Non-contact electric power transmission system, charging station, and vehicle

• US 9,649,947 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2014
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Shinji, Taniguchi, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Diao, M'baye
• Application Number:
  US14/582,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20150217648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 320109, 320108, 701 22
• 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: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 charging station includes a plurality of electric power transmission portions and a power supply ECU. When a second vehicle is parked at a position where it can receive electric power from a first electric power transmission portion and when the second vehicle receives weak electric power from the first electric power transmission portion, the second vehicle transmits to the power supply ECU, an occupation signal which allows determination that the parking position corresponds to the first electric power transmission portion. When the power supply ECU receives the occupation signal of the first electric power transmission portion from the second vehicle, the power supply ECU stops transmission of weak electric power from the first electric power transmission portion and guides a first vehicle to a second electric power transmission portion.

Claims

1. A non-contact electric power transmission system, comprising:

first and second vehicles; and

a charging station,

said charging station comprising;

a plurality of electric power transmission portions configured to transmit electric power to the vehicles in a non-contact manner, and

an electric power transmission control unit configured to control electric power transmission from said plurality of electric power transmission portions,

said electric power transmission control unit being configured to select a first electric power transmission portion, which is not transmitting electric power, from said plurality of electric power transmission portions, and to control said selected first electric power transmission portion to transmit weak electric power when said electric power transmission control unit receives a signal requesting electric power transmission from said first vehicle,

said first vehicle performing positioning using a received voltage of the weak electric power,

said second vehicle transmitting to said electric power transmission control unit, an occupation signal which allows determination that a parking position corresponds to said first electric power transmission portion when said second vehicle is parked at a position where the second vehicle can receive electric power from said first electric power transmission portion and when said second vehicle receives weak electric power from said first electric power transmission portion,

said electric power transmission control unit being configured to stop transmitting said weak electric power from said first electric power transmission portion where said second vehicle is parked when the electric power transmission control unit receives said occupation signal from said second vehicle, and

said first vehicle performing positioning, using a received voltage of the weak electric power from an electric power transmission portion where said second vehicle is not parked.

2. The non-contact electric power transmission system according to claim 1, wherein

said electric power transmission control unit allows electric power transmission with electric power characteristics of weak electric power from said plurality of electric power transmission portions being differed for each electric power transmission portion, and

said second vehicle transmits to said electric power transmission control unit, said occupation signal in accordance with the electric power characteristics of received weak electric power.

3. The non-contact electric power transmission system according to claim 2, wherein

said electric power characteristics differed for each electric power transmission portion are a time period for supply of said weak electric power, and

said second vehicle transmits a signal indicating said time period for supply as said occupation signal.

4. The non-contact electric power transmission system according to claim 2, wherein

said electric power characteristics differed for each electric power transmission portion are the number of times of switching between on and off of said weak electric power, and

said second vehicle transmits a signal indicating said number of times of switching as said occupation signal.

5. The non-contact electric power transmission system according to claim 1, wherein

said second vehicle holds information indicating that the electric power transmission portion used for charging is said first electric power transmission portion of said plurality of electric power transmission portions, also after end of charging, and

said second vehicle transmits said occupation signal based on said information when the second vehicle receives said weak electric power while the second vehicle is parked at the position corresponding to said first electric power transmission portion after end of charging.

6. A charging station which can transmit electric power to first and second vehicles in a non-contact manner, comprising:

a plurality of electric power transmission portions configured to transmit electric power to the vehicles in a non-contact manner; and

an electric power transmission control unit configured to control electric power transmission from said plurality of electric power transmission portions,

said electric power transmission control unit being configured to select a first electric power transmission portion which is not transmitting electric power from said plurality of electric power transmission portions, and to control said selected first electric power transmission portion to transmit weak electric power when said electric power transmission control unit receives a signal requesting electric power transmission from said first vehicle,

said first vehicle performing positioning using a received voltage of the weak electric power,

said second vehicle transmitting to said electric power transmission control unit, an occupation signal which allows determination that a parking position corresponds to said first electric power transmission portion when said second vehicle is parked at a position where the second vehicle can receive electric power from said first electric power transmission portion and when said second vehicle receives weak electric power from said first electric power transmission portion,

said electric power transmission control unit being configured to stop transmitting said weak electric power from said first electric power transmission portion where said second vehicle is parked when the electric power transmission control unit receives said occupation signal from said second vehicle, and

said first vehicle performing positioning using a received voltage of the weak electric power from an electric power transmission portion where said second vehicle is not parked.