JP7786181B2 - vehicle - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to vehicle control that enables contactless charging of an on-board power storage device while the vehicle is in motion.

Contactless charging is a known technology for charging a vehicle-mounted power storage device. Contactless charging is performed by using power received by a vehicle-mounted power receiving device in a contactless manner, without contacts, from a power transmitting device connected to a power source external to the vehicle.

This type of contactless charging can be performed, for example, while the vehicle is traveling. Specifically, a power supply lane is formed by installing multiple power transmission devices as described above on a road. When a vehicle travels along this power supply lane, one of the multiple power transmission devices that is positioned opposite the vehicle's power receiving device transmits power, allowing contactless charging to be performed while the vehicle is traveling.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2020-010451 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technology in which a vehicle's battery is wirelessly charged via a charging unit installed on the vehicle as the vehicle travels on a road with a power transmission unit buried in it.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-010451

In vehicles such as those described above, driving assistance may be provided to maintain the vehicle's position within the lane. However, even when a vehicle traveling in a power supply lane maintains its position within the lane through the above-mentioned driving assistance, low charging efficiency may persist depending on the relative position of the vehicle and the power supply lane.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle that can efficiently charge an onboard power storage device while traveling within a lane where a power supply lane is provided.

A vehicle according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a power receiving device that receives power supplied wirelessly from a power transmitting device installed along a lane set on a road, a power storage device that can be charged using the power received by the power receiving device, and a control device configured to execute driving assistance control to maintain the vehicle's driving line within the lane while traveling. When receiving power from the power transmitting device during driving assistance control, if the power receiving efficiency is below a threshold, the control device notifies the vehicle of information for adjusting the driving line to one that provides higher power receiving efficiency than the current driving line.

In this way, when the vehicle is traveling on a lane in which a power transmission device is installed while driving assistance control is being executed, if the power receiving efficiency is low, information is provided to adjust the driving line to one that increases power receiving efficiency.By driving the vehicle so that it is on a driving line that increases power receiving efficiency, the driver can efficiently charge the power storage device.

This disclosure makes it possible to provide a vehicle that can efficiently charge an onboard power storage device while traveling within a lane where a power supply lane is provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a contactless charging system. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a power transmitting device and a power receiving device. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of a vehicle traveling in a power supply lane. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by each of the management server and the vehicle. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example on a display screen of a display device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation between the management server and the vehicle.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that identical or equivalent parts in the drawings will be designated by the same reference numerals and their descriptions will not be repeated.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a contactless charging system 100. The contactless charging system 100 includes a management server 1, a vehicle 3, and a power supply lane 5. The power supply lane 5 is made up of multiple power transmission devices 50 installed under the ground in the lanes of a road 6 on which the vehicle 3 can travel, and supplies power contactlessly to the vehicle 3 traveling on the power supply lane 5. The management server 1 and the power supply lane 5 make up a contactless charging device.

Each of the multiple power transmission devices 50 has a power transmission coil 51. The vehicle 3 includes a power receiving device 45 having a power receiving coil 46, and receives power contactlessly from the power transmission coil 51 by traveling along the lane in which the power supply lane 5 is embedded (by traveling over the power transmission device 50). The management server 1 manages the vehicles 3 and the power supply lane 5, and in response to a power supply request from the vehicle 3 entering the power supply lane 5, activates the power transmission device 50 of the power supply lane 5 to supply power to the vehicle 3 (power receiving device 45).

The management server 1 is a computer that includes a control device 10, a storage device 12, and a communication device 14. The control device 10, storage device 12, and communication device 14 are connected by a communication bus 16.

The control device 10 is configured, for example, as an integrated circuit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control device 10 is configured to execute predetermined arithmetic processing described in a program.

The storage device 12 includes ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM stores, for example, programs executed by the control device 10. The RAM temporarily stores, for example, data generated by the execution of programs in the control device 10 and data input via the communication device 14. The RAM also functions as temporary data memory used as a working area.

The communication device 14 is configured to enable bidirectional communication with external devices. The external devices include, for example, the communication device 42 of the vehicle 3 and the communication device 550 (Figure 3) of each power transmission device 50 included in the power supply lane 5. Communication between the communication device 14 and the external devices is performed, for example, via wireless communication.

