Vehicle, power supply method, and communication device

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle, a power supply method, and a communication device. When a reason for suspending power supply occurs on the vehicle side, a power supply device that has the possibility of supplying power to the vehicle is efficiently requested to suspend power supply. The vehicle (3) comprises: a first communication device (71) that communicates directly or indirectly with a ground power supply device (2) via wide-area wireless communication with a communication distance of 10 meters or more; and a control device (34). When a predetermined condition is met, the control device requests the ground power supply device to suspend power supply to the vehicle via the wide-area wireless communication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle, a power supply method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, technologies for contactlessly transmitting power between a ground-based power supply device and a vehicle using a transmission method such as magnetic field resonance are known. In the contactless power supply system described in Patent Document 1, when the ground-based power supply device and the vehicle are paired, power is supplied from the ground-based power supply device to the vehicle, charging the vehicle's battery.

[0003] In the above-mentioned contactless power supply system, when the vehicle battery is fully charged or charging is forcibly interrupted by the user, a charging completion signal is output from the vehicle ECU to the ground power supply device via narrow area communication to stop battery charging.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-240132 Summary of the Invention

[0007] However, research is underway to transmit power to a moving vehicle from multiple ground power supply units spaced apart on the road. In contactless power supply during driving, power is essentially supplied from the ground power supply unit to the vehicle each time the vehicle passes over it. Therefore, if a reason for suspending power supply arises on the vehicle side, simply requesting the power supply unit to suspend power supply to the vehicle is insufficient.

[0008] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to efficiently request a power supply device that may be supplying power to a vehicle to stop power supply when a reason for stopping power supply occurs on the vehicle side.

[0009] The gist of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0010] (1) A vehicle that receives power from a ground power supply device in a contactless manner, wherein the vehicle comprises: a first communication device that communicates directly or indirectly with the ground power supply device via wide-area wireless communication with a communication distance of 10 meters or more; and a control device that requests the ground power supply device to stop supplying power to the vehicle via the wide-area wireless communication when a predetermined condition is met.

[0011] (2) In the vehicle described in (1) above, the control device requests the ground power supply device to stop supplying power to the vehicle by requesting the ground power supply device to remove the vehicle identification information of the vehicle registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device.

[0012] (3) In the vehicle described in (1) or (2) above, the control device requests the ground power supply device to stop supplying power to the vehicle by requesting the ground power supply device to stop supplying power to the vehicle.

[0013] (4) In any one of the vehicles described in (1) to (3) above, the second communication device is further provided, which directly communicates with the ground power supply device through narrow-area wireless communication with a communication distance of less than 10 meters. The control device requests power supply from the ground power supply device by sending vehicle identification information of the vehicle using the narrow-area wireless communication, and stops sending the vehicle identification information when the predetermined condition is met.

[0014] (5) In the vehicle described in any one of (1) to (4) above, the control device further comprises: a power receiving device that receives power from the ground power supply device; a battery that is supplied with power from the power receiving device; and a relay that is arranged between the power receiving device and the battery, wherein the control device selectively switches the state of the relay between a connected state in which the power receiving device and the battery are connected and a disconnected state in which the power receiving device and the battery are disconnected, and switches the state of the relay from the connected state to the disconnected state when the predetermined condition is met.

[0015] (6) A power supply method for contactlessly supplying power to a vehicle using a ground power supply device, comprising: when a predetermined condition is satisfied, requesting the ground power supply device to stop supplying power to the vehicle via wide area wireless communication with a communication distance of 10 meters or more from the vehicle.

[0016] (7) A communication device is provided on a vehicle that receives power from a ground power supply device in a contactless manner, wherein the communication device directly or indirectly communicates with the ground power supply device via wide-area wireless communication having a communication distance of more than 10 meters, and when a predetermined condition is met, the communication device requests the ground power supply device to stop supplying power to the vehicle via the wide-area wireless communication.

[0017] According to the present invention, when a reason for suspending power supply occurs on the vehicle side, it is possible to efficiently request a power supply device that is likely to supply power to the vehicle to suspend power supply. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 This is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a contactless power supply system.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the controller and the devices connected to it.

[0020] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the ECU and devices connected to it.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of magnetic field detectors installed on a road.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a communication system used in a contactless power supply system.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of a server.

[0024] Figure 7 This is an operational sequence diagram related to communication among a vehicle, a server, and a ground power supply device using wide-area wireless communication.

[0025] Figure 8 It is related to the communication between vehicles, servers and ground power supply devices using wide area wireless communication. Figure 7 Same action timing diagram.

[0026] Figure 9 This is a flowchart showing the flow of processing related to communication using wide area wireless communication in a server.

[0027] Figure 10 This is a flowchart showing the flow of processing related to communication using wide area wireless communication in the ground power supply device.

[0028] Figure 11 This is a diagram schematically showing the movement and state transition of the vehicle and the ground power supply device when the vehicle approaches the ground power supply device and power is supplied.

[0029] Figure 12 This is a diagram schematically showing the state and operation transition of the ground power supply device.

[0030] Figure 13 This is a diagram schematically showing the state and operation transition of the ground power supply device.

[0031] Figure 14 This is a diagram schematically showing the state and behavior transition of the vehicle.

[0032] Figure 15 This is a flowchart showing the flow of operations related to execution of the power reception end process.

[0033] (Explanation of Symbols)

[0034] 2: Ground power supply device; 3: Vehicle; 34: ECU; 71: First communication device on the vehicle side; 72: Second communication device on the vehicle side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Hereinafter, the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0036] <Overall Structure of Contactless Power Supply System>

[0037] Figure 1 It is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a contactless power supply system 1. The contactless power supply system 1 has a ground power supply device 2 and a vehicle 3 traveling on a road 100, and performs contactless power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 through magnetic field resonance coupling (magnetic field resonance). In particular, in the present embodiment, the contactless power supply system 1 performs contactless power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 when the vehicle 3 is traveling. Therefore, the ground power supply device 2 sends power to the vehicle 3 contactlessly when the vehicle 3 is traveling, and the vehicle 3 receives power from the ground power supply device 2 contactlessly when the vehicle 3 is traveling. The ground power supply device 2 has a power transmission device 4 configured to transmit power to the vehicle 3 contactlessly, and the vehicle 3 has a power receiving device 5 configured to receive power from the power transmission device 4 contactlessly. As Figure 1 As shown, the power transmission device 4 is buried in (underground) a road 100 on which the vehicle 3 travels, for example, in the center of a lane on which the vehicle 3 travels.

[0038] Furthermore, the term "traveling" means that the vehicle 3 is on the road for the purpose of traveling. Therefore, the term "traveling" encompasses not only a state where the vehicle 3 is actually traveling at any speed greater than zero, but also a state where the vehicle 3 is stopped on the road, for example, waiting for a traffic light. On the other hand, even if the vehicle 3 is on the road, such as when parked, it is not considered to be traveling.

[0039] <Structure of Ground Power Supply Device>

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, the ground power supply device 2 includes a power supply 21 and a controller 22 in addition to the power transmission device 4. The power supply 21 and the controller 22 may be buried in the road 100 or located in a location other than the road 100 (including above ground).

[0041] The power supply 21 supplies power to the power transmission device 4. The power supply 21 is, for example, a commercial AC power supply that supplies single-phase AC power. Alternatively, the power supply 21 may be another AC power supply that supplies three-phase AC power or a DC power supply such as a fuel cell.

[0042] The power transmission device 4 transmits electric power supplied from the power source 21 to the vehicle 3. The power transmission device 4 includes a power transmission-side rectifier circuit 41, an inverter 42, and a power transmission-side resonant circuit 43. In the power transmission device 4, the AC power supplied from the power source 21 is rectified and converted into DC current in the power transmission-side rectifier circuit 41. This DC current is then converted into AC power in the inverter 42, and this AC power is supplied to the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43.

[0043] The power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 is electrically connected to the power supply 21 and the inverter 42. The power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 rectifies the AC power supplied from the power supply 21, converts it into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the inverter 42. The power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 is, for example, an AC / DC converter.

[0044] The inverter 42 is electrically connected to the power-transmitting-side rectifier circuit 41 and the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43. The inverter 42 converts the DC power supplied from the power-transmitting-side rectifier circuit 41 into AC power (high-frequency power) having a higher frequency than the AC power of the power supply 21, and supplies the high-frequency power to the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43.

[0045] The power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 includes a resonator formed by a coil 44 and a capacitor 45. The various parameters of the coil 44 and capacitor 45 (such as the outer and inner diameters of the coil 44, the number of turns of the coil 44, and the electrostatic capacitance of the capacitor 45) are determined so that the resonant frequency of the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 reaches a predetermined set value. The predetermined set value is, for example, 10 kHz to 100 GHz, preferably 85 kHz, as defined by the SAE TIR J2954 standard for contactless power transmission.

[0046] The power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 is positioned in the center of the lane through which the vehicle 3 passes, with the center of the coil 44 positioned in the center of the lane. When high-frequency power supplied from the inverter 42 is applied to the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 generates an AC magnetic field for power transmission. Furthermore, if the power supply 21 is a DC power supply, the power-transmitting-side rectifier circuit 41 may be omitted.

[0047] The controller 22 is, for example, a general-purpose computer, and performs various controls on the ground power supply device 2. For example, the controller 22 is electrically connected to the inverter 42 of the power transmission device 4 and controls the inverter 42 to control power transmission by the power transmission device 4. Furthermore, the controller 22 controls the first ground-side communication device 81 and the second ground-side communication device 82, which will be described later.

[0048] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the controller 22 and devices connected to the controller 22. The controller 22 includes a communication interface 221, a memory 222, and a processor 223. The communication interface 221, the memory 222, and the processor 223 are connected to each other via signal lines.

[0049] The communication interface 221 includes an interface circuit for connecting the controller 22 to various devices (e.g., the inverter 42, the ground-side sensor 23, the first ground-side communication device 81, and the second ground-side communication device 82) that constitute the ground power supply system 2. The controller 22 communicates with the other devices via the communication interface 221.

[0050] The memory 222 includes, for example, volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., RAM) or nonvolatile semiconductor memory (e.g., ROM). The memory 222 stores computer programs for executing various processes in the processor 223, various data used when the processor 223 executes the various processes, and the like. The memory 222 stores, for example, a list of vehicle identification information of vehicles that may be supplied with power by the ground power supply device 2 (hereinafter referred to as an "identification information list") and the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 being supplied with power.

[0051] The processor 223 includes one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 223 may also include arithmetic circuits such as a logical operation unit or a numerical operation unit. The processor 223 executes various processes according to the computer program stored in the memory 222.

[0052] In addition, if Figure 2 As shown, the ground power supply device 2 further includes ground-side sensors 23. The ground-side sensors 23 detect the status of the ground power supply device 2. In this embodiment, the ground-side sensors 23 include, for example, a power transmission device current sensor that detects the current flowing through various devices in the power transmission device 4 (particularly the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43, the inverter 42, and the power transmission-side rectifier circuit 41); a power transmission device voltage sensor that detects the voltage applied to the various devices in the power transmission device 4; a power transmission device temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the various devices in the power transmission device 4; a foreign object sensor that detects foreign objects embedded in the roadway where the power transmission device 4 is located; and a biological sensor that detects biological objects embedded in the roadway where the power transmission device 4 is located. The output of the ground-side sensors 23 is input to the controller 22.

[0053] Furthermore, the power transmission device 4 may be configured to receive electric power from the vehicle 3. In this case, the power transmission device 4, like the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3 described later, includes a device or circuit for supplying the received electric power to the power source 21. Furthermore, in this case, the power transmission device 4 may utilize a resonator composed of the coil 44 and capacitor 45 described above to receive electric power from the vehicle 3.

[0054] <Vehicle Structure>

[0055] On the other hand, vehicle 3 Figure 1 As shown, in addition to the power receiving device 5, the vehicle 3 also includes a motor 31, a battery 32, a power control unit (PCU) 33, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 34. In this embodiment, the vehicle 3 is an electric vehicle (EV) driven by the motor 31. However, the vehicle 3 may also be a hybrid vehicle (HV) driven by an internal combustion engine in addition to the motor 31.

[0056] The motor 31 is, for example, an AC synchronous motor that functions as both an electric motor and a generator. When functioning as a motor, the motor 31 is driven by the electricity stored in the battery 32 as a power source. The output of the motor 31 is transmitted to the wheels 30 via a speed reducer and an axle. On the other hand, when the vehicle 3 is decelerating, the rotation of the wheels 30 drives the motor 31, causing it to function as a generator, generating regenerative electricity.

[0057] The battery 32 is a rechargeable secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, or the like. The battery 32 stores the power required for the vehicle 3 to travel (e.g., the driving power for the motor 31). The battery 32 is charged when the power received by the power receiving device 5 is supplied from the power transmitting device 4. In addition, the battery 32 is charged when the regenerative power generated by the motor 31 is supplied to the battery 32. When the battery 32 is charged, the charge rate (SOC: State Of Charge) of the battery 32 is restored. In addition, the battery 32 can also be charged by an external power source other than the ground power supply device 2 via the charging port provided in the vehicle 3.

[0058] The PCU 33 is electrically connected to the battery 32 and the motor 31. The PCU 33 includes an inverter, a boost converter, and a DC / DC converter. The inverter converts the DC power supplied from the battery 32 into AC power, and supplies the AC power to the motor 31. On the other hand, the inverter converts the AC power (regenerative power) generated by the motor 31 into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the battery 32. When the boost converter supplies the power stored in the battery 32 to the motor 31, it boosts the voltage of the battery 32 as needed. When the DC / DC converter supplies the power stored in the battery 32 to electronic devices such as headlights, it lowers the voltage of the battery 32.

