JP4182764B2 - Wireless power receiver for vehicle - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technology for supplying energy to a vehicle, and more particularly to a vehicle wireless power receiving apparatus that converts a supplied radio wave into electric energy, and a tire, a wheel, and a wheel provided with a means for receiving the radio wave.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A system has been devised in which a power source that generates a magnetic field is provided on a road, and the vehicle receives power from the magnetic field by passing through the magnetic field. As such a system, a power receiving means for receiving power from a power source provided on the road is provided on the vehicle side, and the power receiving means is raised or lowered with respect to the road depending on whether or not the road has a power source. The thing provided with the raising / lowering means is proposed (for example, refer patent document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-55-92504 [0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Providing the vehicle with the lifting means disclosed in Patent Document 1 leads to an increase in cost. When a vehicle that obtains electric power by receiving radio waves from the outside is put into practical use, it is desirable that electric power can be efficiently obtained with a simple configuration in terms of cost.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle wireless power receiving apparatus that efficiently receives radio waves and obtains electric energy, and a tire including a means for receiving radio waves, To provide wheels and wheels.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, an aspect of the present invention includes a receiving unit that receives an external radio wave, a power conversion unit that converts the radio wave received by the receiving unit into electrical energy, and the power conversion unit. electrical load and includes a receiving means for utilizing the converted electrical energy by the, in the vehicle suspension mechanism having a axle beam portion connecting the spring portions of the left and right spring portion having a coil spring and a shock absorber under the vehicle spring Provided is a radio power receiving apparatus for a vehicle which is provided on a lower surface of a certain axle beam portion so as to face a road surface. By providing the receiving means on the lower surface of the axle beam portion of the vehicle suspension mechanism, it is possible to minimize the influence of the vehicle body behavior when receiving radio waves, and to bring the receiving means close to the external radio wave transmitting means. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently receive radio waves and acquire electrical energy. Further, by using the space below the spring of the vehicle suspension mechanism, the receiving means can be efficiently mounted on the vehicle.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an energy supply system that supplies energy to a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle 1 includes a suspension mechanism 14. The suspension mechanism 14 is provided between the vehicle body and the wheel 12 to support the vehicle body with a spring portion, absorbs vibrations from the road surface and improves riding comfort, and generates a force generated between the wheel 12 and the road surface. It has a function to improve the maneuverability by transmitting to the. The spring portion includes a spring and a shock absorber. In the present embodiment, the position of the member supported by the spring portion of the suspension mechanism 14 is referred to as “sprung”, and the position of the member not supported by the spring portion is referred to as “unsprung”.
[0013]
The vehicle 1 includes a wireless power receiving apparatus that receives microwaves and converts them into energy. Specifically, while traveling on a road, the vehicle 1 receives microwaves supplied from an energy supply facility 100 provided outside by the rectenna 10 and converts the received microwaves into electric energy. In this example, the microwave transmission antenna 104 of the energy supply facility 100 is configured on the road surface or embedded in the road surface, and the microwave is supplied from the road surface. The rectenna 10 includes a receiving antenna and a rectifier circuit, and has a function of extracting direct-current power directly from the microwave. The electric energy extracted by the rectenna 10 is charged in the battery 20 and used by the on-vehicle electric load 16. The electric load 16 is, for example, a drive motor for the wheel 12 or a light 18. Note that the receiving antenna and the circuit that converts microwaves into electrical energy may be formed separately.
[0014]
On the other hand, in the roadside energy supply facility 100, the microwave generator 102 generates a microwave, and the microwave transmission antenna 104 transmits the generated microwave. The timing for generating the microwave and the intensity of the microwave are controlled by an energy supply electronic control device (hereinafter, the electronic control device is referred to as “ECU”) 106. The microwave generator 102 may always generate microwaves, but even if the vehicle 1 does not pass near the energy supply facility 100, generating microwaves is a waste of power, and the external environment In order to reduce the influence of microwaves on the vehicle, the microwaves may be generated only when the vehicle 1 passes. In this case, the transceiver 22 of the vehicle 1 may send a microwave transmission command to the transceiver 108 of the energy supply facility 100, and the energy supply ECU 106 may drive the microwave generator 102 in response to the command. .
