Computer-Implemented System And Method For Managing Interchangeable EV Charging-Capable Parking Spaces

• US 20140089016A1
• Filed: 09/21/2012
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conduent Business Services, LLC (Conduent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Smullin, Sylvia, Stefik, Mark J., Schwartz, David Eric, Greene, Daniel H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,779,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

A centralized server-based system and method for managing and reserving parking spaces capable of charging an EV, that is, a plug-in hybrid or fully electric vehicle, treats sets of parking spaces as interchangeable pooled resources. An EV motorist can book a reservation with charging of the EV by specifying parking in a desired location. Parking spaces serve dual uses for parking alone or parking with charging. The parking spaces are handled as a common parking pool, such as on one side of a city block, and each space has equal access to a charging station. The server determines charging capacity availability within a time window and the motorist can choose a parking time up to or beyond, if permitted, the maximum charging time needed to charge the EV. Non-EV motorists can similarly reserve parking within a parking pool with the server ensuring optimal use of charging capacity and parking spaces.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A computer-implemented method for managing interchangeable EV charging-capable parking spaces, comprising:

forming a parking pool comprising a plurality of parking spaces, which are each interchangeably reservable by motorists;

providing access to a charging station for electrically-chargeable vehicles at each of the parking spaces in the parking pool;

identifying a number of the parking spaces in the parking pool that are currently-occupied by already-parked vehicles and any existing reservations to park in the parking spaces in the parking pool by yet-to-arrive vehicles; and

managing use by other vehicles of the parking spaces in the parking pool that are not among the currently-occupied parking spaces nor among the parking spaces in the parking pool that will be used to fulfill the existing reservations.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a request for a reservation for parking in the parking pool that comprises a parking duration beginning at a start time;

determining a number of the parking spaces in the parking pool that are available at the start time free of the currently-occupied parking spaces and the parking spaces needed to fulfill the existing reservations;

determining time available to park in the parking pool through the parking duration free of the currently-occupied parking spaces and the parking spaces needed to fulfill the existing reservations; and

creating a reservation provided that the number of available parking spaces in the parking pool and the time available are sufficient to satisfy the parking duration of the parking reservation request beginning at the start time.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the parking reservation request comprises a request for on-the-spot parking and the start time comprises the current time.

5. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a request for charging an electrically-chargeable vehicle comprising a charging duration along with the parking reservation request;

determining whether any of the charging stations at the parking pool have charging capacity available for the charging duration at some point during the parking duration beginning at the start time; and

granting the charging request provided that the charging capacity is sufficient to satisfy the charging duration of the charging request.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

supplying a capacity to simultaneously charge a number of electrically-chargeable vehicles that is less than or equal to the number of the parking spaces in the parking pool; and

evaluating the simultaneous charging capacity of the parking pool to satisfy the charging duration of the charging request during the requested parking reservation, comprising;

running a scheduling algorithm; and

finding the simultaneous charging capacity to be sufficient for the charging request only if the scheduling algorithm determines that remaining charging capacity is available in the requested parking time period.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

evaluating active charging of any electrically-chargeable vehicles in the currently-occupied parking spaces;

determining reserved charging capacity required by any electrically-chargeable vehicles that have yet to arrive in the parking spaces needed to fulfill the existing reservations;

attempting to schedule requested charging time within requested parking time for all vehicles currently parked and all existing reservations in addition to the new charging request, subject to the end-times of the reservations and the simultaneous charging capacity; and

determining whether there is charging capacity available for an amount of time needed for the requested charging duration during the requested parking reservation based on the active charging and the reserved charging capacity.

8. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

iteratively re-running the scheduling algorithm for incrementally shorter durations than the charging duration first-requested until the scheduling algorithm succeeds in finding the charging capacity sufficient to satisfy the current incrementally shorter duration.

9. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

supplying a capacity to simultaneously charge a number of electrically-chargeable vehicles that is less than or equal to the number of the parking spaces in the parking pool; and

allowing an electrically-chargeable vehicle to connect to one of the charging stations at the start time of the parking reservation regardless of whether charging of the electrically-chargeable vehicle actually begins at the start time.

10. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

holding a portion of the parking spaces in the parking pool for parking reservation requests that comprise charging requests;

holding a remaining portion of the parking spaces in the parking pool for parking reservation requests that comprise parking only; and

adjusting the number of available parking spaces in the parking pool, comprising;

limiting the number of available parking spaces in the parking pool for parking with charging parking reservation requests to a number of the parking spaces in the parking with charging portion of the parking pool; and

limiting the number of available parking spaces in the parking pool for parking only parking reservation requests to a number of the parking spaces in the parking only portion of the parking pool.

11. A method according to claim 5, wherein the charging duration comprises one of an expressly-requested amount of time, an estimated maximum amount of time needed to charge the electrically-chargeable vehicle, and a maximum allowable charging time as permitted by applicable regulations.

12. A method according to claim 5, further comprising at least one of:

allowing a rate of charging to be indicated as part of the charging request; and

notifying a motorist holding a parking reservation with charging that charging of the motorist'"'"'s electrically-chargeable vehicle has started or stopped.

13. A method according to claim 5, further comprising at least one of:

setting a pricing structure for parking in the parking pool based on charging a premium fee for parking beyond time needed to charge an electrically-chargeable vehicle, changing prices based on demand for parking, or imposing extra fees if a vehicle is not moved within a set time window after the reservation ends;

setting a pricing structure for charging an electrically-chargeable vehicle based upon an amount of electricity used, an amount of time that the charging station is in-use, on a per-use flat fee basis, rate of charging, cost of electricity, demand for charging, or scheduling time of charging; and

setting a purchasing structure for drawing electricity from an electrically-chargeable vehicle into the charging station.

14. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

transacting automated parking reservation service buyouts by an interested motorist, comprising;

identifying a type of parking reservation service desired by the interested motorist, the parking reservation service type comprising one of parking with charging, parking only or charging capacity that has been added to an existing parking reservation, which converts the parking reservation into a parking with charging parking reservation;

notifying other motorists holding parking reservations comprising the same type of parking reservation service that the interested motorist would like to buy out the reservation; and

allowing the interested motorist to buy the parking reservation service upon acceptance of the buy out by the other motorist.

15. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

maintaining a waitlist comprising at least one motorist whose parking reservation request has been denied; and

managing the waitlist, comprising;

offering a reservation to the waitlisted motorist upon a change or cancelation of another parking reservation overlapping the start time and parking duration of the denied parking reservation request and creating a reservation for the waitlisted motorist upon acceptance by the motorist of the offer;

offering a reservation to the waitlisted motorist upon a change or cancelation of another parking reservation overlapping the start time and parking duration of the denied parking reservation request, and leaving the waitlisted motorist on or removing the waitlisted motorist from the waitlist upon rejection by the motorist of the offer; and

leaving the waitlisted motorist on the waitlist in an absence of a change or cancelation of another parking reservation overlapping the start time and parking duration of the denied parking reservation request until an expiry of the requested start time and parking duration, at which time the waitlisted motorist can be removed from the waitlist.

16. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

identifying parking restrictions and prohibitions and local restrictions applicable to the parking spaces in the parking pool; and

reducing the number of the parking spaces in the parking pool that are available at the start time by those of the parking spaces subject to the parking prohibitions.

17. A method according to claim 3, further comprising at least one of:

placing a limit on a total number of reservations or vehicles from any one motorist within a set period of time; and

placing a limit on a total number of reservations for a particular vehicle within a set period of time.

18. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

consolidating short time gaps between use of the parking spaces in the parking pool by not assigning specific parking spaces to fulfill the reservations.

19. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

scheduling use of the parking spaces in the parking pool by electrically-chargeable vehicles for optimal use of charging capacity of the charging stations and the parking spaces in the parking pool.

20. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

providing dual use parking with the parking spaces in the parking pool by interleaving parking with charging by electrically-chargeable vehicles and parking only by electrically-chargeable vehicles and non-electrically-chargeable vehicles.

21. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

adjusting the use of the parking spaces based on parking restrictions and prohibitions, local restrictions and pricing, which can automatically change, be based on fixed rules by time of day, or could be revised dynamically based on parking demand, charging demand or electricity market price.

22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing code for executing on a computer system to perform the method according to claim 2.