Method and apparatus for electric vehicle charging station load management in a residence

• US 9,878,629 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2009
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Inventors: Lowenthal, Richard, Baxter, David, Bhade, Harjinder
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERNANDEZ, MANUEL J
• Application Number:
  US12/641,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20110133693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,966 Days
• Field of Search: 320109, 320125
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/10 characterised by the energy transfer between the charging station and the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/34 Plug-like or socket-like devices specially adapted for contactless inductive charging of electric vehicles positioning means for charging devices using inductive energy transfer B60L53/38
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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 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

An electric vehicle charging station that is installed in a residence is coupled with a main circuit breaker in an electrical service panel. The charging station includes a charging point connection that couples an electric vehicle to a set of service drop power lines that provide electricity from a power grid to the residence; a current control device coupled to control the amount of electric current that can be drawn from the set of service drop power lines by an the electric vehicle through the charging point connection; a receiver to receive energy readings from one or more current monitors that indicate an amount of current is being drawn from the set of service drop power lines; and a set of control modules to cause the current control device to control the amount of current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle through the charging point connection based on the received energy readings to avoid tripping the main circuit breaker.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle charging station for charging electric vehicles to be installed in a residence that includes a plurality of electrical circuits coupled to a main circuit breaker, the electric vehicle charging station comprising:

a charging point connection to couple an electric vehicle with a set of one or more service drop power lines through a first one of the plurality of electrical circuits of the residence that carry electricity between the electric vehicle charging station and the set of service drop power lines, wherein the set of one or more service drop power lines are to provide electricity from a power grid to the electric vehicle charging station, and wherein the main circuit breaker is within an electrical service panel of the residence;

a current control device coupled with the charging point connection to control the amount of electric current that can be drawn from the set of service drop power lines by the electric vehicle through the charging point connection;

a receiver to receive energy readings from each of one or more current monitors external to the electric vehicle charging station only when that current monitor measures current flowing over a threshold on a set of one or more second ones of the plurality of electrical circuits of the residence, wherein each received energy reading indicates that an amount of current is being drawn only by one or more electrical consumption devices other than electric vehicles through the set of one or more second ones of the plurality of electrical circuits from the set of service drop power lines separate and apart from current that is drawn through the first one of the plurality of electrical circuits of the residence; and

a set of one or more control modules coupled with the receiver and the current control device, wherein the set of control modules are to cause the current control device to limit the amount of current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle through the charging point connection based on the received energy readings for a limited amount of time upon receipt of the energy readings to avoid tripping the main circuit breaker, and wherein the set of control modules are further to cause the current control device to not limit the amount of current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle through the charging point connection in response to absence of receipt of the energy readings for greater than the limited amount of time.

2. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 1, wherein each received energy reading further specifies the amount of current that is being drawn from the set of service drop power lines through a corresponding one of the set of one or more second ones of the plurality of electrical circuits of the residence.

3. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 2, wherein the set of control modules are to cause the current control device to lower the amount of current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle through the charging point connection when the latest received energy readings indicate that the amount of current being drawn from the set of service drop power lines exceeds an electric current threshold.

4. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 2, wherein the set of control modules are to cause the current control device to increase the amount of current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle through the charging point connection when the latest received energy readings indicate that the amount of current being drawn from the set of service drop power lines is below an electric current threshold.

5. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 1, wherein the current control device is to energize or de-energize the charging point connection to control the amount of electric current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle charging station through the charging point connection, wherein no electric current can be provided to the electric vehicle when the charging point connection is de-energized.

6. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 1, wherein the set of control modules are to cause the current control device to de-energize the charging point connection or prevent the charging point connection from being energized for the limited amount of time upon receipt of the energy readings.

7. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 6, further comprising a timer for each of the current monitors to indicate an expiration of the corresponding energy reading, wherein an expiration of an energy timer is an indication that the corresponding current monitor is not presently detecting current.

8. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 7, wherein the set of control modules are to cause the current control device to energize the charging point connection or allow the charging point connection to be energized after expiration of each received energy reading.

9. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 1, wherein the set of control modules are to evaluate the received energy readings against an electrical load management policy to dynamically control the amount of electric current that can be drawn from the set of service drop power lines by the electric vehicle charging station.

10. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 9, wherein the electrical load management policy specifies a minimum amount of electric current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle charging station regardless of the received energy readings.

11. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more control modules are to cause the current control device to limit the amount of current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle by communicating a maximum current capacity to the electric vehicle.

12. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 11, wherein the set of one or more control modules are to modify the maximum current capacity communicated to the electric vehicle to lower or increase the maximum current draw of the electric vehicle based on the received energy readings.

13. A method in an electric vehicle charging station to assist in regulating electrical load management in a residence, wherein the electric vehicle charging station is coupled through a main circuit breaker in an electrical service panel of the residence with a set of one or more service drop power lines that provide electricity from a power grid to the electric vehicle charging station, the method comprising:

receiving a set of one or more energy readings from each of a set of one or more current monitors only when that current monitor measures current flowing over a threshold on one or more electrical circuits of the residence, wherein each received energy reading indicates that an amount of current is being drawn only by one or more electrical consumption devices other than electric vehicles through the one or more electrical circuits from the set of service drop power lines separate and apart from any amount of current being drawn by an electric vehicle through the electric vehicle charging station;

starting a timer upon receiving the set of energy readings, wherein the timer resets upon subsequent energy readings being received while the timer is not expired;

limiting, based on the received set of energy readings, the amount of current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle through the electric vehicle charging station while the timer is not expired such that the main circuit breaker does not exceed a rated amount; and

responsive to the timer expiring, removing the limiting of the amount of current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle through the electric vehicle charging station.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each energy reading also specifies the amount of current that the corresponding current monitor has monitored being drawn through one or more electrical circuits from the set of service drop power lines.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the limiting includes lowering the amount of current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle when the latest one or more energy readings from each one or more current monitors indicate that the amount of current being drawn from the set of service drop power lines exceeds an electric current threshold.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising increasing the amount of current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle when the latest one or more energy readings from each one or more current monitors indicate that the amount of current being drawn from the set of service drop power lines is below an electric current threshold.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the limiting includes de-energizing a charging point connection on the electric vehicle charging station that couples an electric vehicle with the set of service drop power lines such that no electric current can be drawn by the electric vehicle through the charging point connection.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of current monitors include one or more of the following:

an inductive coupler positioned on an electrical circuit that is coupled with the electrical service panel, a device that plugs into an electrical receptacle and provides an electrical receptacle for appliances or other electrical consumption devices, a device included in appliances or other electrical consumption devices, and an inductive coupler positioned on the set of service drop power lines.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

wherein an absence of receiving an energy reading from a current monitor is an indication of that current monitor not measuring an amount of current being drawn from the set of service drop power lines.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the limiting includes dynamically adjusting the amount of current that can be drawn through a charging point connection on the electric vehicle charging station.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising dynamically adjusting the amount of current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle charging station based on a configurable electrical load management policy and the set of energy readings, wherein the configurable electrical load management policy specifies a minimum amount of electric current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle charging station.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein limiting the amount of current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle includes communicating a maximum current capacity to the electric vehicle.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein limiting the amount of current that can be drawn by the electric vehicle includes modifying the maximum current capacity communicated to the electric vehicle based on the received energy readings to lower or increase the maximum current draw of the electric vehicle.