Parking Assist Device and a Method for Electric Power Transmission and Reception Between a Vehicle and a Ground Apparatus

• US 20090040068A1
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Oyobe, Hichirosai, Nakamura, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 8,169,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/932.200
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/54 Windings for different functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/24 Using the vehicle's propulsion converter for charging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 parking assist device has a touch display (58) including a display unit for displaying a situation around a vehicle and an input unit for entering a target parking position of a vehicle, and also has a control device (60) performing parking assist control by calculating a path according to the target parking position. The control device (60) further performs, under a predetermined condition, assist control for position alignment of a vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit placed on the vehicle with an apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit of an apparatus placed on a ground. Preferably, the parking assist device further has a back monitor camera (53) for taking an image of a surrounding situation of the vehicle. When an identifier indicating the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit is present in the vicinity of the target parking position in the taken surrounding situation, the control device (60) recognizes the position of the identifier and performs the position alignment assist control.

Claims

1. A parking assist device comprising:

a display unit displaying a surrounding situation of a vehicle;

an input unit for entering a target parking position of said vehicle; and

a control unit performing parking assist control by calculating a path according to said target parking position, wherein

said control unit further performs, under a predetermined condition, position alignment assist control for aligning a vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit placed on the vehicle with an apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit of an apparatus placed on a ground.

2. The parking assist device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image-taking unit taking an image of said surrounding situation of said vehicle, wherein

said control unit performs said position alignment assist control by recognizing a position of an identifier indicating said apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit when said identifier is present near said target parking position in said surrounding situation taken by said image-taking unit.

3. The parking assist device according to claim 1, wherein

said apparatus supplies an electric power to said vehicle,

said vehicle is provided with a battery being externally chargeable through said vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit, and

said control unit determines according to a state of charge of said battery whether the charging is to be executed or not.

4. The parking assist device according to claim 1, wherein

said apparatus placed on the ground includes determining means for determining whether said vehicle is of a type capable of power transmission/reception or not.

5. The parking assist device according to claim 4, wherein

said apparatus supplies the electric power to said vehicle, and

said control unit instructs the connection of said vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit to said apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit after the end of said parking assist control when said vehicle is of the chargeable type.

6. The parking assist device according to claim 1, wherein

said apparatus includes an arm being extendable according to an instruction of said control unit for connecting said apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit to said vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit.

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

said vehicle includes an arm being extendable according to an instruction of said control unit for connecting said vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit to said apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit.

8. The parking assist device according to claim 1, wherein

said control unit performs, as said parking assist control, automatic steering according to movement of the vehicle on said path.

9. A method for electric power transmission and reception between a vehicle and a ground apparatus, comprising the steps of:

instructing start of movement of the vehicle;

moving said vehicle to a parking position;

determining whether said vehicle can transmit and receive an electric power or not; and

transmitting and receiving the electric power between the vehicle and an apparatus placed on a ground after said vehicle is parked at a parking position when it is determined in said determining step that said vehicle can transmit and receive the electric power.

10. The method for the electric power transmission and reception between the vehicle and the ground apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

instructing start of execution of parking assist;

setting said parking position; and

correcting said parking position set in said setting step according to relative positions of said vehicle and said apparatus.

11. The method for the electric power transmission and reception between the vehicle and the ground apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

inquiring of the driver, for confirmation, about whether the parking of the vehicle is to be executed or not based on said parking position corrected in said correcting step.