METHOD FOR CHARGING A PLUG-IN ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• US 20150314690A1
• Filed: 05/05/2014
• Published: 11/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: FAYYAD, MOHAMMAD A., BUIA, CHRISTIAN J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,440,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/16 DC brushless machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/56 Temperature prediction, e.g. for pre-cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• 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 50/62 charged by low-power generators primarily intended to support the batteries, e.g. range extenders
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• 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: 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 58/22 : Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 : by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 : for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 : Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• 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 and method for charging a battery in a plug-in electric vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the present method uses a charging profile and a scheduled departure time to develop a charging scheme for a plug-in electric vehicle that balances battery life with electricity costs. The charging scheme attempts to reduce the amount of time at which the battery is maintained at elevated state-of-charge (SOC) levels before a scheduled departure time, while still satisfying the electricity rate preferences established by the user. Reduced time spent at elevated SOC levels can, over the long term, improve battery life by increasing the capacity and performance of the battery.

Claims

1. A method of charging a battery in a plug-in electric vehicle, comprising the steps of:

obtaining electricity rate preferences;

obtaining a scheduled departure time;

determining an amount of charging needed to fully charge the battery; and

developing a charging scheme for charging the battery with a control module, wherein the charging scheme satisfies the electricity rate preferences and shifts charging towards the scheduled departure time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of obtaining electricity rate preferences and obtaining a scheduled departure time further comprise obtaining electricity rate preferences and obtaining a scheduled departure time from a user selected charging profile.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining an amount of charging needed to fully charge the battery further comprises:

determining a current SOC level for the battery, determining a full SOC level for the battery, and calculating an amount of charging needed to fully charge the battery so that the current SOC level is brought to the full SOC level.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the amount of charging needed is calculated in terms of Amp-hours.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the amount of charging needed is calculated in terms of time at expected charging levels.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining an amount of charging needed to fully charge the battery further comprises:

determining an amount of time available until the scheduled departure time, comparing an amount of time needed to fully charge the battery with the amount of time available until the scheduled departure time, and determining if there is sufficient time to fully charge the battery by the scheduled departure time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of developing a charging scheme further comprises:

identifying one or more first category time segments between a current time and the scheduled departure time, determining if there are enough first category time segments to fully charge the battery, and when there are enough first category time segments to fully charge the battery then adding a portion of the first category time segments that are closest to the scheduled departure time to the charging scheme so that charging is shifted within the first category time segments towards the scheduled departure time.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first category time segments correspond with low rate time segments.

9. The method of claim 7, when there are not enough first category time segments to fully charge the battery then the step of developing a charging scheme further comprises:

identifying one or more second category time segments between the current time and the scheduled departure time, determining if the second category time segments satisfy the electricity rate preferences, determining if there are enough first and second category time segments combined to fully charge the battery, and when the second category time segments satisfy the electricity rate preferences and there are enough first and second category time segments combined to fully charge the battery then adding a portion of the second category time segments that are closest to the scheduled departure time to the charging scheme so that charging is shifted within the second category time segments towards the scheduled departure time.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first category time segments correspond with low rate time segments and the second category time segments correspond to medium rate time segments with higher electricity costs than the low rate time segments.

11. The method of claim 9, when the second category time segments do not satisfy the electricity rate preferences then developing a charging scheme that only includes first category time segments but does not fully charge the battery.

12. The method of claim 9, when there are not enough first and second category time segments to fully charge the battery then the step of developing a charging scheme further comprises:

identifying one or more third category time segments between the current time and the scheduled departure time, determining if the third category time segments satisfy the electricity rate preferences, determining if there are enough first, second and third category time segments combined to fully charge the battery, and when the third category time segments satisfy the electricity rate preferences and there are enough first, second and third category time segments combined to fully charge the battery then adding a portion of the third category time segments that are closest to the scheduled departure time to the charging scheme so that charging is shifted within the third category time segments towards the scheduled departure time.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first category time segments correspond with low rate time segments, the second category time segments correspond to medium rate time segments with higher electricity costs than the low rate time segments, and the third category time segments correspond to high rate time segments with higher electricity costs than the medium rate time segments.

14. The method of claim 12, when the third category time segments do not satisfy the electricity rate preferences then developing a charging scheme that only includes first and second category time segments but does not fully charge the battery.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

obtaining an electricity rate schedule from a power provider and using the electricity rate schedule when determining if the charging scheme satisfies the electricity rate preferences.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

charging the battery in the plug-in electric vehicle according to the developed charging scheme.

17. A method of charging a battery in a plug-in electric vehicle, comprising the steps of:

obtaining an electricity rate schedule;

obtaining electricity rate preferences;

obtaining a scheduled departure time;

identifying a plurality of time segments between a current time and the scheduled departure time that satisfy the electricity rate preferences according to the electricity rate schedule; and

developing a charging scheme for charging the battery with a control module, wherein the charging scheme includes one or more time segments from the plurality of time segments and is designed to complete the charging process as close to the scheduled departure time as possible so as to minimize the amount of time between completion of the charging process and the scheduled departure time.