METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CHARGING ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• US 20150149221A1
• Filed: 11/24/2014
• Published: 05/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Martin Tremblay
• Original Assignee: Martin Tremblay
• Inventors: Tremblay, Martin
• Application Number:
  US14/551,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20150149221A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/14 by input of vehicle departure time
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• 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 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A charging service for electric vehicles is provided. The charging service may allow electric vehicles to be charged when certain conditions are met (e.g., at certain times, when certain battery charge levels are reached, when located at certain sites, etc.), without users of these electric vehicles having to charge the vehicles themselves. Other features pertaining to charging of electric vehicles are also provided, such as an application for estimating a driving range (e.g., distance and/or time) available with a current battery charge level of an electric vehicle.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

applying a set of at least one charging rule to at least one parameter value in order to determine that at least one electric vehicle is to be charged; and

outputting a command to charge the at least one electric vehicle.

2. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 1, wherein the command is output towards a charging unit over a communications network.

3. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 1, further comprising monitoring the at least one parameter value and storing the at least one parameter value in a memory.

4. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 3, wherein monitoring the at least one parameter value comprises monitoring at least one parameter value for each of a plurality of electric vehicles that includes the at least one electric vehicle.

5. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 4, wherein, for a given electric vehicle in the plurality of electric vehicles, monitoring the at least one parameter value for the given electric vehicle comprises receiving a signal indicative of at least one of the at least one parameter value for the given electric vehicle and storing the received at least one parameter value in a memory.

6. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 5, wherein the signal is received from the given electric vehicle.

7. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 5, wherein the signal is received from a user associated with the given electric vehicle.

8. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 5, wherein the received at least one parameter value comprises an indication of a charge level of a battery used by the given electric vehicle.

9. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 8, wherein applying the set of at least one charging rule to the at least one parameter value includes comparing the charge level of the battery used by the given electric vehicle to a threshold and, in case the charge level is below the threshold, identifying that the given electric vehicle is one of the at least one electric vehicle requiring charging.

10. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 5, wherein the received at least one parameter value comprises an indication of a location of the given electric vehicle.

11. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 10, wherein the received at least one parameter value comprises an indication of an amount of time that the given electric vehicle is expected to remain at its current location.

12. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 5, wherein the received at least one parameter value comprises an indication a credit worthiness of a user associated with the given electric vehicle.

13. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter value comprises an indication of a time of day.

14. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 1, wherein the method is implemented at least in part by a charging service provider and wherein the at least one charging rule includes at least one rule defined by the charging service provider.

15. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one charging rule includes, for each given electric vehicle in a plurality of electric vehicles that includes the at least one electric vehicle, a charging rule defined by a user associated with the given electric vehicle.

16. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 1, wherein the command includes information regarding the at least one electric vehicle.

17. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 16, wherein, for a given electric vehicle of the at least one electric vehicle, the information regarding the given electric vehicle includes identification information identifying the given electric vehicle.

18. The computer-implemented method defined in claim 17, wherein the identification information identifying the given electric vehicle includes at least one of a make, a model, a color, and a license plate number of the given electric vehicle.

19. A charge port system for an electric vehicle, the charge port system comprising:

a charge port capable of being locked and unlocked such that, when unlocked, the charge port allows an electrical source to wiredly connect to a battery of the electric vehicle; and

a control system for controllably unlocking the charge port in response to a signal received from outside the electric vehicle.

20. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a computing apparatus, cause the computing apparatus to execute an online booking process graphical user interface (GUI), the online booking process GUI comprising:

a GUI object via which a user is able to input information regarding a hotel reservation; and

a GUI object via which a user is able to input electric vehicle information regarding in association with the hotel reservation.