Monitoring Electric Power Capacity (EPC) and Requesting Battery Remediation for Electric Power Mobile Thing (EPMT)

• US 20150193990A1
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Martin Kelly Jones, Scott A. Horstemeyer
• Original Assignee: Martin Kelly Jones, Scott A. Horstemeyer
• Inventors: Jones, Martin Kelly, Horstemeyer, Scott Andrew
• Application Number:
  US14/664,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20150193990A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• 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 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• 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 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/16 responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/24 for controlling the temperature of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 : communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/24 : for parking meters
• 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

The present disclosure provides, among other things, various systems and methods for battery remediation in connection with electric powered mobile things (EPMTs). A representative method, among others, is implemented in a computer system (EPMT-CS) associated with the EPMT and can be summarized by the following steps: monitoring electric power capacity (EPC) associated with locomotion of the EPMT; monitoring travel data relating to the EPMT; engaging in a communication session with a remote host computer system (H-CS) based upon the EPC monitoring; requesting assistance of a battery remediation station (BRS) during the communication session; communicating location information relating to the EPMT during the communication session so that the BRS can visit and remediate (recharge, repair, or replace) a battery associated with the EPMT. Upon receiving this information, the H-CS can contact and dispatch the BRS to visit the EPMT. A representative system, among others, comprises an EPMT-CS that is programmed or designed to perform the foregoing steps.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

a computer system associated with an electric powered mobile thing (EPMT), the computer system having one or more memories and one or more processors that execute computer program code that is stored in the one or more memories, the computer system having one or more transceivers that communicate data to and from the computer system; and

wherein the method comprises the steps of;

monitoring electric power capacity (EPC) associated with locomotion of the EPMT;

monitoring location or travel data relating to the EPMT;

engaging in a communication session with the one or more transceivers with a remote computer system based at least in part upon the EPC monitoring;

requesting assistance of a battery remediation station (BRS) during the communication session; and

communicating location information relating to the EPMT during the communication session so that the BRS can visit and remediate a battery associated with the EPMT.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication session involves a one or more data transfers over the Internet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the travel data is or is derived from GPS data received from a GPS receiver associated with the EPMT.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating during the communication session a time or time period that the EPMT is available or is not available for battery remediation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the engaging step is further based at least in part upon a predefined user preference specifying an unacceptable EPC threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting a battery remediation that results in a least expensive cost during the communication session.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting the BRS that is in closer proximity to the EPMT as compared to one or more other BRSs.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the computer system to access a database having information pertaining to one or more BRSs and identifying a particular BRS to visit the EPMT.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote computer system is a server accessible via a network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote computer system is associated with a parking meter.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote computer system is associated with the BRS.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface that enables a party to predefine the EPC that, once achieved, will cause the engaging.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface that enables a party to predefine a time or time period when the EPMT is available for battery remediation.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface that enables a party to input authorization information that is communicated to the remote computer system for verifying that the assistance request is from an authorized source.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating verification information to the remote computer system that is ultimately communicated by the BRS to the EPMT to verify that the BRS has engaged the appropriate EPMT or to verify that the EPMT has engaged the appropriate BRS.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring electric power capacity comprises one or more of the following steps:

measuring an amount of electric power or energy that is currently stored, is currently being consumed, or that has been already been consumed, measuring voltage associated with a battery, measuring current sourced from a battery, measuring a fluid level associated with a battery, measuring acidity of a fluid associated with a battery, or measuring build up of material on battery plates.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising engaging in a communication session with a personal communication device (PCD) associated with a party when battery remediation is completed or a predefined time period before battery remediation is completed.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating a communication with a personal communication device (PCD) associated with a party when the BRS has communicated with the EPMT.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface that enables a party to indicate a desire to receive a notification communication when the BRS has arrived or has completed battery remediation and to predefine a communication method for the notification communication.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface that enables a party associated with the EPMT to receive a message indicating a need for a recharge and to enable the party to input permission for requesting assistance from the BRS.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating verification information a party associated with the EPMT to enable the party to verify that the BRS was dispatched from the authorized source.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the verification information is a link to a website that provides work order information.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a party to cancel, confirm, or modify an order pertaining to the battery remediation.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting replacement of a battery associated with the EPMT.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting that a battery associated with the EPMT should be replaced.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting a recharge speed.

27. A computer system associated with an electric powered mobile thing (EPMT), comprising:

one or more memories;

one or more processors that execute computer program code that is stored in the one or more memories;

one or more transceivers that communicate data to and from the computer system; and

wherein the computer program code comprises;

code that monitors electric power capacity (EPC) associated with locomotion of the EPMT;

code that monitors location or travel data relating to the EPMT;

code that engages in a communication session with the one or more transceivers with a remote computer system based at least in part upon the EPC monitoring;

code that requests assistance of a battery remediation station (BRS) during the communication session; and

code that communicates location information relating to the EPMT during the communication session so that the BRS can visit and remediate a battery associated with the EPMT.

28. A computer system associated with an electric powered mobile thing (EPMT), the computer system comprising:

one or more transceiver means for communicating data;

means for monitoring electric power capacity (EPC) associated with locomotion of the EPMT;

means for monitoring location or travel data relating to the EPMT;

means for engaging in a communication session via the one or more transceiver means with a remote computer system based at least in part upon the EPC monitoring;

means for requesting assistance of a battery remediation station (BRS) during the communication session; and

means for communicating location information relating to the EPMT during the communication session so that the BRS can visit and remediate a battery associated with the EPMT.