The control device 10 acquires location information, vehicle ID information, and power supply information from the vehicle 3 via the communication device 14. The location information is acquired from the vehicle 3, for example, at predetermined control intervals. The control device 10 may, for example, use the location information to detect when the vehicle 3 enters a power supply lane.

The vehicle ID information and the power supply information are sent from the vehicle 3 to the management server 1, for example, when the vehicle 3 enters the power supply lane 5 and requests power supply from the power supply lane 5. The vehicle ID information is identification information for uniquely identifying the vehicle 3 and may be, for example, a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). The power supply information indicates the power that the vehicle 3 wishes to obtain from the power supply lane 5. When the control device 10 receives a power supply request from the vehicle 3, it uses the power supply information to control each of the multiple power transmission devices that make up the power supply lane 5 so that they are in a state where they can transmit power (hereinafter referred to as the on state).

Vehicle 3 may be any vehicle equipped with a power storage device, and may be, for example, an electrically powered vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. In this embodiment, vehicle 3 will be described as an electric vehicle, for example. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of vehicle 3 according to this embodiment.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle 3 includes a battery 30, a monitoring unit 31, an SMR (System Main Relay) 35, a PCU (Power Control Unit) 36, an MG (Motor Generator) 37, a transmission gear 38, drive wheels 39, a sub DC/DC converter 40, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 41, a communication device 42, an auxiliary device 43, an auxiliary battery 44, and an input device 49.

The battery 30 is installed as the driving power source (i.e., power source) of the vehicle 3. The battery 30 is composed of multiple stacked batteries. The batteries are, for example, secondary batteries such as nickel-metal hydride batteries or lithium-ion batteries. The batteries may also be batteries with a liquid electrolyte between the positive and negative electrodes, or batteries with a solid electrolyte (all-solid-state batteries). Note that a power storage device such as a capacitor may be used instead of the battery 30.

The monitoring unit 31 monitors the state of the battery 30. The monitoring unit 31 includes a voltage sensor 32, a current sensor 33, and a temperature sensor 34. The voltage sensor 32 detects the voltage (battery voltage) VB of the battery 30 and outputs a signal indicating the detection result to the ECU 41. The current sensor 33 detects the input/output current (battery current) IB of the battery 30 and outputs a signal indicating the detection result to the ECU 41. The temperature sensor 34 detects the temperature (battery temperature) TB of the battery 30 and outputs a signal indicating the detection result to the ECU 41.

The SMR 35 is electrically connected to the power lines PL and NL that connect the PCU 36 and the battery 30. When the SMR 35 is in a closed state, power is supplied from the battery 30 to the PCU 36. When the SMR 35 is in an open state, power is not supplied from the battery 30 to the PCU 36. The SMR 35 switches between a closed state and an open state in accordance with a control signal from the ECU 41.

In response to control signals from the ECU 41, the PCU 36 converts the DC power stored in the battery 30 into AC power and supplies it to the MG 37. The PCU 36 also converts the AC power generated by the MG 37 into DC power and supplies it to the battery 30. The PCU 36 is configured to include, for example, an inverter and a converter that boosts the DC voltage supplied to the inverter to a level equal to or higher than the output voltage of the battery 30.

MG37 is, for example, a three-phase AC synchronous motor with a permanent magnet embedded in the rotor. MG37 is driven by PCU36 to generate rotational driving force. The driving force generated by MG37 is transmitted to drive wheels 39 via transmission gear 38.

The sub DC/DC converter 40 is electrically connected between the power lines PL, NL and the low-voltage line EL. The sub DC/DC converter 40 steps down the voltage of the power between the power lines PL, NL and supplies it to the low-voltage line EL. The sub DC/DC converter 40 operates in response to control signals from the ECU 41.

The low-voltage line EL is electrically connected to the ECU 41, communication device 42, auxiliary device 43, and auxiliary battery 44.

The communication device 42 is configured to enable two-way communication with the communication device 14 of the management server 1. Communication between the communication device 42 and the communication device 14 is performed, for example, via wireless communication.

ECU 41 is composed of a CPU, memory (ROM and RAM), and input/output ports for inputting and outputting various signals (all not shown). ECU 41 receives signals from various sensors and outputs control signals to various devices, and also controls the various devices. Note that this control is not limited to software processing, but can also be performed using dedicated hardware (electronic circuits).

