Charging device

Abstract

To provide a charging device capable of preventing a vehicle from getting on a ground unit.SOLUTION: A charging device includes: a control unit; a ground unit for supplying electric power to a vehicle; and a light emitting unit provided in the ground unit. The control unit causes the light emitting unit to emit light for guiding a parking position to the parked vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charging device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that prevents the vehicle's tires from running over a ground unit when starting off after contactless charging. The technology in this document estimates the positional relationship between the ground unit and the vehicle before starting off, calculates the trajectory of the wheels due to steering after starting off, and notifies the user if there is a possibility that the vehicle will run over a coil on the ground side. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-155477 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Since it is difficult to accurately detect the relative position between the vehicle and the ground unit while parking, some measures must be taken to prevent the vehicle from climbing onto the ground unit.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a charging device that can prevent a vehicle from running onto a ground unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The charging device according to the present disclosure includes a control unit, a ground unit that supplies power to a vehicle, and a light-emitting unit provided in the ground unit, and the control unit causes the light-emitting unit to emit light that guides the vehicle to a parking position while the vehicle is parked. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, by guiding the vehicle to a parking position, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from running onto the ground unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a parking space in which a charging device according to an embodiment is installed. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the charging device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the content notified to the vehicle user when the charging device according to the embodiment guides the user to a parking position. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of how a vehicle is charged by a conventional charging device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A charging device 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 are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] When contact-type automatic charging is performed using a charging device, the vehicle needs to be parked above (directly above) the ground unit of the charging device before charging. Meanwhile, parking assistance systems installed in typical vehicles determine the parking position by recognizing a parking stall L1 consisting of a pair of white lines provided in a parking space Sp, as shown in FIG. 4, for example. Therefore, the position of the vehicle 202 within this parking stall L1 may vary, and in the worst case scenario, the vehicle 202 may run onto the ground unit 212, resulting in damage to the vehicle 202 or the ground unit 212. Therefore, the charging device according to the embodiment prevents the vehicle's position from varying, thereby preventing the vehicle from running onto the ground unit.

[0011] 1, a charging device 1 according to the embodiment is provided in a parking space Sp for a vehicle 2 in a parking lot, for example, and supplies power to the vehicle parked in the parking space Sp. The parking space Sp is provided with a parking frame (first parking frame) L1, which is defined by a pair of white lines.

[0012] 2, the charging device 1 includes at least a control unit 11, a ground unit 12, and a light emitting unit 13. Note that in the figure, of the actual components of the charging device 1, only the components necessary for explaining this embodiment are shown, and other components are omitted.

[0013] The control unit 11 includes a processor (arithmetic processing unit) such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory (main storage unit) such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The processor executes a computer program to control each component, thereby realizing functions that meet a predetermined purpose. The control unit 11 functions as a vehicle detection unit 111 and a light emission control unit 112 through the execution of the computer program.

[0014] The vehicle detection unit 111 detects a vehicle 2 that has entered the parking space Sp. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle detection unit 111 detects a vehicle 2 that has entered a position in the parking space Sp where the vehicle should be guided to park. This "position where the vehicle should be guided to park" can be, for example, as shown in the same figure, a position in front of the ground unit 12, or a position where the light emission detection unit 21 of the vehicle 2 can detect a parking space (second parking space) L2 described later.

[0015] The light emission control unit 112 controls light emission by the light emitting unit 13, and causes the light emitting unit 13 to emit light that guides the parked vehicle 2 to a parking position. Specifically, when the vehicle detection unit 111 detects the vehicle 2, the light emission control unit 112 causes the pair of light emitting units 13 to emit linear light, respectively. This causes the parking frame L2 to be displayed (projected) in the parking space Sp.

