Non-contact power supply device

Abstract

To suppress one or both of manufacturing man-hours and manufacturing costs of a contactless power supply device.SOLUTION: A contactless power supply device 1 includes one or more coil units 100, and a cover 50 that accommodates the coil unit 100. The cover 50 is formed by joining a first sheet 51 placed on one side of the front and back sides of the coil unit 100 and a second sheet 52 placed on the other side, the first sheet 51 is a sheet that covers one side of the coil unit 100, the second sheet 52 is a sheet having a second surface portion 521 that covers the other surface side of the coil unit 100 and a side surface portion 522 that covers the side surface of the coil unit 100, and the side surface portion 522 of the second sheet 52 is brought into contact with the side surface of the coil unit 100 by bending the boundary with the other surface portion 521, and the outer edge of the side surface portion 522 of the second sheet 52 and the outer edge of the first sheet 51 are joined.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a non-contact power supply device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional non-contact power supply device in which a power transmission coil is sandwiched between two sheet materials larger than the power transmission coil, and the sheet materials are joined together and the sheet materials and the power transmission coil are joined using an adhesive or the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described conventional non-contact power supply device, it is necessary to use an adhesive to fix the power transmission coil to the sheet material. Therefore, there is a risk that one or both of the manufacturing man-hours and the manufacturing cost increase.

[0005] The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and while suppressing one or both of the manufacturing man-hours and the manufacturing cost of a non-contact power supply device having a structure in which a coil unit having a coil for non-contact transmission of power to a power supply target is sandwiched between sheet materials, it is also an object to be able to fix the position of the coil unit inside the sheet material (cover). This is the object.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a contactless power supply device according to an aspect of the present invention includes one or a plurality of coil units having a coil for transmitting power to a power supply target in a contactless manner, and a cover for housing the coil unit therein. The cover is formed by joining a first sheet disposed on one side of the front and back surfaces of the coil unit and a second sheet disposed on the other side. The first sheet is a sheet that covers one side of the coil unit, and the second sheet is a sheet having an other surface portion that covers the other side of the coil unit and a side surface portion that covers the side surface. The side surface portion of the second sheet is brought into contact with the side surface of the coil unit by bending the boundary with the other surface portion, and the outer edge portion of the side surface portion of the second sheet and the outer edge portion of the first sheet are joined.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to this aspect of the present invention, when the coil unit is housed inside the cover, the side surface portion of the second sheet can be brought into contact with the side surface of the coil unit, so that it is possible to prevent a gap from occurring between the coil unit and the cover. Therefore, even without fixing the coil unit to the cover, it is possible to prevent the position of the coil unit from shifting inside the cover, and it is possible to save the labor of fixing the coil unit to the cover, so that one or both of the manufacturing man-hours and manufacturing costs of the power supply mat can be suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a power supply mat 1 (non-contact power supply device) according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] The power supply mat 1 includes one or a plurality of power transmission coil units 100 and a cover 50 for housing and protecting the power transmission coil units 100 therein, and is installed in a place where non-contact power supply cannot be performed normally, such as an event venue or a shelter, and performs non-contact power supply to a power supply target used at that place. The power supply target is not particularly limited in type, and may be a moving body such as a vehicle or a drone, or may be a communication device or a household appliance.

[0012] In the example shown in FIG. 1, a group of power transmission coil units formed by physically and electrically connecting nine power transmission coil units 100 is housed inside one cover 50. The power supply mat 1 is configured to be connectable to a power source such as an external AC power source via a power cord (not shown), and the power supplied from the power source is supplied to each power transmission coil unit 100.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the power supply mat 1 taken along line II-II of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the power transmission coil unit 100 taken along line III-III of FIG. 2.

[0014] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the details of the power transmission coil unit 100 will be described. Note that the configuration of the power transmission coil unit 100 described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 is merely an example, and the configuration is not particularly limited as long as it is configured to be able to transmit the power supplied from the power source to the power supply target in a non-contact manner.

[0015] The power transmission coil unit 100 has a thin and flat shape so that a moving body such as a vehicle can easily get on it. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, it includes a printed coil substrate 10, a core 20, a spacer 30, and an electromagnetic shield 40.

[0016] The printed coil substrate 10 is a rigid printed circuit board on which a power transmission coil (not shown) made of a conductor pattern is formed, for example, on its surface. Electronic components such as a capacitor 60 are attached to the back surface side of the central portion of the printed coil substrate 10 by soldering or the like. The power transmission coil formed on the printed coil substrate 10 forms a resonance circuit together with the capacitor 60 and the like attached to the printed coil substrate 10, and performs non-contact power transmission by magnetic field resonance coupling (magnetic field resonance) to the power supply target disposed on the power transmission coil unit 100.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, in the printed coil substrate 10, if the region of the central portion where electronic components such as the capacitor 60 are attached to the back surface side is referred to as the "component mounting portion 11", a C-shaped groove-like core fitting hole 12 for fitting (or inserting) the protruding portion 222 of the upper core 22 of the core 20, which will be described later, is formed around the component mounting portion 11 of the printed coil substrate 10. And a circular or rectangular power transmission coil made of a conductor pattern is formed around the core fitting hole 12 in the region outside the core fitting hole 12 (hereinafter referred to as the "coil forming portion") 13.

