Electric vehicle charging station dynamically responding to power limit messages based on a recent history of power provided

• US 10,464,435 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2017
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Inventors: Kothavale, Shantanu R., Tormey, Milton T., Solomon, James, Lee, Danny Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Zixuan
• Application Number:
  US15/603,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20180001779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 320108, 320109, 701 22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• 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: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00009 using pulsed signals
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/52 The controlling of the operation of the load not being the total disconnection of the load, i.e. entering a degraded mode or in current limitation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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 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 charging electric vehicles dynamically responds to power limit messages. The charging station includes a charging port that is configured to electrically connect to an electric vehicle to provide power to charge that electric vehicle. The charging station also includes a power control unit coupled with the charging port, the power control unit configured to control an amount of power provided through the charging port. The charging station also includes a set of one or more charging station control modules that are configured to, in response to receipt of a message that indicates a request to limit an amount of power to an identified percentage and based on a history of power provided through the charging port over a period of time, cause the power control unit to limit the power provided through the charging port to the identified percentage.

Claims

1. A method in an electric vehicle charging station, the method comprising:

receiving, at the electric vehicle charging station, a message that indicates a request to limit an amount of power to an identified percentage, wherein the message is applicable to one or more of a set of one or more charging ports that are each configured to connect an electric vehicle to the electric vehicle charging station; and

for each of the set of one or more charging ports that the message is applicable, performing the following;

based on a history of power provided through that charging port over a period of time, causing the amount of power that is capable of being provided through that charging port to be limited according to the identified percentage.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the history of power provided through the charging port over the period of time is an average of power samples collected during the period of time, each power sample representing an amount of power.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the power samples are collected by the electric vehicle charging station prior to receiving the message.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the power samples are collected by an external entity coupled with the electric vehicle charging station.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the history of power provided through the charging port over the period of time is calculated by an entity external to the electric vehicle charging station, and wherein the electric vehicle charging station receives the calculated history of power.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, when executed by a processor of an electric vehicle charging station, will cause said processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at the electric vehicle charging station, a message that indicates a request to limit an amount of power to an identified percentage, wherein the message is applicable to one or more of a set of one or more charging ports that are each configured to connect an electric vehicle to the electric vehicle charging station; and

for each of the set of one or more charging ports that the message is applicable, performing the following;

based on a history of power provided through that charging port over a period of time, causing the amount of power that is capable of being provided through that charging port to be limited according to the identified percentage.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the history of power provided through the charging port over the period of time is an average of power samples collected during the period of time, each power sample representing an amount of power.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the power samples are collected by the electric vehicle charging station prior to receiving the message.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the power samples are collected by an external entity coupled with the electric vehicle charging station.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the history of power provided through the charging port over the period of time is calculated by an entity external to the electric vehicle charging station, and wherein the electric vehicle charging station receives the calculated history of power.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

an electric vehicle charging station including;

a charging port that is configured to electrically connect to an electric vehicle;

a power control unit configured to control an amount of power provided through the charging port;

a set of one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage that stores instructions that, when executed by the set of one or more processors, cause the electric vehicle charging station to perform operations including;

receive a message that indicates a request to limit the amount of power through the charging port to an identified percentage, and

in response to receipt of the message and based on a history of power provided through the charging port over a period of time, cause the power control unit to limit the power provided through the charging port to the identified percentage.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the operations further include:

receive, from an entity external to the electric vehicle charging station, the history of power provided through the charging port over the period of time.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the electric vehicle charging station further includes a power sampling unit that is configured to periodically sample power provided through the charging port when charging an electric vehicle is ongoing and prior to receipt of the message.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein set of processors calculate the history of power based on an average of the power samples.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the history of power provided through the charging port over the period of time is an average of the power samples collected during the period of time.