Antenna device, power supply device, and power supply method

Abstract

To provide an antenna device which can stably transmit power.SOLUTION: An antenna device comprises: an adjustment unit which adjusts a phase of a power transmission signal supplied to a plurality of antenna elements, in a first axial direction; an image acquisition unit which acquires an image; a derivation unit which converts a first position of a marker included in the image with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position on polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and a second axis; an acquisition unit which acquires an elevation angle with respect to a third axis in a second plane of the position where the first position is projected on the second plane including the first axis and the third axis on the basis of the second position; a storage unit which stores a plurality of sets of phase data adjusted such that phases received from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned, according to the plurality of elevation angles; a control unit which controls the adjustment unit such that the direction of a beam becomes an elevation angle within the second plane on the basis of the phase data read according to the acquired elevation angle; and a power ramping unit which performs power ramping of the power transmission signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an antenna device, a power supply device, and a power supply method. [Background technology]

[0002] There has been a wireless power transmitting device having a beam transmitting unit that transmits an energy beam for power supply to a wireless power receiving device mounted on an aircraft, an information acquiring unit that acquires control information for increasing the power receiving efficiency of the wireless power receiving device, and a control unit that controls the energy beam based on the control information so as to increase the power receiving efficiency of the wireless power receiving device. It is described that an array antenna may be used as a power transmitting antenna (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-135900 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, when power is transmitted from multiple antenna elements of an array antenna and received by a wireless power receiving device, if the wireless power receiving device is mounted on an aircraft as in the case of a conventional wireless power transmitting device, there is a sufficient distance between the wireless power transmitting device (power supply device) and the wireless power receiving device (power receiving device). Therefore, the difference in distance between the multiple antenna elements and the power receiving device is negligible, and even if power is transmitted from the multiple antenna elements to the same target, the reception phase shift when the power receiving device receives power is small and hardly causes any problem.

[0005] On the other hand, when the distance between the power receiving device and the power supply device is short, such as a few meters, if power is transmitted from multiple antenna elements to the same target, the difference in transmission distance will be large when the power receiving device receives power, resulting in a large deviation in the received potential, which can cause a problem of reduced composite received power.

[0006] However, when adjusting the phase of the transmission signal transmitted from multiple antenna elements in order to align the receiving potential phase, if the phase is changed while maintaining the transmitted power, a discontinuity may occur in the phase change, resulting in undesirable signals such as high-frequency components, making stable power transmission difficult.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an antenna device, a power feeding device, and a power feeding method that enable stable power transmission when the phases of power transmission signals transmitted from a plurality of antenna elements are adjusted to align the received potential phases. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally along a first axis and a second axis, a phase adjustment unit that adjusts a phase of a power transmission signal supplied to the plurality of antenna elements in the first axis direction, an image acquisition unit that acquires an image through a fisheye lens, a position derivation unit that converts a first position of a marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis, an elevation angle acquisition unit that acquires an elevation angle with respect to the third axis in the second plane of a projection position obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis based on the second position, and the phase data representing a plurality of phases when the transmission signal is transmitted from each antenna element to a power receiving device located at the position of the marker, the plurality of phases being adjusted so that the phases at which the power receiving device receives the transmission signal from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned; a control unit that reads out the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit from the storage unit and controls the phase adjustment unit based on the read phase data so that the direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna becomes the elevation angle within the second plane; and a power ramping unit that performs power ramping of the transmission signal when the phase adjustment unit adjusts the phase of the transmission signal. Effect of the Invention

[0009] It is possible to provide an antenna device, a power feeding device, and a power feeding method that enable stable power transmission when the phases of power transmission signals transmitted from a plurality of antenna elements are adjusted to align the received potential phases. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a power supply device 100 according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating a power supply device 100 according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a polar coordinate system of the array antenna 110. [Figure 4]FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining how to obtain phase data. [Diagram 5] 3 is a diagram illustrating the antenna gain of the antenna device 100A and the power supply device 100. FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram for explaining differences in the adjustment amount of phase data depending on the position of the antenna element 111. FIG. [Figure 7] 13 is a diagram for explaining differences in the adjustment amount of phase data depending on the position of the antenna element 111. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a phase discontinuity. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a power transmission circuit 160. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a state of a power ramping coefficient changing over time when power ramping is not performed. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a state of a power ramping coefficient changing over time when power ramping is performed. FIG. [Figure 12] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a time change in transmission power of a power transmission signal when power ramping is performed; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments to which an antenna device, a power supply device, and a power supply method according to the present invention are applied will be described.

[0012] <Embodiment> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a power supply device 100 of an embodiment. The power supply device 100 includes an array antenna 110, a phase shifter 120, a microwave generation source 130, a camera 140, and a control device 150. The antenna device 100A of the embodiment is the power supply device 100 without the microwave generation source 130. Note that Fig. 1 shows a simplified configuration around the phase shifter 120. Details of the configuration around the phase shifter 120 will be described later with reference to Fig. 9.

[0013] In the following, the XYZ coordinate system will be used for explanation. Planar view refers to XY planar view. The X axis is an example of the first axis, the Y axis is an example of the second axis, and the Z axis is an example of the third axis. The XY plane is an example of the first plane, and the XZ plane is an example of the second plane.

[0014] The array antenna 110 is grouped into N subarrays 110A, for example. The first (#1) to the Nth (#N) of the N subarrays 110A are shown. #1 to #N represent the coordinates of the N subarrays 110A in the X-axis direction. Here, N is an integer of 2 or more, but FIG. 1 shows an example in which N is an even number of 4 or more. The N subarrays 110A are arranged in the X-axis direction (first axis direction), and each subarray 110A includes, for example, four antenna elements 111. Therefore, the array antenna 110 includes, for example, 4N antenna elements 111. Each array antenna 110 extends in the Y-axis direction (second axis direction). The antenna element 111 is a patch antenna having a rectangular shape in a plan view. The array antenna 110 may have a ground plate held at ground potential on the -Z-axis side of the antenna element 111. As an example, the center of the positions of the 4N antenna elements 111 coincides with the origin of the XYZ coordinate system. The number of antenna elements 111 included in each subarray 110A only needs to be two or more, and they only need to be arranged two-dimensionally.

[0015] In the following, a description will be given using FIG. 2 in addition to FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the power supply device 100 of the embodiment. In FIG. 2, the configuration around the phase shifter 120 is shown in a simplified manner as in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, the origin of the XYZ coordinate system is shifted to make the drawing easier to see, but in the following description, the origin of the XYZ coordinate system is assumed to coincide with the center of the positions of the 4N antenna elements 111 as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 also shows one antenna element 111 adjacent to the -Y axis side of the X axis for each subarray 110A. FIG. 2 also shows components included in the control device 150, a marker 50A, and a power receiving device 50B. The marker 50A and the power receiving device 50B are fixed to an inner wall 51 of a tunnel as an example. The inner wall 51 of the tunnel is an example of a wall portion, and the inside of the tunnel is an example of a space in which the marker 50A arranged along the inner wall 51 exists. As an example, the antenna device 100A and the power supply device 100 are mounted on a work vehicle and travel through a tunnel, detect a marker 50A attached to an inner wall 51 of the tunnel, and transmit power to a power receiving device 50B.

[0016] 2, the marker 50A exists in the direction of angle θb from the Z axis when viewed in the XZ plane. For convenience of explanation, the XYZ coordinate system is shifted in FIG. 2, but since the origin of the XYZ coordinate system coincides with the center of the positions of the 4N antenna elements 111, the angle θb is the angle between the Z axis and a straight line connecting the origin of the XYZ coordinate system and the marker 50A in the XZ plane. When the XZ plane is viewed from the +Y axis direction, the angle θb is indicated as a positive value when it is tilted toward the +X axis direction, and is indicated as a negative value when it is tilted toward the -X axis direction.

[0017] N phase shifters 120 are provided corresponding to the N subarrays 110A, and the N phase shifters 120 are connected to the antenna elements 111 of the N subarrays 110A, respectively. The phase shifters 120 are an example of a phase adjustment unit that adjusts the phase, and are an example of a phase shifter. In each subarray 110A, four antenna elements 111 are connected in parallel to one phase shifter 120.

[0018] In each subarray 110A, a power transmission signal of the same phase is supplied to the four antenna elements 111. The phases of the power transmission signals output from the N phase shifters 120 to the N subarrays 110A are different from each other. Therefore, the angle (elevation angle) of the beam formed by the radio waves radiated from the 4N antenna elements 111 can be controlled within the XZ plane.

