# US 12,005,790 B2 · Bidirectional energy transfer systems and methods for providing aggregated power outage mapping > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,005,790 B2 - Document ID: US12005790B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/392,737 - Filed: 2021-08-03 - Published: 2023-02-09 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2021-08-03 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Stuart C. Salter; Ryan O'Gorman; Peter Phung; Katherine Howard-Cone - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12005790B2 ## CPC - B60L 53/14: Conductive energy transfer - B60L 53/60: Monitoring or controlling charging stations - B60L 53/63: in response to network capacity - B60L 53/68: Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control - B60L 55/00: Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements - B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC] - G01C 21/3461: {Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types or segments such as motorways, toll roads or ferries} - G01C 21/3469: {Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects} - G06Q 50/06: Energy or water supply - H02J 3/001: Arrangements for handling faults or abnormalities, e.g. emergencies or contingencies - B60L 2240/622: by satellite navigation - B60L 2240/66: Ambient conditions - B60L 2250/10: by alarm - B60L 2250/16: by display - B60L 2260/52: drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance - B60L 2260/54: Energy consumption estimation - 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 - 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 - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - 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 - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract Systems and methods may coordinate and provide bidirectional energy transfer events between electrified vehicles and other vehicles, devices, and/or structures. A power outage map can automatically be generated in response to a power outage condition of a grid power source. Both a power outage zone and a predicted power outage zone may be identified within the power outage map. A notification, alternative drive route recommendation, etc. may be sent to users of the bidirectional energy transfer system who are operating their vehicles near the power outage zone or the predicted power outage zone. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A bidirectional energy transfer system, comprising: an electrified vehicle configured to broadcast vehicle information that includes at least a location and a charging status of the electrified vehicle; and a server system in communication with the electrified vehicle and configured to receive the vehicle information, wherein the server system includes a control module programmed to generate a power outage map when the charging status indicates a power outage condition, wherein the control module is further programmed to increase a charging storage limit of a traction battery pack of the electrified vehicle in response to predicting that the power outage condition is imminent. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the power outage map includes a power outage zone and a predicted power outage zone identified within a street map of the power outage map. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the power outage zone is demarcated by a first type of shading and the predicted power outage zone is demarcated by a second type of shading that is different from the first type of shading. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the control module is further programmed to infer the predicted power outage zone based on branches of a power grid overlay that are located downstream from the power outage zone within the street map. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the control module is further programmed to automatically communicate the power outage map to a service provider of a grid power source for indicating the location of the power outage condition. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the power outage map is an aggregated power outage map generated based on the charging status of the electrified vehicle and a second charging status of a second electrified vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the control module is further programmed to communicate the power outage map to a second electrified vehicle that is located near a power outage zone that is identified within the power outage map. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the vehicle information is periodically broadcast from the electrified vehicle in the form of heartbeat status signals. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the control module is further programmed to: notify a user of the electrified vehicle when the location of the electrified vehicle is within a power outage zone or a predicted power outage zone of the power outage map; and provide a list of available charging locations for charging the electrified vehicle or provide travel route instructions for guiding the user back to a home location associated with the electrified vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the control module is programmed to command the traction battery pack to be charged to a first charging storage limit when the power outage condition is not imminent. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the control module is programmed to command the traction battery pack to be charged to a second, larger charging storage limit when the power outage condition is imminent. ### Claim 12 A method, comprising: receiving vehicle information associated with an electrified vehicle; detecting, based at least on the vehicle information, whether a power outage condition is occurring at a location of the electrified vehicle; generating a power outage map in response to detecting the power outage condition, determining whether the power outage condition is imminent; charging a traction battery pack of the electrified vehicle to a first charging storage limit when the power outage condition is not imminent; and charging the traction battery pack to a second, larger charging storage limit when the power outage condition is imminent. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method as recited in claim 12, wherein generating the power outage map includes: identifying a power outage zone of the power outage map with a first type of shading; and identifying a predicted power outage zone of the power outage map with a second type of shading that is different from the first type of shading. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method as recited in claim 13, wherein identifying the predicted power outage zone includes: inferring the predicted power outage zone based on branches of a power grid overlay that are located downstream from the power outage zone within the power outage map. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method as recited in claim 12, comprising: automatically communicating the power outage map to a service provider of a grid power source. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method as recited in claim 12, comprising: communicating the power outage map to a second electrified vehicle that is located near a power outage zone that is identified within the power outage map. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the vehicle information is periodically broadcast from the electrified vehicle in the form of heartbeat status signals. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The method as recited in claim 12, comprising: notifying a user of the electrified vehicle when the electrified vehicle is within a power outage zone or a predicted power outage zone of the power outage map; and providing a list of available charging locations for charging the electrified vehicle. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The method as recited in claim 12, comprising: notifying a user of the electrified vehicle when the electrified vehicle is within a power outage zone or a predicted power outage zone of the power outage map; and providing travel route instructions for guiding the user back to a home location associated with the electrified vehicle. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The method as recited in claim 12, comprising: providing a strategic charging guidance notification to a user of the electrified vehicle in conjunction with providing the power outage map.