Delayed wireless charging method for a vehicle battery system

Abstract

Method for delayed wireless charging for a vehicle battery system (22), comprising: initiating (100) a delayed charging process for a vehicle charger (10); and during a delay period preceding the delayed charging process, performing (102, 104) foreign object detection to detect foreign objects between the vehicle charger (10) and a receiving unit (24) on the vehicle (12); and Alerting (106) a user of a problem with wireless charging when a foreign object is detected.

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present disclosure relates to delayed charging of electric vehicles, and more particularly to wirelessly checking power quality prior to the scheduled charging time to inform a vehicle owner of charging issues. background

[0002] The following section provides background information to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art.

[0003] By using delayed charging, customers can save money by charging during off-peak hours when electricity rates are cheaper. When attempting delayed charging with a wireless system, issues can arise that prevent the delayed charging from being successful. These issues include misalignment, foreign object intrusion, and incorrect mains voltage.

[0004] US 9 685 824 B2 describes a contactless method for providing power. The power output of a power supply to a portable device is adjusted according to power adjustment signals. The maximum output power of the power supply is limited to an output power threshold. The portable device compares the power received by the power supply with the required power. If the received power is less than the required power, the portable device sends a power adjustment signal to the power supply, which is a signal to increase power. If the received power is greater than the required power, the portable device sends a power reduction signal to the power supply. The power supply adjusts the power and limits it to the power output threshold.If continuous output of power boost signals is detected from the portable device over a period of time, it is determined that there is a foreign object on the power supply.

[0005] US 9,410,823 B2 describes systems, methods, and devices for detecting foreign objects. In one aspect, a device for detecting the presence of an object in a magnetic field is provided. The device comprises an electrical circuit configured to generate the magnetic field and wirelessly transmit power at a level sufficient to operate or charge a load via the magnetic field. The device further includes a detection circuit configured to transmit signals and, based on a reflection of the transmitted signals, detect a frequency of the vibration of the object caused by the magnetic field.

[0006] US 2016 / 0 149 440 A1 describes a wireless power transfer system. The system comprises a power transmitter arranged to provide power transfer to a power receiver via a wireless inductive power signal. A parasitic power loss detector is arranged to detect a parasitic power loss for the power transfer, and a user indicator is arranged to initiate a user alarm in response to the detection of the parasitic power loss. The system comprises an input for receiving user input; and a controller configured to initiate an adjustment of a parasitic power loss detection process performed by the parasitic power loss detector if a user input satisfying a criterion is not received. Each of the individual features may be implemented in the power transmitter, the power receiver, or, for example,distributed among them. This approach can enable improved foreign object detection in a wireless power transmission system.

[0007] WO 2017 / 174380 A1 describes a power transmitter for a wireless power transmission system, comprising an output circuit with a transmit power inductor that generates a wireless power transmission signal. An object detector for detecting an object that extracts energy from the power transmission signal includes a signal generator that generates a first and a second carrier signal. A first signal path receives the first carrier signal and includes a circulator with a terminal connected to the output circuit and a terminal that provides a signal reflected from the output circuit. A second signal path receives the second carrier signal and has a signal path equalizer with a transfer function that corresponds to a transfer function of the circulator.A mixer mixes the signals from the two signal paths, and a first detector determines a reflection parameter for the output circuit based on the mixed signal. A second detector detects the presence of the object in response to the reflection parameter. Description

[0008] The invention is defined by the claims.

[0009] The present disclosure performs a power transfer efficiency check before the scheduled charging time to confirm adequate network quality and wireless power quality. Furthermore, a foreign object check is performed before the scheduled charging. These checks are performed immediately after the customer sets up the delayed session and at specified intervals thereafter. If a network quality issue is detected, the customer is notified so they can correct the situation before leaving the vehicle.

[0010] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are for illustrative purposes only and are in no way intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Brief description of the drawings

[0011] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent all possible implementations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an electric vehicle charging system according to the principles of the present disclosure; and Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for providing a wireless delayed charging quality alarm with an electric vehicle according to the principles of the present disclosure.

[0012] Similar reference symbols indicate similar construction phases in the various views of the drawings. Detailed description

[0013] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope thereof to those skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth, such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize that specific details may not be required, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms, and that no embodiment should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known methods, well-known device structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.

[0015] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms, such as "a," "a," "an," "the," and "the," are intended to include the plural forms where appropriate, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "including," "including," and "has" are not exclusive and therefore indicate the presence of the specified functions, integral units, steps, acts, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of other functions, integral units, steps, acts, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and acts described herein should not be construed to require the order described or illustrated unless specifically stated as the order of performance.It should also be noted that additional or alternative steps may be applied.

[0016] When elements or levels are described as being "on / upon," "in connection with," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or level, they may either be directly connected or coupled to other elements or levels, or there may be intervening elements or levels. Conversely, when an element is described as being "directly on / upon," "directly in connection with," or "directly coupled to" other elements or levels, there may be no intervening elements or levels. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be understood in the same way (e.g., "between" and "directly between," "adjacent" and "directly adjacent," etc.). The term "and / or" includes all combinations of the related listed elements.

