Vehicle and wireless power supply system

Abstract

To make it possible to appropriately convey detection results of displacement and foreign matter obtained by a vehicle to a ground power supply device.SOLUTION: A vehicle 3 that receives power in a non-contact manner from a power transmission device 4 provided on a road 100 of a ground power supply device 2 includes: a power reception device 5 that receives power from the power transmission device; a vehicle-side communication device 72 that transmits a signal containing vehicle identification information to the ground power supply device by small-area wireless communication with a communication distance less than 10 meters; a lateral deviation detection device that detects presence or absence of deviation in a relative position of the power reception device with respect to the power transmission device in a direction perpendicular to a traveling direction of the vehicle; and a vehicle-side control device 34 that controls the vehicle-side communication device. The vehicle-side control device controls the vehicle-side communication device so that power transmission from the ground power supply device is not performed when the presence of deviation in the relative position of the power reception device with respect to the power transmission device is detected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle and a wireless power supply system. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known a technique for transmitting power contactlessly between a ground power feeding device provided on the ground and a vehicle using a transmission method such as a magnetic resonance method (Patent Documents 1 to 3).

[0003] In the contactless power supply system described in Patent Document 1, when pairing between a ground power supply device and a vehicle is performed by short-range communication, power is supplied from the ground power supply device to the vehicle, and the vehicle's battery is charged.

[0004] Furthermore, in the contactless power feeding systems described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, when a foreign object is present between the power transmitting device of the ground power feeding device and the power receiving device of the vehicle, power feeding from the ground power feeding device to the vehicle is stopped. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-240132 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-25742 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-257404 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Incidentally, when a vehicle detects the presence of a foreign object on a road on which a power transmission device is installed or a misalignment between the power transmission device of the ground power feeding device and the power receiving device of the vehicle, the vehicle needs to transmit the detection result to the ground power feeding device. In particular, when power is fed from the ground power feeding device to the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling, the detection result needs to be quickly transmitted from the vehicle to the ground power feeding device. However, Patent Documents 2 and 3 assume that power is fed from the vehicle to the ground power feeding device while the vehicle is stopped, and the methods described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 do not necessarily allow for the quick transmission of the detection result.

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present disclosure is to enable detection results of deviations and foreign objects obtained on a vehicle to be quickly transmitted to a ground power feeding device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The gist of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0009] (1) A vehicle that receives power contactlessly from a power transmission device installed on a road, a power receiving device that receives power from the power transmitting device; a vehicle-side communication device that transmits a signal including vehicle identification information to the ground power feeding device by short-range wireless communication with a communication distance of less than 10 meters; a lateral displacement detection device that detects the presence or absence of a displacement in the relative position of the power receiving device with respect to the power transmitting device in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle; a vehicle-side control device that controls the vehicle-side communication device, When a deviation in the relative position of the power receiving device with respect to the power transmitting device is detected, the vehicle-side control device controls the vehicle-side communication device so as not to transmit power from the ground power feeding device. (2) A vehicle that receives power contactlessly from a power transmission device installed on a road, a power receiving device that receives power from the power transmitting device; a vehicle-side communication device that transmits a signal including vehicle identification information to the ground power feeding device by short-range wireless communication with a communication distance of less than 10 meters; a foreign object detection device that detects foreign objects on the road; a vehicle-side control device that controls the vehicle-side communication device, The vehicle-side control device controls the vehicle-side communication device so as not to transmit power from the ground power feeding device when a foreign object on the road is detected. (3) The vehicle described in (2) above, wherein the foreign object detection device is positioned forward of the power receiving device in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle so as to be able to detect the presence or absence of the foreign object before the power receiving device reaches the power transmitting device while the vehicle is moving. (4) The vehicle further includes a lateral displacement detection device that detects whether or not there is a displacement in the relative position of the power receiving device with respect to the power transmitting device in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle, The vehicle according to (2) or (3), wherein, when a deviation in the relative position of the power receiving device with respect to the power transmitting device is detected, the vehicle-side control device controls the vehicle-side communication device so as not to transmit power from the ground power feeding device. (5) A vehicle as described in (1) or (4) above, wherein the lateral deviation detection device is positioned forward of the power receiving device in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle so as to detect whether or not there is a deviation in the relative position before the power receiving device reaches the power transmitting device while the vehicle is traveling. (6) The vehicle according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein controlling the vehicle-side communication device so as not to transmit power from the ground power supply device is stopping signal transmission from the vehicle-side communication device to the ground power supply device. (7) The vehicle according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein controlling the vehicle-side communication device to prevent power transmission from the ground power supply device is to cause the vehicle-side communication device to transmit, to the ground power supply device, a signal including a request to stop power transmission from the ground power supply device in addition to identification information of the vehicle. (8) A wireless power supply system including the vehicle according to any one of (1) to (7) above and a ground power supply device that wirelessly transmits power to the vehicle, the ground power feeding device includes the power transmitting device, a ground-side communication device that receives the signal from the vehicle-side communication device, and a ground-side control device that controls the power transmitting device, The ground-side control device permits the supply of power to the power transmitting device for power supply to the power receiving device when the ground-side communication device receives the signal from the vehicle. (9) The wireless power supply system described in (8) above, wherein when the ground-side control device permits the supply of power to the power transmission device, the ground-side control device continues supplying power until conditions for terminating or interrupting the supply of power are met. (10) The wireless power supply system described in (8) above, wherein the ground-side control device prohibits the supply of power to the power transmitting device for power supply to the power receiving device when the ground-side communication device stops receiving the signal from the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it becomes possible to quickly transmit the results of detection of deviations and foreign objects obtained on a vehicle to a ground power feeding device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a contactless power supply system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the controller and devices connected to the controller. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the ECU and devices connected to the ECU. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a view of the bottom surface of the vehicle as seen from below. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication system used in a contactless power supply system. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a schematic hardware configuration of the server. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an operational sequence diagram regarding communication between a vehicle, a server, and a ground power feeding device using wide-area wireless communication. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an operation sequence diagram similar to FIG. 7, relating to communication between a vehicle, a server, and a ground power feeding device using wide-area wireless communication. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing related to communication using wide-area wireless communication in the server. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing flow relating to communication using wide-area wireless communication in the ground power feeding device. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the transition of the operations and states of the vehicle and the ground power feeding device when the vehicle approaches the ground power feeding device and power feeding is performed. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing the state and operation transitions of the ground power feeding device 2. As shown in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing the state and operation transitions of the ground power feeding device 2. As shown in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of transitions of vehicle states and operations. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations related to the execution of the power reception termination process. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically showing the transition of the vehicle state when the vehicle is in the power receiving active / signal transmitting state of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, like components are designated by like reference numerals.

[0013] First embodiment First, a contactless power supply system 1 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0014] <Overall configuration of contactless power transfer system 1> FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a contactless power transfer system 1. The contactless power transfer system 1 includes a ground power transfer device 2 and a vehicle 3 traveling on a road 100, and performs contactless power transfer from the ground power transfer device 2 to the vehicle 3 by magnetic field resonant coupling (magnetic field resonance). In particular, in this embodiment, the contactless power transfer system 1 performs contactless power transfer from the ground power transfer device 2 to the vehicle 3 while the vehicle 3 is traveling. Therefore, the ground power transfer device 2 transmits power to the vehicle 3 contactlessly while the vehicle 3 is traveling, and the vehicle 3 receives power from the ground power transfer device 2 contactlessly while the vehicle 3 is traveling. The ground power transfer device 2 includes a power transmission device 4 configured to transmit power to the vehicle 3 contactlessly, and the vehicle 3 includes a power receiving device 5 configured to receive power from the power transmission device 4 contactlessly. As shown in FIG. 1, the power transmission device 4 is embedded in (underground) the road 100 on which the vehicle 3 travels, for example, in the center of the lane on which the vehicle 3 travels.

[0015] The term "in motion" refers to a state in which the vehicle 3 is positioned on a road for travel. Therefore, the term "in motion" includes not only a state in which the vehicle 3 is actually traveling at any speed greater than zero, but also a state in which the vehicle 3 is stopped on the road, for example, while waiting at a traffic light. On the other hand, even if the vehicle 3 is positioned on the road, for example, when it is parked or stopped, this does not fall under the category of "in motion."

[0016] <Configuration of ground power supply equipment> 1, the ground power feeding device 2 includes a power source 21 and a controller 22 in addition to the power transmission device 4. The power source 21 and the controller 22 may be embedded in the road 100 or may be located at a location other than the road 100 (including on the ground).

[0017] The power source 21 supplies power to the power transmission device 4. The power source 21 is, for example, a commercial AC power source that supplies single-phase AC power. Note that 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.

[0018] The power transmission device 4 transmits the power supplied from the power source 21 to the vehicle 3. The power transmission device 4 has a power transmission side rectifier circuit 41, an inverter 42, and a power transmission side resonant circuit 43. In the power transmission device 4, the AC power supplied from the power source 21 is rectified in the power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 and converted into a DC current, and this DC current is converted into AC power in the inverter 42, and this AC power is supplied to the power transmission side resonant circuit 43.

[0019] The power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 is electrically connected to the power source 21 and the inverter 42. The power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 rectifies AC power supplied from the power source 21 to convert it into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the inverter 42. The power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 is, for example, an AC / DC converter.

[0020] The inverter 42 is electrically connected to the power transmitting side rectifier circuit 41 and the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43. The inverter 42 converts the DC power supplied from the power transmitting side rectifier circuit 41 into AC power (high frequency power) having a higher frequency than the AC power of the power source 21, and supplies the high frequency power to the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43.

[0021] The power transmission side resonant circuit 43 has a resonator composed of a coil 44 and a capacitor 45. Various parameters of the coil 44 and the capacitor 45 (such as the outer and inner diameters of the coil 44, the number of turns of the coil 44, and the capacitance of the capacitor 45) are determined so that the resonant frequency of the power transmission side resonant circuit 43 becomes a predetermined set value. The predetermined set value is, for example, 10 kHz to 100 GHz, and preferably 85 kHz, which is determined by the SAE TIR J2954 standard as the frequency band for contactless power transmission.

[0022] The power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 is arranged in the center of the lane on which the vehicle 3 passes so that the center of the coil 44 is located in the center of the lane. When high frequency power supplied from the inverter 42 is applied to the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43, the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 generates an AC magnetic field for power transmission. Note that if the power source 21 is a DC power source, the power transmitting side rectifier circuit 41 may be omitted.

[0023] The controller 22 is an example of a ground-side control device. The controller 22 is, for example, a general-purpose computer, and performs various controls of the ground power feeding device 2. For example, the controller 22 is electrically connected to an inverter 42 of the power transmission device 4, and controls the inverter 42 to control power transmission by the power transmission device 4. Furthermore, the controller 22 controls a first ground-side communication device 81 and a second ground-side communication device 82, which will be described later.

[0024] 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the controller 22 and devices connected to the controller 22. The controller 22 includes a communication interface 221, a memory 222, and a processor 223. The communication interface 221, the memory 222, and the processor 223 are connected to one another via signal lines.

[0025] The communication interface 221 has an interface circuit for connecting the controller 22 to various devices (e.g., the inverter 42, the ground sensor 23 described later, the first ground communication device 81, and the second ground communication device 82) that constitute the ground power feeding device 2. The controller 22 communicates with other devices via the communication interface 221.

[0026] The memory 222 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory (for example, RAM), a non-volatile semiconductor memory (for example, ROM), etc. The memory 222 stores computer programs for executing various processes in the processor 223, various data used when the various processes are executed by the processor 223, etc. The memory 222 stores, for example, a list of vehicle identification information of vehicles that may receive power supply from the ground power supply device 2 (hereinafter referred to as an "identification information list") and the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 currently receiving power supply.

[0027] The processor 223 has one or more central processing units (CPUs) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 223 may further have an arithmetic circuit such as a logic arithmetic unit or a numerical arithmetic unit. The processor 223 executes various processes based on computer programs stored in the memory 222.

[0028] 2 , the ground power supply device 2 further includes a ground-side sensor 23. The ground-side sensor 23 detects the state of the ground power supply device 2. In this embodiment, the ground-side sensor 23 includes, for example, a power transmitting device current sensor that detects the current flowing through various devices of the power transmitting device 4 (particularly, the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43, the inverter 42, and the power transmitting side rectifier circuit 41), a power transmitting device voltage sensor that detects the voltage applied to the various devices of the power transmitting device 4, a power transmitting device temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the various devices of the power transmitting device 4, a foreign object sensor that detects a foreign object on the road where the power transmitting device 4 is embedded, and a biological sensor that detects a living organism on the road where the power transmitting device 4 is embedded. The output of the ground-side sensor 23 is input to the controller 22.

[0029] The power transmitting device 4 may be configured to receive power from the vehicle 3. In this case, the power transmitting device 4 has a device or circuit for supplying the received power to the power source 21, similar to the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3 described below. In this case, the power transmitting device 4 may use a resonator constituted by the coil 44 and the capacitor 45 described above to receive power from the vehicle 3.

[0030] <Vehicle configuration> 1, the vehicle 3 has a motor 31, a battery 32, a power control unit (PCU) 33, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 34 in addition to the power receiving device 5. In this embodiment, the vehicle 3 is an electric vehicle (EV) in which the motor 31 drives the vehicle 3. However, the vehicle 3 may also be a hybrid vehicle (HV) in which an internal combustion engine drives the vehicle 3 in addition to the motor 31.

[0031] The motor 31 is, for example, an AC synchronous motor, and functions as both an electric motor and a generator. When functioning as an electric motor, the motor 31 is driven by electricity stored in a battery 32 as a power source. The output of the motor 31 is transmitted to the wheels 30 via a reducer and an axle. On the other hand, when the vehicle 3 decelerates, the motor 31 is driven by the rotation of the wheels 30, and functions as a generator to generate regenerative power.

[0032] The battery 32 is a rechargeable secondary battery, and is composed of, for example, a lithium-ion battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, or the like. The battery 32 stores the power required for the vehicle 3 to travel (for example, the driving power of the motor 31). When the battery 32 is supplied with power received by the power receiving device 5 from the power transmitting device 4, the battery 32 is charged. When the battery 32 is supplied with regenerative power generated by the motor 31, the battery 32 is charged. When the battery 32 is charged, the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 32 is restored. The battery 32 may also be chargeable by an external power source other than the ground power feeding device 2 via a charging port provided on the vehicle 3.