[0018] The core 20 includes a lower core 21 and an upper core 22 each made of a magnetic material such as ferrite.

[0019] The lower core 21 is a flat plate-like body with a hole 211 formed in its central portion, and is disposed on the back side of the printed coil substrate 10. The hole 211 of the lower core 21 functions as a component accommodation space 70 for accommodating electronic components such as a capacitor 60 attached to the printed coil substrate 10 when an electromagnetic shield 40 is disposed on the back surface of the lower core 21.

[0020] The upper core 22 includes a flat plate-like top portion 221 that covers the surface of the component mounting portion 11 of the printed coil substrate 10, and a protruding portion 222 that protrudes downward from the top portion 221 and is fitted into the core fitting hole 12 of the printed coil substrate 10. In the present embodiment, the back surface of the top portion 221 of the upper core 22 is in contact with the component mounting portion 11 of the printed coil substrate 10.

[0021] The spacer 30 is a resin member for flattening the surface of the power transmission coil unit 100 and protecting the printed coil substrate 10 and the core 20 from the load applied to the power transmission coil unit 100. The spacer 30 according to the present embodiment includes a thick portion 31 that is disposed on the coil forming portion 13 of the printed coil substrate 10 and adhered to its surface, and a thin portion 32 that is located at a position facing the component mounting portion 11 of the printed coil substrate 10 when the thick portion 31 is disposed on the coil forming portion 13.

[0022] The electromagnetic shield 40 is a flat plate-like body made of a highly conductive metal material (for example, aluminum or copper). The electromagnetic shield 40 is disposed entirely on the back side of the lower core 21, and reduces the leakage magnetic field to the back side of the power supply mat 1 by canceling the magnetic field lines by eddy currents.

[0023] The cover 50 is formed by joining the outer edge portions 51A and 522A of the two sheets of the first sheet 51 and the second sheet 52. The method of joining the first sheet 51 and the second sheet 52 is not particularly limited, and they may be joined by welding their outer edge portions 51A and 522A together, or may be joined by an adhesive or an adhesive tape.

[0024] The first sheet 51 according to this embodiment is a rectangular sheet that covers the surface of a power transmission coil unit group composed of nine power transmission coil units 100, and has an area substantially equal to the area of the surface of the power transmission coil unit group.

[0025] The second sheet 52 according to this embodiment is a sheet in which a back surface portion 521 that covers the back surface of a power transmission coil unit group composed of nine power transmission coil units 100 and a side surface portion 522 that covers the side surfaces are integrated. By bending the boundary 523 between the back surface portion 521 and the side surface portion 522 inward, the side surface portion 522 can be made to stand substantially vertically.

[0026] The back surface portion 521 of the second sheet 52 has an area substantially equal to the area of the back surface of the power transmission coil unit group. Therefore, in this embodiment, the area of the back surface portion 521 of the second sheet 52 is equal to the area of the first sheet 51.

[0027] Also, the width of the side surface portion 522 of the second sheet 52, that is, the height when the side surface portion 522 is made to stand vertically, is made substantially equal to the thickness of the power transmission coil unit 100. And in this embodiment, the outer edge portion 522A of the side surface portion 522 of the second sheet 52 that is made to stand vertically is joined to the outer edge portion 51A of the first sheet 51.

[0028] Thereby, for example, as in the comparative example shown in FIG. 6, when the first sheet 51 and the second sheet 52 are each made into a rectangular sheet slightly larger than the power transmission coil unit group without providing the side surface portion 522 on the second sheet 52 and their outer edges are joined together, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the side surface portion 522 of the second sheet 52 can be brought into contact with the side surface of the power transmission coil unit group, so that it is possible to prevent a gap from occurring between the power transmission coil unit group and the cover 50.

[0029] Therefore, even if each power transmission coil unit 100 is not fixed to the cover 50, it is possible to prevent the position of each power transmission coil unit 100 from shifting. As a result, for example, it is possible to prevent the physical or electrical connection between the power transmission coil units 10 from being disconnected due to the displacement of some of the power transmission coil units 100.

[0030] Also, by preventing a gap from occurring between the power transmission coil unit group and the cover 50, for example, when electrically connecting a plurality of power supply mats 1, it is possible to suppress an increase in the distance between the power supply mats 1.

[0031] In addition, in the present embodiment, the side surface portion 522 is provided on the second sheet 52 disposed on the back surface side of the power transmission coil unit 100, but the side surface portion may be provided on the first sheet 51 disposed on the front surface side.

[0032] The power supply mat 1 (non-contact power supply device) according to the present embodiment described above includes one or a plurality of power transmission coil units 100 (coil units) having a power transmission coil (coil) for non-contact transmission of power to a power supply target, and a cover 50 that houses the one or a plurality of power transmission coil units 100 therein.

