Vehicle control system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device which can sufficiently supply electricity when a vehicle with a power incoming coil travels on a prescribed travel route.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device used in a power supply system (1) during traveling where power is non-contactly supplied to a traveling vehicle (10) when a power transmission coil (21) is arranged on a road (4) and a vehicle (10) has a power incoming coil (35), includes: a travel route setting part (111) which configures a travel route through an HD map in which the travel route contains information regarding travel position in a width direction of the road of the vehicle. The travel route setting part configures the travel route of the vehicle to be a power supply possible state where the power incoming coil faces the power transmission coil to each other when the vehicle travels along a power supply possible section that is a section of the road where the power transmission coils are arranged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device for an in-motion power feeding system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, electric vehicles have been becoming widespread. An electric vehicle runs by rotating wheels by driving a motor with electric power stored in an on-vehicle battery. For such vehicles that use electric energy as power, an in-motion power feeding system that supplies electric power in a contactless manner using a technology called DWPT (Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer) has been developed. In this in-motion power feeding system, electric power is contactlessly transmitted from a power transmission coil embedded on the ground side to a power reception coil mounted under the floor of the vehicle.

[0003] On the other hand, Patent Document 1 describes a map data generation device that provides a dynamic map by associating dynamic information provided from another vehicle or a roadside device with static information in an automatic driving support system. Generally, in an Automated Driving System (ADS), travel control of a vehicle is performed by determining a travel route based on lane links (lane center lines) of high-definition three-dimensional map data (HD Map: High-Definition Map).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the conventional technology described above, for example, when a vehicle travels along a route set by an autonomous driving system, if the vehicle's receiving coil and the road's transmitting coil are not facing each other and are misaligned, a problem arises in that the vehicle cannot be charged. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned in-driving power supply system, the transmitting coil is buried underground and cannot be easily relocated. This disclosure was created in view of the above-mentioned points, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle control device that can adequately supply power when a vehicle equipped with a receiving coil travels along a set route. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This disclosure can be implemented in the following forms: [Form 1] A vehicle control device used in a driving power supply system (1) that provides non-contact power to a vehicle (10) in motion, comprising a power transmission coil (21) installed on a road (4) and a power receiving coil (35) installed on the vehicle (10), the vehicle control device comprising: a driving path setting unit (111) that sets a driving path including information on the vehicle's driving position in the width direction on the road using an HD map, wherein the driving path setting unit sets the driving path of the vehicle so that when the vehicle is driving in a power supply-enabled section which is the section of the road where the power transmission coil is installed, the power receiving coil and the power transmission coil are facing each other in a power supply-enabled state, and determines whether the vehicle is in a power supply-enabled state based on the amount of power received, which is the amount of power the vehicle has received from the driving power supply system, and if it determines that the vehicle is not in a power supply-enabled state, it corrects the position in the width direction relative to the driving path set based on the HD map, thereby changing the driving path to compensate for the positional misalignment between the installation position of the power transmission coil and the HD map.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle control device is provided. This vehicle control device is used in a driving power supply system (1) that provides non-contact power to a vehicle (10) in motion, having a power transmission coil (21) provided on a road (4) and a power receiving coil (35) provided on the vehicle (10), and includes a driving path setting unit (111) that sets a driving path including information on the vehicle's driving position in the width direction on the road using an HD map, and the driving path setting unit sets the driving path of the vehicle such that when the vehicle is driving in a power supply-enabled section which is a section of the road where the power transmission coil is provided, the power receiving coil and the power transmission coil are facing each other in a power supply-enabled state.

[0008] According to the above configuration, the route setting unit sets the route so that when the vehicle travels through a power supply-enabled section, the receiving coil and the transmitting coil are facing each other, creating a power supply-enabled state. Therefore, stable power supply is possible when the vehicle travels along the set route. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1]This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the in-driving power supply system in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a vehicle control device in a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] This is a schematic plan view showing the buried configuration of the power transmission coil in the power transmission device of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows the processing procedure for setting the driving route during autonomous driving, which is performed by the vehicle control device of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a display screen in a notification device. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows the processing procedure for setting the driving route during autonomous driving, which is performed by the vehicle control device of the second embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 7] This is a schematic plan view showing the buried configuration of the power transmission coil in the power transmission device of the second embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a schematic plan view showing the burial configuration of the power transmission coil in another embodiment of the power transmission device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Several embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 8. A. First Embodiment: A1. Configuration of the in-vehicle power supply system 1: As shown in Figure 1, the in-driving power supply system 1 comprises a power transmission device 2 installed on the road 4 and a power receiving device 3 on the vehicle 10 side. The in-driving power supply system 1 is a system that can wirelessly supply power from the power transmission device 2 to the vehicle 10 while the vehicle 10 is in motion. The vehicle 10 is configured as, for example, an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

[0011] The power transmission device 2 on the road 4 side comprises a plurality of power transmission coils 21, a plurality of power transmission circuits 24 that supply power by applying an AC voltage to each of the plurality of power transmission coils 21, an external power supply 25 (hereinafter abbreviated as "power supply 25") that supplies power to the plurality of power transmission circuits 24, and a power transmission control unit 26.

