Communications between vehicle and charging system

• US 10,252,631 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• 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): Doan, Nghia
• Application Number:
  US15/282,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20170136894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 320104, 320106, 320108, 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/00 Current collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles current collectors in general H01R41/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/53 in combination with an external power supply, e.g. from overhead contact lines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• 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 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• 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: B60M 7/00 Power lines or rails specially adapted for electrically-propelled vehicles of special types, e.g. suspension tramway, ropeway, underground railway
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• 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

Methods, devices, and systems are provided for establishing communications between a vehicle and charging system. The communications may include charge request messages sent by or received from the vehicle defining charge particulars, such as, a charge type, charging locations, charging orientation, and/or other information corresponding to charging requirements for the requesting vehicle. The charging system can respond to the charge request messages accepting or denying the vehicle charging request. In response to accepting the request message, the charging system provides charge to the vehicle in accordance with the charge particulars.

Claims

1. A method for charging an electric vehicle, comprising:

receiving, at a charging system, a charge request message from a vehicle;

determining, via a processor of the charging system, charging information contained in the charge request message, wherein the charging information includes charging requirements for charging the vehicle;

determining, via the processor of the charging system, to provide electrical charge to the vehicle via an electrical interconnection between the vehicle and the charging system in accordance with the charging requirements;

providing electrical charge to a power storage system of the vehicle via the charging system as part of a charging transaction; and

sending, across a wireless communication network, to a power tracking server details of the charging transaction and electrical charge provided to the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the charge request message includes a header portion and a payload portion and wherein the charging information is included in the payload portion of the charge request message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrical charge is provided while the vehicle is moving.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the charging information includes orientation information identifying a required orientation of the vehicle relative to the charging system when receiving the electrical charge while the vehicle is moving.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the charging information includes alignment control information identifying a vehicle control protocol for maintaining the required orientation of the vehicle relative to the charging system when receiving the electrical charge while the vehicle is moving.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

controlling, via the processor of the charging system, a position of the vehicle on a roadway while receiving the electrical charge and based on information in the vehicle control protocol.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, via the processor of the charging system, an end-of-charge message including a time when the power storage system of the vehicle is full.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the charging information includes charging location information identifying a location on a portion of the vehicle for receiving the electrical charge from the charging system.

9. A charging system server, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive, at the charging system server, a charge request message from a vehicle;

determine charging information contained in the charge request message, wherein the charging information includes charging requirements for charging the vehicle; and

determine to provide electrical charge to the vehicle via an electrical interconnection between the vehicle and the charging system in accordance with the charging requirements and while the vehicle is moving as part of a charging transaction; and

send, across a wireless communication network, to a power tracking server details of the charging transaction and electrical charge provided to the vehicle.

10. The charging system server of claim 9, wherein the charge request message includes a header portion and a payload portion and wherein the charging information is included in the payload portion of the charge request message.

11. The charging system server of claim 10, wherein the charging information includes orientation information identifying a required orientation of the vehicle relative to the charging system when receiving the electrical charge while the vehicle is moving.

12. The charging system server of claim 11, wherein the charging information includes alignment control information identifying a vehicle control protocol for maintaining the required orientation of the vehicle relative to the charging system when receiving the electrical charge while the vehicle is moving.

13. The charging system server of claim 12, wherein the processor is further caused to control a position of the vehicle on a roadway while receiving the electrical charge and based on information in the vehicle control protocol.

14. The charging system server of claim 13, wherein the processor is further caused to receive an end-of-charge message including a time when a power storage system of the vehicle is full or nearing full charge.

15. The charging system server of claim 14, wherein the charging information includes charging location information identifying a location on a portion of the vehicle for receiving the electrical charge from the charging system.

16. A charging system, comprising:

a charging system server, comprising;

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive, at the charging system server, a charge request message from a vehicle;

determine charging information contained in the charge request message, wherein the charging information includes charging requirements for charging the vehicle; and

determine to provide electrical charge to the vehicle via an electrical interconnection between the vehicle and the charging system in accordance with the charging requirements and while the vehicle is moving as part of a charging transaction; and

a charging device, wherein the charging device provides the electrical charge to a power storage system of the vehicle via the electrical interconnection, and wherein details of the charging transaction and electrical charge provided to the vehicle are sent, across a wireless communication network, to a power tracking server upon completion of the charging transaction.

17. The charging system of claim 16, wherein the charge request message includes a header portion and a payload portion and wherein the charging information is included in the payload portion of the charge request message.

18. The charging system of claim 17, wherein the charging information includes orientation information identifying a required orientation of the vehicle relative to the charging system when receiving the electrical charge while the vehicle is moving.

19. The charging system of claim 18, wherein the charging information includes alignment control information identifying a vehicle control protocol for maintaining the required orientation of the vehicle relative to the charging system when receiving the electrical charge while the vehicle is moving, and wherein the processor is further caused to control a position of the vehicle on a roadway while receiving the electrical charge based on information in the vehicle control protocol.

20. The charging system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further caused to receive an end-of-charge message including a time when a power storage system of the vehicle is full or nearing full charge, and wherein the charging device ceases providing the electrical charge to the power storage system of the vehicle via the electrical interconnection when the power storage system of the vehicle is full.