Non-contact power transmission system

• US 10,640,002 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Iwamoto, Takuya, Nakagawa, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Muralidar, Richard V
• Application Number:
  US15/983,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20180339598A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• 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 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• 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: 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 storage device stores a voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic that represents a relation between a horizontal distance between a primary coil and a secondary coil, and a voltage value. A characteristic setting unit sets a voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic that matches a vehicle state, on the basis of a value for the vehicle state (vehicle speed v, vehicle height h, and inclination i) detected by sensors and the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic stored in the storage device. A horizontal distance estimation unit estimates the horizontal distance on the basis of the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic and the voltage value.

Claims

1. A non-contact power transmission system for transmitting power without contact from a primary coil that is provided for a charging station to a secondary coil that is provided for an electric vehicle, the system comprising:

a primary side control unit that transmits to the primary coil a weak power for alignment of the primary coil and the secondary coil;

a voltage detector that detects voltage generated by the weak power that is received in the secondary coil;

a storage device that stores a voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic that represents a relation between a distance between a reference part of the primary coil and a reference part of the secondary coil in a horizontal direction, and a value of the voltage in accordance with the distance;

a sensor that detects a vehicle state that changes the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic;

a characteristic setting unit that sets a voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic that matches the vehicle state, on the basis of a value detected by the sensor and the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic stored in the storage device; and

a horizontal distance estimation unit that estimates the distance on the basis of the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic set by the characteristic setting unit and the value of the voltage detected by the voltage detector, wherein

the storage device stores in advance a referential voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic; and

the characteristic setting unit obtains a coefficient in accordance with the value detected by the sensor, corrects the referential voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic with the obtained coefficient and sets the corrected voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic.

2. The non-contact power transmission system according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects a vehicle speed of the electric vehicle as the vehicle state; and

the characteristic setting unit sets the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic at least on the basis of the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor.

3. The non-contact power transmission system according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor includes a vehicle height sensor that detects a vehicle height of the electric vehicle as the vehicle state; and

the characteristic setting unit sets the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic at least on the basis of the vehicle height detected by the vehicle height sensor.

4. The non-contact power transmission system according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor includes an inclination sensor that detects an inclination of the electric vehicle with respect to the charging station as the vehicle state; and

the characteristic setting unit sets the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic at least on the basis of the inclination detected by the inclination sensor.

5. A non-contact power transmission system for transmitting power without contact from a primary coil that is provided for a charging station to a secondary coil that is provided for an electric vehicle, the system comprising:

a primary side control unit that transmits to the primary coil a weak power for alignment of the primary coil and the secondary coil;

a voltage detector that detects voltage generated by the weak power that is received in the secondary coil;

a storage device that stores a voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic that represents a relation between a distance between a reference part of the primary coil and a reference part of the secondary coil in a horizontal direction, and a value of the voltage in accordance with the distance;

a sensor that detects a vehicle state that changes the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic;

a characteristic setting unit that sets a voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic that matches the vehicle state, on the basis of a value detected by the sensor and the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic stored in the storage device; and

a horizontal distance estimation unit that estimates the distance on the basis of the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic set by the characteristic setting unit and the value of the voltage detected by the voltage detector, wherein

the sensor includes an inclination sensor that detects an inclination of the electric vehicle with respect to the charging station as the vehicle state; and

the characteristic setting unit sets the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic at least on the basis of the inclination detected by the inclination sensor.

6. The non-contact power transmission system according to claim 5, wherein:

the sensor includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects a vehicle speed of the electric vehicle as the vehicle state; and

the characteristic setting unit sets the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic at least on the basis of the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor.

7. The non-contact power transmission system according to claim 5, wherein:

the sensor includes a vehicle height sensor that detects a vehicle height of the electric vehicle as the vehicle state; and

the characteristic setting unit sets the voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic at least on the basis of the vehicle height detected by the vehicle height sensor.

8. The non-contact power transmission system according to claim 5, wherein

the storage device stores in advance a referential voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic;

and

the characteristic setting unit obtains a coefficient in accordance with the value detected by the sensor, corrects the referential voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic with the obtained coefficient and sets the corrected voltage value-horizontal distance characteristic.