[0059] The power receiving device 5 receives power from the power transmitting device 4 and supplies the received power to the battery 32. The power receiving device 5 includes a power receiving-side resonance circuit 51, a power receiving-side rectifier circuit 54, and a charging circuit 55.

[0060] The receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is positioned at the bottom of the vehicle 3 so that its distance from the road surface is minimized. In this embodiment, the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is positioned at the center of the vehicle 3 in the vehicle width direction. The receiving-side resonant circuit 51 has the same structure as the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, comprising a resonator composed of a coil 52 and a capacitor 53. The various parameters of the coil 52 and capacitor 53 (such as the outer and inner diameters of the coil 52, the number of turns of the coil 52, and the capacitance of the capacitor 53) are determined so that the resonant frequency of the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 matches the resonant frequency of the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43. Furthermore, the resonant frequency of the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 does not necessarily need to match the resonant frequency of the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, as long as the offset between the resonant frequencies of the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 is small, for example, as long as the resonant frequency of the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is within a range of ±20% of the resonant frequency of the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43.

[0061] In such Figure 1 When the power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 face each other, and the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 generates an AC magnetic field, the vibrations of the AC magnetic field are transmitted to the power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51, which resonates at the same resonant frequency as the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43. As a result, an induced current flows through the power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51 due to electromagnetic induction, generating an induced electromotive force in the power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51. In other words, the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 transmits power to the power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51, and the power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51 receives power from the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43.

[0062] The receiving-side rectifier circuit 54 is electrically connected to the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the charging circuit 55. The receiving-side rectifier circuit 54 rectifies the AC power supplied from the receiving-side resonant circuit 51, converts it into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the charging circuit 55. The receiving-side rectifier circuit 54 is, for example, an AC / DC converter.

[0063] The charging circuit 55 is electrically connected to the power-receiving-side rectifier circuit 54 and the battery 32. In particular, it is connected to the battery 32 via the relay 38. The charging circuit 55 converts the DC power supplied from the power-receiving-side rectifier circuit 54 to the voltage level of the battery 32 and supplies it to the battery 32. When the power transmitted from the power transmitting device 4 is supplied to the battery 32 via the power receiving device 5, the battery 32 is charged. The charging circuit 55 is, for example, a DC / DC converter.

[0064] The ECU 34 performs various controls on the vehicle 3. For example, the ECU 34 is electrically connected to the charging circuit 55 of the power receiving device 5 and controls the charging circuit 55 to control the charging of the battery 32 using the power transmitted from the power transmitting device 4. Furthermore, the ECU 34 is electrically connected to the PCU 33 and controls the PCU 33 to control the exchange of power between the battery 32 and the motor 31. Furthermore, the ECU 34 controls the first vehicle-side communication device 71 and the second vehicle-side communication device 72, described below.

[0065] Figure 3 34 is a schematic configuration diagram of the ECU 34 and devices connected to the ECU 34. The ECU 34 includes a communication interface 341, a memory 342, and a processor 343. The communication interface 341, the memory 342, and the processor 343 are connected to each other via signal lines.

[0066] The communication interface 341 includes an interface circuit for connecting the ECU 34 to an in-vehicle network conforming to a standard such as CAN (Controller Area Network). The ECU 34 communicates with other devices via the communication interface 341 .

[0067] The memory 342 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory (eg, RAM) and a nonvolatile semiconductor memory (eg, ROM), and stores computer programs for executing various processes in the processor 343 and various data used when the processor 343 executes the various processes.

[0068] The processor 343 includes one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 343 may also include arithmetic circuits such as a logical operation unit or a numerical operation unit. The processor 343 executes various processes according to the computer program stored in the memory 342.

[0069] In addition, if Figure 3 As shown, the vehicle 3 further includes a GNSS receiver 35, a storage device 36, a plurality of vehicle-side sensors 37, and a relay 38. The GNSS receiver 35, the storage device 36, the vehicle-side sensors 37, and the relay 38 are electrically connected to the ECU 34 via an in-vehicle network.

[0070] The GNSS receiver 35 detects the current position of the vehicle 3 (e.g., the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 3) based on positioning information obtained from multiple (e.g., three or more) positioning satellites. Specifically, the GNSS receiver 35 captures multiple positioning satellites and receives radio waves transmitted from the positioning satellites. The GNSS receiver 35 then calculates the distance to the positioning satellites based on the difference between the transmission and reception times of the radio waves. Based on the distance to the positioning satellites and the positions (orbital information) of the positioning satellites, the current position of the vehicle 3 is detected. The output of the GNSS receiver 35, i.e., the current position of the vehicle 3 detected by the GNSS receiver 35, is transmitted to the ECU 34. For example, a GPS receiver is used as the GNSS receiver 35.

[0071] The storage device 36 stores data. The storage device 36 includes, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), or an optical recording medium. In this embodiment, the storage device 36 stores map information. In addition to information related to roads, the map information also includes information such as the installation location of the ground power supply device 2. The ECU 34 obtains the map information from the storage device 36. In addition, the storage device 36 may not include map information. In this case, the ECU 34 may obtain map information from outside the vehicle 3 (for example, the server 91 described later) via the vehicle-side first communication device 71.

[0072] The vehicle-side sensors 37 detect the status of the vehicle 3. In this embodiment, the vehicle-side sensors 37 include a speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle 3, a battery temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the battery 32, a power receiving device temperature sensor that detects the temperature of various components of the power receiving device 5 (particularly the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the power receiving-side rectifier circuit 54), a battery current sensor that detects the charge and discharge current values ​​of the battery 32, a power receiving device current sensor that detects the current flowing through various components of the power receiving device 5, and a power receiving device voltage sensor that detects the voltage applied to various components of the power receiving device 5. The outputs of the vehicle-side sensors 37 are input to the ECU 34.

[0073] Relay 38 is disposed between battery 32 and power receiving device 5, connecting and disconnecting battery 32 and power receiving device 5. Relay 38 is controlled by ECU 34, which selectively switches the state of relay 38 between a connected state (connecting the power receiving device 5 and battery 32) and a disconnected state (disconnected state) (disconnecting the power receiving device 5 and battery 32). When relay 38 is in the connected state, power is supplied to power receiving device 5 and battery 32, and the power received by power receiving device 5 is supplied to battery 32. On the other hand, when relay 38 is in the disconnected state, power is disconnected between power receiving device 5 and battery 32, effectively preventing power from being received by power receiving device 5.

[0074] Alternatively, the power receiving device 5 may be configured to transmit power to the ground power supply device 2. In this case, the power receiving device 5, like the power transmitting device 4 of the ground power supply device 2, has a configuration for transmitting power from the storage battery 32 to the ground power supply device 2. Furthermore, in this case, the power receiving device 5 may utilize a resonator composed of the coil 52 and capacitor 53 described above to transmit power to the ground power supply device 2.

[0075] <Structure of lateral deviation detection device>

[0076] To efficiently perform contactless power transmission, the positional offset between the power transmitting device 4 of the ground power supply system 2 and the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3 must be minimized. Therefore, in this embodiment, the contactless power supply system 1 includes a lateral offset detection device for detecting the positional offset between the power transmitting device 4 and the power receiving device 5 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle 3 (hereinafter referred to as "lateral offset"). Specifically, in this embodiment, the lateral offset detection device includes an AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 and an AC power generating circuit 64 installed in the vehicle 3, and a magnetic field detector 66 installed in the ground power supply system 2.

[0077] The AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 generates an AC magnetic field (hereinafter referred to as the "AC magnetic field for lateral deviation detection") for detecting the relative positional relationship between the power transmitting device 4 (particularly the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43) and the power receiving device 5 (particularly the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51). The AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 is positioned at the bottom of the vehicle 3 so that its distance from the road surface is minimized. In this embodiment, the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 is positioned in the center of the vehicle 3 in the vehicle width direction and further forward of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 3. Alternatively, the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 may be positioned at the same position as the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 3 or further rearward of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51.

[0078] The AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 has the same structure as the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, and includes a resonator formed by a coil 62 and a capacitor 63. The various parameters of the coil 62 and capacitor 63 (such as the outer and inner diameters of the coil 62, the number of turns of the coil 62, and the electrostatic capacitance of the capacitor 63) are determined so that the resonant frequency of the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 reaches a predetermined set value. The predetermined set value is set to a value different from the resonant frequency of the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, that is, the resonant frequency of the magnetic field resonant coupling. Furthermore, the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 does not necessarily need to generate a magnetic field through resonance, and therefore does not need to include the capacitor 63.

[0079] The AC power generation circuit 64 is electrically connected to the battery 32 and the AC magnetic field generation circuit 61. The AC power generation circuit 64 generates AC power and supplies it to the AC magnetic field generation circuit 61. For example, the AC power generation circuit 64 includes an oscillation circuit and an amplifier. The oscillation circuit, for example, is comprised of an inverter, which converts the DC power supplied from the battery 32 into AC power of a predetermined frequency. The amplifier amplifies the output power (AC power) of the oscillation circuit.

[0080] like Figure 1 As shown, the AC power generating circuit 64 is electrically connected to the ECU 34, which controls the AC power generating circuit 64. The AC power generating circuit 64 converts the DC power supplied from the battery 32 into AC power according to the command from the ECU 34, and supplies the AC power to the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61.

[0081] Magnetic field detector 66 detects the surrounding magnetic field. Magnetic field detector 66 is, for example, a magneto-impedance (MI) sensor. Driving power for magnetic field detector 66 is supplied to magnetic field detector 66 from, for example, power supply 21 via a drive circuit. Alternatively, magnetic field detector 66 may be a Hall effect sensor, a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor, or the like.

[0082] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of magnetic field detectors 66 installed on a road 100. Figure 4As shown, the magnetic field detector 66 is arranged on the road where the power transmission device 4 is installed, closer to the power transmission side resonant circuit 43 of the power transmission device 4 in the direction of travel of the vehicle 3. In addition, multiple magnetic field detectors are arranged in a row in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle 3. In particular, in this embodiment, the multiple magnetic field detectors 66 are separated from each other in the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle 3, for example, they are arranged at equal intervals in this direction. In addition, the magnetic field detector 66 is arranged in the ground (below the road surface) or above the road surface. When an AC magnetic field for lateral deviation detection is generated by the vehicle 3 around the magnetic field detector 66, the magnetic field detector 66 detects the AC magnetic field for position deviation detection.

[0083] The magnetic field detector 66 is electrically connected to the controller 22, and the output of the magnetic field detector 66 is transmitted to the controller 22. Therefore, in this embodiment, the output from the magnetic field detector 66 is input to the controller 22, and based on this output, the controller 22 detects whether there is lateral displacement between the power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, that is, whether there is lateral displacement between the power transmitting device 4 and the power receiving device 5.

[0084] In this structured lateral offset detection device, the lateral offset between the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 in a direction perpendicular to the vehicle 3's travel direction is detected based on the intensity of the magnetic field detected by a plurality of arrayed magnetic field detectors 66 when the vehicle 3 passes over the ground power supply system 2. When the lateral offset between the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 is small, that is, when the vehicle 3 is traveling near the center of the lane, the intensity of the magnetic field detected by the magnetic field detector 66 located in the center of the lane is the strongest. On the other hand, when the lateral offset between the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 is large, that is, when the vehicle 3 is traveling off the center of the lane, the intensity of the magnetic field detected by the magnetic field detector 66 located away from the center of the lane is the strongest. In this way, the lateral offset detection device can detect the presence of lateral offset between the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, that is, the presence of lateral offset between the power transmitting device 4 and the receiving device 5.

[0085] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 is provided in the vehicle 3, and the magnetic field detector 66 is provided in the ground power supply unit 2. However, the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 may be provided in the ground power supply unit 2, and the magnetic field detector may be provided in the vehicle 3. In this case, the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 detects the presence of lateral displacement between the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 based on the output of the magnetic field detector provided in the vehicle 3.

[0086] In this embodiment, the lateral deviation detection device uses a magnetic field to detect the presence of lateral deviation. However, the lateral deviation detection device may also use a method other than a magnetic field to detect lateral deviation, such as sonar using ultrasonic waves. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lateral deviation detection device detects the presence of lateral deviation, but it may also detect the amount of lateral deviation of the vehicle 3 from the center of the lane. In this case, the lateral deviation detection device determines that lateral deviation has occurred if the amount of lateral deviation detected by the lateral deviation detection device is greater than a predetermined reference value.

[0087] <Structure of Communication System>

[0088] In such Figure 1 In the illustrated contactless power supply system 1, in order to perform contactless power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3, the ground power supply device 2 needs to identify the vehicle 3 traveling on the power transmission device 4 and needs information such as the power requested by the vehicle 3. Therefore, in order to perform the contactless power transmission described above, various vehicle information including vehicle identification information needs to be transmitted from the vehicle 3 to the ground power supply device 2, and the ground power supply device 2 needs to receive the vehicle information transmitted from the vehicle 3.

[0089] In order to identify the vehicle 3 traveling on the power transmission device 4, the ground power supply device 2 needs to receive vehicle identification information only from vehicles 3 traveling near the ground power supply device 2. On the other hand, if the speed of the vehicle 3 increases, there is a possibility that not all vehicle information, including the requested power supply, may be received from the vehicle 3 while it is traveling near the ground power supply device 2.