The ECU 41 is configured to be able to calculate the SOC (State Of Charge) of the battery 30. Various known methods can be used to calculate the SOC, such as a method based on current integration (coulomb counting) or a method based on open circuit voltage (OCV) estimation.

When the vehicle 3 is traveling, the ECU 41 transmits its own position information to the management server 1 via the communication device 42 at a predetermined control cycle. The position information transmitted to the management server 1 is used by the management server 1 to identify the position of the vehicle 3. Furthermore, when requesting power supply from the power supply lane 5, the ECU 41 transmits vehicle ID information and power supply information to the management server 1 via the communication device 42.

A position detection device (not shown) is connected to the ECU 41. The position detection device acquires the current location of the vehicle 3 based on signals (radio waves) from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites, for example, and outputs a signal (position information) indicating the current location of the vehicle 3 to the ECU 41. Note that the current location of the vehicle 3 may be acquired using a satellite other than a GPS satellite that is capable of position detection, or may be acquired by exchanging specified information with a mobile base station or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) access point.

Furthermore, an input device 49 is connected to the ECU 41. The input device 49 accepts operations by a user (e.g., the driver) inside the vehicle 3. The input device 49 may be configured, for example, as a touch panel provided on the screen of the display device 43b described below, or may be configured as various operating members such as buttons.

The auxiliary equipment 43 operates on power supplied from the low-voltage line EL. The auxiliary equipment 43 includes, for example, a lighting system, a wiper system, an audio system, a navigation system, a power steering system, a meter panel, a headlight system, etc. In this embodiment, the auxiliary equipment 43 further includes a camera 43a and a display device 43b.

Camera 43a captures images of the area ahead of vehicle 3 and transmits the captured image data (still image data or video image data) to ECU 41. ECU 41 performs analysis processing to recognize the driving conditions of vehicle 3 using the image data received from camera 43a. ECU 41, for example, extracts lane boundary lines and road signs that are provided on the surface of road 6 from the image data received from camera 43a. ECU 41 obtains information about the driving line of vehicle 3 within the lane in which vehicle 3 is traveling, for example, by extracting the two lane boundary lines on the left and right sides of vehicle 3.

The display device 43b is provided in a position visible to the occupants of the vehicle 3 and displays predetermined information received from the ECU 41. The predetermined information includes, for example, navigation information, information indicating the operating status of the vehicle 3, information indicating the control status of the vehicle 3, or information about the driving line of the vehicle 3. The display device 43b is configured, for example, with an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display.

The auxiliary battery 44 is composed of a secondary battery, such as a lead-acid battery or a lithium-ion battery. The voltage of the auxiliary battery 44 is lower than the voltage of the battery 30, for example, approximately 12 V. Note that the voltage of the auxiliary battery 44 is not limited to approximately 12 V, and any voltage between 12 V and 48 V can be used, for example.

Furthermore, vehicle 3 includes a power receiving device 45, a charging relay 47, and a DC/DC converter 48 as components for contactless charging.

The DC/DC converter 48 is electrically connected between the power receiving device 45 and the power lines PL and NL. In accordance with a control signal from the ECU 41, the DC/DC converter 48 converts the voltage of the DC power received from the power receiving device 45 into a voltage for charging the battery 30.

The charging relay 47 is a relay that electrically connects/disconnects the power receiving device 45 and the DC/DC converter 48. The charging relay 47 switches between a closed state and an open state in accordance with a control signal from the ECU 41.

The power receiving device 45 is disposed, for example, on the underside of the floor panel of the vehicle 3. The power receiving device 45 includes a power receiving coil 46. The power receiving coil 46 contactlessly receives power transmitted from the power transmitting device 50. The power receiving device 45 rectifies the power transmitted from the power transmitting device 50 and outputs it to the charging relay 47. The detailed configurations of the power receiving device 45 and the power transmitting device 50 will be described later.

Referring to FIG. 1, the power supply lane 5 includes multiple power transmission devices 50 and an AC power source 52. While FIG. 1 shows an example in which the power supply lane 5 includes four power transmission devices 50, the number of power transmission devices 50 included in the power supply lane 5 is not limited to four. The number of power transmission devices 50 included in the power supply lane 5 may be three or less, or five or more. Each of the power transmission devices 50 is arranged in a row, for example, along the direction of travel of the vehicle 3, in a predetermined section of a lane of the road 6.

