Method and Apparatus for Providing Charging State Alerts

• US 20130191321A1
• Filed: 01/24/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lovett, Karin, Dalrymple, Beth Ann, Hayes, David, Pham, Thanh Duc, Cardoso, Jesus, Acevski, Darko
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/58
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00716 in response to integrated charge or discharge current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• 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

Abstract

A computer implemented method includes determining whether a time of day corresponds to a charging window, responsive to a determination that a vehicle is in a non-charging state. The method also includes retrieving a start time and charge requirement for an upcoming journey. The method further includes determining if sufficient time remains to charge a vehicle to the charge requirement, responsive to a determination that the time of day corresponds to the charging window. Also, the method includes alerting a user to the non-charging state, responsive to a determination that insufficient time remains to charge the vehicle to the charge requirement.

Claims

1. A computer implemented process comprising:

determining whether a time of day corresponds to a charging window, responsive to a determination that a vehicle is in a non-charging state;

retrieving a start time and charge requirement for an upcoming journey;

determining if sufficient time remains to charge a vehicle to the charge requirement, responsive to a determination that the time of day corresponds to the charging window; and

alerting a user to the non-charging state, responsive to a determination that insufficient time remains to charge the vehicle to the charge requirement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the alerting the user further includes waiting until a predetermined period of non-charging time has passed, following the determination that the vehicle is in the non-charging state, prior to alerting the user of the non-charging condition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, if the predetermined period of non-charging time does not pass in an uninterrupted block of the vehicle remaining in the non-charging state, an instance of the alerting is cancelled.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the alerting is further responsive to a determination that a vehicle is not currently charged to or above the charge requirement.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

alerting a user that a charge requirement may not be met, responsive to a determination that a point in time past which a charge requirement cannot be met is proximate in time to a current time.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

approximating a start time based on observed previous behavior, if an attempt to retrieve a start time is unsuccessful.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

approximating a charge requirement based on observed previous behavior, if an attempt to retrieve a charge requirement is unsuccessful.

8. A machine readable storage medium, storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method comprising:

determining whether a time of day corresponds to a charging window, responsive to a determination that a vehicle is in a non-charging state;

retrieving a start time and charge requirement for an upcoming journey;

determining if sufficient time remains to charge a vehicle to the charge requirement, responsive to a determination that the time of day corresponds to the charging window; and

alerting a user to the non-charging state, responsive to a determination that insufficient time remains to charge the vehicle to the charge requirement.

9. The machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the alerting the user further includes waiting until a predetermined period of non-charging time has passed, following the determination that the vehicle is in the non-charging state, prior to alerting the user of the non-charging condition.

10. The machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein, if the predetermined period of non-charging time does not pass in an uninterrupted block of the vehicle remaining in the non-charging state, an instance of the alerting is cancelled.

11. The machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the alerting is further responsive to a determination that a vehicle is not currently charged to or above the charge requirement.

12. The machine readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising:

alerting a user that a charge requirement may not be met, responsive to a determination that a point in time past which a charge requirement cannot be met is proximate in time to a current time.

13. The machine readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising:

approximating a start time based on observed previous behavior, if an attempt to retrieve a start time is unsuccessful.

14. The machine readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising:

approximating a charge requirement based on observed previous behavior, if an attempt to retrieve a charge requirement is unsuccessful.

15. A system comprising:

a processor, in communication with a vehicle network;

a local storage, in communication with the vehicle network;

a vehicle power source, in communication with the vehicle network; and

a transceiver, in communication with at least the processor, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether a time of day corresponds to a charging window, responsive to a determination that a vehicle is in a non-charging state, based at least in part on information retrieved from the vehicle network,

retrieve a start time and charge requirement for an upcoming journey from the local storage,

determine if sufficient time remains to charge a vehicle to the charge requirement, responsive to a determination that the time of day corresponds to the charging window, based at least in part on a difference between a current time and the start time, and at least in part on an observed rate of charging, and

alert a user to the non-charging state, responsive to a determination that insufficient time remains to charge the vehicle to the charge requirement, utilizing at least the transceiver to send a message for transmission to the user.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor alerting the user further includes waiting until a predetermined period of non-charging time has passed, following the determination that the vehicle is in the non-charging state, prior to alerting the user of the non-charging condition.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein, if the predetermined period of non-charging time does not pass in an uninterrupted block of the vehicle remaining in the non-charging state, an instance of the processor alerting the user is cancelled.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor alerting the user is further responsive to a determination that a vehicle is not currently charged to or above the charge requirement.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to alert a user that a charge requirement may not be met, responsive to a determination that a point in time past which a charge requirement cannot be met is proximate in time to a current time.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to approximate a start time based on observed previous behavior, if an attempt to retrieve a start time is unsuccessful.