U.S. patent application number 16/137418 was filed with the patent office on 2020-03-26 for dealership energy management system for charging incoming customer vehicles with inventory vehicles and method thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is Honda Motor Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Ryan D. HARTY, John MOON, Annika Elise NORDLUND-SWENSON, Jeremy WHALING.
Application Number | 20200094686 16/137418 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 69723443 |
Filed Date | 2020-03-26 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200094686 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MOON; John ; et al. |
March 26, 2020 |
DEALERSHIP ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR CHARGING INCOMING CUSTOMER
VEHICLES WITH INVENTORY VEHICLES AND METHOD THEREOF
Abstract
In an illustrative embodiment, and to remove overall peak
demand, a dealership energy management system may include
bi-directional charging devices that may be associated with
inventory vehicles and output devices that may be associated with
customer vehicles. Inventory may be processed and associated with
days stored at the dealership. The inventory vehicles may be
charged up to 60% during off-peak hours to provide charge to
incoming customer vehicles during peak hours. The inventory
vehicles may discharge down to 4%, while providing charge to the
customer vehicles, before another vehicle within the inventory is
selected to provide charge. Inventory vehicles may be charged and
discharged based on the days stored at the dealership as well as
whether those vehicles have been discharged below a threshold.
Inventors: |
MOON; John; (San Jose,
CA) ; HARTY; Ryan D.; (Long Beach, CA) ;
WHALING; Jeremy; (Carson, CA) ; NORDLUND-SWENSON;
Annika Elise; (Kent, WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
69723443 |
Appl. No.: |
16/137418 |
Filed: |
September 20, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 50/06 20130101;
B60L 53/64 20190201; B60L 53/67 20190201; G06Q 10/06315
20130101 |
International
Class: |
B60L 11/18 20060101
B60L011/18; G06Q 10/06 20060101 G06Q010/06 |
Claims
1. A dealership energy management system comprising: at least one
bi-directional charging device associated with inventory vehicles;
at least one output device associated with customer vehicles; at
least one processor; and a memory operatively coupled to the
processor, the memory storing program instructions that when
executed by the processor, causes the processor to: charge at least
one inventory vehicle through the at least one bi-directional
charging device during off-peak hours; determine whether at least
one customer vehicle is connected to the at least one output
device; provide charge from the at least one inventory vehicle
through the at least one bi-directional charging device to the at
least one customer vehicle when the at least one customer vehicle
is connected to the at least one output device wherein charging the
at least one inventory vehicle through the at least one
bi-directional charging device during off-peak hours comprises
charging the at least one inventory vehicle up to 60% or wherein
providing the charge from the at least one inventory vehicle
through the at least one bi-directional charging device to the at
least one customer vehicle through the at least one output device
comprises depleting the at least one inventory vehicle down to 4%
before retrieving charge from another inventory vehicle.
2. The dealership energy management system of claim 1, wherein the
memory storing program instructions, when executed by the
processor, causes the processor to receive days within inventory of
the at least one inventory vehicle.
3. The dealership energy management system of claim 2, wherein
charging the at least one inventory vehicle through the at least
one bi-directional charging device during off-peak hours comprises
providing charge to new vehicles first based on the days within
inventory.
4. The dealership energy management system of claim 1, wherein the
at least one bi-directional charging device and the at least one
output device are wireless devices.
5. The dealership energy management system of claim 1, wherein the
at least one bi-directional charging device and the at least one
output device are line connected devices.
6. The dealership energy system of claim 1, wherein off-peak hours
are based on a day, week and season.
7. (canceled)
8. (canceled)
9. A method of charging incoming customer vehicles at a dealership
with inventory vehicles, the method comprising: receiving inventory
vehicles; charging the inventory vehicles at the dealership during
off-peak hours; determining whether at least one customer vehicle
is connected; providing charge from the inventory vehicles to the
at least one customer vehicle when connected wherein charging the
inventory vehicles and providing charge from the inventory vehicles
comprises setting a threshold for the inventory vehicles at a
state-of-charge between 4% and 60%.
10. The method of charging incoming customer vehicles at the
dealership with inventory vehicles of claim 9, comprising
associating a date with the inventory vehicles for charging the
inventory vehicles.
11. The method of charging incoming customer vehicles at the
dealership with inventory vehicles of claim 10, wherein receiving
the inventory vehicles comprises associating the inventory vehicles
with a parking spot and associating the vehicles' date of arrival
with the parking spot.
12. The method of charging incoming customer vehicles at the
dealership with inventory vehicles of claim 11, wherein charging
the inventory vehicles at the dealership during off-peak hours
comprises providing charge to vehicles having newer dates.
