SYSTEM FOR BATTERY CHARGING BASED ON COST AND LIFE

• US 20090216688A1
• Filed: 05/01/2009
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Berdichevsky, Eugene Michael, Kelty, Kurt Russell
• Granted Patent: US 7,786,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/418
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0092 with use of redundant elements for safety purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• 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 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

One embodiment of the present subject matter includes a system that includes a battery, an electric vehicle, the battery coupled to the electric vehicle to propel the electric vehicle, and a charging circuit to charge the battery. The embodiment includes a charging cost circuit to estimate a charging cost rate and to turn on the charging circuit. The embodiment also includes a timer circuit to provide a time signal to the charging cost circuit. The embodiment is configured such that the charging cost circuit is to turn on the charging circuit during a first time period in which the charging cost rate is below a first threshold until the battery reaches a first energy stored level, and to turn on the charging circuit during a second time period in which the charging cost rate is above the first threshold.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a battery;

an electric vehicle, the battery coupled to the electric vehicle to propel the electric vehicle;

a charging circuit to charge the battery;

a charging cost circuit to estimate a charging cost rate and to turn on the charging circuit; and

a timer circuit to provide a time signal to the charging cost circuit,

wherein the charging cost circuit is to turn on the charging circuit during a first time period in which the charging cost rate is below a first threshold until the battery reaches a first energy stored level, and to turn on the charging circuit during a second time period in which the charging cost rate is above the first threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a cost estimator circuit to calculate total charging cost during the first period and the second period; and

a trend circuit to record a plurality of charging stop times over a period of days, and to predict a predicted charging stop time based on the plurality of charging stop times,

wherein the charging cost circuit automatically selects a further length of the second time period to achieve a reduced charging cost that is less than the total charging cost.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user controllable interface connected to the charging cost circuit such that the user can input the first threshold.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the charging cost circuit is to turn on the charging circuit during the second time period until the battery reaches a second energy stored level, the second energy stored level being higher than the first energy stored level.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a user controllable interface connected to the charging cost circuit such that the user can input a length of the second period.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second energy stored level is less than a full energy stored level.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the charging cost circuit is to charge to the second energy stored level in response to a user input into a user controllable interface connected to the charging cost circuit.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user controllable interface connected to the charging cost circuit such that the user can input a length of the first time period.

9. A system, comprising:

an electric vehicle including a battery coupled to the electric vehicle to propel the electric vehicle;

a charging circuit to charge the battery;

a charging cost circuit to estimate a charging cost rate and to turn on the charging circuit;

a timer circuit to provide a time signal to the charging cost circuit,

a user controllable interface connected to the charging cost circuit to receive a user input;

wherein the charging cost circuit is to turn on the charging circuit during a first time period in which the charging cost rate is below a first threshold, and to turn on the charging circuit during a second time period in which the charging cost rate is above the first threshold, the charging cost circuit to turn on the charging circuit during the second time period in response to the user input.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a cost estimator circuit to calculate total charging cost during the first period and the second period; and

a trend circuit to record a plurality of charging stop times over a period of days, and to predict a predicted charging stop time based on the plurality of charging stop times,

wherein the charging cost circuit automatically selects a further length of the second time period to achieve a reduced charging cost that is less than the total charging cost.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the charging cost circuit is to turn on the charging circuit during the first time period until a first energy stored level is reached.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the charging cost circuit is to turn on the charging circuit during the second time period until a second energy stored level is reached, the second energy stored level being higher than the first energy stored level.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the user controllable interface includes a push button, and the user input is associated with a depression of the push button.

14. A system, comprising:

a battery;

an electric vehicle, the battery coupled to the electric vehicle to propel the electric vehicle;

a charging circuit to charge the battery;

a charging cost circuit to estimate a charging cost rate and to turn on the charging circuit;

a trend circuit to record a plurality of charging stop times over a period of days, and to predict a predicted charging stop time based on the plurality of charging stop times; and

a timer circuit to provide a time signal to the charging cost circuit,

wherein the charging cost circuit is to turn on the charging circuit during a first time period in which the charging cost rate is below a first threshold until the battery reaches a first energy stored level, and to turn on the charging circuit during a second time period in which the charging cost rate is above the first threshold, the second time period ending at the predicted charging stop time.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the charging cost circuit is to receive a municipal charging cost rate from a power network, and to estimate the charging cost rate based on the municipal charging cost rate.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the charging cost circuit is to turn on the charging circuit during the second time period until a second energy stored level is reached, the second energy stored level being higher than the first energy stored level.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a user controllable interface connected to the charging cost circuit such that the user can input the first threshold.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the user can input the second threshold to the user controllable interface connected to the charging cost circuit.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising a user controllable interface connected to the charging cost circuit such that the user can input the first time period.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a user controllable interface connected to the charging cost circuit such that the user can input the first energy stored level.