Metering and measuring point system for measuring and metering electrical energy and method

• US 9,222,803 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2009
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ubitricity Gesellschaft fur Verteilte Energiesysteme mbH
• Original Assignee: Ubitricity Gesellschaft fur Verteilte Energiesysteme mbH
• Inventors: Hechtfischer, Knut, Pawlitschek, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Benlagsir, Amine
• Application Number:
  US13/131,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20110227755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.01, 340/870.02
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive 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: 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: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• 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 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 20/30 : Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 : Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation

Abstract

The invention relates to a metering and measuring point system for measuring and metering the electrical energy drawn off a connection device or fed in the connection device by a consumption and/or generation unit at a fixed geographical point, comprising (a) an identifiable stationary connection device as well as (b) an identifiable mobile or non-stationary functional unit, the latter comprising respective devices for (b1) detecting the identifier of the connection device, (b2) metering and measuring the electrical energy drawn off and/or fed in the recognized connection device, (b3) storing the determined metering and measuring data and the determined identifier of the respective connection device being used and (b4) reading out the stored data.

The invention further relates to a method for mobile/non-stationary measuring, metering and billing/clearing of the electrical current.

Claims

1. A metering and measuring point system for metering and measuring electrical energy consumption or generation, the system comprising:

at least one stationary connection device connected to a power grid, the at least one stationary connection device being configured to have electrical energy consumed by a consumption unit drawn off from the at least one stationary connection device or to have the electrical energy generated by a generation unit fed into the at least one stationary connection device, wherein the at least one stationary connection device comprises;

an identifier configured to identify a grid connection holder associated with the at least one stationary connection device, the grid connection holder being other than a utility provider; and

a socket; and

at least one identifiable mobile functional unit configured to be electrically connected to the socket, wherein the at least one identifiable mobile functional unit comprises;

a detecting device configured to detect the identifier;

an identifiable device configured to meter and measure the electrical energy drawn off from or fed into the at least one stationary connection device at the socket;

a storing device configured to store data indicative of the metered and measured electrical energy and the detected identifier; and

a reading device configured to read out the stored data in the storing device, wherein

the at least one identifiable mobile functional unit is communicatively coupled with a database stored on a central computer or otherwise outside the at least one stationary connection device, and in which additional data regarding the at least one stationary connection device is stored,

the database is configured to store information for identifying the grid connection holder, and

the central computer is configured to;

adjust a quantity of electrical energy usage allocated to a first account associated with the grid connection holder by an amount of the electrical energy usage based on the data indicative of the metered and measured electrical energy and the detected identifier, and

allocate the amount of the electrical energy usage based on the communicated data to a second account, different from the first account, the second account being associated with the at least one identifiable mobile functional unit.

2. The metering and measuring point system according to claim 1, wherein

the identifier is an electronic identifier, and

the detecting device is a detecting and communicating device configured to electronically detect the electronic identifier, and

directly communicate between the at least one stationary connection device and the at least one identifiable mobile functional unit, via at least one of a wireless communication or a wired communication.

3. The metering and measuring point system according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one identifiable mobile functional unit further comprises a connection verification device configured to measure and test whether the at least one identifiable mobile functional unit is electrically connected with the socket, and

wherein

the storing device is further configured to store a detected duration of an electrical connection between the at least one identifiable mobile functional unit and the socket.

4. The metering and measuring point system according to claim 1, wherein

the socket comprises an electronic lock and a switch, the socket is configured to close and electronically lock the switch in response to an electronic key received from the at least one identifiable mobile functional unit, and

the socket is further configured to unlock and reopen the electronically locked switch in response to a request from the at least one identifiable mobile functional unit, and to unlock and reopen the electronically locked switch if an electrical connection between the at least one identifiable mobile functional unit and the socket is disconnected.

5. The metering and measuring point system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one identifiable mobile functional unit further comprises a controlling device configured to control at least one of

the consumption of the electrical energy consumed by the consumption unit, or

the generation of the electrical energy generated by the generation unit.

6. The metering and measuring point system according to claim 5, wherein the controlling device is configured to control the consumption of the electrical energy consumed by the consumption unit or the generation of the electrical energy generated by the generation unit in accordance with a load profile.

7. The metering and measuring point system according to claim 6, wherein the controlling device is configured to communicate a signal to the consumption unit or the generation unit to control a start time, an end time, and to modify a drawing-off or a feeding-in process to adjust the load profile.

8. The metering and measuring point system according to claim 1, wherein the additional data regarding the at least one stationary connection device comprises one or more load profiles of the at least one stationary connection device, and a controlling device is configured to communicate a signal to the consumption unit or the generation unit to cause the drawing-off or the feeding-in of the electrical energy to be in accordance with at least one of the one or more load profiles.

9. The metering and measuring point system of claim 8, wherein the identifiable device configured to meter and measure the electrical energy is a load profile meter, and the data indicative of the metered and measured electrical energy comprises a load profile illustrative of the electrical energy drawn off from or fed into the at least one stationary connection device.

10. The metering and measuring point system of claim 1, wherein the at least one mobile functional unit is configured to communicate with the central computer unit via a wired or a wireless communication channel independent from the at least one stationary connection device.

11. A method, comprising:

determining an identifiable mobile functional unit coupled with at least one of a consumption unit or a generation unit is connected to a socket of a stationary connection device, wherein the stationary connection device is connected to a power grid, the consumption unit is configured to draw off electrical energy from the stationary connection device, the generation unit is configured to feed the electrical energy into the stationary connection device, and the at least one of the consumption unit or the generation unit is downstream of the identifiable mobile functional unit with respect to the socket;

detecting an identifier of the stationary connection device, the identifier being usable to identify a grid connection holder associated with the stationary connection device, the grid connection holder being other than a utility provider;

metering and measuring, using the identifiable mobile functional unit, the electrical energy drawn off from the stationary connection device or the electrical energy fed into the stationary connection device;

communicating data indicative of the metered and measured electrical energy and the detected identifier from the identifiable mobile functional unit to a computer, the computer being apart from the stationary connection device and from the identifiable mobile functional unit;

causing, at least in part, the communicated data and the detected identifier to be processed by the computer to adjust a quantity of electrical energy usage allocated to a first account associated with the grid connection holder by an amount of the electrical energy usage based on the communicated data and the detected identifier; and

causing, at least in part, the amount of the electrical energy usage based on the communicated data to be allocated to a second account, different from the first account, associated with the identifiable mobile functional unit.

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

detecting a duration of an electrical connection between the identifiable mobile functional unit and the socket; and

storing the detected duration of the electrical connection.

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

closing and electronically locking a switch of the socket based on a received electronic key from the identifiable mobile functional unit; and

unlocking and opening the switch based on a determined separation in an electrical connection between the identifiable mobile functional unit and the socket.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

remotely reading the identifier of the stationary connection device;

verifying whether the identifiable mobile functional unit is authorized to the draw off electrical energy from the stationary connection device or the feed electrical energy into the stationary connection device; and

communicating authorization data to the identifiable mobile functional unit to provide the electronic key.

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

billing and clearing the drawn off electrical energy or the fed in electrical energy,

wherein the billing and clearing is based on the adjusted quantity of the electrical energy usage allocated to the first account associated with the grid connection holder and the amount of the electrical energy usage allocated to the second account associated with the identifiable mobile functional unit.

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

controlling one or more of a consumption of the electrical energy by the consumption unit or a generation of the electrical energy by the generation unit.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the controlling of the consumption or the generation of the electrical energy is by way of the mobile functional unit in accordance with a predefined load profile.