US-12627175-B2 - Contactless power feeding facility

Abstract

A contactless power feeding facility includes a coupling unit electromagnetically coupling a target feeder line and an adjacent feeder line. A target power supply apparatus includes: a phase detector detecting the induced current phase which is the phase of an induced current flowing through the target feeder line by the electromagnetic induction via the coupling unit while an alternating current is supplied to the adjacent feeder line by an adjacent power supply apparatus; an alternating-current generator generating the alternating current to be supplied to the target feeder line; and a phase controller controlling the alternating-current generator such that the phase of the alternating current to be supplied to the target feeder approaches the induced current phase detected by the phase detector.

Inventors

• Makoto Nunoya

Assignees

• DAIFUKU CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20231011

Priority Date

20221012

Claims (5)

1. 1 . A contactless power feeding facility, comprising: a plurality of feeder lines arranged along a moving route of a movable body comprising a power receiver; and power supply apparatuses connected to the plurality of respective feeder lines to supply an alternating current to the connected feeder lines, wherein the contactless power feeding facility is configured to supply power to the power receiver in a contactless manner, with one of the plurality of feeder lines as a target feeder line, with a power supply apparatus connected to the target feeder line as a target power supply apparatus, with a feeder line adjacent to the target feeder line along the moving route as an adjacent feeder line, and with a power supply apparatus connected to the adjacent feeder line as an adjacent power supply apparatus, the contactless power feeding facility further comprising: a coupling unit configured to electromagnetically couple the target feeder line and the adjacent feeder line, and wherein: the target power supply apparatus comprises: a phase detector configured to detect an induced current phase, which is a phase of an induced current flowing through the target feeder line by electromagnetic induction via the coupling unit while an alternating current is supplied to the adjacent feeder line by the adjacent power supply apparatus; an alternating-current generator configured to generate an alternating current to be supplied to the target feeder line; and a phase controller configured to control the alternating-current generator such that a phase of the alternating current to be supplied to the target feeder line approaches the induced current phase detected by the phase detector.
2. 2 . The contactless power feeding facility according to claim 1 , wherein: the phase detector is configured to detect the induced current phase while no alternating current is supplied to the target feeder line by the target power supply apparatus.
3. 3 . The contactless power feeding facility according to claim 2 , wherein: the target power supply apparatus further comprises: a phase storage configured to store the induced current phase; and a load power detector configured to detect a load power which is power supplied to the target feeder line by the target power supply apparatus, and the phase controller is configured to control the alternating-current generator to match a phase of an alternating current flowing through the target feeder line with the induced current phase stored in the phase storage in response to a change caused according to the load power in a phase difference of the alternating current flowing through the target feeder line with respect to an alternating-current voltage applied to the target feeder line.
4. 4 . The contactless power feeding facility according to claim 1 , wherein: the coupling unit comprises: a target coil constituted by a part of the target feeder line; an adjacent coil constituted by a part of the adjacent feeder line, and a magnetic core, and the target coil, the adjacent coil, and the magnetic core are concentrically arranged.
5. 5 . The contactless power feeding facility according to claim 4 , wherein: the magnetic core is formed in a ring shape, and with a direction along the moving route as a route direction, the target coil, the adjacent coil, and the magnetic core are arranged to surround a locus of movement of the movable body along a plane intersecting the route direction.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-163965, filed Oct. 12, 2022, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a contactless power feeding facility including: a plurality of feeder lines arranged along a moving route of a movable body having a power receiver; and a plurality of power supply apparatuses supplying an alternating current to the plurality of respective feeder lines, the contactless power feeding facility being configured to supply power to the power receiver in a contactless manner. 2. Description of Related Art Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-67747 discloses a power supply facility (contactless power feeding facility) including a plurality of induction lines (47) as feeder lines where an alternating current flows arranged along a moving route of a movable body (V), and configured to supply power to the movable body (V) in a contactless manner (Reference numerals in the brackets in the background art are those in the literature to be referred to). To the plurality of induction lines (47), power supply apparatuses (inverters (M)) are connected to supply power to the respective induction lines (47). The movable body (V) including a power receiver (pickup coil (5)) travels with supply of power from the plurality of induction lines (47) while transferring the plurality of induction lines (47). For the smooth travel of the movable body (V), it is preferable that the power is stably supplied even in transfer sections of the induction lines (47), and it is important that alternating currents of the adjacent induction lines (V) are synchronized with each other. In the power supply facility, optical transmission devices (51) are connected to the respective power supply apparatuses (inverters (M)). Then, a clock pulse signal specifying the electrical characteristics, such as the frequency, of the alternating current supplied from a specific inverter (M) to the induction line (47) is output from the optical transmission device (51) connected to the concerned inverter (M). The clock pulse signal is transmitted in parallel to the other plurality of inverters (M) via the optical transmission devices (51) respectively connected to the other inverters (M). The other inverters (M) output, based on the respective transmitted clock pulse signals, alternating currents synchronized with the alternating current output by the concerned inverter (M) that had output the clock pulse signal to the induction lines (47) connected to the respective inverters (M). Thus, the alternating currents flowing through the plurality of induction line (47) are synchronized with each other and the movable body (V) can be stably supplied with the power while transferring the plurality of induction lines (47), so that the movable body (V) can smoothly travel. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The transmission of a synchronizing signal serving as the reference, such as the clock pulse signal, to the respective power supply apparatuses to synchronize the plurality of power supply apparatuses based on the synchronizing signal also requires, in addition to the feeder lines, the arrangement of transmission lines for the synchronizing signal along the moving route and also requires a large number of signal transmission devices, such as the optical transmission device, for transmitting the synchronizing signal to the transmission lines. This tends to raise the material cost for the facility or increase the man-hours for installation. Further, a large number of signal transmission devices are required, and therefore the cost required for maintenance of the devices is likely to increase. In view of the above-described circumstances, it is desired to provide a technology of appropriately synchronizing the alternating currents flowing through the feeder lines while reducing the material cost or the man-hours for installation in the contactless power feeding facility having the plurality of feeder lines arranged along the moving route of the movable body. The contactless power feeding facility in view of the above is a contactless power feeding facility, including: a plurality of feeder lines arranged along a moving route of a movable body including a power receiver; and power supply apparatuses connected to the plurality of respective feeder lines to supply an alternating current to the connected feeder lines, the contactless power feeding facility being configured to supply power to the power receiver in a contactless manner, with one of the plurality of feeder lines as a target feeder line, with a power supply apparatus connected to the target feeder line as a target power supply apparatus, with a feeder line adjacent to the target feeder line along the moving route as an adjacent feeder line, and with a power supply apparatus connected