Vertical wireless power transfer system for charging electric vehicles

• US 9,931,954 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2014
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sankaran, Venkateswa Anand, Gibeau, John Paul, Lathrop, James A., Bell, Christopher W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ortiz, Angela Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERNS, MICHAEL ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US14/172,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20150217655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,519 Days
• Field of Search: 701 22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• 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 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• 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 90/167 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 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A park assist system may, in response to receiving a signal indicating that a remote inductive charge source is within a vicinity of a vehicle, transition from a park assist mode to a wireless charging mode. During the wireless charging mode, the park assist system generates instructions to assist a driver in positioning the vehicle relative to the inductive charge source.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a vertically mounted secondary charge coil;

a display; and

a park assist system including a transceiver and at least one controller programmed to

during a parking mode, detect objects within a vicinity of the vehicle by a plurality of ultrasonic sensors, output instructions via the display to assist a driver of the vehicle in avoiding contact with the detected objects, and cause the secondary charge coil to periodically generate a field to excite a remote primary charge coil, and

during a charging mode initiated based on a response to the field at the primary charge coil output instructions via the display to assist the driver in positioning the vehicle based on the plurality of ultrasonic sensors to place the vertically mounted secondary charge coil in a target position relative to the primary charge coil for charging a vehicle and

generate instructions to display an alert indicating whether the vehicle is in the parking mode or the charging mode.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the instructions, during the charging mode, include data indicative of a representation of a position of the vehicle relative to the primary charge coil.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to output an alert, during the charging mode, indicating that the secondary charge coil has achieved a target position relative to the primary charge coil.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to cease to output instructions in avoiding contact with objects during the charging mode.

5. A park assist system comprising:

ultrasonic sensors configured to detect objects in a vicinity of a vehicle;

a controller programmed to;

transition, in response to a trigger signal, from a parking mode providing instructions to assist a driver in avoiding contact with the detected objects to a charging mode providing instructions to assist the driver in positioning a secondary coil relative to a primary coil as detected by the sensors.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to, during the parking mode, cause the secondary coil to periodically generate a field to excite the primary coil.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein during the transition an alert indicates whether the vehicle is in the parking mode or the charging mode.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the trigger signal indicates that the primary charge coil is located within the vicinity of the vehicle.

9. A method for advising a driver of a vehicle comprising:

by a processor,

during a parking mode, outputting instructions to assist the driver in avoiding contact with objects within a vicinity of the vehicle and causing charge coil excitation signals to be broadcast from the vehicle;

transitioning from the parking mode to a wireless charging mode in response to receiving a reply to the charge coil excitation signals;

generating an alert indicating the transition; and

during the wireless charging mode initiated based on a response to the excitation signals at a primary charge coil, outputting instructions to a display to assist the driver in positioning a vertical charge coil of the vehicle relative to the primary charge coil for charging the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising outputting an alert, during the wireless charging mode, indicating that vehicle has achieved a target position relative to the charge source.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the instructions, during the wireless charging mode, include data indicative of a representation of a position of the vehicle relative to the charge source.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the alert indicates whether the vehicle is in the parking mode or the wireless charging mode.