[0019] The beam formed by the radio waves radiated from the 4N antenna elements 111 is synonymous with the beam output by the array antenna 110. In addition, the beam output by the array antenna 110 is synonymous with the beam output by the antenna device 100A and the power feeding device 100.

[0020] The microwave generating source 130 is connected to the N phase shifters 120, and supplies microwaves of a predetermined power. The microwave generating source 130 is an example of a radio wave generating source. The frequency of the microwaves is, for example, a frequency in the 920 MHz band. Note that, although a form in which the power supply device 100 includes the microwave generating source 130 will be described here, the microwaves are not limited to microwaves, and any radio waves of a predetermined frequency may be used.

[0021] The camera 140 is disposed between the N / 2-th subarray 110A and the N / 2+1-th subarray 110A in the X-axis direction, and is disposed between the second antenna element 111 and the third antenna element 111 from the +Y-axis direction side among the four antenna elements 111 included in each subarray in the Y-axis direction. The camera 140 has a fisheye lens 141 and a camera body 142. The camera 140 is an example of an image acquisition unit. In FIG. 2, the camera body 142 is shown divided into an imaging unit 142A and an image processing unit 142B.

[0022] The fisheye lens 141 is a lens that employs an equidistant projection method. For example, the center position of the fisheye lens 141 coincides with the center of the 4N antenna elements 111 and the origin of the XYZ coordinate system. The camera body 142 is a part of the camera 140 other than the fisheye lens 141, and may be a camera including a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor or an infrared camera.

[0023] The camera 140 acquires an image including the marker 50A through the fisheye lens 141, and outputs the image data to the control device 150. The marker 50A is attached to the power receiving device 50B having a power receiving antenna, which is a target to be irradiated with the beam output by the antenna device 100A and the power feeding device 100. The antenna device 100A and the power feeding device 100 obtain the position of the marker 50A included in the image acquired by the camera 140, and irradiate the beam toward the power receiving device 50B.

[0024] The camera body 142 has an imaging section 142A and an image processing section 142B. The imaging section 142A includes an image sensor and is a section that acquires image data by capturing an image through the fisheye lens 141. The image processing section 142B performs image processing such as binarization processing on the image data acquired by the imaging section 142A, and outputs a pixel index to the control device 150. The pixel index is an XY coordinate value (address) that indicates the position of the marker 50A on the captured screen.

[0025] The control device 150 has a position derivation unit 151, an elevation angle acquisition unit 152, a position deviation detection unit 153, a distance estimation unit 154, a control unit 155, and a memory 156. The control device 150 is realized by a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. The position derivation unit 151, the elevation angle acquisition unit 152, the position deviation detection unit 153, the distance estimation unit 154, and the control unit 155 are functional blocks showing the functions of a program executed by the control device 150. The memory 156 is a functional representation of the memory of the control device 150.

[0026] Here, the position derivation unit 151, the elevation angle acquisition unit 152, the position deviation detection unit 153, the distance estimation unit 154, the control unit 155, and the memory 156 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 in addition to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a polar coordinate system of the array antenna 110. FIG. 3 shows the subarrays 110A of the array antenna 110 in the power supply device 100, the antenna elements 111 included in each subarray 110A, and the beams 115 output from the array antenna 110, and omits other components. FIG. 3 also shows a polar coordinate system on a plane 1 parallel to the XY plane.

[0027] The position of the marker 50A in the XYZ coordinate system is P1, the elevation angle of the line segment connecting the origin O and the position P1 is θ, and the azimuth angle is φ. The elevation angle is the angle with respect to the +Z axis direction, and the azimuth angle is the angle with respect to the +X axis direction, and a clockwise value in a planar view seen from the +Z axis direction side is a positive value. The elevation angle of the line segment connecting the origin O and the position P1a projected onto the XZ plane of the position P1 is θa. The elevation angle θa is an angle approximately obtained by projecting the elevation angle θ onto the XZ plane when the position of the marker 50A is close to the XZ plane. As with the angle θb, the elevation angle θa is indicated as a positive value when it is tilted toward the +X axis direction when the XZ plane is viewed from the +Y axis direction side, and is indicated as a negative value when it is tilted toward the -X axis direction side.

[0028] The position P1 is an example of a first position, the position P1a is an example of a projected position, and the origin O is an example of a reference point of the XYZ coordinate system.

[0029] The antenna device 100A and the power supply device 100 control the elevation angle of the beam 115 output by the array antenna 110 only in the XZ plane. This is based on the assumption that the array antenna 110 performs in-phase power supply in the Y-axis direction, so that the beam is fixed in the Y-axis direction and can be swung in an elevation angle direction with the Z-axis at 0 degrees, and that the position of the power receiving device 50B does not deviate much from the XZ plane (for example, within about ±30 degrees in elevation angle with respect to the Z-axis in the YZ plane). If the power receiving device 50B is located in such a position, the beam 115 can be efficiently irradiated to the power receiving device 50B while suppressing the scale of the control unit of the array antenna 110 by simply controlling the elevation angle of the beam 115 in the XZ plane.

[0030] The position derivation unit 151 calculates the center of gravity of the image of the marker based on the pixel index output from the image processing unit 142B. The pixel index output from the image processing unit 142B represents an equidistant projection image obtained through the fisheye lens 141. By this image processing, the position P1 of the marker with respect to the array antenna 110, which is included in the image acquired by the camera 140, is converted to a position P2 in polar coordinates on the XY plane. In this manner, the position derivation unit 151 derives the position P2. The position P1 is the position of the center of gravity calculated by the position derivation unit 151. The position P2 is an example of a second position.

[0031] The position P2 is represented by a radius vector r and a deviation angle φ from the origin O. The radius vector r is expressed by the focal length of the fisheye lens 141 as f L Then, r=f L The position P2 is represented by θ. The deflection angle φ is the same as the azimuth angle φ. The position derivation unit 151 obtains r·cosφ by mapping the radius vector r onto the X-axis through the image processing described above. The position derivation unit 151 outputs data representing the position P2 to the elevation angle acquisition unit 152.

[0032] The elevation angle acquisition unit 152 calculates the X coordinate (r cosφ) of the mapping position P2a obtained by mapping the position P2 onto the X axis by the focal length f of the fisheye lens 141. L Divided by (r cosφ / f L) is acquired (calculated) as the elevation angle θa. The reason why the elevation angle θa can be acquired in this manner will be described later. The elevation angle acquisition unit 152 outputs the elevation angle θa to the distance estimation unit 154 and the control unit 155.

[0033] The positional deviation detection unit 153 obtains the shape and center of gravity of the marker 50A based on the pixel index output from the image processing unit 142B, and detects the positional deviation between the camera 140 and the marker 50A in the Y-axis direction based on the position of the center of gravity within the range in which the marker 50A exists. As an example, the position of the center of the fisheye lens 141 coincides with the center of the 4N antenna elements 111 and the origin of the XYZ coordinate system, so that, for example, the position of the center of gravity in the Y-axis direction when there is no positional deviation between the camera 140 and the marker 50A may be set to Y=0. If the obtained position of the center of gravity in the Y-axis direction within the range in which the marker 50A exists is Y=0, the positional deviation detection unit 153 determines that there is no positional deviation between the camera 140 and the marker 50A. Furthermore, if the obtained position of the center of gravity in the Y-axis direction within the range in which the marker 50A exists is not Y=0, the positional deviation detection unit 153 determines that there is a positional deviation between the camera 140 and the marker 50A, and detects the positional deviation. The position shift detection unit 153 outputs the detection result to the distance estimation unit 154. The position of the center of gravity may be acquired from the position derivation unit 151.

[0034] Distance estimation unit 154 estimates the distance from the center of fisheye lens 141 to marker 50A based on the number of pixel indexes output from image processing unit 142B of camera 140 when elevation angle θa calculated by elevation angle acquisition unit 152 is zero degrees (0 degrees). An elevation angle θa of 0 degrees means that marker 50A is located in front of fisheye lens 141 in the Z-axis direction (the center of gravity of marker 50A is located on the Z-axis).

[0035] The distance estimation unit 154 calculates the facing distance r from the center of the fisheye lens 141 to the marker 50A when the elevation angle θa is 0 degrees. FD Estimate the facing distance r FD is the distance when marker 50A faces camera 140 on the Z axis.

[0036] For example, the number of multiple binarized pixel indexes acquired by the image processing unit 142B when the camera 140 and the marker 50A are separated by multiple distances on the Z axis is stored in advance in the memory 156. Then, the distance estimation unit 154 counts the number of pixel indexes output from the image processing unit 142B of the camera 140 when the elevation angle θa is zero degrees (0 degrees), and estimates the multiple opposing distances r FD By comparing with a plurality of reference data corresponding to the elevation angle θa, the facing distance r FD Estimate the facing distance r FD Since the number of pixel indices varies depending on FD can be estimated.

