阅读说明：本技术 感应充电系统和定位方法 (Inductive charging system and positioning method ) 是由 M·哈尔特 D·穆勒 B·埃恩 于 2019-09-05 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于在充电板上方定位电动车辆的方法,其用于电动车辆的高压储能器的感应充电,本发明还涉及一种适合于所述方法的设备。(The invention relates to a method for positioning an electric vehicle above a charging plate for inductive charging of a high-voltage energy store of the electric vehicle, and to a device suitable for said method.)

1. A method for positioning a motor vehicle in a charging position suitable for contactlessly charging an energy store of the motor vehicle, wherein for positioning the motor vehicle on a charging plate arranged on the ground, at least one light source arranged for emitting an amplitude-modulated and/or frequency-modulated light signal, which is mounted in the charging plate in a manner such that it can be safely driven through, is used, the charging plate being a component of a charging station comprising at least one charging plate.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein communication is first established between the motor vehicle and the infrastructure of the charging station, whereupon at least one currently available charging plate of the charging station emits a personalized, amplitude-modulated and/or frequency-modulated light signal, the light signal is detected by a sensor device of the motor vehicle, the coding and the evaluation of the position of the light signal are then carried out in a control unit of the motor vehicle, the currently available charging plate is selected and the trajectory of the motor vehicle from the current position into the charging position of the selected charging plate is determined, the motor vehicle is then guided into the charging position by triggering at least one driving instruction to the driver of the motor vehicle and/or triggering at least one longitudinally guided and/or laterally guided driving intervention by a control device of the motor vehicle, the motor vehicle feeds back information about the selected charging plate and the vehicle charging requirements to the charging station's infrastructure.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one Light Emitting Diode (LED) is used as light source, in particular at least one infrared LED is used as light source.

4. A method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the communication between the motor vehicle and the infrastructure of the charging station takes place by means of WLAN, bluetooth or mobile communication.

5. Method according to one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the sensor device of the motor vehicle comprises at least one camera, in particular a front camera mounted in the front region of the vehicle.

6. An inductive charging system for charging an energy store of a motor vehicle by means of a stationary charging station, wherein the charging station has at least one charging plate arranged on the ground, wherein the at least one charging plate has a primary coil for generating an alternating magnetic field, wherein the motor vehicle has a secondary coil for receiving the alternating magnetic field, wherein a predetermined parking position of the motor vehicle above the charging plate is specified for the reception, wherein the charging plate has at least one light source which is arranged in the charging plate in a manner such that it can be safely driven through and which is provided for emitting an amplitude-modulated and/or frequency-modulated light signal, and wherein the motor vehicle has at least one sensor device for detecting the amplitude-modulated and/or frequency-modulated light signal of the at least one light source.

7. The charging system of claim 6, wherein the at least one light source generates infrared light and the at least one sensor device comprises a sensor for infrared light.

8. A charging system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the at least one sensor arrangement comprises at least one camera.

9. A motor vehicle for a charging system according to any one of claims 6 to 8, the motor vehicle having: at least one camera for generating a camera image of the motor vehicle environment; at least one display device for reproducing camera images; and a module configured for wireless communication with the charging station.

10. A charging pad for a charging system according to any of claims 6 to 8, the planar view of the charging pad having the shape of a polygon with at least one light source arranged for emitting an amplitude and/or frequency modulated light signal mounted in a manner that can be safely driven through at each corner.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for positioning an electric vehicle above a charging plate for inductive charging of a high-voltage energy store of the electric vehicle, and to a device suitable for said method.

Background

For charging an electrical energy store in a motor vehicle, a contactless energy transmission can be used, in which energy is transmitted inductively from a vehicle external charging plate with a primary coil arranged in the ground to a secondary coil inside the vehicle. The use of a charging plate is very comfortable for the user of the motor vehicle, since in this case, for charging the motor vehicle, it is only necessary to move the motor vehicle into the correct relative position with respect to the charging plate in order to be able to charge the motor vehicle. No additional cabling or the like is required.

