Road transmission structures and paving blocks

Abstract

To provide a power transmission structure of a road dispensing with wiring work between pavement blocks, even when transmitting power from a power source to a load via the pavement blocks forming the road.SOLUTION: When transmitting power from a power source to a load via a road formed by laying pavement blocks 8, wireless power supply is used for power transmission between the pavement blocks 8. When using an electromagnetic induction system as the wireless power supply, a path formation member 23 of a power source connection block 20 acts as a power transmission coil when receiving AC from an AC source 6, and generates an electromotive force to a path formation member 43 of a relay block 40 arranged at the opposite position. A path formation member 143, when receiving the power from the path formation member 43, acts as the power transmission coil, and generates the electromotive force to a path formation member 33 of a load block 30 arranged at the opposite position. The path formation member 33 supplies the power received from the path formation member 143 to an illuminant 10 to emit light.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] It has been common practice to use electricity to make road markings, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technology for supplying electricity to light-emitting markings buried in the road surface, in which paving blocks (solar panel blocks) equipped with solar panels and power storage devices are connected by wiring cords to paving blocks (light-emitting display blocks) equipped with LEDs, and the LEDs are illuminated by electricity stored in the power storage devices from the solar panels to make road markings. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

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

[0004] However, in the past, paving blocks equipped with a power source such as a solar panel and paving blocks equipped with a load such as an LED had to be wired together using a power line called a wiring cord, which meant that wiring work was required when laying the paving blocks.

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

[0006] The road power transmission structure according to the present invention is a road power transmission structure for transmitting power from a power source to a load, wherein a plurality of paving blocks are laid on the road, and among the plurality of paving blocks, Path-forming pavement located on the power transmission path between the power source and the load block teeth Wireless power supply To transmit and receive electricity The present invention is characterized in that it is configured as follows.

[0007] Also, before Records of the Sutra The path-forming paving blocks function as at least one of a power transmission means for transmitting power from the power source to adjacent path-forming paving blocks, and a power receiving means for receiving power transmitted from adjacent path-forming paving blocks, and are provided with path-forming members on their sides that form part of the power transmission path, and adjacent path-forming paving blocks are provided with the path-forming members and the path forming members are positioned opposite to each other. The wireless power supply is used to transmit and receive power between the

[0008] Furthermore, at least one of the path-forming paving blocks is characterized by being equipped with the path-forming member that acts as the power transmission means, and a power line that transmits power from the power source provided outside or inside the paving block to the path-forming member that acts as the power transmission means.

[0009] Furthermore, at least one of the path-forming paving blocks is characterized by comprising the path-forming member acting as the power receiving means, the load, and a power line that transmits the power received by the path-forming member acting as the power receiving means to the load.

[0010] Furthermore, at least one of the path forming paving blocks is characterized by comprising the path forming member acting as the power transmission means, the path forming member acting as the power receiving means, and a power line that transmits the power received by the path forming member acting as the power receiving means to the path forming member acting as the power transmission means.

[0011] Also, adjacent path-forming paving blocks The path forming members The device is characterized by including a positioning member that determines the positional relationship between the The positioning member mechanically determines the relative positions of the path forming members between adjacent path forming paving blocks, maintaining a gap and suppressing horizontal relative positional deviation.

[0012] Furthermore, when the wireless power supply is an electromagnetic induction type wireless power supply, the positioning member is a protrusion protruding from the side of the path forming paving block, and the path forming member comprises a coil and an iron core around which the coil is wound, and is arranged on the path forming paving block so that the tip of the iron core fits into the protrusion.

[0013] Furthermore, when the paving blocks are interlocking blocks and the wireless power supply is an electromagnetic induction type wireless power supply, the gaps formed between adjacent path-forming paving blocks by the positioning members are filled with joint sand mixed with iron sand.

[0014] In addition, in block paving other than interlocking blocks, the positioning member is provided separately from the path-forming paving block and is characterized by comprising a base and a plurality of protrusions erected from the base at positions that fit into recesses provided on the bottom surface of each of the path-forming paving blocks.

[0015] At least one of the path-forming paving blocks is characterized by being equipped with a diagnostic member that enables diagnosis of the power transmission mechanism.

[0016] The paving blocks of the present invention are laid to form a road. and located on the power transmission path between the power source and the load. A paving block, Located on the power transmission path,Adjacent other paving blocks Ku and Wireless power supply To transmit and receive electricity The present invention is characterized in that it is configured as follows. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the inventions described in claims 1-5, it is possible to provide a road power transmission structure that eliminates the need for wiring work between paving blocks, even when transmitting power from a power source to a load via the paving blocks that form the road.

[0018] According to the inventions set forth in claims 6 and 9, the positional relationship of the paving blocks can be determined by providing a positioning member.

[0019] According to the inventions set forth in claims 7 and 8, it is possible to reduce the loss of magnetic flux between the path-forming paving blocks.

[0020] According to the invention as set forth in claim 10, the power transmission mechanism provided inside the path forming paving block can be diagnosed without disassembling the path forming paving block. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a road to which a power transmission structure for a road in accordance with a first embodiment is applied, as viewed from above. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a power supply connection block in embodiment 1, in which (a) is a plan view of the surface of the power supply connection block when viewed from above, (b) is a front view of the power supply connection block when viewed from the side at the bottom of the drawing, and (c) is a side view of the power supply connection block when viewed from the side at the right of the drawing. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of a load block in embodiment 1, where (a) is a plan view of the surface of the load block when viewed from above, (b) is a front view of the load block when viewed from the side at the bottom of the drawing, and (c) is a side view of the load block when viewed from the side at the right of the drawing. [Figure 4]1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of a relay block according to the first embodiment, in which (a) is a plan view of the surface of the relay block as viewed from above, and (b) is a front view of the relay block as viewed from the side in the downward direction of the drawing. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the paving blocks shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 laid on a roadbed, as viewed from above. [Figure 6] 5 is an enlarged plan view showing an engagement portion between the power supply connection block shown in FIG. 2 and the relay block shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] 10 is a schematic plan view showing a modified example of the arrangement pattern of the path forming members in the relay block in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of another road to which the road power transmission structure in the first embodiment is applied. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram of a power generation block in embodiment 1, where (a) is a plan view of the surface of the power generation block when viewed from above, (b) is a front view of the power generation block when viewed from the side at the bottom of the drawing, and (c) is a side view of the power generation block when viewed from the side at the right of the drawing. [Figure 10] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of another power supply connection block in embodiment 1, in which (a) is a plan view of the surface of the power supply connection block when viewed from above, (b) is a front view of the power supply connection block when viewed from the side at the bottom of the drawing, and (c) is a side view of the power supply connection block when viewed from the side at the right of the drawing. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged view of a portion of a paving block in a second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged view of a portion of a paving block according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a positioning table according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] 13 is a plan view of the power connection block, the load block, and the relay block when viewed from above in a state where they are positioned using a positioning table in the fourth embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a road to which the road power transmission structure according to the present invention is applied, viewed from above. The road 2 shown in FIG. 1 extends vertically in the drawing. Curbs 4 are provided on both sides of the road 2. An AC power source 6 is provided outside the road 2, on the curb 4 at the left end in FIG. 1. The AC power source 6 is an example of a power source that supplies power to a load. Note that a "load" is a structure that consumes power. The power source does not necessarily have to be installed beside the road 2, i.e., on the curb 4. It may be installed in a position that allows a wired connection to a power supply connection block outside the paving blocks 8, or it may be installed inside the paving blocks 8, as described below. In this embodiment, the load is installed inside the paving blocks 8, but it may also be installed outside the paving blocks 8, as described below.

