Direct Communications System for Charging Electric Vehicles

• US 20130162221A1
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Edwards, Benjamin W., Jefferies, Kevin M., White, Matthew L., Filippenko, Konstantin A.
• Application Number:
  US13/335,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20130162221A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/155
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/58 Departure time prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• 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 53/665 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: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• 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 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

An Electric Vehicle is equipped to communicate its state of charge and other vehicular information to AC-charging Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment which can present and manage charging options based on the state of charge information and user selected options. An array of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment may be managed utilizing the state of charge information from a plurality of Electric Vehicles connected to the array.

Claims

1. A direct communications system between EVs and AC-charging EVSEs comprising:

a) an EV transmitter unit with a connection adapted to connect to an existing data bus of the vehicle and which reads vehicle data including at least one of;

SOC, time to charge, charge voltage, charge current, VIN, and proximity (cable lock) state,

and is equipped with a low power wireless transmitter for transmitting vehicle data to an/the EVSE;

b) an EVSE;

equipped with a low power wireless receiver for receiving vehicle data from the EV transmitter unit

and a processor unit to calculate time to charging functions based on the EV'"'"'s SOC, and allow the EV operator to make charging option selections.

2. The direct communications system between EVs and AC-charging EVSEs according to claim 1 wherein the charging options include at least one of a desired time of charged vehicle availability, percentage level of charging, and charging at a selected cost or electricity rate.

3. The direct communications system between EVs and AC-charging EVSEs according to claim 1 wherein the databus includes an OBD2 diagnostic connector.

4. The direct communications system between EVs and AC-charging EVSEs according to claim 3 wherein the data bus operates on the CANBUS protocol.

5. The direct communications system between EVs and AC-charging EVSEs according to claim 1 further including:

for a human machine interface making said charging information available to the EV operator.

6. The direct communications system between EVs and AC-charging EVSEs according to claim 5 wherein the display is provided with the EVSE.

7. The direct communications system between EVs and AC-charging EVSEs according to claim 5 wherein the display is provided with the EV.

8. The direct communications system between EVs and AC-charging EVSEs according to claim 5 wherein the display is provided in a smart phone application.

9. The direct communications system between EVs and AC-charging EVSEs according to claim 1 further comprising:

the EVSE being configured to use real time EV charging information to diagnose charging process functionality.

10. The direct communications system between EVs and AC-charging EVSEs according to claim 1 further including:

an array of networked EVSEs for charging of multiple vehicles with the EVSE control;

said array operations being coordinated for at least one of charging prioritization, energy management and maximum capacity utilization, based on SOC information among the EVs electrically connected to said EVSEs.

11. The direct communications system between EVs and AC-charging EVSEs according to claim 1 further including:

the ability to inform operators how much the cost of their selected charging options will be before authorization.

12. A method of direct communication between EVs and AC-charging EVSEs including the steps of:

a. equipping the EV with a low power wireless transmitter attached to the OBD2 diagnostic connector for transmitting vehicle data including at least SOC data of the EV,

b. equipping the EVSE with a low power wireless receiver for receiving vehicle data transmitted from the EV,

c. providing the EVSE with a processor for calculating one or more of a plurality of charging options including at least one of charge time options and charge cost options for charging the EV batteries, based upon the vehicle data received;

d. displaying said charging options for selection by an EV operator;

e. allowing the EV operator to select desired charging options; and

f. charging the EV according to said selected options.

13. The method according to claim 12 further comprising displaying the estimated cost of charge based on the selected options.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein said displaying of options includes:

the percentage of charge at completion and

the time to charge completion.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein said the time to charge completion includes at least one of an elapsed time or a specific time.

16. The method according to claim 12 wherein said displaying of options includes:

a selectable total cost to charge completion.

17. The method according to claim 12 wherein said displaying of options includes:

a selectable electricity cost rate.

18. The method according to claim 12 further comprising transmitting the VIN to the EVSE.

19. The method according to claim 12 further comprising:

managing the charging of multiple vehicles connected to an array of networked EVSEs, said charging being coordinated for at least one of charging prioritization, energy management and maximum capacity utilization, based on SOC information among the EVs electrically connected to said EVSEs.