WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER SYSTEM

• US 20170012474A1
• Filed: 09/20/2016
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IHI Corporation
• Original Assignee: IHI Corporation
• Inventors: TAKATSU, Yuji, TOKURA, Susumu, UEDA, Akio, HASHIZUME, Sho, AKUNE, Kei, HAYASHI, Tooru
• Granted Patent: US 10,122,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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

Abstract

A wireless power transfer system includes: a station that a vehicle is capable of entering and leaving; and a bottom part detection sensor having a detection unit capable of detecting an object that enters a detection range, provided at the station, and that outputs a bottom part detection signal corresponding to a portion, which enters the detection range, of a bottom part of the vehicle. The wireless power transfer system executes: a detection signal output step in which the bottom part detection sensor outputs a time-series bottom part detection signal when the vehicle moves in the station at a predetermined speed that is a prescribed speed; and a coil position information extraction step of extracting, from the time-series bottom part detection signal, coil position information that is information about a position of an electric power receiving coil in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer system that supplies electric power to a vehicle in which an electric power receiving coil capable of receiving wireless power transfer is incorporated, the wireless power transfer system comprising:

a station that the vehicle is capable of entering and leaving; and

a bottom part detection sensor having a detection unit capable of detecting an object that enters a detection range, provided at the station, and that outputs a bottom part detection signal corresponding to a portion, which enters the detection range, of a bottom part of the vehicle, wherein

the wireless power transfer system executes;

a detection signal output step in which the bottom part detection sensor outputs a time-series bottom part detection signal when the vehicle moves in the station at a predetermined speed that is a prescribed speed; and

a coil position information extraction step of extracting, from the time-series bottom part detection signal, coil position information that is information about a position of the electric power receiving coil in the vehicle.

2. The wireless power transfer system according to claim 1, wherein

the bottom part detection sensor is an eddy current type distance sensor that outputs a bottom part detection signal corresponding to a separation distance between the portion which enters the detection range and the detection unit, and to a magnetic property of the portion which enters the detection range, and

the coil position information extraction step extracts, from the time-series bottom part detection signal, the coil position information based on a portion inside a contour of the bottom part of the vehicle in which detection sensitivity that is an amount of change in the bottom part detection signal per unit time significantly changes.

3. The wireless power transfer system according to claim 1, wherein

the bottom part detection sensor is a laser type distance sensor that outputs a bottom part detection signal corresponding to a separation distance between the portion which enters the detection range and the detection unit, and

the coil position information extraction step extracts, from the time-series bottom part detection signal, the coil position information based on a portion inside a contour of the bottom part of the vehicle that matches a preset contour that is a contour preset in advance.

4. The wireless power transfer system according to claim 1, wherein

the bottom part detection sensor is a laser type distance sensor that outputs a bottom part detection signal corresponding to a separation distance between the portion which enters the detection range and the detection unit, and

the coil position information extraction step extracts, from the time-series bottom part detection signal, the coil position information based on a portion inside a contour of the bottom part of the vehicle in which the bottom part detection signal does not change and is constant.

5. The wireless power transfer system according to claim 2, comprising a vehicle moving mechanism provided at the station and capable of supporting the vehicle and moving the vehicle at a constant speed, wherein

the detection signal output step is a step in which the bottom part detection sensor outputs the time-series bottom part detection signal when the vehicle moving mechanism moves the vehicle in the station at the constant speed.

6. The wireless power transfer system according to claim 5, comprising a vehicle body detection sensor that detects a vehicle body of the vehicle and outputs a vehicle body detection signal, and comprising a predetermined speed estimation step of estimating, when the vehicle moves in the station, the predetermined speed of the vehicle based on a time-series vehicle body detection signal output from the vehicle body detection sensor and a length of the vehicle, wherein

the coil position information extraction step extracts, from the time-series bottom part detection signal and the predetermined speed estimated in the predetermined speed estimation step, the coil position information that is the information about the position of the electric power receiving coil in the vehicle.

8. The wireless power transfer system according to claim 1, comprising a photographing apparatus provided at the station and capable of photographing the vehicle, wherein

the wireless power transfer system executes:

a vehicle photographing step in which the photographing apparatus photographs the vehicle when the vehicle is located at the station;

a vehicle type specifying step of specifying a vehicle type of the vehicle from an image photographed by the photographing apparatus; and

a vehicle type coil position information recording step of associating the vehicle type of the vehicle with the coil position information and recording, in a database, the vehicle type of the vehicle and the coil position information.