[0033] The PCU 33 is electrically connected to the battery 32 and the motor 31. The PCU 33 has an inverter, a boost converter, and a DC / DC converter. The inverter converts DC power supplied from the battery 32 into AC power and supplies the AC power to the motor 31. Meanwhile, the inverter converts AC power (regenerated power) generated by the motor 31 into DC power and supplies the DC power to the battery 32. The boost converter boosts the voltage of the battery 32 as needed when the power stored in the battery 32 is supplied to the motor 31. The DC / DC converter lowers the voltage of the battery 32 when the power stored in the battery 32 is supplied to electronic devices such as headlights.

[0034] The power receiving device 5 receives power from the power transmitting device 4 and supplies the received power to the battery 32. The power receiving device 5 includes a power receiving side resonant circuit 51, a power receiving side rectifying circuit 54, and a charging circuit 55.

[0035] The power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is disposed at the bottom of the vehicle 3 so as to reduce the distance from the road surface. In this embodiment, the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is disposed at the center of the vehicle 3 in the vehicle width direction. The power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 has a configuration similar to that of the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, and includes a resonator composed of a coil 52 and a capacitor 53. Various parameters of the coil 52 and the capacitor 53 (such as the outer diameter and inner diameter of the coil 52, the number of turns of the coil 52, and the capacitance of the capacitor 53) are determined so that the resonant frequency of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 matches the resonant frequency of the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43. Note that as long as the deviation between the resonant frequencies of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 is small, for example, as long as the resonant frequency of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is within a range of ±20% of the resonant frequency of the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, the resonant frequency of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 does not necessarily have to match the resonant frequency of the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43.

[0036] 1, when the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 faces the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and an AC magnetic field is generated by the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, the oscillation of the AC magnetic field is transmitted to the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51, which resonates at the same resonant frequency as the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43. As a result, an induced current flows in the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 due to electromagnetic induction, and the induced current generates an induced electromotive force in the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51. In other words, the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 transmits power to the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51, and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 receives power from the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43.

[0037] The receiving-side rectifier circuit 54 is electrically connected to the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the charging circuit 55. The receiving-side rectifier circuit 54 rectifies the AC power supplied from the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 to convert it into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the charging circuit 55. The receiving-side rectifier circuit 54 is, for example, an AC / DC converter.

[0038] The charging circuit 55 is electrically connected to the power receiving side rectifier circuit 54 and the battery 32. In particular, the charging circuit 55 is connected to the battery 32 via a relay 38. The charging circuit 55 converts the DC power supplied from the power receiving side rectifier circuit 54 to a voltage level of the battery 32 and supplies the converted power to the battery 32. When the power transmitted from the power transmitting device 4 is supplied to the battery 32 by the power receiving device 5, the battery 32 is charged. The charging circuit 55 is, for example, a DC / DC converter.

[0039] The ECU 34 is an example of a vehicle-side control device, and performs various controls of the vehicle 3. For example, the ECU 34 is electrically connected to a charging circuit 55 of the power receiving device 5, and controls the charging circuit 55 to control charging of the battery 32 with power transmitted from the power transmitting device 4. The ECU 34 is also electrically connected to the PCU 33, and controls the PCU 33 to control the exchange of power between the battery 32 and the motor 31. Furthermore, the ECU 34 controls a first vehicle-side communication device 71 and a second vehicle-side communication device 72, which will be described later.

[0040] 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the ECU 34 and devices connected to the ECU 34. The ECU 34 has a communication interface 341, a memory 342, and a processor 343. The communication interface 341, the memory 342, and the processor 343 are connected to one another via signal lines.

[0041] The communication interface 341 has an interface circuit for connecting the ECU 34 to an in-vehicle network that complies with standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network). The ECU 34 communicates with other devices via the communication interface 341.

[0042] The memory 342 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory (for example, RAM) and a non-volatile semiconductor memory (for example, ROM). The memory 342 stores computer programs for executing various processes in the processor 343, various data used when the processor 343 executes various processes, and the like.

[0043] The processor 343 has one or more central processing units (CPUs) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 343 may further have an arithmetic circuit such as a logic arithmetic unit or a numerical arithmetic unit. The processor 343 executes various processes based on computer programs stored in the memory 342.

[0044] 3, the vehicle 3 further includes a GNSS receiver 35, a storage device 36, a plurality of vehicle-side sensors 37, and a relay 38. The GNSS receiver 35, the storage device 36, the vehicle-side sensors 37, and the relay 38 are electrically connected to the ECU 34 via an in-vehicle network.

[0045] The GNSS receiver 35 detects the current position of the vehicle 3 (e.g., the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 3) based on positioning information obtained from multiple (e.g., three or more) positioning satellites. Specifically, the GNSS receiver 35 captures multiple positioning satellites and receives radio waves transmitted from the positioning satellites. The GNSS receiver 35 then calculates the distance to the positioning satellite based on the difference between the transmission time and reception time of the radio waves, and detects the current position of the vehicle 3 based on the distance to the positioning satellite and the position (orbit information) of the positioning satellite. The output of the GNSS receiver 35, i.e., the current position of the vehicle 3 detected by the GNSS receiver 35, is transmitted to the ECU 34. For example, a GPS receiver is used as this GNSS receiver 35.

[0046] The storage device 36 stores data. The storage device 36 includes, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or an optical recording medium. In this embodiment, the storage device 36 stores map information. The map information includes information about roads as well as information about the installation location of the ground power supply device 2. The ECU 34 acquires the map information from the storage device 36. Note that the storage device 36 does not necessarily need to include the map information. In this case, the ECU 34 may acquire the map information from outside the vehicle 3 (for example, from a server 91, which will be described later) via the vehicle-side first communication device 71.

[0047] The vehicle-side sensors 37 detect the state of the vehicle 3. In this embodiment, the vehicle-side sensors 37 detect the state of the vehicle 3 and include a speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle 3, a battery temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the battery 32, a power receiving device temperature sensor that detects the temperatures of various devices of the power receiving device 5 (particularly, the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 and the power receiving side rectifier circuit 54), a battery current sensor that detects the charging current value and discharging current value of the battery 32, a power receiving device current sensor that detects the current flowing in the various devices of the power receiving device 5, and a power receiving device voltage sensor that detects the voltage applied to the various devices of the power receiving device 5. The outputs of the vehicle-side sensors 37 are input to the ECU 34.

[0048] The relay 38 is disposed between the battery 32 and the power receiving device 5, and connects or disconnects the battery 32 and the power receiving device 5. When the relay 38 is connected, the power received by the power receiving device 5 is supplied to the battery 32. However, when the relay 38 is disconnected, no current flows from the power receiving device 5 to the battery 32, and therefore the power receiving device 5 is effectively unable to receive power.

[0049] The power receiving device 5 may be configured to be able to transmit power to the ground power feeding device 2. In this case, the power receiving device 5 has a configuration for transmitting power from the battery 32 to the ground power feeding device 2, similar to the power transmitting device 4 of the ground power feeding device 2. In this case, the power receiving device 5 may use a resonator configured by the coil 52 and the capacitor 53 described above to transmit power to the ground power feeding device 2.

[0050] <Configuration of the lateral deviation detection device> In order to efficiently perform contactless power transmission, it is necessary to minimize the positional deviation between the power transmission device 4 of the ground power supply device 2 and the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3. For this reason, in this embodiment, the contactless power supply system 1 has a lateral deviation detection device for detecting the presence or absence of a deviation (hereinafter referred to as "lateral deviation") in the relative position between the power transmission device 4 and the power receiving device 5 in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle 3. In particular, in this embodiment, the lateral deviation detection device includes an AC magnetic field generation circuit 61 and an AC power generation circuit 64 provided in the ground power supply device 2, and a magnetic field detector 66 provided in the vehicle 3.

[0051] The AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 generates an AC magnetic field (hereinafter referred to as "AC magnetic field for lateral displacement detection") for detecting the relative positional relationship between the power transmitting device 4 (particularly, the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43) and the power receiving device 5 (particularly, the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51). In this embodiment, the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 is disposed on the road on which the power transmitting device 4 is installed, in front of the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the power transmitting device 4 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3. The AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 is also disposed underground (below the road surface) or above the road surface.

[0052] The AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 has a configuration similar to that of the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43, and includes a resonator composed of a coil 62 and a capacitor 63. Various parameters of the coil 62 and the capacitor 63 (such as the outer and inner diameters of the coil 62, the number of turns of the coil 62, and the capacitance of the capacitor 63) are determined so that the resonant frequency of the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 becomes a predetermined set value. The predetermined set value is set to a value different from the resonant frequency of the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43, i.e., the resonant frequency of magnetic field resonant coupling. Note that the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 does not necessarily need to generate a magnetic field by resonance, and therefore may not include the capacitor 63.

[0053] The AC power generating circuit 64 is electrically connected to the power supply 21 and the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61. The AC power generating circuit 64 generates AC power and supplies the AC power to the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61. For example, the AC power generating circuit 64 has an oscillation circuit and an amplifier. The oscillation circuit is composed of, for example, a rectifier circuit and an inverter, and converts the AC power supplied from the power supply 21 into AC power of a predetermined frequency. The amplifier amplifies the output power (AC power) of the oscillation circuit.

[0054] 1, the AC power generating circuit 64 is electrically connected to the controller 22, and the controller 22 controls the AC power generating circuit 64. The AC power generating circuit 64 supplies AC power to the AC magnetic field generating circuit 61 based on a command from the controller 22.

[0055] The magnetic field detector 66 detects the surrounding magnetic field. The magnetic field detector 66 is, for example, a magneto-impedance (MI) sensor. The driving power of the magnetic field detector 66 is supplied to the magnetic field detector 66 from, for example, the battery 32 via a driving circuit. The magnetic field detector 66 may be a hall sensor, a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor, or the like. The magnetic field detector 66 is disposed at the bottom of the vehicle 3 so as to reduce the distance from the road surface.

[0056] FIG. 4 is a view of the bottom of the vehicle 3 as viewed from below. As shown in FIG. 4, the magnetic field detector 66 is disposed forward of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 3. The magnetic field detector 66 may be disposed at the same position as the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 or behind the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 3. A plurality of magnetic field detectors 66 are disposed side by side in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle 3 (vehicle width direction). Particularly in this embodiment, the plurality of magnetic field detectors 66 are spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction, for example, at equal intervals in this direction. When an AC magnetic field for detecting lateral misalignment is emitted from the ground power feeding device 2 around the magnetic field detector 66, the magnetic field detector 66 detects the AC magnetic field for detecting positional misalignment.

[0057] The magnetic field detector 66 is electrically connected to the ECU 34, and the output of the magnetic field detector 66 is transmitted to the ECU 34. Therefore, in this embodiment, the output from the magnetic field detector 66 is input to the ECU 34, and the ECU 34 detects the presence or absence of lateral misalignment between the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 and the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43, i.e., the presence or absence of lateral misalignment between the power transmitting device 4 and the power receiving device 5, based on this output.

[0058] The lateral deviation detection device configured in this manner detects the lateral deviation between the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle 3, based on the strength of the magnetic field detected by the multiple magnetic field detectors 66 arranged when the vehicle 3 passes over the ground power feeding device 2. When the lateral deviation between the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 is small, i.e., when the vehicle 3 is traveling near the center of the lane, the strength of the magnetic field detected by the magnetic field detector 66 arranged at the center in the vehicle width direction is strongest. On the other hand, when the lateral deviation between the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 is large, i.e., when the vehicle 3 is traveling off-center from the center of the lane, the strength of the magnetic field detected by the magnetic field detector 66 arranged away from the center in the vehicle width direction is strongest. In this way, the lateral deviation detection device can detect the presence or absence of lateral deviation between the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, i.e., the presence or absence of lateral deviation between the power transmitting device 4 and the power receiving device 5. In particular, in this embodiment, the magnetic field detector 66 is positioned forward of the power receiving device 5, particularly forward of the power receiving side resonant circuit 51, so that it is possible to detect whether or not there is a lateral misalignment before the power receiving device 5 reaches the power transmitting device 6 (particularly the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43) while the vehicle 3 is traveling.

[0059] In this embodiment, the ground power feeding device 2 is provided with an AC magnetic field generating circuit 61, and the vehicle 3 is provided with a magnetic field detector 66. However, the vehicle 3 may also be provided with an AC magnetic field generating circuit, and the ground power feeding device 2 may also be provided with a magnetic field detector. In this case, the controller 22 of the ground power feeding device 2 detects the presence or absence of a lateral misalignment between the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 and the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 based on the output of the magnetic field detector provided in the ground power feeding device 2.

[0060] In this embodiment, the lateral deviation detection device detects the presence or absence of lateral deviation using a magnetic field. However, the lateral deviation detection device may detect the presence or absence of lateral deviation using a method other than a magnetic field, such as sonar using ultrasonic waves. The lateral deviation detection device may also detect the position of the vehicle in the lane based on an image captured by an external camera capturing images of the area around the vehicle or the output of the GNSS receiver 35, and detect the presence or absence of lateral deviation based on the detected position of the vehicle 3. In this embodiment, the lateral deviation detection device detects the presence or absence of lateral deviation, but it may also detect the amount of lateral deviation of the vehicle 3 from the center of the lane. In this case, if the amount of lateral deviation detected by the lateral deviation detection device is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, the lateral deviation detection device determines that lateral deviation has occurred.

[0061] <Configuration of foreign object detection device> To efficiently perform contactless power transmission, it is necessary that no foreign object be present between the power transmitting device 4 of the ground power feeding device 2 and the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3. For this reason, in this embodiment, the vehicle 3 has a foreign object detection device that detects foreign objects on the road in front of or below the vehicle 3. In particular, in this embodiment, the foreign object detection device has an object sensor 39 that detects objects on the road and a biological sensor 40 that detects living organisms on the road.

[0062] The object sensor 39 detects objects on the road ahead of or below the vehicle 3. In this embodiment, the object sensor 39 is a radar. The radar continuously emits radio waves in a pulsed or frequency-modulated manner and measures the reflected waves from the radio waves to determine the position of an object within its measurement range. The radar transmits radio waves from a transmitting antenna and receives the reflected waves from a receiving antenna. The radar then measures the distance to a surrounding object based on the time between the transmission of the radio waves from the transmitting antenna and the reception of the reflected waves. In addition, the radar measures the orientation of the object relative to the radar based on the difference in reception times of the reflected waves between multiple receiving antennas arranged side by side. The radar mixes the radio waves transmitted from the transmitting antenna with the reflected waves received by the receiving antenna and then performs signal processing to generate data on the object's position (e.g., point cloud data).