[0037] In addition, when the elevation angle θa is zero degrees (0 degrees), if the image processing unit 142B of the camera 140 outputs pixel indices multiple times, the facing distance r FD can be estimated.

[0038] In addition, since the fisheye lens 141 is used, when there is a positional deviation between the camera 140 and the marker 50A, the distance r FD Therefore, when the positional deviation detection unit 153 determines that a positional deviation occurs between the camera 140 and the marker 50A in the Y-axis direction, the distance estimation unit 154 stores in advance in the memory 156 data indicating the degree of change in the pixel index number with respect to the positional deviation in the Y-axis direction, and calculates the facing distance r FD can be estimated.

[0039] The control unit 155 controls the amount of phase shift (adjustment amount) in the phase shifter 120 so that the direction of the beam 115 radiated by the array antenna 110 has an elevation angle θa in the XZ plane. The elevation angle θa is acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit 152. The control unit 155 also controls the output of the microwave generation source 130, and controls the shooting of the camera 140, etc.

[0040] Specifically, the control unit 155 controls the amount of phase shift in the phase shifter 120 as follows. FD and the elevation angle θa acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit 152, and reads out from the memory 156 phase data corresponding to the elevation angle θa, and controls the amount of phase shift in the N phase shifters 120 based on the read out phase data.

[0041] Here, in order for the antenna of the power receiving device 50B to efficiently receive power, it is ideal that the phase of the power transmission signal when the antenna of the power receiving device 50B receives power from the N subarrays 110A is equal. Meanwhile, the antenna device 100A and the power feeding device 100 transmit the power transmission signal to the power receiving device 50B located at a short distance, for example, about 3 m to 7 m from the array antenna 110. When transmitting power to the power receiving device 50B attached to the inner wall 51 of a tunnel, the distance from the array antenna 110 to the power receiving device 50B is about 3 m to about 5 m when the angle θb is 0 degrees.

[0042] Since such short-distance power transmission is assumed, the relative difference in distance from each of the N subarrays 110A to the antenna of the power receiving device 50B is relatively large, and when the N subarrays 110A transmit power to the same target, the phases of the power transmission signals received by the antenna of the power receiving device 50B from the N subarrays 110A are not aligned, and the power receiving device 50B cannot receive power efficiently. The difference in distance from each of the N subarrays 110A to the antenna of the power receiving device 50B varies depending on the angle θb and the distance in the Z-axis direction from the N subarrays 110A to the antenna of the power receiving device 50B.

[0043] Therefore, the antenna device 100A and the power supply device 100 use phase data for adjusting the phase when each of the N subarrays 110A transmits power so that the phases of the power transmission signals received by the antenna of the power receiving device 50B from the N subarrays 110A are aligned. The phase data indicates the amount of phase shift (adjustment amount). As an example, assuming that power transmission is performed when the elevation angle θa changes from +70 degrees to -70 degrees as the antenna device 100A and the power supply device 100 move, multiple sets of phase data are prepared that can adjust the amount of phase shift of the N subarrays 110A in increments of 1 degree. Each piece of phase data includes N phase shift amounts to be set in the N phase shifters 120 connected to the N subarrays 110A, respectively, in response to a certain elevation angle θa. 141 sets of such phase data are prepared in increments of 1 degree for the range of the elevation angle θa from +70 degrees to -70 degrees, and are used to calculate the phase shift amount of the N subarrays 110A at a certain facing distance r FD In addition, the phase data is obtained by dividing the phase data by the distance r FD In order to adjust the phase shift amount of the N subarrays 110A according to each of the plurality of opposing distances r FD . Since the phase data is data created based on the angle θb, multiple sets of phase data ψ3(θb) to ψ7(θb) are shown using θb in FIG. 2. The control unit 155 may use multiple sets of phase data for the angle θb equal to the elevation angle θa. Each of the phase data ψ3(θb) to ψ7(θb) has shift amounts θs#1 to θs#N corresponding to the coordinates (#1 to #N) of the N subarrays 110A. For example, the shift amount θs#1 of the shift amounts θs#1 to θs#N included in the phase data ψ3(θb) is used for the antenna element 111 of the subarray 110A at the coordinate #1, and the shift amount θs#N is used for the antenna element 111 of the subarray 110A at the coordinate #N. In the following, when the shift amounts θs#1 to θs#N are not distinguished from one another, they are referred to as the shift amount θs.

[0044] The control unit 155 detects the facing distance r FDand controls the phase shift amounts in the N phase shifters 120 using phase data for an angle θb that is equal to the elevation angle θa acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit 152 from among the multiple sets of phase data.

[0045] The memory 156 is an example of a storage unit, and stores the programs executed by the position derivation unit 151, the elevation angle acquisition unit 152, and the control unit 155 when they perform processing, data used in conjunction with the execution of the programs, data generated by the execution of the programs, image data acquired by the camera 140, and the like. FD For each of these, multiple sets of phase data are stored. For example, five different opposing distances r FD For the elevation angle θa, 141 sets of phase data are stored in 1 degree increments for a range from +70 degrees to -70 degrees.

[0046] Next, a method for determining the elevation angle θa will be described.

[0047] The elevation angle θa can be calculated from the geometric relationship between the positions P1 and P1a by using the azimuth angle φ and the elevation angle θ, using the following equation (1).

[0048]

number

[0049]

number

[0050]

number

[0051] As described above, the focal length of the fisheye lens 141 is f L Then, the radius vector r is expressed by the following equation (4).

[0052]

number

[0053]

number

[0054] Next, a method of obtaining phase data will be described. Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the method of obtaining phase data. Fig. 4 shows a fisheye lens 141 of a camera 140, a marker 50A, a power receiving device 50B, and N antenna elements 111. Each antenna element 111 is one of four antenna elements 111 included in N subarrays 110A. The position of the marker 50A is equal to the position of the power receiving device 50B.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 4, the distances from the N subarrays 110A to the marker 50A are denoted by r1 to rN. Here, for the sake of simplicity, it is assumed that there is no positional deviation between the camera 140 and the marker 50A in the Y-axis direction. Since the centers of the 4N antenna elements 111 coincide with the origin of the XYZ coordinate system, the coordinates of the centers of the 4N antenna elements 111 are (X, Y, Z) = (0, 0, 0). In addition, there is no positional deviation between the camera 140 and the marker 50A in the Y-axis direction, and the facing distance is r FD Since the angle of the power receiving device 50B as viewed from the fisheye lens 141 is θb, the position of the power receiving device 50B is expressed as (X, Y, Z)=(r FD tanθb,0,r FD) where the distance from the fisheye lens 141 to the power receiving device 50B is r ref Then, the distance r ref can be expressed by the following equation (6).

[0056]

number

[0057] The position of the i-th antenna element 111 among the N antenna elements 111 is defined as (X, Y, Z) = (d i , 0, 0), the distance r from the i-th antenna element 111 to the power receiving device 50B is i can be expressed by the following equation (7).

[0058]

number

[0059] Therefore, the distance r from the fisheye lens 141 to the power receiving device 50B ref and the path difference τ between the distance ri from the i-th antenna element 111 to the power receiving device 50B. i can be expressed by the following equation (8).

[0060]

number

[0061] Path difference τ i Since the unit is meters, convert it to the wavelength λ of the microwave used to obtain the phase difference ψ i When calculated, it can be expressed as the following equation (9).

[0062]

number

[0063] The sign of the phase difference expressed by equation (9) is inverted to -ψr FDi(θb) is set as the phase to be set in the phase shifter 120 when the i-th antenna element 111 transmits power, and multiple sets of phase data corresponding to multiple elevation angles θa for the N subarrays 110A are prepared and stored in the memory 156. FD A plurality of sets of phase data for the angles θb may be prepared and stored in the memory 156. By using such a plurality of sets of phase data, it is possible to make the power transmission signals transmitted from the N subarrays 110A reach the power receiving device 50B in the same phase. The plurality of sets of phase data corresponding to the plurality of angles θb are expressed by the following formula (10).

[0064]

number

[0065] The control unit 155 may use phase data of the angle θb corresponding to the elevation angle θa to set the shift amounts in the N phase shifters 120 connected to the N subarrays 110A, respectively.

