US 8,258,743 B2Granted

Sub-network load management for use in recharging vehicles equipped with electrically powered propulsion systems

AssigneeLava Four, LLC

InventorsRichard M. Tyler, Daniel B. McKenna, James M. Graziano

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Abstract

The E-Grid Sub-Network Load Manager operates to regulate the demands presented by the vehicles to the associated Sub-Network thereby to spread the load presented to the service disconnect over time to enable the controllable charging of a large number of vehicles. The load management can be implemented by a number of methodologies, including: queuing requests and serving each request in sequence until satisfaction; queuing requests and cycling through the requests, partially serving each request, then proceeding to the next until the cyclic partial charging service has satisfied all requests; ordering requests pursuant to a percentage of recharge required measurement; ordering requests on an estimated connection time metric; ordering requests on a predetermined level of service basis; and the like. It is evident that a number of these methods can be concurrently employed thereby to serve all of the vehicles in the most efficient manner that can be determined.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A system for controllably providing power to recharge a plurality of vehicles, each of which includes a propulsion system powered, at least in part, by electric power, at least some of which is stored onboard the vehicle in an electric power storage apparatus, comprising:

an Electric Grid Interconnect which is connected to a source of electric power for providing electric power to electric power storage apparatus which is located in each of a plurality of vehicles;
a plurality of electric outlets, each of which is connected to said Electric Grid Interconnect via a conductive path and to a corresponding one of said plurality of vehicles, to enable a flow of electric power from said source of electric power to said electric power storage apparatus located in said one vehicle;
an electric outlet identification, which uniquely identifies said electric outlet to said vehicle when said vehicle is connected to said electric outlet;
and
a load manager, responsive to receipt of said electric outlet identification and electric power load data from said vehicles, for regulating a power load presented to the Electric Grid Interconnect by the plurality of vehicles, comprising:
a load calculator, responsive to receipt of said electric outlet identification and electric power load data from said vehicles, for determining a present electric power load served by each of said electric outlets,
a vehicle load management process selector, responsive to said determined present electric power load served by each of said electric outlets, for selecting at least one load management process to regulate the electric power load presented by at least one vehicle connected to said at least one outlet;
and
a power converter module, located in said vehicle, to control said electric power load presented by said vehicle to said electric outlet in response to control signals received from said vehicle load management process selector.

6 more elements

A method for controllably providing power to recharge a plurality of vehicles, each of which includes a propulsion system powered, at least in part, by electric power, at least some of which is stored onboard the vehicle in an electric power storage apparatus, comprising:

providing, via an Electric Grid Interconnect which is connected to a source of electric power, electric power to electric power storage apparatus which is located in each of a plurality of vehicles;
enabling, via a plurality of electric outlets, each of which is connected to said Electric Grid Interconnect via a conductive path and to a corresponding one of said plurality of vehicles, a flow of electric power from said source of electric power to said electric power storage apparatus located in said one vehicle;
uniquely identifying an electric outlet to said vehicle when said vehicle is connected to said electric outlet;
and
enabling a load manager, in response to receipt of said electric outlet identification and electric power load data from said vehicles, to regulate a power load presented to the Electric Grid Interconnect by the plurality of vehicles, comprising:
determining, in response to receipt of said electric outlet identification and electric power load data from said vehicles, a present electric power load served by each of said electric outlets,
selecting, in response to said determined present electric power load served by each of said electric outlets, at least one load management process to regulate the electric power load presented by at least one vehicle connected to said at least one outlet;
and
controlling a power converter module, located in said vehicle, to control said electric power load presented by said vehicle to said electric outlet in response to control signals received from said vehicle load management process selector.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/436,379Filed 6 May 2009 · continuation in part
Priority: 5 Dec 2008
Published: US 2010/0141203 A110 Jun 2010
Granted: 4 Sep 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification18 codes

B60L 53/11
Characterised by the energy transfer between the charging station and the vehicle: dC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
B60L 53/18
Conductive energy transfer: cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
B60L 53/65
Monitoring or controlling charging stations: involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
B60L 53/665
Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles: methods related to measuring, billing or payment

Family

Application12/329,349Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 5 Dec 2008
Application12/329,368Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 5 Dec 2008
Application12/329,389Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 5 Dec 2008
US 2010/0141204 A1Pre-grant publication · published 10 Jun 2010
US 2010/0141203 A1Published application
US 2010/0145837 A1Published application
US 2010/0145885 A1Published application
US 8,258,743 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.