[0090] Therefore, in this embodiment, when vehicle 3 moves a certain distance from the installation location of ground power supply device 2, vehicle information associated with vehicle identification information is transmitted from vehicle 3 to the ground power supply device via wide-area wireless communication. Subsequently, when vehicle 3 approaches the installation location of ground power supply device 2, or when vehicle 3 reaches power transmission device 4 of ground power supply device 2, vehicle identification information is transmitted from vehicle 3 to ground power supply device 2 via narrow-area wireless communication. Specifically, in this embodiment, vehicle information is transmitted from vehicle 3 to ground power supply device 2 via wide-area wireless communication before vehicle identification information is transmitted from vehicle 3 to ground power supply device 2 via narrow-area wireless communication.

[0091] Here, the vehicle identification information is information for identifying the vehicle 3 , for example, a vehicle ID. The vehicle identification information is stored in advance in the memory 342 of the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 .

[0092] In addition, vehicle information is information about the vehicle 3 related to power transmission, including vehicle identification information. Vehicle information includes, for example, the power (or amount of power) requested to be received from the ground power supply device 2, that is, the vehicle-requested power (or the vehicle-requested power). The vehicle-requested power is calculated in the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3. In addition, the vehicle information may also include information related to the state of the vehicle, such as the state of the power receiving device 5 (the connection state between the battery 32 and the power receiving device 5), the charge rate SOC of the battery 32, the temperature of the battery 32, and the allowable charging power Win. In this case, the charge rate SOC of the battery 32 is calculated in the ECU 34 based on the charging current value and the discharging current value of the battery 32 detected by the vehicle-side sensor 37 (battery current sensor). In addition, the temperature of the battery 32 is detected by the vehicle-side sensor 37 (battery temperature sensor). In addition, the allowable charging power Win represents the maximum value of the charging power used to prevent metallic lithium from being deposited on the negative electrode surface of the lithium-ion battery. In ECU34, the allowable charging power Win is calculated based on the charging history of the battery 32, the charging rate SOC of the battery 32 and the temperature of the battery 32.

[0093] Vehicle information also includes the current location of vehicle 3. ECU 34 calculates the current location of vehicle 3 based on the output of GNSS receiver 35. Furthermore, vehicle information may include information related to power receiving device 5, such as various parameters of coil 44 and capacitor 45 of power receiving device 5 (such as the outer and inner diameters of coil 44, the number of turns of coil 44, and the capacitance of capacitor 45), the height of coil 44 from the ground, and the resonant frequency of power receiving-side resonant circuit 51. This vehicle information is pre-stored in memory 342 of ECU 34 of vehicle 3. Furthermore, vehicle information may include user information required for charging usage fees, such as authentication information used to identify the user's payment account. This vehicle information is pre-registered by the user through an input device of vehicle 3 or by inserting a card containing authentication information into a card reader installed in vehicle 3.

[0094] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system used in the contactless power supply system 1. Figure 3 as well as Figure 5 As shown, the vehicle 3 has a first vehicle-side communication device 71 for performing wide-area wireless communication and a second vehicle-side communication device 72 for performing narrow-area wireless communication. The first vehicle-side communication device 71 and the second vehicle-side communication device 72 are connected to the ECU 34 via the in-vehicle network. Figure 2 as well as Figure 5As shown, the ground power supply device 2 includes a first ground-side communication device 81 that performs wide-area wireless communication, and a second ground-side communication device 82 that performs narrow-area wireless communication. These first ground-side communication device 81 and second ground-side communication device 82 are electrically connected to the controller 22 via a wired connection. In particular, in this embodiment, the first vehicle-side communication device 71 and the first ground-side communication device 81 directly or indirectly communicate in one or two directions using wide-area wireless communication. Furthermore, the second vehicle-side communication device 72 and the second ground-side communication device 82 directly communicate in one or two directions using narrow-area wireless communication.

[0095] Wide-area wireless communication is communication with a longer range than narrow-area wireless communication, specifically, a range of 10 meters to 10 kilometers. Wide-area wireless communication can utilize various wireless communication technologies with long ranges, such as those based on any of the communication standards established by 3GPP and IEEE, such as 4G, LTE, 5G, and WiMAX. As described above, in this embodiment, vehicle information associated with vehicle identification information is transmitted from vehicle 3 to ground power supply device 2 using wide-area wireless communication.

[0096] In this embodiment, the vehicle-side first communication device 71 of the vehicle 3 and the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply 2 communicate via a server 91. Specifically, the server 91 is connected to a plurality of wireless base stations 93 via a communication network 92 composed of optical communication lines, etc. The vehicle-side first communication device 71 and the ground-side first communication device 81 communicate with the wireless base stations 93 using wide-area wireless communication. Therefore, the vehicle-side first communication device 71 of the vehicle 3 and the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply 2 communicate using wide-area wireless communication.

[0097] Furthermore, the ground-side first communication device 81 may be connected to the communication network 92 via a wired connection. Therefore, the ground-side first communication device 81 may be connected to the server 91 via a wired connection rather than a wireless connection. Furthermore, the vehicle-side first communication device 71 may communicate with the ground-side first communication device 81 directly via a wireless connection or via a communication network without going through the server 91. Thus, the server 91 communicates with the vehicle 3 via wide-area wireless communication and communicates with the ground power supply device 2 via a wireless or wired connection.

[0098] Figure 6 This is a diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of the server 91. Figure 6 As shown, the server 91 includes an external communication module 911, a storage device 912, and a processor 913. The server 91 may also include input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and output devices such as a display.

[0099] The external communication module 911 communicates with devices external to the server 91 (such as the ground power supply unit 2 and the vehicle 3). The external communication module 911 includes an interface circuit for connecting the server 91 to the communication network 92. The external communication module 911 is configured to communicate with each of the plurality of vehicles 3 and the ground power supply unit 2 via the communication network 92 and the wireless base station 93.

[0100] The storage device 912 includes a volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., RAM), a nonvolatile semiconductor memory (e.g., ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), or an optical recording medium. The storage device 912 stores computer programs for the processor 913 to execute various processes, as well as various data used when the processor 913 executes the various processes. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the storage device 912 stores map information. This map information includes information such as the installation location of the ground power supply device 2, in addition to information related to roads.

[0101] The processor 913 includes one or more CPUs and their peripheral circuits. The processor 913 may also include a GPU or an arithmetic circuit such as a logical operation unit or a numerical operation unit. The processor 913 performs various arithmetic operations according to a computer program stored in the storage device 912 of the server 91.

[0102] Narrow-area wireless communication refers to communication with a communication distance shorter than that of wide-area wireless communication, specifically, for example, communication with a communication distance less than 10 meters. As narrow-area wireless communication, various short-range wireless communications with short communication distances can be used, such as communication in accordance with any communication standard established by IEEE, ISO, IEC, etc. (such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark)). In addition, as a technology for performing narrow-area wireless communication, for example, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), DSRC (dedicated Short Range Communication), etc. are used. As described above, in this embodiment, vehicle identification information is sent from the vehicle 3 to the ground power supply device 2 using narrow-area wireless communication.

[0103] In this embodiment, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 of the vehicle 3 and the ground-side second communication device 82 of the ground power supply unit 2 communicate directly via narrow-area wireless communication. In this embodiment, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 transmits a signal including vehicle identification information, and the ground-side second communication device 82 receives a signal including vehicle identification information.

[0104] The vehicle-side second communication device 72 includes an antenna that generates radio waves or a magnetic field, and a transmission circuit that supplies power or current to the antenna. The transmission circuit includes an oscillator circuit, a modulation circuit, and an amplifier circuit. The modulation circuit modulates the carrier wave generated by the oscillator circuit based on vehicle identification information, and the amplifier circuit amplifies the modulated carrier wave, generating an AC current (AC power) that flows to the antenna. This generates radio waves or a magnetic field in the antenna.

[0105] The ground-side second communication device 82 includes an antenna for receiving radio waves or magnetic fields, and a receiving circuit for extracting information from the radio waves or magnetic fields received by the antenna. The receiving circuit includes an amplifier circuit and a demodulator circuit. The amplifier circuit amplifies the weak current generated by the radio waves or magnetic fields received by the antenna, and the demodulator circuit demodulates the amplified signal to extract the information contained in the signal (here, vehicle identification information).

[0106] Furthermore, communication between the vehicle-side second communication device 72 and the ground-side second communication device 82 can be performed either via radio waves or via magnetic fields (i.e., electromagnetic induction). In particular, when the carrier frequency is low (e.g., 50 Hz to 50 kHz), communication is performed via magnetic fields. In this case, a coil is used as the antenna.

[0107] In this embodiment, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is configured to transmit signals, and the ground-side second communication device 82 is configured to receive signals. However, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 may include a receiving circuit to enable reception in addition to signal transmission, and the ground-side second communication device 82 may include a transmitting circuit to enable transmission in addition to signal reception.

[0108] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 and the ground-side second communication device 82 are installed in the vehicle 3 and the ground power supply 2 as separate devices from the lateral deviation detection device. However, the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 of the lateral deviation detection device can also serve as the vehicle-side second communication device 72, and the magnetic field detector 66 of the lateral deviation detection device can serve as the ground-side second communication device 82. In this case, the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 generates an AC magnetic field using an AC current modulated according to the vehicle identification information. The magnetic field detector 66 demodulates the AC current generated by the detected AC magnetic field to extract the vehicle identification information. Therefore, in this case, the lateral deviation is detected based on the strength of the magnetic field detected by the magnetic field detector 66, and the vehicle identification information is extracted from the signal contained in the magnetic field detected by the magnetic field detector 66.

[0109] <General flow of power supply>

[0110] Next, a general flow of control when contactless power transmission is performed from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 in the contactless power supply system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0111] When contactless power is transmitted from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3, the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 first causes the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to transmit vehicle information associated with the vehicle identification information to the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2. When the vehicle-side first communication device 71 transmits the vehicle information associated with the vehicle identification information, the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2 receives the vehicle information via wide-area wireless communication. In particular, in this embodiment, the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2 receives vehicle information about vehicles 3 located within a predetermined vicinity around the ground power supply device 2.

[0112] As described above, the memory 222 of the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 stores an identification information list containing the vehicle identification information of vehicles 3 that may be supplied with power by the ground power supply device. When the ground-side first communication device 81 receives vehicle information associated with the vehicle identification information from a vehicle 3, the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 registers the associated vehicle identification information in the identification information list. In particular, in this embodiment, the ground-side first communication device 81 receives vehicle information of vehicles 3 located in the vicinity, so the vehicle identification information of vehicles 3 located in the vicinity is registered in the identification information list.

[0113] When the vehicle identification information of at least one vehicle 3 is registered in the identification information list, the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 activates the ground-side second communication device 82 (set to a "reception standby state" described later) in a manner capable of communicating with the vehicle-side second communication device 72, that is, in a manner capable of receiving the vehicle identification information from the vehicle-side second communication device 72. When the ground-side second communication device 82 is activated in this manner, if a vehicle 3 approaches, from which a signal including the vehicle identification information is transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72, the ground-side second communication device 82 can receive the signal including the vehicle identification information transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72.

[0114] Furthermore, when the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 registers the vehicle identification information in the identification information list, it causes the ground-side first communication device 81 to transmit a notification indicating that the vehicle identification information has been registered in the identification information list to the vehicle 3 identified by the vehicle identification information. Furthermore, when the vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list as described above, the ground-side second communication device 82 is activated. Therefore, the notification indicating that the vehicle identification information has been registered in the identification information list can serve as a notification indicating that the ground-side second communication device 82 is operating or is operating in a manner that enables the ground power supply device 2 to receive the vehicle identification information using narrow-area wireless communication.

[0115] When the vehicle-side first communication device 71 receives a notification from the ground-side first communication device 81 via wide-area wireless communication that the vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list, the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 supplies power to the vehicle-side second communication device 72 to activate it when the vehicle 3 approaches the ground power supply device 2 in a manner that enables it to send a signal including the vehicle identification information to the ground-side second communication device 82 of the ground power supply device 2, and also supplies power to the power receiving device 5 to activate it in a manner that enables it to receive power from the ground power supply device 2 when the vehicle 3 is traveling on the ground power supply device 2 (hereinafter referred to as "power receiving activation / signal sending state").

[0116] If the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is operated to send a signal including vehicle identification information, and the ground-side second communication device 82 is operated in a manner capable of communicating with the vehicle-side second communication device 72, and the vehicle 3 approaches the ground power supply device 2, then the ground-side second communication device 82 receives the signal including vehicle identification information sent from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 of the vehicle 3.

[0117] When the controller 22 of the ground power supply system 2 receives vehicle identification information from the ground-side second communication device 82, it compares the received vehicle identification information with the identification information list. Then, if the received vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list, power is supplied to the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 (entering a "power transmission active state," described later) to enable power transmission to vehicle 3 while the vehicle 3 is traveling on the ground power supply system 2. If the vehicle 3 moves while power is being supplied to the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply system 2 and the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3 is operating, and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 is positioned above the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply system 2, power is supplied from the ground power supply system 2 to the vehicle 3. Subsequently, if the vehicle 3 moves and the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3 separates from the power transmitting device 4 of the ground power supply system 2, power supply is terminated.

[0118] As described above, in this embodiment, when the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 receives power from the ground power supply device 2, it causes the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to transmit vehicle information associated with the vehicle identification information to the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2. Furthermore, after the vehicle-side first communication device 71 transmits the vehicle information, the ECU 34 causes the vehicle-side second communication device 72 to transmit the vehicle identification information to the ground-side second communication device 82 of the ground power supply device 2. As a result, while the vehicle 3 is traveling near the ground power supply device 2, the ground power supply device 2 only needs to receive the vehicle identification information via narrow-area wireless communication, eliminating the need to receive other vehicle information via narrow-area wireless communication. Therefore, even if the vehicle 3 is traveling at a relatively high speed, it can still transmit the necessary information to the ground power supply device 2.

