Patent · US10427530B2 · B2 · US

Vehicle charge query and exchange system and method of use

(11) Publication number

US10427530B2

(21) Application number

15/169,073

(22) Filing date

2016-05-31

(30) Priority date

2015-11-13

(43) Publication date

2019-10-01

(45) Date of grant

2019-10-01

(51) IPC

B60L 11/18; B60L 5/18; B60L 5/42; B60L 53/12; B60L 53/124; B60L 53/14; B60L 53/30; B60L 53/35; B60L 53/36; B60L 53/38; B60L 53/60; B60L 53/63; B60L 53/64; B60L 53/65; B60L 53/66

(52) CPC

B60L Propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles; supplying electric power for auxiliary equipment of electrically-propelled vehicles; electrodynamic brake systems for vehicles in general; magnetic suspension or levitation for vehicles; monitoring operating variables of electrically-propelled vehicles; electric safety devices for electrically-propelled vehicles: 53/14, 11/182, 5/18, 5/42, 53/12, 53/124, 53/126, 53/32, 53/35, 53/36, 53/38, 53/60, 53/63, 53/64, 53/65, 53/665
Y02E Reduction of greenhouse gas [ghg] emissions, related to energy generation, transmission or distribution: 60/00, 60/721
Y02T Climate change mitigation technologies related to transportation: 10/70, 10/7005, 10/7072, 90/12, 90/121, 90/122, 90/125, 90/128, 90/14, 90/16, 90/163, 90/167, 90/169
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: 10/126, 30/14

(73) Assignee

NIO USA Inc

(72) Inventors

Christopher P. Ricci

(54) Title

Vehicle charge query and exchange system and method of use

(57) Abstract

A system and method for charging a receiving vehicle, the system comprising: a receiving vehicle comprising an electrical storage unit; a charging panel in electrical communication with the electrical storage unit, the charging panel configured to receive a charge from a charging source and charge the electrical storage unit; and a vehicle controller configured to identify one or more charging sources and further configured to transmit a query to the one or more charging sources and receive at least charging data from the one or more charging sources; and one or more charging sources, each comprising: a charging plate configured to provide a charge to the charging panel; and a charging source controller configured to transmit at least charging data to the vehicle controller in response to the query; wherein if the vehicle controller determines that the charging data received is acceptable, the receiving vehicle is charged.

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Claims (19)

A system for charging an electric vehicle, the system comprising: an electrical storage unit; a charging panel in electrical communication with the electrical storage unit, the charging panel configured to receive a charge from one or more external charging sources and charge the electrical storage unit; and a vehicle controller configured to identify the one or more external charging sources, to transmit a query to the one or more external charging sources for charging data, and to receive the charging data from a charging source controller of the one or more external charging sources, wherein if the vehicle controller determines that the charging data received from the charging source controller of the one or more external charging sources is acceptable, the charging panel of the electric vehicle receives charge from a charging plate of the one or more external charging sources while the one or more external charging sources is moving, wherein the charging data includes pricing term data indicating an asking price of the charge from the charging plate of the one or more external charging sources, wherein the charging data includes charging rate data indicating a maximum charging rate offered by the one or more external charging sources, wherein the vehicle controller determines that the charging data is acceptable by determining that the asking price is less than a maximum threshold price set by a user of the electric vehicle, and determines that the maximum charging rate data received from the charging source controller is above a minimum threshold rate set by the user of the electric vehicle, and wherein if the vehicle controller determines that the charging data is not acceptable, the vehicle controller automatically negotiates unmatched terms within the charging data with the charging source controller using negotiating parameters stored in a vehicle database in communication with the vehicle controller.
The system of claim 1, wherein the charging data includes charging configuration data.
The system of claim 2, wherein the charging configuration data includes charging panel locations for charging, the charging panel locations including a vehicle roof, a vehicle side panel, and a vehicle undercarriage.
The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle controller is further configured to provide an electronic financial payment to the charging source controller of the one or more external charging sources.
The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle controller is further configured to determine if the electric vehicle requires charging.
The system of claim 1, further comprising an actuator interconnected to the charging panel and to the electric vehicle, wherein the actuator is configured to move the charging panel to receive the charge.
The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one range sensor configured to measure a distance between the charging panel and the charging plate of the one or more external charging sources.
The system of claim 7, wherein the charging panel is positioned at a selectable desired separation distance from the charging plate of the one or more external charging sources, and wherein the selectable desired separation distance is selected from an electric vehicle database.
The system of claim 8, wherein the positioning of the charging panel to the selectable desired separation distance is performed automatically by actuation of an actuator interconnected to the charging panel.
The system of claim 9, wherein the vehicle controller receives the measured distance and automatically actuates the actuator to adjust the position of the charging panel to the desired separation distance.
The system of claim 6, wherein the actuator is configured to move the charging panel in both a vertical and a lateral direction.
The system of claim 1, wherein the charging data includes an indication that indicates whether the one or more external charging sources provides charge in a static location or while moving.
A method for charging an electric vehicle from an external charging source, the method comprising: determining, by a microprocessor, a charge value of an electrical storage unit disposed at the electric vehicle; determining, by the microprocessor, if the charge value is below a selectable threshold value; transmitting, by the microprocessor, a charging query to one or more external charging sources for charging data; receiving, by the microprocessor and in response to the charging query, the charging data from at least one of the one or more external charging sources; determining, by the microprocessor, if the charging data received from the at least one of the one or more external charging sources is acceptable; and receiving charge from the at least one of the one or more external charging sources when the at least one of the one or more external charging sources is moving, wherein the charging data includes pricing term data indicating an asking price of the charge from the charging plate of the one or more external charging sources, wherein the charging data includes charging rate data indicating a maximum charging rate offered by the one or more external charging sources, and wherein the determining if the charging data is acceptable includes determining that the asking price is less than a maximum threshold price set by a user of the electric vehicle, and determining that the maximum charging rate data received from the one or more external charging sources is above a minimum threshold rate set by the user of the electric vehicle; wherein if the microprocessor determines that the charging data is not acceptable, the microprocessor automatically negotiates unmatched terms within the charging data with the one or more external charging sources using negotiating parameters stored in a vehicle database in communication with the microprocessor.
The method of claim 13, further comprising: accessing, by the microprocessor, data of the vehicle database that includes electric vehicle charging configuration data and the maximum threshold price and the minimum threshold rate; and comparing, by the microprocessor, the data of the electric vehicle database with the charging data received from the at least one of the one or more external charging sources.
The method of claim 14, wherein the charging data includes the charging configuration data.
The method of claim 13, further comprising negotiating the asking price to a lower value.
The method of claim 15, further comprising charging the electrical storage unit.
The method of claim 17, further comprising moving the charging panel to receive the charge.
The method of claim 18, further comprising moving the charging panel in both a vertical and a lateral direction.