The AC power source 52 is, for example, a commercial power grid. Each of the power transmission devices 50 receives power from the AC power source 52. Each of the power transmission devices 50 includes a power transmission coil 51. The power transmission devices 50 are configured to switch between operating and non-operating states in response to a control signal from the management server 1. When the management server 1 receives a power supply request from the vehicle 3, it controls the multiple power transmission devices 50 so that the power transmission devices 50 are in an operating state (on state). When each power transmission device 50 is in an operating state, it forms an electromagnetic field around the power transmission coil 51 using AC power supplied from the AC power source 52. After the vehicle 3 passes through the power supply lane 5, the management server 1 controls the multiple power transmission devices 50 so that each power transmission device 50 is in an inoperating state (hereinafter referred to as an off state). For example, the management server 1 may determine that the vehicle 3 has passed through the power supply lane 5 when power is not being transmitted from any of the multiple power transmission devices 50 that make up the power supply lane 5 (when the transmitted power is below a threshold).

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the power transmitting device 50 and the power receiving device 45. The power transmitting device 50 includes, for example, a PFC (Power Factor Correction) circuit 510, an inverter circuit 520, a filter circuit 530, a power transmitting unit 540, a communication device 550, and a control device 560. The power transmitting unit 540 includes a power transmitting coil 51. The power receiving device 45 includes a power receiving unit 451, a filter circuit 452, and a rectifier 453. The power receiving unit 451 includes a power receiving coil 46.

The PFC circuit 510 rectifies and boosts the AC power supplied from the AC power source 52 and supplies this power to the inverter circuit 520. The inverter circuit 520 converts the power rectified by the PFC circuit 510 into AC power and outputs it. The AC power output from the inverter circuit 520 is supplied to the power transmitting unit 540 via the filter circuit 530. The power transmitting unit 540 and the power receiving unit 451 each include a resonant circuit and are designed to resonate at the frequency of the transmitted power.

When AC power is supplied from the inverter circuit 520 to the power transmission unit 540 via the filter circuit 530, a magnetic field is formed between the power transmission coil 51 of the power transmission unit 540 and the power receiving coil 46 of the power receiving unit 451. Energy (power) moves from the power transmission coil 51 to the power receiving coil 46 through this magnetic field. Noise is removed from the energy (power) moved to the power receiving coil 46 by the filter circuit 452, and the AC power is converted to DC power by the rectifier unit 453. The DC power is then supplied to the DC/DC converter 48 via the charging relay 47.

The communication device 550 of the power transmission device 50 is configured to enable bidirectional communication with the communication device 14 of the management server 1.

The control device 560 of the power transmission device 50 includes a CPU, memory, input/output ports for inputting and outputting various signals, etc. (none of which are shown), and controls the various devices in the power transmission device 50. In response to a control signal from the management server 1, the control device 560 operates, for example, the PFC circuit 510 and the inverter circuit 520 to form an electromagnetic field around the power transmission coil 51 so as to supply the power indicated by the power supply information.

With the above-described configuration, in the wireless charging system 100 according to this embodiment, for example, when a vehicle 3 is traveling in the power supply lane 5 and a user desires wireless charging of the battery 30, the user transmits a power supply request to the management server 1. When the management server 1 receives a power supply request from a vehicle 3 traveling in the power supply lane 5, it controls the multiple power transmission devices 50 so that each of the multiple power transmission devices 50 is turned on. As a result, power is supplied wirelessly from the power transmission devices 50 in the power supply lane 5 to the vehicle 3 (power receiving device 45). The battery 30 of the vehicle 3 is charged using this power.

For example, the vehicle 3 may determine that it is traveling in the power supply lane 5 when its position based on the position information is within the power supply lane 5. Alternatively, the vehicle 3 may determine that it is traveling in the power supply lane 5 by detecting a change in the magnetic field at the power receiving device 45 due to passing through the power supply lane 5, or when the power receiving device 45 receives power equal to or greater than a threshold value while multiple power transmitting devices are transmitting, for example, minimal power.

Vehicle 3 transmits information including, for example, vehicle 3's location information, vehicle ID, and information on the power supply to management server 1 as a power supply request.