[0119] <Communication using wide-area wireless communication>

[0120] Next, refer to Figures 7 to 10 , describing the communication among the vehicle 3, the server 91, and the ground power supply device 2 using wide area wireless communication and the operations of the vehicle 3, the server 91, and the ground power supply device 2 related to the communication. Figure 7 This is an operation sequence diagram related to communication among the vehicle 3, the server 91, and the ground power supply device 2 using wide area wireless communication.

[0121] like Figure 7 As shown, the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 obtains vehicle information and causes the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to transmit the obtained vehicle information to the server 91 via wide-area wireless communication (step S11). As described above, the vehicle information includes vehicle identification information, various parameters of the power receiving device 5, the current location information of the vehicle 3, the vehicle's requested power, and other information about the vehicle 3 related to power transmission. The ECU 34 obtains the vehicle identification information and various parameters of the power receiving device 5 from the memory 342 and obtains the current location information of the vehicle 3 from the GNSS receiver 35. Furthermore, the ECU 34 calculates the vehicle's requested power based on the various states of the vehicle 3. Specifically, the ECU 34 sets the vehicle's requested power to a lower value as the battery 32's SOC increases, and the vehicle's requested power is set to a lower value as the battery 32's temperature increases.

[0122] Furthermore, the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 causes the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to transmit vehicle information at predetermined time intervals. This time interval is always constant. Alternatively, it may be variable depending on the situation. In this case, specifically, the time interval is set to be shorter as the distance from the current position of the vehicle 3 obtained by the GNSS receiver 35 to the installation location of the ground power supply device 2 stored in the storage device 36 decreases.

[0123] When the server 91 receives vehicle information from a plurality of vehicles 3 capable of communicating with the server 91, the server 91 determines the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 located within the vicinity of each ground power supply device 2 based on the current location information of each vehicle 3 included in the vehicle information (step S12). Specifically, the server 91 determines the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 located within a predetermined vicinity around each ground power supply device 2 based on the current location information of each vehicle 3 included in the vehicle information received from each vehicle 3 and the installation location information of each ground power supply device 2 stored in the storage device 912 of the server 91.

[0124] The "nearby area" is, for example, set to an area within a predetermined distance (e.g., 500 meters) from the target ground power supply device 2. Alternatively, the "nearby area" may be set to an area within a predetermined first distance from the target ground power supply device 2 for a lane in which a vehicle 3 is traveling toward the ground power supply device 2, and within a predetermined second distance from the target ground power supply device 2 that is shorter than the first distance for a lane in which a vehicle 3 is traveling away from the ground power supply device 2.

[0125] Furthermore, the aforementioned "nearby area" may be an area that expands as the speed of vehicle 3 increases. Specifically, for example, while a certain area is set as the "predetermined area" for vehicles 3 traveling at speeds below a predetermined reference speed, an area encompassing and wider than the predetermined reference area is set as the "nearby area" for vehicles traveling at speeds exceeding the predetermined reference speed. In this case, the faster the speed of vehicle 3, the longer the distance from the current position of vehicle 3 to the installation location of the ground power supply device 2 becomes when vehicle information is transmitted to the ground power supply device 2 via the server 91 via the vehicle-side first communication device 71.

[0126] The server 91 identifies the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 located in the vicinity of each ground power supply device 2 at predetermined time intervals. This time interval is preferably approximately the same as the shortest time interval at which the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 transmits vehicle information to the server 91.

[0127] After the server 91 determines the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 located in the vicinity of each ground power supply device 2, it transmits the vehicle information of the vehicles 3 associated with the determined vehicle identification information to each ground power supply device 2 via the communication network 92 (step S13). Thus, the server 91 transmits the vehicle information of the vehicles 3 located in the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2 to each ground power supply device 2. The vehicle information transmitted at this time includes, in addition to the vehicle identification information, information necessary for the ground power supply device 2 to supply power to the vehicles 3.

[0128] When the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2 receives vehicle information from the server 91, the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 registers or removes the vehicle identification information from the identification information list based on the vehicle identification information associated with the received vehicle information (step S14). Specifically, in this embodiment, the controller 22 registers or removes the vehicle identification information from the identification information list so that the vehicle identification information associated with the received vehicle information is not insufficiently registered in the identification information list.

[0129] After registering / removing the vehicle identification information from the identification information list, the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 causes the first ground-side communication device 81 to send the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list to the server 91 via the communication network 92 (step S15). The controller 22 sends the vehicle identification information to the server 91 at a predetermined time interval. At this time, the controller 22 sends all the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list. In addition, the controller 22 may also send only the vehicle identification information newly registered in the identification information list and the vehicle identification information removed from the identification information list. In this case, the controller 22 may also send the vehicle identification information to the server 91 whenever the vehicle identification information recorded in the identification information list changes, rather than at a predetermined time interval.

[0130] Upon receiving vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list from a ground power supply device 2, the server 91 transmits a notification (hereinafter referred to as a "list registration notification") to the vehicle 3 corresponding to the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list, indicating that the vehicle identification information has been registered in the identification information list (step S16). In this embodiment, the list registration notification is transmitted at regular intervals. The list registration notification may also include the identification information or installation location information of the ground power supply device 2 whose vehicle identification information has been registered in the identification information list. Consequently, if the vehicle identification information of a vehicle 3 is registered in the identification information list of any ground power supply device 2, the list registration notification is transmitted to that vehicle 3. On the other hand, if the vehicle identification information of a vehicle 3 is not registered in the identification information list of any ground power supply device 2, the list registration notification is not transmitted to that vehicle 3. Therefore, each vehicle 3 can always know in which ground power supply device 2 its vehicle identification information is registered. Furthermore, if the server 91 receives only newly registered or removed vehicle identification information, the server 91 transmits a notification to the vehicle 3 corresponding to that vehicle identification information indicating that the vehicle identification information has been registered in the identification information list or removed.

[0131] However, in Figure 7In the illustrated sequence diagram, the registration / removal of vehicle identification information from the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2 is determined solely based on whether or not the vehicle 3 is located in the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, fundamentally, when the vehicle 3 exits the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is removed from the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2. However, registration / removal of vehicle identification information from the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2 may also be determined based on other factors. Specifically, for example, when power supply to a vehicle 3 by a certain ground power supply device 2 ends, the vehicle identification information of that vehicle 3 may be removed from the identification information list of that ground power supply device 2. Furthermore, when a vehicle 3 requests that the vehicle identification information of that vehicle 3 be removed from the identification information list of a specific ground power supply device 2, the vehicle identification information of that vehicle 3 may be removed from the identification information list of that ground power supply device 2.

[0132] Figure 8 It is related to the communication between the vehicle 3, the server 91 and the ground power supply device 2 using wide area wireless communication. Figure 7 The same action sequence diagram. In particular, Figure 8 The operation after the power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 is completed is shown.

[0133] After the vehicle 3 finishes receiving power from the ground power supply device 2 (step S21), the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 causes the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to send power reception completion information to the server 91 (step S22). The power reception completion information includes information related to power reception from the ground power supply device 2. Specifically, the power reception completion information includes, for example, vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3, the power received from the ground power supply device 2, the power reception efficiency, and abnormality detection results related to power reception by the vehicle 3 during and before and after power reception. In addition, the power reception completion information may also include the power reception period (for example, the start time and the end time), the amount of power received from the ground power supply device 2, etc. The ECU 34 calculates the values ​​of various parameters included in the power reception completion information based on the output of the vehicle-side sensor 37 during power reception from the ground power supply device 2.

[0134] In addition, after the ground power supply device 2 completes power transmission to the vehicle 3 (step S23), the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 causes the ground-side first communication device 81 to transmit power transmission completion information to the server 91 (step S24). The power transmission completion information includes information related to power transmission to the vehicle 3. Specifically, the power transmission completion information includes, for example, identification information of the ground power supply device 2, vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3, the power transmitted to the vehicle 3, power transmission efficiency, and abnormality detection results related to power transmission to the vehicle 3 during and before and after power transmission. In addition, the power transmission completion information may also include the power transmission period (for example, the start time and the end time), the amount of power transmitted to the vehicle 3, etc. The controller 22 calculates the values ​​of various parameters included in the power transmission completion information based on the output of the ground-side sensor 23 during power transmission to the vehicle 3.

[0135] Upon receiving power reception completion information and power transmission completion information for the same period of time for the same vehicle 3 from the vehicle 3 and the ground power supply device 2, respectively, the server 91 performs power supply termination processing for the corresponding power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 (step S25). In the power supply termination processing, based on the power reception completion information and the power transmission completion information, the server 91 calculates the amount of power supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3, bills the user of the vehicle 3 based on the calculated amount of power supplied, and diagnoses abnormalities in the power transmitting device 4 of the ground power supply device 2 and the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3. For example, the amount of power supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 is calculated based on the temporal evolution of the power received from the ground power supply device 2 and the power transmitted to the vehicle 3. Furthermore, in the billing processing for the user of the vehicle 3, for example, a charge corresponding to the amount of power supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 is made to the user's settlement account. In the abnormality diagnosis of the power transmitting device 4 and the power receiving device 5 , for example, if there is a large difference between the received power included in the power reception completion information and the transmitted power included in the power transmission completion information, it is diagnosed that there is an abnormality in the power transmitting device 4 or the power receiving device 5 .

[0136] Furthermore, the power supply termination process is performed each time power supply to a vehicle 3 is terminated by a single ground power supply device 2, and therefore each time the power receiving device 5 of a vehicle 3 passes over a single power transmission device 4. Therefore, during the power supply termination process, the amount of power supplied to the vehicle 3 by a single ground power supply device 2 is calculated. However, the power supply termination process may be performed each time power supply to the vehicle 3 is terminated by multiple ground power supply devices 2, that is, each time the power receiving device 5 of a vehicle 3 passes over multiple power transmission devices 4. In this case, during the power supply termination process, the total amount of power supplied to the vehicle 3 by the multiple ground power supply devices 2 is calculated.

[0137] Regardless of the power supply end processing, Figure 7Similarly to step S11, the vehicle information is sent from the vehicle 3 to the server 91 (step S26). Figure 7 Similarly to step S12, the server 91 determines the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 located in the vicinity of each ground power supply device 2 based on the vehicle information (step S27). Then, when the power supply to a certain vehicle 3 has been terminated at a certain ground power supply device 2, the server 91 deletes the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 in the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2 determined in step S27 (step S28).

[0138] After that, the server 91 sends the vehicle information associated with the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 determined to be located in the vicinity of each ground power supply device 2 and not deleted in step S28 to each ground power supply device 2 (step S29). Figure 7 Similarly to step S14, the vehicle identification information is registered / removed from the identification information list (step S30). Figure 7 Similarly to step S15, the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list is sent (step S31). Figure 7 Similarly to step S16, a list registration notification is sent (step S32).

[0139] Alternatively, the server 91 may receive a request from the vehicle 3 to remove the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 from the identification information list of a specific ground power supply device 2 (for example, see Figure 14 In the case of an "identification information removal request" described later, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is deleted from the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 in the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2, similarly to step S28.

[0140] As a result, in the Figure 8 In the case of the processing shown, the vehicle identification information of vehicles 3 located in the vicinity of each ground power supply device 2, whose power supply from the ground power supply device 2 has not yet ended and whose identification information removal request has not been made is registered in the identification information list. Furthermore, when the vehicle identification information of vehicle 3 is registered in the identification information list of any ground power supply device 2, vehicle 3 receives a list registration notification.

[0141] Figure 9 This is a flowchart showing the flow of processing related to communication using wide area wireless communication in the server 91. The processor 913 of the server 91 executes Figure 9 The processing shown.

[0142] First, the processor 913 of the server 91 obtains various information received from the vehicles 3 and the ground power supply devices 2 (step S41). The various information includes vehicle information received from each vehicle 3 and stored in the storage device 912 of the server 91, and power reception completion information associated with the vehicle identification information. Furthermore, the various information includes power transmission completion information associated with the vehicle identification information received from each ground power supply device 2 and stored in the storage device 912 of the server 91.

[0143] Next, the processor 913 of the server 91 determines whether power reception end information and power transmission end information associated with the same vehicle identification information have been received from the vehicle 3 and the ground power supply device 2, respectively (step S42). If it is determined in step S42 that the corresponding power reception end information and power transmission end information have been received, the processor 913 of the server 91 executes the power supply end processing described above (step S43). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S42 that the corresponding power reception end information and power transmission end information have not been received, step S43 is skipped.

[0144] Next, the processor 913 of the server 91 determines the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 located in the vicinity of each ground power supply device 2 based on the vehicle information (particularly the current location information) of the vehicle 3 obtained in step S41 and the installation location information of each ground power supply device 2 (step S44). The vicinity of each ground power supply device 2 is pre-stored in the storage device 912 of the server 91, for example.

[0145] Next, if power supply to a vehicle 3 has already been terminated by a certain ground power supply device 2, the processor 913 of the server 91 deletes the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 for which power supply has already been terminated from the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 located in the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2 determined in step S44 (step S45). Thereafter, the processor 913 of the server 91 transmits the vehicle information associated with the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 determined to be located in the vicinity of each ground power supply device 2, which has not been deleted in step S45, to each ground power supply device 2 (step S46).

[0146] Figure 10 This is a flowchart showing the flow of processing related to communication using wide area wireless communication in the ground power supply device 2. In the processor 223 of the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2, each time the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2 receives vehicle information associated with vehicle identification information from the server 91, Figure 10 The processing shown.

