KR20250001675A - A Method and an apparatus for minimizing shadow area of foreign objects detection in electric vehicle wireless power transfer system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present specification provides a wireless power device for detecting a foreign substance. More specifically, the wireless power device includes a transmitting coil that transmits wireless power; and a Foreign Object Detection (FOD) coil that is arranged on an upper portion of the transmitting coil and is configured by stacking a plurality of layers to detect the foreign substance, wherein each layer constituting the plurality of layers is arranged as a plurality of single coils having a specific shape, and the plurality of single coils arranged in each layer are characterized in that they are arranged differently for each layer.

Description

{A method and an apparatus for minimizing shadow area of foreign objects detection in electric vehicle wireless power transfer system}

This specification relates to a coil arrangement for detecting foreign objects (FOD) in an electric vehicle wireless power transfer system and a method for estimating the location and shape of foreign objects, and is a technology applicable not only to electric vehicles but also to all systems capable of wireless power transfer.

There is a space between the power transmitter (TX) and the power receiver (RX) of wireless power transmission. If a metallic object is inserted into the space and wireless power transmission is performed, energy may be accumulated in the metallic object, causing the metallic object to heat up. The heat generation of the metallic object may cause ignition of surrounding objects, and may affect the wireless power transmission circuit, causing a malfunction of the circuit.

Wireless power transmission is a power charging technology for electrical and electronic products that allows users to charge them easily, and it allows for efficient use of space since the charging system takes up less space than a wired charging system. The biggest feature of wireless power transmission is that the charging system and the electrical and electronic product to be charged are charged contactlessly without a cable connection.

Due to the circuit characteristics of the transmitter and receiver of wireless power transmission, non-contact charging is possible, and there is a space between the two. If a foreign object exists in this space, power transmission loss occurs between the transmitter and receiver, and energy is transferred to the foreign object, which may cause the foreign object to heat up and cause a fire. For this reason, a technology to detect foreign objects in wireless power transmission is necessary.

Currently, coils that detect foreign substances use a two-dimensional array method due to space constraints. This causes a limitation on the number of coil turns and a reduction in coil area, which causes areas where it is difficult to detect the magnetic field used to detect foreign substances in wireless power transmission. Therefore, a coil arrangement that eliminates the shadow area of foreign substance detection and a method for estimating the location and shape of foreign substances are required.

As examined, the existing method uses a two-dimensional array method due to space constraints of the coils, but the purpose of this specification is to provide a method that reduces FOD shadow areas and can estimate the location and shape of foreign substances by stacking coils in a two-dimensional array to have an overlapping area for foreign substance detection location information.

That is, this specification defines a coil arrangement method having an FOD overlapping area by stacking coils in a two-dimensional array to minimize FOD shadow areas, so that it can be utilized as a FOD or LOD technology for wireless charging of robots or mobile devices (AGVs, electric vehicles, etc.).

The technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

The present specification relates to a wireless power device for detecting a foreign substance, comprising: a transmitting coil for transmitting wireless power; and a FOD (Foreign Object Detection) coil disposed on an upper portion of the transmitting coil and configured by stacking a plurality of layers to detect the foreign substance, wherein each layer constituting the plurality of layers is arranged as a plurality of single coils having a specific shape, and the plurality of single coils arranged in each layer are characterized in that they are arranged differently for each layer.

Additionally, the specific shape in the present specification is characterized by being a square shape or a rectangular shape.

In addition, the plurality of single coils arranged in the plurality of layers in the present specification are characterized in that they are arranged adjacently without overlapping each other.

In addition, the present specification is characterized by further including a measuring circuit for measuring voltage and phase from each of the plurality of single coils; a memory for storing the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils measured through the measuring circuit in the form of a look-up table; and a processor functionally connected to the measuring circuit and the memory.

In addition, the processor in the present specification is characterized in that it controls the measuring circuit to measure the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils in the absence of the foreign matter, and controls the memory to store the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils measured in the absence of the foreign matter in a first look-up table.

In addition, the processor in the present specification is characterized in that it controls the measurement circuit to measure the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils in the presence of the foreign substance, and compares the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils measured in the presence of the foreign substance with the first look-up table to calculate the amount of change in the voltage and phase in each of the plurality of single coils.