[0012] Multiple power transmission coils 21 are installed in a line along the direction of travel of the road 4. The power transmission coils 21 are divided into multiple sectors. A more specific burial configuration of the power transmission coils 21 in the road 4 will be described later with reference to Figure 3. The power transmission circuit 24 is a circuit that converts the DC voltage supplied from the power source 25 into a high-frequency AC voltage and applies it to the power transmission coils 21, and includes an inverter circuit, a filter circuit, and a resonant circuit. In this embodiment, the inverter circuit, filter circuit, and resonant circuit are well known, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0013] Power supply 25 is a circuit that supplies a DC voltage to the power transmission circuit 24. For example, power supply 25 is supplied from the grid power supply to the power transmission circuit 24 via a power factor correction circuit (PFC). Alternatively, power supply 25 may receive power from the grid power supply, convert the voltage to 50 / 60Hz AC, distribute the AC to each power transmission circuit, and perform PFC and AC-DC conversion at each power transmission circuit. The PFC is not shown in the diagram. The DC voltage output by power supply 25 does not have to be a perfect DC voltage and may contain some fluctuation (ripple). The power transmission control unit 26 causes the power transmission circuit 24 and the power transmission coil 21 to perform power transmission.

[0014] Vehicle 10 is equipped with a main battery 31, an auxiliary battery 32, a power supply control unit 33, a power receiving circuit 34, a power receiving coil 35, a DC / DC converter circuit 36, an inverter circuit 37, a motor generator 41, an auxiliary unit 42, tires 43, and a power meter 44. Vehicle 10 also includes an automatic driving control system 100 (see Figure 2), which is mainly related to automatic driving control. The configuration of these components will be described later with reference to Figure 2.

[0015] The power receiving coil 35 is connected to a power receiving circuit 34. A main battery 31, a high-voltage side of a DC / DC converter circuit 36, and an inverter circuit 37 are connected to an output of the power receiving circuit 34. An auxiliary battery 32 and an auxiliary device 42 are connected to a low-voltage side of the DC / DC converter circuit 36. A motor generator 41 is connected to the inverter circuit 37. In the first embodiment, the power receiving coil 35 is provided near the center of the vehicle 10 in the width direction and the length direction. The power receiving coil 35 receives power supplied from a power transmitting coil 21.

[0016] The power receiving circuit 34 includes a rectifier circuit that converts an alternating voltage output from the power receiving coil 35 into a direct voltage. The power receiving circuit 34 may further include a DC / DC converter circuit that converts the direct voltage generated by the rectifier circuit into a voltage suitable for charging the main battery 31. The direct voltage output from the power receiving circuit 34 can be used for charging the main battery 31 and driving the motor generator 41 via the inverter circuit 37. Furthermore, by stepping down the voltage using the DC / DC converter circuit 36, the voltage can also be used for charging the auxiliary battery 32 and driving the auxiliary device 42.

[0017] The main battery 31 is a secondary battery that outputs a relatively high direct voltage for driving the motor generator 41. The motor generator 41 operates as a three-phase alternating current motor and generates driving force for traveling of the vehicle 10. The motor generator 41 operates as a generator when the vehicle 10 is decelerating and generates a three-phase alternating voltage. When the motor generator 41 operates as a motor, the inverter circuit 37 converts the direct voltage of the main battery 31 into a three-phase alternating voltage and supplies the three-phase alternating voltage to the motor generator 41. When the motor generator 41 operates as a generator, the inverter circuit 37 converts the three-phase alternating voltage output by the motor generator 41 into a direct voltage and supplies the direct voltage to the main battery 31.

[0018] The DC / DC converter circuit 36 converts the DC voltage of the main battery 31 into a DC voltage suitable for driving the auxiliary machinery 42, and supplies the converted voltage to the auxiliary battery 32 and the auxiliary machinery 42. The auxiliary battery 32 is a secondary battery that outputs a DC voltage for driving the auxiliary machinery 42. The auxiliary machinery 42 includes peripheral devices such as the air conditioner, electric power steering device, headlamps, turn signals and wipers of the vehicle 10, and various accessories of the vehicle 10. The DC / DC converter circuit 36 may be omitted.

[0019] The power meter 44 measures the amount of electric power received by the power receiving coil 35. The amount of electric power measured by the power meter 44 is stored in a storage unit not shown in the figure. Further, the amount of electric power measured by the power meter 44 may be displayed on, for example, a monitor screen provided in the interior of the vehicle (the notification device 150 described later with reference to Fig. 2) or the like. When receiving non-contact power feeding while traveling, the power feeding control unit 33 controls the power receiving circuit 34 to perform power reception.

[0020] A2. Configuration of automatic driving control system 100: As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle 10 includes an automatic driving control system 100. The vehicle 10 is capable of automatic driving and manual driving. In automatic driving, the vehicle 10 is automatically steered and driven even if the steering wheel for operating the driving of the vehicle 10 is not operated by a driver. Further, in automatic driving, there is also a mode in which steering is performed by the driver, and acceleration and deceleration are automatically controlled. In manual driving, the driver operates the steering wheel, accelerator pedal and brake pedal to perform steering and acceleration / deceleration, thereby driving the vehicle 10.

