METHOD, APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM FOR CONTROLLING A WIRELESS CHARGING DEVICE

• US 20160046197A1
• Filed: 12/08/2014
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Do Hoon, Kim, Zeung Il
• Granted Patent: US 9,738,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 53/34 Plug-like or socket-like devices specially adapted for contactless inductive charging of electric vehicles positioning means for charging devices using inductive energy transfer B60L53/38
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• 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: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A method for controlling a wireless charging device includes: receiving information sensed by at least one of a yaw rate sensor, a gyro sensor, and a tire pressure sensor of a vehicle; calculating a longitudinal/transversal gradient of the vehicle according to the received information; and adjusting a height or a gradient of a receiving pad equipped in the vehicle or adjusting a height, a gradient, a transmission power, or a frequency of a transmitting pad corresponding to the receiving pad, based on the calculated longitudinal/transversal gradient.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a wireless charging device, comprising:

receiving information sensed by at least one of a yaw rate sensor, a gyro sensor, and a tire pressure sensor of a vehicle;

calculating a longitudinal/transversal gradient of the vehicle according to the received information; and

adjusting a height or a gradient of a receiving pad equipped in the vehicle or adjusting a height, a gradient, a transmission power, or a frequency of a transmitting pad corresponding to the receiving pad, based on the calculated longitudinal/transversal gradient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the adjusting, the height or the gradient of the receiving pad or that of the transmitting pad is adjusted, such that the transmitting pad is positioned in parallel with the receiving pad, and an interval between the transmitting pad and the receiving pad is less than a preset reference value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the adjusting, the height or the gradient of the receiving pad or that of the transmitting pad is adjusted, such that angles of the receiving pad and the transmitting pad, with respect to a straight line connecting central points of the receiving pad and the transmitting pad, are right angles.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in the adjusting, the height or the gradient of the receiving pad or that of the transmitting pad is adjusted based on an interval of a portion where a distance between the transmitting pad and the receiving pad is closest, such that the transmitting pad and the receiving pad are positioned in parallel with each other.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting is performed when the calculated longitudinal/transversal gradient is higher than a preset gradient.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the adjusting, transmitting power and frequency information, indicating a required power and frequency of the receiving pad, to the transmitting pad.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

calculating power transmission efficiency based on the power and frequency information and power transmitted to the receiving pad.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

re-adjusting the height of the receiving pad when the calculated power transmission efficiency is equal to or less than a preset tolerance.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting an instruction to the transmitting pad to maintain the height of the transmitting pad and the required power and frequency of the receiving pad, when the calculated power transmission efficiency exceeds a preset tolerance.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing the height of the transmitting pad and the required power and frequency of the receiving pad, when the calculated power transmission efficiency exceeds a preset tolerance.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting pad is one of a plurality of transmitting pads.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

retrieving pre-stored charging information of each of the plurality of transmitting pads when the vehicle approaches the plurality of transmitting pads,

wherein the adjusting is performed based on the retrieved charging information when the charging information of a transmitting pad to which the vehicle is approaching is retrieved.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the pre-stored charging information includes one or more of a height, a transmission power, and frequency information of the plurality of transmitting pads at a time of pre-charging, the plurality of transmitting pads being arranged depending on positions thereof as determined by a global positioning system (GPS).

14. An apparatus for controlling a wireless charging device, comprising:

a memory storing program instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the stored program instructions, which when executed perform a process including;

receiving information sensed by at least one of a yaw rate sensor, a gyro sensor, and a tire pressure sensor of a vehicle,

calculating a longitudinal/transversal gradient of the vehicle according to the received information, and

adjusting a height or a gradient of a receiving pad equipped in the vehicle or adjusting a height, a gradient, a transmission power, or a frequency of a transmitting pad corresponding to the receiving pad, based on the calculated longitudinal/transversal gradient.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions for controlling a wireless charging device, the computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions that receive information sensed by at least one of a yaw rate sensor, a gyro sensor, and a tire pressure sensor of a vehicle;

program instructions that calculate a longitudinal/transversal gradient of the vehicle according to the received information; and

program instructions that adjust a height or a gradient of a receiving pad equipped in the vehicle or adjusting a height, a gradient, a transmission power, or a frequency of a transmitting pad corresponding to the receiving pad, based on the calculated longitudinal/transversal gradient.