CHARGING STATION FOR UTILITY VEHICLE

• US 20170282735A1
• Filed: 03/29/2017
• Published: 10/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yamamura, Makoto, Kawakami, Toshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 10,454,287 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0265 using buried wires
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• 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 charging station for a utility vehicle that detects a magnetic field generated by electric current flowing through a boundary wire, there are provided with a base plate installed at the working area to retain the vehicle and provided with a pair of charging terminals connectable with battery charging terminals of the onboard battery, a first wire having a first loop and first projecting segments that project from the first loop toward the base plate, and a second wire installed at the base plate and is connected to the electric power supply independently of the boundary wire and the first wire and having a second loop and second projecting segments that project from the second loop toward the base plate symmetrically with the first projecting segments.

Claims

1. A charging station for a utility vehicle installed at a boundary of a working area for charging an onboard battery of the vehicle that detects a magnetic field generated during flow of electric current through a boundary wire laid around the working area and connected to an electric power supply and is driven by electric motors to run the working area based on the detected magnetic field, comprising:

a base plate that is installed at the working area to retain the vehicle and provided with a pair of charging terminals connectable with battery charging terminals of the onboard battery of the vehicle;

a first wire that is installed at the base plate and is connected to the electric power supply independently of the boundary wire, the first wire having a first loop that loops with a first loop diameter and first projecting segments that project from the first loop toward the base plate symmetrically with respect to an axis connecting a midpoint of the pair of charging terminals and a center of the first loop; and

a second wire that is installed at the base plate and is connected to the electric power supply independently of the boundary wire and the first wire, the second wire having a second loop that loops with a second loop diameter that is larger than the first loop diameter and second projecting segments that project from the second loop toward the base plate symmetrically with the first projecting segments.

2. The charging station according to claim 1, wherein the center of the first loop of the first wire is positioned to coincide with a center of the second loop of the second wire.

3. The charging station according to claim 1, wherein the second loop diameter of the second loop of the second wire is larger than a width of the vehicle.

4. The charging station according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle has a first magnetic sensor and a second magnetic sensor installed at positions laterally symmetrical with respect to a body center line extending in a forward-rearward direction of a vehicle body, and a width of the projecting portions is larger than a distance between the first and second magnetic sensors.

5. The charging station according to claim 1, wherein the second wire has additional projecting segments that are continuous with the second projecting portions and symmetrical with respect to the second projecting segments of the second wire and have a width which is smaller than a width of the second projecting portions.

6. The charging station according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle has a first magnetic sensor and a second magnetic sensor installed at positions laterally symmetrical with respect to a body center line extending in a forward-rearward direction of a vehicle body, and a third magnetic sensor installed on the body center line at a location remote from the first and second sensors;

the first, second and third magnetic sensors producing an output indicating magnitude of magnetic field generated along the boundary wire, first wire and second wire,

and further including;

an electronic control unit having a microprocessor and a memory, wherein the microprocessor is configured to function as;

a control unit configured to control operation of the electric motor to guide the vehicle to the charging station.

7. The charging station according to claim 6, wherein the control unit controls operation of the electric motor based on the outputs of the first, second and third magnetic sensors so as to bring the body center line into coincidence with an axis connecting the midpoint of the charging terminals and the center of the first loop, such that the third magnetic sensor comes to be positioned inside the first loop of the first wire and the first and second magnetic sensors come to be positioned between the second projecting portions of the second wire.

8. The charging station according to claim 6, wherein the control unit controls operation of the electric motor to detect the second wire and then to detect the first wire.

9. The charging station according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls operation of the electric motor to detect the boundary wire when failing to detect the second wire and then to detect the second wire.

10. The charging station according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls operation of the electric motor to position the center of the first loop of the first wire on the body center line based on the outputs of the first and second magnetic sensors.

11. The charging station according to claim 10, wherein the control unit controls operation of the electric motor to position the center of the first loop of the first wire on the body center line based on the outputs of the first and second magnetic sensors, to position the third magnetic sensor on the center of the first loop of the first wire, and to turn the vehicle body left or right, such that the third magnetic sensor comes to be positioned inside the first loop of the first wire and the first and second magnetic sensors come to be positioned between the second projecting portions (92b) of the second wire.