[0021] In this embodiment, the automatic driving control system 100 includes a vehicle control device 110, a surrounding sensor 120, an internal sensor 130, a road information storage unit 140, an automatic driving control unit 210, a drive force control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 220, a braking force control ECU 230, and a steering control ECU 240. The vehicle control device 110, the automatic driving control unit 210, the drive force control ECU 220, the braking force control ECU 230, the steering control ECU 240, and the aforementioned power supply control unit 33 are connected via an in-vehicle network 250.

[0022] The surrounding sensor 120 acquires external information necessary for autonomous driving. The surrounding sensor 120 includes a camera 121 and an object sensor 122. The camera 121 captures images of the area around the vehicle 10. The object sensor 122 detects the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 10. Examples of object sensors 122 include laser radar, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensors, and other object sensors that utilize reflected waves.

[0023] The internal sensor 130 includes a vehicle position sensor 131, an acceleration sensor 132, a vehicle speed sensor 133, and a yaw rate sensor 134. The vehicle position sensor 131 detects the current position of the vehicle 10. Examples of the vehicle position sensor 131 include a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or a gyroscope.

[0024] The acceleration sensor 132 is a detector that detects the acceleration of the vehicle 10. The acceleration sensor 132 includes, for example, a longitudinal acceleration sensor that detects the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle 10 in the front-rear direction and a lateral acceleration sensor that detects the lateral acceleration of the vehicle 10. The vehicle speed sensor 133 measures the current driving speed of the vehicle 10. The yaw rate sensor 134 is a detector that detects the yaw rate (rotational angular velocity) of the vehicle 10 around the vertical axis of the center of gravity. For example, a gyro sensor can be used as the yaw rate sensor 134. The peripheral sensors 120 and internal sensors 130 transmit the acquired data to the vehicle control device 110.

[0025] The road information storage unit 140 stores detailed road information and other data related to the roads that the vehicle 10 is scheduled to travel on. The road information is static information contained in the HD map (High-Definition Map: high-precision 3D map data). For example, the road information includes information such as the number of lanes, lane width, center coordinates of each lane, stop line positions, traffic light positions, guardrail positions, road gradient, road type for curves and straight sections, radius of curvature of curves, and length of curved sections. The road information also includes information about power supply sections where the power transmission coils 21, described later, are buried. This road information and other data is updated to the latest information as needed via the wide-area network.

[0026] The notification device 150 is a device that notifies the occupants of the vehicle 10 (mainly the driver) of various information using images and sound. This information includes, for example, information for making minor adjustments to the vehicle's position in the width direction within the lane, and information for changing lanes. The notification device 150 includes a display device and a speaker. As the display device, for example, a HUD (Head-Up Display) or a display device provided on the instrument panel can be used. Note that "images" also include videos and text.

[0027] The vehicle control device 110 comprises a driving route setting unit 111, a surrounding information recognition unit 112, a charging plan formulation unit 113, a notification unit 114, a control decision unit 115, and a communication unit 116. The vehicle control device 110 consists of a central processing unit (CPU), a microcomputer composed of RAM and ROM, and the functions of each of these units are realized by the microcomputer executing a pre-installed program. However, some or all of the functions of each of these units may be realized by hardware circuits.

[0028] The route setting unit 111 sets the route that the vehicle 10 will travel. More specifically, the route setting unit 111 uses the road information stored in the road information storage unit 140 to set a route to a predetermined destination. In this embodiment, the "route" refers not merely to the route to the destination, but to a detailed route including the driving lane and the driving position within the road. The route setting unit 111 corresponds to a "route setting device".

[0029] The surrounding information recognition unit 112 recognizes surrounding information of the vehicle 10 using detection signals from the surrounding sensors 120. More specifically, based on images captured by the camera 121 and output signals from the object sensor 122, the surrounding information recognition unit 112 recognizes surrounding information such as the presence and location of lane markings on the left and right sides of the road being driven on, the presence and location and instructions of traffic lights, the presence, location, size, distance, and direction of travel of other vehicles, the presence and actions of drivers of other vehicles, and the presence and location of people around other vehicles. The surrounding information recognition unit 112 may also acquire and recognize some or all of this information through wireless communication with traffic lights or external servers, etc.

[0030] The charging plan planning unit 113 uses information from the road information storage unit 140 and the vehicle position sensor 131 to plan a charging plan so that the vehicle 10 in motion can receive power from the in-motion power supply system 1. Specifically, for example, it plans a charging plan so that the driving route to the destination includes a section where power can be supplied, as described later. The charging plan planned by the charging plan planning unit 113 is taken into consideration by the driving route setting unit 111, and for example, the driving route setting unit 111 sets the driving route so that sufficient power is supplied before arriving at the destination.

[0031] The notification unit 114 uses the notification device 150, which is capable of displaying images and outputting sound, to notify the occupants of various information such as the driving route and vehicle position information. For example, the notification unit 114 notifies the occupants of a hands-on request in accordance with the processing of the control decision unit 115 according to the driving status of the vehicle 10. A hands-on request is a request to switch from a hands-off state, in which the driver is not holding the steering wheel, to a hands-on state, in which the driver is holding the steering wheel, during the execution of automated driving. The notification unit 114 also notifies the occupants of the current power consumption in accordance with the processing of the control decision unit 115 according to the driving status of the vehicle 10.

