Non-contact charging control device

Abstract

To provide a non-contact charging control device capable of suppressing disruption in wireless communication.SOLUTION: A non-contact charging control device 2 includes a control unit 24. The control unit 24 performs wireless communication with a vehicle 3. When the communication strength of the wireless communication received from the vehicle 3 is equal to or greater than a threshold, the control unit communicates charging possibility information required for the non-contact charging control device 2 to estimate and supply power, whereas when the communication strength is less than the threshold, the control unit communicates only charging continuation possibility / impossibility information for enabling continued communication with the vehicle 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a non-contact charging control device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for non-contact supply of power for charging a battery to a vehicle parked in a parking area. According to this technique, when it is determined that the vehicle is parked in the parking area, the transmission output of the power supply side wireless communication unit is reduced until the intensity of the signal transmitted from the power supply side wireless communication unit and received by the vehicle side wireless communication unit of the vehicle reaches a threshold value, so as not to perform wireless communication with vehicles existing outside the parking area.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, when another vehicle approaches the parking area and the same frequency is used for the wireless communication frequency, it is easily affected by the wireless communication frequency of the other vehicle, and there is a risk that the communication will be interrupted.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a non-contact charging control device capable of suppressing interruption of wireless communication.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a contactless charging control device according to the present disclosure is a contactless charging control device that performs wireless communication with a vehicle and supplies power to a battery provided in the vehicle in a contactless manner, and includes a processor. The processor performs wireless communication with the vehicle, and when the communication strength of the wireless communication received from the vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold value, communicates chargeable information necessary for estimating and supplying the power, while when the communication strength is not equal to or greater than the threshold value, communicates only charge continuation permission information for enabling continuous communication with the vehicle.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, there is an effect that interruption of wireless communication can be suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, a contactless charging system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the components in the following embodiments include those that can be replaced and are easy for those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same. In addition, each drawing referred to in the following description schematically shows only the shape, size, and positional relationship to the extent that the content of the present disclosure can be understood. That is, the present disclosure is not limited only to the shape, size, and positional relationship illustrated in each drawing.

[0010] 〔Contactless Charging System〕 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a non-contact charging system according to an embodiment. The non-contact charging system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a non-contact charging control device 2 and a vehicle 3. The non-contact charging system 1 shown in FIG. 1 transmits power by a magnetic field resonance method, and the non-contact charging control device 2 realizes power supply to the vehicle 3 using magnetic field resonance coupling (magnetic field resonance).

[0011] 〔Configuration of Non-Contact Charging Control Device〕 First, the configuration of the non-contact charging control device 2 will be described. The non-contact charging control device 2 transmits power to the vehicle 3 parked at a predetermined position, for example, a parking space, in a non-contact manner. The non-contact charging control device 2 includes at least a power transmission unit 21, a power supply unit 22 that manages the power transmission unit, a power supply side wireless connection unit 23 that performs wireless communication with the vehicle 3 according to a predetermined communication standard, and a control unit 24.

[0012] The power transmission unit 21 has a primary coil and is disposed underground or on the ground surface such as in a parking lot or on a road. The power transmission unit 21 is electrically connected to an AC power source (not shown) via the power supply unit 22, and transmits the power supplied from the power supply unit 22 in a non-contact manner.

[0013] The power supply unit 22 is configured using a PFC (Power Factor Collection) circuit, an inverter (INV), and a filter circuit. The power supply unit 22 is electrically connected to an AC power source (not shown). The power supply unit 22 supplies the power of the AC power source to the power transmission unit 21 under the control of the control unit 24.

[0014] The power supply side wireless connection unit 23 is composed of an antenna 231 and a predetermined communication module. Under the control of the control unit 24, the power supply side wireless connection unit 23 performs wireless communication with the vehicle 3 in accordance with a predetermined wireless communication standard. Here, the predetermined wireless communication standard is communication with a communication distance of less than 10 meters. As the predetermined wireless communication standard, various short-distance wireless communications with a short communication distance can be used. For example, it is used for communication compliant with any communication standard established by IEEE, ISO, IEC, etc. As an example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. are used. In the following, the case where Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is used as the predetermined wireless communication standard will be described.

[0015] The control unit 24 is realized by using a memory and a processor having hardware. The hardware is, for example, a memory, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), etc. The control unit 24 performs wireless communication with the vehicle 3. When the communication strength of the wireless communication received from the vehicle 3 is equal to or greater than a threshold value, it communicates the chargeable information necessary for the non-contact charging control device 2 to estimate and supply power, while when the communication strength is less than the threshold value, it communicates only the charge continuation permission information for enabling continuous communication with the non-contact charging control device 2. In one embodiment, the control unit 24 functions as a processor.

