CHARGE CALCULATION APPARATUS, CHARGE CALCULATION SYSTEM, AND CHARGE CALCULATION METHOD

• US 20110161143A1
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: TAJIMA, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 10,267,835 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/10 using digital techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 5/00 Circuit arrangements for transfer of electric power between ac networks and dc networks H02J3/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• 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 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A charge calculation apparatus, system and method allow for a controller to administer an electric power charging operation to one or more client devices, such as an electric vehicle. The vehicle provides its ID to the controller, which in turn calculates a tax according to the vehicle making the request, and other factors such as taxing jurisdiction, amount of electricity used, timing, etc. By controlling the charging operation in this way, the taxing authorities are able to collect tax revenue for use in maintaining roads from the users of those roads by monitoring which vehicles are using electricity to operate the vehicles on the roads. By keeping track of the vehicle'"'"'s movement within different tax jurisdictions, the tax may be apportioned amongst the different taxing authorities.

Claims

1. An electric charging controller comprising:

an interface configured to receive a request for charging from an external device; and

a processor configured to calculate an amount of tax to be applied for an amount of electricity used in a charging the external device.

2. The controller of claim 1, wherein

said interface receives from said external device an identification of said external device, said external device being an electric vehicle;

and

said processor calculates said tax based on said identification and associates a tax amount for the charging to the electric vehicle.

3. The controller of claim 2, wherein

said interface also receives associated information that includes a registration location of said electric vehicle, and

said processor calculates said tax by including at least one of a state tax rate and a local tax rate according to a state of registration.

4. The controller of claim 3, wherein

said associated information includes a recorded driving history of said electric vehicle, and

said processor calculates an apportionment of said tax according to different taxing jurisdictions included in said recorded driving history.

5. The controller of claim 2, wherein

an amount of electricity requested is determined after said amount of electricity has been delivered to said electric vehicle.

6. The controller of claim 2, wherein

said processor calculates said tax by including at least one of a charging time, a battery model and an electric vehicle model.

7. The controller of claim 2, wherein

said processor applies a tax credit as part of calculating said tax, said tax credit corresponding to an incentive offered by a taxing authority.

8. The controller of claim 7, wherein

said incentives including incentives for using power supplied from a private electric power source.

9. A power server, comprising:

an external interface configured to receive electric power from an external source;

a bus interface that connects to a power bus and in response to a request, delivers power to a client device via the power bus; and

a processor configured to detect an ID of the client and deliver the power to the client device in a format compatible with said client device.

10. The power server of claim 9, wherein

said processor operates under control of a controller that determines whether to provide power to said client device based on said ID of the client.

11. The power server of claim 9, wherein

said processor is configured to send to the controller an indication of a quantity of charging power delivered to said client device.

12. The power server of claim 11, wherein

said processor is configured to send to the controller information regarding charging time and charging conditions so said controller can calculate a tax based on the charging power delivered to said client device.

13. A method for determining a tax on a charging of an electric device, comprising:

receiving data at a controller requesting an electric charge for an external device; and

calculating with a processor an amount of tax for an amount of electricity used to charge the external device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein

said receiving includes receiving from said external device an identification of said external device, said external device being an electric vehicle;

and

said calculating includes calculating said tax based on said identification, and associating a tax amount for the charging to the electric vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein

said receiving includes receiving associated information that includes a registration location of said electric vehicle, and

said calculating includes calculating said tax by including at least one of a state tax rate and a local tax rate according to a state of registration.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein

said associated information includes a recorded driving history of said electric vehicle, and

said calculating includes calculating an apportionment of said tax according to different taxing jurisdictions included in said recorded driving history.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein

an amount of electricity requested is determined after said amount of electricity has been delivered to said electric vehicle.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein

said calculating includes calculating said tax by including at least one of a charging time, a battery model and an electric vehicle model.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein

said calculating includes applying a tax credit as part of calculating said tax, said tax credit corresponding to an incentive offered by a taxing authority.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein

said incentives including incentives for using power supplied from a private electric power source.