13. The method of charging incoming customer vehicles at the
dealership with inventory vehicles of claim 9, wherein providing
the charge from the inventory vehicles to the at least one customer
vehicle is during peak hours.
14. (canceled)
15. A dealership energy management system comprising: at least one
bi-directional charging device associated with at least one
inventory vehicle; at least one output device associated with at
least one customer vehicle; and a server charging the at least one
inventory vehicle through the at least one bi-directional charging
device during off-peak hours and providing the charge from the at
least one inventory vehicle through the at least one bi-directional
charging device to the at least one customer vehicle when the at
least one customer vehicle is connected to the at least one output
device; wherein charging the at least one inventory vehicle and
providing the charge from the at least one inventory vehicle
comprises setting a threshold for the at least one inventory
vehicle at a state-of-charge between 4% and 60%.
16. The dealership energy management system of claim 15, wherein
off-peak hours depend on a day, week and season.
17. The dealership energy management system of claim 15, wherein
charging the at least one inventory vehicle through the at least
one bi-directional charging device during off-peak hours comprises
providing charge to older vehicles first.
18. (canceled)
19. The dealership energy management system of claim 15, wherein
the at least one bi-directional charging device and the at least
one output device are wireless devices.
20. The dealership energy management system of claim 15, wherein
the at least one bi-directional charging device and the at least
one output device are line connected devices
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Improving energy efficiency of a dealership may help reduce
the costs associated with maintaining and using its building and
may also help reduce the environmental impact of the building. Many
utility companies may vary the cost of energy consumption during
different times such that the cost of energy used by the dealership
may change according to the time of day and/or year even if the
amount of energy being used is relatively constant. During peak
consumption hours versus off-peak consumption hours, the cost of
energy may fluctuate considerably. Rates during weekends and
off-peak hours may be much lower, while rates for electricity used
during weekday peak hours (for example, 12:00 P.M.-6:00 P.M.) may
be higher.
[0002] Traditional energy management systems used by the dealership
may be inadequate in effectively managing cost and energy
consumption with respect to varying energy costs within the
building. For example, and in some instances, the dealership may
offer free charging for a customer's electric vehicle while they
search for new vehicles at the dealership. As customers almost
always come in during peak times, however, the cost of energy to
provide this service may be expensive and may drain valuable energy
resources at the dealership.
[0003] The present disclosure provides for a dealership energy
management system for charging incoming customer vehicles with
inventory vehicles and method thereof that addresses the
above-identified concerns. Other benefits and advantages will
become clear from the disclosure provided herein and those
advantages provided are for illustration. The statements in this
section merely provide the background related to the present
disclosure and does not constitute prior art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0004] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the DESCRIPTION OF THE DISLCOSURE. This summary is not intended to
identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it
intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the
claimed subject matter.
[0005] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a
dealership energy management system is provided. The system may
include at least one bi-directional charging device associated with
inventory vehicles, at least one output device associated with
customer vehicles, at least one processor, and a memory operatively
coupled to the processor, the memory storing program instructions
that when executed by the processor, causes the processor to
perform processes. The processes may include charging at least one
inventory vehicle through the at least one bi-directional charging
device during off-peak hours, determining whether at least one
customer vehicle is connected to the at least one output device,
and providing charge from the at least one inventory vehicle
through the at least one bi-directional charging device to the at
least one customer vehicle when the at least one customer vehicle
is connected to the at least one output device.
[0006] In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure,
a method of charging incoming customer vehicles at a dealership
with inventory vehicles is provided. The method may include
receiving inventory vehicles and charging the inventory vehicles at
the dealership during off-peak hours. In addition, the method may
include determining whether at least one customer vehicle is
connected. The method may also include providing charge from the
inventory vehicles to the at least one customer vehicle when
connected.
[0007] In accordance with yet another aspect of the present
disclosure, a dealership energy management system is provided. The
system may include at least one bi-directional charging device
associated with at least one inventory vehicle. In addition, the
system may include at least one output device associated with at
least one customer vehicle. The system may also include a server
charging the at least one inventory vehicle through the at least
one bi-directional charging device during off-peak hours and
providing the charge from the at least one inventory vehicle
through the at least one bi-directional charging device to the at
least one customer vehicle when the at least one customer vehicle
is connected to the at least one output device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0008] The novel features believed to be characteristic of the
disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. In the
descriptions that follow, like parts are marked throughout the
specification and drawings with the same numerals, respectively.