A vehicle 3 configured as described above may provide driving assistance such as a lane tracing assist (hereinafter also referred to as LTA) function and a lane keeping assist (hereinafter referred to as LKA) function to maintain the vehicle within the lane. These functions include, for example, a function to issue a warning when the vehicle 3 is about to deviate from the lane in which it is traveling. Warning methods include, for example, at least one of voice, warning sound, and display of warning information on the display device 43b.

However, when a vehicle 3 traveling in the power supply lane 5 maintains its driving line within the lane using the driving assistance function described above, the charging efficiency may remain low depending on the relative positional relationship between the vehicle 3 and the power supply lane 5.

Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of a vehicle 3 traveling in a power supply lane 5. Figure 4 shows a road 6 including one lane defined by two lane boundary lines 6a and 6b. A power supply lane 5 is embedded in a predetermined section of the road 6. The power supply lane 5 is composed of multiple power transmission devices 50.

As shown in Figure 4 (A), assume that vehicle 3 is traveling while remaining within the lane of road 6. At this time, vehicle 3 is located, for example, in front of power supply lane 5 in the direction of travel of vehicle 3.

As shown in Figure 4(B), when vehicle 3 moves from position 4(A) to position 4(B), it enters the section where power supply lane 5 is installed. For example, when vehicle 3 enters power supply lane 5, or before entering power supply lane 5, vehicle 3 inquires the user via display device 43b, voice, or the like about whether or not to perform contactless charging of battery 30. When the user performs an operation to send a power supply request, ECU 41 of vehicle 3 sends a power supply request to management server 1. In response to the power supply request from vehicle 3, management server 1 turns on each of multiple power transmission devices 50, thereby starting power supply. Therefore, power receiving device 45 of vehicle 3 receives power supplied from the power transmission device 50 located opposite it, and the received power is used to contactlessly charge battery 30 installed in vehicle 3.

As shown in Figure 4 (C), while the vehicle 3 is maintaining its lane on the power supply lane 5, it continues to receive power supplied from the power transmission device 50. Then, as shown in Figure 4 (D), when the vehicle 3 passes through the power supply lane 5, a stop request is sent to the management server 1, which controls each of the multiple power transmission devices 50 to be turned off, thereby stopping power supply.

In this case, as shown in (A), (B), (C), and (D) of Figure 4, if the driving line within the lane of vehicle 3 is shifted to the left of the center position of power transmission device 50 in the left-right direction of vehicle 3, the power receiving efficiency will be lower than when the driving line passes through the center position of power transmission device 50. Power receiving efficiency indicates the ratio of received power to transmitted power.

In this embodiment, when the ECU 41 receives power from multiple power transmission devices 50 that make up the power supply lane 5 during driving assistance control such as LTA or LKA, if the power receiving efficiency is below a threshold, the ECU 41 notifies the driver of information to adjust the driving line to one that has higher power receiving efficiency than the current driving line.

In this way, when the vehicle 3 is traveling on a lane in which the power transmission device 50 is installed while driving assistance control is being executed, if the power receiving efficiency is low, information is provided to adjust the driving line to one that increases power receiving efficiency. Therefore, the driver can drive the vehicle 3 to a driving line that increases power receiving efficiency, thereby enabling the battery 30 to be charged efficiently.

An example of processing executed by each of the management server 1 and the vehicle 3 will now be described with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by each of the management server 1 and the vehicle 3. The series of processing shown in these flowcharts is repeatedly executed at predetermined control intervals by each of the management server 1 and the vehicle 3. The left side of Figure 5 shows a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the ECU 41 of the vehicle 3. The right side of Figure 5 shows a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the control device 10 of the management server 1.

As shown in the flowchart on the left side of Figure 5, in step (hereinafter, step will be abbreviated as S) 100, the ECU 41 of the vehicle 3 determines whether the vehicle 3 is traveling in the power supply lane 5. The method for determining whether the vehicle 3 is traveling in the power supply lane 5 has been described above, so a detailed description thereof will not be repeated. If it is determined that the vehicle 3 is traveling in the power supply lane 5 (YES in S100), the process proceeds to S102.

In S102, the ECU 41 determines whether an operation to transmit a power supply request has been performed. For example, when the ECU 41 determines that the vehicle 3 is traveling in the power supply lane 5, it inquires of the user of the vehicle 3 whether to charge the battery 30 by contactless charging. For example, the ECU 41 displays a message on the display device 43b inquiring whether to perform contactless charging, and when the ECU 41 receives an operation to perform contactless charging via the input device 49, it determines that an operation to transmit a power supply request has been performed. If it determines that an operation to transmit power supply has been performed (YES in S102), the process proceeds to S104.

