Parking assist device and a method for electric vehicle power transmission and reception between a vehicle and a ground apparatus

• US 8,169,340 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Oyobe, Hichirosai, Nakamura, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US11/992,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20090040068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,070 Days
• Field of Search: 3409322-943, 701 22- 23, 320106-115, 348148-149
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/54 Windings for different functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/24 Using the vehicle's propulsion converter for charging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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

Abstract

A parking assist device has a touch display (58) including a display unit for displaying a situation around a vehicle and an input unit for entering a target parking position of a vehicle, and also has a control device (60) performing parking assist control by calculating a path according to the target parking position. The control device (60) further performs, under a predetermined condition, assist control for position alignment of a vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit placed on the vehicle with an apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit of an apparatus placed on a ground. Preferably, the parking assist device further has a back monitor camera (53) for taking an image of a surrounding situation of the vehicle. When an identifier indicating the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit is present in the vicinity of the target parking position in the taken surrounding situation, the control device (60) recognizes the position of the identifier and performs the position alignment assist control.

Claims

1. A vehicle parking assist system of a vehicle having a vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit by which a storage device of the vehicle can be electrically charged, the vehicle parking assist system comprising:

a sensing system configured to determine whether an apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit is provided for a parking space; and

a vehicle control system configured to guide the vehicle into the parking space so that, when the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit is determined to be provided for the parking space, the vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit of the vehicle has a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit provided for the parking space when parking assist is completed.

2. The vehicle parking assist system of claim 1, further comprising:

an imaging unit mounted on the vehicle and obtaining an image of the parking space, wherein;

the sensing system determines whether the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit is provided for the parking space by analyzing the image of the parking space obtained by the imaging unit.

3. The vehicle parking assist system of claim 2, wherein:

the sensing system determines that the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit is provided for the parking space when the sensing system locates indicia indicative of the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit in the image of the parking space obtained by the imaging unit.

4. The vehicle parking assist system of claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle control system controls at least one of steering and braking of the vehicle to guide the vehicle into the parking space.

5. The vehicle parking assist system of claim 4, wherein:

the vehicle control system controls both the steering and the braking of the vehicle to guide the vehicle into the parking space.

6. The vehicle parking assist system of claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle control system controls braking of the vehicle to stop the vehicle in the parking space so that when stopped, the vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit of the vehicle has the predetermined positional relationship with respect to the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit provided for the parking space.

7. The vehicle parking assist system of claim 6, wherein the predetermined positional relationship is such that the vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit can receive power from the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit.

8. The vehicle parking assist system of claim 1, further comprising:

an imaging unit mounted on the vehicle;

a display mounted within the vehicle at a position so that a screen of the display can be viewed by an operator of the vehicle; and

an input unit by which the operator can designate the parking space for which parking assist is desired, the parking space being displayed on the screen of the display as a part of a scene obtained by the imaging unit,

wherein the sensing system determines whether the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit is provided for the parking space that has been designated by the input unit by analyzing the image of the scene displayed on the screen of the display.

9. The vehicle parking assist system of claim 8, wherein the input unit is a touch screen included in the display.

10. The vehicle parking assist system of claim 8, wherein the imaging unit is configured to obtain the image of the scene, at least a part of which is located behind the vehicle.

11. The vehicle parking assist system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined positional relationship is such that the vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit can receive power from the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit.

12. The vehicle parking assist system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit is a non-contact connection power transmission/reception unit.

13. The vehicle parking assist system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit is a contact connection power transmission/reception unit.

14. A vehicle parking assist method of providing assistance in guiding a vehicle into a parking space, the vehicle having a vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit by which a storage device of the vehicle can be electrically charged, the method comprising:

determining, with a sensing system of the vehicle, whether an apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit is provided for a parking space; and

when the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit is determined to be provided for the parking space, guiding the vehicle, with a vehicle control system of the vehicle, into the parking space so that when parking assist is completed, the vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit of the vehicle has a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit provided for the parking space.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

obtaining an image of the parking space with an imaging unit mounted on the vehicle, wherein;

the determining includes the sensing system analyzing the image of the parking space obtained by the imaging unit to determine whether the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit is provided for the parking space.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the determining determines that the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit is provided for the parking space when the sensing system locates indicia indicative of the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit in the image of the parking space obtained by the imaging unit.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the guiding includes controlling at least one of steering and braking of the vehicle with the vehicle control system to guide the vehicle into the parking space.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the guiding includes controlling both the steering and the braking of the vehicle to guide the vehicle into the parking space.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the guiding includes controlling braking of the vehicle with the vehicle control system to stop the vehicle in the parking space so that when stopped, the vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit of the vehicle has the predetermined positional relationship with respect to the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit provided for the parking space.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the predetermined positional relationship is such that the vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit can receive power from the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

obtaining an image of a scene with an imaging unit mounted on the vehicle;

displaying the image of the scene obtained by the imaging unit on a display mounted within the vehicle at a position so that a screen of the display can be viewed by an operator of the vehicle; and

receiving an operator designation of the parking space for which parking assist is desired via an input unit of the vehicle, the parking space being displayed on the screen of the display as a part of the scene obtained by the imaging unit,

wherein the determining includes determining whether the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit is provided for the parking space that has been designated by the input unit by analyzing the image of the scene displayed on the screen of the display.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the input unit is a touch screen included in the display.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein at least a part of the scene is located behind the vehicle.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined positional relationship is such that the vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit can receive power from the apparatus-side power transmission/reception unit.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit is a non-contact connection power transmission/reception unit.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the vehicle-side power transmission/reception unit is a contact connection power transmission/reception unit.