In addition, the memory in the present specification is characterized in that it stores the voltage and phase measured from each of the plurality of single coils according to the location of the foreign substance in a second look-up table.

In addition, the processor in the present specification is characterized in that it compares the first look-up table and the second look-up table to calculate the location and shape of the foreign substance.

In addition, the processor in the present specification is characterized in that the second look-up table is learned through a machine learning algorithm.

Additionally, the comparison between the first look-up table and the second look-up table in the present specification is characterized by the difference between the voltage and phase associated with the first look-up table and the voltage and phase associated with the second look-up table in a single coil at a specific location.

In addition, the processor in the present specification is characterized in that it controls to maintain a connection state with the measurement circuit only for a single coil to be measured in order to measure voltage and phase for the plurality of single coils.

In addition, the measuring circuit in the present specification is characterized in that it measures the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils in a matrix manner according to the change in time or measures them in the order of each layer.

This specification has the effect of minimizing the shadow area for detecting foreign substances of various sizes and shapes existing between a transmitter and receiver of wireless power transmission, thereby preventing fire and malfunction of the device that may occur due to heat generation by foreign substances in advance.

In addition, this specification has the effect of being able to obtain information on the removal of foreign substances by inferring foreign substances by estimating the location and shape of the foreign substances.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and are intended to aid in the understanding of the present invention and are intended to be a part of the detailed description, provide embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain the technical features of the present invention.
Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of a wired charging method for an electric vehicle.
Figure 2 shows an example of a conceptual diagram of an electric vehicle charging system to which the method proposed in this specification can be applied.
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate examples of electric vehicle charging systems including a plurality of wireless power transmitters to which the method proposed in this specification can be applied.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an internal block diagram of a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver proposed in this specification.
Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a side view of the arrangement of coils for foreign substance detection.
Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a pixel-shaped coil arrangement and a shadow area for foreign substance detection among existing foreign substance detection coils.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a square-shaped single coil array in each layer of the multiple layers proposed in this specification.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a rectangular single coil array in each layer of the multiple layers proposed in this specification.
Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement of FOD single coils to minimize the shadow area of foreign substance detection proposed in this specification.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for measuring information about a single coil of a specific shape over time as proposed in this specification.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another example of a method for measuring information about a single coil of a particular shape over time proposed in the present specification.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a method for finding the location of a foreign substance when a FOD coil is configured with a single coil of a specific type proposed in this specification.
Figures 14 and 15 are diagrams showing examples of a method for estimating the shape of a foreign substance using a single coil of a specific type proposed in this specification.
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an internal block diagram of a wireless power device in which the method proposed in this specification can be implemented.
Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of an internal block diagram of a vehicle device to which the method proposed in this specification can be applied.

It should be noted that the technical terms used in this specification are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the technology disclosed in this specification. In addition, unless specifically defined otherwise in this specification, the technical terms used in this specification should be interpreted as having a meaning generally understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the technology disclosed in this specification belongs, and should not be interpreted in an excessively comprehensive or excessively narrow sense. In addition, when a technical term used in this specification is an incorrect technical term that does not accurately express the scope of the technology disclosed in this specification, it should be replaced with a technical term that can be correctly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the technology disclosed in this specification belongs. In addition, general terms used in this specification should be interpreted as defined in the dictionary or according to the context, and should not be interpreted in an excessively narrow sense.

Terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. used in this specification may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component.

Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Regardless of the drawing numbers, identical or similar components are given the same reference numbers and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

In addition, when describing the technology disclosed in this specification, if it is judged that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the technology disclosed in this specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, it should be noted that the attached drawings are only intended to facilitate easy understanding of the concept of the technology disclosed in this specification, and should not be construed as limiting the concept of the technology by the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of a wired charging method for an electric vehicle.

That is, Fig. 1 shows a method of charging electric vehicles and AGVs with wires among the fields of transmitting power with wires. Electric vehicles charge their batteries by connecting the wired cable of the power charging system to the electric vehicle's power charging socket.

