System and method for electric vehicle battery charging

• US 9,401,610 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2013
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Uyeki, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Diao, M'Baye
• Application Number:
  US14/031,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20150077054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 320/101, 320/104, 320/109, 320/137
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/665 Light intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/50 by future state prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• 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 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 : for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• 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 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 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

Abstract

Systems and methods that facilitate the charging of an electric vehicle battery while avoiding electric grid peak load difficulties are discussed. One such method may include generating charge instructions based on a historical load profile, forecast load profile, historical weather data, and/or forecast weather data, in the absence of real-time grid condition information.

Claims

1. A method for charging a battery of an electric vehicle, comprising:

coupling the battery of the electric vehicle to a power source utilizing a charger;

utilizing one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

i) receiving a historical load profile or historical weather data; and

ii) generating charge instructions based on the historical load profile or historical weather data, wherein the charge instructions are generated in absence of real-time electric grid load data; and

providing the charge instructions to the charger.

2. The method for charging a battery of an electric vehicle of claim 1, including receiving vehicle data, wherein the vehicle data comprises vehicle location, battery capacity, battery state of charge, time of day, date, charger characteristics or charger capacity.

3. The method for charging a battery of an electric vehicle of claim 2, wherein receiving the historical load profile or historical weather data comprises receiving a historical residential load profile or historical local weather data based on the vehicle location.

4. The method for charging a battery of an electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein receiving historical weather data includes receiving historical temperature data and historical solar load data.

5. The method for charging a battery of an electric vehicle of claim 1, comprising:

receiving weather forecast data; and

generating charge instructions based on the weather forecast data instead of the historical weather data when the weather forecast data varies from historical weather data by 2% or more.

6. The method for charging a battery of an electric vehicle of claim 1, including generating and providing charge instructions preventing battery charging when the historical load profile or historical weather data indicate an on-peak condition.

7. The method for charging a battery of an electric vehicle of claim 1, including generating and providing charge instructions allowing battery charging when the historical load profile or historical weather data indicate an off-peak condition.

8. The method for charging a battery of an electric vehicle of claim 1, including generating a notification comprising battery charging related information.

9. The method for charging a battery of an electric vehicle of claim 8, wherein generating a notification comprising battery charging information comprises generating an email, a text message, voicemail, video message, multimedia message, social media message, audio communication or visual indicator.

10. An electric vehicle battery charging system, comprising:

a battery charger coupled to a power source for supplying power to a rechargeable battery of an electric vehicle;

a database component including a historical load profile and historical weather data;

a charging control component in communication with the battery charger and the database;

charging instructions generated by the charging control component and provided to the battery charger, wherein the charging instructions are based on the historical load profile and the historical weather data, and wherein the charging control component determines the charging instructions in absence of current electrical grid load condition data.

11. The electric vehicle battery charging system of claim 10, wherein the historical weather data comprises local weather data based on a location of the electric vehicle.

12. The electric vehicle battery charging system of claim 10, wherein the historical load profile comprises a residential load profile based on a location of the electric vehicle.

13. The electric vehicle battery charging system of claim 10, wherein the charging instructions are based on forecast weather data instead of the historical weather data when the forecast weather data varies from the historical weather data by 2% or more.

14. The electric vehicle battery charging system of claim 10, wherein the charging instructions

permit charging of the rechargeable battery when the historical load profile, historical temperature data or historical solar load data indicate an off-peak condition;

prevent charging of the rechargeable battery when the historical load profile, historical temperature data or historical solar load data indicate an on-peak condition; and

delay charging of the rechargeable battery when the historical load profile, historical temperature data or historical solar load data indicate an on-peak condition followed by an off-peak condition.

15. The electric vehicle battery charging system of claim 10, including an output component for providing a notification to a vehicle owner, wherein the notification includes information related to the charging of the rechargeable battery.

16. The electric vehicle battery charging system of claim 15, wherein the notification comprises an email, a text message, voicemail, video message, multimedia message, social media message, audio communication or visual indicator.

17. The electric vehicle battery charging system of claim 10, comprising an override component that provides manual control for charging of the rechargeable battery.

18. A method for charging an electric vehicle battery, comprising:

coupling the electric vehicle battery to a power source utilizing a charger;

utilizing one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

iii) receiving a forecast load profile, forecast temperature data or forecast solar load data; and

iv) generating charge instructions based on the forecast load profile, forecast temperature data or forecast solar load data, wherein generating charge instructions includes calculating the charge instructions in absence of real-time electric grid load data; and

providing the charge instructions to the charger.

19. The method for charging an electric vehicle battery of claim 18, including:

receiving vehicle data, wherein the vehicle data comprises vehicle location, battery capacity, battery state of charge, time of day, date, charger characteristics or charger capacity; and

generating charge instructions based on the forecast load profile, forecast temperature data or forecast solar load data and the vehicle data.