Systems providing electric vehicles with access to exchangeable batteries

• US 9,193,277 B1
• Filed: 07/16/2015
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emerging Automotive, LLC
• Original Assignee: Albert S. Penilla, Angel A. Penilla
• Inventors: Penilla, Angel A., Penilla, Albert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US14/801,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20150321571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 131 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109, 320/107, 320/104, 180/65.1, 180/65.21, 307/10.1, 701/22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• 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 53/65 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 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/50 characterised by the display information being shared, e.g. external display, data transfer to other traffic participants or centralised traffic controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/70 characterised by an event-triggered choice to display a specific image among a selection of captured images
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 : Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 : Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 : the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 : dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 : for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• 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

Electric vehicles that use replaceable and exchangeable batteries, applications for communicating with a service that provides access to kiosks of batteries, and methods and systems for finding charged batteries, reserving batteries, and paying for use of the batteries, are disclosed. One example is a system that includes at least one server that is capable of communication with a plurality of kiosks. Each kiosk is configured to hold one or more rechargeable batteries and dispense batteries to user with user accounts. The system manages inventory at the kiosks, enables payment for use or charges a user'"'"'s account, enables locating of kiosks with batteries proximate to a user'"'"'s vehicle location and optionally enables users to reserve batteries. The system provides access to the network of kiosks and information regarding battery availability via applications, such as smartphone applications, tablets, connected commuters and/or computers of a vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for providing charge units usable to supply charge to a main battery of an electric vehicle, comprising:

(a) an auxiliary battery for holding a plurality of charge units, the auxiliary battery being connectable to the main battery of the electric vehicle, the plurality of charge units being rechargeable and being replaceable from the auxiliary battery, such that replacing particular ones of the plurality of charge units with charge units with more charge increases a total charge of the auxiliary battery; and

(b) a kiosk for storing a plurality of charge units, the kiosk having,

(i) slots for storing and recharging the plurality of charge units;

(ii) control systems for communicating over a network, the control systems include logic for identifying inventory of charging units in the kiosk and logic for processing payments for charge units provided and/or received in the slots of the kiosk; and

(iii) a display providing information regarding transactions with the kiosk;

(c) a processing server that communicates over a network with,

(i) the control systems of the kiosk, the kiosk being one of a plurality of kiosks, the processing server configured to provide for centralized changes to a price to charge for the charge units at each of the plurality of kiosks, wherein the price of the charge units at each of the plurality of kiosks is adjusted based on at least one of a plurality of metrics including availability at particular ones of the plurality of kiosks or discounts to incentivize exchanging charge units at specific kiosks, and

(ii) a plurality of user accounts, the user accounts provided with access to information regarding one or more of the plurality of kiosks, the information including availability information of charge units at the one or more of the plurality of kiosks, wherein each of the kiosks having an associated geo-location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing server provides access to the user accounts via mobile devices or computing devices to provide or push the availability information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing server provides notifications to select ones of the user accounts regarding the availability information for certain ones of the plurality of kiosks.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing server provides data to the user accounts via a mobile application, or a web application or an application of the electric vehicle,

wherein the data is for one or more of, status of charge units in the auxiliary battery of a vehicle, an approximate range of miles or distance provided by the particular auxiliary battery, identification of closest kiosks to a current geo-location, deals provided at certain kiosks, reservation options for reserving charge units ahead of arrival at a particular kiosk, gifts available, loyalty points for past use of charge units, history of use of charge units, or carbon footprint consumption by use of the charge units, or combinations of two or more thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing server communicates notifications to particular user accounts concerning availability of charge units for particular geo-locations, and options for making reservations.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing server communicates route options leading to particular kiosks having available charge units proximate to a current location, the route options being associated with a map or a distance, or a reservation option, or a discount option, or combinations of two or more thereof.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each route option having the discount includes identification of a type of discount in fee, or a discount in goods, or a discount in services or a combination of two or more thereof.

