POWER RECEIVING DEVICE, POWER TRANSMITTING DEVICE, POWER TRANSFER SYSTEM, AND PARKING ASSISTING DEVICE

• US 20160114687A1
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: ICHIKAWA, Shinji, YAMADA, Hideaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,643,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/005 without mechanical contact between the collector and the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• 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 53/37 using optical position determination, e.g. using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 7/003 for vehicles using stored power (e.g. charging stations)
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• 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 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• 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 power receiving device includes: a power receiving unit moved between a first position and a second position and receiving electric power in the second position from a power transmitting unit contactlessly; a movement mechanism moving the power receiving unit to the first position and the second position; and a sensing unit provided at a vehicular body independently of the power receiving unit and sensing the intensity of one of a magnetic field and an electric field formed by the power transmitting unit. The second position is obliquely below the first position with respect to the vertical direction, and the second position has a shorter distance to the sensing unit than the first position.

Claims

1. A power receiving device comprising:

a power receiving unit including a power receiving coil, moved between a first position and a second position different from said first position, and receiving electric power in said second position from a power transmitting unit external to a vehicle contactlessly;

a movement mechanism moving said power receiving unit to said first position and said second position; and

a sensing unit provided at a vehicular body independently of said power receiving unit and sensing an intensity of one of a magnetic field and an electric field formed by said power transmitting unit,

said second position being obliquely below said first position with respect to a vertical direction,

said second position having a shorter distance to said sensing unit than said first position.

2. The power receiving device according to claim 1, wherein said sensing unit senses an impedance of said magnetic field formed by said power transmitting unit at a location of said sensing unit.

3. The power receiving device according to claim 2, wherein said sensing unit senses an intensity component in the vertical direction of said magnetic field formed by said power transmitting unit at the location of said sensing unit.

4. The power receiving device according to claim 2, wherein said sensing unit senses an intensity component in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction of said magnetic field formed by said power transmitting unit at the location of said sensing unit.

5. The power receiving device according to claim 1, wherein:

more than one said sensing unit are provided at said vehicular body;

said power receiving coil has a winding axis extending in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which said power transmitting unit and said power receiving unit disposed in said second position face each other; and

when said power receiving unit is disposed in said second position, and in that condition an imaginary plane is drawn to include said winding axis of said power receiving coil of said power receiving unit and also be orthogonal to the vertical direction and said more than one said sensing unit are projected in the vertical direction toward said imaginary plane, then said more than one said sensing unit form projected images in said imaginary plane in positions having a relationship of line symmetry with respect to said winding axis.

6. The power receiving device according to claim 1, wherein said sensing unit is included in a projected space virtually formed when said power receiving unit in said second position has said power receiving coil or a core having said power receiving coil wound thereon projected in the vertical direction upward.

9. The power receiving device according to claim 1, wherein said power transmitting unit and said power receiving unit have natural frequencies, respectively, with a difference smaller than or equal to 10% of the natural frequency of said power receiving unit.

10. The power receiving device according to claim 1, wherein said power receiving unit and said power transmitting unit have a coupling coefficient equal to or smaller than 0.3.

11. The power receiving device according to claim 1, wherein said power receiving unit receives electric power from said power transmitting unit through at least one of a magnetic field formed between said power receiving unit and said power transmitting unit and oscillating at a specific frequency and an electric field formed between said power receiving unit and said power transmitting unit and oscillating at a specific frequency.

12. A parking assisting device comprising:

a power receiving device according to claim 1; and

a control unit controlling a vehicle driving unit driving said vehicle, based on an intensity of said magnetic field that said sensing unit senses, to move said vehicle.

13. The parking assisting device according to claim 12, wherein:

said sensing unit includes a first sensing unit and a second sensing unit mutually spaced in a direction transverse to a vertical direction; and

when said vehicle is moving and an intensity of said magnetic field that said first sensing unit senses satisfies a first condition and an intensity of said magnetic field that said second sensing unit senses fails to satisfy a second condition, said control unit controls said vehicle driving unit to move said vehicle in a direction in which said first sensing unit is located as seen from said second sensing unit.

14. The parking assisting device according to claim 13, wherein:

said first sensing unit is disposed closer to a rear side of said vehicle than said second sensing unit is; and

when said vehicle is moving backward and an intensity of said magnetic field that said first sensing unit senses satisfies said first condition and an intensity of said magnetic field that said second sensing unit senses fails to satisfy said second condition, said control unit controls said vehicle driving unit to allow said vehicle to continue to move backward.