[0015]
In the present embodiment, the rectenna 10 is provided under the spring of the vehicle 1. When the receiving antenna and the circuit for converting microwaves into electric energy are formed separately, at least the receiving antenna is provided under the spring of the vehicle 1. By providing the receiving antenna of the vehicle 1 under the spring, the distance between the microwave transmitting antenna 104 and the receiving antenna embedded on the road surface or embedded in the road surface can be shortened, and the microwave receiving efficiency can be increased. In addition, even when the sprung member moves up and down as the vehicle 1 travels, the distance between the receiving antenna provided under the spring and the road surface can be kept stable. In the example of FIG. 1, a rectenna 10 having a receiving antenna is provided inside the wheel 12.
[0016]
FIG. 2A shows an example of a cross-sectional configuration of the wheel 12 provided with microwave receiving means. The wheel 12 includes a tire 30 and a wheel 32. In this example, the rectenna 10 is mounted on the wheel 32, and the reception surface of the rectenna 10 is provided on the wheel 32 so as to face the space inside the tire 30, that is, radially outward. The rectenna 10 is preferably attached along the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 32 without a gap in order to efficiently receive the microwave. Thereby, when the wheel 12 rotates, the rectenna 10 continuously provided in the circumferential direction of the wheel 32 can receive microwaves without interruption. When the wheel 32 is formed of a non-conductive material, the mounting position of the rectenna 10 is not limited to the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 32 but may be provided inside the wheel 32.
[0017]
Further, when the wheel cap 36 is present, the rectenna 10 may be provided on the back surface of the wheel cap 36. At this time, it is preferable that the receiving surface of the rectenna 10 is installed so as to face outward in the radial direction. The electrical energy acquired by the rectenna 10 is supplied to the battery 20 through a wiring (not shown). The rectenna 10 is an example of a microwave receiving means, and the receiving antenna alone may be attached to the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 32 or the back surface of the wheel cap 36.
[0018]
FIG. 2B shows another example of a cross-sectional configuration of the wheel 12 provided with microwave receiving means. In this example, the rectenna 10 is mounted on the inner surface of the tire 30. As illustrated, the rectenna 10 is preferably provided on the inner peripheral surface of the tire 30 so as to be closest to the road surface, but may be provided on the inner side surface of the tire 30. In any case, it is preferable that the reception surface of the rectenna 10 is installed so as to face outward in the radial direction. The rectenna 10 is preferably attached without gaps on the inner surface of the tire 30 in order to efficiently receive microwaves. Thereby, when the wheel 12 rotates, the rectenna 10 continuously provided in the circumferential direction of the tire 30 can receive microwaves without interruption. Note that the rectenna 10 may be embedded in the tire 30. The electrical energy acquired by the rectenna 10 is supplied to the battery 20 through a wiring (not shown). The rectenna 10 is an example of a microwave receiving unit, and a receiving antenna alone may be attached to the inner surface of the tire 30.
[0019]
FIG.2 (c) shows another example of the cross-sectional structure of the wheel 12 provided with the microwave receiving means. In this example, the steel belt 40 is provided in layers inside the tire 30, and this steel belt 40 is used as a microwave receiving means. As a result, the steel belt 40 as the reinforcing member can be effectively used as a reception antenna, and the need to newly provide a reception antenna can be eliminated. The microwave received by the steel belt 40 is converted into DC power by a rectifier circuit (not shown). The rectifier circuit may be provided in the tire 30 or the wheel 32, and the acquired energy is supplied to the battery 20 through a wiring (not shown).
[0020]
FIG. 3 shows an example of the suspension mechanism 14 provided with microwave receiving means. The suspension mechanism 14 includes a spring portion 50 having a coil spring and a shock absorber, and an axle beam portion 52 that connects the left and right spring portions 50. In this example, the rectenna 10 is mounted on the lower surface of the axle beam portion 52 that is an unsprung member. In the suspension mechanism 14, there is a sufficient space around the axle beam portion 52 for mounting the rectenna 10, which is suitable as a mounting position for the rectenna 10. In addition, the mounting position of the rectenna 10 is not limited to the axle beam portion 52 but can be mounted on the trailing arm portion 54 of the suspension mechanism 14 or the like. Further, the rectenna 10 may be mounted not only on the axle suspension type suspension mechanism 14 but also on an independent suspension type suspension mechanism. In any case, by arranging the rectenna 10 under the spring, it is possible to minimize the influence of the vehicle body behavior at the time of microwave reception. Furthermore, the reception surface of the rectenna 10 and the energy supply equipment 100 The distance from the microwave transmission antenna 104 can be shortened.
