Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device that can realize pairing of a ground-side power transmission device with a vehicle-side power reception device by a simple method.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle includes: an automatic parking control unit that executes automatic parking control that automatically parks a vehicle in a parking space being a parking object selected by a user of the vehicle from among the multiple parking spaces provided in a parking lot; and a non-contact charge control unit that executes non-contact charge control of transmitting power from a power transmission device installed in the parking space to a power reception device installed in the vehicle in a non-contact manner, and storing the power in a battery installed in the vehicle. While the automatic parking control unit is executing the automatic parking control, the non-contact charge control unit specifies wireless communication information associated with the parking space being the parking object by referring to map information, and performs pairing of the power transmission device with the power reception device by using the specified wireless communication information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses that in communication between a vehicle and a power supply facility, when multiple power supply stations installed in the power supply facility transmit radio signals and the vehicle receives radio signals from the multiple power supply stations, the vehicle control device selects a power supply station with which to establish communication based on the reception strength and reception direction of each radio signal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-048250 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, when selecting an arbitrary power supply station from a plurality of power supply stations, it is necessary to provide a detection device in addition to a communication device in each of the vehicle and the plurality of power supply stations, which increases costs.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a vehicle control device that can achieve pairing between a ground-side power transmission device and a vehicle-side power receiving device in a simple manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle, comprising: an automatic parking control unit that performs automatic parking control to automatically park the vehicle in a parking space to be parked selected by a user of the vehicle from among a plurality of parking spaces provided in a parking lot; and a contactless charging control unit that performs contactless charging control to contactlessly transmit power from a power transmission device installed in the parking space to a power receiving device installed in the vehicle and store the power in a battery mounted on the vehicle, wherein while the automatic parking control unit is performing the automatic parking control, the contactless charging control unit refers to map information to identify wireless communication information linked to the parking space to be parked, and uses the identified wireless communication information to pair the power transmission device and the power receiving device.

[0007] According to this configuration, when a vehicle is automatically parked in a parking space, pairing between the power transmitting device on the parking space side and the power receiving device on the vehicle side can be achieved in a simple manner.

[0008] Furthermore, if the vehicle receives multiple radio signals transmitted from multiple power transmission devices while the automatic parking control unit is performing the automatic parking control, the non-contact charging control unit may automatically select the radio signal transmitted from the power transmission device installed in the parking space to be parked from among the multiple radio signals based on the identified wireless communication information.

[0009] According to this configuration, when multiple radio signals transmitted from multiple power transmission devices are received during automatic parking control, the radio signal of the power transmission device installed in the parking space to be parked can be automatically selected. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, when a vehicle is automatically parked in a parking space, pairing between a power transmitting device on the parking space side and a power receiving device on the vehicle side can be achieved in a simple manner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1]1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a contactless charging system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of a vehicle ECU. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a parking space and a power transmission device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining control when a vehicle is automatically parked. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating control when the vehicle is automatically parked. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0013] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a contactless charging system according to an embodiment. The contactless charging system 1 includes a power supply facility 2 and a vehicle 3. The contactless charging system 1 includes a wireless power transmission system that transmits power contactlessly from the power supply facility 2 to the vehicle 3. In the contactless charging system 1, when the vehicle 3 is parked in a parking lot 4, power transmitted contactlessly from a power transmission coil 11 of a power transmission device 10 included in the power supply facility 2 can be received by a power receiving coil 21 of a power receiving device 20 included in the vehicle 3.

[0014] The power supply facility 2 is a facility that supplies power to a vehicle 3. The power supply facility 2 is installed in a parking lot 4 of a commercial facility, public facility, accommodation facility, or the like. The power supply facility 2 includes a power transmission device 10 and an AC power source 5 that supplies power to the power transmission device 10. The AC power source 5 is a commercial power source or a household power source.

