Method and system for charging a plug-in electric vehicle

• US 9,056,552 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2012
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Muller, Brett T., Hainer, Nicholas J., Sepanak, Adam R.
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US13/665,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20140117946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 320/162, 320/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/53 in combination with an external power supply, e.g. from overhead contact lines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/57 Charging stations without connection to power networks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A system and method for charging a battery in a plug-in electric vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the method determines if a delayed battery charging feature is active and if the battery is severely depleted. If both conditions are satisfied, the method enables a priority charging feature that temporarily overrides the delayed charging feature and begins charging the battery according to a priority charging process until it reaches a level where it is no longer severely depleted. At this point, the method may terminate the priority charging process and initiate the delayed charging process, which is designed to take advantage of off-peak electricity rates, anticipated times of vehicle use, etc.

Claims

1. A method of charging a battery in a plug-in electric vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining if a delayed charging feature is active;

(b) determining if a pre-charge battery parameter satisfies a priority charging threshold; and

(c) when the delayed charging feature is active and the pre-charge battery parameter satisfies the priority charging threshold, then using a control module to enable a priority charging feature that temporarily overrides the delayed charging feature and charges the battery according to a priority charging process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-charge battery parameter is received from a battery sensor and includes at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of:

a battery state-of-charge (SOC) or a battery voltage.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises determining if a priority charging feature is active, and step (c) further comprises when both the delayed charging feature and the priority charging feature are active and the pre-charge battery parameter satisfies the priority charging threshold, then using a control module to enable the priority charging feature.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(d) determining if a post-charge battery parameter satisfies a delayed charging threshold, and charging the battery according to the priority charging process until the post-charge battery parameter satisfies the delayed charging threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the pre-charge battery parameter includes the same parameter or combination of parameters as the post-charge battery parameter.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the pre-charge battery parameter includes a different parameter or combination of parameters than the post-charge battery parameter.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the post-charge battery parameter is received from a battery sensor and includes at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of:

a battery state-of-charge (SOC), a battery voltage, or a battery current.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the priority charging threshold or the delayed charging threshold includes a user-defined or a user-selected value provided by a user.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein step (b) further comprises determining if the pre-charge battery parameter satisfies the priority charging threshold by determining if a battery state-of-charge (SOC) reading is less than an SOC threshold value, and step (d) further comprises determining if the post-charge battery parameter satisfies the delayed charging threshold by determining if a battery state-of-charge (SOC) reading is greater than or equal to an SOC threshold value.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein step (d) further comprises:

(i) receiving readings for the post-charge battery parameter, the readings are received at a control module from one or more battery sensors;

(ii) comparing the readings for the post-charge battery parameter to the delayed charging threshold, the comparison is performed at the control module; and

(iii) so long as the readings for the post-charge battery parameter do not satisfy the delayed charging threshold, then providing command signals for continuing to charge the battery according to the priority charging process, the command signals are provided to a battery charger from the control module.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(d) using information from the priority charging process to develop or modify a delayed charging process, and when the post-charge battery parameter satisfies the delayed charging threshold, then charging the battery according to the delayed charging process.

12. A method of charging a battery in a plug-in electric vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining if the battery is connected to an external power source;

(b) determining if the battery is severely depleted;

(c) when the battery is connected to the external power source and the battery is severely depleted, then using a control module to bypass a delayed charging process and to charge the battery according to a priority charging process; and

(d) when the battery is still connected to the external power source and the battery is no longer severely depleted, then using the control module to stop the priority charging process and to begin the delayed charging process.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein step (b) further comprises determining if the battery is severely depleted by determining if a pre-charge battery parameter satisfies a priority charging threshold.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the pre-charge battery parameter is received from a battery sensor and includes at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of:

a battery state-of-charge (SOC) or a battery voltage.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein step (d) further comprises determining when the battery is no longer severely depleted by determining if a post-charge battery parameter satisfies a delayed charging threshold.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the post-charge battery parameter is received from a battery sensor and includes at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of:

a battery state-of-charge (SOC), a battery voltage, or a battery current.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein step (d) further comprises:

(i) receiving readings for the post-charge battery parameter, the readings are received at a control module from one or more battery sensors;

(ii) comparing the readings for the post-charge battery parameter to the delayed charging threshold, the comparison is performed at the control module; and

(iii) so long as the readings for the post-charge battery parameter do not satisfy the delayed charging threshold, then providing command signals for continuing to charge the battery according to the priority charging process, the command signals are provided to a battery charger from the control module.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein step (d) further comprises using information from the priority charging process to develop or modify the delayed charging process.

19. A system for charging a battery in a plug-in electric vehicle, comprising:

one or more battery sensor(s) coupled to the battery, the battery sensor(s) provide battery parameters;

a control module coupled to the battery sensor(s) for receiving the battery parameters, the control module is configured to;

determine if a delayed charging feature is active;

determine if the battery parameters satisfy a priority charging threshold; and

provide command signals when the delayed charging feature is active and the battery parameters satisfy the priority charging threshold; and

a battery charger coupled to the control module for receiving the command signals, wherein the command signals cause the battery charger to charge the battery according to a priority charging process.