Vehicle and mobile body system

• US 9,908,426 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TDK Corporation
• Original Assignee: TDK Corporation
• Inventors: Fukushima, Noriyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Houston, Adam
• Application Number:
  US14/427,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20150246620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 307 101, 320107-109
• 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 53/36 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: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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 50/80 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 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• 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 vehicle includes a vehicle information unit that has information about a positional relationship between axles and a power receiving unit, so it is possible to move a power feeding unit to a position at which the power feeding unit faces the power receiving unit, according to the information about the positional relationship between the axles and the power receiving unit. In a system, a power feeding apparatus moves a power feeding unit to a position at which the power feeding unit faces the power receiving unit, according to a result of a comparison between information about a positional relationship between the axles of a vehicle and the power receiving unit in it and information that identifies the vehicle and to parking lot information.

Claims

1. A vehicle equipped with a power receiving unit that receives electric power from a power feeding unit, wherein:

the vehicle includes a vehicle information unit that has information about a positional relationship between an axle and the power receiving unit; and

the power feeding unit is capable of being moved to a position at which the power feeding unit faces the power receiving unit, according to the information about the positional relationship between the axle and the power receiving unit.

2. A mobile body system that includes a power feeding apparatus that has the power feeding unit, a parking facility that has a car stop, and the vehicle according to claim 1, the vehicle travelling within the parking facility, wherein:

the car stop has an information receiving unit that receives information about a positional relationship between the axle and the power receiving unit;

the car stop or the power feeding apparatus has parking lot information; and

when the vehicle is parked at a predetermined position in the packing facility, the power feeding apparatus moves the power feeding unit to a position at which the power feeding unit faces the power receiving unit, according to the parking lot information and the information about the positional relationship between the axle and the power receiving unit.

3. A mobile body system that includes a power feeding apparatus that has the power feeding unit, a parking facility that has a car stop, and the vehicle according to claim 1, the vehicle travelling within the parking facility, wherein:

the power feeding apparatus has an information receiving unit that receives information about a positional relationship between the axle and the power receiving unit;

the car stop or the power feeding apparatus has parking lot information; and

when the vehicle is parked at a predetermined position in the packing facility, the power feeding apparatus moves the power feeding unit to a position at which the power feeding unit faces the power receiving unit, according to the parking lot information and the information about the positional relationship between the axle and the power receiving unit.

4. The mobile body system according to claim 2, wherein the power feeding unit travels from a side opposite to a parking space for the vehicle toward the same side as the parking space for the vehicle.

5. The mobile body system according to claim 2, wherein:

the parking facility further includes a standby position sensor and a reference position sensor;

the standby position sensor senses a standby position of the power feeding unit on a side opposite to a parking space for the vehicle; and

the reference position sensor senses a reference position of the power feeding unit on a side relatively closer to the parking space for the vehicle than a sensing point of the standby position of the power feeding unit.

6. The mobile body system according to claim 2, wherein the power feeding unit has a self-running function.

7. The mobile body system according to claim 2, wherein:

the power receiving unit further has a detection mark;

the power feeding unit has a detection sensor; and

the power feeding apparatus stops the power feeding unit at a position at which the detection mark is detected by the detection sensor.

8. The mobile body system according to claim 2, wherein:

the vehicle further has a direction mark at a front bottom of the vehicle body or a back bottom of the vehicle body;

the power feeding unit has a direction detecting sensor; and

the direction detecting sensor transmits a direction signal, which indicates whether the direction mark has been detected, to the information receiving unit.

9. A mobile body system that includes a power feeding apparatus that has a power feeding unit, a parking facility that has a car stop, and a vehicle that has a power receiving unit that receives electric power from the power feeding unit, the vehicle travelling within the parking facility, wherein:

the car stop or the power feeding apparatus has parking lot information; and

the power feeding apparatus moves the power feeding unit to a position at which the power feeding unit faces the power receiving unit, according to a result of comparison between information about a positional relationship between an axle of the vehicle and the power receiving unit and information used to identify the vehicle and to the parking lot information.