Non-contact power supply equipment

Abstract

To provide a non-contact power supply facility that can improve synchronization accuracy of the phase of an AC current supplied to each of multiple power supply lines.SOLUTION: A non-contact power supply facility 100 for supplying a power non-contact to a power reception device comprises: multiple power supply lines 11 arranged in line along a moving route 1 of a moving body having the power reception device; and a power-supply unit 5 for supplying an AC current to a power supply line while being connected to each of the multiple power supply lines. The non-contact power supply facility also comprises a synchronization system for synchronizing the phases of the AC currents of the multiple power-supply units. The synchronization system includes a master unit for outputting a synchronization signal with a prescribed cycle. Each of the multiple power-supply units comprises: a power-supply circuit 51 for supplying the AC current to the power supply line connected to the power-supply unit; and a power-supply control unit 52 for controlling the power-supply circuit by receiving the synchronization signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless power supply facility that includes a plurality of power supply lines arranged in a row along a movement path of a mobile body equipped with a power receiving device, and a power supply device connected to each of the plurality of power supply lines and supplying alternating current to the power supply lines, and that supplies power to the power receiving device in a wireless manner. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of such a contactless power supply facility is disclosed in the following Patent Document 1. In the following description of the background art, the reference symbols in Patent Document 1 will be cited in parentheses.

[0003] In the non-contact power supply equipment of Patent Document 1, a master unit (51(A)) transmits a synchronization signal to a plurality of slave units (51). A power supply device (M) connected to each of the plurality of slave units (51) supplies an AC current to a corresponding power supply line (47) based on the synchronization signal received by the slave unit (51). In this way, the phases of the AC currents supplied to the respective power supply lines (47) are synchronized. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-67747 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the above-mentioned contactless power supply equipment, the time required for transmitting a synchronization signal from the master unit to the power supply device depends on the connection state of the power supply device to the master unit. Therefore, the time required for transmitting a synchronization signal from the master unit to the power supply device may differ for each power supply device. However, the contactless power supply equipment of Patent Document 1 does not take such a difference in the required transmission time into consideration, and in that respect, there is a limit to improving the synchronization accuracy of the phases of the AC currents supplied to each of the multiple power supply lines.

[0006] Therefore, it is desirable to realize a contactless power supply facility that can improve the synchronization accuracy of the phases of AC currents supplied to each of a plurality of power supply lines. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In view of the above, the characteristics and configuration of the wireless power supply equipment are as follows: A plurality of power supply lines arranged in a line along a moving path of a moving body having a power receiving device; a power supply device connected to each of the plurality of power supply lines and supplying an AC current to the power supply lines; A wireless power supply facility for supplying power to the power receiving device in a wireless manner, a synchronization system for synchronizing the phases of the AC current of the plurality of power supply devices; The synchronization system includes a master unit that outputs a synchronization signal having a specified period; Each of the plurality of power supply devices includes a power supply circuit that supplies the AC current to the power supply line connected to the power supply device, and a power supply control unit that receives the synchronization signal and controls the power supply circuit; The power supply control unit calculates an adjusted phase that is advanced by an amount of time corresponding to the transmission time required for the synchronizing signal from the master unit to the power supply control unit, relative to the phase delayed by a specified delay time from the received synchronizing signal, and controls the power supply circuit so as to synchronize the phase of the AC current with the adjusted phase.

[0008] According to this characteristic configuration, the power supply control unit calculates an adjusted phase that is advanced by a time corresponding to the required time for transmitting the synchronization signal from the master unit to the power supply control unit, relative to a phase delayed by a specified delay time from the received synchronization signal. Then, the power supply control unit controls the power supply circuit so as to synchronize the phase of the AC current supplied to the power supply line with the adjusted phase. This makes it possible to appropriately synchronize the phase of the AC current supplied to the power supply line by each of the multiple power supply circuits, even if the required time for transmitting the synchronization signal from the master unit to the power supply control unit differs for each power supply device. Therefore, it is possible to improve the synchronization accuracy of the phase of the AC current supplied to each of the multiple power supply lines. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an article transport facility equipped with a non-contact power supply facility according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] Front view of an article transport vehicle provided in the article transport facility [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a non-contact power supply device according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a synchronization system. [Diagram 5] A diagram showing the calculation of the adjusted phase by the power supply control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, a non-contact power supply facility 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the non-contact power supply facility 100 is provided in an article conveying facility 200.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the article transport facility 200 includes a traveling rail 2 and a moving body 3. The traveling rail 2 is arranged along a moving path 1 of the moving body 3. In this embodiment, the pair of traveling rails 2 are suspended and supported from the ceiling with a certain distance between them in a path width direction H, which is a direction perpendicular to the moving path 1, when viewed in the up-down direction Z, which is the vertical direction (see Fig. 2). In this embodiment, the moving body 3 is an article transport vehicle that travels along the moving path 1 while being guided by the traveling rail 2. Articles to be transported by the moving body 3 as an article transport vehicle include, for example, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) that stores semiconductor substrates and a glass substrate that is a material for displays.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the movement path 1 includes one main path 1a formed in a ring shape, multiple sub-paths 1b formed in a ring shape, each of which passes through multiple item processing units P, and multiple connecting paths 1c connecting the main path 1a and the multiple sub-paths 1b.

