U.S. patent application number 12/751862 was filed with the patent office on 2011-01-13 for vehicle communication systems and methods for electric vehicle power management.
This patent application is currently assigned to GridPoint, Inc.. Invention is credited to Joby Lafky.
Application Number | 20110010043 12/751862 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42982790 |
Filed Date | 2011-01-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110010043 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lafky; Joby |
January 13, 2011 |
VEHICLE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE
POWER MANAGEMENT
Abstract
A system and methods that enables enhanced vehicle
communications for electric vehicle power management. In an
embodiment, a system provides for communications in a power flow
management system utilizing existing hardware including a smart
charging module. In another embodiment, a communications module
provides communication services to vehicle subsystems including a
central processing unit in a vehicle and a CAN-bus transceiver. In
yet another embodiment, an interface enables the installation of a
charge controller for a control extensibility system including a
physical interface to a vehicle's CAN-bus comprising an electrical
contact plug. In an embodiment, an interface enables an electric
vehicle to communicate with an electric power supply device without
specific hardware by modulating the power transfer between the
electrical load and an electric power supply. In another
embodiment, a system provides for arbitrating a smart chargepoint
includes a first smart charging module implemented on equipment
located inside a vehicle.
Inventors: |
Lafky; Joby; (Seattle,
WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GREENBERG TRAURIG, LLP (DC/ORL)
2101 L Street, N.W., Suite 1000
Washington
DC
20037
US
|
Assignee: |
GridPoint, Inc.
Arlington
VA
|
Family ID: |
42982790 |
Appl. No.: |
12/751862 |
Filed: |
March 31, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61165344 |
Mar 31, 2009 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
701/31.4 ;
320/109; 709/217; 709/246; 710/100; 719/313 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60L 53/18 20190201;
Y04S 30/14 20130101; Y02T 90/16 20130101; H02J 2300/10 20200101;
Y02T 10/72 20130101; Y02T 90/168 20130101; Y02E 60/00 20130101;
H02J 7/00 20130101; B60L 55/00 20190201; Y04S 10/126 20130101; Y02T
10/7072 20130101; B60L 53/665 20190201; B60L 53/68 20190201; B60L
11/184 20130101; B60L 53/305 20190201; H02J 3/381 20130101; B60L
53/63 20190201; B60L 2240/70 20130101; Y02T 10/70 20130101; Y02T
90/14 20130101; B60L 53/64 20190201; Y02T 90/12 20130101; B60L
53/65 20190201; Y02T 90/169 20130101; Y04S 30/12 20130101; Y02T
90/167 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
701/33 ; 719/313;
710/100; 709/246; 709/217; 320/109 |
International
Class: |
G06F 7/00 20060101
G06F007/00; G06F 9/46 20060101 G06F009/46; G06F 13/38 20060101
G06F013/38; G06F 15/16 20060101 G06F015/16; H02J 7/00 20060101
H02J007/00 |
Claims
1. A system for communicating in a power flow management system
utilizing existing hardware, comprising: a smart charging module,
the module being configured to be implemented on an server
subsystem in a vehicle, the server subsystem being connected to a
shared vehicle-wide communications medium for communication with at
least one other subsystem in the vehicle, the module being further
configured to provide a set of services using capabilities provided
by the server subsystem and the at least one other subsystem, the
services comprising: sending messages, using the shared
vehicle-wide communications medium to the at least one subsystem in
the vehicle to implement a smart charging program.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the services further comprise:
embedding off-board communications protocols in shared vehicle-wide
communications medium messages; communicating with an external
system coordinating the smart charging program using capabilities
provided by the server subsystem or the at least one other
subsystem.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the shared vehicle-wide
communications medium is a CAN bus and the vehicle-wide
communications messages are CAN bus messages.
4. The system of claim 2 wherein the communicating with the
external system is performed by an existing communications module
of the server subsystem or the at least one other subsystem, the
existing communications module being upgraded to include at least a
portion of the smart charging module.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein the existing communications module
is related to an emergency response system.
6. The system of claim 4 wherein the existing communications module
is related to a remote vehicle diagnostic system.
7. A communications module for providing communication services to
vehicle subsystems, comprising: a central processing unit in a
vehicle; a CAN transceiver operatively connected to the central
processing unit connected to an external bus in the vehicle, the
external bus being operatively connected to at least one vehicle
subsystem; a software stack operatively connected to the central
processing unit configured to wrap communications packets in a CAN
header for communications packets entering a vehicle from an
external network, the software stack being further configured to
remove CAN headers for communications packets leaving the vehicle;
software, executed by the central processing unit, configured to
translate messages comprising the communications packets from a
remote network format to CAN format; and, software, executed by the
central processing unit, configured to support a bonding or
provisioning process required by at least one external
communications protocol.
8. The communications module of claim 7 wherein the module is
further configured to establishing a communications channel between
the at least one vehicle subsystem and at least one external system
coordinating a smart charging program.
9. The communications module of claim 7 wherein the messages
comprising the communications packets from a remote network are
forwarded unmodified to other vehicle subsystems using an
encapsulation protocol.
10. The communications module of claim 7 wherein the communications
module is configured to receive packets across the external bus
with at least one command specifying the current price of
electricity, the communications module being further configured to
transmits at least one CAN-bus message to at least one subsystem in
the vehicle indicating the current price of electricity.
11. The communications module of claim 7 wherein the external
network uses the TCP/IP protocol and the communications module
forwards TCP packets over the CAN-bus to at least one
subsystem.
12. An interface enabling the installation of a charge controller
for a control extensibility system, comprising: a physical
interface to a vehicle's CAN-bus, comprising an electrical contact
plug; an expansion module providing a standardization of software
messages sent over the CAN-bus to control charging; and a physical
location for the charge controller to reside, where the CAN
interface plug is located.
13. The interface of claim 12 wherein the physical interface
provides environmental protection to the add-on modules.
14. The interface of claim 12 wherein the interface comprises a
standardized connector to the vehicle's CAN-bus, and a standardized
connector to an electrical supply.
15. The interface of claim 12 wherein the expansion module provides
a communications path to external networks that enables the
expansion module to participate in a smart charging program;
16. The interface of claim 12 wherein existing modules in the
vehicle have no explicit support for smart charging, and all smart
charging logic is contained in the expansion module.
17. An interface enabling an electric vehicle to communicate with
an electric power supply device without specific hardware,
comprising: transmitting information from an electrical load
associated with the electric vehicle to an electric power supply by
modulating the power transfer between the electrical load and an
electric power supply.
18. The interface of claim 17 wherein an electric vehicle is
further enabled to communicate with the electric power supply
device comprising: receiving information by an electrical load
associated with the electric vehicle from an electric power supply
by detecting changes in the modulation of the power transfer
between the electrical load and the electric power supply.
19. The interface of claim 18 wherein information is transmitted by
the electric power supply by providing power for an interval,
represented as the binary 1 digit, or by refraining from providing
power for an interval, represented as the binary 0 digit.
20. The interface of claim 18 wherein communications time of the
electric load is subdivided into seconds, wherein each second
wherein the load drew power is interrupted as the binary 1 digit,
and each second wherein the load device did not draw power is
interrupted as the binary 0 digit.
21. The interface of claim 20 wherein communications time of the
electric supply is subdivided into seconds, wherein each second
wherein the supply provided power is interrupted as the binary 1
digit, and each second wherein the supply did not provide power is
the binary 0 digit.
22. The interface of claim 20 wherein the time interval is varied
to an interval lower than one second.
23. The interface of claim 17 wherein the electrical load is
supplied with a supplemental power source to remain functional
during intervals when the electric power supply is not supplying
power to the electrical load.
24. The interface of claim 17 wherein the supplemental power source
is selected from the group: storage battery, capacitor, and an
alternative primary electrical source.
25. The interface of claim 17 wherein the electric power supply and
the electric vehicle take turns transmitting information.
26. The interface of claim 23 wherein, the transmitted messages are
structured as packets with a transmitted size and after the
transmission of a packet, the direction of transmission is
reversed.
27. A system for arbitrating a smart chargepoint, comprising: a
first smart charging module, the module being configured to be
implemented on equipment located inside a vehicle, the first smart
charging module being configured to: communicate with a server
implementing a smart charging program, the smart charging program
coordinating the charging activities of a plurality of vehicles
distributed over an area; moderate electrical load in the vehicle
by reducing the power consumption of the vehicle; communicate with
at least a second smart charging module in external equipment
responsible for providing electricity to the vehicle, enabling the
first smart charging module and the second smart charging module to
implement a charge coordination protocol to determine which of the
two modules is responsible for communicating with the server
implementing the smart charging program.
28. The system of claim 27 wherein the charge coordination protocol
causes one of the smart charging modules to assume a primary role
and the other to enter a passive mode, following the direction of
the module in the primary entity.
29. The system of claim 27 wherein the charge coordination protocol
causes one of the smart charging modules to assume a primary role
and the other to enter a passive mode, following the direction of
the module in the primary entity.
