REAL TIME SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING AND MANAGING A LOAD IN AN ELECTRICAL GRID

• US 20120268061A1
• Filed: 04/21/2011
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: MAK, Don T., MONAGLE, Kevin M., RAMANATHAN, Sri, REBOUL, Jean-Gael F., TERRY, Matthew A., TREVATHAN, Matthew B., BHAGERIA, Gopal K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,937,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/107
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• 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 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• 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 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 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 and a method are provided for optimizing and managing a load in an electrical grid. The method includes receiving an event notification associated with a mobile device requiring a charge and determining charging station information of at least one charging station in an electrical grid based on the event notification, the at least one charging station operable to charge the mobile device. The charging station information of the at least one charging station is sent to a user of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an event notification associated with a mobile device requiring a charge;

determining charging station information of at least one charging station in an electrical grid based on the event notification, the at least one charging station operable to charge the mobile device; and

sending the charging station information of the at least one charging station to a user of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining grid information of the electrical grid comprising one or more charging stations operable to charge the mobile device;

receiving grid configuration rules indicating how to configure the electrical grid in response to charging of mobile devices, from a rules database; and

determining the charging station information of the at least one charging station based on the event notification, the grid information, and the grid configuration rules.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising setting the grid configuration rules in the rules database.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the user of the mobile device sets the grid configuration rules in the rules database.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

updating the grid information based on the event notification, the grid information, and the charging station information; and

configuring the electrical grid based on at least one of the event notification, the updated grid information, and the charging station information.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of the grid information comprises collecting at least one charging station information of the one or more charging stations in the electrical grid, the at least one charging station information comprising at least one of:

locations of the one or more charging stations;

charging capacities at the one or more charging stations;

charging rates at the one or more charging stations;

charging wait times at the one or more charging stations; and

charging conditions at the one or more charging stations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the event notification comprises at least one of:

a location of the mobile device;

a battery charge status of the mobile device;

a charging rate preferred by a user of the mobile device;

a charging wait time preferred by the user; and

a distance to a charging station that the user is willing to travel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the charging station information comprises sending at least one of:

a location of the at least one charging station;

a charging capacity at the at least one charging station;

a charging rate at the at least one charging station;

a charging wait time at the at least one charging station; and

a charging condition at the at least one charging station.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports a computer infrastructure operable to perform the steps of claim 1.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein steps of claim 1 are provided by a service provider on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis.

12. A system implemented in hardware, comprising:

a domain server operable to;

receive an event notification from a subscriber device associated with a mobile device;

determine grid information of an electrical grid comprising at least one charging station operable to charge the mobile device;

determine charging station information of a preferred charging station in the electrical grid based on the event notification, the grid information, and grid configuration rules; and

configure the electrical grid based on at least one of the event notification, the grid information, and the charging station information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the domain server is further operable to receive grid configuration rules indicating how to configure the electrical grid in response to charging of mobile devices, from a rules database; and

at least one of the domain server and the subscriber device is operable to set the grid configuration rules in the rules database.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the domain server is further operable to:

send the charging station information to the subscriber device;

update the grid information based on the event notification, the grid information, and the charging station information; and

configure the electrical grid based on at least one of the event notification, the updated grid information, and the charging station information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the sending of the charging station information comprises sending at least one of:

a location of the preferred charging station;

a charging capacity at the preferred charging station;

a charging rate at the preferred charging station;

a charging wait time at the preferred charging station; and

a charging condition at the preferred charging station.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the event notification comprises at least one of:

a location of the mobile device;

a battery charge status of the mobile device;

a charging rate preferred by a subscriber of the subscriber device associated with the mobile device;

a charging wait time preferred by the subscriber; and

a distance to a charging station that the subscriber is willing to travel.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the determining of the grid information comprises collecting at least one charging station information of the at least one charging station in the electrical grid, the at least one charging station information comprising at least one of:

locations of the at least one charging station;

charging capacities at the at least one charging station;

charging rates at the at least one charging station;

charging wait times at the at least one charging station; and

charging conditions at the at least one charging station.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the configuring of the electrical grid comprises:

sending a unique identifier of at least one of the subscriber device and the mobile device to the preferred charging station; and

sending a message instructing the preferred charging station to make a reservation for charging the mobile device at the preferred charging station.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the configuring of the electrical grid comprises:

sending a unique identifier of at least one of the subscriber device and the mobile device to the preferred charging station; and

sending a message instructing a reserved charging station to void a reservation for charging the mobile device.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the domain server is further operable to:

determine charging station information of a charging station that is nearest to the mobile device based on the event notification and the grid information;

determine whether a charging capacity at the nearest charging station is greater than a predetermined maximum value;

when the charging capacity is less than the predetermined maximum value;

discount a charging rate at the nearest charging station by a predetermined value; and

send the charging station information of the nearest charging station, including the discounted charging rate, to the subscriber device associated with the mobile device, the charging station information instructing a user of the mobile device to travel to the nearest charging station; and

when the charging capacity is greater than the predetermined maximum value, determine charging station information of a charging station that is a next nearest to the mobile device based on the event notification and the grid information.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having readable program code embodied in the storage medium, the computer program product includes at least one component operable to:

detect an event at a mobile device;

send a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message comprising an event notification to a presence server in an electrical grid; and

receive charging station information of a preferred charging station in the electrical grid, which instructs a user of the mobile device to travel to the preferred charging station, wherein the preferred charging station is operable to charge the mobile device.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein:

the event comprises at least one of a battery charge status of the mobile device being charged at a predetermined percentage and a user-initiated event;

the event notification comprises at least one of;

a location of the mobile device;

a battery charge status of the mobile device;

a charging rate preferred by a user associated with the mobile device;

a charging wait time preferred by the user; and

a distance to a charging station that the user is willing to travel; and

the charging station information comprises at least one of;

a location of the preferred charging station;

a charging capacity at the preferred charging station;

a charging rate at the preferred charging station;

a charging wait time at the preferred charging station; and

a charging condition at the preferred charging station.

23. A method of optimizing and managing loads in an electrical grid, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure, being operable to;

receive an event notification associated with a mobile device requiring a charge;

determine charging station information of at least one charging station in an electrical grid based on the event notification, the at least one charging station operable to charge the mobile device; and

send the charging station information of the at least one charging station to a user of the mobile device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to:

determine grid information of the electrical grid comprising one or more charging stations operable to charge the mobile device;

receive grid configuration rules indicating how to configure the electrical grid in response to potential mobile devices, from a rules database; and

determine the charging station information of the at least one charging station based on the event notification, the grid information, and the grid configuration rules.

25. A computer system for optimizing and managing loads in an electrical grid, the system comprising:

a CPU, a computer readable memory and a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to receive an event notification of a subscriber device associated with a mobile device;

second program instructions to determine grid information of the electrical grid comprising at least one charging station operable to charge the mobile device;

third program instructions to receive grid configuration rules indicating how to configure the electrical grid in response to charging of mobile devices, from a rules database;

fourth program instructions to determine charging station information of a preferred charging station in the electrical grid based on the event notification, the grid information, and the grid configuration rules;

fifth program instructions to send the charging station information to the subscriber device;

sixth program instructions to update the grid information based on the event notification, the grid information, and the charging station information; and

seventh program instructions to configure the electrical grid based on at least one of the event notification, the updated grid information, and the charging station information,

wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by the CPU via the computer readable memory.