8. The system of claim 1,

wherein the processing server is a cloud processing system that has access to one or more cloud services, including a traffic service, or a route generation service, or a driver location service, or a charge kiosk location service, or a combination of two or more thereof;

wherein the electric vehicle is one of a two-wheel vehicle, or a three-wheel vehicle, or a four-wheel vehicle, or a motorcycle, or a car, or a truck, or a pickup, or a utility car, or a delivery vehicle, or an industrial vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the user accounts include data for enabling access to the system via one of a website, or an application, or a mobile application, or a mobile smartphone application, and the server is provided with access to the Internet.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of kiosks is part of a network of kiosks, wherein each of the kiosks has a geographic address in a country, or in a particular county, or in a particular state, or in a particular city, or on particular street addresses, or combinations of two or more thereof;

wherein the processing server is configured to utilize a mapping function to enable access to generate a map that shows locations of select ones of the plurality of kiosks and pricing or availability of batteries.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the kiosks include a computer with communication capabilities for connecting to a network, the network enabling data exchange between the server and computers of each of the kiosks, wherein a computer of particular ones of the kiosks or the server enabling identification of batteries that are damaged or enables confiscation of damaged batteries to prevent dispensing of damaged batteries at any one of the plurality of kiosks.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing server enables access or linking to the user account from a mobile application to communicate with a social network, wherein the social network enables posting or making comments and/or likes regarding one or more of the plurality of kiosks.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising,

wherein the processing server is configured to process information regarding use of batteries over a period of time, or a history battery use, or loyalty points available or used, or gifts available or used, or deals of the day, or discounts used or available, or rewards, or history of kiosks used, or carbon footprint from using particular batteries of select ones of the plurality of kiosks, or a travel range or distance provided by one or more batteries, or payment data, or payment history, or account administration, or customization functions, or suggested speeds to conserve energy, or mapping functions, or social networking functions, or traffic information, or combinations of two or more thereof;

wherein the information is accessible for the user account via an application of a wireless mobile device, or a computer, or a website, or a device having access to the Internet.

14. A system including at least one server that is connected to a network, the at least one server is configured to communicate with a plurality of kiosks and receive and provide information to devices requesting information from the at least one server in regard to at least one of the plurality of kiosks, the at least one server comprising:

logic for receiving a request from a user associated with user account to locate batteries usable to power an electric vehicle, the request being for a geographic location and the user account is associated with a service that enables access to exchange batteries having reduced charge for batteries having increased charge at a plurality of kiosks, the sever processing information regarding an inventory of available batteries at each of the plurality of kiosks, each of the kiosks being at a respective kiosk location and each kiosk having receptacle slots for storing and charging batteries;

logic for receiving data identifying a plurality of kiosk locations proximate to the geographic location, the data including information regarding batteries available for exchange at each of the kiosk locations; and

logic for receiving a request from the user account to access information of one or more of the kiosk locations, the information being in regard to use of batteries over time, or a history battery use, or loyalty points available or used, or gifts available or used, or deals of the day, or discounts used or available, or rewards, or history of kiosks used, or carbon footprint from using particular batteries of select ones of the plurality of kiosks, or a range provided by one or more batteries, or payment data, or payment history, or account administration, or customization functions, or suggested speeds to conserve energy, or mapping functions, or social networking access or functions, or traffic information, or combinations of two or more thereof;

wherein the information is accessible from the user account via an application of a wireless mobile device, or a computer, or a website, or a device having access to the Internet;

wherein each of the batteries being for insertion in the electric vehicle having at least one receptacle slot integrated in the electric vehicle, the at least one receptacle slot of the electric vehicle providing a connection for providing power to an electric motor of the electric vehicle and wherein the receptacle slots of each of the kiosk have a form factor as the receptacle slots of the electric vehicle to enable each to receive one or more of the batteries when exchanged, the electric vehicle being one of a two-wheel vehicle, or a three-wheel vehicle, or a four-wheel vehicle, or a motorcycle, or a car, or a truck, or a pickup, or a utility car, or a delivery vehicle, or an industrial vehicle.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising,

logic for processing information for the user account, the information regarding use of batteries over a period of time, or a history battery use, or loyalty points available or used, or gifts available or used, or deals of the day, or discounts used or available, or rewards, or history of kiosks used, or carbon footprint from using particular batteries of select ones of the plurality of kiosks, or a travel range or distance provided by one or more batteries, or payment data, or payment history, or account administration, or customization functions, or suggested speeds to conserve energy, or mapping functions, or social networking functions, or traffic information, or combinations of two or more thereof;

wherein the information is accessible for the user account via an application of a wireless mobile device, or a computer, or a website, or a device having access to the Internet.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one server is part of a cloud processing system that has access to one or more cloud services, including a traffic service, or a route generation service, or a driver location service, or a charge kiosk location service, or a combination of two or more thereof.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one server processes a reservation option for said one or more batteries at particular kiosk locations.