Figure 2 shows an example of a conceptual diagram of an electric vehicle charging system to which the method proposed in this specification can be applied.

Referring to FIG. 2, the electric vehicle charging system (100) includes a power supply device (110), a wireless power transmitter (120), an electric vehicle (130), a FOD coil (140), and a power line (150).

The power supply device (110) stores power to be supplied to an electric vehicle and supplies power wirelessly to the electric vehicle (130) through a wireless power transmission device (120), and may be referred to as a power supply unit, a power station, a charging station, a charger, a wireless charger, a charging device, a wireless charging device, etc.

The above power supply device is connected to a wireless power transmitter through a power line (150) and transmits power to the wireless power transmitter through power line communication.

When the above power supply device receives a power supply request from a wireless power transmitter, it supplies power to the wireless power transmitter via power line communication.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, one power supply device may be connected to a plurality of wireless power transmitters via power lines to simultaneously supply power to a plurality of electric vehicles, or as illustrated in FIG. 4, a plurality of power supply devices may be connected to a plurality of wireless power transmitters via power lines to supply power to a plurality of electric vehicles. That is, in the case of FIG. 4, each power supply device provides power to each wireless power transmitter, and each wireless power transmitter supplies power to each electric vehicle.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate examples of electric vehicle charging systems including a plurality of wireless power transmitters to which the method proposed in the present specification can be applied. That is, FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an electric vehicle charging system including one power supply device, and FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an electric vehicle charging system including a plurality of power supply devices.

A power line (150) connects a power supply device and a wireless power transmitter, transmits a power supply request from the wireless power transmitter to the power supply device, and transmits power from the power supply device to the wireless power transmitter that requested power supply.

When the wireless power transmitter detects the wireless power receiver of the electric vehicle (130) and confirms that the electric vehicle is in a chargeable state, it may request wireless power supply to the power supply device through power line communication, or when it receives a wireless power supply request signal from the electric vehicle, it may request power supply to the power supply device.

The wireless power transmitter transmits wireless power to the wireless power receiver (131) of the electric vehicle using a magnetic induction method or a magnetic resonance method, and data can be transmitted and received between the wireless power transmitter and the electric vehicle through magnetic field communication, Bluetooth communication, etc.

The wireless power transmitter is connected to the power supply device and the power line, and can be installed at a location away from the power supply device, and can be installed at a location where the electric vehicle is parked, such as a parking lot. Accordingly, power can be wirelessly transmitted to the electric vehicle through the wireless power transmitter installed at the parking location of the electric vehicle while the electric vehicle is parked in a space such as a parking lot.

The FOD coil (or FOD pad or foreign matter detection coil) (140) is placed on the upper part of the wireless power transmitter and can be implemented to include a FOD pattern. Here, the FOD pattern can be used to detect metal objects and living things within a magnetic field.

When each pattern of the FOD coil is connected to the FOD circuit, the output voltage that serves as the reference can be checked. If metal/living matter is detected, an output voltage different from the reference value can be measured. On the other hand, if metal/living matter is not detected, an output voltage that is the same as the reference value can be measured.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an internal block diagram of a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver proposed in this specification.

Referring to FIG. 5a, the wireless power transmitter (120) includes a transmitting coil (121), a processor (122), and a communication unit (123).

The transmitting coil (121) may be called a transmitting pad, a wireless charging transmitting pad, a primary coil, etc., and transmits wireless power to an electric vehicle.

The transmitting coil (121) can generate an electromagnetic field using AC power (or voltage or current). The transmitting coil receives AC power (or voltage or current) of a specific frequency output from a power conversion circuit, and can generate a magnetic field of a specific frequency accordingly. The magnetic field can be generated non-radiatively or radiatively, and the wireless power receiving device receives it and generates a current. In other words, the transmitting coil wirelessly transmits power.

The processor (122) controls the wireless power transmitter to perform power transmission and reception or data transmission and reception with the power supply device or the electric vehicle. When the chargeable state of the electric vehicle is detected or a power supply request is received from the electric vehicle, the processor (122) requests power supply to the power supply device, and when power is received from the power supply device, it controls the wireless power transmission to the electric vehicle.

