Non-contact charging system

• US 9,287,720 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kawamura, Tamotsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kebede, Tessema
• Application Number:
  US13/638,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20130119925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,813 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/12 Buck converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• 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: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 : responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 : involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 : involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 : Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 : characterised by the mechanical construction
• 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

Abstract

A non-contact charging system includes: a power transmission device that includes a primary coil supplying electric power through electromagnetic induction; a power reception device that includes a secondary coil receiving electric power by being electromagnetically coupled with the power transmission device; and a control device that determines charging efficiency from the primary coil to the secondary coil and changes the current supplied to the primary coil in accordance with the charging efficiency.

Claims

1. A non-contact charging system comprising:

a power transmission device that includes a primary coil supplying electric power through electromagnetic induction;

a power reception device that includes a secondary coil receiving the electric power by being electromagnetically coupled with the power transmission device; and

a temperature detecting device that determines a temperature of the secondary coil;

a control device that determines charging efficiency from the primary coil to the secondary coil and changes a current supplied to the primary coil in accordance with the charging efficiency,

wherein a threshold of a heat-resistant temperature of the secondary coil is stored in the control device, and

wherein, in a case where the charging efficiency is equal to or higher than an upper limit value, the control device decreases the current supplied to the primary coil while keeping the efficiency above a lower limit value, and while maintaining the temperature of the secondary coil to be less than the threshold.

2. The non-contact charging system according to claim 1, further comprising another temperature detecting device that determines a temperature of the primary coil.

3. The non-contact charging system according to claim 2,

wherein a threshold of a heat-resistant temperature of the primary coil is stored in the control device, and

wherein, in a case where the charging efficiency is equal to or less than a lower limit value, the control device increases the current supplied to the primary coil while maintaining the temperature of the primary coil to be less than the threshold.

4. The non-contact charging system according to claim 2 or 3,

wherein a threshold of a heat-resistant temperature of the primary coil is stored in the control device, and

wherein, in a case where the charging efficiency is equal to or higher than an upper limit value, the control device decreases the current supplied to the primary coil while maintaining the temperature of the primary coil to be less than the threshold.

5. The non-contact charging system according to claim 3, wherein, in a case where the temperature of the primary coil is equal to or higher than the threshold, the control device stops supplying the current to the primary coil.

6. The non-contact charging system according to claim 3, wherein, in a case where the temperature of the primary coil is equal to or higher than the threshold, the control device measures a time in which the temperature of the primary coil is equal to or higher than the threshold and stops supplying the current to the primary coil when the measured time passes a predetermined time.

7. The non-contact charging system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a driving device configured to move the power transmission device,

wherein the charging efficiency is defined based on an electric power that is received by the secondary coil and an electric power that is output by the primary coil, and

wherein, in a case where the charging efficiency is equal to or less than a predetermined value in a first time, the control device is configured not to change the current supplied to the primary coil and the driving device is configured to move the power transmission device to a position at which the charging efficiency becomes the maximum, and then the control device is configured to change the current supplied to the primary coil based on the new charging efficiency.

8. The non-contact charging system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a alerting device that alerts stopping supplying the current to the primary coil.

9. A non-contact charging system comprising:

a power transmission device that includes a primary coil supplying electric power through electromagnetic induction;

a power reception device that includes a secondary coil receiving the electric power by being electromagnetically coupled with the power transmission device; and

a control device that determines charging efficiency from the primary coil to the secondary coil and changes a current supplied to the primary coil in accordance with the charging efficiency; and

a driving device configured to move the power transmission device,

a temperature detecting device that determines a temperature of the secondary coil;

wherein the charging efficiency is defined based on an electric power that is received by the secondary coil and an electric power that is output by the primary coil,

wherein a threshold of a heat-resistant temperature of the secondary coil is stored in the control device,

wherein, in a case where the charging efficiency is equal to or less than a predetermined value in a first time, the control device is configured not to change the current supplied to the primary coil and the driving device is configured to move the power transmission device to a position at which the charging efficiency becomes the maximum, and then the control device is configured to change the current supplied to the primary coil based on the new charging efficiency, and

wherein, in a case where the charging efficiency is equal to or higher than an upper limit value, the control device decreases the current supplied to the primary coil while keeping the efficiency above a lower limit value, and while maintaining the temperature of the secondary coil to be less than the threshold.