Battery agnostic provisioning of power

• US 10,395,440 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2016
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2016
• 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): Hartman, Jr., Ronald D
• Application Number:
  US15/395,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20180009326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/22 Motor vehicles operators, e.g. drivers, pilots, captains
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1171 based on the shapes or appearances of their bodies or parts thereof
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• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1176 Recognition of faces
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/212 displaying on manual operation elements, e.g. on a knob
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/20 the prime-movers consisting of electric motors and internal combustion engines, e.g. HEVs
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/24 Pantographs
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/53 in combination with an external power supply, e.g. from overhead contact lines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
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• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 : Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/006 : Converting flow of air into electric energy, e.g. by using wind turbines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/00 : Electric propulsion with power supply external to the vehicle electric propulsion for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways B60L13/00; in combination with batteries or fuel cells within the vehicle B60L50/53
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• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 : Hybrid vehicles
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• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10425 : the interrogation device being arranged for interrogation of record carriers passing by the interrogation device
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• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 : inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
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• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 : wherein the data carrier is removable
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• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 : having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 : where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 : where the origin of the information is a central station
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• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 : Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/325 : characterised by the location of the antenna on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3266 : using the mirror of the vehicle
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• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3283 : side-mounted antennas, e.g. bumper-mounted, door-mounted mounted on windscreens H01Q1/1271
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3291 : mounted in or on other locations inside the vehicle or vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 : Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 : Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 : for data transfer in combination with power transfer
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 : Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 : involving a third party or a trusted authority
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• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 : Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
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• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
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• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 : for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
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• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

According to one embodiment, provisioning an amount of power for one or more vehicles can comprise receiving a request indicating a requirement for an amount of power for the one or more vehicles. The request can indicate the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles individually or in total. A set of management rules can be read from one or more databases. A set of service configuration information and a set of vehicle specific information for the one or more vehicles can also be read from one or more databases. One or more power sources to meet the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles can be determined based on applying the management rules and using the set of service configuration information and the set of vehicle information and an indication of the determined power sources can be provided.

Claims

1. A method for provisioning an amount of power for one or more vehicles, the method comprising:

receiving, at a service provider system and over a communications network, a request indicating a requirement for an amount of power for the one or more vehicles, the request indicating the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles individually or in total;

reading, by the service provider system, a set of management rules from one or more databases;

reading, by the service provider system, a set of service configuration information from one or more databases;

reading, by the service provider system, a set of vehicle specific information for the one or more vehicles from one or more databases;

determining, by the service provider system, one or more power sources to meet the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles based on applying the management rules and using the set of service configuration information and the set of vehicle information;

providing, from the service provider system over the communications network to a controller of a battery exchange facility, an indication of the determined power sources; and

operating, by the controller of the battery exchange facility, equipment of the battery exchange facility to affect a battery exchange on the one or more vehicles based on the indication of the determined power sources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicles comprises a plurality of vehicles.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the request indicates the requirement for the amount of power for the plurality of vehicles in total.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the requirement for the amount of power for the plurality of vehicles in total is expressed in terms of a total distance travelled by the plurality of vehicles.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of service configuration information comprises terms of a license agreement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of vehicle specific information for the one or more vehicles comprises information identifying a type of power source used by each of the one or more vehicles.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the power sources comprise batteries.

8. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with and readable by the processor and storing therein a set of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to provision an amount of power for one or more vehicles, the method comprising;

receiving, over a communications network, a request indicating a requirement for an amount of power for the one or more vehicles, the request indicating the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles individually or in total;

reading a set of management rules from one or more databases;

reading a set of service configuration information from one or more databases;

reading a set of vehicle specific information for the one or more vehicles from one or more databases;

determining one or more power sources to meet the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles based on applying the management rules and using the set of service configuration information and the set of vehicle information; and

providing, from the service provider system over the communications network to a controller of a battery exchange facility, an indication of the determined power sources and wherein the controller of the battery exchange facility operates equipment of the battery exchange facility to affect a battery exchange on the one or more vehicles based on the indication of the determined power sources.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more vehicles comprises a plurality of vehicles.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the request indicates the requirement for the amount of power for the plurality of vehicles in total.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the requirement for the amount of power for the plurality of vehicles in total is expressed in terms of a total distance travelled by the plurality of vehicles.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the set of service configuration information comprises terms of a license agreement.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the set of vehicle specific information for the one or more vehicles comprises information identifying a type of power source used by each of the one or more vehicles.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the power sources comprise batteries.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to provision an amount of power for one or more vehicles by:

receiving, at a service provider system and over a communications network, a request indicating a requirement for an amount of power for the one or more vehicles, the request indicating the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles individually or in total;

reading, by the service provider system, a set of management rules from one or more databases;

reading, by the service provider system, a set of service configuration information from one or more databases;

reading, by the service provider system, a set of vehicle specific information for the one or more vehicles from one or more databases;

determining, by the service provider system, one or more power sources to meet the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles based on applying the management rules and using the set of service configuration information and the set of vehicle information;

providing, from the service provider system over the communications network to a controller of a battery exchange facility, an indication of the determined power sources; and

operating, by the controller of the battery exchange facility, equipment of the battery exchange facility to affect a battery exchange on the one or more vehicles based on the indication of the determined power sources.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more vehicles comprises a plurality of vehicles.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the request indicates the requirement for the amount of power for the plurality of vehicles in total.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the requirement for the amount of power for the plurality of vehicles in total is expressed in terms of a total distance travelled by the plurality of vehicles.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the set of service configuration information comprises terms of a license agreement.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the set of vehicle specific information for the one or more vehicles comprises information identifying a type of power source used by each of the one or more vehicles.