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

• US 20130110653A1
• Filed: 10/28/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: Cecil Rivers Jr
• Inventors: Rivers, Cecil Jr., Narel, Radoslaw, Green, Marvin Herville
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,599 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• 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 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• 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 charging system for use in supplying current to a power storage device includes a charging device configured to be coupled to the power storage device to perform a charging operation and a kiosk coupled to the charging device. The kiosk is configured to receive pricing data for the charging operation from the charging device, display the pricing data, enable the pricing data to be accepted, and authorize the charging device to initiate the charging operation if the pricing data is accepted.

Claims

1. A charging system for use in supplying current to a power storage device, said charging system comprising:

a charging device configured to be coupled to the power storage device to perform a charging operation; and

a kiosk coupled to said charging device, said kiosk configured to;

receive pricing data for the charging operation from said charging device;

display the pricing data;

enable the pricing data to be accepted; and

authorize said charging device to initiate the charging operation if the pricing data is accepted.

2. A charging system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said charging device is a first of a plurality of charging devices, said kiosk is configured to transmit a request to said first charging device and to a second of said plurality of charging devices to determine whether said first charging device and said second charging device are available to perform the charging operation.

3. A charging system in accordance with claim 2, wherein said kiosk reserves each of said first charging device and said second charging device that are available to perform the charging operation.

4. A charging system in accordance with claim 3, wherein said kiosk releases the reservation after a predetermined time has elapsed.

5. A charging system in accordance with claim 3, wherein said kiosk releases the reservation of said second charging device if said first charging device is selected to perform the charging operation.

6. A charging system in accordance with claim 2, wherein said kiosk is configured to receive pricing data from said second charging device for performing the charging operation by said second charging device.

7. A charging system in accordance with claim 6, wherein said kiosk comprises a display for displaying the pricing data from said first charging device and the pricing data from said second charging device.

8. A charging system in accordance with claim 2, wherein said kiosk comprises a user input device for receiving an input from a user to select one of said first charging device and said second charging device to perform the charging operation.

9. A charging system in accordance with claim 8, wherein, when said first charging device is selected, said kiosk reserves said first charging device but does not reserve said second charging device.

10. A charging system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said kiosk is configured to accept payment information for the charging operation.

11. A charging system in accordance with claim 10, further comprising a payment processing system configured to:

receive the payment information from the kiosk; and

one of approve and preapprove payment for the charging operation based on the payment information received.

12. A charging system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said charging device is configured to transmit a cost of the charging operation to said kiosk after the charging operation terminates, said kiosk is configured to transmit the cost of the charging operation to said payment processing system for billing an account for the cost of the charging operation.

13. A charging system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a server configured to selectively enable and disable communication between said charging device and said kiosk.

14. A charging system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the pricing data is based on an identity of a user that accesses one of said kiosk and said charging device.

15. A kiosk for use with a charging system including a charging device, said kiosk comprising a processor programmed to:

receive, from the charging device, pricing data for a charging operation;

display the pricing data;

enable the pricing data to be accepted; and

authorize the charging device to initiate the charging operation if the pricing data is accepted.

16. A kiosk in accordance with claim 15, wherein the charging device is a first of a plurality of charging devices, said kiosk is configured to transmit a request to the first charging device and to a second of the plurality of charging devices to determine whether the first charging device and the second charging device are available to perform a charging operation.

17. A kiosk in accordance with claim 16, wherein said kiosk reserves each of the first charging device and the second charging device that are available to perform the charging operation.

18. A kiosk in accordance with claim 17, wherein said kiosk releases the reservation after a predetermined time has elapsed.

19. A kiosk in accordance with claim 17, wherein said kiosk releases the reservation of the second charging device if the first charging device is selected to perform the charging operation.

20. A kiosk in accordance with claim 16, wherein said kiosk is configured to receive pricing data from the second charging device for performing the charging operation by the second charging device.

21. A kiosk in accordance with claim 20, wherein said kiosk comprises a display for displaying the pricing data from the first charging device and the pricing data from the second charging device.

22. A kiosk in accordance with claim 16, wherein said kiosk comprises a user input device for receiving an input from a user to select one of the first charging device and the second charging device to perform the charging operation.

23. A kiosk in accordance with claim 15, wherein said kiosk is configured to accept payment information for the charging operation.

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

receiving, from a charging device, pricing data for a charging operation;

displaying the pricing data;

enabling the pricing data to be accepted; and

authorizing the charging device to initiate the charging operation if the pricing data is accepted.

25. A method in accordance with claim 24, wherein the charging device is a first of a plurality of charging devices, said method further comprises determining whether the first charging device and a second of the plurality of charging devices are available to perform a charging operation.

26. A method in accordance with claim 25, further comprising:

receiving pricing data from the second charging device; and

displaying the pricing data received from the first charging device and from the second charging device.

27. A method in accordance with claim 25, further comprising receiving an input to select one of the first charging device and the second charging device to perform the charging operation.