Inductive charging active suspension

• US 10,363,833 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2017
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Dudar, Aed M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutchinson, Alan D
• Application Number:
  US15/459,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20180264963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A vehicle computer includes a processor and a memory storing processor-executable instructions. The processor is programmed to determine a target charging height based on charging information received from a remote server and adjust a height of an inductive pick-up in a host vehicle in accordance with the target charging height prior to an inductive charging process.

Claims

1. A vehicle computer comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing processor-executable instructions,

wherein the processor is programmed to

determine a target charging height based on charging information received from a remote server, including a predicted quality of charge based on prior charges at a charging station,

adjust a height of an inductive pick-up in a host vehicle in accordance with the target charging height prior to an inductive charging process,

determine an actual charging height used during the inductive charging process, wherein the actual charging height is based on the height of the inductive pick-up when receiving a highest efficiency charge from a charging station; and

store the actual charging height in the memory and relate the actual charging height in the memory to a unique identifier of the charging station stored in the memory.

2. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the charge information includes a plurality of potential charging heights, each associated with a charge efficiency, and wherein the processor is programmed to determine the target charging height by selecting, from among the plurality of potential charging heights, the potential charging height with a highest charge efficiency.

3. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the charge information includes a plurality of potential charging heights, each associated with a charge efficiency, and wherein the processor is programmed to determine the target charging height by determining one of a mean, median, and mode of the potential charging heights and selecting the mean, median, or mode of the potential charging heights as the target charging height.

4. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to query the remote server for the charging information, the query including a unique identifier of a charging station and a request for charging information associated with a classification size of the host vehicle, a make, model, and year of the host vehicle, and a battery capacity of the host vehicle.

5. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to determine a height adjustment for the host vehicle based at least in part on the target charging height.

6. The vehicle computer of claim 5, wherein, to determine the height adjustment, the processor is programmed to determine a present height of the inductive pick-up and a target height of the inductive pick-up, where in the height adjustment is a difference of the present height and the target height.

7. The vehicle computer of claim 5, wherein the processor is programmed to command a suspension system controller to adjust a height of the host vehicle by the height adjustment.

8. The vehicle computer of claim 5, wherein the processor is programmed to command at least one suspension system actuator to adjust a height of the host vehicle by the height adjustment.

9. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to monitor an actual charge quality during the inductive charging process, compare the predicted charge quality to the actual charge quality, determine that the actual charge quality is lower than the predicted charge quality, and adjust a height of the host vehicle in real time during the inductive charging process until the actual charge quality is equal to or greater than the predicted charge quality.

10. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to adjust a height of the host vehicle in real time during the inductive charging process, monitor an actual charge quality at each height including determining an efficiency of the inductive charge process at each height, and select the height of the host vehicle with a highest efficiency as an actual charging height.

11. The vehicle computer of claim 10, wherein the processor is programmed to command a communication interface to transmit the actual charging height to the remote server.

12. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to determine when the inductive charging process is complete and command one of a suspension system controller and at least one of a plurality of actuators to return the host vehicle to a pre-charge height after the inductive charging process is complete.

13. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to command a communication interface to transmit post-charge information to the remote server, the post-charge information including an actual charge quality, an actual charging height, vehicle information, a unique identifier of a charging station, a battery capacity of the host vehicle, and an amount of time to complete the charge.

14. A method comprising:

receiving charging information about prior charges at a charging station from a remote server, wherein the charging information is associated with an electric vehicle charging station;

determining a target charging height based on the charging information received from a remote server, including a predicted quality of charge, received from the remote server; and

adjusting a height of an inductive pick-up in a host vehicle in accordance with the target charging height prior to an inductive charging process;

determining an actual charging height used during the inductive charging process, wherein the actual charging height is based on the height of the inductive pick-up when receiving a highest efficiency charge from a charging station; and

storing the actual charging height and relate the actual charging height to a unique identifier of the charging station.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the charge information includes a plurality of potential charging heights, each associated with a charge efficiency, and wherein determining the target charging height includes selecting, from among the plurality of potential charging heights, the potential charging height with a highest charge efficiency.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising querying the remote server for the charging information, the query including a unique identifier of the charging station and a request for charging information associated with a classification size of the host vehicle, a make, model, and year of the host vehicle, and a battery capacity of the host vehicle.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a height adjustment for the host vehicle based at least in part on the target charging height, wherein determining the height adjustment includes determining a present height of the inductive pick-up and a target height of the inductive pick-up, wherein the height adjustment is a difference of the present height and the target height; and

wherein adjusting the height of the inductive pick-up includes adjusting the height of the host vehicle by the height adjustment.

18. A vehicle computer comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing processor-executable instructions,

wherein the processor is programmed to determine a target charging height based on charging information received from a remote server, adjust a height of an inductive pick-up in a host vehicle in accordance with the target charging height prior to an inductive charging process, command a communication interface to transmit post-charge information to the remote server, the post-charge information including an actual charge quality, an actual charging height, vehicle information, a unique identifier of a charging station, a battery capacity of the host vehicle, and an amount of time to complete the charge.

19. The vehicle computer of claim 18, wherein the charge information includes a plurality of potential charging heights, each associated with a charge efficiency, and wherein the processor is programmed to one of:

(a) determine the target charging height by selecting, from among the plurality of potential charging heights, the potential charging height with a highest charge efficiency;

or

(b) determine the target charging height by determining one of a mean, median, and mode of the potential charging heights and selecting the mean, median, or mode of the potential charging heights as the target charging height.

20. The vehicle computer of claim 18, wherein the processor is programmed to monitor the actual charge quality during the inductive charging process, compare the predicted charge quality to the actual charge quality, determine that the actual charge quality is lower than the predicted charge quality, and adjust a height of the host vehicle in real time during the inductive charging process until the actual charge quality is equal to or greater than the predicted charge quality.

21. The vehicle computer of claim 18, wherein the processor is programmed to determine an actual charging height used during the inductive charging process, wherein the actual charging height is based on the height of the inductive pick-up when receiving a highest efficiency charge from a charging station.