Position alignment apparatus and method for wireless charging

Abstract

A wireless charging position alignment method and apparatus are disclosed, in which the method is performed in a vehicle assembly (VA) to align its position with a target ground assembly (GA) among a plurality of GAs. The position alignment method includes the steps of: identifying the status of the plurality of GAs by wireless communication with a power supply side communication controller (SECC) for controlling the plurality of GAs, receiving information about one or more active GAs among the plurality of GAs from the SECC, selecting a target GA based on the information about the one or more active GAs, and establishing a wireless communication link; making a request to the SECC for performing a position alignment approval and authentication process; if the authentication is successful, performing a position alignment with the target GA using a low frequency (LF) signal; transmitting a data set to the SECC using the LF signal after the position alignment with the target GA; and pairing with the target GA based on the data set.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for position alignment for wireless charging, and more specifically, to methods and apparatus for performing position alignment for wireless charging using low-frequency (LF) signals. Background Technology

[0002] Recently developed electric vehicles (EVs) utilize battery power to drive electric motors, resulting in fewer sources of air pollution, such as exhaust fumes and noise, compared to traditional gasoline engine vehicles. They also offer advantages such as fewer malfunctions, longer lifespan, and simpler driving operation.

[0003] EVs are classified according to their power source into hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and electric vehicles (EVs). HEVs have an engine as the primary power source and an electric motor as an auxiliary power source. PHEVs have an electric motor as the main power source and an engine used when the battery is discharging. EVs have an electric motor but no engine.

[0004] Wireless charging of the battery that drives the EV's motor can be performed by combining the primary coil of the charging point and the secondary coil of the EV using a magnetic resonance scheme. However, in magnetic resonance wireless power transfer systems, the efficiency of wireless power transfer can be significantly reduced if the primary and secondary coils are misaligned. Therefore, to increase the efficiency of wireless charging, alignment between the primary and secondary coils may be necessary.

[0005] As a conventional alignment method, there is a method of aligning the EV equipped with the secondary coil with the primary coil of the ground assembly (GA) using a rear-facing camera. Alternatively, as another conventional alignment method, after the EV has been parked following a collision in a parking lot, there is a method of moving a movable charging pad to align the primary coil of the charging pad with the secondary coil of the EV.

[0006] However, conventional techniques introduce user intervention in coil alignment, causing inconvenience and significant alignment deviations. This can lead to excessive system performance degradation even from slight coil misalignment. Therefore, using these conventional techniques in magnetic resonance wireless power transmission systems sensitive to coil misalignment makes it difficult to achieve optimal power transmission efficiency and may reduce system stability and reliability.

[0007] Therefore, a method is needed to precisely align the primary coil of the GA and the secondary coil of the EV at the charging point in a wireless power transmission system in order to charge the high-voltage battery installed in the EV. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this disclosure in order to solve the above problems is to provide a position alignment method for wireless charging, wherein position alignment is performed using an LF signal.

[0009] Another object of this disclosure for solving the above-mentioned problems is to provide a position alignment device for wireless charging, wherein position alignment is performed using an LF signal.

[0010] Another object of this disclosure for solving the above problems is to provide a position alignment control method for wireless charging using LF signals.

[0011] As a location alignment method for wireless charging, a location alignment method executed by a VA to perform location alignment with a target GA among multiple GAs may include: identifying the status of multiple GAs via wireless communication with a Supply Device Communication Controller (SECC) that controls the multiple GAs; receiving information from the SECC about one or more valid GAs among the multiple GAs; selecting a target GA based on the information about the one or more valid GAs; performing a wireless communication association with the target GA; performing a location alignment approval and authentication process by issuing a request to the SECC; performing location alignment with the target GA using an LF signal when authentication is successful; and after location alignment with the target GA, transmitting a dataset to the SECC using an LF signal and performing pairing with the target GA based on the dataset.

[0012] The dataset may include a preamble block and a data block. The preamble block includes preamble information and synchronization information for identifying the input signal. The data block includes first data fixed to zero, arbitrarily assigned pair identifiers (IDs), dummy data, cyclic redundancy check (CRC) information, and protection information.

[0013] Performing a pairing can include requesting to pair with the SECC, transmitting a dataset including the pairing ID to the SECC using LF signals, and receiving a response to the pairing request from the SECC.

[0014] Information about one or more valid GAs may include at least one of the following: GA ID for each GA, unique information for the LF system, radio signal strength information, or a combination thereof.

[0015] The unique information of the LF system may include at least one of the following: information related to the LF collision avoidance signal assigned to each GA, LFID, LF antenna information, magnetic field detection sensitivity of each antenna, or a combination thereof.

[0016] Selecting a target GA based on information about one or more valid GAs may include comparing the radio signal strength of one or more valid GAs and selecting the GA with the highest radio signal strength as the target GA.

[0017] The GA status can indicate a normal rechargeable state, a state in the process of charging, or a state in the process of alignment.

[0018] Selecting a target GA based on information about the one or more valid GAs and performing a wireless communication association with the target GA may include modifying the LF information of the VA based on the LF information of the selected target GA.

[0019] To achieve the above objectives, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a position alignment device for position alignment with a target GA among a plurality of GAs may include at least a processor and a memory, the memory storing at least instructions executable by the at least one processor, wherein, when executed by the at least one processor, the at least one instruction causes the position alignment device to identify the state of the plurality of GAs by wirelessly communicating with an SECC controlling the plurality of GAs, receive information from the SECC regarding one or more valid GAs among the plurality of GAs, select a target GA based on the information regarding the one or more valid GAs, and perform a wireless communication association with the target GA, perform a position alignment approval and authentication process by requesting the SECC, perform position alignment with the target GA using an LF signal when authentication is successful, transmit a dataset to the SECC using an LF signal after position alignment with the target GA, and perform pairing with the target GA based on the dataset.

[0020] The dataset may include a preamble block and a data block. The preamble block includes preamble information and synchronization information for identifying the input signal. The data block includes first data that is fixed to zero, arbitrarily assigned pairing identifiers (IDs), virtual data, CRC information, and protection information.

[0021] During pairing, at least one instruction can cause the positioning alignment device to request pairing with the SEC; a dataset including the pairing ID is transmitted to the SECC using an LF signal, and a response to the pairing request is received from the SECC.

[0022] Information about one or more valid GAs may include at least one of the following: GAID for each GA, unique information for the LF system, radio signal strength information, or a combination thereof.

[0023] The unique information of the LF system may include at least one of the following: information related to the LF collision avoidance signal assigned to each GA, LFID, LF antenna information, magnetic field detection sensitivity of each antenna, or a combination thereof.

[0024] When selecting a target GA based on information about one or more valid GAs, at least one instruction may cause the position alignment device to compare the radio signal strength of one or more valid GAs and select the GA with the highest radio signal strength as the target GA.

[0025] The GA status can indicate a normal rechargeable state, a state in the process of charging, or a state in the process of alignment.

[0026] In selecting a target GA based on information about one or more valid GAs and performing a wireless communication association with the target GA, at least one instruction can cause the position alignment device to modify the LF information of the VA based on the LF information of the selected target GA.

[0027] As a location alignment method performed by an SECC controlling multiple GAs for wireless charging, a location alignment method according to another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure may include: providing information about one or more valid GAs to an EV entering the radio communication radius of the SECC; performing a wireless communication association between the SECC of the target GA selected by the EV among the one or more valid GAs and the EVCC; performing a location alignment approval and authentication process between the EV and the target GA according to a request from the EVCC; performing location alignment between the EV and the target GA using an LF signal when authentication is successful; receiving a dataset from the EVCC using an LF signal after location alignment with the target GA; and performing pairing with the target GA based on the dataset.

[0028] The dataset may include a preamble block and a data block. The preamble block includes preamble information and synchronization information for identifying the input signal. The data block includes first data that is fixed to zero, arbitrarily assigned pairing IDs, virtual data, CRC information, and protection information.

[0029] The steps for performing pairing may include: receiving a pairing request from the EVCC; receiving a dataset including a pairing ID from the EVCC using an LF signal; performing a comparison on the pairing ID; and transmitting a response to the pairing request to the EVCC.

[0030] Information about one or more valid GAs may include at least one of the following: GAID for each GA, unique information for the LF system, radio signal strength information, or a combination thereof.

[0031] According to this disclosure, when multiple vehicles are present in a wireless charging space, the problem of interference between the magnetic fields emitted by the low-frequency antennas of different vehicles, which would interfere with the magnetic field values ​​required for position alignment and prevent the acquisition of correct position alignment data, can be prevented.

[0032] Furthermore, according to this disclosure, in the presence of multiple GAs, by preventing the overlap between collision signals of the GAs' LFs, the EV can correctly distinguish the infrastructure GAs in the EV wireless charging system. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating a wireless power transfer (“WPT”) concept applied to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 2 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating a WPT circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 3 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the alignment concept in an EV WPT according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure.

[0036] Figure 4 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating position alignment for wireless charging using an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the wireless communication association process for EV charging.

[0038] Figure 6 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the MAC header structure of a communication frame for position alignment in wireless charging, applicable to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0039] Figure 7 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the magnetic field interference caused by wireless charging to multiple vehicles.

[0040] Figure 8 This is a graph showing the phenomenon that the magnetic field value is affected by interference between the magnetic fields of low-frequency antennas emitted by different vehicles when the EV wireless charging system is aligned.

[0041] Figure 9 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the LF telegraph of a GA according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 10 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of an LF telegraph for a VA according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure.

[0043] Figure 11 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the overall operation flow of a wireless charging method including position alignment according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 12 This is a block diagram of a ground assembly and a vehicle assembly for performing a position alignment method according to the present disclosure.

[0045] Figure 13 An exemplary implementation of the operation flow in the wireless communication discovery step of the location alignment method according to this disclosure is shown.

[0046] Figure 14 Another exemplary implementation of the operational flow in the wireless communication discovery step of the location alignment method according to this disclosure is shown.

[0047] Figure 15a and Figure 15b An example of a flow of detailed messages transmitted between components performing related operations in the wireless communication discovery step of a location alignment method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0048] Figure 15c and Figure 15d This is another example illustrating the flow of detailed messages transmitted between components performing related operations in the wireless communication discovery step of a location alignment method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] Figure 16a and Figure 16b An exemplary implementation of the operation flow in the wireless communication association step of the position alignment method according to this disclosure is shown.

[0050] Figure 17a and Figure 17b An example of a stream of detailed messages transmitted between components performing related operations in the wireless communication association step of a location alignment method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0051] Figure 18a and Figure 18b An exemplary implementation of the operational flow in the position alignment method according to this disclosure, including the approval and certification of position alignment and the steps of performing position alignment, is shown.

[0052] Figure 19a and Figure 19b An example is shown of the flow of operations performed in the approval and authentication steps of the position alignment in the position alignment method according to this disclosure, as well as the flow of detailed messages transmitted between the components performing the position alignment.

