Electric vehicle reserve charge authorization and distribution

• US 8,941,463 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2012
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Rovik, Christopher L., Restauri, Donald A. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMALL, NAOMI J
• Application Number:
  US13/425,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20130249276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.2, 340/426.13, 340/455, 340/445, 320/127, 320/135, 701/22, 701/29.1
• US Class Current: 340/5.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/68 Traffic data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/12 by confirmation, e.g. of the input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• 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: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• 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 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A system for an electric vehicle for authorizing the utilization of a reserve charge portion of a battery of the electric vehicle for powering the electric vehicle. The authorization system may include a remote device that communicates with the electric vehicle via a telematic link. Upon receipt of one or more data from the electric vehicle (e.g., reserve charge amount of the battery, recharge locations, warranty waiver information, billing information, previous authorization information, etc.) the remote device transmits an authorization signal to the electric vehicle for using at least part of the reserve charge portion of the battery based upon the data. The authorization system may incorporate live personnel for determining whether to authorize the electric vehicle or such authorization may be determined automatically by a processor of the remote device. The authorization system may be entirely local to the electric vehicle such that no remote device is needed.

Claims

1. A method for authorizing use of battery reserve charge of an electric vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a battery having a reserve charge portion for powering the electric vehicle only after an authorization signal is received, and a normal-use charge portion for powering the electric vehicle regardless of whether the authorization signal is received;

setting, using a processor connected to the battery, a charge amount of the reserve charge portion that accounts for a loss of a maximum charge capacity of the battery;

establishing, using the processor, a telematic link with a remote device;

receiving, at the remote device and using the telematic link, the charge amount of the reserve charge portion of the battery and a location of the electric vehicle;

authorizing, using the remote device, powering of the electric vehicle using at least a part of the reserve charge portion of the battery based on the received charge amount of the reserve charge portion of the battery and the location of the electric vehicle;

transmitting, from the remote device and using the telematic link, the authorization signal to the processor; and

utilizing, using the processor, at least a part of the reserve charge portion of the battery to power the electric vehicle when or after the processor receives the authorization signal.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining a location of a recharge point; and

determining a distance between the location of the electric vehicle and the location of the recharge point,

wherein the transmitting of the authorization signal is based on whether the charge amount of the reserve charge portion of the battery would allow the electric vehicle to travel a distance between the location of the electric vehicle and the location of the recharge point.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the authorization signal is configured to authorize use of only a predetermined part of the reserve charge portion of the battery for powering the electric vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining whether the electric vehicle or the battery is under a warranty.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of determining whether a user of the electric vehicle agrees to waive at least a portion of the warranty before the transmitting of the authorization signal.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining a number of times the electric vehicle has previously been authorized use of the reserve charge portion of the battery for powering the electric vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining whether a user of the electric vehicle agrees to be billed before the transmitting of the authorization signal.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of billing a credit card or an account associated with the user or the electric vehicle.

9. A method for accessing battery reserve charge of an electric vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a battery having a reserve charge portion for powering the electric vehicle only after an authorization signal is received, and a normal-use charge portion for powering the electric vehicle regardless of whether the authorization signal is received;

setting, using a processor connected to the battery, a reserve charge level of the reserve charge portion;

initiating, using the processor, a telematic link with a remote device;

transmitting, using the telematic link, the reserve charge level from the processor to the remote device;

transmitting, using the telematic link, a location of the electric vehicle from the processor to the remote device;

authorizing, using the remote device, powering of the electric vehicle using at least a part of the reserve charge portion of the battery based on the received reserve charge level and the location of the electric vehicle;

receiving, using the telematic link, an authorization signal at the processor from the remote device; and

utilizing, using the processor, at least a part of the reserve charge portion of the battery to power the electric vehicle when or after the processor receives the authorization signal.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the authorization signal is based on whether the reserve charge level of the battery would allow the electric vehicle to travel from the location of the electric vehicle to a recharge location.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

providing a memory coupled to the processor; and

storing in the memory, in response to the receiving of the authorization signal, an authorized threshold of reserve charge of the battery for powering the electric vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of resetting the authorized threshold in the memory when the battery of the electric vehicle is at least partially recharged.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of transmitting, using the telematic link, a warranty waiver signal from the processor to the remote device, the warranty waiver signal representing a waiver of at least a portion of a warranty of the electric vehicle by a user of the electric vehicle.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of transmitting, using the telematic link, a billing approval signal from the processor to the remote device, the billing approval signal representing an approval by a user of the electric vehicle to be billed.

15. A system for accessing battery reserve charge of an electric vehicle comprising:

a rechargeable battery coupled to the electric vehicle, the battery configured to have;

a reserve charge portion for powering the electric vehicle only after an authorization signal is received, and

a normal-use charge portion for powering the electric vehicle regardless of whether the authorization signal is received;

a processor coupled to the battery and configured to;

set a charge amount of the reserve charge portion that accounts for a loss of a maximum charge capacity of the battery, and

determine a geographic location of the electric vehicle; and

at least one antenna coupled to the processor, the at least one antenna configured to;

transmit the charge amount of the reserve charge portion and the geographic location of the electric vehicle to a remote device,

receive an authorization signal from the remote device for authorizing use of at least a part of the reserve charge portion of the battery to provide power to the electric vehicle, the authorization signal being based on the received charge amount of the reserve charge portion and the geographic location of the electric vehicle, and

utilize at least a part of the reserve charge portion of the battery to power the electric vehicle when or after the processor receives the authorization signal.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the authorization signal is based on a distance between the geographic location of the electric vehicle and a recharge point location.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising a memory coupled to the processor, the memory configured to:

store a reserve charge threshold if the authorization signal is received from the remote device, and

reset the reserve charge threshold if at least a portion of the battery is recharged.

18. The system of claim 15 further comprising a user input device coupled to the processor for allowing a user to transmit a communication to the remote device via the at least one antenna.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the communication is a warranty waiver signal.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the communication is a billing approval signal.