BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• US 20090251300A1
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: YASUDA, TORU, Nishiyama, Tetsuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,102,248 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/426.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• 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: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A battery charging system includes: an electric vehicle; a network termination unit connectable to the electric vehicle through a power line cable for supplying electric power to the electric vehicle; and a first server that transmits a control signal indicative of permission or forbiddance of power supply from the network termination unit to the electric vehicle to the electric vehicle through the network termination unit. The electric vehicle transmits identification information for identifying the electric vehicle and the user thereof to the first server through the network termination unit. The network termination unit transmits position information concerning the position of the network termination unit to the first server. The first server determines permission or forbiddance of the power supply based on the identification information and the position information.

Claims

1. A battery charging system, comprising:

an electric vehicle;

a network termination unit connectable to the electric vehicle through a power line cable for supplying electric power to the electric vehicle; and

a first server that transmits a control signal indicative of permission or forbiddance of power supply from the network termination unit to the electric vehicle to the electric vehicle through the network termination unit, wherein

the electric vehicle transmits identification information for identifying the electric vehicle and a user thereof to the first server through the network termination unit,

the network termination unit transmits position information concerning a position of the network termination unit to the first server, and

the first server determines permission or forbiddance of the power supply based on the identification information and the position information.

2. The battery charging system according to claim 1, wherein the identification information comprises a user identifier and the vehicle number.

3. The battery charging system according to claim 2, wherein

the first server authenticates the electric vehicle and the user thereof based on the vehicle number and the user identifier, respectively.

4. The battery charging system according to claim 3, wherein

the electric vehicle transmits an emergency signal to the first server in an emergency, and

the first server determines whether or not it is an emergency based on the position information, and transmits a control signal indicative of permission of the power supply to the electric vehicle upon receiving the emergency signal and determining that it is an emergency, regardless of a result of user authentication.

5. The battery charging system according to claim 4, further comprising a second server, wherein:

the electric vehicle transmits the identification information to the second server through the network termination unit;

the second server determines whether or not the electric vehicle is a stolen vehicle based on the vehicle number, and transmits a determination signal indicative of a result of the determination to the first server; and

the first server transmits a control signal indicative of forbiddance of the power supply to the electric vehicle if the determination signal indicates that the electric vehicle is a stolen vehicle.

6. The battery charging system according to claim 5, wherein:

the electric vehicle transmits battery information concerning an amount of residual battery before charging to the first server;

the first server stores the battery information and transmits the battery information to the second server when the determination signal indicates that the electric vehicle is a stolen vehicle;

the network termination unit transmits the position information to the second server; and

the second server calculates an area within which the electric vehicle can move from the network termination unit with the residual battery based on the battery information and the position information.

7. The battery charging system according to claim 5, wherein

the first server transmits a control signal indicative of permission of the power supply when the determination signal indicates that the electric vehicle is not a stolen vehicle, and user authentication by the first server succeeds.

8. The battery charging system according to claim 2, further comprising a power company, wherein:

the electric vehicle measures an amount of charged power and transmits charged power information concerning the amount of charged power to the first server through the network termination unit;

the first server stores the charged power information with the identification information and the position information being correlated, and transmits user information including the charged power information, the identification information, and the position information to the power company; and

the power company stores the user information and calculates an electricity rate based on the user information.

9. The battery charging system according to claim 5, wherein the second server determines whether or not the electric vehicle is a stolen vehicle by checking the vehicle number against that of the stolen vehicle preliminarily stored in the second server.

10. The battery charging system according to claim 4, wherein the electric vehicle multiplexes a signal indicative of the identification information to the emergency signal upon transmitting the emergency signal to the first server.

11. The battery charging system according to claim 6, wherein the electric vehicle multiplexes signals indicative of the identification information and the battery information to the emergency signal upon transmitting the emergency signal to the first server.

12. The battery charging system according to claim 4, wherein the first server determines whether or not it is an emergency based on environment information comprising a weather condition, a traffic condition, and a geographic condition at a position of the network termination unit indicated by the position information.

13. The battery charging system according to claim 3, wherein the user identifier is an IC driver'"'"'s license.