SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CHARGING VEHICLES

• US 20110295730A1
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron Networked Solutions, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Itron Networked Solutions, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Inventors: Flammer, George, Ramasastry, Jay, Pace, James, Vaswani, Raj, Reeves, Donald L. III, Matsuo, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 11,528,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/167 Adaptation for transition between two IP versions, e.g. between IPv4 and IPv6 translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses H04L61/2503
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation

Abstract

Systems and methods for charging vehicles. In some embodiments, a system includes at least one mobile device and a utility network management center (“NMC”). The at least one mobile device is configured as an electronic utility device and includes a network interface card (“NIC”). The at least one mobile device is also associated with a utility billing account and at least one utility commodity meter. The utility NMC is configured to communicate with the at least one mobile device and the at least one utility commodity meter over a network, locate the at least one mobile device, and monitor a state of the at least one utility commodity meter. The utility NMC is also configured to determine a usage of a commodity based on the state of the at least one utility commodity meter, and bill the utility billing account associated with the mobile device for the usage of the commodity.

Claims

1. A method of distributing a commodity through a utility grid, the method comprising:

communicating with at least one transportation device through a utility network, the at least one transportation device becoming a node within the utility network and being associated with a utility billing account;

distributing an amount of the commodity to the at least one transportation device;

monitoring a state of the at least one transportation device;

determining the amount of the commodity distributed to the at least one transportation device;

providing an indication of the amount of the commodity distributed to the at least one transportation device to a billing system; and

billing the utility billing account associated with the at least one transportation device based on the indication of the amount of the commodity distributed to the at least one transportation device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one transportation device is a rechargeable vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating with a utility commodity meter.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising monitoring a state of the utility commodity meter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the amount of the commodity distributed to the at least one transportation device is determined based on the state of the utility commodity meter.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising provisioning the at least one transportation device to operate consistently with the infrastructure guidelines of the utility network, the provisioning including

receiving information from the at least one transportation device including capabilities of the transportation device;

identifying a configuration state for the at least one transportation device from the received information; and

determining whether to configure the at least one transportation device based upon the identified configuration state;

wherein the received information specifies the configuration state of the at least one transportation device.

7. A method of distributing a commodity through a utility grid, the method comprising:

communicating with at least one mobile device through a utility network, the mobile device becoming a node within the utility network and being associated with a utility billing account;

communicating with at least one utility commodity meter through the utility network;

monitoring a state of the at least one utility commodity meter and the at least one mobile device;

determining a usage of the commodity based on the state of the at least one utility commodity meter; and

billing the utility billing account associated with the mobile device for the usage of the commodity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the billing is based on a time-of-use of the commodity.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the billing includes billing the utility billing account associated with the mobile device for the usage of the commodity when the mobile device is connected to a section of the utility grid that is associated with different utility billing account.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising initializing the mobile device and verifying a collection of configuration options of the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising re-initializing the mobile device based on a change in an operational state of the mobile device.

12. A system for distributing a commodity through a utility grid, the system comprising:

at least one network interface card (“

NIC”

) associated with a transportation device, the transportation device associated with a billing account and capable of receiving the commodity from the utility grid; and

a network management center (“

NMC”

) configured to communicate with the at least one NIC over a network, locate the at least one NIC, and monitor a state of the at least one NIC and the transportation device,

wherein the NMC is further configured to determine an amount of the commodity provided to the transportation device and bill the billing account associated with the transportation device for the amount of the commodity provided to the transportation device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the transportation device is a rechargeable vehicle.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising a commodity meter.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the NMC is further configured to monitor a state of the commodity meter.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the NMC is configured to determine the amount of the commodity provided to the transportation device based on the state of the commodity meter.

17. A system for distributing a commodity through a utility grid, the system comprising:

at least one mobile device configured as an electronic utility device, the mobile device including a network interface card (“

NIC”

) and being associated with a utility billing account and at least one utility commodity meter; and

a utility network management center (“

NMC”

) configured to communicate with the at least one mobile device and the at least one utility commodity meter over a network, locate the at least one mobile device, and monitor a state of the at least one utility commodity meter,

wherein the utility NMC is further configured to determine a usage of the commodity based on the state of the at least one utility commodity meter and bill the utility billing account associated with the mobile device for the usage of the commodity.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the utility NMC is configured to bill the utility billing account based on a time-of-use of the commodity.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the utility NMC is configured to bill the utility billing account associated with the mobile device when the mobile device is connected to a section of the utility grid that is associated with a different utility billing account.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the utility NMC is further configured to initialize the mobile device and verify a collection of configuration options of the mobile device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the utility NMC is further configured to re-initialize the mobile device based on a change in an operational state of the mobile device.

22. A method of provisioning an electronic utility device associated with distribution pathways of a utility network to operate consistently with the infrastructure guidelines of the utility network and distributing a commodity through a utility grid, the method comprising:

receiving information from the electronic utility device including capabilities of the electronic utility device;

identifying a configuration state for the electronic utility device from the received information; and

determining whether to configure the electronic utility device based upon the identified configuration state;

wherein the received information specifies the configuration state of the electronic utility device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the electronic utility device is a transportation device.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising

communicating with the transportation device through the utility network, the transportation device able to receive the commodity and being associated with a utility billing account;

distributing an amount of the commodity to the transportation device;

monitoring a state of the transportation device;

determining the amount of the commodity distributed to the transportation device;

providing an indication of the amount of the commodity distributed to the transportation device to a billing system; and

billing the utility billing account associated with the transportation device based on the indication of the amount of the commodity distributed to the transportation device.