[0016] 〔Configuration of the vehicle〕 Next, the configuration of the vehicle 3 will be described. The vehicle 3 is an electric vehicle that can be charged with power supplied from an external power source, such as a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV). The vehicle 3 includes at least a power receiving unit 31, a power receiving side wireless connection unit 32, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 33.

[0017] The power receiving unit 31 receives the power transmitted non - contact from the power transmitting unit 21 and supplies the received power to a battery (not shown). The power receiving unit 31 is electrically connected to the battery via a charging relay (not shown). The power receiving unit 31 is configured using a secondary coil, a resonance capacitor, and the like.

[0018] The power receiving side wireless connection unit 32 is configured using an antenna 321 and a predetermined communication module. The power receiving side wireless connection unit 32 performs wireless communication with the non - contact charging control device 2 according to a predetermined wireless communication standard under the control of the ECU 33.

[0019] The ECU 33 is realized using a memory and a processor having hardware. The hardware is, for example, a memory, a CPU, a DSP, and an FPGA, etc. The ECU 33 controls each part constituting the vehicle 3.

[0020] [Relationship between Wi - Fi channels and radio wave intensity] Next, the relationship between Wi - Fi channels and radio wave intensity will be described. FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the relationship between Wi - Fi channels and radio wave intensity. In FIG. 2, the vertical axis represents the radio wave intensity, and the horizontal axis represents the frequency.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the Wi - Fi used in the power feeding side wireless connection unit 23 has a plurality of channels. Specifically, the Wi - Fi used in the power feeding side wireless connection unit 23 has channels from 1ch (2.412 GHz) to 14ch (2.484 GHz). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 24 can detect the number of devices used for each channel in the surrounding environment of the power feeding side wireless connection unit 23 based on the radio wave intensity for each channel.

[0022] [Processing of the non - contact charging system] Next, the processing executed by the non - contact charging system 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an overview of the processing executed by the non - contact charging system 1.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, first, the control unit 24 determines whether or not the non-contact charging control device 2 and the vehicle 3 are in the middle of non-contact charging (step S101). When the control unit 24 determines that the non-contact charging control device 2 and the vehicle 3 are in the middle of non-contact charging (step S101: Yes), the non-contact charging control device 2 proceeds to step S102 described later. On the other hand, when the control unit 24 determines that the non-contact charging control device 2 and the vehicle 3 are not in the middle of non-contact charging (step S101: No), the non-contact charging control device 2 proceeds to step S111 described later.

[0024] In step S102, the control unit 24 checks the communication between the power supply side wireless connection unit 23 and the power receiving side wireless connection unit 32. Specifically, the control unit 24 detects the number of devices in use (A) in the channel for each channel of the power supply side wireless connection unit 23, and detects the radio wave intensity (B) for each channel. Then, the control unit 24 divides the number of devices in use (A) in the channel by the radio wave intensity (B) for each channel for each channel (A / B), and determines that the channel with the minimum value among the plurality of channels has good communication.

[0025] The control unit 24 determines whether or not the communication state between the power supply side wireless connection unit 23 and the power receiving side wireless connection unit 32 is normal (step S103). When the control unit 24 determines that the communication state between the power supply side wireless connection unit 23 and the power receiving side wireless connection unit 32 is normal (step S103: Yes), the non-contact charging control device 2 proceeds to step S104 described later. On the other hand, when the control unit 24 determines that the communication state between the power supply side wireless connection unit 23 and the power receiving side wireless connection unit 32 is not normal (step S103: No), the non-contact charging control device 2 proceeds to step S109 described later.

[0026] In step S104, the control unit 24 determines whether the communication strength between the power supply side wireless connection unit 23 and the power reception side wireless connection unit 32 is equal to or greater than a threshold value. Specifically, the control unit 24 determines whether the strength (A / B) of the channel determined to have good communication in step S102 is equal to or greater than a threshold value (α) ((A / B)>α). When it is determined by the control unit 24 that the communication strength between the power supply side wireless connection unit 23 and the power reception side wireless connection unit 32 is equal to or greater than the threshold value (step S104: Yes), the non-contact charging control device 2 proceeds to step S105 described below. On the other hand, when it is determined by the control unit 24 that the communication strength between the power supply side wireless connection unit 23 and the power reception side wireless connection unit 32 is not equal to or greater than the threshold value (step S104: No), the non-contact charging control device 2 proceeds to step S107 described below.

