Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Holdings Corporation

Princeton University

Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America

Nippon Hoso' Kyokai

Matshushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd.

Sanbio, Inc.

Hiroshi Kanno

Tsutomu Sakata

Hiroshi Yamamoto

Tomoyasu Fujishima

Ushio Sangawa

Kazuyuki Sakiyama

Atsushi Yamamoto

Eiji Takahashi

Kenichi Asanuma

Hiromu Matsumoto

Satoru Kikuchi

Yuji Hamada

Haruhisa Hashimoto

Akimichi Maekawa

Kazuki Nishimura

Yoshitaka Nishio

Tomokazu Sada

Stephen R Forrest

Shigeharu Taira

Yukihiro Yoshimine

Tasuku Ishiguro

Youhei Murakami

Takeshi Nakayama

Kiyoshi Yoneda

Yuichi Ninomiya

Mari Dezawa

Hideo Oosumi

Atsushi Saita

Yoshio Yuse

Sumio Hanafusa

Takao Tohda

Yasufumi Tsunomura

Masayuki Sugawara

Tsuyoshi Tsujioka

Ichiro Tanahashi

Shigeyuki Okamoto

Takahiro Mishima

Koji Asai

Masaya Nakai

Hajime Sawada

Masahiko Takano

Noriyuki Matsusue

Tatsuro Usuki

Hiroshi Ochiai

Junpei Irikawa

Kazunori Sato

Shuji Fukumochi

Hideaki Miyamoto

Masahiro Iwata

Kohji Mitani

Shingo Nakano

Keisuke Suetsugi

Keisuke Ogawa

Kaori Saito

Hiroshi Matsuki

Yoshihiro Fujita

Nobuo Saito

Kazuhiko Miyamoto

Toshinori Saitoh

Tsumoto Sakata

Eiji Takahasahi

A power transmitting and receiving system includes a power receiving device including a power receiving coil, and a power transmission device including power transmission coils arranged in a line, a power transmission circuit, and control circuitry. The control circuitry switches an electrical connection between the power transmission circuit and each power transmission coil, detects a relative position between the power receiving coil and each power transmission coil, selects adjacent power transmission coils based on the relative position, and causes the power transmission circuit to supply AC power to the selected power transmission coils. In an array direction of the power transmission coils, width Dwt of each power transmission coil is shorter than width Dwr of the power receiving coil. In a direction perpendicular to the array direction, width Dlt of each power transmission coil is equal to or longer than width Dlr of the power receiving coil.

Power transmission device and wireless power transmission system

A power transmission device includes power transmission coils arranged in a line, a power transmission circuit connected to the power transmission coils, and control circuitry that switches an electrical connection between the power transmission circuit and each power transmission coil, detects a relative position between the power receiving coil and each power transmission coil, selects two or more power transmission coils adjacent to each other based on the detected relative position, and causes the power transmission circuit to supply the AC power to the selected two or more power transmission coils. In a direction perpendicular to an array direction of the power transmission coils, width Dlt of each power transmission coil is equal to or longer than width Dlr of the power receiving coil. In the array direction, width Dwt of each power transmission coil is shorter than width Dwr of the power receiving coil and satisfies 0.2≤Dwt/Dwr.

A power transmission device includes power transmission coils arranged in a line, a power transmission circuit connected to the power transmission coils, and control circuitry that switches an electrical connection between the power transmission circuit and each power transmission coil, detects a relative position between the power receiving coil and each power transmission coil, selects two or more power transmission coils adjacent to each other based on the detected relative position, and causes the power transmission circuit to supply the AC power to the selected two or more power transmission coils. In an array direction of the power transmission coils, a width Dwt of each power transmission coil is shorter than a width Dwr of the power receiving coil. In a direction perpendicular to the array direction, a width Dlt of each power transmission coil is equal to or longer than a width Dlr of the power receiving coil.

An electrode unit is used in a power transmitting device or a power receiving device in a wireless power transmission system of an electric field coupling method. The electrode unit includes a first electrode and a second electrode, which are a power transmitting electrode pair or a power receiving electrode pair, and a matching circuit to be connected between a power conversion circuit and the first and second electrodes in the power transmitting device or the power receiving device. The matching circuit includes a first inductor connected to the first electrode, a second inductor connected to the second electrode, and a first capacitor. The first capacitor is connected between a wire between the first electrode and the first inductor and a wire between the second electrode and the second inductor. The first inductor and the second inductor are magnetically coupled together with a negative coupling coefficient.

Electrode unit, power transmitting device, power receiving device, and wireless power transmission system

A mobile vehicle wirelessly receives AC power from a power transmission device including first and second power transmission electrodes arranged along a road surface. The mobile vehicle includes: a sensor that detects an obstacle located at least either on a route of the mobile vehicle or under the mobile vehicle; a first power reception electrode that forms electric field coupling with the first power transmission electrode when facing the first power transmission electrode; a second power reception electrode that forms electric field coupling with the second power transmission electrode when facing the second power transmission electrode; an actuator that moves at least the part of the first power reception electrode in a direction of gravity; and a control circuit that controls the actuator based on a result of detection by the sensor to avoid contact between the first power reception electrode and the obstacle.

Mobile vehicle and wireless power transfer system

A wireless power transmission system includes a power transmitting device and a power receiving device. The power transmitting device includes: a first inverter circuit to output charging power to be directed to power transmission; a power transmitting antenna; and a first control circuit to control the first inverter circuit. The power receiving device includes: a power receiving antenna; and a trigger application circuit to apply, to detecting power to be supplied to the power receiving antenna, a trigger signal for informing of the power transmitting device of the presence of the power receiving device. Upon detecting the trigger signal, the first control circuit causes the first inverter circuit to begin outputting the charging power.