30. The system of claim 27 wherein the first smart charging module
is further configured to transmit a charge coordination
capabilities message to a chargepoint when the vehicle is connected
to the chargepoint, the message specifying charge coordination
modes that the vehicle supports.
31. The system of claim 30 wherein coordination modes that the
vehicle supports are selected from a list provided by the
vehicle.
32. The system of claim 30 wherein two of the coordination modes
that the vehicle supports are selected from a list provided by the
vehicle.
33. The system of claim 30 wherein one of the coordination modes is
charge-equipment switching charging mode, wherein in
charge-equipment switched charging mode, the electric vehicle stops
smart charging and behaves as a dumb load, and the external
equipment responsible for providing electricity to the vehicle
controls the rate of electricity flow to the vehicle and
communicates with the server implementing the smart charging
program
34. The system of claim 30 wherein one of the coordination modes is
vehicle-switched charging mode, wherein the external equipment
responsible for providing electricity to the vehicle does not
engage in smart charging and provides electricity on-demand to the
vehicle at all times, and wherein the vehicle performs the physical
regulation of charge level
35. The system of claim 27 wherein the external equipment
responsible for providing electricity to the vehicle is configured
to determine if the vehicle complies with charge directives,
wherein the vehicle fall back to direct control of smart charging
it is determined that the vehicle was non-compliant.
36. The system of claim 27 wherein the communication between the
first smart charging module and the second smart charging module is
accomplished via Power Line Communications over the charging
cable.
37. The system of claim 27 wherein the communication between the
first smart charging module and the second smart charging module is
accomplished via wireless communications.
Description
[0001] This non-provisional patent application claims priority to,
and incorporates herein by reference, U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 61/165,344 filed on Mar. 31, 2009. This application
also incorporates herein by reference the following: U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/252,657 filed Oct. 16, 2008; U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/252,209 filed Oct. 15, 2008; U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/252,803 filed Oct. 16, 2008; and U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 12/252,950 filed Oct. 16, 2008.
[0002] This application includes material which is subject to
copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the
facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it
appears in the Patent and Trademark Office files or records, but
otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates in general to the field of
electric vehicles, and in particular to novel systems and methods
for communication and interaction between electric vehicles and the
electrical grid.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Low-level electrical and communication interfaces to enable
charging and discharging of electric vehicles with respect to the
grid is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,270 to Green et al.,
entitled, "Battery powered electric vehicle and electrical supply
system," incorporated herein by reference. The Green reference
describes a bi-directional charging and communication system for
grid-connected electric vehicles.
[0005] Modern automobiles, including electric vehicles, have many
electronic control units for various subsystems. While some
subsystems are independent, communications among others are
essential. To fill this need, controller-area network (CAN or
CAN-bus) was devised as a multi-master broadcast serial bus
standard for connecting electronic control units. Using a message
based protocol designed specifically for automotive applications,
CAN-bus is a vehicle bus standard designed to allow
microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other within
a vehicle without a host computer. The CAN-bus is used in vehicles
to connect the engine control unit, transmission, airbags, antilock
braking, cruise control, audio systems, windows, doors, mirror
adjustment, climate control, and seat control. CAN is one of five
protocols used in the (On-Board Diagnostics) OBD-II vehicle
diagnostics standard.
[0006] Modern vehicles contain a variety of subsystems that may
benefit from communications with various off-vehicle entities. As
the smart energy marketplace evolves, multiple application-level
protocols may further develop for the control of power flow for
electric vehicles and within the home. For example, energy
management protocols are being developed for both Zigbee and
Homeplug. A vehicle manufacturer may need to support multiple
physical communications mediums. For example, ZigBee is used in
some installations while PLC is used in others. Considering the
very long service life of items such as utility meters and
automobiles, the use of multiple incompatible protocols may pose an
barrier to deployment. For example, if a homeowner buys a car that
utilizes one protocol and receives a utility meter that uses
another protocol, it is unlikely that either device will quickly
replace other device.
[0007] Significant opportunities for improvement exist with respect
to communications with power grids and among electric vehicles. It
would be beneficial to enhance modern electric vehicles to have a
centrally controlled charging program. What is needed are systems
and methods that provide for the complexity of charging
intelligence of smart vehicles. There is also a need for novel
communication techniques effectively use existing communication
hardware, that allow for upgrading existing equipment, and that do
not require specific hardware. In addition, novel systems and
methods are needed that effectively provide communication services
to vehicle subsystems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In an embodiment, a system for communicating in a power flow
management system utilizing existing hardware includes a smart
charging module that is configured to be implemented on an server
subsystem in a vehicle. The server subsystem is connected to a
shared vehicle-wide communications medium for communication with
another subsystem in the vehicle. The module is further configured
to provide a set of services using capabilities provided by the
server subsystem and the other subsystem. These services includes
sending messages, using the shared vehicle-wide communications
medium to one subsystem in the vehicle to implement a smart
charging program.
[0009] In another embodiment, a communications module for providing
communication services to vehicle subsystems includes a central
processing unit in a vehicle and a CAN-bus transceiver operatively
connected to the central processing unit connected to an external
bus in the vehicle. The external bus is operatively connected to a
vehicle subsystem. The module includes a software stack operatively
connected to the central processing unit configured to wrap
communications packets in a CAN header for communications packets
entering a vehicle from an external network. The software stack is
further configured to remove CAN headers for communications packets
leaving the vehicle. The module includes software, executed by the
central processing unit, configured to translate messages
comprising the communications packets from a remote network format
to CAN format. The module also includes software, executed by the
central processing unit, configured to support a bonding or
provisioning process required by an external communications
protocol.
[0010] In yet another embodiment, an interface enabling the
installation of a charge controller for a control extensibility
system includes a physical interface to a vehicle's CAN-bus
comprising an electrical contact plug. The interface also includes
an expansion module providing a standardization of software
messages sent over the CAN-bus to control charging. In addition,
the interface includes a physical location for the charge
controller to reside, where the CAN interface plug is located.
[0011] In an embodiment, an interface enabling an electric vehicle
to communicate with an electric power supply device without
specific hardware includes transmitting information from an
electrical load associated with the electric vehicle to an electric
power supply by modulating the power transfer between the
electrical load and an electric power supply.
[0012] In another embodiment, a system for arbitrating a smart
chargepoint includes a first smart charging module that is
configured to be implemented on equipment located inside a vehicle.
The first smart charging module is configured to communicate with a
server implementing a smart charging program. The smart charging
program coordinates the charging activities of a plurality of
vehicles distributed over an area. The first smart charging module
moderates electrical load in the vehicle by reducing the power
consumption of the vehicle. In addition, the first smart charging
module communicates with a second smart charging module in external
equipment responsible for providing electricity to the vehicle,
enabling the first smart charging module and the second smart
charging module to implement a charge coordination protocol to
determine which of the two modules is responsible for communicating
with the server implementing the smart charging program.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of
the invention will be apparent from the following more particular
description of embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings, in which reference characters refer to the same parts
throughout the various views. The drawings are not necessarily to
scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating principles
of the invention.
[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a power aggregation
system.
[0015] FIGS. 2A-2B are diagrams of an example of connections
between an electric vehicle, the power grid, and the Internet.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example of connections
between an electric resource and a flow control server of the power
aggregation system.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example of a layout of the power
aggregation system.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example of control areas in the
power aggregation system.
[0019] FIG. 6 is a diagram of multiple flow control centers in the
power aggregation system and a directory server for determining a
flow control center.
[0020] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an example of flow control
server.
[0021] FIG. 8A is a block diagram of an example of remote
intelligent power flow module.
[0022] FIG. 8B is a block diagram of an example of transceiver and
charging component combination.
[0023] FIG. 8C is an illustration of an example of simple user
interface for facilitating user controlled charging.
[0024] FIG. 9 is a diagram of an example of resource communication
protocol.
[0025] FIG. 10 is a diagram of an example of communications using
existing hardware.
[0026] FIG. 11 is a diagram of an example of communication services
to vehicle subsystems.
[0027] FIG. 12 is a diagram of an example of an extensibility
system.
[0028] FIG. 13 is a diagram of an example of communications without
specific hardware.
[0029] FIG. 14 is a diagram of an example of arbitrating a smart
chargepoint.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0030] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of
the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
[0031] Overview
[0032] Described herein is a power aggregation system for
distributed electric resources, and associated methods. In one
implementation, a system communicates over the Internet and/or some
other public or private networks with numerous individual electric
resources connected to a power grid (hereinafter, "grid"). By
communicating, the system can dynamically aggregate these electric
resources to provide power services to grid operators (e.g.
utilities, Independent System Operators (ISO), etc).
[0033] "Power services" as used herein, refers to energy delivery
as well as other ancillary services including demand response,
regulation, spinning reserves, non-spinning reserves, energy
imbalance, reactive power, and similar products.
[0034] "Aggregation" as used herein refers to the ability to
control power flows into and out of a set of spatially distributed
electric resources with the purpose of providing a power service of
larger magnitude.
