Presenting routing information for electric vehicles

• US 10,168,170 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2017
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Recargo, Inc. (E.ON SE)
• Original Assignee: Recargo, Inc. (E.ON SE)
• Inventors: North, Forrest, Manfield, Lucas, Petrosian, Armen, Wild, Nick
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US15/657,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20180073882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/12 by confirmation, e.g. of the input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3605 Destination input or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 : Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/14 : for charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

Systems and methods for identifying available charging stations (e.g., charging stations available to be used by an electric vehicle) and/or determining travel routes for electric vehicles are described. In some embodiments, the systems and methods receive a request to find an available charging station, determine a state of charge for an electric vehicle associated with the request, identifies one or more available charging stations located within a suitable distance to the electric vehicle, the suitable distance based on the determined state of the charge for the electric vehicle, and present information to the electric vehicle, or an associated mobile device, that indicates the identified charging stations.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium whose contents, when executed by a mobile application supported by a mobile device and connected to multiple charging networks that provide charging stations for electric vehicles and to a computing system of an electric vehicle, cause the mobile application to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a request from the electric vehicle to find an available charging station;

identifying one or more charging stations that satisfy parameters for a current trip of the electric vehicle that is associated with the request;

automatically selecting a charging station that is a best match for the electric vehicle,

wherein the automatic selection of the charging station includes;

automatically reserving the selected charging station on behalf of the electric vehicle; and

automatically providing payment for use of the selected charging station by the electric vehicle to a charging network that controls the charging station; and

displaying, via a user interface associated with the electric vehicle, information that indicates the charging station has been automatically selected.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more charging stations that satisfy parameters for a current trip of an electric vehicle that is associated with the request includes identifying one or more charging stations not currently reserved by another electric vehicle.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more charging stations that satisfy parameters for a current trip of an electric vehicle that is associated with the request includes identifying one or more available charging stations not currently charging another electric vehicle.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more charging stations that satisfy parameters for a current trip of an electric vehicle that is associated with the request includes:

determining a travel time associated with the electric vehicle traveling to one or more prospective charging stations; and

selecting prospective charging stations that are predicted to be available to charge the electric vehicle after the determined travel time has lapsed.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein displaying information that indicates the charging station has been selected includes displaying an icon within a displayed map presented by a mapping application of the electric vehicle, the icon representative of the selected charging station.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein automatically selecting a charging station that is a best match for the electric vehicle includes:

determining a maximum available energy usage for the electric vehicle, the maximum available energy usage based on a current state of charge of a battery pack of the electric vehicle during the current trip traveled by the electric vehicle; and

identifying a route to a charging station associated with a predicted energy usage for the electric vehicle that is less than the determined maximum energy usage for the electric vehicle,

wherein the predicted energy usage is a value for energy predicted to be used by the electric vehicle when traveling to the charging station via the identified route.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein automatically selecting a charging station that is a best match for the electric vehicle includes:

determining a maximum available energy usage for the electric vehicle, the maximum available energy usage based on a current state of charge of a battery pack of the electric vehicle during the current trip traveled by the electric vehicle and based on make and model of the electric vehicle; and

identifying a route to a charging station associated with a predicted energy usage for the electric vehicle that is less than the determined maximum energy usage for the electric vehicle,

wherein the predicted energy usage is a value of energy predicted to be used by the electric vehicle when traveling to the charging station via the identified route.

8. A method performed by a mobile application supported by a mobile device and connected to multiple charging networks that provide charging stations for electric vehicles and to a computing system of an electric vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the electric vehicle to find an available charging station;

identifying one or more charging stations that satisfy parameters for a current trip of the electric vehicle that is associated with the request;

automatically selecting a charging station that is a best match for the electric vehicle,

wherein the automatic selection of the charging station includes;

automatically reserving the selected charging station on behalf of the electric vehicle; and

automatically providing payment for use of the selected charging station by the electric vehicle to a charging network that controls the charging station; and

displaying, via a user interface associated with the electric vehicle, information that indicates the charging station has been automatically selected.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying one or more charging stations that satisfy parameters for a current trip of an electric vehicle that is associated with the request includes identifying one or more charging stations not currently reserved by another electric vehicle.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying one or more charging stations that satisfy parameters for a current trip of an electric vehicle that is associated with the request includes identifying one or more available charging stations not currently charging another electric vehicle.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying one or more charging stations that satisfy parameters for a current trip of an electric vehicle that is associated with the request includes:

determining a travel time associated with the electric vehicle traveling to one or more prospective charging stations; and

selecting prospective charging stations that are predicted to be available to charge the electric vehicle after the determined travel time has lapsed.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein displaying information that indicates the charging station has been selected includes displaying an icon within a displayed map presented by a mapping application of the electric vehicle, the icon representative of the selected charging station.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein automatically selecting a charging station that is a best match for the electric vehicle includes:

determining a maximum available energy usage for the electric vehicle, the maximum available energy usage based on a current state of charge of a battery pack of the electric vehicle during the current trip traveled by the electric vehicle; and

identifying a route to a charging station associated with a predicted energy usage for the electric vehicle that is less than the determined maximum energy usage for the electric vehicle,

wherein the predicted energy usage is a value for energy predicted to be used by the electric vehicle when traveling to the charging station via the identified route.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein automatically selecting a charging station that is a best match for the electric vehicle includes:

determining a maximum available energy usage for the electric vehicle, the maximum available energy usage based on a current state of charge of a battery pack of the electric vehicle during the current trip traveled by the electric vehicle and based on make and model of the electric vehicle; and

identifying a route to a charging station associated with a predicted energy usage for the electric vehicle that is less than the determined maximum energy usage for the electric vehicle,

wherein the predicted energy usage is a value of energy predicted to be used by the electric vehicle when traveling to the charging station via the identified route.