[0063] The object sensor 39 is disposed at the bottom of the vehicle 3. As shown in FIG. 4 , the object sensor 39 is disposed forward of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 3. In particular, in this embodiment, the object sensor 39 is disposed near the front end of the vehicle 3. By disposing the object sensor 39 forward of the power receiving device 5, particularly forward of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51, the presence or absence of an object on the road can be detected before the power receiving device 5 reaches the power transmitting device 6 (particularly the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43) while the vehicle 3 is traveling. Note that the object sensor 39 may be disposed on top of the vehicle 3 (near the roof, for example), or may be disposed at the same position as the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 or behind the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 3.

[0064] The object sensor 39 is electrically connected to the ECU 34, and the output of the object sensor 39 is transmitted to the ECU 34. Therefore, in this embodiment, the output from the object sensor 39 is input to the ECU 34, and in particular, every time the object sensor 39 generates data relating to the position of an object, the object sensor 39 outputs the generated data to the ECU 34 via the in-vehicle network. The ECU 34 detects an object on the road below the vehicle 3 based on this output.

[0065] In this embodiment, a radar is used as the object sensor 39 that detects an object on the road in front of or below the vehicle 3. However, other object sensors, such as LiDAR, may be used as long as they can detect an object on the road in front of or below the vehicle 3.

[0066] The biosensor 40 detects living organisms on the road ahead of or below the vehicle 3. In this embodiment, the biosensor 40 is a thermal camera that detects the temperature distribution within a detection range. The thermal camera can output the detected temperature distribution as an image, and can also output the maximum and minimum temperatures within the detection range and their locations as numerical values. By using a thermal camera, it is possible to detect heat-generating objects, i.e., living organisms, within the detection range.

[0067] Alternatively, the biosensor 40 may be an infrared sensor. An infrared sensor uses infrared rays to detect the movement of a heat-generating object within its detection range. By using an infrared sensor, it is possible to detect the movement of a heat-generating object, i.e., the movement of a living body, within its detection range.

[0068] The biosensor 40 is disposed at the bottom of the vehicle 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the biosensor 40 is disposed forward of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 3. In particular, in this embodiment, the biosensor 40 is disposed near the front end of the vehicle 3. By disposing the biosensor 40 forward of the power receiving device 5, particularly forward of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of a living body on the road while the vehicle 3 is traveling before the power receiving device 5 reaches the power transmitting device 6 (particularly the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43). The biosensor 40 may be disposed on top of the vehicle 3 (near the roof, for example), or may be disposed at the same position as the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 or behind the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 3.

[0069] The biosensor 40 is electrically connected to the ECU 34, and the output of the biosensor 40 is transmitted to the ECU 34. Therefore, in this embodiment, the output from the biosensor 40 is input to the ECU 34, and in particular, every time the biosensor 40 generates data related to a heat-generating object, the biosensor 40 outputs the generated data to the ECU 34 via the in-vehicle network. The ECU 34 detects a living organism on the road below the vehicle 3 based on this output.

[0070] In this embodiment, a thermal camera or an infrared sensor is used as the biosensor 40 that detects a living organism on the road in front of or below the vehicle 3. However, other biosensors may be used as long as they can detect a living organism on the road in front of or below the vehicle 3.

[0071] <Communication system configuration> 1 , in order to perform contactless power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3, the ground power supply device 2 needs to identify the vehicle 3 traveling on the power transmission device 4 and also needs information such as the required power supply of the vehicle 3. Therefore, in order to perform such contactless power transmission, various types of vehicle information including vehicle identification information needs to be transmitted from the vehicle 3 to the ground power supply device 2, and the ground power supply device 2 needs to receive the vehicle information transmitted from the vehicle 3.

[0072] In order to identify a vehicle 3 traveling on the power transmission device 4, the ground power supply device 2 needs to receive vehicle identification information only from vehicles 3 traveling near the ground power supply device 2. On the other hand, if the speed of the vehicle 3 increases, there is a risk that the ground power supply device 2 will not be able to receive all vehicle information, including requested power supply power, from the vehicle 3 while traveling near the ground power supply device 2.

[0073] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the vehicle 3 is some distance away from the installation position of the ground power feeding device 2, the vehicle 3 transmits the vehicle information linked to the vehicle identification information from the vehicle 3 to the ground power feeding device 2 via wide-area wireless communication. Then, when the vehicle 3 approaches the installation position of the ground power feeding device 2 or when the vehicle 3 reaches the power transmission device 4 of the ground power feeding device 2, the vehicle 3 transmits the vehicle identification information from the vehicle 3 to the ground power feeding device 2 via short-range wireless communication. That is, in this embodiment, the vehicle information is transmitted in advance from the vehicle 3 to the ground power feeding device 2 via wide-area wireless communication, and then the vehicle identification information is transmitted from the vehicle 3 to the ground power feeding device 2 via short-range wireless communication.

[0074] Here, the vehicle identification information is information for identifying the vehicle 3, for example, a vehicle ID. This vehicle identification information is stored in advance in the memory 342 of the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3.

[0075] The vehicle information is information about the vehicle 3 related to power transmission and includes vehicle identification information. The vehicle information includes, for example, the power (or the amount of power) that the vehicle requests to receive from the ground power supply device 2, i.e., the vehicle required power (or the amount of power required by the vehicle). The vehicle required power is calculated in the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3. The vehicle information may also include information about the vehicle state, such as the state of the power receiving device 5 (the connection state between the battery 32 and the power receiving device 5), the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 32, the temperature of the battery 32, and the allowable charging power (Win). In this case, the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 32 is calculated in the ECU 34 based on the charging current value and discharging current value of the battery 32 detected by the vehicle-side sensor 37 (battery current sensor). The temperature of the battery 32 is detected by the vehicle-side sensor 37 (battery temperature sensor). The allowable charging power Win indicates the maximum charging power required to prevent metallic lithium from being deposited on the surface of the negative electrode of the lithium-ion battery, and is calculated by the ECU 34 based on the charging history of the battery 32, the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 32, and the temperature of the battery 32.

[0076] In addition, the vehicle information includes current location information of the vehicle 3. The current location information of the vehicle 3 is calculated in the ECU 34 based on the output of the GNSS receiver 35. The vehicle information may also include information about the power receiving device 5, such as various parameters of the coil 44 and capacitor 45 of the power receiving device 5 (such as the outer and inner diameters of the coil 44, the number of turns of the coil 44, and the capacitance of the capacitor 45), the height of the coil 44 from the ground, and the resonant frequency of the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51. Such vehicle information is pre-stored in the memory 342 of the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3. The vehicle information may also include user information required for charging a usage fee, such as authentication information for identifying the user's payment account. Such vehicle information may be pre-registered by the user using an input device of the vehicle 3 or by inserting a card having the authentication information into a card reader provided in the vehicle 3.

[0077] FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication system used in the wireless power transfer system 1. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the vehicle 3 has a first vehicle-side communication device 71 that performs wide-area wireless communication and a second vehicle-side communication device 72 that performs short-range wireless communication. The first vehicle-side communication device 71 and the second vehicle-side communication device 72 are connected to the ECU 34 via an in-vehicle network. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the ground power feeding device 2 has a first ground-side communication device 81 that performs wide-area wireless communication and a second ground-side communication device 82 that performs short-range wireless communication. The first ground-side communication device 81 and the second ground-side communication device 82 are electrically connected to the controller 22 by wire. In particular, in this embodiment, the first vehicle-side communication device 71 and the first ground-side communication device 81 communicate with each other directly or indirectly in one direction or two directions using wide-area wireless communication. The second vehicle-side communication device 72 and the second ground-side communication device 82 communicate with each other directly in one direction or two directions using short-range wireless communication.

[0078] Wide-area wireless communication is communication with a longer communication distance than short-range wireless communication, specifically, communication with a communication distance of, for example, 10 meters to 10 kilometers. As 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, or WiMAX established by 3GPP (registered trademark) and IEEE. As described above, in this embodiment, vehicle information linked to vehicle identification information is transmitted from the vehicle 3 to the ground power feeding device 2 using wide-area wireless communication.

[0079] In this embodiment, the vehicle-side first communication device 71 of the vehicle 3 and the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power feeding device 2 communicate with each other via a server 91. Specifically, the server 91 is connected to a plurality of wireless base stations 93 via a communication network 92 configured of optical communication lines or the like. The vehicle-side first communication device 71 and the ground-side first communication device 81 communicate with the wireless base station 93 using wide-area wireless communication. Therefore, the vehicle-side first communication device 71 of the vehicle 3 and the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power feeding device 2 communicate with each other using wide-area wireless communication.

[0080] The ground-side first communication device 81 may be connected to the communication network 92 by wire. Therefore, the ground-side first communication device 81 may be connected to the server 91 by wire rather than wirelessly. Furthermore, the vehicle-side first communication device 71 may communicate with the ground-side first communication device 81 directly by wireless or via a communication network without going through the server 91. Therefore, the server 91 communicates with the vehicle 3 by wide-area wireless communication and also communicates with the ground power feeding device 2 by wireless or wire.

[0081] Fig. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating the hardware configuration of the server 91. As shown in Fig. 6, the server 91 includes an external communication module 911, a storage device 912, and a processor 913. The server 91 may also include input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an output device such as a display.

[0082] The external communication module 911 communicates with devices (such as the ground power supply device 2 and the vehicle 3) outside the server 91. The external communication module 911 includes an interface circuit for connecting the server 91 to the communication network 92. The external communication module 911 is configured to be able to communicate with each of the multiple vehicles 3 and the ground power supply devices 2 via the communication network 92 and the wireless base station 93.

[0083] The storage device 912 includes a volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., RAM), a non-volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or an optical recording medium. The storage device 912 stores computer programs for causing the processor 913 to execute various processes, and various data used when the processor 913 executes various processes. In this embodiment, the storage device 912 also stores map information. The map information includes information about roads as well as information about the installation position of the ground power feeding device 2.

[0084] The processor 913 includes one or more CPUs and their peripheral circuits. The processor 913 may further include an arithmetic circuit such as a GPU, a logic unit, or a numerical operation unit. The processor 913 executes various arithmetic processes based on computer programs stored in the storage device 912 of the server 91.

[0085] Short-range wireless communication refers to communication with a shorter communication distance than wide-area wireless communication, and specifically refers to communication with a communication distance of less than 10 meters, for example. As short-range wireless communication, various short-distance wireless communication with a short communication distance can be used, and for example, communication conforming to any communication standard established by IEEE, ISO, IEC, etc. (e.g., Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark)) is used. Furthermore, as a technology for performing short-range wireless communication, for example, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), etc. are used. As described above, in this embodiment, vehicle identification information is transmitted from the vehicle 3 to the ground power feeding device 2 using short-range wireless communication.

[0086] In this embodiment, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 of the vehicle 3 and the ground-side second communication device 82 of the ground power feeding device 2 communicate directly via short-range wireless communication. In this embodiment, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 transmits a signal including vehicle identification information, and the ground-side second communication device 82 receives the signal including vehicle identification information.

[0087] The vehicle-side second communication device 72 has an antenna that generates radio waves or a magnetic field, and a transmission circuit that supplies power or current to the antenna. The transmission circuit has an oscillation circuit, a modulation circuit, and an amplification circuit, and the modulation circuit modulates a carrier wave generated by the oscillation circuit in accordance with the vehicle identification information, and the amplifier circuit amplifies the modulated carrier wave to generate an AC current (AC power), which is then passed to the antenna. As a result, radio waves or a magnetic field are generated in the antenna.

[0088] The ground-side second communication device 82 has an antenna that receives radio waves or magnetic fields, and a receiving circuit that extracts information from the radio waves or magnetic fields received by the antenna. The receiving circuit has an amplifier circuit and a demodulation circuit, and extracts the information contained in the signal (here, vehicle identification information) by amplifying a weak current generated by the radio waves or magnetic fields received by the antenna using the amplifier circuit and demodulating the amplified signal using the demodulation circuit.

[0089] The communication between the vehicle-side second communication device 72 and the ground-side second communication device 82 may be performed by radio waves or by magnetic fields (i.e., by electromagnetic induction). In particular, when the frequency of the carrier wave is low (for example, 50 Hz to 50 kHz), communication is performed by magnetic fields. In this case, a coil is used as the antenna.

[0090] In this embodiment, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is configured to transmit signals, and the ground-side second communication device 82 is configured to receive signals. However, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 may have a receiving circuit so that it can receive signals in addition to transmitting signals, and the ground-side second communication device 82 may have a transmitting circuit so that it can transmit signals in addition to receiving signals.

[0091] <Outline of power supply flow> Next, a schematic flow of control when wireless power transmission is performed from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 in the wireless power feeding system 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0092] When wireless power transmission is performed from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3, first, the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 causes the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to transmit vehicle information linked with the vehicle identification information to the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2. When the vehicle-side first communication device 71 transmits the vehicle information linked with the vehicle identification information, the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2 receives the vehicle information via wide-area wireless communication. In particular, in this embodiment, the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2 receives vehicle information of the vehicle 3 located within a predetermined vicinity area around the ground power supply device 2.

[0093] As described above, the memory 222 of the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 stores an identification information list of vehicle identification information of vehicles 3 that may receive power from the ground power supply device. When the ground-side first communication device 81 receives vehicle information linked to the vehicle identification information from the vehicle 3, the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 registers the vehicle identification information linked to this vehicle information in the identification information list. In particular, in this embodiment, since the ground-side first communication device 81 receives vehicle information of vehicles 3 located within the vicinity area, the vehicle identification information of vehicles 3 located within the vicinity area is registered in the identification information list.

[0094] When the identification information list contains at least one vehicle identification information of a vehicle 3, the controller 22 of the ground power feeding device 2 activates the ground-side second communication device 82 (sets the ground-side second communication device 82 to a "reception standby state" described later) so that the device can communicate with the vehicle-side second communication device 72, i.e., so that the device can receive vehicle identification information from the vehicle-side second communication device 72. When the ground-side second communication device 82 is activated in this manner, when a vehicle 3 that is emitting a signal including vehicle identification information from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 approaches, the ground-side second communication device 82 can receive the signal including vehicle identification information emitted by the vehicle-side second communication device 72.