[0032] The control decision unit 115 determines the control content related to the driving of the vehicle 10 and outputs to the automatic driving control unit 210 via the in-vehicle network 250 to control the vehicle 10. The communication unit 116 acquires traffic information, weather information, accident information, obstacle information, traffic regulation information, etc. from an information center (not shown) via an antenna (not shown). The communication unit 116 may also acquire various information from other vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. In addition, the communication unit 116 may acquire various information from roadside devices installed at various points along the road through vehicle-to-infrastructure communication.

[0033] The automatic driving control unit 210 consists of a central processing unit (CPU), a microcomputer composed of RAM and ROM, and realizes the automatic driving function by having the microcomputer execute a pre-installed program. For example, the automatic driving control unit 210 controls the drive force control ECU 220, the braking force control ECU 230, and the steering control ECU 240 so that the vehicle drives along the driving path set by the driving path setting unit 111. For example, when the vehicle 10 changes lanes to an adjacent lane, the automatic driving control unit 210 may provide merging assistance so that the vehicle 10 drives from the reference line of the lane it is currently traveling in to the reference line of the adjacent lane.

[0034] The drive force control ECU 220 is an electronic control unit that controls actuators that generate driving force for the vehicle 10, such as the engine. When the driver is operating the vehicle manually, the drive force control ECU 220 controls the power source, such as the engine or electric motor, according to the amount of accelerator pedal operation. On the other hand, when the vehicle is operating autonomously, the drive force control ECU 220 controls the power source according to the required driving force calculated by the autonomous driving control unit 210.

[0035] The braking force control ECU 230 is an electronic control unit that controls the brake actuator that generates braking force for the vehicle 10. When the driver is operating the vehicle manually, the braking force control ECU 230 controls the brake actuator according to the amount the brake pedal is pressed. On the other hand, when the vehicle is operating autonomously, the braking force control ECU 230 controls the brake actuator according to the required braking force calculated by the autonomous driving control unit 210.

[0036] The steering control ECU 240 is an electronic control unit that controls the motor that generates the steering torque for the vehicle 10. When the driver is driving manually, the steering control ECU 240 controls the motor in response to the operation of the steering wheel to generate assist torque for steering. This allows the driver to operate the steering wheel with a small amount of force, enabling steering of the vehicle 10. On the other hand, when autonomous driving is performed, the steering control ECU 240 performs steering by controlling the motor in accordance with the required steering angle calculated by the autonomous driving control unit 210.

[0037] In autonomous driving, the driving route setting unit 111 creates a driving plan for the vehicle 10 based on road information stored in the road information storage unit 140, the current position detected by the vehicle position sensor 131, and the positions and speeds of other vehicles around the vehicle 10 detected by the surrounding sensors 120. This driving plan includes steering and acceleration / deceleration plans for the vehicle 10 up to several seconds ahead.

[0038] Basically, the driving path is set using the lane link 51 so that the vehicle 10 travels along the center of the driving lane. That is, as shown in Figure 3, the driving path is set so that the center line C in the width direction of the vehicle 10 is located on the lane link 51. Note that the lane link 51 has the same meaning as the lane center line.

[0039] A3. Details of the buried location of the power transmission coil 21: Next, the location in which the power transmission coil 21 of the power transmission device 2 of the in-driving power supply system 1, described in detail above, is embedded in the road will be explained. The power transmission coil 21 is embedded in the road with reference to the guide lines. The guide lines are static information included in the HD map and are lines used when the driving route setting unit 111 sets a driving route using the HD map. In the first embodiment, the guide lines are "lane links 51", and the power transmission coil 21 is embedded in a position that coincides with the lane links 51. The power transmission coil 21 installed on the lane links 51 in this manner will also be referred to as the "power transmission coil 21 for central power supply" below.

[0040] In the first embodiment, since the receiving coil 35 is located near the center of the vehicle 10, the transmitting coil 21 and the receiving coil 35 face each other when the center line C in the width direction of the vehicle 10 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "center line C") coincides with the lane link 51. Hereinafter, the state in which the vehicle 10 travels with the receiving coil 35 facing the transmitting coil 21 will be referred to as the "power supply ready state". Also, hereafter, the section of the road 4 in which the transmitting coil 21 is buried will be referred to as the "power supply ready section".

[0041] This power supply area may include not only information indicating the section, such as "from 30 meters before a specific intersection with traffic lights to that intersection," but also information such as "where within that lane the power transmission coil 21 is buried." Information on the power supply area is pre-stored in the road information storage unit 140, and the latest information is updated as needed, for example, when a new power transmission coil 21 is buried. In general vehicles, the section before an intersection with traffic lights (several tens of meters) is often slow or stopped, so by actively installing power transmission coils 21 in such sections, a more stable power supply becomes possible.

[0042] A4. Processing by the vehicle control device 110: Next, we will explain the process related to setting the driving route during autonomous driving, which is performed by the vehicle control device 110 described in detail above. The process shown in Figure 4 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals while the vehicle 10 is driving. In addition to the pattern of being executed at predetermined intervals, it may also be executed as appropriate when the time when the vehicle is expected to enter a power supply area approaches, or after that time has elapsed.