[0053] Figure 19c This illustrates an example of the process of exchanging data during position alignment.

[0054] Figure 19d This shows an example of data exchanged during precise positioning alignment.

[0055] Figure 20 An exemplary implementation of the operation flow in the pairing step of the positioning alignment method according to this disclosure is shown.

[0056] Figure 21a An example of a flow of detailed messages passed between components performing related operations in the pairing step of a position alignment method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0057] Figure 21b Shown in Figure 21a Examples of pairing steps that can be used in a position alignment method.

[0058] Figure 21c It shows what can be applied to Figure 21b An example of a dataset with pairing steps.

[0059] Figure 21d Is using Figure 21c An exemplary diagram illustrating the pairing process between EVCCs and SECCs in the dataset.

[0060] Figure 22a and Figure 22b An exemplary implementation of the operation flow in the position alignment termination or WPT pre-preparation step of the position alignment method according to this disclosure is shown.

[0061] Figure 23a , Figure 23b and Figure 23c An example of a flow of detailed messages transmitted between components performing related operations in the position alignment termination or wireless charging preparation step of a position alignment method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0062] Because this disclosure can be modified in various ways and has multiple forms, specific exemplary embodiments will be shown in the accompanying drawings and described in detail in the specific embodiments. However, it should be understood that this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific exemplary embodiments; on the contrary, this disclosure will cover all modifications and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

[0063] Relational terms such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various elements, but elements should not be limited by the terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, a first component may be named a second component, and a second component may similarly be named a first component. The term "and / or" refers to any one or a combination of a plurality of related and described items.

[0064] When it is mentioned that a component is "coupled" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component is directly "coupled" or "connected" to the other component, or that another component may be arranged in between. Conversely, when it is mentioned that a component is "directly coupled" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that the other component is not arranged in between.

[0065] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing specific exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the disclosure. Unless the context clearly specifies otherwise, singular expressions include plural expressions. In this disclosure, terms such as 'comprising' or 'having' are intended to specify the presence of the features, quantities, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in this specification; however, it should be understood that such terms do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more features, quantities, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0066] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Terms that are commonly used and already in dictionaries should be interpreted as having the meaning appropriate to the context in this art. In this specification, unless explicitly defined, terms are not necessarily to be interpreted as having a formal meaning.

[0067] The additional terms used in this specification are defined as follows.

[0068] "Electric vehicle (EV)": An automobile, as defined in 49 CFR 523.3, intended for use on public roads, powered by an electric motor that draws current from an onboard energy storage device, such as a battery, which can be recharged from an external source, such as a residential or public utility power service or an onboard fuel cell generator. An EV can be a four- or more wheeled vehicle manufactured primarily for use on public streets or roads.

[0069] EVs can include electric vehicles, electric road vehicles (ERVs), plug-in vehicles (PVs), and plug-in electric vehicles (xEVs), and xEVs can be classified as plug-in all-electric vehicles (BEVs), battery electric vehicles, plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), hybrid plug-in electric vehicles (HPEVs), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

[0070] "Plug-in electric vehicle (PEV)": An EV that charges its main battery by connecting to the power grid.

[0071] "Plug-in vehicle (PV)": An electric vehicle that can be wirelessly recharged from an electric vehicle power supply unit (EVSE) without the use of a physical plug or socket.

[0072] “Heavy vehicles (HD vehicles)”: “any four-wheeled or more-wheeled vehicle as defined in 49 CFR 523.6 or 49 CFR 37.3 (buses).

[0073] "Light-duty plug-in electric vehicles": Three- or four-wheeled vehicles propelled by an electric motor that draws current from a rechargeable battery or other energy source, primarily intended for use on public streets, roads, and highways, and with a rated gross vehicle weight of less than 4,545 kg.

[0074] "Wireless Power Charging System (WCS)": A system for wireless power transfer and control between the GA and VA, including alignment and communication. The system electromagnetically transfers energy from the power supply network to the electric vehicle via two loosely coupled transformers.

[0075] "Wireless Power Transfer (WPT)": Contactless transfer of power from AC power networks to electric vehicles.

[0076] "Utility": The supply of electrical energy and may include a set of systems such as Customer Information Systems (CIS), Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), rate and revenue systems, etc. Utilities can supply energy to EVs based on rate tables and discrete events. Additionally, utilities can provide information on EV certification, intervals for power consumption measurements, and rates.

[0077] "Smart charging": A system in which the EVSE and / or PEV communicate with the grid to optimize the charging or discharging rate of the EV by reflecting the grid's capacity or usage costs.

[0078] "Automatic charging": The process of automatically performing inductive charging after the vehicle is positioned at the appropriate location corresponding to the main charger assembly with the power transmission capability. Automatic billing can be performed after obtaining the necessary authentication and authorization.

[0079] "Interoperability": The state in which components of a system interact with corresponding components of the same system to perform operations targeted by the system. Additionally, information interoperability can refer to the ability of two or more networks, systems, devices, applications, or components to effectively share and easily use information without causing inconvenience to users.

[0080] "Inductive charging system": A system that transfers energy from a power source to an EV via a two-part air-gap core transformer, wherein the two halves of the transformer (i.e., the primary coil and the secondary coil) are physically separated from each other. In this invention, the inductive charging system can correspond to an EV power delivery system.

[0081] "Inductive Coupler": A transformer formed by the coils in the GA coil and the coils in the VA coil, which allows power to be transmitted with current isolation.

[0082] "Inductive coupling": Magnetic coupling between two coils. In this disclosure, coupling occurs between the GA coil and the VA coil.

[0083] "Ground Component (GA)": An infrastructure-side component including a GA coil, power / frequency conversion unit, and GA controller, as well as wiring from the power grid and between each unit, filtering circuitry, at least one housing, etc., which is necessary for serving as a power source for the wireless power charging system. The GA may include communication elements necessary for communication between the GA and the VA.

[0084] "Vehicle Component (VA)": A component on a vehicle, including VA coils, rectifier / power conversion units and VA controllers, as well as wiring to the vehicle battery and between each unit, filtering circuits, at least one housing, etc., which are necessary for use as a vehicle component in a wireless power charging system. VA may include communication elements necessary for communication between VA and GA. GA may be referred to as a supply unit, power-side unit, etc., and VA may be referred to as an EV unit, EV-side unit, etc.

[0085] "Supply device": A device that provides non-contact coupling to the EV. In other words, the supply device can be an external device to the EV. When the EV is receiving power, the supply device can operate as a source of power to be delivered. The supply device may include a housing and all covers.

[0086] "EV device": A device mounted on an EV that provides contactless coupling to a supply unit. In other words, the EV device can be installed inside the EV. When the EV is receiving power, the EV device can transfer power from the primary battery to the EV. The EV device may include the housing and all covers.

[0087] "GA controller": The part of the GA that adjusts the output power level of the GA coil based on information from the vehicle.

[0088] "VA Controller": The part of the VA that monitors specific vehicle parameters during charging and initiates communication with the GA to adjust the output power level. The GA controller may be referred to as the Supply Power Circuit (SPC), and the VA controller may be referred to as the Electric Vehicle (EV) Power Circuit (EVPC).

[0089] "Magnetic gap": When aligned, the vertical distance between the plane of the higher of the top of the stranded wire or the top of the magnetic material in the GA coil and the plane of the lower of the bottom of the stranded wire or the bottom of the magnetic material in the VA coil.

[0090] "Ambient temperature": The ground-level temperature of the air measured at the subsystem under consideration and not in direct sunlight.

[0091] "Vehicle ground clearance": The vertical distance between the ground and the lowest part of the vehicle's floor.

[0092] "Vehicle magnetic ground clearance": The vertical distance between the bottom plane of the stranded wire or the magnetic material in the VA coil mounted on the vehicle and the ground.

[0093] "VA coil magnetic surface distance": During installation, the distance between the plane closest to the surface of the magnetic or conductive component and the lower outer surface of the VA coil. This distance includes any protective coverings and attachments that may be encapsulated within the VA coil housing. A VA coil may be referred to as a secondary coil, vehicle coil, or receiving coil. Similarly, a GA coil may be referred to as a primary coil or transmitting coil.

[0094] "Exposed conductive parts": Conductive parts of electrical equipment (e.g., electric vehicles) that are accessible and normally not energized but can be energized when a fault occurs.

[0095] "Dangerous live parts": Live parts that can produce harmful electric shocks under certain conditions.

[0096] "Electrified part": Any conductor or conductive part intended to be electrically excited during normal use.

[0097] "Direct contact": Contact between a person and field components. (See IEC 61440.)

[0098] "Indirect contact": Contact between a person and an exposed, conductive, or energized component caused by insulation failure. (See IEC 61140.)

[0099] "Alignment": The process of determining the relative positions of the supply device and the EV device and / or the relative positions of the EV device and the supply device for a specified high-efficiency power delivery. In this invention, the alignment can be directed to a precise location of the wireless power delivery system.

[0100] "Pairing": The process of associating a vehicle with a dedicated power supply device, where the vehicle is located and power will be transferred from the device. Pairing may include the process of associating the VA controller and GA controller of a charging point. The association / association process may include the process of associating a relationship between two peer-to-peer communication entities.

[0101] "Advanced Communication (HLC)": HLC is a special type of digital communication. HLC is necessary for additional services not covered by command and control communication. HLC data links can use power line communication (PLC), but HLC data links are not limited to PLC.

[0102] "Low Power Excitation (LPE)": LPE refers to the technology of activating the supply device for fine positioning and pairing so that the EV can detect the supply device, and vice versa.

[0103] "Service Set Identifier (SSID)": An SSID is a unique 32-character identifier attached to the header of packets transmitted over a wireless LAN. The SSID identifies the basic service set (BSS) that a wireless device is attempting to connect to. SSIDs distinguish between multiple wireless LANs. Therefore, all access points (APs) and all terminal / station devices wanting to use a particular wireless LAN can use the same SSID. Devices that do not use a unique SSID cannot join a BSS. Because the SSID is displayed in plain text, it does not provide any security features to the network.

[0104] Extended Service Set Identifier (ESSID): ESSID is the name of the network you wish to connect to. ESSID is similar to SSID, but a more extended concept.

[0105] "Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID)": A 48-bit BSSID is used to distinguish a specific BSS. Using the underlying BSS network, the BSSID can be configured for Media Access Control (MAC) of AP devices. For standalone BSS or self-organizing networks, the BSSID can be generated with any value.

[0106] A charging point may include at least one GA and at least one GA controller configured to manage the at least one GA. A GA may include at least one wireless communication device. A charging point may refer to a location or position having at least one GA installed in a home, office, public place, road, parking area, etc.

[0107] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0108] Figure 1 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the concept of WPT applying an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0109] like Figure 1 As shown, WPT can be performed by at least one component of electric vehicle (EV) 10 and charging point 20, and can be used to wirelessly transmit power to EV 10.

