Non-contact charging device

• US 9,199,547 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2011
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kai, Toshihiro, Kraisorn, Throngnumchai
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): OMAR, AHMED H
• Application Number:
  US13/991,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20140111152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• 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 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• 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: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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
• 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 non-contact charging device is provided with: a power receiving device which has at least a power receiving coil which receives electrical power, in a non-contact manner, from a power transmitting coil by means of a magnetic connection; a battery which is charged by the electrical power; a charge-state detection means, which detects the charge-state of the battery; a position detection means which detects the position of the power transmitting coil; and a charge time calculation means, which calculates a first charge time for the battery according to the charge-state as detected by the charge-state detection means and a first position of the power transmitting coil as detected by the position detection means.

Claims

1. A non-contact charging device, comprising:

a power receiving device including a power receiving coil that receives power from a power transmitting coil in a non-contact manner through at least magnetic coupling;

a battery that is charged with the power;

state-of-charge detection means for detecting a state of charge of the battery;

position detection means for detecting a position of the power transmitting coil; and

charge-time calculation means for calculating a first charge time that would be required to charge the battery in accordance with the state of charge detected by the state-of-charge detection means and a first position of the power transmitting coil detected by the position detection means.

2. The non-contact charging device according to claim 1, wherein the charge-time calculation means increases the first charge time as a shift of the first position of the power transmitting coil with respect to a position of the power receiving coil becomes larger.

3. The non-contact charging device according to claim 1, wherein the charge-time calculation means calculates a second charge time that would be required to charge the battery if the power receiving coil is arranged at a second position corresponding to the position of the power transmitting coil in accordance with the state of charge detected by the state-of-charge detection means.

4. The non-contact charging device according to claim 3, further comprising charge-time notification means for making notification about at least the first charge time if a time difference between the first charge time and the second charge time is larger than a predetermined time difference.

5. The non-contact charging device according to claim 3, further comprising:

consumption calculation means for calculating a consumption of the battery to be consumed when a vehicle including the power receiving device is re-parked and the power receiving coil is moved to the second position,

wherein the charge-time calculation means calculates a third charge time that would be required to charge a volume of the battery corresponding to the consumption calculated by the consumption calculation means.

6. The non-contact charging device according to claim 5, further comprising:

charge-time notification means for making notification about a charge time,

wherein the charge-time calculation means calculates a fourth charge time that would be required to charge the battery by adding the third charge time to the second charge time, and

wherein the charge-time notification means makes notification about the first charge time and the fourth charge time if the fourth charge time is shorter than the first charge time.

7. The non-contact charging device according to claim 5, further comprising:

charge control means for controlling charge for the battery,

wherein the charge-time calculation means calculates a fourth charge time by adding the third charge time to the second charge time, and

wherein the charge control means starts the charge for the battery in a state in which the power transmitting coil is arranged at the first position if the fourth charge time is longer than the first charge time.

8. The non-contact charging device according to claim 5, further comprising parking-time calculation means for calculating a parking time for parking the vehicle including the power receiving device to move the power receiving coil to the second position.

9. The non-contact charging device according to claim 8, further comprising:

charge-time notification means for making notification about a charge time,

wherein the charge-time calculation means calculates a fifth charge time by adding the third charge time and the parking time to the second charge time, and

wherein the charge-time notification means makes notification about the first charge time and the fifth charge time if the fifth charge time is shorter than the first charge time.

10. The non-contact charging device according to claim 8, further comprising:

charge control means for controlling charge for the battery,

wherein the charge-time calculation means calculates a fifth charge time by adding the third charge time and the parking time to the second charge time, and

wherein the charge control means starts the charge for the battery in a state in which the power transmitting coil is arranged at the first position if the fifth charge time is longer than the first charge time.

11. The non-contact charging device according to claim 8, further comprising:

re-parking notification means for outputting notification for recommending a driver of the vehicle to perform re-parking,

wherein the charge-time calculation means calculates a fifth charge time by adding the third charge time and the parking time to the second charge time, and

wherein the re-parking notification means outputs the notification for the recommendation of the re-parking if the fifth charge time is shorter than the first charge time.

12. The non-contact charging device according to claim 1, further comprising:

charge control means for controlling charge power of the battery in accordance with the state of charge detected by the state-of-charge detection means, and

wherein the charge control means decreases the charge power stepwise as the state of charge becomes higher.

13. The non-contact charging device according to claim 7, wherein the charger control means controls charge power of the battery in accordance with the state of charge detected by the state-of-charge detection means and decreases the charge power stepwise as the state of charge becomes higher.