagnetic wave method, or other methods.

[0076] (Parallel connection of path forming members) In the path-forming paving block 8 shown in Fig. 7, the path-forming members inside the block are electrically connected in series as a connection pattern for the path-forming members. In contrast, Fig. 8 shows an example of electrically connecting the path-forming members in parallel.

[0077] Fig. 8 is a schematic plan view showing a typical arrangement pattern of the path forming members 53 in another relay block 70 in this embodiment, and corresponds to Fig. 7(a) described above. Note that the same components as those in Fig. 7(a) are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0078] The relay block 70 in this embodiment is provided with path forming members 53a, 53b, 53c, and 53d on each side of the relay block 70, similar to the relay block 50 shown in Fig. 7(a). Also, Fig. 8 assumes a case in which the path forming member 53a acts as a power receiving means, and the other path forming members 53b, 53c, and 53d act as power transmitting means. The path forming members 53a, 53b, 53c, and 53d are connected by power lines 74, but other than the connection relationship of the power lines 74 connecting the path forming members 53, the same as in the case of the series connection shown in Fig. 7(a) may be used.

[0079] In the relay block 70, power lines 74a-1 and 74a-2 are connected to the path forming member 53a acting as a power receiving means. Then, the path forming members 53b, 53c, and 53d acting as a power transmitting means are connected in parallel to the path forming member 53a by the power lines 74b, 74c, and 74d, respectively. Specifically, the power lines 74b-1 and 74b-2 connected to the path forming member 53b are connected to the power lines 74a-1 and 74a-2. Similarly, the power lines 74c-1 and 74c-2 connected to the path forming member 53c are connected to the power lines 74a-1 and 74a-2. Also, the power lines 74d-1 and 74d-2 connected to the path forming member 53d are connected to the power lines 74a-1 and 74a-2.

[0080] In this way, in the relay block 70, the other multiple path forming members (i.e., path forming members 53b, 53c, and 53d) acting as power transmitting means are connected in parallel with the path forming member 53 (i.e., path forming member 53a) acting as power receiving means. In other words, the relay block 70 branches the power received by the path forming member 53a within the block and sends it to the path forming members 53b, 53c, and 53d. The path forming members 53b, 53c, and 53d use wireless power supply to transmit power to other adjacent path forming pavement blocks 8.

[0081] Even if any of the power lines 74b, 74c, and 74d connected to the power lines 74a-1 and 74a-2 is broken, the relay block 70 does not affect the transmission of power to the other path forming members 53b, 53c, and 53d. For example, if the power line 74b-1 or the power line 74b-2 is broken, it may not be possible to transmit power from the path forming member 53b to the other adjacent path forming pavement blocks 8. However, since the path forming members 53c and 53d are connected to the path forming member 53a in parallel with the path forming member 53b, even if the power line 74b is broken or some kind of failure occurs in the path forming member 53b, it is possible to continue transmitting power to the other adjacent path forming pavement blocks 8.

[0082] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of connection of the path forming pavement block 8 using the relay block 70 shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 9 shows the relay block 70, the power supply connection block 20 that transmits power to the relay block 70, and the load block 30 that receives power from the relay block 70. The relay block 70 branches the power received from the power supply connection block 20 by the path forming member 53a using wireless power supply within the block, and transmits the power from each path forming member 53b, 53c, 53d to each load block 30b, 30c, 30d using wireless power supply. Note that the power transmission destination from the relay block 70 may be another relay block 70 instead of the load block 30.

[0083] Here, for example, if the power line 74b is broken, power is not supplied to the load block 30b via the path forming member 53b, and the light emitter 10b does not light up. However, power is supplied to the load blocks 30c and 30d, and the light emitters 10c and 10d can light up.

[0084] The characteristic configuration of the parallel connection of the path forming members 53 inside the path forming paving block 8 is not limited to the relay block 70, but can also be applied to other path forming paving blocks 8, i.e., the power connection block 20 or the load block 30. The parallel connection of the path forming members 53 can be applied to the arrangement patterns of the path forming members shown in Figures 7(b) to 7(d) among Figures 7(b) to 7(g).

