Street light mounted network-controlled charge transfer device for electric vehicles

• US 8,866,436 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Inventors: Lowenthal, Richard, Baxter, David, Bhade, Harjinder, Mandal, Praveen, Tormey, Milton T.
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US13/149,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20110316478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/107, 320/108, 320/115, 320/132, 414/227, 701/22
• US Class Current: 320/104
• 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: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• 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 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• 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: F21S 8/086 with lighting device attached sideways of the standard, e.g. for roads and highways
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/001 the elements being electrical wires or cables
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• 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 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 : Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation

Abstract

A network-controlled charge transfer device for transferring charge between a local power grid and an electric vehicle is mounted to a street light. The charge transfer device includes the following: an electrical receptacle to receive an electrical connector for connection to the electric vehicle; an electric power line that couples the power grid to the electrical receptacle through a wiring box; a control device to switch the receptacle on and off; a current measuring device to measure current flowing through the electric power line; and a controller to operate the control device and to monitor output from the current measuring device.

Claims

1. A charge transfer device for transferring charge between a local power grid and an electric vehicle, comprising:

a mounting mechanism to couple the charge transfer device to a street light;

a control device to control application of charge transfer for the 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 charge transfer device of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication device connected to the controller to connect the controller to a mobile wireless communication device for communication between an operator of the electric vehicle and the controller.

3. The charge transfer device 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 report the amount of current flowing for charge transfer to the remote server.

4. The charge transfer device of claim 1, wherein the current measuring device is further to measure current flowing on an electric power line coupled with a wiring box that provides electricity to a light of the street light.

5. The charge transfer device of claim 1, wherein charge transfer may be in either direction between the local power grid and the electric vehicle.

6. The charge transfer device of claim 1, wherein the controller further is to manage charge transfer based on a consumer profile of an operator of the electric vehicle, wherein the consumer profile is to be received from the remote server.

13. The charge transfer device 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.

14. The charge transfer device 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.

15. The charge transfer device of claim 14, wherein the electrical coupler is an outlet.

16. The charge transfer device 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.

17. The charge transfer device 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.

7. A method for transferring charge between a local power grid and an electric vehicle, comprising:

receiving a request at a controller of a network-controlled charge transfer device for charge transfer, wherein the request is received from an operator of the electric vehicle;

relaying the request from the controller to a server coupled with the network-controlled charge transfer device;

receiving a communication from the server at the controller to enable charge transfer;

responsive to the receiving of the communication to enable charge transfer, enabling charge transfer for the electric vehicle;

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

responsive to receipt of the communication from the server to control application of the charge transfer, modifying the application of charge transfer for the electric vehicle; and

wherein the network-controlled charge transfer device is coupled with a street light.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the request is received from a mobile wireless communication device of an operator of the electric vehicle.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

wherein the charge transfer is provided through a first electrical power line that is coupled with the local power grid through a wiring box, and

reporting the amount of current flowing through the first electrical power line to a utility company operating the local power grid.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the charge transfer is provided through a first electrical power line that is coupled with the local power grid through a wiring box, and wherein the street light includes a light coupled with a second electrical power line that is coupled with the local power grid through the wiring box.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising monitoring current flowing through the second electrical power line.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

reporting the amount of current flowing through the second electrical power line to a utility company operating the local power grid.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein modifying the application of charge transfer for the electric vehicle comprises disabling the charge transfer for the electric vehicle.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein modifying the application of charge transfer comprises limiting a rate of recharging for the electric vehicle.