Contactless charging system

Abstract

To provide a contactless charging system that allows for easy alignment of a vehicle with respect to a ground-side device for contactless charging, even when the area surrounding the ground-side device is dark. [Solution] The contactless charging system according to the present disclosure is a contactless charging system that determines whether the relative position of the coil of the ground-side device and the coil of the vehicle is a position in which the vehicle can be charged, and starts charging the vehicle when the relative position is a position in which the vehicle can be charged, and comprises detection means for detecting the brightness around the ground-side device, and control means for turning on an illumination device provided on the ground-side device that irradiates illumination light around the ground-side device when the ground-side device and the vehicle are connected by wireless communication and the brightness around the ground-side device detected by the detection means is below a predetermined value.

Description

Technical Field

[0005]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a contactless charging system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a contactless charging system that determines whether the relative position of the coil of the ground-side device and the coil of the vehicle is a position where the vehicle can be charged, and starts charging the vehicle when the relative position is a position where the vehicle can be charged (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a conventional contactless charging system, by displaying a parking guide for contactless charging on an in-vehicle display, it is made easier to align the coils of the ground-side device and the vehicle. However, when the surroundings of the ground-side device are dark, it becomes difficult to see the position of the ground-side device, which may make it difficult to align the coils of the ground-side device and the vehicle.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a contactless charging system capable of easily aligning the position of a vehicle with respect to a ground-side device for contactless charging even when the surroundings of the ground-side device are dark.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The contactless charging system according to this disclosure is a contactless charging system that determines whether the relative position of the coil of a ground-side device and the coil of a vehicle is a position in which the vehicle can be charged, and starts charging the vehicle if the relative position is a position in which the vehicle can be charged, and comprises detection means for detecting the brightness around the ground-side device, and control means for turning on an illumination device provided on the ground-side device that irradiates illumination light around the ground-side device when the ground-side device and the vehicle are connected by wireless communication and the brightness around the ground-side device detected by the detection means is below a predetermined value. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, even when the area around the ground-side equipment is dark, it is possible to easily align the vehicle with the ground-side equipment for contactless charging. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a contactless charging system, which is one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of an alignment process according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a display screen, which is one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a display screen, which is one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The configuration and operation of a contactless charging system, which is one embodiment of this disclosure, will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a contactless charging system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The contactless charging system 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a ground-side device 2 and a vehicle 3. In this contactless charging system 1, the ground-side device 2 determines whether the relative position of the power transmission coil 11 and the power receiving coil 21 is in a position where the battery 22 of the vehicle 3 can be charged, and starts charging the battery 22 if the relative position is in a position where the battery 22 can be charged.

[0011] Ground-side equipment 2 is ground equipment that supplies power to the vehicle 3. For example, ground-side equipment 2 is installed in the parking lot of a commercial facility or the parking lot of a home. Ground-side equipment 2 is equipped with a power supply device 10. The power supply device 10 is a device that transmits power to the vehicle 3 without contact. An AC power supply is connected to the power supply device 10. The AC power supply consists of commercial power or household power and supplies power to the power supply device 10. The power supply device 10 is equipped with a power transmission coil 11, a power transmission unit 12, a wall box 13, a power transmission ECU 14, a communication device 15, a lighting device 16, and an illuminance sensor 17.

[0012] The power transmission coil 11 is a primary coil installed on the ground 4. The power transmission unit 12 is a device having the power transmission coil 11 and is installed on the ground 4 in the parking space together with the power transmission coil 11. The wall box 13 is installed near the parking space, for example, on the wall of the parking lot. The wall box 13 may be installed on the side of the power transmission unit 12 as an integral part of the power transmission unit 12. The wall box 13 houses the power transmission ECU 14 and the communication device 15. The power transmission unit 12 and the wall box 13 are electrically connected. Power is supplied to the power transmission unit 12 from an AC power source.

[0013] The power transmission ECU 14 is an electronic control unit that controls the power supply device 10. The power transmission ECU 14 is equipped with a processor and memory. The processor consists of a CPU, etc. The memory consists of RAM, ROM, etc. Signals from various sensors are input to the power transmission ECU 14. The power transmission ECU 14 performs various controls based on the signals input from the various sensors. For example, the power transmission ECU 14 adjusts the power for transmission by controlling the switching elements included in the power conversion section of the power supply device 10. In addition, the power transmission ECU 14 can perform power transmission control using information acquired by the communication device 15. This power transmission control is wireless power transmission control to the vehicle 3.

