# US 11,909,010 B2 · Vehicular battery charger, charging system, and method with in-vehicle display of charge time > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,909,010 B2 - Document ID: US11909010B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/718,772 - Filed: 2022-04-12 - Published: 2022-08-04 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2008-08-18 - Applicants: Christopher B. Austin - Inventors: Christopher B. Austin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11909010B2 ## CPC - H01M 10/44: Methods for charging or discharging (circuits for charging H02J7/00) - B60L 53/126: Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver - B60L 53/14: Conductive energy transfer - B60L 53/18: Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles - B60L 53/305: {Communication interfaces} - B60L 53/38: specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer - B60L 53/63: in response to network capacity - B60L 53/68: Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control - B60L 2250/16: by display - G01R 31/371: with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers - H02J 7/70: characterised by the mechanical construction - H02J 7/80: including monitoring or indicating arrangements - H02J 7/82: Control of state of charge [SOC] - Y02E 60/00: Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - 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 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] - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - 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 - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - 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 vehicle battery charger and a vehicle battery charging system are described and illustrated, and can include a controller enabling a user to enter a time of day at which the vehicle battery charger or system begins and/or ends charging of the vehicle battery. The vehicle battery charger can be separate from the vehicle, can be at least partially integrated into the vehicle, can include a transmitter and/or a receiver capable of communication with a controller that is remote from the vehicle and vehicle charger, and can be controlled by a user or another party (e.g., a power utility) to control battery charging based upon a time of day, cost of power, or other factors. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle charger for charging a battery of a vehicle, the vehicle charger comprising: a display mounted within the vehicle; and a controller onboard the vehicle and coupled to the display, the controller configured to begin an active charging session of the battery based on a programmed manner of charge and at least one condition, the programmed manner of charge starting charging of the battery in response to the at least one condition being met, calculate an amount of time required to charge the battery, display, during the active charging session but before starting charging of the battery according to the at least one condition, the amount of time upon the display, and repeatedly update the amount of time upon the display during the active charging session, including during the active charging session but before starting charging of the battery according to the at least one condition. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle charger of claim 1, wherein the controller is a first controller, the vehicle charger further comprising a receiver coupled to the first controller, the receiver configured to establish communication between the first controller and a second controller remote from the vehicle and the vehicle charger. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vehicle charger of claim 2, wherein the first controller is further configured to control power supply to the battery of the vehicle responsive at least in part to data received from the second controller via the receiver. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The vehicle charger of claim 2, wherein the first controller is further configured to receive the at least one condition from the second controller via the receiver. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The vehicle charger of claim 2, wherein the first controller is further configured to supply power to the battery of the vehicle based at least in part upon data indicative of a cost of power received from the second controller via the receiver. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle charger of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display, during the active charging session, a level of charge of the battery on the display. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle charger of claim 1, further comprising a user interface positioned within the vehicle, wherein the at least one condition includes a time of day and wherein the controller receives the time of day via the user interface. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The vehicle charger of claim 7, wherein the user interface is defined at least in part by the display. ### Claim 9 A method of charging a battery of a vehicle with a vehicle charger, the method comprising: beginning an active charging session of the battery based on a programmed manner of charge and at least one condition, the programmed manner of charge starting charging of the battery in response to the at least one condition being met; calculating, via a controller of the vehicle, an amount of time required to charge the battery; displaying, during the active charging session but before starting charging of the battery according to the at least one condition, the amount of time upon a display mounted within the vehicle; supplying, under control of the controller of the vehicle, power to the battery of the vehicle to charge the battery; and updating the amount of time upon the display during the active charging session, repeatedly update the amount of time upon the display during the active charging session, including during the active charging session but before starting charging of the battery according to the at least one condition. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising: establishing wireless communication between the controller of the vehicle and another controller remote from the vehicle and the vehicle charger; and starting or stopping supply of power to the battery based at least in part upon a signal received by the controller of the vehicle from the controller remote from the vehicle and the vehicle charger. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the signal includes data indicative of a cost of power. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying on the display a level of charge of the battery. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one condition includes a time of day and further comprising receiving, via a user interface of the vehicle charger, the time of day. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the user interface is defined at least in part by the display. ### Claim 15 A vehicle charger for charging a battery of a vehicle, the vehicle charger comprising: a display mounted within the vehicle; a controller onboard the vehicle and coupled to the display, the controller configured to begin an active charging session of the battery based on a programmed manner of charge and at least one condition, the programmed manner of charge starting charging of the battery in response to the at least one condition being met, calculate an amount of time required to charge the battery, and display, during the active charging session but before starting charging of the battery according to the at least one condition, the amount of time upon the display; and a receiver electrically coupled to the controller; wherein the controller onboard the vehicle is further configured to repeatedly update the amount of time upon the display during the active charging session, and wherein the controller onboard the vehicle is further configured to, responsive to data received from another controller remote from the vehicle and the vehicle charger via the receiver, to change a charging state of the vehicle charger by at least one of a group consisting of increasing a rate of charge of the battery, decreasing a rate of charge of the battery, starting battery charging, or stopping battery charging. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The vehicle charger of claim 15, wherein the controller onboard the vehicle is further configured to display a level of charge of the battery on the display during the active charging session. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The vehicle charger of claim 15, further comprising a user interface positioned within the vehicle, wherein the at least one condition includes a time of day and wherein the controller receives the time of day via the user interface. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The vehicle charger of claim 17, wherein the user interface is defined at least in part by the display. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The vehicle charger of claim 15, wherein the controller onboard the vehicle is further configured to supply power to the battery of the vehicle based at least in part upon data indicative of a cost of power received from the controller remote from the vehicle and the vehicle charger via the receiver. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The vehicle charger of claim 15, further comprising a user interface for receiving an input from a user, wherein the controller is configured to receive the input and stop charging of the battery during the active charging session responsive to the input.