[0066] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the effects of the antenna device 100A and the power supply device 100. FD 13 is a diagram showing the antenna gain of power received by the antenna of power receiving device 50B when the distance is 4 m and the speed of a vehicle equipped with antenna device 100A and power supply device 100 is 80 km / h. The horizontal axis represents time, with 0 seconds representing the time when elevation angle θa becomes 0 degrees, -300 seconds representing the time when elevation angle θa becomes +70 degrees, and +300 seconds representing the time when elevation angle θa becomes -70 degrees. In other words, the time on the horizontal axis corresponds to elevation angle θa.

[0067] 5, the antenna gain when the shift amount in the phase shifter 120 is adjusted using phase data based on the facing distance and elevation angle in the antenna device 100A and the power feeding device 100 is shown by a solid line, and the antenna gain when phase data based only on the elevation angle is shown by a dashed line for comparison. The antenna gain when phase data based only on the elevation angle is the antenna gain obtained in the power receiving device 50B when the shift amount in the N phase shifters 120 connected to the N subarrays 110A is set to a value corresponding to the elevation angle θa.

[0068] As shown in Fig. 5, the antenna gain when using phase data based on the facing distance and the elevation angle is larger or equal to the antenna gain when using phase data based only on the elevation angle, and the difference between the antenna gain when using phase data based on the facing distance and the elevation angle and the antenna gain when using phase data based only on the elevation angle becomes larger as the time period approaches 0 seconds (as the absolute value of the elevation angle θa becomes smaller). It is considered that the closer the elevation angle θa is to 0 degrees, the shorter the distance between the N subarrays 110A and the power receiving device 50B becomes, and the effect of individual phase control of the N subarrays 110A using the phase data based on the facing distance and the elevation angle becomes more prominent.

[0069] <Difference in the amount of phase data adjustment depending on the position of the antenna element 111> 6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining the difference in the adjustment amount of the phase data depending on the position of the antenna element 111. Here, as an example, the number N of the subarrays 110A is 12, and Figs. 6 and 7 show a marker 50A, a power receiving device 50B, and 12 antenna elements 111. Each antenna element 111 is one of the four antenna elements 111 included in the 12 subarrays 110A. The position of the marker 50A is equal to the position of the power receiving device 50B.

[0070] The 12 antenna elements 111 included in the subarray 110A are referred to as antenna elements 111 #1 to #12 using the coordinates #1 to #12 of the subarray 110A, but the illustration of antenna elements 111 #3 to #5 and #7 to #10 is omitted. Also, in Figs. 6 and 7, the difference in distance from antenna element 111 #6 located at the center in the X direction among the 12 antenna elements 111 to the power receiving device 50B and antenna element 111 #1 located at the end in the X direction is shown. Here, the difference in distance from antenna elements 111 #1 and #6 to the power receiving device 50B is shown on a straight line connecting the fisheye lens 141 of the camera 140 and the marker 50A. In Figs. 6 and 7, the figure of the fisheye lens 141 is omitted, and the position of the fisheye lens 141 is shown by a leading line.

[0071] 6 and 7 show the marker 50A and the power receiving device 50B in a direction of an angle θb(t) at time t, and the marker 50A and the power receiving device 50B in a direction of an angle θb(t+T) at time t+T. Time T represents the control period T of the antenna device 100A.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 6, when a perpendicular line is extended from antenna element 111 #6 to a straight line connecting fisheye lens 141 and marker 50A, the distance L from the intersection of the perpendicular line connecting fisheye lens 141 and marker 50A to fisheye lens 141 is i At time t, it is L6(t), and at time t+T, it is L6(t+T).

[0073] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7, when a perpendicular line is extended from the antenna element 111 of #1 to the straight line connecting the fisheye lens 141 and the marker 50A, the distance L from the intersection of the straight line connecting the fisheye lens 141 and the marker 50A and the perpendicular line to the fisheye lens 141 is i At time t, it is L1(t) and at time t+T, it is L1(t+T).

[0074] Distances L1(t), L1(t+T) for antenna element 111 #1 located at the end in the X direction are longer than distances L6(t), L6(t+T) for antenna element 111 #6 located in the center in the X direction, and the difference between distances L1(t) and L1(t+T) is greater than the difference between distances L6(t) and L6(t+T).

[0075] 4, the phase difference between the phase data used at time t and the phase data used at time t+T for the #1 antenna element 111 is greater than the phase difference between the phase data used at time t and the phase data used at time t+T for the #6 antenna element 111. Such a phase difference represents the amount by which the phase data changes at time t+T, and is the amount of change in the shift amount (adjustment amount) of the phase data.

[0076] That is, the change in the shift amount at time t+T of the phase data for #1, #2, #11, #12, etc. located at the ends in the X direction is larger than the change in the shift amount at time t+T of the phase data for #5, #6, #7, #8 located in the center.

[0077] The greater the amount of change in the shift amount of the phase data at time t+T, the more likely it is that the phase will become discontinuous when the phase of the transmission signal is switched. Figure 8 is a diagram for explaining the phase discontinuity. In Figure 8, the horizontal axis represents time t, and the vertical axis represents the amplitude of the transmission power of the transmission signal.

[0078] In Fig. 8, the control period T is switched at time t s 4 shows the waveform of the power transmission signal when the phase of the phase data is switched by about 180 degrees at time t s corresponds to time t+T in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, and is the time when two successive control periods T switch over. s In this case, the shift amount of the phase data does not change by 180 degrees, but the most extreme case will be described here.

[0079] In this way, at time t sIf the phase data is adjusted significantly in the power receiving device 50B, a discontinuity occurs in the phase control. Such a discontinuity generates harmonics in the transmission power of the power transmission signal, making it difficult to perform stable power transmission. In addition, the discontinuity widens the spectrum of the power transmission signal, causing interference with other devices that may exist around the power receiving device 50B.

[0080] Therefore, the antenna device 100A of the embodiment performs power ramping of the power transmission signal to enable stable power transmission. Power ramping is to gradually decrease or increase the power transmission power of the power transmission signal by applying a gradient to the power transmission power of the power transmission signal. In addition, when adjusting the phase of the power transmission signal, if the change in the shift amount of the phase data is large, it may be difficult to ensure the continuity between the power transmission signal before the phase adjustment and the power transmission signal after the phase adjustment. For this reason, when the change in the shift amount of the phase data is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the phase shift is performed with the power transmission power of the power transmission signal being decreased by power ramping. This is to suppress the occurrence of spurious such as harmonics and to realize stable power transmission. In addition, this is to prevent interference with other devices that may be present around the power receiving device 50B.

[0081] <Power transmission circuit 160> 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of the power transmitting circuit 160. One power transmitting circuit 160 is provided for each subarray 110A. Here, as an example, the number N of the subarrays 110A is 12. Each power transmitting circuit 160 includes one phase shifter 120. Since the phase shifter 120 also serves as an I / Q conversion unit, it will be described here as a phase shifter 120 (I / Q conversion unit).

[0082] The power transmission circuit 160 includes a transmission phase converter 161, a delay unit 162, a phase shifter (I / Q converter) 120, a power ramping unit 163, a quadrature modulator 164, a phase difference detector 165, a phase holder 165A, a decision unit 166, a coefficient selector 167, a BPF (Band Pass Filter) 168A, a PA (Power Amplifier) ​​168B, and a BPF 168C. ​​The transmission phase converter 161 is an example of a phase converter.

[0083] Of these, the transmission phase conversion unit 161, delay unit 162, phase shifter (I / Q conversion unit) 120, power ramping unit 163, quadrature modulator 164, phase difference detection unit 165, phase holding unit 165A, judgment unit 166, and coefficient selection unit 167 can be realized, for example, by an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0084] The transmission phase conversion unit 161 receives the angle θb, which is equal to the elevation angle θa acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit 152, and the opposing distance r estimated by the distance estimation unit 154. FD and the coordinates of the subarray 110A (one of #1 to #12). The transmission phase conversion unit 161 uses the elevation angle θa as the angle θb representing the direction in which the marker 50A and the power receiving device 50B are present in Figs. 6 and 7. That is, the transmission phase conversion unit 161 uses the elevation angle θa as an angle equivalent to the angle θb. Furthermore, when converting the elevation angle θb into a phase, the transmission phase conversion unit 161 uses the coordinates (one of #1 to #12) of the antenna element 111 determined by the number of the subarray 110A. The transmission phase conversion unit 161 specifies the coordinates of the 12 antenna elements 111 in the X direction by the coordinates of the subarray 110A.

[0085] Moreover, the transmission phase converter 161 has a memory 161A. The memory 161A stores a shift amount (one of θs#1 to θs#12) corresponding to the coordinates (one of #1 to #12) of the antenna element 111 for each of a plurality of sets of phase data ψ3(θb) to ψ7(θb).

