Non-contact power supply device

Abstract

A non-contact charging cart station includes a housing and a plurality of non-contact charging devices. The housing has a cart placement region on which stackable carts or the like can be inserted along a cart placement direction. The plurality of non-contact charging devices are in the housing and aligned in the cart placement region along the cart placement direction.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A non-contact power supply device, comprising:
 a housing having a cart placement region onto which stackable carts can be mounted along a cart placement direction, the stackable cart being stackable at a first interval; and   three or more non-contact charging devices that are in the housing and aligned in the cart placement region along the cart placement direction at the first interval, wherein each of the non-contact charging devices is configured to perform non-contact charging with respect to a non-contact power receiver of one of the stackable carts stacked at the first interval and mounted onto the cart placement region.   
     
     
         2 . The non-contact power supply device according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the non-contact charging devices has a non-contact charging surface parallel to a surface of the cart placement region. 
     
     
         3 . The non-contact power supply device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a wheel stop provided at an end of the cart placement region.   
     
     
         4 . The non-contact power supply device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 three or more light emitting devices in the housing and aligned along the cart placement direction in respective correspondence with the three or more non-contact charging devices at the first interval.   
     
     
         5 . The non-contact power supply device according to  claim 4 , wherein each of the light emitting devices is configured to emit light when a non-contact power receiver of one of the stackable carts is above the corresponding one of the non-contact charging devices. 
     
     
         6 . The non-contact power supply device according to  claim 1 , wherein the first interval is less than a total length of the stackable cart along the cart placement direction. 
     
     
         7 . The non-contact power supply device according to  claim 1 , wherein the cart placement region includes a ramp that is inclined along the cart placement direction. 
     
     
         8 . A shopping cart system comprising:
 a plurality of stackable carts stackable at a first interval, each of the stackable carts including a non-contact power receiver; and   a cart station including:
 a housing having a cart placement region onto which the stackable carts can be mounted along a cart placement direction; and 
 three or more non-contact charging devices that are in the housing and aligned in the cart placement region along the cart placement direction at the first interval, wherein each of the non-contact charging devices is configured to perform non-contact charging with respect to the non-contact power receiver of one of the stackable carts stacked at the first interval and mounted onto the cart placement region. 
   
     
     
         9 . The shopping cart system according to  claim 8 , wherein each of the non-contact charging devices has a non-contact charging surface parallel to a surface of the cart placement region. 
     
     
         10 . The shopping cart system according to  claim 9 , wherein the non-contact power receiver in each of the stackable cart is disposed parallel to the surface of the cart placement region. 
     
     
         11 . The shopping cart system according to  claim 8 , wherein the cart station further includes a wheel stop provided at an end of the cart placement region. 
     
     
         12 . The shopping cart system according to  claim 8 , the cart station further includes three or more light emitting devices in the housing and aligned along the cart placement direction in respective correspondence with the three or more non-contact charging devices at the first interval. 
     
     
         13 . The shopping cart system according to  claim 12 , wherein each of the light emitting devices is configured to emit light when the non-contact power receiver of one of the stackable carts stacked at the first interval and mounted onto the cart placement region is above the corresponding one of the non-contact charging devices. 
     
     
         14 . The shopping cart system according to  claim 8 , wherein the first interval is less that a total length of one of the plurality of stackable carts along the cart placement direction. 
     
     
         15 . The shopping cart system according to  claim 8 , wherein the cart placement region includes a ramp that is inclined along the cart placement direction. 
     
     
         16 . The shopping cart system according to  claim 8 , wherein the cart station further includes a wheel guide in the cart placement region, the wheel guide extending in the cart placement direction, wherein the wheel guide includes three or more wheel settlement regions aligned along the cart placement direction at the first interval, each of the wheel settlement regions being shaped to fit a wheel of one of the stackable carts stacked at the first interval and mounted onto the cart placement region. 
     
     
         17 . The shopping cart system according to  claim 16 , wherein the wheel guide includes a cart introduction portion, and a guide width of the cart introduction portion narrows with distance along the cart placement direction. 
     
     
         18 . The shopping cart system according to  claim 16 , wherein
 the wheel guide includes a first wheel guide and a second wheel guide that extend in the cart placement direction, and   the non-contact charging devices are between the first wheel guide and the second wheel guide.   
     
     
         19 . The shopping cart system according to  claim 18 , wherein
 the first wheel guide includes three or more first wheel settlement regions aligned along the cart placement direction, each of the first wheel settlement regions being shaped to fit a wheel of one of the stackable carts stacked at the first interval and mounted onto the cart placement region, and   the second wheel guide includes three or more second wheel settlement regions aligned along the cart placement direction, each of the second wheel settlement regions being shaped to fit a wheel of one of the stackable carts stacked at the first interval and mounted onto the cart placement region.   
     
     
         20 . The shopping cart system according to  claim 19 , wherein
 the first wheel settlement regions are aligned at the first interval along the cart placement direction, and   the second wheel settlement regions are aligned at the first interval along the cart placement direction.