[0015] The power transmitting device 10 includes a power transmitting unit 12 having a power transmitting coil 11, and a box 13. The power transmitting device 10 is installed in a parking space 6 of a parking lot 4. For example, the parking lot 4 has multiple parking spaces 6. In this case, a power transmitting device 10 is installed for each parking space 6.

[0016] The power transmission unit 12 is installed on the ground within the parking space 6. The box 13 is installed near the parking space 6, for example, on the wall of the parking lot 4. The power transmission unit 12 and the box 13 are electrically connected. Power is supplied to the power transmission unit 12 from an AC power source 5. The power transmission device 10 has a power conversion unit that converts the AC power supplied from the AC power source 5 into power for transmission and outputs the power to the power transmission coil 11.

[0017] The power transmitting device 10 also includes a power transmitting ECU 14 that controls the power conversion unit, and a communication device 15 that communicates with the vehicle 3. The power transmitting ECU 14 and the communication device 15 are provided in a box 13.

[0018] The power transmitter ECU 14 includes a processor and a memory (main storage unit). The processor includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The memory includes a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. Signals from various sensors are input to the power transmitter ECU 14. The power transmitter ECU 14 performs various controls based on the signals input from the various sensors. For example, the power transmitter ECU 14 controls switching elements included in a power conversion unit to adjust the power to be transmitted. The power transmitter ECU 14 performs power transmission control to control power transmission from the power transmitter 10. The power transmitter ECU 14 also performs communication control to control communication by the communication device 15.

[0019] The communication device 15 performs wireless communication with the vehicle 3 parked in the parking space 6. The communication device 15 transmits information from the power transmission ECU 14 to the vehicle 3 and receives information transmitted from the vehicle 3. The communication device 15 is capable of wireless communication using, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or wireless LAN. The communication device 15 outputs a radio signal as short-range wireless communication targeted at the vehicle 3 in the parking space 4.

[0020] The vehicle 3 is an electrically powered vehicle that can be charged with power supplied from an external power source, and is configured as, for example, an electric vehicle (BEV) or a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV). The vehicle 3 is a vehicle that can be parked in a parking space 6 in which a power transmission coil 11 is installed. The vehicle 3 includes a power receiving device 20, a battery 22 that stores the power received by the power receiving device 20, a vehicle ECU 23 that controls the vehicle 3, a communication device 24, and a display device 25.

[0021] The power receiving device 20 has a power receiving coil 21. The power receiving coil 21 receives power transmitted contactlessly from the power transmitting coil 11. The power receiving device 20 supplies the power received from the power transmitting device 10 to a battery 22. The power transmitting device 10 and the battery 22 are electrically connected.

[0022] The battery 22 is an on-board battery that can be externally charged. The battery 22 is configured as a secondary battery that stores the power supplied from the power receiving device 20.

[0023] The vehicle ECU 23 is a vehicle control device mounted on the vehicle 3. The vehicle ECU 23 has a hardware configuration similar to that of the power transmission ECU 14. The vehicle ECU 23 executes various vehicle controls based on signals input from various sensors mounted on the vehicle 3, information acquired through communication using the communication device 24, information input by operating the display device 25, and the like.

[0024] The communication device 24 performs wireless communication with an external device. The communication device 24 performs wireless communication with the communication device 15 of the power transmission device 10. The communication device 24 transmits information from the vehicle 3 to the power transmission device 10 and receives information transmitted from the power transmission device 10 to the vehicle 3. When the vehicle 3 is located in a parking lot 4, the communication device 24 receives a radio signal as short-range wireless communication transmitted from the power transmission device 10 in the parking lot 4. In other words, the communication device 24 includes a short-range communication device that enables short-range wireless communication and a long-range communication device that enables long-range wireless communication.

[0025] The display device 25 is a device that functions as a display unit of a car navigation system. The display device 25 is capable of displaying map information corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 3. The display device 25 also functions as an input unit that accepts input operations from the user of the vehicle 3. The display device 25 is controlled by the vehicle ECU 23.