[0095] Furthermore, when the vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list, the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 causes the ground-side first communication device 81 to transmit a notification that the vehicle identification information has been registered in the identification information list to the vehicle 3 identified by the vehicle identification information. Note that, as described above, when the vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list, the ground-side second communication device 82 is activated. Therefore, the notification that the vehicle identification information has been registered in the identification information list can be said to be a notification indicating that the ground-side second communication device 82 will be activated or has been activated so that the ground power supply device 2 can receive the vehicle identification information using short-range wireless communication.

[0096] When the vehicle-side first communication device 71 receives a notification from the ground-side first communication device 81 via wide-area wireless communication that the vehicle identification information has been registered in the identification information list, the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 supplies power to the vehicle-side second communication device 72 to activate it so that it can transmit a signal including the vehicle identification information to the ground-side second communication device 82 of the ground power feeding device 2 when the vehicle 3 approaches the ground power feeding device 2, and also supplies power to the power receiving device 5 to activate it so that it can receive power from the ground power feeding device 2 when the vehicle 3 travels over the ground power feeding device 2 (the "power receiving active signal transmitting state" described below).

[0097] When the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is activated to transmit a signal including vehicle identification information and the ground-side second communication device 82 is activated so as to be able to communicate with the vehicle-side second communication device 72, when the vehicle 3 approaches the ground power supply device 2, the ground-side second communication device 82 receives the signal including the vehicle identification information transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 of the vehicle 3.

[0098] When the ground-side second communication device 82 receives the vehicle identification information, the controller 22 of the ground power feeding device 2 compares the received vehicle identification information with the identification information list. If the received vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list, the controller 22 supplies power to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 so that power can be transmitted to the vehicle 3 when the vehicle 3 travels over the ground power feeding device 2 (sets the controller 22 to a "power transmission active state," which will be described later). When the vehicle 3 moves with power supplied to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2 and the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3 activated, and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 is positioned above the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2, power is fed from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3. When the vehicle 3 then moves and the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3 moves away from the power transmitting device 4 of the ground power feeding device 2, power feeding is terminated.

[0099] As described above, in this embodiment, when receiving power from the ground power feeding device 2, the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 causes the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to transmit vehicle information linked to the vehicle identification information to the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power feeding device 2. In addition, after the vehicle-side first communication device 71 transmits the vehicle information, the ECU 34 causes the vehicle-side second communication device 72 to transmit the vehicle identification information to the ground-side second communication device 82 of the ground power feeding device 2. As a result, while the vehicle 3 is traveling near the ground power feeding device 2, the ground power feeding device 2 only needs to receive the vehicle identification information via short-range wireless communication, and does not need to receive other vehicle information via short-range wireless communication. Therefore, necessary information can be transmitted to the ground power feeding device 2 even if the vehicle 3 is traveling at a somewhat high speed.

[0100] <Communication using wide-area wireless communication> 7 to 10, a description will be given of communication between the vehicle 3, the server 91, and the ground power feeding device 2 using wide-area wireless communication, and the operations of the vehicle 3, the server 91, and the ground power feeding device 2 relating to this communication. Fig. 7 is an operation sequence diagram relating to communication between the vehicle 3, the server 91, and the ground power feeding device 2 using wide-area wireless communication.

[0101] 7, the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 acquires vehicle information and causes the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to transmit the acquired vehicle information to the server 91 via wide-area wireless communication (step S11). As described above, the vehicle information includes vehicle identification information, various parameters of the power receiving device 5, current location information of the vehicle 3, vehicle required power, and other information of the vehicle 3 related to power transmission. The ECU 34 acquires the vehicle identification information and various parameters of the power receiving device 5 from the memory 342, and acquires current location information of the vehicle 3 from the GNSS receiver 35. The ECU 34 also calculates the vehicle required power based on various states of the vehicle 3. Specifically, the ECU 34 sets the vehicle required power to be smaller as the charging rate SOC of the battery 32 is higher, and sets the vehicle required power to be smaller as the temperature of the battery 32 is higher.

[0102] Furthermore, the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 causes the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to transmit vehicle information at predetermined time intervals. This time interval is always constant. Alternatively, this time interval may vary depending on the situation. In this case, specifically, for example, this time interval is set to be shorter as the distance from the current position of the vehicle 3 acquired from the GNSS receiver 35 to the installation position of the ground power feeding device 2 stored in the storage device 36 becomes shorter.

[0103] When the server 91 receives vehicle information from a plurality of vehicles 3 that can communicate with the server 91, the server 91 identifies the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 located within the vicinity area of ​​each ground power supply device 2 based on the current location information of each vehicle 3 included in the vehicle information. Specifically, the server 91 identifies the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 located within the predetermined vicinity area around each ground power supply device 2 based on the current location information of each vehicle 3 included in the vehicle information received from each vehicle 3 and the installation location information of each ground power supply device 2 stored in the storage device 912 of the server 91.

[0104] The "nearby area" is set, for example, as an area within a predetermined distance (e.g., 500 m) from the target ground power supply device 2. Alternatively, the "nearby area" may be set as an area within a predetermined first distance from the target ground power supply device 2 for a lane on which vehicles 3 heading toward the ground power supply device 2 are traveling, and may be set as an area within a predetermined second distance, shorter than the first distance, from the target ground power supply device 2 for a lane on which vehicles 3 heading away from the ground power supply device 2 are traveling.

[0105] Furthermore, the "nearby area" may be an area that expands as the speed of the vehicle 3 increases. Specifically, for example, if a certain area is set as the "predetermined area" for a vehicle 3 whose speed is equal to or less than a predetermined reference speed, an area that includes the certain area and is wider than the certain area is set as the "nearby area" for a vehicle whose speed is faster than the predetermined reference speed. In this case, the faster the speed of the vehicle 3, the longer the distance from the current position of the vehicle 3 to the installation position of the ground power supply device 2 when the vehicle information is transmitted from the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to the ground power supply device 2 via the server 91.

[0106] The server 91 identifies the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 located within the vicinity area of ​​each ground power supply device 2 at predetermined time intervals. This time interval is preferably approximately the same as the shortest time interval at which the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 transmits vehicle information to the server 91.

[0107] When the server 91 identifies the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 located within the vicinity area of ​​each ground power supply device 2, the server 91 transmits the vehicle information of the vehicle 3 linked to the identified vehicle identification information to each ground power supply device 2 via the communication network 92 (step S13). Therefore, the server 91 transmits the vehicle information of the vehicle 3 located within the vicinity area around the ground power supply device 2 to each ground power supply device 2. The transmitted vehicle information includes, in addition to the vehicle identification information, information necessary for the ground power supply device 2 to supply power to the vehicle 3.

[0108] When the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2 receives the vehicle information from the server 91, the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 registers or deletes the vehicle identification information in the identification information list based on the vehicle identification information linked to the received vehicle information (step S14). Specifically, in this embodiment, the controller 22 registers or deletes the vehicle identification information in the identification information list so that the vehicle identification information linked to the received vehicle information is registered in the identification information list without excess or deficiency.

[0109] When the controller 22 of the ground power feeding device 2 registers or deletes the vehicle identification information in the identification information list, it causes the server 91 to transmit the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list to the first ground communication device 81 via the communication network 92 (step S15). The controller 22 transmits the vehicle identification information to the server 91 at predetermined time intervals. At this time, the controller 22 transmits all of the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list. Note that the controller 22 may transmit only vehicle identification information that is newly registered in the identification information list and vehicle identification information that is deleted from the identification information list. In this case, the controller 22 may transmit the vehicle identification information to the server 91 every time the vehicle identification information listed in the identification information list changes, rather than at predetermined time intervals.

[0110] When the server 91 receives the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list from the ground power supply device 2, the server 91 transmits a notification (hereinafter referred to as a "list registration notification") to the vehicle 3 corresponding to the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list, indicating that the vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list (step S16). In this embodiment, the list registration notification is transmitted at regular time intervals. The list registration notification may include the identification information or installation location information of the ground power supply device 2 whose vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list. As a result, when the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is registered in the identification information list of any ground power supply device 2, the list registration notification is transmitted to the vehicle 3. On the other hand, when the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is not registered in the identification information list of any ground power supply device 2, the list registration notification is not transmitted to the vehicle 3. Therefore, each vehicle 3 can always know whether its own vehicle identification information is registered in any ground power supply device 2. In addition, when receiving only newly registered or deleted vehicle identification information from the server 91, the server 91 sends a notification to the vehicle 3 corresponding to this vehicle identification information that the vehicle identification information has been registered in or deleted from the identification information list.

[0111] In the operation sequence diagram shown in FIG. 7 , registration / deletion of vehicle identification information to / from the identification information list of a ground power supply device 2 is determined solely based on whether the vehicle 3 is located in the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is basically deleted from the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2 when the vehicle 3 moves out of the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2. However, registration / deletion of vehicle identification information to / from the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2 may be performed based on other factors. Specifically, for example, when power supply to the vehicle 3 is terminated at a certain ground power supply device 2, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 may be deleted from the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2. Furthermore, when a request is made by the vehicle 3 to delete the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 from the identification information list of a specific ground power supply device 2, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 may be deleted from the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2.

[0112] Fig. 8 is an operation sequence diagram similar to Fig. 7, relating to communication using wide-area wireless communication among the vehicle 3, the server 91, and the ground power feeding device 2. In particular, Fig. 8 shows the operation after power feeding from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 is completed.

[0113] When the vehicle 3 finishes receiving power from the ground power feeding device 2 (step S21), the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3 causes the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to transmit power reception end information to the server 91 (step S22). The power reception end information includes information related to the power reception from the ground power feeding device 2. Specifically, the power reception end information includes, for example, vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3, the received power from the ground power feeding device 2, the power receiving efficiency, and abnormality detection results related to the power reception by the vehicle 3 during, before, and after the power reception. The power reception end information may also include the power reception period (for example, the start time and end time), the amount of power received from the ground power feeding device 2, and the like. The values ​​of various parameters included in the power reception end information are calculated by the ECU 34 based on the output of the vehicle-side sensor 37 during the power reception from the ground power feeding device 2, and the like.

[0114] Furthermore, when power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 is completed (step S23), the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 causes the first ground communication device 81 to transmit power transmission completion information to the server 91 (step S24). The power transmission completion information includes information related to power transmission to the vehicle 3. Specifically, the power transmission completion information includes, for example, identification information of the ground power supply device 2, vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3, power transmitted to the vehicle 3, power transmission efficiency, and abnormality detection results related to power transmission from the vehicle 3 during, before, and after power transmission. The power transmission completion information may also include a power transmission period (for example, start time and end time), the amount of power transmitted to the vehicle 3, and the like. Values ​​of various parameters included in the power transmission completion information are calculated by the controller 22 based on the output of the ground sensor 23 during power transmission to the vehicle 3, and the like.

[0115] When the server 91 receives the power reception end information and the power transmission end information for the same period for the same vehicle 3 from the vehicle 3 and the ground power feeding device 2, respectively, the server 91 performs a power feeding end process for the corresponding power feeding from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 (step S25). In the power feeding end process, the server 91 calculates the amount of power to be fed from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 based on the power reception end information and the power transmission end information, bills the user of the vehicle 3 based on the calculated amount of power to be fed, diagnoses abnormalities in the power transmitting device 4 of the ground power feeding device 2 and the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3, and so on. The amount of power to be fed from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 is calculated based on, for example, the time transition of the power received from the ground power feeding device 2 and the power transmitted to the vehicle 3. In addition, in the billing process for the user of the vehicle 3, for example, a charge is made to the user's settlement account according to the amount of power fed from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3. Furthermore, in the abnormality diagnosis of the power transmitting device 4 and the power receiving device 5, for example, if there is a large difference between the received power included in the power receiving end information and the transmitted power included in the power transmission end information, it is diagnosed that there is an abnormality in the power transmitting device 4 or the power receiving device 5.

[0116] The power feeding end process is performed every time power feeding to the vehicle 3 is completed at one ground power feeding device 2, i.e., every time the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3 passes over one power transmitting device 4. Therefore, in the power feeding end process, the amount of power fed, etc., is calculated for power fed to the vehicle 3 at one ground power feeding device 2. However, the power feeding end process may be performed every time power feeding to the vehicle 3 is completed at multiple ground power feeding devices 2, i.e., every time the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3 passes over multiple power transmitting devices 4. In this case, in the power feeding end process, the total amount of power fed to the vehicle 3 at the multiple ground power feeding devices 2, etc. is calculated.

[0117] Regardless of the power feeding termination process, vehicle information is transmitted from the vehicle 3 to the server 91 (step S26), similar to step S11 in Fig. 7, and the server 91 identifies the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 located within the vicinity of each ground power feeding device 2 based on the vehicle information (step S27), similar to step S12 in Fig. 7. Then, if a ground power feeding device 2 has already performed the power feeding termination process for a certain vehicle 3, the server 91 deletes the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 for which the power feeding termination process has already been performed from the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 within the vicinity of the ground power feeding device 2 identified in step S27 (step S28).

[0118] Thereafter, the server 91 transmits to each ground power supply device 2 vehicle information linked to the vehicle identification information that has not been deleted in step S28 among the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 identified as being located within the vicinity area of ​​each ground power supply device 2 (step S29). When the vehicle information is transmitted to each ground power supply device 2, the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2 registers or deletes the vehicle identification information in the identification information list (step S30), similar to step S14 in Fig. 7. Thereafter, similar to step S15 in Fig. 7, the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list is transmitted (step S31), and a list registration notification is transmitted similar to step S16 in Fig. 7 (step S32).

[0119] In addition, when the server 91 receives a request from a vehicle 3 to delete the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 from the identification information list of a specific ground power supply device 2 (for example, an "identification information deletion request" described later with reference to Figure 14), the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 may be deleted from the vehicle identification information of vehicles 3 within the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2, as in step S28.

[0120] 8 is performed, the vehicle identification information list will contain the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 that is located within the vicinity of each ground power supply device 2, that has not finished power supply from the ground power supply device 2, and that has not received a request to erase the identification information. When the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is registered in the identification information list of any ground power supply device 2, the vehicle 3 receives a list registration notification.

[0121] 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing related to communication using wide-area wireless communication in the server 91. The processing shown in FIG.

[0122] First, the processor 913 of the server 91 acquires various pieces of information received from the vehicles 3 and the ground power feeding devices 2 (step S41). The various pieces of information include vehicle information and power reception end information linked to the vehicle identification information received from each vehicle 3 and stored in the storage device 912 of the server 91. The various pieces of information also include power transmission end information linked to the vehicle identification information received from each ground power feeding device 2 and stored in the storage device 912 of the server 91.

