CHARGING FEE BILLING METHOD, CHARGING FEE BILLING SYSTEM, CHARGING STAND DEVICE, AUTOMOBILE-MOUNTED CHARGING DEVICE

• US 20120136705A1
• Filed: 03/16/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ADC Technology Inc. (Republic Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: ADC Technology Inc. (Republic Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Enmei, Toshiharu, Adachi, Tsutomu, Hayashi, Shigeru, Kondo, Takezumi, Maekawa, Hiroshi
• Application Number:
  US13/388,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20120136705A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.17
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• 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: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0219 based on funds or budget
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• 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: 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

Abstract

In a charging fee billing system according to the invention, a preferential card having preferential information stored thereon is issued, the preferential information allowing for an investor having borne costs required for power storage facilities for use in a commercial power system to receive a discount for electricity fees involved in the charging of an electric automobile. When charging is performed for an electric automobile that is equipped with a preferential card, a charging unit set up at a charging stand acquires preferential information from the preferential card. The charging unit bills a charging fee to which a preferential rate has been applied based on the preferential information acquired from the preferential card.

Claims

1. A charging fee billing method comprising:

a providing step in which, to an investor having borne costs required for power storage facilities that are connected to a commercial power system, store electric power supplied from the commercial power system and supply the stored electric power to the commercial power system, preferential information on preferential right is created by which a discount for electricity fees involved in charging of a storage battery mounted on an electric automobile for use by the investor can be received, and a preferential information recording medium that stores the created preferential information is given;

an acquisition step in which, upon charging the electric automobile equipped with the preferential information recording medium by a charging stand device which receives power supply from the commercial power system, the preferential information is acquired from the preferential information recording medium; and

a billing step in which, based on the preferential information acquired from the preferential information recording medium in the acquisition step, a charging fee is billed which is an electricity fee involved in charging of the electric automobile by the charging stand device to which a preferential rate is applied.

2. The charging fee billing method according to claim 1,

wherein the preferential information created in the providing step includes identification information for specifying an electric automobile which can receive preference in charging fee, and,

in the billing step, the electric automobile is authenticated based on the identification information included in the preferential information, and the preferential rate is applied only to the electric automobile being complied with the identification information.

3. The charging fee billing method according to claim 1,

further comprising a storage step in which charging information showing actual results of charging which has been performed at the preferential rate to the electric automobile equipped with the preferential information recording medium is stored,

wherein the preferential information created in the providing step also includes limitation information showing limitation to charging density up to which the preferential rate can be applied, and,

in the billing step, the preferential rate is applied to the electricity fees involved in charging within a limited range for the charging density shown by the limitation information, based on the limitation information included in the preferential information and the charging information stored in the preferential information recording medium.

4. The charging fee billing method according to claim 1,

further comprising a storage step in which charging information showing actual results of charging which has been performed at the preferential rate to the electric automobile equipped with the preferential information recording medium is stored,

wherein the preferential information created in the providing step includes return information showing a condition for returning the charging fee in case that charging covered at the preferential rate is smaller than the previously arranged charging density, and,

in the billing step, if the actual results of the charging density based on the charging information stored in the preferential information recording medium are smaller than the previously arranged charging density based on the return information included in the preferential information, return money corresponding to an amount less than the previously arranged charging density is deducted from the charging fee.

5. A charging fee billing system comprising:

a charging stand device that receives supply of electric power from a commercial power system; and

an automobile-mounted charging device mounted on an electric automobile,

wherein the automobile-mounted charging device includes;

a charging unit that receives power supply from the charging stand device by electrically connecting with the charging stand device to charge a storage battery mounted on the electric automobile;

a preferential information recording unit that stores preferential information on preferential right granted to an investor having borne costs required for power storage facilities that are connected to a commercial power system, store electric power supplied from the commercial power system and supply the stored electric power to the commercial power system, the preferential right being a right of receiving a discount for electricity fees involved in charging of the storage battery mounted on the electric automobile for use by the investor;

an automobile-mounted communication unit that is for information communication with the charging stand device; and

a transmission unit that transmits contents stored in the preferential information recording unit to the charging stand device via the automobile-mounted communication unit,

wherein the charging stand device includes;

a stand-side charging unit that supplies electric power for charging the storage battery mounted on the electric automobile to the automobile-mounted charging device by electrically connecting with the automobile-mounted charging device;

a stand-side communication unit that is for information communication with the automobile-mounted charging device;

an acquisition unit that acquires information stored in the preferential information recording unit provided in the automobile-mounted charging device via the stand-side communication unit; and

a billing unit that bills a charging fee which is an electricity fee involved in charging of the electric automobile to which a preferential rate is applied, based on the preferential information acquired from the automobile-mounted charging device by the acquisition unit.

6. The charging fee billing system according to claim 5,

wherein the preferential information includes identification information for specifying an electric automobile which can receive preference in charging fee,

the billing unit of the charging stand device authenticates the electric automobile based on the identification information included in the preferential information, and the preferential rate is applied only to the electric automobile being complied with the identification information.

7. The charging fee billing system according to claim 5,

wherein the preferential information includes limitation information showing limitation for charging density up to which the preferential rate can be applied,

the automobile-mounted charging device further includes a storage unit that stores in a preferential information recording unit charging information showing actual results of charging which has been performed at the preferential rate, and

the billing unit of the charging stand device applies the preferential rate to the electricity fees involved in charging within a limited range for the charging density shown by the limitation information, based on the limitation information included in the preferential information and the charging information stored in the preferential information recording unit.

8. The charging fee billing system according to claim 5,

wherein the preferential information includes return information showing a condition for returning the charging fee in case that charging covered at the preferential rate is smaller than the previously arranged charging density,

the automobile-mounted charging device further includes a storage unit that stores in a preferential information recording unit charging information showing actual results of charging which has been performed at the preferential rate, and

the billing unit of the charging stand device, if the actual results of the charging density based on the charging information stored in the preferential information recording unit are smaller than the previously arranged charging density based on the return information included in the preferential information, deducts return money corresponding to an amount less than the previously arranged charging density from the charging fee.

9. The charging fee billing system according to claim 5,

wherein the charging stand device and the automobile-mounted charging device are chargeably connected via charging terminals so that the automobile-mounted communication unit and the stand-side communication unit can perform information communication with each other.

10. A charging stand device that constitutes the charging fee billing system according to claim 5.

11. An automobile-mounted charging device that constitutes the charging fee billing system according to claim 5.