Energy transaction notification service for presenting charging information of an electric vehicle

• US 8,918,376 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2008
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Utopus Insights, Inc. (Vestas Wind Systems A/S)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ambrosio, Ronald, Ferro, Erica Haefner, Schurr, Allan James, Williamson, Paul Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TRUONG V
• Application Number:
  US12/194,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20100049737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,317 Days
• Field of Search: 707/694, 707/613
• US Class Current: 707/694
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• 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: G07F 15/005 dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for managing electric vehicle charging information. In one embodiment, the process receives charging process data. The charging process data may be stored in a data repository and associated with a user to form historical user data. The process then generates a notification in response to detecting a condition for triggering the generation of the notification. The notification comprises a set of recommendations for achieving a set of optimization objectives. In addition, the set of recommendations are derived from at least one of the historical user data and a remote data source. Thereafter, the process presents the notification to a user using a set of notification preferences.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of managing transaction notifications of an electric vehicle charging process, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving charging process data, wherein the charging process data is stored in a data repository and associated with a user to form historical user data;

responsive to detecting a condition for triggering a generation of a notification, generating the notification, wherein the notification comprises a set of recommendations for achieving a set of optimization objectives, and wherein the set of recommendations are derived from at least one of the historical user data and a remote data source; and

presenting the notification to the user according to the set of notification preferences.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the notification further comprises:

mining the at least one of the historical user data and the remote data source for selected data; and

processing the selected data to form the set of recommendations, wherein the set of recommendations provide instructions for achieving the set of optimization objectives for optimizing energy consumption.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the presenting step further comprises:

presenting the notification to a user on a notification device, wherein the notification device comprises at least one of a smart phone, a computer, and a display device of an electric vehicle.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein presenting the notification further comprises:

formatting the notification according to the set of notification preferences.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein presenting the notification further comprises:

formatting the notification as an entry in a calendaring application.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the notification is at least one of an event message to a computer program, a text message, a pager message, and an electronic mail message.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

mining the at least one of the historical user data and the remote data source for selected data; and

deriving optimal electric vehicle operation characteristics for achieving the set of optimization objectives while the electric vehicle is being driven.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein the optimal electric vehicle operation characteristics comprise minimization of non-electric propulsion.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises recommended instructions about how to operate the electric vehicle to achieve the set of optimization objectives.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9 further comprising:

presenting the notification responsive to the electric vehicle not being operated as recommended in the recommended instructions, wherein the notification comprises an alert configured to inform a user that the electric vehicle is not being operated as recommended.

11. A computer program product for managing transaction notifications of an electric vehicle charging process, the computer program product comprising:

a computer recordable-type medium;

first program instructions for receiving charging process data, wherein the charging process data is stored in a data repository and associated with a user to form historical user data;

second program instructions for generating the notification in response to detecting a condition for triggering the generation of the notification, wherein the notification comprises a set of recommendations for achieving a set of optimization objectives, and wherein the set of recommendations are derived from at least one of the historical user data and a remote data source;

third program instructions for presenting the notification to a user using a set of notification preferences; and

wherein the first program instructions, the second program instructions, and the third program instructions are stored on the computer recordable-type medium.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the second program instructions further comprises:

fourth program instructions for mining the at least one of the historical user data and the remote data source for selected data, wherein the selected data is identified from at least one of the set of optimization objectives and the set of notification preferences; and

fifth program instructions for processing the selected data to form the set of recommendations, wherein the set of recommendations provide instructions for achieving the set of optimization objectives for optimizing energy consumption.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

seventh program instructions for formatting the notification according to the set of notification preferences.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the seventh program instructions further comprise:

program instructions for formatting the notification as an entry in a calendaring application.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the notification is at least one of an event message to a computer program, a text message, a pager message, and an electronic mail message.

16. An apparatus for managing transaction notifications of an electric vehicle charging process, the apparatus comprising:

a bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes computer usable program code; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to receive charging process data, wherein the charging process data is stored in a data repository and associated with a user to form historical user data;

generate a notification in response to detecting a condition for triggering the generation of the notification, wherein the notification comprises a set of recommendations for achieving a set of optimization objectives, and wherein the set of recommendations are derived from at least one of the historical user data and a remote data source; and

present the notification to a user using a set of notification preferences.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to mine the at least one of the historical user data and the remote data source for selected data, wherein the selected data is identified from at least one of the set of optimization objectives and the set of notification preferences;

and process the selected data to form the set of recommendations, wherein the set of recommendations provide instructions for achieving the set of optimization objectives for optimizing energy consumption.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to present the notification to a user on a notification device, wherein the notification device comprises at least one of a smart phone, a computer, and a display device of an electric vehicle.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to format the notification according to the set of notification preferences.

20. A system for managing transaction notifications of an electric vehicle charging process, the system comprising:

a charging station, wherein the charging station exchanges electricity with the electric vehicle in the electric vehicle charging process, and wherein the electric vehicle charging process generates charging process data;

an energy transaction execution engine, wherein the energy transaction execution engine controls an execution of the charging process; and

an energy transaction notification service, wherein the energy transaction notification service receives the charging process data, wherein the charging process data is associated with a user to form historical user data, and wherein the energy transaction notification service generates a notification in response to detecting a condition for triggering the generation of the notification, wherein the notification comprises a set of recommendations for achieving a set of optimization objectives, and wherein the set of recommendations are derived from at least one of the historical user data and a remote data source, and wherein the notification service presents the notification to the user using a set of notification preferences selected by the user.