Ground power supply equipment

Abstract

To suppress accidents caused by a vehicle when it becomes difficult to move a vehicle on an electrified road.SOLUTION: A control device 20 of a ground feeding device 2 determines whether a first signal has been received, from one mobile body 3A among a plurality of mobile bodies 3, indicating that the one mobile body 3A is in a state in which it is difficult to move on the electrified road where the ground feeding device 2 is installed, and in a case in which the first signal is received when a power supply request signal requesting contactless power supply from the ground feeding device 2 or an approach signal informing that the ground feeding device 2 has approached from the other mobile body 3B-1 among the plurality of mobile bodies 3 is received, the control device sends a second signal informing the other mobile object 3B-1, which is the source of the power supply request signal or approach signal, that the mobile object 3A is present on the electrified road and is having difficulty moving.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a ground power supply device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless power supply system that transmits power wirelessly from a ground power supply device installed on the ground to a traveling vehicle using transmission methods such as magnetic field coupling (electromagnetic induction), electric field coupling, magnetic field resonant coupling (magnetic resonance), and electric field resonant coupling (electric field resonance). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-157686 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] On roads where ground power supply devices are installed (hereinafter referred to as "electrified roads"), it may become difficult for vehicles to move due to some factor, such as a vehicle breakdown. If a person carelessly gets off the vehicle in such a case, the human body may be exposed to a leakage magnetic field generated when power is transmitted from the ground power supply device to the vehicle. Therefore, if it becomes difficult for a person to move a vehicle on an electrified road due to some factor, it is desirable for the person to wait inside the vehicle without getting off until it is confirmed that the power transmission has stopped. However, if a following vehicle is late in recognizing such a difficult-to-move vehicle ahead, an accident or the like caused by the difficult-to-move vehicle may occur between the following vehicle and the difficult-to-move vehicle, which may endanger the occupants of the difficult-to-move vehicle.

[0005] The present invention has been made in light of these problems, and aims to prevent accidents caused by vehicles when it becomes difficult for the vehicles to move on electrified roads. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a ground power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication device capable of communicating with a plurality of moving bodies, a power transmission device for wirelessly supplying power to the moving bodies, and a control device. The control device is configured to determine whether a first signal is received from one of the plurality of moving bodies notifying that the one moving body is in a difficult-to-move state on an electrified road on which the ground power supply device is installed, and, when the control device receives the first signal, transmits a power supply request signal requesting wireless power supply by the ground power supply device or an approach signal notifying that the one moving body has approached the ground power supply device from another moving body among the plurality of moving bodies, to the other moving body that is the source of the power supply request signal or the approach signal, a second signal notifying that a moving body in a difficult-to-move state is present on the electrified road.

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, a ground power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication device capable of communicating with a plurality of moving bodies, a power transmission device for wirelessly supplying power to the moving bodies, and a control device. The control device is configured to determine whether the moving body is in a state where it is difficult to move on an electrified road on which the ground power supply device is installed, and when the control device receives, from another moving body among the plurality of moving bodies, a power supply request signal requesting wireless power supply by the ground power supply device or an approach signal notifying the moving body of its approach to the ground power supply device, transmit a signal notifying the other moving body that is the source of the power supply request signal or the approach signal that a moving body in a state where it is difficult to move is present on the electrified road. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to these aspects of the present invention, when a disabled vehicle appears on an electrified road, following vehicles can be notified of the presence of the disabled vehicle, thereby preventing accidents and other accidents caused by the disabled vehicle between the following vehicles and the disabled vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a contactless power supply system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a ground power supply device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an operational sequence diagram for explaining the contents of basic processes carried out in the server, the ground power feeding device, and the vehicle in order to perform contactless power feeding. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method for calling attention of vehicles following a vehicle with difficulty in moving according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an operational sequence diagram for explaining the contents of a process (computer program) according to the first embodiment of the present invention, which is carried out between a ground power supply device and a difficult-to-move vehicle that has become unable to move in the power supply section of the ground power supply device. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an operation sequence diagram for explaining the contents of a process (computer program) according to the first embodiment of the present invention, which is carried out between a ground power feeding apparatus and a following vehicle approaching the ground power feeding apparatus. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an operational sequence diagram for explaining the contents of a process (computer program) according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which is carried out between a ground power supply device and a difficult-to-move vehicle that has become unable to move in the power supply section of the ground power supply device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, like elements are designated by like reference numerals.

[0011] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a contactless power supply system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] The contactless power supply system 100 includes a server 1, a ground power supply device 2, and a vehicle 3 which is an example of a moving body, and is configured to be able to supply power contactlessly from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. Note that Fig. 1 shows an example of an installation example of the ground power supply device 2 in which the ground power supply devices 2 are continuously set at predetermined intervals along a road.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the server 1 includes a server communication unit 11, a server storage unit 12, and a server processing unit 13.

[0014] The server communication unit 11 has a communication interface circuit for connecting the server 1 to the network 6, and is configured to be able to communicate with each of the ground power supply device 2 and the vehicle 3 via the network 6.

[0015] The server storage unit 12 has a storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs and data used for processing by the server processing unit 13.

[0016] The server processing unit 13 includes a processor having one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The server processing unit 13 executes various processes based on various computer programs stored in the server storage unit 12.

