Personalized charging management for a vehicle

• US 8,527,129 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Atluri, Venkata Prasad, Gullapalli, Subhash B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERNS, MICHAEL ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US13/282,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20130110330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/10 with provision for using different supplies
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/54 according to a pre-established time schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A configurable energy management system for recharging an electric vehicle. An in-vehicle renewable energy source generates electrical energy for recharging an in-vehicle energy storage device. The at least one off-vehicle renewable energy source provides electrical energy to the vehicle for recharging the in-vehicle energy storage device. A vehicle communication module transmits and receives data. An integration module integrates in-vehicle energy parameter data, in-vehicle renewable energy parameter data, off-vehicle renewable energy parameter data, user parameter data, and web-based data. A user interface device communicates user parameter data to the integration module. The user parameter data includes a prioritization of preferential parameters in re-charging the in-vehicle energy storage device. The integration module identifies an optimal energy source for re-charging the vehicle based on the in-vehicle energy parameter data, in-vehicle renewable energy parameter data, off-vehicle renewable energy parameter data, user parameter data, and the web-based data.

Claims

1. A configurable energy management system for recharging an electric vehicle comprising:

an energy storage device for storing energy;

an in-vehicle renewable energy source for generating electrical energy for recharging the in-vehicle energy storage device;

at least one off-vehicle renewable energy source for providing electrical energy to the vehicle for recharging the in-vehicle energy storage device;

a vehicle communication module for transmitting and receiving data;

an integration module for integrating in-vehicle energy parameter data, in-vehicle renewable energy parameter data, off-vehicle renewable energy parameter data, user parameter data, and web-based data; and

a user interface device for communicating with the vehicle communication module and the integration module, the user interface device communicating the user parameter data to the integration module, the user parameter data includes a prioritization of preferential parameters in re-charging the in-vehicle energy storage device, wherein the preferential parameters include at least one of a time-based index, a cost-based index, and a green index;

wherein the integration module identifies an optimal energy source for re-charging the vehicle based on the in-vehicle energy parameter data, in-vehicle renewable energy parameter data, off-vehicle renewable energy parameter data, user parameter data, and the web-based data.

2. The configurable energy management system of claim 1 wherein the integration module is a remote service provider communicating with the vehicle through the vehicle communication module, the remote service provider having computing devices with processing power capability and large memory storage capability to execute statistical and analytical routines for determining the prioritization of preferential parameters.

3. The configurable energy management system of claim 2 wherein the remote service provider includes a database for maintaining records of respective parameter data for each monitored vehicle.

4. The configurable energy management system of claim 3 wherein the remote service provider monitors a plurality of vehicle operations, wherein the plurality of vehicle operations is used in determining the prioritization of preferential parameters.

5. The configurable energy management system of claim 1 wherein the interface module is an in-vehicle processor capable of executing statistical and analytical routines.

6. The configurable energy management system of claim 1 wherein the at least one off-vehicle renewable energy source includes an electrical energy from an electric utility service provider.

7. The configurable energy management system of claim 1 wherein the at least one off-vehicle renewable energy source includes a home area solar energy generation system.

8. The configurable energy management system of claim 1 wherein the at least one off-vehicle renewable energy source includes a home area wind turbine generation system.

9. The configurable energy management system of claim 1 wherein the in-vehicle energy parameter data includes at least one of an available charging voltage, a state-of-charge of a vehicle battery, and enabled vehicle electrical loads.

10. The configurable energy management system of claim 9 wherein the in-vehicle energy parameter data further includes temperature data of the energy storage device.

11. The configurable energy management system of claim 1 wherein the user parameter data further includes a user-identified planned travel route.

12. The configurable energy management system of claim 1 wherein commercial energy parameter data is obtained by the integration module, wherein the commercial energy parameter data includes at least either of a cost of the commercial energy or a retail location of the commercial energy.

13. The configurable energy management system of claim 1 wherein the in-vehicle renewable energy source includes a solar panel array.

14. The configurable energy management system of claim 13 wherein the in-vehicle renewable energy parameter data includes regional weather forecast data for estimating an amount of sunlight radiation that can be captured by the in-vehicle solar panel array.

15. The configurable energy management system of claim 1 wherein the energy storage device is a low voltage energy storage device.

16. The configurable energy management system of claim 15 further comprising an in-vehicle high energy storage device, the in-vehicle high energy storage device configured to receive electrical energy from the in-vehicle renewable energy source and the at least one off-vehicle renewable energy source.

17. The configurable energy management system of claim 16 further comprising an auxiliary power module coupled between the in-vehicle high energy storage device and the low energy storage device, wherein the auxiliary power module converts the high voltage to a low voltage for distribution to the low energy storage device.

18. The configurable energy management system of claim 16 further comprising an AC-to-DC converter for converting AC voltage from the at least one off-vehicle renewable energy source to a DC voltage, the converted DC voltage being supplied to the in-vehicle high energy storage device.

19. The configurable energy management system of claim 16 further comprising an off-vehicle energy storage device for storing electrical energy from the at least one off-vehicle renewable energy source.

20. The configurable energy management system of claim 19 further comprising a DC-to-DC converter for transforming a first DC voltage from the at least one off-vehicle renewable energy source to a second DC voltage for storing in the in-vehicle high energy storage device.

21. The configurable energy management system of claim 1 wherein the user interface device is a wireless smartphone.

22. The configurable energy management system of claim 21 wherein the user interface device downloads web-based data that is provided to the integration module.

23. The configurable energy management system of claim 1 wherein the integration module downloads the web-based data.