Electrical circuit sharing for electric vehicle charging stations

• US 8,013,570 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2009
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Coulomb Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Lowenthal, Richard, Baxter, David, Tormey, Milton T., Hagenmaier, Carl F. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): PACHECO, ALEXIS BOATENG
• Application Number:
  US12/508,488
• Publication Number:
  US 20100134067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109, 320/101, 320/107, 320/108, 320/106, 361/64, 705/412, 324/434, 340/995.27, 141/94
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• 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 3/0084 relating to control modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• 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 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• 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: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 : acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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 20/222 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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

Electric vehicle charging stations are coupled with a circuit sharing controller. Multiple electric vehicle charging stations are wired on the same electrical circuit. The circuit sharing controller implements a circuit sharing process that dynamically allocates electric current to charging stations on the same electrical circuit such that the capacity of the electrical circuit is not exceeded while permitting each of those charging stations to draw electric current through that electrical circuit for at least some amount of time.

Claims

1. A method for a shared electrical circuit infrastructure for charging electric vehicles, comprising:

determining a maximum amount of electric current supported by an electrical circuit that is shared among a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations, wherein the maximum amount of electric current supported by the electrical circuit supports less than a complete utilization of the electric vehicle charging stations; and

dynamically allocating electric current to at least two of the electric vehicle charging stations based on at least an amount of electric current presently allocated on the electrical circuit such that the maximum amount of electric current supported by the electrical circuit is prevented from being exceeded while permitting each of the electric vehicle charging stations to draw electric current through the electrical circuit for at least some amount of time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an amount of electric current presently allocated to each of the electric vehicle charging stations; and

wherein the dynamically allocated is further based on the amount of electric current presently allocated to each of the electric vehicle charging stations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically allocating electric current includes dynamically adjusting electric current allocations including increasing electric current allocations of some of the electric vehicle charging stations or decreasing electric current allocations of some of the electric vehicle charging stations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically allocating electric current is further based on a set of one or more charging session attributes associated with charging sessions on the electric vehicle charging stations, the set of charging session attributes including for each charging session one or more of charging session duration, type of account associated with that charging session, percentage of charging complete, percentage of charging remaining, battery temperature of the electric vehicle, priority of that charging session, and time remaining on that charging session.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a circuit sharing controller that is coupled with each of the electric vehicle charging stations transmitting messages to those electric vehicle charging stations that instruct those electric vehicle charging stations to set a certain amount of electric current they draw on the electrical circuit.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the dynamically allocating electric current further includes the circuit sharing controller receiving acknowledgement messages from those electric vehicle charging stations that indicate that those electric vehicle charging stations have set their amount of electric current they draw on the electrical circuit in accordance with the transmitted messages.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically allocating electric current further includes the circuit sharing controller transmitting messages to those electric vehicle charging stations that instruct those electric vehicle charging stations to cease or commence the flow of electric current on the electrical circuit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the dynamically allocating electric current further includes the circuit sharing controller receiving acknowledgement messages from those electric vehicle charging stations that indicate they have received the transmitted messages and acted in accordance with the transmitted messages.