Method and apparatus for providing charging state alerts

• US 9,387,768 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2014
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lovett, Karin, Dalrymple, Beth Ann, Hayes, David, Pham, Thanh Duc, Cardoso, Jesus, Acevski, Darko
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, LI WU
• Application Number:
  US14/474,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20140371970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00716 in response to integrated charge or discharge current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• 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

Abstract

A computer implemented method includes determining whether a time of day corresponds to a charging window, responsive to a determination that a vehicle is in a non-charging state. The method also includes retrieving a start time and charge requirement for an upcoming journey. The method further includes determining if sufficient time remains to charge a vehicle to the charge requirement, responsive to a determination that the time of day corresponds to the charging window. Also, the method includes alerting a user to the non-charging state, responsive to a determination that insufficient time remains to charge the vehicle to the charge requirement.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine vehicle charging-state interruption; and

notify, based on a current charge being below a desired total charge and a determination that a vehicle charging state has not resumed, a user, of the interruption, after a predetermined amount of time has passed and before a time after which a desired charge can no longer be obtained prior to an expected usage time determined based on previously observed user behavior.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the desired total charge is user-input.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the desired total charge is determined based on previously observed behavior.

4. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining that a vehicle charging state has been interrupted;

and

notifying, based on a current charge being below the desired total charge and a determination that a vehicle charging state has not resumed, a user of the interruption, after a predetermined amount of time has passed and before a time after which a desired charge can no longer be obtained prior to an expected usage time determined based on previously observed user behavior.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the desired total charge is user-input.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the desired total charge is determined based on previously observed behavior.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, storing instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform a method comprising:

determining that a vehicle charging state has been interrupted;

and

notifying, based on a current charge being below a desired total charge and a determination that a vehicle charging state has not resumed, a user, of the interruption, after a predetermined amount of time has passed and before a time after which a desired charge can no longer be obtained prior to an expected usage time determined based on previously observed user behavior.

8. The storage medium of claim 7, wherein the desired total charge is user-input.

9. The storage medium of claim 7, wherein the desired total charge is determined based on previously observed behavior.