[0013] 2, the moving body 3 includes a power receiving device 4 that receives driving power in a non-contact manner from a power supply line 11 arranged along the moving path 1. In this embodiment, the moving body 3 further includes a traveling section 9 that travels along the moving path 1 while being guided by a pair of traveling rails 2, and a transport vehicle main body 10 that is positioned below the traveling rails 2 and supported by being suspended from the traveling section 9.

[0014] The traveling unit 9 includes a drive motor 14 and a pair of traveling wheels 15. The drive motor 14 is a driving force source for the pair of traveling wheels 15. The pair of traveling wheels 15 are rotationally driven by the drive motor 14. The traveling wheels 15 roll on a traveling surface formed by the upper surface of the traveling rail 2. In this embodiment, the traveling unit 9 further includes a pair of guide wheels 16. The pair of guide wheels 16 are supported rotatably around an axis along the vertical direction Z. The pair of guide wheels 16 are arranged to abut against a pair of inner surfaces of the pair of traveling rails 2 facing each other in the path width direction H.

[0015] The transport vehicle body 10 includes an article support section that suspends and supports an article so that it can be raised and lowered, and an actuator that raises and lowers the article support section (not shown).

[0016] Electric power for the drive motor 14, various actuators, etc. is supplied contactlessly from the power supply line 11 to the power receiving device 4. As described above, the power supply line 11 that supplies the power for driving the moving body 3 to the power receiving device 4 is arranged along the moving path 1. In this embodiment, the power supply line 11 is arranged on both sides of the power receiving device 4 in the path width direction H.

[0017] In this embodiment, the power receiving device 4 includes a pickup coil 40. AC power is induced in the pickup coil 40 by a magnetic field generated around the power supply line 11 to which an AC current is supplied. This AC power is converted to DC by a power receiving circuit including a rectifier circuit, a smoothing capacitor, etc., and is supplied to the drive motor 14, various actuators, etc.

[0018] The contactless power supply equipment 100 is configured to supply power to the power receiving device 4 in a contactless manner. As shown in FIG. 3, the contactless power supply equipment 100 includes a plurality of power feed lines 11 arranged in a line along a moving path 1 of a moving body 3 equipped with a power receiving device 4, and a power supply device 5 connected to each of the plurality of power feed lines 11 and supplying AC current to the power feed lines 11. In this manner, the contactless power supply equipment 100 includes a plurality of pairs of the power feed lines 11 and the power supply device 5. This is to prevent a decrease in the efficiency of power transmission in the power feed lines 11 and a stop of the entire equipment in the event of a failure in a relatively large-scale article conveying equipment 200 (see FIG. 1) including one large, annular main path 1a and a plurality of annular sub-paths 1b smaller than the main path 1a, as in this embodiment.

[0019] Each of the power supply devices 5 includes a power supply circuit 51 that supplies an AC current to the power supply line 11 connected to the power supply device 5 , and a power supply control unit 52 that controls the power supply circuit 51 .

[0020] The power supply circuit 51 is configured with, for example, a switching power supply circuit including an inverter circuit as its core. The power supply control unit 52 controls the duty of a switching control signal that switches a switching element that constitutes the inverter circuit based on a command value. For example, the power supply control unit 52 causes the power supply circuit 51 to output an AC current by pulse width modulation (PWM). Here, the command value is, for example, a current value (which may be an effective value or a crest value (peak-to-peak value)) or a duty in PWM control.

