Vehicle charge query and exchange system and method of use

• US 10,427,530 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2016
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NIO Technology Company Limited (NIO, Inc. (China))
• Original Assignee: Nio Usa Inc. (NIO, Inc. (China))
• Inventors: Ricci, Christopher P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pelton, Nathaniel R
• Application Number:
  US15/169,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20170136891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 320108, 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/18 using bow-type collectors in contact with trolley wire
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/42 for collecting current from individual contact pieces connected to the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/32 by charging in short intervals along the itinerary, e.g. during short stops
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/35 Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
• 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 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A system and method for charging a receiving vehicle, the system comprising: a receiving vehicle comprising an electrical storage unit; a charging panel in electrical communication with the electrical storage unit, the charging panel configured to receive a charge from a charging source and charge the electrical storage unit; and a vehicle controller configured to identify one or more charging sources and further configured to transmit a query to the one or more charging sources and receive at least charging data from the one or more charging sources; and one or more charging sources, each comprising: a charging plate configured to provide a charge to the charging panel; and a charging source controller configured to transmit at least charging data to the vehicle controller in response to the query; wherein if the vehicle controller determines that the charging data received is acceptable, the receiving vehicle is charged.

Claims

1. A system for charging an electric vehicle, the system comprising:

an electrical storage unit;

a charging panel in electrical communication with the electrical storage unit, the charging panel configured to receive a charge from one or more external charging sources and charge the electrical storage unit; and

a vehicle controller configured to identify the one or more external charging sources, to transmit a query to the one or more external charging sources for charging data, and to receive the charging data from a charging source controller of the one or more external charging sources,

wherein if the vehicle controller determines that the charging data received from the charging source controller of the one or more external charging sources is acceptable, the charging panel of the electric vehicle receives charge from a charging plate of the one or more external charging sources while the one or more external charging sources is moving,

wherein the charging data includes pricing term data indicating an asking price of the charge from the charging plate of the one or more external charging sources,

wherein the charging data includes charging rate data indicating a maximum charging rate offered by the one or more external charging sources,

wherein the vehicle controller determines that the charging data is acceptable by determining that the asking price is less than a maximum threshold price set by a user of the electric vehicle, and determines that the maximum charging rate data received from the charging source controller is above a minimum threshold rate set by the user of the electric vehicle, and

wherein if the vehicle controller determines that the charging data is not acceptable, the vehicle controller automatically negotiates unmatched terms within the charging data with the charging source controller using negotiating parameters stored in a vehicle database in communication with the vehicle controller.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the charging data includes charging configuration data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the charging configuration data includes charging panel locations for charging, the charging panel locations including a vehicle roof, a vehicle side panel, and a vehicle undercarriage.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle controller is further configured to provide an electronic financial payment to the charging source controller of the one or more external charging sources.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle controller is further configured to determine if the electric vehicle requires charging.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an actuator interconnected to the charging panel and to the electric vehicle, wherein the actuator is configured to move the charging panel to receive the charge.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one range sensor configured to measure a distance between the charging panel and the charging plate of the one or more external charging sources.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the charging panel is positioned at a selectable desired separation distance from the charging plate of the one or more external charging sources, and wherein the selectable desired separation distance is selected from an electric vehicle database.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the positioning of the charging panel to the selectable desired separation distance is performed automatically by actuation of an actuator interconnected to the charging panel.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the vehicle controller receives the measured distance and automatically actuates the actuator to adjust the position of the charging panel to the desired separation distance.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the actuator is configured to move the charging panel in both a vertical and a lateral direction.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the charging data includes an indication that indicates whether the one or more external charging sources provides charge in a static location or while moving.

13. A method for charging an electric vehicle from an external charging source, the method comprising:

determining, by a microprocessor, a charge value of an electrical storage unit disposed at the electric vehicle;

determining, by the microprocessor, if the charge value is below a selectable threshold value;

transmitting, by the microprocessor, a charging query to one or more external charging sources for charging data;

receiving, by the microprocessor and in response to the charging query, the charging data from at least one of the one or more external charging sources;

determining, by the microprocessor, if the charging data received from the at least one of the one or more external charging sources is acceptable; and

receiving charge from the at least one of the one or more external charging sources when the at least one of the one or more external charging sources is moving,

wherein the charging data includes pricing term data indicating an asking price of the charge from the charging plate of the one or more external charging sources,

wherein the charging data includes charging rate data indicating a maximum charging rate offered by the one or more external charging sources, and

wherein the determining if the charging data is acceptable includes determining that the asking price is less than a maximum threshold price set by a user of the electric vehicle, and determining that the maximum charging rate data received from the one or more external charging sources is above a minimum threshold rate set by the user of the electric vehicle;

wherein if the microprocessor determines that the charging data is not acceptable, the microprocessor automatically negotiates unmatched terms within the charging data with the one or more external charging sources using negotiating parameters stored in a vehicle database in communication with the microprocessor.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

accessing, by the microprocessor, data of the vehicle database that includes electric vehicle charging configuration data and the maximum threshold price and the minimum threshold rate; and

comparing, by the microprocessor, the data of the electric vehicle database with the charging data received from the at least one of the one or more external charging sources.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the charging data includes the charging configuration data.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising negotiating the asking price to a lower value.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising charging the electrical storage unit.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising moving the charging panel to receive the charge.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising moving the charging panel in both a vertical and a lateral direction.