[0110] Here, EV10 can generally be defined as a vehicle that supplies power stored in a rechargeable energy storage device, which includes a battery 12 as an energy source for an electric motor, which is the powertrain of the EV10.

[0111] However, the EV 10 according to embodiments of this disclosure may include a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) having both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, and may include not only automobiles, but also motorcycles, handcarts, scooters and electric bicycles.

[0112] Additionally, the EV10 may include a power receiving pad 11, which includes a receiving coil for wirelessly charging the battery 12, and may include a plug connection for electrically charging the battery 12. Here, the EV10 configured for electrically charging the battery 12 may be referred to as a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV).

[0113] Here, the charging point 20 can be connected to the power grid 30 or the power trunk line, and can provide AC or DC power to the power transmission pad 21, which includes the transmission coil, via the power link.

[0114] Furthermore, charging point 20 can communicate with the infrastructure management system or infrastructure server that manages the power grid 30 or power network via wired / wireless communication, and perform wireless communication with EV10. Here, wireless communication can be Bluetooth, ZigBee, cellular, wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.

[0115] In addition, for example, charging point 20 can be located in various locations, including parking areas of the owner's house attached to EV10, parking areas for charging EV at gas stations, parking areas in shopping malls or workplaces.

[0116] The process of wirelessly charging the battery 12 of the EV10 can begin by first placing the power receiving pad 11 of the EV10 in the energy field generated by the power transmitting pad 21, and causing the receiving coil and the transmitting coil to interact or couple with each other. Due to the interaction or coupling, an electromotive force can be induced in the power receiving pad 11, and the battery 12 can be charged by the induced electromotive force.

[0117] The charging point 20 and the transfer pad 21 may be referred to in whole or in part as the ground assembly (GA), where GA may refer to the meaning previously defined.

[0118] All or part of the internal components of EV10 and the receiving pad 11 may be referred to as vehicle components (VA), where VA may refer to the meaning previously defined.

[0119] Here, the power transfer pad or the power receive pad can be configured to be non-polarized or polarized.

[0120] When the pad is non-polarized, there is one pole at the center of the pad and an opposite pole at the outer periphery. Here, the flux can be formed to leave from the center of the pad and return completely to the outer boundary of the pad.

[0121] When a pad is polarized, it can have a corresponding pole at either end of the pad. Here, the magnetic flux can be formed based on the orientation of the pad.

[0122] Figure 2 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating a WPT circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0123] like Figure 2 As shown, a schematic configuration of the circuitry for performing WPT in the EV WPT system can be seen.

[0124] here, Figure 2 The left side can be interpreted as indicating from Figure 1 The power V supplied by the power network, charging point 20 and transmission pad 21 in the middle. src All or part of, and Figure 2 The right side can be interpreted as representing all or part of the EV, including the receiving pads and the battery.

[0125] first, Figure 2 The left-side circuitry can provide the power supply V corresponding to the power supplied from the power network to the primary-side power converter. src Output power P src The primary-side power converter can supply power from the output P through frequency conversion and AC to DC / DC to AC conversion. src The output power P1 is converted to generate an electromagnetic field in the transmission coil L1 at the desired operating frequency.

[0126] Specifically, the primary-side power converter may include a power P for converting AC power supplied from the power network. src An AC / DC converter for converting power to DC power and a low-frequency (LF) converter for converting DC power to AC power with an operating frequency suitable for wireless charging. For example, the operating frequency for wireless charging can be determined to be in the range of 80 to 90 kHz.

[0127] The power P1 output from the primary-side power converter can be supplied again to a circuit including a transmission coil L1, a first capacitor C1, and a first resistor R1. Here, the capacitance of the first capacitor C1 can be determined to have a value suitable for the operating frequency of charging together with the transmission coil L1. Here, the first resistor R1 can represent the power loss that occurs due to the transmission coil L1 and the first capacitor C1.

[0128] Furthermore, the transmitting coil L1 and the receiving coil L2 can be electromagnetically coupled, defined by a coupling coefficient m, such that power P2 is transmitted, or power P2 is induced in the receiving coil L2. Therefore, the meaning of power transmission in this disclosure can be used in conjunction with the meaning of power induction.

[0129] Furthermore, the power P2 induced in or transmitted to the receiving coil L2 can be provided to the secondary-side power converter. Here, the capacitance of the second capacitor C2 can be determined to have a value suitable for the operating frequency of wireless charging with the receiving coil L2, and the second resistor R2 can represent the power loss occurring between the receiving coil L2 and the second capacitor C2.

[0130] The secondary-side power converter may include an LF-to-DC converter that converts the supplied power P2 at a specific operating frequency into a battery V suitable for an EV. HV DC power at voltage level.

[0131] The power P converted from the power P2 supplied to the secondary-side power converter HV It can be output, and the power P HV It can be used for the battery V set in EV HV Charge.

[0132] Figure 2 The right-side circuit may further include a function for selectively connecting the receiving coil L2 to the battery V. HV A switch to connect or disconnect. Here, the resonant frequencies of the transmitting coil L1 and the receiving coil L2 may be similar to or the same as each other, and the receiving coil L2 may be located near the electromagnetic field generated by the transmitting coil L1.

[0133] Figure 2 The circuitry described herein should be understood as illustrative circuitry for the WPT in the EV WPT system used in embodiments of this disclosure, and is not limited to... Figure 2 The circuit shown.

[0134] On the other hand, since power loss can increase as the transmitting coil L1 and the receiving coil L2 are located over a long distance, properly setting the relative positions of the transmitting coil L1 and the receiving coil L2 may be an important factor.

[0135] Transmission coil L1 may be included in Figure 1 The transmission pad 21 is included, and the receiving coil L2 can be included in the transmission pad 21. Figure 1 The receiving pad is 11 in the circuit. Furthermore, the transmitting coil can also be called the GA coil, and the receiving coil can also be called the VA coil. Therefore, the positioning between the transmitting pad and the receiving pad, or the positioning between the EV and the transmitting pad, will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0136] Figure 3 This is a conceptual diagram used to illustrate the alignment concept in an EV WPT according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0137] like Figure 3 As shown, it will be described in Figure 1The method for aligning the power transmission pad 21 and the power receiving pad 11 in the EV. Here, position alignment can correspond to alignment as the term mentioned above, and can therefore be defined as position alignment between GA and VA, but is not limited to the alignment of the transmission pad and the receiving pad.

[0138] Although transfer pad 21 is shown as located as Figure 3 The transfer pad 21 is located below the ground surface as shown, but it may also be located on the ground surface or positioned such that the top portion of the surface of the transfer pad 21 is exposed below the ground surface.

[0139] The EV's receive pad 11 can be defined by different categories based on its height measured from the ground (defined in the z-direction). For example, category 1 can be defined for receive pads with a height of 100-150 mm above the ground, category 2 for receive pads with a height of 140-210 mm, and category 3 for receive pads with a height of 170-250 mm. Here, the receive pad can support some of the categories 1 to 3 mentioned above. For example, only category 1 can be supported depending on the type of receive pad 11, or both categories 1 and 2 can be supported depending on the type of receive pad 11.

[0140] The height of the receiving pads measured from the ground corresponds to the previously defined term "vehicle magnetic ground clearance".

[0141] Furthermore, the position of the power transfer pad 21 in the height direction (i.e., defined in the z-direction) can be determined to be located between the maximum and minimum levels supported by the power receiving pad 11. For example, when the receiving pad only supports categories 1 and 2, the position of the power transfer pad 21 can be determined between 100 mm and 210 mm relative to the power receiving pad 11.

[0142] Furthermore, the gap between the center of the power transmission pad 21 and the center of the power receiving pad 11 can be determined to be within limits in the horizontal and vertical directions (defined in the x and y directions). For example, it can be determined to be within ±75 mm in the horizontal direction (defined in the x direction) and within ±100 mm in the vertical direction (defined in the y direction).

[0143] In the implementation, the relative positions of the power transfer pad 21 and the power receiving pad 11 can be changed according to their experimental results, and the values ​​should be understood as examples.

[0144] Although the alignment between pads is described based on the assumption that each of the transmit pad 21 and the receive pad 11 includes a coil, more specifically, the alignment between pads may represent the alignment between the transmit coil (or GA coil) and the receive coil (or VA coil) included in the transmit pad 21 and the receive pad 11, respectively.

[0145] Meanwhile, to maximize charging efficiency during wireless charging to EVs, the LF signal can be used for alignment between the primary coil (i.e., the GA coil) and the secondary coil (i.e., the VA coil). Furthermore, at the SAE standards meeting, considering autonomous driving technologies, position alignment techniques for automatic parking or remote parking are being investigated.

[0146] Furthermore, according to ISO 15118-8, a standard document for EV charging communication, when using wireless communication for charging EVs, the communication between the Electric Vehicle Communication Controller (EVCC) and the Supply Equipment Communication Controller (SECC) conforms to IEEE 802.11-2012. The required range for the distance between the EVCC and SECC in the communication channel considered in wireless communication is 5m to 30m for detection, 10cm to 5m for fine positioning (fine alignment), and 5cm to 5m for charging control.

[0147] Here, discovery is the step of the EV searching for the charging pads, and the EVCC enters the communication area of ​​at least one SECC and connects to the appropriate SECC. Fine positioning can refer to the alignment between the primary and secondary devices for effective power transfer in the case of WPT, and the alignment between the connectors of the EV and EVSE for power transfer in the case of automatic connection for conductive charging. Charging control can also refer to power requirements from the EV to the EVSE, etc.

[0148] Figure 4 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating position alignment for wireless charging using an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0149] like Figure 4 As shown, a position alignment method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can be performed based on the measurement of the magnetic field between the four antennas ANT1, ANT2, ANT3 and ANT4 on the GA side and the two antennas ANTa and ANTb on the VA side. This position alignment method is a method to maximize and / or optimize wireless charging efficiency by aligning the primary coil of the GA with the secondary coil of the VA.

[0150] Specifically, the VA may include two antennas, and the two antennas may be arranged one after the other (e.g., sequentially) in the left and right regions of the VA. The left and right regions may refer to the regions divided into two halves of the VA, and may be symmetrically separated. When the VA has a rectangular structure, the two antennas may be located at the center of the left side and the center of the right side of the rectangular structure, respectively, but the structure is not limited to a rectangle, as it can be changed according to the design choice.

[0151] Furthermore, the two antennas can be arranged in a specific part of the vehicle connected to the VA, in which case they can be arranged one after the other in the left and right regions of the specific part of the vehicle. The left and right regions of the specific part of the vehicle can refer to symmetrically separated regions within the specific part of the vehicle. Alternatively, instead of the left and right regions of the VA or the specific part of the vehicle, the front and rear regions of the VA or the specific part of the vehicle can be used, but are not limited to this. In other words, two symmetrically separated regions can generally be used. In the following text, it will be assumed that the antennas are arranged in the VA.