[0086] As described above, each of the phase data ψ3(θb) to ψ7(θb) stored in the memory 156 of the control device 150 has shift amounts θs#1 to θs#N corresponding to the coordinates (#1 to #N) of the N antenna elements 111. The memory 161A of the transmission phase converter 161 stores the shift amounts (one of θs#1 to θs#12) corresponding to the coordinates (one of #1 to #12) of the antenna elements 111, of each of the phase data ψ3(θb) to ψ7(θb).

[0087] For example, the memory 161A of the transmission phase converter 161 of the power transmitting circuit 160 for the antenna element 111 at the coordinate #1 stores a shift amount θs#1 of each of the phase data ψ3(θb) to ψ7(θb) corresponding to the coordinate #1 of the antenna element 111. Also, the memory 161A of the transmission phase converter 161 of the power transmitting circuit 160 for the antenna element 111 at the coordinate #12 stores a shift amount θs#12 of each of the phase data ψ3(θb) to ψ7(θb) corresponding to the coordinate #12 of the antenna element 111.

[0088] The transmission phase converter 161 determines the angle θb and the facing distance r FD and the shift amount (one of θs#1 to θs#12) is read out from the memory 161A according to the coordinates of the subarray 110A (one of #1 to #12), and output. FD is 3m, the transmission phase conversion unit 161 of the power transmitting circuit 160 of the antenna element 111 at coordinate #1 reads out and outputs a shift amount θs#1 for 3m corresponding to the angle θb, and the transmission phase conversion unit 161 of the power transmitting circuit 160 of the antenna element 111 at coordinate #12 reads out and outputs a shift amount θs#12 for 3m corresponding to the angle θb.

[0089] Here, a form will be described in which the transmission phase conversion unit 161 has a memory 161A and stores the shift amount (one of θs#1 to θs#12). However, the transmission phase conversion unit 161 may not have the memory 161A and may acquire the shift amount (one of θs#1 to θs#12) from the control device 150. Also, the transmission phase conversion unit 161 may obtain the shift amount (one of θs#1 to θs#12) by calculation.

[0090] The delay unit 162 holds the shift amount θs input from the transmission phase conversion unit 161 for a time ΔT and outputs it. In this way, the delay unit 162 gives a delay of time ΔT to the shift amount θs input from the transmission phase conversion unit 161 and outputs it.

[0091] The phase shifter (I / Q conversion section) 120 shifts the phase of the microwave input from the microwave generation source 130 based on the shift amount θs input from the delay section 162, and generates and outputs an I signal and a Q signal.

[0092] Power ramping section 163 has multipliers 163A and 163B. In power ramping section 163, multipliers 163A and 163B multiply the I signal and Q signal input from phase shifter (I / Q conversion section) 120 by a power ramping coefficient input from coefficient selection section 167, and output the result. Multiplier 163A multiplies the I signal by the power ramping coefficient, and multiplier 163B multiplies the Q signal by the power ramping coefficient. The power ramping coefficient is a coefficient for power ramping, and has a value of 1 or less.

[0093] The quadrature modulator 164 generates a modulated wave signal by performing quadrature modulation based on the quadrature outputs of the multipliers 163A and 163B. The quadrature modulator 164 also converts the frequency of the modulated wave signal using microwaves input from the microwave generation source 130, and generates and outputs a high-frequency signal.

[0094] The phase difference detector 165 detects the phase difference between the shift amount θs input from the transmission phase converter 161 and the shift amount θs before the control cycle T input from the phase holder 165A.

[0095] The phase holding unit 165A holds the shift amount θs input from the transmission phase conversion unit 161 until the next control cycle, and outputs it to the phase difference detection unit 165. Therefore, the output of the phase holding unit 165A becomes the shift amount θs from a time T ago. Time T is the time for one control cycle T.

[0096] The determination unit 166 determines whether the phase difference input from the phase difference detection unit 165 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The determination unit 166 outputs data indicating the determination result to the coefficient selection unit 167. The predetermined threshold is a value used to determine whether or not to perform power ramping, and may be set to an optimal value through experiments, etc. The predetermined threshold may be set to an angle of, for example, about 10 degrees to 15 degrees.

[0097] The coefficient selection unit 167 has a memory 167A. The memory 167A stores power ramping coefficient data. The power ramping coefficient data is an example of power ramping data. The coefficient selection unit 167 reads out the power ramping coefficient data from the memory 167A in accordance with data representing the determination result input from the determination unit 166, and outputs the power ramping coefficient data to the multipliers 163A and 163B of the power ramping unit 163.

[0098] For example, the power ramping coefficient data may use a raised cosine time response, where α (0<α<1) is a roll-off coefficient, and the power ramping coefficient data is expressed by the following equation (11):

[0099]

number

[0100] When the data representing the determination result indicates that power ramping is to be executed, coefficient selection unit 167 reads out power ramping coefficient data and outputs it to multipliers 163A and 163B of power ramping unit 163. When the data representing the determination result indicates that power ramping is not to be executed, coefficient selection unit 167 fixes the power ramping coefficient to 1 and outputs it to multipliers 163A and 163B of power ramping unit 163.

[0101] The power ramping coefficient data is data representing a power ramping coefficient. The power ramping coefficient is a coefficient that changes the transmission power of the transmission signal during a ramp-down period in which the value continuously decreases over a time ΔT, and during a ramp-up period in which the value continuously increases over a time ΔT following the ramp-down period.

[0102] The power ramping coefficients are coefficients whose values ​​change continuously over time within the range of 0 to 1. A continuously changing value means that all power ramping coefficients lie on a continuous curve.

[0103] At the start of the ramp-down period, the power ramping factor is 1, and at the end, the power ramping factor is 0. At the start of the ramp-up period, the power ramping factor is 0, and at the end, the power ramping factor is 1.

[0104] Here, the reason why the ramp-down period is set to the time ΔT is that when the time ΔT has elapsed since the start of power ramping and the transmission power of the transmission signal becomes 0, the shift amount θs is input from the delay unit 162 to the phase shifter (I / Q conversion unit) 120 to shift the phase of the microwave input from the microwave generation source 130. If the phase is shifted when the transmission power becomes 0, discontinuities are unlikely to occur before and after the phase shift.

[0105] The BPF 168A, the PA 168B, and the BPF 168C are connected in series in this order on the output side of the quadrature modulator 164. The BPF 168A passes components of a predetermined frequency band of the high frequency signal input from the quadrature modulator 164 and outputs the components to the PA 168B. The PA 168B amplifies the high frequency signal output from the BPF 168A and outputs the amplified components to the BPF 168C. ​​The BPF 168C passes components of a predetermined frequency band of the high frequency signal output from the PA 168B and outputs the amplified components to the antenna element 111 as a power transmission signal.

[0106] <Power ramping operation example> 10 is a diagram showing an example of a time change of the power ramping coefficient when power ramping is not performed. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis is the time axis, which is indicated by the number of sample points. s corresponds to time t+T in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, and is the time when two successive control periods T switch over.

[0107] The time t when the control period T changes s The period ΔT before time t s The power ramping coefficient is fixed to 1 for a period of time ΔT after time t. This is to output the transmission power of the transmission signal as it is without reducing it. In this case, the transmission power of the transmission signal is s Before and after t s Before the period ΔT before the start of the period t s is constant after a period of time ΔT later than

[0108] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a time change of the power ramping coefficient when power ramping is performed. In FIG. 11, similarly to FIG. 10, the horizontal axis is the time axis, which is indicated by the number of sample points. s 10, corresponds to time t+T in FIGS. 6 and 7, and is the time when two successive control periods T switch over.

[0109] The time t when the control period T changes s At the start of the ramp-down period of time ΔT, the power ramping coefficient is 1, and the power ramping coefficient decreases continuously with time during the ramp-down period. s At time t s In the phase shifter 120 (I / Q conversion unit), the phase of the microwave corresponding to the power transmission signal is shifted by the shift amount θs. s In this case, since the power ramping coefficient is 0, the phase of the microwave is shifted when the power of the microwave corresponding to the transmission signal is 0.

[0110] The start of the ramp-up period from time ts to time ΔT is the end of the ramp-down period, and the end of the ramp-down period is the start of the ramp-up period from time ts to time ΔT. s Therefore, the power ramping coefficient is 0. During the ramp-up period, the power ramping coefficient increases continuously with time. At the end of the ramp-up period, time t s At +ΔT, the power ramping coefficient is 1. After that, the time t s The power ramping factor is held at 1 until a time ΔT before +T.

