INTELLIGENT ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEM

• US 20140203077A1
• Filed: 01/23/2014
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Gadh, Rajit, Sheikh, Omar, Chattophadhyay, Arunabh, Chung, Ching-Yen, Chu, Peter, Prabhu, Brahmavar, Chynoweth, Josh
• Application Number:
  US14/162,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20140203077A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/382
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• 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 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00012 using an auxiliary transmission line
• 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 3/322 the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 : with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 : Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 : with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• 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 20/221 : General power management systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 : using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A battery charging system for an electric vehicle in which an addressable RFID tag, an RFID receiver, an electrical charger, and a controller operate to charge the battery of an electric vehicle according to a user profile and a charging profile in response to a signal received by the RFID reader from the RFID tag. In an interconnected system, multiple charging stations are connected to the electrical power grid and communicate with a central controller through communications links. A grid converter can be provided to allow for backfilling power from an electric vehicle to the power grid in response to a command from the central controller.

Claims

1. A battery charging system for an electric vehicle, comprising:

(a) an addressable RFID tag;

(b) an RFID receiver;

(c) an electrical charger with an electrical power source and a plurality of electrical couplings configured for charging a battery of an electric vehicle from the electrical power source; and

(d) a controller operably coupled to the electrical charger and the RFID reader;

(e) wherein said electrical charger is controlled by said controller to charge a battery in an electric vehicle according to a user profile and a charging profile in response to a signal received by the RFID reader from the RFID tag.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said controller comprises:

a computer; and

programming executable on the computer.

3. A system as recited in claim 2, wherein said programming performs steps comprising:

recording and accessing said user profile;

recording and accessing said charging profile; and

generating a charging status report.

4. A system as recited in claim 3, wherein said user profile comprises contact information for the user and payment information for the user.

5. A system as recited in claim 3, wherein said charging profile comprises battery configuration and charging instructions associated with the user.

6. A system as recited in claim 3, wherein said controller further comprises a wireless communications link configured to transmit said charging status report to a mobile device of a user.

7. An electric vehicle battery charging system, comprising:

(a) a plurality of addressable RFID tags, each said RFID tag associated with a user;

(b) a plurality of charging stations, each said charging station comprising;

(i) an RFID reader;

(ii) an electrical charger with a plurality of electrical couplings configured for charging a battery of an electric vehicle from a supply of electricity; and

(iii) a communications link;

(c) a control computer operably coupled to each said charging station through said communications links; and

(d) programming executable on said control computer for authorizing access to a said charging station by a said user and selectively controlling charging of an electric vehicle in response to reading an RFID tag associated with the user.

8. A system as recited in claim 7, wherein at least one said charging station further comprises:

a grid tie inverter;

wherein electric power from an electric vehicle can be backfilled to an electric power grid connected to said charging station.

9. A system as recited in claim 7:

wherein at least one said charging station comprises a user interface configured for communicating with the control computer through the communications link associated with said charging station;

wherein a said user can create or modify a charging profile associated with said user; and

wherein a said user can create or modify a user profile associated with said user.

10. A system as recited in claim 7, wherein said communications links are selected from the from the group consisting of a ZigBee network, a ZigBee gateway, a wireline communications link, a wireless communications link, and the Internet.

11. A system as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

at least one RFID actuated access gate operably coupled to the control computer;

wherein the access gate is configured to open in response to the interrogation of a said RFID tag and authorization by the control computer.

12. A system as recited in claim 12, said access gate further comprising:

a user interface with a display; and

programming executable on the control computer for designating a charging station and displaying the selection on the display.

13. An electric vehicle battery charging system, comprising:

(a) a plurality of addressable RFID tags each said RFID tag associated with an electric vehicle;

(b) a plurality of charging stations;

(c) a central control computer connected to each of said charging stations though one or more communications links;

(d) a plurality of RFID actuated access gates, each said access gate comprising;

(i) a gate RFID reader;

(ii) a gate user interface with display; and

(iii) a communications link operably coupled to said control computer;

(e) each said charging station comprising;

(i) a station RFID reader;

(ii) a battery charger with a plurality of electrical couplings configured for charging a battery of an electric vehicle from a supply of electricity; and

(f) programming executable on the control computer for performing steps comprising;

(i) registering RFID tags;

(ii) authorizing access gate opening in response to the interrogation of an authorized RFID tag by the gate RFID reader;

(iii) authorizing battery charging in response to the interrogation of an authorized RFID tag by the charging station RFID reader; and

(iv) charging the batteries.

14. A system as recited in claim 13, further comprising programming executable on the control computer for performing steps comprising:

creating a user profile containing user contact information, vehicle information;

RFID tag configuration and user billing information;

creating a charging profile containing user charging preferences and vehicle battery configuration information;

charging the batteries according to user charging preferences; and

verifying removal of vehicle after charging with the station RFID reader.

15. A system as recited in claim 14, further comprising programming executable on the control computer for performing steps comprising:

monitoring the charging status of a vehicle at a charging station; and

transmit a charging status report to a mobile device of a user.

16. A system as recited in claim 14, further comprising programming executable on the control computer for performing steps comprising:

recording statistical charging history of RFID tag authorized charging events in the charging profile of the user.

17. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein said access gate RFID reader responds to a first RFID tag and the charging station RFID reader responds to a second RFID tag.

18. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein at least one said addressable RFID tag is mounted to a license plate frame on an electric vehicle.