Method to facilitate opportunity charging of an electric vehicle

• US 9,037,507 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2010
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Tate, Edward D. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZARE, SCOTT A
• Application Number:
  US12/766,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20100274690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109, 705/34
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation

Abstract

A method for electrically charging a high-voltage battery of a subject vehicle includes resolving a geographic location of the subject vehicle at a remote charging site, electrically charging the high-voltage battery through a connection of the subject vehicle to an electric power outlet at the remote charging site, monitoring cumulative electric power flow to the high-voltage battery of the subject vehicle, communicating the cumulative electric power flow to a central server, and reconciling billing for the cumulative electric power flow between an owner of the subject vehicle and an owner of the remote charging site.

Claims

1. Method for electrically charging a high-voltage battery of a subject vehicle, the method comprising:

at a handheld device corresponding to an owner of the subject vehicle;

monitoring a portion of subject vehicle identification information originating at the handheld device, the portion of the subject vehicle identification information including at least an owner of the subject vehicle, time and date information and a geographical location of the subject vehicle, and

transmitting the geographical location of the subject vehicle to a control module of the subject vehicle;

onboard the subject vehicle;

resolving the geographic location of the subject vehicle at a specific power outlet of a remote charging site independent of the subject vehicle being electrically connected to the specific power outlet and independent of any communication from the specific power outlet at the remote charging site, and

transmitting the resolved geographic location of the subject vehicle at the specific power outlet from the control module of the subject vehicle through the handheld device to a central server;

at the central server providing billing and access to the remote charging site;

receiving the portion of the subject vehicle identification information and the resolved geographic location of the subject vehicle at the specific power outlet transmitted from the handheld device corresponding to the owner of the subject vehicle,

identifying an owner of the specific power outlet at the remote charging site using the resolved geographic location of the subject vehicle at the specific power outlet, and

transmitting an authorization signal to a monitoring computer of the remote charging site only when the owner of the specific power outlet has been identified;

at the monitoring computer of the remote charging site;

in response to the authorization signal transmitted from the central server, enabling electric power flow from an electric power utility to the subject vehicle to electrically charge the high-voltage battery when the subject vehicle is electrically connected to the specific power outlet at the remote charging site,

monitoring a magnitude of cumulative electric power flow to the high-voltage battery of the subject vehicle from the electric power utility,

locking access to the specific power outlet when one of said charging is completed and the subject vehicle is disconnected from the specific power outlet, and

the magnitude of the monitored cumulative electric power flow to the central server that communicates with one or more utility billing systems associated with one or more electrical energy suppliers associated with the electric power utility; and

at the one or more utility billing systems;

reconciling billing for the cumulative electric power flow between the owner of the subject vehicle and the owner of the specific power outlet at the remote charging site.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving the geographic location of the subject vehicle at the specific power outlet at the remote charging site comprises using a global positioning system to resolve the geographic location of the subject vehicle at the specific power outlet at the remote charging site.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein reconciling billing for the cumulative electric power flow between the owner of the subject vehicle and the owner of the remote charging site comprises using the central server to reconcile billing between a utility billing system associated with a first electrical energy supplier corresponding to the owner of the subject vehicle and a utility billing system associated with a second electrical energy supplier corresponding to the owner of the remote charging site.

4. Method for electrically charging a high-voltage battery of a subject vehicle, the method comprising:

at a handheld device corresponding to an owner of the subject vehicle;

monitoring a portion of subject vehicle identification information originating at the handheld device, the portion of the subject vehicle identification information including at least an owner of the subject vehicle, time and date information and a geographical location of the subject vehicle, and

transmitting the geographical location of the subject vehicle to a control module of the subject vehicle;

onboard the subject vehicle;

resolving the geographic location of the subject vehicle at a specific electric power outlet at the remote charging site independent of the subject vehicle being electrically connected to the specific electric power outlet and independent of any communication from the specific electric power outlet at the remote charging site, and

transmitting the resolved geographic location of the subject vehicle at the specific power outlet from the control module of the subject vehicle through the handheld device to a central server;

