Automated system for determining whether vehicle charge station is publicly accessible

• US 7,986,126 B1
• Filed: 02/18/2011
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Bucci, Jonathan P., Inouye, Brian H., Pisz, James T.
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US13/031,000
• Time in Patent Office: 158 Days
• Field of Search: 320/101, 320/103, 320/104, 320/107, 320/109, 320/111, 180/65.21, 180/65.29, 235/381, 235/384, 340/905, 340/988, 340/993, 340/995.14, 340/995.19, 340/995.24, 340/438, 340/439, 340/455, 340/686.6, 340/5.9, 340/5.92, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.4, 455/456.6, 455/457, 701 22- 26, 701/29, 701/123, 701/200, 701/201, 701/207, 701209-213, 705/1.1, 705/8, 705/26, 705/27, 705/34, 705/412, 707/E17.005, 707/E17.01, 707/E17.109, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/12 Bikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• 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 2260/58 Departure time prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/36 of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A system may automatically identify whether a vehicle charge station is publicly accessible. A location data input may receive location data which is indicative of the location of the vehicle charge station. A public accessibility data input may receive accessibility data which is relevant to determining whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible. A computer data processing system may determine whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based on the accessibility data. A data output may deliver output data indicative of whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based on the determination of such public accessibility by the computer data processing system.

Claims

1. A system for automatically determining whether a vehicle charge station is publicly-accessible comprising:

a location data input configured to receive location data which is indicative of the location of the vehicle charge station;

a public accessibility data input configured to receive accessibility data which is relevant to determining whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible;

a computer data processing system configured to determine whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based on the accessibility data; and

a data output configured to deliver output data indicative of whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based on the determination of such public accessibility by the computer data processing system.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the accessibility data which is relevant to determining whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible includes area data indicative of whether the location of the vehicle charge station is in a residential, commercial, or industrial area; and

the computer data processing system is configured to determine whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based at least in part on the area data.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein area data includes zoning data.

4. The system of claim 2:

further comprising a data query system configured to deliver a query to a database for the area data; and

wherein the location data input is configured to receive the results of such a query.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the accessibility data which is relevant to determining whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible includes establishment data indicative of whether the location of the vehicle charge station is near or within a commercial, industrial or residential building; and

the computer data processing system is configured to determine whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based at least in part on the establishment data.

6. The claim 1:

wherein the accessibility data which is relevant to determining whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible includes voltage data indicative of a voltage level of an electric charge delivered by the vehicle charge station to a vehicle; and

the computer data processing system is configured to determine whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based at least in part on the voltage data.

7. The system of claim 1:

wherein the accessibility data which is relevant to determining whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible includes historic usage data indicative of when a vehicle was charged by the vehicle charge station on different occasions; and

the computer data processing system is configured to determine whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based at least in part on the historic usage data.

8. The system of claim 1:

wherein the accessibility data which is relevant to determining whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible includes time data indicative of a time of day at which the vehicle charge station delivered a charge to a vehicle; and

the computer data processing system is configured to determine whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based at least in part on the time data.

9. The system of claim 1:

wherein the accessibility data which is relevant to determining whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible includes day-of-week data indicative of the day of a week on which the vehicle charge station delivered a charge to a vehicle; and

the computer data processing system is configured to determine whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based at least in part on the day-of-week data.

10. The system of claim 1:

wherein the accessibility data which is relevant to determining whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible includes image data indicative of at least one image of the vehicle charge station; and

the computer data processing system is configured to determine whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based at least in part on the image data.

11. The system of claim 1:

wherein the location data is provided by a vehicle;

the accessibility data which is relevant to determining whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible includes ownership data indicative of the address of the owner of the vehicle; and

the computer data processing system is configured to determine whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based at least in part on the ownership data.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a vehicle containing the location data input, the public accessibility data input, the computer data processing system, and the data output; and

a location detection system within the vehicle configured to detect the location of the vehicle and to provide this detected vehicle location to the location data input as the location data which is indicative of the location of the vehicle charge station when the vehicle is being charged by the vehicle charge station.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising a wireless communication system in the vehicle configured to wirelessly transmit the location data which is indicative of the location of the vehicle charge station to a database system for indexing charge stations which is configured to aggregate location data from multiple vehicles.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the wireless communication system is configured to wirelessly transmit the location data to the database system for indexing charge stations if and only if the output data indicates that the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the wireless communication system is configured to wirelessly transmit the output data indicative of whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible to the database system for indexing charge stations.

16. The system of claim 12:

further comprising a voltage detector in the vehicle configured to measure the voltage of a charge delivered to the vehicle by the vehicle charge station; and

wherein the accessibility data which is relevant to determining whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible includes the voltage measured by the voltage detector.

17. The system of claim 1:

further comprising a database system for indexing charge stations containing the location data input, the public accessibility data input, the computer data processing system, and the data output; and

wherein the location data input is configured to receive location data indicative of the location of vehicle charge stations from multiple vehicles.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the database system for indexing charge stations is configured to receive multiple queries, each seeking the location of at least one publicly accessible vehicle charge station which is near a location which is part of the query and, in response to each query, provide the at least one location.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the database system for indexing charge stations is configured to distinguish between vehicle charge stations which have been determined to be publicly accessible and vehicle charge stations which have been determined not to be publicly accessible by the computer data processing system.

20. Non-transitory, tangible computer-readable media containing a program of computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to determine whether a vehicle charge station is publicly accessible, by:

receiving location data which is indicative of the location of the vehicle charge station;

receiving accessibility data which is relevant to determining whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible;

determining whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based on the accessibility data; and

delivering output data indicative of whether the vehicle charge station is publicly accessible based on a determination of such public accessibility by the computer data processing system.