[0016] The "parking stall L2" is intended to guide the vehicle 2 above the ground unit 12 to prevent variations in the parking position of the vehicle 2 in the parking space Sp and to prevent the vehicle 2 from running onto the ground unit 12. The parking stall L2 is formed by a pair of linear lights emitted from the light-emitting unit 13. The width of the parking stall L2 is set to be narrower than the width of the parking stall L1. The specific width of the parking stall L2 is determined, for example, according to the width of the ground unit 12, etc.

[0017] The ground unit 12 is configured by, for example, a contact-type charger (for example, a flap-type charger). The ground unit 12 is buried in the parking space Sp and supplies power to the vehicle 2 parked above. Specifically, the ground unit 12 is connected to a power receiving device provided in the vehicle 2 to supply power.

[0018] The light emitting unit 13 is configured by, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or the like. The light emitting unit 13 is provided, for example, on each of both side surfaces of the ground unit 12, and emits light based on the control of the light emission control unit 112. For example, when the vehicle detection unit 111 detects a vehicle 2, the light emitting unit 13 emits linear light based on the control of the light emission control unit 112, thereby displaying (projecting) the parking frame L2 in the parking space Sp.

[0019] The vehicle 2 is a mobile body equipped with a rechargeable battery. Examples of the vehicle 2 include a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and a battery electric vehicle (BEV). The vehicle 2 includes a light-emitting detector 21 for detecting the parking space L2. The light-emitting detector 21 can be realized by, for example, a camera for a lane keep assist (lane departure prevention support system) and an image processing means.

[0020] In addition to the light emission detection unit 21, the vehicle 2 also includes a power receiving device for connecting to the ground unit 12 to receive power supply, and a user notification unit. The power receiving device is mounted on the lower part of the body of the vehicle 2.

[0021] The user notification unit can be realized by, for example, a car navigation system. When the light emission detection unit 21 detects the parking space L2, the user notification unit notifies the user about the steering operation, for example, as shown in Fig. 3. In addition, the user notification unit may notify the user of a warning when there is a risk that the vehicle 2 will run up onto the ground unit 12.

[0022] According to the charging device of the embodiment described above, a parking space L2 narrower than the parking space L1 is displayed in the parking space Sp, and the vehicle 2 is guided to a parking position, thereby preventing the vehicle 2 from running onto the ground unit 12.

[0023] That is, in general parking, for example, as shown in Fig. 4, the user or the vehicle 202 detects the parking space L1, determines the parking position, and then performs the parking operation. However, even if the vehicle 202 enters the parking space L1, there is a risk that the vehicle 202 will run up onto the ground unit 212 due to variations in the parking position.

[0024] On the other hand, in the charging device according to the embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, a linear light is emitted from the light emitting unit 13 provided on the ground unit 12, and a parking space L2 is displayed inside the parking space L1. This allows the light emitting detector 21 on the vehicle 2 side to accurately detect the parking space L2, and prevents the vehicle 2 from running onto the ground unit 12.

[0025] It is also possible that the ground unit 12 may not be installed at a predetermined position relative to the parking stall L1 due to variations in the installation position during installation work of the ground unit 12, for example. In such a case, the charging device according to the embodiment emits linear light from the light-emitting unit 13 provided on the ground unit 12 to display a parking stall L2 inside the parking stall L1. This allows the positional relationship between the vehicle 2 and the ground unit 12 to be detected without passing through the parking stall L1, thereby preventing the vehicle 2 from running onto the ground unit 12.

[0026] Further advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Thus, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 1 Charging device 11 Control section 111 Vehicle detection unit 112 Light emission control unit 12,212 ground units 13 Light-emitting part 2,202 vehicles 21 Light emission detection unit L1, L2 parking space Sp Parking Space

Claims

[Claim 1] A control unit; a ground unit that is buried in the parking space and supplies power to the vehicle; A pair of light emitting units provided on the ground unit; Equipped with When the control unit detects the vehicle entering the parking space, the control unit causes the pair of light-emitting units to emit linear light, and displays a second parking space in the parking space that is narrower than a first parking space that has been previously provided in the parking space. Charging device.

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