JP7560244B2 - Cart Power Supply Device - Google Patents

Description

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a cart power supply device .

In recent years, contactless charging has been used in electronic devices such as smartphones. In contactless charging, power is transmitted by electromagnetic coupling between a power supply coil provided in a power supply device and a power receiving coil provided in the electronic device. The electronic device charges its battery with the power received by the power receiving coil. In a power supply system for such contactless charging, power needs to be supplied when the opposing area between the power supply coil and the power receiving coil is equal to or larger than a predetermined power supplyable area. If the opposing area between the power supply coil and the power receiving coil becomes smaller than the predetermined power supplyable area, sufficient power may not be supplied. For this reason, in a system that supplies power contactlessly, it is important to ensure that the opposing area between the power supply coil and the power receiving coil is equal to or larger than the predetermined power supplyable area in order to supply stable power.

However, when carts are stored by stacking them in a nested manner, the size of the power receiving coils installed on each cart is limited to a size that does not physically interfere with each other when the carts are stacked. This means that the sizes of the power supply coil and power receiving coil must be small. For this reason, the cart needs to be stored with the power supply coil and power receiving coil aligned accurately and precisely. For example, carts such as shopping carts are used by an unspecified number of people. For this reason, there is a problem in that it is practically difficult to require all operators to accurately align the power receiving coil installed on the cart with the power supply coil installed in the storage position.

JP 2011-167031 A

An object of the present invention is to provide a cart power supply device that can reliably transmit power in a non-contact manner to a cart in a storage location.

According to an embodiment, the cart power supply device includes a cart stopper, a plurality of first power supply coils, a plurality of second power supply coils, and a control circuit . The cart stopper stops a cart moving along a rail. The plurality of first power supply coils are arranged at positions where an area facing a first power receiving coil provided on a plurality of carts stored at a predetermined interval following a cart stopped at the cart stopper is equal to or larger than a predetermined power supplyable area when the plurality of carts stored at a predetermined interval following a cart stopped at a first stop position. The plurality of second power supply coils are arranged at positions where an area facing a second power receiving coil provided on a cart stopped at a second stop position shifted from a first stop position where an area facing the first power receiving coil with the first power supply coil is smaller than the predetermined power supplyable area among the carts moving along the rail is equal to or larger than the predetermined power supplyable area. The control circuit selects either the first power supply coil or the second power supply coil whose area facing the first power receiving coil or the second power receiving coil is equal to or larger than the specified power supply area, and supplies power for transmission. Either the first power supply coil or the second power supply coil is set as the power supply coil to be selected with priority, and when power cannot be transmitted using the power supply coil selected with priority, the control circuit switches to the other power supply coil and supplies power for transmission.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cart in a cart power supply system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the cart in the cart power supply system according to the first embodiment is stored in a cart storage unit. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a power supply coil of the cart power supply device in the cart power supply system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power receiving circuit mounted on a cart in the cart power supply system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control system of the cart power supply device in the cart power supply system according to the first embodiment. Fig. 6A is a top view showing a first state in which the cart is stopped by a wheel stopper, and Fig. 6B is a diagram showing a relationship between the first power receiving coil and the first power supply coil and a relationship between the second power receiving coil and the second power supply coil in the first state. Fig. 7A is a top view showing a second state in which the cart has been moved from the position stopped by the wheel stopper, and Fig. 7B is a diagram showing the relationship between the first power receiving coil and the first power supply coil and the relationship between the second power receiving coil and the second power supply coil in the second state. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a power supply coil capable of transmitting electric power that can be supplied to a power receiving coil of a cart for each position of the cart. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a cart power supply system according to the second embodiment.

Each embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
First, the configuration of a cart used in the cart power supply system according to the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cart 1 used in a cart power supply system according to the first embodiment.
The cart 1 shown in Fig. 1 is, for example, a shopping cart. The cart 1 is a moving body that moves with items such as merchandise loaded thereon, when operated by a user. In the configuration example of Fig. 1, the cart 1 has a cart body formed by wheels 9 (front wheels 9A, 9A and rear wheels 9B, 9B), a basket 11, a basket holder 12, a frame 13, etc.

The frame 13 is composed of a handle 14 and left and right support pillars 15. The wheels 9, basket 11, and basket holder 12 are fixed integrally to the frame 13. Here, when moving the cart 1 forward, the left side as seen by the operator is defined as left, and the right side is defined as right. The handle 14 is a part that is held by a user moving the cart body. The handle 14 is provided parallel to the surface on which the cart 1 runs (e.g., the floor). The left and right support pillars 15, 15 are formed to extend upward from near the rear wheels 9B, 9B. The right support pillar 15 is a part of the frame 13 that extends upward from near the right rear wheel 9B. The left support pillar 15 is a part of the frame 13 that extends upward from near the left rear wheel 9B.