In order to achieve an efficient energy transfer when charging the energy storage in a contactless manner, to achieve a sufficiently high efficiency and to avoid possible damage to the motor vehicle by reactive currents, the motor vehicle must be positioned very precisely above the charging plate. Since the primary coil must be positioned under the motor vehicle, it may be difficult for the user of the motor vehicle, i.e. the driver of the vehicle, to position the motor vehicle correctly, since he cannot see the primary coil when the motor vehicle is being manoeuvred.

Currently, various methods of how a vehicle can find its proper position above the charging pad are discussed. For example, methods for positioning using electromagnetic signals (e.g. LPE, LF, MV according to IEC 61980-2) are discussed. This signal is very susceptible to interference and requires remote sensors, which must be installed in the underbody region of the motor vehicle or on the bumper. Optical systems for positioning in cooperation with parking space markings have also been investigated.

DE 102014016031 a1 discloses a charging pad for contactless charging of an energy store of a motor vehicle and a method for positioning a motor vehicle in a charging position. The charging plate comprises a marking element which is detected by a camera on the motor vehicle side.

Document DE 102014223237 a1 discloses an inductive charging system for charging an electric vehicle, which charging system comprises a primary coil arranged on the ground, which primary coil has a fixedly arranged marking element, which marking element is detected by means of a camera of the electric vehicle.

Document DE 102014201821 a1 discloses a charging device with a positioning aid. The charging device comprises a charging current receiving element on the vehicle side and a charging current output element for inductively transmitting energy to the charging current receiving element, wherein the light-emitting diode marks the charging current output element by means of light cones having different colors and the light cones are detected by means of a camera on the vehicle side.

All the above-described solutions show deficiencies in their robustness and their collaborative application possibilities. Costly calibrations are required due to the effects of various environmental conditions, however, the calibration cannot exclude temporary effects due to electronics in the environment.

Disclosure of Invention

On this background, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus and a method which at least partially eliminate the disadvantages of the prior art.

This object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1, by a charging system having the features of claim 6, by a motor vehicle having the features of claim 9 and by a charging plate having the features of claim 10. The design of the invention is derived from the dependent claims.

The invention relates to a method for positioning a motor vehicle in a charging position suitable for contactlessly charging an energy store of the motor vehicle. According to the invention, at least one light source, which is arranged in the charging panel and is designed to emit an amplitude-modulated and/or frequency-modulated light signal, is used for positioning the motor vehicle on the charging panel arranged on the ground, said charging panel being a component of a charging station comprising at least one charging panel. In one embodiment, at least one Light Emitting Diode (LED) is used as the light source. In a particular embodiment, at least one infrared LED is used. This has the advantage that the light-emitting diode can be recognized even in the dark and/or in contaminations with a low infrared absorption. The embodiment in which infrared light is generated has the additional advantage that the infrared light source can also function as a heating element, so that, for example, snow can be melted when the light source is covered with snow.

In one embodiment of the method, communication is first established between the motor vehicle and the infrastructure of the charging station. In one embodiment, the communication between the motor vehicle and the infrastructure of the charging station takes place via WLAN, bluetooth or mobile radio. By means of standardized WLAN or bluetooth communication between the vehicle and the charging infrastructure, for example, data for identifying the vehicle and the required charging configuration can be transmitted.

Subsequently, at least one light source of at least one currently available charging plate of the charging station emits a individually coded, amplitude-modulated and/or frequency-modulated light signal. Within the scope of the present invention, amplitude modulation means a change in the intensity of the light signal, i.e. a change in the brightness. For example, a sequence of light pulses may be generated, in which both the duration of the individual light pulses and the spacing of the light pulses may be variable. Frequency modulation means within the scope of the present invention a change in the wavelength of the optical signal, i.e. a change in the color of the light. The light signal may thus comprise light of different colors in order to encode information. Continuous or discontinuous transitions between different wavelengths may also be achieved within the optical signal.