The drawing FIGURES are not necessarily drawn to scale and certain
FIGURES may be shown in exaggerated or generalized form in the
interest of clarity and conciseness. The disclosure itself,
however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and
advantages thereof, will be best understood by reference to the
following detailed description of illustrative embodiments when
read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative scenario
where inventory vehicles within a dealership are used to charge
incoming customer electric vehicles in accordance with one aspect
of the present disclosure;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative scenario
where vehicles are placed into a dealership in accordance with one
aspect of the present disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative scenario
showing a cross sectional top view of an electric vehicle with
wireless bi-directional charging capabilities in accordance with
one aspect of the present disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the illustrative scenario
showing a side view of the inventory vehicle with wireless
bi-directional charging capabilities in accordance with one aspect
of the present disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative scenario
showing a top view of a plug-in inventory vehicle with
bi-directional charging capabilities in accordance with one aspect
of the present disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative flow chart
showing processes for receiving incoming electric vehicles into the
dealership in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure;
and
[0015] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the illustrative scenario
showing the dealership having parking spots for inventory vehicles,
non-electric vehicles and customer electric vehicles in accordance
with one aspect of the present disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative chart
showing processes for charging many inventory vehicles and
providing charge to the customer electric vehicles in accordance
with one aspect of the present disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative chart
showing processes for charging a few inventory vehicles and
providing charge to the customer electric vehicles in accordance
with one aspect of the present disclosure;
[0018] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative chart
showing processes for charging newer inventory vehicles and
providing charge to the customer electric vehicles in accordance
with one aspect of the present disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative chart
showing processes for charging older inventory vehicles and
providing charge to the customer electric vehicles in accordance
with one aspect of the present disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative scenario
showing prioritizing of charging energy storage units in accordance
with one aspect of the present disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative flow chart
showing processes for charging inventory vehicles at the dealership
in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure; and
[0022] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative flow chart
showing processes for providing charge to customer electric
vehicles at the dealership in accordance with one aspect of the
present disclosure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0023] The description set forth below in connection with the
appended drawings is intended as a description of exemplary
embodiments of the disclosure and is not intended to represent the
only forms in which the present disclosure may be constructed
and/or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the
sequence of blocks for constructing and operating the disclosure in
connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be
understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and
sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments that are
also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of this
disclosure.
[0024] Generally described, a dealership energy management system
is presented that manages an additional power demand impact
associated with customer electric vehicles that wish to charge at
the dealership. In an illustrative embodiment, and to remove
overall peak demand, the dealership energy management system may
include bi-directional charging devices that may be associated with
inventory vehicles and output devices that may be associated with
the customer vehicles. Inventory may be processed and associated
with days stored at the dealership. The inventory vehicles may be
charged up to 60% during off-peak hours to provide charge to
incoming customer vehicles during peak hours. The inventory
vehicles may discharge to 4%, while providing charge to the
customer vehicles, before another vehicle within the inventory is
selected to provide charge. That is, the vehicle discharges to 4%
before a load is shifted to other inventory vehicles. Inventory
vehicles may be charged and discharged based on the days stored at
the dealership as well as whether those vehicles have been
discharged below a threshold. This may be based on anticipated
customer vehicles coming in. Further details will be provided
below.
[0025] Electric vehicle chargers may impart significant, short
duration power demand events on the order of 40-100 kW, with the
combination of Level 2 and DC Fast Chargers. Given the size and
energy use patterns of dealerships, this additional power demand
associated with electric vehicle charging may raise the
dealerships' overall peak demand by 50% or more. Advantageously,
the dealership energy management system described herein reduces
this peak demand by using stored energy from inventory vehicles at
the dealership. Other advantages will become apparent from the
description provided below. Numerous other modifications or
configurations to the dealership energy management system and
method thereof will become apparent. While electric vehicles have
been primarily described, this disclosure may relate to hybrid
vehicles for which a battery and a combustion engine exist.
[0026] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative scenario
100 where inventory vehicles 106A, 106B, 106C, 106D and 106E
(collectively inventory vehicles 106) within a dealership are used
to charge incoming customer electric vehicles 108A and 108B
(collectively customer vehicles 108) in accordance with one aspect
of the present disclosure. The dealership 102 may house and store
the inventory vehicles 106. The dealership 102 may also be used as
a local distribution that sells, leases, and rents vehicles. These
vehicles may include electric, hybrid and internal combustion
engine (ICE) vehicles. Typically, these vehicles may be provided
based on a dealership contract with the manufacturer. Car salesmen
may be employed by the dealership 102 and may also provide
maintenance services for the vehicles and employ automotive
technicians to stock and sell spare automobile parts and process
warranty claims.
