ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT SHARING FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS

• US 20100134067A1
• Filed: 07/23/2009
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Coulomb Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Lowenthal, Richard, Baxter, David, Tormey, Milton T., Hagenmaier, Carl F. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,013,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• 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 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0084 relating to control modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• 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 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• 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: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• 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

Electric vehicle charging stations are coupled with a circuit sharing controller. Multiple electric vehicle charging stations are wired on the same electrical circuit. The circuit sharing controller implements a circuit sharing process that dynamically allocates electric current to charging stations on the same electrical circuit such that the capacity of the electrical circuit is not exceeded while permitting each of those charging stations to draw electric current through that electrical circuit for at least some amount of time.

Claims

1. A method for a shared electrical circuit infrastructure for charging electric vehicles, comprising:

determining a maximum amount of electric current supported by an electrical circuit that is shared among a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations, wherein each of the electric vehicle charging stations are coupled with a circuit sharing controller; and

dynamically allocating electric current to at least some of the electric vehicle charging stations based on at least an amount of electric current presently allocated for the electrical circuit such that the maximum amount of electric current supported by the electrical circuit is prevented from being exceeded while permitting each of the least some of the electric vehicle charging stations to draw electric current through the electrical circuit for at least some amount of time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an amount of electric current presently allocated to each of the electric vehicle charging stations; and

wherein the dynamically allocated is further based on the amount of electric current presently allocated to each of the electric vehicle charging stations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically allocating electric current includes dynamically adjusting electric current allocations including increasing electric current allocations of some of the electric vehicle charging stations or decreasing electric current allocations of some of the electric vehicle charging stations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically allocating electric current is further based on a set of one or more charging session attributes associated with charging sessions on the electric vehicle charging stations, the set of charging session attributes including for each charging session one or more of charging session duration, type of account associated with that charging session, percentage of charging complete, percentage of charging remaining, battery temperature of the electric vehicle, priority of that charging session, and time remaining on that charging session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically allocating electric current includes the circuit sharing controller transmitting messages to those electric vehicle charging stations that instruct those electric vehicle charging stations to set a certain amount of electric current they draw on the electrical circuit.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the dynamically allocating electric current further includes the circuit sharing controller receiving acknowledgement messages from those electric vehicle charging stations that indicate that those electric vehicle charging stations have set their amount of electric current they draw on the electrical circuit in accordance with the transmitted messages.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically allocating electric current further includes the circuit sharing controller transmitting messages to those electric vehicle charging stations that instruct those electric vehicle charging stations to cease or commence the flow of electric current on the electrical circuit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the dynamically allocating electric current further includes the circuit sharing controller receiving acknowledgement messages from those electric vehicle charging stations that indicate they have received the transmitted messages and acted in accordance with the transmitted messages.

9. A method for a shared electrical circuit infrastructure for charging electric vehicles comprising:

receiving, at a circuit sharing controller, a message from an electric vehicle charging station that indicates a request for an allocation of electric current, wherein the electric vehicle charging station shares an electrical circuit with a set of one or more other electric vehicle charging stations, and wherein at least some of the set of other electric vehicle charging stations are presently allocated electric current;

determining that granting the request would exceed a maximum amount of electric current supported by the electrical circuit; and

responsive to that determination, adjusting the electric current allocations of at least some of the set of other electric vehicle charging stations such that the requesting electric vehicle charging station can be allocated electric current for at least some amount of time and the maximum amount of electric current supported by the electrical circuit is not exceeded.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the message includes an amount of electric current the electric vehicle charging station desires.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting a message to the at least some of the set of other electric vehicle charging stations to instruct those electric vehicle charging stations to reduce their amount of electric current draw on the electrical circuit, wherein each message indicates the amount of current for that charging station to draw on the electrical circuit;

receiving an acknowledgement message from each of the set of other electric vehicle charging stations; and

responsive to the receiving, transmitting a message to the requesting electric vehicle charging station that instructs that requesting electric vehicle charging station to draw an amount of current on the electrical circuit, wherein the message indicates the amount of current the requesting electric vehicle charging station is to draw.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the adjusting the electric current allocations includes cyclically reallocating electric current among the requesting electric vehicle charging station and the set of other electric vehicle charging stations in a time period such that each of the electric vehicle charging stations receives an allocation of current in that time period while not exceeding the maximum amount of electric current supported by the electrical circuit.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a message from one of the electric vehicle charging stations that indicates that electric current allocation is no longer required;

responsive to receiving that message, redistributing the electric current that is allocated to that electric vehicle charging station to one or more other ones of the electric vehicle charging stations.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the adjusting the electric current allocations is further based on a set of one or more charging session attributes associated with charging sessions of the electric vehicle charging stations, the set of charging session attributes including for each charging session one or more of charging session duration, type of account associated with that charging session, percentage of charging complete, percentage of charging remaining, battery temperature of the electric vehicle, priority of that charging session, and time remaining on that charging session.

15. An apparatus for a shared electrical circuit infrastructure for charging electric vehicles, comprising:

a circuit sharing controller to be coupled with a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations that share a same electrical circuit, the circuit sharing controller including a plurality of control modules to perform the following;

control allocation of electric current to the electric vehicle charging stations through one or more messages, and

dynamically adjust the electric current allocations based on an amount of electric current presently allocated for the electrical circuit and a maximum amount of electric current supported by the electrical circuit such that the maximum amount of electric current supported by the electrical circuit is not exceeded.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plurality of control modules are also to perform the following:

receive current allocation requests from the plurality of electric vehicle charging stations; and

wherein the dynamic adjustment of the electric current allocations is further based on an amount of current requested in the received current allocation requests.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plurality of control modules are also to transmit messages to the plurality of electric vehicle charging stations that indicate an amount of current they are allocated.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plurality of control modules are also to transmit messages to the plurality of electric vehicle charging stations that instructs those electric vehicle charging stations to commence drawing electric current or cease drawing electric current.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the dynamic adjustment of the electric current allocations includes allocating a substantially equivalent amount of current to active ones of the electric vehicle charging stations.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the dynamic adjustment of the electric current allocations includes a cyclical allocation of electric current among those of the plurality of electric vehicle charging stations that have charging sessions in a time period such that each of those electric vehicle charging stations is allocated with an amount of electric current in the time period while not exceeding the maximum amount of electric current supported by the electrical circuit.