Network-controlled charging system for electric vehicles

• US 8,432,131 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2012
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Inventors: Lowenthal, Richard, Baxter, Dave, Bhade, Harjinder, Mandal, Praveen
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US13/418,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20120181985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/109, 320/114, 320/132, 320/149, 701/22, 702/63, 702/64, 903/907
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/627 by WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• 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 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• 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: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• 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: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/322 the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/28 : characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] wireless communication networks H04W ; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• 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 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: 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 20/221 : General power management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 : using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A network-controlled charge transfer device for electric vehicles includes a control device to turn electric supply on and off to enable and disable charge transfer for electric vehicles, a transceiver to communicate requests for charge transfer with a remote server and receive communications from the remote server, and a controller, coupled with the control device and the transceiver, to cause the control device to turn the electric supply on based on communication from the remote server.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a control device to control application of charge transfer for an electric vehicle;

a transceiver to communicate with a remote server via a data control unit that is connected to the remote server through a wide area network and receive communications from the remote server, wherein the received communications include communications as part of a demand response system; and

a controller, coupled with the control device and the transceiver, to cause the control device to modify the application of charge transfer based on the communications received as part of the demand response system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a current measuring device to measure current flowing for charge transfer for the electric vehicle; and

wherein the controller is further to monitor the output of the current measuring device and maintain a total of charge transfer for the electric vehicle, and wherein the controller is to cause the total of charge transferred to be transmitted to the remote server.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is to cause the control device to disable charge transfer responsive to the received communications as part of the demand response system.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an electrical coupler to make a connection with the electric vehicle, wherein the control device is to control application of charge transfer by switching the electrical coupler on and off.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the electrical coupler is an outlet.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further to communicate requests for charge transfer to the remote server, wherein the received communications include communications to enable charge transfer in response to a communicated request for charge transfer, and wherein the controller is further to cause the control device to enable application of charge transfer responsive to received communication from the remote server to enable charge transfer.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a communication device coupled with the controller, the communication device to receive the requests for charge transfer.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications received as part of the demand response system include power grid load data, and wherein the controller is further to manage charge transfer based on the received power grid load data.

9. A method in a charge transfer device for charging electric vehicles, comprising:

providing charge transfer for charging an electric vehicle;

receiving a communication from a remote server to control application of charge transfer for the electric vehicle as part of a demand response system; and

responsive to receipt of the communication, modifying the application of charge transfer for the electric vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the communication is received via a data control unit that is connected to the remote server through a wide area network.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein modifying the application of charge transfer comprises disabling the charge transfer for the electric vehicle.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein modifying the application of charge transfer comprises limiting a rate of recharging for the electric vehicle.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

measuring current flowing for the charge transfer for the electric vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

maintaining a total of charge transfer for the electric vehicle; and

communicating to the remote server the total of charge transferred for the electric vehicle.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

prior to providing the charge transfer for charging the electric vehicle, performing the following;

receiving a request for the charge transfer;

communicating the request to the remote server for determination of whether to enable charge transfer; and

responsive to receiving communication from the remote server to enable charge transfer, enabling charge transfer for the electric vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein enabling charge transfer for the electric vehicle includes causing a control device of the charge transfer device to turn on an electric supply.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the request for the charge transfer is received from a mobile communication device.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

an electrical coupler to make a connection with an electric vehicle;

a transceiver to communicate with a remote server via a data control unit that is connected to the remote server through a wide area network;

a current measuring device to measure current flowing for charge transfer for the electric vehicle; and

a controller, coupled with the current measuring device and the transceiver, the controller to monitor the output of the current measuring device and maintain a total of charge transfer for the electric vehicle, and wherein the controller is further to cause the total of charge transfer to be transmitted to the remote server.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a control device coupled with the controller to control application of charge transfer for the electric vehicle;

wherein the controller is further to receive communications from the remote server as part of a demand response system; and

wherein the control device to modify the application of change transfer based on the communications received as part of the demand response system.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the controller is to cause the control device to disable charge transfer responsive to the received communications as part of the demand response system.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the control device is to control application of charge transfer by switching the electrical coupler on and off.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the communications received as part of the demand response system include power grid load data, and wherein the controller is further to manage charge transfer based on the received power grid load data.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the transceiver is further to communicate requests for charge transfer to the remote server, wherein the received communications include communications to enable charge transfer in response to a communicated request for charge transfer, and wherein the controller is further to cause the control device to enable application of charge transfer responsive to received communication from the remote server to enable charge transfer.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

a communication device coupled with the controller, the communication device to receive the requests for charge transfer.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the electrical coupler is an outlet.

26. A method in a charge transfer device for charging electric vehicles, comprising:

providing charge transfer for charging an electric vehicle;

measuring current flowing for the charge transfer for the electric vehicle;

maintaining a total of charge transfer for the electric vehicle; and

communicating to a remote server the total of charge transferred for the electric vehicle.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving a communication from the remote server to control application of charge transfer for the electric vehicle as part of a demand response system; and

responsive to receipt of the communication, modifying the application of charge transfer for the electric vehicle.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the communication is received via a data control unit that is connected to the remote server through a wide area network.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein modifying the application of charge transfer comprises disabling the charge transfer for the electric vehicle.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein modifying the application of charge transfer comprises limiting a rate of recharging for the electric vehicle.

31. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

prior to providing the charge transfer for charging the electric vehicle, performing the following;

receiving a request for the charge transfer;

communicating the request to the remote server for determination of whether to enable charge transfer; and

responsive to receiving communication from the remote server to enable charge transfer, enabling charge transfer for the electric vehicle.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein enabling charge transfer for the electric vehicle includes causing a control device of the charge transfer device to turn on an electric supply.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the request for the charge transfer is received from a mobile communication device.