Systems providing electric vehicles with access to exchangeable batteries from available battery carriers

• US 10,839,451 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2016
• Issued: 11/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emerging Automotive, LLC
• Original Assignee: Emerging Automotive, LLC
• Inventors: Penilla, Angel A., Penilla, Albert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eskridge, Cory W
• Application Number:
  US14/989,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20160117759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• 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 53/64 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 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 5/06 Supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

Electric vehicles that use replaceable and exchangeable batteries and systems are provided. A system includes a battery carrier for holding a plurality of batteries. The battery carrier is connectable to a power source and the plurality of batteries are rechargeable and replaceable into and out of the battery carrier. The battery carrier includes slots for receiving the plurality of batteries and control systems for communicating over a network. The control systems are configured for identifying presence of batteries in the slots of the battery carrier and charge level of batteries present in the slots. The system further includes a server that communicates over the network with the control systems of the battery carrier. The server is part of a cloud system that manages access to user accounts. The user accounts are accessible via applications executed on user devices.

Claims

1. A system for managing a supply of batteries for powering an electric vehicle, comprising:

(a) a battery carrier, being portable, for holding a plurality of batteries, the battery carrier being connectable to a power source, the plurality of batteries being rechargeable and hand replaceable into and out of a top surface of the battery carrier and said plurality of batteries being hand removable out of the battery carrier and into two or more slots of the electric vehicle, and the battery carrier having wireless communication to enable location of the battery carrier when moved from location to location by hand, and each battery of the plurality of batteries includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the battery carrier including,

(i) slots disposed at the top surface of the batter carrier for receiving the plurality of batteries;

(ii) control systems for communicating over a network using the wireless communication, the control systems for identifying presence of batteries in the slots of the battery carrier and charge level of batteries present in the slots of the battery carrier, and wherein the RFID tag of each of the batteries is used by the control systems of the battery carrier for tracking a history of specific batteries present in the battery carrier,

(b) a server that communicates over the network with the control systems of the battery carrier, the server being part of a cloud system that manages access to user accounts, the user accounts being accessible via applications executed on user devices,

the cloud system being configured to collect information regarding the presence of batteries in the slots of the battery carrier and information regarding the charge level of batteries present in the slots,

the cloud system is configured to respond to a request from a user account to identify batteries that are available in the battery carrier based on information obtained by the server from the control systems of the battery carrier,

the cloud system being configured to identify the battery carrier, identify a geo-location of the battery carrier, and identify availability of any one of the batteries present in the battery carrier.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein one of said applications is a mobile application and user devices include mobile devices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the request from the user account is in response to a user input or is automatically made based on a detected status of batteries in the electric vehicle needing charge at a particular point in time.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the application is one of a mobile app, a web application, or an application of the electric vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1,

wherein cloud system is configured to receive data regarding operation of the electric vehicle, and the operation includes charge level of batteries in the electric vehicle, the data being usable to determine an approximate range of distance achievable using the batteries currently installed in the electric vehicle,

the cloud system is further configured to communicate with a plurality of other battery carriers located in distinct geo-locations,

the cloud system is further configured to identify options for obtaining batteries from one or more of the battery carrier or ones of the plurality of other battery carriers.

6. The system of claim 1, the cloud system is further configured to communicate with a plurality of other battery carriers located in distinct geo-locations,

the cloud system is further configured to identify options for obtaining batteries from one or more of the battery carrier or ones of the plurality of other battery carriers, the options being provided along with information related to one or more of discounts available, gifts available, or loyalty points available.

7. The system of claim 1, the cloud system is further configured to communicate with a plurality of other battery carriers located in distinct geo-locations,

the cloud system is further configured to identify options for obtaining batteries from one or more of the battery carrier or ones of the plurality of other battery carriers, at least one of the options is for making a reservation for at least one of the batteries.

8. The system of claim 1, the cloud system is further configured to communicate with a plurality of other battery carriers located in distinct geo-locations,

the cloud system is further configured to identify options for obtaining batteries from one or more of the battery carrier or ones of the plurality of other battery carriers,

wherein the cloud system is configured to communicate route options leading to the options identified from a current geo-location, the route options being associated with a map or a distance, or a reservation option, or a discount option, or combinations of two or more thereof.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein each route option having the discount option includes identification of a type of discount in fee, or a discount in goods, or a discount in services or a combination of two or more thereof.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery carrier is part of a network of battery carriers or kiosks, wherein each of the battery carriers has a geographic address in a country, or in a particular county, or in a particular state, or in a particular city, or on particular street addresses, or combinations of two or more thereof;

wherein the server is configured to utilize a mapping function to enable access to generate a map that shows locations of select ones of battery carriers and pricing or availability of batteries.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the server enables access or linking to the user account from a mobile application to communicate with a social network, wherein the social network enables posting or making comments and/or likes regarding the battery carrier.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising,

wherein the server is configured to process information regarding use of batteries over a period of time, or a history battery use, or loyalty points available or used, or gifts available or used, or a deal of a day, or discounts used or available, or rewards, or history of used batteries, or carbon footprint from using particular batteries, or a travel range or distance provided by one or more batteries, or payment data, or payment history, or account administration, or customization functions, or suggested speeds to conserve energy, or mapping functions, or social networking functions, or traffic information, or combinations of two or more thereof.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery carrier is connectable to a home having the power source.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery carrier is connectable to a business having the power source.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery carrier is connectable to a retail store having the power source.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the slots of the battery carrier are disposed on a top surface of the battery carrier, the slots enabling hand-insertion or hand-removal of the batteries from the battery carrier.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the cloud system is provided with access to one or more cloud services, including a traffic service, or a route generation service, or a driver location service, or a charge kiosk location service, or a combination of two or more thereof.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the electric vehicle is one of a two-wheel vehicle, or a three-wheel vehicle, or a four-wheel vehicle, or a motorcycle, or a car, or a truck, or a pickup, or a utility car, or a delivery vehicle, or an industrial vehicle.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein each battery of the plurality of batteries has an antenna for transmitting (Tx) and receiving (Rx) data regarding a status of the battery.