SYSTEM, CHARGING DEVICE, AND METHOD OF SUPPLYING CURRENT TO A POWER STORAGE DEVICE

• US 20120041613A1
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Narel, Radoslaw, Rivers, Cecil Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,332,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/30 The power source being a fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/58 The condition being electrical
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• 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: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
• 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 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 system for use in supplying current from an electric power source to a plurality of power storage devices includes a first of a plurality of charging devices configured to supply current to a first of the plurality of power storage devices. The system also includes at least one other charging device coupled to the first charging device to form a network. The other charging device is configured to supply current to at least one other power storage device. The first charging device includes a processor programmed to determine an amount of current to be at least one of received from the electric power source and supplied to the first power storage device as a function of a number of charging devices, and enable the amount of current to be at least one of received by the first charging device and supplied to the first power storage device.

Claims

1. A system for use in supplying current from an electric power source to a plurality of power storage devices, said system comprising:

a first charging device of a plurality of charging devices configured to supply current to a first power storage device of the plurality of power storage devices; and

at least one other charging device of said plurality of charging devices coupled to said first charging device to form a network, said at least one other charging device configured to supply current to at least one other power storage device of the plurality of power storage devices,

said first charging device comprising a processor programmed to;

determine an amount of current to be at least one of received from the electric power source and supplied to the first power storage device as a function of a number of said plurality of charging devices; and

enable the determined amount of current to be at least one of received by said first charging device and supplied to the first power storage device.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first power storage device is a power storage device of an electric vehicle.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each charging device of said plurality of charging devices is coupled to an electrical distribution device and is configured to receive current from the electrical distribution device.

4. A system in accordance with claim 3, wherein said processor is programmed to determine the amount of current to be at least one of received from the electric power source and supplied to the first power storage device by dividing a current distribution limit of the electrical distribution device by the number of said plurality of charging devices.

5. A system in accordance with claim 4, wherein said processor is further programmed to determine the number of said plurality of charging devices to be a number of said plurality of charging devices that are at least one of supplying current and requesting to supply current to a power storage device of the plurality of power storage devices.

6. A system in accordance with claim 4, wherein said processor is programmed to enable the amount of current to be at least one of received from the electric power source and supplied to the first power storage device if the amount of current is equal to or greater than a predetermined minimum current threshold.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said processor is further programmed to transmit a first request to said at least one other charging device to determine an amount of current that said at least one other charging device is at least one of supplying, receiving, expecting to receive, and expecting to supply.

8. A system in accordance with claim 7, wherein said at least one other charging device comprises a processor programmed to transmit a second request to said first charging device, and wherein said processor of said first charging device is further programmed to detect an interference that occurs when said first charging device receives the second request while waiting for data to be received in response to the first request.

9. A system in accordance with claim 7, wherein said processor is further programmed to determine an initial amount of current to at least one of receive from the electric power source and supply to the first power storage device that is equal to the amount of current that said at least one other charging device is at least one of supplying, receiving, expecting to receive, and expecting to supply subtracted from a current distribution limit of an electrical distribution device.

10. A charging device comprising:

a current control device configured to selectively enable current to be received from an electric power source and supplied to a power storage device;

a network interface configured to couple to at least one other charging device to form a network; and

a processor coupled to said current control device and programmed to;

determine an amount of current to be at least one of received from the electric power source and supplied to the power storage device as a function of a number of charging devices within the network; and

control said current control device to enable the amount of current to be at least one of received from the electric power source and supplied to the power storage device.

11. A charging device in accordance with claim 10, wherein said charging device is coupled to an electrical distribution device and is configured to receive current from the electrical distribution device and supply at least a portion of the received current to the power storage device.

12. A charging device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said processor is further programmed to determine the amount of current to be at least one of received from the electric power source and supplied to the power storage device by dividing a current distribution limit of the electrical distribution device by the number of charging devices within the network.

13. A charging device in accordance with claim 12, wherein said processor is further programmed to determine the number of charging devices to be a number of charging devices within the network that are at least one of supplying current, receiving current, expecting to receive current, and expecting to supply current to a power storage device.

14. A charging device in accordance with claim 10, wherein said processor is further programmed to transmit a request to the at least one other charging device to determine an amount of current that the at least one other charging device is at least one of supplying, receiving, expecting to receive, and expecting to supply.

15. A charging device in accordance with claim 14, wherein said processor is further programmed to determine an initial amount of current to at least one of receive from the electric power source and supply to the power storage device based on the amount of current that the at least one other charging device is at least one of supplying, receiving, expecting to receive, and expecting to supply.

16. A method of supplying current to a power storage device, said method comprising:

determining a number of a plurality of charging devices within a network, wherein a first charging device of the plurality of charging devices includes a current control device configured to receive current from an electric power source and to supply current to the power storage device;

determining an amount of current to be at least one of received from the electric power source and supplied to the power storage device by the first charging device as a function of the number of charging devices within the network; and

controlling the current control device to enable the amount of current to be at least one of received from the electric power source and supplied to the power storage device.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said determining an amount of current to be at least one of received from the electric power source and supplied to the power storage device by the first charging device comprises dividing a current distribution limit of an electrical distribution device by the number of charging devices within the network.

18. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said determining a number of a plurality of charging devices within a network comprises determining a number of a plurality of charging devices within a network that are at least one of supplying current, receiving current, expecting to receive current, and expecting to supply current to a power storage device.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising transmitting a request to the plurality of charging devices to determine an amount of current that each charging device is at least one of supplying, receiving, expecting to receive, and expecting to supply.

20. A method in accordance with claim 19, further comprising determining an initial amount of current to at least one of receive from the electric power source and supply to the power storage device based on the amount of current that each charging device of the plurality of charging devices is at least one of supplying, receiving, expecting to receive and expecting to supply.