CONTACTLESS CHARGER, PROGRAM THEREFOR, AND AUTOMOBILE EQUIPPED WITH SAME

• US 20160164333A1
• Filed: 07/10/2014
• Published: 06/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: HATAKEYAMA, KEN, YAMANISHI, YUTO, Seki, Toshiaki
• Application Number:
  US14/905,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20160164333A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

A position detection coil (14B) is disposed as a foreign matter detector that detects a state where a foreign matter is present on the upper surface of an installation plate (6). Further, the position detection coil (14B) and an alarm unit (43) that emits an alarm when detecting a foreign matter by the position detection coil (14B) are connected to a controller (10). The controller (10) is formed to alternately drive position detectors (both position detection coils (14A), (14B)) and the position detection coil (14B) alone (foreign matter detector), and drive the alarm unit (43) if the detection level that is detected by the position detection coil (14B) alone (foreign matter detector) is higher than a threshold.

Claims

1. A contactless charger in which an upper surface of a body case is an installation plate, the contactless charger comprising:

a position detector that is disposed on or below the installation plate, and detects a presence of a mobile device on the installation plate;

a foreign matter detector that detects a conductive foreign matter that is present on the installation plate; and

a controller that drives an alarm unit that emits an alarm to a user, based on detection results of the position detector and the foreign matter detector,

wherein after the foreign matter detector detects the presence of the conductive foreign matter, if the position detector detects the mobile device, the controller drives the alarm unit.

2. The contactless charger of claim 1,

wherein the controller alternately drives the position detector and the foreign matter detector.

3. The contactless charger of claim 1,

wherein the position detector is formed of a plurality of detection coils that are disposed on or below the installation plate.

4. The contactless charger of claim 1,

wherein the foreign matter detector is formed of with the detection coils constituting the position detector.

6. An automobile equipped with the contactless charger of claim 1.

5. A program causing a computer to execute:

a step of detecting a presence of a mobile device on an installation plate of a contactless charger;

a step of detecting a conductive foreign matter that is present on the installation plate; and

a step of emitting an alarm to a user, if the presence of the mobile device is detected in the position detection step, after the presence of the conductive foreign matter is detected in the foreign matter detection step.

7. A contactless charger of which body case includes an upper surface that is used as an installation plate, the contactless charger comprising:

a charging coil that is disposed below the installation plate;

a position detector that is disposed on or below the installation plate, and detects the presence of a mobile device on the installation plate;

a foreign matter detector that detects a conductive foreign matter that is present on the installation plate; and

a controller that drives an alarm unit that emits an alarm to a user, based on detection results of the position detector and the foreign matter detector,

wherein when a detection level detected by the position detector is lower than a first threshold, and a detection level detected by the foreign matter detector is higher than a second threshold, the controller drives the alarm unit.

8. The contactless charger of claim 7,

wherein the position detector is formed of a plurality of detection coils that are disposed on or below the installation plate.

9. The contactless charger of claim 8,

wherein the foreign matter detector is formed of with the detection coils constituting the position detector.

10. The contactless charger of claim 7,

wherein the charging coil is formed of a plurality of fixed charging coils that are disposed below the installation plate, or a movable charging coil that is movably disposed while facing a lower surface of the installation plate.

11. The contactless charger of claim 7,

wherein when the detection level detected by the position detector is lower than the first threshold, and the detection level detected by the foreign matter detector is higher than the second threshold, the controller is formed to drive the alarm unit, and to make the charging coil be in a non-energized state.

12. A charging method using the contactless charger of claim 7, the charging method comprising:

a first step of detecting that an object having a possibility of a temperature increase due to a magnetic flux from the charging coil is placed on an upper surface of the installation plate by the position detector and the foreign matter detector;

a second step of detecting whether or not an object placed on the upper surface of the installation plate is a mobile device or a foreign matter; and

a third step of detecting a position, on the upper surface of the installation plate, in which the mobile device is placed, and then charging the mobile device by the charging coil at a portion corresponding to the position in which the mobile device is placed when it is determined that the mobile device is placed on the upper surface of the installation plate in the second step, and emitting an alarm by the alarm unit when it is determined that the foreign matter is placed on the upper surface of the installation plate in the second step.

13. The charging method of claim 12,

wherein a foreign matter detection is performed a plurality of times in the second step, and when the foreign matter is detected a plurality of times, the alarm unit emits an alarm in the third step.

14. An automobile equipped with the contactless charger of claim 7.

15. The automobile of claim 14,

wherein at least a portion of a body case portion on a circumference of the installation plate protrudes upward from the installation plate.

16. The automobile of claim 15,

wherein the alarm unit is provided in the upper protruding portion on the circumference of the installation plate.