Power receiving device, power transmitting device, power transfer system, and parking assisting device

• US 9,643,505 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Shinji, Yamada, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERNS, MICHAEL ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US14/777,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20160114687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/005 without mechanical contact between the collector and the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• 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 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• 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 53/37 using optical position determination, e.g. using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 7/003 for vehicles using stored power (e.g. charging stations)
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• 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 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• 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 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• 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

Abstract

A power receiving device includes: a power receiving unit moved between a first position and a second position and receiving electric power in the second position from a power transmitting unit contactlessly; a movement mechanism moving the power receiving unit to the first position and the second position; and a sensing unit provided at a vehicular body independently of the power receiving unit and sensing the intensity of one of a magnetic field and an electric field formed by the power transmitting unit. The second position is obliquely below the first position with respect to the vertical direction, and the second position has a shorter distance to the sensing unit than the first position.

Claims

1. A power receiving device comprising:

a power receiving unit including a power receiving coil, movable between a first position and a second position different from the first position, and contactlessly receiving electric power in the second position from a power transmitting unit external to a vehicle in which the power receiving unit is mounted;

a movement mechanism moving the power receiving unit between the first position and the second position; and

a sensing unit provided at a vehicular body of the vehicle independently of the power receiving unit and sensing an intensity of one of a magnetic field and an electric field formed by the power transmitting unit,

the second position being obliquely below the first position with respect to a vertical direction,

a first distance between the second position and the sensing unit being shorter than a second distance between the second position and the first position.

2. The power receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing unit senses an impedance of the magnetic field formed by the power transmitting unit at a location of the sensing unit.

3. The power receiving device according to claim 2, wherein the sensing unit senses an intensity component in the vertical direction of the magnetic field formed by the power transmitting unit at the location of the sensing unit.

4. The power receiving device according to claim 2, wherein the sensing unit senses an intensity component in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction of the magnetic field formed by the power transmitting unit at the location of the sensing unit.

5. The power receiving device according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensing unit includes a plurality of sensors provided at the vehicular body;

the power receiving coil has a winding axis extending in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the power transmitting unit and the power receiving unit disposed in the second position face each other; and

when the power receiving unit is disposed in the second position, and in that condition an imaginary plane is drawn to include the winding axis of the power receiving coil of the power receiving unit and also be orthogonal to the vertical direction and the plurality of sensors are projected in the vertical direction toward the imaginary plane, then the plurality of sensors form projected images in the imaginary plane in positions having a relationship of line symmetry with respect to the winding axis.

6. The power receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing unit is included in a projected space virtually formed when the power receiving unit in the second position has the power receiving coil or a core having the power receiving coil wound thereon projected upward in the vertical direction.

7. A parking assisting device comprising:

the power receiving device according to claim 1; and

a control unit controlling a vehicle driving unit driving the vehicle, based on an intensity of the magnetic field that the sensing unit senses, to move the vehicle.

8. The parking assisting device according to claim 7, wherein:

the sensing unit includes a first sensing unit and a second sensing unit mutually spaced in a direction transverse to the vertical direction; and

when the vehicle is moving and an intensity of the magnetic field that the first sensing unit senses satisfies a first condition and an intensity of the magnetic field that the second sensing unit senses fails to satisfy a second condition, the control unit controls the vehicle driving unit to move the vehicle in a direction in which the first sensing unit is located as seen from the second sensing unit.

9. The parking assisting device according to claim 8, wherein:

the first sensing unit is disposed closer to a rear side of the vehicle than is the second sensing unit; and

when the vehicle is moving backward and an intensity of the magnetic field that the first sensing unit senses satisfies the first condition and an intensity of the magnetic field that the second sensing unit senses fails to satisfy the second condition, the control unit controls the vehicle driving unit to allow the vehicle to continue to move backward.

10. The parking assisting device according to claim 8, wherein:

the first sensing unit is disposed closer to a front side of the vehicle than is the second sensing unit; and

when the vehicle is moving backward and an intensity of the magnetic field that the first sensing unit senses satisfies the first condition and an intensity of the magnetic field that the second sensing unit senses fails to satisfy the second condition, the control unit controls the vehicle driving unit to move the vehicle forward.

11. The parking assisting device according to claim 8, wherein:

the first sensing unit is disposed closer to a rear side of the vehicle than is the second sensing unit; and

when the vehicle is moving forward and an intensity of the magnetic field that the first sensing unit senses satisfies the first condition and an intensity of the magnetic field that the second sensing unit senses fails to satisfy the second condition, the control unit controls the vehicle driving unit to move the vehicle backward.

12. The parking assisting device according to claim 8, wherein:

the first sensing unit is disposed closer to a front side of the vehicle than is the second sensing unit; and

when the vehicle is moving forward and an intensity of the magnetic field that the first sensing unit senses satisfies the first condition and an intensity of the magnetic field that the second sensing unit senses fails to satisfy the second condition, the control unit controls the vehicle driving unit to allow the vehicle to continue to move forward.

13. The parking assisting device according to claim 7, wherein:

the sensing unit includes a first sensing unit and a second sensing unit mutually spaced in a direction transverse to the vertical direction; and

when the vehicle is moving and an intensity of the magnetic field that the first sensing unit senses satisfies a first condition and an intensity of the magnetic field that the second sensing unit senses satisfies a second condition, the control unit controls the vehicle driving unit to move the vehicle so that the magnetic field as sensed by the first sensing unit and the magnetic field as sensed by the second sensing unit approach a single value in intensity.

14. A power transfer system comprising:

a power receiving device; and

a power transmitting device having a power transmitting unit and contactlessly transmitting electric power to the power receiving device while facing the power receiving device,

the power receiving device including

a power receiving unit movable between a first position and a second position different from the first position, and contactlessly receiving the electric power in the second position from the power transmitting unit, which is external to a vehicle in which the power receiving unit is mounted,

a movement mechanism moving the power receiving unit between the first position and the second position, and

a sensing unit provided at a vehicular body of the vehicle independently of the power receiving unit and sensing an intensity of one of a magnetic field and an electric field formed by the power transmitting unit,

the magnetic field formed by the power transmitting unit having an intensity larger at a location of the sensing unit than at the first position.

15. A power transmitting device comprising:

a power transmitting unit including a power transmitting coil, movable between a first position and a second position different from the first position, and contactlessly transmitting electric power in the second position to a power receiving unit provided to a vehicle;

a movement mechanism moving the power transmitting unit between the first position and the second position; and

a sensing unit provided independently of the power transmitting unit and sensing an intensity of one of a magnetic field and an electric field formed by the power receiving unit,

the second position being obliquely above the first position with respect to a vertical direction,

a first distance between the second position and the sensing unit being shorter than a second distance between the second position and the first position.

16. A parking assisting device that assists parking a vehicle receiving information from a communication unit and moved as controlled based on the information, the parking assist device comprising:

the power transmitting device according to claim 15; and

the communication unit that transmits to the vehicle information regarding an intensity of the magnetic field sensed by the sensing unit.