SMART GRID MANAGEMENT

• US 20170136911A1
• Filed: 08/16/2016
• Published: 05/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NIO Technology Company Limited (NIO, Inc. (China))
• Original Assignee: NextEV USA, Inc. (NIO, Inc. (China))
• Inventors: Ricci, Christopher P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,160,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/32 Driving direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/50 by future state prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• 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 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• 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 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A control system for a power grid includes a grid load availability evaluator that determines, for a selected time interval, an amount of electrical energy from a power grid that can be used to charge rechargeable electric vehicles by a plurality of charging segments positioned along transportation routes in a transportation network and a switching fabric to regulate, over the selected time interval, the electrical energy provided by the charging segments in accordance with the determined amount of electrical energy from the power grid that can be used to charge rechargeable vehicles.

Claims

1. A control system for a power grid, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium, coupled to the processor, comprising processor executable instructions that cause the processor to execute a grid load availability evaluator that determines, for a selected time interval, an amount of electrical energy from a power grid that can be used to charge rechargeable electric vehicles by a plurality of charging segments, the charging segments being positioned along transportation routes in a transportation network and regulates, via a switching fabric and over the selected time interval, the electrical energy provided by the charging segments in accordance with the determined amount of electrical energy from the power grid that can be used to charge rechargeable vehicles.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the determined amount of electrical energy from the power grid that can be used to charge rechargeable vehicles is dependent upon one or more of current power consumption levels by grid users other than rechargeable electric vehicles, historical power consumption levels by rechargeable electric vehicles and/or other grid users, and number of rechargeable electric vehicles currently on the transportation network.

3. The control system of claim 2, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises:

a vehicle tracker that identifies rechargeable electric vehicles currently using the transportation network and tracks a last known position in the transportation network of each of the identified rechargeable electric vehicles; and

a vehicle router that directs the identified rechargeable electric vehicles to one of the charging segments to receive a charge, thereby load balancing the rechargeable electric vehicles over the plurality of charging segments.

4. The control system of claim 2, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises:

a vehicle analyzer that communicates with each of the rechargeable electric vehicles to obtain information regarding one or more of identity of the owner or operator of the rechargeable electric vehicle, residence of the rechargeable electric vehicle owner or operator, utility account of the rechargeable electric vehicle owner or operator, type of the rechargeable electric vehicle, priority level of the rechargeable electric vehicle, make and/or model of the rechargeable electric vehicle, current charge level of the rechargeable energy storage of the rechargeable electric vehicle, current charging requirement of the rechargeable energy storage of the rechargeable electric vehicle, destination of the rechargeable electric vehicle, purpose of the current travel of the rechargeable electric vehicle, spatial location of the rechargeable electric vehicle relative to a charging segment, an electronic calendar of an operator of the vehicle, a normal schedule for the operator, and number of occupants of the rechargeable electric vehicle and determines, for each rechargeable electric vehicle, one or more of an amount of electrical charge stored by the rechargeable electric vehicle and an amount of charge currently required by the rechargeable electric vehicle; and

a vehicle router that, based on the one or more of an amount of electrical charge stored by the rechargeable electric vehicle and an amount of charge currently required by the rechargeable electric vehicle, directs each of the rechargeable electric vehicles to one of the charging segments to receive a charge, thereby load balancing the rechargeable electric vehicles over the plurality of charging segments.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the grid load availability evaluator determines a current energy usage for all grid users, including rechargeable electric vehicles, and/or estimates future usage over the selected time interval for all grid users and, based on the relative priorities of different classes of grid users, sets a budget for each class of grid users, the rechargeable electric vehicles being a class of grid users and the budget for each class of grid users being an amount of electrical energy from the power grid that can be used by the class of grid users over the selected time interval.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises:

a bidirectional load balance mechanism that estimates available power contributions from rechargeable electric vehicles to the power grid over the selected time interval and provides the estimated available power contribution to the grid load availability evaluator for use in determining the budgets for each class of grid users.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the grid load availability evaluator determines an amount of electrical energy so far consumed by rechargeable electric vehicles over the selected time interval, a number of rechargeable electric vehicles requesting a charge during the selected time interval, a number of rechargeable electric vehicles that have received a charge during the selected time interval, and/or a historic amount of electrical energy consumed by rechargeable electric vehicle charging over a historic time interval and estimates, based on the one or more of the amount of electrical energy so far consumed by rechargeable electric vehicles over the selected time interval, number of rechargeable electric vehicles requesting a charge during the selected time interval, number of rechargeable electric vehicles that have received a charge during the selected time interval, and/or historic amount of electrical energy consumed by rechargeable electric vehicle charging over a historic time interval, a likely amount of power from the grid to be consumed by rechargeable electric vehicles over the remainder of the selected time interval.