[0147] When the first communication device 81 on the ground side receives vehicle information associated with the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 located in the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2 (step S51), the processor 223 compares the vehicle identification information included in the received vehicle information with the vehicle identification information in the identification information list stored in the memory 342 (step S52).

[0148] Afterwards, the processor 223 compares the result of the vehicle identification information in step S52, and newly registers the vehicle identification information included in the vehicle identification information of the received vehicle information that is not registered in the identification information list to the identification information list (step S53). In addition, the processor 223 removes the vehicle identification information that has been registered in the identification information list and is not included in the vehicle identification information included in the vehicle information received from the server 91 from the identification information list (step S54). As a result, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 located in the vicinity of each ground power supply device 2 is always registered in the identification information list. Afterwards, the processor 223 causes the first ground-side communication device 81 to send the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list to the server 91 via the communication network 92 (step S55)

[0149] <Status and Operation of Vehicles and Ground Power Supply Devices Related to Power Supply>

[0150] Next, refer to Figures 11 to 15 , the states and operations of the vehicle 3 and the ground power supply device 2 related to the power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 are described.

[0151] First, refer to Figure 11 , a general transition of the operation and state of the vehicle 3 and the ground power supply device 2 when power is supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 will be described. Figure 11 This is a diagram schematically showing the movement and state transition of the vehicle 3 and the ground power supply device 2 when the vehicle 3 approaches the ground power supply device 2 and supplies power. Figure 11 In the example shown, for simplicity of description, the transition is shown when there is only one vehicle 3 and only one ground power supply device 2. Figure 11 In the figure, the rectangle represents the state of the vehicle 3 or the ground power supply device 2, and the rounded square represents the operation of the vehicle 3 or the ground power supply device 2.

[0152] exist Figure 11 In the example shown, in the initial state, vehicle 3 is quite far from ground power supply device 2 and outside the vicinity of ground power supply device 2. Therefore, vehicle identification information of vehicle 3 is not registered in the identification information list of ground power supply device 2. Therefore, no list registration notification is sent to vehicle 3.

[0153] In this state, power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 has not yet begun. Therefore, the vehicle 3 is set to a sleep state, where only standby power is supplied to power-receiving equipment and no power is supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72 (step S61). Furthermore, the ground power supply device 2 is also set to a sleep state, where only standby power is supplied and no power is supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82 (step S81).

[0154] After that, when vehicle 3 enters the vicinity of ground power supply device 2, as described above, the vehicle identification information of vehicle 3 is registered in the identification information list of ground power supply device 2 (step S82). In addition, vehicle 3 receives a list registration notification notifying that the vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list of ground power supply device 2 (step S62).

[0155] When the vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2, the ground power supply device 2 is set to a reception standby state, in which power is supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82 (step S83). In the reception standby state, when a signal is transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 at a short distance from the ground-side second communication device 82, the ground-side second communication device 82 can receive the signal. Furthermore, when vehicle 3 receives the list registration notification, the vehicle 3 is set to a power reception active / signal transmission state, in which power is supplied to the power reception-related devices of vehicle 3, power is supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72, and a signal including the vehicle identification information of vehicle 3 is transmitted (step S63). In the power reception active / signal transmission state, when the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the power receiving device 5 of vehicle 3 is positioned above the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the power transmitting device 4 of the ground power supply device 2, the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 can receive power from the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43. Therefore, vehicle 3 transmits its vehicle identification information via narrow-area wireless communication to request power from the ground power supply device 2. From another perspective, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 transmits the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 using narrow-area wireless communication to request the ground power supply device 2 to supply power.

[0156] Afterwards, when the vehicle 3 approaches the ground power supply device 2 and the ground-side second communication device 82 is able to receive the signal sent from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 (step S64), a signal including vehicle identification information is sent from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 to the ground-side second communication device 82, and the ground-side second communication device 82 receives the signal sent from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 (step S84).

[0157] Because narrow-area wireless communication has a narrow communication range, the ground-side second communication device 82 receives a signal transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72, indicating that the vehicle 3 identified by the received vehicle identification information has arrived near the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the ground-side second communication device 82 receives a signal including the vehicle identification information, the ground power supply device 2 is set to the power transmission active state (step S85). In the power transmission active state, weak power is supplied to the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2.

[0158] Subsequently, when the vehicle 3 is set to the power reception active state and the ground power supply device 2 is set to the power transmission active state, the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 approaches the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2 and is positioned on the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 (step S65). Magnetic field resonant coupling occurs between the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the receiving-side resonant circuit 51, increasing the current flowing through the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2. As the current flowing through the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 increases, the ground power supply device 2 is set to the full power transmission state, supplying a large amount of power to the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 (step S86). At this point, strong magnetic field resonant coupling occurs between the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the receiving-side resonant circuit 51, causing power to be supplied from the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 to the receiving-side resonant circuit 51, and thus power is supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3.

[0159] Thereafter, as vehicle 3 moves and the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of vehicle 3 moves away from the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply unit 2 (step S66), the magnetic field resonant coupling generated between the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 weakens, and the current flowing through the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply unit 2 decreases. As the current flowing through the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 decreases, the power supplied to the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 decreases, and the state of the ground power supply unit 2 returns to the power transmission active state (step S87).

[0160] Afterward, when vehicle 3 further distances itself from the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2 and the magnetic field resonance coupling between the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 disappears, vehicle 3 performs a power reception termination process (step S67). During the power reception termination process, the values ​​of the parameters constituting the power reception termination information are calculated, and the calculated power reception termination information is transmitted from vehicle 3 to server 91. Furthermore, at this time, the ground power supply device 2 performs a power transmission termination process (step S88). During the power transmission termination process, the values ​​of the parameters constituting the power transmission termination information are calculated, and the calculated power transmission termination information is transmitted from the ground power supply device 2 to server 91. After the power transmission termination process is performed, the ground power supply device 2 stops supplying current to the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, and the ground power supply device 2 is reset to the reception standby state (step S89).

[0161] Afterwards, after vehicle 3 exits the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2, as described above, the vehicle identification information of vehicle 3 is removed from the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2 (step S90). Furthermore, vehicle 3 no longer receives the list registration notification notifying that the vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2 (step S68). When the crew identification information of vehicle 3 is removed from the identification information list, there are no vehicles 3 requiring power supply near the ground power supply device 2, so the state of the ground power supply device 2 returns to the sleep state (step S91). Furthermore, when vehicle 3 no longer receives the list registration notification, there are no ground power supply devices 2 near the vehicle 3, so the state of vehicle 3 also returns to the sleep state (step S69).

[0162] <State and Operation Transition of Ground Power Supply Device>

[0163] Next, refer to Figure 12 as well as Figure 13 , explaining the state and operation transition of the ground power supply device 2. Figure 12 as well as Figure 13 This is a diagram schematically showing the state and operation transition of the ground power supply device 2. In particular, Figure 12 The state and operation transition when the vehicle 3 is not located near the ground power supply device 2, specifically, the state and operation transition between the sleep state and the reception standby state. Figure 13 The state and action transition when the vehicle 3 is located near the ground power supply device 2 are shown, specifically, the state and action transition between the reception standby state, the power transmission active state, the formal power transmission state, and the ready state. Figure 12 as well as Figure 13 In FIG. 1 , the rectangles also represent the states of the ground power supply device 2 , and the rounded squares represent the operations of the ground power supply device 2 .

[0164] The state of the ground power supply device 2 is Figure 12 The sleep state shown (A11. Figure 11 ) in step S81 and the state in step S91, only standby power is supplied to the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, at this time, only the necessary minimum standby power is supplied to the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2, and no power is supplied to other devices related to power transmission to the vehicle 3. For example, no power is supplied to the power transmission side resonance circuit 43, the ground side second communication device 82, the ground side sensor 23, and the magnetic field detector 66, and only a small amount of power is supplied to the controller 22. Therefore, when the state of the ground power supply device 2 is in the sleep state, the power consumption caused by the devices related to power transmission of the ground power supply device 2 is small. However, even when the state of the ground power supply device 2 is in the sleep state, power is supplied to the ground side first communication device 81. Therefore, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 located in the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2 can be received from the server 91.

[0165] When the ground power supply device 2 is in the sleep state (A11), the ground-side first communication device 81 receives vehicle information. If the vehicle identification information included in the vehicle information is registered in the identification information list (C11), the ground power supply device 2 begins supplying power to devices related to power transmission, activating these devices and performing self-diagnostics of these devices (B12). Specifically, sufficient power is supplied to the controller 22 for full operation, and power is also supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82, ground-side sensors 23, magnetic field detector 66, and other devices. Furthermore, a self-diagnostic program is executed in the controller 22, performing self-diagnostics of the controller 22, the ground-side second communication device 82, and the ground-side sensors 23.

[0166] After the startup and self-diagnosis of the equipment are completed (C12), the state of the ground power supply device 2 is changed to the reception standby state (A13. Figure 11). When the state of the ground power supply device 2 is in the receiving standby state (A13), power is supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82, and the ground-side second communication device 82 can receive signals. In addition, in the present embodiment, when the state of the ground power supply device 2 is in the receiving standby state, sufficient power is also supplied to the controller 22, the ground-side sensor 23, and the magnetic field detector 66, etc. Therefore, when the state of the ground power supply device 2 is in the receiving standby state, if a signal is transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 at a distance close to the ground-side second communication device 82, the ground-side second communication device 82 can receive the signal. On the other hand, when the state of the ground power supply device 2 is in the receiving standby state (A13), power is not supplied to the sending-side resonance circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, even if it is assumed that the receiving-side resonance circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 is close to the sending-side resonance circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2, power is not supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. Furthermore, when the ground power supply device 2 is in the reception standby state, no power is supplied to the power transmission side resonance circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2 , so the power consumption of the ground power supply device 2 is not that large.

[0167] When the state of the ground power supply device 2 is in the receiving standby state (A13), when no vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2 (C13), the vehicle 3 has not yet come near the ground power supply device 2, so the state of the ground power supply device 2 returns to the sleep state (A11).

[0168] On the other hand, Figure 13 As shown, when the ground power supply device 2 is in the reception standby state (A13), if a vehicle 3 approaches the ground power supply device 2, the ground-side second communication device 82 of the ground power supply device 2 receives a signal including vehicle identification information transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 (C14). Upon receiving the signal including vehicle identification information, the ground-side second communication device 82 stores the vehicle identification information included in the signal in the memory 222 of the controller 22 as the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 being supplied with power. Furthermore, the vehicle identification information included in the signal is compared with the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list stored in the memory 222 (B14).

[0169] The vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is sent to the ground power supply device 2 in advance via the vehicle-side first communication device 71 and the ground-side first communication device 81, so the vehicle identification information included in the signal sent from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is basically registered in the identification information list. However, there are cases where the above-mentioned vehicle identification information is not registered in the identification information list in advance due to, for example, a failure of the vehicle-side first communication device 71. In this case (C19), the vehicle 3 is not supplied with power from the ground power supply device 2, and a power supply termination process (B19) is performed to terminate the power supply. In addition, in the comparison between the vehicle identification information included in the signal and the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list, if the termination condition described later is met (C19), a power supply termination process (B19) is also performed to terminate the power supply. The power supply termination process will be described in detail later.

[0170] On the other hand, if the comparison results in the vehicle identification information included in the signal received from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 being registered in the identification information list (C15), the lateral displacement detection device then detects whether there is lateral displacement between the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51 (B15). If lateral displacement occurs between the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51, the efficiency of power supply between them decreases. Therefore, if the lateral displacement detection device detects lateral displacement between the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51 (C20), power is not supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3, and power transmission is terminated (B19). Furthermore, if the termination condition described later is met during the lateral displacement detection device's detection of lateral displacement, power transmission termination (B19) is also performed.

[0171] On the other hand, when the lateral deviation detection device detects that no lateral deviation occurs between the power transmission side resonance circuit 43 and the power reception side resonance circuit 51 (C16), it is determined whether the interruption condition described later is met. If the interruption condition is not met (C18), the state of the ground power supply device 2 is switched from the reception standby state (A13) to the power transmission active state (A16). Figure 11 85 and the status in S87).

[0172] When the ground power supply device 2 is in the power transmission active state (A16), power is supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82, controller 22, ground-side sensor 23, magnetic field detector 66, and the like, similarly to the reception standby state (A13). Furthermore, at this time, weak power is supplied to the transmission-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2. This weak power supply to the transmission-side resonant circuit 43 causes magnetic field resonant coupling to occur between the transmission-side resonant circuit 43 and the reception-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2 when the reception-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 approaches and is positioned on the transmission-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2. This increases the current flowing through the transmission-side resonant circuit 43.

[0173] Therefore, when the current flowing through the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 increases (C21) while the ground power supply device 2 is in the power transmission active state (A16), this means that the power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 has moved to the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, in this case, the state of the ground power supply device 2 is switched to the official power transmission state (A17). Figure 11 status in step S86).

[0174] When the ground power supply device 2 is in the active power transmission state (A17), power is supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82, controller 22, ground-side sensor 23, magnetic field detector 66, and the like, similarly to the reception standby state (A13). Furthermore, in order to transmit power to vehicle 3, a higher power is supplied to the ground power supply device 2's transmission-side resonant circuit 43 than in the power transmission active state (A16). This results in strong magnetic field resonance coupling between the transmission-side resonant circuit 43 and the reception-side resonant circuit 51, allowing a high power supply from the ground power supply device 2's power transmission device 4 to the vehicle 3's power reception device 5. In particular, in this embodiment, the power supplied to the transmission-side resonant circuit 43 is set based on the requested power supply power included in the vehicle information associated with the vehicle identification information. Specifically, the higher the requested power supply power, the greater the power supplied to the transmission-side resonant circuit 43. For example, when the speed of vehicle 3 is low and the time for which the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is located above the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 is long, the requested power supply changes during the power supply from power transmitting device 4 to power receiving device 5. In this case, the power supplied to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 also changes in accordance with the change in the requested power supply.