[0035] "Charge Control Management" as used herein refers to
enabling or performing the starting, stopping, or level-setting of
a flow of power between a power grid and an electric resource.
[0036] "Power grid operator" as used herein, refers to the entity
that is responsible for maintaining the operation and stability of
the power grid within or across an electric control area. The power
grid operator may constitute some combination of manual/human
action/intervention and automated processes controlling generation
signals in response to system sensors. A "control area operator" is
one example of a power grid operator.
[0037] "Control area" as used herein, refers to a contained portion
of the electrical grid with defined input and output ports. The net
flow of power into this area must equal (within some error
tolerance) the sum of the power consumption within the area and
power outflow from the area.
[0038] "Power grid" as used herein means a power distribution
system/network that connects producers of power with consumers of
power. The network may include generators, transformers,
interconnects, switching stations, and safety equipment as part of
either/both the transmission system (i.e., bulk power) or the
distribution system (i.e. retail power). The power aggregation
system is vertically scalable for use within a neighborhood, a
city, a sector, a control area, or (for example) one of the eight
large-scale Interconnects in the North American Electric
Reliability Council (NERC). Moreover, the system is horizontally
scalable for use in providing power services to multiple grid areas
simultaneously.
[0039] "Grid conditions" as used herein, refers to the need for
more or less power flowing in or out of a section of the electric
power grid, in response to one of a number of conditions, for
example supply changes, demand changes, contingencies and failures,
ramping events, etc. These grid conditions typically manifest
themselves as power quality events such as under- or over-voltage
events or under- or over-frequency events.
[0040] "Power quality events" as used herein typically refers to
manifestations of power grid instability including voltage
deviations and frequency deviations; additionally, power quality
events as used herein also includes other disturbances in the
quality of the power delivered by the power grid such as sub-cycle
voltage spikes and harmonics.
[0041] "Electric resource" as used herein typically refers to
electrical entities that can be commanded to do some or all of
these three things: take power (act as load), provide power (act as
power generation or source), and store energy. Examples may include
battery/charger/inverter systems for electric or hybrid-electric
vehicles, repositories of used-but-serviceable electric vehicle
batteries, fixed energy storage, fuel cell generators, emergency
generators, controllable loads, etc.
[0042] "Electric vehicle" is used broadly herein to refer to pure
electric and hybrid electric vehicles, such as plug-in hybrid
electric vehicles (PHEVs), especially vehicles that have
significant storage battery capacity and that connect to the power
grid for recharging the battery. More specifically, electric
vehicle means a vehicle that gets some or all of its energy for
motion and other purposes from the power grid. Moreover, an
electric vehicle has an energy storage system, which may consist of
batteries, capacitors, etc., or some combination thereof. An
electric vehicle may or may not have the capability to provide
power back to the electric grid.
[0043] Electric vehicle "energy storage systems" (batteries, super
capacitors, and/or other energy storage devices) are used herein as
a representative example of electric resources intermittently or
permanently connected to the grid that can have dynamic input and
output of power. Such batteries can function as a power source or a
power load. A collection of aggregated electric vehicle batteries
can become a statistically stable resource across numerous
batteries, despite recognizable tidal connection trends (e.g., an
increase in the total number of vehicles connected to the grid at
night; a downswing in the collective number of connected batteries
as the morning commute begins, etc.) Across vast numbers of
electric vehicle batteries, connection trends are predictable and
such batteries become a stable and reliable resource to call upon,
should the grid or a part of the grid (such as a person's home in a
blackout) experience a need for increased or decreased power. Data
collection and storage also enable the power aggregation system to
predict connection behavior on a per-user basis.
An Example of the Presently Disclosed System
[0044] FIG. 1 shows a power aggregation system 100. A flow control
center 102 is communicatively coupled with a network, such as a
public/private mix that includes the Internet 104, and includes one
or more servers 106 providing a centralized power aggregation
service. "Internet" 104 will be used herein as representative of
many different types of communicative networks and network mixtures
(e.g., one or more wide area networks--public or private--and/or
one or more local area networks). Via a network, such as the
Internet 104, the flow control center 102 maintains communication
108 with operators of power grid(s), and communication 110 with
remote resources, i.e., communication with peripheral electric
resources 112 ("end" or "terminal" nodes/devices of a power
network) that are connected to the power grid 114. In one
implementation, power line communicators (PLCs), such as those that
include or consist of Ethernet-over-power line bridges 120 are
implemented at connection locations so that the "last mile" (in
this case, last feet--e.g., in a residence 124) of Internet
communication with remote resources is implemented over the same
wire that connects each electric resource 112 to the power grid
114. Thus, each physical location of each electric resource 112 may
be associated with a corresponding Ethernet-over-power line bridge
120 (hereinafter, "bridge") at or near the same location as the
electric resource 112. Each bridge 120 is typically connected to an
Internet access point of a location owner, as will be described in
greater detail below. The communication medium from flow control
center 102 to the connection location, such as residence 124, can
take many forms, such as cable modem, DSL, satellite, fiber, WiMax,
etc. In a variation, electric resources 112 may connect with the
Internet by a different medium than the same power wire that
connects them to the power grid 114. For example, a given electric
resource 112 may have its own wireless capability to connect
directly with the Internet 104 or an Internet access point and
thereby with the flow control center 102.
[0045] Electric resources 112 of the power aggregation system 100
may include the batteries of electric vehicles connected to the
power grid 114 at residences 124, parking lots 126 etc.; batteries
in a repository 128, fuel cell generators, private dams,
conventional power plants, and other resources that produce
electricity and/or store electricity physically or
electrically.
[0046] In one implementation, each participating electric resource
112 or group of local resources has a corresponding remote
intelligent power flow (IPF) module 134 (hereinafter, "remote IPF
module" 134). The centralized flow control center 102 administers
the power aggregation system 100 by communicating with the remote
IPF modules 134 distributed peripherally among the electric
resources 112. The remote IPF modules 134 perform several different
functions, including, but not limited to, providing the flow
control center 102 with the statuses of remote resources;
controlling the amount, direction, and timing of power being
transferred into or out of a remote electric resource 112;
providing metering of power being transferred into or out of a
remote electric resource 112; providing safety measures during
power transfer and changes of conditions in the power grid 114;
logging activities; and providing self contained control of power
transfer and safety measures when communication with the flow
control center 102 is interrupted. The remote IPF modules 134 will
be described in greater detail below.
[0047] In another implementation, instead of having an IPF module
134, each electric resource 112 may have a corresponding
transceiver (not shown) to communicate with a local charging
component (not shown). The transceiver and charging component, in
combination, may communicate with flow control center 102 to
perform some or all of the above mentioned functions of IPF module
134. A transceiver and charging component are shown in FIG. 2B and
are described in greater detail herein.
[0048] FIG. 2A shows another view of electrical and communicative
connections to an electric resource 112. In this example, an
electric vehicle 200 includes a battery bank 202 and a remote IPF
module 134. The electric vehicle 200 may connect to a conventional
wall receptacle (wall outlet) 204 of a residence 124, the wall
receptacle 204 representing the peripheral edge of the power grid
114 connected via a residential powerline 206.
[0049] In one implementation, the power cord 208 between the
electric vehicle 200 and the wall outlet 204 can be composed of
only conventional wire and insulation for conducting alternating
current (AC) power to and from the electric vehicle 200. In FIG.
2A, a location-specific connection locality module 210 performs the
function of network access point--in this case, the Internet access
point. A bridge 120 intervenes between the receptacle 204 and the
network access point so that the power cord 208 can also carry
network communications between the electric vehicle 200 and the
receptacle 204. With such a bridge 120 and connection locality
module 210 in place in a connection location, no other special
wiring or physical medium is needed to communicate with the remote
IPF module 134 of the electric vehicle 200 other than a
conventional power cord 208 for providing residential line current
at any conventional voltage. Upstream of the connection locality
module 210, power and communication with the electric vehicle 200
are resolved into the powerline 206 and an Internet cable 104.
[0050] Alternatively, the power cord 208 may include safety
features not found in conventional power and extension cords. For
example, an electrical plug 212 of the power cord 208 may include
electrical and/or mechanical safeguard components to prevent the
remote IPF module 134 from electrifying or exposing the male
conductors of the power cord 208 when the conductors are exposed to
a human user.
[0051] In some embodiments, a radio frequency (RF) bridge (not
shown) may assist the remote IPF module 134 in communicating with a
foreign system, such as a utility smart meter (not shown) and/or a
connection locality module 210. For example, the remote IPF module
134 may be equipped to communicate over power cord 208 or to engage
in some form of RF communication, such as Zigbee or Bluetooth.TM.,
and the foreign system may be able to engage in a different form of
RF communication. In such an implementation, the RF bridge may be
equipped to communicate with both the foreign system and remote IPF
module 134 and to translate communications from one to a form the
other may understand, and to relay those messages. In various
embodiments, the RF bridge may be integrated into the remote IPF
module 134 or foreign system, or may be external to both. The
communicative associations between the RF bridge and remote IPF
module 134 and between the RF bridge and foreign system may be via
wired or wireless communication.
