Connection locator in a power aggregation system for distributed electric resources

• US 8,898,278 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gridpoint (Twenty First Century Utilities LLC)
• Original Assignee: Gridpoint (Twenty First Century Utilities LLC)
• Inventors: Bridges, Seth W., Pollack, Seth B., Kaplan, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): WASEL, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US12/252,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,231 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/34 of parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/20 characterised by converters located in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/57 Charging stations without connection to power networks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• 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 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• 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: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00001 characterised by the display of information or by user interaction, e.g. supervisory control and data acquisition systems [SCADA] or graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2213/10 using simultaneously two or more different transmission means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 5/00 Circuit arrangements for transfer of electric power between ac networks and dc networks H02J3/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• 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 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for a power aggregation system. A method includes charging an electric resource over a power connection to an electric network, obtaining a unique identifier of a device over the power connection, and determining an electric network location of the electric resource from the unique identifier.

Claims

1. A method of determining electrical network locations of mobile electric resources, comprising:

receiving, by a wireless transceiver, a ping broadcast from an electric resource wherein the wireless transceiver is physically located at or near a charging location, wherein the electric resource comprises an electrical vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a vehicle that obtains at least some power for motion from an electric storage system;

receiving, by an electric resource, and in response to the ping, a unique identifier from the wireless transceiver, wherein the wireless transceiver is identified by the unique identifier;

transmitting the unique identifier to a service via wireless connection; and

determining, by the service, the location of the wireless transceiver from the unique identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the unique identifier to a service, wherein the service determines an electric network location from the unique identifier.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the service is connected to a power aggregation system.

4. A method of determining electrical network locations of mobile electric resources, comprising:

receiving, by a wireless transceiver, a first unique identifier transmitted from an electric resource, wherein the first unique identifier identifies the electric resource, wherein the wireless transceiver is physically located at or near a charging location, wherein the electric resource comprises an electrical vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a vehicle that obtains at least some power for motion from an electric storage system;

transmitting, in response to receiving the first unique identifier, a message to a service, wherein the message includes the first received unique identifier and a second unique identifier, wherein the second unique identifier identifies the wireless transceiver;

associating the first unique identifier with a connected status;

determining the location of the electric resource using the second unique identifier; and

sending a confirmation from the service to the electric resource that the first unique identifier was successfully received by the wireless transceiver, wherein the electrical network location associated with the transceiver is determined.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the wireless transceiver transmits a second unique identifier to the service, and the service determines the electric network location from the second unique identifier.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the service is connected to a power aggregation system.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the wireless transceiver does not respond back to the electric resource in response to receiving the first unique identifier or in response to the confirmation from the service.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the confirmation is sent from the service to the electric resource via a wireless connection without passing through the wireless transceiver.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the wireless transceiver is part of an ID unit plugged into the electrical network.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the unique identifier is a MAC address of the wireless transceiver.

11. A method of determining electrical network locations of mobile electric resources, comprising:

connecting an electrical resource to a charging station coupled to an electrical network at a location;

receiving, by the electric resource, a unique identifier from equipment physically separate from the charging station and installed near the location;

transmitting the unique identifier to a service; and

determining the location of the electrical network using a tracking database that has relates the unique identifier to the location of the electrical network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the equipment is a cable TV box.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the equipment is a router and the unique identifier is a MAC address.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the equipment is a smart utility meter.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the equipment is an RFID unit.