The shape of the frame 13 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 1. The frame 13 may have any shape that can secure the receiving coil 10Y, the circuit box 16, the secondary battery 17, the terminal device 18, etc. Furthermore, the frame 13 is capable of storing multiple carts 1 in a nested manner in order to store multiple carts compactly. Furthermore, the handle 14, the left and right support columns 15, 15, etc. may have shapes different from those shown in FIG. 1. For example, the handle 14 may be shaped to protrude from the support column 15 side toward the user of the cart 1.

The four wheels 9 are attached to the frame 13 via casters. The four casters to which the wheels 9 are attached are provided at the four corners of the lower part of the car stand 12. Each wheel 9 can rotate freely in any direction by means of each caster. This allows the cart body to freely change its direction of movement. The cart 1 moves as the wheels 9 attached to each caster rotate on the floor surface.

The basket 11 stores items such as goods. Hereinafter, the handle 14 side of the basket 11 will be referred to as the front side, and the opposite side as the tip side. The front side of the basket 11 has an opening and closing surface that can be opened and closed with the lower end as the free end. The front side of the basket 11 is also formed so that its front side surface is smaller than the front side surface that serves as the opening and closing surface. As a result, when a rear cart is pushed into a front cart, the front side surface of the rear cart pushes up the opening and closing surface of the front cart, and the baskets 11 of the front and rear carts are stored so that they overlap. In this way, multiple carts are stored in a nested manner. Furthermore, the shape of each cart is the same except for manufacturing errors. Therefore, multiple carts 1 stored in a nested manner are arranged at approximately equal intervals.

The basket rack 12 is narrower at the front end in the forward direction and wider at the front. Therefore, the distance between the right front wheel 9A and the left front wheel 9A is narrower than the distance between the right rear wheel 9B and the left rear wheel 9B. As a result, when multiple carts are stored in a row, the rear carts are stored stacked along the front cart.

A guard 20 is provided at the tip of the basket holder 12 of the cart 1. The guard 20 is also used as a stopping member to maintain a predetermined distance between the cart 1 in front when the carts 1 are stored in a nested manner.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the receiving coil 10Y, the receiving coil 10X, and the circuit box 16 constitute a power receiving device that receives power from the cart power supply device. The receiving coil 10Y and the receiving coil 10X are connected to a circuit in the circuit box 16. The circuit in the circuit box 16 is further connected to a secondary battery 17. The secondary battery 17 is charged by supplying the power received by the receiving coil 10Y or the receiving coil 10X from the circuit in the circuit box 16 to the secondary battery 17. Furthermore, a terminal device 18 is connected to the secondary battery 17. The secondary battery 17 supplies driving power to the terminal device 18. As a result, the terminal device 18 is driven by the power from the secondary battery 17.

In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, the receiving coil 10Y, circuit box 16, and secondary battery 17 are mounted on the left support 15 of the frame 13. The receiving coil 10Y has a flat shape, and generates AC power from the magnetic flux that is generated when a current flows through the power supply coil located opposite the receiving surface. The receiving coil 10Y is installed on the lower side of the left support 15 so that the receiving surface is approximately perpendicular to the floor surface. The receiving coil 10Y is also positioned so that the center of the receiving surface is at height H from the floor surface.

The other power receiving coil 10X is fixed to the floor surface near the guard 20 provided at the front of the cart 1. The power receiving coil 10X is attached with its power receiving surface facing the floor surface while stored in the attachment section. The power receiving coil 10X is arranged so as not to protrude forward from the guard 20. Similarly to the power receiving coil 10Y, the power receiving coil 10X has a flat shape and generates AC power when a current flows through the power supply coil located opposite it. The power receiving coil 10X is arranged so that its power receiving surface faces the floor surface and faces the power transmission surface of the power supply coil located on the floor surface.

In the first embodiment, the flat power receiving coil 10Y is attached to the bottom of the support 15 on the left side of the cart 1, but this is not limited to the present invention. For example, the position where the power receiving coil 10Y is provided is not limited to the bottom of the side of the cart 1 as shown in FIG. 1, but may be attached to the upper side of the side of the cart 1. Modifications to the position where the power receiving coil 10Y is provided will be described later as a second embodiment.

