Method and apparatus for detecting charger and method of operating the charger

• US 9,738,171 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Do Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Sun
• Application Number:
  US14/836,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20160059725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• 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 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/10 using induction coils
• 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: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• 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
• 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

Provided are a method and an apparatus for detecting a charger for a designated vehicle based on the circumstances including a plurality of chargers in a charging station. Also, provided is a method of operating the charger using the method or the apparatus. The method of detecting one charger of the chargers in the charging station and a transmitting pad connected to the chargers in the charging station using a charger detection apparatus loaded in a vehicle, comprises transmitting a detection inducing signal through a receiving pad loaded in the designated vehicle for wireless charging, receiving pieces of sensing signal information on the detection inducing signal received at a plurality of transmitting pads of at least one charger in the charging station from the at least one charger, and detecting one of a first charger having a preset priority among the at least one charger and the plurality of transmitting pads and a first transmitting pad connected to the first charger by comparing the pieces of sensing signal information.

Claims

1. A method of detecting one charger of a plurality of chargers in a charging station and a transmitting pad connected to said one charger using a charger detection apparatus loaded in a vehicle, the method comprising:

transmitting a detection inducing signal through a receiving pad loaded in the vehicle for wireless charging;

receiving pieces of sensing signal information on the detection inducing signal received at a plurality of transmitting pads of at least one charger in the charging station from the at least one charger; and

detecting a first charger having a preset priority among the at least one charger and the plurality of transmitting pads and a first transmitting pad connected to the first charger by comparing the pieces of sensing signal information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the transmitting of the detection inducing signal, a signal generation portion connected to the receiving pad uses a receiving coil of the receiving pad as a wireless communication antenna, and

wherein a level of the detection inducing signal is smaller than that of a lowest rated current induced by the receiving pad when performing wireless charging.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the transmitting a detection inducing signal, the detection inducing signal is transmitted for a first time in a first time cycle, and is then it is repetitively transmitted for a plurality of times in a second time cycle which is longer than the first time in the first time cycle.

4. The method of claim 1, before the detecting of one of the first charger and the first transmitting pad, further comprising receiving a beacon signal from the at least one charger by using a searching portion of the charger detection apparatus,

wherein the beacon signal comprises charging information and the charging information comprises identification information and availability information on one of the at least one charger and the plurality of transmitting pads.

5. The method of claim 1, before the detecting of one of a first charger and a first transmitting pad, further comprising:

transmitting, by the searching portion of the charger detection apparatus, a searching request signal to one of the at least one charger and the plurality of transmitting pads located in one of a service area and a network in the charging station; and

receiving a searching response signal for the searching request signal from the at least one charger,

wherein the searching response signal comprises charger information, and the charger information comprises identification information and availability information on one of the at least one charger and the plurality of transmitting pads.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the preset priority comprises a first serial number among priority serial numbers given to the plurality of transmitting pads in real time.

7. The method of claim 1, after the detecting of one of a first charger and a first transmitting pad, further comprising transmitting a wireless charging requirement of the receiving pad to the first charger.

8. A charger detection apparatus comprising:

a signal generation portion which transmits a detection inducing signal through a receiving pad loaded in a vehicle for wireless charging;

a receiving portion which receives pieces of sensing signal information on the detection inducing signal received at a plurality of transmitting pads of at least one charger in a charging station from the at least one charger; and

a detection portion which detects a first charger having a preset priority among the at least one charger and the plurality of transmitting pads or a first transmitting pad connected to the first charger by comparing the pieces of sensing signal information.

9. The charger detection apparatus of claim 8, wherein the signal generation portion uses a receiving coil of the receiving pad as a wireless communication antenna, and

wherein a level of the detection inducing signal is smaller than that of a lowest rated current induced by the receiving pad when performing wireless charging.

10. The charger detection apparatus of claim 9, wherein the signal generation portion repetitively performs transmitting of the detection inducing signal for a first time in a first time cycle, and then for a plurality of times in a second time cycle which is longer than the first time in the first time cycle.

11. The charger detection apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a searching portion which receives a beacon signal from the at least one charger,

wherein the beacon signal comprises charger information, and the charger information comprises identification information and availability information on one of the at least one charger and the plurality of transmitting pads.

12. The charger detection apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a searching portion which transmits a searching request signal to one of the at least one charger and the plurality of transmitting pads located in one of a service area and a network in the charging station and receives a searching response signal for the searching request signal from the at least one charger,

wherein the searching response signal comprises charger information, and the charger information comprises identification information and availability information on one of the at least one charger and the plurality of transmitting pads.

13. The charger detection apparatus of claim 8, wherein the preset priority is determined based on availability information and signal-receiving intensity of one of the charger and the transmitting pads in the pieces of sensing signal information.

14. The charger detection apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a transmission portion which transmits a wireless charging requirement of the receiving pad to the first charger after one of the first charger and the first transmitting pad is detected.

15. A charger operating method performed by each charger of a plurality of chargers in a charging station, the charger operating method comprising:

receiving, by at least one transmitting pad connected to said each charger, a detection inducing signal from a receiving pad loaded in the vehicle for wireless charging;

generating sensing signal information on the detection inducing signal to support detecting a first charger having a preset priority among at least one charger and a plurality of transmitting pads in the charging station and a first transmitting pad connected to the first charger; and

transmitting the sensing signal information to a charger detection apparatus loaded in the vehicle.

16. The charger operating method of claim 15, further comprising, before the receiving of the detection inducing signal, transmitting a beacon signal which comprises charger information,

wherein the beacon signal comprises charger information, and the charger information comprises identification information and availability information on one of the at least one charger and the plurality of transmitting pads.

17. The charger operating method of claim 16, before the receiving of the detection inducing signal, further comprising:

receiving a searching request signal from the charger detection apparatus of the vehicle located in one of a service area and a network in the charging station; and

transmitting a searching response signal for the searching request signal to the charger detection apparatus,

wherein the searching response signal comprises charger information, and the charger information comprises identification information and availability information on one of the at least one charger and the plurality of transmitting pads.

18. The charger operating method of claim 15, wherein in the receiving of a detection inducing signal, one of a current and a voltage induced by the at least one transmitting pad is measured, and

wherein a level of the detection inducing signal is smaller than a level of a lowest rated normal current supplied to the at least one transmitting pad when performing wireless charging.

19. The charger operating method of claim 15, wherein in the receiving of a detection inducing signal, the detection inducing signal is received for a first time in a first time cycle, and then is repetitively received a plurality of times in a second time cycle, and

wherein the sensing signal information comprises one of an average and a weighted average of a plurality of received detection inducing signals.

20. The charger operating method of claim 15, after the transmitting the sensing signal information, further comprising receiving a message comprising a wireless charging requirement of the receiving pad from the charger detection apparatus.