[0027] The dealership 102 may use and employ the dealership energy
management system 104. The system 104 may be local and onsite at
the dealership 102, or may be remote therefrom. In one embodiment,
the system may employ solar photovoltaic panels at the dealership
102 to generate electrical charge. The dealer energy management
system 104 may be used to actively monitor and control overall
facility demand charges within the building of the dealership 102.
The system 104 may use a network of distributed local devices
deployed at the dealership 102, such as wireless thermostats and
lighting control relays, in combination with electric vehicle
charging control through a native electric vehicle charger
interface, to respond to potential peak demand events. The system
104 may automatically shed heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC), lighting, and electric vehicle charging loads
based on dealership priority factors, acting within the utility
peak demand interval to manage overall peak demand impacts from
electric vehicle charging and other facility demand events. A
battery may also be used to provide additional peak demand
management in conjunction with the load shedding properties of the
dealership energy management server 104.
[0028] The architecture of the dealership energy management server
104 may rely on a system-of-systems approach, leveraging
distributed HVAC, electric vehicle charging, battery and lighting
control devices managed through individual network or cloud-based
control systems. A cloud-based demand optimization control system
may interact directly with some devices at the dealership, while
also interacting with the network or cloud control systems managing
the distributed devices. In this way, typical control may be
managed and optimized locally through any network, while demand
management control may be performed in a supervisory layer that
relies on integration of information from multiple systems in real
time. The supervisory cloud-based control actions may then be
determined without impact to local network resources, and precise
actions taken that require limited manipulation of the distributed
devices (such as changing the mode of a local thermostat in
response to a peak demand event).
[0029] The dealership energy management system 104 may interact
directly or indirectly with the utility grid to monitor the
monetary value of electricity demand in either real time, or based
on time of use demand periods defined by a rate or tariff schedule.
Signals from the grid may be used to support overall grid
management actions, such as by providing demand response for
utility grid support, or other grid support services. Direct
bidding models may be included to enable aggregation of demand
response/demand management activities for single or multiple
dealerships, with the intent to reduce overall grid dynamics
introduced from EV charging and solar PV integration on utility
grid distribution circuits.
[0030] The cloud-based control system may rely on inputs from the
local devices, including a high resolution, real time energy meter
deployed on the main utility supply to the site. The historical
peak demand may be tracked by each time-of-use demand period.
Additionally, the future peak demand for the utility billing cycle
may be forecasted using a combination of actual hourly forecast
data and typical meteorological year data. The historical and
forecast demands for the current utility billing cycle may be used
to set demand targets within each time-of-use demand period, such
on off peak, mid peak, on peak, and super on peak periods, for each
billing cycle.
[0031] Using historical demand data, the demand shed potential from
each system type (EV charging, HVAC, and lighting) may be modeled
and used to inform the overall demand management actions. This
forecasting informs the dispatch of battery systems in conjunction
with fast acting responses from HVAC, lighting, and electric
vehicle charging systems to ensure demand targets are not exceeded.
The forecasting approach may ensure the both short duration domain
events (such as DC fast charging and intermittent clouds on solar
PV systems) and long duration domain events (such as extreme
temperatures that increase HVAC energy use or cloud cover on PV
systems) may be mitigated by the control system.
[0032] The dealership energy management system 104 may monitor the
real-time demand from the local electricity meter. As demand
approaches the demand target within any time of use demand period,
the system may respond by adjusting the operations of HVAC,
lighting, and electric charging systems. The system may monitor the
absolute peak demand and rate of change of the demand and adjusts
actions slowly or quickly as needed to attain the peak target.
Actions may be prioritized based on perceived impact to the
dealership operations and customers, such that overall operational
impact may be minimized. Low priority actions may include HVAC and
lighting setbacks to support areas, warehouse areas, etc. High
priority actions may include HVAC and lighting setbacks to showroom
areas and EV charging rate throttling for both Level 2 and DC Fast
Chargers.
[0033] The dealership energy system 104 may monitor the absolute
value and rate of change to the demand during demand control
events. As demand decreases below the target threshold, the system
may respond by releasing the highest priority actions first, then
continues to monitor the absolute and rate of change responses to
continue to remove additional actions ranked by priority.
[0034] The dealership energy management system 104 may also deploy
battery systems. The battery systems may be used to determine the
dispatch mode of the battery in conjunction with the shedding
potential of the HVAC, lighting, and electric vehicle charging
systems. Short duration domain events, such as those associated
with electric vehicle charging, may be controlled by demand actions
from HVAC, lighting and electric vehicle charging throttling,
whereas long duration domain events, and forecast peak events
associated with weather conditions, may be controlled with battery
dispatch, such as to maximize the overall cost effectiveness of the
battery.
