METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CHARGING AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• US 20150120109A1
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Cun, David Wong
• Granted Patent: US 9,056,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/525 Temperature of converter or components thereof
• 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 2250/12 by confirmation, e.g. of the input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• 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: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 : acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 : with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 : in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 : in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007192 : in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 : Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/16 : Regulation of the charging current or voltage by variation of field
• 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

A system for use in controlling a charging system for an electric vehicle is provided. The system includes a computing device. The computing device includes a memory device and a processor coupled to the memory device. The processor is configured to store, in the memory device, data relating to at least one charging session of the electric vehicle. The processor is also configured to receive, from a user input device, at least one selection relating to at least one of a charging rate setting and a charging preference setting for controlling a charging rate at which a charger in the electric vehicle draws current from a power supply.

Claims

1. A computing device for use in controlling a charging system in an electric vehicle, said computing device comprising:

a memory device; and

a processor coupled to the memory device, wherein the processor is configured to;

store, in the memory device, data relating to at least one charging session of the electric vehicle; and

receive, from a user input device, at least one selection relating to at least one of a charging rate setting and a charging preference setting for controlling a charging rate at which a charger in the electric vehicle draws current from a power supply.

2. The computing device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said processor is configured to:

receive data relating to detected interruptions in a power supply to which the electric vehicle is coupled; and

cause the charging system to change a rate at which the charger in the electric vehicle draws power from the power supply from a first rate to a second, lower rate if a number of detected interruptions exceeds a predefined number of interruptions within a single charging session.

3. The computing device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive data regarding a detected temperature of a component of the charging system; and

cause the charging system to change a rate at which the charger in the electric vehicle draws power from a power supply from a first rate to a second, lower rate if a detected temperature of the charging system component exceeds a predefined limit temperature.

5. The computing device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said computing device comprises a global positioning system (GPS) device and wherein the processor is configured to:

cause the charging system, during a charging session, to change a rate at which the charger in the electric vehicle draws power from a power supply from a first rate to a second, lower rate if the processor detects a predefined condition; and

store, in the memory device, data corresponding to a detected present location of the vehicle during the charging session.

6. The computing device in accordance with claim 5, wherein the predefined condition is at least one of an occurrence of a predefined number of interruptions of a power supply to which the vehicle is coupled during a single charging session, and an occurrence of a detected temperature in a component of the charging system that exceeds a predefined limit temperature.

7. The computing device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said computing device comprises a global positioning system (GPS) device and wherein the processor is configured to:

receive data representing a detected present location of the vehicle during a present charging session;

compare the detected present location data to data stored in the memory device corresponding to a previously-detected location of the vehicle during a prior charging session, during which a change from a first rate to a second, lower rate was applied by the charging system in response to a predefined condition detected by the processor; and

cause the charging system to change a rate at which the charger in the electric vehicle draws power from a power supply from a first rate to a second, lower rate if the detected present location is the same as the previously-detected location.

8. The computing device in accordance with claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to change the rate at which the charger in the electric vehicle draws power to a rate that is no greater than a rate to which charging was reduced during the prior charging session.

4. The computing device in accordance with claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to cause the charging system to restore the rate at which the charger draws power to the elevated rate if the detected temperature drops below a predefined limit temperature.

9. A vehicle comprising:

a propulsion system including an electricity-oriented prime mover; and

a charging system coupled to the propulsion system and coupleable to a residential electrical system, wherein the charging system comprises;

a charger;

at least one sensor coupled to the charger; and

a computing device coupled to the charger and the at least one sensor, wherein the computing device comprises;

a memory device; and

a processor coupled to the memory device, wherein the processor is configured to receive from a user input device at least one selection relating to at least one of a charging rate setting and a charging preference setting for controlling a charging rate at which a charger in the electric vehicle draws current from a power supply.

10. The vehicle in accordance with claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to store, in the memory device, data relating to at least one charging session of the vehicle.

11. The vehicle in accordance with claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to:

store received data relating to detected interruptions in a power supply to which the electric vehicle is coupled; and

cause the charging system to change a rate at which the charger draws power from the power supply from a first rate to a second, lower rate if a number of detected interruptions during a single charging session exceeds a predefined number of interruptions.

12. The vehicle in accordance with claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to:

store received data regarding a detected temperature of a component of the charging system; and

cause the charging system to change a rate at which the charger draws power from a power supply from a first rate to a second, lower rate if the detected temperature of the charging system component exceeds a predefined limit temperature.

