SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CHARGING AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE USING A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION LINK

• US 20100161469A1
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Littrell, Nathan Bowman
• Application Number:
  US12/341,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20100161469A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• 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: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/003 for electricity
• 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 method for delivering energy to an electric vehicle includes receiving, via a wireless connection, a unique identifier of the electric vehicle from a tag within the electric vehicle, determining an account associated with the identifier, delivering an amount of energy to the electric vehicle, and determining a transaction amount related to the amount of energy delivered to the electric vehicle at an energy delivery point.

Claims

1. A method for delivering energy to an electric vehicle, said method comprising:

receiving, via a wireless connection, a unique identifier of the electric vehicle from a tag within the electric vehicle;

determining an account associated with the identifier;

delivering an amount of energy to the electric vehicle; and

determining a transaction amount related to the amount of energy delivered to the electric vehicle at an energy delivery point.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tag is a passive RFID tag, said receiving a unique identifier comprises scanning the RFID tag using an RFID reader within the energy delivery point.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tag is an active RFID tag, said receiving a unique identifier comprises transmitting, by the RFID tag, the identifier to an RFID receiver within the energy delivery point.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein determining an account comprises:

accessing a database;

searching for the identifier in the database; and

determining the account based on the search results.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4, wherein determining an account further comprises transmitting the identifier from the energy delivery point to a server coupled to the database.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein determining a transaction amount comprises metering the amount of energy delivered at the energy delivery point to the electric vehicle.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein metering the amount of energy delivered comprises metering, by at least one of the energy delivery point and the electric vehicle, the amount of energy delivered to the electric vehicle.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising deducting the transaction amount from the account.

9. A system for providing energy delivery to an electric vehicle, said system comprising:

an energy delivery point configured to receive, via a wireless connection, a unique identifier of the electric vehicle from a tag within the electric vehicle, and deliver an amount of energy to the electric vehicle; and

a server system coupled to said energy delivery point, said server system configured to determine an account associated with the identifier, and determine a transaction amount based on the amount of energy delivered to the electric vehicle by said energy delivery point.

10. A system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the tag is a passive RFID tag, said energy delivery point comprises an RFID reader configured to scan the RFID tag in order to determine the identifier.

11. A system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the tag is an active RFID tag, said energy delivery point comprises an RFID receiver configured to receive the identifier from the RFID tag in order to determine the identifier.

12. A system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said energy delivery point is configured to transmit the identifier to said server system via a network.

13. A system in accordance with claim 12, wherein said server system comprises a database and a computer coupled to said database, said computer is configured to:

access said database;

search for the identifier in said database; and

determine the account based on the search results.

14. A system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said energy delivery point comprises a meter configured to determine an amount of energy delivered to the electric vehicle.

15. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein said meter is further configured to transmit the amount of energy delivered to said server system, said server system is configured to determine the transaction amount based on the amount of energy delivered.

16. A system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said server system is configured to deduct the transaction amount from the account.

17. An energy delivery point for use with a system for delivering electrical energy to an electric vehicle, said energy delivery point configured to:

receive a unique identifier from the electric vehicle via a wireless connection;

deliver an amount of energy to the electric vehicle; and

meter the amount of energy delivered to the electric vehicle.

18. An energy delivery point according to claim 17, wherein said energy delivery point is further configured to transmit the identifier to a server to determine an account associated with the identifier.

19. An energy delivery point according to claim 17, wherein said energy delivery point is further configured to transmit, to a server, the amount of energy delivered to the electric vehicle to determine a transaction amount.

20. An energy delivery point according to claim 17, wherein said energy delivery point is further configured to compare the metered amount of energy delivered with a metered value determined by the electric vehicle.