[0035] The battery system may also be used to respond to short
duration domain events where the response from HVAC, lighting, and
electric vehicle charging control is insufficient to meet the
demand target. This is determined based on a combination of the
forecast-based operational mode of the battery and real time demand
response potential of the load shedding actions to minimize overall
current and future demand charges.
[0036] The dealership energy management system 104 may also monitor
activity for peak and off-peak demand. The system 104, which will
now be described, may charge those inventory vehicles 106A-E during
off-peak hours. When the inventory vehicles 106 arrive, they may be
cycled in-and-out of the dealership 102 with generally the oldest
vehicles 106 being sold first. A date may be associated with each
of the vehicles 106 such that they do not have to be stored in
consecutive spots at the dealership 102. The system 104 may manage
and associate parking spots with inventory vehicles 106 and how
many days they have been kept in inventory.
[0037] In typical dealerships 102, vehicle inventories may run
through a 90-day cycle as shown. The dealership energy management
system 104 may charge the inventory vehicles 106, or a portion of
them, to a predefined state-of-charge threshold. The
state-of-charge threshold may be set to a level of 60%. Between 60%
and 4%, batteries on the inventory vehicles 106 maximize their
potential without being degraded. By cycling in a range between
40-60% state-of-charge, batteries on the inventory vehicles 106
maximize their potential without being degraded. The inventory
vehicles 106 may then provide incoming customer vehicles 108 with
charge that has been stored within their batteries. The inventory
vehicles 106 may be charged during off-peak hours, which may depend
on a day, week and season.
[0038] In one embodiment, the incoming customer vehicles 108 may be
charged based on charging history. For example, if the customer
vehicle 108 may only charge up to 80% in the past, this may be a
threshold set by the dealership energy management system 104. The
current state-of-charge may also be taken into account of when
diverting charge from the inventory vehicles 106 to the customer
vehicle 108. That is, the customer vehicle 108 may not be charged
until the end as the vehicle 108 only requires thirty (30) minutes
of charging.
[0039] The incoming customer vehicles 108 may also be able to
program their own charging criteria when they arrive. This may be
performed through a telematics system located within the vehicle
108. Alternatively, this may be performed by a smart device that
the driver carries and is associated with the customer vehicle 108.
Each system may be in communication with the dealership energy
management system 104. Through this system, the driver, or other
user, may manipulate time the vehicle 108 may be charged.
[0040] The dealership energy management system 104 may also set a
state-of-charge minimum threshold for the inventory vehicles 106.
For example, this minimum threshold may be 40%. This value may be
used to maximize the potential of their batteries and not degrade
them. After the state-of-charge falls below this minimum threshold,
other vehicles 106 may be asked to provide charge within the
inventory. Thus, the dealership energy management system 104 may
establish a state-of-charge between 4% and 60% to prevent
degradation of the batteries. That is, the state-of-charge may
cycle between 4% and 60%.
[0041] Beyond keeping the state-of-charge within a particular
range, the dealership energy management server 104 may determine
which inventory vehicles 106 are used to provide charge to the
customer electric vehicles 108. A single inventory vehicle 106 may
be used to directly provide charge to a single customer electric
vehicle 108. Alternatively, a single inventory vehicle 106 may be
used to charge multiple customer electric vehicles 108. Multiple
inventory vehicles 106 may also be used to charge a single or
multiple customer electric vehicles 108. As shown, various
combinations may be implemented and these should not be construed
as limiting.
[0042] As shown above, the days in which the inventory vehicles 106
have been stored may be a determinative factor for which inventory
vehicles 106 are to provide charge. For example, the longer the
inventory vehicle 106 has been within inventory, the less likely
the system 104 charges the vehicle 106. By diverting charge from
the inventory vehicles 106, additional charge is not received from
the grid and thus, savings may be created.
[0043] In one alternative implementation, the system 104 may charge
and discharge vehicles 106 that have been within inventory for a
longer period of time. That is, new incoming vehicles 106 may not
be charged and discharged between 60% and 4% as often as the older
vehicles 106 within the inventory.
[0044] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative scenario
200 where vehicles are placed into a dealership in accordance with
one aspect of the present disclosure. Maintaining a set of electric
vehicles as the inventory vehicles 106 may be used by the
dealership energy management system 104. The dealership 102, in the
scenario 200, may maintain an electric vehicle inventory 212 and
non-electric vehicle inventory 214.