[0017] When the server processing unit 13, and in turn the server 1, receives a utilization request signal for the contactless power supply system 100 from the vehicle 3, it checks whether the vehicle 3 has the authority to utilize the system, and if the check is successful, it exchanges various information with the vehicle 3 and the ground power supply device 2 so that the vehicle 3 can receive power from the ground power supply device 2. Details of the exchange will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0018] Next, configurations of the ground power feeding device 2 and the vehicle 3 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the ground power supply device 2 according to this embodiment.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2, the ground power supply device 2 includes a power source 21, a power transmission device 22, a ground-side communication device 23, and a power transmission control device 20. The power transmission device 22 and the ground-side communication device 23 are connected to the power transmission control device 20 via an internal network 24 of the ground power supply device 2 that complies with standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network). Note that, although Fig. 2 shows an example in which the ground power supply device 2 includes a plurality of power transmission devices 22, the number of power transmission devices 22 may be one.

[0021] The power source 21 supplies power to the power transmission devices 22. The power source 21 is, for example, a commercial AC power source that supplies single-phase AC power. The power source 21 may be another AC power source that supplies three-phase AC power, or may be a DC power source such as a fuel cell. Although Fig. 2 shows an example in which power is supplied to each power transmission device 22 by a common power source 21, a dedicated power source may be prepared for each power transmission device to supply power.

[0022] The power transmitting device 22 is a device for transmitting the electric power supplied from the power source 21 to the vehicle 3, and includes a power transmitting side resonator 221 and a power transmitting circuit 222.

[0023] The power transmitting side resonator 221 is a resonant circuit including a power transmitting coil, and is configured to resonate at a predetermined resonant frequency f0. In this embodiment, the resonant frequency f0 is set to 85 [kHz] as a frequency band for contactless power transmission according to the SAE TIR J2954 standard, but is not limited thereto. The vehicle 3 is provided with a power receiving side resonator 311 corresponding to the power transmitting side resonator 221. The power receiving side resonator 311 is a resonant circuit including a power receiving coil, and is configured to resonate at the same resonant frequency f0 as the power transmitting side resonator 221. By resonating the power transmitting side resonator 221, the power transmitting coil of the power transmitting side resonator 221 and the power receiving coil of the power receiving side resonator 311, which are arranged with a space between them, are magnetically coupled to each other, and contactless power transmission from the power transmitting device 22 to the power receiving device 31 is performed.

[0024] The power transmission circuit 222 is an electric circuit including a rectifier and an inverter, and is configured to be controlled by the power transmission control device 20 to convert AC power supplied from the power source 21 by the rectifier, and to convert the DC power by the inverter into desired AC power capable of resonating the power transmission side resonator 221, and then to supply the AC power to the power transmission side resonator 221. Note that the configuration of the power transmission circuit 222 is not limited to this configuration, and may be changed as appropriate depending on the type of the power source 21.

[0025] The ground communication device 23 includes an antenna and a signal processing circuit that executes various processes related to wireless communication, such as modulation and demodulation of wireless signals, and is configured to be able to communicate with, for example, the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and an information display device 5 (see FIG. 5 ) such as an electronic bulletin board described later. The communication between the ground communication device 23 and the vehicle 3 can be performed directly between them, for example, by using short-range wireless communication, or indirectly via the server 1 by using wide-area wireless communication. When the ground communication device 23 receives a wireless signal from the outside, it transfers the wireless signal to the power transmission control device 20. Furthermore, when a signal to be transmitted to the outside is transferred from the power transmission control device 20 to the ground communication device 23, the ground communication device 23 generates a wireless signal including the signal and transmits it to the outside.

[0026] The wide-area wireless communication is, for example, communication with a communication distance of several meters to several tens of kilometers. As the wide-area wireless communication, various wireless communication with a long communication distance can be used, for example, communication conforming to any communication standard such as 4G, LTE, 5G, WiMAX, etc. Also, the narrow-area wireless communication is communication with a shorter communication distance than the wide-area wireless communication, for example, communication with a communication distance of up to several tens of meters. As the narrow-area wireless communication, various short-distance wireless communication with a short communication distance can be used, for example, communication conforming to any communication standard (for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark)) established by IEEE, ISO, IEC, etc. can be used. As a technology for performing the narrow-area wireless communication, for example, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), DSRC (dedicated Short Range Communication), etc. are used.

[0027] The power transmission control device 20 includes a communication interface 201 , a storage unit 202 , and a power transmission processing unit 203 .

[0028] The communication interface 201 is a communication interface circuit for connecting the power transmission control device 20 to the internal network 24 of the ground power supply device 2.

[0029] The storage unit 202 has a storage medium such as an HDD, an SSD, an optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs and data used for processing in the power transmission processing unit 203.

[0030] The power transmission processing unit 203 includes a processor having one or more CPUs and their peripheral circuits. The power transmission processing unit 203 executes various processes based on various computer programs stored in the storage unit 202. The contents of the processes executed by the power transmission processing unit 203 and the power transmission control device 20 will be described later with reference to Figs. 6 and 7.

[0031] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle 3 according to this embodiment. The vehicle 3 may be a manually driven vehicle or an automatically driven vehicle.

[0032] The vehicle 3 according to this embodiment includes a power receiving device 31, a vehicle-side communication device 32, a map information storage device 33, a GNSS receiving device 34, an HMI device 35, an imaging device 36, various sensors 37, and a vehicle control device 30. The vehicle-side communication device 32, the map information storage device 33, the GNSS receiving device 34, the HMI device 35, the imaging device 36, and the various sensors 37 are connected to the vehicle control device 30 via an in-vehicle network 38 that complies with standards such as CAN.

[0033] The power receiving device 31 includes a power receiving side resonator 311 and a power receiving circuit 312 .

[0034] As described above, the power receiving side resonator 311 is a resonant circuit including a power receiving coil, and is configured to resonate at the same resonant frequency f0 as the power transmitting side resonator 221.

[0035] The power receiving circuit 312 is an electric circuit including a rectifier and a DC / DC converter, and is configured to be controlled by the vehicle control device 30 to convert AC power output from the power receiving side resonator 311 into DC power by the rectifier and supply the DC power to the electric load 39 via the DC / DC converter. The electric load 39 may be, for example, a battery or an electric motor, but is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the power receiving circuit 312 is connected to a battery as the electric load 39.