Description

The present disclosure is generally directed to vehicle systems, in particular, toward electric and/or hybrid-electric vehicles.

In recent years, transportation methods have changed substantially. This change is due in part to a concern over the limited availability of natural resources, a proliferation in personal technology, and a societal shift to adopt more environmentally friendly transportation solutions. These considerations have encouraged the development of a number of new flexible-fuel vehicles, hybrid-electric vehicles, and electric vehicles.

While these vehicles appear to be new they are generally implemented as a number of traditional subsystems that are merely tied to an alternative power source. In fact, the design and construction of the vehicles is limited to standard frame sizes, shapes, materials, and transportation concepts. Among other things, these limitations fail to take advantage of the benefits of new technology, power sources, and support infrastructure.

FIG. 1 shows a vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a vehicle in an environment in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storing information about a vehicle in an environment;

FIG. 4A shows a vehicle in a user environment in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4B shows a vehicle in a fleet management and automated operation environment in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

Citations (71)

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Record as JSON

{
  "publication_number": "US10427530B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Vehicle charge query and exchange system and method of use",
  "abstract": "A system and method for charging a receiving vehicle, the system comprising: a receiving vehicle comprising an electrical storage unit; a charging panel in electrical communication with the electrical storage unit, the charging panel configured to receive a charge from a charging source and charge the electrical storage unit; and a vehicle controller configured to identify one or more charging sources and further configured to transmit a query to the one or more charging sources and receive at least charging data from the one or more charging sources; and one or more charging sources, each comprising: a charging plate configured to provide a charge to the charging panel; and a charging source controller configured to transmit at least charging data to the vehicle controller in response to the query; wherein if the vehicle controller determines that the charging data received is acceptable, the receiving vehicle is charged.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A system for charging an electric vehicle, the system comprising: an electrical storage unit; a charging panel in electrical communication with the electrical storage unit, the charging panel configured to receive a charge from one or more external charging sources and charge the electrical storage unit; and a vehicle controller configured to identify the one or more external charging sources, to transmit a query to the one or more external charging sources for charging data, and to receive the charging data from a charging source controller of the one or more external charging sources, wherein if the vehicle controller determines that the charging data received from the charging source controller of the one or more external charging sources is acceptable, the charging panel of the electric vehicle receives charge from a charging plate of the one or more external charging sources while the one or more external charging sources is moving, wherein the charging data includes pricing term data indicating an asking price of the charge from the charging plate of the one or more external charging sources, wherein the charging data includes charging rate data indicating a maximum charging rate offered by the one or more external charging sources, wherein the vehicle controller determines that the charging data is acceptable by determining that the asking price is less than a maximum threshold price set by a user of the electric vehicle, and determines that the maximum charging rate data received from the charging source controller is above a minimum threshold rate set by the user of the electric vehicle, and wherein if the vehicle controller determines that the charging data is not acceptable, the vehicle controller automatically negotiates unmatched terms within the charging data with the charging source controller using negotiating parameters stored in a vehicle database in communication with the vehicle controller.",
    "2. The system of claim 1, wherein the charging data includes charging configuration data.",
    "3. The system of claim 2, wherein the charging configuration data includes charging panel locations for charging, the charging panel locations including a vehicle roof, a vehicle side panel, and a vehicle undercarriage.",
    "4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle controller is further configured to provide an electronic financial payment to the charging source controller of the one or more external charging sources.",
    "5. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle controller is further configured to determine if the electric vehicle requires charging.",
    "6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an actuator interconnected to the charging panel and to the electric vehicle, wherein the actuator is configured to move the charging panel to receive the charge.",
    "7. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one range sensor configured to measure a distance between the charging panel and the charging plate of the one or more external charging sources.",