[0045] While it is shown that the electric vehicle inventory 212
may store electric vehicles and the non-electric vehicle inventory
214 may store non-electric vehicles, other configurations may
exist. For example, ICE vehicles may be stored in the electric
vehicle inventory 212 and electric vehicles may be stored in the
non-electric vehicle inventory 214. The difference between the
electric vehicle inventory 212 and non-electric vehicle inventory
214 may be that the electric vehicle inventory 212 may incorporate
hardware for bi-directional charging. Furthermore, while ten (10)
spots have been shown, fewer or more may exist at the dealership
102.
[0046] Starting with the non-electric vehicle inventory 214, Spot 6
204A, Spot 7 204B, Spot 8 204C, Spot 9 204D and Spot 10 204E may be
used for ICE vehicles. In this example, a first ICE vehicle 206A
has been parked at Spot 6 204A, a second ICE vehicle 206B has been
parked at Spot 7 204B, a third ICE vehicle 206C has been parked at
Spot 8 204C and a fourth ICE vehicle 206D has been parked at Spot 9
204D. Spot 10 204E within the non-electric vehicle inventory 214
has not been occupied and a new vehicle may be placed therein.
[0047] Inventory vehicles 106A, 106B, and 106D may be currently in
place within the electric vehicle inventory 212. Inventory vehicle
106A may be in Spot 1 202A, inventory vehicle 106B may be in Spot 2
202B and inventory vehicle 106D may be in Spot 4 202D. Accordingly,
this may leave Spot 3 202C and Spot 5 202E open for new vehicles.
While primarily being described as for electric vehicles, plug-in
hybrid vehicles may also be placed into these spots to provide
charge to the customer electric vehicles 108.
[0048] As described above, the dealership energy management system
104 may take into account how many days the inventory vehicles 106
have been at the dealership 102. Inventory vehicle 106A may have
been at the dealership 102 for eighty-five (85) days, while
inventory vehicle 106B may have sixty-three (63) days, and
inventory vehicle 106D may have thirty-three (33) days. When new
vehicles are placed into Spot 3 202C and Spot 5 202E, a counter
that may be established by the dealership energy management system
104 may start the vehicles at zero (0) days. By doing this, the
system 104 may define which vehicles may be charged and discharged
first.
[0049] As described in another way, "sell priority" may define how
inventory vehicles 106 are being sold. Instead of prioritizing
vehicles 106 being charged and discharged based on the number of
days that have been within inventory, the vehicles 106 may be
charged and discharged based on whether the vehicles 106 are sold
next. Alternatively, those vehicles 106 that may not be sold next
may be charged and discharged first. This may indicate that vehicle
106 may be leaving the dealership 102 soon.
[0050] In the scenario 200, a vehicle carrier 210 may provide a
number of new vehicles 208A, 208B, 208C, 208D and 208E
(collectively new vehicles 208) to the dealership 102. The new
vehicles 208 may include different types of vehicles such as
electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and ICE vehicles. With these new
vehicles 208, the spots within the electric vehicle inventory 212
and non-electric vehicle inventory 214 may be filled. Typically,
the carrier 210 may drop off new vehicles 208 at different
dealerships and all of the vehicles 208 may not be unloaded at one
location. In the scenario, Spot 3 202C may be filled with inventory
vehicle 106C from the new vehicles 208, Spot 5 202E may be filled
with inventory vehicle 106E from the new vehicles 208 and Spot 10
204E may be filled from the new vehicles 208.
[0051] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative scenario
300 showing a cross sectional top view of an inventory vehicle 106
with wireless bi-directional charging capabilities in accordance
with one aspect of the present disclosure. The vehicle 106, when
placed into a spot at the dealership 102, may drive over a wireless
ground coil 304. The wireless ground coil 304 may provide charge
when activated and may also draw charge from the vehicle 106 when
allowed by the vehicle 106. Thus, the wireless ground coil 304 may
provide wireless charging and drawing capabilities for a vehicle
106.
[0052] When the vehicle 106 is driven into the spot, the vehicle
coil 302 may be matched to the wireless ground coil 304. The
wireless ground coil 304 may be larger than the vehicle coil 302.
This may allow the in accurate placement of the vehicle coil 302
and still allow the vehicle 106 to charge or charge be drawn from.
In some implementations, the wireless ground coil 304 or the
vehicle coil 302 may be automatically positioned such that they are
able to draw or charge most effectively. Mechanical/software
implementations may be used to align the wireless ground coil 304
and/or the vehicle coil 302.
