Charging System, Power Management Server, Vehicle Management Server, and Power Management Program

• US 20140117933A1
• Filed: 06/14/2012
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nyu, Takayuki
• Application Number:
  US14/126,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20140117933A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• 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 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/322 the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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 power management server calculates a remaining time before a battery is fully charged (step 603), and determines whether or not the calculated remaining time is equal to or shorter than a threshold (step 604). When the remaining time is equal to or shorter than the threshold (step 604: YES), the power management server generates charge promotion information for prompting charging of an electric vehicle from the battery (step 605).

Claims

1. A charging system comprising:

a battery;

a calculation section configured to calculate a remaining time before a charging rate of the battery exceeds a charging rate indicative of an upper limit threshold;

a determination section configured to determine whether or not the calculated remaining time is equal to or shorter than a threshold; and

a charge promotion information generation section configured to generate charge promotion information for prompting charging of an electric vehicle from the battery when the remaining time is equal to or shorter than the threshold.

2. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein the charge promotion information includes incentive information on at least one of a charging price discount and addition of bonus points.

3. The charging system according to claim 1, further comprising a target power acquisition section configured to acquire a target value for power stored in the battery,

wherein the calculation section is configured to use the target value to calculate the remaining time before the charging rate of the battery exceeds the charging rate indicative of the upper limit threshold.

4. The charging system according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle management section is configured to select, based on a position, a state of charge, or a traveling condition of each electric vehicle, an electric vehicle to which the charge promotion information is to be distributed, and to distribute the charge promotion information to the selected electric vehicle.

9. The charging system according to claim 1, further comprising a charger configured to charge the electric vehicle with power stored in the battery.

5. A charging system comprising:

a battery;

a calculation section configured to calculate a remaining time before a charging rate of the battery becomes lower than a charging rate indicative of a lower limit threshold;

a determination section configured to determine whether or not the calculated remaining time is equal to or shorter than a threshold;

a discharge promotion information generation section configured to generate discharge promotion information for prompting discharging of power from an electric vehicle to the battery when the remaining time is equal to or shorter than the threshold; and

a charger configured to discharge power stored in the electric vehicle to the battery.

6. The charging system according to claim 5, wherein the discharge promotion information includes incentive information on at least one of a power purchase price and addition of bonus points.

7. The charging system according to claim 5, further comprising a target power acquisition section configured to acquire a target value for power discharged from the battery,

wherein the calculation section is configured to use the target value to calculate the remaining time before the charging rate of the battery becomes lower than the charging rate indicative of the lower limit threshold.

8. The charging system according to claim 5, further comprising a vehicle management section configured to select, based on a position, a state of charge, or a traveling condition of each electric vehicle, an electric vehicle to which the discharge promotion information is to be distributed, and is configured to distribute the discharge promotion information to the selected electric vehicle.

10. A power management server comprising:

a calculation section configured to calculate a remaining time before a charging rate of a battery exceeds a charging rate indicative of an upper limit threshold;

a determination section configured to determine whether or not the calculated remaining time is equal to or shorter than a threshold; and

a charge promotion information generation section configured to generate charge promotion information for prompting charging of an electric vehicle from the battery when the remaining time is equal to or shorter than the threshold.

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