[0017] Although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may only be used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another region, layer, or section. Terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms, when used herein, do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below could be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments.

[0018] Spatially relative terms such as "inner," "outer," "beneath," "under," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like may be used herein to better describe the relationship of one element or feature to other elements or features as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation besides the orientation illustrated in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures were inverted, elements described as being "below" or "under" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" other elements or features. Therefore, the example term "below" can include both an above and below orientation.The device may be oriented differently (rotated 90 degrees or in other directions) and the spatially related keywords used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0019] With reference to Fig. 1 illustrates a vehicle charging station including a wireless vehicle charger 10 and a vehicle 12 parked over the wireless vehicle charger 10. A charger control panel 14 and a charger controller 16 may be provided for controlling the wireless vehicle charger 10. The vehicle 12 includes a vehicle control unit 18. The vehicle control unit 18 and / or the charger controller 16 may be equipped with a communication system that enables communication between the vehicle control unit 18 and the charger controller 16, as well as communication with the vehicle owner via text messages, emails, or other known communication techniques accessible via the user's smartphone, tablet, computer, or other communication device 20.The communication between the vehicle control unit 18, the charger controller 16 and the user's communication device 20 is preferably wireless communication, although other wired communication options may also be used.

[0020] Wireless vehicle chargers 10 are generally known and have the ability to charge the vehicle battery system 22 without a wired connection, making electric vehicle ownership more convenient. The wireless charging method utilizes the benefits of electromagnetism by passing electricity through a coil of wire, which creates a magnetic field that allows current to be transferred between two coils without a physical connection. In this case, the two coils are the vehicle charger 10 on the ground and a receiving unit 24 on the underside of the vehicle 10. The receiving unit 24 connects to the on-board vehicle battery system 22 to charge the vehicle battery system 22.

[0021] A vehicle owner can activate delayed wireless charging via an interface with the vehicle control unit 18, the charger control panel 14, and / or the user's communication device 20. As described in Fig. 2, after a delay at step 100, the controller performs a foreign object check at step 102. The foreign object check may utilize a sensor 30 or a series of sensors that may be mounted to the vehicle charger 10 and / or the vehicle 12 to sense an object and communicate the detection of an object to one of the charger controller 16 and the vehicle control unit 18. The sensors may include sonar, stereo cameras, lasers, and radar capable of detecting obstacles. At step 104, it is determined whether a foreign object has been detected. If so, the controller proceeds to step 106, where the customer is notified of a wireless power quality problem. The alert may be sent to the user's communication device 20 and / or optionally by activating the vehicle lights, horn, or via indicators on the charger control panel 14.

[0022] If no foreign object is detected at step 104, control proceeds to step 108, requesting a temporary wireless power transfer. At step 110, the efficiency of the power transfer is evaluated. One way to calculate charging efficiency is to divide the measured power [kW] by the requested power [kW] and multiply by 100%.

[0023] At step 112, it is determined whether the wireless power efficiency is within a predetermined acceptable level to determine if a problem exists with the charging system. If the wireless power efficiency is not within the predetermined acceptable level, control proceeds to step 106, whereupon the customer is notified of a wireless power quality problem. The alert may be sent to the user's communication device 20 and / or optionally by activating the vehicle lights and horn or via indicators on the charger control panel 14. If at step 112, the wireless power efficiency is within the predetermined acceptable level, control proceeds to step 114, whereupon a predetermined period of time may elapse before control returns to step 102 for another periodic power quality check.Once the selected time for the delayed charge is reached, the controller proceeds to step 116 to initiate the charging process.

[0024] The system of the present disclosure improves the reliability of delayed charging using a wireless system, allowing customers to save money by charging during off-peak hours when electricity rates are cheaper, enabling greater adoption of wireless charging technology.

Claims

[1] A method for delayed wireless charging for a vehicle battery system (22), comprising: initiating (100) a delayed charging process for a vehicle charger (10); and during a delay time preceding the delayed charging process, performing (102, 104) a foreign object detection to detect foreign objects between the vehicle charger (10) and a receiving unit (24) on the vehicle (12); and alerting (106) a user of a wireless charging issue when a foreign object is detected. [2] The method of claim 1, further comprising, during a delay time preceding the delayed charging operation, performing (108) a temporary wireless power transfer and evaluating (110, 112) a power transfer efficiency and alerting (106) the user of a problem with the wireless charging if the power transfer efficiency is not within a predetermined power transfer efficiency. [3] The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the step of alerting (106) the user of a wireless charging problem occurs via a personal communication device (20) of the user. [4] A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the step of alerting (106) a user of a wireless charging problem is performed via a vehicle horn. [5] A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the step of performing (102, 104) a foreign body detection is repeated multiple times during the delay time preceding a delayed charging operation.

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