[0026] 2, the vehicle ECU 23 includes an automatic parking control unit 31 and a contactless charging control unit 32. The automatic parking control unit 31 executes automatic parking control to automatically park the vehicle 3 in the parking space 6. The contactless charging control unit 32 executes contactless charging control to transmit power contactlessly from the power transmitting coil 11 to the power receiving coil 21 and store the power received by the power receiving coil 21 in the battery 22. The vehicle control includes contactless charging control and automatic parking control.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 3, when a vehicle 3 performs automatic parking in a parking lot 4 having a plurality of parking spaces 6, the vehicle 3 can be automatically parked in any parking space 6 selected by the user of the vehicle 3 from among the plurality of parking spaces 6. In this case, the display device 25 can accept a selection operation by the user of the vehicle 3 while displaying images of the plurality of parking spaces 6. In other words, the display device 25 functions as an input unit and detects an operation input by the user. The vehicle ECU 23 can determine the parking space 6 to be parked by detecting the input operation to the display device 25.

[0028] Furthermore, when the vehicle 3 is parked in the parking space 6, it is possible to perform contactless charging using the power transmitting device 10 and the power receiving device 20. In the contactless charging system 1, contactless charging from the power transmitting device 10 to the vehicle 3 is performed when wireless communication is established between the vehicle 3 and the power transmitting device 10. That is, the vehicle 3 performs pairing between the vehicle 3 and the power transmitting device 10 through wireless communication using the communication device 24, and when pairing is complete, power is transmitted contactlessly from the power transmitting coil 11 on the ground to the power receiving coil 21 on the vehicle 3 side. Then, the vehicle 3 performs control to supply the power received by the power receiving coil 21 to the battery 22.

[0029] Since multiple power transmission devices 10 are installed in the parking lot 4, the vehicle 3 needs to select communication with the power transmission device 10 installed in the parking space 6 where the vehicle is to be parked from multiple connection destinations and establish pairing. Therefore, when the vehicle 3 performs automatic parking, when the user selects the parking space 6 to be parked from an input unit such as the display device 25, the vehicle 3 is configured to be able to automatically establish wireless communication with the power transmission device 10 installed in the parking space 6 to be parked, by referring to map information including wireless communication information linked to the parking space 6.

[0030] The vehicle 3 has a map information providing system used for autonomous driving and has a function of adding additional information to the map information. The vehicle ECU 23 executes autonomous driving control of the vehicle 3 using the map information provided by the map information providing system. The map information providing system can add, as additional information, information indicating the presence or absence of a power supply facility 2, wireless communication information of the power transmission device 10 corresponding to the parking space 6 in the parking lot 4 where the power supply facility 2 is installed, and the like to the map information. In other words, the vehicle 3 can obtain map information including wireless communication information of the power transmission device 10.

[0031] 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining control when the vehicle automatically parks. The control shown in FIG.

[0032] The automatic parking control unit 31 detects that a parking space 6 to be parked has been selected by the user of the vehicle 3 (step S11). In step S11, it is detected that the user has performed a selection operation on the image displayed on the display device 25 of the vehicle 3. In other words, it is detected that the user has selected an arbitrary parking space 6. When the automatic parking control unit 31 detects the selection operation, it outputs information about the selected parking space 6 (parking space information) to the contactless charging control unit 32. Then, after outputting the parking space information, the automatic parking control unit 31 starts automatic parking control (step S12).

[0033] When the parking space information is input from the automatic parking control unit 31, the contactless charging control unit 32 compares the parking space information with map information including wireless communication information linked to the parking space 6 (step S13). In step S13, the contactless charging control unit 32 refers to the map information to identify wireless communication information linked to the power transmission device 10 installed in the parking space 6 to be parked.

