Method for ascertaining positional data describing a position of a motor vehicle relative to a stationary charging device as a destination, and arrangement consisting of a motor vehicle and a stationary charging device as a destination

• US 10,464,433 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2016
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Peer, Reinhard, Hardt, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Piggush, Aaron
• Application Number:
  US15/757,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20180244168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 320104, 320109, 320155
• 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: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• 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 method for ascertaining positional data describing a position of a motor vehicle relative to a stationary charging device as a destination. At the charging device end, a plurality of electromagnetic transmission signals are emitted from respectively different transmitting positions that are arranged in a transmitting position pattern and have respectively at least one signal characteristic that can be differentiated by the motor vehicle during reception. After which, for each reception signal received, signal strength data that describe its reception strength are produced, and the positional data are determined from the data, taking into consideration transmitter information describing the transmitting position pattern and an assignment of the transmitting positions to the signal characteristics.

Claims

1. A method for ascertaining positional data describing a position of a motor vehicle relative to a stationary charging device as a destination, comprising:

at a charging device end, a plurality of electromagnetic transmission signals are emitted from respectively different transmitting positions that are arranged in a transmitting position pattern and have respectively at least one signal characteristic (T1-T4) that is differentiated by the motor vehicle during reception, after which, for each reception signal received, signal strength data (I1-I5) that describe its reception strength (R1-R4) are produced by the motor vehicle, and positional data of the motor vehicle relative to the stationary charging device are determined from said signal strength data so that by using the positional data, the motor vehicle is positioned at a predetermined position on the stationary charging device, wherein transmitter information describing the transmitting position pattern and an assignment of the transmitting positions to the signal characteristics (T1-T4) is used in the determination of the positional data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmission signals that are differentiated in terms of their frequency and/or their polarization and/or their transmission period in a transmission pattern over time are or is emitted as the signal characteristic (T1-T4).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission signals are emitted in a frequency range between 30 kHz and 3 MHz.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least four, in particular exactly four, transmitting positions are used.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein as the transmitting position pattern, corner points of a square are used.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one other charging device is present, which, in turn, emits transmission signals from transmitting positions of the same transmitting position pattern, wherein directly adjacent charging devices have different assignments of the transmitting positions to the signal characteristics (T1-T4), wherein, as the reception signal, overlapping transmission signals of the charging devices are received and transmission signal data (I1-I5) that describe the assignment of the at least one other charging device and a relative position of the transmitting position pattern of the charging devices are used for determination of the positional data.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, for each two directly adjacent charging devices, an assignment of their transmitting positions, which are rotated by a predetermined angle, in particular by 90°

, to the signal characteristics (T1-T4) is used.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission power of the transmission signals is chosen in such a way that their signal characteristics (T1-T4) can be differentiated by the motor vehicle at a distance of at most 24 m, preferably at most 12 m, more preferably at most 6 m, with respect to the respective transmitting position.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein at a motor vehicle end, a driver information device is used, which outputs driver information that is dependent on the positional data and describes a driving maneuver that is to be executed for attaining a predetermined position and/or alignment with respect to the charging device, as a destination, to a driver of the motor vehicle and/or a vehicle guide device that influences a transverse and/or longitudinal guiding of the motor vehicle that, taking into consideration the positional data, implements a driving maneuver that is to be executed for attaining a predetermined position and/or alignment with respect to the charging device as a destination.

10. An arrangement comprising:

a motor vehicle and a stationary charging device as a destination, wherein, at a charging device end, a transmitting device for the emission of electromagnetic transmission signals from respectively different transmitting positions, each of which has, at a motor vehicle end, a signal characteristic (T1-T4) that can be differentiated by a provided receiving device, wherein a control device designed for implementation of the method of claim 1 is provided.

11. The arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the charging device comprises a primary-end induction charging device, wherein the motor vehicle has a secondary-end induction charging device for transmission of electrical energy by the primary-end induction charging device.