Integrated management of electric vehicle charging and non-electric vehicle fueling

• US 10,661,659 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2018
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyber Switching Patents LLC
• Original Assignee: Cyber Switching Patents LLC
• Inventors: Silorio, Ronald L., Bates, Thomas M., Hahn, Damon, Bates, Christopher M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US16/015,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20180370372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 320104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• 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 53/64 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 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 5/02 Supplying fuel to vehicles; General disposition of plant in filling stations apparatus for transferring measured quantities of petrol, oil, or the like from storage space to vehicles B67D
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the 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 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

A fueling system can include an electric vehicle (EV) charging station and a non-charging fueling station for fueling vehicles other than EVs. The EV charging station includes a first control unit, a switching unit, and output connections that can be connected to EVs. The non-charging fueling station includes a second control unit and, for example, a liquid fuel pump. An integrated fuel management system is in communication with the EV charging station and the non-charging fueling station. The switching unit can direct a charging current from an input power supply to an output connection in response to commands from the first control unit that are issued according to a charging procedure. The first control unit can send state information for the EV charging station to the integrated fuel management system. The second control unit can send state information for the non-charging fueling station to the integrated fuel management system.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of output connections, wherein each output connection of the plurality of output connections is couplable to a respective electric vehicle (EV);

a control unit; and

a switching unit coupled to the control unit and to the plurality of output connections and comprising a plurality of channels, wherein each channel of the plurality of channels is coupled to a respective output connection of the plurality of output connections, and wherein the switching unit is operable for directing a charging current from an input power supply to a channel and a respective output connection in response to commands from the control unit that are from a charging procedure, and wherein the switching unit is further operable for sending state information for each channel of the plurality of channels to the control unit;

wherein the switching unit and the plurality of output connections comprise an EV charging station coupled to an integrated fuel management system that is coupled to and receives state information from a fueling system for types of vehicles other than EVs.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the integrated fuel management system comprises a computer system operable for implementing a graphical user interface using the state information for the EV charging station and the state information for the fueling system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the switching unit and the control unit are connected by wires and disposed within a single unit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the switching unit comprises:

a first subunit comprising a first subset of the plurality of channels; and

a second subunit comprising a second subset of the plurality of channels.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises components selected from the group consisting of:

a card swipe interface;

a radio frequency identification (RFID) proximity key and card reader; and

an alphanumeric keypad.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the state information for the EV charging station comprises data per charging transaction.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the state information for the EV charging station comprises time-stamped amperages of charging currents for each output connection of the plurality of output connections.

8. A system, comprising:

an electric vehicle (EV) charging station comprising;

a first control unit;

a switching unit; and

a plurality of output connections couplable to a plurality of EVs;

a non-charging fueling station comprising a second control unit; and

an integrated fuel management system coupled to the EV charging station and coupled to the non-charging fueling station;

wherein the switching unit is operable for directing a charging current from an input power supply to an output connection of the plurality of output connections in response to commands from the first control unit that are from a charging procedure, wherein the first control unit is operable for sending state information for the EV charging station to the integrated fuel management system, and wherein the second control unit is operable for sending state information for the non-charging fueling station to the integrated fuel management system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the integrated fuel management system comprises a computer system operable for implementing a graphical user interface using the state information for the EV charging station and the state information for the fueling system.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the switching unit comprises a plurality of channels, wherein each channel of the plurality of channels is coupled to a respective output connection of the plurality of output connections, and wherein the switching unit comprises:

a first subunit comprising a first subset of the plurality of channels; and

a second subunit comprising a second subset of the plurality of channels.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the switching unit and the control unit are connected by wires and disposed within a single unit.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the first control unit and the second control unit each comprises components selected from the group consisting of:

a card swipe interface;

a radio frequency identification (RFID) proximity key and card reader; and

an alphanumeric keypad.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the state information for the EV charging station comprises data per charging transaction.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the state information for the EV charging station comprises time-stamped amperages of charging currents for each output connection of the plurality of output connections.

15. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform a method of integrated fuel management, the method comprising;

sending a charging procedure to a first control unit coupled to a switching unit of an electric vehicle (EV) charging station comprising a plurality of output connections couplable to a plurality of EVs, wherein the switching unit is operable for directing a charging current from an input power supply to an output connection of the plurality of output connections in response to commands from the first control unit that are from the charging procedure;

receiving state information for the EV charging station from the first control unit; and

receiving state information for a non-charging fueling station coupled to a second control unit.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising implementing a graphical user interface using the state information for the EV charging station and the state information for the fueling system.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the switching unit comprises a plurality of channels, wherein each channel of the plurality of channels is coupled to a respective output connection of the plurality of output connections, and wherein the switching unit comprises a first subunit comprising a first subset of the channels and a second subunit comprising a second subset of the plurality of channels.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first control unit and the second control unit each comprises components selected from the group consisting of:

a card swipe interface;

a radio frequency identification (RFID) proximity key and card reader; and

an alphanumeric keypad.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the state information for the EV charging station comprises data per charging transaction.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the state information for the EV charging station comprises time-stamped amperages of charging currents for each output connection of the plurality of output connections.