Method and device for determining the start of a charging process for an energy storage device in an electric vehicle

• US 8,487,589 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2010
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Bald, Heiko, Bhme, Aiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US12/913,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20110109276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 320/155
• US Class Current: 320/155
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/446 Initial charging measures
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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 90/14 Plug-in 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A method and a device are provided for determining the start of a charging process for an energy storage device in a vehicle, such as an electric vehicle. The method includes, but is not limited to determining at least one first parameter that indicates that a passenger is about to exit the electric vehicle. In addition, a first time t₁ at which the charging process concludes at the earliest is determined, and a second time t₂ at which the charging process is to have concluded at the latest is set, where t₂≧t₁. Further, a determination is made as to whether a third time t₃ at which a lowered second energy rate relative to the first energy rate is present before the second time t₂ has been reached, and the start of the charging process is set in such a way that the at least one third time t₃ lies within the charging process, and the charging process concludes by the second time t₂ at the latest.

Claims

1. A method for determining a start of a charging process to achieve a predetermined charging state of an energy storage device in a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

ascertaining a first parameter that indicates whether a passenger is about to exit the vehicle;

ascertaining a first time t₁ at which the charging process concludes at an earliest;

displaying the first time t₁, a time a first energy rate is present and a time a second energy rate is present, the second energy rate lower than the first energy rate, on a display device of the vehicle;

receiving a user input that sets a second time t₂ at which the charging process is to have concluded at the latest and the second time t₂≧

the first time t₁;

ascertaining whether a third time t₃ at which the lowered second energy rate is present before the second time t₂ has been reached; and

setting a start of the charging process in such a way that the third time t₃ lies within the charging process and the charging process concludes by the second time t₂ at the latest.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining a plurality of third times t₃, wherein the start of the charging process is set once a majority of the plurality of third times t₃ has been determined in such a way that a maximum possible number of the plurality of third times t₃ lies within the charging process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first parameter is at least partially based upon turning off an ignition of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first parameter is at least partially based upon undoing a seatbelt.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a second parameter is at least partially based upon the passenger exiting the vehicle, and further comprising the step of deactivating the display device after ascertaining the second parameter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a second parameter is at least partially based upon locking the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of presetting and storing the times at which a second energy rate is present in an onboard computer of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of presetting and storing the times at which the first energy rate is present in an onboard computer of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting the times at which the first energy rate is present to the vehicle with a device located outside of the vehicle.

10. A device for determining a start of a charging process to achieve a predetermined charging state of an energy storage device in a vehicle, comprising:

a first ascertaining device that ascertains a first parameter that indicates whether a passenger is about to exit the vehicle;

a display device that displays a first time t₁;

an input device that receives a user input of a second time t₂;

a control and computing unit that;

ascertains the first time t₁ at which the charging process concludes at an earliest; and

ascertains whether a third time t₃ at which a lowered second energy rate relative to a first energy rate is present before the second time t₂, has been reached,

wherein the second time t₂ is the time at which the charging process is to have concluded at the latest and the second time t₂≧

the first time t₁.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the control and computing unit is further adapted to set the start of the charging process once a majority of a plurality of third times t₃ has been determined in such a way that a maximum possible number of the plurality of third times t₃ lies within the charging process.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the first parameter is at least partially based upon turning off an ignition of the vehicle.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the first parameter is at least partially based upon undoing a seatbelt.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein a second parameter is at least partially based upon the passenger exiting the vehicle, and the control and computing unit deactivates the display device after ascertaining the second parameter.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the second parameter is at least partially based upon locking the vehicle.