Smarter charging of plug-in vehicles

• US 9,944,194 B1
• Filed: 11/03/2016
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Brooks, Alexander N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnes-Bullock, Crystal J
• Application Number:
  US15/343,005
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• 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: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/22 The renewable source being solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/28 The renewable source being wind energy wind motors F03D
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/003 Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/322 the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 : Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
• 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 10/80 : Technologies aiming to reduce greenhouse gasses emissions common to all road transportation technologies
• 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 20/222 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A system is described to enable charging of electric vehicles. A scheduler determines charging profiles for electric vehicles based on a time period within a day that is beneficial to an electric grid while still meeting the needs of drivers of the electric vehicles. A service provider charges the electric vehicles according to the charging profiles.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, at a charging station, a status information from an electric vehicle connected to the charging station, the status information including a vehicle ID, an amount of charging energy required by the electric vehicle, a charging rate of the electric vehicle, and a completion time specified by a driver of the vehicle, the completion time specifying when the charging of the electric vehicle is to be completed;

providing, from the charging station to a service provider that serves a plurality of charging stations, the status information of the electric vehicle;

receiving, at the charging station and from the service provider at a first time, a start time specifying a time that the charging station is to start charging the electric vehicle, the start time based in part on a charging profile specific to the vehicle ID and determined by the service provider, and wherein the start time is after the first time and calculated based on the charging rate of the electrical vehicle and the completion time, and the charging profile being determined by the service provider and being one of plurality of charging profiles determined for electric vehicles based on an amount of power available on an electric grid for charging the plurality of electric vehicles, and that account for a total amount of energy required to charge the plurality of electrical vehicles that meet the time requirements of the drivers of the electrical vehicles;

delaying, at the charging station, the charging of the electric vehicle until a current time is equal to the start time; and

when the current time is equal to the start time, charging, by the charging station, the electric vehicle.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the time to start charging the electric vehicle is after a time when the electric vehicle is connected to a charging station.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the charging station and from the service provider, a stop time specifying a time to stop charging the electric vehicle.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the stop time is before the completion time when charging of the electric vehicle is to be completed.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein

the charging profile specifies an amount of charging energy required by the electric vehicle and a maximum charging rate of the electric vehicle.

6. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing executable computer program code that causes a charging station to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a charging station, a status information from an electric vehicle connected to the charging station, the status information including a vehicle ID, an amount of charging energy required by the electric vehicle, a charging rate of the electric vehicle, and a completion time specified by a driver of the vehicle, the completion time specifying when the charging of the electric vehicle is to be completed;

providing, from the charging station to a service provider that serves a plurality of charging stations, the status information of the electric vehicle;

receiving, at the charging station and from the service provider at a first time, a start time specifying a time that the charging station is to start charging the electric vehicle, the start time based in part on a charging profile specific to the vehicle ID and determined by the service provider, and wherein the start time is after the first time and calculated based on the charging rate of the electrical vehicle and the completion time, and the charging profile being determined by the service provider and being one of plurality of charging profiles determined for electric vehicles based on an amount of power available on an electric grid for charging the plurality of electric vehicles, and that account for a total amount of energy required to charge the plurality of electrical vehicles that meet the time requirements of the drivers of the electrical vehicles;

delaying, at the charging station, the charging of the electric vehicle until a current time is equal to the start time; and

when the current time is equal to the start time, charging, by the charging station, the electric vehicle.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the time to start charging the electric vehicle is after a time when the electric vehicle is connected to a charging station.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising receiving, at the charging station and from the service provider, a stop time specifying a time to stop charging the electric vehicle.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the stop time is before the completion time when charging of the electric vehicle is to be completed.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the charging profile specifies an amount of charging energy required by the electric vehicle and a maximum charging rate of the electric vehicle.

11. A charging station for charging electric vehicles, the charging station comprising a processing device, electrical conductors, and a memory storing instructions that when executed by the processing device cause the charging station to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at the charging station, a status information from an electric vehicle connected to the charging station, the status information including a vehicle ID, an amount of charging energy required by the electric vehicle, a charging rate of the electric vehicle, and a completion time specified by a driver of the vehicle, the completion time specifying when the charging of the electric vehicle is to be completed;

providing, from the charging station to a service provider that serves a plurality of charging stations, the status information of the electric vehicle;

receiving, at the charging station and from the service provider at a first time, a start time specifying a time that the charging station is to start charging the electric vehicle, the start time based in part on a charging profile specific to the vehicle ID and determined by the service provider, and wherein the start time is after the first time and calculated based on the charging rate of the electrical vehicle and the completion time, and the charging profile being determined by the service provider and being one of plurality of charging profiles determined for electric vehicles based on an amount of power available on an electric grid for charging the plurality of electric vehicles, and that account for a total amount of energy required to charge the plurality of electrical vehicles that meet the time requirements of the drivers of the electrical vehicles;

delaying, at the charging station, the charging of the electric vehicle until a current time is equal to the start time; and

when the current time is equal to the start time, charging, by the charging station, the electric vehicle.

12. The charging station of claim 11, wherein the time to start charging the electric vehicle is after a time when the electric vehicle is connected to a charging station.

13. The charging station of claim 11, further comprising receiving, at the charging station and from the service provider, a stop time specifying a time to stop charging the electric vehicle.

14. The charging station of claim 13, wherein the stop time is before the completion time when charging of the electric vehicle is to be completed.

15. The charging station of claim 11, wherein the charging profile specifies an amount of charging energy required by the electric vehicle and a maximum charging rate of the electric vehicle.