13. The vehicle in accordance with claim 10, wherein the computing device comprises a global positioning system (GPS) device and wherein the processor is configured to:

cause the charging system to change a rate at which the charger draws power from a power supply from a first rate to a second, lower rate if the processor detects a predefined condition; and

store, in the memory device, data corresponding to a detected present location of the vehicle during a charging session in which a rate change is applied in response to a detected predefined condition.

14. The vehicle in accordance with claim 10, wherein said computing device comprises a global positioning system (GPS) device and wherein the processor is configured to:

receive data representing a detected present location of the vehicle during a present charging session;

compare the detected present location data to data stored in the memory device corresponding to a previously-detected location of the vehicle during a prior charging session when a change from a first rate to a second, lower charging rate was applied by the charging system in response to a detected predefined condition; and

cause the charging system to change a rate at which the charger draws power from a power supply to the second, lower rate applied during the prior charging session, if the detected present location is the same as the previously-detected location.

15. A computer-based method for use in charging an electric vehicle, said method implemented using a computing device that includes a processor coupled to a memory device, said method comprising:

coupling the electric vehicle to a power supply;

receiving, from a user input device coupled to the processor, at least one user selection relating to at least one of a charging rate setting and a charging preference setting for a charger coupled to the processor, wherein the charging rate setting is one of at least a first charging rate setting and a second, lower charging rate setting; and

storing, in the memory device, data relating to at least one charging session of the electric vehicle.

16. The computer-based method according to claim 15, wherein the computing device includes a user input device and a media output device coupled to the processor, and wherein receiving at least one of charging rate settings and charging preference settings comprises prompting a user, via a display presented on the media output device, to provide at least one of a charging rate setting selection and a charging preference setting selection via the user input device.

17. The computer-based method according to claim 15, wherein the computing device includes a global positioning system (GPS) unit coupled to the processor and the memory device, wherein said method comprises:

determining, with the computing device via the GPS unit, a present location of the vehicle during a present charging session;

comparing the determined present location of the vehicle to a previously-detected location stored in the memory device at which, during a prior charging session, a change from the first charging rate to the second, lower charging rate occurred in response to a predefined condition detected by the computing device; and

changing, with the computing device during the present charging session, a rate at which the charger draws power from a power supply from the first rate to the second, lower rate applied during the prior charging session, if the detected present location is the same as the previously-detected location.

18. The computer-based method according to claim 15, wherein said method comprises:

storing, in the memory device, received data relating to detected interruptions in a power supply to which the electric vehicle is coupled; and

causing the charger to change a rate at which the charger draws power from the power supply from the first rate to the second, lower rate if a number of detected interruptions exceeds a predefined number of interruptions within a single charging session.

19. The computer-based method according to claim 15, wherein said method comprises:

receiving data regarding a detected temperature of the charger; and

causing the charger to change a rate at which the charger draws power from a power supply from the first rate to the second, lower rate if the detected temperature of the charger exceeds a predefined limit temperature.

20. The computer-based method according to claim 15, wherein at least one battery is coupled to the charger, and wherein said method comprises:

determining, during a present charging session, if the at least one battery is fully charged; and

terminating the present charging session.

21. An electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) unit comprising:

a user input device;

a user display device;

a memory device; and

a processor coupled to the user input device, the user display device, and the memory device, wherein the processor is configured to;

store, in the memory device, data relating to at least one charging session of the electric vehicle; and

receive, from the user input device, at least one selection relating to at least one of a charging rate setting and a charging preference setting for controlling a charging rate at which power from a power supply external to said EVSE unit is channeled to a charger in the electric vehicle.

22. The EVSE unit in accordance with claim 21, wherein said EVSE unit comprises:

a first connector for coupling said EVSE unit to the electric vehicle; and

a second connector for coupling said EVSE unit to the power supply.

23. The EVSE unit in accordance with claim 21, wherein said EVSE unit comprises a global positioning system (GPS) device coupled to the processor and wherein the processor is configured to:

cause said EVSE unit, during a charging session, to change a rate at which said EVSE unit channels power from the power supply to the charger from a first rate to a second, lower rate if the processor detects a predefined condition; and

store, in the memory device, data corresponding to a detected present location of the EVSE unit during the charging session.

24. The EVSE unit in accordance with claim 23, wherein the predefined condition is at least one of an occurrence of a predefined number of interruptions of a power supply to which said EVSE unit is coupled during a single charging session, and an occurrence of a detected temperature in a component of a charging system within the electric vehicle that exceeds a predefined limit temperature.