Vehicle charging system object detection systems and methods
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsMateusz ZADROZNY, Christopher W. BELL
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle includes a charge plate configured to receive charge for a battery when positioned at a charge zone. The vehicle also includes a camera system and a controller programmed to cause the camera system to capture a calibration image at each of a plurality of indexed positions as the charge plate approaches the charge zone. The controller is also programmed to cause the camera system to capture a present image for at least one of the indexed positions, and prevent initiation of a charge procedure responsive to differences between the present image and a corresponding one of the calibration images exceeding a pixel variance threshold.
Claims18
A vehicle comprising:
- a charge plate configured to receive charge for a battery when positioned at a charge zone;
- a camera system;
- and
- a controller programmed to
- cause the camera system to capture a calibration image at each of a plurality of indexed positions as the charge plate approaches the charge zone,
- cause the camera system to capture a present image for at least one of the indexed positions, and
- prevent initiation of a charge procedure responsive to differences between the present image and a corresponding one of the calibration images exceeding a pixel variance threshold.
A vehicle battery charge system comprising:
- a vehicle charge coil;
- a camera system configured to capture calibration images of a primary charge coil at a plurality of positions relative to the primary charge coil;
- and
- a controller configured to permit receipt of charge at the vehicle charge coil from the primary charge coil responsive to differences between a present image and a corresponding one of the calibration images being less than a pixel variance threshold.
A method of vehicle battery charging comprising:
- indexing a camera through multiple positions having a primary charge plate within a field of view;
- capturing a calibration image at each of the multiple positions;
- prior to initiating a charge procedure, capturing a present image corresponding to at least one of the calibration images;
- and
- outputting an object detection signal responsive to a difference between the calibration image and present image exceeding a detection threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.