[0024] The road 2 in this embodiment is formed by laying paving blocks 8. "Paving blocks" are paving components that are laid side by side on the roadbed to form the paved surface of the road 2. The paving blocks 8 may be formed in various shapes, sizes, and materials depending on the application. For example, precast concrete slabs are also included in the category of paving blocks. The paving blocks 8 in this embodiment will be described using a general rectangular shape, particularly a square, as an example.

[0025] The paving blocks 8 in this embodiment are laid in a regular array vertically and horizontally as shown in Figure 1. The road 2 in this embodiment is assumed to be an interlocking block pavement. In other words, the paving blocks 8 in this embodiment are interlocking blocks. An "interlocking block" is defined as a paving block in which, when a load is applied, the gaps 14 (joints) between the blocks are filled with sand (hereinafter referred to as "joint sand"), resulting in an interlocking effect (load distribution effect) between the blocks. Therefore, when the paving blocks 8 are laid, joints are formed between adjacent paving blocks 8, as shown in Figure 1.

[0026] As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, several types of paving blocks 8 are prepared. That is, the paving blocks 8 can be broadly divided into paving blocks 8 that are equipped with a power transmission mechanism by being located on the power transmission path from the power source to the load (also referred to as "path-forming paving blocks") 8, and paving blocks 8 that are not located on the power transmission path and therefore do not need to be equipped with a power transmission mechanism. This embodiment is characterized by the power transmission structure of roads that use the former path-forming paving blocks. Therefore, in the following description, when the term "paving blocks 8" is used, unless otherwise specified, it refers to the path-forming paving blocks 8 that are located on the aforementioned power transmission path among the paving blocks 8 used to form the road 2.

[0027] One of the paving blocks 8 is paving block 8f, which is equipped with a light-emitting element 10. The light-emitting element 10 is an example of a load. The load is not limited to the light-emitting element 10 formed by an LED or the like, but may be any electrically operated object, such as a heating element such as a heating wire, or various sensors.

[0028] In this embodiment, the light emitter 10 emits light when it receives power from the AC power source 6. To achieve this, a power transmission path 12 is formed between the AC power source 6 and the paving block 8f via a plurality of paving blocks 8a to 8e. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the paving blocks 8a to 8f correspond to the path-forming paving blocks 8.

[0029] In this embodiment, power is transmitted between the path forming paving blocks 8 that form the road 2 using wireless power supply. In this embodiment, when there is no need to distinguish between the paving blocks 8a to 8f using subscripts, they will be collectively referred to as "paving blocks 8."

[0030] Incidentally, "wireless power supply" can be defined as a technology for transmitting power without using electric wires. There are various types of wireless power supply, such as electromagnetic induction, electric field coupling, and electromagnetic wave. The structure of the path-forming paving blocks 8, which are characteristic of this embodiment, will be explained below, taking as an example a path-forming paving block 8 that uses an electromagnetic induction method other than magnetic field resonance.

[0031] The path-forming paving blocks 8 used in this embodiment, when laid on the road 2, function as at least one of a power transmission means for transmitting power to an adjacent path-forming paving block 8 and a power receiving means for receiving power transmitted from another adjacent path-forming paving block 8, and comprise a path-forming component that forms part of the power transmission path 12. In other words, the paving blocks 8 in this embodiment can be classified into three types: a type that has a power transmission means but no power receiving means, a type that has a power receiving means but no power transmission means, and a type that has both a power transmission means and a power receiving means. The power supply connection blocks 20, load blocks 30, and relay blocks 40 corresponding to each type are described below. The power supply connection blocks 20, load blocks 30, and relay blocks 40 are collectively referred to as "path-forming paving blocks 8" or, as mentioned above, simply as "paving blocks 8."

[0032] First, Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the power connection block 20 in this embodiment. Of these, Fig. 2(a) is a plan view of the surface of the power connection block 20, which forms the surface of the road 2, as seen from above. Fig. 2(b) is a front view of the power connection block 20 shown in Fig. 2(a) as seen from the side in the downward direction of the drawing. Fig. 2(c) is a side view of the power connection block 20 shown in Fig. 2(a) as seen from the side in the right direction of the drawing. As is clear from Fig. 2(a), Fig. 2(c) shows a view from the side where a path forming member is arranged, and Fig. 2(b) shows a view from the side where a path forming member is not arranged.

[0033] The power supply connection block 20 is a paving block for connecting a power supply 6 installed outside the road 2. The power supply connection block 20 comprises a main body 21 that forms the paving block, and positioning members 22a, 22b, and 22c that are provided on the side of the main body 21. Note that when there is no need to distinguish between them using a subscript, such as positioning member 22a, they will be collectively referred to as "positioning member 22." The same applies to other components such as positioning member 32, which will be described later.

[0034] The positioning members 22 determine the relative positions of adjacent paving blocks 8 so that, when the paving blocks 8 are laid on the roadbed, they are placed a predetermined distance apart. Because the road 2 in this embodiment is an interlocking block pavement, it is necessary to form gaps between the paving blocks 8, as described above. The positioning members 22 in this embodiment are formed by protrusions that protrude from the side of the power connection block 20 toward the adjacent paving block 8, and the height (protrusion amount) of the positioning members 22 forms a predetermined gap between adjacent paving blocks 8. When the paving blocks 8 are laid, the positioning members 22a, 22c engage with the adjacent paving blocks 8 by fitting between the positioning members 22 of the adjacent paving blocks 8. This allows the positioning members 22 to prevent horizontal displacement of the paving blocks 8.

[0035] Furthermore, the positioning member 22 in this embodiment is hollow. The position on the side of the power connection block 20 where the positioning member 22 is to be disposed is open. In other words, the positioning member 22 is a protrusion that protrudes from the opening in the side of the power connection block 20. In this embodiment, the positioning member 22 is attached as a separate member to the opening in the side of the paving block 8, but the positioning member 22 may also be formed integrally with the paving block 8.

[0036] Positioning members 22a and 22c, each formed with only one protrusion on its side, are disposed at the center in the width direction of power connection block 20. Positioning member 22b is composed of a pair of protrusions. Each protrusion on positioning member 22b is positioned symmetrically about the center in the width direction of power connection block 20, and is disposed in a position where it can sandwich the positioning member with only one protrusion on an adjacent paving block 8 when the paving blocks 8 are laid as described above.

[0037] Positioning members 22 are provided on each side of the paving blocks 8. In this embodiment, positioning members consisting of a single protrusion, such as positioning members 22a and 22c, are provided on the sides of the upper and right sides of the paving blocks 8 in the drawing. Meanwhile, positioning members consisting of a pair of protrusions, such as positioning member 22b, are provided on the sides of the left and lower sides of the paving blocks 8. Each paving block 8 is laid on the roadbed so that the positioning member consisting of a single protrusion faces the positioning member consisting of a pair of protrusions, and is positioned by the engagement of the positioning member consisting of a single protrusion with the positioning member consisting of a pair of protrusions. For this reason, the paving blocks 8 are laid on the roadbed without changing the orientation shown in the drawing.

