SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUS RELATED TO ELECTRIC VEHICLE PARKING AND WIRELESS CHARGING

• US 20140012448A1
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Published: 01/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Tripathi, Manish, Yenamandra, Rao S., Mullaguru, Naidu S., Van Boheemen, Edward L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,971,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• 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 53/35 Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• 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

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed for parking and wireless power transfer and communication of messages in a parking and charging system. In one aspect, an apparatus for parking a vehicle for receiving charging in a parking and charging system is provided. The apparatus includes an antenna configured to wirelessly receive information identifying a location of one or more charging stations. The apparatus further includes a user interface configured to display information identifying at least one of the one or more charging stations. The apparatus further includes a controller configured to cause a communication link to be established between the vehicle with and at least one identified charging station.

Claims

1. An apparatus for parking a vehicle for receiving charging in a parking and charging system, the apparatus comprising:

an antenna configured to wirelessly receive information identifying a location of one or more charging stations;

a user interface configured to display information identifying at least one of the one or more charging stations; and

a controller configured to cause a communication link to be established between the vehicle and at least one identified charging station.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more charging stations displayed are each within a communication range sufficient for establishing a communications link with the vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the communication range corresponds to communication range for a personal area network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more charging stations are positioned at least one of in a common parking area or substantially proximate to each other.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the displayed information comprises one or more selection options related to one or more parking spaces.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the displayed information comprises at least one portion of identification information of the at least one identified charging station.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to exchange control and data information with at least one of the vehicle or the at least one identified charging station.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller further comprises a wireless communication module configured to identify at least one of the one or more charging stations and to broadcast a predefined identification sequence that is recognizable by the at least one identified charging station.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to set a charging station identification sequence of the at least one identified charging station as default, and wherein the default is applied if no other option has been selected within a predefined period of time.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to establish a communication link between a vehicle pad of the vehicle and a base pad of the at least one identified charging station.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to measure an alignment score, the alignment score indicating how close the vehicle pad is next to the base pad.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information identifying a location of the one or more charging stations further comprises at least:

a space number identifying a parking space, wherein at least one of the one or more charging stations is located in the identified parking space; and

a location of the identified parking space.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to receive information identifying availability of the one or more charging stations, wherein the availability of the one or more charging stations is indicated through receiving at least one charging station identification sequence broadcasted by the one or more charging stations in a discovery mode.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a charging pad configured to wirelessly receive a charge from the at least one identified charging station.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to store the received information.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface is further configured to log an input from a user.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to page the at least one identified charge station.

18. A method of parking a vehicle for receiving charging in a parking and charging system, the method comprising:

receiving wireless information identifying a location of one or more charging stations;

displaying information identifying at least one of the one or more charging stations; and

establishing a communication link between the vehicle and at least one identified charging station.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more charging stations displayed are each within a communication range sufficient for establishing a communications link with the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the communication range corresponds to communication range for a personal area network.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein each of the one or more charging stations are positioned at least one of in a common parking area or substantially proximate to each other.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein displaying information comprises displaying one or more selection options related to one or more parking spaces via a user interface.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein displaying information comprises displaying at least a portion of identification information of the at least one identified charging station.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprises exchanging control and data information with at least one of the vehicle or the at least one charging station via a communication module.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein exchanging control and data information further comprises:

identifying at least one of the one or more charging stations; and

broadcasting an identification sequence of the vehicle that is recognizable by the at least one identified charging station.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein exchanging control and data information further comprises pairing the communication module with the at least one identified charging station.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein pairing the communication module with the at least one identified charging station comprises pairing the communication module with the at least one identified charging station through a wireless link and a known passcode.

28. The method of claim 18, further comprising setting a charging station identification sequence of the at least one identified charging station as default via a controller, wherein the default is applied if no other option has been selected within a predefined period of time.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein establishing the communication link further comprises establishing a communication link between a vehicle pad of the vehicle and a base pad of the at least one identified charging station.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein establishing the communication link further comprises measuring an alignment score, the alignment score indicating how close the vehicle pad is above the base pad.

31. The method of claim 18, wherein the wireless information identifying a location of the one or more charging stations further comprises at least:

a space number identifying a parking space, wherein at least one of the one or more charging stations is located in the identified parking space; and

a location of the identified parking space.

32. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving information identifying availability of the one or more charging stations, wherein the availability of the one or more charging stations is indicated through receiving at least one charging station identification sequence broadcasted by the one or more charging stations in a discovery mode.

33. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a charge from the at least one identified charging station.

34. The method of claim 18, further comprising storing the received information via a controller.

35. The method of claim 18, further comprising logging an input from a user via a user interface.

36. The method of claim 18, further comprising paging the identified charging station.

37. An apparatus for parking a vehicle for receiving charging in a parking and charging system, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving information identifying a location of one or more charging stations;

means for displaying information identifying at least one of the one or more charging stations; and

means for causing a communication link to be established between the vehicle and at least one identified charging station.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising means for receiving a charge from the at least one identified charging station.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the means for displaying information further comprises:

means for displaying at least a portion of the identification information of the identified charging station to a user through a communication link; and

means for selecting the at least one identified charging station through matching a charging station identification sequence with a parking space number of a parking space.

40. A non-transient computer readable media having instructions stored thereon that cause a wireless power transferring apparatus to perform a method of parking a vehicle for receiving charging in a parking and charging system, the method comprising:

receiving wireless information identifying a location of one or more charging stations;

displaying information identifying at least one of the one or more charging stations; and

establishing a communication link between the vehicle and at least one identified charging station.