[0043] As shown in Figure 4, in step 11 (hereinafter, steps are abbreviated as "S"), it is determined whether or not the vehicle has started traveling in a power supply-enabled section. For example, based on information from the vehicle position sensor 131, surrounding sensors 120, road information storage unit 140, and signals from the surrounding information recognition unit 112, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 10 has entered a power supply-enabled section in which the power transmission coil 21 is embedded. If it is determined that the vehicle has started traveling in a power supply-enabled section (S11: YES), the process proceeds to S12, and the offset value is set to 0. The "offset value" here refers to the distance from the lane link 51 (see Figure 3) to the center line C of the vehicle 10 in the width direction of the lane 53.

[0044] Next, in S13, it is determined whether the vehicle 10 has left the power supply area. If it is determined that the vehicle has not left the power supply area (S13: NO), the process proceeds to S14, where it is determined whether the received power amount E is greater than the planned received power amount Er. The planned received power amount Er is set to a value slightly lower than the amount of power that is expected to be received when the vehicle 10 is traveling in a power supply area for a predetermined time, with the receiving coil 35 of the vehicle 10 facing the transmitting coil 21 in a power supply state. The determination of whether the received power amount E is greater than the planned received power amount Er is made, for example, by comparing the value of the received power amount E obtained from the power meter 44 during travel with the planned received power amount Er.

[0045] If it is determined that the received power amount E is greater than the planned received power amount Er (S14: YES), this control process terminates. If the received power amount E is greater than the planned received power amount Er, it means that power is available and power is being supplied appropriately during travel in the currently power-supplyable section. Therefore, the offset value is maintained at 0 until travel in the power-supplyable section is completed. This ensures that travel is maintained with the lane link 51 and the center line C of the vehicle 10 aligned, and power can be received smoothly.

[0046] On the other hand, if in S14 the amount of power received E is not determined to be greater than the planned amount of power received Er, that is, if the amount of power received E is less than or equal to the planned amount of power received Er (S14:NO), the process proceeds to S15 and the offset value is changed. If the amount of power received E is less than or equal to the planned amount of power received Er, it means that the amount of power received E has not reached the planned amount of power received Er, and despite traveling through a power-supplyable section, power is not being received properly, which means that the vehicle is not in a power-supplyable state.

[0047] The offset value changed in S15 is set to, for example, a few centimeters to about 10 centimeters towards the sidewalk in the width direction of lane 53. In this case, the direction of the offset may be set to move away from other vehicles 52 traveling in the adjacent lane 55 if other vehicles 52 traveling in the adjacent lane 55 are detected by the surrounding sensor 120, and to move towards the center line 54 if other vehicles 52 are not detected by the surrounding sensor 120, as shown in Figure 3.

[0048] Ideally, if the vehicle 10 is traveling in a power supply area with the lane link 51 and the vehicle 10's centerline C aligned, it should receive an appropriate amount of power. However, even if the route set by the travel route setting unit 111 is a route where the lane link 51 and the vehicle 10's centerline C align, if there is a setting error or an error in the actual travel position, the lane link 51 and the vehicle 10's centerline C may not align. In such cases, even if the vehicle is traveling in a power supply area, the receiving coil 35 does not face the transmitting coil 21 and therefore cannot be in a power supply state, and thus power cannot be received.

[0049] The processing in S14 and S15 involves detecting power reception failures in these power supplyable sections and correcting the widthwise position of the vehicle 10 in lane 53 using the driving route setting unit 111, thereby positioning the power receiving coil 35 opposite the power transmitting coil 21 to enable power reception.

[0050] The processes in S14 and S15 are repeated until the power supply section is exited (S13:YES), or until the amount of power received E is greater than the planned amount of power received Er (S14:YES). Note that the change in the offset value in S15 may be performed, for example, by performing it a predetermined number of times toward the sidewalk side, and then a predetermined number of times toward the center line 54 side.

[0051] If, in S11, the vehicle has not yet started traveling in the power supply section (S11:NO), the process of S11 will be repeated until the vehicle starts traveling in the power supply section. Also, if, in S13, it is determined that the vehicle has left the power supply section (S13:YES), this control process will terminate.

[0052] In S15, after changing the offset value, the vehicle 10's position in the lane width direction is corrected. This correction information, that is, information about how the vehicle 10 will move in the width direction afterward, may be communicated to the occupants by the notification device 150 so that they can see it. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, this can be communicated by displaying a screen S on the display screen 151 of the aforementioned HUD or the like, which serves as the notification device 150, showing the direction of movement with arrows.

[0053] [effect] In the first embodiment described above, the driving route setting unit 111 sets the driving route based on the amount of power received E so that when the vehicle 10 is driving through a power supplyable section, the power receiving coil 35 and the power transmitting coil 21 are facing each other, creating a power supply-enabled state. Specifically, it detects power reception failures in the power supplyable section based on the amount of power received, and corrects the position in the width direction of the lane 53 by the driving route setting unit 111 so that the power receiving coil 35 faces the power transmitting coil 21, creating a power supply-enabled state. As a result, stable power supply is possible when the vehicle 10 is driving along a driving route set using the lane link 51 stored in the HD map. Furthermore, even if there is a discrepancy between the position information of the lane link 51 and the actual buried position of the power transmitting coil 21, the driving position can be corrected, thereby ensuring sufficient power reception.

