Contactless charging device, program therefor, and automobile having contactless charging device mounted therein

• US 10,090,718 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2014
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamanishi, Yuto, Hatakeyama, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robbins, Jerry D
• Application Number:
  US15/102,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20170018950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction

Abstract

A contactless charging device includes a placement plate on which a portable apparatus is placed, a charging coil, a position detector having a position detection coil, a foreign object detector having a foreign object detection coil, an alarm, and a controller. The position detection coil and the foreign object detection coil are disposed on or under the placement plate. The controller drives the alarm if the foreign object detector detects the presence of a conductive foreign object on the placement plate, and then the position detector detects the portable apparatus on the placement plate.

Claims

1. A contactless charging device comprising:

a placement plate on which a portable apparatus is placed;

a charging coil that is disposed to oppose a rear surface side of the placement plate;

a position detector configured to include a position detection coil disposed on or under the placement plate, and detects the portable apparatus present on the placement plate;

a foreign object detector configured to include a foreign object detection coil disposed on or under the placement plate, and detect a conductive foreign object present on the placement plate;

an alarm configured to issue a warning to a user;

a controller configured to control the position detector, the foreign object detector, and the alarm; and

a memory configured to store data,

wherein the controller alternately drives the position detector and the foreign object detector,

when a detection level frequency detected by the foreign object detector is higher than a second threshold value, the controller turns a foreign object warning flag ON and holds a time point at which the foreign object warning flag is turned ON in the memory,

when an echo signal frequency captured by the position detector is higher than a first threshold value, the controller holds a time point at which the echo signal frequency is higher than the first threshold value in the memory, and

when a time difference between the time point at which the foreign object warning flag is turned ON and the time point at which the echo signal frequency is higher than the first threshold value is equal to or more than a predetermined time, the controller controls the alarm to issue the warning.

2. The contactless charging device of claim 1, further comprising:

a charging coil controller that drives the charging coil,

wherein, if the foreign object detector does not detect the presence of the conductive foreign object, and the position detector detects the portable apparatus, the controller drives the charging coil via the charging coil controller, so as to start charging.

3. The contactless charging device of claim 1,

wherein each of the position detection coil and the foreign object detection coil is formed of a plurality of detection coils disposed on or under the placement plate.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program for driving the controller of the contactless charging device of claim 1, the program when executed by the controller drives the controller to performs steps comprising:

a first step of detecting the presence of the portable apparatus on the placement plate based on the detection level frequency detected by the foreign object detector;

a second step of detecting the conductive foreign object present on the placement plate based on the echo signal frequency captured by the position detector; and

a third step of issuing the warning to the user,

wherein the first step and the second step are alternatively executed,

when the detection level frequency detected in the second step is higher than the second threshold value, the time point at which the foreign object warning flag is turned ON is held in the memory,

when the echo signal frequency captured in the first step is higher than the first threshold value, the time point at which the echo signal frequency is higher than the first threshold value is held in the memory, and

when the time difference between the time point at which the foreign object warning flag is turned ON and the time point at which the echo signal frequency is higher than the first threshold value is equal to or more than the predetermined time, the third step is executed.