[0036] The vehicle-side communication device 32 includes an antenna and a signal processing circuit that executes various processes related to wireless communication, such as modulation and demodulation of wireless signals, and is configured to be able to communicate with, for example, the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and an information display device 5 (see FIG. 5 ), such as an electronic bulletin board, which will be described later. The communication between the vehicle-side communication device 32 and the ground power supply device 2 can be performed directly between them, for example, by using short-range wireless communication, or indirectly via the server 1 by using wide-area wireless communication. When the vehicle-side communication device 32 receives a wireless signal from the outside, it transfers the wireless signal to the vehicle control device 30. When a signal to be transmitted to the outside is transferred from the vehicle control device 30 to the vehicle-side communication device 32, the vehicle-side communication device 32 generates a wireless signal including the signal and transmits it to the outside.

[0037] The map information storage device 33 stores map information including road position information and information on road types (for example, information on whether a road is an expressway or an electrified road).

[0038] The GNSS receiver 34 receives radio waves from artificial satellites to identify the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 3 and detect the current position of the vehicle 3. The GNSS receiver 34 transmits the detected current position information of the vehicle 3 to the vehicle control device 30.

[0039] The HMI device 35 is an interface for exchanging information with the vehicle occupant. The HMI device 35 according to this embodiment includes a display and a speaker for providing various information to the vehicle occupant, and a touch panel for allowing the vehicle occupant to input information on the display. Of course, another input device such as an operation button may be provided instead of or in addition to the touch panel. The HMI device 35 transmits input information input by the vehicle occupant to various devices that require the input information, and provides the information received via the in-vehicle network 38 to the vehicle occupant by displaying the information on the display.

[0040] The imaging device 36 captures and outputs an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 3. The image captured by the imaging device 36 is used by the vehicle control device 30 to detect objects around the vehicle 3, for example.

[0041] The various sensors 37 are sensors used when the vehicle control device 30 controls the vehicle 3. For example, when the vehicle 3 is an autonomous vehicle, such sensors 37 include a distance measurement sensor that measures and outputs the distance to an object present around the vehicle 3 for each direction, which is necessary for the vehicle control device 30 (autonomous driving system) to perform autonomous driving of the vehicle 3. When the vehicle 3 is an autonomous vehicle, the vehicle control device 30 automatically performs driving operations related to acceleration, steering, and braking based on signals output from the distance measurement sensor and the like, so that the vehicle 3 runs automatically.

[0042] The vehicle control device 30 includes a communication interface 301 , a storage unit 302 , and a vehicle processing unit 303 .

[0043] The communication interface 301 is a communication interface circuit for connecting the vehicle control device 30 to the in-vehicle network 38 .

[0044] The storage unit 302 has a storage medium such as an HDD, SSD, optical recording medium, or semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs and data used for processing in the vehicle processing unit 303.

[0045] The vehicle processing unit 303 includes a processor having one or more CPUs and their peripheral circuits. The vehicle processing unit 303 executes various processes based on various computer programs stored in the storage unit 302. The contents of the processes executed by the vehicle processing unit 303 and, in turn, the vehicle control device 30 will be described later with reference to Figs. 6 and 7.

[0046] FIG. 4 is an operation sequence diagram for explaining the contents of basic processing (computer programs) executed in the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and the vehicle 3 to perform contactless power supply.

[0047] In step S1, the vehicle control device 30 judges whether or not the vehicle 3 on which the vehicle control device 30 is mounted, i.e., the host vehicle 3, is requesting contactless power feeding. If the host vehicle 3 is requesting contactless power feeding, the vehicle control device 30 proceeds to the process of step S2. On the other hand, if the host vehicle 3 is not requesting contactless power feeding, the vehicle control device 30 ends the current process. In this embodiment, the vehicle occupant can manually switch between the presence and absence of a request for contactless power feeding via the HMI device 35, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the presence and absence of a request for contactless power feeding may be automatically switched depending on the state of the electric load 39 (for example, the charging rate of the battery, the load of the electric motor, etc.).

[0048] In step S2, the vehicle control device 30 establishes a communication connection with the server 1 by, for example, performing a three-way handshake, and then transmits a usage request signal for the contactless power supply system 100 to the server 1. This usage request signal includes, for example, various information (such as authentication information) required to use the contactless power supply system 100.

[0049] In step S3, the server 1 confirms whether the vehicle 3 that is the source of the usage request signal has the authority to use the contactless power supply system 100 based on the authentication information or the like, and transmits an encryption key for decrypting the encrypted system usage ticket to the vehicle 3 that has been confirmed as such. The system usage ticket is a virtual ticket for using the contactless power supply system 100.

[0050] In step S4, the vehicle control device 30 determines whether or not a checkpoint set at an arbitrary point before the electrified road section has been passed. If the checkpoint has been passed, the vehicle control device 30 proceeds to processing in step S5. On the other hand, if the checkpoint has not been passed, the vehicle control device 30 determines again after a predetermined time has elapsed whether or not the checkpoint has been passed.

[0051] For example, if a gate is installed at a checkpoint, the vehicle control device 30 can determine whether or not the checkpoint has been passed by receiving a signal generated from the gate. At that time, the vehicle control device 30 can receive checkpoint information from the gate, including position information of the passed checkpoint. Also, for example, if the checkpoint information is included in map information or if the checkpoint information can be received from the server 1, it can also determine whether or not the checkpoint has been passed based on the position information of the vehicle and the position information of the checkpoint. In this way, the method of determining whether or not the checkpoint has been passed is not particularly limited.