    "8. The system of claim 7, wherein the charging panel is positioned at a selectable desired separation distance from the charging plate of the one or more external charging sources, and wherein the selectable desired separation distance is selected from an electric vehicle database.",
    "9. The system of claim 8, wherein the positioning of the charging panel to the selectable desired separation distance is performed automatically by actuation of an actuator interconnected to the charging panel.",
    "10. The system of claim 9, wherein the vehicle controller receives the measured distance and automatically actuates the actuator to adjust the position of the charging panel to the desired separation distance.",
    "11. The system of claim 6, wherein the actuator is configured to move the charging panel in both a vertical and a lateral direction.",
    "12. The system of claim 1, wherein the charging data includes an indication that indicates whether the one or more external charging sources provides charge in a static location or while moving.",
    "13. A method for charging an electric vehicle from an external charging source, the method comprising: determining, by a microprocessor, a charge value of an electrical storage unit disposed at the electric vehicle; determining, by the microprocessor, if the charge value is below a selectable threshold value; transmitting, by the microprocessor, a charging query to one or more external charging sources for charging data; receiving, by the microprocessor and in response to the charging query, the charging data from at least one of the one or more external charging sources; determining, by the microprocessor, if the charging data received from the at least one of the one or more external charging sources is acceptable; and receiving charge from the at least one of the one or more external charging sources when the at least one of the one or more external charging sources is moving, wherein the charging data includes pricing term data indicating an asking price of the charge from the charging plate of the one or more external charging sources, wherein the charging data includes charging rate data indicating a maximum charging rate offered by the one or more external charging sources, and wherein the determining if the charging data is acceptable includes determining that the asking price is less than a maximum threshold price set by a user of the electric vehicle, and determining that the maximum charging rate data received from the one or more external charging sources is above a minimum threshold rate set by the user of the electric vehicle; wherein if the microprocessor determines that the charging data is not acceptable, the microprocessor automatically negotiates unmatched terms within the charging data with the one or more external charging sources using negotiating parameters stored in a vehicle database in communication with the microprocessor.",
    "14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: accessing, by the microprocessor, data of the vehicle database that includes electric vehicle charging configuration data and the maximum threshold price and the minimum threshold rate; and comparing, by the microprocessor, the data of the electric vehicle database with the charging data received from the at least one of the one or more external charging sources.",
    "15. The method of claim 14, wherein the charging data includes the charging configuration data.",
    "16. The method of claim 13, further comprising negotiating the asking price to a lower value.",
    "17. The method of claim 15, further comprising charging the electrical storage unit.",
    "18. The method of claim 17, further comprising moving the charging panel to receive the charge.",
    "19. The method of claim 18, further comprising moving the charging panel in both a vertical and a lateral direction."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present disclosure is generally directed to vehicle systems, in particular, toward electric and/or hybrid-electric vehicles.\n\nIn recent years, transportation methods have changed substantially. This change is due in part to a concern over the limited availability of natural resources, a proliferation in personal technology, and a societal shift to adopt more environmentally friendly transportation solutions. These considerations have encouraged the development of a number of new flexible-fuel vehicles, hybrid-electric vehicles, and electric vehicles.\n\nWhile these vehicles appear to be new they are generally implemented as a number of traditional subsystems that are merely tied to an alternative power source. In fact, the design and construction of the vehicles is limited to standard frame sizes, shapes, materials, and transportation concepts. Among other things, these limitations fail to take advantage of the benefits of new technology, power sources, and support infrastructure.\n\nFIG. 1 shows a vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;\n\nFIG. 2 shows a vehicle in an environment in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;\n\nFIG. 3 is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storing information about a vehicle in an environment;\n\nFIG. 4A shows a vehicle in a user environment in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;\n\nFIG. 4B shows a vehicle in a fleet management and automated operation environment in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;",
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  "assignees": [
    "NIO USA Inc"
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  "inventors": [
    "Christopher P. Ricci"
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  "filing_date": "2016-05-31",
  "publication_date": "2019-10-01",
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}

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