[0014] The communication device 15 communicates wirelessly with the vehicle 3 parked in the parking space. The communication device 15 transmits information from the power transmission ECU 14 to the vehicle 3 and receives information transmitted from the vehicle 3. The communication device 15 can communicate wirelessly using, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or wireless LAN.

[0015] The lighting device 16 is composed of lighting devices such as LEDs and is installed on the ground 4 so as to surround the power transmission unit 12 (see Figures 4(a) and (b)). The lighting device 16 illuminates the area around the power transmission unit 12 (power transmission coil 11) by emitting illumination light according to control signals from the power transmission ECU 14. The illuminance sensor 17 is installed near the parking space, for example on the wall of the parking lot, and detects the illuminance around the parking space and outputs an electrical signal indicating the detected illuminance to the power transmission ECU 14.

[0016] Vehicle 3 is an electric vehicle capable of being charged by contactlessly transmitted power from the ground-side device 2. Vehicle 3 can be composed of, for example, a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Vehicle 3 is a vehicle that can be parked in a parking space where the power transmission coil 11 is installed. Vehicle 3 is equipped with a power receiving device 20, a power receiving coil 21, a battery 22, a vehicle ECU 23, a communication device 24, an illuminance sensor 25, and a display device 26.

[0017] The power receiving device 20 includes a power receiving coil 21 installed at the lower part of the vehicle body of the vehicle 3. The power receiving coil 21 receives the power transmitted non - contact from the power transmission coil 11. The power receiving device 20 supplies the power received from the power feeding device 10 to the battery 22. The power feeding device 10 and the battery 22 are electrically connected.

[0018] The battery 22 is an in - vehicle battery that can be externally charged. The battery 22 stores the power received by the power receiving device 20. The battery 22 is composed of a secondary battery that stores the power supplied from the power receiving device 20.

[0019] The vehicle ECU 23 is an electronic control device that controls the vehicle 3. The vehicle ECU 23 is configured in the same way as the power transmission ECU 14 in terms of hardware configuration. The vehicle ECU 23 executes various vehicle controls based on signals input from various sensors mounted on the vehicle 3 and information obtained through communication using the communication device 24. The vehicle control includes charging control for storing the power transmitted non - contact from the power transmission unit 12 in the battery 22. The charging control is a control for transmitting power non - contact from the power transmission coil 11 to the power receiving coil 21 and storing the power received by the power receiving coil 21 in the battery 22.

[0020] The communication device 24 performs wireless communication with an external device outside the vehicle such as the ground - side device 2. The communication device 24 performs wireless communication with the communication device 15 of the power feeding device 10 when the vehicle 3 performs non - contact charging. The communication device 24 transmits information from the vehicle 3 to the power feeding device 10 and receives the information transmitted from the power feeding device 10 to the vehicle 3.

[0021] The illuminance sensor 25 detects the illuminance around the vehicle 3 and outputs an electrical signal indicating the detected illuminance to the vehicle ECU 23. The display device 26 is composed of a known display device such as a liquid crystal display or a touch panel, and displays and outputs various information according to the control signal from the vehicle ECU 23.

[0022] In this wireless charging system 1, wireless charging from the power supply device 10 to the vehicle 3 is performed while wireless communication between the vehicle 3 and the power supply device 10 is established. When pairing between the vehicle 3 and the power supply device 10 is performed by wireless communication, power is transmitted non - contact from the power transmission coil 11 on the ground side to the power reception coil 21 on the vehicle side. In the vehicle 3, control is performed to supply the power received by the power reception coil 21 to the battery 22.

[0023] In the wireless charging system 1 having such a configuration, by the ground - side device 2 and the vehicle 3 executing the following alignment process, even when the surroundings of the ground - side device 2 are dark, it is possible to easily align the power reception coil 21 with respect to the power transmission coil 11 for wireless charging. Hereinafter, referring to the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, the operations of the ground - side device 2 and the vehicle 3 when executing this alignment process will be described.

[0024] 〔Alignment process〕 FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the alignment process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The flowchart shown in FIG. 2 starts at the timing when the vehicle 3 approaches the ground - side device 2 and starts searching for an access point for wireless communication, and the alignment process proceeds to the process of step S1.

