Power Share System for Electric Vehicle Service Equipment

• US 20120032636A1
• Filed: 08/09/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Control Module, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Control Module, Inc.
• Inventors: Bianco, James S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,981,716 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/529 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• 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: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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 20/222 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 : Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A power sharing system employs an easily installed power share module for controlling the operation of an EVSE for charging an electric vehicle. The power module senses the power load of an appliance or of a service line to a remote residential unit and transmits a command signal to the EVSE. The power control module is configurable to transmit an on/off signal to the EVSE or a control level signal to the EVSE for controlling the charging by the EVSE in accordance with the available power due to the load of the appliance or the service line load.

Claims

1. A power sharing system comprising:

a power line;

an EVSE connected to said power line;

an appliance connected to said power line;

a power share module comprising a current sensor which senses current load on said appliance and transmits a first signal to said EVSE to allow full charging by the EVSE when the current load is below a threshold, and transmits a second signal to reduce the charging by the EVSE when the appliance load exceeds the threshold and which continuously monitors the appliance load so that when the load decreases below the threshold, a third signal is transmitted to the EVSE to restore full charging by the EVSE.

2. The power sharing system of claim 1 wherein a control contact command is transmitted to the EVSE.

3. The power sharing system of claim 1 wherein the power share module employs a relay for effecting a contact position between an open and a closed state.

4. The power sharing system of claim 1 wherein said power share module generates a control level signal to the EVSE.

5. The power sharing system of claim 1 wherein the power share module generates a signal to the EVSE for controlling an operational state selected from the group consisting of an on/off state, a standby state and the pulse width modulation of a pilot signal.

6. A power sharing system comprising:

a power line;

an EVSE connected via a breaker to said power line;

a service line which supplies power to a remote residential unit and is connected to said power line;

a power share module comprising a current sensor which senses the current load on said service line and transmits a first signal to said EVSE to allow full charging by said EVSE when the current load is below a threshold, and transmits a second signal to reduce charging by the EVSE when said current load is above the threshold, and continuously monitors the current load so that when said current load decreases below the threshold, a third signal is transmitted to said EVSE to restore full power charging by the EVSE.

7. The power sharing system of claim 6 wherein a control contact command is transmitted to the EVSE.

8. The power sharing system of claim 6 wherein the power share module employs a relay for effecting a contact position between an open and a closed state.

9. The power sharing system of claim 6 wherein said power share module generates a control level signal to the EVSE.

10. The power sharing system of claim 6 wherein the power share module generates a signal to the EVSE for controlling an operational state selected from the group consisting of an on/off state, a standby state and the pulse width modulation of a pilot signal.

11. A method of power sharing between a household utility and an EVSE comprising:

connecting the utility and the EVSE to a single breaker unit of a panel;

sensing the utility current drawn by the utility;

employing the EVSE to charge an electric vehicle at full power when the utility current is below a threshold current;

reducing the charging power from the EVSE to the electric vehicle when the utility current exceeds the threshold current;

monitoring the utility current; and

restoring full power from the EVSE to the electric vehicle when the utility current is below the threshold current.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising transmitting a command control signal to the EVSE.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising transmitting an on/off signal to the EVSE.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising transmitting a level control signal to the EVSE.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising reducing the charging power to the electric vehicle in proportion to the increase of the utility current load above the threshold current until a peak load is reached.

16. A method of power sharing between an EVSE and a service line to a remote residential unit comprising:

connecting the service line and the EVSE to a power line;

sensing current drawn through the service line;

employing the EVSE to charge an electric vehicle at full power when the service current is below a threshold current;

reducing the charging power from the EVSE to the electric vehicle when the service current exceeds the threshold current;

monitoring the service line current; and

restoring full power from the EVSE to the electric vehicle when the service line current is below the threshold current.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising transmitting a command control signal to the EVSE.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising transmitting an on/off signal to the EVSE.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising transmitting a level control signal to the EVSE.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising reducing the charging power to the electric vehicle in proportion to the increase of the utility current load above the threshold current until a peak load is reached.