10. The wireless power transfer system according to claim 1, comprising a photographing apparatus provided at the station and capable of photographing the vehicle, wherein

the wireless power transfer system executes:

a preparation step of preparing a database in which a plurality of vehicle types and a plurality of items of coil position information that is information about a position of the electric power receiving coil in the vehicle are associated with each other and recorded in advance;

a vehicle photographing step in which the photographing apparatus photographs the vehicle when the vehicle is located at the station;

a vehicle type specifying step of specifying a vehicle type of the vehicle from an image photographed by the photographing apparatus; and

a coil position information obtaining step of obtaining, from the database, the coil position information associated with the vehicle type of the vehicle specified in the vehicle type specifying step.

7. A wireless power transfer system that supplies electric power to a vehicle in which an electric power receiving coil capable of receiving wireless power transfer is incorporated, a bottom part of the vehicle being provided with a mark at a position corresponding to a position of the electric power receiving coil, the wireless power transfer system comprising:

a station that the vehicle is capable of entering and leaving; and

a bottom part photographing apparatus provided at the station and capable of photographing the bottom part of the vehicle, wherein

the wireless power transfer system executes;

a bottom part photographing step in which the bottom part photographing apparatus photographs the bottom part of the vehicle when the vehicle is located at the station; and

a coil position information extraction step of extracting, from an image of the bottom part of the vehicle photographed by the bottom part photographing apparatus, coil position information that is information about the position of the electric power receiving coil in the vehicle based on a position, inside a contour of the bottom part of the vehicle, of what matches a preset mark that is a mark preset in advance.

9. The wireless power transfer system according to claim 7, comprising a photographing apparatus provided at the station and capable of photographing the vehicle, wherein

the wireless power transfer system executes:

a vehicle photographing step in which the photographing apparatus photographs the vehicle when the vehicle is located at the station;

a vehicle type specifying step of specifying a vehicle type of the vehicle from an image photographed by the photographing apparatus; and

a vehicle type coil position information recording step of associating the vehicle type of the vehicle with the coil position information and recording, in a database, the vehicle type of the vehicle and the coil position information.

11. The wireless power transfer system according to claim 7, comprising a photographing apparatus provided at the station and capable of photographing the vehicle, wherein

the wireless power transfer system executes:

a preparation step of preparing a database in which a plurality of vehicle types and a plurality of items of coil position information that is information about a position of the electric power receiving coil in the vehicle are associated with each other and recorded in advance;

a vehicle photographing step in which the photographing apparatus photographs the vehicle when the vehicle is located at the station;

a vehicle type specifying step of specifying a vehicle type of the vehicle from an image photographed by the photographing apparatus; and

a coil position information obtaining step of obtaining, from the database, the coil position information associated with the vehicle type of the vehicle specified in the vehicle type specifying step.

12. A wireless power transfer system that supplies electric power to a vehicle in which an electric power receiving coil capable of receiving wireless power transfer is incorporated, the wireless power transfer system comprising:

a station that the vehicle is capable of entering and leaving; and

a plurality of bottom part detection sensors having a detection unit capable of detecting an object that enters a detection range, and provided at the station and arranged to be spaced apart from each other, each of the plurality of bottom part detection sensors being configured to output a bottom part detection signal corresponding to a portion, which enters the detection range, of a bottom part of the vehicle, wherein

the wireless power transfer system executes;

a detection signal output step in which the plurality of bottom part detection sensors output a respective plurality of the bottom part detection signals when the vehicle is located at the station; and

a coil position information extraction step of extracting, from the plurality of bottom part detection signals, coil position information that is information about a position of the electric power receiving coil in the vehicle.

13. The wireless power transfer system according to claim 12, wherein

the bottom part detection sensor is an eddy current type distance sensor that outputs a bottom part detection signal corresponding to a separation distance between the portion which enters the detection range and the detection unit, and to a magnetic property of the portion which enters the detection range, and

the coil position information extraction step extracts, from the plurality of bottom part detection signals, the coil position information based on a portion inside a contour of the bottom part of the vehicle in which detection sensitivity that is an amount of change in the bottom part detection signal per unit distance significantly changes.

14. The wireless power transfer system according to claim 12, wherein

the bottom part detection sensor is a laser type distance sensor that outputs a bottom part detection signal corresponding to a separation distance between the portion which enters the detection range and the detection unit, and

the coil position information extraction step extracts, from the plurality of bottom part detection signals, the coil position information based on a portion inside a contour of the bottom part of the vehicle that matches a preset contour that is a contour preset in advance.

15. The wireless power transfer system according to claim 12, wherein

the bottom part detection sensor is a laser type distance sensor that outputs a bottom part detection signal corresponding to a separation distance between the portion which enters the detection range and the detection unit, and

the coil position information extraction step extracts, from the plurality of bottom part detection signals, the coil position information based on a portion inside a contour of the bottom part of the vehicle in which the bottom part detection signal does not change and is constant.