Electricity: power supply or regulation systems – Including a transformer or an inductor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-02
2001-06-26
Wong, Peter S. (Department: 2838)
Electricity: power supply or regulation systems
Including a transformer or an inductor
C323S356000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06252386
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a non-contact power supply system and apparatus for supplying electric power to a load from a feeder line connected to an AC power source via a pickup portion magneto-coupled in a physically non-contact state with the feeder line, and to carrying equipment using the non-contact power supply system and apparatus.
In general, a monorail type carrying equipment has been widely employed in an assembly process of an automobile or the like. In such carrying equipment, a plurality of carrier vehicles, on which an assembly part to be carried is placed, are put on a common rail, and feeding is carried out with respect to a drive motor and a control system mounted on each carrier vehicle so that each carrier vehicle is independently driven and controlled, and thus, each carrier vehicle is automatically driven while being stopped at each predetermined station.
As one of power supply methods with respect to each carrier vehicle, a non-contact power supply apparatus is employed. More specifically, in the non-contact power supply apparatus, a feeder line connected to an AC power source is arranged along a common rail, and a carrier vehicle side is provided with a pickup portion magneto-coupled in a physically non-contact state with the feeder line, and thus, power supply is carried out with respect to each carrier vehicle from the feeder line via the pickup portion.
Non-contact power supply apparatus in the prior art, as shown in FIG.
1
and
FIG. 2
has been known.
FIG. 1
is a schematic view showing a construction of a parallel resonance non-contact power supply apparatus, and
FIG. 2
is a schematic view showing a construction of a general serial resonance non-contact power supply apparatus.
In
FIG. 1
, a reference numeral
5
denotes a magnetocoupling portion, and
6
denotes an incoming circuit. The magnetocoupling portion
5
comprises a feeder line
2
connected to a high-frequency AC power source and a pickup portion
10
, and the feeder line
2
and the pickup portion
10
are magneto-coupled in a physically non-contact state. The pickup portion
10
comprises a pickup core
11
made of a magnetic body and a pickup coil
12
wound around the core
11
. The incoming circuit
6
is composed of a resonance capacitor
21
which is connected in parallel with both ends of the pickup coil
12
of the pickup portion
10
, a constant-current/constant-voltage converting part
22
and a rectifying part
23
. A load such as a drive motor (not shown) of a carrier vehicle is connected to the rectifying part
23
of the incoming circuit
6
.
In the aforesaid parallel resonance non-contact power supply apparatus, when a constant current of about 10 to 20 kHz flows to the feeder line
2
from the AC power source, a magnetic flux generated around the feeder line
2
is interlinked with the pickup coil
12
of the pickup portion
10
in the magneto-coupled portion
5
, and thus, an induced power is generated in the pickup coil
12
. An inductance of the pickup coil
12
and a capacitance of the resonance capacitor
21
are set so as to have a resonance relation, and thereby, these pickup coil
12
and the resonance capacitor
21
function as a constant current source. Then, the generated induced power is converted into a constant voltage as a predetermined constant current by means of the constant-current/constant-voltage converting part
22
, of the incoming circuit
6
and further, is rectified by means of the rectifying part
23
, and thus, is supplied to a load.
On the other hand, in the serial circuit as shown in
FIG. 2
, the resonance capacitor
21
is connected in series to the pickup coil
12
, and the incoming circuit
6
is composed of a rectifying part
23
which is provided with a load
In the aforesaid serial resonance non-contact power supply apparatus, when a constant current of about 10 to 20 kHz flows to the feeder line
2
from the AC power source, a magnetic flux generated around the feeder line
2
is interlinked with the pickup coil
12
of the pickup portion
10
in the magnetocoupling portion
5
, and thus, an induced power is generated in the pickup coil
12
. An inductance of the pickup coil
12
and a capacitance of the resonance capacitor
21
are set so as to have a resonance relation, and thereby, these pickup coil
12
and the resonance capacitor
21
function as a constant voltage source. Then, the generated induced power is rectified as a predetermined constant voltage by means of the rectifying part
23
of the incoming circuit
6
, and then, is supplied to a load.
In the aforesaid parallel resonance non-contact power supply apparatus, even in the case where no load is operated, a large circulating current flows through a resonance circuit comprising the pickup coil
12
and the resonance capacitor
21
, and then, the pickup coil
12
, which is a secondary winding, is exothermic. For this reason, a supply of current must be carried out with respect to a load within a coating heat-proof limit range of the pickup coil
12
; as a result, there is a problem that a supply capability is limited. Further, there is a problem that the constant-current/constant-voltage converting part
22
is indispensable to the incoming circuit
6
.
On the other hand, in the serial resonance non-contact power supply apparatus, a constant voltage source is composed of a resonance circuit comprising the pickup portion
10
and the resonance capacitor
21
; therefore, no converter circuit for constant-current and constant-voltage is required. A current flowing through the pickup coil
12
is small as a load current; however, there is an air gap between distal ends of the pickup core
11
of the magnetocoupling portion
5
; for this reason, a mutual inductance between the feeder line
2
and the pickup portion
10
is small. In order to supply a required voltage to a load, the number of windings of the pickup coil
12
must be increased. As a result, an inductance of the pickup coil
12
becomes large, and in the case where a current flows through the load, a potential difference between both terminals of the pickup coil
12
becomes several thousands of voltages. Thus, a discharge is generated between adjacent windings; as a result, there is the possibility that a dielectric breakdown is caused. Further, like the case of the aforesaid parallel resonance non-contact power supply apparatus, there is a problem in that a supply capability must be limited.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact power supply system and apparatus which can prevent a high voltage from being generated in a secondary circuit, and can supply a large current to a load without a limitation of supply capability.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact power supply system and apparatus which is constructed in a manner that a current does not flow through an inductor such as a coil even in the case where a load current is zero, and can reduce a current loss.
Further, still another object of the present invention is to provide a carrying equipment which can effectively drive a carrier vehicle at a high speed.
A first aspect of the present invention provides a non-contact power supply apparatus which interlinks a magnetic flux generated by an AC current flowing through a primary circuit with a secondary circuit so that an induced power is generated in the secondary circuit, and supplies a constant voltage to a load, wherein the secondary circuit includes: a plurality of inductors connected in series; and a plurality of capacitors each of which is interposed between the plurality of inductors.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the inductor and the capacitor are alternately connected in series, and thereby, not only the incoming circuit requires no constant-current/constant-voltage converting part, but also no circulating current flows as compared with the parallel resonance non-contact type. As a result, even if a load current flows, no large current flows through
Irie Hisaichi
Kitayoshi Haruyoshi
Minami Hideaki
Takashige Satoshi
Yamamoto Kenzo
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Laxton Gary L.
Tsubakimoto Chain Co.
Wong Peter S.
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