METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER TO ELECTRIC VEHICLE USING OBJECT DETECTION SENSOR

• US 20180070578A1
• Filed: 09/07/2017
• Published: 03/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.), SungKyunKwan University's Research & Business Foundation (SungKyunKwan University (SKKU))
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.), SungKyunKwan University's Research & Business Foundation (SungKyunKwan University (SKKU))
• Inventors: CHOE, Gyu Yeong, Lee, Woo Young, Kim, Min Kook, Kim, Min Jung, Lee, Byoung Kuk
• Application Number:
  US15/698,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20180070578A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 29/18 using ultrasonic signals
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 31/002 Detecting animals in a given area
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/101 by measuring the impedance of the search coil; by measuring features of a resonant circuit comprising the search coil measuring impedance or characteristics derived therefrom G01R27/00, e.g. quality factor G01R27/26
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 (WPT) control method using an object detection sensor, performed at a WPT apparatus, may include detecting whether or not an object exists between a transmission pad and a reception pad mounted on an electric vehicle (EV) using an object detection sensor; in response to detecting that an object does not exist between the transmission pad and the reception pad, controlling the transmission pad to perform WPT to the reception pad; and in response to detecting that an object exists between the transmission pad and the reception pad, generating ultrasonic waves using an ultrasonic wave generator.

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer (WPT) control method using an object detection sensor, performed at a WPT control apparatus, the method comprising:

detecting whether an object exists between a transmission pad and a reception pad mounted on an electric vehicle (EV) using the object detection sensor;

in response to detecting that the object does not exist between the transmission pad and the reception pad, controlling the transmission pad to perform WPT to the reception pad; and

in response to detecting that the object exists between the transmission pad and the reception pad, generating ultrasonic waves using an ultrasonic wave generator.

2. The WPT control method, according to claim 1, wherein the detecting is performed upon detecting that the EV approaches a predetermined area where the transmission pad is located or receiving a WPT request according to a user input of the EV.

3. The WPT control method, according to claim 1, wherein the detecting is performed when an alignment state between the transmission pad and the reception pad is confirmed.

4. The WPT control method, according to claim 1, wherein the object detection sensor is disposed in the transmission pad or in a place adjacent to the transmission pad.

5. The WPT control method, according to claim 4, wherein the object detection sensor includes at least one pressure sensor radially disposed on an upper surface of the transmission pad.

6. The WPT control method, according to claim 5, wherein, in the detecting, the object is detected in accordance that a voltage of the at least one pressure sensor exceeds a predetermined reference voltage.

7. The WPT control method, according to claim 1, wherein, in the generating ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic waves are spread by use of a sound wave diffuser adjacent to the ultrasonic wave generator or disposed in combination with the ultrasonic wave generator.

8. The WPT control method, according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic wave generator generates ultrasonic waves of 30 to 100 kHz.

9. The WPT control method, according to claim 1, further including re-executing the detecting whether the object exists and controlling the transmission pad to stop the WPT.

10. The WPT control method, according to claim 9, wherein the re-executing is performed repeatedly at predetermined time intervals, or performed as an efficiency of the WPT is reduced below a threshold value.

11. A wireless power transfer (WPT) control apparatus using an object detection sensor comprising at least one processor and a memory storing at least one instruction executed by the at least one processor, wherein the at least one instruction is configured to perform:

a step of detecting whether an object exists between a transmission pad and a reception pad mounted on an electric vehicle (EV) using the object detection sensor;

in response to detecting that the object does not exist between the transmission pad and the reception pad, a step of controlling the transmission pad to perform WPT to the reception pad; and

in response to detecting that the object exists between the transmission pad and the reception pad, a step of generating ultrasonic waves using an ultrasonic wave generator.

12. The WPT control apparatus, according to claim 11, wherein the step of detecting is performed upon detecting that the EV approaches a predetermined area where the transmission pad is located or receiving a WPT request according to a user input of the EV.

13. The WPT control apparatus, according to claim 11, wherein the step of detecting is performed when an alignment state between the transmission pad and the reception pad is confirmed.

14. The WPT control apparatus, according to claim 11, wherein the object detection sensor is disposed in the transmission pad or in a place adjacent to the transmission pad.

15. The WPT control apparatus, according to claim 14, wherein the object detection sensor includes at least one pressure sensor radially disposed on an upper surface of the transmission pad.

16. The WPT control apparatus, according to claim 15, wherein, in the step of sensing, the object is detected in accordance that a voltage of the at least one pressure sensor exceeds a predetermined reference voltage.

17. The WPT control apparatus, according to claim 11, wherein, in the step of generating ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic waves are spread by use of a sound wave diffuser adjacent to the ultrasonic wave generator or disposed in combination with the ultrasonic wave generator.

18. The WPT control apparatus, according to claim 11, wherein the ultrasonic wave generator generates ultrasonic waves of 30 to 100 kHz.

19. The WPT control apparatus, according to claim 11, wherein the at least one instruction is further configured to perform a step of re-executing the step of detecting whether the object exists and controlling the transmission pad to stop the WPT.

20. The WPT control apparatus, according to claim 19, wherein the step of re-executing is performed repeatedly at predetermined time intervals, or performed as an efficiency of the WPT is reduced below a threshold value.