[0038] However, as shown in Fig. 2, the positioning member 22 is not provided on the side surface facing the AC power supply 6. This is because, as shown in Fig. 1, the side surface of the power supply connection block 20 facing the AC power supply 6 faces the curbstone 4 rather than the paving block 8, making the positioning member 22 unnecessary. However, if a recess into which the positioning member 22 can be inserted is provided in the curbstone 4, the positioning member 22 may also be provided on the side surface of the power supply connection block 20 facing the curbstone 4.

[0039] The power supply connection block 20 includes, inside the main body 21, a power transmission mechanism including a path forming member (hereinafter also referred to as a "power transmission coil") 23 and a power line 24 that function as a power transmission means, and a fault diagnosis coil 25. In FIG. 2, the internal configuration is schematically illustrated by dashed lines and dashed-dotted lines. The power line 24 electrically connects the power transmission coil 23 to the AC power supply 6 and transmits power from the AC power supply 6 to the power transmission coil 23. In this embodiment, for versatility, it is assumed that the connection to the AC power supply 6 is made by wire. However, if the AC power supply 6 is configured to be wireless, i.e., compatible with wireless power supply, the power transmission mechanism may be configured to receive power from the AC power supply 6 using the path forming member.

[0040] In Fig. 2, the power line 24 is conveniently shown as a single dashed line without indicating its width. In Fig. 2(b) and (c), the power line 24 is omitted to prioritize clarity of the drawings. This drawing method is also used in Fig. 3, 4, and other drawings described later.

[0041] When using an electromagnetic induction method for wireless power supply, the path forming member 23 includes an iron core 26 and a coil 27. In this embodiment, the iron core 26 is formed as an assembly of three rod-shaped iron cores 26a, 26b, and 26c that extend in the direction of the adjacent paving blocks 8. The iron core 26 is simply shaped like the letter "E." The coil 27 is wound around the central iron core 26a. The iron core 26 is preferably formed from laminated steel plates to suppress heat generation due to eddy currents.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, in the case of a path forming member 23 disposed on the side where a positioning member 22a having one protrusion is provided, the central core 26a of the core 26 is longer than the cores 26b and 26c located at both ends. The cores 26b and 26c at both ends are the same length and are positioned so that they abut against the inner surface of the paving block 8. Meanwhile, the central core 26a protrudes from the opening in the side of the paving block 8 and extends into the hollow protrusion. This allows the tip of the core 26a to abut against the surface of the tip of the protrusion of the positioning member 22a. In other words, when the paving block 8 is laid, the tip of the core 26a is positioned opposite the tip of the central core of the iron core provided in the path forming member located at the opposite position of the adjacent paving block 8. Generally, where the core is disconnected in an electromagnetic induction coil, magnetic flux loss occurs. In this embodiment, as described above, the iron core 26a is disposed so as to extend into the positioning member 22a, so that the loss of magnetic flux can be minimized.

[0043] 2(b), the positioning member 22 is shorter than the thickness of the paving block 8. Therefore, as will be described in detail later, the entire periphery of the positioning member 22 can be surrounded by joint sand mixed with iron sand.

[0044] The power transmission coil 23 is provided on the side facing one adjacent path-forming pavement block 8 (hereinafter also referred to as an "adjacent pavement block") when the pavement blocks 8 are laid on the road 2. The power transmission coil 23 transmits power from the AC power source 6 to the adjacent pavement block.

[0045] The fault diagnosis coil 25 is an example of a diagnostic component that enables diagnosis of the power transmission mechanism from the surface of the paving block 8 to inside the paving block 8. Because the power transmission mechanism in the power connection block 20 is composed of the power transmission coil 23 and the power line 24, the fault diagnosis coil 25 has the function of detecting a fault occurring in at least one of the power transmission coil 23 or the power line 24. More specifically, the fault diagnosis coil 25 is arranged so that magnetic flux penetrates in a direction perpendicular to the block surface. For example, if no magnetic flux is detected when a maintenance worker brings a portable magnetic sensor close to the location where the fault diagnosis coil 25 is installed, it can be determined that the power transmission mechanism is faulty. Note that the fault diagnosis coil 25 may be installed in a location other than that shown in the figure, as long as it is electrically connected to the power line 24.

[0046] In this embodiment, the fault diagnostic coil 25 is provided inside the paving block 8 and cannot be seen from outside the paving block 8. For this reason, the maintenance worker must know in advance the buried position of the fault diagnostic coil 25. Alternatively, a mark indicating the buried position of the fault diagnostic coil 25 may be attached to the surface of the paving block 8. Note that if the diagnostic member is provided so that it can be seen from outside the paving block 8, there is no need to know in advance the buried position or to provide a mark.

[0047] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the load block 30 in this embodiment. Of these, FIG. 3(a) is a plan view of the surface of the load block 30, which forms the surface of the road 2, as viewed from above. FIG. 3(b) is a front view of the load block 30 shown in FIG. 3(a) as viewed from the side in the downward direction of the drawing. FIG. 3(c) is a side view of the load block 30 shown in FIG. 3(a) as viewed from the side in the left direction of the drawing. As is clear from FIG. 3(a), FIG. 3(c) shows a view from the side where the path-forming member is arranged, and FIG. 3(b) shows a view from the side where the path-forming member is not arranged.

[0048] The load block 30 is a paving block that has a load 10 therein. The load block 30 has a main body 31 that forms the paving block, and positioning members 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32d provided on the side surfaces of the main body 31.

[0049] The positioning member 32 is an equivalent component to the positioning member 22 in the power connection block 20, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The position on the side of the load block 30 where the positioning member 32 is to be disposed is open. The positioning member 32, like the positioning member 22, is hollow. The left side of the power connection block 20 shown in FIG. 2 is designed to be in contact with the curbstone 4, and therefore does not have a positioning member 22. The load block 30 shown in FIG. 3 is designed to be installed in a position not in contact with the curbstone 4, like the paving block 8f shown in FIG. 1, and therefore has positioning members 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32d on all side surfaces.

[0050] The load block 30 has, inside the main body 31, a path forming member (hereinafter also referred to as a "receiving coil") 33 acting as a power receiving means, a power transmission mechanism including a power line 34 and a conversion circuit 38, a light-emitting body 10 as a load, and a fault diagnosis coil 35.

[0051] When laid on the road 2, the power receiving coil 33 is provided on the side facing an adjacent paving block 8 (adjacent paving block). The power receiving coil 33 receives power transmitted from the adjacent paving block. When the path forming member 33 is positioned opposite the power transmitting means provided on the side of the adjacent paving block, it acts as a power receiving means and functions as the power receiving coil 33. The power line 34 electrically connects the power receiving coil 33 to the light emitting body 10, and transmits the power received by the power receiving coil 33 from the AC power source 6 to the light emitting body 10.

