Connection Locator in a Power Aggregation System for Distributed Electric Resources

• US 20080040479A1
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gridpoint (Twenty First Century Utilities LLC)
• Original Assignee: V2 Green Incorporated
• Inventors: Bridge, Seth, Kaplan, David, Pollack, Seth
• Granted Patent: US 7,747,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• 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 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/58 Departure time prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• 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: 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: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/38 Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 : Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/16 : Energy services, e.g. dispersed generation or demand or load or energy savings aggregation

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for a power aggregation system. In one implementation, a service establishes individual Internet connections to numerous electric resources intermittently connected to the power grid, such as electric vehicles. The Internet connection may be made over the same wire that connects the resource to the power grid. The service optimizes power flows to suit the needs of each resource and each resource owner, while aggregating flows across numerous resources to suit the needs of the power grid. The service can bring vast numbers of electric vehicle batteries online as a new, dynamically aggregated power resource for the power grid. Electric vehicle owners can participate in an electricity trading economy regardless of where they plug into the power grid.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

obtaining physical location information; and

determining an electric network location from the physical location information.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein obtaining physical location information comprises receiving a unique identifier of a device and associating the unique identifier with a location of the device.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein determining the electric network location includes associating the electric network location with the location of the device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein obtaining physical location information includes receiving a unique identifier associated with a device in a physical location in order to determine an electric network location of an electric resource connected to the electric network.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising sending the unique identifier to a service, wherein the service matches an electrical network location with the unique identifier.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising using the determined electrical network location for accurate control of aggregating power of multiple electric resources.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the service uses the determined electrical network location for a transaction associated with using or providing energy.

8. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the device is selected from the group of devices consisting of a smart meter, a modem, a router, a network switch, a cable television set-top box, a TV remote, a garage door opener, an alarm system, an automotive satellite radio, a radio frequency identifier (RFID)-based unit, a cell phone tower, a cell phone, and a location identification beacon placed in the location with an associated location unique identifier.

9. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the unique identifier comprises a media access control (MAC) address.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein a service maps the MAC address to a location on the electrical network.

11. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the device sends the unique ID back to a newly connected electric resource and the electric resource sends the unique identifier to the service.

12. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the device sends the unique identifier and an identity of a newly connected electric resource to the service and the service determines the location of the newly connected electric resource.

13. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the electric resource obtains the unique identifier via a wireless transmission or via a powerline carrier.

14. A method, comprising:

acquiring a unique identifier and a signal strength from at least one wireless transceiver in proximity to an electric resource; and

approximating a location of the electric resource by relating the signal strength to a distance between the electric resource and the corresponding wireless transceiver.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the wireless transceivers comprise base stations of a GSM/UMTS wireless network, CDMA/CDMA2000 wireless network, a 802.16/WiMax wireless network, or an 802.11/WiFi wireless network.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the approximate location comprises an electricity account, an address, or a power grid control area.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the approximating uses one or more of past history of resource connection location, resource owner information such as home or work location, or querying the resource owner to confirm the resource location.

18. A method, comprising:

acquiring global positioning satellite (GPS) signals at an electric resource; and

inferring an approximate location of the electric resource on an electrical network by matching a GPS location with a map of the electrical network.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the approximate location comprises an electricity account, an address, or a power grid control area.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the inference uses one or more of past history of resource connection location, resource owner information such as home or work location, or querying the resource owner to confirm the resource location.