Feeding apparatus, charging apparatus, and feeding method

A charging apparatus used for non-contact charging and mounted on a vehicle, the charging apparatus mounted on the vehicle comprising:

• a power receiving unit configured to receive power fed from a feeding apparatus;
• a charging unit configured to charge a battery unit with the received power;
• and
• a control device configured to transmit feeding unit specifying information containing information indicating the received power level, and to perform control to charge the battery unit when charging start information for starting charging transmitted from the feeding apparatus is received in the case wherein the transmitted power level is within a specific power range that is stored in a storage unit of the feeding apparatus and that indicates the determined power level range.

A feeding method used for non-contact charging wherein a computer of a feeding apparatus executes processing to:

• execute control so that a feeding unit arranged in the feeding apparatus configured to feed power in a non-contact manner to a charging apparatus mounted on a vehicle outputs first power of a magnitude corresponding to the feeding unit in order to specify each of the feeding units arranged in the feeding apparatus configured to feed power in a non-contact manner to the charging apparatus;
• acquire feeding unit specifying information transmitted by the vehicle which has received the first power via the radio communication unit;
• determine whether or not the magnitude of the power indicated by the received feeding unit specifying information is within a specific power range stored in advance in a storage unit, when receiving the feeding unit specifying information;
• transmit to the vehicle charging start information for starting charging, when the magnitude of power is determined to be within the specific power range;
• and
• perform control so that the feeding unit specified by the feeding unit specifying information outputs second power.

A feeding method used for non-contact charging, wherein a computer of a feeding apparatus executes processing to:

• execute control so that a plurality of feeding units connected in parallel with each other to the computer and configured to feed power in a non-contact manner to a charging apparatus mounted on a vehicle output first power of a magnitude corresponding to the feeding units so as to specify each of the feeding units;
• acquire feeding unit specifying information transmitted by the vehicle which has received the first power, via the radio communication unit;
• determine whether or not the magnitude of power indicated by the received feeding unit specifying information is within a specific power range stored in advance in a storage unit;
• transmit to the vehicle charging start information for starting charging when the magnitude of power is determined to be within the specific power range;
• and
• execute control so that the feeding unit specified by the feeding unit specifying information outputs second power.

A computer-readable recording medium having stored therein a feeding program causing a computer to execute an information processing process to:

• perform control so that a feeding unit provided in the feeding apparatus configured to feed power in a non-contact manner to a charging apparatus mounted on a vehicle outputs first power of a magnitude corresponding to the feeding unit in order to specify each feeding unit provided in the feeding apparatus configured to feed power in a non-contact manner to the charging apparatus;
• acquire feeding unit specifying information sent by the vehicle which has received the first power, via the radio communication unit;
• determine whether or not the magnitude of power indicated by the received feeding unit specifying information is within a specific power range stored in advance in the storage unit, when the feeding unit specifying information has been received;
• transmit to the vehicle charging start information for starting charging, when the magnitude of power is determined to be within the specific power range;
• and
• execute control to make the feeding unit specified by the feeding unit specifying information output second power.

A computer-readable recording medium having stored therein a feeding program causing a computer to execute an information processing process to:

• execute control so that a plurality of feeding units connected in series with each other to the computer and configured to feed power in a non-contact manner to a charging apparatus mounted on a vehicle output first power of a magnitude corresponding to the feeding units in order to specify each of the feeding units;
• acquire feeding unit specifying information sent by the vehicle which has received the first power via the radio communication unit;
• determine whether or not the magnitude of power indicated by the received feeding unit specifying information is within a specific power range stored in advance in a storage unit when receiving the feeding unit specifying information;
• transmit to the vehicle charging start information for starting charging, when the magnitude of power is determined to be within the specific power range;
• and
• execute control so that the feeding unit specified by the feeding unit specifying information outputs second power.