Vehicle-to-grid control

• US 9,457,680 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Shinzaki, Satoru, Kumagai, Toshiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): DO, THUAN V
• Application Number:
  US14/214,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20150137752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• 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 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/58 The condition being electrical
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/322 the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• 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 20/222 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

There is provided a system and a computer-implemented method for storing electrical charge in an electric vehicle connected to a charging station. The method includes: attaining a minimum State of Charge (SOC) for the electric vehicle; determining a time to charge the electric vehicle to a maximum SOC; maintaining an electric vehicle SOC by repeatedly charging and allowing discharge of the electric vehicle between the minimum SOC and a threshold; and charging the electric vehicle to the maximum SOC when the determined time to charge the electric vehicle to a maximum SOC has elapsed, wherein the threshold is greater than the minimum SOC and the maximum SOC is greater than or equal to the threshold.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for storing electrical charge in an electric vehicle connected to a charging station, the method comprising:

attaining a minimum State of Charge (SOC) for the electric vehicle;

determining a time to charge the electric vehicle to a maximum SOC;

notifying an electrical grid that the electric vehicle is available to store electrical charge for the electrical grid until the determined time;

maintaining an electric vehicle SOC between the minimum SOC and a threshold SOC until the determined time by repeatedly charging the electric vehicle to the threshold SOC and allowing discharge of the electric vehicle to the minimum SOC until the determined time; and

charging the electric vehicle to the maximum SOC at the determined time,

wherein the threshold SOC is greater than the minimum SOC and the maximum SOC is greater than or equal to the threshold SOC.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum SOC is greater than the threshold SOC.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold SOC is greater than the minimum SOC by 20% of the SOC.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving, from the electrical grid, cost information for electric energy comprising time of use rates for electric energy rates varying by at least one of time, day, month or calendar season.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining the time to charge the electric vehicle to the maximum SOC comprises:

calculating a time to charge the electric vehicle that at least partially overlaps off peak-hours for electric energy rates.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the maintaining the electrical vehicle SOC between the minimum SOC and the threshold SOC until the determined time comprises:

storing the electrical charge for the electrical grid in the electric vehicle by charging the electric vehicle to a SOC that is less than or equal to the threshold SOC, wherein the storing is provided until a current time is greater than or equal to the determined time to charge the electric vehicle to the maximum SOC.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising calculating and recording a user revenue associated with the storing of electrical charge for the electrical grid in the electric vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the maintaining the electrical vehicle SOC between the minimum SOC and the threshold SOC until the determined time comprises:

supplying electrical energy to the electrical grid by discharging the electric vehicle while the electric vehicle SOC is greater than the minimum SOC and a current time is less than the determined time to charge the electric vehicle to the maximum SOC.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising calculating and recording a user revenue for the supplying of the electrical energy to the electrical grid by discharging the electric vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the time to charge the electric vehicle to the maximum SOC comprises, after a current time is greater than or equal to the determined time to charge the electric vehicle to the maximum SOC, re-determining the time to charge the electric vehicle to the maximum SOC based on the electric vehicle SOC.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the minimum SOC, the threshold SOC, and the maximum SOC are set by one or more of a user of the electric vehicle, a manufacturer of the electric vehicle, or an aggregate charging entity.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum SOC is greater than the threshold SOC and the threshold SOC is greater than the minimum SOC by 10% of the SOC.

13. A vehicle system for storing electrical charge in an electric vehicle connected to a charging station, the vehicle system comprising:

a telematics-navigation device configured to identify information of electric energy provided by the charging station; and

a control unit configured to;

attain a minimum State of Charge (SOC) for the electric vehicle;

determine a time to charge the electric vehicle to a maximum SOC;

notify an electrical grid that the electric vehicle is available to store electrical charge for the electrical grid until the determined time;

maintain an electric vehicle SOC between the minimum SOC and a threshold SOC until the determined time by repeatedly charging the electric vehicle to the threshold SOC and allowing discharge of the electric vehicle to the minimum SOC until the determined time; and

charge the electric vehicle to the maximum SOC at the determined time,

wherein the threshold SOC is greater than the minimum SOC and the maximum SOC is greater than or equal to the threshold SOC.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the threshold SOC is greater than the minimum SOC by 20% of the SOC.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the control unit receives, from an electrical grid, cost information for electric energy comprising time of use rates for electric energy rates varying by at least one of time, day, month or calendar season.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein to determine the time to charge the electric vehicle to the maximum SOC, the control unit calculates a time to charge the electric vehicle that at least partially overlaps off peak-hours for electric energy rates.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein to maintain the electrical vehicle SOC between the minimum SOC and the threshold SOC until the determined time, the control unit stores the electrical charge for the electrical grid in the electric vehicle by charging the electric vehicle to a SOC that is less than or equal to the threshold SOC, wherein the store is provided until a current time is greater than or equal to the determined time to charge the electric vehicle to the maximum SOC.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the control unit calculates and records a user revenue associated with the storing of electrical charge for the electrical grid in the electric vehicle.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein to maintain the electrical vehicle SOC between the minimum SOC and the threshold SOC until the determined time, the control unit supplies electrical energy to the electrical grid by discharging the electric vehicle while the electric vehicle SOC is greater than the minimum SOC and a current time is less than the determined time to charge the electric vehicle to the maximum SOC.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the maximum SOC is greater than the threshold SOC and the threshold SOC is greater than the minimum SOC by 10% of the SOC.