System and method for managing the distributed generation of power by a plurality of electric vehicles

• US 8,019,483 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Current Communications Services LLC (Widewall Investments SL)
• Inventors: Keefe, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Masinick; Michael D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Booker; Kelvin
• Application Number:
  US12/243,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20100079004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/296, 700/291, 700/295, 700/293, 363/15, 363/34, 705/412
• US Class Current: 700/286
• 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 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 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 3/38 Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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 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

A system and method for managing the distributed generation of power from a plurality of vehicles is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes determining location information for the plurality of vehicles, determining that a demand for power in a first portion of the power grid has reached a power threshold, determining that the location information associated with a set of the plurality of vehicles satisfies a similarity threshold with the first portion of the power grid, and transmitting a request to a first group of vehicles in the set of vehicles to discharge power. In addition, the method may include receiving a response from at least some of the electric vehicles to which a request was transmitted, and determining whether to request the discharge of power from additional vehicles in the set of the plurality of vehicles based, at least in part, on the number of responses containing a confirmation of the discharge of power. The portion of the power grid may comprise a medium voltage power line or a substation.

Claims

1. A method, implemented at least in part by a computer system, of managing the stored power of a plurality of vehicles connected to a power grid, comprising:

determining location information for each of the plurality of vehicles connected to the power grid;

determining that a demand for power in a first portion of the power grid has reached a power threshold;

determining that the location information associated with a set of the plurality of vehicles satisfies a similarity threshold with the first portion of the power grid;

transmitting a request to at least one vehicle of the set of vehicles to discharge power;

receiving one or more responses from at least some of the electric vehicles to which a request was transmitted;

wherein at least one of the one or more responses comprise information indicating a discharge of power; and

determining whether to request a discharge of power from additional vehicles of the set of the plurality of vehicles based, at least in part, on the number of responses indicating a discharge of power.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a subset of the set of vehicles have stored power that satisfies a power availability threshold; and

wherein said transmitting a request comprises transmitting a request to at least one vehicle of the subset of vehicles to discharge power.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of the power grid comprises a medium voltage power line.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of the power grid comprises a plurality of power lines connected to a substation.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining that the location information associated with a set of the plurality of vehicles satisfies a similarity threshold with the first portion of the power grid comprises:

determining that the location information of each vehicle of a set of the plurality of vehicles corresponds to an address of a power customer that is supplied power by a distribution transformer that has reached a power threshold.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining that the location information associated with a set of the plurality of vehicles satisfies a similarity threshold with the first portion of the power grid comprises:

determining that the location information of each vehicle of a set of the plurality of vehicles corresponds to an address of a power customer that is supplied power by a medium voltage power line that has reached a power threshold.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining that the location information associated with a set of the plurality of vehicles satisfies a similarity threshold with the first portion of the power grid comprises:

determining that the location information of each vehicle of a set of the plurality of vehicles corresponds to an address of a power customer that is supplied power by a substation that has reached a power threshold.

8. A method, implemented at least in part by a computer system, of managing the stored power of a plurality of vehicles connected to a power grid, comprising:

determining location information for the plurality of vehicles;

determining that a demand for power in a first portion of the power grid has reached a power threshold;

determining that the location information associated with a set of the plurality of vehicles satisfies a similarity threshold with the first portion of the power grid;

transmitting a request to a first group of vehicle in the set of vehicles to discharge power; and

crediting a consumer associated with each vehicle that discharges power in response to the request.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a response from at least some of the electric vehicles to which a request was transmitted; and

wherein the response comprises a confirmation of the discharge of power.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether to request a discharge of power from additional vehicles in the set of the plurality of vehicles based, at least in part, on the number of responses containing a confirmation.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving one or more responses from one or more transmitted requests; and

determining whether to request a discharge of power from additional vehicles in the set of the plurality of vehicles based, at least in part, on the one or more responses.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein said transmitting a request comprises transmitting a request to be presented to the operator of the vehicle for a first subset of the vehicles.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said transmitting a request comprises transmitting a request to a computer disposed in the vehicle for a second subset of the vehicles.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first subset of the vehicles comprise vehicles that are not connected to the power grid.

15. The method according to claim 8, wherein said transmitting a request comprises transmitting a request to a computer disposed in the vehicle.

16. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining identifying information of one or more of the plurality of vehicles;

determining one or more contractual terms associated with the one or more vehicles; and

wherein said transmitting a request is performed in accordance with the one or more contractual terms associated with the one or more vehicles.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said determining one or more contractual terms comprises retrieving data of the one or more contractual terms from memory based on the identifying information of the vehicle.

18. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

not transmitting a request to at least one vehicle because such discharging in response to the request would be contrary to at least one contractual term associated with that vehicle.

19. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining identifying information of one or more of the plurality of vehicles;

determining a profile associated with each of the one or more vehicles;

wherein each profile includes data originated from a consumer associated with the vehicle that relates to at least one of the group of;

restrictions and preferences for the discharge of power from the vehicle; and

wherein said transmitting a request is performed in accordance the profile associated with each vehicle.

20. The method according to claim 8, wherein a first subset of the plurality of vehicles is connected to the power grid and a second subset of the plurality of vehicles is not connected to the power grid.

21. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first portion of the power grid comprises a plurality of power lines connected to a substation.

22. A method, implemented at least in part by a computer system, of managing the stored power of a plurality of vehicles connected to the power grid, comprising:

determining location information for the plurality of vehicles;

receiving a power request comprising a request for electrical power for a power grid;

selecting a set of the plurality of vehicles based, at least in part, on the location data of each of the plurality of vehicles;

in response to receiving the power request, transmitting a request to discharge power to the set of the plurality of vehicles;

in response to said transmitting, receiving a response from a group of the set of plurality of vehicles; and

crediting a consumer associated with each vehicle that discharges power in response to the request.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

determining whether to request a discharge of power from additional vehicles in the set of the plurality of vehicles based, at least in part, on the number of responses containing a confirmation of a discharge of power.

24. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

determining identifying information of one or more of the plurality of vehicles;

determining one or more contractual terms associated with the one or more vehicles; and

wherein said transmitting a request is performed in accordance with the one or more contractual terms associated with the one or more vehicles.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein said determining one or more contractual terms comprises retrieving data of the one or more contractual terms from memory based on the identifying information of the vehicle.

26. The method according to claim 24, further comprising:

not transmitting a request to at least one vehicle because such discharging in response to the request would be contrary to a contractual term associated with that vehicle.

27. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

determining identifying information of one or more of the plurality of vehicles;

determining a profile associated with each of the one or more vehicles;

wherein each profile includes data originated from a consumer associated with the vehicle that relates to at least one of the group of;

restrictions and preferences for the discharge of power from the vehicle; and

wherein said transmitting a request is performed in accordance the profile associated with each vehicle.

28. The method according to claim 27, further comprising:

not transmitting a request to at least one vehicle because such discharging in response to the request would be contrary to data of the profile associated with the at least one vehicle.

29. The method according to claim 22, wherein said transmitting to a given vehicle is only performed when consistent with a profile and one or more contract terms associated with that vehicle.

30. The method according to claim 22, wherein said transmitting a request is performed in accordance with a compensation requirement of a consumer associated with each vehicle;

and

wherein the compensation requirement comprises data indicating the minimum compensation that the consumer must receive for the discharge of power.

31. The method according to claim 30, further comprising selecting vehicles to receive a request based on the compensation requirement of the consumer associated with each vehicle.