[0052] When an electromagnetic induction system is used for wireless power supply, the path forming member 33 basically includes an iron core 36 and a coil 37, similar to the structure of the path forming member 23 described with reference to FIG. 2. The path forming member (power transmitting coil) 23, which functions as a power transmitting means, is provided on an inner surface on which a positioning member 22a consisting of one protrusion is disposed, as shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, the path forming member (power receiving coil) 33, which functions as a power receiving means and is positioned opposite the power transmitting coil 23, is provided on an inner surface on which a positioning member 32d consisting of two protrusions is disposed, as shown in FIG. 3. Simply put, the path forming member 33 has a configuration that is axisymmetrical with the path forming member 23 positioned opposite it. That is, the iron core 36 has a shape that resembles an inverted English letter "E." However, the central iron core 36a of the iron core 36 is shorter than the iron cores 36b and 36c located at both ends. The iron cores 36b and 36c have the same length. The central core 36a is positioned so that it abuts against the inner surface of the paving block 8. Meanwhile, cores 36b and 36c protrude from the opening in the side of the paving block 8 and extend into the hollow protrusion. This allows the tips of cores 36b and 36c to abut against the tip surface of positioning member 32d. In other words, when the paving block 8 is laid, the tips of cores 36b and 36c are positioned opposite the tips of the cores at both ends of the iron cores provided on the path forming members located at opposing positions on adjacent paving blocks 8. The coil 37 is wound around the central core 36a in the same way as the path forming member 23.

[0053] The fault diagnosis coil 35 has the same configuration as the fault diagnosis coil 25, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. The conversion circuit 38 is a circuit that converts current from AC to DC. Since it is assumed that the light emitter 10 in this embodiment uses a DC power supply, the conversion circuit 38 is provided between the power receiving coil 33 and the light emitter 10. If the light emitter 10 were to use an AC power supply, the conversion circuit 38 would not be necessary.

[0054] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a relay block 40 in this embodiment. Of these, Figure 4(a) is a plan view of the surface of the relay block 40 that forms the surface of the road 2, as viewed from above. Figure 4(b) is a front view of the relay block 40 shown in Figure 4(a), as viewed from the side in the downward direction of the drawing. Figure 4(b) illustrates a side on which no path forming member is arranged.

[0055] The relay block 40 does not have either a power source 6 or a load 10, but is a paving block that relays power transmitted from the power source 6 to the load 10. Therefore, the relay block 40 has at least one path forming member that acts as a power receiving means and one path forming member that acts as a power transmitting means. Figure 4 shows an example of a relay block 40 that has one path forming member 43 that acts as a power receiving means and one path forming member 143 that acts as a power transmitting means.

[0056] The relay block 40 comprises a main body 41 that forms a paving block, and positioning members 42a, 42b, 42c, and 42d provided on the side of the main body 41. The positioning member 42 is a component equivalent to the positioning member 22 in the power connection block 20 and the positioning member 32 in the load block 30, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0057] The relay block 40 has a path forming member (receiving coil) 43 acting as a power receiving means, a path forming member (transmitting coil) 143 acting as a power transmitting means, a power transmission mechanism including a power line 44, and a fault diagnosis coil 45 inside the main body 41.

[0058] The power receiving coil 43 has the same structure as the power receiving coil 33 shown in Fig. 3, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, the power transmitting coil 143 has the same structure as the power transmitting coil 23 shown in Fig. 2, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Therefore, a side view of the relay block 40 as seen from the left-right side of the drawing is omitted because Fig. 2(c) and Fig. 3(c) can be used as a substitute.

[0059] Power line 44 electrically connects power receiving coil 43 and power transmitting coil 143, and transmits the power received by power receiving coil 43 to power transmitting coil 143. Fault diagnosis coil 45 has the same configuration as fault diagnosis coil 25, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0060] The three types of path forming paving blocks 8 used in this embodiment, namely the power supply connection block 20, the load block 30 and the relay block 40, have been described above.

[0061] In addition, when the road 2 is paved with interlocking blocks, the paving blocks 8 that are not located on the power transmission path 12 do not need to have a power transmission mechanism inside them like the path-forming paving blocks 8 described above, but they may be provided with positioning members on their sides, as with the path-forming paving blocks 8, to form a fixed gap 14 between them and adjacent paving blocks 8.

[0062] 2 to 4 are laid on the roadbed, and shows the engagement state of the positioning members 22, 32, 42. The gaps 14 between the path-forming paving blocks 20, 30, 40 are filled with joint sand 18, but the joint sand 18 near the positioning member between the relay block 40 and the load block 30 is omitted from FIG. 5 so that the engagement relationship between the positioning member 42a and the positioning member 32d can be seen.

[0063] Figure 6 is an enlarged plan view showing the engagement portion between the power connection block 20 shown in Figure 2 and the relay block 40 shown in Figure 4. Note that in Figure 6, unlike Figures 2 and 4, the power lines 24, 44 and coils 27, 47 are shown with solid lines and the iron cores 26, 46 are shown in grayscale, but the structure of each paving block 20, 40 is the same as the structure shown in Figures 2 and 4.

[0064] Hereinafter, the operation from transmitting power from the AC power source 6 to making the light emitter 10 emit light will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0065] As described above, each paving block 8 is laid by fitting a positioning member 22 consisting of a single protrusion, such as positioning member 22a, between positioning members 22 consisting of a pair of two protrusions, such as positioning member 42d. Gaps 14 of a predetermined width are formed between adjacent paving blocks 8 by the positioning members 22. Joint sand 18 is filled into the gaps 14.

[0066] 5 shows an arrangement in which the power connection block 20, the load block 30, and the relay block 40 are laid side by side. As a result, the power transmission coil 23 of the power connection block 20 and the power receiving coil 43 of the relay block 40 are arranged in opposing positions. Also, the power transmission coil 143 of the relay block 40 and the power receiving coil 33 of the load block 30 are arranged in opposing positions.

[0067] An alternating current from the AC power supply 6 flows through the power line 24 to the power transmitting coil 23 of the power connection block 20. This generates a magnetic flux in the power transmitting coil 23. This magnetic flux penetrates the side surface of the power connection block 20 perpendicularly, and generates an electromotive force by electromagnetic induction in the power receiving coil 43 of the relay block 40 adjacent to the power connection block 20, which is opposite the side surface through which the magnetic flux penetrated.

[0068] At this time, magnetic flux loss can be reduced because positioning members 22a and 42d properly position coils 23 and 43. Furthermore, iron core 26a, around which coil 27 of power transmitting coil 23 is wound, extends close to power receiving coil 43, further reducing magnetic flux loss.

[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the joint sand 18 filled in the gaps 14 is a moderate mixture of iron sand and silica sand. By mixing iron sand into the joint sand 18, it is possible to prevent further loss of magnetic flux in the gaps 14 between the paving blocks 20, 40 while also suppressing eddy currents. In addition, the constraint of magnetic flux also prevents the joint sand 18 from leaking out from around the positioning member 42d. However, while the joint sand 18 mixed with iron sand may be filled in the entire gaps 14 between the paving blocks 8, filling it only near the iron cores 26, 46 will further enhance the effect of magnetic flux loss.

[0070] In the relay block 40, power received by the power receiving coil 43 from the power supply connection block 20 is sent to the power transmitting coil 143 through the power line 44. The power receiving coil 33 of the load block 30 is disposed in a position facing the power transmitting coil 143 of the relay block 40. The power transmission from the power transmitting coil 143 that has received power to the power receiving coil 33 works in the same way as the power transmission from the power transmitting coil 23 to the power receiving coil 43, so a description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the joint sand 18 filled around the positioning members 42a and 32d is an appropriate mixture of iron sand and silica sand, just like the area around the positioning member 42d.

