System and method for charging a vehicle battery

• US 8,401,722 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Gale, Allan Roy, Momcilovich, Paul Theodore, Degner, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US12/976,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

An automotive vehicle may include at least one controller and a battery charger that receives electrical energy from a power distribution circuit remote from the vehicle. The at least one controller may request that a battery charger of another vehicle draw a specified current, and may establish a battery charging schedule with the another vehicle for the battery charger if, after issuing the request, the at least one controller detects a drop in voltage on the power distribution circuit.

Claims

1. An automotive vehicle comprising:

a battery charger configured to receive electrical energy from a power distribution circuit remote from the vehicle; and

at least one controller configured to request that a battery charger of another vehicle draw a specified current and to establish a battery charging schedule with the another vehicle for the battery charger if, after issuing the request, the at least one controller detects a drop in voltage proportional to the product of a line resistance of the power distribution circuit and the specified current.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to determine the line resistance of the power distribution circuit.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 wherein determining the line resistance of the power distribution circuit includes causing a current to be drawn from the power distribution circuit and determining the voltage on the power distribution circuit before and after the current is drawn from the power distribution circuit.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to request that the battery charger of the another vehicle draw the specified current for a specified time period and wherein the battery charging schedule is established if the drop in voltage occurs during the specified time period.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to initiate communications with the another vehicle.

6. A method of charging a battery of a vehicle comprising:

by at least one controller,

issuing a request to establish communications with another vehicle,

instructing the another vehicle to draw a specified current from a power distribution circuit,

monitoring a voltage associated with the circuit, and

establishing a battery charging schedule with the another vehicle if the voltage decreases proportional to the product of a line resistance of the circuit and the specified current.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising determining the line resistance of the power distribution circuit.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein determining the line resistance of the power distribution circuit includes drawing a current from the power distribution circuit and determining the voltage on the power distribution circuit before and after the current is drawn from the power distribution circuit.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising instructing the another vehicle to draw the specified current from the power distribution circuit for a specified time period and wherein the battery charging schedule is established if the voltage decreases during the specified time period.

10. A vehicle comprising:

a battery charger configured to receive electrical energy from a power distribution circuit remote from the vehicle; and

at least one controller configured to determine whether communications can be established with another vehicle, to request that a battery charger of the another vehicle draw a specified current if communications can be established with the another vehicle, and to establish a battery charging schedule with the another vehicle for the battery charger if, after issuing the request, the at least one controller detects a drop in voltage on the power distribution circuit.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein the battery charging schedule is established if the drop in voltage is proportional to the product of a line resistance of the power distribution circuit and the specified current.

12. The vehicle of claim 11 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to determine the line resistance of the power distribution circuit.

13. The vehicle of claim 12 wherein determining the line resistance of the power distribution circuit includes causing a current to be drawn from the power distribution circuit and determining the voltage on the power distribution circuit before and after the current is drawn from the power distribution circuit.

14. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to request that the battery charger of the another vehicle draw the specified current for a specified time period and wherein the battery charging schedule is established if the drop in voltage occurs during the specified time period.