Parking Assist Device for Contactless Charging Alignment

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing parking assist technologies for vehicles with contactless charging systems face inefficiencies due to errors in determining the vehicle's position, leading to suboptimal charging efficiency when parking in regions with contactless power feeding devices, particularly in multistory or indoor parking lots.

Innovation Solution

A parking assist device equipped with a hardware processor that acquires region information, performs initial vehicle control to move the vehicle to a determined parking position, and subsequently adjusts the vehicle's position using a second control mechanism when relative positions between the power reception device and the contactless power feeding device deviate, ensuring optimal charging efficiency by moving the vehicle to a position where charging efficiency is equal to or greater than a reference value.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If automatic parking is performed based on region information to move the vehicle to the parking region, then the vehicle can be parked in the parking region with contactless power feeding device, but the relative positions between the power reception device and the contactless power feeding device may deviate, resulting in reduced charging efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomatic parkingVSAvoidalignment precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary positioning by acquiring region information about the parking region with the contactless power feeding device before automatic parking. This preliminary action allows the vehicle to be pre-positioned in the correct area, and then fine-adjustment is made after parking to ensure optimal alignment between the power reception device and the contactless power feeding device for maximum charging efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where the relative positions between the power reception device and the contactless power feeding device are measured after automatic parking. Based on this feedback information about positional deviation, the system determines whether to perform additional vehicle control to adjust the alignment, thereby optimizing charging efficiency while maintaining ease of automatic parking operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If the vehicle is automatically parked without position adjustment, then the parking process is simple and fast, but the charging efficiency may be suboptimal due to position deviation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveparking speedVSAvoidcharging efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary positioning by acquiring region information about the parking region with the contactless power feeding device before automatic parking. This preliminary action allows the vehicle to be pre-positioned in the correct area, and then fine-adjustment is made after parking to ensure optimal alignment between the power reception device and the contactless power feeding device for maximum charging efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where the relative positions between the power reception device and the contactless power feeding device are measured after automatic parking. Based on this feedback information about positional deviation, the system determines whether to perform additional vehicle control to adjust the alignment, thereby optimizing charging efficiency while maintaining ease of automatic parking operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Loss of energy

If additional vehicle control is performed to adjust position after parking, then charging efficiency is improved, but the overall parking time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecharging efficiencyVSAvoidparking time

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies partial action by performing position adjustment only when necessary. After automatic parking, the system evaluates the relative positions between the power reception device and the contactless power feeding device, and only executes additional vehicle control if the deviation exceeds acceptable thresholds. This approach optimizes charging efficiency for cases that need it while avoiding unnecessary time consumption for cases that are already well-aligned.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where the relative positions between the power reception device and the contactless power feeding device are measured after automatic parking. Based on this feedback information about positional deviation, the system determines whether to perform additional vehicle control to adjust the alignment, thereby optimizing charging efficiency while maintaining ease of automatic parking operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS11332125B2Parking assist device, vehicle, and parking assist method

Publication Date: 2022.05.17 PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYST CO LTD

AI summary

A parking assist device includes a hardware processor to: acquire region information on a parking region in which a contactless power feeding device is provided; perform, based on the region information, a first vehicle control for moving a vehicle to the parking region; and perform, after the vehicle is stopped in the parking region by the first vehicle control, a second vehicle control when relative positions between a power reception device provided in the vehicle and the contactless power feeding device deviate from each other.