[0052] FIG. 2B shows a further view of electrical and communicative
connections to an electric resource 112. In this example, the
electric vehicle 200 may include a transceiver 212 rather than a
remote IPF module 134. The transceiver 212 may be communicatively
coupled to a charging component 214 through a connection 216, and
the charging component itself may be coupled to a conventional wall
receptacle (wall outlet) 204 of a residence 124 and to electric
vehicle 200 through a power cord 208. The other components shown in
FIG. 2B may have the couplings and functions discussed with regard
to FIG. 2A.
[0053] In various embodiments, transceiver 212 and charging
component 214 may, in combination, perform the same functions as
the remote IPF module 134. Transceiver 212 may interface with
computer systems of electric vehicle 200 and communicate with
charging component 214, providing charging component 214 with
information about electric vehicle 200, such as its vehicle
identifier, a location identifier, and a state of charge. In
response, transceiver 212 may receive requests and commands which
transceiver 212 may relay to vehicle 200's computer systems.
[0054] Charging component 214, being coupled to both electric
vehicle 200 and wall outlet 204, may effectuate charge control of
the electric vehicle 200. If the electric vehicle 200 is not
capable of charge control management, charging component 214 may
directly manage the charging of electric vehicle 200 by stopping
and starting a flow of power between the electric vehicle 200 and a
power grid 114 in response to commands received from a flow control
server 106. If, on the other hand, the electric vehicle 200 is
capable of charge control management, charging component 214 may
effectuate charge control by sending commands to the electric
vehicle 200 through the transceiver 212.
[0055] In some embodiments, the transceiver 212 may be physically
coupled to the electric vehicle 200 through a data port, such as an
OBD-II connector. In other embodiments, other couplings may be
used. The connection 216 between transceiver 212 and charging
component 214 may be a wireless signal, such as a radio frequency
(RF), such as a Zigbee, or Bluetooth.TM. signal. And charging
component 214 may include a receiver socket to couple with power
cord 208 and a plug to couple with wall outlet 204. In one
embodiment, charging component 214 may be coupled to connection
locality module 210 in either a wired or wireless fashion. For
example, charging component 214 may have a data interface for
communicating wirelessly with both the transceiver 212 and locality
module 210. In such an embodiment, the bridge 120 may not be
required.
[0056] Further details about the transceiver 212 and charging
component 214 are illustrated by FIG. 8B and described in greater
detail herein.
[0057] FIG. 3 shows another implementation of the connection
locality module 210 of FIG. 2, in greater detail. In FIG. 3, an
electric resource 112 has an associated remote IPF module 134,
including a bridge 120. The power cord 208 connects the electric
resource 112 to the power grid 114 and also to the connection
locality module 210 in order to communicate with the flow control
server 106.
[0058] The connection locality module 210 includes another instance
of a bridge 120, connected to a network access point 302, which may
include such components as a router, switch, and/or modem, to
establish a hardwired or wireless connection with, in this case,
the Internet 104. In one implementation, the power cord 208 between
the two bridges 120 and 120' is replaced by a wireless Internet
link, such as a wireless transceiver in the remote IPF module 134
and a wireless router in the connection locality module 210.
[0059] In other embodiments, a transceiver 212 and charging
component 214 may be used instead of a remote IPF module 134. In
such an embodiment, the charging component 214 may include or be
coupled to a bridge 120, and the connection locality module 210 may
also include a bridge 120', as shown. In yet other embodiments, not
shown, charging component 214 and connection locality module 210
may communicate in a wired or wireless fashion, as mentioned
previously, without bridges 120 and 120'. The wired or wireless
communication may utilize any sort of connection technology known
in the art, such as Ethernet or RF communication, such as Zigbee,
or Bluetooth.
[0060] System Layouts
[0061] FIG. 4 shows a layout 400 of the power aggregation system
100. The flow control center 102 can be connected to many different
entities, e.g., via the Internet 104, for communicating and
receiving information. The layout 400 includes electric resources
112, such as plug-in electric vehicles 200, physically connected to
the grid within a single control area 402. The electric resources
112 become an energy resource for grid operators 404 to
utilize.
[0062] The layout 400 also includes end users 406 classified into
electric resource owners 408 and electrical connection location
owners 410, who may or may not be one and the same. In fact, the
stakeholders in a power aggregation system 100 include the system
operator at the flow control center 102, the grid operator 404, the
resource owner 408, and the owner of the location 410 at which the
electric resource 112 is connected to the power grid 114.
[0063] Electrical connection location owners 410 can include:
[0064] Rental car lots--rental car companies often have a large
portion of their fleet parked in the lot. They can purchase fleets
of electric vehicles 200 and, participating in a power aggregation
system 100, generate revenue from idle fleet vehicles.
[0065] Public parking lots--parking lot owners can participate in
the power aggregation system 100 to generate revenue from parked
electric vehicles 200. Vehicle owners can be offered free parking,
or additional incentives, in exchange for providing power
services.
[0066] Workplace parking--employers can participate in a power
aggregation system 100 to generate revenue from parked employee
electric vehicles 200. Employees can be offered incentives in
exchange for providing power services.
[0067] Residences--a home garage can merely be equipped with a
connection locality module 210 to enable the homeowner to
participate in the power aggregation system 100 and generate
revenue from a parked car. Also, the vehicle battery 202 and
associated power electronics within the vehicle can provide local
power backup power during times of peak load or power outages.
[0068] Residential neighborhoods--neighborhoods can participate in
a power aggregation system 100 and be equipped with power-delivery
devices (deployed, for example, by homeowner cooperative groups)
that generate revenue from parked electric vehicles 200.
[0069] The grid operations 116 of FIG. 4 collectively include
interactions with energy markets 412, the interactions of grid
operators 404, and the interactions of automated grid controllers
118 that perform automatic physical control of the power grid
114.
[0070] The flow control center 102 may also be coupled with
information sources 414 for input of weather reports, events, price
feeds, etc. Other data sources 414 include the system stakeholders,
public databases, and historical system data, which may be used to
optimize system performance and to satisfy constraints on the power
aggregation system 100.
[0071] Thus, a power aggregation system 100 may consist of
components that:
[0072] communicate with the electric resources 112 to gather data
and actuate charging/discharging of the electric resources 112;
[0073] gather real-time energy prices;
[0074] gather real-time resource statistics;
[0075] predict behavior of electric resources 112 (connectedness,
location, state (such as battery State-Of-Charge) at a given time
of interest, such as a time of connect/disconnect);
[0076] predict behavior of the power grid 114/load;
[0077] encrypt communications for privacy and data security;
[0078] actuate charging of electric vehicles 200 to optimize some
figure(s) of merit;
[0079] offer guidelines or guarantees about load availability for
various points in the future, etc.
[0080] These components can be running on a single computing
resource (computer, etc.), or on a distributed set of resources
(either physically co-located or not).
[0081] Power aggregation systems 100 in such a layout 400 can
provide many benefits: for example, lower-cost ancillary services
(i.e., power services), fine-grained (both temporal and spatial)
control over resource scheduling, guaranteed reliability and
service levels, increased service levels via intelligent resource
scheduling, and/or firming of intermittent generation sources such
as wind and solar power generation.
[0082] The power aggregation system 100 enables a grid operator 404
to control the aggregated electric resources 112 connected to the
power grid 114. An electric resource 112 can act as a power source,
load, or storage, and the resource 112 may exhibit combinations of
these properties. Control of a set of electric resources 112 is the
ability to actuate power consumption, generation, or energy storage
from an aggregate of these electric resources 112.
[0083] FIG. 5 shows the role of multiple control areas 402 in the
power aggregation system 100. Each electric resource 112 can be
connected to the power aggregation system 100 within a specific
electrical control area. A single instance of the flow control
center 102 can administer electric resources 112 from multiple
distinct control areas 501 (e.g., control areas 502, 504, and 506).
In one implementation, this functionality is achieved by logically
partitioning resources within the power aggregation system 100. For
example, when the control areas 402 include an arbitrary number of
control areas, control area "A" 502, control area "B" 504, . . . ,
control area "n" 506, then grid operations 116 can include
corresponding control area operators 508, 510, . . . , and 512.
Further division into a control hierarchy that includes control
division groupings above and below the illustrated control areas
402 allows the power aggregation system 100 to scale to power grids
114 of different magnitudes and/or to varying numbers of electric
resources 112 connected with a power grid 114.
[0084] FIG. 6 shows a layout 600 of a power aggregation system 100
that uses multiple centralized flow control centers 102 and 102'
and a directory server 602 for determining a flow control center.
Each flow control center 102 and 102' has its own respective end
users 406 and 406'. Control areas 402 to be administered by each
specific instance of a flow control center 102 can be assigned
dynamically. For example, a first flow control center 102 may
administer control area A 502 and control area B 504, while a
second flow control center 102' administers control area n 506.
Likewise, corresponding control area operators (508, 510, and 512)
are served by the same flow control center 102 that serves their
respective different control areas.