[0152] The VA or VA controller can control the antenna and may include a position alignment device for calculating the position difference information between the VA and GA.

[0153] The GA may include four antennas, which may be respectively positioned in a first, second, third, and fourth region of the GA, and the first, second, third, and fourth regions may refer to the upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right regions of the GA, respectively. However, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto, and may refer to regions divided from the GA into quadrants of equal size. When the GA has a rectangular structure, the four antennas may be arranged at each corner of the rectangular structure, but the structure is not limited to a rectangle, as it can be varied depending on the design choice. Additionally, the GA or GA controller may also calculate magnetic field measurements based on the magnetic fields detected by the four antennas, and may include a magnetic field detection device for transmitting the magnetic field measurements to a positioning alignment device.

[0154] Here, the antennas included in VA and / or GA may refer to loop antennas or ferrite rod antennas, but are not limited to these.

[0155] Ferrite rod antennas can refer to antennas that use LF. Here, LF can refer to the LF band, which uses the frequency band from 30kHz to 300kHz of the 12 frequency ranges classified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0156] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the wireless communication association process for EV charging.

[0157] like Figure 5 As shown, the wireless communication association process for EV charging performed between EVCC100 and SECC200 may include a discovery step, an authentication step, an association step, and a data transmission step.

[0158] Among the frames transmitted and received in these steps, frames redefined by ISO 15118-8 for use in wireless charging may include frames related to beacons, probe requests and probe responses in the discovery step, as well as association requests, association responses and reassociation requests in the association step.

[0159] In the data transmission step, optional frames can be used, such as Request to Transmit (RTS) frames and Allow Transmit (CTS) frames.

[0160] Figure 6 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the MAC header structure of a communication frame for position alignment in wireless charging, applicable to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0161] ISO 15118-8 (one of the standards related to wireless charging) conforms to the IEEE Std 802.11-2012 standard, but redefines some of the MAC management frames for wireless communication (i.e., vehicle-to-grid (V2G)) used for EV charging.

[0162] like Figure 6 The diagram shows the structure of the MAC header of the beacon frame in the MAC management frame of wireless communication (V2G) for EV charging, as defined by ISO 15118-8.

[0163] The redefined portion of the corresponding frame is the vendor-specific element of the frame body. This element describes various charger information and power delivery schemes (AC, DC, WPT, or ACD).

[0164] In ISO 15118-8, certain MAC management frames are specified for each step of the wireless communication association. Besides... Figure 5 The beacon frames shown in ISO 15118-8 present the configuration of probe request frames, probe response frames, association request frames, and reassociation request frames related to other steps in the wireless communication association process.

[0165] Figure 7 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the magnetic field interference caused by wireless charging to multiple vehicles.

[0166] When a GA and a vehicle equipped with a VA want to use a low-frequency antenna to align themselves, the magnetic field generated by the VA can be maximized, and the magnetic field detected by the GA can be minimized. Here, as... Figure 7 As shown, in a parking lot where a GA (Automatic Ventilation Controller) is installed, for example, in a parking lot where at least three GAs are installed adjacently, suppose at least two vehicles (each equipped with a VA, either sequentially or simultaneously) want to park. In this case, if a vehicle equipped with a VA attempts to align its position with a GA using a low-frequency antenna, it may be unable to perform proper alignment due to magnetic field interference.

[0167] Communication between a GA and a VA can be categorized into single-association and multi-association schemes. The aforementioned problems may occur when the wireless communication association scheme of the wireless charging system is a multi-association scheme. Here, a single-association scheme means communication taking place in a single space with only one GA and one VA. A multi-association scheme can occur when multiple GAs exist in a public area.

[0168] This disclosure provides a solution that can prevent this problem.

[0169] More specifically, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are intended to address the problem that, when performing position alignment in an EV wireless charging system using an LF antenna, the magnetic field value required for position alignment is interfered with due to interference from magnetic fields emitted by different vehicles, thus preventing the acquisition of correct position alignment data.

[0170] Here, "different low-frequency antennas" can be understood to refer to both low-frequency antennas with different IDs but using the same resonant frequency and low-frequency antennas using different resonant frequencies. The current standard describes a method for using low-frequency antennas as a position alignment scheme for EV wireless charging systems, but does not specify the resonant frequency of the low-frequency antennas used for position alignment.

[0171] Figure 8 This is a graph showing the phenomenon that the magnetic field value is affected by interference between the magnetic fields of low-frequency antennas emitted by different vehicles when the EV wireless charging system is aligned.

[0172] like Figure 8 As shown, the first LF antenna ANT1 and the second LF antenna ANT2 use the same resonant frequency of 125kHz. As a natural result, the signals from the first LF antenna and the second LF antenna overlap, making them difficult to distinguish.

[0173] Meanwhile, the third LF antenna ANT3 uses a resonant frequency of 145kHz, making the first LF antenna ANT1 and the third LF antenna ANT3 have adjacent resonant frequencies. Although the center frequencies of the two antennas are approximately 20kHz apart, signal distortion due to magnetic field interference may occur because the LF antenna used for positioning in the EV wireless charging system must continuously transmit and receive signals until positioning between GA and VA is completed.

[0174] Regardless of whether the wireless communication scheme is a single associated scheme or multiple associated schemes in an EV wireless charging system, the EV should be able to correctly identify the GA, which is the infrastructure. Therefore, this disclosure provides a method for accurately identifying wireless charging points through the following exemplary embodiments.

[0175] In an exemplary embodiment, when it is determined that the LF signal is used as a position alignment scheme, the GA can transmit to the VA information about its unique ID given during the GA installation process, as well as unique information about the LF signal. The unique information about the LF signal may include the LF collision avoidance signal, the LF ID of GA#No, the LF antenna (LFA) information of GA#No, and magnetic field detection sensitivity information.

[0176] The VA can synchronize its VALF signal with the GA's LF signal based on information transmitted from the GA. First, if the unique ID information of the GA returned by the VA to the GA via wireless communication is incorrect due to a wireless communication problem, the VA may not be able to accurately identify the wireless charging point, and therefore may need to repeat the wireless communication association process.

[0177] Furthermore, in this disclosure, the VA can perform authentication by secondary comparison of unique information about the LF signal via LF telegram. After synchronizing its LF signal with the LF signal transmitted by the GA, the VA can return the synchronized VA's LF signal to the GA. The GA can compare the signal received from the VA with the LF collision avoidance signal to check whether the received signal matches the signal transmitted by itself. If the received signal is the same as the signal transmitted by the GA, authentication can be determined to be successful, and the next process (i.e., alignment step) can be performed. If the received signal does not match the signal transmitted by the GA itself, authentication fails, and the wireless communication association process can be performed again.

[0178] Here, the LF collision avoidance signal is a signal uniquely assigned to each GA when using a multiple association scheme, and the LF collision avoidance signal given to each GA is different from each other. The unique meaning for each GA can be understood as indicating, for example, that a time division multiplexing (TDM) scheme is used or applied to prevent overlap between the LF collision avoidance signals used for the respective GAs.

[0179] Furthermore, when the SECC delivers information about GAs to the EVCC, the SECC does not deliver information about all GAs immediately, but rather delivers information about each GA sequentially.

[0180] In this disclosure, by using the two schemes described above in parallel, electric vehicles can correctly distinguish the GA in the EV wireless charging system, which is the infrastructure.

[0181] Secondly, when using a multi-association scheme in an EV wireless charging system, multiple EVs can simultaneously access the GA for wireless charging. Furthermore, this can lead to magnetic field interference between LF signals. To address this issue, the SECC can control access to the GA by assigning serial numbers to EVCCs and prioritizing the first EVCC to access the system. In this way, collisions when multiple EVs approach the GA simultaneously and distortion of position alignment data due to magnetic field interference from LF signals can be prevented in advance.

[0182] The method by which EVs distinguish each GA is using LF telegrams. The most important way for a vehicle to identify each GA is through LF telegrams. This disclosure also aims to prevent magnetic field distortion by specifying the order of subsequent vehicles that pre-enter using WLAN. This method is more appropriate to use in cases of remote parking than when the driver directly parks.

[0183] Figure 9 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the LF telegraph of a GA according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure.

[0184] Figure 9 The LF telegram 90-1 for GA1, LF telegram 90-2 for GA2, and LF telegram 90-3 for GA3 are shown. Figure 9 At the bottom, from the SECC's perspective, all GA's LF telegrams 90 are shown.

[0185] LF telegram can refer to a series of signals including a unique message from GA or VA, as well as information about LF collision avoidance signals.

[0186] like Figure 9 As shown, the LF signals used for each GA are controlled to not overlap in time.

[0187] The LF telegram for each GA can be divided into a telegram for LF authentication and a telegram for LF alignment. The telegram for LF authentication for each GA may include a command (CMD), synchronization (SYNC), GA LF ID, LF antenna information (e.g., GA LFA1, GALFA2, GA LFA3, GA LFA4), and magnetic field detection sensitivity information (e.g., RSSI Pwr LFA1-4).

[0188] The telegram used for LF alignment of each GA may include a command (CMD), a synchronization (SYNC), LF antenna information (e.g., GA LFA1, GALFA2, GA LFA3, GALFA4), and magnetic field detection sensitivity information (e.g., RSSI Pwr LFA1-4). Here, CMD serves as the header in wireless communication, and SYNC is a field used to adjust the period according to the clock signal used to transmit the most significant bits (MSBs) in the LF telegram with a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) structure.

[0189] Figure 10 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of an LF telegraph for a VA according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure.

[0190] According to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the VA generates an LF magnetic field for position alignment. Figure 10 The LF telegram 91-1 for VA1 and LF telegram 91-2 for VA2 are shown. Figure 10 At the bottom, the form of LF telegram 91, which includes all collision avoidance signals generated and controlled by EVCC, is shown.

[0191] like Figure 10 As shown, the LF signals of each VA are controlled to not overlap in time.

[0192] Similar to the GA, each VA's LF telegram can also be divided into a telegram for LF authentication and a telegram for LF alignment. The telegram for LF authentication for each VA may include a command (CMD), synchronization (SYNC), GA LF ID, VA LF ID, LF antenna information (e.g., VA LFAα, VA LFAβ), and magnetic field-related information (e.g., RSSI LFAα, VA LFAβ). Since the VA should perform synchronization based on the GA's information (i.e., the VA configures its own LF information to use the LF anti-collision signal used by the selected GA) and return that information to the GA, it can be seen that the VA's LF telegram includes GA synchronization information (i.e., the GA LF ID).

[0193] The telegrams used for LF alignment for each GA may include commands (CMD), synchronization (SYNC), LF antenna information (e.g., VA LFAα, LFAβ) and magnetic field related information (e.g., RSSI Pwr LFAα, β).