The communication unit (123) can transmit and receive information with the power supply device and the wireless power receiving device. That is, the communication unit can be equipped with a power line communication module for performing power line communication with the power supply device, and can be equipped with a module for performing magnetic field communication or short-distance communication with the wireless power receiving device.

Referring to FIG. 5b, the wireless power receiving device (131) includes a receiving coil (131-1), a rectifier circuit (131-2), a processor (131-3), a battery (131-4), and a communication unit (131-5).

The wireless power receiving device may be installed as a separate module inside the electric vehicle (130), or the electric vehicle may be referred to as the wireless power receiving device. When the wireless power receiving device refers to the electric vehicle, the wireless power receiving device includes additional components required for the electric vehicle in addition to the components illustrated in Fig. 5b.

The receiving coil (131-1) may be referred to as a receiving pad, a wireless charging receiving pad, a secondary coil, etc., and receives wireless power transmitted by a wireless power transmitter. The processor (131-3) controls reception of wireless power, requests for supply of wireless power, etc. The rectifier circuit (131-2) rectifies the received wireless power, the battery (131-4) stores the wireless power received from the wireless power transmitter, and the communication unit (131-5) transmits and receives data with the wireless power transmitter through magnetic field communication or short-range communication (e.g., BLE, etc.).

Hereinafter, the FOD coil arrangement for minimizing shadow areas for foreign substance detection and the method for estimating the location and shape of foreign substances in wireless charging of electric vehicles proposed in this specification will be specifically examined with reference to related drawings.

In the wireless power transmission system, such as the one shown in Fig. 5, there is no way to determine if there is a foreign substance between the transmitter and receiver. Therefore, to solve this problem, a foreign substance detection coil, as shown in Fig. 6, is inserted between the transmitter and receiver to detect the foreign substance.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a side view of the arrangement of coils for foreign substance detection.

First, a method of detecting a foreign substance using a coil for detecting a foreign substance is possible by generating a magnetic field for detecting a foreign substance, causing the foreign substance to generate an eddy current through the generated magnetic field, and the generated eddy current generates a magnetic field that interferes with the magnetic field for detecting a foreign substance, thereby checking the change in voltage and phase induced in the coil for detecting a foreign substance.

Here, the voltage induced in the coil for detecting foreign substances through the magnetic field can be calculated using the following mathematical formula 1 through Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction.

In mathematical expression 1, E represents the voltage induced in the coil [V], N represents the number of turns of the coil, B represents the magnetic flux density [Wb/m ² ], S represents the area affected by the magnetic field inside the coil [m ² ], and t represents time [s]. That is, the voltage induced in the foreign substance detection coil is affected by the number of turns of the foreign substance detection coil and the area affected by the magnetic field.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a pixel-shaped coil arrangement and a shadow area for foreign substance detection among existing foreign substance detection coils.

Referring to FIG. 7, a single coil wire (720) of a single coil having a pixel shape of a specific size (hereinafter referred to as a 'pixel-type single coil', 710) is wound toward the center due to a limitation of dimension (two dimensions). As a result, the edges (left, right, top, and bottom ends) of the pixel-type single coil have a smaller number of turns of the wire and a smaller overlapping area receiving a magnetic field, so that they are not as wide as the center of the pixel-type single coil. For this reason, the boundary portion (edge) between the single coils for pixel-type foreign matter detection in FIG. 7 becomes a shaded area (730) for foreign matter detection.

Therefore, in the following, we will examine a method of configuring a coil for detecting foreign substances by stacking them to minimize the shadow area of foreign substance detection proposed in this specification.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a square-shaped single coil array in each layer of the multiple layers proposed in this specification.

