# US 11,993,171 B2 · Method and apparatus for charging a battery using local power grid topology information > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,993,171 B2 - Document ID: US11993171B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/473,510 - Filed: 2021-09-13 - Published: 2021-12-30 - Granted: 2024-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-04 - Assignees: IoTecha Corp. - Applicants: IoTecha Corp. - Inventors: Oleg Logvinov; Michael J. Macaluso; Gadi Lenz - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11993171B2 ## CPC - B60L 53/66: Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles - B60L 50/60: using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75) - B60L 53/51: Photovoltaic means - B60L 53/52: Wind-driven generators - B60L 53/62: in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge - B60L 53/63: in response to network capacity - B60L 53/64: Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates - B60L 53/67: Controlling two or more charging stations - B60L 53/68: Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control - G06Q 10/04: Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" (market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202) - G06Q 50/06: Energy or water supply - H02J 7/40: characterised by the exchange of charge or discharge related data - B60L 2200/18: Buses - B60L 2240/72: Charging station selection relying on external data - H02J 2101/24: Photovoltaics - H02J 2101/28: Wind energy - Y02E 10/56: Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers - 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 90/12: Electric charging stations - Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles - 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] - 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 - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - 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 An apparatus (240) and method for charging a plurality of mobile energy storage and power consumption devices (202) may control determining a power charging schedule for charging a battery of at least one of the devices (202), in accordance with charger availability information, transactive energy information, the current location of the one device, mobile energy storage and power consumption device information and information indicating predetermined timing for providing a predetermined minimum charge level at the device; and transmitting a charging instruction signal for charging the battery of the at least one device using electric power supplied from a distribution power grid (10, 204) or an alternative power resource (218), according to the power charging schedule. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer implemented method comprising: receiving, over a communication network, charging availability information indicating current and expected charging operating status for a plurality of charging apparatuses configured to provide a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) using an electric vehicle (EV) fleet, wherein the plurality of charging apparatuses is located within a vehicle depot fed by a microgrid; determining a first power charging schedule for charging a first EV of the EV fleet based on transactive energy information and using hierarchical aggregation for determining availability of the VPP, wherein: the transactive energy information is determined based on charging availability information and alternative power resource information indicating availability and pricing of electric power for supply to the microgrid from an alternative power resource; and the hierarchical aggregation is a logical construct representing a sum of decisions; and transmitting, over the communication network, a charging instruction signal to a first charging apparatus of the plurality of charging apparatuses for charging the first EV of the EV fleet. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, over the communication network, power resource information indicating availability and pricing of electric power from a plurality of other microgrids associated with the microgrid. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of other microgrids extends from at least one of a distribution power grid and a premises distribution network. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of other microgrids extends from different electric power distribution nodes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the transactive energy information is determined based on the charging availability information and the power resource information. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first power charging schedule is determined for maintaining a load balance at the microgrid and the plurality of other microgrids. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein first charging apparatus is determined by a smallest distance from a current location of the first EV of the EV fleet, and a lowest price for supply of electric power among the microgrid and the plurality of other microgrids. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein the first power charging schedule indicates a predetermined route from the current location to a location of the first charging apparatus. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the transactive energy information is received over the communication network from an auctioning agent that establishes pricing for supply of electric power for the microgrid and the plurality of other microgrids. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the microgrid is associated with the alternative power resource. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein the alternative power resource is a renewable energy resource. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising determining timing information for providing a predetermined charge level at the first EV of the EV fleet. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein the timing information includes a bid price for charging the first EV of the EV fleet. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first EV of the EV fleet is an EV bus and the EV fleet is an EV bus fleet. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein charging-related operations for the first EV of the EV fleet of using the first charging apparatus are controlled in accordance with the charging instruction signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the charging availability information is received in near real-time over the communications network and the charging instruction signal is transmitted in near real-time over the communications network. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the transactive energy information is further determined from a transactive energy model. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the EV fleet when connected to at least a portion of the plurality of charging apparatuses is configured to provide local ancillary services including frequency stabilization and voltage control. ### Claim 19 A computing device comprising: a memory; and at least one processor configured for: receiving, over a communication network, charging availability information indicating current and expected charging operating status respectively for a plurality of charging apparatuses configured to provide a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) using an electric vehicle (EV) fleet, wherein the plurality of charging apparatuses is located within a vehicle depot fed by a microgrid; determining a first power charging schedule for charging a first EV of the EV fleet based on transactive energy information and using hierarchical aggregation for determining availability of the VPP, wherein: the transactive energy information is determined based on charging availability information and alternative power resource information indicating availability and pricing of electric power for supply to a given microgrid from an alternative power resource; and the hierarchical aggregation is a logical construct representing a sum of decisions; and transmitting, over the communication network, a charging instruction signal to a first charging apparatus of the plurality of charging apparatuses for charging the first EV of the EV fleet mobile energy storage and power consumption device. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions to be implemented on at least one computing device including at least one processor, the instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one computing device to perform a method, the method comprising: receiving, over a communication network, charging availability information indicating current and expected charging operating status respectively for a plurality of charging apparatuses configured to provide a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) using an electric vehicle (EV) fleet, wherein the plurality of charging apparatuses is located within a vehicle depot fed by a microgrid; determining a first power charging schedule for charging a first EV of the EV fleet based on transactive energy information and using hierarchical aggregation for determining availability of the VPP, wherein: the transactive energy information is determined based on charging availability information and alternative power resource information indicating availability and pricing of electric power for supply to a given microgrid from an alternative power resource; and the hierarchical aggregation is a logical construct representing a sum of decisions; and transmitting, over the communication network, a charging instruction signal to a first charging apparatus of the plurality of charging apparatuses for charging the first EV of the EV fleet.