[0194] Figure 11 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the overall operation flow of a wireless charging method including position alignment according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0195] Figure 11The wireless charging method shown can be performed by VA (or EVCC) and GA (SECC) and can include the WPT WLAN discovery step in S1110, the wireless communication association / charging point discovery step in S1120, the location alignment approval and authentication, the fine alignment step in S1130, the pairing step in S1140, the alignment check and wireless charging preparation (i.e., pre-WPT) step in S1150, and the wireless power transfer step in S1160.

[0196] The location alignment method as seen from the VA side may include: identifying the status of multiple GAs by wirelessly communicating with the SECC that controls multiple GAs; receiving information from the SECC about one or more valid GAs among the multiple GAs; selecting a target GA based on the information about the one or more valid GAs; performing wireless communication association with the target GA; performing a location alignment approval and authentication process by requesting the SECC; performing location alignment with the target GA using an LF signal when authentication is successful; transmitting the dataset to the SECC using an LF signal after location alignment with the target GA; and performing pairing with the target GA based on the dataset.

[0197] Here, the LF signal given to each GA can be distinguished from the LF signal given to other GAs by using a time division multiplexing (TDM) scheme.

[0198] On the other hand, the location alignment method seen from the SECC side may include: providing information about one or more valid GAs to the EV within the radio communication radius of the SECC; performing a wireless communication association between the SECC of the target GA selected by the EV among the one or more valid GAs and the EVCC; performing a location alignment approval and authentication process between the EV and the target GA according to the request of the EVCC; performing location alignment between the EV and the target GA using LF signals when authentication is successful; receiving a dataset from the EVCC using LF signals after location alignment with the target GA; and performing pairing with the target GA based on the dataset.

[0199] The position alignment method for wireless charging according to this disclosure will be described in detail below by way of exemplary embodiments.

[0200] In an exemplary implementation, such as Figure 7 As shown, this scenario assumes a configuration of multiple communications between the GA and VA, and a situation where at least two vehicles (each vehicle is equipped with a VA sequentially or simultaneously) want to park in a parking lot where the GA is equipped with an EV wireless charging system (e.g., in a parking lot where at least three GAs are installed adjacent to each other).

[0201] Figure 12This is a block diagram of a ground assembly and a vehicle assembly for performing a position alignment method according to this disclosure. Furthermore, Figure 12 The configuration of the boxes in the vehicle and power supply unit required for wireless charging is shown.

[0202] like Figure 12 As shown, vehicle component 100 may include an EV communication controller (EVCC), an EV power electronics device (EVPE), and an EV device point-to-point signal controller (P2PS). Here, the EVCC, EVPE, and EV device P2PS controller may be implemented as a single device or hardware.

[0203] In this case, an apparatus may be a position alignment apparatus for performing position alignment with a target GA in a plurality of GAs, and may be implemented to include at least one processor and a memory, wherein at least one instruction executable by at least one processor is stored in the memory.

[0204] At least one processor may include instructions for identifying the status of multiple GAs by wirelessly communicating with an SECC that controls multiple GAs; instructions for receiving information from the SECC about one or more valid GAs among the multiple GAs; instructions for selecting a target GA based on the information about the one or more valid GAs and performing wireless communication associated with the target GA; instructions for performing a location alignment approval and authentication process by requesting the SECC; instructions for performing location alignment with the target GA using an LF signal when authentication is successful; instructions for transmitting a dataset to the SECC using an LF signal after location alignment with the target GA; and instructions for pairing the dataset with the target GA.

[0205] Here, the LF signal given to each GA can be distinguished from the LF signal given to other GAs through the TDM scheme.

[0206] Here, the processor can execute at least one instruction stored in the memory, and can refer to a central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), or dedicated processor that executes the method according to this disclosure. The memory can consist of volatile storage media and / or non-volatile storage media, and can consist of read-only memory (ROM) and / or random access memory (RAM).

[0207] The charging point-side ground assembly (GA) 200 may include a power supply equipment communication controller (SECC), a power supply electronics device (SPE), a power supply equipment point-to-point signal controller (P2PS), and a power supply equipment.

[0208] Here, the SECC, SPE, and supply device P2PS controller can be implemented as a single device or hardware.

[0209] In this case, the device may be a position alignment control device and may be implemented to include at least one processor and a memory, in which at least one instruction executable by the at least one processor is stored.

[0210] Simultaneously, the SECC and EVCC can transmit / receive location alignment-related information according to this disclosure via WLAN. The EV device P2PS controller and the supply device P2PS controller can exchange location alignment-related information according to this disclosure via WLAN or LF signals.

[0211] Here, the processor can execute at least one instruction stored in memory, and can refer to a CPU, GPU, or a dedicated processor that executes the method according to this disclosure. The memory can consist of volatile storage media and / or non-volatile storage media, and can consist of ROM and / or RAM.

[0212] In the following description of the position alignment method according to this disclosure, for ease of description, EV, VA, and EVCC can be used with the same meaning because they are the subjects performing the position alignment method on the vehicle side. Furthermore, EVSE, GA, and SECC can be used, having the same meaning, i.e., they are the objects performing the position alignment method on the charging point or power supply device side.

[0213] Figure 13 An exemplary implementation of the operational flow in the wireless communication discovery step of the location alignment method according to this disclosure is shown.

[0214] Figure 13 The exemplary implementation shown may be an exemplary implementation when SECC 200 discovers EVCC 100. In this exemplary embodiment, SECC first provides GA status information to EVCC. EVCC may include a billing management system (CMS).

[0215] In S1310, the EV's EVCC (e.g., CMS) can receive GA status information from the EVSE's SECC (e.g., central WLAN) via, for example, a WPTWLAN beacon signal. Here, the GA status information may include whether charging is possible, whether a fault exists, information indicating that the LF antenna is being used as a positioning alignment scheme, etc.

[0216] Upon receiving GA status information, in S1320, EVCC 100 can check whether an available GA exists based on the information received from EVSE's SECC, and whether the GA_State status message of the available GA indicates a normal or charging state. As a result of the check, the association / charging point discovery step can be performed only if GA_State indicates a normal or charging state (e.g., GA_State == 0 or GA_State == 1). At this time, the GA status is that there is no GA alignment.

[0217] As a result of checking the GA's status, if an available GA exists, but the GA's GA_State status message indicates an alignment state (e.g., GA_State == 2) ("Yes" in step S1330), the EV's EVCC can proceed to the alignment waiting state. That is, for example, this could be a situation where there is a vehicle ahead and the vehicle ahead is aligned with the GA.

[0218] On the other hand, in S1340, the EVCC100 of the EV can use in-vehicle communication (e.g., CAN, Ethernet) to request information about the position alignment scheme from the EV's CMS, and can receive signals or information from the EV's CMS instructing the use of LF to perform position alignment.

[0219] As a result of checking the GA status, if the GA_State status message indicates a fault, the EV can move and discover to receive wireless communication information for other wireless charging (i.e., "discover another WPT WLAN").

[0220] Figure 14 Another exemplary implementation of the operational flow in the wireless communication discovery step of the location alignment method according to this disclosure is shown.

[0221] When EVCC 100 detects SECC 200, Figure 14 The exemplary implementation shown may be an exemplary implementation. In this exemplary embodiment, at S1410, the EVCC of the EV can request wireless charging information from the SECC of the EVSE (e.g., central WLAN) (using an LF antenna for location alignment), and can receive the requested information at S1411.

[0222] Upon receiving GA status information, in S1420, EVCC 100 can check, based on the information received from EVSE's SECC, whether an available GA exists and whether the GA_State status message of an available GA indicates a normal or charging state. As a result of the check, the association / charging point discovery step can be performed only if GA_State indicates a normal or charging state (i.e., GA_State == 0 or GA_State == 1). At this time, the GA status is that there is no GA alignment.

[0223] As a result of checking the GA's status, if an available GA exists, but the GA_State status message of the GA indicates an alignment state (e.g., GA_State == 2) ("Yes" in step S1430), the EV's EVCC can proceed to the alignment waiting state. That is, for example, this could be a situation where there is a vehicle ahead and the vehicle ahead is aligned with the GA.

[0224] As a result of checking the GA status, if the GA_State status message indicates a fault, the EV can move and discover to receive wireless communication information for other wireless charging (i.e., "another WPT WLAN discovery").

[0225] On the other hand, in S1440, the EVCC100 of the EV can use in-vehicle communication (e.g., CAN, Ethernet) to request information about the position alignment scheme from the EV's CMS, and can receive signals or information from the EV's CMS instructing the use of LF to perform position alignment.

[0226] Figure 15a and Figure 15b An example of a flow of detailed messages transmitted between components performing related operations in the wireless communication discovery step of a location alignment method according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Furthermore, Figure 15c and Figure 15d This illustrates another example of the flow of detailed messages transmitted between components performing related operations in the wireless communication discovery step of a location alignment method according to another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure.

[0227] Figure 15a and Figure 15b An example is shown where the GA_State status message received from the SECC of the EVSE indicates a normal or charging state (i.e., no GA alignment). That is, Figure 15a The WLAN discovery process is shown when the SECC discovers the EVCC, and Figure 15b The WLAN discovery process is shown when EVCC discovers SECC.

[0228] Figure 15c and Figure 15d This illustrates the detailed signals or information exchanged between the EVCC and SECC or between their internal components during the WLAN discovery process when the GA_State status message indicates an alignment state (e.g., a vehicle is present and the vehicle is aligned with the GA). That is, Figure 15c The WLAN discovery process is shown when the SECC discovers the EVCC, and Figure 15d The WLAN discovery process is shown when EVCC discovers SECC.

[0229] The above can be performed through cooperation in the WLAN communication section between EVCC and SECC, the WLAN communication section between SECC and GA, and the vehicle communication section. Figures 15a to 15d The diagram shows a detailed message flow of the relevant operations in the wireless communication discovery step. Here, the vehicle communication unit includes a controller area network (CAN) and an Ethernet network.

[0230] In addition, such as Figure 15a and Figure 15c As shown, when the SECC discovers the EVCC, the WPT beacon can be used during the WLAN discovery process. Furthermore, as... Figure 15b and Figure 15d As shown, when EVCC discovers SECC, a WPT probe request can be used during the WLAN discovery process.

[0231] Figure 16a and Figure 16b An exemplary implementation of the operation flow in the wireless communication association step of the position alignment method according to this disclosure is shown.

[0232] EVCC100 and SECC200 that have completed wireless communication discovery can continue with the wireless communication association or toll point discovery steps.

[0233] like Figure 16a As shown, in order to perform wireless communication association, in S1510, the EVCC of the EV can transmit a communication association request (or WPT charging point discovery request) to the SECC of the EVSE. In this case, the EVCC can transmit the request by including information indicating the use of a position alignment scheme using LF in the vehicle.