At S104, the ECU 41 sends a power supply request to the management server 1. The power supply request includes, for example, the vehicle ID, location information of the vehicle 3, and information on the power supply, as described above.

In S106, the ECU 41 determines whether the LTA is in the ON state. For example, the ECU 41 determines whether the LTA is in the ON state using a flag that is turned ON when an operation to execute the LTA function is received. For example, the ECU 41 determines that the LTA is in the ON state when the flag is in the ON state. Furthermore, the ECU 41 determines that the LTA is not in the ON state when the flag is in the OFF state. If it is determined that the LTA is in the ON state (YES in S106), the process proceeds to S108.

At S108, the ECU 41 acquires the power receiving efficiency. The ECU 41 acquires the ratio of received power to transmitted power as the power receiving efficiency. The ECU 41 may, for example, acquire the transmitted power of each of the multiple power transmission devices 50 from the management server 1. The ECU 41 may acquire each transmitted power from each of the multiple power transmission devices 50 via the communication device 550 of each of the multiple power transmission devices 50. Alternatively, the ECU 41 may acquire the average, minimum, or maximum value of each transmitted power from each of the multiple power transmission devices 50. Furthermore, the ECU 41 may acquire the received power using the monitoring unit 31, or may acquire the received power using the detection results of a voltage sensor and a current sensor (not shown) provided in the power receiving device 45.

In S110, the ECU 41 determines whether the power receiving efficiency is low. Specifically, the ECU 41 determines that the power receiving efficiency is low if the acquired value indicating the power receiving efficiency is equal to or less than a threshold value. If it is determined that the power receiving efficiency is low (YES in S110), the process proceeds to S112. However, if it is determined that the power receiving efficiency is not low (NO in S110), the process proceeds to S116.

At S112, the ECU 41 executes display control. Specifically, the ECU 41 displays, for example, information to prompt the driver to adjust the vehicle's position to the optimal power receiving position, and image information that allows the driver to visually recognize the relative position of the vehicle 3 with respect to the two lane boundary lines on either side of the vehicle 3, on the screen of the display device 43b.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen of the display device 43b. As shown in Figure 6, the display screen shows two lane boundary lines 6a, 6b on either side of the vehicle 3, an icon 3a indicating the position of the vehicle 3 within the lane defined by the two lane boundary lines 6a, 6b, a driving line 6c passing through the center positions of multiple power transmission devices 50, the current driving line 6d of the vehicle 3, and a display frame 150 showing text information requesting that the dashed driving line 6c and the solid driving line 6d of the vehicle 3 be aligned. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the display frame 150 shows text information such as "Please move the driving line in the direction of the arrow to receive power." The ECU 41 displays the changed driving line on the screen of the display device 43b every time a predetermined time has elapsed or every time the driving line of the vehicle 3 changes. This display allows the driver to be prompted to change the driving line.

In S114, the ECU 41 determines whether the vehicle 3 has passed through the power supply lane 5. The ECU 41 determines that the vehicle 3 has passed through the power supply lane 5, for example, if the elapsed time since it was determined that the vehicle 3 was traveling in the power supply lane 5 is equal to or greater than a threshold value, or if the received power or amount of received power after it was determined that the vehicle 3 was traveling in the power supply lane is more rapidly reduced than before the determination (for example, if the decrease in the received power or amount of received power per unit time is equal to or less than a threshold value). Note that the ECU 41 may determine whether the vehicle 3 has passed through the power supply lane 5, for example, using position information of the vehicle 3. The ECU 41 may determine that the vehicle 3 has passed through the power supply lane 5, for example, when the position of the vehicle 3 is within a lane of the road 6 and is at a position where the vehicle 3 has passed through the power supply lane 5. If it is determined that the vehicle 3 has passed through the power supply lane 5 (YES in S114), the process proceeds to S116. If it is determined that the vehicle 3 is not passing through the power supply lane 5 (NO in S114), the process returns to S106.

At S116, the ECU 41 sends a stop request to the management server 1. The stop request includes, for example, the vehicle ID and location information of the vehicle 3.

If it is determined that the vehicle 3 is not traveling in the power supply lane 5 (NO in S100), this process ends. Also, if it is determined that an operation to send a power supply request has not been performed (NO in S102), the process returns to S100.