[0052] In this embodiment, in step S4, it is determined whether or not the checkpoint has been passed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be determined, for example, whether or not the checkpoint has been approached.

[0053] For example, if a device that transmits a signal to vehicles 3 located within a certain range based on the checkpoint is provided at the checkpoint, the vehicle control device 30 can determine whether or not the checkpoint is approached by receiving a signal generated from the device, or, without being limited to this, can also determine based on the position information of the vehicle itself and the position information of the checkpoint. For example, if a road section in a predetermined range where waiting at a traffic light occurs is an electrified road section so that wireless power can be supplied to vehicles 3 waiting at a traffic light, the certain range based on the checkpoint can be a part of the road section before entering the electrified road section.

[0054] In step S5, the vehicle control device 30 transmits to the server 1 a request signal for issuing a system usage ticket, which is a virtual ticket for using the contactless power supply system 100. The request signal for issuing the system usage ticket includes the identification information and checkpoint information of the vehicle itself.

[0055] In step S6, when the server 1 receives the request to issue a system use ticket, the server 1 identifies the vehicle 3 that made the request based on the vehicle identification information included in the request. The server 1 then issues a first ticket, which is a system use ticket to be transmitted to the identified vehicle 3 that made the request, and which is a system use ticket unique to each vehicle 3 that has the authority to use the contactless power supply system 100. At the same time, the server 1 issues a second ticket, which is a system use ticket corresponding to the first ticket and is a system use ticket to be transmitted to the ground power supply device 2.

[0056] In step S7, the server 1 transmits the encrypted first ticket to the vehicle 3 that has requested issuance of the system usage ticket, and transmits the second ticket to each ground power supply device 2 associated with the checkpoint. The ground power supply device 2 associated with the checkpoint is a ground power supply device 2 installed in an electrified road section on which the vehicle 3 that has passed the checkpoint may travel. In the server storage unit 12 of the server 1 according to this embodiment, the ground power supply device 2 associated with each checkpoint is pre-stored.

[0057] In step S8, the vehicle control device 30 decrypts the received first ticket by using the encryption key, and starts periodic and direct transmission of a power supply request signal including the decrypted first ticket to the ground power supply device 2 by short-range wireless communication via the vehicle-side communication device 32. At the same time, the vehicle control device 30 controls the power transmitting device 22 so that the vehicle 3 can receive power when the vehicle 3 travels over the ground power supply device 2.

[0058] In step S9, when the power transmission control device 20 receives a power supply request signal with a communication strength (received signal strength) equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the power transmission control device 20 determines whether a second ticket corresponding to the first ticket included in the power supply request signal has already been received from the server 1, that is, whether the power transmission control device 20 possesses a second ticket corresponding to the received first ticket. If the power transmission control device 20 possesses a second ticket corresponding to the first ticket, the power transmission control device 20 proceeds to processing in step S10. On the other hand, if the ground power supply device 2 does not possess a second ticket corresponding to the first ticket, the power transmission control device 2 proceeds to processing in step S11.

[0059] In step S10, the power transmission control device 20 determines that the vehicle 3 that is about to travel over its own device is a vehicle that is requesting contactless power supply and has permission to use the contactless power supply system 100 (hereinafter referred to as the "vehicle to be supplied with power"), and controls the power transmission device 22 so that power can be transmitted when the vehicle 3 travels over its own device.

[0060] In step S11, the power transmission control device 20 determines that the vehicle 3 that will soon travel over the device is not a vehicle to be supplied with power, and controls the power transmission device 22 so as not to transmit power even if the vehicle 3 travels over the device.

[0061] However, on an electrified road, if the vehicle 3 breaks down or gets stuck, or if it is caught in a large-scale traffic jam caused by stranded vehicles due to an accident or bad weather, it may become difficult to move from the stopped position due to some factor. In such a case, if the vehicle 3 carelessly gets off the vehicle 3, the human body may be exposed to a leakage magnetic field generated when power is transmitted from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. Therefore, if it becomes difficult to move the vehicle 3 on an electrified road due to some factor, it is desirable to wait inside the vehicle without getting off until it is confirmed that the power transmission has stopped.

[0062] However, when such a difficult-to-move vehicle occurs, if the vehicle following the difficult-to-move vehicle is slow to recognize the difficult-to-move vehicle ahead, an accident caused by the difficult-to-move vehicle may occur between the following vehicle and the difficult-to-move vehicle, putting the occupants of the difficult-to-move vehicle in danger.

[0063] Therefore, in this embodiment, when a difficult-to-move vehicle occurs on an electrified road, a warning is issued to the following vehicles that are likely to be traveling on the electrified road on which the difficult-to-move vehicle is stopped, and the vehicles are notified that the difficult-to-move vehicle is stopped on the electrified road ahead. In the following description, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, as necessary, the vehicle that has fallen into a difficult-to-move state among the vehicles 3 will be referred to as the "difficult-to-move vehicle 3A," and the vehicles traveling behind the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A will be referred to as the "following vehicles 3B."

[0064] 5 is a diagram illustrating a method for calling attention to vehicles 3B-1 and 3B-2 following a vehicle 3A with difficulty in moving according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 5, the vehicle 3A with difficulty in moving is stopped on an electrified road on which a ground power supply device 2A is installed, and the two following vehicles 3B-1 and 3B-2 are traveling on a road behind the vehicle 3A that leads to the electrified road on which the ground power supply device 2A is installed.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 5, when a difficult-to-move vehicle 3A becomes unable to move, it transmits a difficult-to-move vehicle occurrence signal to the ground power supply device 2A, which is performing contactless power supply to the vehicle, to notify the ground power supply device 2A that a difficult-to-move vehicle has occurred in the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A.