8. A method, comprising:

determining, by a processor executing a grid load availability evaluator and for a selected time interval, an amount of electrical energy from a power grid that can be used to charge rechargeable electric vehicles by a plurality of charging segments, the charging segments being positioned along transportation routes in a transportation network; and

providing, by a switching fabric, over the selected time period the determined amount of electrical energy to charge rechargeable vehicles.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determined amount of electrical energy from the power grid that can be used to charge rechargeable vehicles depends upon one or more of current power consumption levels by grid users other than rechargeable electric vehicles, historical power consumption levels by rechargeable electric vehicles and/or other grid users, and number of rechargeable electric vehicles currently on the transportation network.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

identifying, by the processor executing a vehicle tracker, rechargeable electric vehicles currently using the transportation network and tracks a last known position in the transportation network of each of the identified rechargeable electric vehicles; and

directing, by the processor executing a vehicle router, the identified rechargeable electric vehicles to one of the charging segments to receive a charge, thereby load balancing the rechargeable electric vehicles over the plurality of charging segments.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

communicating, by the processor executing a vehicle analyzer, with each of the rechargeable electric vehicles to obtain information regarding one or more of identity of the owner or operator of the rechargeable electric vehicle, residence of the rechargeable electric vehicle owner or operator, utility account of the rechargeable electric vehicle owner or operator, type of the rechargeable electric vehicle, priority level of the rechargeable electric vehicle, make and/or model of the rechargeable electric vehicle, current charge level of the rechargeable energy storage of the rechargeable electric vehicle, current charging requirement of the rechargeable energy storage of the rechargeable electric vehicle, destination of the rechargeable electric vehicle, purpose of the current travel of the rechargeable electric vehicle, spatial location of the rechargeable electric vehicle relative to a charging segment, an electronic calendar of an operator of the vehicle, a normal schedule for the operator, and number of occupants of the rechargeable electric vehicle and determines, for each rechargeable electric vehicle, one or more of an amount of electrical charge stored by the rechargeable electric vehicle and an amount of charge currently required by the rechargeable electric vehicle; and

based on the one or more of an amount of electrical charge stored by the rechargeable electric vehicle and an amount of charge currently required by the rechargeable electric vehicle, directing, by the processor executing a vehicle router, each of the rechargeable electric vehicles to one of the charging segments to receive a charge, thereby load balancing the rechargeable electric vehicles over the plurality of charging segments.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the processor executing the grid load availability evaluator determines a current energy usage for all grid users, including rechargeable electric vehicles, and/or estimates future usage over the selected time interval for all grid users and, based on the relative priorities of different classes of grid users, sets a budget for each class of grid users, the rechargeable electric vehicles being a class of grid users and the budget for each class of grid users being an amount of electrical energy from the power grid that can be used by the class of grid users over the selected time interval.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

estimating, by the processor executing a bidirectional load balance mechanism, available power contributions from rechargeable electric vehicles to the power grid over the selected time interval and provides the estimated available power contribution to the grid load availability evaluator for use in determining the budgets for each class of grid users.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the processor determines an amount of electrical energy so far consumed by rechargeable electric vehicles over the selected time interval, a number of rechargeable electric vehicles requesting a charge during the selected time interval, a number of rechargeable electric vehicles that have received a charge during the selected time interval, and/or a historic amount of electrical energy consumed by rechargeable electric vehicle charging over a historic time interval and estimates, based on the one or more of the amount of electrical energy so far consumed by rechargeable electric vehicles over the selected time interval, number of rechargeable electric vehicles requesting a charge during the selected time interval, number of rechargeable electric vehicles that have received a charge during the selected time interval, and/or historic amount of electrical energy consumed by rechargeable electric vehicle charging over a historic time interval, a likely amount of power from the grid to be consumed by rechargeable electric vehicles over the remainder of the selected time interval.