As shown in the flowchart on the right side of Figure 5, in S200, the management server 1 determines whether or not a power supply request has been received from the vehicle 3. If it is determined that a power supply request has been received (YES in S200), processing proceeds to S202.

At S202, the management server 1 starts power supply from the power supply lane 5. Specifically, the management server 1 turns on each of the multiple power transmission devices 50 that make up the power supply lane 5.

In S204, the management server 1 determines whether a stop request has been received. If it is determined that a stop request has been received (YES in S204), processing proceeds to S206.

At S206, the management server 1 stops power supply from the power supply lane 5. Specifically, the management server 1 turns off all of the multiple power transmission devices 50 that make up the power supply lane 5.

If it is determined that a power supply request has not been received (NO in S200) or if it is determined that a stop request has not been received (NO in S204), this process ends.

An example of the operation of the management server 1 and vehicle 3 in this embodiment based on the above structure and flowchart will be described with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the management server 1 and vehicle 3.

Figure 7 shows a road 6 including one lane defined by two lane boundary lines 6a and 6b. A power supply lane 5 is embedded in a predetermined section of the road 6. The power supply lane 5 is composed of multiple power transmission devices 50.

As shown in Figure 7 (A), assume that vehicle 3 is traveling and the driving line of vehicle 3 within a lane of road 6 is shifted to the left from the driving line that passes through the center position of multiple power transmission devices 50. In this case, the position of vehicle 3 is, for example, a position before power supply lane 5 in the direction of travel of vehicle 3. Furthermore, assume that the LTA function is on as a driving assistance function.

As shown in Figure 7(B), when vehicle 3 moves from position 7(A) to position 7(B), it enters the section where power supply lane 5 is installed. Therefore, when it is determined that vehicle 3 is traveling in power supply lane 5 (YES in S100) and the user of vehicle 3 performs an operation to send a power supply request (YES in S102), the power supply request is sent to management server 1 (S104).

When the management server 1 receives a power supply request from the vehicle 3 (YES in S200), each of the multiple power transmission devices 50 is turned on, thereby starting power supply from the power supply lane 5 (S202).

Therefore, the power receiving device 45 of the vehicle 3 receives power supplied from the power transmitting device 50, which is positioned opposite, and the received power is used to wirelessly charge the battery 30 installed in the vehicle 3.

While the vehicle 3 remains in the power supply lane 5, it continues to receive power supplied from the power transmission device 50.

If the LTA is in the on state (YES in S106), the power receiving efficiency is acquired (S108), and if the acquired power receiving efficiency is equal to or less than the threshold value and is therefore determined to be low power receiving efficiency (YES in S110), display control is executed (S112). That is, the information shown in Figure 6 is displayed on the display screen of the display device 43b.

When the vehicle 3 is in the position shown in Figure 7 (C), if the driver begins to change the driving line in accordance with the display on the display device 43b, the driving line of the vehicle 3 will change to a line that passes through the center positions of the multiple power transmission devices 50.

When vehicle 3 moves to the position shown in Figure 7 (D), the driving line becomes a line that passes through the center positions of the multiple power transmission devices, improving power reception efficiency. At this time, the display screen of display device 43b also displays a message that the driving line has changed to coincide with a line that passes through the center positions of the multiple power transmission devices. This allows the occupants of vehicle 3 to recognize that they have moved to a driving line with high power reception efficiency.

As shown in (E) of FIG. 7, if it is determined that the vehicle 3 has passed through the power supply lane 5 (YES in S114), a stop request is sent to the management server 1 (S116). When the management server 1 receives the stop request from the vehicle 3 (YES in S204), it controls each of the multiple power transmission devices 50 to be in the off state, and power supply is stopped (S206).

As described above, with the vehicle 3 according to this embodiment, when the vehicle 3 is traveling along a lane on a road 6 on which multiple power transmission devices 50 are installed while driving assistance control such as LTA is being executed, if the power receiving efficiency is low, information is provided to adjust the driving line to one that increases power receiving efficiency. Therefore, the driver can drive the vehicle 3 along a driving line that increases power receiving efficiency, thereby efficiently charging the battery 30. Therefore, it is possible to provide a vehicle that can efficiently charge an onboard power storage device while traveling within a lane on which a power supply lane is provided.

