Battery Charging Control Methods, Electrical Vehicle Charging Methods, Battery Charging Control Apparatus, and Electrical Vehicles

• US 20100292855A1
• Filed: 05/14/2009
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Original Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: Kintner-Meyer, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/466,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20100292855A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/08 Methods and devices for control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• 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 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/24 for controlling the temperature of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/246 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

Battery charging control methods, electrical vehicle charging methods, battery charging control apparatus, and electrical vehicles are described. In one arrangement, battery charging control methods include accessing price information for electrical energy supplied by an electrical power distribution system and controlling an adjustment of an amount of the electrical energy from the electrical power distribution system used to charge a rechargeable battery at different moments in time using the price information. Other arrangements are described.

Claims

1. A battery charging control method comprising:

accessing price information of electrical energy supplied by an electrical power distribution system; and

controlling an adjustment of an amount of the electrical energy from the electrical power distribution system which is used to charge a rechargeable battery at different moments in time using the price information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlling comprises using the price information to reduce a cost of charging the rechargeable battery compared with arrangements which do not perform the controlling of the adjustment using the price information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlling comprises charging using different amounts of the electrical energy from the electrical power distribution system at the different moments in time using the price information.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the controlling comprises ceasing the charging at one of the different moments in time.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the controlling comprises charging using an increased amount of the electrical energy at a first of the different moments in time compared with a second of the different moments in time as a result of the price of the electrical energy being less at the first of the different moments in time compared with the second of the different moments in time.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the accessing comprises accessing the price information comprising different prices of the electrical energy at the different moments in time and the controlling comprises increasing and decreasing the amount of the electrical energy used to charge the rechargeable battery at the different moments in time as a result of the different prices.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the accessing comprises accessing the price information including one or more projected prices over a future period of time and the controlling comprises controlling the adjustment based on the one or more projected prices at respective moments of the future period of time.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising receiving an update changing one of the one or more projected prices and the controlling comprises adjusting the amount of the electrical energy as a result of the receiving of the update.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the accessing comprises receiving the price information from the electrical power distribution system.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising accessing information describing a desired future point in time for the rechargeable battery to be charged to a desired state and wherein the controlling comprises controlling so that the rechargeable battery reaches the desired state by the desired future point in time.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining an anticipated amount of time to charge the rechargeable battery based on a current state of charge of the rechargeable battery and wherein the controlling comprises controlling as a result of the determining of the anticipated amount of time.

12. An electrical vehicle charging method comprising:

coupling an electrical vehicle having a depleted state of charge with an electrical power distribution system;

accessing price information for electrical energy of the electrical power distribution system;

charging the electrical vehicle using the electrical energy of the electrical power distribution system; and

controlling an amount of the electrical energy consumed by the charging of the electrical vehicle at different moments in time using the price information.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the charging comprises charging at different rates at the different moments in time based on the price information.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the controlling comprises ceasing the charging at one of the different moments in time.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the charging comprises charging using an increased amount of the electrical energy at a first of the different moments in time compared with a second of the different moments in time as a result of the price of the electrical energy being less at the first of the different moments in time compared with the second of the different moments in time.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the accessing comprises accessing the price information comprising different prices of the electrical energy at the different moments in time and the controlling comprises increasing and decreasing an amount of the electrical energy consumed by the charging at the different moments in time as a result of the different prices.

17. A battery charging control apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry configured to;

access price information of electrical energy supplied by an electrical power distribution system; and

control an adjustment of an amount of the electrical energy from the electrical power distribution system used to charge a rechargeable battery at different moments in time using the price information.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the price information comprises different prices of the electrical energy at the different moments in time and the processing circuitry is configured to increase and decrease the amount of the electrical energy used to charge the rechargeable battery at the different moments in time as a result of the different prices.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the price information includes one or more projected prices over a future period of time and the processing circuitry is configured to control the adjustment based on the one or more projected prices at respective moments of the future period of time.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to receive an update changing one of the one or more projected prices and to control the adjustment of the amount of the electrical energy as a result of receiving the update.

21. An electrical vehicle comprising:

a rechargeable battery;

a charger configured to consume electrical energy from an electrical power distribution system to charge the rechargeable battery; and

a controller configured to;

access price information of the electrical energy supplied by the electrical power distribution system; and

control an amount of the electrical energy from the electrical power distribution system consumed by the charger at different moments in time using the price information.

22. The vehicle of claim 21 further comprising a climate system configured to heat and/or cool the electrical vehicle and wherein the controller is configured to:

estimate an amount of time to be consumed by the climate system to bring a temperature of the electrical vehicle to a desired temperature; and

using the estimated amount of time, control the amount of the electrical energy consumed by the charger at the different moments in time.

23. The vehicle of claim 21 wherein the controller is configured to use the price information to reduce a cost of charging the rechargeable battery compared with arrangements which do not control the adjustment of the amount using the price information.

24. The vehicle of claim 21 wherein the controller is configured to control the charger to charge the rechargeable battery using different amounts of electrical energy at the different moments in time using the price information.

25. The vehicle of claim 24 wherein the controller is configured to control the charger to charge using an amount of electrical energy at a first of the different moments in time compared with a second of the different moments in time as a result of the price of the electrical energy being less at the first of the different moments in time compared with the second of the different moments in time.

26. The vehicle of claim 21 wherein the controller is configured to access information describing a desired future point in time for the rechargeable battery to be charged to a desired state and to control the charger so that the rechargeable battery reaches the desired state by the desired future point in time.

27. The vehicle of claim 22 wherein the controller is configured to use the price information to reduce a cost of charging the rechargeable battery compared with arrangements which do not control the adjustment of the amount using the price information.

28. The vehicle of claim 22 wherein the controller is configured to control the charger to charge the rechargeable battery using different amounts of electrical energy at the different moments in time using the price information.

29. The vehicle of claim 22 wherein the controller is configured to access information describing a desired future point in time for the rechargeable battery to be charged to a desired state and to control the charger so that the rechargeable battery reaches the desired state by the desired future point in time.