Vehicle, power receiving device, power transmitting device, and contactless power supply system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9666359-B2
Application number	US-201313860167-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2013
Priority date	May 11, 2012
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle is able to contactlessly receive electric power from a power transmitting device and to charge a mounted electrical storage device (electric load). The vehicle includes a communication unit that carries out wireless communication with the power transmitting device and a vehicle ECU (control unit) that controls the communication unit. The communication unit is able to switch a communication range between a wide communication range (wire-area communication) and a narrow communication range (narrow-area communication). The vehicle ECU, at the time of identifying a power transmitting device from which electric power should be received, controls the communication unit such that the communication unit communicates with the power transmitting device using the narrow-area communication.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle that contactlessly receives electric power from a power transmitting device, comprising:
a power receiving unit configured to contactlessly receive electric power from the power transmitting device;
an electric load configured to operate by utilizing electric power received by the power receiving unit;
a communication unit configured to carry out wireless communication with the power transmitting device, the communication unit being configured to switch a spatially communicable communication range between a first range and a second range narrower than the first range; and
a control unit configured to, at the time of identifying the power transmitting device from which electric power should be received, control the communication unit such that the communication unit communicates with the power transmitting device using the second range, wherein
the control unit is configured to switch the communication range from the first range to the second range on the basis of information indicating that a distance to the power transmitting device has become a predetermined distance, and
the control unit is configured to, after identifying the power transmitting device, switch the communication range from the second range to the first range.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is configured to, when communication is carried out using the first range, communicate with the power transmitting device about at least information about whether the power transmitting device is allowed to supply electric power.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the electric load includes an electrical storage device configured to store electric power received by the power receiving unit, and the control unit is configured to, when communication is carried out using the second range, communicate with the power transmitting device on at least one of information about a charging efficiency, information about an amount of charge of the electrical storage device and information about a fee for charging.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is configured to, when a plurality of the power transmitting devices are recognized while communication is being carried out using the second range, stop transmission of electric power from the power transmitting devices.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the communication unit is configured to switch the communication range by varying a power of a signal used for communication.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is configured to stop transmission of electric power from the power transmitting device, when a transfer efficiency of electric power does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the transfer efficiency of electric power being received by the power receiving unit with respect to electric power transmitted from the power transmitting device.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the power transmitting device includes a power transmitting unit configured to contactlessly transmit electric power to the power receiving unit, and
a difference between a natural frequency of the power transmitting unit and a natural frequency of the power receiving unit is smaller than or equal to ±10% of one of the natural frequency of the power transmitting unit and the natural frequency of the power receiving unit.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the power transmitting device includes a power transmitting unit configured to contactlessly transmit electric power to the power receiving unit, and
a coupling coefficient between the power transmitting unit and the power receiving unit is smaller than or equal to 0.1.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the power transmitting device includes a power transmitting unit configured to contactlessly transmit electric power to the power receiving unit, and
the power receiving unit is configured to receive electric power from the power transmitting unit through at least one of a magnetic field and an electric field, the magnetic field being formed between the power receiving unit and the power transmitting unit, the magnetic field oscillating at a predetermined frequency, the electric field being formed between the power receiving unit and the power transmitting unit, and the electric field oscillating at a predetermined frequency.

10. A power receiving device that contactlessly receives electric power from a power transmitting device, comprising:
a power receiving unit configured to contactlessly receive electric power from the power transmitting device;
a communication unit configured to carry out wireless communication with the power transmitting device, the communication unit being configured to switch a spatially communicable communication range between a first range and a second range narrower than the first range; and
a control unit configured to, at the time of identifying the power transmitting device from which electric power should be received, control the communication unit such that the communication unit communicates with the power transmitting device using the second range, wherein
the control unit is configured to switch the communication range from the first range to the second range on the basis of information indicating that a distance to the power transmitting device has become a predetermined distance, and
the control unit is configured to, after identifying the power transmitting device, switch the communication range from the second range to the first range.

11. A power transmitting device that contactlessly supplies electric power to a power receiving device, comprising:
a power transmitting unit configured to contactlessly transmit electric power to the power receiving device;
a communication unit configured to carry out wireless communication with the power receiving device, the communication unit being configured to switch a spatially communicable communication range between a first range and a second range narrower than the first range; and
a control unit configured to, at the time of identifying the power receiving device to which electric power should be transmitted, control the communication unit such that the communication unit communicates with the power receiving device using the second range, wherein
electric power received by the power receiving device using the second range is charged to an electrical storage device, and
the control unit is configured to, after charging of the electrical storage device has been completed, switch the communication range from the second range to the first range for non-charging communication,
the control unit is configured to switch the communication range from the first range to the second range on the basis of information indicating that a distance to the power receiving device has become a predetermined distance, and
the control unit is configured to, after identifying the power receiving device, switch the communication range from the second range to the first range.

12. The power transmitting device according to claim 11 , wherein
the control unit is configured to, when communication is carried out using the first range, communicate with the power receiving device on at least information about whether the power transmitting device is allowed to supply electric power.

13. The power transmitting device according to claim 11 , wherein
electric power received by the power receiving device is charged to an electrical storage device, and
the control unit is configured to, when communication is carried out using the second range, communicate with the power receiving d

Assignees

• Ichikawa Shinji
• Inoue Keisuke
• Gorai Naoki
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ichikawa Shinji
• Inoue Keisuke
• Gorai Naoki

Classifications

• H02J50/90

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

• H04W4/023

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• H02J50/80

  involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices · CPC title

• H01F38/14 Primary

  Inductive couplings {(for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10)} · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title