[0123] Next, the processor 913 of the server 91 determines whether or not the power reception end information and the power transmission end information associated with the same vehicle identification information have been received from the vehicle 3 and the ground power feeding device 2, respectively (step S42). If it is determined in step S42 that the corresponding power reception end information and the power transmission end information have been received, the processor 913 of the server 91 executes the power feeding end process described above (step S43). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S42 that the corresponding power reception end information and the power transmission end information have not been received, step S43 is skipped.

[0124] Next, the processor 913 of the server 91 identifies vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 located within the vicinity of each ground power supply device 2 based on the vehicle information (particularly, current location information) of the vehicle 3 acquired in step S41 and the installation location information of each ground power supply device 2 (step S44). The vicinity area of ​​each ground power supply device 2 is stored in advance in the storage device 912 of the server 91, for example.

[0125] Next, when a ground power supply device 2 has already performed a power supply termination process to a certain vehicle 3, the processor 913 of the server 91 deletes the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 for which the power supply termination process has already been performed from the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 located within the vicinity area of ​​the ground power supply device 2 identified in step S44 (step S45). Thereafter, the processor 913 of the server 91 transmits to each ground power supply device 2 the vehicle information linked to the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 identified as located within the vicinity area of ​​each ground power supply device 2 that has not been deleted in step S45 (step S46).

[0126] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing related to communication using wide-area wireless communication in the ground power feeding device 2. The processing shown in Fig. 10 is executed by the processor 223 of the controller 22 of the ground power feeding device 2 every time the first ground communication device 81 of the ground power feeding device 2 receives vehicle information linked to vehicle identification information from the server 91.

[0127] When the ground-side first communication device 81 receives vehicle information linked to the vehicle identification information of a vehicle 3 located within the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2 (step S51), the processor 223 compares the vehicle identification information included in the received vehicle information with the vehicle identification information in the identification information list stored in the memory 342 (step S52).

[0128] Thereafter, the processor 223 newly registers in the identification information list, among the vehicle identification information included in the received vehicle information as a result of checking the vehicle identification information in step S52, the vehicle identification information that has not yet been registered in the identification information list (step S53). In addition, the processor 223 deletes from the identification information list, among the vehicle identification information already registered in the identification information list, the vehicle identification information that is not included in the vehicle identification information included in the vehicle information received from the server 91 (step S54). As a result, the identification information list always contains the vehicle identification information of the vehicles 3 located within the vicinity of each ground power supply device 2. Thereafter, the processor 223 causes the ground-side first communication device 81 to transmit the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list to the server 91 via the communication network 92 (step S55).

[0129] <Status and operation of vehicle and ground power supply equipment related to power supply> Next, with reference to FIGS. 11 to 15, the states and operations of the vehicle 3 and the ground power feeding device 2 regarding power feeding from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 will be described.

[0130] First, referring to Fig. 11 , we will explain the general transitions in the operation and state of the vehicle 3 and the ground power feeding device 2 when power is fed from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3. Fig. 11 is a diagram that schematically shows the transitions in the operation and state of the vehicle 3 and the ground power feeding device 2 when the vehicle 3 approaches the ground power feeding device 2 and power feeding is performed. Note that, for ease of explanation, the example shown in Fig. 11 shows the transitions when there is only one vehicle 3 and only one ground power feeding device 2. In Fig. 11 , rectangles represent the state of the vehicle 3 or the ground power feeding device 2, and squares with rounded corners represent the operation of the vehicle 3 or the ground power feeding device 2, respectively.

[0131] 11 , in the initial state, the vehicle 3 is located far away from the ground power supply device 2 and is outside the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is not registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, the list registration notification is not transmitted to the vehicle 3 either.

[0132] In this state, power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 will not start for the time being. Therefore, the state of the vehicle 3 is set to a sleep state in which only standby power is supplied to the power-receiving related devices and no power is supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72 (step S61). The state of the ground power supply device 2 is also set to a sleep state in which only standby power is supplied and no power is supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82 (step S81).

[0133] Thereafter, when the vehicle 3 enters the vicinity area of ​​the ground power supply device 2, as described above, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2 (step S82). In addition, the vehicle 3 receives a list registration notification notifying that the vehicle identification information has been registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2 (step S62).

[0134] When the vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list of the ground power feeding device 2, the state of the ground power feeding device 2 is set to a reception standby state in which power is supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82 (step S83). In the reception standby state, when a signal is transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 within a short distance from the ground-side second communication device 82, the ground-side second communication device 82 can receive the signal. Furthermore, when the vehicle 3 receives the list registration notification, the state of the vehicle 3 is set to a power reception active signal transmission state in which operating power is supplied to devices related to power reception of the vehicle 3 and power is supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72, causing a signal including the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 to be transmitted (step S63). In the power reception active signal transmission state, when the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3 is positioned on the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the power transmitting device 4 of the ground power feeding device 2, the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 can receive power from the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43.

[0135] Thereafter, when the vehicle 3 approaches the ground power supply device 2 and the ground-side second communication device 82 is able to receive the signal transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 (step S64), a signal including vehicle identification information is transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 to the ground-side second communication device 82, and the ground-side second communication device 82 receives this signal transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 (step S84).

[0136] Because the communication range is narrow in short-range wireless communication, the ground-side second communication device 82 receiving a signal transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 indicates that the vehicle 3 identified by the received vehicle identification information has reached close to the ground power feeding device 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the ground-side second communication device 82 receives a signal including the vehicle identification information, the state of the ground power feeding device 2 is set to a power transmission active state (step S85). In the power transmission active state, weak power is supplied to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2.

[0137] Thereafter, when the state of the vehicle 3 is set to the power receiving active state and the state of the ground power feeding device 2 is set to the power transmitting active state, if the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 approaches the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2 and is positioned above the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 (step S65), magnetic field resonant coupling occurs between the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51, and the current flowing through the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2 increases. When the current flowing through the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 increases in this way, the state of the ground power feeding device 2 is set to the main power transmission state in which a large amount of power is supplied to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 (step S86). At this time, strong magnetic field resonant coupling occurs between the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51, and power is supplied from the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 to the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51, and thus power is fed from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3.

[0138] Thereafter, when the vehicle 3 moves and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 moves away from the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2 (step S66), the magnetic field resonant coupling generated between the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 weakens, and the current flowing through the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2 decreases. When the current flowing through the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 decreases in this way, the power supplied to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 is reduced, and the state of the ground power feeding device 2 is returned to the power transmitting active state (step S87).

[0139] Thereafter, when the vehicle 3 moves further away from the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2 and the magnetic field resonant coupling between the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is lost, a power reception termination process is performed in the vehicle 3 (step S67). In the power reception termination process, parameter values ​​constituting power reception termination information are calculated, and the calculated power reception termination information is transmitted from the vehicle 3 to the server 91. At this time, a power transmission termination process is performed in the ground power feeding device 2 (step S88). In the power transmission termination process, parameter values ​​constituting power transmission termination information are calculated, and the calculated power transmission termination information is transmitted from the ground power feeding device 2 to the server 91. When the power transmission termination process is performed in the ground power feeding device 2, the supply of current to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 is stopped, and the state of the ground power feeding device 2 is thereby set back to the reception standby state (step S89).

[0140] Thereafter, when the vehicle 3 leaves the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2, as described above, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is deleted from the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2 (step S90). Accordingly, the vehicle 3 stops receiving a list registration notice notifying that the vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2 (step S68). When the conductor identification information of the vehicle 3 is deleted from the identification information list, there is no longer a vehicle 3 that needs power supply near the ground power supply device 2, and therefore the state of the ground power supply device 2 is returned to the sleep state (step S91). Furthermore, when the vehicle 3 stops receiving the list registration notice, there is no ground power supply device 2 near the vehicle 3, and therefore the state of the vehicle 3 is also returned to the sleep state (step S69).

[0141] <State and operation transition of ground power supply equipment> Next, transitions of states and operations of the ground power feeding device 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 12 and Fig. 13. Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 are diagrams schematically illustrating transitions of states and operations of the ground power feeding device 2. In particular, Fig. 12 illustrates transitions of states and operations when the vehicle 3 is not located near the ground power feeding device 2, specifically, transitions of states and operations between a sleep state and a reception standby state. On the other hand, Fig. 13 illustrates transitions of states and operations when the vehicle 3 is located near the ground power feeding device 2, specifically, transitions of states and operations between a reception standby state, a power transmission active state, a main power transmission state, and a standby state. Note that in Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 as well, rectangles represent states of the ground power feeding device 2, and squares with rounded corners represent operations of the ground power feeding device 2.

[0142] When the ground power supply device 2 is in the sleep state (A11, the state in steps S81 and S91 in FIG. 11 ) shown in FIG. 12 , only standby power is supplied to the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, at this time, the minimum necessary standby power is supplied only to the controller 22 of the ground power supply device 2, and power is not supplied to other devices related to power transmission to the vehicle 3. For example, power is not supplied to the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43, the ground-side second communication device 82, the ground-side sensor 23, and the AC power generation circuit 64, and only a small amount of power is supplied to the controller 22. Therefore, when the ground power supply device 2 is in the sleep state, power consumption by the devices related to power transmission of the ground power supply device 2 is small. However, power is supplied to the ground-side first communication device 81 even when the ground power supply device 2 is in the sleep state. Therefore, vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 located within the vicinity of the ground power supply device 2 can be received from the server 91.

[0143] When the ground power supplying device 2 is in the sleep state (A11), if the ground-side first communication device 81 receives vehicle information and the vehicle identification information included in the vehicle information is registered in the identification information list (C11), power supply to devices related to power transmission of the ground power supplying device 2 is started, and these devices are started up and self-diagnosed (B12). Specifically, sufficient power for the controller 22 to fully operate is supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82, the ground-side sensor 23, the AC power generating circuit 64, etc. Furthermore, a self-diagnostic program is executed in the controller 22, and self-diagnosis of the controller 22, the ground-side second communication device 82, the ground-side sensor 23, etc. is performed.

[0144] When the startup and self-diagnosis of these devices are completed (C12), the ground power feeding device 2 enters a reception standby state (A13, the state in steps S83 and S89 in FIG. 11 ). When the ground power feeding device 2 is in the reception standby state (A13), power is supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82, allowing the ground-side second communication device 82 to receive signals. In addition, in this embodiment, when the ground power feeding device 2 is in the reception standby state, sufficient power is also supplied to the controller 22, the ground-side sensor 23, the AC power generating circuit 64, and the like. Therefore, when the ground power feeding device 2 is in the reception standby state, if a signal is transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 at a short distance from the ground-side second communication device 82, the ground-side second communication device 82 can receive the signal. On the other hand, when the ground power feeding device 2 is in the reception standby state (A13), no power is supplied to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2. Therefore, even if the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 approaches the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2, power is not fed from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3. Furthermore, when the ground power feeding device 2 is in the reception standby state, power is not supplied to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2, and therefore the power consumption of the ground power feeding device 2 is not very large.

[0145] When the ground power supply device 2 is in a reception standby state (A13), if no vehicle identification information is registered in the identification information list of the ground power supply device 2 (C13), the state of the ground power supply device 2 is returned to the sleep state (A11) because no vehicle 3 will be coming near the ground power supply device 2 for the time being.

[0146] 13 , when the ground power feeding device 2 is in the reception standby state (A13) and a vehicle 3 approaches the ground power feeding device 2, the ground-side second communication device 82 of the ground power feeding device 2 receives a signal including vehicle identification information transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 (C14). When the ground-side second communication device 82 receives the signal including vehicle identification information, the vehicle identification information included in the signal is stored in the memory 222 of the controller 22 as the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 currently being supplied with power. In addition, the vehicle identification information included in the signal is compared with the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list stored in the memory 222 (B14).

[0147] Because the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is transmitted in advance to the ground power supply device 2 via the vehicle-side first communication device 71 and the ground-side first communication device 81, the vehicle identification information included in the signal transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is generally registered in the identification information list. However, for example, due to a malfunction of the vehicle-side first communication device 71, the vehicle identification information may not be registered in the identification information list in advance. When the vehicle identification information is not registered in the identification information list (C19), power is not supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3, and a power transmission termination process is performed to terminate power transmission (B19). Furthermore, when a termination condition (C19) described below is satisfied during the comparison between the vehicle identification information included in the signal and the vehicle identification information registered in the identification information list, a power transmission termination process is also performed to terminate power transmission (B19). Details of the power transmission termination process will be described later.

[0148] On the other hand, if the result of the comparison shows that the vehicle identification information included in the signal received from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is registered in the identification information list (C15), it is determined whether an interruption condition, which will be described later, is met. If the interruption condition is not met (C18), the state of the ground power supply device 2 is switched from the reception standby state (A13) to the power transmission active state (A16; the state in steps S85 and S87 in FIG. 11).

[0149] When the ground power feeding device 2 is in the power transmission active state (A16), power is supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82, the controller 22, the ground-side sensor 23, the AC power generating circuit 64, etc., as in the reception standby state (A13). In addition, at this time, weak power is supplied to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2. When the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 is supplied with weak power, and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 approaches the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2 and is positioned above the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43, magnetic field resonant coupling occurs between the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51, and the current flowing through the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 increases.

[0150] Therefore, when the ground power feeding device 2 is in the power transmission active state (A16) and the current flowing through the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 increases (C21), this means that the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 has moved above the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2. In this case, the state of the ground power feeding device 2 is switched to the main power transmission state (A17, the state in step S86 in FIG. 11).

[0151] When the ground power feeding device 2 is in the actual power transmission state (A17), power is supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82, the controller 22, the ground-side sensor 23, the AC power generation circuit 64, etc., as in the reception standby state (A13). In addition, at this time, for power transmission to the vehicle 3, a larger amount of power is supplied to the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2 than in the power transmission active state (A16). As a result, a strong magnetic field resonant coupling is generated between the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51, and a large amount of power is supplied from the power transmitter 4 of the ground power feeding device 2 to the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3. Particularly in this embodiment, the power supplied to the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 at this time is set based on the requested supply power included in the vehicle information linked to the vehicle identification information. Specifically, the larger the requested supply power, the larger the power supplied to the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43. The requested supply power changes during power supply from the power transmitting device 4 to the power receiving device 5, for example, when the speed of the vehicle 3 is slow and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is located on the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 for a long time. In this case, the power supplied to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 also changes in accordance with the change in the requested supply power.