[0234] Upon receiving a communication association request, in S1511, the EVSE's SECC 200 can request and receive information about the radio signal strength of each GA from each GA. In this case, the information provided by the GA to the SECC may include information about the GA's ID, information about the GA's LF system, and its own maximum radio signal strength. That is, each GA managed by the SECC can transmit information to the SECC about the corresponding GA's maximum radio signal strength, GA ID, and GALF information. Here, the unique information for each LF system may include the LF collision avoidance signal, the LF ID of GA#No., the LFA information of GA#No., and the magnetic field detection sensitivity information.

[0235] SECC200 can provide information about at least one GA to EVCC under the control of SECC (S1520). In S1530, EVCC100 can receive information about at least one GA from SECC, compare the radio signal strengths of multiple GAs when multiple GAs exist, and select the GA with the highest radio signal strength. In S1531, EVCC100 can notify the SECC of EVSE of information about the selected GA (i.e., GA#No.).

[0236] The SECC of the EVSE can receive information about the selected GA and can notify each GA of the selected GA#No. S1532. In S1533, the selected GA can enter a ready state for alignment, and the unselected GA can enter a standby state for charging the next vehicle. When the alignment preparation of the selected GA is completed, the SECC can notify the EVCC of the EV in S1534.

[0237] Simultaneously, the EVCC can select the GA with the highest signal strength in S1530, assign a VA#No with the same value as GA#No based on the selected GA in S1540, and notify the EV's CMS of the assigned VA#No. In this case, the EVCC can also notify the LF information of the selected GA (i.e., GA#No._LF_Info). Upon receiving this information, the EV's CMS can prepare the LF information of the selected GA (i.e., GA#No._LF_Info) for authentication on the LF system between the GA and VA. Here, the LF information of the GA may include the LF collision avoidance signal, GALF ID, GALF antenna information, magnetic field detection sensitivity information, etc.

[0238] In S1550, the EV's APS can modify its LF information based on the LF information of the selected GA. In this case, the information modified by the EV may include the LF avoidance collision signal, SYNC, and VALF ID.

[0239] In S1551, the EV's CMS can receive modified LF information and information indicating that the APS has completed preparation for position alignment from the EV's APS, and deliver the information to the EVCC. In S1552, the EVCC can receive the initial LF information received from the EV's APS and information for confirming the VA#No assigned by the EV's EVCC from the EV's CMS.

[0240] In S1560, the EVCC of the EV can compare the GA ID value (i.e., GARdy) returned from the SECC via the WPT GA acknowledgment response with the GA ID value (i.e., GA Cfm) (i.e., the synchronized VA ID value) processed and delivered via APS and CMS. Because the data may change due to wireless communication errors when the GA ID value selected by the EVCC is transmitted to the SECC, wireless communication errors can be checked first through the above comparison process, and alignment with the wrong GA can be prevented during alignment due to wireless communication errors.

[0241] As a result of the comparison, if the GA ID value returned by the WPT GA confirmation response is the same as the GA ID value passed to the SECC, then the position alignment execution step (next step) can be performed.

[0242] As a result of the comparison, if the GA ID value returned by the WPT GA confirmation response is different from the GA ID value delivered to the SECC, then the wireless communication reassociation step (rediscovering the charging point) can be performed.

[0243] Figure 17a and Figure 17b An example of a stream of detailed messages transmitted between components performing related operations in a wireless communication association step in a location alignment method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0244] like Figure 17a As shown, the detailed configuration of GA LF information provided by each GA to the SECC at the SECC's request can be identified, i.e., in the form of LF telegrams. GALF information may also include collision avoidance signals to distinguish LF systems. WPTGA confirmation requests (i.e., confirmreq.) and VA standby requests (i.e., standbyreq.) can be processed simultaneously or sequentially.

[0245] like Figure 17a and Figure 17b As shown, when the number of GAs selected by the EVCC does not match the number of GAs stored by the SECC, the SECC can identify an error that has occurred in the wireless communication that performs data transmission / reception.

[0246] In addition, EVCC can check for wireless communication errors by comparing the GA ID value returned from SECC (i.e., GA Rdy) with the GA ID value processed and transmitted internally by EVCC (i.e., GA Cfm) (i.e., the synchronized VA ID value).

[0247] When receiving data from the SECC, it is possible that the GA#No selected by the EVCC may change due to a wireless communication error. When such a wireless communication error occurs, a wireless communication reassociation process can be performed.

[0248] In this scenario, the EV's APS can modify the LF avoidance collision signal, SYNC, and VALF ID in the VA's LF information based on the selected GA's LF information.

[0249] The VA wait signal transmitted from CMS to EVCC may be transmitted later or earlier than the WPTGA acknowledgment request signal transmitted from SECC to EVCC. EVCC can primarily check for wireless communication error conditions by comparing GA#No and VA#No. If an error condition is identified, EVCC's operating mode can proceed to the reassociation step.

[0250] Figure 18a and Figure 18b An exemplary implementation of the operational flow in the position alignment method according to this disclosure, including the approval and certification of position alignment and the steps of performing position alignment, is shown.

[0251] like Figure 18a and Figure 18b As shown, in S1610, the EVCC of the EV can transmit the initial LF information of VA#No to the SECC of the EVSE to perform position alignment. In S1611, the SECC of the EVSE can transmit the initial LF information of VA to the target GA that is ready to charge. In S1620, the confirmed GA can receive the synchronized initial LF information of VA and compare this information (i.e., GA#No._LF_Info) with the information itself transmitted in the wireless communication association step (i.e., charging point discovery) using the initial LF information of VA, thereby performing LF system authentication before performing position alignment.

[0252] Here, the items that the GA checks during authentication may include whether the LF collision avoidance signal matches, whether the GALF ID matches, etc. As a result of the check, if the corresponding information matches, the GA can return a signal to the SECC indicating successful authentication. That is, the authentication result can be transmitted between the synchronizing VA and the confirming GA in S1621.

[0253] If the corresponding information does not match as a result of the check, the GA can determine that an error has occurred and can return a signal to the SECC indicating that the authentication of the LF system has failed. That is, the SECC200 can perform secondary error verification through the LF collision avoidance signal and return the result.

[0254] In S1622, the EV's EVCC can receive the authentication result of the LF system received from the GA (target) from the EVSE's SECC, and analyze the result. When a signal indicating successful LF system authentication is confirmed in S1630, the EVCC can proceed to the position alignment start step in S1640. Conversely, if a signal indicating unsuccessful LF system authentication is confirmed, the EV's EVCC can proceed to the re-association step (rediscovering the charging point) in S1500.

[0255] On the other hand, if authentication is successful, in S1641, the EVCC of the EV can transmit the position alignment start signal to the SECC of the EVSE. The SECC of the EVSE can request the GA to set the sensing output of the LF antenna (i.e., the magnetic field sensing sensitivity) to the maximum (S1642). Upon receiving the request, the GA can set the sensing output of its LF antenna to the maximum value and notify the SECC that the sensing output of the LF antenna is maximized.

[0256] Upon successful authentication and commencement of position alignment, in S1650, the EVCC can transmit a position alignment start signal to the EV's CMS. The EV's CMS can then request the EV's APS to maximize the magnetic field output of the LF antenna. The EV's APS can then maximize the magnetic field output of the LF antenna.

[0257] Furthermore, the EV's CMS can request the Smart Parking Assist System (SPAS) to prepare for position alignment. The EV's APS can maximize the magnetic field output of the LF antenna and notify the EV's CMS. The EVCMS's CMS can be informed by the EV's SPAS that it is ready to begin position alignment. The CMS can then notify the EVCC, and the EVCC can confirm that the commencement of precise position alignment with the SECC has been approved and perform precise position alignment in the paired environment.

[0258] Figure 19a and Figure 19b An example is shown of the flow of operations performed in the approval and authentication steps of position alignment and the transmission of detailed messages between the components performing position alignment in the position alignment method according to this disclosure.

[0259] like Figure 19a and 19bAs shown, the GA that has received the initial LF information of the VA can transmit the initial LF information of the VA along with this information (i.e., GA#No._LF_Info) itself in the wireless communication association step (i.e., charging point discovery), and perform LF system authentication before performing position alignment. It is evident that the GA performs error verification by checking whether the LF collision avoidance signal matches during authentication.

[0260] The WPT precise location alignment start request and VA location alignment start request transmitted and received between CMS and SECC can be executed simultaneously or sequentially.

[0261] The SPAS standby request signal transmitted from SPAS to CMS can be transmitted later or earlier than the LF power response signal transmitted from APS to CMS.

[0262] Furthermore, the VA position alignment start request transmitted from CMS to EVCC can be transmitted later or earlier than the WPT precise position alignment start response transmitted from SECC to EVCC.

[0263] Figure 19c An example of the process of exchanging data during position alignment is shown.

[0264] like Figure 19c As shown, the EVCC can request the SECC to perform fine-tuned position alignment settings, and in this case, the antenna ID (i.e., ANT_ID) can be transmitted along with it. The SECC can then transmit its response to the EVCC. The response may include information about the antenna ID, frequency, etc.

[0265] Upon completion of preparations for precise positioning, the EVCC can request precise positioning from the SECC, and at this time, information such as antenna ID and effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) can be transmitted together. Furthermore, the EVCC can transmit information related to fine positioning, such as channel and collision avoidance code (CAC), to the P2PS controller of the EV device.

[0266] Simultaneously, the P2PS controller of the EV unit can transmit data to the P2PS controller of the power supply unit via the LF signal. In addition, the SECC can receive the CAC or the Receive Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) signal from the P2PS controller of the power supply unit, and transmit the response for fine position alignment to the EVCC based on the received RSSI signal.

[0267] Figure 19d An example of data exchanged during precise positioning alignment is shown.

[0268] like Figure 19dAs shown, the data exchanged during precise positioning alignment may include a preamble block and a data block. The preamble block includes preamble information and synchronization information for identifying the input signal, and the data block includes first data fixed to zero (0), collision avoidance code (CAC), dummy data, cyclic redundancy check (CRC) information, and protection information.

[0269] Here, the preamble block may include preamble information and synchronization information. The preamble information may represent information that can identify the input signal to prevent unintended operation in a noisy environment, and the synchronization information may represent a signal used to demodulate the LF modulated signal received by the power supply device from the EV device.

[0270] Simultaneously, the LF telegram should begin with a preamble to set the LF data threshold. In this case, the preamble's duty cycle can be 50%, and its minimum length can be 4 ms (corresponding to an operating frequency of 125 kHz). Furthermore, if the preamble length is 3.5 ms, it can operate at a frequency of 145 kHz; if the preamble length is 3 ms, it can operate at a frequency of 165 kHz; and if the preamble length is 2.4 ms, it can operate at a frequency of 205 kHz.

[0271] In addition, the data block may include first data, CAC, virtual data, CRC information, and protection information.