The circuit box 16 includes a power receiving control circuit and is connected to the power receiving coil 10Y and the power receiving coil 10X. The circuit box 16 is provided, for example, near the power receiving coil 10Y. The circuit box 16 houses a circuit that rectifies and smoothes the AC power received by the power receiving coil 10Y or the power receiving coil 10X to generate DC.

The circuit box 16 also has a charging circuit that converts DC power generated from the received power into power appropriate for charging the secondary battery 17 and supplies the power to the secondary battery 17. The circuit box 16 also has a circuit that controls the on/off of the non-contact power supply. It may also be provided with a control circuit such as a circuit that controls the power supplied by communicating with the power supply device (corresponding power supply control unit). The circuit box 16 is configured to house, for example, the various circuits described above. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, the circuit box 16 is provided on the opposite side of the left support 15 from the side on which the power receiving coil 10Y is placed.

The secondary battery 17 is fixed to the left support 15, further above the receiving coil 10Y and the circuit box 16. The secondary battery 17 is charged by the power generated in the charging circuit in the circuit box 16. The secondary battery 17 is connected to the terminal device 18, which is a load. The secondary battery 17 supplies (discharges) power to the terminal device 18.

The secondary battery 17 may be any battery that is mounted on the cart while connected to the circuit box 16 and the terminal device 18. For example, the secondary battery 17 may be fixed to a location other than the left support pillar 15 on the cart. The secondary battery 71 may also be a battery mounted on the terminal device 18.

The terminal device 18 is attached to the frame 13 of the cart. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, the terminal device 18 is attached to the handle 14 of the frame 13. The terminal device 18 is driven by power from the secondary battery 17. For example, the terminal device 18 is an information terminal such as a tablet terminal for providing information to the user. The terminal device 18 may also include a product reader for acquiring information on a product selected by the user. Furthermore, the terminal device 18 may also be a charging device for charging electronic devices such as a mobile terminal (e.g., a mobile phone, a smartphone, a digital camera, etc.) carried by the user using power from the secondary battery 17.

For example, if the terminal device 18 is a tablet terminal having a product reader, the tablet terminal is installed with its display facing the user holding the handle 14. The tablet terminal as the terminal device 18 is a computer having a display with a touch panel. The product reader is a device that reads product information. For example, it is an RFID tag reader that reads RFID tags attached to products being put in or taken out of the basket 11. It may also be a scanner that reads product identification information, such as a barcode attached to a product.

The tablet terminal serving as the terminal device 18 may display information about a product read by the product reader. The terminal device 18 may also have a function of performing a payment process for the product read by the product reader.
The terminal device 18 may be a device provided with an interface device for connecting a mobile terminal (such as a smartphone) carried by a user instead of the tablet terminal described above.

As described above, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, the circuit box 16 and secondary battery 17 are placed around the left support 15 between the basket 11 and the basket holder 12. This allows the user to view product information, store information, and the like displayed on the terminal device 18 while holding the handle 14 and operating the cart.

Next, a cart power supply device provided in a cart storage section that stores the cart 1 will be described.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a plurality of carts 1 are nested and stored in the cart storage section.
2, the multiple carts stored in a nested manner in the cart storage section are designed to have a predetermined front-to-back distance D. Therefore, when multiple carts are stored in the cart storage section, the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10Y and the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10X of each cart are aligned at distance D in the front-to-back direction of the cart.

For example, as described above, the power receiving coil 10Y mounted on the cart 1 is attached to the left side of each cart at a height H. Therefore, when multiple carts 1 stored in the cart storage section are viewed from the left side, the power receiving surfaces of the power receiving coils 10Y are lined up in a row at a height H from the floor surface, separated by a cart interval D.

On the other hand, the power receiving coil 10X is fixed near the guard 20 at the bottom of the front end of each cart 1 so that the power receiving surface faces the floor surface. Therefore, when multiple carts 1 stored in the cart storage section are viewed from above, the power receiving coils 10X with their power receiving surfaces facing the floor surface are lined up in a row separated by the cart spacing D.

Next, a cart power supply device provided in a cart storage section that stores the cart 1 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a cart power supply device according to an embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, the cart storage section is provided with four rails 24. The four rails correspond to the four wheels 9 of the cart 1, respectively. Wheel stops 25 are provided at the end of the rails 24. The wheel stops 25 may be provided at at least two of the four rails 24. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 3, the wheel stops 25 are provided at the end of two of the four rails 24 that guide the front wheels of the cart 1. The wheels of the cart that is stored first along the rails 24 stop at the position where the wheel stops are provided. The carts stored after the first cart stop at a predetermined distance D based on the position of the first cart. As a result, the carts stored in the cart storage section along the rails 24 stop at a predetermined position (first stop position) based on the position of the wheel stops.