[0033] The cover 50 is formed by joining a first sheet 51 disposed on the front surface side (one side of the front and back surfaces) of the power transmission coil unit 100 and a second sheet 52 disposed on the back surface side (the other side of the front and back surfaces). The first sheet 51 is a sheet that covers the front surface side of the power transmission coil unit 100, and the second sheet 52 is a sheet having a back surface portion 521 (other surface portion) that covers the back surface side of the power transmission coil unit 100 and a side surface portion 522 that covers the side surface. Then, the side surface portion 522 of the second sheet 52 is brought into contact with the side surface of the power transmission coil unit 10 by bending the boundary 523 with the back surface portion 521, and the outer edge portion 522A of the side surface portion 522 of the second sheet 52 and the outer edge portion 51A of the first sheet 51 are joined.

[0034] According to this embodiment, when the power transmission coil unit 100 is housed inside the cover 50, the side surface portion 522 of the second sheet 52 can be brought into contact with the side surface of the power transmission coil unit 10, so that it is possible to prevent a gap from occurring between the power transmission coil unit 100 and the cover 50. Therefore, even if each power transmission coil unit 100 is not fixed to the cover 50, it is possible to prevent the position of each power transmission coil unit 100 from shifting.

[0035] Therefore, while preventing the position of each power transmission coil unit 100 from shifting, it is possible to save the labor of fixing each power transmission coil unit 100 to the cover 50, so that one or both of the manufacturing man-hours and manufacturing costs of the power supply mat 1 can be suppressed. Further, for example, it is possible to prevent the physical or electrical connection between the power transmission coil units 100 from being broken due to the positional deviation of some of the power transmission coil units 100.

[0036] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the joint portion between the first sheet 51 and the second sheet 52 is provided not only at the outer edge portion. Hereinafter, the description will focus on the differences.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the power supply mat 1 according to this embodiment.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the first sheet 51 and the second sheet 52 between adjacent power transmission coil units 100 are further joined linearly. In the example shown in FIG. 4, two linear joint portions 55 are formed vertically and horizontally, respectively. Thereby, since it becomes easy to bend the power supply mat 1 with the linear joint portion 55 as a fold line, the flexibility of the power supply mat 1 can be improved.

[0039] (Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the joint portion between the first sheet 51 and the second sheet 52 is provided not only at the outer edge portion. Hereinafter, the description will focus on the differences.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the power feeding mat 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the first sheet 51 and the second sheet 52 at the overlapping portions of the corners of the four power transmission coil units are further joined dot by dot. In the example shown in FIG. 5, a total of four dot joints 56 are formed. As a result, since the dot joint 56 functions as a stopper for preventing the displacement of each power transmission coil unit 100 in the cover 50, it is possible to effectively prevent the displacement of each power transmission coil unit without fixing each power transmission coil unit to the cover 50.

[0042] Further, as in the second embodiment described above, compared with the case of forming the linear joint portion 55, the gap between adjacent power transmission coil units 100 can be narrowed by the amount of not forming the linear joint portion 55 (the power transmission coil units 100 can be brought into close contact with each other). Therefore, the power feeding mat 1 can be downsized. In addition, since the power transmission efficiency also decreases when the gap between the power transmission coil units 100 increases, a decrease in the power transmission efficiency can also be suppressed.

[0043] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the above embodiments merely show a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0044] For example, in each of the above embodiments, the power transmission coil unit 100 has the electromagnetic shield 40. However, instead of this, for example, a coating of a highly conductive metal material (for example, aluminum or copper) that functions as an electromagnetic shield may be applied to the inner surface of the back surface portion 521 of the second sheet 52 by vapor deposition or the like.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0045] 1 Power feeding mat (non-contact power feeding device) 50 Cover 51 First sheet Sheet 2 100 Power transmission coil unit (coil unit) 521 Rear surface part (other surface part) 522 Side surface part 523 Boundary

Claims

1. One or more coil units having a coil for non-contact power transmission to a power supply target, A cover for housing the coil unit therein, A non-contact power supply device comprising: The cover is formed by joining a first sheet disposed on one side of the front and back surfaces of the coil unit and a second sheet disposed on the other side, The first sheet is a sheet that covers one side of the coil unit, The second sheet is a sheet having an other surface portion that covers the other side of the coil unit and a side surface portion that covers the side surface, The side surface portion of the second sheet is brought into contact with the side surface of the coil unit by bending the boundary with the other surface portion, The outer edge portion of the side surface portion of the second sheet and the outer edge portion of the first sheet are joined, The cover houses four or more of the coil units therein, At a location where the corner portions of the four coil units overlap, the first sheet and the second sheet are further joined pointwise, Non-contact power supply device.

2. A metal material coating is applied to the inner surface of the cover disposed on the back side of the coil unit, The non-contact power supply device according to claim 1.

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