[0085] In various embodiments, an electric resource may determine
which flow control center 102/102' administers its control area
502/504/506 by communicating with a directory server 602. The
address of the directory server 602 may be known to electric
resource 112 or its associated IPF module 134 or charging component
214. Upon plugging in, the electric resource 112 may communicate
with the directory server 602, providing the directory server 112
with a resource identifier and/or a location identifier. Based on
this information, the directory server 602 may respond, identifying
which flow control center 102/102' to use.
[0086] In another embodiment, directory server 602 may be
integrated with a flow control server 106 of a flow control center
102/102'. In such an embodiment, the electric resource 112 may
contact the server 106. In response, the server 106 may either
interact with the electric resource 112 itself or forward the
connection to another flow control center 102/102' responsible for
the location identifier provided by the electric resource 112.
[0087] In some embodiments, whether integrated with a flow control
server 106 or not, directory server 602 may include a publicly
accessible database for mapping locations to flow control centers
102/102'.
[0088] Flow Control Server
[0089] FIG. 7 shows a server 106 of the flow control center 102.
The illustrated implementation in FIG. 7 is only one example
configuration, for descriptive purposes. Many other arrangements of
the illustrated components or even different components
constituting a server 106 of the flow control center 102 are
possible within the scope of the subject matter. Such a server 106
and flow control center 102 can be executed in hardware, software,
or combinations of hardware, software, firmware, etc.
[0090] The flow control server 106 includes a connection manager
702 to communicate with electric resources 112, a prediction engine
704 that may include a learning engine 706 and a statistics engine
708, a constraint optimizer 710, and a grid interaction manager 712
to receive grid control signals 714. Grid control signals 714 are
sometimes referred to as generation control signals, such as
automated generation control (AGC) signals. The flow control server
106 may further include a database/information warehouse 716, a web
server 718 to present a user interface to electric resource owners
408, grid operators 404, and electrical connection location owners
410; a contract manager 720 to negotiate contract terms with energy
markets 412, and an information acquisition engine 414 to track
weather, relevant news events, etc., and download information from
public and private databases 722 for predicting behavior of large
groups of the electric resources 112, monitoring energy prices,
negotiating contracts, etc.
[0091] Remote IPF Module
[0092] FIG. 8A shows the remote IPF module 134 of FIGS. 1 and 2 in
greater detail. The illustrated remote IPF module 134 is only one
example configuration, for descriptive purposes. Many other
arrangements of the illustrated components or even different
components constituting a remote IPF module 134 are possible within
the scope of the subject matter. Such a remote IPF module 134 has
some hardware components and some components that can be executed
in hardware, software, or combinations of hardware, software,
firmware, etc. In other embodiments, executable instructions
configured to perform some or all of the operations of remote IPF
module 134 may be added to hardware of an electric resource 112
such as an electric vehicle that, when combined with the executable
instructions, provides equivalent functionality to remote IPF
module 134. References to remote IPF module 134 as used herein
include such executable instructions.
[0093] The illustrated example of a remote IPF module 134 is
represented by an implementation suited for an electric vehicle
200. Thus, some vehicle systems 800 are included as part of the
remote IPF module 134 for the sake of description. However, in
other implementations, the remote IPF module 134 may exclude some
or all of the vehicles systems 800 from being counted as components
of the remote IPF module 134.
[0094] The depicted vehicle systems 800 include a vehicle computer
and data interface 802, an energy storage system, such as a battery
bank 202, and an inverter/charger 804. Besides vehicle systems 800,
the remote IPF module 134 also includes a communicative power flow
controller 806. The communicative power flow controller 806 in turn
includes some components that interface with AC power from the grid
114, such as a powerline communicator, for example an
Ethernet-over-powerline bridge 120, and a current or
current/voltage (power) sensor 808, such as a current sensing
transformer.
[0095] The communicative power flow controller 806 also includes
Ethernet and information processing components, such as a processor
810 or microcontroller and an associated Ethernet media access
control (MAC) address 812; volatile random access memory 814,
nonvolatile memory 816 or data storage, an interface such as an
RS-232 interface 818 or a CAN-bus interface 820; an Ethernet
physical layer interface 822, which enables wiring and signaling
according to Ethernet standards for the physical layer through
means of network access at the MAC/Data Link Layer and a common
addressing format. The Ethernet physical layer interface 822
provides electrical, mechanical, and procedural interface to the
transmission medium--i.e., in one implementation, using the
Ethernet-over-powerline bridge 120. In a variation, wireless or
other communication channels with the Internet 104 are used in
place of the Ethernet-over-powerline bridge 120.
[0096] The communicative power flow controller 806 also includes a
bidirectional power flow meter 824 that tracks power transfer to
and from each electric resource 112, in this case the battery bank
202 of an electric vehicle 200.
[0097] The communicative power flow controller 806 operates either
within, or connected to an electric vehicle 200 or other electric
resource 112 to enable the aggregation of electric resources 112
introduced above (e.g., via a wired or wireless communication
interface). These above-listed components may vary among different
implementations of the communicative power flow controller 806, but
implementations typically include: [0098] an intra-vehicle
communications mechanism that enables communication with other
vehicle components; [0099] a mechanism to communicate with the flow
control center 102; [0100] a processing element; [0101] a data
storage element; [0102] a power meter; and [0103] optionally, a
user interface.
[0104] Implementations of the communicative power flow controller
806 can enable functionality including: [0105] executing
pre-programmed or learned behaviors when the electric resource 112
is offline (not connected to Internet 104, or service is
unavailable); [0106] storing locally-cached behavior profiles for
"roaming" connectivity (what to do when charging on a foreign
system, i.e., when charging in the same utility territory on a
foreign meter or in a separate utility territory, or in
disconnected operation, i.e., when there is no network
connectivity); [0107] allowing the user to override current system
behavior; and [0108] metering power-flow information and caching
meter data during offline operation for later transaction.
[0109] Thus, the communicative power flow controller 806 includes a
central processor 810, interfaces 818 and 820 for communication
within the electric vehicle 200, a powerline communicator, such as
an Ethernet-over-powerline bridge 120 for communication external to
the electric vehicle 200, and a power flow meter 824 for measuring
energy flow to and from the electric vehicle 200 via a connected AC
powerline 208.
[0110] Power Flow Meter
[0111] Power is the rate of energy consumption per interval of
time. Power indicates the quantity of energy transferred during a
certain period of time, thus the units of power are quantities of
energy per unit of time. The power flow meter 824 measures power
for a given electric resource 112 across a bidirectional
flow--e.g., power from grid 114 to electric vehicle 200 or from
electric vehicle 200 to the grid 114. In one implementation, the
remote IPF module 134 can locally cache readings from the power
flow meter 824 to ensure accurate transactions with the central
flow control server 106, even if the connection to the server is
down temporarily, or if the server itself is unavailable.
[0112] Transceiver and Charging Component
[0113] FIG. 8B shows the transceiver 212 and charging component 214
of FIG. 2B in greater detail. The illustrated transceiver 212 and
charging component 214 is only one example configuration, for
descriptive purposes. Many other arrangements of the illustrated
components or even different components constituting the
transceiver 212 and charging component 214 are possible within the
scope of the subject matter. Such a transceiver 212 and charging
component 214 have some hardware components and some components
that can be executed in hardware, software, or combinations of
hardware, software, firmware, etc.
[0114] The illustrated example of the transceiver 212 and charging
component 214 is represented by an implementation suited for an
electric vehicle 200. Thus, some vehicle systems 800 are
illustrated to provide context to the transceiver 212 and charging
component 214 components.
[0115] The depicted vehicle systems 800 include a vehicle computer
and data interface 802, an energy storage system, such as a battery
bank 202, and an inverter/charger 804. In some embodiments, vehicle
systems 800 may include a data port, such as an OBD-II port, that
is capable of physically coupling with the transceiver 212. The
transceiver 212 may then communicate with the vehicle computer and
data interface 802 through the data port, receiving information
from electric resource 112 comprised by vehicle systems 800 and, in
some embodiments, providing commands to the vehicle computer and
data interface 802. In one implementation, the vehicle computer and
data interface 802 may be capable of charge control management. In
such an embodiment, the vehicle computer and data interface 802 may
perform some or all of the charging component 214 operations
discussed below. In other embodiments, executable instructions
configured to perform some or all of the operations of the vehicle
computer and data interface 802 may be added to hardware of an
electric resource 112 such as an electric vehicle that, when
combined with the executable instructions, provides equivalent
functionality to the vehicle computer and data interface 802.
References to the vehicle computer and data interface 802 as used
herein include such executable instructions.