[0071] In the load block 30, the power received from the relay block 40 by the power receiving coil 33 is sent to the conversion circuit 38 through the power line 34, and is converted from AC to DC by the conversion circuit 38. The light emitter 10 then emits light by receiving the power converted to DC.

[0072] As explained above, in this embodiment, wireless power supply can be used to transmit power from an AC power source 6 to a light-emitting device 10, which is a load. Once the positions of the power source and load are determined, the power transmission path 12 between them is also determined. In this embodiment, however, if the path-forming paving blocks 20, 30, and 40 described above are arranged as paving blocks 8 located on the power transmission path 12, there is no need to electrically connect the power source and the load with a wire. Depending on the relative positions of the power source and the load, multiple relay blocks 40 may be used as shown in FIG. 1, or the power connection block 20 and the load block 30 may be laid adjacent to each other without using a relay block 40.

[0073] 1 emits light by receiving power from an AC power source 6 via a plurality of relay blocks 40, but the power transmission path 12 changes course along the way, so the power transmission path 12 cannot be formed by the relay blocks 40 alone shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, modified examples of the relay blocks 40, particularly the arrangement pattern of the path forming members in the relay blocks, will be described with reference to Fig. 7.

[0074] In the relay block 40 shown in FIG. 4, path forming members 43 and 143 are provided on opposing side surfaces. In contrast, in the relay block 50 shown in FIG. 7(a), path forming members 53a, 53b, 53c, and 53d are provided on each side surface. The path forming members 53a, 53b, 53c, and 53d are connected by power lines 54. For example, when the path forming member 53a acts as a power receiving means, the power received by the path forming member 53a is distributed to the other path forming members 53b, 53c, and 53d through the power line 54. In other words, the path forming members 53b, 53c, and 53d act as power transmitting means. In this way, in the relay block 50 shown in FIG. 7(a), power received by one power receiving means can be distributed to multiple power transmitting means.

[0075] 7(a) shows an example in which a path forming member 53 is arranged on each side surface, while FIGS. 7(b), (c), and (d) show an example of a relay block 60 in which path forming members 63 are arranged on three side surfaces. In the case of this arrangement pattern, for example, power received from one path forming member 63a is distributed to the other two path forming members 63b and 63c, which act as power transmission means, via a power line branched into two locations.

[0076] 7(e), (f), and (g) show examples of a relay block 70 in which path forming members 73 are disposed on two side surfaces. In the case of this arrangement pattern, for example, power received from one path forming member 73a is transmitted via a power line to the other path forming member 73b, which acts as a power transmission means. Note that the arrangement pattern shown in FIG. 7(f) corresponds to the arrangement pattern of the relay block 40 shown in FIG. 4 described above. By using relay blocks 70 in which path forming members 73 are provided on adjacent side surfaces, such as the relay blocks 70 shown in FIGS. 7(e), (f), and (g), the power transmission path 12 shown in FIG. 1 can be realized.

[0077] 2 shows an example of a power supply connection block 20 having a path forming member 23 on the side surface on the right side of the drawing, and FIG. 3 shows an example of a load block 30 having a path forming member 33 on the side surface on the left side of the drawing. However, as shown in FIG. 7, multiple path forming members may also be provided on the power supply connection block 20 and the load block 30. Furthermore, the power lines 24, 34 of the power supply connection block 20 and the load block 30 may be wired in a manner other than a straight line.

[0078] Now, for example, suppose that the relay block 60 shown in Fig. 7(b) is placed adjacent to the relay block 50 shown in Fig. 7(a) in the drawing. Such an arrangement is possible due to the relationship between the positioning members, more specifically, the relationship between the protrusions provided on each positioning member. In this case, the path forming member 53d of the relay block 50 and the path forming member 63b of the relay block 60 are disposed in opposing positions.

[0079] As described above, when the path forming member 53a of the relay block 50 acts as a power receiving means, the power received by the path forming member 53a is sent to the path forming member 53d, so the path forming member 53d acts as a power transmitting means. When the path forming member 53d acts as a power transmitting means, the path forming member 63b facing the path forming member 53d acts as a receiving means. On the other hand, as described above, when the path forming member 63a of the relay block 60 acts as a power receiving means, the power received by the path forming member 63a is sent to the path forming member 63b, so the path forming member 63b acts as a power transmitting means.

[0080] In the power transmission paths shown in Figures 2 to 7, the explanation was given assuming that the power source is located on the left side of the drawings, so the path forming member located on the left side of the paving block 8 acts as the power receiving means, and the path forming members located on the other sides act as the power transmitting means. However, like the path forming member 63b described above, the path forming member in this embodiment acts as either the power transmitting means or the power receiving means depending on the positional relationship of the paving block 8 when laid on the road 2. Therefore, in the above explanation, for convenience of explanation, the path forming member is named as the power transmitting coil and the power receiving coil. However, in reality, the path forming member may act as either the power transmitting means or the power receiving means depending on the positional relationship of the paving block 8, in other words, depending on its placement on the power transmission path.

[0081] In this case, the relay blocks 70 shown in Figures 7(e) and 7(g) have path forming members with the same arrangement pattern, but are required separately due to their correspondence with the positioning members having one or two protrusions. If all the positioning members were formed with the same shape, the relay blocks 70 shown in Figures 7(e) and 7(g) could be made common.

[0082] If a paving block has three or more path-forming elements, it is possible to use the path-forming elements as receiving means rather than transmitting means. In other words, it is possible to combine power from multiple sources, for example, although frequency control may be required in the case of AC.

[0083] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of another road 2 to which the road power transmission structure of this embodiment is applied. First, FIG. 1 shows an example in which a single light-emitting element 10 is formed on the surface of a paving block 8f as a load. FIG. 8 shows two patterns for load arrangement. In one pattern, the load is a light-emitting element that forms a road marking, and power is supplied from an AC power source 6 to multiple load blocks 8g, 8h, and 8i. This makes it possible to apply the configuration in which multiple loads are combined to form a single road marking, as exemplified in FIG. 7. As explained using FIG. 7, power from a power source can be distributed to multiple sources, so the road marking shown in FIG. 8 is possible even if there is only one power source.

[0084] The other is when the load 16 is located outside the paving blocks. In this way, by simply using the paving blocks 8 as the power transmission path 12 without placing a load on the road surface, it is possible to supply power to a load 16 on the opposite side of the road 2 from the AC power source 6, for example. Also, by configuring the paving blocks 8 to be used simply as the power transmission path 12, it is possible to promote the elimination of utility poles.

[0085] However, when using wireless power transfer using electromagnetic induction, there is a possibility that the generated electromotive force may decrease when transmitting power between paving blocks 8. Conventionally, this has been prevented by increasing the number of coil turns in the receiving coil. However, the path-forming member of the relay block acts as either a power transmitting means or a power receiving means depending on its position relative to other paving blocks 8. As such, the function of the path-forming member is not fixed, so it is not possible to prevent a decrease in electromotive force by increasing the number of coil turns. Therefore, in this embodiment, the length of the iron core is extended into the positioning member and iron sand is mixed into the joint sand to minimize the decrease in the generated electromotive force.

