Device and method for automatic billing of power consumption through street poles

• US 9,760,875 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2012
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Menolinx System, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Menolinx System, Ltd.
• Inventors: Viner, Yehiel, Poznansky, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): Puttaiah, Asha
• Application Number:
  US13/440,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20130268433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,986 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35, 705 40, 320104, 320109, 701 1, 701 22, 315312
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/21 of two or more light sources connected in parallel
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for automatic billing, managing, scheduling and power consumption controlling of charging process of electronic vehicle. The system is comprised of: street light poles which include: an electronic node, unique communication adapter and electronic socket for vehicles charging, a feeder pillar in the street comprising a concentrator for controlling and scheduling the power consumption of each street light pole in relation to charging process and a operation control center (OCC) for controlling and billing the power consumption of each street pole.

Claims

1. A system for automatic managing of processes for charging electric vehicles, said system comprising:

a multiplicity of street light poles connected to a supply line, each of the multiplicity of street light poles comprising a lamp for illuminating a street;

a lamp ballast or driver regulating power supplied to the lamp;

an electric socket for charging electric vehicles; and

an electronic node controlling power consumption of the lamp ballast or driver and power consumption of the electric socket, the electronic node including a communication module;

a feeder pillar located in the street providing power to the multiplicity of street light poles and communicating with the communication module of the electronic node of each of said street light poles, said feeder pillar comprising a concentrator that controls power consumption and operation of each of said street light poles through the electronic node; and

an operation control center (OCC) remote server operatively associated with said feeder pillar, said OCC controlling power consumption of each street light pole utilizing the concentrator of the feeder pillar,

wherein each said electronic node communicates with said concentrator through a first communication network and the feeder pillar communicates with the OCC through a second communication network, which is different than the first communication network,

wherein said OCC bills a customer of a specific electric vehicle according to the power consumption of the specific electric vehicle, and

wherein said OCC controls the power consumption of each street light pole and of the supply line based on optimization of the power consumption of the multiplicity of street light poles of the feeder pillar, the OCC controlling the power consumption of each street light pole through controlling and managing said electronic nodes of the street light poles of said feeder pillar by controlling switching on and off of the electric sockets of each of said street light poles for charging and controlling the power consumption of the lamp ballast or driver of each of said street light poles.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each street light pole of the multiplicity of street light poles further comprises a near field communication (NFC) unit for identifying the specific electric vehicle of the customer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication network between the electronic node and the concentrator is one of RF (Radio Frequency) communication, PLC (Power Line Communication) communication or TP (Twisted Pair) communication.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second communication network between the concentrator and the OCC is one of:

wireless communication, TCPIP (Transmission Control Protocol-Internet Protocol), or wired connection.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic node sets power parameters according to a vehicle profile associated with the specific electric vehicle of the customer, said power parameters including at least one of:

type of vehicle, vehicle charging power, vehicle charging capacity, customer average consumption, and customer maintenance data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each electronic node has a unique ID (Identifier).

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the concentrator controls power consumption of each of said street light poles in relation to the charging process.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the multiplicity of street light poles further comprises a DC (Direct Current) power supply controlled by the electronic node of the street light pole.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the OCC selects a proper one of said street light poles for charging according to the power consumption of the supply line.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising an indicator module connected to each street light pole indicating whether the electric socket of the street light pole is switched on and off for charging.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein when the supply line is overloaded the OCC switches off the electric socket automatically.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said indicator module is a light indicator changing its color according to charging status of the electric socket.

13. A method for automatic managing of charging processes of electric vehicles using a system comprising a plurality of street light poles connected to a supply line, each of said plurality of street light poles including an electric socket for charging electric vehicles, a lamp for illuminating a street, and a lamp ballast or driver for regulating power supplied to the lamp;

a feeder pillar communicative with said plurality of street light poles; and

a control server communicative with said feeder pillar, said method comprising;

identifying a vehicle profile and details of a customer associated with an electric vehicle to be charged;

requesting authorization to charge the electric vehicle, through the control server;

controlling electric charging of the electric vehicle when connected to the electric socket of one of the plurality of street light poles, each of the plurality of street light poles having an electronic node that controls electric charging of electric vehicles therefrom;

managing, controlling and recording power consumption from each street light pole associated to the feeder pillar, wherein the controlling and managing are performed by the control server;

billing each customer according to power consumption thereof; and

controlling, by the control server controlling the electronic nodes, the power consumption of each of said street light poles and of the supply line based on optimization of the power consumption of each of said street light poles through managing and controlling the switching on and off of the electric sockets of each of said street light poles for charging and controlling the power consumption of the lamp ballast or driver of each of said street light poles.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the vehicle profile comprises identifying the electric vehicle to be charged by using a near field communication (NFC) unit.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the electronic nodes and the feeder pillar communicate through at least one of:

RF (Radio Frequency) communication, PLC (Power Line Communication) or TP (Twisted Pair) communication.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the feeder pillar and the control server communicate by one of one of wireless communication, TCPIP (Transmission Control Protocol-Internet Protocol), or wired connection.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the electric node sets power parameters for the electronic vehicle to be charged.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein controlling the power consumption of each street light pole and of the supply line comprises controlling a DC (Direct Current) power supply of each street light pole by the electric node of the street light pole.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising indicating power consumption status of the electric socket of each said street light pole, said power consumption status represents whether the respective electric socket is switched off for preventing vehicle charging therefrom or switched on for allowing vehicle charging therefrom.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising selecting, by the control server, one of said street light poles for charging according to the power consumption of the supply line.