Technique for discharging an energy storage of a vehicle

• US 9,403,442 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2012
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Weigmann, Walter, Templ, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/355,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20140247017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/114, 320/134, 320/136, 320/135, 701/29.1, 701/29.4, 701/29.6, 701/29.8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/36 of vehicles
• 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 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A technique for discharging an energy storage of a vehicle having a predetermined discharge limit threshold comprises performing a lookup in a database to determine whether a predetermined condition is met. The predetermined condition comprises a specific vehicle identification number being listed in the database. Next, initiating the discharging of the energy storage below a predetermined discharge limit threshold depending on a result of the lookup in the database.

Claims

1. A method for discharging an energy storage of a vehicle having a predetermined discharge limit threshold, said method comprising:

performing a lookup in a database to determine whether a predetermined condition is met, wherein said predetermined condition comprises a specific vehicle identification number being listed in said database; and

initiating the discharging of said energy storage below said predetermined discharge limit threshold depending on a result of said lookup in said database.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein identification information about said vehicle is received at a server of a supply system from a control module mounted on said vehicle, and wherein said predetermined condition depends on said identification information about said vehicle, and said result of said lookup in said database is sent from said server to said control module.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein energy is supplied to said energy storage only if said predetermined condition is not met.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said control module comprises means adapted to cause a failure of said control module upon an attempt to modify said control module.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined condition is met when information indicating theft of said vehicle is available.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined condition is met when an energy demand of a local supply network to which said energy storage is connected exceeds available energy supply.

7. A non-transitory computer program for discharging an energy storage of a vehicle wherein said computer program, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the steps of the method according to claim 1.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing steps comprising the method according to claim 1.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said energy storage comprises an electric battery and said vehicle comprises an electric vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined discharge limit threshold is below a maximum capacity of said energy storage.

11. A control module for discharging an energy storage of a vehicle having a predetermined discharge limit threshold, comprising:

a receiver adapted to receive a demand to discharge said energy storage below said predetermined discharge limit threshold; and

means to initiate the discharging of said energy storage below said predetermined discharge limit threshold upon receipt of said demand;

wherein said means comprise a processor and a switch, and wherein said processor is adapted to switch said switch to a position allowing to discharge said energy storage beyond said predetermined discharge limit threshold only if said demand is received.

12. The control module according to claim 11, wherein said demand to discharge said energy storage comprises information for authorization or authentication of a sender of said demand, and wherein said control module comprises a processor adapted to verify said authorization or authenticity and to discharge said energy storage only after successful verification of said authorization or authenticity.

13. The control module according to claim 11, wherein said control module is adapted to cause a failure of said control module upon an attempt to modify said control module.

14. A server forming part of a supply system for discharging an energy storage of a vehicle having a predetermined discharge limit threshold, wherein said server is adapted to:

perform a lookup in a database to determine whether a predetermined condition is met, wherein said predetermined condition comprises a specific vehicle identification number being listed in said database; and

initiate to discharge said energy storage below said predetermined discharge limit threshold, depending on a result of said lookup in said database.

15. The server according to claim 14, wherein said server is adapted to receive identification information about said vehicle from said control module, and to evaluate said predetermined condition depending on said identification information about said vehicle.

16. The server according to claim 14, wherein said demand to discharge said energy storage comprises an authorization or authentication of a sender adapted to be checked by said control module to verify authorization or authenticity of said sender.

17. A system for discharging an energy storage of a vehicle having a predetermined discharge limit threshold, comprising:

a receiver adapted to receive a demand to discharge said energy storage below said predetermined discharge limit threshold; and

means to initiate the discharging of said energy storage below said predetermined discharge limit threshold upon receipt of said demand;

wherein a server forming part of a supply system, comprises

a processor adapted to perform a lookup in a database to determine whether a predetermined condition is met, wherein said predetermined condition comprises a specific vehicle identification number being listed in said database; and

a sender adapted to send a demand to discharge said energy storage below said predetermined discharge limit threshold, in particular a message to said control module, depending on a result of said lookup in said database.