Non-contact charger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016164335-A1
Application number	US-201514959114-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 4, 2015
Priority date	Dec 5, 2014
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A non-contact charger includes a position detector, a determination unit, a primary coil, a coil moving unit, and a controller. The position detector detects placement of an electronic device, which incorporates a secondary coil, onto a top plate of the non-contact charger. The determination unit determines whether the electronic device is placed onto the top plate of the non-contact charger from a lateral direction. When the determination unit determines that the electronic device is placed onto the top plate from the lateral direction, the controller instructs the coil moving unit to wait for a predetermined period of time in moving the primary coil. After the waiting for the predetermined period of time to delay the movement of the primary coil, the controller moves the primary coil toward a position of the secondary coil of the electronic device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A non-contact charger comprising:
a case having a top plate having an upper surface onto which an electronic device having a secondary coil is to be placed; a primary coil installed in the case; a detector that is installed in the case and detects a position of the electronic device on the upper surface of the top plate of the case; a controller that starts charging of the electronic device through the primary and secondary coils when the electronic device on the upper surface of the top plate detected by the detector; and a determination unit that determines whether the electronic device is placed onto the top plate from a lateral direction along the upper surface of the top plate, wherein when the electronic device is detected by the detector and the determination unit determines that the electronic device is placed onto the top plate from the lateral direction, the controller delays the start of the charging of the electronic device by a predetermined period of time.

2 . The non-contact charger according to claim 1 , wherein the detector detects a first position of the electronic device in a state where the charging of the electronic device has not started and then detects a second position of the electronic after the detection of the first position, and
the determination unit determines whether the position of the electronic device is changed by comparing the first position and the second position of the electronic device and determines that the electronic device is placed onto the top plate from the lateral direction when the change of the position of the electronic device is detected before elapse of the predetermined period of time.

3 . The non-contact charger according to claim 2 , wherein the detector is configured to periodically detect the position of the electronic device at a predetermined time interval,
the determination unit is configured to detect a magnitude of movement of the electronic device each time when the position of the electronic device is detected at the predetermined time interval, and the controller detects a change in the magnitude of movement detected one after another at the predetermined time interval and detects an elapsed time after the determination unit determines that the electronic device is placed onto the top plate from the lateral direction and before the determination unit detects that the change in the magnitude of movement of the electronic device starts to decrease, the elapsed time being set to be the predetermined period of time.

4 . The non-contact charger according to claim 2 , wherein the detector is configured to periodically detect the position of the electronic device at a predetermined time interval, and
the determination unit detects an elapsed time after the determination unit determines that the electronic device is placed onto the top plate from the lateral direction and before the determination unit determines that the positions of the electronic device detected in succession a predetermined number of times are substantially the same as one another, the elapsed time being set to bP the predetermined period of time.

5 . The non-contact charger according to claim 1 , further comprising a moving mechanism configured to move the primary coil in two-dimensional directions along a surface of the top plate, and
the controller controls the moving mechanism to move the primary coil to a position of the secondary coil of the electronic device detected by the detector for starting the charging, and delays the moving of the primary coil by the predetermined period of time.

6 . The non-contact charger according to claim 1 , wherein the primary coil is arranged at each of different locations along a surface of the top plate, and the controller selects one of the primary coils which is closest to a position of the secondary coil of the electronic device detected by the detector for starting the charging, and delays the selection of said one of the primary coils to start the charging by the predetermined period of time.

7 . The non-contact charger according to claim 1 , wherein the case is disposed at a predetermined location in a vehicle cabin, in which the vehicle cabin has a component which is disposed above the top plate of the case and defines an opened space having a predetermined height from the top plate of the case.

8 . The non-contact charger according to claim 7 , wherein the component of the vehicle cabin covers the opened space over the top plate entirely in a plan view of the component.

9 . The non-contact charger according to claim 1 , wherein the top plate of the case has a substantially rectangular shape with periphery side edges, and the case is disposed at a predetermined location in a vehicle cabin and provided with a wall surface extending from at least one of the periphery side edges of the top plate in the vehicle cabin.

10 . The non-contact charger according to claim 9 , wherein the vehicle cabin has a hollow space a bottom of which is the top plate of the case, the hollow space having an opening opened to the vehicle cabin along one of the periphery side edges of the top plate, the opening of the hollow space being provided with a guide surface extending inward from the opening toward said one of the periphery side edges of the top plate and having a slope that guides the electronic device onto the top plate from the vehicle cabin.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kanahara Hirokazu
• Hiruta Shigenori
• Kojima Toshihiro
• Yamazaki Masayuki

Classifications

• H02J7/47

  Arrangements for checking compatibility or authentication between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source · CPC title

• H02J7/70

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title

• H02J7/731 Primary

  specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries (H02J7/751 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02J50/10

  using inductive coupling · CPC title

• H02J50/90

  involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment · CPC title