In the cart storage section, a first power supply coil 22An (22A1 to 22A5) and a second power supply coil 22Bn (22B1 to 22B5) are provided along the rail 24. As shown in FIG. 5 described later, a control circuit 51 is connected to the first power supply coil 22An and the second power supply coil 22Bn via a switch 52. Furthermore, an AC adapter for connection to a power source is connected to the control circuit 51. The first power supply coil 22An, the second power supply coil 22Bn, the control circuit 51, the switch 52, and the AC adapter 53 constitute a cart power supply device.

The first power supply coils 22An are installed so that their power transmission surfaces face the power receiving surfaces of the power receiving coils 10X of each cart stored in the cart storage section. In contrast, the power receiving coils 10X mounted on each cart 1 are attached with their power receiving surfaces facing the underside of the cart 1. For example, the power supply coils 22A1 to 22A5 are arranged with their power transmission surfaces aligned horizontally between the two rails 24 corresponding to the front wheels 9A, 9A of the stored cart 1. As a result, the power transmission surfaces of the power supply coils 22A1 to 22A5 are arranged horizontally in a row at a distance D from each other in positions that face the power receiving surfaces of the power receiving coils 10X of the carts 1 stored in a nested manner.

The second power supply coils 22Bn are installed so that their power transmission surfaces face the power receiving surfaces of the power receiving coils 10Y of each cart stored in the cart storage section. In contrast, the power receiving coils 10Y mounted on each cart 1 are attached so that their power receiving surfaces face the outside of the cart 1. For example, the power supply coils 22B1 to 22B5 are arranged along the rails 24 with their power transmission surfaces standing at height H facing the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10Y on the left side of the stored cart 1. As a result, the power transmission surfaces of the power supply coils 22B1 to 22B5 are arranged in a row at height H from the floor surface with a distance D between them, facing the power receiving surfaces of the power receiving coils 10Y of the carts 1 stored in a nested manner.

The first power supply coil 22An and the second power supply coil 22Bn are arranged according to the positions of the power receiving surfaces of the two power receiving coils 10X and 10Y provided on the cart 1. The first power supply coil 22An and the second power supply coil 22Bn are arranged so that when the opposing area between the power transmission surface of the first power supply coil 22An and the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10X is less than a predetermined value, the opposing area between the power transmission surface of the second power supply coil 22Bn and the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10Y is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. For example, when the opposing area between the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10Y and the power transmission surface of the second power supply coil 22Bn is less than the area ratio at which power can be supplied (e.g., 75%), the opposing area between the power receiving surface of the other power receiving coil 10X and the power transmission surface of the first power supply coil 22A is equal to or greater than the area ratio at which power can be supplied.

In addition, the first power supply coil 22An and the second power supply coil 22Bn are arranged such that the spacing between the power transmission surfaces of adjacent power supply coils (22A1 and 22A2, ..., 22B1 and 22B2, ...) is the same as the spacing D between multiple carts 1 properly stored in a nested manner.
That is, the arrangement interval of the first power supply coils 22An is set according to the arrangement interval of the power receiving coils 10X in the multiple carts 1 stored along the rail 24. The arrangement interval of the second power supply coils 22Bn is set according to the arrangement interval of the power receiving coils 10Y in the multiple carts 1 stored along the rail 24.

Next, the configuration of the power receiving circuit 40 provided in each cart 1 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the power receiving circuit 40 provided in each cart 1. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the power receiving circuit 40 includes a rectifier circuit Yr, a rectifier circuit Xr, a protection circuit 41, a charging circuit 42, and the like.
The rectifier circuit Yr is connected to a power receiving coil 10Y provided on the left side surface of the cart 1. The rectifier circuit Xr is connected to a power receiving coil 10X provided on the bottom surface of the tip of the cart 1. The output sides of the rectifier circuit Yr and the rectifier circuit Xr are connected to a protection circuit 41.

The protection circuit 41 supplies the output of either the rectifier circuit Yr or the rectifier circuit Xr to the charging circuit 42. The protection circuit 41 acts to protect the power receiving circuit 40 when power is output from both the rectifier circuits Yr and Xr. For example, the protection circuit 41 stops the output of one of the rectifier circuits Yr and Xr when power is output from both of them. The protection circuit 41 may also adjust the voltage of the charging circuit 42 when power is output from both of the rectifier circuits Yr and Xr.