[0054] In the first embodiment described above, the vehicle control device 110 includes a charging plan planning unit 113 that plans a charging plan such that the driving route to the destination includes a power supply section, which will be described later. The charging plan planned by the charging plan planning unit 113 is taken into consideration by the driving route setting unit 111, so that the vehicle 10 can receive sufficient power while driving along the set driving route and arriving at the destination.

[0055] In the first embodiment described above, after the offset value is changed, the notification device 150 informs the occupants of how the vehicle 10 will move in the width direction thereafter. Therefore, the occupants can visually confirm the subsequent movement of the vehicle 10 in advance, which provides a sense of security.

[0056] B. Second Embodiment: Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 6. In the second embodiment and the embodiments described later, the overall configuration of the power supply system 1 while driving (Figure 1) and the configuration of the vehicle control device 110 (Figure 2) are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals are used for substantially identical parts, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0057] In the second embodiment, the difference from the first embodiment is that the processes S16 to S22 are executed instead of the processes S14 to S15 in the first embodiment, but otherwise it is the same. As shown in Figure 6, if it is determined in S13 that the vehicle 10 has not left the power supply section (S13: NO), the process proceeds to S16, and the amount of power received E0 at that time is measured. Next, in S17, the offset value is changed. The offset value to be changed is set to a few centimeters to about 10 centimeters toward the sidewalk in the width direction, similar to the first embodiment. However, unlike the first embodiment, the offset value is changed by a predetermined amount regardless of the magnitude of the amount of power received E0 measured in S16.

[0058] Then, in S18, the amount of electricity received En (n=1,2,3...) after the offset value change is measured. Next, in S19, it is determined whether n is greater than or equal to I. I is the threshold number of times, which is, for example, any integer set in advance. If in S19 n is not greater than or equal to I (S19:NO), the processes in S17 and S18 are repeated until n becomes greater than or equal to I.

[0059] In other words, in each of the processes S17 to S19, the driving position in the width direction of lane 53 is shifted little by little by changing the offset amount a predetermined number of times, and the amount of power received En at each shift is measured. Note that there should be a reasonable amount of time elapsed between changing the offset value in S17 and measuring En in S18. Alternatively, if S17 and S18 are executed continuously, the vehicle may be driven while measuring the amount of power received En while changing the offset value, and the offset value at which the amount of power received is maximized may be detected. In this case, the increase or decrease in the amount of power received due to the absence of the power transmission coil 21 in the direction of travel should be taken into consideration as appropriate, and for example, the vehicle may be driven at a certain constant speed, and the increase or decrease in the amount of power received due to the change in the offset value may be detected.

[0060] On the other hand, in S19, if n is greater than or equal to I (S19: YES), the process proceeds to S20, where the values ​​of the acquired multiple power reception amounts E1, E2, E3, E4, ..., En are compared, and the offset value for the power reception amount En that takes the maximum value is selected. After the offset value is selected in S20, in S21, it is determined whether or not another vehicle 52 is traveling in the lane 53 adjacent to the lane 55 in which vehicle 10 is traveling (hereinafter simply referred to as "adjacent lane 55"). This determination is made by the surrounding information recognition unit 112 based on signals from the surrounding sensor 120.

[0061] If another vehicle 52 is traveling in the adjacent lane 55 (S21: YES), the process proceeds to S22, where the control decision unit 115 changes the relative position of vehicle 10 in the longitudinal direction to the other vehicle 52 so as to move away from it. Specifically, by controlling the speed of vehicle 10 to slow down or speed up, vehicle 10 can move away from the other vehicle 52 while maintaining its position in the width direction within lane 53, that is, while remaining in a state where power can be supplied. After that, this control process ends.

[0062] According to the second embodiment, the same effects as the first embodiment can be achieved. Furthermore, as shown in the processing of S16 to S19, the driving position in the width direction of the lane 53 is appropriately shifted little by little, and the offset value is set to the one that maximizes the amount of power received En at each shift. Therefore, a position in which a good power supply state is possible can be suitably detected.

[0063] Furthermore, as shown in the processing of S21 and S22, if another vehicle 52 is traveling in the adjacent lane 55, the relative position of the vehicle 10 in the longitudinal direction is changed to move away from the other vehicle 52. In particular, if the other vehicle 52 is a large vehicle and the distance in the width direction to the vehicle 10 is close, the driver is likely to feel a sense of pressure or danger. To avoid this situation, instead of moving in the width direction to move away from the other vehicle 52, the vehicle moves in the longitudinal direction, which ensures safety and driving comfort while maintaining the ability to supply power.

[0064] C. Third Embodiment: Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 7. As shown in Figure 7, the third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the power receiving coil 35 is located not near the center of the vehicle 10, but inside or near the tire 43, around the lower side of the suspension device of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the power transmitting coil 21 is embedded at a predetermined distance L away from the lane link 51 in the direction of both widths of the road, so as to form two lines that are parallel to each other in a plan view.