[0025] In the process of step S1, the vehicle ECU 23 determines whether wireless communication has been established between the communication device 24 of the vehicle 3 and the communication device 15 of the ground - side device 2. As a result of the determination, if wireless communication has been established (step S1: Yes), the vehicle ECU 23 advances the alignment process to the process of step S2. On the other hand, if wireless communication has not been established (step S1: No), the vehicle ECU 23 executes the process of step S1 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0026] In step S2, the vehicle ECU 23 determines whether the illuminance (brightness) around the ground-side device 2 is below a predetermined value based on the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 25. In this embodiment, the vehicle ECU 23 determines whether the illuminance around the ground-side device 2 is below a predetermined value, but the power transmission ECU 14 may use the illuminance sensor 17 to determine whether the illuminance around the ground-side device 2 is below a predetermined value. If the illuminance is below the predetermined value (step S2: Yes), the vehicle ECU 23 determines that the area around the parking space is dark and proceeds to step S3 for the alignment process. On the other hand, if the illuminance is greater than the predetermined value (step S2: No), the vehicle ECU 23 terminates the series of alignment processes.

[0027] In step S3, the vehicle ECU 23 transmits a signal to the power transmission ECU 14 requesting the illumination device 16 to be turned on. The power transmission ECU 14 then turns on the illumination device 16 in response to receiving the signal, illuminating the area around the power transmission unit 12 (power transmission coil 11). With this process, for example, if the area around the parking space is bright, the display screen shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b) is displayed on the display device 26, while if the area around the parking space is dark, the display screen shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b) is displayed on the display device 26. This allows the user to easily recognize the position of the power transmission unit 12 (power transmission coil 11) by the illumination device 16 and easily align the receiving coil 21 with the power transmission coil 11 for contactless charging. Note that if the power transmission ECU 14 determines whether the illuminance around the ground-side device 2 is below a predetermined value using the illuminance sensor 17, the transmission and reception of the illumination request signal can be omitted. With this, step S3 is completed, and the alignment process proceeds to step S4.

[0028] In step S4, the vehicle ECU 23 determines whether the alignment of the receiving coil 21 with respect to the transmitting coil 11 for contactless charging is complete and whether the vehicle 3 is in the Ready-OFF state. If the alignment is complete and the vehicle 3 is in the Ready-OFF state (step S4: Yes), the vehicle ECU 23 proceeds to step S5 for the alignment process. On the other hand, if the alignment is not complete or the vehicle 3 is not in the Ready-OFF state (step S4: No), the vehicle ECU 23 executes step S4 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0029] In step S5, the vehicle ECU 23 sends a signal to the power transmission ECU 14 requesting that the lighting device 16 be turned off. The power transmission ECU 14 then turns off the lighting device 16 in response to receiving the signal. This completes step S5, and the series of alignment processes is finished.

[0030] As described above, in the contactless charging system 1 which is one embodiment of the present disclosure, the ground-side device 2 and the vehicle 3 are connected by wireless communication, and when the brightness around the ground-side device 2 detected by the illuminance sensor 17 or illuminance sensor 25 is below a predetermined value, the power transmission ECU 14 turns on the illumination device 16 provided on the ground-side device 2, which irradiates illumination light around the ground-side device 2. Therefore, even when it is dark around the ground-side device 2, the vehicle 3 can be easily aligned with the ground-side device 2 for contactless charging.

[0031] Further effects and modifications can be readily derived by those skilled in the art. Broader aspects of this disclosure are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments expressed and described above. Accordingly, various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the overall disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0032] 1. Contactless charging system 2. Ground-side equipment 3 vehicles 4 ground 10 Power supply device 11 Power transmission coil 12 Power Transmission Section 13 Wall Boxes 14 Power Transmission ECU 15. Communication equipment 16 Lighting equipment 17. Illuminance Recovery 20 Power receiving equipment 21 Power receiving coil 22 Batteries 23 Vehicle ECU 24 Communication equipment 25 Illuminance Sensor 26 Display device

Claims

[Claim 1] A contactless charging system that determines whether the relative position between the coil of the ground-side device and the coil of the vehicle is a position in which the vehicle can be charged, and starts charging the vehicle if the relative position is a position in which the vehicle can be charged, A detection means for detecting the ambient brightness around the ground-side device, The ground-side device and the vehicle are connected by wireless communication, and when the brightness around the ground-side device detected by the detection means is below a predetermined value, a control means is provided to turn on a lighting device installed on the ground-side device that illuminates the area around the ground-side device with illumination light, A contactless charging system equipped with the following features.

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