Wireless power transmission system, power transmitting device, and power receiving device with circuit to apply a trigger signal

A power transmission device includes power transmission coils arranged in a line, a power transmission circuit connected to the power transmission coils and supplying the AC power to the power transmission coils, and control circuitry that switches an electrical connection state between the power transmission circuit and each of the power transmission coils, detect a relative position between the power receiving coil and each of the power transmission coils, selects a number of power transmission coils adjacent to each other based on the detected relative position, the selected number of power transmission coils being fixed, and causes the power transmission circuit to supply the AC power to the selected number of power transmission coils. In an array direction of the power transmission coils, a width Dwt of each of the power transmission coils is shorter than a width Dwr of the power receiving coil and Dwt/Dwr&#x2264;0.875.

An electrode unit is used in a power transmitting device or a power receiving device of a wireless power transmission system based on an electric field coupling method. The electrode unit includes: a first electrode to which a first voltage is applied when power is transferred; a second electrode to which a second voltage antiphase to the first voltage is applied when power is transferred; and a third electrode spaced apart from the first and second electrodes, the third electrode having a third voltage whose amplitude is less than amplitudes of the first and second voltages when power is transferred. The first and second electrodes are arranged along an electrode installation plane. At least a portion of the third electrode does not overlap the first and second electrodes as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the electrode installation plane.

Electrode unit, power transmitting device, power receiving device, electronic device, vehicle, and wireless power transmission system

A power transmission device includes an inverter, an oscillator, a foreign substance detector, and power transmission control circuitry. The foreign substance detector performs a series of multiple processes to determine whether or not a foreign substance is present between two resonators. The power transmission control circuitry repeats a foreign substance detection period and a power transmission period alternately. The foreign substance detection period is a period in which the foreign substance detector performs one of the series of multiple processes. The power transmission period is a period in which the inverter transmits AC power. The power transmission control circuitry also causes the foreign substance detector to divide the series of multiple processes and determine whether or not the foreign substance is present as a result of performing all of the divided series of multiple processes.

An electrodynamic apparatus includes a first arm extending in a first direction, a second arm supported by the first arm, a linear actuator that moves the second arm along the first direction with respect to the first arm, a support extending in a second direction that is different from the first direction and supporting the first arm, and a rotating mechanism that rotates the support about an axis of rotation parallel to the second direction. The first arm includes a power transmission antenna. The second arm includes a power reception antenna. The power transmission antenna supplies electric power to the power reception antenna wirelessly. In rotating the support, the linear actuator moves the center of gravity of the second arm to the axis of rotation first, and then the rotating mechanism rotates the support.

Electrodynamic apparatus

An electrode unit is for use in a power transmitting device or a power receiving device of a wireless power transmission system based on an electric field coupling method. The electrode unit includes; a first group of electrodes including a plurality of first electrodes to which a first voltage is applied when power is transmitted; and a second group of electrodes including a plurality of second electrodes to which a second voltage is applied when power is transmitted, wherein the second voltage has a phase that is different from a phase of the first voltage by a value greater than 90 degrees and less than 270 degrees. The plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes are arranged in a first direction along an electrode installation surface. At least two of the plurality of first electrodes and at least two of the plurality of second electrodes are arranged alternating with each other in the first direction.

A solar cell module includes: a first solar cell; a second solar cell disposed apart from the first solar cell with a space therebetween; a first light reflector disposed on an edge portion of the first solar cell, and overlapping the space; and a second light reflector disposed on an edge portion of the second solar cell, and overlapping the space.

Solar cell module

A relay apparatus in a wireless power transmission system includes a relay power reception antenna that receives power transmission alternating current power from a power transmission power transmission antenna, a relay rectifier that converts the power transmission alternating current power into relay direct current power, a relay inverter circuit that converts the relay direct current power into relay alternating current power, and a relay power transmission antenna that wirelessly transmits the relay alternating current power. When transmitting data to the power transmission apparatus through amplitude modulation, the relay apparatus varies amplitude of voltage of the power transmission alternating current power received by the relay power reception antenna between a first amplitude and a second amplitude and performs control for eliminating a difference between a third amplitude of the relay alternating current power and a fourth amplitude of the relay alternating current power.

Wireless power transmission system

A wireless power transmission system includes: a power transmitting device; a power receiving device; and a relay device. In a state where the relay side switch circuit has the relay side rectifier and the relay side load in a non-contact state, and the receiving side switch circuit has the receiving side rectifier and the receiving side load in a non-contact state, power is transmitted from the power transmitting device to the power receiving device via the relay device. After a DC voltage output from the receiving side rectifier reaching a requested voltage of the power receiving device, the receiving side switch circuit connects the receiving side rectifier to the receiving side load at a timing T2 that is different from a timing T1 at which the relay side switch circuit connects the relay side rectifier to the relay side load.

A foreign object detecting device includes first and second coils, the winding directions of which are the same, and a foreign object detecting circuit. The foreign object detecting circuit outputs a first detecting signal having a first predetermined waveform to a first terminal of the first coil and outputs a second detecting signal having a second predetermined waveform, which has the same polarity as the first predetermined waveform, to a third terminal of the second coil to cause magnetic fields generated from the first and second coils to repel each other. The foreign object detecting circuit measures an amount of change of the impedance value of the first or second coil which is caused by the presence of a foreign object. When the amount of change exceeds a predetermined value, the foreign object detecting circuit determines that there is a foreign object above the first or second coil.

Foreign object detecting device, wireless power transmitting apparatus, and wireless power transfer system

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Hiroshi Kanno