# US 11,554,686 B2 · System and method for managing vehicle charging stations > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,554,686 B2 - Document ID: US11554686B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/480,162 - Filed: 2021-09-21 - Published: 2022-05-12 - Granted: 2023-01-17 - Earliest claimed: 2012-10-19 - Assignees: Liberty PlugIns, Inc. - Applicants: Christopher Outwater; William Gibbens Redmann - Inventors: Christopher Outwater; William Gibbens Redmann - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11554686B2 ## CPC - B60L 55/00: Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements - B60L 53/14: Conductive energy transfer - B60L 53/305: {Communication interfaces} - B60L 53/31: Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles - B60L 53/63: in response to network capacity - B60L 53/65: involving identification of vehicles or their battery types - B60L 53/665: {Methods related to measuring, billing or payment} - B60L 53/68: Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control - H02J 3/17: Demand-responsive operation of AC power transmission or distribution networks - 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} - B60L 2240/34: Cabin temperature - B60L 2240/545: Temperature - B60L 2240/70: Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres - B60L 2240/72: Charging station selection relying on external data - Y02B 70/30: Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level - Y02B 70/3225: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving - Y02E 60/00: Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - Y02T 10/92: Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles - Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations - Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles - Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles - 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] - 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] - Y04S 20/222: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving - Y04S 20/242: Home appliances - Y04S 30/12: Remote or cooperative charging - Y04S 30/14: Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract A system and method for managing vehicle charging stations such that when at least two of a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations (also known as electric vehicle service equipment, or EVSE) occupied with vehicles awaiting a charge, the present system manages the charging of individual vehicles in cases where the aggregated demand for charging exceeds the capacity of the circuits supplying the plurality of EVSE. By cycling so that only a few of the vehicles are charging at a time, the demand on the circuits is kept below a predetermined limit. In cases where a load shedding event is in progress, the limit can be further reduced. In cases where the cost of electricity is varying dynamically, the system considers a driver's explicit charging requirements (if any) and preferences for opportunistic charging when the price of electricity is not too high. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for managing electric vehicle (EV) charging comprising: accepting, by a controller configured to communicate with a plurality of electric vehicle service equipment (EVSEs), a plurality of requests, each request for a corresponding EV connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of EVSEs to charge; determining, by the controller, a status of a signal to reduce electrical capacity; repeatedly selecting, by the controller, based on at least the requests, a set of the EVs; and, communicating, by the controller, that each EVSE corresponding to EVs of the set is to charge and that each EVSE corresponding to EVs excluded from the set is not to charge; wherein, if the status of the signal is not to reduce capacity, the EVs that charge have corresponding draws that in aggregate do not exceed a first electrical capacity, otherwise the EVs that charge have a corresponding draw that in aggregate do not exceed a second electrical capacity, the second electrical capacity less than the first electrical capacity. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the sets of EVs is based on the maximum draw supported by each EV to be in the set. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein selecting the sets of EVs is further based on the maximum draw supported by the EVSE connected to each EV to be in set. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the controller has communication with at least one meter for the draw of the plurality of EVSEs and the selecting sets of EVs to charge is based on the actual draw of each EV to be in the set. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one meter is a power meter. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one meter is a current meter. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting of a first request of the plurality of requests is based on the corresponding EV connecting to the corresponding EVSE. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a preference is associated with a first request of the plurality of requests, the first request corresponds to a first EV, the preference comprises at least one of a requirement for an amount of energy and an acceptable price for additional energy; and, wherein selecting of the EV, with respect to the first EV, complies with the preference. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the first request is associated with an identification, the method further comprising accessing, by the controller, from a database, on the basis of the identification, the preference. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the first request is associated with a code, the code representative of the preference. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the preference comprises the requirement for the amount of energy and not an acceptable price for additional energy, and the selecting of the EV complies with the preference by not charging the first EV after the requirement has been met. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the controller has access to a current price of electricity, the preference comprises the requirement for the amount of energy and the acceptable price for additional energy, and the selecting of the EV, with respect to the first EV, complies with the preference by not charging the first EV when the acceptable price is less than the current price after the requirement has been met. ### Claim 13 A method for managing electric vehicle (EV) charging comprising: accepting, by a controller, a plurality of requests, each request for a corresponding EV connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of electric vehicle service equipment (EVSEs) to charge, the controller configured to communicate with a plurality of electric vehicle service equipment (EVSEs) on an electrical main; determining, by the controller, a status of a signal to reduce electrical capacity; repeatedly selecting, by the controller, based on at least the requests, a set of the EVs; and, communicating, by the controller, that each EVSE corresponding to EVs of the set is to charge and that each EVSE corresponding to EVs excluded from the set is not to charge; wherein, if the status of the signal is not to reduce capacity, the EVs that charge have corresponding draws that in aggregate do not cause a peak draw on the electrical main to exceed a first electrical capacity, otherwise the EVs that charge have corresponding draws that in aggregate do not cause an aggregate draw on the electrical main that exceeds a second electrical capacity, the second electrical capacity less than the first electrical capacity. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the selecting the sets of EVs is based on the maximum draw supported by each EV to be in the set. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein selecting the sets of EVs is further based on the maximum draw supported by the EVSE connected to each EV to be in set. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the controller has communication with at least one meter for the draw of the plurality of EVSEs and the selecting sets of EVs to charge is based on the actual draw of each EV to be in the set. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one meter is a power meter. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one meter is a current meter. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the accepting of a first request of the plurality of requests is based on the corresponding EV connecting to the corresponding EVSE. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein a preference is associated with a first request of the plurality of requests, the first request corresponds to a first EV, the preference comprises at least one of a requirement for an amount of energy and an acceptable price for additional energy; and, wherein selecting of the EV, with respect to the first EV, complies with the preference. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the first request is associated with an identification, the method further comprising accessing, by the controller, from a database, on the basis of the identification, the preference. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the first request is associated with a code, the code representative of the preference. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the preference comprises the requirement for the amount of energy and not an acceptable price for additional energy, and the selecting of the EV complies with the preference by not charging the first EV after the requirement has been met. ### Claim 24 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the controller has access to a current price of electricity, the preference comprises the requirement for the amount of energy and the acceptable price for additional energy, and the selecting of the EV, with respect to the first EV, complies with the preference by not charging the first EV when the acceptable price is less than the current price after the requirement has been met.