Power feeding system for vehicle, electrically powered vehicle and power feeding apparatus for vehicle

• US 9,902,271 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2014
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US14/324,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20140324260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 701 22, 320109, 307104, 333195, 340988-993, 191 10
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/005 without mechanical contact between the collector and the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• 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: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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: 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

An IPA-ECU (410) recognizes a position of a power transferring unit by image recognition based on image information from a camera (120) incorporated in a vehicle. Then, the IPA-ECU (410) performs guidance control such that the vehicle is guided to the power transferring unit based on a result of the image recognition (first guidance control). A resonant ECU (460) estimates a distance between the power transferring unit and a power receiving unit based on an electric power feeding condition from the power transferring unit to the power receiving unit. When the power transferring unit comes under a body of the vehicle, an HV-ECU (470) performs guidance control of the vehicle such that a position of the power receiving unit is adjusted to a position of the power transferring unit based on distance information from the resonant ECU (460) (second guidance control).

Claims

1. A power feeding system comprising:

a power feeding apparatus including a power transferring unit and a first communication unit; and

a vehicle including a power receiving device that receives electric power from the power transferring unit, and a second communication unit;

wherein

the vehicle transmits a request signal to the power feeding apparatus;

the power transferring unit starts transmitting electric power after the power feeding apparatus receives the request signal from the vehicle; and

the vehicle measures a voltage profile of a receiving electric power from the power transferring unit and checks accomplished level at fine positioning between the vehicle and the power transferring unit.

2. The power feeding system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle transmits the request signal after communication with the power feeding apparatus is established.

3. The power feeding system according to claim 1, wherein the power feeding apparatus transmits information about a power transmission voltage and a power transmission current after communication with the vehicle is established.

4. The power feeding system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle completes adjustment of a position of the power receiving device to a position of the power transferring unit when a change ratio of at least one of a received current and received voltage received from the power transferring unit becomes smaller than a predetermined value.

5. The power feeding system according to claim 1, wherein electric power supplied from the power transferring unit to the power receiving device during adjustment of a position of the power receiving device to a position of the power transferring unit is smaller than electric power supplied from the power transferring unit to the power receiving device after completion of the adjustment of the position of the power receiving device to the position of the power transferring unit.

6. An electrically powered vehicle including a power receiving device that receives electric power from a power transferring unit, the electrically powered vehicle comprising:

a sensing unit configured to measure a voltage profile and to sense a distance between the power transferring unit and the power receiving device based on the measured voltage profile of a received electric power from the power transferring unit; and

a guidance control unit configured to control the vehicle to adjust a position of the power receiving unit to a position of the power transferring unit based on a sensed distance by the sensing unit.

7. The electrically powered vehicle according to claim 6, wherein

electric power supplied from the power transferring unit to the power receiving unit during adjustment of the position of the power receiving unit to the position of the power transferring unit by the guidance control unit is smaller than electric power supplied from the power transferring unit to the power receiving unit after completion of the adjustment.