LOW FREQUENCY SENSOR BASED APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING VEHICLE POSITION

• US 20200130529A1
• Filed: 10/22/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Autron Co., Ltd. (Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.), Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Autron Co., Ltd. (Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.), Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Seong, Jae Yong, Ha, Chang Woo, Ko, Ki Won, Kim, Bong Ju
• Granted Patent: US 11,611,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/14 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/22 Yaw angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/461 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/003 for measuring position, not involving coordinate determination coordinate measuring G01B7/004
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• 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

Abstract

A method for measuring a position, is performed by a vehicle assembly (VA) for alignment between a ground assembly (GA) and the VA. The method includes transmitting low frequency (LF) signals to initiate alignment with the GA and estimating a position of a vehicle using at least one sensor mounted on the vehicle. Information regarding the estimated position of the vehicle is provided to the GA and information regarding a position of the vehicle measured by LF receive antennas of the GA and an acceleration flag calculated by the GA is received. Accordingly, a transmission strength of the LF signals transmitted by the VA is adjusted based on the information regarding the position of the vehicle measured by the LF receive antennas and the acceleration flag.

Claims

1. A method for measuring a position, performed by a vehicle assembly (VA) for alignment between a ground assembly (GA) and the VA, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a controller, low frequency (LF) signals to initiate alignment with the GA;

estimating, by the controller, a position of a vehicle using at least one sensor mounted on the vehicle;

providing, by the controller, information regarding the estimated position of the vehicle to the GA;

receiving, by the controller, information regarding a position of the vehicle measured by LF receive antennas of the GA and an acceleration flag calculated by the GA; and

adjusting, by the controller, a transmission strength of the LF signals transmitted by the VA based on the information regarding the position of the vehicle measured by the LF receive antennas and the acceleration flag.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the transmission strength includes:

in response to a notification from the GA that at least one of the LF receive antennas is saturated, reducing, by the controller, the transmit strength of the LF signals until a change is detected in the position of the vehicle measured by the LF receive antennas.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration flag is calculated by comparing the estimated position of the vehicle and the measured position of the vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the transmission strength includes:

linearly decreasing, by the controller, the transmission strength of the LF signals as a distance between the VA and the GA, which is derived from the position measured by the LF receive antennas, decreases.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the linearly decreasing of the transmission strength includes:

in response to determining that the acceleration flag has a positive value, reducing, by the controller, the transmission strength of the LF signals in proportion to a magnitude of the acceleration flag; and

in response to determining that the acceleration flag has a negative value, reducing, by the controller, the transmission strength of the LF signals in inverse proportion to the magnitude of the acceleration flag.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the transmission strength includes:

determining, by the controller, the transmission strength of the LF signals using a default interpolation table derived by linearizing signal strengths for respective distances measured by the LF receive antennas and a position correction table derived based on the acceleration flag.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor mounted on the vehicle includes at least one of a wheel speed sensor and a yaw rate sensor, and the estimated position of the vehicle is calculated based on a wheel speed and a yaw rate.

8. A method for measuring a position, performed by a ground assembly (GA) for alignment between the GA and a vehicle assembly (VA), the method comprising:

detecting, by a controller, low frequency (LF) signals transmitted by the VA through LF receive antennas of the GA;

calculating, by the controller, a position of a vehicle based on the LF signals;

receiving, by the controller, information regarding a position of the vehicle estimated by the VA;

calculating, by the controller, an acceleration flag by comparing the position of the vehicle calculated based on the LF signals with the position of the vehicle estimated by the VA; and

transmitting, by the controller, information regarding the position of the vehicle calculated based on the LF signals and the acceleration flag to the VA.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining, by the controller, whether at least one the LF receive antennas is saturated as the vehicle is positioned on a power transmission pad; and

notifying, by the controller, the VA that the at least one of the LF receive antennas is saturated.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the determining of whether at least one of the LF receive antennas is saturated includes:

determining, by the controller, that at least one of the LF receive antennas is saturated when the position of the vehicle calculated based on the LF signals does not change although the position of the vehicle estimated by the VA changes.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the transmission strength of the LF signals transmitted by the VA decreases linearly as a distance between the VA and the GA decreases.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the transmission strength of the LF signals transmitted by the VA is adjusted using a default interpolation table derived by linearizing signal strengths for respective distances measured by the LF receive antennas and a position correction table derived based on the acceleration flag.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the estimated position of the vehicle is calculated based on a wheel speed and a yaw rate, which are sensed by at least one sensor mounted on the vehicle.

14. An apparatus for measuring a position of a vehicle for alignment between a ground assembly (GA) and a vehicle assembly (VA), the apparatus including at least one low frequency (LF) transmit antenna, a processor, and a memory storing at least one instruction executable by the processor, wherein the at least one instruction is configured to:

transmit LF signals to initiate alignment with the GA;

estimate a position of the vehicle using at least one sensor mounted on the vehicle;

provide information regarding the estimated position of the vehicle to the GA;

receive information regarding a position of the vehicle measured by LF receive antennas of the GA and an acceleration flag calculated by the GA; and

adjust a transmission strength of the LF signals transmitted by the VA based on the information regarding the position of the vehicle measured by the LF receive antennas and the acceleration flag.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein in the adjusting of the transmission strength the at least one instruction is further configured to, in response to the GA outputting a notification that at least one of the LF receive antennas is saturated, reduce the transmit strength of the LF signals until a change is detected in the position of the vehicle measured by the LF receive antennas.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the acceleration flag is calculated by comparing the estimated position of the vehicle and the measured position of the vehicle.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein in the adjusting of the transmission strength the at least one instruction is further configured to:

linearly decrease the transmission strength of the LF signals as a distance between the VA and the GA, which is derived from the position measured by the LF receive antennas, decreases.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein in the linearly decreasing of the transmission strength the at least one instruction is further configured to:

;

in response to determining that the acceleration flag has a positive value, educe the transmission strength of the LF signals in proportion to a magnitude of the acceleration flag; and

in response to determining that the acceleration flag has a negative value, reduce the transmission strength of the LF signals in inverse proportion to the magnitude of the acceleration flag.

19. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein in the adjusting of the transmission strength the at least one instruction is further configured to:

determine the transmission strength of the LF signals using a default interpolation table derived by linearizing signal strengths for respective distances measured by the LF receive antennas and a position correction table derived based on the acceleration flag.

20. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the at least one sensor mounted on the vehicle includes at least one of a wheel speed sensor and a yaw rate sensor, and the estimated position of the vehicle is calculated based on a wheel speed and a yaw rate.