[0086] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a power generation block 80 according to this embodiment. FIG. 9(a) is a plan view of the surface of the power generation block 80, which forms the surface of the road 2, as viewed from above. FIG. 9(b) is a front view of the power generation block 80 shown in FIG. 9(a) as viewed from the side facing downward in the drawing. FIG. 9(c) is a side view of the power generation block 80 shown in FIG. 9(a) as viewed from the side facing right in the drawing. As is clear from FIG. 9(a), FIG. 9(c) illustrates a side on which a path-forming member is provided, and FIG. 9(b) illustrates a side on which a path-forming member is not provided.

[0087] The power generation block 80 shown in Figure 9 has the function of supplying power from a power source to other paving blocks 8, similar to the power source connection block 20 shown in Figure 2, but while the power source connection block 20 connects to an external power source, the power generation block 80 is an example of a paving block 8 that has a power source inside.

[0088] The power generation block 80 in this embodiment includes a solar power generation system as a power source. The solar power generation system includes solar panels 82 provided on the surface of the power generation block 80, a capacitor 84 that stores the power generated by the solar panels 82, and a control circuit 86 that controls the storage of power in the capacitor 84 and the transmission of power to the path forming member 23. In addition, a conversion circuit 88 converts direct current into alternating current.

[0089] The power generation block 80 in this embodiment differs from the power supply connection block 20 shown in FIG. 2 in that it has a power supply inside, but the function of the path forming member 23 is the same as that of the power supply connection block 20, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0090] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of another power connection block 90 according to this embodiment. Of these, FIG. 10(a) is a plan view of the surface of the power connection block 90 that forms the surface of the road 2, as viewed from above. FIG. 10(b) is a front view of the power connection block 90 shown in FIG. 10(a), as viewed from the side in the downward direction of the drawing. FIG. 10(c) is a side view of the power connection block 90 shown in FIG. 10(a), as viewed from the side in the right direction of the drawing. As is clear from FIG. 10(a), FIG. 10(c) shows a view from the side where a path forming member is arranged, and FIG. 10(b) shows a view from the side where a path forming member is not arranged.

[0091] The power connection block 90 shown in Fig. 10 differs from the power connection block 20 shown in Fig. 2 in the structure of the path forming member 23. The path forming member 23 in the power connection block 20 is formed by winding a coil 27 around the central core 26a of the iron core 26 formed as an assembly of three rod-shaped iron cores 26a, 26b, and 26c. In contrast, the path forming member 23 in the power connection block 90 does not include the central core 26a of the three rod-shaped iron cores 26a, 26b, and 26c. The coil 27 is wound around the connecting portion 26d of the iron core 26 that connects the iron cores 26b and 26c at both ends.

[0092] As in the modified example of path forming member 23 shown in Figure 10, the shape of core 26 and the winding method of coil 27 are not limited to the letter "E" shape shown in Figure 2, as long as the generated magnetic flux is perpendicular to the side surface of paving block 8. The modified example of path forming member 23 has been explained using the example of application to power supply connection block 90, but if power supply connection block 90 adopts the structure of path forming member 23 shown in Figure 10, the load block 30 and relay block 40 must also adopt a similar structure.

[0093] As described above, in this embodiment, there is no need to wire the paving blocks 8 placed on the power transmission path 12. Therefore, even if a fault such as a wire break occurs in the power transmission path 12 and a paving block 8 needs to be replaced, only the faulty paving block 8 needs to be replaced. As described above, the faulty paving block 8 can be found by bringing a magnetic sensor carried by a maintenance worker close to the fault diagnosis coils 25, 35, 45. In other words, there is no need to peel the paving block 8 from the roadbed to diagnose the fault. In this way, this embodiment can provide a power transmission structure that is easy to maintain.

[0094] Furthermore, if wired cables are used as power lines in addition to the configuration for power transmission, there is a possibility that the power lines may be damaged during construction work, such as for laying gas pipes under the road surface. Meanwhile, construction workers must work carefully to avoid damaging the power lines, which tends to increase the workload and time required for the work. However, since wireless power supply is used in this embodiment, workers do not need to worry about such things when working.

[0095] Embodiment 2 The first embodiment has been described above by taking an example where an electromagnetic induction method is used for wireless power supply. In the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, an example where a magnetic field resonance type electromagnetic induction method is used will be described.

[0096] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged view of a portion of the paving block in this embodiment, and corresponds to Figure 6 in the first embodiment. In Figure 11, the structures of the power connection block 220 and relay block 240 (not shown) other than the path forming members 23, 43 may be the same as the structures of the power connection block 20 and relay block 40 shown in Figures 2 and 4. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the path forming member 23 of the power connection block 220 that acts as a power transmitting means and the path forming member 43 of the relay block 240 when acting as a power receiving means will be described as representatives, but the other path forming members 143, 33 are also formed with a similar structure.

[0097] 11 , in wireless power transfer using the magnetic field resonance type electromagnetic induction method, path forming member 23 has resonance capacitor 28 between power line 24, which receives power, and coil 27. Meanwhile, path forming member 43 has resonance capacitor 48 between coil 47 and power line 44, which sends received power. In this way, by providing resonance capacitors 28, 48 in path forming members 23, 43 and giving power transmitting coil 23 and power receiving coil 43 the same resonance frequency, magnetic field resonance occurring between power transmitting coil 23 and power receiving coil 43 is utilized.

[0098] More specifically, when the power receiving coil 43 is placed in the magnetic field generated by the power transmitting coil 23, the power receiving coil 43 resonates and generates a new magnetic field, which in turn excites the resonance of the power transmitting coil 23. In this way, the power transmitting coil 23 and the power receiving coil 43 exchange magnetic fields with each other, strengthening their resonance and creating a strong coupling state (resonance).

[0099] As such, except that the structure of the path forming members 23, 43 and the method of wireless power supply based on the structural differences are different from embodiment 1 which uses the electromagnetic induction method, the structure and function of the paving block 8 other than those described above are the same as embodiment 1, so explanation will be omitted.

[0100] Embodiment 3 In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the case where the electromagnetic induction method is used for wireless power supply has been described as an example. In the present embodiment, the case where the electric field coupling type wireless power supply is used as an example will be described.

[0101] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged view of a portion of the paving block in this embodiment, and corresponds to Figure 6 in the first embodiment. In Figure 12, the structures of the power connection block 320 and relay block 340 (not shown) other than the path forming members 23 and 43 may be the same as the structures of the power connection block 20 and relay block 40 shown in Figures 2 and 4. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the path forming member 23 of the power connection block 320 that acts as a power transmitting means and the path forming member 43 of the relay block 340 when acting as a power receiving means will be described as representatives, but the other path forming members 143 and 33 are also formed with a similar structure.

[0102] 12, in the wireless power supply using the electric field coupling method, path formation member 23 is configured such that plate electrodes 29a and 29b are connected to the ends of power lines 24 to which power is transmitted, instead of coil 27 provided in the above-described embodiments 1 and 2. Meanwhile, path formation member 43 is provided with plate electrodes 49a and 49b that receive power transmitted from plate electrodes 29a and 29b of power connection block 320, instead of coil 47 provided in the above-described embodiments 1 and 2. Power lines 44 that transmit the received power are connected to plate electrodes 49a and 49b, respectively.