In Fig. 8, a single coil (810) indicated by a dotted line represents a single coil for conventional pixel-type foreign matter detection, and a single coil (820) indicated by a solid line represents a single coil configured in each layer proposed in this specification.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the coil for detecting foreign substances may be composed of a plurality of layers (e.g., four layers), and each layer of the plurality of layers may be arranged as a single coil in a square shape. In addition, the single coil in a square shape arranged in each layer is configured to be larger in size than the existing pixel coil so as to include at least one existing pixel coil. The square-shaped single coil proposed in this specification can have a different arrangement method for each layer, and as illustrated in FIG. 8, in the first-layer coil, square-shaped single coils can be arranged adjacently without any gaps and without overlapping each other, in the second-layer coil, square-shaped single coils can be arranged adjacently without any gaps and without overlapping each other at a certain distance from the left and right sides of the second-layer coil, in the third-layer coil, square-shaped single coils can be arranged adjacently without any gaps and without overlapping each other at a certain distance from the top and bottom of the third-layer coil, and in the fourth-layer coil, square-shaped single coils can be arranged adjacently without any gaps and without overlapping each other at a certain distance from the left, right, top, and bottom of the fourth-layer coil.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a rectangular single coil array in each layer of the multiple layers proposed in this specification.

In Fig. 9, a single coil (910) indicated by a dotted line represents a single coil for conventional pixel-type foreign matter detection, and a single coil (920) indicated by a solid line represents a single coil configured in each layer proposed in this specification.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the coil for detecting foreign substances may be composed of a plurality of layers (e.g., four layers), and each layer of the plurality of layers may be arranged as a single coil having a rectangular shape. In addition, the single coil having a rectangular shape arranged in each layer is configured to be larger than the existing pixel coil so as to include at least one existing pixel coil. The rectangular single coil proposed in this specification can have a different arrangement method for each layer, and as illustrated in FIG. 9, in the first-layer coil, vertically long rectangular single coils can be arranged adjacent to each other without any gaps and without overlapping each other, in the second-layer coil, horizontally long rectangular single coils can be arranged adjacent to each other without any gaps and without overlapping each other, in the third-layer coil, horizontally long rectangular single coils can be arranged adjacent to each other without any gaps and without overlapping each other at a certain interval from the top and bottom of the third-layer coil, and in the fourth-layer coil, vertically long rectangular single coils can be arranged adjacent to each other without any gaps and without overlapping each other at a certain interval from the left and right of the fourth-layer coil.

As examined in Fig. 7, the shadow areas of foreign matter detection of the FOD coil can largely occur at the upper/lower, left/right, and intersection points between the single coils. Therefore, as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, by arranging a square or rectangular single coil having a larger area than the pixel-shaped single coil of the existing foreign matter detection coil in multiple layers with a different arrangement in each layer at the upper/lower, left/right, and intersection points between the single coils, it is possible to detect foreign matters even in the shadow areas of the foreign matter detection of Fig. 7.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement of FOD single coils to minimize the shadow area of foreign substance detection proposed in this specification.

As illustrated in Fig. 10, when all information (e.g., voltage change, phase, etc.) that can be obtained through a single coil of each layer for multiple layers is collected, the shadow area of foreign substance detection that occurs in the existing pixel-type single coil can be eliminated or minimized. However, as the area surrounded by the square or rectangular single coil arranged in each layer proposed in this specification increases, the measurement precision for the location information of the foreign substance may decrease.

Therefore, in the following, we will examine a method for identifying detailed location information of a foreign substance by using information obtained through a single coil in each layer to increase the precision of the location information of the foreign substance.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for measuring information about a single coil of a specific shape over time as proposed in this specification.

That is, Fig. 11 is a method for checking information on a single coil of a specific shape by changing the measurement point of a single coil of a specific shape in a matrix manner according to time changes.

The specific shape of a single coil used in this specification means a single coil proposed in this specification that is distinguished from a conventional pixel-shaped single coil, and the specific shape may be a square or rectangular shape, and the single coil of the specific shape may have a size that can include at least one pixel-shaped single coil.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another example of a method for measuring information about a single coil of a particular shape over time proposed in the present specification.

That is, Fig. 12 is a method for checking the information of all single coils in the order of each layer according to time changes.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when checking all the voltage and phase information of single coils laminated in multiple layers at once, errors may occur due to unwanted noise caused by mutual interference between the single coils. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, when setting the single coils to be measured so that the measurement areas of the single coils to be measured do not overlap with each other and time-division to reduce the mutual influence between the single coils, errors in the information obtained from the single coils can be reduced.

