# US 2025/0167321 A1 · Vehicular battery charger, charging system, and method displaying charge time > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0167321 A1 - Document ID: US20250167321A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 19/029,827 - Filed: 2025-01-17 - Published: 2025-05-22 - Earliest claimed: 2008-08-18 - Inventors: Christopher B. Austin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250167321A1 ## 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 at position 1 1-20. (canceled) ### Claim 21 A vehicle battery charger for charging a battery of a vehicle with electrical power from a source of electrical power, the vehicle having a first controller and an electrical connector for charging the battery of the vehicle, the vehicle charger comprising: a flexible power cord coupled to the source of power; a plug at a terminal end of the flexible power cord and adapted for releasable mating engagement with the electrical connector of the vehicle; and a second controller external to the vehicle and connected to the source of power, the second controller configured to: control the supply of power to the vehicle while the plug is connected to the electrical connector of the vehicle; and transmit or receive power line communication signals between the second controller and the first controller along the flexible power cord, the power line communication signals controlling at least one aspect of charging the battery of the vehicle. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The vehicle battery charger as claimed in claim 21, wherein power line communication is automatically established between the first and second controllers responsive to connection of the plug of the vehicle charger with the electrical connector of the vehicle. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The vehicle battery charger as claimed in claim 21, wherein the releasable mating engagement between the plug and the electrical connector includes at least one socket and pin connection. ### Claim 24 (depends on 21) The vehicle battery charger as claimed in claim 21, wherein the second controller is configured to receive a signal indicative of a capacity of the battery via power line communication along the flexible power cord. ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The vehicle battery charger as claimed in claim 21, wherein the second controller is configured to receive a signal indicative of a level of charge of the battery via power line communication along the flexible power cord. ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) The vehicle battery charger as claimed in claim 21, wherein the second controller is configured to receive a signal indicative of a type of the battery via power line communication along the flexible power cord. ### Claim 27 (depends on 21) The vehicle battery charger as claimed in claim 21, wherein the second controller is configured to receive a signal indicative of a manufacturer of the battery via power line communication along the flexible power cord. ### Claim 28 (depends on 21) The vehicle battery charger as claimed in claim 21, wherein the second controller is configured to receive a signal indicative of a model of the battery via power line communication along the flexible power cord. ### Claim 29 (depends on 21) The vehicle battery charger as claimed in claim 21, wherein the second controller is configured to receive a signal indicative of an age of the battery via power line communication along the flexible power cord. ### Claim 30 (depends on 21) The vehicle battery charger as claimed in claim 21, wherein the battery of the vehicle has a memory in which information regarding the battery is stored; and wherein the second controller is configured to receive the information regarding the battery via power line communication along the flexible power cord. ### Claim 31 (depends on 21) The vehicle battery charger as claimed in claim 21, wherein the power line communication signals include a signal to start charging of the vehicle battery. ### Claim 32 (depends on 21) The vehicle battery charger as claimed in claim 21, wherein the power line communication signals include a signal to stop charging of the vehicle battery. ### Claim 33 (depends on 21) The vehicle battery charger as claimed in claim 21, wherein the power line communication signals include a signal to increase or decrease the supply of power to the vehicle battery. ### Claim 34 A method of charging a battery of a vehicle, the method comprising: releasably mating a plug at the end of a flexible power cord to an electrical connector of a vehicle; while the plug and electrical connector are in releasable mating engagement, transmitting power line communication signals along the flexible power cord between a first controller of the vehicle and a second controller of a vehicle battery charger; and responsive to transmitting the power line communication signals, automatically changing a supply of electric power to the battery of the vehicle by at least one of a group consisting of increasing a rate of charge of the battery, decreasing the rate of charge of the battery, starting battery charging, and stopping battery charging. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The method of claim 34, further comprising automatically establishing power line communication between the first controller of the vehicle and the second controller of the vehicle battery charger upon releasable mating of the plug with the electrical connector of the vehicle. ### Claim 36 (depends on 34) The method of claim 34, further comprising transmitting a signal indicative of a capacity of the battery via power line communication along the flexible power cord. ### Claim 37 (depends on 34) The method of claim 34, further comprising transmitting a signal indicative of a level of charge of the battery via power line communication along the flexible power cord. ### Claim 38 (depends on 34) The method of claim 34, further comprising transmitting at least one of a group consisting of a signal indicative of a type of the battery and a signal indicative of a model of the battery via power line communication along the flexible power cord. ### Claim 39 (depends on 34) The method of claim 34, further comprising transmitting a signal indicative of a manufacturer of the battery via power line communication along the flexible power cord. ### Claim 40 (depends on 34) The method of claim 34, further comprising transmitting a signal indicative of an age of the battery via power line communication along the flexible power cord.