[0152] When the ground power feeding device 2 is in the actual power transmission state (A17), if the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 moves away from the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2, the current flowing through the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2 decreases, as described above. When the current flowing through the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2 decreases (C22) in this way, the state of the ground power feeding device 2 is switched from the actual power transmission state (A17) to the power transmitting active state (A16). In addition, when a termination condition (described later) or an interruption condition (described later) is satisfied while the ground power feeding device 2 is in the actual power transmission state, the state of the ground power feeding device 2 is also switched to the power transmitting active state (A16). As a result, when the termination condition is satisfied and power transmission is terminated, or when the interruption condition is satisfied and power transmission is interrupted, the state of the ground power feeding device 2 temporarily enters the power transmitting active state (A16), thereby preventing the power supplied to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 from suddenly decreasing to zero. Therefore, the load on devices such as the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 caused by the power supplied to the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 suddenly dropping to zero is reduced.

[0153] If the interruption condition is met (C23) when the ground power supply device 2 is in the power transmission active state (A16), or if the interruption condition is met (C17) when the vehicle identification information included in the signal received from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is registered in the identification information list, the state of the ground power supply device 2 is switched to the standby state (A18).

[0154] The standby state of the ground power feeding device 2 is basically the same as the reception standby state. Therefore, when the ground power feeding device 2 is in the standby state (A18), sufficient power is supplied to the ground-side second communication device 82, the controller 22, the ground-side sensor 23, the AC power generating circuit 64, etc., but no power is supplied to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43. Therefore, when the ground power feeding device 2 is in the standby state (A18), power is not fed from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3, and, similar to the reception standby state, power consumption is not so large.

[0155] Here, the interruption condition is a condition that requires temporary interruption of power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. Specific examples of the interruption conditions are listed below. All of the interruption conditions listed below may be used, or some of the interruption conditions may not be used. In this embodiment, when any one of the following interruption conditions is met, the state of the ground power supply device 2 is switched to the standby state (A18).

[0156] The first interruption condition is that communication between the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2 and the server 91 is interrupted. Here, the ground-side first communication device 81 periodically communicates with the server 91 to receive, for example, vehicle information (particularly, requested power supply) of the vehicle 3 to which power is being supplied. Then, the ground power supply device 2 transmits power to the vehicle 3 based on the received vehicle information. Therefore, if the ground power supply device 2 is unable to receive vehicle information about the vehicle 3, it will be unable to appropriately control the power supply. For this reason, when communication is interrupted, power transmission to the vehicle 3 is temporarily interrupted.

[0157] The second interruption condition is that the temperature of the power transmission device 4 of the ground power feeding device 2, particularly the temperature of the power transmission side rectifier circuit 41, the inverter 42, or the power transmission side resonant circuit 43, is equal to or higher than a predetermined interruption reference temperature. To prevent the temperature of the power transmission device 4 from becoming excessively high, when this interruption condition is met, power transmission to the vehicle 3 is temporarily interrupted. The temperature of the power transmission device 4 is detected by a ground-side sensor 23 (power transmission device temperature sensor).

[0158] The third interruption condition is that the speed of the vehicle 3 traveling on the power transmission device 4 is equal to or greater than a predetermined interruption reference speed. If the speed of the vehicle 3 is equal to or greater than the interruption reference speed, the power supply efficiency decreases, and therefore, when this interruption condition is met, power transmission to the vehicle 3 is temporarily interrupted. The speed of the vehicle 3 is calculated, for example, based on the transition of the power supplied from the power transmission device 4 to the power receiving device 5.

[0159] The fourth interruption condition is when a foreign object or living organism is detected on the road where the power transmitter 4 is embedded. If a foreign object or living organism is present on the power transmitter 4, the AC magnetic field generated by the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 changes, which may result in a decrease in power supply efficiency. Therefore, when such an interruption condition is met, power transmission to the vehicle 3 is temporarily interrupted. A foreign object or living organism on the road where the power transmitter 4 is embedded is detected by the ground-side sensor 23 (foreign object sensor, living organism sensor).

[0160] The fifth interruption condition is that the power (or current, voltage) supplied to the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 of the power transmitter 4 is equal to or greater than a predetermined interruption reference value. If the power supplied to the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 becomes excessively large, there is a possibility that an abnormality has occurred in the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43. Therefore, when this interruption condition is met, power transmission to the vehicle 3 is temporarily interrupted. The power supplied to the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 is calculated based on the output of the ground-side sensors 23 (power transmitter current sensor, power transmitter voltage sensor).

[0161] Alternatively, the interruption condition may be that the ground-side second communication device 82 of the ground power feeding device 2 has not received a signal including vehicle identification information transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 for a certain period of time (a sixth interruption condition). In this case, the interruption condition is not met while the ground-side second communication device 82 is receiving such a signal, and therefore the ground power feeding device 2 is maintained in the power transmission active state. However, when the ground-side second communication device 82 stops receiving such a signal, the interruption condition is met, and therefore the ground power feeding device 2 is switched to the standby state.

[0162] In this embodiment, when the ground power feeding device 2 is in a reception standby state and the ground-side second communication device 82 receives a signal including vehicle identification information, the state of the ground power feeding device 2 is switched to a power transmission active state. In the power transmission active state, as described above, weak power is supplied to the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2, and when a vehicle 3 approaches, the current flowing through the power transmission-side resonant circuit 43 increases, and power feeding begins. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the ground-side second communication device 82 receives a signal including vehicle identification information, it is permitted to supply power to the power transmitting device to feed power to the power receiving device.

[0163] In this embodiment, once the ground-side second communication device 82 receives a signal including vehicle identification information, the state of the ground power supply device 2 is maintained in the power transmission active state until an interruption condition or a termination condition is met, thereby continuing the supply of power to the power transmission device 4.

[0164] However, as described above, if the interruption condition is that the ground-side second communication device 82 does not receive a signal including vehicle identification information transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72, when the ground-side second communication device 82 stops receiving such a signal from the vehicle 3, the supply of power to the power transmitting device 4 for power supply to the power receiving device 5 is prohibited.

[0165] If none of the above-mentioned interruption conditions are met (C24) while the ground power supply device 2 is in the standby state (A18), the state of the ground power supply device 2 is switched to the power transmission active state (A16).

[0166] When the termination condition is met (C25) when the ground power supply device 2 is in the power transmission active state (A16), or when the termination condition is met (C26) when the ground power supply device 2 is in the standby state (A18), power transmission termination processing is performed (B19; operation in step S88 in Figure 11).

[0167] In the power transmission end process, power transmission end information is transmitted from the ground-side first communication device 81 of the ground power supply device 2 to the server 91. As described above, the power transmission end information includes information related to power transmission to the vehicle 3. The values ​​of various parameters included in the power transmission end information are calculated based on the output of the ground-side sensor 23, etc. In addition, in the power transmission end process, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 currently being supplied with power, which has been stored in the memory 222 of the ground power supply device 2, is erased from the memory 222 by the operation indicated by B14. When the power transmission end process is completed, the state of the ground power supply device 2 is switched to a reception standby state (A13).

[0168] Here, the termination condition is a condition that requires termination of power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3. Specific examples of the termination conditions are listed below. All of the termination conditions listed below may be used, or some of the termination conditions may not be used. In this embodiment, when any one of the following termination conditions is met, the power transmission termination process is performed.

[0169] The first termination condition is that it is detected that the vehicle 3 approaching the ground power feeder 2 has moved away from the ground power feeder 2. When the vehicle 3 passes the power transmission device 4 of the ground power feeder 2, the ground power feeder 2 no longer transmits power to the vehicle 3. Therefore, when the termination condition is met, power transmission to the vehicle 3 is terminated. The departure of the vehicle 3 from the ground power feeder 2 is detected by any method. Specifically, for example, the departure of the vehicle 3 from the ground power feeder 2 is detected when the signal transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is no longer received by the ground-side second communication device 82. Alternatively, for example, the departure of the vehicle 3 from the ground power feeder 2 may be detected by arranging an AC power generation circuit, such as that used in a lateral deviation detection device, behind the power transmission device 4 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3, and detecting an AC magnetic field generated by the AC power generation circuit using the magnetic field detector 66 of the vehicle 3.

[0170] The second termination condition is that the ground-side second communication device 82 of the ground power feeding device 2 receives a signal including vehicle identification information that is different from the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 currently being powered, which was stored in the memory 222 of the ground power feeding device 2 in the operation indicated by B14. In other words, the second termination condition is that the ground-side second communication device 82 receives vehicle identification information of a vehicle other than the vehicle 3 currently transmitting power or the vehicle 3 to which power transmission was previously completed. When the following vehicle is approaching so closely that the ground-side second communication device 82 receives a signal including vehicle identification information, it is necessary to avoid confusion between the power transmission information of the vehicle currently being powered and the following vehicle, and therefore power transmission to the vehicle 3 is terminated. As described above, if the termination condition is met and the power transmission termination process is performed early, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 currently being powered, which was stored in the memory 222 of the ground power feeding device 2, can be deleted early from the memory 222. Therefore, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 currently being powered can be deleted before power transmission to the following vehicle is started.

[0171] The third termination condition is that the elapsed time since the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 currently being supplied with power was registered in the memory 222 of the ground power supply device 2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined termination reference time. If the elapsed time is too long, there is a possibility that an abnormality has occurred, such as the ground power supply device 2 not being able to detect that the vehicle 3 has left. Therefore, when this termination condition is met, power transmission to the vehicle 3 is terminated. Note that the third termination condition may be any other condition as long as it indicates that the vehicle 3 has occupied the power transmission device of the ground power supply device 2 for a long period of time. Therefore, for example, the third termination condition may be that the time during which the ground power supply device 2 has been in the power transmission active state or the standby state is equal to or greater than a predetermined time during the time elapsed since the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 currently being supplied with power was registered in the memory 222.

[0172] The fourth termination condition is that a failure has occurred in equipment related to the power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. When a failure has occurred in the ground power supply device 2, power cannot be properly supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3, and therefore, when this termination condition is met, power transmission to the vehicle 3 is terminated. The failure of the ground power supply device 2 is detected, for example, by self-diagnosis of the equipment related to the power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 (which is also performed in the operation represented by B12).

[0173] The fifth termination condition is that a termination request is received from outside the contactless power transfer system 1. For example, when road construction work is started near the ground power transfer device 2 or when a disaster occurs, a termination request is transmitted from outside the contactless power transfer system 1 to the ground power transfer device 2. Such a termination request is transmitted from a system outside the contactless power transfer system 1 to the server 91, and then transmitted from the server 91 to the first ground-side communication device 81.

[0174] The sixth termination condition is that the coupling coefficient between the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, or that the power transmitted from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 is equal to or greater than a predetermined termination reference value. Here, if the coupling coefficient or the transmitted power is very large, an excessive current may flow to the power transmitting device 4 or the power receiving device 5. Therefore, if the coupling coefficient is equal to or greater than the reference value or if the transmitted power is equal to or greater than the reference value, power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 is terminated, thereby preventing excessive current from flowing to the power transmitting device 4 or the power receiving device 5. The power transmitted from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 is calculated based on the output of ground sensors 23 (power transmitting device current sensor and power transmitting device voltage sensor), for example.

[0175] The seventh termination condition is that the amount charged to the user of the vehicle 3, calculated based on the power transmitted from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3, exceeds a predetermined upper limit. The amount charged to the user is calculated by the controller based on the change in the transmitted power during power transmission to the vehicle 3 and the price per unit of power at that time. The upper limit may be a predetermined fixed value or a value set by the user of the vehicle 3. If the upper limit is a value set by the user, the upper limit is included in the vehicle information transmitted from the vehicle 3.

[0176] The eighth termination condition is that a power transmission stop request, which will be described later, has been received from the vehicle 3. As will be described later, when a stop condition or a cut-off condition for stopping or cutting off power reception by the power receiving device 5 in the vehicle 3 is met, the power transmission stop request is transmitted from the vehicle-side first communication device 71 of the vehicle 3. When the stop condition or the cut-off condition is met, the vehicle 3 will no longer receive power, and therefore there is no need to maintain the ground power feeding device 2 in a state where it can transmit power to the vehicle 3, and therefore power transmission to the vehicle 3 is terminated.

[0177] The state and operation of the ground power feeding device 2 are controlled by the controller 22. Therefore, for example, when the ground power feeding device 2 is in a standby state, the controller 22 determines whether an interruption condition and a termination condition are satisfied based on the output of the ground-side sensor 23, etc. If the controller 22 determines that the interruption condition is not satisfied, it controls the inverter 42 so that a weak current is supplied to the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43.

[0178] <Vehicle state and operation transitions> Next, the transitions of the states and operations of the vehicle 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 14 and Fig. 15. Fig. 14 is a diagram schematically showing the transitions of the states and operations of the vehicle 3. In Fig. 14 as well, rectangles represent the states of the vehicle 3, and squares with rounded corners represent the operations of the vehicle 3.

[0179] As shown in FIG. 14 , the vehicle 3 can be in two sleep states (states in steps S61 and S69 in FIG. 11 ): a first sleep state (A31) and a second sleep state (A35). When the vehicle 3 is in the first sleep state (A31), only standby power is supplied to the power-receiving devices of the vehicle 3. Therefore, at this time, the minimum necessary standby power is supplied only to the ECU 34 of the vehicle 3, and power is not supplied to other devices related to power reception from the ground power feeding device 2. Therefore, for example, power is not supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72, the magnetic field detector 66, the vehicle-side sensor 37, the object sensor 39, and the biological sensor 40, and only a small amount of power is supplied to the ECU 34. Therefore, when the vehicle 3 is in the first sleep state (A31), the power consumption of the power-receiving devices of the vehicle 3 is small. However, power is supplied to the vehicle-side first communication device 71 even when the vehicle 3 is in the first sleep state (A31). Therefore, the vehicle-side first communication device 71 can receive a list registration notification from the server 91 notifying that the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 has been registered in the identification information list of any of the ground power feeding devices 2.

[0180] In the first sleep state (A31), the relay 38 between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 is connected. Therefore, when the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 are connected and the power receiving device 5 receives power, power is supplied to the battery 32.

