Power transmitting device, vehicle, and contactless power transfer system

• US 9,073,447 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Shinji, Inoue, Keisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTLER, RODNEY ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US13/944,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20140074332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/147 electro magnetic [EMI]
• 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 53/126 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 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• 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

A contactless power transfer system supplies power from a power transmitting device to a vehicle in a contactless manner. The power transmitting device and the vehicle are configured to be capable of exchanging information with each other through radio communication. The vehicle is provided with an RFID tag in which information on the vehicle is stored in advance. The power transmitting device includes an RFID reader that reads out information from the ID tag in a contactless manner. A power transmitting ECU recognizes that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power from the power transmitting device if vehicle information indicated by information from the ID tag corresponds to vehicle information indicated by information received through radio communication.

Claims

1. A power transmitting device that supplies power to a vehicle, comprising:

a power transmitting unit configured to supply power to the vehicle in a contactless manner;

a readout unit configured to read out, in a contactless manner, information stored in advance in an ID tag provided in the vehicle;

a communication unit configured to exchange information with the vehicle through radio communication; and

a control device configured to control supply of power to the vehicle, the control device being configured to recognize that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power from the control device, if vehicle information indicated by information from the ID tag corresponds to vehicle information indicated by information received by the communication unit,

wherein the control device is configured to refrain from recognizing that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power, if information is unable to be read out from the ID tag after recognizing that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power from the control device.

2. The power transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein

the control device is configured to keep recognizing that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power, if at least one of a condition that received power in the vehicle be on an increase and a condition that the received power be equal to or larger than a predetermined level is fulfilled even in a case where information is unable to be read out from the ID tag.

3. The power transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein

the control device is configured to keep recognizing that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power, if at least one of a condition that a distance between the power transmitting unit and the vehicle be on a decrease and a condition that the distance be shorter than a predetermined distance is fulfilled even in a case where information is unable to be read out from the ID tag.

4. The power transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein

the control device is configured to keep recognizing that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power, until a predetermined time elapses even in a case where information is unable to be read out from the ID tag.

5. The power transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein

a communicable distance between the readout unit and the ID tag is shorter than a communicable distance of the communication unit based on radio communication.

6. The power transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein

the control device is configured to carry out radio communication with a receiving party not specified by the communication unit if the vehicle to be supplied with power is not recognized, and to carry out radio communication with a receiving party specified by the communication unit if the vehicle to be supplied with power is recognized.

7. The power transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein

the power transmitting device supplies the vehicle with power less than power used to charge an electrical storage device, the electrical storage being mounted on the vehicle, so as to support alignment of the vehicle with the power transmitting unit when the vehicle performs a parking operation in which the vehicle is moved to be a position above the power transmitting unit, and

the vehicle makes a determination on a position for parking on a basis of a state of power reception from the power transmitting device.

8. The power transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle includes a power receiving unit that receives power in a contactless manner, and

a difference between a natural frequency of the power transmitting unit and a natural frequency of the power receiving unit is equal to or smaller than ±

10% of one of the natural frequency of the power transmitting unit and the natural frequency of the power receiving unit.

9. The power transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle includes a power receiving unit that receives power in a contactless manner, and

a coupling coefficient of the power transmitting unit and the power receiving unit is equal to or smaller than 0.1.

10. The power transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle includes a power receiving unit configured to receive power in a contactless manner, and

the power receiving unit is configured to receive power from the power transmitting unit through at least one of a magnetic field and an electric field, the magnetic field being between the power receiving unit and the power transmitting unit, the magnetic field vibrating at a specific frequency, the electric field that being between the power receiving unit and the power transmitting unit, and the electric field vibrating at a specific frequency.

11. A contactless power transfer system that supplies power in a contactless manner, comprising:

a vehicle including an ID tag in which information on the vehicle is stored in advance;

a power transmitting device including a readout unit configured to read out information stored in advance in the ID tag in a contactless manner, the power transmitting device being configured to mutually exchange information with the vehicle through radio communication; and

a control device configured to control supply of power from the power transmitting device to the vehicle, the control device being configured to recognize that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power from the power transmitting device if vehicle information indicated by information from the ID tag corresponds to vehicle information indicated by information received through radio communication,

wherein the control device is configured to refrain from recognizing that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power, if information is unable to be read out from the ID tag after recognizing that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power from the control device.

12. A vehicle that receives power from a power transmitting device, comprising:

a power receiving unit configured to receive power from the power transmitting device in a contactless manner;

an electrical storage device configured to store power received by the power receiving unit;

a readout unit configured to read out information stored in advance in an ID tag that is provided in the power transmitting device;

a communication unit configured to exchange information with the power transmitting device through radio communication; and

a control device configured to control charging of the electrical storage device with power received from the power transmitting device, the control device being configured to recognize that the power transmitting device is a power transmitting device to supply power to the vehicle, if information on the power transmitting device, the information being indicated by information from the ID tag, corresponds to information on the power transmitting device, the information being indicated by information received by the communication unit,

wherein the control device is configured to refrain from recognizing that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power, if information is unable to be read out from the ID tag after recognizing that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power from the control device.

13. A contactless power transfer system that supplies power in a contactless manner, comprising:

a power transmitting device including an ID tag in which information on the power transmitting device is stored in advance;

a vehicle including a readout unit configured to read out, in a contactless manner, information stored in advance in the ID tag, the vehicle being configured to mutually exchange information with the power transmitting device through radio communication; and

a control device configured to control supply of power from the power transmitting device to the vehicle, the control device being configured to recognize that the power transmitting device is a power transmitting device to supply power to the vehicle, if information on the power transmitting device, the information being indicated by information from the ID tag, corresponds to information on the power transmitting device, the information being indicated by information received through radio communication,

wherein the control device is configured to refrain from recognizing that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power, if information is unable to be read out from the ID tag after recognizing that the vehicle is a vehicle to be supplied with power from the control device.