System and method for charging a plug-in electric vehicle

• US 9,637,019 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Bassham, Marjorie A., Muller, Brett T., Newhouse, Vernon L., Spigno, Jr., Ciro A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhou, Zixuan
• Application Number:
  US13/346,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20130175974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,940 Days
• Field of Search: 320104, 320109, 701 22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/64 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/32 by charging in short intervals along the itinerary, e.g. during short stops
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• 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

Abstract

A charging system and method that may be used to automatically apply customized charging settings to a plug-in electric vehicle, where application of the settings is based on the vehicle'"'"'s location. According to an exemplary embodiment, a user may establish and save a separate charging profile with certain customized charging settings for each geographic location where they plan to charge their plug-in electric vehicle. Whenever the plug-in electric vehicle enters a new geographic area, the charging method may automatically apply the charging profile that corresponds to that area. Thus, the user does not have to manually change or manipulate the charging settings every time they charge the plug-in electric vehicle in a new location.

Claims

1. A method for charging a plug-in electric vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) creating and storing one or more user-defined charging profile(s), each charging profile being associated with a stored profile area, and wherein each charging profile includes customized charging setting(s) that are defined by a user when creating the charging profile for each stored profile area, wherein the customized charging setting(s) defined by the user include at least one selected from the group consisting of;

a charging mode, a charging level, a charging time, or a charging preference;

(b) obtaining a current location for the plug-in electric vehicle;

(c) determining if the current location for the plug-in electric vehicle corresponds to a stored profile area by comparing the current location to one or more stored profile area(s) in order to determine if the current vehicle location falls within geographic boundaries of the stored profile area(s);

(d) when the current location for the plug-in electric vehicle corresponds to a stored profile area, then using a control module to implement the associated charging profile for the stored profile area and a battery charger to charge the plug-in electric vehicle; and

(e) when the current location for the plug-in electric vehicle does not correspond to a stored profile area, then using the control module to create and implement a new charging profile for the current location according to a community method that utilizes a collection or repository of shared charging information from other plug-in electric vehicles to provide one or more charging setting(s) and the battery charger to charge the plug-in electric vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises locally receiving one or more user-defined charging setting(s) via a user interface in the plug-in electric vehicle, and then storing a charging profile that includes the user-defined charging setting(s).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises remotely receiving one or more user-defined charging setting(s) via a communications module in the plug-in electric vehicle, and then storing a charging profile that includes the user-defined charging setting(s).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises obtaining a current location for the plug-in electric vehicle and automatically establishing a profile area using the current location, and then storing a charging profile that is associated with the profile area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving from a user geographic input that includes a location and boundaries for a profile area and manually establishing the profile area using the geographic input, and then storing a charging profile that is associated with the profile area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises obtaining a current location for the plug-in electric vehicle from a GPS unit located on the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises converting the current vehicle location from one form to another, and then comparing the converted vehicle location to one or more stored profile area(s).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (e) further comprises establishing a new charging profile according to a manual method that utilizes a user interface in the plug-in electric vehicle to provide one or more charging setting(s) from the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (e) further comprises establishing a new charging profile according to a default method that utilizes an electronic memory device in the plug-in electric vehicle to provide one or more default or previously used charging setting(s).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein step (e) further comprises exchanging wireless information between a communications module on the plug-in electric vehicle and a back-end facility that maintains a database that stores the collection or repository of shared charging information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises using the associated charging profile to automatically establish one or more user-defined charging setting(s) without requiring any subsequent intervention on the part of the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein step (d) further comprises applying the user-defined charging setting(s) to a process for charging the plug-in electric vehicle.

13. A method for charging a plug-in electric vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) creating and maintaining a plurality of charging profiles, each charging profile includes a set of charging settings and is associated with a certain profile area;

(b) obtaining a current location for the plug-in electric vehicle;

(c) comparing the current location for the plug-in electric vehicle to the plurality of stored profile areas;

(d) establishing a set of charging settings for charging the plug-in electric vehicle based on the comparison between the current location of the plug-in electric vehicle and the stored profile areas, and when the plug-in electric vehicle is at a location for which there is no stored profile area, using a community method that utilizes a collection or repository of shared charging information from other plug-in electric vehicles to establish new charging settings for charging the plug-in electric vehicle based on the shared charging information; and

(e) using a battery charger to charge the plug-in electric vehicle according to the established charging settings.

14. A system for charging a plug-in electric vehicle, comprising:

a power connection for connecting to an external power source;

a battery charger coupled to the power connection;

a battery coupled to the battery charger;

a global positioning system (GPS) unit for determining the current position of the plug-in electric vehicle; and

a control module electronically coupled to the GPS unit for receiving vehicle location signals and electronically coupled to the battery charger for providing charging command signals, wherein the control module is configured to create and store a plurality of user-defined charging profiles where each charging profile includes customized charging setting(s) that are defined by a user when creating the charging profile, wherein the customized charging setting(s) defined by the user include at least one selected from the group consisting of;

a charging mode, a charging level, a charging time, or a charging preference and wherein each charging profile is associated with a certain profile area, the control module is further configured to automatically establish the charging command signals with one or more user-defined charging setting(s) from one of the plurality of stored charging profiles when a comparison of the current position of the plug-in electric vehicle to geographic boundaries reveals that the current position of the plug-in electric vehicle is within a corresponding profile area, and to establish one or more charging setting(s) from a new charging profile when the current position of the plug-in electric vehicle is not within geographic boundaries of any of the corresponding profile areas, wherein the new charging profile is established according to a community method that utilizes a collection or repository of shared charging information from other plug-in electric vehicles to provide one or more charging setting(s).