WIRELESS CHARGING OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• US 20170001527A1
• Filed: 07/01/2015
• Published: 01/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Prokhorov, Danil V.
• Granted Patent: US 9,908,425 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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 53/37 using optical position determination, e.g. using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• 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
• 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

Arrangements directed to the wireless charging of a battery, particularly a battery for an electric or hybrid electric vehicle, are described. A wireless charging system can includes a charging station and a charge receiver. The charge receiver can be provided on a vehicle. The charging station can include a movable charge transmitter. The system includes a sensor that can detect a relative position of the charge receiver. The system can include a processor operatively connected to the charge transmitter. The processor can cause the position of the charge transmitter to be adjusted within the housing based on a relative location of a charge receiver such that the charge transmitter and charge receiver are in substantial charging alignment.

Claims

1. A vehicle charging station comprising:

a housing;

a charge transmitter, the charge transmitter being movable within a range of motion, the range of motion being physically constrained by the housing; and

a processor operatively connected to the charge transmitter, the processor being configured to cause the position of the charge transmitter to be adjusted within the housing based on a relative location of a charge receiver such that the charge transmitter and charge receiver are in substantial charging alignment.

2. The vehicle charging station of claim 1, further including a sensor configured to detect a presence of a charge receiver or the relative location of the charge receiver when the charge receiver is present at the charging station, wherein the sensor is operatively connected to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to cause the position of the charge transmitter to be adjusted within the housing based on data received from the sensor.

3. The vehicle charging station of claim 2, further including a cart, wherein the charge transmitter is located on the cart.

4. The vehicle charging station of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to activate the charge transmitter when the charge transmitter is in substantial charging alignment with the charge receiver.

5. The vehicle charging station of claim 1, wherein the housing is a charging pad positioned at or above ground level.

6. The vehicle charging station of claim 5, wherein the charging pad has an associated width and an associated height, wherein the width of the charging pad is less than a track of a vehicle and a height of the charging pad is less than a ground clearance of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle charging station of claim 1, wherein the housing is a subterranean compartment.

8. A system for wirelessly charging a vehicle comprising:

a charge receiver; and

a charging station, the charging station including;

a housing;

a movable charge transmitter;

a sensor configured to detect and communicate data relating to a presence of the charge receiver or a relative location of the charge receiver; and

a processor operatively connected to receive data from the sensor, the processor being operatively connected to the charge transmitter to cause the position of the charge transmitter to be adjusted within the housing based on a relative location of the charge receiver to achieve substantial charging alignment between the charge transmitter and charge receiver.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sensor is an infrared sensor or a camera sensor.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the charge transmitter is activated when the charge transmitter and charge receiver are determined to be in substantial charging alignment.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the housing is a charging pad positioned at or above ground level.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein a width of the charging pad is less than a track of a vehicle and a height of the charging pad is less than a ground clearance of the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the housing is a subterranean compartment.

14. The system of claim 8, further including a movable cart, wherein the charge transmitter is located on the cart.

15. A method of wirelessly charging a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining a position of a charge receiver;

adjusting the position of a charge transmitter located within a housing based on the determined position of the charge receiver, the movement of the charge transmitter being constrained by the housing; and

activating the charge transmitter to transmit an electromagnetic field at least partially toward the charge receiver.

16. The method of claim 15, further including:

detecting a presence of a vehicle at a vehicle charging station.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein adjusting the position of a charge transmitter includes causing a cart to move to a target location in which the charge transmitter and the charge receiver are in substantial charging alignment.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the charge receiver is located on a vehicle, the method further including:

detecting whether the vehicle has been started; and

responsive to determining that the vehicle has been started, deactivating the charge transmitter.

19. The method of claim 15, herein the charge receiver is located on a vehicle, the method further including:

detecting a battery of the vehicle is fully charged; and

responsive to determining that the battery of the vehicle is fully charged, deactivating the charge transmitter.

20. The method of claim 15, further including:

determining whether the charge transmitter and charge receiver are in substantial charging alignment,

wherein activating the charge transmitter includes activating the charge transmitter responsive to determining that the charge transmitter and the charge receiver are in substantial charging alignment.