POWER TRANSFER SYSTEM

• US 20160250935A1
• Filed: 02/19/2016
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: YUASA, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 10,065,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• 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 transfer system includes a power reception coil arranged on a bottom surface of a vehicle, a plurality of members arranged along the bottom surface, a plurality of temperature detectors arranged around the power reception coil, and a controller that causes the power to be transmitted from a power transmission coil to decrease when a detection temperature of any of the plurality of temperature detectors is equal to or higher than a prescribed threshold, the prescribed value being set lower for a temperature detector of the plurality of temperature detectors provided closer to a member having a lower heat resistance.

Claims

1. A power transfer system comprising:

a power reception coil provided on a bottom surface of a vehicle;

a power transmission coil that contactlessly transmits power to the power reception coil;

a plurality of members mounted along the bottom surface of the vehicle around the power reception coil;

a plurality of temperature detectors, each of which detects a detection temperature that increases as a temperature of each of the plurality of members increases; and

a controller that causes the power to be transmitted from the power transmission coil to decrease when the detection temperature detected by any of the plurality of temperature detectors is equal to or higher than a prescribed threshold, wherein

at least one of the plurality of members is a heated member that increases in temperature by magnetic flux emitted from the power transmission coil,

the heated member is located in a displacement direction spaced from an axis of the power reception coil,

the plurality of temperature detectors are arranged in a plurality of positions around the axis of the power reception coil, and

a value of the prescribed threshold is set lower for a temperature detector associated with the heated member having lower heat resistance than for a temperature detector associated with one of the plurality of members other than the heated member and having a higher heat resistance than the heated member.

2. The power transfer system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first current sensor that detects a current flowing through the power transmission coil;

a first voltage sensor that detects a voltage applied to the power transmission coil;

a second current sensor that detects a current flowing through the power reception coil; and

a second voltage sensor that detects a voltage applied to the power reception coil, wherein

the controller (i) calculates a transmitted power value from a first current value detected by the first current sensor and a first voltage value detected by the first voltage sensor, (ii) calculates a received power value from a second current value detected by the second current sensor and a second voltage value detected by the second voltage sensor, (iii) calculates a power reception efficiency by dividing the received power value by the transmitted power value, and (iv) stops the power transmission from the power transmission coil when the power reception efficiency is equal to or lower than a prescribed efficiency value that is not smaller than 90% and not greater than 98%.

3. The power transfer system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a floor panel arranged on the bottom surface of the vehicle; and

a case in which the power reception coil is accommodated, wherein

the plurality of members are attached to the floor panel and arranged outside the case, and

the plurality of temperature detectors are accommodated within the case.

4. The power transfer system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a floor panel arranged on the bottom surface of the vehicle, wherein

the plurality of members are attached to the floor panel,

each of the plurality of temperature detectors includes a metal piece and a temperature sensor that measures a temperature of the metal piece, and

each of the metal pieces has a heat conductivity higher than a heat conductivity of the floor panel.

5. The power transfer system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a floor panel arranged on the bottom surface of the vehicle;

an undercover made of resin and provided on the floor panel, and

a plurality of fixing members that fixes the undercover to the floor panel;

an engine provided in the vehicle;

an exhaust unit connected to the engine; and

a support member that is connected to the floor panel and supports the exhaust unit, wherein

the undercover includes a plurality of contact portions that is brought into contact with the floor panel using the plurality of fixing members,

a first one of the plurality of contact portions closest to the power reception coil is located on a forward side of the vehicle relative to the power reception coil,

the support member includes a cushion member made of resin,

the cushion member is located on a backward side of the vehicle relative to the power reception coil, and

the prescribed threshold for a first one of the plurality of temperature detectors arranged on the forward side of the vehicle relative to the power reception coil is lower than the prescribed threshold for a second one of the temperature detectors arranged on the backward side of the vehicle relative to the power reception coil.

6. A power transfer system comprising:

a floor panel arranged on a bottom surface of a vehicle;

a power reception device including a power reception coil and provided on a lower surface of the floor panel;

a power transmission device including a power transmission coil that contactlessly transmits power to the power reception coil;

a battery configured to be charged with the power received by the power reception device;

a plurality of members provided on the floor panel;

a plurality of temperature detectors, a detection temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detectors increasing as a temperature of each of the plurality of members increases; and

a controller configured to decrease the power to be transmitted from the power transmission coil when the detection temperature detected by any of the plurality of temperature detectors is equal to or higher than a prescribed threshold, wherein

when the power is transmitted from the power transmission coil to the power reception coil with a central axis of the power reception coil being displaced horizontally in a first direction relative to a central axis of the power transmission coil, a temperature of at least a first one of the plurality of members exceeds a heat-resistant temperature during a period from start to completion of charging of the battery when an amount of horizontal displacement in the first horizontal direction is equal to or higher than a first distance,

when the power is transmitted from the power transmission coil to the power reception coil with the central axis of the power reception coil being displaced in a second horizontal direction relative to the central axis of the power transmission coil, a temperature of at least a second one of the plurality of members exceeds a heat-resistant temperature during the period from the start to the completion of charging of the battery when the amount of the horizontal displacement in the second horizontal direction is equal to or higher than a second distance longer than the first distance,

the plurality of temperature detectors includes a first temperature detector arranged on a side toward the first horizontal direction of the power reception coil and a second temperature detector arranged on a side toward the second horizontal direction of the power reception coil,

the controller is configured to decrease the power to be transmitted from the power transmission coil when a detection temperature of the first temperature detector is equal to or higher than a first temperature, and is configured to decrease the power to be transmitted when a detection temperature of the second temperature detector is equal to or higher than a second temperature, and

the first temperature is lower than the second temperature.