Vehicle or moving object detection

• US 9,747,792 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2013
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auckland UniServices Limited (Auckland University)
• Original Assignee: Auckland UniServices Limited (Auckland University)
• Inventors: Boys, John Talbot
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Hirdepal
• Application Number:
  US14/441,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20150302745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 340935
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/147 electro magnetic [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/056 with provision for distinguishing direction of travel
• 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 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/73 for taking measurements, e.g. using sensing 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

Abstract

The present application relates to the detection of moving vehicles and other objects, in particular though not exclusively for the application of switching stationary charging pads for moving electric vehicle charging. There is provided an electric vehicle detecting apparatus for switching a charging pad for charging a vehicle transmitting a locating signal, the apparatus comprising two sensors separated in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and a detector arranged to detect the vehicle by comparing the locating signals received by each of the two sensors.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle detecting apparatus for switching a charging pad for charging a vehicle transmitting a locating signal, the apparatus comprising:

two sensors separated in the direction of travel of the vehicle; and

a detector arranged to detect the vehicle by comparing the locating signals received by each of the two sensors, wherein the detector is arranged to compare when a zero-crossing has occurred in the envelope of one of the received locating signals but not the other.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector is arranged to compare when the phase of one received locating signal is substantially 180 degrees different to the phase of the other locating signal.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector is arranged to multiply the two received locating signals in order to detect a DC peak corresponding to detection of the vehicle.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the detector is further arranged to detect a second DC peak in the product of the two received locating signals corresponding to the vehicle passing the apparatus.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each sensor is a sense coil having parallel wires arranged substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each parallel wire of each sensor is spaced apart in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising filters to remove IPT signals from the received locating signals.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the detector detects the delay between a transition in the locating signals of each of the two sensors.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the two sensors are associated with one charging pad.

10. An electric vehicle charging system for charging a vehicle transmitting a locating signal, the system comprising:

an IPT charging pad; and

an electric vehicle detecting apparatus for switching a charging pad for charging a vehicle transmitting a locating signal, the apparatus comprising;

two sensors separated in the direction of travel of the vehicle; and

a detector arranged to detect the vehicle by comparing the locating signals received by each of the two sensors, wherein the detector is arranged to compare when a zero-crossing has occurred in the envelope of one of the received locating signals but not the other;

the system further comprising an energiser arranged to energise the charging pad in response to detecting the vehicle using the detecting apparatus.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the energiser is arranged to switch on the charging pad in response to detecting a first DC pulse of the product of the locating signals, and to switch off the charging pad in response to detecting a second DC pulse of the product of the locating signals.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein the system is further arranged to detect the time between the peak of the first DC pulse and the peak of the second DC pulse in order to determine the direction of travel of the vehicle.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein each sensor is a sense coil having parallel wires which are spaced apart in the direction of travel of the vehicle, one parallel wire of each sense coil located in front of the charging pad.

14. A method of detecting an electric vehicle for switching a charging pad for charging the vehicle which is transmitting a locating signal, the method comprising:

receiving the locating signal at two sensors separated in the direction of travel of the vehicle; and

detecting the vehicle by comparing the locating signals received by each of the two sensors, wherein comparing the locating signals comprises determining when a zero-crossing has occurred in the envelope of one of the received locating signals but not the other.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein comparing the locating signals comprises determining when the phase of one received locating signal is substantially 180 degrees different to the phase of the other locating signal.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein comparing the locating signals comprises multiplying the two received locating signals in order to detect a DC peak corresponding to detection of the vehicle.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising detecting a second DC peak in the product of the two received locating signals corresponding to the vehicle passing the charging pad.