[0085] In the present embodiment, a case has been described in which a plurality of path forming members 53 acting as power transmitting means (three path forming members 53b, 53c, and 53d in the above example) are connected in parallel to a path forming member 53 acting as a power receiving means (one path forming member 53a in the above example), and the power received by the path forming member 53a is supplied to the plurality of path forming members 53b, 53c, and 53d that are branch destinations. However, the opposite configuration may be used. That is, a plurality of path forming members 53 acting as power receiving means may be connected in parallel to a path forming member 53 acting as a power transmitting means. In this configuration, the power received by the plurality of power receiving means can be integrated and supplied to one power transmitting means. In addition, when a plurality of power transmitting means are present, the integrated power is supplied to each of the plurality of power transmitting means that are branch destinations.

[0086] Embodiment 2 Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a connection of the path-forming pavement blocks 8 using the relay blocks 80 in this embodiment. For convenience, components that may be the same as those in the first embodiment, such as the connection form of the pavement blocks using the positioning members and the structure of the path-forming members in the pavement blocks, are omitted from Fig. 10 and will not be described.

[0087] The path forming paving blocks 8 shown in the first embodiment are all the same shape, i.e., square, and are the same size. The relay block 80 in this embodiment is the same as the relay blocks 40 and 70 in the first embodiment in that it has a path forming member on the side of the block body, but is different in that it has a configuration in which one side has multiple path forming members and one or multiple path forming paving blocks 8 can be connected. The relay block 80 shown in FIG. 10 has only one path forming member 53e on one side in the left direction of the drawing in order to receive power from one power connection block 20 arranged in the left direction of the drawing. Therefore, the width of the side in the left and right directions of the drawing may be the same as that of the path forming paving block 8 shown in the first and second embodiments. On the other hand, the relay block 80 has two path forming members 53f and 53g on one side in the upper direction of the drawing in order to transmit power to two load blocks 30f and 30g arranged in the upper direction of the drawing. In this way, the width of the side facing the two load blocks 30f and 30g is formed to be approximately twice the width of the square-shaped path forming paving block 8 shown in the first and second embodiments. The reason for "almost twice as wide" is that the width is greater than twice as wide, taking into consideration the width of the joint formed between the load block 30f and the load block 30g. The relay block 80 also includes two path forming members 53h, 53i on one side in the downward direction of the drawing in order to transmit power to the two load blocks 30h, 30i arranged in the downward direction of the drawing. For this reason, the relay block 80 in this embodiment is formed in a rectangular shape.

[0088] In the relay block 80 shown in FIG. 10, the path forming member 53 is not provided on the side surface facing the path forming member 53e that functions as the power receiving means, but may be provided thereon.

[0089] The connection relationship by the power lines inside the relay block 80 is as described in the second embodiment. That is, the path formation members 53f, 53g, 53h, and 53i acting as power transmitting means are connected in parallel with the path formation member 53e acting as power receiving means. Therefore, the power received from the path formation member 53e is sent to each of the path formation members 53f, 53g, 53h, and 53i which are branch destinations, and is transmitted to the connected load blocks 30f, 30g, 30h, and 30i by wireless power supply.

[0090] The relay block 80 in this embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that it has a plurality of path forming members 53 on one side surface. However, since its function as a power transmission path is the same as that in the second embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0091] In the above description, two load blocks 30 are connected to one side, but three or more load blocks 30 may be connected. In the present embodiment, the set of multiple path forming members 53f, 53g (or path forming members 53h, 53i) of the relay block 80 is arranged on the same side of the relay block 80, and power is transmitted to the load blocks 30f, 30g (or load blocks 30h, 30i) as the other multiple adjacent path forming pavement blocks 8 by wireless power supply. However, the other multiple adjacent path forming pavement blocks 8 are not limited to the load block 30, and may be other relay blocks 40, 70.

[0092] In addition, the relay block 80 has a plurality of square load blocks 30 connected to one side, but a rectangular path forming pavement block 8 having the same number of path forming members 53 as the relay block 80 may be connected to one side. That is, for example, the path forming members 53f, 53g in the relay block 80 may transmit and receive power between the relay block 80 and one path forming pavement block 8 having two path forming members 53 on the side facing the relay block 80 using wireless power supply.