The rectifier circuit Yr and the rectifier circuit Xr are housed in the circuit box 16. The rectifier circuit Yr and the rectifier circuit Xr may also be provided on the back side of the receiving coil 10Y and the receiving coil 10X, respectively. The protection circuit 41 and the charging circuit 42 are housed in the circuit box 16. With this configuration, in the receiving circuit 40, the received power received by either the receiving coil 10Y or the receiving coil 10X is rectified and supplied to the charging circuit 42. The charging circuit 42 supplies charging power to the secondary battery 17. The charging circuit 42 may also supply power directly to the terminal device 18.

Next, the configuration of the power supply circuit 50 in the cart power supply device according to the embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power supply circuit 50 for transmitting power for charging the cart 1 stored in the cart storage section.
The power supply circuits 50 are provided for the number of carts 1 that can be stored in the cart storage section. For example, if the cart storage section can store five carts, the cart power supply device has five power supply circuits corresponding to the five carts stored in the cart storage section. Each power supply circuit 50 operates independently.

Each power supply circuit 50 includes a control circuit 51 , a switch 52 , and an AC adapter 53 .
The control circuit 51 of the power supply circuit 50 determines whether to supply current to the first power supply coil 22An or the second power supply coil 22Bn. For example, the control circuit 51 executes a program realized by a selection algorithm for selecting either the first power supply coil 22An or the second power supply coil 22Bn. The control circuit 51 controls the switch 52 to transmit power from the selected power supply coil.

For example, the control circuit 51 sets a power supply coil to be preferentially selected, and when power cannot be transmitted through the prioritized power supply coil, switches to the other power supply coil with the switch 52. The control circuit 51 may also test the switch 52 to check the power receiving state of the power receiving coil 10X or the power receiving coil 10Y, and select a power supply coil opposite the power receiving coil with a good power receiving state. If the position of the cart 1 moving along the rail 24 can be detected, the control circuit 51 may select a power supply coil according to the position of the cart and control the switch 52.

The AC adapter 53 converts power from a commercial AC power source into a predetermined DC power. When the DC power from the AC adapter 53 is input to the power supply circuit 50, the control circuit 51 controls the DC power by performing a resonant operation to convert it into AC power. The control circuit 51 also generates a switch control signal for turning on either the second power supply coil 22Bn or the first power supply coil 22An. When the control circuit 51 outputs the switch control signal to the switch 52, the switch 52 switches its state according to the switch control signal. Depending on the state of the switch 52, AC power is supplied to either the power supply coil 22Bn or 22An. As a result, either the first power supply coil 22An or the second power supply coil 22Bn receives power from the power supply circuit 50 and performs a power transmission operation.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that five carts 1 can be stored in the cart storage section, but the number that can be stored in the cart storage section is not limited to this. For example, the cart power supply device only needs to be able to install the power supply circuits 50 along the storage direction of the carts 1 for the number of carts that can be stored. For example, if the cart storage section can store ten carts 1 in a nested state, then the power supply circuits 50 need only be installed for ten carts along the storage direction of the carts.

Next, the relationship between the cart 1 stored in the cart storage section and each power supply coil in the cart power supply device will be described.
Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between two power receiving coils mounted on the cart 1 stored in the cart storage section and the first and second power supply coils of the cart power supply device. Fig. 6(a) is a top view showing a state (first state) in which the cart 1 is stopped by wheel stoppers 25 in the cart storage section. Fig. 6(b) is a side view showing the relationship between the power receiving coil 10X and the power supply coil 22An and the relationship between the power receiving coil 10Y and the power supply coil 22Bn in the first state as viewed from the left side of the cart 1.

The user who operates the cart stores the cart 1 in the cart storage section by moving the wheels 9 of the cart 1 forward along the rails 24. The wheels 9 of the cart 1 that is to be stored in the cart storage section first are stopped by the wheel stoppers 25. In the example shown in FIG. 6, when the cart 1 is stopped by the wheel stoppers 25 (first state), the area ratio (first area ratio) of the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10X of the cart 1 to the power transmitting surface of the opposing power supply coil 22A1 is 100%. On the other hand, the area ratio (second area ratio) of the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10Y of the cart 1 to the power transmitting surface of the opposing power supply coil 22B1 is smaller than the area ratio at which power can be supplied (e.g., 75%).