[0053] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the illustrative scenario
300 showing a side view of the inventory vehicle 106 with wireless
bi-directional charging capabilities in accordance with one aspect
of the present disclosure. To make bi-directional charging and
drawing charge therefrom, the inventory vehicle 106 may include an
active load/battery pack 402, pick-up converter 404, and the
vehicle coil 302. Other components may exist and are not limited to
those shown.
[0054] The active load/battery pack 402 may encompass an active
load which may power hardware/software on the vehicle 106. For
example, pre-cooling the vehicle may be performed using charge
received from the pack 402. The pack 402 may also be used to power
the vehicle lights. Energy drawn from the pack 402 may be used to
drive an electric motor. The pack 402 may also store energy.
Typically, the pack 402 is a set of any number of identical
batteries or individual battery cells. They may be configured in a
series, parallel or a mixture of both to deliver the desired
voltage, capacity, or power density.
[0055] Connected to the active load/battery pack 402, may be the
pick-up converter 404. When energy is received from the wireless
ground coil 304 and received by the vehicle coil 302, charge may be
converted such that it may be stored into the pack 402. The pick-up
converter 404 may prepare the charge by drawing it from the pack
402 and then providing it to the vehicle coil 302.
[0056] Within the ground, the wireless ground coil 304 may be
present. The wireless ground coil 304 may provide and receive
charge from the vehicle coil 302. The wireless ground coil 304 may
interact with the primary converter 406. The primary converter 406
is an electric power converter which may change the voltage of an
electrical power source. It may be combined with other components
to create a power supply. The primary converter 406 may receive and
provide charge to the wireless ground coil 304.
[0057] Attached to the primary converter 406 may be a grid
converter 408. The grid converter 408 may change the voltage from
the dealership grid 410 such that the primary converter 406 may use
it or receive it. Thus, when power is drawn or sent to the
dealership grid 410, the power must be converted by the grid
converter 408 and the primary converter 406.
[0058] The dealership grid 410 may be the localized grid on the
dealership 102 and may be controlled by the dealership energy
management system 104. The dealership grid 410 may be tied into the
city grid to draw and provide power to. The dealership grid 410 may
be a localized grid that receives and provides power to those
devices on-site at the dealership 102. Specific hardware may be
tied to the dealership grid 410 from the electric vehicle inventory
212, specifically spots 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D and 202E, for
example. The same systems may exist for customer electric vehicles
108 who have wireless charging.
[0059] While wireless bi-directional charging may be used, other
systems may be implemented by the dealership 102. FIG. 5 is a
schematic diagram of an illustrative scenario 500 showing a top
view of a plug-in inventory vehicle 106 with bi-directional
charging capabilities in accordance with one aspect of the present
disclosure. The dealership grid 410 may be tied into the on-board
and off-board charging 502. The on-board and off-board charging 502
may include a number of different types of charging stations. For
example, a Level-2 public or private charging may be used. The
Level 2 charging stations may plug into a 240V outlet and deliver
charge to the inventory vehicles 106 to charge it faster. These
types of charging stations may be public or private. Generally, one
(1) to three (3) stations may be included if they are located in
the public.
[0060] The on-board and off-board charging 502 may also include
Level-1 charging home garage or office stations. These Level-1
stations provide 120V. Generally, the Level-1 Charging stations may
be provided through a small outlet. The outlet may be tether to the
vehicle 106. In addition, the on-board and off-board charging 502
may include a Level-3 charging station. This station may provide
off boarding and may allow bi-directional charging and charging
from the dealership grid 410 and the vehicle 106.
[0061] A charging connector 504 may connect the on-board and
off-board charging 502 to the vehicle 106. The connector 504 may be
tied to the on-off board battery charger 506. The charger 506 may
provide bi-directional and unidirectional charge flow. That is,
charge may be distributed from the vehicle 106 to the on-board and
off-board charging 502 and vice-versa.
[0062] The on-off board battery charger 506 may include an AC/DC
converter 508, power flow controller 510 and DC/DC converter 512.
The AC/DC converter 508 may receive AC power from the on-board and
off-board charging 502. The converter 508 may convert the AC to DC
and vice versa if power is received from the vehicle 106 back to
the on-board and off-board charging 502. The power flow controller
510 may control current direction
[0063] The AC/DC converter 508 may be connected to the power flow
controller 510. The power flow controller 510 may provide a switch
that allows the vehicle 106 to take on power and provide power to
and from the dealership grid 410. Tied to the power flow controller
510 may be a DC/DC converter 512. The DC/DC converter 512 may
convert a source of direct current from one voltage level to
another.