[0272] Here, the first data can have a fixed value of zero (0), and the collision avoidance code can mean a temporary identifier for each antenna of the EV device to distinguish it from LF signals transmitted from other EV devices. In this case, the CAC for each antenna can be randomly generated in all sessions, and each EV device can have a unique CAC. Additionally, to keep the probability of signal collisions between antennas close to zero, the length of the CAC can be 32 bits. Meanwhile, the CAC for each antenna can be transmitted as an antenna ID (i.e., ANT_ID) parameter (refer to ISO 15118). Here, the data type of the antenna ID can be an 8-string representing the CAC in hexadecimal.

[0273] On the other hand, CRC information can be data error detection information. When the LF transmitter starts transmitting LF signals, the LF receiver can be in a state of continuous data reception. Therefore, protection information can refer to protection bits used to separate previously transmitted LF signals from the currently transmitted LF signals.

[0274] Figure 20 An exemplary implementation of the operation flow in the pairing step of the position alignment method according to this disclosure is shown.

[0275] like Figure 20As shown, the magnetic field output (i.e., VA LF power data, S1701) of the LF antenna controlled by the APS of the EV100 can be detected by the LF antenna of the GA of the EVSE200 (i.e., GA LF detection data, S1702). In S1710, the SECC can analyze the detected magnetic field value and transmit the analyzed value to the EVCC of the EV using wireless communication as a WPT pairing response.

[0276] In S1711, the EV's EVCC can deliver the analyzed magnetic field strength to the EV's APS via the EV's CMS. The EV's APS can calculate the coordinates (X, Y, Z, θ) between the vehicle's VA and the infrastructure's GA, as well as the vehicle's deviation, using position estimation algorithms (e.g., RSSI, TOF, TODF), and provide the basic information required to perform automatic parking to the Automated Parking System (SPAS). On the other hand, in S1720, the EV's SPAS can repeatedly perform alignment start and alignment stop until the coordinates received from the EV's APS reach a specific threshold (i.e., a tolerance area specified by the specification).

[0277] Here, the VA can transition to the alignment start state after receiving an LF signal calibration request from the EVCC during repeated execution, and after transitioning to the alignment stop state, the VA can transmit an LF signal calibration response to the EVCC.

[0278] Figure 21a An example of a flow of detailed messages passed between components performing related operations in the pairing step of a position alignment method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 21b It shows in Figure 21a Examples of pairing steps that can be used in a position alignment method.

[0279] like Figure 21a As shown, when the EVCC transmits the WPT pairing request to the SECC, the EV's APS can generate and output the LF magnetic field. The target GA (GA#1) can measure the LF magnetic field and transmit the measurement value to the SECC. The SECC can then transmit a WPT pairing response to the EVCC, and the EVCC can request the CMS to perform LF signal calculation. The CMS can request the APS to perform the LF signal calculation, and the APS can transmit an automatic stop request, including APS position tracking information, to the SPAS. Repeatable. Figure 21a The process described above continues until the alignment between EV and GA is completed.

[0280] like Figure 21bAs shown, from the perspective of the VA's EVCC, the pairing process may include: requesting pairing with the SECC; transmitting a dataset including the pairing ID to the SECC using an LF signal; and receiving a response to the pairing request from the SECC.

[0281] Furthermore, from the SECC's perspective, the pairing process may include receiving a pairing request from the EVCC, receiving a dataset including the pairing ID from the EVCC using an LF signal, comparing the pairing IDs, and transmitting a response to the pairing request to the EVCC.

[0282] Here, after selecting an LF antenna, the EVCC can deliver the pairing ID to the VA's P2PS. The VA's P2PS can transmit and receive data using the LF signal and the P2PS connected to the SECC's power supply. The power supply's P2PS can then transmit the observed pairing ID to the SECC.

[0283] More specifically, examining the pairing method using a specific dataset, the EVCC can request pairing from the SECC, and the EVCC can select one of the SECC's multiple LF antennas. In this case, the SECC can monitor all of the EVCC's LF antennas. Subsequently, the dataset can be transmitted from the EVCC's P2PS controller to the SECC's P2PS controller via the LF signal. In this case, the dataset may include a pairing ID.

[0284] Simultaneously, when a pairing ID matches, the SECC can transmit a response indicating pairing completion to the EVCC. If no matching pairing ID exists, a warning response can be transmitted to the EVCC, and the EVCC can retry pairing. Here, if pairing attempts fail three times, the SECC can transmit a pairing failure response to the EVCC.

[0285] Figure 21c It shows what can be applied to Figure 21b An example of a dataset with pairing steps.

[0286] like Figure 21c As shown, the dataset exchanged between EVCC and SECC may include a preamble block and a data block. The preamble block includes preamble information and synchronization information for identifying the input signal. The data block includes first data fixed to zero (0), arbitrarily assigned pairing IDs, virtual data, CRC information, and protection information.

[0287] Here, the preamble block may include preamble information and synchronization information. The preamble information may represent information that can identify the input signal to prevent unintended operation in a noisy environment, and the synchronization information may represent a signal used to demodulate the LF modulated signal received by the supply device from the EV device.

[0288] LF telegrams should begin with a preamble to set the LF data threshold. In this case, the preamble's duty cycle can be 50%, and its minimum length can be 4 ms (corresponding to an operating frequency of 125 kHz). Alternatively, a preamble length of 3.5 ms allows for an operating frequency of 145 kHz, 3 ms allows for 165 kHz, and 2.4 ms allows for 205 kHz.

[0289] Additionally, the data block may include first data, pairing ID, virtual data, CRC information, and protection information.

[0290] Here, the first data can have a fixed value of zero (0), the pairing ID can be given as any number of 32 bits, and the CRC information can be data error detection information. When the LF transmitter starts transmitting the LF signal, the LF receiver can be in a state of continuous data reception. Therefore, the protection information can refer to the protection bits used to separate the previously transmitted LF signal from the currently transmitted LF signal.

[0291] Figure 21d Is using Figure 21c An exemplary diagram illustrating the pairing process between EVCCs and SECCs in the dataset.

[0292] like Figure 21d As shown, the EVCC can transmit a pairing request to the SECC. This process can be performed in a scenario where the EVCC transmits an LF signal. The LF signal can include a pairing ID and status information about the ongoing pairing. The SECC can receive the LF signal and check if the pairing ID in the LF signal matches.

[0293] Then, when the pairing IDs do not match, the SECC can transmit a pairing response to the EVCC, including a warning and information about the mismatch. The EVCC can retransmit the LF signal to request pairing, and the SECC can repeat the process of receiving the LF signal and checking the pairing ID in the LF signal a predetermined number of times, for example, three times.

[0294] At the same time, if the pairing is successful due to a matching pairing ID, the SECC can transmit a pairing response including an OK message to the EVCC and complete the pairing.

[0295] On the other hand, if pairing fails due to three mismatches in the pairing ID, the SECC can transmit a pairing response including the failure information to the EVCC and terminate the pairing process.

[0296] Figure 22a and Figure 22bAn exemplary implementation of the operation flow in the position alignment termination or WPT pre-preparation step of the position alignment method according to this disclosure is shown.

[0297] During the wireless charging pre-preparation (i.e., WPT pre-charging) step, when the coordinates received from the EV's APS exceed a specific threshold (i.e., the tolerance area specified by the specification), the EV's SPAS can notify the EV's CMS that alignment is complete. The EV CMS can transmit an acknowledgment signal to the EV's SPAS and request the EV's APS to stop outputting the LF antenna magnetic field to confirm whether the position alignment is complete. The EV's CMS can receive the signal from the EV's APS that the LF antenna magnetic field output has stopped and transmit an LF position alignment stop signal to the EVSE's SECC and then to the EV's EVCC to check whether the position alignment is complete.

[0298] Then, as Figure 22a As shown, in S1810, the EVCC of the EV can use the LF request from the SECC of the EVSE to stop the position alignment stop signal. In S1811, the SECC of the EVSE can request the EVSE of the GA to stop the sensing output of the LF antenna (i.e., the magnetic field sensing sensitivity). In S1812, the GA of the EVSE can notify the SECC of the EVSE that the LF antenna sensing output has been stopped, and use the LF to transmit the position alignment stop confirmation signal to the EVCC of the EV.

[0299] Then, in S1820, the EV's EVCC can request a pre-wireless charging power supply preparation signal from the EVSE's SECC to confirm positioning alignment and whether wireless charging is possible. In S1821, the EVSE's SECC can request the EVSE's GA to prepare a pre-wireless charging power supply. Here, the pre-wireless charging power used can be less than the maximum charging power required by the vehicle. This is because electric vehicle charging has a structure where the EV needs as much power as possible, rather than being supplied solely by the grid.

[0300] Then, in S1822, when the SECC of the EVSE receives a signal from the GA of the EVSE notifying it that it is able to provide power for pre-wireless charging, the SECC can transmit a pre-wireless charging power supply ready signal to the EVCC of the EV to confirm the position alignment and whether wireless charging is possible.

[0301] On the other hand, to confirm alignment and the feasibility of wireless charging, in S1830, the EV's EVCC can request a preparation signal for receiving pre-wireless charging power from the EV's CMS. The EV's CMS can request the EV's VA to prepare to receive power for pre-wireless charging, and receive a signal from the EV's VA indicating that it is ready to receive power for pre-wireless charging. The EV's EVCC can receive a signal from the EV's CMS indicating that it is ready to receive power for pre-wireless charging.

[0302] When preparations for pre-wireless charging are complete, in S1840, the EVCC of the EV can request the SECC of the EVSE to supply pre-wireless charging power. The SECC of the EVSE can request the pre-wireless charging power supply from the GA of the EVSE, and receive from the GA of the EVSE a signal notifying that the wireless power supply has started, as well as pre-wireless charging power supply information supplied by the GA of the EVSE. Here, the pre-wireless charging power supply information provided by the GA of the EVSE may be information about the input power supplied by the GA of the EVSE for CMS to calculate charging efficiency.

[0303] Then, as Figure 22b As shown, the GA of the EVSE can supply pre-wireless charging power to the EV. In S1842, the EVCC of the EV can receive a signal from the SECC of the EVSE notifying that wireless power supply has begun, as well as pre-wireless charging power supply information supplied by the GA of the EVSE. The CMS of the EV can receive a signal from the EVCC notifying that wireless power supply has begun, as well as pre-wireless charging power supply information supplied by the GA of the EVSE. In S1850, the CMS of the EV can request and receive pre-wireless charging power supply information from the VA of the EV.