[0021] 4, the wireless power supply equipment 100 further includes a synchronization system 6 that synchronizes the phases of AC currents of the multiple power supply devices 5. The synchronization system 6 includes a master unit 7 that outputs a synchronization signal with a specified period. In this embodiment, the synchronization system 6 further includes at least one slave unit 8 that receives the synchronization signal from the master unit 7.

[0022] The slave unit 8 is directly connected to the master unit 7, or indirectly connected to the master unit 7 via another slave unit 8. Furthermore, the slave unit 8 is connected to at least one power supply device 5. The slave unit 8 transmits the synchronization signal received by the slave unit 8 to the power supply device 5 connected to the slave unit 8. More specifically, the slave unit 8 is connected to a power supply control unit 52 of at least one power supply device 5. The slave unit 8 transmits the synchronization signal received by the slave unit 8 to the power supply control unit 52 connected to the slave unit 8. The power supply control unit 52 receives the synchronization signal from the slave unit 8 connected to the power supply control unit 52.

[0023] In this embodiment, the master unit 7 is also connected to at least one power supply device 5. The master unit 7 transmits a synchronization signal to the power supply device 5 connected to the master unit 7. More specifically, the master unit 7 is connected to a power supply control unit 52 of at least one power supply device 5. The master unit 7 transmits a synchronization signal to the power supply control unit 52 connected to the master unit 7. The power supply control unit 52 receives the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 connected to the power supply control unit 52.

[0024] In the example shown in Fig. 4, two slave units 8 are provided in the synchronization system 6. In the following description, the two slave units 8 are referred to as a "first slave unit 8A" and a "second slave unit 8B", respectively. The first slave unit 8A is directly connected to the master unit 7. The second slave unit 8B is indirectly connected to the master unit 7 via the first slave unit 8A.

[0025] In the example shown in FIG. 4, two power supply control units 52 are connected to the master unit 7. One power supply control unit 52 is connected to the first slave unit 8A. Two power supply control units 52 are connected to the second slave unit 8B. In the following description, the two power supply control units 52 connected to the master unit 7 are referred to as the "first power supply control unit 52A" and the "second power supply control unit 52B", respectively. The power supply control unit 52 connected to the first slave unit 8A is referred to as the "third power supply control unit 52C". The two power supply control units 52 connected to the second slave unit 8B are referred to as the "fourth power supply control unit 52D" and the "fifth power supply control unit 52E", respectively.

[0026] The power supply control unit 52 calculates an adjusted phase α1 that is advanced by an adjustment time Ta, which is a time corresponding to the time required for transmitting the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 to the power supply control unit 52, relative to a phase delayed by a specified delay time Td from the received synchronization signal. Then, the power supply control unit 52 controls the power supply circuit 51 so that the phase of the AC current that the power supply circuit 51 supplies to the power feeder 11 is synchronized with the adjusted phase α1.

[0027] In this embodiment, the power supply control unit 52 calculates the adjusted phase α1 based on the following equation. α1=α0-(Td-Ta) α1: Adjusted phase α0: Phase of the synchronization signal received by the power supply control unit 52 Td: Delay time Ta: Adjustment time

[0028] In this embodiment, the adjustment time Ta is calculated based on the following formula. Ta=1 / Vs×Lt+Ns×Ts Vs: Transmission speed of the synchronization signal Lt: the length of the transmission path of the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 to the power supply control unit 52 Ts: Time required for processing the synchronization signal in slave unit 8 Ns: the number of slave units 8 between the master unit 7 and the power supply control unit 52

[0029] That is, in this embodiment, the power supply control unit 52 calculates the adjusted phase α1 based on the following formula. α1=α0-{Td-(1 / Vs×Lt+Ts×Ns)}

[0030] In this way, the adjustment time Ta becomes longer as the length Lt of the transmission path of the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 to the power supply control unit 52 becomes longer, and the adjustment time Ta becomes longer as the number Ns of slave units 8 intervening between the master unit 7 and the power supply control unit 52 becomes larger. Note that the transmission speed Vs of the synchronization signal is a fixed value that depends on the type of electric wire constituting the transmission path of the synchronization signal, etc.

