# US 9,753,440 B2 · Grid regulation services for energy storage devices based on grid frequency > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,753,440 B2 - Document ID: US9753440B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/909,893 - Filed: 2013-06-04 - Published: 2013-10-10 - Granted: 2017-09-05 - Earliest claimed: 2010-04-06 - Assignees: Battelle Memorial Institute - Applicants: Battelle Memorial Institute - Inventors: Richard M. Pratt; Donald J. Hammerstrom; Michael C. W. Kintner-Meyer; Francis K. Tuffner - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9753440B2 ## CPC - H02J 13/13: characterised by the transmission of data to equipment in the power network - B60L 53/16: Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles - B60L 53/305: {Communication interfaces} - B60L 53/51: Photovoltaic means - B60L 53/53: Batteries - B60L 53/56: Mechanical storage means, e.g. fly wheels - B60L 53/60: Monitoring or controlling charging stations - B60L 53/63: in response to network capacity - B60L 53/65: involving identification of vehicles or their battery types - 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 58/13: Maintaining the SoC within a determined range - G05B 13/02: electric - G05B 15/02: electric - H01M 10/44: Methods for charging or discharging (circuits for charging H02J7/00) - H02J 3/00142: {Oscillations concerning frequency} - H02J 3/322: {the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging} - H02J 7/865: {Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply (H02J7/50 takes precedence)} - H02J 13/00: Circuit arrangements for providing remote monitoring or remote control of equipment in a power distribution network - B60L 2210/30: AC to DC converters - B60L 2210/40: DC to AC converters - B60L 2240/70: Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres - B60L 2240/80: Time limits - B60L 2250/12: by confirmation, e.g. of the input - B60L 2260/58: Departure time prediction - Y02B 90/20: Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector (smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00) - 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 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - 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] - Y04S 10/14: Energy storage units - Y04S 30/12: Remote or cooperative charging - Y04S 30/14: Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing - Y04S 40/12: characterised by data transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated electrical equipment - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC 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 - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - 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 Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for charging and discharging an energy storage device connected to an electrical power distribution system. In one exemplary embodiment, a controller monitors electrical characteristics of an electrical power distribution system and provides an output to a bi-directional charger causing the charger to charge or discharge an energy storage device (e.g., a battery in a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV)). The controller can help stabilize the electrical power distribution system by increasing the charging rate when there is excess power in the electrical power distribution system (e.g., when the frequency of an AC power grid exceeds an average value), or by discharging power from the energy storage device to stabilize the grid when there is a shortage of power in the electrical power distribution system (e.g., when the frequency of an AC power grid is below an average value). ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: using a computer processor, evaluating second data representing status of an energy storage device to make a determination whether the energy storage device has adequate state of charge for a discharging operation; if the determination indicates that the energy storage device has adequate state of charge for a discharging operation, then selecting a discharging rate proportionally scaled based on an average discharge rate for a bi-directional charging system, the discharging rate being clamped between a maximum discharging rate and a zero discharging rate for the bi-directional charging system, the selected discharging rate being based on an average load rate for the bi-directional charging system and on first data representing one or more electrical characteristics of an electrical power distribution system, the bi-directional charging system being operable to charge or discharge the energy storage device; and generating a regulation signal for causing the bi-directional charging system to discharge the energy storage device, the regulation signal being based at least in part on the selected discharging rate. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first data includes frequency data representing an instantaneous frequency measurement of the electrical power distribution system. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising computing an average frequency from the frequency data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a regulation signal for causing the bi-directional charging system to charge the energy storage device, the regulation signal being based at least in part on the selected discharging rate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first data includes frequency data representing an instantaneous frequency of the electrical power distribution system and an average frequency of the electrical power distribution system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the second data representing the status of the energy storage device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the second data includes data representing a state-of-charge of the energy storage device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving third data representing a desired final charging time, and wherein the selecting is further based, at least in part, on the third data. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an upper frequency parameter defining an over-frequency event of the electrical power distribution system, a lower frequency parameter defining an under-frequency event of the electrical power distribution system, and wherein the selecting is based at least in part on one or more of the upper frequency parameter or the lower frequency parameter. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second data includes data representing an actual charging or discharging rate of the energy storage device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising discharging the energy storage device responsive to the regulation signal, thereby transmitting power to the electrical power distribution system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device comprises a battery in an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device comprises a stationary power source, pumped water storage, a flywheel, or a battery-supplemented photovoltaic power system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first data includes voltage data representing an operating voltage of the electrical power distribution system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising clamping the discharging rate below a first selected charging rate or above a second selected charging rate, wherein the first and second selected charging rates are selected in response to a pre-determined or user-selected completion time for charging the energy storage device. ### Claim 16 One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing computer-readable instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising: selecting an upper charge rate limit and a lower charge rate limit based on an actual charging rate of an energy storage device coupled to discharge electrical power to an electrical power distribution system via a bi-directional charging system; selecting a discharging rate from a range of two or more discharging rates between the selected upper charge rate limit and the selected lower charge rate limit based on first data representing one or more electrical characteristics of an alternating current (AC) electrical power distribution system; and generating a regulation signal for causing the bi-directional charging system to discharge the energy storage device, the regulation signal being based at least in part on the selected discharging rate. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the first data includes frequency data representing an instantaneous frequency of the electrical power distribution system. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the selecting comprises computing a difference between the instantaneous frequency and an average of previously received instantaneous frequency data. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the selecting comprises: computing an average of previously received data representing one or more electrical characteristics; computing a difference between the received data and the average; if the difference indicates that the electrical power distribution system has excess energy, selecting a charging rate to charge the energy storage device; and if the difference indicates that the electrical power distribution system has a shortage of energy, selecting the discharging rate to discharge the energy storage device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises generating a regulation signal for causing the bi-directional charging system to charge the energy storage device, the regulation signal being based at least in part on the selected discharging rate. ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the selecting is based, at least in part, on a state-of-charge of the energy storage device. ### Claim 22 (depends on 16) The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the selecting is based, at least in part, on a desired final charging time for the energy storage device. ### Claim 23 (depends on 16) The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises receiving an upper frequency parameter defining an over-frequency event of the electrical power distribution system, a lower frequency parameter defining an under-frequency event of the electrical power distribution system, and wherein the selecting is based at least in part on one or more of the upper frequency parameter and the lower frequency parameter. ### Claim 24 (depends on 16) The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises discharging the energy storage device responsive to the regulation signal, thereby transmitting power to the electrical power distribution system. ### Claim 25 (depends on 16) The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises clamping the discharging rate above a selected discharging rate, wherein the selected charging rate is selected in response to a pre-determined or user-selected completion time for charging the energy storage device. ### Claim 26 (depends on 16) The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: measuring the actual charging rate of the energy storage device; selecting a new upper charge rate limit and/or a new lower charge rate limit based on the measured actual charging rate; and performing the selecting the discharging rate and the generating the regulation signal based on the new upper charge rate limit and/or the new lower charge rate limit. ### Claim 27 A system, comprising: one or more processing units; one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing computer-readable instructions that when executed by the processing units determine a varying discharging rate for a bi-directional charger using: a logic module operable to determine the discharging rate for the bi-directional charger as a function of an instantaneous frequency, an average frequency, and either a maximum or a minimum frequency of an electrical power distribution system and on second data representing a status of an energy storage device; a data output module operable to send charger output rate data representing the determined discharging rate; and wherein the processing units are configured to transmit the determined charging rate to the bi-directional charger with the data output module.