Specifically, Fig. 11 shows that when the form of a single coil is a 2*2 matrix form, information about a single coil is measured from the starting point of the FOD coil toward the right according to time change, and the single coil selected toward the right corresponds to a single coil of a specific layer that fits the 2*2 matrix form. That is, it can be seen that the first single coil measured in Fig. 11 corresponds to the first single coil of the first-layer coil, and the second single coil measured corresponds to the first single coil of the second-layer coil.

In the case of Fig. 12, it can be seen that first, information on single coils arranged in the first-layer coil is measured, and then, sequentially, information on single coils arranged in the second-layer coil, single coils arranged in the third-layer coil, and single coils arranged in the fourth layer are measured according to the change in time.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a method for finding the location of a foreign substance when a FOD coil is configured with a single coil of a specific type proposed in this specification.

In order to obtain location information on a foreign substance, as illustrated in Fig. 13, it is necessary to have information (default data) of all single coils in the case where there is no foreign substance in the form of a LUT (Look-Up Table). That is, the location of the foreign substance can be determined by comparing the LUT (1310) in the case where there is no foreign substance and the LUT (1320) of information obtained from all single coils when a foreign substance is detected with the LUT (1330) for all single coils according to the location of the foreign substance. In order to estimate the location of the foreign substance in more detail or to increase the accuracy of the data, the detailed location information of the foreign substance can be estimated using an artificial intelligence algorithm such as machine learning.

Figures 14 and 15 are diagrams showing examples of a method for estimating the shape of a foreign substance using a single coil of a specific type proposed in this specification.

Fig. 14 shows a method for estimating the shape of a foreign substance using data measured using a square-shaped single coil of Fig. 8, and Fig. 15 shows an example of a method for estimating the shape of a foreign substance using data measured using a rectangular-shaped single coil of Fig. 9.

If the size of the foreign substance is larger than the size of a single coil of a specific type proposed in this specification, the shape of the foreign substance can be estimated through information obtainable from all single coils laminated with multiple coil layers as illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15 and the LUT in the case where there is no foreign substance. If it is difficult to estimate the shape of the foreign substance with only the information obtained from a single coil, the shape of the foreign substance can be estimated through machine learning such as CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) and DL (Deep Learning), and the accuracy of the foreign substance shape can be increased through comparison with the shape of the foreign substance estimated by listing the measurement information.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an internal block diagram of a wireless power device in which the method proposed in this specification can be implemented.

First, the wireless power device (1600) for detecting foreign substances proposed in this specification may be configured to include a transmitting coil (1610), a FOD coil (1620), a processor (1630), a memory (1640), and a measuring circuit (1650).

The above-mentioned transmitting coil transmits wireless power, and the FOD coil is arranged on top of the above-mentioned transmitting coil and may be configured by stacking a plurality of layers to detect the foreign substance.

Here, each layer constituting the plurality of layers may be arranged as a plurality of single coils having a specific shape, and the plurality of single coils arranged in each layer may be arranged differently for each layer.

And, the specific shape may be a square shape or a rectangular shape, the number of the plurality of layers may be, for example, four, and the plurality of single coils arranged in the plurality of layers may be arranged adjacently without overlapping each other.

And, the measurement circuit measures the voltage and phase from each of the plurality of single coils.

Additionally, the measurement circuit can measure the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils in a matrix manner according to the change in time or in the order of each layer.

And, the memory stores the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils measured through the measuring circuit in the form of a look-up table.

And, the processor is functionally connected to the transmitting coil, the FOD coil, the memory and the measuring circuit to control the overall operation of the wireless power device.

More specifically, the processor may control the measuring circuit to measure voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils in the absence of the foreign matter, and control the memory to store the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils measured in the absence of the foreign matter in a first look-up table. In addition, the processor may control the measuring circuit to measure voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils in the presence of the foreign matter, and compare the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils measured in the presence of the foreign matter with the first look-up table to calculate a change in voltage and phase in each of the plurality of single coils.

Here, the memory can store the voltage and phase measured from each of the plurality of single coils according to the location of the foreign substance into a second look-up table.

Additionally, the processor compares the first look-up table and the second look-up table to calculate the location and shape of the foreign substance, and the second look-up table can be learned through a machine learning algorithm.