[0031] Here, the same value of delay time Td is used in each power supply control unit 52 when calculating the adjusted phase α1. Therefore, the time (Td-Ta) by which the phase α0 of the synchronization signal is delayed when calculating the adjusted phase α1 becomes shorter as the length Lt of the transmission path of the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 to the power supply control unit 52 becomes longer, and becomes shorter as the number Ns of slave units 8 intervening between the master unit 7 and the power supply control unit 52 becomes larger.

[0032] In the example shown in FIG. 4, the length Lt of the transmission path of the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 is longer in the order of the first power supply control unit 52A, the second power supply control unit 52B, the third power supply control unit 52C, the fourth power supply control unit 52D, and the fifth power supply control unit 52E. Therefore, the transmission time required for the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 is longer in the order of the first power supply control unit 52A, the second power supply control unit 52B, the third power supply control unit 52C, the fourth power supply control unit 52D, and the fifth power supply control unit 52E. In other words, if the power supply control unit 52 that requires the longest transmission time for the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 among the multiple power supply control units 52 is the "slowest power supply control unit," the fifth power supply control unit 52E corresponds to the slowest power supply control unit. Note that there may be a power supply control unit 52 in which the length Lt of the transmission path of the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 is substantially zero (in other words, a power supply control unit 52 in which the length Lt can be regarded as zero).

[0033] In the example shown in FIG. 4, the third power supply control unit 52C is connected to the master unit 7 via the first slave unit 8A. Therefore, the time required for the transmission of the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 to the third power supply control unit 52C includes the time Ts required for the processing of the synchronization signal in one slave unit 8 (the first slave unit 8A) (Ns=1). In addition, the fourth power supply control unit 52D and the fifth power supply control unit 52E are connected to the master unit 7 via the first slave unit 8A and the second slave unit 8B, respectively. Therefore, the time required for the transmission of the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 to the fourth power supply control unit 52D and the time required for the transmission of the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 to the fifth power supply control unit 52E each include the time Ts required for the processing of the synchronization signal in two slave units 8 (the first slave unit 8A and the second slave unit 8B).

[0034] Fig. 5 shows a comparison between the calculation of the adjusted phase α1 by the first power supply control unit 52A and the calculation of the adjusted phase α1 by the fifth power supply control unit 52E. In Fig. 5, the black arrow indicates the time required for the transmission of the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 to the power supply control unit 52 corresponding to the reference numeral shown on the left. The white arrow indicates the time from when the power supply control unit 52 corresponding to the reference numeral shown on the left receives the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 to when the power supply control unit 52 controls the power supply circuit 51 to supply AC current to the power supply line 11.

[0035] 5, the master unit 7 transmits a synchronization signal at time t1. Then, the first power supply control unit 52A receives the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 at time t2, and the fifth power supply control unit 52E receives the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 at time t3, later than the first power supply control unit 52A. This is because, as described above, the fifth power supply control unit 52E is the slowest power supply control unit, and the time required for the synchronization signal to be transmitted from the master unit 7 to the fifth power supply control unit 52E is longer than the time required for the synchronization signal to be transmitted from the master unit 7 to the first power supply control unit 52A.

[0036] Each of the first power supply control unit 52A and the fifth power supply control unit 52E that receive the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 calculates the adjusted phase α1 based on the above formula. The first power supply control unit 52A calculates time t41 corresponding to the adjusted phase α1 that is advanced by the first adjustment time Ta1 from time t5 corresponding to a phase delayed by the delay time Td from time t2 corresponding to the phase α0 of the synchronization signal received by the first power supply control unit 52A. The fifth power supply control unit 52E calculates time t42 corresponding to the adjusted phase α1 that is advanced by the second adjustment time Ta2 from time t6 corresponding to a phase delayed by the delay time Td from time t3 corresponding to the phase α0 of the synchronization signal received by the fifth power supply control unit 52E.

