Automotive recharge scheduling systems and methods

• US 9,744,871 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2015
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shey Sabripour
• Original Assignee: Shey Sabripour
• Inventors: Sabripour, Shey
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Sun
• Application Number:
  US14/695,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20150306969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/12 by confirmation, e.g. of the input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• 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 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• 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 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

An apparatus includes a processor configured to receive an input signal corresponding to a selected charging station. The processor is further configured to select an electrical charge allocation from an available power budget of the selected charging station in response to the input signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive available charge information from each charging station of a plurality of charging stations, at least one of the plurality of charging stations comprising a solar charging station;

provide the information to a computing device associated with at least one of a user and a user'"'"'s vehicle;

receive an input signal corresponding to a selected charging station of the plurality of charging stations from the computing device; and

select an electrical charge allocation from an available power budget of the selected charging station in response to the input signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrical charge allocation is reserved such that the selected charging station releases the electrical charge allocation in response to a an access code.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selected charging station releases the electrical charge allocation in response to one of receiving an access code and exceeding a period of time without receiving the access code.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to provide an access code corresponding to selection of the electrical charge allocation.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a built-in computing system of an electric car.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises at least one of a smart phone, a tablet computer, and a laptop computer.

7. A system comprising:

a network interface configured to couple to a network;

a processor coupled to the network interface; and

a memory accessible to the processor and configured to store instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

receive a signal from a computing system associated with at least one of a user and an electric vehicle associated with the user;

determine available charging stations from a plurality of charging stations within a driving range of the electric vehicle and having sufficient power available to recharge the electric vehicle, at least one of the plurality of charging stations including a solar charging station;

provide data corresponding to the available charging stations to the computing system;

receive a user input corresponding to a selected charging station in response to providing the data; and

automatically reserve an electrical charge allocation from an available power budget of the selected charging station in response to receiving the user input.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the data includes a graphical user interface including a plurality of user-selectable elements corresponding to the available charging stations.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the electrical charge allocation is automatically reserved by sending a signal to the selected charging station.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed, causes the processor to apply a financial charge to an account of a user in response to receiving the user input.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the user input comprises an audio signal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed, causes the processor to:

convert the audio signal into a text input; and

reserve the electrical charge allocation based on the text input.

13. A method of scheduling an automotive recharge, the method comprising:

receiving available charge information from each charging station of a plurality of charging stations at the device;

determining the plurality of available charging stations from the plurality of charging stations having sufficient available power to charge an electrical car associated with the computing device in response to receiving the available charge information; and

providing data corresponding to the plurality of available charging stations to the computing device;

receiving a user input corresponding to a selected charging station of the plurality of available charging stations at a device from a computing device; and

reserving an electrical charge allocation at the selected charging station in response to receiving the user input.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, before receiving the user input, the method comprises:

receiving a query from the computing device requesting available charging stations within a distance from a location associated with the computing device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

sending an available power query to charging stations of the plurality of charging stations located at distances that are less than or equal to the distance from the location; and

receiving charge information from the charging stations to which the available power query was sent.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining the plurality of available charging stations comprises:

comparing the available charge information from each of the charging stations to which the available power query was sent with a power threshold; and

when the available charge information exceeds the power threshold, adding each associated charging station to a list to produce the plurality of available charging stations.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the reserving the selected charging station comprises:

sending a signal to the selected charging station to select the electrical charge allocation from an available power budget of the selected charging station.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the signal includes an access code.