Optimizing Vehicle Recharging to Maximize Use of Energy Generated from Particular Identified Sources

• US 20140354228A1
• Filed: 05/29/2013
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Department of Energy
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Donthy, Venkatesh, Pebbles, Paul H., Williams, Nate, Roebuck, Justin
• Granted Patent: US 9,994,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/12 Bikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/32 Waterborne vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/36 Vehicles designed to transport cargo, e.g. trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/52 Wind-driven generators
• 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 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• 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: 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

Implementations of the present invention contemplate utilizing a communicative infrastructure represented by a telematics unit of an electric vehicle and a telematics service provider (TSP) communicatively coupled to the telematics unit to control an amount of power reserved for a charging event of the vehicle. Specifically, the TSP utilizes information provided by the telematics unit, electrical power utilities, and electrical power metering devices to determine the characteristics of electrical energy available for charging the vehicle. The TSP can utilize the characteristics of the available energy along with additional information, such as charging preferences established by a subscriber of the TSP and vehicle use schedules, to determine an amount of power to reserve for the charging event. The amount of power reserved for the charging event may be determined based on cost, greenhouse gas emissions, a combination thereof, and on other factors.

Claims

1. A method for using energy generated from identified energy sources to charge an electric vehicle, the method comprising:

determining, at a computer readable medium, that an electric vehicle is connected to a vehicle charging device;

acquiring, at a computer readable medium, information pertaining to the amount of energy available from the identified energy sources;

determining constraints on the manner in which the electric vehicle is to be charged;

determining an amount of electrical power generated by the identified energy sources to be reserved for charging the vehicle during the charging event; and

issuing instructions to implement a charging procedure in which the power used during charging of the electric vehicle does not exceed the amount of power reserved for charging.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that an electric vehicle is connected to a vehicle charging device comprises receiving an indication that a vehicle is connected to a vehicle charging device from one of the group consisting of:

a telematics unit in the vehicle, the charging device to which the vehicle is connected, and an electrical power metering device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the electrical power metering device is a home energy management system (HEMS).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring information pertaining to the amount of energy available from the identified energy sources comprises receiving data pertaining to a present level of power consumption attributable to identified energy consuming devices and data pertaining to a present level of power production attributable to the identified energy sources.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring information pertaining to the amount of energy available from the identified energy sources comprises receiving data pertaining to a forecast of future levels of power consumption attributable to identified energy consuming devices and data pertaining to a future level of power production attributable to the identified energy sources.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the data pertaining to a present level of power consumption and the data pertaining to a present level of power production is received from a home energy management system (HEMS).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information pertaining to the amount of energy available from identified energy sources comprises information pertaining to an amount of energy stored at an identified energy storage device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the constraints on the manner in which the vehicle is to be charged include one of the group consisting of:

a maximum electrical power transferred to the vehicle during charging;

a minimum electrical power transferred to the vehicle during charging;

a maximum duration of the charging;

a minimum duration of the charging;

a minimum charge level that must be achieved during charging;

a minimum charge level that must be achieved by a particular point in time;

a maximum amount of energy not generated by the identified energy sources used to charge the vehicle; and

a maximum cost of electricity used to charge the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an amount of electrical power generated by the identified energy sources to be reserved for charging the vehicle during the charging event comprises:

determining the amount of electrical power produced by the identified energy sources;

determining the amount of power consumed by one or more identified energy consuming devices;

if the amount of electrical power produced by the identified sources exceeds the amount of power consumed by the identified energy consuming devices, determining that the amount of electrical power generated by the identified energy sources to be reserved for charging the vehicle during the charging event is equal to the amount of power by which the electrical power produced exceeds the electrical power consumed; and

if the amount of electrical power consumed by the identified energy consuming devices exceeds the amount produced by the identified energy sources, determining that the amount of electrical power generated by the identified energy sources to be reserved for charging the vehicle during the charging event is zero.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an amount of electrical power generated by the identified energy sources to be reserved for charging the vehicle during the charging event comprises identifying a hierarchy of the constraints and determining an amount of electrical power that can be reserved for charging the vehicle while enabling the hierarchy of constraints to be upheld.

11. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining that it is appropriate to acquire updated information pertaining to the amount of energy available from the identified energy sources;

acquiring updated information pertaining to the amount of energy available from the identified energy sources;

determining, based on the updated information, an updated amount of electrical power generated by the identified energy sources to be reserved for charging the vehicle during the charging event; and

issuing instructions to implement a charging procedure in which the power used during charging of the electric vehicle does not exceed the updated amount of power to be reserved for charging.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining that it is appropriate to acquire updated information pertaining to the amount of energy available from the identified energy sources involves determining that a condition is met from the group of conditions consisting of:

a period of time has passed since information pertaining to the amount of energy available from the identified energy sources was acquired and a notification that a change has occurred in the amount of energy available from the identified energy sources has been received.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium configured to execute computer executable instructions for using energy generated from identified energy sources to charge an electric vehicle, the instructions comprising instructions for:

determining, at a computer readable medium, that an electric vehicle is connected to a vehicle charging device;

acquiring, at a computer readable medium, information pertaining to the amount of energy available from the identified energy sources;

determining constraints on the manner in which the electric vehicle is to be charged;

determining an amount of electrical power generated by the identified energy sources to be reserved for charging the vehicle during the charging event; and

issuing instructions to implement a charging procedure in which the power used during charging of the electric vehicle does not exceed the amount of power reserved for charging.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein determining that an electric vehicle is connected to a vehicle charging device comprises receiving an indication that a vehicle is connected to a vehicle charging device from one of the group consisting of:

a telematics unit in the vehicle, the charging device to which the vehicle is connected, and an electrical power metering device.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the electrical power metering device is a home energy management system (HEMS).

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein acquiring information pertaining to the amount of energy available from the identified energy sources comprises receiving data pertaining to a present level of power consumption attributable to identified energy consuming devices and data pertaining to a present level of power production attributable to the identified energy sources

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the data pertaining to a present level of power consumption and the data pertaining to a present level of power production is received from a home energy management system (HEMS).

18. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein determining an amount of electrical power generated by the identified energy sources to be reserved for charging the vehicle during the charging event comprises:

determining the amount of electrical power produced by the identified energy sources;

determining the amount of power consumed by one or more identified energy consuming devices;

if the amount of electrical power produced by the identified sources exceeds the amount of power consumed by the identified energy consuming devices, determining that the amount of electrical power generated by the identified energy sources to be reserved for charging the vehicle during the charging event is equal to the amount of power by which the electrical power produced exceeds the electrical power consumed; and

if the amount of electrical power consumed by the identified energy consuming devices exceeds the amount produced by the identified energy sources, determining that the amount of electrical power generated by the identified energy sources to be reserved for charging the vehicle during the charging event is zero.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 13, the instructions further comprising instructions for:

determining that it is appropriate to acquire updated information pertaining to the amount of energy available from the identified energy sources;

acquiring updated information pertaining to the amount of energy available from the identified energy sources;

determining, based on the updated information, an updated amount of electrical power generated by the identified energy sources to be reserved for charging the vehicle during the charging event; and

issuing instructions to implement a charging procedure in which the power used during charging of the electric vehicle does not exceed the updated amount of power to be reserved for charging.

20. A system for using energy generated from identified energy sources to charge an electric vehicle, the system comprising:

a server, configured to receive information indicating that an electric vehicle is connected to a vehicle charging device, to receive information pertaining to an amount of energy available from the identified energy sources, to determine constraints on the manner in which the electric vehicle is to be charged, to determine an amount of electrical power generated by the identified energy sources to be reserved for charging the vehicle during the charging event, and to issue instructions to implement a charging procedure in which the power used during charging of the electric vehicle does not exceed the amount of power reserved for charging;

a telematics unit, configured to transmit information indicating that an electric vehicle is connected to a vehicle charging device and to receive instructions to implement a charging procedure at the electric vehicle; and

a home energy management system (HEMS) configured to transmit information pertaining to the amount of energy available from the identified energy sources.