[0065] The spacing between these two lines is set to be approximately the same as, for example, the standard spacing of the receiving coils 35 in the width direction of the vehicle 10. In this way, when the vehicle 10 is traveling with its center line C in the width direction coinciding with the lane link 51, the transmitting coil 21 and the receiving coil 35 will be facing each other. In Figure 7, the state in which the center line C and the lane link 51 coincide is illustrated, but for clarity, the lane link 51 and the center line C are slightly offset in the illustration. Furthermore, the transmitting coil 21, which is installed at a predetermined distance from the lane link 51 as described above, will also be referred to below as the "transmitting coil 21 for tire power supply".

[0066] In the third embodiment, the control described in detail in the first and second embodiments (see Figures 4 and 6) is performed similarly. For example, in the case of a small car 11 with a narrower width than the standard, when the center line C1 of the small car 11 coincides with the lane link 51, the left and right receiving coils 35 will not be facing the transmitting coil 21. As shown in Figure 7, when the center line C1 is separated from the lane link 51, the receiving coil 35 on one side (the left side when viewed in the direction of travel in the example shown in Figure 7) will be facing the transmitting coil 21. Note that when using the control in Figure 4, since only one wheel receives power, the planned power received amount Er is changed to the amount for one wheel and compared in S14.

[0067] According to the third embodiment, even if the small vehicle 11 starts traveling in a drivable section in a state where it cannot receive power, with the center line C1 of the small vehicle 11 coinciding with the lane link 51, the widthwise driving position of the small vehicle 11 is corrected so that one of the receiving coils 35 faces the transmitting coil 21. As a result, it becomes possible to supply power, and consequently, power can be received suitably, similar to the first and second embodiments described above.

[0068] D. Other embodiments: (D1) In each of the above embodiments, the vehicle 10 does not necessarily have to be equipped with an automatic driving control system 100. In this configuration, the route to the destination may simply be set by the driving route setting unit 111 using the road information stored in the road information storage unit 140. Furthermore, although the vehicle control device 110 is shown as being mounted on the vehicle 10, it is not limited to this form. For example, the driver may manually drive the route using a navigation application on a mobile device such as a smartphone that has the function of a driving route setting unit 111. In such a configuration, correction information for the driving position in the width direction of the lane 53 may be displayed on the mobile device.

[0069] (D2) Furthermore, although the above embodiments have been described using the setting control of the driving path during automatic driving as an example, the above control may also be performed during manual driving. In such a configuration, the correction information when the offset value is changed is notified to the notification device 150, and the driver may operate the steering wheel based on the notified correction information.

[0070] (D3) In the power transmission device 2 of each embodiment described above, the device is configured to include either a power transmission coil 21 for tire power supply or a power transmission coil 21 for center power supply, but it may also include both. In addition, multiple power transmission coils 21 may be arranged in the width direction of the lane 53. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the power transmission coils 21 may be provided only on one side separated from the lane link 51.

[0071] (D4) In each of the above embodiments, the determination process of whether or not the vehicle has left the power supply section shown in S13 is not required. Also, in the second embodiment, the determination process of whether or not the vehicle has left the power supply section corresponding to S13 may be added between the repetitive processing shown in S17 to S19 in Figure 6, and if the vehicle 10 leaves the power supply section during this processing, the control processing shown in Figure 6 may be terminated.

[0072] (D5) In the third embodiment described above, the installation width of the power transmission coil 21 in the vehicle 10 or small vehicle 11 may be acquired in advance as vehicle information by a vehicle information acquisition unit (not shown) of the power supply system 1 while driving. If the installation width of the power transmission coil 21 and the installation width of the power receiving coil 35 do not match, this information may be transmitted to the vehicle control device 110 via a wide-area communication unit (not shown) of the power supply system 1 while driving. The driving route setting unit 111 may be configured to set a driving route in advance assuming power reception on one wheel.

[0073] (D6) In each of the above embodiments, when changing the offset value, the direction and amount of the offset may be changed each time based on the information from the surrounding sensor 120 and the road information storage unit 140. For example, if a pedestrian walking on the sidewalk is detected, the offset can be set to the opposite side of the sidewalk. Alternatively, a safe driving route may be set first based on the information from the surrounding sensor 120 and the road information storage unit 140 according to the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 10, and then the offset value for comparing the amount of power received may be changed after the surrounding conditions have improved.

[0074] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from its spirit. For example, the technical features in each embodiment corresponding to the technical features in the embodiments described in the summary of the invention can be replaced or combined as appropriate in order to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

