Power reception device and vehicle including the same

• US 10,017,065 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Taniguchi, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): DHILLON, JAGDEEP S
• Application Number:
  US15/129,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20170129358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 307104, 307149, 307 101, 307 91, 307 43, 307 66, 342 70
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A power reception coil of a power reception unit is configured to receive, in a contactless manner, the electric power output from a power transmission coil of a power transmission unit. A rectifying circuit includes a rectifier and a capacitor provided on an output side of the rectifier, and rectifies the electric power received by the power reception coil. A voltage sensor is provided on an output side of the rectifying circuit. A vehicle ECU detects rising of a voltage detected by the voltage sensor, and detects a distance between the coils based on a movement distance of a vehicle from a reference distance indicative of the distance between the coils at which the rising of voltage occurs, the reference distance is prepared in advance.

Claims

1. A power reception device which is mounted on a vehicle and receives, in a contactless manner, electric power output from a power transmission device provided outside said vehicle, the power reception device comprising:

a power reception coil configured to receive, in a contactless manner, the electric power output from a power transmission coil of said power transmission device;

a rectifying circuit for rectifying the electric power received by said power reception coil; and

a notifying device configured to notify detection of the rising of said voltage;

said power reception coil is configured such that, when said vehicle moves such that said power reception coil comes closer to said power transmission coil, a voltage characteristic indicating a relation between said distance and said voltage has first rising and second rising at which said distance is smaller than a position where said first rising occurs,

said rectifying circuit including;

a rectifier; and

a capacitor provided on an output side of said rectifier,

a voltage sensor provided on an output side of said rectifying circuit; and

a control device configured to detect a distance between said power transmission coil and said power reception coil,

said control device detecting rising of a voltage detected by said voltage sensor, and detecting said distance based on a movement distance of said vehicle from a reference distance indicative of said distance at which the rising of said voltage occurs, said reference distance being prepared in advance, and

when the rising of said voltage is detected, said notifying device notifies said reference distance,

when said first rising is detected, said notifying device notifies the detection of said first rising, and when said second rising is detected, said notifying device notifies the detection of said second rising.

2. The power reception device according to claim 1, wherein

when an increasing rate of said voltage becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined first increasing rate after the start of detection of said distance, said control device determines that said first rising has been detected and determines that said distance is a first prescribed distance,

when the increasing rate of said voltage becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined second increasing rate higher than said first increasing rate after it is determined that said distance is said first prescribed distance, said control device further determines that said second rising has been detected and determines that said distance is a second prescribed distance, and

during a period from when said first rising is detected to when said second rising is detected, said control device calculates said distance based on said first prescribed distance and said movement distance, and when said second rising is detected, said control device calculates said distance based on said second prescribed distance and said movement distance.

3. The power reception device according to claim 1, wherein

when said first rising is detected, said notifying device notifies said first prescribed distance, and when said second rising is detected, said notifying device notifies said second prescribed distance.

4. The power reception device according to claim 1, wherein

said vehicle includes a motor that generates vehicle driving force, and

said control device calculates the movement distance of said vehicle based on the number of rotations of said motor.

5. The power reception device according to claim 1, wherein

said vehicle includes a power storage device for storing the electric power received by said power reception device, and

when main power transmission from said power transmission device is performed to charge said power storage device, said control device calculates the received electric power from said power transmission device based on the voltage detected by said voltage sensor, and when said received electric power is equal to or lower than a prescribed value, said control device transmits a command for stopping said main power transmission to said power transmission device.

6. The power reception device according to claim 1, wherein

said power transmission device includes a matching circuit for adjusting an impedance of said power transmission device, and

said impedance is adjusted in said matching circuit based on a power reception efficiency calculated by using the voltage detected by said voltage sensor.

7. The power reception device according to claim 1, wherein

said power reception coil includes:

a winding; and

a core around which said winding is wound, and

said power reception coil is mounted on said vehicle such that a winding axis of said winding extends along a frontward-rearward direction of said vehicle.

8. A vehicle comprising the power reception device as recited in claim 1.

9. A power reception device which is mounted on a vehicle and receives, in a contactless manner, electric power output from a power transmission device provided outside said vehicle, the power reception device comprising:

a power reception coil configured to receive, in a contactless manner, the electric power output from a power transmission coil of said power transmission device;

a rectifying circuit for rectifying the electric power received by said power reception coil;

said rectifying circuit including;

a rectifier; and

a capacitor provided on an output side of said rectifier,

a voltage sensor provided on an output side of said rectifying circuit; and

a control device configured to detect a distance between said power transmission coil and said power reception coil,

said control device detecting rising of a voltage detected by said voltage sensor, and detecting said distance based on a movement distance of said vehicle from a reference distance indicative of said distance at which the rising of said voltage occurs, said reference distance being prepared in advance,

when said voltage becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage after the start of detection of said distance, said control device determines that said distance is a first prescribed distance,

when an increasing rate of said voltage becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined increasing rate after it is determined that said distance is said first prescribed distance, said control device further determines that the rising of said voltage has been detected and determines that said distance is a second prescribed distance, and

during a period from when said first prescribed distance is detected to when the rising of said voltage is detected, said control device calculates said distance based on said first prescribed distance and said movement distance, and when the rising of said voltage is detected, said control device calculates said distance based on said second prescribed distance and said movement distance.