METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR SELECTIVELY CHARGING A VEHICLE

• US 20110224852A1
• Filed: 01/06/2011
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Rork, Joseph Paul, Ochocinski, Christopher Adam, Profitt-Brown, Elizabeth, Pleet, Edward Andrew, Zechel, Kelly Lee, Petersen, Brian
• Application Number:
  US12/985,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20110224852A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/64 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/18 by enquiring driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• 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: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 : using wireless data transmission

Abstract

One or more embodiments may include a method for selectively charging a vehicle. The method may include receiving at one or more computers one or more periods for charging a vehicle. The vehicle charging periods may be stored in memory. Further, pricing rates for charging the vehicle during the one or more vehicle charging periods may be received at the computer(s). Based on the one or more pricing rates and the vehicle charging periods, one or more low cost charging periods may be determined. The one or more low cost charging periods may be automatically adjusted if the one or more pricing rates change. The vehicle may be charged during at least part of the one or more low cost charging periods.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for selectively charging a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving at one or more computers one or more periods for charging a vehicle;

storing the one or more vehicle charging periods in memory;

receiving one or more pricing rates for charging the vehicle during the one or more vehicle charging periods;

based on the one or more pricing rates and the vehicle charging periods, determining on the one or more computers one or more low cost charging periods, wherein if the one or more pricing rates change, the one or more low cost charging periods are automatically adjusted; and

commanding charging of the vehicle during at least part of the one or more low cost charging periods.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising storing the one or more vehicle charging periods as one or more charging profiles for the vehicle.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further comprising associating the one or more charging profiles with one or more charging locations.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 further comprising receiving at least one of user input and GPS data defining the one or more charging locations.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a user-defined maximum price for the low cost charging.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein the vehicle charging occurs during at least part of the one or more low cost charging periods until the cost, based on a charge status of a vehicle energy source, is less than or equal to the user-defined maximum.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

based on the one or more pricing rates and the vehicle charging periods, determining on the one or more computers one or more higher cost charging periods;

determining if at least a part of the vehicle charging must occur during the one or more higher cost charging periods; and

if so, remotely transmitting charging instructions from the one or more computers to the vehicle to enable charging during at least part of the one or more higher cost charging periods.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 further comprising monitoring at the one or more computers for one or more no charge periods during which no charging occurs, wherein at least a part of the vehicle charging occurs during higher cost charging periods to complete charging before the one or more no charge periods.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 further comprising attaining a lower cost charging through a combination of charging during the low cost charging periods and the higher cost charging periods.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 wherein the low cost charging periods occur during off-peak utility pricing periods and the higher cost charging periods occur during peak utility pricing periods.

5. (canceled)

12. A system comprising:

one or more computers configured to;

receive and store one or more periods for charging a vehicle;

receive vehicle charging pricing rates;

based on the pricing rates and the vehicle charging periods, identify low cost charging periods;

automatically adjust the low cost charging periods if the pricing rates change; and

command charging during the low cost charging periods.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the one or more computers include at least one of one or more nomadic devices, one or more personal computers, one or more server systems, or one or more vehicle computing systems.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to:

receive information identifying one or more vehicle drivers;

receive one or more driving behaviors for the one or more identified vehicle drivers; and

based additionally on the one or more driving behaviors, identify the low cost charging periods.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to determine an extent of charging during the low cost charging periods.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the driving behaviors include at least one of one or more times of departure, one or more days of departure, one or more driving styles, one or more driving distances, and one or more driving terrains.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the one or more computers are further configured to record analytics relating to vehicle usage.

18. A computer-program product embodied in a computer-readable medium for selectively charging a vehicle and comprising instructions for:

receiving one or more periods for charging a vehicle;

storing the one or more vehicle charging periods in memory;

receiving one or more pricing rates for charging the vehicle during the one or more vehicle charging periods;

based on the one or more pricing rates and the vehicle charging periods, determining one or more low cost charging periods;

automatically adjusting the one or more low cost charging periods if the one or more pricing rates change; and

commanding charging during at least part of the one or more low cost charging periods.

19. The computer-program product of claim 18 further comprising instructions for receiving one or more no charge periods during which no charging occurs, the low cost charging periods comprising periods other than the one or more no cost charge periods.

21. The computer-program product of claim 19 wherein the no charge periods include periods when the vehicle is in use.

22. The computer-program product of claim 18 further comprising instructions for overriding the instructions for charging during at least part of the one or more low cost charging periods.

20. (canceled)