SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS

• US 20160176306A1
• Filed: 10/17/2013
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Christopher S. Outwater
• Original Assignee: Christopher S. Outwater
• Inventors: Outwater, Christopher S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,245,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• 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 53/65 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: 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 3/144 Demand-response operation of the power transmission or distribution network
• 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: 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 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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 10/92 : Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• 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 20/242 : Home appliances
• 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

A system and method for managing vehicle charging stations such that when at least two of a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations (also known as electric vehicle service equipment, or EVSE) occupied with vehicles awaiting a charge, the present system manages the charging of individual vehicles in cases where the aggregated demand for charging exceeds the capacity of the circuits supplying the plurality of EVSE. By cycling so that only a few of the vehicles are charging at a time, the demand on the circuits is kept below a predetermined limit. In cases where a load shedding event is in progress, the limit can be further reduced. In cases where the cost of electricity is varying dynamically, the system considers a driver'"'"'s explicit charging requirements (if any) and preferences for opportunistic charging when the price of electricity is not too high.

Claims

1. A system for fairly managing a bank of EVSEs comprising:

a controller, the controller having control over a plurality of EVSEs, the controller having a queue of requests for charging corresponding to at least some of the EVSEs in the bank, the controller selecting from among the requests in the queue and enabling corresponding EVSEs such that aggregate power draw of enabled EVSEs does not exceed a first predetermined limit, the controller subsequently disabling the corresponding EVSEs and returning requests relating to the corresponding EVSEs to the queue.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller further has a detector for load shedding events, and in the case of a load shed event being detected, further ensures that the aggregate power draw of enabled EVSEs does not exceed a second predetermined limit, the second predetermined limit being less than the first predetermined limit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller further has access to user preferences indicating a minimum energy requirement and the controller removes a corresponding request from the queue once the minimum energy requirement has been met.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller further has a detector for load shedding events, and in the case of a load shed event being detected, further ensures that the aggregate power draw of enabled EVSEs does not exceed a second predetermined limit, the second predetermined limit being less than the first predetermined limit.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller further has access to a price feed and user preferences indicating a minimum energy requirement and acceptable price for additional energy, the controller skipping a corresponding request in the queue once the minimum energy requirement has been met and while the price feed indicated a current price for electricity that exceeds the acceptable price.

6. Th The system of claim 5, wherein the controller further has a detector for load shedding events, and in the case of a load shed event being detected, further ensures that the aggregate power draw of enabled EVSEs does not exceed a second predetermined limit, the second predetermined limit being less than the first predetermined limit.

7. A system for fairly managing a bank of EVSEs comprising:

a controller, the controller having control over a plurality of EVSEs, the controller having a queue of requests for charging corresponding to at least some of the EVSEs in the bank, the controller selecting from among the requests in the queue and enabling corresponding EVSEs such that aggregate power draw of enabled EVSEs does not exceed a first predetermined limit, the controller subsequently disabling the corresponding EVSEs and returning requests relating to the corresponding EVSEs to the queue;

wherein the controller further has a detector for load shedding events, and in the case of a load shed event being detected, further ensures that the aggregate power draw of enabled EVSEs does not exceed a second predetermined limit, the second predetermined limit being less than the first predetermined limit;

wherein the controller further has access to user preferences indicating a minimum energy requirement and the controller removes a corresponding request from the queue once the minimum energy requirement has been met.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller further has a detector for load shedding events, and in the case of a load shed event being detected, further ensures that the aggregate power draw of enabled EVSEs does not exceed a second predetermined limit, the second predetermined limit being less than the first predetermined limit.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller further has access to a price feed and user preferences indicating a minimum energy requirement and acceptable price for additional energy, the controller skipping a corresponding request in the queue once the minimum energy requirement has been met and while the price feed indicated a current price for electricity that exceeds the acceptable price.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller further has a detector for load shedding events, and in the case of a load shed event being detected, further ensures that the aggregate power draw of enabled EVSEs does not exceed a second predetermined limit, the second predetermined limit being less than the first predetermined limit.

11. The system of claim 7 further comprising a user interface for an application that can run on mobile telephone adapted to provide preferences to an EVSE management system allowing the setting of charge requirements allowing additional charging (up to the battery'"'"'s limit), while the price is not greater than a predetermined value.

12. A system for fairly managing a bank of EVSEs comprising:

a controller cooperating with the bank of EVSEs so that a maximum number of EVSEs are simultaneously enabled such that aggregate power draw of enabled EVSEs does not exceed a first predetermined limit,

the controller configured to enable and disable EVSEs in the bank in a manner that each electric vehicle attached to an EVSE is eventually charged.