[0116] In various embodiments, the transceiver 212 may have a
physical form that is capable of coupling to a data port of vehicle
systems 800. Such a transceiver 212 may also include a plurality of
interfaces, such as an RS-232 interface 818 and/or a CAN-bus
interface 820. In various embodiments, the RS-232 interface 818 or
CAN-bus interface 820 may enable the transceiver 212 to communicate
with the vehicle computer and data interface 802 through the data
port. Also, the transceiver may be or comprise an additional
interface (not shown) capable of engaging in wireless communication
with a data interface 820 of the charging component 214. The
wireless communication may be of any form known in the art, such as
radio frequency (RF) communication (e.g., Zigbee, and/or
Bluetooth.TM. communication). In other embodiments, the transceiver
may comprise a separate conductor or may be configured to utilize a
powerline 208 to communicate with charging component 214. In yet
other embodiments, not shown, transceiver 212 may simply be a radio
frequency identification (RFID) tag capable of storing minimal
information about the electric resource 112, such as a resource
identifier, and of being read by a corresponding RFID reader of
charging component 214. In such other embodiments, the RFID tag may
not couple with a data port or communicate with the vehicle
computer and data interface 802.
[0117] As shown, the charging component 214 may be an intelligent
plug device that is physically connected to a charging medium, such
as a powerline 208 (the charging medium coupling the charging
component 214 to the electric resource 112) and an outlet of a
power grid (such as the wall outlet 204 shown in FIG. 2B). In other
embodiments charging component 214 may be a charging station or
some other external control. In some embodiments, the charging
component 214 may be portable.
[0118] In various embodiments, the charging component 214 may
include components that interface with AC power from the grid 114,
such as a powerline communicator, for example an
Ethernet-over-powerline bridge 120, and a current or
current/voltage (power) sensor 808, such as a current sensing
transformer.
[0119] In other embodiments, the charging component 214 may include
a further Ethernet plug or wireless interface in place of bridge
120. In such an embodiment, data-over-powerline communication is
not necessary, eliminating the need for a bridge 120. The Ethernet
plug or wireless interface may communicate with a local access
point, and through that access point to flow control server
106.
[0120] The charging component 214 may also include Ethernet and
information processing components, such as a processor 810 or
microcontroller and an associated Ethernet media access control
(MAC) address 812; volatile random access memory 814, nonvolatile
memory 816 or data storage, a data interface 826 for communicating
with the transceiver 212, and an Ethernet physical layer interface
822, which enables wiring and signaling according to Ethernet
standards for the physical layer through means of network access at
the MAC/Data Link Layer and a common addressing format. The
Ethernet physical layer interface 822 provides electrical,
mechanical, and procedural interface to the transmission
medium--i.e., in one implementation, using the
Ethernet-over-powerline bridge 120. In a variation, wireless or
other communication channels with the Internet 104 are used in
place of the Ethernet-over-powerline bridge 120.
[0121] The charging component 214 may also include a bidirectional
power flow meter 824 that tracks power transfer to and from each
electric resource 112, in this case the battery bank 202 of an
electric vehicle 200.
[0122] Further, in some embodiments, the charging component 214 may
comprise an RFID reader to read the electric resource information
from transceiver 212 when transceiver 212 is an RFID tag.
[0123] Also, in various embodiments, the charging component 214 may
include a credit card reader to enable a user to identify the
electric resource 112 by providing credit card information. In such
an embodiment, a transceiver 212 may not be necessary.
[0124] Additionally, in one embodiment, the charging component 214
may include a user interface, such as one of the user interfaces
described in greater detail below.
[0125] Implementations of the charging component 214 can enable
functionality including: [0126] executing pre-programmed or learned
behaviors when the electric resource 112 is offline (not connected
to Internet 104, or service is unavailable); [0127] storing
locally-cached behavior profiles for "roaming" connectivity (what
to do when charging on a foreign system or in disconnected
operation, i.e., when there is no network connectivity); [0128]
allowing the user to override current system behavior; and [0129]
metering power-flow information and caching meter data during
offline operation for later transaction.
[0130] User Interfaces (UI)
[0131] Charging Station UI. An electrical charging station, whether
free or for pay, can be installed with a user interface that
presents useful information to the user. Specifically, by
collecting information about the grid 114, the electric resource
state, and the preferences of the user, the station can present
information such as the current electricity price, the estimated
recharge cost, the estimated time until recharge, the estimated
payment for uploading power to the grid 114 (either total or per
hour), etc. The information acquisition engine 414 communicates
with the electric resource 112 and with public and/or private data
networks 722 to acquire the data used in calculating this
information.
[0132] The types of information gathered from the electric resource
112 can include an electric resource identifier (resource ID) and
state information like the state of charge of the electric resource
112. The resource ID can be used to obtain knowledge of the
electric resource type and capabilities, preferences, etc. through
lookup with the flow control server 106.
[0133] In various embodiments, the charging station system
including the UI may also gather grid-based information, such as
current and future energy costs at the charging station.
[0134] User Charge Control UI Mechanisms. In various embodiments,
by default, electric resources 112 may receive charge control
management via power aggregation system 100. In some embodiments,
an override control may be provided to override charge control
management and charge as soon as possible. The override control may
be provided, in various embodiments, as a user interface mechanism
of the remote IPF module 134, the charging component 214, of the
electric resource (for example, if electric resource is a vehicle
200, the user interface control may be integrated with dash
controls of the vehicle 200) or even via a web page offered by flow
control server 106. The control can be presented, for example, as a
button, a touch screen option, a web page, or some other UI
mechanism. In one embodiment, the UI may be the UI illustrated by
FIG. 8C and discussed in greater detail below. In some embodiments,
the override is a one-time override, only applying to a single
plug-in session. Upon disconnecting and reconnecting, the user may
again need to interact with the UI mechanism to override the charge
control management.
[0135] In some embodiments, the user may pay more to charge with
the override on than under charge control management, thus
providing an incentive for the user to accept charge control
management. Such a cost differential may be displayed or rendered
to the user in conjunction with or on the UI mechanism. This
differential can take into account time-varying pricing, such as
Time of Use (TOU), Critical Peak Pricing (CPP), and Real-Time
Pricing (RTP) schemes, as discussed above, as well as any other
incentives, discounts, or payments that may be forgone by not
accepting charge control management.
[0136] UI Mechanism for Management Preferences. In various
embodiments, a user interface mechanism of the remote IPF module
134, the charging component 214, of the electric resource (for
example, if electric resource is a vehicle 200, the user interface
control may be integrated with dash controls of the vehicle 200) or
even via a web page offered by flow control server 106 may enable a
user to enter and/or edit management preferences to affect charge
control management of the user's electric resource 112. In some
embodiments, the UI mechanism may allow the user to enter/edit
general preferences, such as whether charge control management is
enabled, whether vehicle-to-grid power flow is enabled or whether
the electric resource 112 should only be charged with clean/green
power. Also, in various embodiments, the UI mechanism may enable a
user to prioritize relative desires for minimizing costs,
maximizing payments (i.e., fewer charge periods for higher
amounts), achieving a full state-of-charge for the electric
resource 112, charging as rapidly as possible, and/or charging in
as environmentally-friendly a way as possible. Additionally, the UI
mechanism may enable a user to provide a default schedule for when
the electric resource will be used (for example, if resource 112 is
a vehicle 200, the schedule is for when the vehicle 200 should be
ready to drive). Further, the UI mechanism may enable the user to
add or select special rules, such as a rule not to charge if a
price threshold is exceeded or a rule to only use charge control
management if it will earn the user at least a specified threshold
of output. Charge control management may then be effectuated based
on any part or all of these user entered preferences.
[0137] Simple User Interface. FIG. 8C illustrates a simple user
interface (UI) which enables a user to control charging based on
selecting among a limited number of high level preferences. For
example, UI 2300 includes the categories "green", "fast", and
"cheap" (with what is considered "green", "fast", and "cheap"
varying from embodiment to embodiment). The categories shown in UI
2300 are selected only for the sake of illustration and may instead
includes these and/or any other categories applicable to electric
resource 112 charging known in the art. As shown, the UI 2300 may
be very basic, using well known form controls such as radio
buttons. In other embodiments, other graphic controls known in the
art may be used. The general categories may be mapped to specific
charging behaviors, such as those discussed above, by a flow
control server 106.
[0138] Electric Resource Communication Protocol
[0139] FIG. 9 illustrates a resource communication protocol. As
shown, a remote IPF module 134 or charging component 214 may be in
communication with a flow control server 106 over the Internet 104
or another networking fabric or combination of networking fabrics.
In various embodiments, a protocol specifying an order of messages
and/or a format for messages may be used to govern the
communications between the remote IPF module 134 or charging
component 214 and flow control server 106.
[0140] In some embodiments, the protocol may include two channels,
one for messages initiated by the remote IPF module 134 or charging
component 214 and for replies to those messages from the flow
control server 106, and another channel for messages initiated by
the flow control server 106 and for replies to those messages from
the remote IPF module 134 or charging component 214. The channels
may be asynchronous with respect to each other (that is, initiation
of messages on one channel may be entirely independent of
initiation of messages on the other channel). However, each channel
may itself be synchronous (that is, once a message is sent on a
channel, another message may not be sent until a reply to the first
message is received).
