Power supply system, power supply device, and power supply method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12095286-B2
Application number	US-202117759395-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2021
Priority date	Feb 27, 2020
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

To provide a power supply system, a power device, and a power method capable of wireless power supply with a simple configuration.A power supply system includes a first infrared output unit provided on a first object, the first infrared output unit having a first directivity configured to output a first infrared ray in a first direction in which a second object that relatively moves with respect to the first object is situated, the first infrared output unit being configured to output the first infrared ray, a reflector provided on the second object, the reflector being configured to reflect the first infrared ray by retroreflection, a second infrared output unit provided on the second object, the second infrared output unit having a second directivity configured to output a second infrared ray in a second direction in which the first object that relatively moves is situated, the second infrared output unit being configured to output the second infrared ray by using power received by wireless power supply, and a power supply provided on the first object, the power supply being configured to, in a case of receiving a reflected infrared ray of the first infrared ray reflected by the reflector or in a case of receiving the second infrared ray, output a beam in an arrival direction of the reflected infrared ray or the second infrared ray.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power supply system comprising:
a first infrared projector provided on a first object, the first infrared projector having a first directivity configured to output a first infrared ray in a first direction in which a second object that relatively moves with respect to the first object is situated, the first infrared projector being configured to output the first infrared ray;
a reflector provided on the second object, the reflector being configured to reflect the first infrared ray by retroreflection;
a second infrared projector provided on the second object, the second infrared projector having a second directivity configured to output a second infrared ray in a second direction in which the first object that relatively moves is present, the second infrared projector being configured to output the second infrared ray by using power received by wireless power supply; and
a power supply provided on the first object and configured to, when receiving a reflected infrared ray of the first infrared ray reflected by the reflector or when receiving the second infrared ray, output a beam in a direction from which the reflected infrared ray or the second infrared ray originates.

2. The power supply system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an output controller provided on the second object and configured to, when the power received by the wireless power supply is equal to or more than a predetermined amount, cause the second infrared projector to stop outputting the second infrared ray.

3. The power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the second infrared projector includes a plurality of second infrared projectors, each of the plurality of second infrared projectors having a different second directivity directed toward a corresponding one of a plurality of positions of the relatively moving through which the first object relatively moves in a chronological order.

4. The power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the first object and the second object relatively move to perform overtaking or relatively move to pass by each other.

5. The power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the power supply includes:
an array antenna including a plurality of antenna elements arranged in a two-dimensional manner in a first axis and a second axis;
an electromagnetic wave generator;
a phase shifter provided between the array antenna and the electromagnetic wave generator to adjust, in a direction of the first axis, a phase of power supplied from the electromagnetic wave generator to the plurality of antenna elements;
a camera configured to acquire an image through a fisheye lens;
a position converter configured to convert a first position, with respect to the camera, of a marker included in an image acquired by the camera into a second position of a polar coordinate on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis;
an elevation-angle sensor configured to acquire, based on the second position, an elevation angle of a projection position obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, the elevation angle being represented with respect to the third axis in the second plane; and
a controller configured to control the phase shifter such that a direction of the beam radiated by the array antenna attains the elevation angle in the second plane.

6. A power device comprising:
a first infrared projector provided on a first object, the first infrared projector having a first directivity configured to output a first infrared ray in a first direction in which a second object that relatively moves with respect to the first object is situated, the first infrared projector being configured to output the first infrared ray; and
a power supply provided on the first object and configured to, when receiving a reflected infrared ray of the first infrared ray reflected in retroreflection by a reflector provided on the second object or when receiving a second infrared ray that is output by using power received by wireless power supply from a second infrared projector provided on the second object and having a second directivity configured to output the second infrared ray in a second direction in which the first object that relatively moves is situated, output a beam in a direction from which the reflected infrared ray or the second infrared ray originates, wherein the power supply is configured to use image information obtained from the received reflected infrared ray or the received second infrared ray to determine the direction.

7. A power method for a power supply system that includes:
a first infrared projector provided on a first object and having a first directivity configured to output a first infrared ray in a first direction in which a second object that relatively moves with respect to the first object appears, the first infrared projector being configured to output the first infrared ray;
a reflector provided on the second object, the reflector being configured to reflect the first infrared ray by retroreflection; and
a second infrared projector provided on the second object and having a second directivity configured to output a second infrared ray in a second direction in which the first object that relatively moves is present, the second infrared projector being configured to output the second infrared ray by using power received by wireless power supply,
the power method comprising:
when receiving, by a side of the first object, a reflected infrared ray of the first infrared ray reflected by the reflector or when receiving, by the side of the first object, the second infrared ray, outputting a beam in a direction from which the reflected infrared ray or the second infrared ray originates.

Assignees

• Minebea Mitsumi Inc

Inventors

• Fujii Masaaki
• Tsuji Naoki

Classifications

• H04N23/65

  Control of camera operation in relation to power supply · CPC title

• H04N23/20

  for generating image signals from infrared radiation only · CPC title

• H02J50/402

  the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas · CPC title

• H02J50/20 Primary

  using microwaves or radio frequency waves · CPC title

• H02J50/90

  involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment · CPC title