Here, the comparison between the first look-up table and the second look-up table may be the voltage and phase difference associated with the first look-up table and the voltage and phase difference associated with the second look-up table at a single coil at a specific location.

Additionally, the processor may be controlled to maintain a connection with the measurement circuit only for a single coil to be measured in order to measure voltage and phase for the plurality of single coils.

Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of an internal block diagram of a vehicle device to which the method proposed in this specification can be applied.

A vehicle device for implementing a method or function proposed in this specification may be referred to as an electric vehicle, an electric car, etc., and may include a processor, an AI device, a memory, an interface unit, a power supply unit, an input device, an image device, a communication device, a display device, a wireless power receiving device, etc.

First, the processor can receive signals, information or data from the outside through a communication device. Additionally, the processor can transmit signals, information or data to the outside.

The processor can specify the wireless power transmission device based on image data received from at least one of an internal camera and an external camera included in the image device. The processor can specify the wireless power transmission device by applying an image processing algorithm to the image data. For example, the processor can specify the wireless power transmission device by comparing the image data with information received from the outside. For example, the information can include at least one of vehicle route information, location information of the wireless power transmission device, and wireless charging system usage history information.

The AI device may include an artificial intelligence agent. The artificial intelligence agent may perform machine learning based on data acquired through the input device. The artificial intelligence agent may control at least one of the display devices based on the machine-learned result.

The memory can store basic data for the unit, control data for controlling the operation of the unit, and input/output data. The memory can store data processed by the processor. The memory can be configured as at least one of ROM, RAM, EPROM, flash drive, and hard drive in terms of hardware.

The interface unit can exchange signals with at least one electronic device provided in the vehicle device, either wired or wirelessly. The interface unit can be composed of at least one of a communication module, a terminal, a pin, a cable, a port, a circuit, an element, and a device.

The power supply unit can supply power to the vehicle device. The power supply unit can be operated according to a control signal provided from the process.

The input device can receive user input. The input device can convert the user input into an electrical signal. The electrical signal converted by the input device can be converted into a control signal and provided to the display device.

The input device may include at least one of a touch input unit, a gesture input unit, a mechanical input unit, and a voice input unit. The touch input unit may convert a user's touch input into an electrical signal. The touch input unit may include at least one touch sensor to detect the user's touch input. According to an embodiment, the touch input unit may be formed integrally with at least one display included in the display device, thereby implementing a touch screen. Such a touch screen may provide an input interface and an output interface between the vehicle device and the user. The gesture input unit may convert a user's gesture input into an electrical signal. The gesture input unit may include at least one of an infrared sensor and an image sensor for detecting the user's gesture input. According to an embodiment, the gesture input unit may detect a user's three-dimensional gesture input. To this end, the gesture input unit may include a light output unit that outputs a plurality of infrared lights or a plurality of image sensors.

The imaging device may include at least one camera. The imaging device may include at least one of an internal camera and an external camera. The internal camera may capture an image inside the vehicle. The external camera may capture an image outside the vehicle. The internal camera may obtain an image inside the vehicle device. The imaging device may include at least one internal camera. The imaging device may provide an image captured by the internal camera. The processor may detect a motion of the user based on the image captured by the internal camera, generate a signal based on the detected motion, and provide the signal to the display device. The external camera may obtain an image outside the vehicle. The imaging device may include at least one external camera. The imaging device may provide an image captured by the external camera. The processor may obtain user information based on the image captured by the external camera.

The communication device can exchange signals wirelessly with an external device. The communication device can exchange signals with the external device through a network or directly with the external device. The external device can include at least one of a server, a mobile terminal, and another vehicle device. The communication device can include an antenna, an RF (Radio Frequency) circuit capable of implementing at least one communication protocol, and at least one of an RF component to perform communication. According to an embodiment, the communication device may utilize a plurality of communication protocols.

For example, a communication device may exchange signals with an external device based on Cellular V2X (C-V2X) technology. For example, the C-V2X technology may include LTE-based sidelink communications and/or NR-based sidelink communications.

