METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR POSITIONING A VEHICLE USING FOREIGN OBJECT DETECTION

• US 20180083349A1
• Filed: 09/19/2016
• Published: 03/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sieber, Lukas
• Granted Patent: US 10,461,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• 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 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3291 mounted in or on other locations inside the vehicle or vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

In one aspect, an apparatus for determining alignment information of a vehicle is disclosed, the vehicle comprising an antenna circuit configured to modulate one or more electrical characteristics of the antenna circuit. The apparatus comprises multiple sensor circuits configured to generate multiple magnetic fields. At least one sensor circuit may be configured to sense the modulated electrical characteristic of the antenna circuit when the antenna circuit couples to the at least one sensor circuit via one of the magnetic fields. The apparatus may further comprise a controller circuit configured to determine alignment information of the vehicle based on the sensed modulated electrical characteristic.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining alignment information of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising an antenna circuit configured to modulate one or more electrical characteristics of the antenna circuit, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of sensor circuits configured to generate a plurality of magnetic fields, at least one sensor circuit of the plurality of sensor circuits configured to sense the modulated electrical characteristic of the antenna circuit when the antenna circuit couples to the at least one sensor circuit via one of the plurality of magnetic fields; and

a controller circuit configured to determine alignment information of the vehicle based on the sensed modulated electrical characteristic.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor circuit senses the modulated electrical characteristic as a modulated or varied impedance of the antenna circuit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each sensor circuit of the plurality of sensor circuits comprises a coil having one or more windings, the one or more windings driven with a current to generate one of the plurality of magnetic fields within a sense area above the at least one sensor circuit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more electrical characteristics are modulated based on a distinct modulation pattern that uniquely identifies the antenna circuit, wherein the at least one sensor circuit is configured to sense the distinctive modulation pattern based on a distinct change of the disturbance in a magnetic field of the at least one sensor circuit in response to a degree of coupling to the antenna circuit.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least two or more sensor circuits of the plurality of sensor circuits are configured to sense the modulated electrical characteristic when the antenna circuit couples to the two or more sensor circuits, wherein the controller circuit is configured determine a position of the antenna circuit relative to the at least two sensor circuits based on a comparison of a magnitude of the sensed modulated electrical characteristic at each of the two or more sensor circuits.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the modulated electrical characteristic uniquely identifies the vehicle, wherein the controller circuit is configured to retrieve a position of the antenna circuit on the vehicle and a position of a power receiving circuit on the vehicle based on uniquely identifying the vehicle via the sensed modulate electrical characteristic and determine a position of the antenna circuit relative to the power receiving circuit of the vehicle.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a power transmitting circuit positioned relative to at least two sensor circuits, wherein the controller circuit is configured to convert a position of the antenna circuit relative to the at least two sensor circuits to a position of the power receiving circuit relative to the power transmitting circuit based on the position of the antenna circuit relative to the power receiving circuit and a position of the power transmitting circuit relative to the at least two sensor circuits.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is configured to determine alignment information for aligning a power receiving circuit with a power transmitting circuit based on a position of the power receiving circuit relative to the power transmitting circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is configured to communicate the alignment information to a user of the vehicle for aligning a power receiving circuit on the vehicle with a power transmitting circuit positioned relative to the sensor circuits.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor circuits are further configured to detect an object other than the antenna circuit of the vehicle.

11. A method for determining alignment information of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising an antenna circuit configured to modulate one or more electrical characteristics of the antenna circuit, the method comprising:

generating, by a plurality of sensor circuits, a plurality of magnetic fields;

sensing, by at least one sensor circuit of the plurality of sensor circuits, the modulated electrical characteristic of the antenna circuit when the antenna circuit couples to the at least one sensor circuit via one of the plurality of magnetic fields; and

determining alignment information of the vehicle based on the sensed modulated electrical characteristic.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein sensing the modulated electrical characteristic comprises sensing a modulated or varied impedance of the antenna circuit.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein generating a plurality of magnetic fields comprises driving one or more windings of the plurality of sensor circuits with a current to generate one of the plurality of magnetic fields within a sense area above the at least one sensor circuit.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

