System and Method for Ad-Hoc Energy Exchange Network

• US 20120041804A1
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Teo, Koon Hoo, Sahinoglu, Zafer, Tao, Zhifeng
• Granted Patent: US 8,493,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/66 Ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/68 Traffic data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/34 of parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• 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 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 : Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 : Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 : involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 : characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 : with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 : Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 : Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 : Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

A method for facilitating an operation of an ad-hoc energy exchange network is disclosed. The network includes a set of nomadic charging stations (NCSs) and an energy consumer (EC). Upon receiving a request from the EC for an energy exchange, wherein the request includes a current location and a destination location of the EC, an exchange location for performing the energy exchange between a nomadic charging station (NCS) and the EC is determined based on the current location of the EC, the destination location of the EC, and a current location of the NCS. The exchange location is transmitted to the NCS and the EC.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating an operation of an ad-hoc energy exchange network, the network includes a set of nomadic charging stations (NCSs), wherein steps of the method are performed by a processor, comprising steps of:

receiving a request from an energy consumer (EC) for an energy exchange, the request includes a current location of the EC and a destination location of the EC;

determining an exchange location for performing the energy exchange between a nomadic charging station (NCS) and the EC based on the current location of the EC, the destination location of the EC, and a current location of the NCS; and

transmitting the exchange location to the NCS and the EC.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the exchange location differs from the current location of the NCS and the current location of the EC, further comprising:

requesting the NCS and the EC to move to the exchange location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a set of offers, each offer includes the exchange location and a price for a unit of energy; and

determining the exchange location based on a selection of an offer by the energy consumer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting to the EC a set of offers for the energy exchange, each offer includes a proposed service location; and

determining the service location based on a selection of an offer by the EC.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each offer includes a price for a unit of energy and a service time of the energy exchange.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the set of offers includes offers from the set of NCSs.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the set of offers includes offers only from the NCS.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining locations of a set of nomadic charging stations (NCSs) according to an optimal energy supplier placement principle.

9. A nomadic charging station (NCS) for facilitating an operation of an ad-hoc energy exchange network, wherein an energy exchange is performed at an exchange location, and wherein the NCS moves from a current location to the exchange location, comprising:

a communication unit for receiving a request from an energy consumer (EC) for the energy exchange, the request includes a current location of the EC and a destination location of the EC;

a location unit for determining a set of exchange locations for the energy exchange based on the current location of the EC, the destination location of the EC, and the current location of the NCS; and

a pricing unit for determining a price of a unit of energy at each exchange location.

10. The NCS of claim 9, further comprising:

a service delay calculator unit for determining a service time at each exchange location.

11. The NCS of claim 9, further comprising:

a battery unit for determining an amount of the energy available for the energy exchange.

12. The NCS of claim 9, wherein the NCS is portable charging station or mobile charging station.

13. The NCS of claim 9, wherein the set of exchange locations includes a zero-relative-cost location.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the offer further includes a time of the energy exchange at the exchange location.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of offers for the energy exchange from the NCS, each offer includes a unique combination of the service location and the price of the unit of energy.

13-1. A method for facilitating an energy exchange between a nomadic charging station (NCS) and an energy consumer (EC), wherein steps of the method are performed by a processor of the EC, comprising steps of:

transmitting a request for the energy exchange, the request includes a current location of the EC and a destination location of the EC, and a virtual distance tolerance (VDT) of the EC;

receiving, in response to the transmitting, an offer for the energy exchange, the offer includes an exchange location, and a price for a unit of energy; and

transmitting information indicative of a selection of the offer.