Energy Transaction Broker for Brokering Electric Vehicle Charging Transactions

• US 20100049639A1
• Filed: 08/19/2008
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Williamson, Paul Stuart, Schurr, Allan James, Trekell, Mark William, Ferro, Erica Haefner
• Granted Patent: US 8,918,336 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/20 by driver identification
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/58 Departure time prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/36 of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• 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 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 : Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for brokering a charging process of an electric vehicle. In one embodiment, a process extracts event data associated with the charging process from a charge notification in response to receiving the charge notification indicating that the charging process of the electric vehicle is complete. The event data may include, but is not limited to, duration of the charging process, quantity of electricity transferred, or rate at which electricity was transferred during the charging process. The process then identifies, from an energy transaction plan, a set of payees participating in the charging process. Thereafter, the process disburses a payment owed to the set of payees. An amount of the payment is calculated using payment terms in profiles of the set of payees. The payment includes funds from at least one of a payer fund and an incentive fund.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of managing a charging process of an electric vehicle, the computer implemented method comprising:

responsive to receiving a charge notification that the charging process of the electric vehicle is complete, extracting event data associated with the charging process, wherein the event data is extracted from the charge notification, and wherein the event data comprises a duration of the charging process;

identifying, from an energy transaction plan, a set of payees participating in the charging process;

disbursing a payment owed to the set of payees, wherein an amount of the payment is calculated using payment terms in profiles of the set of payees, and wherein the payment comprises funds from at least one of a payer fund and an incentive fund.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a payment notification to the set of payees informing the set of payees that the payment has been disbursed.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a transaction history, wherein the transaction history is derived from the event data.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the energy transaction plan from an energy transaction execution engine.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the incentive fund comprises funds provided by the set of payees.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating the energy transaction plan before sending the payment to the set of payees.

7. A computer program product for managing a charging process of an electric vehicle, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-recordable storage media;

first program instructions for extracting event data associated with the charging process in response to receiving a charge notification indicating that the charging process of the electric vehicle is complete, wherein the event data is extracted from the charge notification, and wherein the event data comprises a duration of the charging process;

second program instructions for identifying, from an energy transaction plan, a set of payees participating in the charging process;

third program instructions for disbursing a payment owed to the set of payees, wherein an amount of the payment is calculated using payment terms in profiles of the set of payees, and wherein the payment comprises funds from at least one of a payer fund and an incentive fund; and

wherein the first program instructions, the second program instructions, and the third program instructions are stored on the computer-recordable storage media.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

fourth program instructions for sending a payment notification to the set of payees informing the set of payees that the payment has been disbursed, wherein the fourth program instructions are stored on the computer-recordable storage media.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

fifth program instructions for storing a transaction history, wherein the transaction history is derived from the event data.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the identifying step further comprises:

program instructions for sixth instructions for receiving the energy transaction plan from an energy transaction execution engine.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the incentive fund comprises funds provided by the set of payees.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

seventh program instructions for authenticating the energy transaction plan before sending the payment to the set of payees.

13. An apparatus for managing a charging process of an electric vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes computer usable program code; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to extract event data associated with the charging process in response to receiving a charge notification indicating that the charging process of the electric vehicle is complete, wherein the event data is extracted from the charge notification, and wherein the event data comprises a duration of the charging process;

identify, from an energy transaction plan, a set of payees participating in the charging process; and

disburse a payment owed to the set of payees, wherein an amount of the payment is calculated using payment terms in profiles of the set of payees, and wherein the payment comprises funds from at least one of a payer fund and an incentive fund.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to send a payment notification to the set of payees informing the set of payees that the payment has been disbursed.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to store a transaction history, wherein the transaction history is derived from the event data.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the identifying step further comprises:

program instructions for receiving the energy transaction plan from an energy transaction execution engine.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the incentive fund comprises funds provided by the set of payees.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to authenticate the energy transaction plan before sending the payment to the set of payees.

19. A system for managing a charging process of an electric vehicle, the system comprising:

a storage device, wherein the storage device stores a set of payee profiles; and

an energy transaction broker, wherein the energy transaction broker extracts event data associated with the charging process, wherein the event data is extracted from a charge notification, and wherein the event data comprises a duration of the charging process in response to receiving a notification that the charging process of the electric vehicle is complete;

identifies, from an energy transaction plan, a set of payees participating in the charging process; and

disburses a payment owed to the set of payees, wherein an amount of the payment is calculated using payment terms in profiles of the set of payees, and wherein the payment comprises funds from at least one of a payer fund and an incentive fund.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the energy transaction broker sends a payment notification to the set of payees informing the set of payees that the payment has been disbursed