Battery charging graphical user interface for wireless power transfer

• US 9,634,504 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification, Inc.
• Inventors: Wu, Hunter, Masquelier, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Muralidar, Richard V
• Application Number:
  US14/481,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20150069969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 701 22, 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• 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 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

An apparatus for charge management for an electric vehicle is disclosed. A system and method also perform the functions of the apparatus. The apparatus includes a battery status module that displays a battery charge status indicator on an electronic display of an electric device. The battery charge status indicator is for a battery providing power to the electric device. The apparatus includes a charging target module that displays a charging target on the electronic display. The charging target is related to the battery charge status indicator and indicates a desired charge level for the battery. The apparatus includes a target adjustment module that adjusts the charging target based on a predicted next battery charging and battery usage, wherein the battery charging and usage are based on a schedule and/or a planned route.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a battery status module that displays a battery charge status indicator on an electronic display of an electric device, the battery charge status indicator for a battery providing power to the electric device;

a charging target module that displays a charging target on the electronic display, the charging target related to the battery charge status indicator and indicating a desired charge level for the battery; and

a target adjustment module that adjusts the charging target based on a predicted next battery charging and battery usage, wherein the battery charging and usage are based on one or more of a schedule and a planned route,

wherein at least a portion of the battery status module, the charging target module, and the target adjustment module comprise one or more of hardware and executable code, the executable code stored on one or more computer readable storage media.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the electronic display comprises an electronic display of an electric vehicle and the battery provides power to the electric vehicle, the planned route comprises a designated route for the electric vehicle, and the battery charges at one or more predefined battery charging locations along a designated route of the electric vehicle; and

the target adjustment module adjusts the charging target based on a location of a next battery charging location on the designated route and an amount of battery charge required to complete the designated route a specified number of times and to reach a final destination after a final battery charging location along the designated route,

wherein at least a portion of the battery status module, the charging target module, and the target adjustment module comprise one or more of hardware and executable code, the executable code stored on one or more computer readable storage media.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the electric vehicle travels along the designated route two or more times before traveling from the final battery charging location to the final destination.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the battery charge status indicator represents an amount of energy to be used by the electric vehicle prior to reaching the final destination and wherein the charging target represents a target battery charge status at a particular location on the designated route based on a planned number of times for the electric vehicle to traverse the designated route prior to traveling to a final destination.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the target adjustment module adjusts the charging target at a rate wherein the charging target reaches a minimum battery charge status at the final destination.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a charging alert indicator module that changes the electronic display to indicate a low charge condition, the low charge condition indicating that a current battery charge status is below a level sufficient for the electric vehicle to reach one or more of a next battery charging location and the final destination.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the charging alert indicator module changes the electronic display to stop indicating the low charge condition in response to the battery charge status indicator reaching a level indicative of the battery of the electric vehicle having enough energy for the electric vehicle to reach one or more of the next battery charging location and the final destination.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, where the charging alert indicator module changes the appearance of the battery charge status indicator from a first state to a second state to indicate the low charge condition and from the second state to the first state when the battery charge status indicator reaches the level indicative of the battery having enough energy for the electric vehicle to reach one or more of the next battery charging location and the final destination.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the target adjustment module adjusts the charging target to a lower value to reflect usage of stored battery charge in addition to an amount of energy stored in the battery during battery charging, the lower value representing a battery charge status corresponding to a lower battery charge state than a previous value of the charging target.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the target adjustment module adjusts the charging target to one or more lower values while the electric device uses energy during one or more of the schedule and traveling along the planned route.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the target adjustment module adjusts the charging target to a higher value in response to the electric device reaching a battery charging location and in response to a planned amount of charging at the battery charging location.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the battery status module changes the battery charge status indicator to a higher value in response to a measured amount of battery charging and wherein the battery status module changes the battery charge status indicator to a lower value in response to a measured amount of battery discharging.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a charge duration module that indicates on the electronic display a charge time for battery charging at a battery charging location, wherein the charge time indicates an amount of charging so that the battery charge status indicator reaches at least a current charging target value.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a catch up module that determines that a current battery charge status is below a charging target lower threshold, the charging target lower threshold relative to a current charging target, and that increases a charge time, in response to the battery charge status being below the charging target lower threshold, at one or more subsequent battery charging locations to return the battery charge status indicator to a desired battery charge status.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the battery charge status comprises an amount of battery charge within a battery charge status range, wherein the battery charge status range represents one or more of

an amount of energy for the electric device to travel the planned route;

and

an amount of energy for the electric device to operate during the schedule.

16. A system comprising:

an electric vehicle comprising a battery that provides power to the electric vehicle, the battery and electric vehicle configured to allow charging of the battery at a battery charging location on a designated route of travel of the electric vehicle;

an electronic display mounted on the electric vehicle;

a battery status module that displays a battery charge status indicator on the electronic display of the electric vehicle, the battery charge status indicator for the battery;

a charging target module that displays a charging target on the electronic display, the charging target related to the battery charge status indicator and indicating a desired charge level for the battery; and

a target adjustment module that adjusts the charging target based on a location of a next battery charging location on the designated route and an amount of battery charge required to complete the designated route a specified number of times and to reach a final destination after a final battery charging location along the designated route.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising one or more battery chargers located at the battery charging locations.

18. A method comprising:

displaying a battery charge status indicator on an electronic display of an electric vehicle, the battery charge status indicator for a battery providing power to the electric vehicle, the battery charging at one or more predefined battery charging locations along a designated route of the vehicle;

displaying a charging target on the electronic display, the charging target related to the battery charge status indicator and indicating a desired charge level for the battery; and

adjusting the charging target based on a location of a next battery charging location on the designated route and an amount of battery charge required to complete the designated route a specified number of times and to reach a final destination after a final battery charging location along the designated route.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising adjusting the charging target to one or more lower values while the electric vehicle travels along the designated route and adjusting the charging target to a higher value in response to the electric vehicle reaching a battery charging location and in response to a planned amount of charging at the battery charging location.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising changing the battery charge status indicator to a higher value in response to a measured amount of battery charging and changing the battery charge status indicator to a lower value in response to a measured amount of battery discharging.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising indicating on the electronic display a charge time for battery charging at a battery charging location, wherein the charge time indicates an amount of charging so that the battery charge status indicator reaches at least a current charging target value.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining that a current battery charge status is below a desired battery charge status, the desired charge status relative to a current charging target at a current battery charging location and relative to a desired charging time at the battery charging location, and increasing a charge time at one or more subsequent battery charging locations to return the battery charge status indicator to a desired battery charge status.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising changing the electronic display to indicate a low charge condition, the low charge condition indicating that a current battery charge status is below a level sufficient for the electric vehicle to reach one or more of a next battery charging location and the final destination, and further comprising changing the electronic display to stop indicating the low charge condition in response to the battery charge status indicator reaching a level indicative of the battery of the electric vehicle having enough energy for the electric vehicle to reach one or more of the next battery charging location and the final destination.