[0027] In step S105, the control unit 24 communicates all information to the power supply side wireless connection unit 23. Here, all information is at least a signal for requesting the vehicle 3 for SOC information regarding the SOC (State of Charge) of the battery provided in the vehicle 3, the power transmission available time, the battery temperature, and the like. Of course, the ECU 33 may communicate all information to the non-contact charging control device 2 via the power reception side wireless connection unit 32.

[0028] Subsequently, the control unit 24 continues charging between the non-contact charging control device 2 and the vehicle 3 (step S106). After step S106, the non-contact charging control device 2 ends this process.

[0029] In step S107, the control unit 24 restricts the communication information to the power supply side wireless connection unit 23. Specifically, the control unit 24 causes the power supply side wireless connection unit 23 to communicate only information indicating that it is possible to continue charging the vehicle 3, for example, only the minimum information of 1 Bit. Of course, the control unit 24 may gradually restrict the communication information to 1 Bit based on the communication strength between the power supply side wireless connection unit 23 and the power reception side wireless connection unit 32.

[0030] Subsequently, the control unit 24 causes the power supply side wireless connection unit 23 to execute the start of estimating the chargeable information (step S108). The control unit 24 starts calculating the power transmission available time based on the communication information obtained from the vehicle 3 so far, such as the SOC information, the power transmission available time, and the battery temperature. In this case, the control unit 24 may calculate the power transmission available time by correcting the power transmission available time with the SOC information and the battery temperature. After step S108, the non-contact charging control device 2 proceeds to step S106.

[0031] In step S109, the control unit 24 determines whether it is possible to continue power transmission from the non-contact charging control device 2 to the vehicle 3. In this case, when the communication is interrupted, the control unit 24 determines whether it is possible to continue power transmission from the non-contact charging control device 2 to the vehicle 3 based on the estimated power transmission available time. When it is determined by the control unit 24 that power transmission from the non-contact charging control device 2 to the vehicle 3 is possible (step S109: Yes), the non-contact charging control device 2 proceeds to step S110 described later. On the other hand, when it is determined by the control unit 24 that power transmission from the non-contact charging control device 2 to the vehicle 3 is not possible (step S109: No), the non-contact charging control device 2 proceeds to step S111 described later.

[0032] In step S110, the control unit 24 reconnects the communication between the power supply side wireless connection unit 23 and the power reception side wireless connection unit 32. The control unit 24 performs the reconnection based on the result of the communication check. After step S110, the non-contact charging control device 2 proceeds to step S106.

[0033] In step S111, the control unit 24 stops charging from the non-contact charging control device 2 to the vehicle 3. After step S111, the non-contact charging control device 2 ends this process.

[0034] According to the embodiment described above, the control unit 24 performs wireless communication with the vehicle 3. When the communication strength of the wireless communication received from the vehicle 3 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control unit 24 communicates the chargeable information necessary for the non-contact charging control device 2 to estimate and supply power. On the other hand, when the communication strength is not equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control unit 24 communicates only the charge continuation permission information for enabling continuous communication with the vehicle 3. Therefore, interruption of the wireless communication can be suppressed.

[0035] Further, according to the embodiment, since the wireless communication is less likely to be interrupted, the charging time in a state without overcharging risk (during communication) can be maintained for a longer time.

[0036] Further, according to the embodiment, the period for determining whether to continue charging with a risk of overcharging can be shortened until full charge.

[0037] Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. The broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments described and represented as above. Therefore, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0038] As described above, some embodiments of the present application have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, these are merely examples, and the present invention can be implemented in other forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the aspects described in the disclosure column of the present invention.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0039] 1 Non-contact charging system 2 Non-contact charging control device 3 Vehicle 21 Power transmission unit 22 Power supply unit 23 Power supply side wireless connection unit 24 Control unit 31 Power reception unit 32 Power reception side wireless connection unit 33 ECU 231,321 antenna

Claims

【Claim 1】 A contactless charging control device that performs wireless communication with a vehicle and supplies power to a battery provided in the vehicle in a non-contact manner, comprising: a processor; wherein the processor: performs wireless communication with the vehicle; when the communication strength of the wireless communication received from the vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold value, communicates chargeable information necessary for estimating and supplying the power, while when the communication strength is not equal to or greater than the threshold value, communicates only charge continuation permission information for enabling continuous communication with the vehicle; a contactless charging control device.

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