15. A control system for a rechargeable vehicle charging network, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium, coupled to the processor, comprising processor executable instructions that program the processor to control a switching fabric that regulates, over the selected time period, electrical energy provided by the charging segments in accordance with a predetermined amount of electrical energy from a power grid that can be used to charge rechargeable vehicles.

16. The control system of claim 15, wherein the determined amount of electrical energy from the power grid that can be used to charge rechargeable vehicles is dependent upon one or more of current power consumption levels by grid users other than rechargeable electric vehicles, historical power consumption levels by rechargeable electric vehicles and/or other grid users, and number of rechargeable electric vehicles currently on the transportation network and wherein the computer readable medium further comprises:

a grid load availability evaluator that determines, for a selected time period, an amount of electrical energy from a power grid that can be used to charge rechargeable electric vehicles by a plurality of charging segments, the charging segments being positioned along transportation routes in a transportation network.

17. The control system of claim 15, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises:

a vehicle tracker that identifies rechargeable electric vehicles currently using the transportation network and tracks a last known position in the transportation network of each of the identified rechargeable electric vehicles; and

a vehicle router that directs the identified rechargeable electric vehicles to one of the charging segments to receive a charge, thereby load balancing the rechargeable electric vehicles over the plurality of charging segments.

18. The control system of claim 15, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises:

a vehicle analyzer that communicates with each of the rechargeable electric vehicles to obtain information regarding one or more of identity of the owner or operator of the rechargeable electric vehicle, residence of the rechargeable electric vehicle owner or operator, utility account of the rechargeable electric vehicle owner or operator, type of the rechargeable electric vehicle, priority level of the rechargeable electric vehicle, make and/or model of the rechargeable electric vehicle, current charge level of the rechargeable energy storage of the rechargeable electric vehicle, current charging requirement of the rechargeable energy storage of the rechargeable electric vehicle, destination of the rechargeable electric vehicle, purpose of the current travel of the rechargeable electric vehicle, spatial location of the rechargeable electric vehicle relative to a charging segment, an electronic calendar of an operator of the vehicle, a normal schedule for the operator, and number of occupants of the rechargeable electric vehicle and determines, for each rechargeable electric vehicle, one or more of an amount of electrical charge stored by the rechargeable electric vehicle and an amount of charge currently required by the rechargeable electric vehicle; and

a vehicle router that, based on the one or more of an amount of electrical charge stored by the rechargeable electric vehicle and an amount of charge currently required by the rechargeable electric vehicle, directs each of the rechargeable electric vehicles to one of the charging segments to receive a charge, thereby load balancing the rechargeable electric vehicles over the plurality of charging segments.

19. The control system of claim 16, wherein the grid load availability evaluator determines a current energy usage for all grid users, including rechargeable electric vehicles, and/or estimates future usage over the selected time interval for all grid users and, based on the relative priorities of different classes of grid users, sets a budget for each class of grid users, the rechargeable electric vehicles being a class of grid users and the budget for each class of grid users being an amount of electrical energy from the power grid that can be used by the class of grid users over the selected time interval.

20. The control system of claim 19, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises:

a bidirectional load balance mechanism that estimates available power contributions from rechargeable electric vehicles to the power grid over the selected time interval and provides the estimated available power contribution to the grid load availability evaluator for use in determining the budgets for each class of grid users.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the grid load availability evaluator determines an amount of electrical energy so far consumed by rechargeable electric vehicles over the selected time interval, a number of rechargeable electric vehicles requesting a charge during the selected time interval, a number of rechargeable electric vehicles that have received a charge during the selected time interval, and/or a historic amount of electrical energy consumed by rechargeable electric vehicle charging over a historic time interval and estimates, based on the one or more of the amount of electrical energy so far consumed by rechargeable electric vehicles over the selected time interval, number of rechargeable electric vehicles requesting a charge during the selected time interval, number of rechargeable electric vehicles that have received a charge during the selected time interval, and/or historic amount of electrical energy consumed by rechargeable electric vehicle charging over a historic time interval, a likely amount of power from the grid to be consumed by rechargeable electric vehicles over the remainder of the selected time interval.