Methods and apparatuses for charging of electric vehicles

• US 10,185,978 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2016
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zeco Systems Pte Ltd. (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Zeco Systems Pte Ltd. (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Khoo, Lin-Zhuang, Mahabir, Ron, Siew, Terence, Noma, Renaldo, Jhanji, Neeraj
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Azad, Md
• Application Number:
  US15/158,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20160364776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 700286
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/58 Departure time prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• 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: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 : Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 : Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 : Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 : Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 : Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/409 : Device specific authentication in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 : Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 : Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 : Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 : Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 : on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 : Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 : Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• 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 7/00034 : Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 : acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/20 : Repeater circuits; Relay circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 : for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• 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 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A method for controlling a charge transfer of an electric vehicle using an electric vehicle charging station, a mobile device, and a cloud server is disclosed. The method includes: transmitting, from the electric vehicle charging station, a message regarding an electric vehicle to the mobile device; relaying, from the mobile device, the message regarding the electric vehicle to the cloud server, wherein the message relayed from the mobile device includes identification information and credit account information; authorizing a charging control signal using the identification information and credit account information received from the mobile device; receiving the charging control signal from the cloud server via the mobile device over a single networked link at the electric vehicle charging station, wherein the charging control signal is configured to adjust a parameter used to draw electric power from the electric vehicle charging station; and adjusting the charge transfer based on the adjusted parameter.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a charge transfer of an electric vehicle using an electric vehicle charging station, a mobile device, and a cloud server, the method comprising:

transmitting, from the electric vehicle charging station, a charge transfer request message regarding the electric vehicle to the mobile device, wherein the electric vehicle charging station is unable to transmit the charge transfer request message to the cloud server without relaying through the mobile device;

relaying, from the mobile device, the charge transfer request message regarding the electric vehicle directly to the cloud server, wherein the charge transfer request message relayed from the mobile device includes identification information and credit account information;

authorizing a charging control signal using the identification information and credit account information received from the mobile device;

receiving the charging control signal from the cloud server via the mobile device over a single networked link at the electric vehicle charging station, wherein the charging control signal is configured to adjust a parameter used to draw electric power from the electric vehicle charging station; and

adjusting the charge transfer based on the adjusted parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the single networked link comprises a wireless connection between the cell phone and the charging station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network link comprises connecting the cell phone to a docking station at the charging station through one of the following:

an audio jack; and

a universal service bus.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter is one of the following:

a battery temperature of an electric vehicle, a current battery charge of an electric vehicle, a length of time since an electric vehicle began charging, a price of electricity, a time until an electric vehicle'"'"'s next use, and a weather reading.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter is one of the following:

a circuit protection rating, a duty cycle for a charging current, a future power draw from an electric vehicle, a threshold level for aggregate electrical consumption, a threshold level for instantaneous electrical consumption, a local aggregate energy consumption, a maximum allowable charge rate, a minimum allowable charge rate, a microgrid rating, a present power draw from an electric vehicle, a protection fuse rating, a quantity of electricity stored within a microgrid, a total maximum allowable load on a microgrid, and an operational limit set by a grid utility.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting the parameter used to draw electric power from the electric vehicle charging station, wherein the parameter is selected from the group of a battery temperature of an electric vehicle, a time until an electric vehicle'"'"'s next use, a weather reading, or combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter is one of the following:

a battery temperature of an electric vehicle, a current battery charge of an electric vehicle, a length of time since an electric vehicle began charging, a price of electricity, a time until an electric vehicle'"'"'s next use, and a weather reading.

8. A method for controlling a charge transfer of an electric vehicle using an electric vehicle charging station, a mobile device, and a cloud server, the method comprising:

transmitting, from the electric vehicle charging station, a charge transfer request message regarding the electric vehicle to the mobile device, wherein the electric vehicle charging station is unable to transmit the charge transfer request message to the cloud server without relaying through the mobile device;

relaying, from the mobile device, the charge transfer request message regarding the electric vehicle to the cloud server, wherein the charge transfer request message relayed from the mobile device includes identification information and credit account information, wherein the mobile device in a component of the electric vehicle that utilizes a telematics service to communicate directly with the electric vehicle charging station and the cloud server;

authorizing a charging control signal at an electricity metering network using the identification information and credit account information received from the mobile device;

sending the charging control signal from the mobile device to the electric vehicle charging station over a single networked link between the electric vehicle charging station and the mobile device, wherein the charging control signal is configured to adjust a parameter used to draw electric power from the electric vehicle charging station, wherein the electric vehicle charging station uses a smart charging option that staggers a charging rate, a charging period, or both depending at least in part on a specific time for completing a charging of the electric vehicle and how many other electric vehicles are being charged; and

receiving a response from the electric vehicle charging station that the charge transfer has been adjusted based on the adjusted parameter.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the charging control signal is based on a communication with a grid utility.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the network link comprises a wireless connection between the mobile device and the charging station.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the network link comprises a connection over an audio jack between the mobile device and the charging station.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the parameter is one of the following:

a circuit protection rating, a duty cycle for a charging current, a future power draw from an electric vehicle, a threshold level for aggregate electrical consumption, a threshold level for instantaneous electrical consumption, a local aggregate energy consumption, a maximum allowable charge rate, a minimum allowable charge rate, a microgrid rating, a present power draw from an electric vehicle, a protection fuse rating, a quantity of electricity stored within a microgrid, a total maximum allowable load on a microgrid, and an operational limit set by a grid utility.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

adjusting the parameter used to draw electric power from the electric vehicle charging station, wherein the parameter is selected from the group of a battery temperature of an electric vehicle, a time until an electric vehicle'"'"'s next use, a weather reading, or combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the charging control signals include commands for determining electric vehicle charging rates for charging stations in the network depending on real-time pricing.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the charging control signals include commands for determining electric vehicle charging rates with each charging station receiving a same charge allocation as other charging stations, or a specific charging rate for a charging station.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the charging control signals include commands for determining electric vehicle charging rates with each electric vehicle receiving a same charging rate, or a specific charging rate to an electric vehicle.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the charging control signals include commands for determining electric vehicle charging rates for charging stations in the network based on a forecasted price of electricity.

18. The method of claim 8, wherein the charging control signals include commands for determining electric vehicle charging rates for charging stations in the network based on forecasted green energy generation on-site, or at the grid level.