NETWORK-CONTROLLED CHARGING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• US 20140152256A1
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Inventors: Lowenthal, Richard, Baxter, Dave, Bhade, Harjinder, Mandal, Praveen
• Granted Patent: US 9,610,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/627 by WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• 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: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• 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: 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: G07F 15/005 dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• 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 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/28 : characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] wireless communication networks H04W ; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 : Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• 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: 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 20/221 : General power management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 : using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A network-controlled charge transfer device for electric vehicles includes a control device to turn electric supply on and off to enable and disable charge transfer for electric vehicles, a transceiver to communicate requests for charge transfer with a remote server and receive communications from the remote server, and a controller, coupled with the control device and the transceiver, to cause the control device to turn the electric supply on based on communication from the remote server.

Claims

1. A network-controlled charge transfer device for transferring charge between a local power grid and an electric vehicle comprising:

an electrical receptacle configured to receive an electrical connector for connection to said electric vehicle;

an electric power line connecting said local power grid to said receptacle;

a control device on said electric power line, for switching said receptacle on and off;

a current measuring device on said electric power line, for measuring current flowing through said receptacle;

a controller configured to operate said control device and to monitor the output from said current measuring device;

a transceiver connected to said controller, said transceiver being configured to connect said controller to a local area network for access to a remote server via a wide area network; and

a communication device connected to said controller, said communication device being configured to connect said controller to a mobile wireless communication device, for communication between the operator of said vehicle and said controller;

wherein said controller is configured to manage charge transfer based on power grid load data, said power grid load data being available from said remote server, and wherein charge transfer may be in either direction between said local power grid and said electric vehicle.

2. A device as in claim 1, wherein said wide area network is the Internet.

3. A device as in claim 1, wherein said transceiver is a wireless local area network transceiver and said local area network is a wireless local area network.

4. A device as in claim 1, wherein said transceiver is an alternating current line transceiver and said local area network is a power line communication network.

5. A device as in claim 1, wherein said communication device is a wireless personal area network transceiver.

6. A device as in claim 1, wherein said communication device is a radio frequency identification transceiver and said mobile wireless communication device is a radio frequency identification transponder.

7. A device as in claim 1, wherein said communication device is a radio frequency identification receiver and said mobile wireless communication device is a mobile radio frequency identification transmitter.

8. A device as in claim 1, further comprising an alternating current line transceiver connected to said controller, said alternating current line transceiver being configured to connect said controller to a power line communication network for access to a remote payment station.

9. A device as in claim 1, further comprising indicator lights attached to said electrical outlet, said lights being connected to said controller, said controller being configured to operate said indicator lights in correspondence with an operational state of said charge transfer device.

10. A device as in claim 1, further comprising a display unit attached to said electrical receptacle, for displaying information relating to charge transfer.

11. A device as in claim 1, further comprising a vehicle detector connected to said controller, said vehicle detector being configured to detect a vehicle in a parking space corresponding to said charge transfer device.

12. A device as in claim 11, wherein said vehicle detector is a sonar sensor array attached to said receptacle.

13. A device as in claim 11, wherein said vehicle detector is a camera attached to said receptacle.

14. A device as in claim 11, wherein said vehicle detector is an induction coil in said parking space.

15. A device as in claim 11, wherein said controller is configured to communicate parking-space availability to said remote server based on input from said vehicle detector.

16. A device as in claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured to manage charge transfer based on a consumer profile, said consumer profile being stored on said remote server.

17. A network-controlled charge transfer device for transferring charge between a local power grid and an electric vehicle comprising:

an electrical receptacle configured to receive an electrical connector for connection to said electric vehicle;

an electrical power line connecting said local power grid to said receptacle;

a control device on said electric power line, for switching said receptacle on and off;

a current measuring device on said electric power line, for measuring current flowing through said receptacle;

a controller configured to operate said control device and to monitor the output from said current measuring device;

an alternating current line transceiver connected to said controller, said alternating current line transceiver being configured to connect said controller to a power line communication network for access to a remote payment station; and

a communication device connected to said controller, said communication device being configured to connect said controller to a mobile wireless communication device, for communication between the operator of said electric vehicle and said controller;

wherein said remote payment station comprises a data control unit configured to connect said payment station to a wide area network for access to a remote server, wherein said controller is configured to manage charge transfer based on power grid load data, said power grid load data being available from said remote server, and wherein charge transfer may be in either direction between said local power grid and said electric vehicle.

18. A device as in claim 17, wherein said wide area network is. the Internet.

19. A device as in claim 17, wherein said communication device is a wireless personal area network transceiver.

20. A device as in claim 17, wherein said communication device is a radio frequency identification transceiver and said mobile wireless communication device is a radio frequency identification transponder.

21-87. -87. (canceled)