[0141] As shown, the remote IPF module 134 or charging component
214 may initiate communication 902 with the flow control server
106. In some embodiments, communication 902 may be initiated when,
for example, an electric resource 112 first plugs in/connects to
the power grid 114. In other embodiments, communication 902 may be
initiated at another time or times. The initial message 902
governed by the protocol may require, for example, one or more of
an electric resource identifier, such as a MAC address, a protocol
version used, and/or a resource identifier type.
[0142] Upon receipt of the initial message by the flow control
server 106, a connection may be established between the remote IPF
module 134 or charging component 214 and flow control server 106.
Upon establishing a connection, the remote IPF module 134 or
charging component 214 may register with flow control server 106
through a subsequent communication 903. Communication 903 may
include a location identifier scheme, a latitude, a longitude, a
max power value that the remote IPF module 134 or charging
component 214 can draw, a max power value that the remote IPF
module 134 or charging component 214 can provide, a current power
value, and/or a current state of charge.
[0143] After the initial message 902, the protocol may require or
allow messages 904 from the flow control server 106 to the remote
IPF module 134 or charging component 214 or messages 906 from
remote IPF module 134 or charging component 214 to the flow control
server 106. The messages 904 may include, for example, one or more
of commands, messages, and/or updates. Such messages 904 may be
provided at any time after the initial message 902. In one
embodiment, messages 904 may include a command setting, a power
level and/or a ping to determine whether the remote IPF module 134
or charging component 214 is still connected.
[0144] The messages 906 may include, for example, status updates to
the information provided in the registration message 903. Such
messages 906 may be provided at any time after the initial message
902. In one embodiment, the messages 906 may be provided on a
pre-determined time interval basis. In various embodiments,
messages 906 may even be sent when the remote IPF module 134 or
charging component 214 is connected, but not registered. Such
messages 906 may include data that is stored by flow control server
106 for later processing. Also, in some embodiments, messages 904
may be provided in response to a message 902 or 906.
[0145] Communications Utilizing Existing Hardware
[0146] Certain automotive subsystems, such as battery charge
controllers, require real-time communications links to off-vehicle
networks. The communications hardware to provide this off vehicle
link includes Cellular, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and Homeplug. Such equipment
is expensive and can be difficult to configure.
[0147] Subsystems in a vehicle are connected together over a shared
bus, known as the CAN-bus. This bus provides high-speed low-latency
communication to attached devices, but does not provide the
mechanisms necessary for communicating with off-vehicle entities.
Rather than implement communications hardware directly, a client
subsystem issues commands over the CAN-bus to request off-vehicle
communications services from another "server" subsystem.
[0148] Existing subsystem in the vehicle that already possess
communications hardware can perform this server role without
requiring any additional hardware. Because the CAN-bus does not
support routing or packet forwarding, it is necessary to define an
encapsulation mechanism to permit the off-board communications
protocol to be embedded within CAN messages.
[0149] In some circumstances, vehicle designs may include existing
communications hardware for purposes other than charge management.
These other uses may include emergency response and remote vehicle
diagnostics. Rather than adding additional communications hardware,
an electric vehicle can make use of these existing communications
modules. Such module re-use is accomplished by enhancing the
software on the existing communications modules in order to expand
functionality.
[0150] Similar to modules installed via an extensibility mechanism,
preexisting modules upgraded through software can engage in smart
charging through two distinct mechanisms.
[0151] In one embodiment, the software upgraded communications
module provides a communications path to external networks which
allows vehicle modules to participate in a smart charging program
in a manner similar to that of a vehicle that is initially equipped
with a communications module.
[0152] In another embodiment, the software upgraded communications
module includes all smart charging logic. In this embodiment, the
software upgraded communications module is solely responsible for
participating in the smart charging program, and then implements
that program by sending primitive messages to other subsystems in
the vehicle.
[0153] FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of communications using
existing hardware with a smart charging module configured to be
implemented for a vehicle subsystem 1010. The vehicle subsystem is
connected to a shared vehicle-wide communications medium 1020. The
smart charging module is configured to provide messages to a
vehicle subsystem 1030.
[0154] Communication Services to Vehicle Subsystems
[0155] Modern electric vehicles benefit in a variety of ways from a
centrally controlled smart charging program. However, the modules
in the vehicle that are capable of executing a charge management
program, e.g. the Battery Management Systems Charge Controller, do
not generally have the ability to communicate with external
networks which are outside the vehicle. To work effectively, a
smart charging program requires the central control of an outside
entity via an external network, such as a server. This server is
responsible for coordinating the charging activities of a large
number of vehicles distributed over a wide area, such as a
city.
[0156] Establishing a communications channel between appropriate
vehicle subsystems and external networks facilitates smart charging
and reduce the cost of ownership of the vehicle. While most vehicle
subsystems lack off-vehicle communication, virtually all subsystems
are connected to a shared vehicle-wide communications medium or
bus. In many vehicles, this bus uses the CAN-bus standard, as
defined by the International Standards Organization (ISO) standard
#11898. Over time, some new vehicle designs will transition to
other vehicle-wide communications mediums, such as Flexray or other
similar technologies. However, the basic principle of a shared
communications medium to allow vehicle subsystems to communicate
will remain intact, and the concepts in the present disclosure will
be similarly applicable to these future communications mediums.
[0157] Rather than adding off-vehicle communications capabilities
to existing vehicle subsystems, a separate module provides
communication services to all subsystems on a vehicle, making these
services available via the vehicle's CAN-bus. Confining the
modification to a single module reduces the cost of switching
communications standards such that support can be accomplished by
installing different communications modules in different cars.
[0158] Such a communications module includes the hardware necessary
to communicate off-vehicle, and also connects to the vehicle's
CAN-bus. Software within the communications module translates or
encapsulates packets to allow information to flow between the
various vehicle subsystems and the entities outside the
vehicle.
[0159] In one embodiment, the communications module can forward
messages from the external network, unmodified, to other vehicle
subsystems. As an example, if the external network uses the TCP/IP
protocol, the communications module forwards TCP packets over the
CAN-bus to other vehicle subsystems. Because vehicle communication
busses such as CAN-bus do not natively support wide-area protocols
such as TCP/IP, an encapsulation protocol is required.
[0160] Encapsulation works by defining a specific CAN message for
TCP transport. Such a CAN message includes a packet header and a
packet body. The packet header can specify the packet type to
differentiate it from other types of CAN traffic. The packet header
can also specify the packet length, and may contain other CAN
packet attributes, such as addressing. The packet body includes the
bytes of the original external network packet, such as a TCP
packet.
[0161] Such a packet can be transmitted over the CAN-bus from the
communications module to the vehicle subsystem wishing to
communicate. When the vehicle subsystem wishing to communicate
receives such a packet, the subsystem uses the type and size
information present in the CAN packet to extract the original TCP
packet. When communicating in the reverse direction, i.e. from the
vehicle subsystem to the external network, the process is reversed.
The vehicle subsystem places a TCP packet within a properly
formatted CAN packet and transmits it over the CAN-bus to the
communications module. The communications module extracts the TCP
packet and transmits it over the external network.
[0162] In an embodiment, the communications module entirely decodes
messages received from the external network, and re-encodes the
messages as CAN-bus messages. As such, the communications module
extracts the actual intended purpose of the remote message, and
transmits a new message across the vehicle's CAN-bus.
[0163] As an example, the communications module may receive a
packet across the external bus with the command specifying the
current price of electricity. The communications module transmits a
CAN-bus message to the appropriate subsystems indicating the
current price of electricity. Since the communications module is
fully and completely decoding and encoding each message in each
direction, it is not necessary for the external network messages
and the vehicle-internal CAN-bus messages to be similar in any
way.
[0164] A communications module can include the following
components: a central processing unit (CPU) with sufficient power
to run the appropriate software; a CAN transceiver, or transceiver
for an alternate in-vehicle communications network; an external
communications transceiver for one or more external communications
networks; a software stack capable of wrapping high level
communications packets in a CAN header, for packets entering the
vehicle, and removing a can header, for packets leaving the
vehicle; software capable translating messages from a remote
network format to the local CAN format; and, software capable of
the bonding/provisioning process required by the specific external
communications protocol.
[0165] FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of communication services
to vehicle subsystems. A CAN transceiver is connected to a CPU in a
vehicle and to an external bus, which is connected to a vehicle
subsystem 1110. A software stack is connected to the CPU for
augmenting CAN headers for packets 1120. Software is configured to
translate messages from a remote network format to a CAN format
1130. Software is also configured for a provisioning process of
external communications protocol 1140.
[0166] Vehicle Power Systems Control Extensibility System
[0167] Electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles benefit
greatly from on-board charge-management controllers. Such
controllers can harmonize a vehicle's electricity consumption with
the needs of the power grid. However, price-sensitivity
time-to-market concerns, or a lack of standardization, can preclude
the factory installation of these charge management
controllers.
