Contactless Charging Station Vehicle Alignment Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In contactless charging systems with multiple power transmission devices, it is challenging to prevent vehicles from entering the space occupied by another vehicle that has already been parked for charging, leading to competition and inefficient charging processes.
Innovation Solution
The system transmits weak electric power from available power transmission devices to guide vehicles into alignment, performs pairing to identify the aligned device, and sends a charging cancellation signal to other vehicles, preventing them from charging at that device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple vehicles are allowed to approach power transmission devices simultaneously, then charging demand is met, but vehicle competition and space conflicts occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary pairing between vehicles and power transmission devices before actual charging begins. The communication unit establishes connections and assigns vehicles to specific devices in advance, preventing multiple vehicles from competing for the same device and ensuring orderly charging processes.
2Measurement precision
If vehicles are guided to align with power transmission devices using weak electric power, then alignment accuracy is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system transmits weak electric power only partially during the alignment phase rather than full charging power. This provides sufficient signal for vehicles to detect and align with power transmission devices while consuming minimal energy, achieving the desired alignment accuracy without excessive energy expenditure.
3Productivity
If the charging station includes multiple power transmission devices, then charging capacity is increased, but system complexity and vehicle guidance difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The communication unit establishes bidirectional communication between vehicles and power transmission devices, enabling real-time feedback on device status, vehicle alignment, and charging progress. This feedback mechanism allows the system to manage multiple devices efficiently by providing vehicles with information about available devices and their current states.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging station system is segmented into independent power transmission devices, each capable of operating autonomously with its own communication unit. This segmentation allows the system to scale to multiple devices while maintaining manageable complexity, as each device can be controlled and monitored independently through the communication network.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach ensures that only one vehicle can charge at each power transmission device, preventing competition and allowing vehicles to efficiently find alternative charging stations, thereby optimizing the charging process.
Implementation Method 1
the charging station transmits weak electric power from an available power transmission device of the plurality of power transmission devices, when the second communication unit receives a power transmission request signal from the first communication unit. The vehicle performs alignment with the available power transmission device based on the weak electric power.
Data Source
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AI summary
A charging station (90) transmits weak electric power from an available power transmission device of a plurality of power transmission devices (20A to 20C) when a second communication unit (810) receives a power transmission request signal from a first communication unit (510). The charging station (90) performs pairing between a vehicle and the power transmission device with which the vehicle has been aligned, in response to reception of an alignment completion signal from the vehicle. The charging station (90) transmits a charging cancellation signal to a vehicle other than the vehicle that has been aligned with the power transmission device, when the pairing is completed.