Electric vehicle charging control system

• US 10,552,923 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Cun, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Ludwig, Peter
• Application Number:
  US14/273,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20150321570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/22 Yaw angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/12 by confirmation, e.g. of the input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/14 by input of vehicle departure time
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/26 by pedal actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/58 Departure time prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• 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 58/15 : Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 : having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 : Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 : involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 : Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 : Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 : Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

An electric vehicle charging control system includes a battery for operating the electric vehicle that is charged by a charging connection to a charging station. A user interface is associated with the electric vehicle and includes a display and a user input device. A communication system communicates with the charging station. The communication system receives a congestion signal from the charging station when a second electric vehicle is waiting for charging by the charging station. After the congestion signal is received, the user interface prompts an operator of the electric vehicle that the second electric vehicle is waiting for charging by the charging station.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle charging control system comprising:

a battery for operating the electric vehicle, the battery configured to be charged by a charging connection to a charging station;

a user interface associated with the electric vehicle, the user interface having a display and a user input device;

a controller for controlling charging of the electric vehicle, the controller receiving a state of charge of the battery;

a communication system communicating with the charging station without establishing the charging connection with the charging station, the communication system receiving charging information from the charging station relating to a type of billing model used by the charging station, wherein the type of billing model is one of a plurality of different types of billing models;

wherein the controller determines the type of billing model used by the charging station based on the charging information, the controller configured to receive different types of charging information associated with the plurality of different types of billing models; and

wherein, after the charging information is received, the controller determines a charging profile based on the determined type of billing model used by the charging station, the controller configured to determine a different charging profile for each of the plurality of different types of billing models, the charging profile being adjustable based on operator inputs to the user input device to change at least one of an operator desired charging time and an operator desired post-charging battery state of charge, wherein the controller controls charging of the battery according to the charging profile;

wherein the electric vehicle is a first electric vehicle, and wherein the communication system receives a congestion signal from the charging station when a second electric vehicle is waiting for charging by the charging station while the first electric vehicle is connected to the charging station by the charging connection, the user interface prompting an operator of the first electric vehicle that the second electric vehicle is waiting for charging by the charging station after the congestion signal is received.

2. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the communication system establishes in-vicinity wireless communication with the charging station.

3. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the communication system establishes communication with the charging station based on a global positioning system of the electric vehicle.

4. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the charging information comprises a billing rate.

5. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to calculate a charging cost based on the charging information and at least one of the operator desired charging time and the operator desired post-charging battery state of charge, wherein the controller updates the charging cost as the operator adjusts at least one of the charging time and the post-charging battery state of charge.

6. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the controller determines the charging profile based on at least one of a charge rate of the charging station and an operator desired travel distance.

7. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 6, wherein the controller determines the operator desired travel distance based on a navigation system signal of the electric vehicle.

8. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the charging connection with the charging station is established after the charging profile is determined by the controller.

9. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface prompts the operator with a prompt indicator on the display.

10. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 9, wherein the prompt indicator is a selectable indicator allowing early cessation of charging.

11. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 10, wherein the user input device allows the operator to either accept or deny early cessation of charging.

12. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the charging profile includes a charging rate defining a rate at which electricity is to be supplied to the electric vehicle from the charging station, the controller configured to determine the charging rate based on the at least one operator desired charging time and operator desired post-charging battery state.

13. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the charging profile includes a charging level corresponding to a battery state of charge at which charging of the electric vehicle is to be terminated.

14. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different types of billing models includes at least two billing models selected from the group consisting of a flat fee billing model, a bill-per-unit-energy billing model, a bill-per-unit-time billing model, and a free billing model.

15. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different types of billing models includes a flat fee billing model and a bill-per-unit-time billing model.

16. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the charging profile based on a bill-per-unit-energy billing model and a bill-per-unit-time billing model, the charging profile determined by the controller for the bill-per-unit-time billing model being based on a decrease in charging rate as the battery approaches a maximum state of charge.

17. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine a different charging profile for each of a bill-per-unit-energy billing model and a bill-per-unit-time billing model, the charging profile determined by the controller for the bill-per-unit-energy billing model being based on an operator desired travel distance.

18. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is built into the electric vehicle.

19. The electric vehicle charging control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is an electronic device removable from the electric vehicle.