[0304] Here, the pre-charge power supply information requested from the EV's VA is used to calculate the charging efficiency via the CMS, and can be the output power supplied by the EV's VA to the Battery Management System (BMS). In S1860, the EV's CMS can use an internal algorithm to calculate the ratio of the output power (e.g., VA input power) supplied by the EV's VA to the input power supplied by the EVSE's GA, i.e., the pre-wireless charging efficiency. Here, if the pre-wireless charging efficiency is lower than or equal to the minimum required efficiency at the offset position ("No" in step S1870), the steps starting from the fine alignment step can be executed again. In other words, return to... Figure 18a In the specific step S1640 shown, the CMS of the EV can request the EVCC of the EV to restart the position alignment, and the EVCC of the EV can request the SECC of the EVSE to restart the position alignment.

[0305] On the other hand, if the pre-wireless charging efficiency is higher than the minimum required efficiency at the offset position ("Yes" in step S1870), then a conventional wireless charging power transfer step can be performed in S1880. In this case, the EV's CMS can request the EV's EVCC to supply conventional wireless charging power and notify the EV's VA of the supply of conventional wireless charging power. The subsequent process can be the same as that for wired charging of the EV.

[0306] Figure 23a , Figure 23b and Figure 23c An example of a flow of detailed messages transmitted between components performing related operations in the position alignment termination or wireless charging preparation step of a position alignment method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0307] like Figure 23a As shown, the VA's SPAS can transmit an automatic stop completion request signal to the CMS. In this case, when the tolerance range is greater than the APS position tracking information, the SPAS's internal control can be executed.

[0308] Then, the CMS can transmit an automatic stop completion response to the SPAS. The CMS can then transmit a VA pairing stop request signal to the APS and a WPT pairing stop request signal to the EVCC. The APS can transmit a pairing stop request response signal to the CMS, and the EVCC can transmit a WPT pairing stop request to the SECC.

[0309] Then, the SECC can transmit a GA pairing stop request signal to a specific GA (e.g., GA#1), and GA#1 can transmit a GA pairing stop response signal to the SECC. The SECC then transmits a WPT pairing stop request signal to the EVCC.

[0310] Then, the EVCC can transmit a WPT pairing stop response to the CMS and a WPT alignment check ready request signal to the SECC. The CMS can transmit a VA precharge standby request signal to the VA. In addition, the SECC can transmit a GA precharge standby request signal to GA#1.

[0311] Then, as Figure 23b As shown, GA#1 can transmit a precharge standby response signal to SECC, and SECC can transmit a WPT position alignment confirmation ready response signal to EVCC. Additionally, VA can transmit a VA precharge standby response signal to CMS. In this case, the VA precharge standby response signal can be transmitted later or earlier than the WPT position alignment confirmation ready response signal.

[0312] Then, CMS can transmit the WPT alignment check start request signal to EVCC. EVCC can transmit the position alignment check start request signal to SECC, and SECC can transmit the GA precharge start request signal to GA#1.

[0313] Then, GA#1 can transmit the GA precharge start response signal to SECC, SECC can transmit the WPT position alignment check start response signal to EVCC, and EVCC can transmit the WPT position alignment check start response to CMS.

[0314] Then, as Figure 23c As shown, the CMS can transmit a VA precharge information request signal to the VA, and the VA can transmit a VA precharge information response signal to the CMS. The CMS can determine through its internal control whether the WPT precharge efficiency is less than or equal to the minimum target efficiency at the offset position.

[0315] Then, the CMS can transmit an LF power restart request signal to the APS and a WPT fine position alignment restart request signal to the EVCC. Additionally, the CMS can transmit a SPAS re-standby request signal to the SPAS. The EVCC can then transmit a WPT fine position alignment restart request signal to the SECC. Through this process, the CMS can perform the fine position alignment step again.

[0316] Then, in the fine positioning alignment step, the CMS can determine through its internal control whether the WPT pre-charge efficiency is greater than the minimum reference efficiency at the offset position. If the WPT pre-charge efficiency is greater than the minimum reference efficiency, the CMS can transmit a VA charging standby request signal to the VA and a WPT charging start request signal to the EVCC. Through this process, power transfer can be performed wirelessly between the VA and the power source of the wireless power charging point.

[0317] Some aspects of this disclosure have been described above in the context of devices, but other aspects can be described using corresponding methods. Here, a block or device corresponds to an operation of a method or a characteristic of the operation of a method. Similarly, the aspects of the invention described above in the context of methods can be described using corresponding blocks or items or characteristics of corresponding devices. Some or all of the operations of the method can be performed, for example, by (or using) hardware devices (such as microprocessors, programmable computers, or electronic circuits). In some embodiments, at least one of the most important operations of the method can be performed by such a device.

[0318] In implementations, programmable logic devices (e.g., field-programmable gate arrays) can be used to perform some or all of the functions of the methods described herein. In implementations, the field-programmable gate array can be operated by a microprocessor to perform one of the methods described herein. Typically, the method is preferably performed by a hardware device.

[0319] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the concept and scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

[0320] [Symbol Explanation]

[0321] 10: Electric vehicles 11: Receiving solder pads

[0322] 12: Battery 20: Charging Point

[0323] 21: Transmission pad; 30: Power grid

[0324] 100: VA (Vehicle Component) 200: GA (Ground Component)

Claims

1. A position alignment method for wireless charging, performed by a vehicle component (VA) to perform position alignment with a target ground component (GA) among a plurality of ground components (GAs), the position alignment method comprising: The processor identifies the status of the multiple GAs via wireless communication with the supply device communication controller SECC that controls the multiple GAs; The processor receives information from the SECC regarding one or more valid GAs among the plurality of GAs; The processor selects a target GA based on information about the one or more valid GAs and performs a wireless communication association with the target GA; The processor performs the location alignment approval and certification process by requesting the SECC; When authentication is successful, the processor uses a low-frequency LF signal to perform position alignment with the target GA; After being aligned with the target GA, the processor transmits the dataset to the SECC using an LF signal; as well as The processor performs pairing with the target GA based on the dataset. The dataset includes: The preamble block includes preamble information and synchronization information for identifying the input signal; and The data block includes initial data that is fixed at zero, arbitrarily assigned pair identifier ID, virtual data, cyclic redundancy check (CRC) information, and protection information.

2. The position alignment method according to claim 1, wherein, Performing pairing includes: Request pairing from the SECC; The dataset, including the paired IDs, is transmitted to the SECC using an LF signal; and Receive a response to the pairing request from the SECC.

3. The position alignment method according to claim 1, wherein, Information about the one or more valid GAs includes at least one of the following: GA ID for each GA, unique information for the LF system, radio signal strength information, or a combination thereof.

4. The position alignment method according to claim 3, wherein, The unique information of the LF system includes at least one of the following: information about the LF collision avoidance signal assigned to each GA, LF ID, LF antenna information, magnetic field detection sensitivity of each antenna, or a combination thereof.

5. The position alignment method according to claim 1, wherein, Selecting the target GA based on information about the one or more valid GAs includes: Compare the wireless signal strength of the one or more valid GAs; and The GA with the highest wireless signal strength is selected as the target GA.

6. The position alignment method according to claim 1, wherein, The GA status indicates whether it is in a normal state where it can be charged, a state where it is charging, or a state where it is aligning.

7. The position alignment method according to claim 1, wherein, Selecting a target GA based on information about the one or more valid GAs and performing wireless communication association with the target GA includes modifying the LF information of the VA based on the LF information of the selected target GA.

8. A position alignment device for performing position alignment with a target ground component GA in a plurality of GAs, the position alignment device comprising: At least one processor; as well as A memory storing at least one instruction executable by the at least one processor, wherein, when executed by the at least one processor, the at least one instruction causes the positioning alignment device to: The status of the multiple GAs is identified through wireless communication with the supply device communication controller SECC that controls the multiple GAs; Receive information from the SECC regarding one or more valid GAs among the plurality of GAs; A target GA is selected based on information about the one or more valid GAs, and a wireless communication association is performed with the target GA. The location alignment approval and certification process is performed by requesting the SECC. When authentication is successful, a low-frequency LF signal is used to perform alignment with the target GA. After alignment with the target GA, the dataset is transmitted to the SECC using an LF signal; and Based on the dataset, pairing is performed with the target GA. The dataset includes: The preamble block includes preamble information and synchronization information for identifying the input signal; and The data block includes initial data that is fixed at zero, arbitrarily assigned pair identifier ID, virtual data, cyclic redundancy check (CRC) information, and protection information.

9. The positioning alignment device according to claim 8, wherein, During pairing, the at least one instruction causes the position alignment device to: Request pairing from the SECC; The dataset, including the paired IDs, is transmitted to the SECC using an LF signal; and Receive a response to the pairing request from the SECC.

10. The positioning alignment device according to claim 8, wherein, Information about the one or more valid GAs includes at least one of the following: GA ID for each GA, unique information for the LF system, radio signal strength information, or a combination thereof.

11. The positioning alignment device according to claim 10, wherein, The unique information of the LF system includes at least one of the following: information about the LF collision avoidance signal assigned to each GA, LF ID, LF antenna information, magnetic field detection sensitivity of each antenna, or a combination thereof.

12. The positioning alignment device according to claim 8, wherein, In selecting the target GA based on information about the one or more valid GAs, the at least one instruction causes the position alignment device to: Compare the wireless signal strength of the one or more valid GAs; and The GA with the highest wireless signal strength is selected as the target GA.

13. The positioning alignment device according to claim 8, wherein, The GA status indicates whether it is in a normal state where it can be charged, a state where it is charging, or a state where it is aligning.

14. The positioning alignment device according to claim 8, wherein, In selecting the target GA based on information about the one or more valid GAs and performing a wireless communication association with the target GA, the at least one instruction causes the position alignment device to modify the LF information of the VA based on the LF information of the selected target GA.

15. A position alignment method for wireless charging, performed by a supply device communication controller (SECC) that controls a plurality of ground components (GAs), the position alignment method comprising: The processor provides information about one or more valid GAs to electric vehicles (EVs) entering the radio communication radius of the SECC; The processor executes the wireless communication association between the SECC of the target GA selected by the EV in one or more valid GAs and the electric vehicle communication controller EVCC. The processor performs a position alignment approval and certification process between the EV and the target GA based on the request of the EVCC. When authentication is successful, the processor uses a low-frequency LF signal to perform position alignment between the EV and the target GA; After being aligned with the target GA, the processor receives the dataset from the EVCC using the LF signal; as well as The processor performs pairing with the target GA based on the dataset. The dataset includes: The preamble block includes preamble information and synchronization information for identifying the input signal; and The data block includes initial data that is fixed at zero, arbitrarily assigned pair identifier ID, virtual data, cyclic redundancy check (CRC) information, and protection information.

16. The position alignment method according to claim 15, wherein, Performing pairing includes: Receive a pairing request from the EVCC; The dataset, including the pairing ID, is received from the EVCC using the LF signal; Perform a comparison on the paired IDs; and The response to the pairing request is transmitted to the EVCC.

17. The position alignment method according to claim 15, wherein, Information about the one or more valid GAs includes at least one of the following: GA ID for each GA, unique information for the LF system, radio signal strength information, or a combination thereof.

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