Wireless charging system for an electric vehicle, and charging method for same

• US 8,975,864 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2010
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyunmin Kim
• Original Assignee: Hyunmin Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Hyunmin
• Primary Examiner(s): Muralidar, Richard V
• Application Number:
  US13/502,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20120206098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,603 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108, 320/109, 180/65.1, 180/65.21, 180/65.29, 701/22
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/57 Charging stations without connection to power networks
• 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

The present invention relates to a wireless charging system for an electric vehicle and to a charging method for same, in which electric power is wirelessly supplied to the electric vehicle through a plurality of wireless transceiving panels to charge a battery, and only the wireless transceiving panel that is opposite the electric vehicle at an optimum condition in consideration of the type and parked position of the vehicle selectively operates to perform a wireless transceiving operation, thereby maximizing wireless charging efficiency. For this purpose, the present invention provides a wireless charging system for an electric vehicle and a charging method for same, wherein the wireless charging system comprises: a power control device installed in a wireless charging station to control each wireless power-transmitting device; a wireless power-transmitting device and a ground near field wireless communication module, which are installed in a parking area; a plurality of wireless power-transmitting devices installed on the ground of the parking area to select and operate a portion of wireless transmitting panels opposite the vehicle in accordance with electric vehicle charging information; a plurality of wireless receiving panels installed in the lower portion of the electric vehicle such that the panels are movable in the upward and downward directions; and a wireless power receiver, a wireless charging terminal, a near field communication module and a charge controller installed within the electric vehicle, thereby performing optimized wireless charging in accordance with the selection of a driver made via the wireless charging terminal.

Claims

1. A wireless charging system for electric vehicles comprising:

a power control device mounted in a wireless charging station for controlling each of wireless power transmitting devices;

at least one wireless power transmitting device connected to the power control device and mounted in a parking area;

a ground short-distance wireless communication module connected to the wireless power transmitting device and mounted in the parking area;

a plurality of wireless transmitting panel devices installed on the ground of the parking area, each of the wireless transmitting panel devices having a wireless charging panel and being operated in such a fashion that only the wireless transmitting panel device selected according to kinds of the corresponding vehicle based on charging information of the electric vehicle received through short-distance wireless communication on the ground is operated by the wireless power transmitting device;

a plurality of wireless receiving panel devices mounted on the lower part of the electric vehicle, each of the wireless receiving panel devices having a wireless receiving panel;

a wireless power receiver mounted in the electric vehicle for controlling the wireless receiving panel devices;

a wireless charging terminal connected to the wireless power receiver and mounted on a driver'"'"'s seat of the electric vehicle, the wireless charging terminal allowing the driver to select the wireless receiving panel device suitable for wireless charging out of the plural wireless receiving panel devices and to input an electronic payment;

a car short-distance wireless communication module mounted in the electric vehicle and connected to the wireless charging terminal; and

a charging controller connected to the wireless power receiver for controlling that electric power received from the wireless receiving panel device is charged to a battery of the electric vehicle.

2. The wireless charging system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitting panel of the wireless transmitting panel device and the wireless receiving panel of the wireless receiving panel device respectively have electromagnetic induction coils for short-distance wireless charging.

3. The wireless charging system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitting panel of the wireless transmitting panel device and the wireless receiving panel of the wireless receiving panel device respectively have microwave antennas embedded therein so as to convert electric power into microwaves and transmit the microwaves to the wireless power receiver.

4. The wireless charging system according to claim 1, wherein the ground short-distance wireless communication module and the car short-distance wireless communication module respectively have at least one proximity sensor and at least one electronic RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag.

5. The wireless charging system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of movable tracks for carrying the wireless transmitting panel devices; and

a plurality of panel carriers for selectively moving only the wireless transmitting panel device, which corresponds to the wireless receiving panel device mounted in the electric vehicle, on the movable tracks in various directions by a control of the wireless power transmitting device based on charging information received from the electric vehicle.

6. The wireless charging system according to claim 5, wherein the panel carrier comprises a lifting device for elevating the wireless transmitting panel device.

7. The wireless charging system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitting panel device comprises a lifting device for elevating the wireless transmitting panel by a control of the wireless power transmitting device.

8. The wireless charging system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless receiving panel device comprises a lifting device for elevating the wireless receiving panel by a control of the wireless power receiver.

9. The wireless charging system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitting panel of the wireless transmitting panel device and the wireless receiving panel of the wireless receiving panel device respectively have at least one proximity sensor and at least one electronic RFID tag.

10. The wireless charging system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a temporarily tire-stopping device installed in the parking area and having a sensor in such a fashion that the wireless power transmitting device and the ground short-distance wireless communication module are operated by a signal sensing the stop of the electric vehicle.

11. The wireless charging system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitting panel device and the wireless receiving panel device respectively have a matching function to optimize electromagnetic induction and matching of microwave frequencies.

12. The wireless charging system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless charging terminal displays charging menus of the electric vehicle, such as battery charging state, selection information indicating an opposed state between the wireless transmitting panels and the wireless receiving panels capable of wireless charging into a matching ratio, an expected charging period of time when the selection information is selected, the progress of charging, and means for electronic payment, on a touch screen and the charging menus are manipulated by a driver'"'"'s touch.

13. The wireless charging system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless charging terminal comprises a broad wireless communication network module and a GPS receiving module embedded therein, such that a navigation function and position guide information of wireless charging stations in a region where the electric vehicle runs are automatically displayed on the screen in real time.