[0066] When the ground power supply device 2A receives a difficult-to-move vehicle occurrence signal, it takes power supply stopping measures to stop contactless power supply to the vehicle 3A, and if it subsequently receives a power supply request signal from the following vehicle 3B-1 at a predetermined communication strength or greater, it transmits a warning signal to the following vehicle 3B-1, which is the sender of the power supply request signal, informing the following vehicle 3B-1 that a difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is present on the electrified road ahead in the vehicle's direction of travel.

[0067] As a result, if the following vehicle 3B-1 is a manually driven vehicle, the driver of the following vehicle 3B-1 can know that the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A exists in the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A where the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A occurs before entering the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A where the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A occurs. Also, if the following vehicle 3B-1 is an automatically driven vehicle, the automatic driving system of the following vehicle 3B-1 can know that the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A exists in the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A where the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A occurs before entering the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A where the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A occurs. Therefore, the driver or the automatic driving system of the following vehicle 3B-1 can drive assuming that the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A exists, and therefore it is possible to suppress the occurrence of an accident or the like caused by the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A.

[0068] Furthermore, as in this embodiment, when a power supply request signal is received from the following vehicle 3B-1 at a communication strength greater than or equal to a predetermined value after receiving a difficult-to-move vehicle occurrence signal, a warning signal is sent to the following vehicle 3B-1, which is the sender of the power supply request signal, and the following advantageous effects can be obtained.

[0069] That is, when the ground power feeding device 2 receives a power supply request signal from a certain vehicle 3 at a communication strength equal to or greater than a predetermined strength, it is when the vehicle 3 that is the source of the power supply request signal approaches closely to the ground power feeding device 2 that is the destination of the signal. Therefore, when the ground power feeding device 2 receives a power supply request signal from a certain vehicle 3 at a communication strength equal to or greater than a predetermined strength, it is, in other words, when the vehicle 3 that is the source of the power supply request signal is expected to enter the power supply section of the ground power feeding device 2 that is the destination of the signal.

[0070] When the ground power supply device 2 receives a difficult-to-move vehicle occurrence signal, it is possible for the ground power supply device 2 to randomly transmit an attention-calling signal to a plurality of surrounding vehicles 3. However, this would result in the ground power supply device 2 also issuing an attention-calling signal to vehicles 3 that do not require an attention-calling, such as a vehicle 3 traveling in the opposite lane. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 5, the ground power supply device 2A that receives the difficult-to-move vehicle occurrence signal, i.e., the ground power supply device 2A in which the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is stopped in the power supply section, transmits an attention-calling signal to the following vehicle 3B-1 that is the source of the power supply request signal only when the ground power supply device 2A receives the power supply request signal with a communication strength equal to or greater than a predetermined strength, thereby making it possible to appropriately issue an attention-call to the following vehicle 3B-1 that is likely to enter the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A in which the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is stopped.

[0071] Also, as shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, when the ground power supply device 2A receives a difficult-to-move vehicle occurrence signal, it transmits an information display request signal to an information display device 5, such as an electronic bulletin board, installed on a road behind the vehicle in the direction of travel that connects to the electrified road on which the ground power supply device 2A is installed, in order to cause the information display device 5 to display that a difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is present on the electrified road ahead in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

[0072] This allows the information display device 5 to display information informing the driver that the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is present on the electrified road ahead in the vehicle travel direction. Therefore, if the following vehicle 3B-2 that passes the information display device 5 after the display is performed is a manually driven vehicle, the driver of the following vehicle 3B-2 can know earlier that the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is present on the electrified road ahead in the vehicle travel direction. In addition, if the following vehicle 3B-2 is an automatically driven vehicle, the information display device 5 can transmit information related to the display content to the vehicle 3 that passes under the information display device 5, so that the automatic driving system of the following vehicle 3B-2 that receives the information can know earlier that the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is present on the electrified road ahead in the vehicle travel direction.

[0073] FIG. 6 is an operational sequence diagram for explaining the contents of the processing (computer program) according to this embodiment, which is carried out between the ground power supply device 2A and a difficult-to-move vehicle 3A that has encountered difficulty in moving in the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A, as described above with reference to FIG. 5.

[0074] In step S101, the vehicle control device 30 of the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A judges whether the host vehicle 3A has fallen into a difficult-to-move state. This judgment is executed periodically, for example. If the vehicle control device 30 can judge that the host vehicle 3A has fallen into a difficult-to-move state, the vehicle control device 30 proceeds to the process of step S102. On the other hand, if the vehicle control device 30 cannot judge that the host vehicle 3A has fallen into a difficult-to-move state, the vehicle control device 30 ends the current process.

[0075] The method of determining whether the host vehicle 3A has fallen into a state of difficulty in moving is not particularly limited, but for example, when the host vehicle 3 stops in a state where a failure or malfunction directly leading to the inability to travel is detected by the self-diagnosis function, it can be determined that the host vehicle 3A has fallen into a state of difficulty in moving due to a vehicle failure. Also, for example, when the vehicle speed is low despite a large required torque, or when the wheel speed difference between the drive wheels and the non-drive wheels (rear wheels in the case of front-wheel drive, and front wheels in the case of rear-wheel drive) is large, it can be determined that the host vehicle 3 has fallen into a state of difficulty in moving due to being stuck. Also, for example, when it is determined that the host vehicle 3A is involved in a vehicle congestion based on image information of the surroundings of the host vehicle 3A, it can be determined that the host vehicle 3A has fallen into a state of difficulty in moving due to the vehicle congestion. Also, for example, when the vehicle occupant requests road service via the HMI device 35 while the host vehicle 3A is stopped, it can be determined that the host vehicle 3A has fallen into a state of difficulty in moving due to some factor.

