Electric vehicle roadway charging system and method of use

• US 10,189,363 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2015
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NIO Technology Company Limited (Shanghai Anbin Technology Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Nio Usa Inc.
• Inventors: Ricci, Christopher P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nha
• Application Number:
  US14/954,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20170136910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• 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 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

Techniques for electric vehicle systems, and in particular to electric vehicle charging systems and associated methods of use are provided. In one embodiment, a system for charging an electric vehicle comprises an electrical storage unit, an external power source, a charging panel, and a vehicle controller configured to determine if the electrical storage unit requires charging and configured to determine if conditions allow for deployment of a charging panel.

Claims

1. A system for charging an electric vehicle comprising:

an electrical storage unit disposed on an electric vehicle;

a power source disposed external to the electric vehicle and configured to charge the electrical storage unit;

a charging panel in electrical communication with the electrical storage unit;

a vehicle database comprising required conditions for deployment of the charging panel; and

a vehicle controller that determines if the electrical storage unit requires charging and when the electrical storage unit is determined to require charging, the vehicle controller determines if conditions allow for deployment of the charging panel, wherein determining if conditions allow for deployment include the vehicle controller querying the vehicle database for the required conditions for deployment of the charging panel, the required conditions including information on charging services associated with a particular roadway the electric vehicle is on;

wherein the charging panel receives the charge from the power source and charges the electrical storage unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the charging panel is deployed.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the charging panel is configured to operate in a plurality of states comprising a retracted state and a deployed state.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the power source is disposed within a roadway or on a roadway surface.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the charge is received by the electrical storage unit while the vehicle is stationary.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the charge is received by the electrical storage unit while the vehicle is moving.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle sensor configured to determine if at least one obstacle exists between the charging panel and the power source.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein if at least one obstacle exists between the charging panel and the power source, the charging panel is not deployed.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle controller is further configured to determine if the electrical storage unit requires charging.

10. A method for charging an electric vehicle comprising:

determining, by a microprocessor, that an electrical storage unit of the electric vehicle requires a charge;

querying, by the microprocessor and in response to determining that the electrical storage unit of the electric vehicle requires the charge, a vehicle database comprising information on charging services associated with a particular roadway the electric vehicle is on;

determining, by the microprocessor and based on the information on charging services, if a power source is available to charge the electrical storage unit;

determining, based on the information on charging services, if the electrical storage unit is compatible with the power source to receive the charge from the power source;

querying, by the microprocessor and in response to determining that the electrical storage unit is compatible with the power source, the vehicle database for required conditions for deployment of a charging panel, wherein the charging panel is in electrical communication with the electrical storage unit; and

deploying the charging panel when the required conditions allow for deployment of the charging panel;

wherein the charging panel is configured to receive the charge from the power source and charge the electrical storage unit.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the power source is disposed external to the electric vehicle within a roadway or on a roadway surface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the charge is received by the electrical storage unit while the vehicle is stationary.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the charge is received by the electrical storage unit while the vehicle is moving.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the charging panel is configured to operate in a plurality of states comprising a retracted state and a deployed state.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein if conditions allow for deployment of a charging panel, the charging panel is operated in the deployed state.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining if at least one obstacle exists between the charging panel and the power source, and further comprising determining if the electrical storage unit is compatible with the power source to receive the charge from the power source.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein if at least one obstacle exists between the charging panel and the power source, the charging panel is operated in the retracted state.

18. A memory storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause to be performed a method for charging an electric vehicle comprising:

determining that an electrical storage unit of the electric vehicle requires a charge;

querying, in response to determining that the electrical storage unit of the electric vehicle requires the charge, a vehicle database comprising information on charging services associated with a particular roadway the electric vehicle is on;

determining, based on the information on charging services, if a power source is available to charge the electrical storage unit;

determining, based on the information on charging services, if the electrical storage unit is compatible with the power source to receive the charge from the power source;

querying, in response to determining that the electrical storage unit is compatible with the power source, the vehicle database for required conditions for deployment of a charging panel, wherein the charging panel is in electrical communication with the electrical storage unit; and

deploying the charging panel when the required conditions allow for deployment of the charging panel;

wherein the charging panel receives the charge from the power source and charges the electrical storage unit.

19. The memory storing instructions of claim 18, wherein the power source is disposed external to the electric vehicle on a roadway surface, wherein the charge is received by the electrical storage unit while the vehicle is stationary, and wherein if conditions allow for deployment of a charging panel, the charging panel is operated in a deployed state.

20. The memory storing instructions of claim 19, wherein the instructions, that when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform the method comprising determining if at least one obstacle exists between the charging panel and the power source, and wherein if at least one obstacle exists between the charging panel and the power source, the charging panel is operated in a retracted state.