in the central server providing billing and access to the remote charging site;

receiving the portion of the subject vehicle identification information and the resolved geographic location of the subject vehicle at the specific power outlet transmitted from the handheld device corresponding to the owner of the subject vehicle, and

transmitting an authorization signal to a monitoring computer of the remote charging site only when an owner of the specific electric power outlet at the remote charging site has been identified using the resolved geographic location of the subject vehicle;

in the monitoring computer of the remote charging site

in response to the transmitted authorization signal, enabling electrical charging of the high-voltage battery from an electric power utility when the subject vehicle is electrically connected to the specific electric power outlet at the remote charging site;

monitoring cumulative electric power flow to the high-voltage battery of the subject vehicle from the electric power utility,

locking access to the specific electric power outlet when one of said charging is completed and the subject vehicle is disconnected from the specific power outlet, and

transmitting a magnitude of the monitored cumulative electric power flow to the central server via a network server that communicates with one or more utility billing systems associated with one or more electrical energy suppliers associated with the electric power utility; and

in the one or more utility billing systems;

reconciling billing for the cumulative electric power flow between an owner of the subject vehicle and the owner of the specific electric power outlet at the remote charging site.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein reconciling billing for the cumulative electric power flow between the owner of the subject vehicle and the owner of the remote charging site comprises using the central server to reconcile billing between a utility billing system associated with a first electrical energy supplier corresponding to the owner of the subject vehicle and a utility billing system associated with a second electrical energy supplier corresponding to the owner of the remote charging site.

6. Method for electrically charging a high-voltage battery of a subject vehicle, the method comprising:

at a handheld device corresponding to an owner of the subject vehicle;

monitoring a portion of vehicle identification information originating at the held device, the portion of the vehicle identification information including at least an owner of the subject vehicle, time and date information and a geographical location of the subject vehicle, and

transmitting the geographical location of the subject vehicle to a control module of the subject vehicle;

onboard the subject vehicle;

resolving the geographic location of the subject vehicle at one of a plurality of electric power outlets located at the remote charging site independent of the subject vehicle being electrically connected to the electric power outlet and independent of any communication from the electric power outlet at the remote charging site, and

wirelessly communicating the resolved geographic location of the subject vehicle from the control module of the subject vehicle through the handheld device to a central server;

in the central server;

receiving the portion of the subject vehicle identification information and the resolved geographic location wirelessly communicated from the handheld device corresponding to the owner of the subject vehicle;

identifying an owner of the one of the plurality of electric power outlets located at the remote charging site using the resolved geographic location of the subject vehicle, and

transmitting an authorization signal to a monitoring computer of the remote charging site only when the owner of the specific power outlet has been identified;

in the monitoring computer of the remote charging site;

in response to the authorization signal transmitted from the central server, unlocking the one of the plurality of electric power outlets located at the remote charging site to permit electrical charging of the high-voltage battery of the subject vehicle using electric power flow from an electric power utility;

electrically charging the high-voltage battery through a connection of the subject vehicle to the one of the plurality of electric power outlets located at the remote charging site;

monitoring a cumulative electric power flow to the high-voltage battery of the subject vehicle from the electric power utility;

transmitting a magnitude of the monitored cumulative electric power flow to the central server that communicates with one or more utility billing systems associated with one or more electrical energy suppliers associated with the electric power utility;

locking access to the specific power outlet when of said charging is completed and the subject vehicle is disconnected from the one of the plurality of electric power outlets; and

in the one or more utility billing systems;

reconciling billing for the cumulative electric power flow between the owner of the one of the plurality of electric power outlets located at the remote charging site and the owner of the subject vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein reconciling billing for the cumulative electric power flow between the owner of the one of the plurality of electric power outlets located at the remote charging site and the owner of the subject vehicle comprises reconciling billing between a utility billing system associated with a first electrical energy supplier corresponding to the owner of the subject vehicle and a utility billing system associated with a second electrical energy supplier corresponding to the owner of the one of the plurality of electric power outlets located at the remote charging site.