[0076] In step S102, the vehicle control device 30 of the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A judges whether the vehicle 3A is on an electrified road. If the vehicle 3A is on an electrified road, the vehicle control device 30 proceeds to the process of step S103. On the other hand, if the vehicle 3A is not on an electrified road, the vehicle control device 30 ends the current process.

[0077] Whether the vehicle 3A is on an electrified road can be determined based on, for example, current position information and map information. Also, for example, if the time change of the received power is recorded as power reception history information, the determination can be made based on the most recent power reception history information. Specifically, if the vehicle 3A has received power within a specified time range in the most recent time, it is highly likely that the vehicle is still on an electrified road, and therefore it can be determined that the vehicle 3A is on an electrified road.

[0078] In step S103, the vehicle control device 30 of the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A takes measures to prevent the vehicle occupants from getting off the vehicle. In this embodiment, the vehicle control device 30 displays a warning message on the display of the HMI device 35 to prevent the vehicle occupants from getting off the vehicle.

[0079] In step S104, the vehicle control device 30 of the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A transmits a difficult-to-move vehicle occurrence signal to the ground power supply device 2A that is performing contactless power supply to the vehicle 3A, notifying the ground power supply device 2A that a difficult-to-move vehicle has occurred in the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A. The communication between the vehicle 3 and the ground power supply device 2 at this time may be performed directly or indirectly via the server 1.

[0080] In step S105, when the power transmission control device 20 of the ground power supply device 2A receives the immobile vehicle occurrence signal from the vehicle 3 via the ground side communication device 23, the power transmission control device 20 takes measures to stop power supply. Specifically, the power transmission control device 20 controls the power transmission circuit 222 and further the power transmission device 22 so that power cannot be transmitted to the vehicle 3A.

[0081] In step S106, the power transmission control device 20 of the ground power supply device 2A sets the attention call execution flag F to 1. The attention call execution flag F is a flag for determining whether or not to call the attention of the following vehicle 3B that is the transmission source of the power supply request signal when the power supply request signal is received from the following vehicle 3B with a communication strength equal to or greater than a predetermined strength, and is set to 0 as an initial value.

[0082] In step S107, the power transmission control device 20 of the ground power supply device 2A transmits a power supply stoppage measure completion signal to the vehicle 3A that is the transmission source of the difficult-to-move vehicle occurrence signal to notify that the power supply stoppage measure has been completed. At this time, communication between the ground power supply device 2 and the vehicle 3 may be performed directly or indirectly via the server 1.

[0083] In step S108, the vehicle control device 30 of the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A cancels the dismount prevention measure when it receives the power supply stop measure completion signal via the vehicle-side communication device 32. If the vehicle control device 30 has displayed a warning message to prevent dismounting on the display of the HMI device 35 as the dismount prevention measure, the vehicle control device 30 ends the display of the warning message.

[0084] In addition to releasing the disembarking prevention measures, some measures may be taken to inform the vehicle occupants that the disembarking prevention measures have been released, that power supply has been stopped, that there is no danger due to leakage magnetic fields even if they disembark, or that they may disembark, etc. In this embodiment, a message informing the occupants that there is no danger of exposure to leakage magnetic fields even if they disembark and that they may disembark is displayed on the display of the HMI device 35.

[0085] In step S109, the power transmission control device 20 of the ground power supply device 2A transmits an information display instruction signal to a specific external information display device 5 installed on a road connected to the electrified road on which the device 2A is installed, to cause the information display device 5 to display the presence of the immobile vehicle 3A on the electrified road ahead of the information display device 5 in the vehicle travel direction. In this embodiment, the information display device 5 to which the information display instruction signal is transmitted is determined in advance for each ground power supply device. The communication between the ground power supply device 2 and the information display device 5 may be performed directly or indirectly via the server 1.

[0086] In step S110, the power transmission control device 20 of the ground power feeding device 2A calculates the elapsed time T after transmitting the information display instruction signal.

[0087] In step S111, the power transmission control device 20 of the ground power supply device 2A determines whether the elapsed time T is equal to or greater than a predetermined time Tth. If the elapsed time T is equal to or greater than the predetermined time Tth, the power transmission control device 20 proceeds to processing in step S112. On the other hand, if the elapsed time T is less than the predetermined time Tth, the power transmission control device 20 performs the processing in step S110 again after a predetermined time interval.

[0088] In step S112, the power transmission control device 20 resets the attention call execution flag F to "0."

[0089] In this manner, in this embodiment, the elapsed time T from the transmission of the information display command signal is calculated, and when the elapsed time T becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined time Tth, the attention call implementation flag F is reset to 0. This is for the following reason.

[0090] That is, when the elapsed time T from the transmission of the information display instruction signal reaches a certain time, the following vehicle 3B-2, having seen the display on the information display device 5, approaches the ground power supply device 2A, transmits a power supply request signal, and enters the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A. Since the occupant of the following vehicle 3B-2 has already seen the display on the information display device 5 and knows that the immobile vehicle 3A is stopped on the electrified road, it is unlikely that there is a need to transmit an attention signal to the following vehicle 3B-2 to call its attention again.

[0091] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the elapsed time T becomes equal to or longer than the predetermined time Tth, the attention call implementation flag F is reset to 0, and the attention call signal is not transmitted even if a power supply request signal is received. Therefore, it is preferable to set the predetermined time Tth based on the approximate time required for the vehicle to travel from the installation position of the information display device 5 to the ground power supply device 2A. The predetermined time Tth may be a fixed value set based on the time required from the installation position of the information display device 5 to the ground power supply device 2A, or may be changed according to road conditions, etc.

