Mobile receptacle, power feeding gate device, server device and power usage management system for efficiently delivering electric power

• US 6,930,410 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2002
• Issued: 08/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Masakazu, Shiomi, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): DeBeradinis, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US10/131,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20020158749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109, 320/104, 235/381, 307/140, 307/9.1
• US Class Current: 307/140
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/34 of parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• 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: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• 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 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 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

A power usage management system includes, in order to efficiently distribute electric power, a power feeding gate device supplied with electric power from a power line and controlling supply of electric power based on a key code, a server system transmitting a key code corresponding to identification information for identifying the power feeding gate device, and a mobile receptacle attachable/detachable to/from the power feeding gate device, receiving identification information from the power feeding gate device, receiving the key code corresponding to the identification information from the server system, and providing the key code to the power feeding gate device.

Claims

1. A mobile receptacle attachable/detachable to/from a power feeding gate device supplied with electric power from a power line and having a switch being turned on/off to control power-on and power-off based on a key code, said mobile receptacle communicating information with a server device, comprising:

an identification information acquiring unit to acquire, from the power feeding gate device to which said mobile receptacle is attached, identification information about said power feeding gate device;

an identification information transmitting unit connected to said identification information acquiring unit to transmit to said server device the acquired identification information about said power feeding gate device;

a key code receiving unit to receive from said server device a key code corresponding to the identification information about said power feeding gate device for turning on said switch; and

a key code output unit connected to said key code receiving unit to output the received key code to said power feeding gate device.

2. The mobile receptacle according to claim 1, further comprising an attachment detecting sensor to detect attachment to said power feeding gate device and output an attachment detection signal, wherein

said identification information acquiring unit is connected to said attachment detecting sensor and acquires the identification information about said power feeding gate device in response to said attachment detection signal.

3. The mobile receptacle according to claim 2, further comprising a storage unit to store identification information about the mobile receptacle for identifying said mobile receptacle, wherein

said identification information transmitting unit transmits to said server device the identification information about said mobile receptacle that is stored in said storage unit.

4. The mobile receptacle according to claim 1, further comprising a detachment detecting sensor to detect detachment from said power feeding gate device and output a detachment detection signal, wherein

said identification information transmitting unit is connected to said detachment detecting sensor and transmits a usage finish notification signal to said server device in response to said detachment detection signal.

5. The mobile receptacle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a key code request signal receiving unit to receive a key code request signal from said power feeding gate device; and

a display unit connected to said key code request signal receiving unit to indicate that said mobile receptacle is unavailable when said key code request signal is received a predetermined number of times.

6. The mobile receptacle according to claim 1, further comprising an unavailability signal transmitting unit connected to said key code request signal receiving unit to transmit to said server device an availability signal indicating that said mobile receptacle is unavailable when said key code request signal is received a predetermined number of times.

7. The mobile receptacle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a supplied power amount measuring unit to measure an amount of supplied power; and

a supplied power amount transmitting unit connected to said supplied power amount measuring unit to transmit information about said amount of supplied power to said server device.

8. A power feeding gate device supplying electric power from a power line to an attachable/detachable mobile receptacle, comprising:

an identification information output unit, the mobile receptacle being attached to the power feeding gate device, to output to said mobile receptacle identification information about said power feeding gate device;

a switch turned on/off according to whether electric power is supplied to said mobile receptacle or not;

a key code acquiring unit to acquire, from the mobile receptacle to which said power feeding gate device is attached, a key code for turning on said switch; and

a control unit connected to said switch and said key code acquiring unit to control turning on/off of said switch based on the acquired key code.

9. The power feeding gate device according to claim 8, wherein

said control unit turns on said switch for supplying electric power from the power line to said mobile receptacle when the key code acquired by said key code acquiring unit matches a key code stored in advance.

10. The power feeding gate device according to claim 8, wherein

said control unit includes a key code request signal output unit to output, when said key code acquired by said key code acquiring unit does not match a key code stored in advance, a key code request signal to said mobile receptacle for requesting said mobile receptacle to re-transmit a key code.

11. The power feeding gate device according to claim 8, further comprising:

an identification information storage unit to store said identification information about the power feeding gate device for identifying said power feeding gate device;

said identification information output unit connected to said identification information storage unit to output to said mobile receptacle the identification information about said power feeding gate device.

12. The power feeding gate device according to claim 8, further comprising a connection detecting sensor to detect whether said mobile receptacle is attached or not, wherein

said control unit turns off said switch when said mobile receptacle is detached.

13. A server device communicating information with a mobile receptacle attached to a power feeding gate device being supplied with electric power from a power line and having a switch, comprising:

a first storage unit to store a key code per identification information about the power feeding gate device, said key code being used for turning on said switch;

a receiving unit to receive from said mobile receptacle the identification information for identifying the power feeding gate device;

an extracting unit to extract said key code stored in said first storage unit based on the identification information about said power feeding gate device received by said receiving unit; and

a transmitting unit to transmit said key code extracted by said extracting unit to said mobile receptacle.

14. The server device according to claim 13, further comprising a second storage unit to store an electric power fee per identification information about the mobile receptacle for identifying said mobile receptacle.

15. The server device according to claim 14, further comprising an electric power fee calculating unit to receive, from said mobile receptacle, an amount of supplied electric power to calculate the electric power fee based on said amount of supplied electric power and to write the electric power fee in said second storage unit.

16. The server device according to claim 14, further comprising an electric power fee transmitting unit connected to said electric power fee calculating unit to transmit said electric power fee stored in said second storage unit to said mobile receptacle.

17. The server device according to claim 14, further comprising:

a usage finish notification signal receiving unit to receive from said mobile receptacle a usage finish notification signal and an amount of supplied electric power when usage of said power feeding gate device is finished; and

an electric power fee calculating unit connected to said usage finish notification signal receiving unit to calculate an electric power fee based on said amount of supplied electric power and writing the electric power fee in said second storage unit.

18. The server device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a usage finish notification signal receiving unit to receive from said mobile receptacle a usage finish notification signal when usage of said power feeding gate device is finished; and

a usage frequency storage unit connected to said usage finish notification signal receiving unit to store, in said first storage unit in response to said usage finish notification signal, the number of times said power feeding gate device is used.

19. The server device according to claim 13, wherein

said first storage unit further stores information about the site where said power feeding gate device is installed, and said server device further comprises:

an unavailability signal receiving unit to receive from said mobile receptacle an unavailability signal indicating that said mobile receptacle is unavailable when usage of said power feeding gate device is impossible; and

a fault information storage unit connected to said first storage unit and said unavailability signal receiving unit to store fault information in said first storage unit in response to said unavailability signal.

20. A power usage management system comprising:

a power feeding gate device supplied with electric power from a power line and controlling supply of electric power based on a key code;

a server device transmitting the key code corresponding to identification information for identifying said power feeding gate device; and

a mobile receptacle attachable/detachable to/from said power feeding gate device supplying power from the power feeding gate device to a receptacle, receiving the identification information from said power feeding gate device, receiving the key code corresponding to said identification information from said server device, and providing said key code to said power feeding gate device.