[0093] Therefore, the road 2 in this embodiment is formed by combining path-forming paving blocks 8 of different sizes, as shown in FIG.

[0094] In this embodiment, the rectangular path forming paving blocks 8 have been described as an example of a quadrangular shape, but the present invention is also applicable to path forming paving blocks 8 having other polygonal shapes.

[0095] Incidentally, this embodiment is not characterized by forming the path forming paving blocks 8 in a shape other than a square, but by configuring the path forming paving blocks 8 to have a plurality of path forming members 53 on one side thereof. Therefore, if the path forming paving blocks 8 are configured to have the same number of path forming members 53 on each side thereof, the path forming paving blocks 8 in this embodiment will be formed in a square shape.

[0096] [Configuration of the present invention] Configuration 1: A road is formed by laying a plurality of paving blocks, and a power transmission structure of the road transmits power from a power source to a load, Among the plurality of paving blocks, a path-forming paving block located on a power transmission path between the power source and the load is provided with a path-forming member on a side of the path-forming paving block, the path-forming member acting as at least one of a power transmission means for transmitting power from the power source to the adjacent path-forming paving block, and a power receiving means for receiving power transmitted from the adjacent path-forming paving block; The path forming member acting as the power receiving means is connected in parallel with the other multiple path forming members acting as the power transmitting means inside the path forming paving block, or the path forming member acting as the power transmitting means is connected in parallel with the other multiple path forming members acting as the power receiving means inside the path forming paving block, Adjacent path forming pavement blocks transmit and receive power between the path forming members provided thereto using wireless power supply. A road transmission structure characterized by: Configuration 2: The road power transmission structure described in claim 1, characterized in that the multiple path forming members are arranged on the same side of the polygonal path forming pavement block, and power is transmitted and received between the path forming members arranged on the side of one or more adjacent path forming pavement blocks using wireless power supply. Configuration 3: 3. The power transmission structure of a road according to claim 2, wherein the road is formed by combining path-forming paving blocks of different sizes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 2 road, 4 curbstone, 6 power source (AC power source), 8, 8a to 8j paving block (path forming paving block), 10, 10a, 10b, 10c load (light emitting body), 12 power transmission path, 14 gap, 18 joint sand, 20 power connection block, 30, 30b to 30d, 30f to 30i load block, 21, 31, 41 main body, 22a, 22b, 22c, 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d, 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d positioning member, 23, 33, 43, 53, 53a to 53i, 63, 63a to 63c, 73, 73a, 73b, 143 path forming member, 24, 34, 44, 54, 74. 74a to 74d power line, 25, 35, 45 Fault diagnosis coil, 26, 26a to 26c, 36, 36a to 36c iron core, 27, 37, 47 coil, 38 conversion circuit, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 relay block, 80 power generation block.

Claims

1. A road is formed by laying a plurality of paving blocks, and a power transmission structure of the road transmits power from a power source to a load, Among the plurality of paving blocks, a path-forming paving block located on a power transmission path between the power source and the load is provided with a path-forming member on a side of the path-forming paving block, the path-forming member acting as at least one of a power transmission means for transmitting power from the power source to the adjacent path-forming paving block, and a power receiving means for receiving power transmitted from the adjacent path-forming paving block; The path forming member acting as the power receiving means is connected in parallel with the other multiple path forming members acting as the power transmitting means inside the path forming paving block, or the path forming member acting as the power transmitting means is connected in parallel with the other multiple path forming members acting as the power receiving means inside the path forming paving block, Adjacent path forming pavement blocks transmit and receive power between the path forming members provided thereto using wireless power supply. A road transmission structure characterized by:

2. The road power transmission structure described in claim 1, characterized in that the multiple path forming members are arranged on the same side of the polygonal path forming pavement block, and power is transmitted and received between the path forming members arranged on the side of one or more adjacent path forming pavement blocks using wireless power supply.

3. 3. The power transmission structure for a road according to claim 2, wherein the road is formed by combining the path-forming paving blocks having different sizes.

Images