[0075] (Claim 1) A vehicle control device used in a driving power supply system (1) that provides non-contact power to a moving vehicle (10) by having a power transmission coil (21) installed on the road (4) and a power receiving coil (35) installed on the vehicle (10), The vehicle includes a route setting unit (111) that sets a route including information about the vehicle's position in the width direction on the road using an HD map, The aforementioned travel route setting unit, A vehicle control device that sets the vehicle's travel path such that, when the vehicle travels through a power supply-enabled section which is a section of the road on which the power transmission coil is provided, the power receiving coil and the power transmission coil are facing each other in a power supply-enabled state. (Claim 2) The aforementioned travel route setting unit, The vehicle control device according to claim 1, which determines whether the vehicle is in a state where it can be powered based on the amount of power received by the power supply system while the vehicle is in motion, and if it is determined that the vehicle is not in a state where it can be powered, changes the travel path so that the travel position in the width direction shifts by a predetermined amount. (Claim 3) The aforementioned travel route setting unit, The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein, in the power supplyable section, a plurality of travel paths in which the travel positions in the width direction are different from each other are sequentially set, the amount of power received, which is the amount of electricity received by the power supply system while traveling along each travel path is sequentially identified, and the travel position in the width direction corresponding to the largest amount of power received among the identified plurality of power received amounts is set as the travel path when traveling through the remaining section of the power supplyable section. (Claim 4) The system further includes a charging plan planning unit (113) that acquires information on the power supply area and uses the acquired information on the power supply area to plan a charging plan for the vehicle while it is running, The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the driving path setting unit sets the driving path of the vehicle using the charging plan formulated by the charging plan formulation unit. (Claim 5) The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a notification unit (114) that notifies guidance information to the driving route set by the driving route setting unit using a notification device (150). (Claim 6) The vehicle further comprises a control determination unit (115) that determines the control content related to the vehicle's movement, The control decision unit, A vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the vehicle is traveling in the state in which it is able to receive power, and another vehicle is traveling in a lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, the vehicle control device determines to move away from the other vehicle by changing the relative position in the longitudinal direction with respect to the other vehicle. (Claim 7) The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the driving route setting unit sets the driving route based on lane link information included in the HD map. (Claim 8) The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the vehicle is capable of automatic and manual driving along the driving route set in the driving route setting unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1... Power supply system while driving, 2... Power transmission device, 3... Power receiving device, 4... Road, 10... Vehicle, 21... Power transmission coil, 24... Power transmission circuit, 25... External power supply, 26... Power transmission control unit, 31... Main battery, 32... Auxiliary battery, 33... Power supply control unit, 34... Power receiving circuit, 35... Power receiving coil, 36... DC / DC converter circuit, 37... Inverter circuit, 41... Motor generator, 42... Auxiliary equipment, 43... Tires, 44... Power meter, 51... Lane link, 53... Lane, 55... Lane 56...Inverter, 100...Automatic driving control system, 110...Vehicle control device, 111...Road setting unit, 112...Surrounding information recognition unit, 113...Charging plan formulation unit, 114...Notification unit, 115...Control decision unit, 116...Communication unit, 120...Surrounding sensor, 121...Camera, 122...Object sensor, 130...Internal sensor, 131...Vehicle position sensor, 132...Accelerometer, 133...Vehicle speed sensor, 134...Yaw rate sensor, 140...Road information storage unit, 150...Notification device, 210...Automatic driving control unit, 250...In-vehicle network

Claims

1. A vehicle control device used in a driving power supply system (1) that provides non-contact power to a moving vehicle (10) by having a power transmission coil (21) installed on the road (4) and a power receiving coil (35) installed on the vehicle (10), The vehicle includes a route setting unit (111) that sets a route including information about the vehicle's position in the width direction on the road using an HD map, The aforementioned travel route setting unit, When the vehicle travels through the power supply section, which is the section of the road where the power transmission coil is installed, the vehicle's travel path is set such that the power receiving coil and the power transmission coil are facing each other in a power supply state. A vehicle control device that determines whether the vehicle is in a state where it can supply power based on the amount of power received by the vehicle during operation power supply system, and if it determines that the vehicle is not in a state where it can supply power, corrects the position in the width direction relative to the driving path set based on the HD map, thereby changing the driving path to compensate for the positional misalignment between the installation position of the power transmission coil and the HD map.

2. The aforementioned travel route setting unit, The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein, in the power supplyable section, a plurality of travel paths in which the travel positions in the width direction are different from each other are sequentially set, the amount of power received, which is the amount of electricity received by the power supply system while traveling along each travel path is sequentially identified, and the travel position in the width direction corresponding to the largest amount of power received among the identified plurality of power received amounts is set as the travel path when traveling through the remaining section of the power supplyable section.

3. The vehicle further comprises a charging plan planning unit (113) that acquires information on the power supply area and uses the acquired information on the power supply area to plan a charging plan for the vehicle while it is running, The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the driving path setting unit sets the driving path of the vehicle using the charging plan formulated by the charging plan formulation unit.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a notification unit (114) that notifies the notification device (150) of guidance information to the driving route set by the driving route setting unit.

5. The vehicle further comprises a control determination unit (115) that determines the control content related to the vehicle's movement, The control decision unit, The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the vehicle is traveling in the state in which it is able to receive power, and another vehicle is traveling in a lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, the vehicle control device determines to move away from the other vehicle by changing the relative position in the longitudinal direction with respect to the other vehicle.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the driving route setting unit sets the driving route based on lane link information included in the HD map.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle is capable of automatic and manual driving along the driving route set in the driving route setting unit.

8. When the travel path setting unit corrects the position in the width direction, If another vehicle is traveling in an adjacent lane to the lane in which the aforementioned vehicle is traveling, the position in the width direction is corrected to move away from the other vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or claim 2, which corrects the direction to move away from the sidewalk if there are no other vehicles traveling in the lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

9. When the travel path setting unit corrects the position in the width direction, The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein when a pedestrian is walking on the sidewalk, the position in the width direction is corrected to move away from the sidewalk compared to when the pedestrian is not walking on the sidewalk.

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