[0175] When the ground power supply device 2 is in the full power transmission state (A17), if the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 separates from the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2, the current flowing through the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2 decreases as described above. When the current flowing through the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2 decreases (C22), the ground power supply device 2 switches from the full power transmission state (A17) to the active power transmission state (A16). Furthermore, while the ground power supply device 2 is in the full power transmission state, it also switches to the active power transmission state (A16) if the termination condition (described later) is met or the interruption condition (described later) is met. As a result, when power transmission is terminated due to the termination condition or interrupted due to the interruption condition, the ground power supply device 2 temporarily returns to the active power transmission state (A16), thereby preventing the power supplied to the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 from rapidly dropping to zero. Therefore, the load on the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and other devices caused by the sudden drop in the power supplied to the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 to zero is reduced.

[0176] When the interruption condition is met (C23) when the state of the ground power supply device 2 is in the power transmission activation state (A16), or when the interruption condition is met (C17) when the lateral deviation detection device detects that no lateral deviation occurs, the state of the ground power supply device 2 is switched to the ready state (A18).

[0177] The ready state of the ground power supply device 2 is essentially the same as the reception standby state. Therefore, when the ground power supply device 2 is in the ready state (A18), sufficient power is supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82, the controller 22, the ground-side sensor 23, the magnetic field detector 66, and the like. Meanwhile, no power is supplied to the power-transmitting resonant circuit 43. Therefore, when the ground power supply device 2 is in the ready state (A18), no power is supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3, and similarly to the reception standby state, power consumption is not as high.

[0178] Here, the interruption condition is a condition that requires temporarily interrupting the power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. Specific examples of the interruption conditions are listed below. All of the interruption conditions listed below may be used, or some may not. In this embodiment, if any of the following interruption conditions is met, the ground power supply device 2 switches to the ready state (A18).

[0179] The first interruption condition is that the lateral displacement detection device detects lateral displacement between the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51. As described above, when lateral displacement occurs, power supply efficiency decreases, so power supply is interrupted when lateral displacement is detected.

[0180] As described above, when vehicle 3 approaches the ground power supply unit 2, lateral deviation detection is also performed by the lateral deviation detection device (B15). In this case, there is a possibility that the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of vehicle 3 will be significantly offset from the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply unit 2. In contrast, if no lateral deviation is detected when vehicle 3 approaches the ground power supply unit 2 (C16), even if lateral deviation subsequently occurs between the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, it is unlikely to cause significant lateral deviation. Therefore, detection of lateral deviation between the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 by the lateral deviation detection device serves as an interruption condition, not a termination condition for power transmission. However, detection of lateral deviation can also serve as a termination condition for power transmission.

[0181] The second interruption condition is the loss of communication between the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2 and the server 91. The ground-side first communication device 81 regularly communicates with the server 91, for example, to receive vehicle information (particularly, requests for power supply) from the vehicle 3 being supplied. The ground power supply device 2 then supplies power to the vehicle 3 based on the received vehicle information. Therefore, if the ground power supply device 2 cannot receive vehicle information from the vehicle 3, it cannot properly control the power supply. Therefore, when communication is lost, power supply to the vehicle 3 is temporarily interrupted.

[0182] The third interruption condition is that the temperature of the power transmission device 4 of the ground power supply system 2, specifically the temperature of the power transmission-side rectifier circuit 41, inverter 42, or power transmission-side resonant circuit 43, exceeds a predetermined interruption reference temperature. To prevent the temperature of the power transmission device 4 from becoming excessively high, power supply to the vehicle 3 is temporarily interrupted when this interruption condition is met. The temperature of the power transmission device 4 is detected by the ground-side sensor 23 (power transmission device temperature sensor).

[0183] The fourth interruption condition is when the speed of vehicle 3 traveling on power transmission device 4 exceeds a predetermined interruption reference speed. When the speed of vehicle 3 exceeds the interruption reference speed, power supply efficiency decreases. Therefore, when this interruption condition is met, power supply to vehicle 3 is temporarily interrupted. For example, the speed of vehicle 3 is calculated based on the change in the power supplied from power transmission device 4 to power receiving device 5.

[0184] The fifth interruption condition is the detection of a foreign object or living organism on the road where the power transmission device 4 is embedded. When a foreign object or living organism is present on the power transmission device 4, the AC magnetic field generated by the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 changes, potentially reducing power supply efficiency. Therefore, when this interruption condition is met, power supply to the vehicle 3 is temporarily interrupted. The ground-side sensor 23 (foreign object sensor, living organism sensor) detects a foreign object or living organism on the road where the power transmission device 4 is embedded.

[0185] The sixth interruption condition is when the power (or current or voltage) supplied to the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the power transmitting device 4 exceeds a predetermined interruption reference value. If the power supplied to the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 becomes excessive, there is a possibility that an abnormality has occurred in the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43. Therefore, when this interruption condition is met, power supply to the vehicle 3 is temporarily interrupted. The power supplied to the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 is calculated based on the outputs of the ground-side sensors 23 (power transmitting device current sensor and power transmitting device voltage sensor).

[0186] When the ground power supply device 2 is in the ready state (A18) and none of the above interruption conditions are satisfied (C24), the ground power supply device 2 switches to the power transmission active state (A16).

[0187] When the termination condition is satisfied (C25) when the state of the ground power supply device 2 is in the power transmission active state (A16), or when the termination condition is satisfied (C26) when the state of the ground power supply device 2 is in the ready state (A18), the power transmission termination process is performed (B19). Figure 11 88).

[0188] During the power transmission termination process, power transmission termination information is transmitted from the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2 to the server 91. As described above, the power transmission termination information includes information related to power transmission to the vehicle 3. The values ​​of various parameters included in the power transmission termination information are calculated based on the output of the ground-side sensor 23, etc. Furthermore, during the power transmission termination process, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 being supplied, which was stored in the memory 222 of the ground power supply device 2 by the action indicated by B14, is removed from the memory 222. Upon completion of the power transmission termination process, the ground power supply device 2 switches to the reception standby state (A13).

[0189] Here, the termination condition is a condition that requires the termination of power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. Specific examples of the termination conditions are listed below. All of the termination conditions listed below may be used, or some may be omitted. In this embodiment, power transmission termination processing is performed when any of the following termination conditions is met.

[0190] The first termination condition is to detect that the vehicle 3 approaching the ground power supply device 2 has left the ground power supply device 2. When the vehicle 3 has passed the power transmission device 4 of the ground power supply device 2, power is no longer transmitted from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. Therefore, when the above termination condition is met, power transmission to the vehicle 3 is terminated. The departure of the vehicle 3 from the ground power supply device 2 is detected by any method. Specifically, for example, the departure of the vehicle 3 from the ground power supply device 2 is detected by the ground-side second communication device 82 no longer receiving the signal sent by the vehicle-side second communication device 72. In addition, for example, the departure of the vehicle 3 from the ground power supply device 2 can also be detected by arranging a magnetic field detector used in the lateral deviation detection device behind the power transmission device 4 in the direction of travel of the vehicle 3 and using the magnetic field detector to detect the AC magnetic field generated by the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 of the vehicle 3.

[0191] The second termination condition is that the ground-side second communication device 82 of the ground power supply device 2 receives a signal containing vehicle identification information different from the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 currently being supplied with power, which is stored in the memory 222 of the ground power supply device 2 during the operation indicated by B14. In other words, the second termination condition is that the ground-side second communication device 82 receives vehicle identification information of a vehicle different from the vehicle 3 currently receiving power or the vehicle 3 that has just completed power transmission. If a subsequent vehicle approaches to the point where the ground-side second communication device 82 receives a signal containing vehicle identification information, power transmission to the vehicle 3 must be terminated to avoid confusion between the power transmission information of the vehicle currently receiving power and the subsequent vehicle. As described above, if the termination condition is met, power transmission can be terminated early, and the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 currently being supplied with power stored in the memory 222 of the ground power supply device 2 can be deleted from the memory 222 early, thereby deleting the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 currently being supplied with power before power transmission to the subsequent vehicle begins.

[0192] The third termination condition is that the time elapsed since the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 being supplied with power was registered in the memory 222 of the ground power supply device 2 is longer than a predetermined termination reference time. If this elapsed time is too long, there is a possibility that an abnormality has occurred, such as the ground power supply device 2 failing to detect that the vehicle 3 has left. Therefore, when this termination condition is met, power supply to the vehicle 3 is terminated. Furthermore, the third termination condition may be any other condition, as long as it indicates that the vehicle 3 has been occupying the power transmission device of the ground power supply device 2 for an extended period of time. For example, the third termination condition may be that the ground power supply device 2 has been in the power transmission active state or the ready state for a predetermined period of time, within the time elapsed since the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 being supplied with power was registered in the memory 222.

[0193] The fourth termination condition is a failure in equipment related to power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. If a failure occurs in the ground power supply device 2, power cannot be properly supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. Therefore, when the above termination condition is met, power transmission to the vehicle 3 is terminated. For example, a failure in the ground power supply device 2 is detected through self-diagnosis of equipment related to power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 (also performed during the operation indicated by B12).

[0194] The fifth termination condition is a termination request from outside the contactless power supply system 1. For example, if roadwork begins near the ground power supply device 2 or a disaster occurs, a termination request may be sent from outside the contactless power supply system 1 to the ground power supply device 2. This termination request is sent from a system outside the contactless power supply system 1 to the server 91, and then from the server 91 to the ground-side first communication device 81.

[0195] The sixth termination condition is that the coupling coefficient between the power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply device 2 and the power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 is greater than a predetermined reference value, or the power transmitted from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 is greater than a predetermined termination reference value. If the coupling coefficient is extremely high or the transmitted power is extremely high, there is a possibility that excessive current will flow through the power transmitting device 4 and the power receiving device 5. Therefore, when the coupling coefficient is greater than a reference value or the transmitted power is greater than a reference value, power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 is terminated, thereby suppressing the flow of excessive current through the power transmitting device 4 and the power receiving device 5. For example, the power transmitted from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 is calculated based on the outputs of the ground-side sensors 23 (the power transmitting device current sensor and the power transmitting device voltage sensor).

[0196] The seventh termination condition is that the charge to the user of vehicle 3, calculated based on the power transmitted from the ground power supply device 2 to vehicle 3, exceeds a predetermined upper limit. The controller calculates the charge to the user based on the change in power transmitted to vehicle 3 and the per-unit electricity cost at that time. The upper limit can be a predetermined fixed value or a value set by the user of vehicle 3. If it is a user-set value, the upper limit is included in the vehicle information transmitted from vehicle 3.

[0197] The eighth termination condition is receipt of a power transmission stop request, described later, from vehicle 3. As described later, when a suspension condition or a disconnection condition is satisfied, causing power reception by power receiving device 5 to be suspended or disconnected in vehicle 3, a power transmission stop request is transmitted from vehicle-side first communication device 71 of vehicle 3. When the suspension condition or disconnection condition is satisfied, power is no longer being received in vehicle 3, and therefore, it is no longer necessary for the ground power supply device 2 to be able to transmit power to vehicle 3. Therefore, power transmission to vehicle 3 is terminated.

[0198] The controller 22 controls the status and operation of the ground power supply unit 2. For example, when the ground power supply unit 2 is in the ready state, the controller 22 determines whether the interruption condition and the termination condition have been met based on the output of the ground sensor 23. If the controller 22 determines that the interruption condition has not been met, it controls the inverter 42 to supply a weak current to the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43.

[0199] <Vehicle Status and Movement Transition>

[0200] Next, refer to Figure 14 as well as Figure 15 , explaining the state of vehicle 3 and the transition of its actions. Figure 14 3 is a diagram schematically showing the state and transition of the vehicle 3. Figure 14 In FIG, the rectangle also represents the state of the vehicle 3, and the square with rounded corners represents the action of the vehicle 3.

[0201] like Figure 14 As shown, the state of the vehicle 3 may be a first sleep state (A31) and a second sleep state (A35). Figure 11 ). When the state of the vehicle 3 is in the first sleep state (A31), only standby power is supplied to the devices related to the power reception of the vehicle 3. Therefore, at this time, only the necessary minimum standby power is supplied to the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3, and no power is supplied to other devices related to the power reception from the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, for example, no power is supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72, the AC power generation circuit 64, and the vehicle-side sensor 37, and only a small amount of power is supplied to the ECU 34. Therefore, when the state of the vehicle 3 is in the first sleep state (A31), the power consumption caused by the devices related to the power reception of the vehicle 3 is small. However, even when the state of the vehicle 3 is in the first sleep state (A31), power is supplied to the vehicle-side first communication device 71. Therefore, the vehicle-side first communication device 71 can receive a list registration notification from the server 91 notifying that the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 has been registered in the identification information list of any ground power supply device 2.

[0202] In the first sleep state ( A31 ), the relay 38 is connected between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 . Therefore, when the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 are connected and the power receiving device 5 receives power, power is supplied to the battery 32 .

