# US 12,015,128 B2 · Vehicular battery charger, charging system, and method with communication indicator > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,015,128 B2 - Document ID: US12015128B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/694,449 - Filed: 2022-03-14 - Published: 2022-06-23 - Granted: 2024-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2008-08-18 - Applicants: Christopher B. Austin - Inventors: Christopher B. Austin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015128B2 ## 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 and for communication with a first controller remote from the vehicle charger and the battery, the vehicle charger comprising: a second controller; charge circuitry, electrically coupled to the second controller, the charge circuitry controlling power supply to the battery; a user interface, including a display, electrically coupled to the second controller, the user interface simultaneously providing, on the display, a first indicator indicating whether power is supplied to the vehicle charger, a second indicator indicating whether wireless communication has been established for wirelessly receiving a signal from the first controller for controlling charging of the battery, and a third indicator indicating a level of charge of the battery; and a receiver coupled to the second controller configured to wirelessly receive the signal from the first controller for controlling charging of the battery, wherein the second controller is configured to control the first indicator, the second indicator, and the third indicator and is configured to control the charge circuitry based on the signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle charger of claim 1, wherein the second controller is responsive to signals from the first controller by starting or stopping supply of power to the battery. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle charger of claim 1, wherein the second controller is responsive to signals from the first controller by starting or stopping supply of power to the battery based at least in part upon a time of day entered by a user via the user interface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle charger of claim 1, wherein the second controller is responsive to signals from the first controller by starting or stopping supply of power to the battery based at least in part upon a threshold cost of power to the battery, wherein the second controller is configured to receive the threshold cost of power from a user via the user interface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle charger of claim 1, wherein the second controller is configured to automatically start and stop supply of power to the battery based at least in part upon a time of day entered by a user and a threshold cost of power to the battery. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle charger of claim 1, wherein the first controller is included in at least one selected from a group consisting of a user device and a power utility computer. ### Claim 7 A vehicle charger for charging a battery of a vehicle and for communication with a first controller remote from the vehicle charger and the battery, the vehicle charger comprising: a housing; a second controller positioned within the housing; charge circuitry positioned within the housing and electrically coupled to the second controller, the charge circuitry controlling power supplied to the battery; a user interface, including a display and electrically coupled to the second controller, the user interface providing, on the display, a first indicator indicating whether power is supplied to the vehicle charger, a second indicator indicating whether wireless communication has been established for wirelessly receiving a signal from the first controller for controlling charging of the battery, and a third indicator indicating a level of charge of the battery; and a receiver coupled to the second controller configured to wirelessly receive a signal from the first controller for controlling charging of the battery, wherein the second controller is configured to detect a loss of wireless communication with the first controller and, in response to detecting the loss of wireless communication, indicating the loss of wireless communication via the second indicator. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The vehicle charger of claim 7, wherein the user interface comprises a display upon which the first, second, and third indicators are simultaneously displayed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The vehicle charger of claim 7, wherein the second controller is responsive to signals from the first controller by starting or stopping supply of power to the battery. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The vehicle charger of claim 7, wherein the second controller is responsive to signals from the first controller by starting or stopping supply of power to the battery based at least in part upon a time of day entered by a user via the user interface. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The vehicle charger of claim 7, wherein the second controller is responsive to signals from the first controller by starting or stopping supply of power to the battery based at least in part upon a threshold cost of power to the battery, wherein the second controller is configured to receive the threshold cost of power from a user via the user interface. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The vehicle charger of claim 7, wherein the second controller is configured to automatically start and stop supply of power to the battery based at least in part upon a time of day entered by a user and a threshold cost of power to the battery. ### Claim 13 A method of charging a battery of a vehicle via a vehicle charger, the method comprising: displaying, on a user interface including a display mounted in the vehicle, a first indicator indicating whether power is supplied to the vehicle charger, a second indicator indicating whether the vehicle charger is in wireless communication with a first controller remote from the vehicle charger and the battery, and a third indicator indicating a level of charge of the battery; controlling, with the second controller, the first indicator, the second indicator, and the third indicator; receiving, at a receiver coupled to a second controller, a wireless signal from the first controller at a first time; in response to receiving the wireless signal at the first time, controlling, with the second controller, the second indicator to indicate establishment of wireless communication between the first controller and the receiver; and in response to detecting a loss of wireless communication with the first controller at a second time, controlling, with the second controller, the second indicator to indicate the loss of wireless communication. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein displaying the first indicator, the second indicator, and the third indicator includes displaying the first indicator, the second indicator, and the third indicator simultaneously. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving, at the receiver, a second wireless signal from the first controller at a third time; and in response to receiving the second wireless signal at the third time, starting, with the second controller, supply of power to the battery. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving, at the receiver, a second wireless signal from the first controller at a third time; and in response to receiving the second wireless signal at the third time, stopping, with the second controller, supply of power to the battery. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising, starting or stopping supply of power, with the second controller, to the battery based at least in part upon a time of day. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising, starting or stopping supply of power, with the second controller, to the battery based at least in part upon a threshold cost of power to the battery. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving, with the second controller, the threshold cost of power from a user via the user interface. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising automatically, with the second controller, starting and stopping supply of power to the battery based at least in part upon a time of day entered by a user, a threshold cost of power to the battery, and data indicative of cost of power received from the first controller.