The positioning solution according to the invention is based on the use of optical signals emitted by at least one light source, for example one or more LEDs, mounted at the charging pad, which optical signals are used not only as respective direction measurement signals, but also for point-to-point communication between the vehicle and the charging pad. In one embodiment of the method, after the communication between the vehicle and the charging infrastructure has been established, all charging panels potentially available for the vehicle each start emitting a personalized blinking code and/or color code. The code of a single charging pad can be changed dynamically and individually. In this case, not only the code of the single LED signal but also the codes of all the LED signals of the charging plate can be changed.

The individually coded, amplitude-modulated and/or frequency-modulated light signal is detected by a sensor device of the motor vehicle. As sensor device, a camera, in particular a wide-angle camera, of the motor vehicle can be used, which is preferably installed in the rear region or in the front region of the motor vehicle. The camera can be mounted in particular in the region of the bumper. In particular, regions directly adjacent to the motor vehicle in front of or behind the motor vehicle can be detected by the sensor device. In one embodiment, the sensor device of the motor vehicle therefore comprises at least one camera, in particular a front camera, which is mounted in the front region of the vehicle. Motor vehicles already usually comprise one or more cameras for environmental detection. In particular, a wide-angle camera may be provided on the motor vehicle, which reflects the vehicle environment directly adjacent to the motor vehicle in a wide angle. Corresponding cameras are used, for example, in overhead systems or in the area of parking aids.

The detected light signals are detected and evaluated by a camera installed in the vehicle. In one embodiment, the optical signal is detected by a front camera mounted in the front region of the vehicle. The relative position of the vehicle can be determined using information about the mounting positions of the individual LEDs. Additionally, other information about the modulation of the LED signal over a time range (pulsed or on and off) and over a frequency range (color change) may be transmitted from the charging pad to the vehicle.

This provides the advantage that there is no interference with the signal due to particular environmental conditions. Possible limitations of signal visibility are considered acceptable and can be compensated for by redundancy, i.e. by using multiple LEDs. Here, the improvement can also be achieved by using infrared LEDs. This problem is also not important when used primarily in the roofed area.

The coding and the evaluation of the position of the light signals are then carried out in a control unit of the motor vehicle, the currently available charging plate is selected and the trajectory of the motor vehicle from the current position into the charging position of the selected charging plate is determined. The motor vehicle is then guided into the charging position by triggering at least one driving instruction and/or at least one longitudinal control and/or transverse control/longitudinal guidance and/or transverse guidance of the driver of the motor vehicle by a control device of the motor vehicle. The vehicle or driver recognizes the LED signal and can navigate to the charging pad. In one embodiment, the results of the analysis process are used for supplemental display. In one variant, the driver is shown a camera image with the corresponding auxiliary line, so that the manual actuation is assisted by the camera image. In order to trigger a driving intervention, various vehicle systems, in particular actuators, in the motor vehicle, which are assigned to the brakes, steering and/or engine of the motor vehicle, for example, can be controlled by the control device. The output of driving instructions and the execution of driving interventions for guiding a motor vehicle to a predetermined position are known in principle from the prior art and are not explained in detail.

In addition, the motor vehicle feeds back information about the selected charging plate and the charging requirements of the vehicle to the infrastructure of the charging station via the communication path. Thus, the charging infrastructure can unambiguously assign the vehicle to the charging pad that is driven towards. This assignment is necessary in order to forward the vehicle charging requirements to the corresponding charging pad.

The subject of the invention is also a device suitable for implementing the method according to the invention.

The invention relates to an inductive charging system for charging an energy store of a motor vehicle. The charging takes place by means of a stationary charging station, wherein the charging station has at least one charging plate arranged on the ground, which has a primary coil for generating an alternating magnetic field, and the motor vehicle has a secondary coil for receiving the alternating magnetic field. The primary coil induces a charging voltage in the secondary coil by generating an alternating magnetic field. In order to receive the alternating magnetic field, a predetermined parking position of the motor vehicle is provided above the charging plate. In the park position, the efficiency of the energy transfer from the primary coil to the secondary coil is in particular greater than a predetermined minimum value.