[0181] When the vehicle 3 is in the first sleep state (A31), if the vehicle-side first communication device 71 receives a list registration notification notifying that the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 has been registered in the identification information list of one of the ground power feeding devices 2 and the cancellation condition and the cut-off condition (described later) are not satisfied (C31), power supply to devices related to power reception from the ground power feeding device 2 of the vehicle 3 is started, and these devices are started up and self-diagnosis of these devices is performed (B32). Specifically, sufficient power for the ECU 34 to fully operate is supplied to the ECU 34, and power is also supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72, the magnetic field detector 66, the vehicle-side sensor 37, the object sensor 39, the biological sensor 40, etc. Furthermore, a self-diagnosis program is executed in the ECU 34 to perform self-diagnosis of the ECU 34, the vehicle-side second communication device 72, the magnetic field detector 66, the vehicle-side sensor 37, the object sensor 39, the biological sensor 40, etc.

[0182] When the startup and self-diagnosis of such devices are completed, the state of the vehicle 3 becomes the power receiving active state (A33) or the power receiving active signal transmission state (A34, the state in step S63 in FIG. 11). When the state of the vehicle 3 is the power receiving active state (A33) or the power receiving active signal transmission state (A34), sufficient power is supplied to the ECU 34, the vehicle-side sensors 37, etc.

[0183] Therefore, when the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active state (A33) or the power receiving active signal transmission state (A34), if the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 of the vehicle 3 approaches the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 of the ground power feeding device 2 and is positioned above the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43, a strong magnetic field resonant coupling occurs between the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving side resonant circuit 51, and a large amount of power is received from the ground power feeding device 2. On the other hand, when the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active state (A33) or the power receiving active signal transmission state (A34), if a strong magnetic field resonant coupling occurs between the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving side resonant circuit 51, and the vehicle 3 moves and the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 moves away from the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43, the magnetic field resonant coupling is released and power feeding from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 ends.

[0184] Furthermore, when the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active state (A33), power is not supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72, the magnetic field detector 66, the object sensor 39, and the biological sensor 40. Therefore, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 cannot transmit a signal including the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3. Furthermore, the magnetic field detector 66 cannot detect the AC magnetic field for lateral deviation detection generated by the AC power generating circuit 64. Furthermore, the object sensor 39 and the biological sensor 40 cannot detect objects and living organisms on the road. On the other hand, when the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active / signal transmitting state (A34), power is supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72, the magnetic field detector 66, the object sensor 39, and the biological sensor 40. Therefore, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 transmits a signal including the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3, and the magnetic field detector 66 detects the AC magnetic field for lateral deviation detection. Therefore, at this time, when the vehicle 3 travels near the ground power feeding device 2, a signal including vehicle identification information is transmitted from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 to the ground-side second communication device 82. In addition, at this time, the object sensor 39 and the biological sensor 40 detect objects and living organisms on the road.

[0185] When the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active state (A33), power is not supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72, the magnetic field detector 66, the object sensor 39, and the biosensor 40, so the power consumption of the vehicle 3 is not very large. On the other hand, when the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active signal transmission state (A34), power is supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72, the magnetic field detector 66, the object sensor 39, and the biosensor 40, so the power consumption is larger than in the power receiving active state (A33).

[0186] When vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active state (A33), if all of the transmission stop conditions are no longer met (C33), the state of vehicle 3 is switched to the power receiving active / signal sending state (A34). On the other hand, when vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active / signal sending state (A34), if the transmission stop condition is met (C34), the state of vehicle 3 is switched to the power receiving active state (A33).

[0187] Here, the transmission stop condition is a condition that requires temporarily stopping transmission of a signal from the vehicle-side second communication device 72. By temporarily stopping transmission of a signal from the vehicle-side second communication device 72, a signal including vehicle identification information is no longer transmitted to the ground-side second communication device 82, and therefore power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2 is no longer performed. Specific examples of the transmission stop condition are listed below. All of the transmission stop conditions listed below may be used, or some of the start stop conditions may not be used. In this embodiment, if any one of the following transmission stop conditions is met, the state of the vehicle 3 is set to a power receiving active state (A33), and if none of the following transmission stop conditions are met, the state of the vehicle 3 is set to a power receiving active and signal transmitting state (A34).

[0188] The first transmission stop condition is that another process that causes a large amount of power to flow into the battery 32 is being performed in the vehicle 3. When the battery 32 is being rapidly charged by a method other than contactless power transmission, it is difficult to simultaneously supply power to the battery 32 by contactless power transmission. Therefore, signal transmission is temporarily stopped to temporarily stop power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2. For example, if the vehicle 3 is a hybrid vehicle that is also driven by an internal combustion engine, an example of the other process is starting or stopping the internal combustion engine. Such other process is detected, for example, from the output of a vehicle-side sensor 37 provided in the vehicle 3 or a control command from the ECU 34 to the internal combustion engine, etc.

[0189] The second transmission stop condition is that the vehicle 3 is braking suddenly. When the vehicle 3 is braking suddenly, the battery 32 is charged by regenerative power, and it is difficult to simultaneously and efficiently supply power to the battery 32 through contactless power transmission. Therefore, signal transmission is temporarily stopped to temporarily stop power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2. Whether the vehicle 3 is braking suddenly is detected based on, for example, the amount of depression of the brake pedal of the vehicle 3.

[0190] The third transmission stop condition is that the vehicle 3 is changing lanes. When the vehicle 3 is changing lanes, even if the vehicle 3 is traveling near the ground power feeding device 2, the lateral deviation between the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is large, so signal transmission is temporarily stopped to temporarily stop power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2. The fact that the vehicle 3 is changing lanes is detected, for example, based on an image captured by a front camera (not shown) or the like provided on the vehicle 3.

[0191] The fourth transmission stop condition is that the vehicle 3 is approaching the left or right lane markings or has deviated from the left or right lane markings. In this case, even if the vehicle 3 is traveling near the ground power feeding device 2, the lateral deviation between the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is large, so signal transmission is temporarily stopped to temporarily stop power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2. Whether the vehicle 3 is approaching the left or right lane markings or has deviated from the lane markings is detected, for example, based on an image captured by a front camera or the like (not shown) provided on the vehicle 3.

[0192] The fifth transmission stop condition is that the lateral deviation detection device detects a lateral deviation between the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51. As described above, when a lateral deviation occurs, power supply efficiency decreases. Therefore, when a lateral deviation is detected, signal transmission is temporarily stopped to temporarily stop power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, when a deviation in the relative position of the power receiving device 5 with respect to the power transmitting device 4 is detected, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is controlled to prevent power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, the lateral deviation detection result obtained by the vehicle 3 can be substantially transmitted to the ground power feeding device 2, and as a result, power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2 is stopped.

[0193] The sixth transmission stop condition is that the foreign object detection device detects a foreign object on the road in front of or below the vehicle 3. As described above, if a foreign object is present on the road on which the power transmission device 4 is installed, power supply efficiency decreases. Therefore, when a foreign object is detected, signal transmission is temporarily stopped to temporarily stop power transmission from the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, when a foreign object is detected on the road on which the power transmission device 4 is installed, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is controlled to prevent power transmission from the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, the foreign object detection result obtained by the vehicle 3 can be substantially transmitted to the ground power supply device 2, and as a result, power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 is stopped.

[0194] As described above, according to the fifth and sixth transmission stop conditions, when a lateral misalignment or a foreign object is detected, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 stops transmitting a signal including vehicle identification information that triggers preparation for power transmission in the ground power feeding device 2. As a result, the ground power feeding device 2 stops preparing for power transmission (i.e., the operation of C14 in FIG. 13 is not performed, and the ground power feeding device 2 remains in a reception standby state). Therefore, in this embodiment, the detection result of a lateral misalignment or a foreign object is transmitted to the ground power feeding device 2 quickly and fast enough to prevent power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a signal indicating that a lateral misalignment or a foreign object has been detected is not transmitted between the vehicle-side second communication device 72 and the ground-side second communication device 82 via short-range communication, which prevents an unnecessary increase in the amount of information to be transmitted via short-range communication.

[0195] The seventh transmission stop condition is that communication between the vehicle-side first communication device 71 of the vehicle 3 and the server 91 is interrupted for less than a certain period of time. Here, the vehicle-side first communication device 71 periodically communicates with the server 91 to transmit, for example, vehicle information (especially, requested power supply) of the vehicle 3 currently being supplied with power. If the vehicle information of the vehicle 3 cannot be transmitted, it becomes impossible to appropriately control power supply. For this reason, when communication is interrupted, signal transmission is temporarily stopped to temporarily stop power transmission from the ground power supply device 2.

[0196] When the state of vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active state (A33) or the power receiving active signal transmission state (A34), if the vehicle-side first communication device 71 of vehicle 3 stops receiving the list registration notification, that is, if the vehicle identification information of vehicle 3 is no longer registered in the identification information list of any of the ground power supply devices 2 (C35), the state of vehicle 3 is returned to the first sleep state (A31).

[0197] On the other hand, when the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active state (A33) or the power receiving active signal transmitting state (A34), if the cancellation condition described below is met and the power receiving device 5 is not receiving power from the power transmitting device 4 of the ground power supply device 2, or if the interruption condition described below is met (C36), a request to erase identification information and a request to stop power transmission are sent from the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to the server 91, and ultimately to the corresponding ground power supply device 2.

[0198] The identification information erasure request is a request to erase the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 from the identification information list of the corresponding ground power supply device 2. The ground power supply devices 2 to which the erasure request is made may be all ground power supply devices 2 for which the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 is registered in the identification information list, or may be only ground power supply devices 2 located near the current location of the vehicle 3. Upon receiving the identification information erasure request, the ground power supply device 2 erases the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 3 from the identification information list stored in the memory 222 of the ground power supply device 2.

[0199] The power transmission stop request is a request to stop power supply from the corresponding ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. The ground power supply device 2 that is the target of the stop request is the ground power supply device 2 located near the current position of the vehicle 3. When the ground power supply device 2 receives the power transmission stop request, it stops power transmission if it is currently transmitting power to the vehicle 3.

[0200] By sending a request to erase identification information and a request to stop power transmission to the ground power supply device 2 in this manner, there is no need to unnecessarily switch the state of the ground power supply device 2 from the sleep state (A11) to the reception waiting state (A13) or the power transmission active state (A16), thereby reducing the power consumption of the ground power supply device 2.

[0201] When an identification information erasure request and a power transmission stop request are transmitted from the vehicle-side first communication device 71 (B13), if the cutoff condition is met (C37), the state of the vehicle 3 is switched to the second sleep state (A35). Also, when the vehicle is in the first sleep state (A31), if the cutoff condition is met (C38), the state of the vehicle 3 is switched to the second sleep state (A35).

[0202] When the vehicle 3 is in the second sleep state (A35), only standby power is supplied to the vehicle 3, as in the first sleep state (A31). However, when the vehicle 3 is in the second sleep state (A35), the relay 38 is cut off. Therefore, the connection between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 is cut off, and the power receiving device 5 cannot actually receive power.

[0203] If the disconnection condition is no longer met (C39) while the vehicle 3 is in the second sleep state (A35), the state of the vehicle 3 is switched to the first sleep state (A31).

[0204] Here, the cutoff condition is a condition that requires not only the suspension of power reception from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 but also the disconnection between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32. Specific examples of the cutoff condition are listed below. All of the cutoff conditions listed below may be used, or some of the cutoff conditions may not be used. In this embodiment, when any one of the following cutoff conditions is met, the state of the vehicle 3 is set to the second sleep state (A35).

[0205] The first cutoff condition is that the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 32 is equal to or greater than a limit value of the state of charge. The limit value of the state of charge is a predetermined value, for example, 95% or greater, at which it becomes difficult to charge the battery 32 further due to the structure of the battery 32. When the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 32 is equal to or greater than the limit value of the state of charge, the battery 32 cannot be charged for the time being, and therefore the connection between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 is cut off. The state of charge (SOC) of the battery 32 is calculated by the ECU 34 based on the charging current value and the discharging current value of the battery 32 detected by the vehicle-side sensor 37 (current sensor).

[0206] The second cutoff condition is that the temperature of the battery 32 is equal to or higher than the battery limit temperature. The limit temperature is a temperature at which the battery 32 begins to deteriorate. When the temperature of the battery 32 reaches or exceeds the battery limit temperature, charging the battery 32, which would increase the temperature of the battery 32, cannot be performed for the time being, and therefore the connection between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 is cut off. The temperature of the battery 32 is detected by a vehicle-side sensor 37 (battery temperature sensor).

[0207] The third disconnection condition is that the temperature of the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3, particularly the temperatures of the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 and the power receiving side rectifier circuit 54, is equal to or higher than a predetermined power receiving device limit temperature. The power receiving device limit temperature is a temperature above which an abnormality may occur in the power receiving device 5. If the temperature of the power receiving device 5 reaches or exceeds the power receiving device limit temperature, the power receiving device 5 cannot be used for the time being, which would cause the temperature of the power receiving device 5 to rise, and therefore the connection between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 is disconnected. The temperature of the power receiving device 5 is detected by a vehicle-side sensor 37 (power receiving device temperature sensor).

[0208] The fourth disconnection condition is that the current flowing through the power receiving device 5 is equal to or greater than a current limit value, or the voltage applied to the power receiving device 5 is equal to or greater than a voltage limit value. If the current flowing through or the voltage applied to the power receiving device 5 becomes excessively large, an abnormality may occur in the power receiving device 5, and therefore the connection between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 is disconnected. The current flowing through and the voltage applied to the power receiving device 5 are detected by vehicle-side sensors 37 (current sensor, voltage sensor).

[0209] The fifth disconnection condition is that communication between the vehicle-side first communication device 71 of the vehicle 3 and the server 91 is interrupted for a certain period of time or longer. As described above, the vehicle-side first communication device 71 periodically communicates with the server 91 to transmit, for example, vehicle information (especially, requested power supply, etc.) about the vehicle 3 currently being supplied with power. If the vehicle information about the vehicle 3 cannot be transmitted, it becomes impossible to appropriately control power supply. In particular, if such communication is interrupted for a certain period of time or longer, this does not mean that a temporary communication failure has occurred, and therefore the connection between the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 is interrupted.

[0210] The disconnection condition is a condition that is met less frequently than the cancellation condition, which will be described later. Here, if the relay 38, to which a high voltage is applied, is frequently connected and disconnected, this may cause an abnormality in the relay 38. In this embodiment, by setting the disconnection condition for disconnecting the relay 38 to a condition that is met less frequently, the occurrence of an abnormality in the relay 38 is suppressed.

[0211] On the other hand, when an identification information erasure request and a power transmission stop request are transmitted from the vehicle-side first communication device 71 (B13), if the cancellation condition is met (C40), the state of the vehicle 3 is switched to the second sleep state (A35).

