Vehicle Wireless Power Transfer System for Logistics
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing moving vehicle power supply systems require multiple power transmitting devices, leading to lengthy installation times and increased expenditure, and the task of charging vehicles can disrupt transportation tasks, especially for vehicles far from charging stations, necessitating larger batteries to ensure sufficient capacity.
Innovation Solution
A system where vehicles are equipped with both power receiving and supply devices, allowing them to transfer electric power wirelessly between each other and with ground power supply devices, reducing the number of ground power supply devices needed and enabling charging without the need for vehicles to travel to a charging station.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple power transmitting devices are provided at each park position, then wireless power supply coverage is improved, but installation time and expenditure increase
Solution Approach 1:
Vehicles are equipped with both power receiving devices and power supply devices, enabling them to charge other vehicles directly. This self-service approach eliminates the need for multiple ground-based power transmitting devices at each park position, reducing installation time while maintaining power supply coverage through vehicle-to-vehicle charging networks.
Solution Approach 2:
Vehicles serve dual functions: they are both power consumers (with power receiving devices) and power sources (with power supply devices). This multi-functionality allows a single vehicle to participate in multiple charging transactions, replacing the need for dedicated ground-based power transmitting infrastructure at numerous locations.
2Reliability
If vehicles travel to battery charging stations for charging, then power supply reliability is improved, but transportation task efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Vehicles charge other vehicles directly through vehicle-to-vehicle power transfer, eliminating the need to travel to centralized charging stations. This self-service charging mechanism allows vehicles to perform power transactions at any location, maintaining power supply reliability while avoiding interruptions to transportation tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
Vehicles can charge other vehicles during idle periods or when parked temporarily during transportation tasks, performing power supply actions preliminarily or concurrently with transportation operations, thus avoiding separate trips to charging stations.
3Reliability
If battery capacity is increased to meet needs of vehicles far from charging stations, then power supply reliability is improved, but vehicle size and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Vehicles serve as both power consumers and power sources, creating a distributed charging network. This eliminates the need for individual vehicles to carry excessive battery capacity for long-range operations, as power can be replenished from other vehicles in the network, reducing battery size while maintaining operational reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Other vehicles act as intermediary power sources, providing charge to vehicles that would otherwise need large batteries. This mediator approach allows vehicles to operate with smaller batteries by accessing power from the vehicle network rather than relying solely on onboard storage capacity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the time and cost of installing and maintaining power supply devices, minimizes the disruption of transportation tasks due to charging, and prevents the need for excessively large batteries by allowing vehicles to charge and supply power efficiently within their operational areas.
Implementation Method 1
a power receiving device that is provided so as to face a ground power supply device and that receives electric power from the ground power supply device
Implementation Method 2
a power supply device that supplies at least a portion of the electric power received by the power receiving device to a second vehicle that is to be supplied with power
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A vehicle (3, 3A) is provided with: a power receiving coil (3a) that is provided so as to face a ground power supply coil (2a) and that receives electric power from the ground power supply coil (2a); a storage battery (3d) that stores the electric power received by the power receiving coil (3a); and a power supply coil (3f) that supplies the electric power received by the power receiving coil (3a) to the outside. A transporting system is provided with: a plurality of travel tracks (1A, 1B) along which the plurality of vehicles (3, 3A) travel; and power transfer areas (Ka, Kb) where a vehicle (3, 3A) traveling along a travel track (1A) and a vehicle (3, 3A) traveling along another travel track (1B) are able to mutually transfer electric power to each other.