The charging system comprises two parts, namely a charging station with at least one charging plate and at least one motor vehicle.

According to the invention, each charging plate has at least one light source which is arranged to emit an amplitude-modulated and/or frequency-modulated light signal and which is mounted in the charging plate in such a way that it can be safely driven past, and the motor vehicle has at least one sensor device for detecting the amplitude-modulated and/or frequency-modulated light signal of the at least one light source.

In one embodiment, the at least one light source comprises at least one light emitting diode. In a special embodiment, the light-emitting diodes are colored light-emitting diodes, the total spectrum (i.e. their color) of which can be adjusted by means of control signals or by means of corresponding distribution of the drive currents to the different interfaces.

In an embodiment of the charging system, the at least one light source generates infrared light and the at least one sensor device comprises a sensor for infrared light. In another embodiment, the at least one sensor device comprises at least one camera.

In one embodiment, at least one charging plate has a plurality of light sources, for example two, three or four light sources, which are arranged for emitting amplitude-modulated and/or frequency-modulated light signals. In one embodiment, the plan view of at least one charging plate has a polygonal shape, such as a triangle, rectangle, hexagon, or octagon. In one embodiment, the polygon has at each of its corners at least one light source mounted in a manner that can be safely driven through and arranged for emitting an amplitude-modulated and/or frequency-modulated light signal. The light source assists in positioning the motor vehicle in the parking position. In one embodiment, the light source is controlled by a controller in the charging pad depending on the application.

The at least one motor vehicle is preferably designed as a motor vehicle, in particular as a passenger or truck or passenger vehicle.

At least one motor vehicle has a secondary coil for receiving an alternating magnetic field. In one embodiment, a motor vehicle comprises: at least one camera for generating a camera image of the motor vehicle environment, for example a front camera mounted in the front region of the vehicle; at least one display device, i.e. for example a screen, for reproducing the camera image; and a module arranged for wireless communication with the charging station, for example a WLAN or bluetooth communication module or a mobile communication module, which is arranged for communication between the vehicle and the charging infrastructure. A vehicle-to-infrastructure communication module may also be provided, which is also known under the term "Car-to-X communication (Car-to-X) technology". For example, data can be exchanged between the charging station and the motor vehicle when the charging station is reached or approached.

In one embodiment, at least one motor vehicle comprises an image processing device which is provided for inserting an auxiliary line into the displayed camera image, which auxiliary line assists the navigation along the calculated trajectory. The image processing device may be provided, for example, by a processor device and may also be provided by an information/entertainment system (infotainment system) or a controller of a motor vehicle.

In a further embodiment, the image processing device is designed to convert the camera image into a transformed image by means of homography. Generating a top or aerial view of the environment by means of the homography. In other words, the camera image is perspectively distorted. In the transformed camera image, the environment is shown as a top view, so that it is assumed that the at least one camera is not located in the motor vehicle but above the motor vehicle, and the optical axis of the at least one camera is oriented downward looking at the motor vehicle and the environment, respectively. In this embodiment, the image processing device is also designed to display the transformed camera image as a displayed camera image on the display device. This embodiment has the advantage that the display plane of the transformed camera image corresponds to a movement plane in which a user can maneuver the motor vehicle. In other words, the movement of the motor vehicle corresponds to the movement of the light source imaged in the transformed camera image.

The present invention provides an inductive charging system which enables a simple, precise positioning of the vehicle with respect to the charging process, and which is insensitive to environmental interference effects caused, for example, by electronic devices. For the charging system, known components which are present in many motor vehicles in particular can be used to implement them cost-effectively.

Other advantages and design aspects of the present invention will be apparent from the description. It goes without saying that the features mentioned above can be used not only in the respectively specified combination but also in other combinations or alone without departing from the scope of the invention.