Non-contact power supply device, vehicle, and non-contact power supply system

• US 9,566,871 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2012
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hiroshi, Konno, Masaki, Imazu, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yeshaw, Esayas
• Application Number:
  US14/119,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20140139038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/147 electro magnetic [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• 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 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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: 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 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

This non-contact power supply system contactlessly supplies power by means of magnetic coupling between a power receiving coil (22) provided in a vehicle (200) and a power-transmission coil (12) on the power supply device (100) side. This non-contact power supply system is provided with a first communication means which wirelessly communicates between the vehicle (200) and the power supply device (100) in order to detect the distance therebetween, and a second communication means which performs wireless communication in order to detect the relative position of the power receiving coil (22) and the power transmission coil (12). The second communication means is started when the distance between the vehicle (200) and the power transmission device (100), measured by the first communication means, is shorter than a prescribed distance.

Claims

1. A contactless electricity supply system that sends or receives electricity contactlessly at least through magnetic coupling between a first coil and a second coil, wherein the first coil is provided at a vehicle, and the second coil is provided at an electricity supply device, the contactless electricity supply system comprising:

a first communication means that performs wireless communication between the vehicle and the electricity supply device at a first communication frequency;

a second communication means that performs wireless communication between the vehicle and the electricity supply device at a second communication frequency that is different from the first communication frequency; and

a control means that controls the first communication means and the second communication means;

wherein the control means is configured to;

sense a distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device by the first communication means;

determine whether the sensed distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device is shorter than a predetermined distance; and

perform wireless communication between the vehicle and the electricity supply device by the second communication means, when it is determined that the sensed distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device is shorter than the predetermined distance.

2. The contactless electricity supply system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control means is configured to:

sense the distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device on a basis of an output of the first communication means; and

start up the second communication means and sense a positional relationship between the first coil and the second coil on a basis of an output of the second communication means, when the sensed distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device becomes shorter than the predetermined distance.

3. The contactless electricity supply system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control means is configured to sense the distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device on a basis of electric field strength of a signal received by the first communication means.

4. The contactless electricity supply system as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the second communication means includes a signal sending section and a signal receiving section; and

the control means is configured to start up the signal receiving section prior to the signal sending section, when the sensed distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device becomes shorter than the predetermined distance.

5. The contactless electricity supply system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second communication means is started up when the vehicle is in a position covering the second coil.

6. The contactless electricity supply system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second communication means includes a plurality of signal receiving antennas for sensing a positional relationship between the first coil and the second coil.

12. The contactless electricity supply system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the first communication means includes a wireless communication section provided in the electricity supply device and a wireless communication section provided in the vehicle and configured to perform bidirectional wireless communication between the vehicle and the electricity supply device, with the wireless communication section of the electric supply device; and

the second communication means includes a signal receiving section provided in one of the electricity supply device and the vehicle and a signal sending section provided in the other of the electricity supply device and the vehicle and configured to perform the wireless communication with the signal receiving section.

13. The contactless electricity supply system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control means is configured to start up the first communication means without starting up the second communication means and defer a timing of starting up the second communication means until the sensed distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device becomes shorter than the predetermined distance.

14. The contactless electricity supply system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the control means is configured to allow the second communication means to perform the wireless communication only when the sensed distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device is shorter than the predetermined distance.

7. A contactless electricity supply device comprising:

a second coil that sends or receives electricity to or from a first coil contactlessly at least through magnetic coupling therebetween, wherein the first coil is provided at a vehicle;

a first communication means that performs wireless communication with the vehicle at a first communication frequency;

a second communication means that performs wireless communication with the vehicle at a second communication frequency that is different from the first communication frequency; and

a control means that controls the first communication means and the second communication means;

wherein the control means is configured to;

sense a distance to the vehicle by the first communication means;

determine whether the sensed distance to the vehicle is shorter than a predetermined distance; and

perform wireless communication with the vehicle by the second communication means, when it is determined that the sensed distance to the vehicle is shorter than the predetermined distance.

8. The contactless electricity supply device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control means is configured to:

sense the distance to the vehicle on a basis of an output of the first communication means; and

start up the second communication means and sense a positional relationship between the first coil and the second coil on a basis of an output of the second communication means, when the sense distance to the vehicle becomes shorter than the predetermined distance.

9. A vehicle comprising:

a first coil that sends or receives electricity to or from a second coil contactlessly at least through magnetic coupling therebetween, wherein the second coil is provided at an electricity supply device;

a first communication means that performs wireless communication with the electricity supply device at a first communication frequency;

a second communication means that performs wireless communication with the electricity supply device at a second communication frequency that is different from the first communication frequency; and

a control means that controls the first communication means and the second communication means;

wherein the control means is configured to;

sense a distance to the electricity supply device by the first communication means;

determine whether the sensed distance to the electricity supply device is shorter than a predetermined distance; and

perform wireless communication with the electricity supply device by the second communication means, when it is determined that the sensed distance to the electricity supply device is shorter than the predetermined distance.

10. The vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control means is configured to:

sense the distance to the electricity supply device on a basis of an output of the first communication means; and

start up the second communication means and sense a positional relationship between the first coil and the second coil on a basis of an output of the second communication means, when the sensed distance to the electricity supply device becomes shorter than the predetermined distance.

11. A contactless electricity supply system that sends or receives electricity contactlessly at least through magnetic coupling between a first coil and a second coil, wherein the first coil is provided at a vehicle, and the second coil is provided at an electricity supply device, the contactless electricity supply system comprising:

a first communication means that performs wireless communication between the vehicle and the electricity supply device at a first frequency;

an electromagnetic wave sending and receiving means that performs electromagnetic wave sending and receiving between the vehicle and the electricity supply device at a second frequency that is different from the first frequency; and

a control means that controls the first communication means and the electromagnetic wave sending and receiving means;

wherein the control means is configured to;

sense a distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device by the first communication means;

determine whether the sensed distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device is shorter than a predetermined distance; and

perform electromagnetic wave sending and receiving between the vehicle and the electricity supply device by the electromagnetic wave sending and receiving means, when it is determined that the sensed distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device is shorter than the predetermined distance.

15. The contactless electricity supply system as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

the first communication means includes a wireless communication section provided in the electricity supply device and a wireless communication section provided in the vehicle and configured to perform bidirectional wireless communication between the vehicle and the electricity supply device, with the wireless communication section of the electric supply device; and

the electromagnetic wave sending and receiving means is configured to detect a coil position deviation between the first coil and the second coil by performing the electromagnetic wave sending and receiving between the vehicle and the electricity supply device at the second frequency.

16. A contactless electricity supply system that sends or receives electricity contactlessly at least through magnetic coupling between a first coil and a second coil, wherein the first coil is provided at a vehicle, and the second coil is provided at an electricity supply device, the contactless electricity supply system comprising:

a first wireless communication system that performs wireless communication between the vehicle and the electricity supply device at a first communication frequency;

a second wireless communication system that performs wireless communication between the vehicle and the electricity supply device at a second communication frequency that is different from the first communication frequency; and

a control device that controls the first wireless communication system and the second wireless communication system;

wherein the control device is configured to;

sense a distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device by the first wireless communication system; and

perform wireless communication between the vehicle and the electricity supply device by the second wireless communication system, when the sensed distance between the vehicle and the electricity supply device is shorter than a predetermined distance.