APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING VEHICLE POSITION BASED ON LOW FREQUENCY SIGNALS

• US 20200136439A1
• Filed: 10/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Seong, Jae Yong, Lee, Min Byeong
• Granted Patent: US 11,264,844 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/005 without mechanical contact between the collector and the power supply line
• 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: G01R 33/02 Measuring direction or magnitude of magnetic fields or magnetic flux G01R33/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/0206 Three-component magnetometers
• 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: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• 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 position alignment method performed by a ground assembly for wireless power transfer includes measuring, through at least one low frequency (“LF”) receiver of the ground assembly, a first magnetic flux density for a magnetic field emitted from at least one LF transmitter of a vehicle assembly; measuring, through the at least one LF receiver, a second magnetic flux density for a magnetic field emitted from the at least one LF transmitter; configuring a received signal measurement based on a comparison result of the first magnetic flux density and the second magnetic flux density; and providing the configured received signal measurement to a vehicle.

Claims

1. A position alignment method performed by a ground assembly (GA) for wireless power transfer, the position alignment method comprising:

measuring, through at least one low frequency (LF) receiver of the GA, a first magnetic flux density for a magnetic field emitted from at least one LF transmitter of a vehicle assembly (VA);

measuring, through the at least one LF receiver, a second magnetic flux density for a magnetic field emitted from the at least one LF transmitter;

configuring a received signal measurement based on a comparison result of the first magnetic flux density and the second magnetic flux density; and

providing the configured received signal measurement to a vehicle.

2. The position alignment method according to claim 1, wherein the first magnetic flux density is a maximum magnetic flux density for the magnetic field emitted from the at least one LF transmitter, and the second magnetic flux density is a minimum magnetic flux density for the magnetic field emitted from the at least one LF transmitter.

3. The position alignment method according to claim 1, wherein the configuring of the received signal measurement comprises:

determining whether a difference between the first magnetic flux density and the second magnetic flux density is greater than or equal to a threshold; and

excluding the first magnetic flux density and the second magnetic flux density from the received signal measurement when the difference between the first magnetic flux density and the second magnetic flux density is less than the threshold.

4. The position alignment method according to claim 1, wherein the received signal measurement is a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

5. The position alignment method according to claim 1, wherein the first magnetic flux density and the second magnetic flux density are measured at different time points by the at least one LF receiver.

6. The position alignment method according to claim 1, further comprising initially detecting a magnetic field emitted from the at least one LF transmitter of the VA.

7. A position measurement method performed by a vehicle assembly (VA) for wireless power transfer, the position measurement method comprising:

emitting a magnetic field having a first magnetic flux density through at least one low frequency (LF) transmitter;

emitting a magnetic field having a second magnetic flux density through the at least one LF transmitter;

receiving a received signal measurement from a ground assembly (GA) that detects the first magnetic flux density and the second magnetic flux density; and

calculating a distance between the VA and the GA based on the received signal measurement.

8. The position measurement method according to claim 7, wherein the first magnetic flux density is a maximum magnetic flux density for the magnetic field emitted from the at least one LF transmitter, and the second magnetic flux density is a minimum magnetic flux density for the magnetic field emitted from the at least one LF transmitter.

9. The position measurement method according to claim 7, wherein the received signal measurement includes only data related to the first magnetic flux density and the second magnetic flux density which have a difference equal to or greater than a threshold.

10. The position measurement method according to claim 7, wherein the received signal measurement is a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

11. The position measurement method according to claim 7, wherein the first magnetic flux density and the second magnetic flux density are emitted at different time points.

12. The position measurement method according to claim 7, further comprising initially emitting a magnetic field through the at least one LF transmitter.

13. A position measurement apparatus comprising:

at least one low frequency (LF) transmitter;

a communication module configured to receive a received signal measurement from a ground assembly (GA) that detects the first magnetic flux density and the second magnetic flux density; and

a processor configured to control the LF transmitter to emit a magnetic field having a first magnetic flux density and to emit a magnetic field having a second magnetic flux density, and calculate a distance between a vehicle assembly (VA) and the GA based on the received signal measurement.

14. The position measurement apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first magnetic flux density is a maximum magnetic flux density for the magnetic field emitted from the at least one LF transmitter, and the second magnetic flux density is a minimum magnetic flux density for the magnetic field emitted from the at least one LF transmitter.

15. The position measurement apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the received signal measurement includes only data related to the first magnetic flux density and the second magnetic flux density which have a difference equal to or greater than a threshold.

16. The position measurement apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the received signal measurement is a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

17. The position measurement apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first magnetic flux density and the second magnetic flux density are emitted at different time points.

18. The position measurement apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to control the LF transmitter to initially emit a magnetic field.

19. The position measurement apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first magnetic flux density and the second magnetic flux density are measured for each magnetic field emitted by the at least one LF transmitter by each of at least one LF receiver of an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE).

20. The position measurement apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the LF receiver is an LF antenna or an LF sensor.