15. The parking assisting device according to claim 13, wherein:

said first sensing unit is disposed closer to a front side of said vehicle than said second sensing unit is; and

when said vehicle is moving backward and an intensity of said magnetic field that said first sensing unit senses satisfies said first condition and an intensity of said magnetic field that said second sensing unit senses fails to satisfy said second condition, said control unit controls said vehicle driving unit to move said vehicle forward.

16. The parking assisting device according to claim 12, wherein:

said sensing unit includes a first sensing unit and a second sensing unit mutually spaced in a direction transverse to a vertical direction; and

when said vehicle is moving and an intensity of said magnetic field that said first sensing unit senses satisfies a first condition and an intensity of said magnetic field that said second sensing unit senses satisfies a second condition, said control unit controls said vehicle driving unit to move said vehicle so that said magnetic field as sensed by said first sensing unit and said magnetic field as sensed by said second sensing unit approach a single value in intensity.

17. The parking assisting device according to claim 13, wherein:

said first sensing unit is disposed closer to a rear side of said vehicle than said second sensing unit is; and

when said vehicle is moving forward and an intensity of said magnetic field that said first sensing unit senses satisfies said first condition and an intensity of said magnetic field that said second sensing unit senses fails to satisfy said second condition, said control unit controls said vehicle driving unit to move said vehicle backward.

18. The parking assisting device according to claim 13, wherein:

said first sensing unit is disposed closer to a front side of said vehicle than said second sensing unit is; and

when said vehicle is moving forward and an intensity of said magnetic field that said first sensing unit senses satisfies said first condition and an intensity of said magnetic field that said second sensing unit senses fails to satisfy said second condition, said control unit controls said vehicle driving unit to allow said vehicle to continue to move forward.

7. A power receiving device comprising:

a power receiving unit including a power receiving coil, moved between a first position and a second position different from said first position, and receiving electric power in said second position from a power transmitting unit external to a vehicle contactlessly;

a movement mechanism moving said power receiving unit to said first position and said second position; and

a sensing unit provided at a vehicular body independently of said power receiving unit and sensing an intensity of one of a magnetic field and an electric field formed by said power transmitting unit.

8. A power receiving device comprising:

a power receiving unit including a power receiving coil, moved between a first position and a second position different from said first position, and receiving electric power in said second position from a power transmitting unit external to a vehicle contactlessly;

a movement mechanism moving said power receiving unit to said first position and said second position; and

a sensing unit provided at a vehicular body independently of said power receiving unit and sensing an intensity of one of a magnetic field and an electric field formed by said power transmitting unit,

said second position being below said first position with respect to a vertical direction,

said sensing unit being included in a space virtually formed when said power receiving unit in said first position has said power receiving coil or a core having said power receiving coil wound thereon enlarged to a similar figure of 3 times in size.

19. A power transfer system comprising:

a power receiving device; and

a power transmitting device having a power transmitting unit and transmitting electric power to said power receiving device contactlessly while facing said power receiving device,

said power receiving device including

a power receiving unit moved between a first position and a second position different from said first position, and receiving electric power in said second position from said power transmitting unit external to a vehicle contactlessly,

a movement mechanism moving said power receiving unit to said first position and said second position, and

a sensing unit provided at a vehicular body independently of said power receiving unit and sensing an intensity of one of a magnetic field and an electric field formed by said power transmitting unit,

said magnetic field formed by said power transmitting unit having an intensity larger at a location of said sensing unit than at said first position.

20. A power transmitting device comprising:

a power transmitting unit including a power transmitting coil, moved between a first position and a second position different from said first position, and transmitting electric power in said second position contactlessly to a power receiving unit provided to a vehicle;

a movement mechanism moving said power transmitting unit to said first position and said second position; and

a sensing unit provided independently of said power transmitting unit and sensing an intensity of one of a magnetic field and an electric field formed by said power receiving unit,

said second position being obliquely above said first position with respect to a vertical direction,

said second position having a shorter distance to said sensing unit than said first position.

21. A parking assisting device that assists parking a vehicle receiving information from a communication unit and moved as controlled based on said information, comprising:

a power transmitting device according to claim 20; and

said communication unit that transmits to said vehicle information regarding an intensity of said magnetic field sensed by said sensing unit.