METHOD OF TRANSFERRING ENERGY BETWEEN A FIRST UNIT AND A SECOND UNIT

• US 20120326838A1
• Filed: 09/05/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: STOCKER, Klaus, KOPP, Dieter
• Granted Patent: US 8,614,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.8
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/006 to power outlets
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• 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: G07F 15/003 for electricity
• 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A method for transferring energy between first and second units with first and second meters and subscriptions to first and second backend platforms, as well as a first unit for supporting such energy transfer, where the backend platforms execute an authentication procedure and a switch is unbarred by the first control box upon successful execution of the authentication procedure. A second control box sends an amount of the transferred energy measured by the second meter to the first control box energy consumption to data is sent to the backend platforms, and a consumption clearing procedure is executed between the first and the second units at the backend platforms by means of the received energy consumption data.

Claims

1. A method of transferring energy by a first unit in an environment further including a second unit, wherein at least one of the first and second units is mobile, wherein the first unit has a subscription to a first backend platform, said first unit comprising (i) a first meter for measuring energy exchanged with an external power source and/or an external power consumer, (ii) a first control box, (iii) a switch which allows interruption of energy exchange between the first and second units, and (iv) a transceiver operative to communicate with the first backend platform, the method comprising:

coupling a power line to the first unit, said power line being further coupled to the second unit;

receiving, by the first unit, a request for transferring energy between the first and second units, said request having originated at a second control box of the second unit;

unbarring, by the first control box, the switch in response to authentication of the first and the second units to each other;

receiving by the first control box, an indication of an amount of the transferred energy;

transmitting energy transfer data toward the first backend platform, said energy transfer data comprising data about an amount of exchanged energy measured by the first meter.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring energy between said first and second units.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said energy is transferred via said power line.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said energy is transferred in response to unbarring of the switch.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the received indication of the amount of transferred energy originated at the second control box.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the indication of the amount of transferred energy was measured at a second meter of the second unit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy transfer data is transmitted to the first backend platform.

8. An apparatus for supporting the transfer of energy between a first unit and a second unit, wherein at least one of the first and second units is mobile, and wherein the first unit has a subscription to a first backend platform, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver operative to communicate with the first backend platform;

a connector coupleable to a power line to connect the first and second units;

a first meter operative to measure energy exchanged between the first unit and an external power source and/or an external power consumer;

a switch operatively coupled with the connector to selectively interrupt energy exchange between the first and second units; and

a first control box operatively coupled with the transceiver and the switch, wherein the first control box is operative to;

receive a via the power line and/or via a public land mobile network, a request for transferring energy between the first and second units, said request having originated at a second control box of the second unit,

unbar the switch upon successful execution of an authentication procedure between the first and the second units, and

transmit energy consumption data toward the first backend platform, the energy consumption data comprising data about the amount of the energy transferred between the first and the second units measured by the second meter and about an amount of energy exchanged between the first unit and the external power source and/or the external power consumer measured by the first meter.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the transceiver is coupleable to is a public land mobile network and/or to a public telephone switched network to communicate with the first backend platform.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first control box is operative to support the execution of an authentication procedure between the first and the second units via the first and second backend platforms.

11. A system for facilitating energy transfer between a first unit and a second unit, wherein at least one of the first and second units is mobile, the system comprising:

a first backend platform adapted to be operative with a second backend platform subscribed to by the second unit to execute an authentication procedure between the first and second units and to perform a consumption clearing procedure with respect to energy transfer between the first and second units;

a connector coupleable to a power line to connect the first and second units;

a switch operatively coupled with the connector to selectively allow or interrupt energy exchange between the first and second units; and

a first control box operatively coupled with the switch, the first control box comprising;

a receiver operative to receive a via the power line and/or via a public land mobile network, a request for transferring energy between the first and second units, and an authentication request for authentication of the second unit to the first unit, said requests having originated at a second control box of the second unit,

a transceiver operative to transmit the received authentication request to the first backend platform to initiate execution of the authentication procedure, the transceiver further operative to receive authentication credentials from the first backend platform, and

at least one processor configured to selectively unbar the switch to allow transfer of energy between the first and second units in response to receipt of the authentication credentials from the first backend platform;

wherein the transceiver is operative to transmit energy consumption data toward the first backend platform, the energy consumption data comprising data concerning an amount of energy exchanged between the first unit and an external power source and/or an external power consumer; and

wherein the first backend platform is adapted to be operative with the second backend platform to perform the consumption clearing procedure at least partially according to the amount of energy exchanged between the first unit and the external power source and/or external power consumer and according to data about the amount of energy transferred between the first and the second units.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first backend platform is operative with the second backend platform to perform the consumption clearing procedure including subtracting an amount of energy transferred from the first to the second unit from the amount of energy exchanged between the first unit and the external power source and/or external power consumer, and to allocating a resulting value as a basis for billing energy consumption of the second unit.