Vehicle and contactless power transfer system

• US 10,464,432 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2016
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Katanoda, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiltey, Nicholas K
• Application Number:
  US15/372,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20170166072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• 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 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• 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

A vehicle includes a power receiving device, a power storage device, and an electronic control unit. A power receiving unit is configured to contactlessly receive electric power from a power transmitting unit of a power transmission device located outside the vehicle. The electronic control unit configured to set a charge start time at which the power storage device starts being charged, and start charging the power storage device with electric power received by the power receiving device irrespective of the charge start time, when the vehicle starts moving before the charge start time, from the condition where the position of the power receiving unit is adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, and the vehicle is brought back into the condition where the position of the power receiving unit is adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, within a predetermined time subsequent to start of movement of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a power receiving device including a power receiving unit, the power receiving unit being configured to contactlessly receive electric power from a power transmitting unit of a power transmission device located outside the vehicle;

a power storage device configured to store electric power received by the power receiving device; and

an electronic control unit configured to;

i) set a charge start time at which the power storage device starts being charged;

ii) start charging the power storage device with electric power received by the power receiving device at the charge start time, in a case where (a) the vehicle is kept stopped during a standby period from an adjustment time until the charge start time arrives, the adjustment time being a time at which the vehicle is placed in a condition in which a position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit; and

iii) start charging the power storage device with electric power received by the power receiving device irrespective of the charge start time, in a case where (b) before the charge start time arrives during the standby period, the vehicle moves from the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, and then (c) the vehicle is brought back into the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, within a predetermined time subsequent to the vehicle having been moved from the condition.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to determine that the vehicle is in the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, by determining that an efficiency of electric power transmission between the power transmitting unit and the power receiving unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined value during a position adjustment operation in which electric power that is equal to or smaller than a predetermined power is transmitted from the power transmitting unit.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is further configured to cancel the charge start time in the case where (b) before the charge start time arrives during the standby period, the vehicle moves from the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, and then (c) the vehicle is brought back into the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, within the predetermined time subsequent to the vehicle having been moved from the condition.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is further configured to determine that the charge start time is not being cancelled in the case where (b) before the charge start time arrives during the standby period, the vehicle moves from the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, and then (d) the vehicle is not brought back into the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, within the predetermined time subsequent to the vehicle having been moved from the condition.

5. A contactless power transfer system comprising:

a vehicle including a power receiving device, a power storage device, and an electronic control unit, the power receiving device including a power receiving unit, the power storage device being configured to store electric power received by the power receiving device;

a power transmission device located outside the vehicle, the power transmission device including a power transmitting unit, the power transmitting unit being configured to contactlessly transmit electric power to the power receiving unit of the power receiving device installed on the vehicle, wherein

the power receiving unit of the power receiving device is configured to contactlessly receive electric power from the power transmission device located outside the vehicle, and

the electronic control unit is configured to;

i) set a charge start time at which the power storage device starts being charged;

ii) start charging the power storage device with electric power received by the power receiving device at the charge start time, in a case where (a) the vehicle is kept stopped during a standby period from an adjustment time until the charge start time arrives, the adjustment time being a time at which the vehicle is placed in a condition in which a position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit; and

iii) start charging the power storage device with electric power received by the power receiving device irrespective of the charge start time, in a case where (b) before the charge start time arrives during the standby period, the vehicle moves from the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, and then (c) the vehicle is brought back into the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, within a predetermined time subsequent to the vehicle having been moved from the condition.

6. The contactless power transfer system according to claim 5, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to determine that the vehicle is in the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, by determining that an efficiency of electric power transmission between the power transmitting unit and the power receiving unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined value during a position adjustment operation in which electric power that is equal to or smaller than a predetermined power is transmitted from the power transmitting unit.

7. The contactless power transfer system according to claim 5, wherein

the electronic control unit is further configured to cancel the charge start time in the case where (b) before the charge start time arrives during the standby period, the vehicle moves from the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, and then (c) the vehicle is brought back into the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, within the predetermined time subsequent to the vehicle having been moved from the condition.

8. The contactless power transfer system according to claim 5, wherein

the electronic control unit is further configured to determine that the charge start time is not being cancelled in the case where (b) before the charge start time arrives during the standby period, the vehicle moves from the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, and then (d) the vehicle is not brought back into the condition in which the position of the power receiving unit has been adjusted relative to the power transmitting unit, within the predetermined time subsequent to the vehicle having been moved from the condition.