[0103] Wireless power transfer using the electric field coupling method utilizes electrostatic capacitive coupling. When a current is passed through one (plate electrode 29) of two opposing electrodes (the above-mentioned plate electrodes 29 and 49) and a positive charge is injected, negative charges are attracted to the positive charge and gather on the other electrode (plate electrode 49), causing a current to appear to flow in the opposite direction to the movement of the negative charge.

[0104] In other words, in the wireless power supply using the electromagnetic induction method shown in embodiments 1 and 2, power is transmitted by the electromagnetic induction phenomenon inducing a current through a magnetic field, i.e., power is transmitted via a magnetic field, but in this embodiment, which uses electrostatic capacitive coupling, power is transmitted by exciting a voltage between two distant electrodes, i.e., power can be transmitted via an electric field.

[0105] Incidentally, the positioning members 22, 42 in the first and second embodiments are formed with a height lower than the thickness of the path-forming blocks. As a result, the periphery of the positioning members 22, 42 is covered with the joint sand 18, which has the effect of suppressing the reduction of magnetic flux. In contrast, although not shown, the height of the positioning members 22, 42 in the paving blocks 8 in this embodiment is formed with the same height as the thickness of the path-forming blocks. When transmitting power via an electric field, positioning members are used to increase the relative permittivity, but by ensuring that the periphery of the positioning members 22, 42 is not covered with the joint sand 18, it is possible to prevent the relative permittivity from changing. In this way, by devising the shape of the positioning members, it is possible to prevent a decrease in power transmission efficiency.

[0106] The electric field coupling method is expected to realize a wireless power transfer system that is relatively inexpensive and lightweight compared to the electromagnetic induction method, because it does not require expensive conductors to pass the large current required by the electromagnetic induction method with low loss, or expensive and heavy magnetic materials to create a strong magnetic flux.

[0107] Embodiment 4 The positioning members 22, 32, 42 shown in the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 3 are formed integrally with the paving blocks 8 and are arranged so as to protrude from the side surfaces of the paving blocks 8. In this embodiment, a positioning stand provided separately from the paving blocks 8 is used as the positioning member.

[0108] FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view of the positioning table 400 in this embodiment. FIG. 14 is a plan view of the power supply connection block 420, the load block 430, and the relay block 440 when viewed from above after being positioned using the positioning table 400 in this embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 5 shown in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the power supply connection block 420, the load block 430, and the relay block 440 are collectively referred to as "paving blocks 8." For ease of explanation, the positioning table 400 is also provided on the side of the power supply connection block 420 that comes into contact with the curb (the left side in the drawing). However, if the curb does not have a groove 450 (described later) on its bottom surface, the positioning table 400 need not be provided.

[0109] The positioning table 400 determines the relative positions of adjacent paving blocks 8 by engaging two paving blocks 8 with each other. The positioning table 400 is composed of a base 402, a pair of positioning protrusions 404a, 404b, and an engaging member 406.

[0110] The positioning protrusions 404 and the engaging members 406 are both formed in a plate shape and are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the positioning table 400 on the base 402. The positioning protrusions 404 are arranged on both side edges of the base 402. For convenience, the positioning protrusions 404 are shown in black in FIG. 14 . The engaging members 406 are arranged in the center of the base 402.

[0111] In this embodiment, grooves 450a, 450b, 450c, and 450d are formed near each side of the bottom surface of the paving block 8. In Figure 14, groove 450 is shown with a dashed line because it is located on the bottom surface of the paving block 8. Because the shapes of groove 450, which is a recess, and positioning protrusion 404, which is a protrusion, match, the positioning protrusion 404 fits into the groove 450 at the corresponding position when the paving block 8 is laid on the road 2. This positions adjacent paving blocks 8. Furthermore, the paving blocks 8 do not rattle when vehicles pass over their surface. Note that the positioning protrusions 404 do not need to be installed at both ends of the base 402 as shown in Figure 13. The grooves 450 and positioning protrusions 404 may be positioned so that the positioning protrusions 404 fit into the grooves 450 when the paving block 8 is laid on the road 2.

[0112] The relative positions of adjacent paving blocks 8 are determined by the erected positions of the positioning protrusions 404. In other words, the positioning protrusions 404 form gaps 14 of a predetermined distance between adjacent paving blocks 8. The engaging members 406 are erected in the gaps 14, and by matching the thickness of the engaging members 406 to the gaps 14, the effect of preventing rattling of the paving blocks 8 can be further improved. This can also improve the effect of reducing magnetic flux loss, which will be described later.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 14, when the positioning table 400 uses an electromagnetic induction system, the engaging member 406 is formed of laminated steel plates stacked in the vertical direction in the drawing. Alternatively, it may be formed of a pressed iron core. This allows the engaging member 406 to have a configuration equivalent to an iron core, and by suppressing eddy currents, magnetic flux loss can be reduced. In order to obtain this effect more effectively, it is preferable to make the height of the engaging member 406 higher than the position of the iron core included in the path forming member.

[0114] The paving blocks 8 shown in the above first to third embodiments were assumed to be interlocking blocks, and therefore the gaps 14 were filled with joint sand 18 containing iron sand. In this embodiment, the engaging members 406 are formed from laminated steel plates or the like, so even if joint sand is to be filled, it is not necessary to use joint sand 18 containing iron sand.

[0115] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the engaging member 406 is formed from a single plate member formed by stacking laminated steel plates, but it may be arranged so as to correspond to the positions of the iron cores included in the path forming member 423, etc. For example, the iron core 26 included in the path forming member 23 shown in Fig. 2 has three iron cores 26a, 26b, and 26c, so the engaging member 406 may be arranged so as to correspond to the positions of each of the iron cores 26a, 26b, and 26c. For example, the engaging member 406 may be divided into three and formed from three plates.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 13, both longitudinal ends of the base 402 of the positioning table 400 protrude, forming 90-degree corners at their tips. FIG. 14 only shows the positioning table 400, which is positioned between the horizontally arranged paving blocks 8. However, when the paving blocks 8 are actually laid on the roadbed, the positioning protrusions 404 are also engaged with the grooves 450b and 450c, i.e., the positioning table 400 shown in FIG. 14 is rotated 90 degrees. In other words, the positioning table 400 is positioned to surround one paving block 8, and the paving block 8 is placed on the roadbed by being placed within it. In this embodiment, the tips of the base 402 are formed at a 90-degree angle, so that each positioning table 400 does not overlap with the tips of other positioning tables 400 when laid on the roadbed. The tip portion of each positioning table 400 is positioned so as to abut against the tip portion of another positioning table 400, and therefore the tip portions may be joined together with an adhesive or the like.

[0117] 14 shows an example in which an electromagnetic induction method is used for wireless power supply. When a magnetic field resonance type electromagnetic induction method is used for wireless power supply, the same positioning table 400 as that used for the electromagnetic induction method can be used.

[0118] When using electric field coupling type wireless power supply, it is possible to use a positioning table 400 having the same shape as that shown in Fig. 13. However, it is preferable to form the engaging member 406 from a material with a high dielectric constant, for example, a dielectric resin such as GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics).

