Non-contact charger

• US 10,033,218 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2015
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kanahara, Hirokazu, Hiruta, Shigenori, Kojima, Toshihiro, Yamazaki, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Rossoshek, Helen
• Application Number:
  US14/959,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20160164335A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 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 Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation

Abstract

A non-contact charger includes a position detector, a determination unit, a primary coil, a coil moving unit, and a controller. The position detector detects placement of an electronic device, which incorporates a secondary coil, onto a top plate of the non-contact charger. The determination unit determines whether the electronic device is placed onto the top plate of the non-contact charger from a lateral direction. When the determination unit determines that the electronic device is placed onto the top plate from the lateral direction, the controller instructs the coil moving unit to wait for a predetermined period of time in moving the primary coil. After the waiting for the predetermined period of time to delay the movement of the primary coil, the controller moves the primary coil toward a position of the secondary coil of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A non-contact charger comprising:

a case having a top plate having an upper surface onto which an electronic device having a secondary coil is to be placed;

a primary coil installed in the case;

a detector that is installed in the case and detects a position of the electronic device on the upper surface of the top plate of the case;

a controller capable of a start of charging of the electronic device through the primary and secondary coils when the electronic device on the upper surface of the top plate is detected by the detector; and

wherein the controller delays the start of the charging of the electronic device by a predetermined period of time when a change of the position of the electronic device is detected before elapse of a predetermined determination period of time after a placement of the electronic device onto the top plate is first detected by the detector, and

wherein the predetermined determination period of time for detecting the change of the position of the electronic device is shorter than the predetermined period of time during which the charging of the electronic device is delayed.

2. The non-contact charger according to claim 1, wherein the detector is configured to periodically detect the position of the electronic device at a predetermined time interval,

the non-contact charger further comprises a determination unit configured to determine that the electronic device is placed onto the top plate from a lateral direction along the upper surface of the top plate when the change of the position of the electronic device is detected before elapse of the predetermined determination period of time after the placement of the electronic device onto the top plate is first detected by the detector,

the determination unit is further configured to detect a magnitude of movement of the electronic device each time when the position of the electronic device is detected at the predetermined time interval, and

the controller detects a change in the magnitude of movement detected one after another at the predetermined time interval and detects an elapsed time after the determination unit determines that the electronic device is placed onto the top plate from the lateral direction and before the determination unit detects that the change in the magnitude of movement of the electronic device starts to decrease, the elapsed time being set to be the predetermined period of time.

3. The non-contact charger according to claim 1, wherein the detector is configured to periodically detect the position of the electronic device at a predetermined time interval,

the non-contact charger further comprises a determination unit configured to determine that the electronic device is placed onto the top plate from a lateral direction along the upper surface of the top plate when the change of the position of the electronic device is detected before elapse of the predetermined determination period of time after the placement of the electronic device onto the top plate is first detected by the detector, and

the determination unit detects an elapsed time after the determination unit determines that the electronic device is placed onto the top plate from the lateral direction and before the determination unit determines that the positions of the electronic device detected in succession a predetermined number of times are substantially the same as one another, the elapsed time being set to be the predetermined period of time.

4. The non-contact charger according to claim 1, further comprising a moving mechanism configured to move the primary coil in two-dimensional directions along a surface of the top plate, and

the controller controls the moving mechanism to move the primary coil to a position of the secondary coil of the electronic device detected by the detector for starting the charging, and delays the moving of the primary coil by the predetermined period of time.

5. The non-contact charger according to claim 1, wherein the primary coil is arranged at each of different locations along a surface of the top plate, and

the controller selects one of the primary coils which is closest to a position of the secondary coil of the electronic device detected by the detector for starting the charging, and delays the selection of said one of the primary coils to start the charging by the predetermined period of time.

6. The non-contact charger according to claim 1, wherein the case is disposed at a predetermined location in a vehicle cabin, in which the vehicle cabin has a component which is disposed above the top plate of the case and defines an opened space having a predetermined height from the top plate of the case.

7. The non-contact charger according to claim 6, wherein the component of the vehicle cabin covers the opened space over the top plate entirely in a plan view of the component.

8. The non-contact charger according to claim 1, wherein the top plate of the case has a substantially rectangular shape with periphery side edges, and the case is disposed at a predetermined location in a vehicle cabin and provided with a wall surface extending from at least one of the periphery side edges of the top plate in the vehicle cabin.

9. The non-contact charger according to claim 8, wherein the vehicle cabin has a hollow space a bottom of which is the top plate of the case, the hollow space having an opening opened to the vehicle cabin along one of the periphery side edges of the top plate, the opening of the hollow space being provided with a guide surface extending inward from the opening toward said one of the periphery side edges of the top plate and having a slope that guides the electronic device onto the top plate from the vehicle cabin.