[0034] Furthermore, when the vehicle 3 receives radio signals from multiple power transmitters 10, the contactless charging control unit 32 identifies a radio signal that matches the wireless communication information identified in step S12 and establishes a communication connection with the power transmitter 10 that transmitted the radio signal (step S14). After the wireless communication information associated with the parking space 6 where the vehicle 3 is to park has been identified, the contactless charging control unit 32 identifies, from among the multiple radio signals, the radio signal of the power transmitter 10 installed in the parking space 6 where the vehicle 3 is to park, and automatically selects wireless communication with that power transmitter 10. In step S14, the radio signal of the power transmitter 10 in the parking space 6 is selected and a communication connection is established. Then, when the communication connection with the power transmitter 10 is completed, i.e., when pairing with the power transmitter 10 is completed, the contactless charging control unit 32 starts contactless charging control (step S15).

[0035] 5 is a flowchart for explaining control when the vehicle is automatically parked. The control shown in FIG.

[0036] The vehicle ECU 23 determines whether or not it has received a plurality of radio signals transmitted from a plurality of power transmitting devices 10 (step S21).

[0037] If it is determined that a plurality of radio signals transmitted from a plurality of power transmitters 10 have not been received (step S21: No), this control routine ends.

[0038] If it is determined that multiple radio signals transmitted from multiple power transmission devices 10 have been received (step S21: Yes), the vehicle ECU 23 selects a parking space 6 for automatic parking (step S22). The vehicle ECU 23 has a function to automatically park the vehicle 3 in a parking space 6 selected by the user of the vehicle 3, or a function to automatically select a parking space 6 where the vehicle can be parked. The vehicle ECU 23 may also have a function to automatically select a parking space 6 where wireless charging is possible.

[0039] The vehicle ECU 23 acquires wireless communication information associated with the parking space 6 for automatic parking from the map information (step S23). In step S23, in order to identify the wireless communication information associated with the parking space 6 selected in step S22, the map information is referenced based on the parking space information, and the parking space information is compared with the map information.

[0040] The vehicle ECU 23 automatically selects the radio signal of the power transmitting device 10 installed in the parking space 6 where the vehicle is to be parked from the plurality of radio signals (step S24). After the process of step S24 is performed, this control routine ends.

[0041] As described above, according to the embodiment, it is possible to automatically establish wireless communication with the power transmitting device 10 installed in the parking space 6 where the vehicle 3 is to be parked. As a result, when the vehicle 3 is automatically parked in any parking space 6, it is possible to easily achieve pairing between the power transmitting device 10 on the parking space 6 side and the power receiving device 20 on the vehicle 3 side. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1. Wireless charging system 2. Power supply equipment 3 vehicles 4. Parking 5 AC power supply 6 Parking spaces 10 Power transmission equipment 11. Transmission coil 12 Power Transmission Unit 13 Box 14 Power Transmission ECU 15. Communications equipment 20 Power receiving device 21 Receiving coil 22 Battery 23 Vehicle ECU 24 Communication equipment 25 Display device 31 Automatic parking control unit 32 Non-contact charging control unit

Claims

1. A vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle, an automatic parking control unit that executes automatic parking control to automatically park the vehicle in a parking space selected by a user of the vehicle from among a plurality of parking spaces provided in the parking lot; a wireless charging control unit that performs wireless charging control to wirelessly transmit power from a power transmitting device installed in the parking space to a power receiving device installed in the vehicle and store the power in a battery installed in the vehicle; Equipped with While the automatic parking control unit is performing the automatic parking control, the non-contact charging control unit refers to map information to identify wireless communication information associated with the parking space of the parking target, and performs pairing between the power transmitting device and the power receiving device using the identified wireless communication information. A vehicle control device characterized by:

2. When the vehicle receives a plurality of radio signals transmitted from a plurality of the power transmission devices while the automatic parking control unit is executing the automatic parking control, the contactless charging control unit automatically selects, from the plurality of radio signals, a radio signal transmitted from a power transmission device installed in the parking space to be parked, based on the specified wireless communication information.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

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