[0203] When vehicle 3 is in the first sleep state (A31), the vehicle-side first communication device 71 receives a list registration notification notifying that vehicle 3's vehicle identification information has been registered in the identification information list of any ground power supply device 2, and if the suspension condition and disconnection condition described later are not met (C31), power supply to the vehicle 3's devices related to receiving power from the ground power supply device 2 is started, these devices are activated, and self-diagnosis of these devices is performed (B32). Specifically, sufficient power is supplied to ECU 34 for full operation of ECU 34, and power is supplied to vehicle-side second communication device 72, AC power generation circuit 64, and vehicle-side sensors 37. Furthermore, a self-diagnostic program is executed in ECU 34, performing self-diagnosis of ECU 34, vehicle-side second communication device 72, AC power generation circuit 64, and vehicle-side sensors 37.

[0204] After the startup and self-diagnosis of the equipment are completed, the state of the vehicle 3 becomes the power reception active state (A33) or the power reception active / signal transmission state (A34). Figure 11 When the vehicle 3 is in the power reception active state (A33) or the power reception active / signal transmission state (A34), sufficient power is supplied to the ECU 34 and the vehicle-side sensors 37, etc.

[0205] Therefore, when the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active state (A33) or the power receiving active / signal transmission state (A34), if the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 approaches the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power supply unit 2 and is positioned on the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, strong magnetic field resonant coupling is generated between the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51, thereby receiving a large amount of electric power from the ground power supply unit 2. On the other hand, when the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active state (A33) or the power receiving active / signal transmission state (A34), from the state in which strong magnetic field resonant coupling is generated between the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51, if the vehicle 3 moves and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 moves away from the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, the magnetic field resonant coupling is released, and power supply from the ground power supply unit 2 to the vehicle 3 ends.

[0206] Furthermore, when vehicle 3 is in the power-receiving active state (A33), no power is supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72 and the AC power generating circuit 64. Therefore, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 cannot transmit a signal containing vehicle identification information of vehicle 3. Furthermore, the AC power generating circuit 64 cannot generate an AC magnetic field for lateral deviation detection. On the other hand, when vehicle 3 is in the power-receiving active / signal transmission state (A34), power is supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72 and the AC power generating circuit 64. Therefore, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 transmits a signal containing vehicle identification information of vehicle 3, and the AC power generating circuit 64 generates an AC magnetic field for lateral deviation detection. Therefore, if vehicle 3 is traveling near the ground power supply device 2 at this time, a signal containing vehicle identification information is transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 to the ground-side second communication device 82.

[0207] Furthermore, when the vehicle 3 is in the power reception active state (A33), no power is supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72 and the AC power generation circuit 64, so the power consumption of the vehicle 3 is not that high. On the other hand, when the vehicle 3 is in the power reception active / signal transmission state (A34), power is supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72 and the AC power generation circuit 64, so the power consumption is greater than in the power reception active state (A33).

[0208] When the vehicle 3 is in the power reception active state (A33), if none of the transmission stop conditions are met (C33), the vehicle 3 switches to the power reception active / signal transmission state (A34). On the other hand, when the vehicle 3 is in the power reception active / signal transmission state (A34), if the transmission stop conditions are met (C34), the vehicle 3 switches to the power reception active state (A33).

[0209] Here, the transmission stop condition is a condition that requires temporarily stopping the signal transmission from the vehicle-side second communication device 72. By temporarily stopping the signal transmission from the vehicle-side second communication device 72, the signal including the vehicle identification information is no longer transmitted to the ground-side second communication device 82, and thus power is no longer transmitted from the ground power supply device 2. Specific examples of the transmission stop conditions are listed below. All of the transmission stop conditions listed below may be used, or some of the transmission stop conditions may not be used. In this embodiment, when any one of the following transmission stop conditions is met, the state of the vehicle 3 is set to the power reception active state (A33), and when none of the following transmission stop conditions is met, the state of the vehicle 3 is set to the power reception active / signal transmission state (A34).

[0210] The first transmission suspension condition is the implementation of another process within vehicle 3 that causes a large amount of power to flow into battery 32. When rapidly charging battery 32 using methods other than contactless power transmission, it is difficult to simultaneously supply power to battery 32 using contactless power transmission. Therefore, signal transmission is temporarily suspended to temporarily halt power transmission from ground power supply 2. For example, if vehicle 3 is a hybrid vehicle also powered by an internal combustion engine, starting or stopping the internal combustion engine is an example of this other process. This other process is detected, for example, based on the output of a vehicle-side sensor 37 installed in vehicle 3 or control commands from ECU 34 to the internal combustion engine.

[0211] The second transmission suspension condition is when vehicle 3 is suddenly braking. When vehicle 3 is suddenly braking, battery 32 is charged using regenerative power, making it difficult to efficiently and simultaneously supply power to battery 32 using contactless power transmission. Therefore, signal transmission is temporarily suspended to temporarily halt power transmission from the ground power supply unit 2. For example, whether vehicle 3 is suddenly braking is detected based on the amount of brake pedal depression on vehicle 3.

[0212] The third transmission suspension condition is that vehicle 3 is changing lanes. When vehicle 3 is changing lanes, even if vehicle 3 is traveling near ground power supply unit 2, the lateral displacement between power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is significant. Therefore, signal transmission is temporarily suspended to temporarily stop power transmission from ground power supply unit 2. For example, the lane change is detected based on images captured by a front-facing camera (not shown) installed on vehicle 3.

[0213] The fourth transmission suspension condition is when vehicle 3 approaches or emerges from the left or right dividing lines. Even in this case, even if vehicle 3 is traveling near ground power supply unit 2, the lateral displacement between power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is significant. Therefore, signal transmission is temporarily suspended to temporarily halt power transmission from ground power supply unit 2. For example, whether vehicle 3 approaches or emerges from the left or right dividing lines is detected based on images captured by a front-mounted camera (not shown) installed on vehicle 3.

[0214] The fifth transmission suspension condition occurs when a magnetic field detector, such as a lateral offset detection device, is installed in vehicle 3. This lateral offset detection device detects lateral offset between power-transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and power-receiving-side resonant circuit 51. As described above, lateral offset reduces power supply efficiency. Therefore, when lateral offset is detected, signal transmission is temporarily suspended to temporarily halt power transmission from ground power supply unit 2.

[0215] The sixth transmission suspension condition is when communication between the vehicle-side first communication device 71 of vehicle 3 and the server 91 is interrupted for less than a predetermined period of time. The vehicle-side first communication device 71 regularly communicates with the server 91, for example, transmitting vehicle information (particularly, requests for power supply) about the vehicle 3 being powered. However, if vehicle information about vehicle 3 cannot be transmitted, power supply cannot be properly controlled. Therefore, when communication is interrupted, signal transmission is temporarily stopped to temporarily halt power supply from the ground power supply device 2.

[0216] Furthermore, if the vehicle 3 is equipped with a magnetic field detector as a lateral deviation detection device and a magnetic field generating circuit is embedded somewhat closer to the ground power supply 2 than the power transmission device 4 of the ground power supply 2 in the direction of travel of the vehicle 3, this magnetic field detector can be used to detect the vehicle 3 approaching the ground power supply 2. In such a case, the failure of the magnetic field detector of the ground power supply 2 to detect the vehicle 3 approaching the power transmission device 4 of the ground power supply 2 can be used as a transmission stop condition (the seventh transmission stop condition). This allows the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to transmit signals only when the vehicle 3 approaches the ground power supply 2.

[0217] When the status of vehicle 3 is in the power receiving activation state (A33) or the power receiving activation / signal sending state (A34), if the vehicle side first communication device 71 of vehicle 3 cannot receive the list registration notification, that is, if the vehicle identification information of vehicle 3 is not registered in the identification information list of any ground power supply device 2 (C35), the status of vehicle 3 returns to the first sleep state (A31).

[0218] On the other hand, when the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving activation state (A33) or the power receiving activation / signal sending state (A34), when the termination condition described later is met and the power receiving device 5 is not receiving power from the power transmitting device 4 of the ground power supply device 2, or when the disconnection condition described later is met (C36), an identification information removal request and a power transmission stop request are sent from the vehicle side first communication device 71 to the server 91 or even to the corresponding ground power supply device 2.

[0219] The identification information removal request is a request to remove the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 from the identification information list of the corresponding ground power supply device 2. The ground power supply devices 2 to which the removal request is sent are all the ground power supply devices 2 whose vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is registered in the identification information list. Alternatively, the ground power supply devices 2 to which the removal request is sent may be only those located near the current location of the vehicle 3. The ground power supply device 2 that receives the identification information removal request removes the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 from the identification information list stored in the memory 222 of the ground power supply device 2.

[0220] The power supply stop request is a request to stop power supply from the corresponding ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. The ground power supply devices 2 to which the stop request is sent are all ground power supply devices 2 whose vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is registered in the identification information list. Alternatively, the ground power supply devices 2 to which the stop request is sent may be only those located near the current location of the vehicle 3. A ground power supply device 2 that receives the power supply stop request stops power supply if it is currently transmitting power to the vehicle 3.

[0221] Therefore, when a predetermined condition is met, the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 requests the ground power supply device 2 to suspend power supply to the vehicle 3 via wide-area wireless communication. From another perspective, when a predetermined condition is met, the first communication device 71 on the vehicle side requests the ground power supply device 2 to suspend power supply to the vehicle 3 via wide-area wireless communication. In this embodiment, the predetermined condition is that a suspension condition, described later, is met and the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3 is not receiving power from the power transmitting device 4 of the ground power supply device 2, or that a disconnection condition, described later, is met. In wide-area wireless communication, which has a longer communication distance than narrow-area wireless communication, information from the vehicle 3 can be simultaneously transmitted to power supply devices 2 surrounding the vehicle 3. Therefore, when a reason for suspending power supply occurs on the vehicle 3 side, by notifying the vehicle 3 of the suspension of power supply via wide-area wireless communication, it is possible to efficiently request the suspension of power supply to power supply devices 2 that may be supplying power to the vehicle 3.

[0222] Specifically, when a predetermined condition is met, ECU 34 transmits an identification information removal request to ground power supply device 2 via wide-area wireless communication. Specifically, ECU 34 requests ground power supply device 2 to suspend power supply to vehicle 3 by requesting the removal of vehicle 3's vehicle identification information from the ground power supply device 2's identification information list. As a result, vehicle 3's vehicle identification information is removed from the ground power supply device 2's identification information list, preventing power from being supplied to vehicle 3 even if vehicle 3 approaches ground power supply device 2.

[0223] In addition, if the vehicle identification information other than the vehicle 3 that sent the identification information removal request is not registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2, all vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list is removed by the identification information removal request. As a result, the state of the ground power supply device 2 changes from the reception standby state ( Figure 12 A13) switches to sleep state ( Figure 12 Therefore, by sending the identification information removal request to the ground power supply device 2, it is not necessary to maintain the state of the ground power supply device 2 in the reception standby state (A13), and the power consumption of the ground power supply device 2 can be suppressed.

[0224] In this embodiment, an identification information removal request is sent from the vehicle 3 to the ground power supply device 2 via the server 91. That is, upon receiving the identification information removal request from the vehicle 3, the server 91 sends the identification information removal request to the ground power supply device 2. For example, upon receiving the identification information removal request from the vehicle 3, the server 91 stops sending the vehicle information of the vehicle 3 to which the identification information removal request has been sent to the ground power supply device 2. When the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2 is no longer sent from the server 91 to the ground power supply device 2, the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 removes the vehicle identification information from the identification information list ( Figure 7 Step S14).

[0225] Furthermore, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the ECU 34 transmits a power supply stop request to the ground power supply device 2 via wide area wireless communication. That is, the ECU 34 requests the ground power supply device 2 to stop supplying power to the vehicle 3 by requesting the ground power supply device 2 to stop supplying power to the vehicle 3. As a result, the eighth termination condition is satisfied in the ground power supply device 2. For example, when the state of the ground power supply device 2 is the normal power supply state ( Figure 13 When the eighth end condition is satisfied, the state of the ground power supply device 2 is switched from the formal power transmission state to the power transmission activation state (A17 of FIG. 17 ), that is, when power is being transmitted from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3, the state of the ground power supply device 2 is switched from the formal power transmission state to the power transmission activation state ( Figure 13 A16), and then the power supply end processing is performed in the ground power supply device 2 ( Figure 13 Therefore, by sending a power supply stop request from the vehicle 3 to the ground power supply device 2, the power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 is stopped.

[0226] In this embodiment, a power supply stop request is transmitted from vehicle 3 to ground power supply device 2 via server 91. Specifically, upon receiving the power supply stop request from vehicle 3, server 91 transmits the power supply stop request to ground power supply device 2. For example, upon receiving the power supply stop request from vehicle 3, server 91 requests ground power supply device 2, whose vehicle identification information of vehicle 3 that transmitted the power supply stop request is registered in the identification information list, to stop power supply to vehicle 3.

[0227] In addition, as described above, ECU34 transmits the vehicle identification information of vehicle 3 by utilizing narrow-area wireless communication to request power supply to the ground power supply device 2. However, when a predetermined condition is met and a request for removing identification information and a request for stopping power supply are transmitted from vehicle 3, the transmission of vehicle identification information from vehicle 3 is also stopped. That is, ECU34 stops the transmission of vehicle identification information of vehicle 3 when a predetermined condition is met. As a result, when the ground power supply device 2 receives the vehicle identification information of vehicle 3, the ground power supply device 2 detects that vehicle 3 has left the ground power supply device 2, and the above-mentioned first termination condition is met. For example, when the state of the ground power supply device 2 is the formal power supply state ( Figure 13 When the power supply device 2 is transmitting power to the vehicle 3, if the first termination condition is satisfied, the state of the ground power supply device 2 is switched from the formal power transmission state to the power transmission activation state ( Figure 13 A16), and then the power supply end processing is performed in the ground power supply device 2 ( Figure 13 Therefore, by stopping the transmission of the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3, the power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 is stopped.