The following describes the modified examples.

In the above embodiment, it has been described that when it is determined that the vehicle 3 has passed through the power supply lane 5, a stop request is sent to the management server 1, thereby stopping the power supply from the power transmission device 50 of the power supply lane 5. However, for example, the management server 1 may determine that the vehicle 3 has passed through the power supply lane 5 when no power is being transmitted from the power transmission device 50 (no current is flowing), and stop the power supply from the power transmission device 50.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the management server 1 was described as controlling the multiple power transmission devices 50 to be turned on when a power supply request is received. However, for example, the management server 1 may adjust the transmitted power using information about the power supply received from the vehicle 3. For example, if the upper limit value of the received power in the power receiving device 45 of the vehicle 3 is lower than the upper limit value of the power supply of the power transmission device 50, the management server 1 may control the multiple power transmission devices 50 so that the upper limit value of the received power is transmitted.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the ECU 41 transmits a power supply request to the management server 1 upon receiving an operation by the user to request power supply. However, for example, if the power supply lane 5 is pre-configured to be included in the route to the destination so that the vehicle 3 can be charged in the power supply lane 5 while traveling to the destination, the ECU 41 may transmit a power supply request to the management server 1 without receiving an operation from the user when the vehicle 3 enters the power supply lane 5.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the management server 1 and the vehicle 3 are described as being configured to be able to communicate with each other, but each of the multiple power transmission devices 50 and the vehicle 3 may also be configured to be able to communicate with each other. In this way, it is possible to detect whether the vehicle 3 has passed through each of the multiple power transmission devices 50, so that when the vehicle 3 passes through the power supply lane 5, the power transmission device 50 that can transmit power to the vehicle 3 is turned on, and as the vehicle 3 travels through the power supply lane 5, the power transmission device 50 that is turned on can be switched.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the management server 1 is described as controlling multiple power transmission devices 50 that make up the power supply lane 5. However, for example, the management server 1 may also control multiple power transmission devices that make up other power supply lanes in addition to the multiple power transmission devices 50 that make up the power supply lane 5.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, when the LTA function is on and there is low power receiving efficiency, the above-described display control is executed and the driver is asked to adjust the driving line. However, for example, if there is low power receiving efficiency during driving assistance control to maintain the lane, the above-described display control may be executed and the driver may be asked to adjust the driving line.

The above-mentioned variations may be implemented in whole or in part in combination as appropriate.

The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications that are equivalent in meaning to and within the scope of the claims.

1 Management server, 3 Vehicle, 5 Power supply lane, 6 Road, 6a, 6b Lane boundary line, 10, 560 Control device, 12 Storage device, 14, 42, 550 Communication device, 16 Communication bus, 30 Battery, 31 Monitoring unit, 32 Voltage sensor, 33 Current sensor, 34 Temperature sensor, 35 SMR, 36 PCU, 37 MG, 38 Transmission gear, 39 Drive wheel, 40 Sub DC/DC converter, 41 ECU, 43 Auxiliary device, 43a Camera, 43b Display device, 44 Auxiliary battery, 45 Power receiving device, 46 Power receiving coil, 47 Charging relay, 48 DC/DC converter, 49 Input device, 50 Power transmitting device, 51 Power transmitting coil, 52 AC power source, 100 Contactless charging system, 451 Power receiving unit, 452, 530 Filter circuit, 453 rectification unit, 510 PFC circuit, 520 inverter circuit, 540 power transmission unit.

Claims (1)

a power receiving device that receives power supplied in a wireless manner from a power transmitting device installed along a lane set on a road;
a power storage device that can be charged using the power received by the power receiving device;
a control device configured to be able to execute driving assistance control for maintaining the driving line of a traveling vehicle within the lane,
The control device
When receiving power from the power transmission device during the driving assist control, if the power receiving efficiency is equal to or less than a threshold value, notifying information for adjusting the driving line to one that increases the power receiving efficiency compared to the current driving line;
the information includes information for prompting a driver to adjust the position of the power receiving device to an optimal power receiving position, and image information that allows a driver to visually recognize a relative positional relationship of the position of the vehicle with respect to two lane boundary lines on both sides of the vehicle,
The image information includes the current driving line, a driving line where the power receiving efficiency increases, and an arrow indicating a direction in which the driving line should be moved for the position adjustment .