[0092] FIG. 7 is an operational sequence diagram for explaining the contents of the processing (computer program) performed between the ground power supply device 2A and the following vehicle 3B-1 approaching the ground power supply device 2A, as described above with reference to FIG. 5.

[0093] In step S121, the power transmission control device 20 of the ground power supply device 2A judges whether or not it has received a power supply request signal at a communication strength equal to or greater than a predetermined level. If the power transmission control device 20 has received a power supply request signal at a communication strength equal to or greater than a predetermined level, the power transmission control device 20 proceeds to processing in step S122. On the other hand, if the power transmission control device 20 has not received a power supply request signal at a communication strength equal to or greater than a predetermined level, the power transmission control device 20 ends this processing.

[0094] In step S122, the power transmission control device 20 of the ground power supply device 2A determines whether or not the attention call implementation flag F is set to 1. If the attention call implementation flag F is set to 1, the power transmission control device 20 proceeds to the process of step S123. On the other hand, if the attention call implementation flag F is set to 0, the power transmission control device 20 ends this process.

[0095] In step S123, the power transmission control device 20 of the ground power supply device 2A transmits a warning signal to the following vehicle 3B-1 that is the transmission source of the power supply request signal. At this time, communication between the ground power supply device 2A and the vehicle 3B-1 may be performed directly or indirectly via the server 1.

[0096] In step S124, the vehicle control device 30 of the following vehicle 3B-1 takes a warning measure when it receives the warning signal via the vehicle-side communication device 32. In this embodiment, as the warning measure, the vehicle control device 30 displays, on the display of the HMI device 35, a warning message informing the driver that a difficult-to-move vehicle is present on the electrified road ahead in the vehicle travel direction.

[0097] The ground power supply device 2 according to the present embodiment described above includes a ground-side communication device 23 (communication device) capable of communicating with multiple vehicles 3 (mobile bodies), a power transmission device 22 for contactlessly supplying power to the vehicles 3, and a power transmission control device 20 (control device).

[0098] The power transmission control device 20 determines whether it has received a difficult-to-move vehicle occurrence signal (first signal) from one vehicle 3A of the multiple vehicles 3, notifying that the one vehicle 3A is in a difficult-to-move state on the electrified road on which the ground power supply device 2A is installed, and if it has received a difficult-to-move vehicle occurrence signal, and then receives a power supply request signal from another vehicle 3B-1 of the multiple vehicles 3 requesting contactless power supply from the ground power supply device 2A, it is configured to transmit a warning signal (second signal) to the other vehicle 3B-1 that is the source of the power supply request signal, notifying that a vehicle 3A is present on the electrified road that is in a difficult-to-move state.

[0099] As a result, for example, if the vehicle 3B-1 is a manually driven vehicle, the driver of the vehicle 3B-1 can know that the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A exists in the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A where the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A occurs before entering the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A where the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A occurs. Also, for example, if the vehicle 3B-1 is an automatically driven vehicle, the automatic driving system of the vehicle 3B-1 can know that the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A exists in the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A where the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A occurs before entering the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A where the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A occurs. Therefore, the driver or the automatic driving system of the vehicle 3B-1 can drive assuming that the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A exists, and therefore it is possible to suppress the occurrence of an accident or the like caused by the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A.

[0100] In addition, the ground power supply device 2A that receives the difficult-to-move vehicle occurrence signal, i.e., the ground power supply device 2A in which the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is stopped in the power supply section, transmits a warning signal to the following vehicle 3B-1 that is the source of the power supply request signal only when it receives the power supply request signal with a communication strength equal to or greater than a predetermined level.This makes it possible to appropriately warn the following vehicle 3B-1 that is likely to enter the power supply section in which the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is stopped.

[0101] In addition, when the power transmission control device 20 according to this embodiment receives a difficult-to-move vehicle occurrence signal (first signal), it is further configured to transmit an information display instruction signal to an information display device 5 installed on a road connected to the electrified road on which the ground power supply device 2A is installed, to cause the information display device 5 to display that a vehicle 3A that is in a difficult-to-move state is present on the electrified road.

[0102] This allows the information display device 5 to display information informing the driver that the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is present on the electrified road ahead in the vehicle travel direction. Therefore, if the vehicle 3B-2 that passes the information display device 5 after the display is a manually driven vehicle, the driver of the vehicle 3B-2 can know earlier that the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is present on the electrified road ahead in the vehicle travel direction. In addition, if the vehicle 3B-2 is an autonomous vehicle, by making it possible for the information display device 5 to transmit information related to the display content to the vehicle 3 that passes under the information display device 5, the autonomous driving system of the vehicle 3B-2 that receives the information can know earlier that the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is present on the electrified road ahead in the vehicle travel direction.

[0103] The power transmission control device 20 according to this embodiment is further configured to calculate the elapsed time T after transmitting the information display instruction signal, and not to transmit the attention signal (second signal) when the power supply request signal is received after the elapsed time T becomes equal to or longer than a predetermined time Tth. The predetermined time Tth is set based on the time required from the installation position of the information display device 5 to the ground power supply device 2A.

[0104] This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary warnings from being issued to the following vehicle 3B-2 that has confirmed through the information display device 5 that the mobility-impaired vehicle 3A is parked on the electrified road.

[0105] Moreover, the power transmission control device 20 according to this embodiment is further configured to take a power supply stop measure to stop contactless power supply by the power transmission device 22 when a difficult-to-move vehicle occurrence signal (first signal) is received.

[0106] As a result, when the vehicle 3 becomes difficult to move on the electrified road due to some factor, even if the occupants of the vehicle 3 get off the vehicle, the human bodies can be prevented from being exposed to the leakage magnetic field.

[0107] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the ground power supplying device determines whether the vehicle 3 has entered a state in which it is difficult to move. The following mainly describes this difference.