[0168] It is desirable that vehicles without factory-equipped
charge controllers have the capacity to be upgraded with an
after-market controller. A vehicle can be upgradable by providing a
physical and software interface to allow the installation of a
charge controller. This interface may include: a physical interface
to the vehicle's CAN-bus, via an electrical contact plug; a
standardization of software messages that are to be sent over the
CAN-bus to control charging; and, a physical location for the
charge controller to reside, where the CAN interface plug must be
located.
[0169] Vehicles may be sold without the ability to communicate with
off-vehicle networks or systems, and therefore without the ability
to coordinate their charging behavior with a central authority or
server. A vehicle manufacturer that recognizes the benefit of
charge management may opt to not include charge management, due to
reasons such as price sensitivity, time-to-market concerns, or a
lack of standardization. In these situations, it is beneficial for
vehicles to be easily upgradable through the installation of a
communications module or charge management module. Such
upgradability can be managed by clearly defining the physical,
electrical and software interfaces between a communications module
and the vehicle.
[0170] The mechanical interface may include a physical location for
the module to be installed in the vehicle. This physical location
provides access to the electrical/signaling interface, provides a
particular level of environmental protection, and accommodate a
particular size and shape of add-on modules.
[0171] The electrical/signaling interface may include a
standardized connector to the vehicle's standardized internal
communications bus, such as CAN-bus, and a standardized connector
to an electrical supply. In some vehicles, the vehicle's
communications bus can be a non-electrical standard, such as a
Fiber-optic based system. While such a system may not be compatible
with electrically signaled CAN based systems, the general principle
of the extension interface can still apply.
[0172] The software interface defines the protocol messages by
which the expansion module interfaces with existing modules in the
vehicle.
[0173] In one embodiment, the other relevant modules in the vehicle
are designed to communicate with the expansion module as defined
elsewhere in the application. The expansion module provides a
communications path to external networks which allows vehicle
modules to participate in a smart charging program in a manner
similar to that of a vehicle that is initially equipped with a
communications module.
[0174] In an embodiment, existing modules in the vehicle have no
explicit support for smart charging, and all smart charging logic
is contained in the expansion module. As such, the expansion module
is solely responsible for participating in the smart charging
program. The expansion module implements the program by sending
primitive messages to other subsystems in the vehicle.
[0175] FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment of an extensibility system
including a contact plug for a CAN-bus in a vehicle 1210. An
expansion module provides standardization of transmitted messages
to control charging 1220. In addition, a charge controller for
control extensibility is located at the contact plug 1230.
[0176] Communications without Specific Hardware
[0177] In many applications, it is beneficial for an electrical
load, such as an electric vehicle, to communicate with an electric
power supply, such as a charging station or an electric vehicle
service equipment. Such communication can convey information such
as device identification, state of battery charge, or power
consumption preferences. This communication can also be utilized to
implement the arbitration protocol described herein. The
communication is desirable even in situations where the two devices
in question do not possess hardware designed to facilitate
communication.
[0178] For devices to communicate without specific communications
hardware, information can be conveyed by modulating the power
transfer between the electrical load (e.g. an electric vehicle) and
the electric power supply (electric vehicle service equipment). To
facilitate the transmission of information from the electrical load
to the electric power supply, an electric load device can
intermittently draw power and/or refrain from drawing power.
Communications time may be subdivided into seconds. For example,
each second wherein the load device drew power is interrupted as
the binary 1 digit, and each second wherein the load device did not
draw power is interrupted as the binary 0 digit. In a similar
manner, the power supply device can communicate with the load
device to facilitate the transmission of information from the
electric power supply to the electric load device. The electric
power supply can provide power for an interval, represented as the
binary 1 digit, or refraining from providing power, represent as
the binary 0 digit.
[0179] A variety of standard communication protocol techniques may
be used to address issues such as data reliability and clock drift.
Depending on the accuracy of both sensing equipment in the
receiving device and switching equipment in the transmitting
device, the time interval can be varied. For example, the time
interval may be varied to an interval much lower than one second.
Lower intervals would allow a greater amount of information to be
transmitted in the same amount of time.
[0180] Because the non-powered intervals deprive the load device of
electrical power, the load device requires a supplemental power
source to remain functional during such intervals. This
supplemental power source can be a storage battery, a capacitor, or
an alternative primary electrical source. This system does not
interfere with the primary function of the power circuit, which is
power transfer, because all communication may be completed early in
the power connection and power can flow uninterrupted for the
remainder of the connection time.
[0181] To address the limitation of communications mediums that
prohibit both the electric vehicle and the electric power source
from transmitting information simultaneously, a variety of sharing
protocols can be used. In one embodiment, the electric power supply
and the electric vehicle take turns transmitting information,
reversing roles after a fixed number of bits. In an embodiment, the
transmitted messages are structured as packets with a transmitted
size. After the transmission of a packet, the direction of
transmission is reversed.
[0182] FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment of communications without
specific hardware including modulating power transfer between an
electrical load associated with an electric vehicle and a power
supply 1310, transmitting information from the electrical load to
the power supply 1320, and enabling the electrical vehicle to
communicate with the power supply 1330.
[0183] Arbitrating Smart Chargepoint with Smart Vehicle
[0184] Modern Electric vehicles could benefit in a variety of ways
from a centrally controlled smart charging program where a central
server coordinates the charging activities of a large number of
vehicles distributed over a wide area, such as a city. This
coordination is accomplished by the server communicating directly
with a smart charging module located at each vehicle. The smart
charging module can be located inside the vehicle, either as an
original component of the vehicle or an aftermarket accessory.
Equipment located inside the vehicle can moderate electrical load
by directly reducing the power consumption of the vehicle.
[0185] In one embodiment, the smart charging module will be located
in external equipment responsible for providing electricity to the
vehicle. Such external equipment may be electric vehicle service
equipment (EVSE). EVSE or charging stations can reduce power
consumption by curtailing the power available to the vehicle.
[0186] In the case where both the electric vehicle and the EVSE
contain smart charging modules, a potential problem arises. Because
charge management systems can be integrated into both vehicles and
vehicle charging infrastructure, each of these systems may
initially assume that they are the only charging intelligence
present in a charging session. When a smart car attaches to a smart
chargepoint, certain problems arise. Because the two devices are
not communicating with each other, the devices each act as if they
have full control of the charge session. If the central smart
charging server is not informed that the two devices represent a
single vehicle, it will manage the two devices independently. The
two devices may attempt to charge at different times, resulting in
no power flow. Furthermore, both devices may receive stop charging
messages from a utility at the same time, resulting in
double-counting of load reduction.
[0187] To address these concerns, electric vehicles and charging
equipment, or EVSE, can both implement a charge coordination
protocol. This protocol allows the EVSE and the vehicle to
determine which of the two entities is responsible for
communicating with the charge management server and implementing a
smart charging program. The other entity would enter a passive
mode, following the direction of the primary entity.
[0188] With such a protocol, an electric vehicle can transmit a
charge coordination capabilities message to the chargepoint when
the vehicle is connected. The capabilities message specifies charge
coordination modes that the vehicle supports. The charge equipment
can send a charge coordination mode message specifying the
coordination mode. This mode may be selected from the list provided
by the vehicle. When the two messages have been transmitted, the
charge equipment and vehicle commence coordinated charging.
[0189] Two coordinated charging modes are initially defined as
charge-equipment switching charging and vehicle-switching charging.
In the charge-equipment switched charging mode, the electric
vehicle stops smart charging and behaves as a dumb load. The EVSE,
or the charge equipment, sends electricity as it determines while
the vehicle does not communicate with any external entity for
purposes of charge management. As such, the EVSE controls the rate
of electricity flow to the vehicle and is responsible for all
communication with smart charging server.
[0190] In the vehicle-switched charging mode, the EVSE or charging
equipment does not engage in smart charging and provide electricity
on-demand to the Vehicle at all times. The electric vehicle
controls its rate of electricity consumption and is responsible for
all communication with the smart charging server. The electric
vehicle performs the physical regulation of charge level. However,
the regulation of charging is based on commands issued by the
charging equipment.
[0191] If the vehicle possessed an alternative communications
channel, such as cellular, the vehicle stops accepting charge
commands from that channel. Charging equipment may monitor the
vehicle to determine whether the vehicle had complied with charge
directives. The vehicle can fall back to direct control if it is
determined that the vehicle was non-compliant.
[0192] Additional charging modes may be defined over time.
Communication between the electric vehicle and the EVSE could be
accomplished via Power Line Communications (PLC) over the charging
cable, or via other means, including wireless communications.
[0193] FIG. 14 illustrates an embodiment of arbitrating a smart
chargepoint with a smart charging module configured to be
implemented on vehicle equipment 1410. The module is configured to
communicate with the smart charging program 1420, and to moderate
an electric load by reducing power consumption of the vehicle 1430.
In addition, the module is configured to communicate with a second
smart charging module in external charging equipment 1440, and the
modules implement a charge coordination protocol 1450.
CONCLUSION
[0194] Although systems and methods have been described in language
specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is
to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended
claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts
described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as
examples of implementations of the claimed methods, devices,
systems, etc. It will be understood by those skilled in the art
that various changes in form and details may be made therein
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *