METHOD, SYSTEM, AND APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRICITY TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES, MONITORING THE DISTRIBUTION THEREOF, AND/OR PROVIDING AUTOMATED BILLING

• US 20100241560A1
• Filed: 01/07/2010
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EverCharge Inc. (SK Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GreenIT, Inc.
• Inventors: Landau-Holdsworth, Mario, Vielma, Adan, Case, Amber
• Granted Patent: US 9,751,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• 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 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• 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

An electricity distribution, monitoring, and control system for recharging electric vehicles. The system may include a plug outlet device having a sensor, and a plug adapter apparatus having a tag. The tag may communicate with the sensor when the plug adapter apparatus is coupled to the plug outlet device. An electric vehicle receives an electric charge from the plug outlet device after an identification number associated with the tag is verified by a remote server. Alternatively, a plug outlet device includes a tag, and an electric vehicle has attached thereto a monitoring and communication device, which may include a sensor. The sensor may communicate with the tag when the electric vehicle is proximally located to the plug outlet device, and obtain authorization from a remote server or the outlet device to charge the electric vehicle. A user account is automatically billed and a provider account is automatically credited.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plug outlet device including a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor; and

a plug adapter apparatus including an RFID tag,

wherein the RFID tag is structured to communicate with the RFID sensor when the plug adapter apparatus is operatively coupled to the plug outlet device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plug outlet device includes a microcontroller, the system further comprising:

a network; and

a server operatively coupled to the microcontroller over the network.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising an electric vehicle, wherein the electric vehicle includes the plug adapter apparatus and receives an electric charge from the plug outlet device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the microcontroller is structured to detect a status of the RFID sensor, verify an identification number associated with the RFID tag, and cause the electric charge to be delivered to the electric vehicle responsive to the verification.

5. A system, comprising:

a plug outlet device including a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag; and

a monitoring and communication device attached to an electric vehicle, the monitoring and communication device including an RFID sensor,

wherein the RFID sensor is structured to communicate with the RFID tag when the electric vehicle is proximally located to the plug outlet device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the monitoring and communication device includes a microcontroller, the system further comprising:

a network; and

a server operatively coupled to the microcontroller over the network.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein

the RFID tag has associated therewith a station identification (ID),

the microcontroller has associated therewith a microcontroller ID, and

the electric vehicle is configured to receive an electric charge from the plug outlet device responsive to a verification of at least one of the station ID and the microcontroller ID received from the server over the network.

8. The system of claim 6 in which the plug outlet device includes a switch that is normally off and is turned on to enable charging responsive to receiving a validation signal from one or both of the monitoring and communication device or the server.

9. A method, comprising:

providing energy from a plug outlet device to charge a vehicle;

communicating an amount of energy provided to the vehicle to a remote computer server;

the remote computer server accessing a database and determining a price of electricity from the database; and

automatically adjusting an account associated with the vehicle by an amount associated with the determined price of electricity and the amount of energy provided.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the price of electricity further comprises:

determining the price of electricity based on a location of the plug outlet device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the price of electricity further comprises:

determining the price of electricity based on a source of the energy.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the remote computer server accessing the database and determining a surcharge from the database,

wherein the surcharge is based on a station that is configured to provide the energy to the vehicle using the plug outlet device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein automatically adjusting the account further comprises:

deducting from the account associated with the vehicle by the amount associated with the determined price of electricity.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing the account associated with the vehicle in the database.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing an account associated with a station that is configured to provide the energy, in the database; and

crediting the account associated with a station.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein crediting the account further comprises:

automatically crediting the account associated with the station by an amount corresponding to at least a cost of the energy provided to charge the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein automatically crediting the account further comprises:

automatically crediting the account associated with the station by a surcharge in addition to the amount corresponding to the cost of the energy provided.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein communicating the amount of energy provided to the vehicle to the remote computer server further comprises:

wirelessly transmitting a message to the remote computer server indicating that the vehicle is finished receiving the energy.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein automatically adjusting the account associated with the vehicle further comprises:

automatically adjusting the account associated with the vehicle responsive to the message.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein automatically adjusting the account is performed without the use of a credit card.