Distributed charging of electrical assets

• US 9,260,031 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ghosh, Soumyadip, Phan, Dung, Sharma, Mayank, Wu, Chai Wah, Xiong, Jinjun
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodas, Richard Isla
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bui, Dung V
• Application Number:
  US13/839,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20140266041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108, 320/109, 705/2, 705/22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• 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 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• 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

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of distributed charging of electrical assets. In various examples, distributed charging of electrical assets may be implemented in the form of systems, methods and/or algorithms.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system for distributed charging of at least one electrical asset, wherein each electrical asset has associated therewith a plurality of discrete charging states, the system comprising:

a first remote computing element, wherein the first remote computing element is associated with a first one of the at least one electrical assets; and

a first server computing element in operative communication with the first remote computing element;

wherein the first server computing element is configured to send to the first remote computing element at least one incentive signal;

wherein the first remote computing element is configured to calculate, based at least in part upon the incentive signal, a first charging profile;

wherein the discrete charging states comprise;

off;

slow charge; and

fast charge;

wherein the incentive signal comprises;

a success probability associated with the slow charge;

a success probability associated with the fast charge;

a tariff that the first one of the at least one electrical assets would be charged if the slow charge was chosen; and

a tariff that the first one of the at least one electrical assets would be charged if the fast charge was chosen; and

wherein the calculation of the first charging profile is a discrete calculation that is based at least in part upon the success probabilities and tariffs of the incentive signal.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second remote computing element, wherein:

the second remote computing element is associated with a second one of the at least one electrical assets;

wherein the first server computing element is configured to send to the second remote computing element at least one incentive signal;

wherein the second remote computing element is configured to calculate, based at least in part upon the incentive signal, a second charging profile; and

wherein the calculation of the second charging profile is based at least in part upon the discrete charging states of the second one of the at least one electrical assets.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the discrete charging states of the first one of the at least one electrical assets are the same as the discrete charging states of the second one of the at least one electrical assets.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the discrete charging states of the first one of the at least one electrical assets are different from the discrete charging states of the second one of the at least one electrical assets.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the first server computing element is configured to generate the at least one incentive signal.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the incentive signal sent to the first remote computing element is the same as the incentive signal sent to the second remote computing element.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the incentive signal sent to the first remote computing element is different from the incentive signal sent to the second remote computing element.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the first remote computing element is configured to charge the first one of the at least one electrical assets according to the first charging profile; and

the second remote computing element is configured to charge the second one of the at least one electrical assets according to the second charging profile.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the first server computing element is configured to receive from the first remote computing element the first charging profile; and

the first server computing element is configured to receive from the second remote computing element the second charging profile.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first server computing element is configured to generate at least one modified incentive signal based at least in part upon at least one of the first charging profile and the second charging profile.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the first server computing element is configured to send to the first remote computing element at least one modified incentive signal; and

the first server computing element is configured to send to the second remote computing element at least one modified incentive signal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the modified incentive signal sent to the first remote computing element is the same as the modified incentive signal sent to the second remote computing element.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the modified incentive signal sent to the first remote computing element is different from the modified incentive signal sent to the second remote computing element.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the first remote computing element is configured to calculate, based at least in part upon the modified incentive signal, a first modified charging profile; and

the second remote computing element is configured to calculate, based at least in part upon the modified incentive signal, a second modified charging profile.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the first remote computing element is configured to charge the first one of the at least one electrical assets according to the first modified charging profile; and

the second remote computing element is configured to charge the second one of the at least one electrical assets according to the second modified charging profile.

16. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the first one of the at least one electrical assets and second one of the at least one electrical assets is an EV.

17. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the first remote computing element is located at a first location which is different from a location at which the first server computing element is located; and

the second remote computing element is located at a second location which is different from the location at which the first server computing element is located.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first location is different from the second location.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the first location is the same as the second location.

20. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the first charging profile comprises a first charging schedule; and

the second charging profile comprises a second charging schedule.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein:

the first charging schedule comprises an identification of at least one of the discrete charging states at a first specific time or time range; and

the second charging schedule comprises an identification of at least one of the discrete charging states at a second specific time or time range.

22. The system of claim 2, wherein each incentive signal comprises information indicative of a cost of electricity as a function of at least one of:

(a) a time; and

(b) a date.

23. A computer readable storage medium, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer for distributed charging of at least one electrical asset, wherein each electrical asset has associated therewith a plurality of discrete charging states, the program of instructions, when executing, performing the following steps:

sending from a first server computing element to a first remote computing element associated with a first one of the at least one electrical assets at least one incentive signal; and

calculating by the first remote computing element, based at least in part upon the incentive signal received by the first remote computing element, a first charging profile;

wherein the discrete charging states comprise;

off;

slow charge; and

fast charge;

wherein the incentive signal comprises;

a success probability associated with the slow charge;

a success probability associated with the fast charge;

a tariff that the first one of the at least one electrical assets would be charged if the slow charge was chosen; and

a tariff that the first one of the at least one electrical assets would be charged if the fast charge was chosen; and

wherein the calculation of the first charging profile is a discrete calculation that is based at least in part upon the success probabilities and tariffs of the incentive signal.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the program of instructions, when executing, performs the following steps:

sending from the first server computing element to a second remote computing element associated with a second one of the at least one electrical assets at least one incentive signal; and

calculating by the second remote computing element, based at least in part upon the incentive signal received by the second remote computing element, a second charging profile;

wherein the calculation of the second charging profile is based at least in part upon the discrete charging states of the second one of the at least one electrical assets.

25. A method implemented in a computer system for distributed charging of at least one electrical asset, wherein each of the at least one electrical assets has associated therewith a plurality of discrete charging states, the method comprising:

sending from a first server computing element to a first remote computing element associated with a first one of the at least one electrical assets at least one incentive signal; and

calculating by the first remote computing element, based at least in part upon the incentive signal received by the first remote computing element, a first charging profile;

wherein the discrete charging states comprise;

off;

slow charge; and

fast charge;

wherein the incentive signal comprises;

a success probability associated with the slow charge;

a success probability associated with the fast charge;

a tariff that the first one of the at least one electrical assets would be charged if the slow charge was chosen; and

a tariff that the first one of the at least one electrical assets would be charged if the fast charge was chosen; and

wherein the calculation of the first charging profile is a discrete calculation that is based at least in part upon the success probabilities and tariffs of the incentive signal.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

sending from the first server computing element to a second remote computing element associated with a second one of the at least one electrical assets at least one incentive signal; and

calculating by the second remote computing element, based at least in part upon the incentive signal received by the second remote computing element, a second charging profile;

wherein the calculation of the second charging profile is based at least in part upon the discrete charging states of the second one of the at least one electrical assets.