SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUS RELATED TO MUTUAL DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND CHARGING STATION

• US 20150015419A1
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Published: 01/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Halker, Ravi, Tripathi, Manish, Dimke, Bernward
• Granted Patent: US 9,446,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/627 by WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/20 by driver identification
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/35 Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• 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: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed for communicating with a charging system comprising a plurality of charging stations configured to charge an electric vehicle. At least one first signal is transmitted to the charging system via a first communication link while the electric vehicle is a first distance from at least one charging station of the plurality of charging stations. The at least one first signal is indicative of a vehicle identifier of the electric vehicle. At least one second signal is received from the at least one charging station of the plurality of charging stations via a second communication link while the electric vehicle is a second distance from the at least one charging station, the second distance less than the first distance. The at least one second signal is indicative of a charging station identifier of the at least one charging station.

Claims

1. A method of communicating with a charging system comprising a plurality of charging stations configured to charge an electric vehicle, the method comprising:

transmitting at least one first signal to the charging system via a first communication link while the electric vehicle is a first distance from at least one charging station of the plurality of charging stations, the at least one first signal indicative of a vehicle identifier of the electric vehicle; and

receiving at least one second signal from the at least one charging station of the plurality of charging stations via a second communication link while the electric vehicle is a second distance from the at least one charging station of the plurality of charging stations, the second distance less than the first distance, the at least one second signal indicative of a charging station identifier of the at least one charging station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the charging system further comprises a communication hub in communication with each charging station of the plurality of charging stations, and transmitting the at least one first signal comprises transmitting the at least one first signal to the communication hub.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving at least one third signal from the communication hub via the first communication link.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one third signal comprises information regarding an availability of one or more charging stations of the plurality of charging stations for use in charging the electric vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first signal further comprises information regarding at least one of:

a vehicle characteristic, driver of the electric vehicle, or a payment method expected to be used.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second signal further comprises information regarding at least one of:

a number of available charging stations, a charging station characteristic, a schedule of costs for charging, or a charging menu of options available for charging the electric vehicle using the available charging stations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of charging stations are configured to provide wireless power to the electric vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least one third signal to the charging system via the first communication link, the at least one third signal indicative of the charging station identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one charging station is configured to detect whether a non-electric vehicle is parked at the at least one charging station.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising allocating the at least one charging station to charging of the electric vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an optimal charging station of the at least one charging station to allocate to charging of the electric vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising turning on and off a transmitter of the electric vehicle to avoid transmitting the at least one first signal during times at which such transmission is not desired.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least one second signal from the at least one charging station occurs while the electric vehicle is within a parking space in which the at least one charging station is positioned and while the electric vehicle is not able to receive signals from other charging stations of the plurality of charging stations.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the second communication link for one or more of:

electric vehicle guidance, electric vehicle alignment, charging control, status communication, authorization, identification, or payment management.

15. A method of communicating with an electric vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving at least one first signal from the electric vehicle via a first communication link while the electric vehicle is a first distance from at least one charging station of a charging system, the at least one first signal indicative of a vehicle identifier of the electric vehicle; and

transmitting at least one second signal to the electric vehicle via a second communication link while the electric vehicle is a second distance from the at least one charging station of the charging system, the second distance less than the first distance, the at least one second signal indicative of an identifier of the at least one charging station of the charging system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the charging system comprises a communication hub in communication with each charging station of the at least one charging station, and receiving the at least one first signal comprises receiving the at least one first signal by the communication hub.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting at least one third signal from the communication hub to the electric vehicle via the first communication link.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one third signal comprises information regarding an availability of one or more charging stations of the at least one charging station for use in charging the electric vehicle.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one first signal further comprises information regarding at least one of:

a vehicle characteristic, driver of the electric vehicle, or a payment method expected to be used.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one second signal further comprises information regarding at least one of:

a number of available charging stations, a charging station characteristic, a schedule of costs for charging, or a charging menu of options available for charging the electric vehicle using the available charging stations.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one charging station is configured to provide wireless power to the electric vehicle.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving at least one third signal from the electric vehicle via the first communication link, the at least one third signal indicative of the charging station identifier.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one charging station is configured to detect whether a non-electric vehicle is parked at the at least one charging station.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining an optimal charging station of the at least one charging station to allocate to charging of the electric vehicle.

26. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the charging system further comprises a communication hub in communication with each charging station of the plurality of charging stations, and the transmitter is configured to transmit the at least one first signal to the communication hub, and the communication system further comprises a second receiver configured to receive at least one third signal from the communication hub via the first communication link.

27. The communication system of claim 26, further comprising a transceiver that comprises the transmitter and the second receiver, and the at least one third signal comprises information regarding an availability of one or more charging stations of the plurality of charging stations for use in charging the electric vehicle.

25. A communication system of an electric vehicle, the communication system comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit at least one first signal to a charging system via a first communication link while the electric vehicle is a first distance from at least one charging station of a plurality of charging stations of the charging system, the at least one first signal indicative of a vehicle identifier of the electric vehicle; and

a first receiver configured to receive at least one second signal from the at least one charging station of the plurality of charging stations via a second communication link while the electric vehicle is a second distance from the at least one charging station, the second distance less than the first distance, the at least one second signal indicative of a charging station identifier of the at least one charging station.

28. A charging system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive at least one first signal from an electric vehicle via a first communication link while the electric vehicle is a first distance from at least one charging station of the charging system, the at least one first signal indicative of a vehicle identifier of the electric vehicle; and

a plurality of charging stations comprising the at least one charging station, the plurality of charging stations configured to charge the electric vehicle, each charging station of the plurality of charging stations comprising a first transmitter configured to transmit at least one second signal via a second communication link while the electric vehicle is a second distance from the at least one charging station, the second distance less than the first distance, the at least one second signal indicative of an identifier of the at least one charging station of the plurality of charging stations.

29. The charging system of claim 28, wherein the charging system further comprises a communication hub in communication with each charging station of the plurality of charging stations, the communication hub comprising the receiver.

30. The charging system of claim 28, wherein the at least one charging station is configured to detect whether a non-electric vehicle is parked at the at least one charging station.