Infrared triangulation method for locating vehicles for hands-free electric vehicle charging

• US 9,463,706 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Gilbert, Allen Joseph, Bell, Christopher W., Wong, Richard Kai
• Primary Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ARUN C
• Application Number:
  US14/338,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20160023556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109
• 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 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• 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

A charging system for charging a vehicle includes a charging station and a vehicle. The charging station includes a wireless charging coil, an infrared receiver oriented to receive infrared signals generated proximate the coil, and a first wireless communications device. The vehicle includes a charge plate, a first emitter configured to generate a first infrared signal, a second wireless communications device in communication with the first wireless communication device, an in-vehicle display, and at least one controller. The vehicle can include a second emitter to emit a second infrared signal. The controller is configured to present positional information via the display. The positional information corresponds to a vehicle position detected in response to the first infrared signal being received by the infrared receiver.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a first emitter configured to generate a first infrared signal;

a second emitter configured to generate a second infrared signal;

a vehicle wireless communications device configured to communicate with a charging station wireless communications device;

an in-vehicle display; and

at least one controller configured to present positional information via the display, the positional information corresponding to a vehicle position detected in response to the first infrared signal and the second infrared signal being received by a charging station infrared receiver;

wherein the controller is to determine an angle of entry of the vehicle using a difference in size of the first infrared signal and the second infrared signal at the charging station infrared receiver.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the positional information corresponds to a triangulated vehicle position based on a first size of the first infrared signal being sensed at the charging station by the infrared receiver and a second size of the second infrared signal being received by the infrared receiver.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to coordinate an automatic vehicle parking event in response to the positional information.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a secondary inductive charging coil, wherein the positional information includes a distance and lateral offset of the secondary inductive charging coil relative to a primary inductive charging coil.

5. A wireless charging station for a vehicle comprising:

an infrared receiver proximate a wireless charging coil;

a wireless communications device; and

a controller in communication with the infrared receiver and wireless communications device and configured to transmit vehicle positional information to an associated vehicle wireless communications device, the vehicle positional information being based on a difference in size of first and second infrared signals from a vehicle emitter received by the receiver;

wherein the vehicle emitter includes a first emitter and a second emitter, wherein the first infrared signal is produced by the first emitter, wherein the second infrared signal is produced by the second emitter, and the controller is further configured to determine the vehicle positional information, including angle of entry, relative to the wireless charging coil in response to the first and second infrared signals being received by the receiver.

6. The wireless charging station of claim 5, further comprising a housing including a driver targeting aid, the housing being located proximate the coil to provide visual guidance to a driver, wherein the infrared receiver is retained within the housing.

7. The wireless charging station of claim 5, wherein the infrared receiver is operably coupled with the coil.

8. The wireless charging station of claim 5, further comprising a power converter electrically coupled with the coil, wherein the infrared receiver is operably coupled with the power converter.

9. A vehicle comprising:

a secondary wireless charging coil;

a wireless communications device;

first and second infrared emitters;

an in-vehicle display; and

a controller in communication with the secondary coil, communications device, first and second emitters, and display, the controller being configured to present positional information via the display, the positional information being based on infrared signals being emitted from the first and second emitters and being received via the wireless communications device from an associated wireless charging station including an infrared receiver;

wherein the controller is further configured to command the first infrared emitter to produce a first infrared signal and the second infrared emitter to produce a second infrared signal, and the positional information corresponds to a determined vehicle position based on the first and second signals being received by the infrared receiver; and

wherein the controller is to determine an angle of entry of the vehicle using a difference in size of the first infrared signal and the second infrared signal at the infrared receiver.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to coordinate an automatic vehicle parking event in response to the positional information.

11. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to triangulate the vehicle position based on at least one of a size and an intensity of the first infrared signal being received by the infrared receiver and at least one of a size and intensity of the second infrared signal being received by the infrared receiver.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the controller is to determine size and intensity of the first infrared signal and the second infrared signal on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein a number of pixels illuminated by the first infrared signal increases as the vehicle moves toward the infrared receiver.

14. An electric vehicle comprising:

a first infrared emitter to produce a first infrared signal;

a second infrared emitter to produce a second infrared signal; and

a controller configured to transmit vehicle positional information, including angle of entry, relative to a wireless charging coil, the vehicle, and a charging station for display based on a difference in size of the first infrared signal and the second infrared signal received by an infrared receiver.

15. The electric vehicle of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to triangulate a vehicle position based on at least one of a size and an intensity of the first infrared signal being received by the infrared receiver and at least one of a size and intensity of the second infrared signal being received by the infrared receiver.

16. The electric vehicle of claim 14, wherein the controller is to determine size and intensity of the first infrared signal and the second infrared signal on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

17. The electric vehicle of claim 16, wherein a number of pixels illuminated by the first infrared signal decreases as the vehicle moves toward the receiver.

18. The electric vehicle of claim 14, wherein the vehicle positional information indicates an angle of a secondary coil on the vehicle relative a primary coil at a charging station.