[0119] [Configuration of the present invention] Configuration 1: A road power transmission structure that transmits power from a power source to a load, A road power transmission structure characterized in that a plurality of paving blocks are laid on the road, and at least some of the plurality of paving blocks are configured to be able to transmit power between adjacent blocks via wireless power supply. Configuration 2: Among the paving blocks, the path-forming paving blocks located on the power transmission path between the power source and the load are When laid on the road, the power transmission means functions as at least one of a power transmission means for transmitting power from the power source to the adjacent path-forming pavement blocks and a power receiving means for receiving power transmitted from the adjacent path-forming pavement blocks, and the power transmission means has a path-forming member on its side that forms part of the power transmission path; The road power transmission structure described in configuration 1, characterized in that adjacent path-forming paving blocks transmit and receive power between the path-forming members they each have using wireless power supply. Configuration 3: At least one of the path-forming paving blocks is The path forming member acting as the power transmission means; A power line that transmits power from the power source provided outside or inside the paving block to the path forming member that acts as the power transmission means; 3. The road power transmission structure according to claim 2, comprising: Configuration 4: At least one of the path-forming paving blocks is The path forming member acting as the power receiving means; The load; a power line that transmits the power received by the path forming member acting as the power receiving means to the load; 3. The road power transmission structure according to claim 2, comprising: Configuration 5: At least one of the path-forming paving blocks is The path forming member acting as the power transmission means; The path forming member acting as the power receiving means; a power line that transmits the power received by the path forming member acting as the power receiving means to the path forming member acting as the power transmitting means; 3. The road power transmission structure according to claim 2, comprising: Configuration 6: The road power transmission structure according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, further comprising a positioning member for determining the positional relationship of adjacent path-forming paving blocks. Configuration 7: When the wireless power supply is an electromagnetic induction type wireless power supply, The positioning member is a protrusion protruding from a side surface of the path-forming paving block, The path forming member is A coil and an iron core around which the coil is wound; The road power transmission structure according to configuration 6, characterized in that the iron core is disposed on the path-forming paving block so that the tip of the iron core fits into the protrusion. Configuration 8: A road power transmission structure as described in configuration 6 or 7, characterized in that when the paving blocks are interlocking blocks and electromagnetic induction wireless power supply is used, the gaps formed between adjacent path-forming paving blocks by the positioning members are filled with joint sand mixed with iron sand. Configuration 9: In block paving other than interlocking blocks, the positioning member is The paving blocks are provided separately from the path-forming paving blocks. The foundation and a plurality of protrusions erected from the base at positions that fit into recesses provided on the bottom surfaces of the path-forming paving blocks; 7. The road power transmission structure according to claim 6, comprising: Configuration 10: The road power transmission structure according to any one of configurations 1 to 9, wherein at least one of the path-forming paving blocks is provided with a diagnostic component that enables diagnosis of the power transmission mechanism. Configuration 11: Paving blocks that are laid to form a road, A paving block characterized by being configured to be capable of transmitting power to at least one adjacent paving block via wireless power supply. [Explanation of symbols]

[0120] 2 Road, 4 Curbstone, 6 Power Source (AC Power Source), 8, 8a-8f, Paving Block, 8g, 8h, 8i, 30, 430 Load Block, 10, 16 Load (Light Source), 12 Power Transmission Path, 14 Gap, 18 Joint Sand, 20, 90, 220, 320, 420 Power Connection Block, 21, 31, 41 Main Body, 22a, 22b, 22c, 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d, 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d Positioning Member, 23, 33, 43, 53a, 53b, 53c, 53d, 63a, 63b, 63c, 73a, 73b, 143, 423, 433, 443, 4143 Path Forming Member, 24, 34, 44, 54 Power line, 25, 35, 45 Fault diagnosis coil, 26, 26a, 26b, 26c, 36, 36a, 36b, 36c, 46, 46a, 46b, 46c, 146, 146a, 146b, 146c Iron core, 26d Connecting portion, 27, 37, 47, 147 Coil, 28, 48 Resonant capacitor, 29a, 29b, 49a, 49b Plate electrode, 38, 88 Conversion circuit, 40, 50, 60, 70, 240, 340, 440 Relay block, 80 Power generation block, 82 Solar panel, 84 Capacitor, 86 Control circuit, 400 Positioning table, 402 Board, 404a, 404b Positioning protrusion, 406 Engagement members, 450a, 450b, 450c, 450d grooves.

Claims

1. A road power transmission structure that transmits power from a power source to a load, A road power transmission structure characterized in that a plurality of paving blocks are laid on the road, and among the plurality of paving blocks, path-forming paving blocks located on the power transmission path between the power source and the load are configured to transmit and receive power via wireless power supply.

2. The path-forming paving blocks are The power transmission means transmits power from the power source to the adjacent path-forming pavement blocks, or the power receiving means receives power transmitted from the adjacent path-forming pavement blocks. The power transmission means has a path-forming member on its side that forms part of the power transmission path. The road power transmission structure described in claim 1, characterized in that adjacent path forming pavement blocks transmit and receive power between the path forming members that they each have and the path forming members that are located in opposing positions using the wireless power supply.

3. At least one of the path-forming paving blocks is The path forming member acting as the power transmission means; A power line that transmits power from the power source provided outside or inside the paving block to the path forming member that acts as the power transmission means; 3. The road power transmission structure according to claim 2, further comprising:

4. At least one of the path-forming paving blocks is The path forming member acting as the power receiving means; The load; a power line that transmits the power received by the path forming member acting as the power receiving means to the load; 3. The road power transmission structure according to claim 2, further comprising:

5. At least one of the path-forming paving blocks is The path forming member acting as the power transmission means; The path forming member acting as the power receiving means; a power line that transmits the power received by the path forming member acting as the power receiving means to the path forming member acting as the power transmitting means; 3. The road power transmission structure according to claim 2, further comprising:

6. 3. The road power transmission structure according to claim 2, further comprising a positioning member for determining the relative positions of the path forming members relative to adjacent path forming paving blocks.

7. A road power transmission structure as described in Claim 6, characterized in that the positioning member mechanically determines the positional relationship of the path forming members between adjacent path forming paving blocks, maintains a gap, and suppresses horizontal relative positional deviation.

8. When the wireless power supply is an electromagnetic induction type wireless power supply, The positioning member is a protrusion protruding from a side surface of the path-forming paving block, The path forming member is A coil and an iron core around which the coil is wound; 7. The road power transmission structure according to claim 6, wherein the iron core is disposed on the path-forming paving block so that a tip of the iron core is inserted into the protrusion.

9. The road power transmission structure described in claim 6, characterized in that the path forming paving blocks are interlocking blocks, and when the wireless power supply is an electromagnetic induction type wireless power supply, the gaps formed between adjacent path forming paving blocks by the positioning members are filled with joint sand mixed with iron sand.

10. In block paving other than interlocking blocks, the positioning member is The paving blocks are provided separately from the path-forming paving blocks. The foundation and a plurality of protrusions erected from the base at positions that fit into recesses provided on the bottom surfaces of the path-forming paving blocks; 7. The road power transmission structure according to claim 6, further comprising:

11. 3. The road power transmission structure according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the path-forming paving blocks is provided with a diagnostic member that enables diagnosis of the power transmission mechanism.

12. A paving block that forms a road by being laid and is located on a power transmission path between a power source and a load, A paving block located on the power transmission path and configured to transmit and receive power to and from adjacent paving blocks via wireless power supply.

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