For this reason, in the first state shown in FIG. 6(a), the power supply circuit 50 corresponding to the cart 1 controls the switch 52 by the control circuit 51 so that the power supply coil 22A1 is turned on. In this case, the control circuit 51 supplies AC power generated from the power supplied from the AC adapter 53 to the power supply coil 22A1 via the switch 52. The power supply coil 22A1 is driven by the AC power from the control circuit 51 and transmits power from the power transmission surface. As a result, the power receiving coil 10X on the power receiving surface facing the power transmission surface of the power supply coil 22A1 receives AC power from the power supply coil 22A1. The power receiving coil 10X rectifies the received AC power by the rectifier circuit Xr and outputs it to the charging circuit 42 as DC power.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing a second positional relationship between the two power receiving coils mounted on the cart 1 in the cart storage section and the first and second power supply coils 22 of the cart power supply device. Figure 7(a) is a top view showing a state (second state) in which the cart 1 has been moved from the stopped position at the wheel stopper 25 in the cart storage section. Also, Figure 7(b) is a side view showing the relationship between the power receiving coil 10X and the power supply coil 22An, and the relationship between the power receiving coil 10Y and the power supply coil 22Bn in the second state, as viewed from the left side of the cart 1.

Figure 7 (a) shows a second state in which the cart 1 has been moved from the first state shown in Figure 6 (a) toward the exit and the front wheel 9A of the cart 1 is slightly away from the wheel stopper 26. In the position shown in Figure 7, the facing area ratio between the power receiving coil 10Y of the cart 1 and the power supply coil 22B1 is an area ratio that allows power supply (e.g., about 75%). Meanwhile, the facing area ratio between the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10X of the cart 1 and the power transmission surface of the power supply coil 22A1 is also an area ratio that allows power supply (e.g., about 75%). When the cart 1 stops in the position shown in Figure 7, power can be supplied from either the power supply coil 22A1 or 22B1, and one of the power supply coils is selected according to a selection algorithm provided in the control circuit 51.

In addition, when the cart 1 moves further toward the exit from the state shown in FIG. 7, the facing area ratio between the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10Y and the power transmitting surface of the power supply coil 22B1 increases. As the cart 1 moves toward the exit, the facing area ratio between the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10Y and the power transmitting surface of the power supply coil 22B1 reaches 100%.

After the facing area ratio between the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10Y and the power transmitting surface of the power supply coil 22B1 reaches 100%, when the cart 1 moves further toward the exit, the facing area ratio between the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10Y and the power transmitting surface of the power supply coil 22B1 decreases again. In this case, the facing area between the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 10X and the power transmitting surface of the power supply coil 22A2, which is disposed at a distance D from the power supply coil 22A1, increases.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a power supply coil capable of transmitting electric power capable of charging the power receiving coil of the cart in accordance with the position of the cart in the cart storage section.
8, the state in which the wheels 9 (front wheels 9A) of the cart 1 come into contact with the wheel stoppers 25 and are stopped is defined as distance 0. If the amount of movement (deviation) from the wheel stoppers 25 of the cart 1 toward the exit is 0 to 88 mm, the facing area ratio between the power supply coil 22A1 and the power receiving coil 10X is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (e.g., 75%). Therefore, when the amount of movement (deviation) is 0 to 88 mm, the cart power supply device can supply enough power to charge the secondary battery 17 from the power supply coil 22A1 to the power receiving coil 10X.

In addition, when the amount of movement from the wheel stopper 25 toward the exit is in the range of 88 to 250 mm, the facing area ratio between the power supply coil 22B1 and the power receiving coil 10Y of the cart 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (75%). Therefore, in the range of 88 to 250 mm, the power supply coil 22B1 can supply chargeable power to the power receiving coil 10Y of the cart 1.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, in the range of 250 to 413 mm, the power supply coil 22A2 can supply power capable of being charged to the power receiving coil 10X. In the range of 413 to 575 mm, the power supply coil 22B2 can supply power capable of being charged to the power receiving coil 10Y. In the range of 575 to 738 mm, the power supply coil 22A3 can supply power capable of being charged to the power receiving coil 10X. In the range of 738 to 900 mm, the power supply coil 22B3 can supply power capable of being charged to the power receiving coil 10Y.

In the range of 900 to 1063 mm, the power supply coil 22A4 can supply chargeable power to the power receiving coil 10X. In the range of 1063 to 1225 mm, the power supply coil 22B4 can supply chargeable power to the power receiving coil 10Y. In the range of 1225 to 1388 mm, the power supply coil 22A5 can supply chargeable power to the power receiving coil 10X. In the range of 1338 to 1550 mm, the power supply coil 22B5 can supply chargeable power to the power receiving coil 10Y.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, when the cart 1 is at any position on the rail, a pair of power supply coils 22An, 22Bn appears that faces the power receiving coil 10Y or 10X with an area ratio equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (75%). The cart power supply device arranges the first power supply coil group and the second power supply coil group according to the spacing between the stored carts so as to achieve the positional relationship shown in FIG. 8. This allows either of the power supply coils 22A1 to 22A5 or 22B1 to 22B5 to obtain an opposing area that allows power supply to the power receiving coil 10X or 10Y of the cart 1. As a result, the cart power supply device can supply contactless chargeable power to either of the two power receiving coils provided on the cart 1.

As described above, the cart power supply device according to the embodiment is provided with multiple power supply coils that can supply power that can be charged to any of multiple power receiving coils provided on the cart. In other words, the cart power supply device is arranged so that the power transmission surface of either the first power supply coil or the second power supply coil faces the power receiving surface of any power receiving coil on the cart in an area that is equal to or larger than the area that can supply power.

Therefore, even if the first power supply coil cannot supply enough power to the first power receiving coil, the second power supply coil can supply enough power to the second power receiving coil of the cart. As a result, the cart power supply device can supply enough power to charge the secondary battery from any of the power supply coils to the cart, regardless of the position of the cart moving along the rails.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a cart power supply system according to the second embodiment.
9, the carts 1a and 1b according to the second embodiment have a power receiving coil 30X on the right side and a power receiving coil 30Y on the left side. The cart power supply device also has a first power supply coil 32An (32A1 to 32A5) and a second power supply coil 32Bn (32B1 to 32B5) arranged in correspondence with the two power receiving coils 30X and 30Y provided on both sides of the carts 1a and 1b.

The cart power supply system shown in FIG. 9 differs from the system described in the first embodiment in the arrangement of the power receiving coil and the power supply coil. In the configuration shown in FIG. 9, the power receiving coil 10X shown in FIG. 1 is replaced with a power receiving coil 30X, and the power supply coil 22A shown in FIG. 3 is replaced with a power supply coil 32An. In other words, the second embodiment can be realized with the same arrangement as that described in the first embodiment, except for the arrangement of the power receiving coil 30X and the power supply coil 32An. For this reason, detailed explanations will be omitted for the arrangements other than the power receiving coil 30X and the power supply coil 32An.

The first power supply coils 32An are arranged side by side with the power transmission surface upright on the right side of the cart so as to face the power receiving coils 30X of the carts 1a and 1b, which can be stored at the distance D. The first power supply coils 32Bn are arranged side by side with the power transmission surface upright on the left side of the cart so as to face the power receiving coils 30Y of the carts 1a and 1b, which can be stored at the distance D. Either one of the power supply coils 32An, 32Bn is arranged so that the facing area with either the power receiving coils 30X or 30Y of the cart moving along the rails 24 is equal to or larger than a predetermined area that can be supplied with power (a predetermined threshold value).

In the example shown in FIG. 9, when the facing area ratio of the power receiving coil 30Y of the cart 1a to the power supply coil 32B1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the facing area ratio of the power receiving coil 30X of the cart 1b to the power supply coil 32A3 becomes the predetermined threshold.
When the facing area ratio of the power receiving coil 30Y of the cart 1a to the power feeding coil 32B1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the power feeding circuit 50 causes the power feeding coil 32B1 to feed power. That is, in the power feeding circuit 50 corresponding to the power feeding coils 32A1 and 32B1, the control circuit 51 sets the switch 52 to the power feeding coil 32B1 side. This causes the power feeding circuit 50 to feed power from the power feeding coil 32B1. The power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 30Y of the cart 1a facing the power transmitting surface of the power feeding coil 32B1 receives power from the power feeding coil 32B1 that enables contactless charging.

On the other hand, in cart 1b, the facing area ratio of the power receiving coil 30X to the power supply coil 32A3 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. In this case, the power supply circuit 50 transmits power from the power supply coil 32A3. That is, in the power supply circuit 50 corresponding to the power supply coils 32A3 and 32B3, the control circuit 51 sets the switch 52 to the power supply coil 32A3 side. This causes the power supply circuit 50 to transmit power from the power supply coil 32A3. The power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 30Y of cart 1a facing the power transmission surface of the power supply coil 32A3 can receive power that enables contactless charging from the power supply coil 32A3.

As described above, the cart power supply device according to each embodiment can always supply power to each cart in the cart storage section in a non-contact manner, so that the secondary battery can be charged. As a result, even if the cart is stopped at any position in the cart storage section, the secondary battery mounted on the cart can be charged. For example, consider a case where the wheels of multiple carts are on the rails 24. In this case, if multiple carts are stored in the cart storage section, even if moving any one cart causes the multiple carts to move back and forth on the rails 24, each cart will always have a power supply coil that can transmit enough power to charge it.