[0212] Here, the stop condition is a condition that requires the suspension of power reception from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3. Specific examples of the stop condition are listed below. All of the stop conditions listed below may be used, or some of the stop conditions may not be used. In this embodiment, when any one of the following stop conditions is met, the state of the vehicle 3 is set to the first sleep state (A31).

[0213] The first cancellation condition is that the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 32 is equal to or greater than a reference state of charge value and less than a limit state of charge value. The reference state of charge value is a predetermined value less than the limit state of charge value, for example, 80% or greater. When the state of charge SOC of the battery 32 is equal to or greater than the reference state of charge value, there is basically no need to charge the battery 32, and therefore power reception from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 is stopped.

[0214] The second cancellation condition is that the temperature of the battery 32 is equal to or higher than the battery reference temperature and lower than the battery limit temperature. The battery reference temperature is a predetermined temperature lower than the battery limit temperature. When the temperature of the battery 32 is equal to or higher than the battery reference temperature, charging of the battery 32 needs to be suppressed so that the temperature of the battery 32 does not reach the battery limit temperature, and therefore, power reception from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 is stopped.

[0215] The third cancellation condition is that the temperature of the power receiving device 5 of the vehicle 3, particularly the temperature of the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 or the power receiving side rectifier circuit 54, is equal to or higher than a predetermined power receiving device reference temperature and lower than the power receiving device limit temperature. The power receiving device reference temperature is a predetermined temperature lower than the power receiving device limit described above. When the temperature of the power receiving device 5 is equal to or higher than the power receiving device reference temperature, the reception of power from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 is cancelled because it is necessary to restrict the use of the power receiving device 5 so that the temperature of the power receiving device 5 does not reach the power receiving device reference temperature.

[0216] The fourth cancellation condition is that the allowable charging power of the battery 32 is equal to or greater than a predetermined charging power reference value. If the allowable charging power of the battery 32 is small, even if the power receiving device 5 receives power from the power transmitting device 4, there is a possibility that the power cannot be appropriately supplied to the battery, and therefore power reception from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 is canceled. The allowable charging power of the battery 32 is calculated based on the output of vehicle-side sensors 37 (battery temperature sensor, battery current sensor, etc.).

[0217] The fifth interruption condition is that the speed of the vehicle 3 is equal to or greater than a predetermined interruption reference speed. If the speed of the vehicle 3 is equal to or greater than the interruption reference speed, power feeding efficiency decreases, and therefore power reception from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 is interrupted. The interruption reference speed may be the same as the interruption reference speed in the fifth interruption condition described above. The speed of the vehicle 3 is detected by the vehicle-side sensor 37 (speed sensor).

[0218] The sixth cancellation condition is that the amount of charge to the user of the vehicle 3, calculated based on the power received by the vehicle 3 from the ground power feeding device 2, exceeds a predetermined upper limit of charge. The amount of charge to the user is calculated by the ECU 34 based on the change in the received power during power reception from the ground power feeding device 2 and the price per unit of power at that time. The upper limit of charge may be a predetermined fixed value or a value set for the user of the vehicle 3.

[0219] The seventh stop condition is when there is a stop request from the user. The stop request from the user is output, for example, from a switch provided in the vehicle 3 for inputting whether or not power feeding is required while the vehicle is traveling.

[0220] The state and operation of the vehicle 3 are controlled by the ECU 34. Therefore, for example, when the state of the vehicle 3 is in the second sleep state (A35), the ECU 34 determines whether or not a cutoff condition is met based on the output of the vehicle-side sensor 37, etc. If the ECU 34 determines that the cutoff condition is not met, it controls the relay 38 so that the power receiving device 5 and the battery 32 are connected.

[0221] Next, the power reception termination process will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of work related to the execution of the power reception termination process. The illustrated process is performed at regular time intervals.

[0222] 15, first, the ECU 34 acquires current position information and map information (step S101). The ECU 34 acquires the current position information of the vehicle 3 from the GNSS receiver 35. In addition, the ECU 34 acquires map information from the storage device 36. In particular, in this embodiment, the ECU 34 acquires map information including installation position information of the ground power supply devices 2 around the current position of the vehicle 3.

[0223] Next, the ECU 34 determines whether the vehicle 3 has passed over any ground power feeding device 2 based on the current position information and the installation position information of the ground power feeding device 2 acquired in step S101 (step S102).

[0224] If it is determined in step S102 that the vehicle 3 has passed over any ground power feeding device 2, the ECU 34 performs a power reception end process (step S103). In the power reception end process, power reception end information is transmitted from the vehicle-side first communication device 71 to the server 91. The power reception end information includes information related to power reception from the ground power feeding device 2. Values ​​of various parameters included in the power reception end information are calculated based on the output of the vehicle-side sensor 37, etc. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the vehicle 3 has not passed over any ground power feeding device 2, step S103 is skipped.

[0225] Second embodiment Next, a contactless power supply system 1 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16. The configuration and control of the contactless power supply system 1 according to the second embodiment are basically the same as the configuration and control of the contactless power supply system 1 according to the first embodiment. The following description will focus on the parts that are different from the contactless power supply system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0226] In the wireless power transfer system 1 according to the first embodiment, when a lateral misalignment is detected by the lateral misalignment detection device of the vehicle 3 or when a foreign object is detected by the foreign object detection device of the vehicle 3, the transmission of a signal from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is stopped. In contrast, in the wireless power transfer system 1 according to the second embodiment, when a lateral misalignment or a foreign object is detected, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 does not stop transmitting signals, but instead transmits a signal including vehicle identification information and a request to stop power transmission from the ground power supply device 2. Then, when the ground power supply device 2 receives the signal including the request to stop power transmission, it stops power transmission. Therefore, in the present embodiment as well, when a lateral misalignment or a foreign object is detected, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is controlled so as not to transmit power from the ground power supply device 2.

[0227] Figure 16 is a diagram schematically illustrating the transition of the state of the vehicle 3 when the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active / signal transmitting state of Figure 14. In this embodiment, the states and operations of the vehicle 3 basically transition as shown in Figure 14. However, in this embodiment, when the transmitting stop condition is not met and the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active / signal transmitting state A34, the state of the vehicle 3 transitions between the power receiving active / first signal transmitting state (A341) and the power receiving active / second signal transmitting state A342.

[0228] When the state of the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active-first signal transmission state (A341) or the power receiving active-second signal transmission state (A342), power is supplied to the vehicle-side second communication device 72 and the magnetic field detector 66. Therefore, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 transmits a signal, and the magnetic field detector 66 detects an AC magnetic field for detecting lateral deviation. In addition, the object sensor 39 and the biological sensor 40 detect objects and living organisms on the road. In particular, when the state of the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active-first signal transmission state (A341), the vehicle-side second communication device 72 transmits a signal that includes vehicle identification information but does not include a power transmission stop request. On the other hand, when the state of the vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active-second signal transmission state (A342), the vehicle-side second communication device 72 transmits a signal that includes vehicle identification information and a power transmission stop request. The power transmission stop request is, for example, a flag requesting the suspension of power transmission from the ground power supply device 2, and while the ground power supply device 2 receives this power transmission stop request, the supply of power to at least the power transmission side resonant circuit 43 is suspended, thereby suspending power transmission from the ground power supply device 2.

[0229] If the flag transmission condition is met (C51) when vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active / first signal transmission state (A341), the state of vehicle 3 is switched to the power receiving active / second signal transmission state (A342). On the other hand, if all the flag transmission conditions are no longer met (C52) when vehicle 3 is in the power receiving active / second signal transmission state (A342), the state of vehicle 3 is switched to the power receiving active / first signal transmission state (A341).

[0230] Here, the flag transmission condition is a condition under which it is necessary to temporarily stop power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2 and to transmit a power transmission stop request to the ground power feeding device 2. Specific examples of the flag transmission condition are listed below. All of the flag transmission conditions listed below may be used, or some of the flag transmission conditions may not be used. In this embodiment, if any one of the following flag transmission conditions is met, the state of the vehicle 3 is set to the power reception active / second signal transmission state (A342), and if none of the following flag transmission conditions are met, the state of the vehicle 3 is set to the power reception active / first signal transmission state (A341).

[0231] The first flag transmission condition is that the lateral deviation detection device detects a lateral deviation between the power transmitting-side resonant circuit 43 and the power receiving-side resonant circuit 51. As described above, when a lateral deviation occurs, the power supply efficiency decreases. Therefore, when a lateral deviation is detected, a signal including a power transmission stop request is transmitted to temporarily stop power transmission from the ground power supply device 2.

[0232] The second flag transmission condition is that the foreign object detection device detects a foreign object on the road ahead of or below the vehicle 3. As described above, if a foreign object is present on the road where the power transmission device 4 is installed, the power supply efficiency decreases. Therefore, when a foreign object is detected, a signal including a power transmission stop request is transmitted to temporarily stop power transmission from the ground power supply device 2.

[0233] In this embodiment, even if the lateral deviation detection device detects lateral deviation or the foreign object detection device detects a foreign object, the signal transmission from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 continues without being stopped (i.e., the fifth and sixth transmission stop conditions described above are not used in this embodiment). Therefore, even in such cases, the state of the vehicle 3 is not switched from the power receiving active / signal transmitting state (A34) to the power receiving active state (A33).

[0234] In this embodiment, a sixth interruption condition is added to the interruption conditions that require temporarily interrupting power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3. The sixth interruption condition is that the ground-side second communication device 82 receives a signal including a power transmission stop request from the vehicle-side second communication device 72. Therefore, when the ground-side second communication device 82 receives the signal including the power transmission stop request, the state of the ground power feeding device 2 is set to the standby state.

[0235] In this embodiment, the ground-side second communication device 82 receiving a signal including a power transmission stop request from the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is set as an interruption condition, but it may also be set as a termination condition. In any case, when lateral displacement or a foreign object is detected in the vehicle 3 and the ground-side second communication device 82 receives a signal including a power transmission stop request, power transmission from the ground power feeding device 2 is stopped.

[0236] According to this embodiment, if the detection state of lateral deviation by the lateral deviation detection device or the detection state of a foreign object by the foreign object detection device changes while the vehicle 3 is traveling on the ground power supply device 2, the presence or absence of power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 can be quickly switched depending on the change.

[0237] It should be noted that a change in the detection state of lateral misalignment or a foreign object while the vehicle 3 is traveling on the ground power feeding device 2 is more likely to occur when the speed of the vehicle 3 is slow. Therefore, for example, when the speed of the vehicle 3 is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference speed, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 may stop transmitting a signal when lateral misalignment or a foreign object is detected as in the first embodiment, and when the speed of the vehicle 3 is less than the reference speed, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 may transmit a signal including a request to stop power transmission when lateral misalignment or a foreign object is detected as in the second embodiment.

[0238] In any case, in the contactless power transfer systems 1 according to the first and second embodiments, when a deviation in relative position or a foreign object on the road is detected, the vehicle-side second communication device 72 is controlled so as not to transmit power from the ground power transfer device 2. By controlling the vehicle-side second communication device 72 using short-range communication in this manner, the contactless power transfer systems 1 according to these embodiments can quickly transmit the detection result of a deviation in relative position or a foreign object on the road to the ground power transfer device 2.

[0239] Although preferred embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0240] 1. Contactless power supply system 2 Ground power supply equipment 3 vehicles 4 Power transmission equipment 5 Power receiving device 22 Controller 34 ECU 71 Vehicle-side first communication device 72 Vehicle-side second communication device 81 Ground-side first communication device 82 Ground-side second communication device

Claims

1. A vehicle that receives power contactlessly from a power transmission device installed on a road, the vehicle being a ground power supply device, a power receiving device that receives power from the power transmitting device; a vehicle-side communication device that transmits a signal including vehicle identification information to the ground power feeding device by short-range wireless communication with a communication distance of less than 10 meters; a lateral displacement detection device that detects the presence or absence of a displacement in the relative position of the power receiving device with respect to the power transmitting device in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle; a vehicle-side control device that controls the vehicle-side communication device, when it is detected that there is a deviation in the relative position of the power receiving device with respect to the power transmitting device, the vehicle-side control device controls the vehicle-side communication device so that power is not transmitted from the ground power feeding device; controlling the vehicle-side communication device to prevent power transmission from the ground power feeding device includes stopping transmission of a signal including the identification information from the vehicle-side communication device to the ground power feeding device.

2. A vehicle that receives power contactlessly from a power transmission device installed on a road, the vehicle being a ground power supply device, a power receiving device that receives power from the power transmitting device; a vehicle-side communication device that transmits a signal including vehicle identification information to the ground power feeding device by short-range wireless communication with a communication distance of less than 10 meters; a foreign object detection device that detects foreign objects on the road; a vehicle-side control device that controls the vehicle-side communication device, the vehicle-side control device controls the vehicle-side communication device so that power is not transmitted from the ground power feeding device when a foreign object on the road is detected; controlling the vehicle-side communication device to prevent power transmission from the ground power feeding device includes stopping transmission of a signal including the identification information from the vehicle-side communication device to the ground power feeding device.

3. 3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the foreign object detection device is disposed forward of the power receiving device in a fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle so as to be able to detect the presence or absence of the foreign object before the power receiving device reaches the power transmitting device while the vehicle is traveling.

4. a lateral displacement detection device that detects whether or not there is a displacement in the relative position of the power receiving device with respect to the power transmitting device in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle; 4. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle-side control device controls the vehicle-side communication device so as not to transmit power from the ground power feeding device when a deviation in the relative position of the power receiving device with respect to the power transmitting device is detected.

5. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the lateral deviation detection device is arranged forward of the power receiving device in a fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle so as to be able to detect whether or not there is a deviation in the relative position before the power receiving device reaches the power transmitting device while the vehicle is traveling.

6. A wireless power supply system comprising: the vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3; and a ground power supply device that wirelessly transmits power to the vehicle, the ground power feeding device includes the power transmitting device, a ground-side communication device that receives the signal from the vehicle-side communication device, and a ground-side control device that controls the power transmitting device, The ground-side control device permits the supply of power to the power transmitting device for power supply to the power receiving device when the ground-side communication device receives the signal from the vehicle.

7. The wireless power supply system according to claim 6 , wherein, when the ground-side control device permits the supply of power to the power transmitting device, the ground-side control device continues the supply of power until a condition for terminating or interrupting the supply of power is met.

8. The wireless power supply system according to claim 6 , wherein the ground-side control device prohibits the supply of power to the power transmitting device for power supply to the power receiving device when the ground-side communication device stops receiving the signal from the vehicle.

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