[0037] Here, the first adjustment time Ta1 is the adjustment time Ta calculated by the first power supply control unit 52A. That is, the first adjustment time Ta1 is a time according to the required time (times t1 to t2) for the transmission of the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 to the first power supply control unit 52A. The second adjustment time Ta2 is the adjustment time Ta calculated by the fifth power supply control unit 52E. That is, the second adjustment time Ta2 is a time according to the required time (times t1 to t3) for the transmission of the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 to the fifth power supply control unit 52E. Therefore, time t41, which is advanced by the first adjustment time Ta1 from time t5, which is delayed by the delay time Td from time t2 when the first power supply control unit 52A receives the synchronization signal from the master unit 7, and time t42, which is advanced by the second adjustment time Ta2 from time t6, which is delayed by the delay time Td from time t3 when the fifth power supply control unit 52E receives the synchronization signal from the master unit 7, are very close to each other. That is, it is possible to synchronize the timing at which the first power supply control unit 52A controls the power supply circuit 51 to supply an AC current to the power supply line 11 with the timing at which the fifth power supply control unit 52E controls the power supply circuit 51 to supply an AC current to the power supply line 11. Since the same is true for the other power supply control units 52, it is possible to appropriately synchronize the phases of the AC currents supplied by the multiple power supply circuits 51 to the power supply line 11.

[0038] In this embodiment, the delay time Td is set to be equal to or greater than the time required for transmission of the synchronization signal from the master unit 7 to the fifth power supply control unit 52E, which is the slowest power supply control unit (times t1 to t3).

[0039] Other embodiments (1) In the above embodiment, a configuration in which two slave units 8 (a first slave unit 8A and a second slave unit 8B) are provided in the synchronization system 6 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and a configuration in which one slave unit 8 is provided in the synchronization system 6, or a configuration in which three or more slave units 8 are provided in the synchronization system 6, may also be used. Alternatively, a configuration in which no slave unit 8 is provided in the synchronization system 6 may also be used.

[0040] (2) In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which one power supply device 5 (more specifically, the third power supply control unit 52C) is connected to the first slave unit 8A, and two power supply devices 5 (more specifically, the fourth power supply control unit 52D and the fifth power supply control unit 52E) are connected to the second slave unit 8B. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and a configuration in which three or more power supply devices 5 are connected to the slave unit 8 may also be used.

[0041] (3) In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which two power supply devices 5 (specifically, the first power supply control unit 52A and the second power supply control unit 52B) are directly connected to the master unit 7. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and may be configured in such a way that one power supply device 5 is directly connected to the master unit 7, or in such a way that three or more power supply devices 5 are directly connected to the master unit 7. Alternatively, the power supply devices 5 may not be directly connected to the master unit 7.

[0042] (4) The configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradiction occurs. As for other configurations, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be made as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0043] [Summary of the above embodiment] The following provides an overview of the above-described contactless power supply equipment.

[0044] The non-contact power supply equipment is A plurality of power supply lines arranged in a line along a moving path of a moving body having a power receiving device; a power supply device connected to each of the plurality of power supply lines and supplying an AC current to the power supply lines; A wireless power supply facility for supplying power to the power receiving device in a wireless manner, a synchronization system for synchronizing the phases of the AC current of the plurality of power supply devices; The synchronization system includes a master unit that outputs a synchronization signal having a specified period; Each of the plurality of power supply devices includes a power supply circuit that supplies the AC current to the power supply line connected to the power supply device, and a power supply control unit that receives the synchronization signal and controls the power supply circuit; The power supply control unit calculates an adjusted phase that is advanced by an amount of time corresponding to the transmission time required for the synchronizing signal from the master unit to the power supply control unit, relative to the phase delayed by a specified delay time from the received synchronizing signal, and controls the power supply circuit to synchronize the phase of the AC current with the adjusted phase.

[0045] According to this configuration, the power supply control unit calculates an adjusted phase that is advanced by a time corresponding to the required time for transmitting the synchronization signal from the master unit to the power supply control unit, relative to a phase delayed by a specified delay time from the received synchronization signal. Then, the power supply control unit controls the power supply circuit so as to synchronize the phase of the AC current supplied to the power supply line with the adjusted phase. This makes it possible to appropriately synchronize the phase of the AC current supplied to the power supply line by each of the multiple power supply circuits, even if the required time for transmitting the synchronization signal from the master unit to the power supply control unit differs for each power supply device. Therefore, it is possible to improve the synchronization accuracy of the phase of the AC current supplied to each of the multiple power supply lines.

[0046] wherein the synchronization system further comprises at least one slave unit that receives the synchronization signal from the master unit; The slave units are connected to the master unit directly or indirectly via other slave units; Furthermore, the slave unit is preferably connected to at least one of the power supplies and configured to transmit the received synchronization signal to the power supply.

[0047] According to this configuration, for example, even if a plurality of power supply devices are arranged over a relatively wide area, the synchronization signal output by the master unit can be appropriately transmitted to the power supply devices via the slave units. Therefore, even in the above-mentioned case, it is possible to improve the synchronization accuracy of the phases of the AC currents supplied to the respective power supply lines.