[0111] <Transmission power of transmission signal during power ramping> FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a time change in the transmission power of a transmission signal when power ramping is performed. In FIG. 12, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates transmission power. s is the time when two successive control periods T switch over.

[0112] In Fig. 12, at time t s During the ramp-down period that starts a time ΔT before time t, the power ramping coefficient decreases continuously toward 0, and thus the transmission power of the transmission signal begins to decrease. The envelope of the transmission power of the transmission signal during the ramp-down period is a curve that decreases continuously, similar to the power ramping coefficient during the ramp-down period shown in FIG. 11. The transmission power of the transmission signal decreases from time t s At this point, the phase of the microwave corresponding to the power transmission signal is shifted by the shift amount θs in the phase shifter 120 (I / Q conversion unit).

[0113] During the ramp-up period from time ts to time ΔT, the power ramping coefficient increases continuously from 0 to 1, so the transmission power of the transmission signal also increases. The envelope of the transmission power of the transmission signal during the ramp-up period is a curve that increases continuously, similar to the power ramping coefficient during the ramp-up period shown in Figure 11.

[0114] As described above, when controlling the elevation angle of the beam 115 of the array antenna 110 only within the XZ plane, the position P1 obtained by the equidistant projection is converted into polar coordinates on a plane parallel to the XY plane to obtain the position P2, and the X coordinate (r cosφ) of the mapped position P2a obtained by mapping the position P2 onto the X axis is calculated by dividing the focal length f of the fisheye lens 141 by the X coordinate (r cosφ). L By dividing by this, the elevation angle θa (=r cosφ / f L ) is required.

[0115] Then, the control unit 155 may use phase data of the angle θb corresponding to the elevation angle θa to set the shift amounts in the N phase shifters 120 connected to the N subarrays 110A, respectively. If the shift amounts in the N phase shifters 120 are controlled using phase data corresponding to the change in the elevation angle θa accompanying the movement of the antenna device 100A and the power feeding device 100, it is possible to transmit power transmission signals that always arrive at the antenna of the power receiving device 50B from the N subarrays 110A with the same phase while the antenna device 100A and the power feeding device 100 are moving.

[0116] Furthermore, in the phase shifter 120 (I / Q conversion unit), when the phase of the microwave corresponding to the power transmission signal is shifted by the shift amount θs, power ramping is performed to suppress the occurrence of spurious components such as high frequency components before and after the phase shift.

[0117] Therefore, it is possible to provide the antenna device 100A and the power feeding device 100 that can transmit power stably when adjusting the phase of the power transmission signal transmitted from the multiple antenna elements 111 to align the receiving potential phase. Also, it is possible to suppress interference with other devices that may be present around the power receiving device 50B.

[0118] In addition, multiple sets of phase data are stored for multiple opposing distances r FD are stored in the memory 156, and the distance estimation unit 154 estimates the facing distance r FD Therefore, the facing distance r FDIt is possible to set the shift amounts in the N phase shifters 120 connected to the N subarrays 110A, respectively, by using a plurality of sets of phase data corresponding to the distance to the power receiving device 50B in the Z-axis direction. Therefore, it is possible to provide the antenna device 100A and the power feeding device 100 that can transmit power so that the power receiver can efficiently receive power even at a short distance according to the distance to the power receiving device 50B in the Z-axis direction. FD If there are no sets of phase data corresponding to the estimated facing distance r FD The closest facing distance r FD It is only necessary to use phase data according to the above.

[0119] Furthermore, the positional deviation detection unit 153 detects the positional deviation between the camera 140 and the marker 50A in the Y-axis direction. If a positional deviation occurs, the distance estimation unit 154 reads out data indicating the degree of change in the pixel index number with respect to the positional deviation in the Y-axis direction from the memory 156, and calculates the facing distance r FD Therefore, when there is a positional deviation between the camera 140 and the marker 50A in the Y-axis direction, the control unit 155 estimates the facing distance r FD By using multiple sets of phase data according to the above, it is possible to provide an antenna device 100A and a power supply device 100 that can transmit power so that the power receiver can efficiently receive power even at a short distance depending on the distance to the power receiving device 50B in the Z axis direction, even if there is a positional misalignment between the camera 140 and the marker 50A in the Y axis direction.

[0120] Furthermore, since the antenna device 100A and the power supply device 100 control the elevation angle of the beam 115 output by the array antenna 110 only in the XZ plane, the number of phase shifters 120 required is only one-fourth compared to when the elevation angle is controlled both in the XZ plane and the YZ plane. This allows the antenna device 100A and the power supply device 100 to be realized at low cost.

[0121] Furthermore, the power ramping unit 163 performs power ramping on the power transmission signal supplied to some of the antenna elements 111 among the multiple antenna elements 111 when the phase shifter (I / Q conversion unit) 120 shifts the phase of the power transmission signal. While power ramping enables stable power transmission, it also reduces the transmission power of the power transmission signal. Therefore, by performing power ramping on some of the antenna elements 111, it is possible to achieve both stable power transmission with suppressed generation of spurious such as harmonic components and high power transmission efficiency. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress interference with other devices that may be present around the power receiving device 50B.

[0122] Some of the antenna elements 111 subjected to power ramping are antenna elements 111 in which the change in the amount of shift of the phase of the power transmission signal by the phase shifter (I / Q conversion unit) 120 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. When the change in the amount of shift is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, there is a relatively high possibility that the phase will be discontinuous before and after the phase of the power transmission signal is shifted by the phase shifter (I / Q conversion unit) 120. Furthermore, power ramping reduces the transmission power of the power transmission signal. For this reason, by narrowing down the targets for which power ramping is performed based on the change in the amount of shift of the phase of the power transmission signal, it is possible to achieve both stable power transmission with suppressed generation of spurious such as harmonic components and high power transmission efficiency. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress interference with other devices that may be present around the power receiving device 50B.

[0123] In addition, the power ramping unit 163 performs power ramping so that the transmission power of the power transmission signal changes continuously, so that when the transmission power is decreased or increased, it is possible to effectively suppress the occurrence of spurious components such as harmonic components, and to perform very stable power transmission. In addition, it is possible to suppress interference with other devices that may exist around the power receiving device 50B.

[0124] Furthermore, the phase shifter (I / Q conversion unit) 120 may shift the phase of the power transmission signal when the transmission power of the power transmission signal becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined power threshold by power ramping. Although the above describes a mode in which the phase is shifted when the transmission power becomes 0, the phase of the power transmission signal may also be shifted when the transmission power becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined power threshold. In this way, it is possible to deal with a wider variety of power transmission signal patterns and perform stable power transmission. Also, it is possible to suppress interference with other devices that may be present around the power receiving device 50B.

[0125] In addition, the phase shifter (I / Q conversion unit) 120 shifts the phase of the power transmission signal when the power transmission signal reaches a predetermined zero (0) by power ramping, so that the occurrence of phase discontinuity can be more effectively suppressed, and more stable power transmission can be performed. In addition, interference with other devices that may exist around the power receiving device 50B can be suppressed.

[0126] Moreover, the power ramping unit 163 performs power ramping using power ramping data that represents, in a time series, the transmission power of the transmission signal whose transmission power is adjusted by power ramping. Therefore, the transmission power of the transmission signal can be accurately reduced or increased according to the power ramping data, and the occurrence of spurious components such as harmonic components can be effectively suppressed, allowing for very stable power transmission. Also, interference with other devices that may be present around the power receiving device 50B can be suppressed.

[0127] In addition, since the power receiving device 50B includes a transmission phase conversion unit 161 that converts the shift amount of the phase data according to the position of the antenna element 111 in the X-axis direction, an appropriate shift amount can be set according to the coordinate of the antenna element 111 in the X-axis direction, and the occurrence of a phase discontinuity can be more effectively suppressed, enabling more stable power transmission. In addition, interference with other devices that may exist around the power receiving device 50B can be suppressed. Note that if the shift amount θs is made to wait for ΔT by the delay unit 162, phase adjustment is delayed in the power receiving device 50B during the waiting time ΔT. For this reason, it is preferable that the length of ΔT set by the delay unit 162 is set to a length that does not cause a problem of a decrease in power receiving efficiency.

[0128] In the above, a configuration has been described in which the center of the fisheye lens 141 coincides with the center of the 4N antenna elements 111. However, the center of the fisheye lens 141 may be offset from the center of the 4N antenna elements 111. In this case, the coordinate origin of the array antenna control phase calculation may be shifted by the amount of the positional offset. Alternatively, the marker 50A and the power receiving antenna may be installed apart by the amount of the positional offset.

