Parking assistance device and parking assistance method

• US 10,116,173 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2015
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsukamoto, Yukinori, Maikawa, Kengo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US15/546,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20180019623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 701 22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• 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 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; devices, apparatus or methods for life-saving in general A62B; safety devices for propulsion unit control specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles B60K28/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19; harnessing in aircraft B64D25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

The parking assistance device is used in a wireless power supply system which performs wireless power supply between the power transmitting coil on a ground side and the power receiving coil on a vehicle side, and includes: three or more coils aligned in one direction in a plan view of the vehicle, the coils configured to detect magnetic flux in a height direction of the vehicle which is generated by the power transmitting coil; and a misalignment detection unit configured to detect misalignment between the power transmitting coil and the power receiving coil in the one direction, based on a decrease in the magnetic flux in the height direction of the vehicle which is detected by the three or more coils.

Claims

1. A parking assistance device used in a wireless power supply system which performs wireless power supply between a power transmitting coil on a ground side and a power receiving coil on a vehicle side, the parking assistance device comprising:

three or more coils aligned in one direction in a plan view of the vehicle, the coils being configured to detect magnetic flux in a height direction of the vehicle which is generated by the power transmitting coil;

a vehicle controller configured to detect misalignment between the power transmitting coil and the power receiving coil in the one direction, based on a decrease in the magnetic flux in the height direction of the vehicle which is detected by the three or more coils; and

an output unit configured to notify a user of a result of the misalignment detection.

2. The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein

the three or more coils include a first coil, a second coil, and a third coil, the second and third coils being arranged at positions symmetric to each other with respect to the first coil in a vehicle width direction;

the vehicle controller is further configured to

determine that misalignment is absent when the magnetic flux detected by each of the second and third coils is equal to or lower than a first threshold and the magnetic flux detected by the first coil is higher than a second threshold,

determine that misalignment is present when the magnetic flux detected by at least one of the second and third coils is higher than the first threshold, and

determine that misalignment is present when the magnetic flux detected by the first coil is equal to or smaller than the second threshold.

3. The parking assistance device according to claim 2, wherein the first to third coils are sub-coils aligned in the vehicle width direction at positions on a front side or a rear side of the vehicle relative to a center of the power receiving coil below the power receiving coil.

4. The parking assistance device according to claim 2, wherein

the first coil is the power receiving coil, and

the second and third coils are sub-coils arranged at positions symmetric to each other with respect to a center of the power receiving coil in the vehicle width direction, below the power receiving coil.

5. The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein

the three or more coils are five or coils, and

the vehicle controller is further configured to detect a direction of misalignment, based on magnetic flux detected by the five or more coils.

6. The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle controller is further configured to

detect a short-circuit phenomenon of the magnetic flux above an inner portion of the power transmitting coil based on the decrease in the magnetic flux, and

detect misalignment based on the short-circuit phenomenon.

7. The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein

the three or more coils include a first coil, a second coil, and a third coil, the second coil and third coil being arranged at positions symmetric to each other with respect to the first coil in a vehicle width direction.

8. A parking assistance method used in a wireless power supply system which performs wireless power supply between a power transmitting coil on a ground side and a power receiving coil on a vehicle side, the parking assistance method comprising:

detecting magnetic flux in a height direction of the vehicle which is generated by the power transmitting coil, by using three or more coils aligned in one direction in a plan view of the vehicle;

detecting misalignment between the power transmitting coil and the power receiving coil in the one direction, based on a decrease in the magnetic flux in the height direction of the vehicle which is detected by the three or more coils; and

notifying a user of a result of the misalignment detection.

9. The parking assistance method according to claim 8, further comprising:

detecting a short-circuit phenomenon of the magnetic flux above an inner portion of the power transmitting coil based on the decrease in the magnetic flux; and

detecting misalignment based on the short-circuit phenomenon.

10. The parking assistance method according to claim 8, wherein

the three or more coils include a first coil, a second coil, and a third coil, the second coil and third coil being arranged at positions symmetric to each other with respect to the first coil in a vehicle width direction.