Therefore, the cart power supply device can reliably supply power for contactless charging to the cart even if the cart is stored in a position shifted from the specified position in the cart storage section. As a result, according to the embodiment, as long as the cart is stored in the cart storage section, the secondary battery mounted on the cart can be reliably charged without high-precision position adjustment.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.
The following is a summary of the contents of the claims as originally filed in this application.
[1]
a plurality of first power supply coils arranged at positions such that an area facing a first power receiving coil provided on the cart is equal to or larger than a predetermined power supply area when the cart moving along the rail stops at a first stop position;
a plurality of second power supply coils arranged at positions such that, when the cart is stopped at a second stop position shifted from the first stop position where an area of the first power receiving coil facing the first power supply coil is less than a predetermined power supplyable area, an area of the first power receiving coil facing a second power supply coil provided on the cart is equal to or larger than the predetermined power supplyable area;
A cart power supply device comprising:
[2]
a control circuit that selects either the first power supply coil or the second power supply coil, the area of which facing the first power receiving coil or the second power receiving coil is equal to or larger than the predetermined power supply area, and supplies power for power transmission.
The cart power supply device according to [1].
[3]
the first power supply coils are arranged with their power transmission surfaces facing a first power receiving coil provided on a side surface of a cart that moves along the rail;
the second power supply coils are arranged side by side on a floor surface with their power transmission surfaces facing a second power receiving coil provided on a bottom surface of a cart that moves along the rail;
The cart power supply device according to any one of [1] or [2].
[4]
the first power supply coils are arranged with their power transmission surfaces facing a first power receiving coil provided on a right side surface of the cart that moves along the rail;
the second power supply coils are arranged with their power transmission surfaces facing a second power receiving coil provided on a left side surface of the cart that moves along the rail;
The cart power supply device according to any one of [1] or [2].
[5]
A cart power supply system including a cart and a cart power supply device that supplies power to the cart in a non-contact manner,
The cart includes:
A frame that moves according to the user's operation;
A first receiving coil attached to the frame;
A second power receiving coil attached at a position different from that of the first power receiving coil;
a power receiving circuit that supplies the power received by the first power receiving coil or the second power receiving coil to a secondary battery,
The cart power supply device is
a plurality of first power supply coils arranged at positions such that an area facing the first power receiving coil provided on the cart is equal to or larger than a predetermined power supply area when the cart moving along a rail stops at a first stop position;
a plurality of second power supply coils arranged at positions where an area of the first power receiving coil facing the first power supply coil provided on the cart is equal to or larger than a predetermined power supply area when the cart stops at a second stop position shifted from the first stop position where an area of the first power receiving coil facing the first power supply coil is smaller than a predetermined power supply area,
Cart power supply system.

1... cart, 10X, 10Y... receiving coil, 22A (22A1 to 22A5)... first power supply coil, 22B (22B1 to 22B5)... second power supply coil, 50... cart power supply device, 51... control circuit, 52... switch, 53... AC adapter.

Claims (3)

A car stopper to stop the cart moving along the rails,
a plurality of first power supply coils arranged at positions such that, when a plurality of carts stored at a predetermined interval following a cart stopped at the car stop stop at a first stop position, an area facing first power receiving coils provided on the plurality of carts stored at a predetermined interval is equal to or larger than a predetermined power supply area;
a cart that moves along the rail and stops at a second stopping position that is shifted from the first stopping position where an area of the first power receiving coil facing the first power supply coil is less than a predetermined power supplyable area, the second power supply coils being disposed at positions where an area of the first power receiving coil facing the second power supply coil is equal to or larger than the predetermined power supplyable area;
a control circuit that selects either the first power supply coil or the second power supply coil, the area of which facing the first power receiving coil or the second power receiving coil is equal to or larger than the predetermined power supplyable area, and supplies power for power transmission, wherein either the first power supply coil or the second power supply coil is set as a power supply coil to be selected with priority, and when power cannot be transmitted using the power supply coil selected with priority, the control circuit switches to the other power supply coil and supplies power for power transmission;
A cart power supply device comprising: the first power supply coils are arranged with their power transmission surfaces facing a first power receiving coil provided on a side surface of a cart that moves along the rail;
the second power supply coils are arranged side by side on a floor surface with their power transmission surfaces facing a second power receiving coil provided on a bottom surface of a cart that moves along the rail;
The cart power supply device of claim 1 . the first power supply coils are arranged with their power transmission surfaces facing a first power receiving coil provided on a right side surface of the cart that moves along the rail;
the second power supply coils are arranged with their power transmission surfaces facing a second power receiving coil provided on a left side surface of the cart that moves along the rail;
The cart power supply device of claim 1 .