[0228] Alternatively, when a predetermined condition is met, the ECU 34 may transmit only one of the identification information removal request and the power supply stop request to the ground power supply device 2. Even when the power supply stop request is not transmitted, the supply of power from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 can be stopped by stopping the transmission of the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 as described above.

[0229] Alternatively, it is possible to detect that the vehicle 3 has left the ground power supply device 2 without using vehicle identification information. That is, the termination condition may not be met in the ground power supply device 2 when the transmission of vehicle identification information has ceased. Even in this case, power supply to the vehicle 3 can be stopped by transmitting a power supply stop request from the vehicle 3 to the ground power supply device 2 via wide-area communication. On the other hand, using both wide-area wireless communication and narrow-area wireless communication to request the ground power supply device 2 to stop power supply can more reliably and quickly stop power supply to the vehicle 3.

[0230] like Figure 14 As shown, when the vehicle-side first communication device 71 transmits an identification information removal request and a power transmission stop request due to the establishment of the disconnection condition, the state of the vehicle 3 switches to the second sleep state (A35)(C37). Furthermore, when the vehicle is in the first sleep state (A31), if the disconnection condition is established (C38), the state of the vehicle 3 also switches to the second sleep state (A35).

[0231] When the vehicle 3 is in the second sleep state (A35), similar to the first sleep state (A31), only standby power is supplied to the vehicle 3. However, when the vehicle 3 is in the second sleep state (A35), the relay 38 is disconnected. Therefore, the connection between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 is severed, and the power receiving device 5 is essentially unable to receive power.

[0232] When the disconnection condition is no longer satisfied ( C39 ) while the vehicle 3 is in the second sleep state ( A35 ), the vehicle 3 switches to the first sleep state ( A31 ).

[0233] Here, the disconnection condition requires not only terminating power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 but also disconnecting the power receiving device 5 from the battery 32. Specific examples of disconnection conditions are listed below. All of the following disconnection conditions may be used, or some may be omitted. In this embodiment, if any of the following disconnection conditions is met, the vehicle 3 is set to the second sleep state (A35).

[0234] The first disconnection condition is that the battery 32's state of charge (SOC) exceeds the charge limit. The charge limit is a predetermined value, such as 95% or higher, at which further charging of the battery 32 becomes difficult due to its structure. When the battery 32's state of charge (SOC) exceeds the charge limit, charging of the battery 32 is currently impossible, and the connection between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 is disconnected. The ECU 34 calculates the battery 32's state of charge (SOC) based on the battery 32's charge and discharge current values ​​detected by the vehicle-side sensor 37 (current sensor).

[0235] The second disconnection condition is when the temperature of battery 32 exceeds the battery critical temperature. The critical temperature is the temperature at which degradation of battery 32 progresses. When the temperature of battery 32 exceeds the critical temperature, charging of battery 32, which causes the temperature of battery 32 to rise, is currently impossible, and the connection between power receiving device 5 and battery 32 is disconnected. The temperature of battery 32 is detected by a vehicle-side sensor 37 (battery temperature sensor).

[0236] The third disconnection condition is that the temperature of the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3, specifically the temperature of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the power receiving-side rectifier circuit 54, exceeds a predetermined power receiving device limit temperature. The power receiving device limit temperature is a temperature at which, if the temperature of the power receiving device 5 rises further, there is a possibility of an abnormality occurring in the power receiving device 5. When the temperature of the power receiving device 5 exceeds the power receiving device limit temperature, the power receiving device 5 cannot be used due to the temperature increase, and the connection between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 is disconnected. The temperature of the power receiving device 5 is detected by a vehicle-side sensor 37 (power receiving device temperature sensor).

[0237] The fourth disconnection condition is when the current flowing through the power receiving device 5 exceeds the current limit value or the voltage applied to the power receiving device 5 exceeds the voltage limit value. If the current flowing through the power receiving device 5 or the voltage applied to the power receiving device 5 becomes excessively high, there is a possibility of an abnormality occurring in the power receiving device 5, so the connection between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 is disconnected. The current flowing through the power receiving device 5 and the voltage applied to the power receiving device 5 are detected by vehicle-side sensors 37 (current sensor, voltage sensor).

[0238] The fifth disconnection condition is when communication between the vehicle-side first communication device 71 of vehicle 3 and the server 91 is interrupted for a period exceeding a predetermined time. As described above, the vehicle-side first communication device 71 regularly communicates with the server 91, for example, transmitting vehicle information (particularly, requests for power supply) from the vehicle 3 being powered. However, if vehicle information from vehicle 3 is no longer transmitted, power supply cannot be properly controlled. In particular, if communication is interrupted for a period exceeding the predetermined time, a temporary communication failure should not occur, and therefore the connection between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 is disconnected.

[0239] Therefore, when a predetermined cut-off condition is satisfied, the ECU 34 switches the state of the relay 38 from the connected state to the disconnected state. In addition, the cut-off condition is a condition that is satisfied less frequently than the termination condition described later. Here, when the connection and disconnection of the relay 38 with a high voltage are frequently repeated, it becomes a major cause of abnormality in the relay 38. In the present embodiment, by making the cut-off condition for disconnecting the relay 38 a condition that is satisfied less frequently, the occurrence of abnormality in the relay 38 is suppressed. On the other hand, in the case where it is desired to stop the power supply to the vehicle 3 as quickly as possible, as in the case where the cut-off condition is satisfied, by switching the state of the relay 38 from the connected state to the disconnected state, the power supply to the vehicle 3 can be stopped instantaneously, thereby appropriately protecting the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 of the vehicle 3.

[0240] In addition, if Figure 14As shown, when the identification information removal request and the power transmission stop request are transmitted from the vehicle-side first communication device 71 due to the establishment of the suspension condition, the state of the vehicle 3 switches to the first sleep state ( A31 ) ( C40 ).

[0241] Here, the suspension condition is a condition that requires suspending power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. Specific examples of the suspension conditions are listed below. All of the suspension conditions listed below may be used, or some may be omitted. In this embodiment, if any of the following suspension conditions is met, the state of the vehicle 3 is set to the first sleep state (A31).

[0242] The first suspension condition is that the battery 32's SOC is at least a reference charge value and less than a threshold charge value. The reference charge value is a predetermined value less than the threshold charge value, for example, 80% or greater. When the battery 32's SOC is at least the reference charge value, charging of the battery 32 is essentially unnecessary, and therefore power reception from the ground power supply unit 2 to the vehicle 3 is suspended.

[0243] The second suspension condition is that the temperature of battery 32 is at least the battery reference temperature and less than the battery critical temperature. The battery reference temperature is a predetermined temperature less than the battery critical temperature. When the battery 32 temperature reaches or exceeds the battery reference temperature, charging of battery 32 must be suppressed to prevent the battery 32 temperature from reaching the battery critical temperature. Therefore, power reception from the ground power supply unit 2 to the vehicle 3 is suspended.

[0244] The third suspension condition is that the temperature of the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3, specifically the temperature of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 or the power receiving-side rectifier circuit 54, is above a predetermined power receiving device reference temperature and below a power receiving device limit temperature. The power receiving device reference temperature is a predetermined temperature below the power receiving device limit temperature. When the temperature of the power receiving device 5 exceeds the power receiving device reference temperature, it is necessary to limit the use of the power receiving device 5 so that the temperature does not reach the power receiving device reference temperature. Therefore, power reception from the ground power supply unit 2 to the vehicle 3 is suspended.

[0245] The fourth suspension condition is that the allowable charging power of battery 32 is greater than a predetermined charging power reference value. If the allowable charging power of battery 32 is too low, even if power is received by power receiving device 5 from power transmitting device 4, it may not be able to properly supply that power to the battery. Therefore, power reception from ground power supply device 2 to vehicle 3 is suspended. The allowable charging power of battery 32 is calculated based on the outputs of vehicle-side sensors 37 (such as the battery temperature sensor and the battery current sensor).

[0246] The fifth suspension condition is when the speed of vehicle 3 exceeds a predetermined suspension reference speed. When the speed of vehicle 3 exceeds the suspension reference speed, power supply efficiency decreases, so power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to vehicle 3 is suspended. The suspension reference speed may be the same as the suspension reference speed in the fifth suspension condition described above. The speed of vehicle 3 is detected by a vehicle-side sensor 37 (speed sensor).

[0247] The sixth suspension condition is when the charge to the user of vehicle 3, calculated based on the power received by vehicle 3 from the ground power supply device 2, exceeds a predetermined upper limit. The charge to the user is calculated by ECU 34 based on the change in power received from the ground power supply device 2 and the current per-unit electricity cost. The upper limit can be a predetermined fixed value or a value set by the user of vehicle 3.

[0248] The seventh suspension condition is when there is a suspension request from the user. For example, the suspension request from the user is output from a switch provided in the vehicle 3 for inputting whether power supply during driving is required.

[0249] The ECU 34 controls the state and operation of the vehicle 3. For example, when the vehicle 3 is in the second sleep state (A35), the ECU 34 determines whether the disconnection condition has been met based on the output of the vehicle-side sensor 37. If the ECU 34 determines that the disconnection condition has not been met, it controls the relay 38 to connect the power receiving device 5 to the battery 32.

[0250] Next, refer to Figure 15 , indicating that the power receiving process is completed. Figure 15 This is a flowchart showing the flow of operations related to the execution of the power reception end process. The illustrated process is performed at regular time intervals.

[0251] like Figure 15 As shown, first, ECU 34 obtains current location information and map information (step S101). ECU 34 obtains the current location information of vehicle 3 from GNSS receiver 35. Furthermore, ECU 34 obtains map information from storage device 36. In particular, in this embodiment, ECU 34 obtains map information including the installation location information of ground power supply devices 2 around the current location of vehicle 3.

[0252] Next, the ECU 34 determines whether the vehicle 3 has passed over any ground power supply device 2 based on the current position information acquired in step S101 and the installation position information of the ground power supply device 2 (step S102 ).

[0253] If it is determined in step S102 that the vehicle 3 has passed over any ground power supply device 2, the ECU 34 performs power reception termination processing (step S103). During the power reception termination processing, power reception termination information is transmitted from the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to the server 91. The power reception termination information includes information related to power reception from the ground power supply device 2. The values ​​of various parameters included in the power reception termination information are calculated based on the output of the vehicle-side sensor 37, etc. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the vehicle 3 has not passed over any ground power supply device 2, step S103 is skipped.

[0254] As mentioned above, although the preferred embodiment concerning this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiments, Various corrections and changes can be implemented within the description of a claim.

Claims

1. A vehicle that receives power from a ground power supply device in a contactless manner while the vehicle is traveling, wherein: The vehicle has: a first communication device for communicating directly or indirectly with the ground power supply device via wide area wireless communication having a communication distance of 10 meters or more; a second communication device for directly communicating with the ground power supply device via narrow-area wireless communication with a communication distance of less than 10 meters; as well as control device, When a predetermined condition is satisfied, the control device requests the ground power supply device to stop supplying power to the vehicle via the wide area wireless communication. The control device transmits vehicle identification information of the vehicle using the narrow-area wireless communication to request power supply from the ground power supply device, and stops transmitting the vehicle identification information when the predetermined condition is satisfied, thereby stopping power supply from the ground power supply device to the vehicle. When the ground power supply device registers the vehicle identification information in the identification information list, the ground power supply device transmits a notification indicating that the vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list to the vehicle identified by the vehicle identification information via the wide area wireless communication. The control device requests the ground power supply device to stop supplying power to the vehicle by requesting the ground power supply device to remove the vehicle identification information of the vehicle registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device through the wide area wireless communication. When a termination condition is met and the vehicle is not receiving power from a ground power supply device, the control device utilizes the wide area wireless communication to request multiple ground power supply devices whose vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list to remove the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply devices, and requests the ground power supply devices that have the possibility of supplying power to the vehicle to terminate supplying power to the vehicle.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein The control device requests the ground power supply device to stop supplying power to the vehicle by requesting the ground power supply device to stop supplying power to the vehicle.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: Also features: a power receiving device for receiving power from the above-ground power supply device; a storage battery to which electric power is supplied from the power receiving device; and a relay, disposed between the power receiving device and the battery, The control device selectively switches the state of the relay between a connected state in which the power receiving device and the battery are connected, and a disconnected state in which the power receiving device and the battery are disconnected, and switches the state of the relay from the connected state to the disconnected state when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

4. A power supply method, wherein a vehicle is supplied with power in a contactless manner by a ground power supply device while the vehicle is traveling, wherein: The power supply method includes: When a predetermined condition is satisfied, the vehicle requests the ground power supply device to stop supplying power to the vehicle via wide area wireless communication with a communication distance of 10 meters or more. The vehicle transmits its vehicle identification information to the ground power supply device by using narrow-area wireless communication with a communication distance of less than 10 meters, and When the predetermined condition is satisfied, the vehicle stops transmitting the vehicle identification information, thereby stopping the power supply from the ground power supply device to the vehicle. When the ground power supply device registers the vehicle identification information in the identification information list, the ground power supply device transmits a notification indicating that the vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list to the vehicle identified by the vehicle identification information via the wide area wireless communication. By requesting the ground power supply device to stop supplying power to the vehicle by deleting the vehicle identification information of the vehicle registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device using the wide area wireless communication, When the termination condition is met and the vehicle is not receiving power from the ground power supply device, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle is registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device and is requested to be removed by using the wide area wireless communication to request the ground power supply device that has the possibility of supplying power to the vehicle to terminate the supply of power to the vehicle.

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