[0108] Fig. 8 is an operation sequence diagram for explaining the contents of the process (computer program) according to this embodiment that is carried out between the ground power supply device 2A and the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A that has become difficult to move in the power supply section of the ground power supply device 2A. Note that the contents of the process from step S103 to step S112 in Fig. 8 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0109] In step S201, the power transmission control device 20 of the ground power supply device 2A judges whether or not a difficult-to-move vehicle 3A that has fallen into a difficult-to-move state is present in the power supply section of the device 2A. This judgment is performed, for example, periodically. If the power transmission control device 20 judges that a difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is present, the process proceeds to step S202. On the other hand, if the power transmission control device 20 judges that a difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is not present, the process ends this time.

[0110] The method of determining whether or not the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A exists in the power supply section of the own device 2A is not particularly limited. For example, if the electrified road on which the own device 2A is installed is a road that does not consider power supply to parked vehicles (for example, a highway or a motorway), the determination can be made based on the power transmission time to the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A. Specifically, if the power transmission time to the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A is longer than a predetermined time, it can be determined that the power transmission time is not longer than usual due to congestion or the like, but that the vehicle is in a difficult-to-move state due to some factor. In addition, for example, if the ground power supply device 2A is equipped with an imaging device (not shown) such as a camera for checking the state on the electrified road, the determination can also be made based on an image captured by the imaging device. In making these determinations, external information such as congestion information may be further taken into consideration.

[0111] In step S202, the power transmission control device 20 of the ground power supply device 2A takes a power supply stop measure and issues an instruction to take a dismount prevention measure to the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A. Specifically, the power transmission control device 20 transmits an instruction signal to take the dismount prevention measure to the vehicle-side communication device 32 of the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A via the ground-side communication device 23.

[0112] The power transmission control device 20 of the ground power supply device 2 according to the present embodiment described above is configured to determine whether the vehicle 3A (mobile body) is in a difficult-to-move state on the electrified road on which the device is installed, and when the vehicle 3A is in a difficult-to-move state on the electrified road and receives a power supply request signal requesting non-contact power supply from the ground power supply device 2 from another vehicle 3B-1 of the multiple vehicles 3, the power transmission control device 20 transmits an attention signal to notify the other vehicle 3B-1 that is the source of the power supply request signal that the vehicle 3A is in a difficult-to-move state on the electrified road. In this way, even if the ground power supply device determines whether the vehicle 3 is in a difficult-to-move state, the same action and effect as the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0113] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-mentioned embodiments merely show some of the application examples of the present invention, and it is not intended that the technical scope of the present invention be limited to the specific configurations of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0114] For example, in each of the above embodiments, when a power supply request signal requesting contactless power supply from the ground power supply device 2 is received from the following vehicle 3B-1, a warning signal is transmitted to the vehicle 3B-1. However, the warning signal is not limited to a power supply request signal. For example, if the vehicle 3 transmits a signal indicating that it is approaching the ground power supply device 2, a warning signal may be transmitted to the sender of the signal when the signal is received.

[0115] In addition, each computer program executed by the power transmission control device 20 and the vehicle control device 30 to alert the following vehicle 3B of the difficult-to-move vehicle 3A, as described with reference to Figures 6 to 8, may be provided in a form recorded on a portable computer-readable recording medium, such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium.

[0116] 2 Ground power supply equipment 3. Vehicles (moving objects) 5 Information provision device 20 Power transmission control device (control device) 22 Power transmission equipment 23 Ground communication equipment (communication equipment)

Claims

1. A communication device capable of communicating with a plurality of mobile objects; A power transmitting device for wirelessly supplying power to the moving object; A control device; A ground power supply device comprising: The control device includes: determining whether a first signal is received from one of the plurality of moving bodies, the first signal indicating that the one moving body is in a difficult-to-move-in state on the electrified road on which the ground power supply device is installed; When the first signal is received, if a power supply request signal requesting non-contact power supply by the ground power supply device or an approach signal notifying the approach of the ground power supply device is received from another of the plurality of moving bodies, the second signal is transmitted to the other moving body that is the source of the power supply request signal or the approach signal, notifying the other moving body that is in a difficult-to-move-to state on the electrified road. Ground power supply equipment.

2. The control device includes: and when the first signal is received, the system is further configured to transmit a display instruction signal to an information display device installed on a road connected to the electrified road, to cause the information display device to display that the moving object having difficulty in moving is present on the electrified road. The ground power supply device according to claim 1 .

3. The control device includes: Calculating the elapsed time from transmitting the display instruction signal; When the power supply request signal or the approach signal is received after the elapsed time becomes equal to or longer than a predetermined time, the second signal is not transmitted. The ground power supply device according to claim 2 .

4. The predetermined time is set based on a required time from an installation position of the information display device to the ground power supply device. The ground power supply device according to claim 3.

5. The control device includes: When the first signal is received, a power supply stoppage measure is taken to stop the contactless power supply from the power transmitting device to the moving object. The ground power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A communication device capable of communicating with a plurality of mobile objects; A power transmitting device for wirelessly supplying power to the moving object; A control device; A ground power supply device comprising: The control device includes: determining whether the moving object is in a state in which it is difficult to move on an electrified road on which the ground power supply device is installed; When the moving body is in a state where it is difficult to move on an electrified road on which the ground power supply device is installed, and when the moving body receives from another moving body among the plurality of moving bodies a power supply request signal requesting non-contact power supply by the ground power supply device or an approach signal notifying the approach of the ground power supply device, the moving body is configured to transmit a signal notifying the other moving body that is the source of the power supply request signal or the approach signal that the moving body is on the electrified road and is in a state where it is difficult to move. Ground power supply equipment.

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