For example, a communication device can exchange signals with an external device based on the Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) technology or the Wireless Access in Vehicular Environment (WAVE) standard based on the IEEE 802.11p PHY/MAC layer technology and the IEEE 1609 Network/Transport layer technology.

The communication device can exchange signals with an external device using only one of the C-V2X technology or the DSRC technology. Alternatively, the communication device can exchange signals with an external device using a hybrid of the C-V2X technology and the DSRC technology.

A display device can display graphic objects.

The wireless power receiving device is a device for receiving wireless power from a wireless power transmitting device. For a detailed description, refer to Fig. 5 discussed above.

The embodiments described above are combinations of components and features of the present invention in a given form. Each component or feature should be considered optional unless explicitly stated otherwise. Each component or feature may be implemented in a form that is not combined with other components or features. In addition, it is also possible to combine some components and/or features to form an embodiment of the present invention. The order of operations described in the embodiments of the present invention may be changed. Some components or features of one embodiment may be included in another embodiment, or may be replaced with corresponding components or features of another embodiment. It is obvious that claims that do not have an explicit citation relationship in the scope of the patent may be combined to form an embodiment or may be included as a new claim by post-application amendment.

Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by various means, for example, hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. In case of hardware implementation, an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented by one or more ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), DSPs (digital signal processors), DSPDs (digital signal processing devices), PLDs (programmable logic devices), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and the like.

In the case of implementation by firmware or software, one embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of a module, procedure, function, etc. that performs the functions or operations described above. The software code may be stored in a memory and may be driven by a processor. The memory may be located inside or outside the processor and may exchange data with the processor by various means already known.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Accordingly, the above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in all respects but should be considered as illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

100: Electric Vehicle Charging System

Claims (12)

In a wireless power device for detecting foreign substances,
A transmitting coil for transmitting wireless power; and
A FOD (Foreign Object Detection) coil is disposed on top of the above-mentioned transmitting coil and is configured by stacking multiple layers to detect the foreign substance.
Each layer constituting the above multiple layers is arranged as multiple single coils having a specific shape,
A wireless power device, characterized in that the plurality of single coils arranged in each of the above layers are arranged differently for each of the above layers. In the first paragraph,
A wireless power device characterized in that the above specific shape is a square shape or a rectangular shape. In the second paragraph,
A device characterized in that a plurality of single coils arranged in the above-mentioned multiple layers are arranged adjacently without overlapping each other. In the third paragraph,
A measuring circuit for measuring voltage and phase from each of the plurality of single coils;
A memory for storing the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils measured through the above measurement circuit in the form of a look-up table; and
A wireless power device further comprising a processor functionally connected to the measurement circuit and the memory. In the fourth paragraph, the processor,
Controlling the measurement circuit to measure the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils in the absence of the foreign matter;
A wireless power device characterized in that the memory is controlled to store the voltage and phase for each of a plurality of single coils measured in the absence of the foreign substance into a first look-up table. In the fifth paragraph, the processor,
Controlling the measurement circuit to measure the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils in the presence of the foreign substance;
A wireless power device characterized in that the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils measured in the presence of the foreign substance are compared with the first look-up table to calculate the amount of change in the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils. In the sixth paragraph, the memory,
A wireless power device characterized in that the voltage and phase measured from each of the plurality of single coils according to the location of the foreign substance are stored in a second look-up table. In the seventh paragraph, the processor,
A wireless power device characterized in that the location and shape of the foreign substance are calculated by comparing the first look-up table and the second look-up table. In the 8th paragraph, the processor,
A wireless power device, characterized in that the second look-up table is learned through a machine learning algorithm. In Article 9,
A wireless power device, wherein the comparison between the first look-up table and the second look-up table is characterized by the difference between the voltage and phase associated with the first look-up table and the voltage and phase associated with the second look-up table at a single coil at a specific location. In the 10th paragraph, the processor,
A wireless power device characterized in that it controls to maintain a connection state with the measurement circuit only for a single coil to be measured in order to measure voltage and phase for the plurality of single coils. In the 11th paragraph, the measuring circuit,
A wireless power device characterized in that the voltage and phase for each of the plurality of single coils are measured in a matrix manner according to time variation or are measured in the order of each layer.