14. The wireless charging system according to claim 1, wherein a broad wireless communication network and a compound electricity charging controller are connected to the power control device, a battery device for storing electric power is connected to the compound electricity charging controller, and at least one of a solar-light power generator, a wind power generator and a fuel cell device is connected to the compound electricity charging controller, such that electric power supplied from the solar-light power generator, the wind power generator or the fuel cell device is charged to the battery device through the compound electricity charging controller, and when the electric vehicle enters the parking area for charging, the wireless charging system carries out wireless charging at high speed according to the charging information communicated between the ground wireless charging system and the car wireless charging system.

15. A charging method of a wireless charging system for electric vehicle comprising the steps of:

generating information of proximity sensors from the tire stopping device when an electric vehicle stops at the parking area;

operating the wireless power transmitting device and the ground short-distance wireless communication module based on the information of the proximity sensors;

operating the car short-distance wireless communication module through wireless communication with the ground short-distance wireless communication module and wirelessly transmitting charging information of the electric vehicle to the wireless power transmitting device and the wireless charging station;

operating the wireless charging terminal disposed on the driver'"'"'s seat through the car short-distance wireless communication module;

selecting and vertically ascending the panel suitable for wireless power transmission out of the plural wireless transmitting panels connected to the wireless power transmitting device according to the charging information of the electric vehicle;

operating the wireless power receiving device of the electric vehicle by the operation of the wireless charging terminal;

vertically lowering the panel corresponding to the wireless transmitting panel, which is vertically ascended, out of the wireless receiving panels mounted on the lower part of the electric vehicle according to the control of the wireless power receiving device;

recognizing the proximity sensors and the electronic tags disposed on each panel when the wireless transmitting panel and the wireless receiving panel are lifted up;

matching impedances or microwave frequencies of the electromagnetic coils of the wireless transmitting panel and the wireless receiving panel to achieve optimized wireless transmission and reception by transmitting communication information of the proximity sensors and the electronic tags to the wireless power transmitting device and the wireless power receiving device;

displaying the charging menus on the wireless charging terminal;

selecting the charging menu on the wireless charging terminal by the driver'"'"'s manipulation;

transmitting the driver'"'"'s selection information to the wireless charging station through communication between the car short-distance wireless communication module and the ground short-distance wireless communication module;

based on the driver'"'"'s selection information, respectively supplying electric power to the plural wireless transmitting panels selected by a control of the wireless power transmitting device connected to the wireless charging station;

based on the driver'"'"'s section information, receiving wireless electric power to the corresponding wireless receiving panels selected by a control of the wireless power receiver;

combining all electric power wirelessly received through the plural wireless receiving panels through the wireless power receiver and charging the battery of the electric vehicle through the charging controller;

displaying information on completion of charging on the wireless charging terminal when charging is finished;

allowing the driver to do electronic payment of charging fees through the wireless charging terminal; and

initializing the wireless charging system when the electronic payment is finished.

16. A charging method of a wireless charging system for electric vehicle comprising the steps of:

Generating information of proximity sensors from the temporarily tire-stopping device when an electric vehicle stops at the parking area;

operating the wireless power transmitting device and the ground short-distance wireless communication module based on the information of the proximity sensors;

operating the car short-distance wireless communication module through wireless communication with the ground short-distance wireless communication module and wirelessly transmitting charging information of the electric vehicle to the wireless power transmitting device and the wireless charging station;

operating the wireless charging terminal disposed on the driver'"'"'s seat through the car short-distance wireless communication module;

based on the charging information of the electric vehicle, moving a panel carrier, which is suitable for wireless power transmission and reception, out of a plurality of panel carriers in all directions to the plural wireless receiving panels mounted on the lower end of the electric vehicle according to a control of the wireless power transmitting device;

vertically lifting each of the wireless transmitting panels mounted on the plural panel carriers selected and moved;

operating the wireless power receiving device of the electric vehicle by the operation of the wireless charging terminal;

vertically lowering the panel corresponding to the wireless transmitting panel, which is vertically ascended, out of the wireless receiving panels mounted on the lower part of the electric vehicle according to the control of the wireless power receiving device;

recognizing the proximity sensors and the electronic tags disposed on each panel when the wireless transmitting panel and the wireless receiving panel are lifted up;

matching impedances or microwave frequencies of the electromagnetic coils of the wireless transmitting panel and the wireless receiving panel to achieve optimized wireless transmission and reception by transmitting communication information of the proximity sensors and the electronic tags to the wireless power transmitting device and the wireless power receiving device;

displaying the charging menus on the wireless charging terminal;

selecting the charging menu on the wireless charging terminal by the driver'"'"'s manipulation;

transmitting the driver'"'"'s selection information to the wireless charging station through communication between the car short-distance wireless communication module and the ground short-distance wireless communication module;

based on the driver'"'"'s selection information, respectively supplying electric power to the plural wireless transmitting panels selected by a control of the wireless power transmitting device connected to the wireless charging station;

based on the driver'"'"'s section information, receiving wireless electric power to the corresponding wireless receiving panels selected by a control of the wireless power receiver;

combining all electric power wirelessly received through the plural wireless receiving panels through the wireless power receiver and charging the battery of the electric vehicle through the charging controller;

displaying information on completion of charging on the wireless charging terminal when charging is finished;

allowing the driver to do electronic payment of charging fees through the wireless charging terminal; and

initializing the wireless charging system when the electronic payment is finished.