[0129] Further, in the above, a configuration has been described in which the control device 150 has a position shift detection unit 153. However, for example, in a case where it is known that no position shift will occur between the camera 140 and the marker 50A, the control device 150 does not need to include the position shift detection unit 153, and the distance estimation unit 154 does not need to perform correction corresponding to the position shift.

[0130] In the above, the control device 150 has been described as having the distance estimation unit 154. For example, FD In an application where it is known that is constant, the control device 150 does not include the distance estimation unit 154 and the position shift detection unit 153, and it is sufficient to store multiple sets of phase data corresponding to one type of facing distance rFD in the memory 156. Also, the transmission phase conversion unit 161 may output the amount of shift according to the angle θb and the coordinates (one of #1 to #12) of the subarray 110A.

[0131] In the above, the power receiving device 50B has three power receiving antennas 50B1-50B3, and the marker 50A is provided on each of the power receiving antennas 50B1-50B3. The number of power receiving antennas provided on the power receiving device 50B may be one, two, or four or more. The number of power receiving antennas may be appropriately determined depending on the purpose of the power receiving device 50B and restrictions on the output of other devices that may be present around the power receiving device 50B.

[0132] The above describes an antenna device, a power supply device, and a power supply method according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible without departing from the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0133] 50B Power receiving device 50B1~50B3 Receiving antenna 52 Radio wave absorber 100 Power supply device 110 Array Antenna 110A Subarray 111 Antenna element 120 Phase Shifter 130 Microwave Source 140 Camera 141 Fisheye Lens 150 Control device 151 Position derivation part 152 Elevation angle acquisition part 153 Position deviation detection unit 154 Distance Estimation Unit 155 Control Unit 156 Memory 160 Power transmission circuit 161 Transmission phase converter 162 Delay section 163 Power Ramping Section 164 Quadrature Modulator 165 Phase difference detection unit 165A Phase holding section 166 Judgment section 167 Coefficient Selection Section 168A BPF 168B PA 168C BPF

Claims

1. an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally along a first axis and a second axis; a phase adjusting unit that adjusts a phase of a power transmission signal supplied to the plurality of antenna elements in the first axial direction; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image through a fisheye lens; a position derivation unit that converts a first position of a marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis; an elevation angle acquisition unit that acquires an elevation angle of a projection position, obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis within the second plane based on the second position; a storage unit configured to store a plurality of sets of phase data representing a plurality of phases when the power transmission signals are transmitted from the plurality of antenna elements to the power receiving device at the position of the marker, the plurality of phases being adjusted so that the phases at which the power receiving device receives the power transmission signals from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned, corresponding to a plurality of the elevation angles; a control unit that reads out the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit from the storage unit, and controls the phase adjustment unit based on the read out phase data so that the direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna becomes the elevation angle in the second plane; a power ramping unit that performs power ramping of the transmission signal when the phase adjusting unit adjusts the phase of the transmission signal; Including, The antenna device, wherein the power ramping unit performs the power ramping on a transmission signal supplied to a portion of the antenna elements among the plurality of antenna elements when the phase adjustment unit adjusts the phase of the transmission signal.

2. The antenna device according to claim 1 , wherein the certain antenna elements are antenna elements in which a change in an adjustment amount of the phase of the power transmission signal by the phase adjustment unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

3. an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally along a first axis and a second axis; a phase adjusting unit that adjusts a phase of a power transmission signal supplied to the plurality of antenna elements in the first axial direction; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image through a fisheye lens; a position derivation unit that converts a first position of a marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis; an elevation angle acquisition unit that acquires an elevation angle of a projection position, obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis within the second plane based on the second position; a storage unit configured to store a plurality of sets of phase data representing a plurality of phases when the power transmission signals are transmitted from the plurality of antenna elements to the power receiving device at the position of the marker, the plurality of phases being adjusted so that the phases at which the power receiving device receives the power transmission signals from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned, corresponding to a plurality of the elevation angles; a control unit that reads out the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit from the storage unit, and controls the phase adjustment unit based on the read out phase data so that the direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna becomes the elevation angle in the second plane; a power ramping unit that performs power ramping of the transmission signal when the phase adjusting unit adjusts the phase of the transmission signal; Including, The antenna device, wherein the power ramping unit performs the power ramping so that a transmission power of the power transmission signal changes continuously.

4. an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally along a first axis and a second axis; a phase adjusting unit that adjusts a phase of a power transmission signal supplied to the plurality of antenna elements in the first axial direction; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image through a fisheye lens; a position derivation unit that converts a first position of a marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis; an elevation angle acquisition unit that acquires an elevation angle of a projection position, obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis within the second plane based on the second position; a storage unit configured to store a plurality of sets of phase data representing a plurality of phases when the power transmission signals are transmitted from the plurality of antenna elements to the power receiving device at the position of the marker, the plurality of phases being adjusted so that the phases at which the power receiving device receives the power transmission signals from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned, corresponding to a plurality of the elevation angles; a control unit that reads out the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit from the storage unit, and controls the phase adjustment unit based on the read out phase data so that the direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna becomes the elevation angle in the second plane; a power ramping unit that performs power ramping of the transmission signal when the phase adjusting unit adjusts the phase of the transmission signal; Including, The phase adjustment unit adjusts a phase of the transmission signal when the transmission power of the transmission signal becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined power threshold during the power ramping.

5. The antenna arrangement of claim 4 , wherein the predetermined power threshold is zero.

6. an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally along a first axis and a second axis; a phase adjusting unit that adjusts a phase of a power transmission signal supplied to the plurality of antenna elements in the first axial direction; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image through a fisheye lens; a position derivation unit that converts a first position of a marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis; an elevation angle acquisition unit that acquires an elevation angle of a projection position, obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis within the second plane based on the second position; a storage unit configured to store a plurality of sets of phase data representing a plurality of phases when the power transmission signals are transmitted from the plurality of antenna elements to the power receiving device at the position of the marker, the plurality of phases being adjusted so that the phases at which the power receiving device receives the power transmission signals from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned, corresponding to a plurality of the elevation angles; a control unit that reads out the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit from the storage unit, and controls the phase adjustment unit based on the read out phase data so that the direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna becomes the elevation angle in the second plane; a power ramping unit that performs power ramping of the transmission signal when the phase adjusting unit adjusts the phase of the transmission signal; Including, The antenna device, wherein the power ramping unit performs the power ramping using power ramping data that represents, in a time series manner, the transmission power of the transmission signal whose transmission power is adjusted by the power ramping.

7. 7. The antenna arrangement of claim 6, wherein the power ramping data is a raised cosine time response.

8. a distance estimation unit that estimates a distance from the image acquisition unit to the marker based on an image acquired by the image acquisition unit when the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit is zero degrees; the storage unit stores the plurality of sets of the phase data in accordance with a plurality of distances from the image acquisition unit to the marker, 8. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit reads out from the storage unit the phase data corresponding to the distance estimated by the distance estimation unit and the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit, and controls the phase adjustment unit based on the read out phase data.

9. a positional deviation detection unit that detects a positional deviation between the image acquisition unit and the marker in the second axis direction based on a position of a center of gravity of the marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit, The antenna device according to claim 8 , wherein the distance estimation unit estimates the distance from the image acquisition unit to the marker based on the image corrected in accordance with the degree of positional deviation detected by the positional deviation detection unit.

10. 10. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the elevation angle acquisition unit obtains, as the elevation angle, a value obtained by dividing coordinates of a mapping position obtained by mapping the second position onto the first axis by a focal length of the fisheye lens.

11. The antenna device according to claim 10 , wherein the coordinates of the mapping position are expressed by a value obtained by multiplying a radius in the polar coordinate system by a cosine of an angle of deviation.

12. The antenna elements are grouped into subarrays extending along the second axis; The antenna device according to claim 1 , wherein the phase adjustment unit is a plurality of phase shifters connected to the plurality of subarrays, respectively, and configured to adjust a phase of the power transmission signal for each of the subarrays.

13. an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally along a first axis and a second axis; A radio wave source, a phase adjustment unit provided between the array antenna and the radio wave generation source and configured to adjust a phase of a power transmission signal supplied from the radio wave generation source to the plurality of antenna elements in the first axial direction; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image through a fisheye lens; a position derivation unit that converts a first position of a marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis; an elevation angle acquisition unit that acquires an elevation angle of a projection position, obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis within the second plane based on the second position; a storage unit configured to store a plurality of sets of phase data representing a plurality of phases when transmitting power from the plurality of antenna elements to a power receiving device at the position of the marker, the plurality of phases being adjusted so that the phases at which the power receiving device receives the power transmission signals from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned, the plurality of sets corresponding to the plurality of elevation angles; a control unit that reads out the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit from the storage unit, and controls the phase adjustment unit based on the read out phase data so that the direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna becomes the elevation angle in the second plane; a power ramping unit that performs power ramping of the transmission signal when the phase adjusting unit adjusts the phase of the transmission signal; Including, The power ramping unit performs the power ramping on a power transmission signal supplied to a portion of the antenna elements among the plurality of antenna elements when the phase adjustment unit adjusts the phase of the power transmission signal.