sensing a distinctive modulation pattern based on a distinct change of the disturbance in a magnetic field of the at least one sensor circuit in response to a degree of coupling to the antenna circuit, wherein the electrical characteristic is modulated based on the distinct modulation pattern; and

uniquely identifying the antenna circuit based on the sensed distinct modulation pattern.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

sensing the modulated electrical characteristic by at least two or more sensor circuits of the plurality of sensor circuits when the antenna circuit couples to the two or more sensor circuits; and

determining a position of the antenna circuit relative to the at least two sensor circuits based on a comparison of a magnitude of the sensed modulated electrical characteristic at each of the two or more sensor circuits.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

uniquely identifying the vehicle based on the sensed modulated electrical characteristic;

retrieving a position of the antenna circuit on the vehicle and a position of a power receiving circuit on the vehicle based on uniquely identifying the vehicle; and

determining a position of the antenna circuit relative to the power receiving circuit of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising converting a position of the antenna circuit relative to the at least two sensor circuits to a position of the power receiving circuit relative to a power transmitting circuit based on a position of the antenna circuit relative to the power receiving circuit and a position of the power transmitting circuit relative to the at least two sensor circuits.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining alignment information for aligning a power receiving circuit with a power transmitting circuit based on a position of the power receiving circuit relative to the power transmitting circuit.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising detecting an object other than the antenna circuit of the vehicle by the plurality of sensor circuits.

20. An apparatus for determining alignment information of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising an antenna circuit configured to modulate one or more electrical characteristics of the antenna circuit, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating a plurality of magnetic fields;

means for sensing the modulated electrical characteristic of the antenna circuit when the antenna circuit couples to the means for generating via one of the plurality of magnetic fields; and

means for determining alignment information of the vehicle based on the sensed modulated electrical characteristic.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for generating a plurality of magnetic fields comprises a plurality of coils and at least one driving circuit configured to drive the plurality of coils with a current.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for sensing the modulated electrical characteristic comprises a plurality of coils and at least one sensing circuit configured to sense the modulated electrical characteristic based on a disturbance in the magnetic field of the means for generating.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for determining alignment information comprises a controller circuit.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for sensing the modulated electrical characteristic senses a modulated or varied impedance of the antenna circuit.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

means for sensing a distinctive modulation pattern based on a distinct change of the disturbance in a magnetic field of the means for generating in response to a degree of coupling to the antenna circuit, wherein the electrical characteristic is modulated based on the distinct modulation pattern; and

means for uniquely identifying the antenna circuit based on the sensed distinct modulation pattern.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising means for determining a position of the antenna circuit relative the means for sensing based on a comparison of a magnitude of the sensed modulated electrical characteristic when the antenna circuit couples to the means for generating via at least two of the magnetic fields.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for sensing is further configured to detect an object other than the antenna circuit of the vehicle by the plurality of sensor circuits.

28. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a wireless power transfer system to perform a method for determining alignment information of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising an antenna circuit configured to modulate one or more electrical characteristics of the antenna circuit, the method comprising:

generating, by a plurality of sensor circuits, a plurality of magnetic fields;

sensing, by at least one sensor circuit of the plurality of sensor circuits, the modulated electrical characteristic of the antenna circuit when the antenna circuit couples to the at least one sensor circuit via one of the plurality of magnetic fields; and

determining alignment information of the vehicle based on the sensed modulated electrical characteristic.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein sensing the modulated electrical characteristic comprises sensing a modulated or varied impedance of the antenna circuit.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

sensing a distinctive modulation pattern based on a distinct change of the disturbance in a magnetic field of the at least one sensor circuit in response to a degree of coupling to the antenna circuit, wherein the modulated electrical characteristic is modulated based on the distinct modulation pattern; and

uniquely identifying the antenna circuit based on the sensed distinct modulation pattern.