[0021]
FIG. 4A shows a system diagram of the vehicle 1 according to the embodiment. The vehicle 1 includes a wheel motor 60 that drives the wheels 12. FIG. 4A shows a configuration in which the wheel motor 60 is provided on one wheel 12, but the wheel motor 60 is similarly provided on the other wheels 12. In the wheel motor 60, all or a part of the motor is housed in the wheel 32 of the wheel 12, and the rotational driving force of the motor rotor is directly transmitted to the wheel 12, thereby realizing good driving efficiency. The vehicle 1 may be configured as an electric vehicle, but may be configured as a hybrid vehicle having a drive device that combines an internal combustion engine and an electric motor.
[0022]
The wheel motor ECU 64 supplies a control signal to the motor driver 62 and controls the driving of the wheel motor 60. The wheel motor ECU 64 controls the DC / DC converter 66 to adjust the voltage output from the battery 20. The output of the wheel motor 60 is transmitted to the wheel 12 via the speed reducer 68.
[0023]
When receiving the microwave, the motor driver 62 is supplied with the power acquired by the rectenna 10 together with the power supplied from the battery 20. The wheel motor ECU 64 may monitor the amount of power supplied from the rectenna 10 and control the output of the DC / DC converter 66 according to the amount of power. When the rectenna 10 is provided in the wheel 12, since the rectenna 10 and the motor driver 62 of the wheel motor 60 are close to each other, the power supply wiring can be very short or eliminated, and efficient energy supply can be achieved. . As described above, the power acquired by the rectenna 10 may be supplied to the battery 20.
[0024]
FIG. 4B shows a conceptual diagram of the wheel 12 in which the wheel motor 60 is incorporated in the wheel 32. As described with reference to FIG. 2A, when the rectenna 10 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 32 or the back surface of the wheel cap 36, the rectenna 10 can be configured to directly supply power to the motor driver 62. The wiring between the motor 10 and the motor driver 62 can be omitted. Thereby, efficient energy supply is realizable. Further, even when the rectenna 10 is mounted on the inner surface of the tire 30, the wiring between the rectenna 10 and the motor driver 62 can be made very short, so that an efficient energy supply can be similarly realized.
[0025]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle radio power receiving apparatus that can efficiently receive radio waves and convert them into energy, and a tire, a wheel, and a wheel that include a means for receiving radio waves.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an energy supply system that supplies energy to a vehicle according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional configuration of a wheel provided with microwave receiving means, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing another example of a cross-sectional configuration of a wheel; ) Is a diagram showing still another example of the cross-sectional configuration of the wheel.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a suspension mechanism provided with microwave receiving means.
4A is a system diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a conceptual diagram of a wheel in which a wheel motor is incorporated in the wheel.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle, 10 ... Rectenna, 12 ... Wheel, 14 ... Suspension mechanism, 16 ... Electric load, 18 ... Light, 20 ... Battery, 22 ... Transceiver , 30 ... tire, 32 ... wheel, 36 ... wheel cap, 40 ... steel belt, 50 ... spring part, 52 ... axle beam part, 54 ... trailing arm part , 60 ... wheel motor, 62 ... motor driver, 64 ... wheel motor ECU, 66 ... DC / DC converter, 68 ... speed reducer, 100 ... energy supply equipment, 102 ... A microwave generator, 104 ... a microwave transmission antenna, 106 ... an energy supply ECU, 108 ... a transceiver.

Claims (1)

Receiving means for receiving radio waves from the outside, power converting means for converting the radio waves received by the receiving means into electrical energy, and an electrical load that uses the electrical energy converted by the power converting means,
In the vehicle suspension mechanism having an axle beam portion connecting the spring portion having the coil spring and the shock absorber and the left and right spring portions, the receiving means is provided on the lower surface of the axle beam portion under the vehicle spring so as to face the road surface. A wireless power receiving device for a vehicle.

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