14. an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally along a first axis and a second axis; A radio wave source, a phase adjustment unit provided between the array antenna and the radio wave generation source and configured to adjust a phase of a power transmission signal supplied from the radio wave generation source to the plurality of antenna elements in the first axial direction; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image through a fisheye lens; a position derivation unit that converts a first position of a marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis; an elevation angle acquisition unit that acquires an elevation angle of a projection position, obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis within the second plane based on the second position; a storage unit configured to store a plurality of sets of phase data representing a plurality of phases when transmitting power from the plurality of antenna elements to a power receiving device at the position of the marker, the plurality of phases being adjusted so that the phases at which the power receiving device receives the power transmission signals from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned, the plurality of sets corresponding to the plurality of elevation angles; a control unit that reads out the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit from the storage unit, and controls the phase adjustment unit based on the read out phase data so that the direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna becomes the elevation angle in the second plane; a power ramping unit that performs power ramping of the transmission signal when the phase adjusting unit adjusts the phase of the transmission signal; Including, The power ramping unit performs the power ramping so that a transmission power of the power transmission signal changes continuously.

15. an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally along a first axis and a second axis; A radio wave source, a phase adjustment unit provided between the array antenna and the radio wave generation source and configured to adjust a phase of a power transmission signal supplied from the radio wave generation source to the plurality of antenna elements in the first axial direction; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image through a fisheye lens; a position derivation unit that converts a first position of a marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis; an elevation angle acquisition unit that acquires an elevation angle of a projection position, obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis within the second plane based on the second position; a storage unit configured to store a plurality of sets of phase data representing a plurality of phases when transmitting power from the plurality of antenna elements to a power receiving device at the position of the marker, the plurality of phases being adjusted so that the phases at which the power receiving device receives the power transmission signals from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned, the plurality of sets corresponding to the plurality of elevation angles; a control unit that reads out the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit from the storage unit, and controls the phase adjustment unit based on the read out phase data so that the direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna becomes the elevation angle in the second plane; a power ramping unit that performs power ramping of the transmission signal when the phase adjusting unit adjusts the phase of the transmission signal; Including, The phase adjustment unit adjusts a phase of the power transmission signal when the transmission power of the power transmission signal becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined power threshold value during the power ramping.

16. an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally along a first axis and a second axis; A radio wave source, a phase adjustment unit provided between the array antenna and the radio wave generation source and configured to adjust a phase of a power transmission signal supplied from the radio wave generation source to the plurality of antenna elements in the first axial direction; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image through a fisheye lens; a position derivation unit that converts a first position of a marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis; an elevation angle acquisition unit that acquires an elevation angle of a projection position, obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis within the second plane based on the second position; a storage unit configured to store a plurality of sets of phase data representing a plurality of phases when transmitting power from the plurality of antenna elements to a power receiving device at the position of the marker, the plurality of phases being adjusted so that the phases at which the power receiving device receives the power transmission signals from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned, the plurality of sets corresponding to the plurality of elevation angles; a control unit that reads out the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit from the storage unit, and controls the phase adjustment unit based on the read out phase data so that the direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna becomes the elevation angle in the second plane; a power ramping unit that performs power ramping of the transmission signal when the phase adjusting unit adjusts the phase of the transmission signal; Including, The power ramping unit performs the power ramping using power ramping data that represents, in a time series manner, a transmission power of the power transmission signal whose transmission power is adjusted by the power ramping.

17. an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally along a first axis and a second axis; A radio wave source, a phase adjustment unit provided between the array antenna and the radio wave generation source and configured to adjust a phase of a power transmission signal supplied from the radio wave generation source to the plurality of antenna elements in the first axial direction; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image through a fisheye lens; a position derivation unit that converts a first position of a marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis; an elevation angle acquisition unit that acquires an elevation angle of a projection position, obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis within the second plane based on the second position; a storage unit that stores a plurality of sets of phase data representing a plurality of phases when transmitting power from the plurality of antenna elements to a power receiving device at the position of the marker, the plurality of phases being adjusted so that the phases at which the power receiving device receives the transmission power signals from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned, corresponding to a plurality of the elevation angles; In a power supply device, reading out the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit from the storage unit, and controlling the phase adjustment unit based on the read out phase data so that the direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna becomes the elevation angle within the second plane; When the phase adjustment unit adjusts the phase of the power transmission signal, power ramping is performed on the power transmission signal, The power supply method, wherein the power ramping is performed when the phase adjustment unit adjusts a phase of a power transmission signal supplied to a part of the antenna elements among the plurality of antenna elements.

18. an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally along a first axis and a second axis; A radio wave source, a phase adjustment unit provided between the array antenna and the radio wave generation source and configured to adjust a phase of a power transmission signal supplied from the radio wave generation source to the plurality of antenna elements in the first axial direction; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image through a fisheye lens; a position derivation unit that converts a first position of a marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis; an elevation angle acquisition unit that acquires an elevation angle of a projection position, obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis within the second plane based on the second position; a storage unit that stores a plurality of sets of phase data representing a plurality of phases when transmitting power from the plurality of antenna elements to a power receiving device at the position of the marker, the plurality of phases being adjusted so that the phases at which the power receiving device receives the transmission power signals from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned, corresponding to a plurality of the elevation angles; In a power supply device, reading out the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit from the storage unit, and controlling the phase adjustment unit based on the read out phase data so that the direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna becomes the elevation angle within the second plane; When the phase adjustment unit adjusts the phase of the power transmission signal, power ramping is performed on the power transmission signal, The power ramping is performed so that the transmission power of the power transmission signal changes continuously.

19. an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally along a first axis and a second axis; A radio wave source, a phase adjustment unit provided between the array antenna and the radio wave generation source and configured to adjust a phase of a power transmission signal supplied from the radio wave generation source to the plurality of antenna elements in the first axial direction; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image through a fisheye lens; a position derivation unit that converts a first position of a marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis; an elevation angle acquisition unit that acquires an elevation angle of a projection position, obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis within the second plane based on the second position; a storage unit that stores a plurality of sets of phase data representing a plurality of phases when transmitting power from the plurality of antenna elements to a power receiving device at the position of the marker, the plurality of phases being adjusted so that the phases at which the power receiving device receives the transmission power signals from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned, corresponding to a plurality of the elevation angles; In a power supply device, reading out the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit from the storage unit, and controlling the phase adjustment unit based on the read out phase data so that the direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna becomes the elevation angle within the second plane; When the phase adjustment unit adjusts the phase of the power transmission signal, power ramping is performed on the power transmission signal, The power supply method, wherein the phase adjustment unit adjusts a phase of the power transmission signal when the transmission power of the power transmission signal becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined power threshold value during the power ramping.

20. an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally along a first axis and a second axis; A radio wave source, a phase adjustment unit provided between the array antenna and the radio wave generation source and configured to adjust a phase of a power transmission signal supplied from the radio wave generation source to the plurality of antenna elements in the first axial direction; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image through a fisheye lens; a position derivation unit that converts a first position of a marker included in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit with respect to the image acquisition unit into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis; an elevation angle acquisition unit that acquires an elevation angle of a projection position, obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis within the second plane based on the second position; a storage unit that stores a plurality of sets of phase data representing a plurality of phases when transmitting power from the plurality of antenna elements to a power receiving device at the position of the marker, the plurality of phases being adjusted so that the phases at which the power receiving device receives the transmission power signals from the plurality of antenna elements are aligned, corresponding to a plurality of the elevation angles; In a power supply device, reading out the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle acquired by the elevation angle acquisition unit from the storage unit, and controlling the phase adjustment unit based on the read out phase data so that the direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna becomes the elevation angle within the second plane; When the phase adjustment unit adjusts the phase of the power transmission signal, power ramping is performed on the power transmission signal, A power supply method, comprising: performing the power ramping using power ramping data that represents, in a time series manner, the transmission power of the power transmission signal whose transmission power is adjusted by the power ramping.

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