[0048] In a configuration in which the synchronization system includes the slave unit, It is preferable that the power supply control unit calculates the adjusted phase based on the following formula: α1=α0-{Td-(1 / Vs×Lt+Ts×Ns)} Where: α1 is the adjusted phase, α0 is the phase of the synchronization signal received by the power supply control unit, Td is the delay time, Vs is the transmission speed of the synchronization signal, Lt is the length of the transmission path of the synchronization signal from the master unit to the power supply control unit, Ts is the time required for the slave unit to process the synchronization signal, Ns is the number of the slave units located between the master unit and the power supply control unit.

[0049] According to this configuration, the adjusted phase can be calculated with high accuracy, and therefore, the accuracy of synchronization of the phase of the AC current supplied by the power supply device based on the adjusted phase can be further improved.

[0050] Furthermore, among the plurality of power supply control units, the power supply control unit that requires the longest transmission time of the synchronization signal from the master unit is designated as a slowest power supply control unit, It is preferable that the delay time is set to be equal to or greater than the time required for transmission of the synchronization signal from the master unit to the slowest power supply control unit.

[0051] This configuration makes it possible to prevent the phase of the AC current supplied by the power supply circuit controlled by the slowest power supply control unit from being out of phase with the AC currents supplied by the other power supply circuits, thereby enabling the phases of the AC currents supplied by all power supply devices to be precisely synchronized. [Industrial Applicability]

[0052] The technology disclosed herein can be used in a wireless power supply facility that includes a plurality of power supply lines arranged in a line along a movement path of a moving body equipped with a power receiving device, and a power supply device connected to each of the plurality of power supply lines and supplying alternating current to the power supply lines, and that supplies power to the power receiving device in a wireless manner. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 100: Non-contact power supply equipment 1: Travel route 3: Moving object 4: Power receiving device 5: Power supply 51: Power supply circuit 52: Power supply control unit 6: Synchronous system 7: Master unit 8: Slave unit 11:Power line

Claims

1. A plurality of power supply lines arranged in a line along a moving path of a moving body having a power receiving device; a power supply device connected to each of the plurality of power supply lines and supplying an AC current to the power supply lines; A wireless power supply facility for supplying power to the power receiving device in a wireless manner, a synchronization system for synchronizing the phases of the AC current of the plurality of power supply devices; The synchronization system includes a master unit that outputs a synchronization signal having a specified period; Each of the plurality of power supply devices includes a power supply circuit that supplies the AC current to the power supply line connected to the power supply device, and a power supply control unit that receives the synchronization signal and controls the power supply circuit; the power supply control unit calculates an adjusted phase that is advanced by a time corresponding to a required transmission time of the synchronization signal from the master unit to the power supply control unit, relative to a phase delayed by a specified delay time from the received synchronization signal, and controls the power supply circuit so as to synchronize the phase of the AC current with the adjusted phase.

2. A contactless power supply equipment as described in claim 1, wherein the same value of the delay time is used in all of the power supply control units.

3. the synchronization system further comprising at least one slave unit that receives the synchronization signal from the master unit; The slave units are connected to the master unit directly or indirectly via other slave units; The wireless power supply facility according to claim 1 , wherein the slave unit is further configured to be connected to at least one of the power supply devices and to transmit the received synchronization signal to the power supply device.

4. The wireless power supply facility according to claim 3 , wherein the power supply control unit calculates the adjusted phase based on the following formula: α1=α0-{Td-(1 / Vs×Lt+Ts×Ns)} Where: α1 is the adjusted phase, α0 is the phase of the synchronization signal received by the power supply control unit, Td is the delay time, Vs is the transmission speed of the synchronization signal, Lt is the length of the transmission path of the synchronization signal from the master unit to the power supply control unit, Ts is the time required for the slave unit to process the synchronization signal, Ns is the number of the slave units located between the master unit and the power supply control unit.

5. Among the plurality of power supply control units, the power supply control unit that requires the longest transmission time of the synchronization signal from the master unit is designated as a slowest power supply control unit, The contactless power supply facility according to claim 1 , wherein the delay time is set to be equal to or longer than the required transmission time of the synchronization signal from the master unit to the slowest power supply control unit.

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