Vehicle charging lanes

• US 10,525,848 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2016
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Inventors: Nelson, Scott David
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Mark T
• Application Number:
  US15/226,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20180037136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/66 Ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/665 Light intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/667 Precipitation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/68 Traffic data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• 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 5/005 without mechanical contact between the collector and the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/38 for collecting current from conductor rails B60L5/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/53 in combination with an external power supply, e.g. from overhead contact lines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/52 Wind-driven generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• 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: B60L 55/00 : Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 : responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 3/04 : Arrangements for cutting in and out of individual track sections by passage of the vehicle B60M1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/00 : Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 measuring distance traversed on the ground by a vehicle G01C22/00; control of position, course, altitude or attitude of vehicles G05D1/00; traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 : Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 : Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 : Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 : Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0968 : Systems involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle
• 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 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 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

Embodiments include apparatus and methods for implementing lane charging for a roadway. A road segment in a geographic region is identified from a geographic database. The road segment may be identified based on the geographic position of a vehicle. A lane charging management device receives real time data related to the vehicle, the environment, or the electricity associated with the charging station. A lane charging command for a charging device associated with the road segment is generated in response to the real time data.

Claims

1. A method for implementing lane charging for a roadway, the method comprising:

identifying a road segment in a geographic region;

receiving real time data at a lane charging management device;

identifying a selected lane for the road segment;

receiving lane charging data for the selected lane that indicates whether the selected lane is a charging lane; and

generating a lane charging command for a charging device for the selected lane of the road segment, the lane charging command generated in response to the identified road segment, the lane charging data, and the real time data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the real time data includes a route for a vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the lane charging command is based on an attribute associated with the road segment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the attribute is a slope of the road segment, a banking of the road segment, or a curvature of the road segment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the real time data includes a plurality of routes for a plurality of vehicles, wherein the road segment is included in the plurality of routes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the real time data includes weather data associated with the road segment or traffic data associated with the road segment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the real time data includes a demand for energy for a plurality of vehicles, wherein the demand for energy is based on a quantity of the plurality of vehicles, at least one battery level associated with the plurality of vehicles, or a quantity of compatible vehicles in the plurality of vehicles.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a vehicle charging command based on the real time data, wherein the vehicle charging command instructs a vehicle to store excess energy from the charging device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the vehicle is configured to collect the excess energy from the charging device, store the excess energy in a battery of the vehicle, and deliver the excess energy to a subsequent charging device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the lane charging command is included in a plurality of lane charging commands for a plurality of charging devices.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the lane charging command includes a timing value for the charging device that indicates when the charging device is activated.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the lane charging command includes a charging value for the charging device that indicates an operating level for the charging device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the operating level for the charging device is selected from a plurality of charging levels.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data indicative of a geographic position of a vehicle, wherein the road segment is identified based on the geographic position of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying a geographic database for the road segment; and

receiving an identifier for the charging device from the geographic database.

16. An apparatus for implementing lane charging for a roadway, the apparatus comprising:

a geographic database including data indicative of a plurality of road segments in a geographic region;

a communication interface configured to receive real time data for at least one of the road segments in geographic region and lane charging data for a selected lane of the at least one of the road segments that indicates whether the selected lane is a charging lane; and

a lane charging management controller configured to generate a lane charging command for a charging device of the selected lane of the at least one of the road segments in response to the real time data and in response to the lane charging data.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the real time data includes a route for a vehicle and the lane charging command is based on an attribute associated with the road segment and stored in the geographic database.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the real time data includes a demand for energy for a plurality of vehicles, wherein the demand for energy is based on a quantity of the plurality of vehicles, at least one battery level associated with the plurality of vehicles, or a quantity of compatible vehicles in the plurality of vehicles.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the lane charging management controller is configured to generate a vehicle charging command based on the real time data, wherein the vehicle is configured to collect the excess energy from the charging device, store the excess energy in a battery of the vehicle, and deliver the excess energy to a subsequent charging device or subsequent location.

20. A system for implementing lane charging for a roadway, the system comprising:

a charging device integrated with a road surface;

a geographic database including data indicative of a plurality of road segments in a geographic region, including a road segment associated with the road surface of the charging device; and

a lane charging management device configured to receive real time data for at least one of the road segments in the geographic region, identify a selected lane for the at least one of the road segments based on the real time data, receive lane charging data for the selected lane that indicates whether the selected lane is a charging lane, and generate a lane charging command for the charging device associated with the road segment in response to the real time data.