CHARGING CONTROL METHOD, ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND CHARGING APPARATUS USING THE SAME

• US 20190039466A1
• Filed: 08/06/2018
• Published: 02/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2017
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Jung, Taek Hyun, Seong, Jae Yong, Jang, Jin Su
• Application Number:
  US16/055,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20190039466A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• 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: 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 90/167 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

A charging control method performed by an electric vehicle (EV) configured to receive power wirelessly from a charging apparatus may include: detecting a presence of an occupant in the EV; detecting a presence of an implantable medical device (IMD) in the EV; determining a charging mode among a plurality of predefined charging modes according to at least one of the presence of the occupant and the presence of the IMD; transmitting information indicating the determined charging mode to the charging apparatus. The charging apparatus can activate a wireless power transfer (WPT) procedure in which power is wirelessly transmitted to the EV in accordance with the determined charging mode.

Claims

1. A charging control method performed by an electric vehicle (EV) configured to receive power wirelessly from a charging apparatus, the charging control method comprising:

detecting a presence of an occupant in the EV;

detecting a presence of an implantable medical device (IMD) in the EV;

determining a charging mode among a plurality of predefined charging modes according to at least one of the presence of the occupant and the presence of the IMD;

transmitting information indicating the determined charging mode to the charging apparatus,

wherein the charging apparatus activates a wireless power transfer (WPT) procedure in which power is wirelessly transmitted to the EV in accordance with the determined charging mode.

2. The charging control method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of predefined charging modes include at least one protective charging mode for a situation in which the presence of the occupant is detected in the EV and a maximum charging mode for a situation in which the presence of the occupant is not detected in the EV.

3. The charging control method according to claim 2, wherein the at least one protective charging mode includes:

a first protective charging mode for performing the WPT procedure within a range defined by an electromagnetic safety (EMF) regulation when the presence of the occupant is detected in the EV; and

a second protective charging mode for performing the WPT procedure within a range defined by an IMD regulation when the presence of the IMD is detected in the EV.

4. The charging control method according to claim 3, wherein the EMF regulation and the IMD regulation are specified by the Society of Automotive Engineer (SAE) J2954 standard.

5. The charging control method according to claim 1, wherein the detecting of the presence of the occupant in the EV comprises:

receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal or a low frequency (LF) signal transmitted by a smart key;

or

receiving a signal from a seat sensor equipped in the EV.

6. The charging control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a foreign object in an area surrounding a transmission pad of the charging apparatus or an area surrounding a reception pad of the EV; and

in response to detecting the foreign object in the area surrounding the transmission pad or the area surrounding the reception pad, stopping the WPT procedure immediately.

7. An electric vehicle (EV) comprising:

a seat sensor;

at least one communication module configured to communicate with a charging apparatus, a smart key, and an implantable medical device (IMD);

a charging module including a reception pad communicatively coupled with a transmission pad of the charging apparatus and configured to receive power wirelessly from the transmission pad through the reception pad;

at least one processor; and

a memory storing at least one instruction executable by the at least one processor,

wherein the at least one instruction is configured to cause the at least one processor to;

detect a presence of an occupant in the EV based on a signal received through the at least one communication module or the seat sensor;

detect a presence of the IMD in the EV based on a signal received through the at least one communication module;

determine a charging mode among a plurality of predefined charging modes according to at least one of the presence of the occupant and the presence of the IMD; and

transmit information indicating the determined charging mode to the charging apparatus through the at least one communication module,

wherein the charging apparatus activates a wireless power transfer (WPT) procedure in which power is wirelessly transmitted to the EV in accordance with the determined charging mode.

8. The EV according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of predefined charging modes include at least one protective charging mode for a situation in which the presence of the occupant is detected in the EV and a maximum charging mode for a situation in which the presence of the occupant is not detected in the EV.

9. The EV according to claim 8, wherein the at least one protective charging mode includes:

a first protective charging mode for performing the WPT procedure within a range defined by an electromagnetic safety (EMF) regulation when the presence of the occupant is detected in the EV; and

a second protective charging mode for performing the WPT procedure within a range defined by an IMD regulation when the presence of the IMD is detected in the EV.

10. The EV according to claim 9, wherein the EMF regulation and the IMD regulation are specified by the Society of Automotive Engineer (SAE) J2954 standard.

11. The EV according to claim 7, wherein the at least one instruction is further configured to cause the at least one processor to immediately stop the WPT procedure in response to detecting a foreign object in an area surrounding a transmission pad of the charging apparatus or an area surrounding a reception pad of the EV.

12. The EV according to claim 7, wherein the at least one communication module includes:

a radio frequency (RF) communication module configured to receive an RF signal from the smart key or the IMD and to process the RF signal; and

a low frequency (LF) communication module configured to transmit an LF signal to the smart key and to receive an LF signal from the smart key.

13. A charging apparatus comprising:

a communication module configured to communicate with an electric vehicle (EV);

a power transfer module including a transmission pad communicatively coupled with a reception pad of the EV and configured to transmit power wirelessly to the EV through the transmission pad;

at least one processor; and

a memory storing at least one instruction executable by the at least one processor,

wherein the at least one instruction is configured to cause the at least one processor to activate a wireless power transfer (WPT) procedure according to a charging mode determined by the EV among a plurality of predefined charging modes based on at least one of a presence of an occupant in the EV and a presence of an implantable medical device (IMD) in the EV.

14. The charging apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of predefined charging modes include at least one protective charging mode for a situation in which the presence of the occupant is detected in the EV and a maximum charging mode for a situation in which the presence of the occupant is not detected in the EV.

15. The charging apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the at least one protective charging mode includes:

a first protective charging mode for performing the WPT procedure within a range defined by an electromagnetic safety (EMF) regulation when the presence of the occupant is detected in the EV; and

a second protective charging mode for performing the WPT procedure within a range defined by an IMD regulation when the presence of the IMD is detected in the EV.

16. The charging apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the EMF regulation and the IMD regulation are specified by the Society of Automotive Engineer (SAE) J2954 standard.

17. The charging apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the at least one instruction is further configured to cause the at least one processor to immediately stop the WPT procedure in response to detecting a foreign object in an area surrounding a transmission pad of the charging apparatus or an area surrounding a reception pad of the EV.