[0064] Continuing with the scenario 500, a bidirectional DC/DC
converter 514 may be coupled to the active load/battery pack 402,
which was previously described. The use of the bidirectional DC/DC
converter 514 may receive and provide power to active load/battery
pack 402. The active load/battery pack 402 may be used to store
charge as well as provide charge to the motor 518 through the
traction drive 516. Typically, and as will be shown, the dealership
energy management system 104 may store energy within the inventory
vehicles 106 and when needed pull the energy from the active
load/battery back 402.
[0065] Referring to FIG. 6, a schematic diagram of an illustrative
flow chart showing processes for receiving incoming electric
vehicles into the dealership in accordance with one aspect of the
present disclosure is provided. These processes may be used to
assign dates to incoming vehicles. The dates may be used to
distinguish how to charge and/or discharge the inventory vehicles
106 within the electric vehicle inventory 212. The processes may
begin at block 600.
[0066] At block 602, the vehicle carrier 210 may provide new
vehicles 208. The dealership 102 may begin to intake cars including
electric vehicles. Identifying information may be received from the
incoming vehicle at block 604. This information may include a
vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle. This may be
automatically scanned in and or manually performed.
[0067] At block 606, the dealership energy management system 104
may assign a spot for the electric vehicle at the dealership 102.
Non-electric vehicles may be placed into the non-electric vehicle
inventory 214 while electric vehicles may be sent to the electric
vehicle inventory 212. The number of days for the incoming vehicles
may be marked at block 608. By marking the dates, the vehicles that
have been at the dealership 102 the least amount of days may be
used more often to provide customer electric vehicles 108 with
charge than those with older dates. The processes may end block
610.
[0068] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the illustrative scenario
700 showing the dealership 102 having parking spots for inventory
vehicles 106, non-electric vehicles and customer electric vehicles
108 in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure.
Similar to before, a number of parking spots may be available.
Those parking spots associated with the inventory vehicles 106 may
include Spot 1 202A, Spot 2 202B, Spot 3 202C, Spot 4 202D and Spot
5 202E. The other spots 204A, 204B, 204C, 204D and 204E may be used
for ICE vehicles or may be used for hybrids and electric
vehicles.
[0069] Spot 1 202A, Spot 2 202B, Spot 3 202C, Spot 4 202D and Spot
5 202E may incorporate hardware as shown above to facilitate
bi-directional charging. The inventory vehicles 106 may store and
provide energy while they are placed in electric vehicle inventory
212. The line 706 may connect Spot 1 202A, Spot 2 202B, Spot 3
202C, Spot 4 202D and Spot 5 202E to the dealership energy
management system 104. Both power and communication lines may be
provided within the line 706. Communication lines may provide
signals that activate the charging or drawing charge from inventor
vehicles 106.
[0070] In turn, the dealership energy management system 104 may
provide charge to customer electric vehicle Spot 1 702A and
customer electric vehicle Spot 2 702B (collectively, customer
electric vehicle spots 702). Hardware similar to those previously
described may be used in the customer electric vehicle spots 702.
However, typically the hardware may be related to only charging the
vehicles. These may include the line connections or wireless
implementations.
[0071] Different types of variables and/or parameters may be used
to charge the inventory vehicles 106. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram
of an illustrative chart 800 showing processes for charging many
inventory vehicles 106 and providing charge to the customer
electric vehicles 108 in accordance with one aspect of the present
disclosure. In this particular instance, when there are a
relatively high number of inventory vehicles 106, then they would
be less likely to have fluctuations in charging and drawing of
power. Noticeably, the inventory vehicle 106 may come in at near
100% state-of-charge (SOC). In one embodiment, the dealership
energy management system 104 may discharge power from the vehicle
106 to provide customer electric vehicles 108 charge right away.
The system 104 may continue to discharge the vehicle 106 until it
reaches 4% SOC.
[0072] As further shown in the chart 800, the SOC may transition
between 60% and 4%. The number of transitions between these SOCs
may be smaller due to the higher amount of inventory vehicles 106.
As the number of days progress, the less likely the inventory
vehicle 106 may be used. Near the end, the charge may stay
relatively stable due to the number of days it has been placed in
inventory 212.
[0073] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative chart 900
showing processes for charging a few inventory vehicles 106 and
providing charge to the customer electric vehicles 108 in
accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure. The incoming
inventory vehicle 106 may come in at a nearly 100% SOC. The SOC may
then range between 60% and 4% SOC. This range may cycle many more
times than previously shown. The few remaining inventory vehicles
106 may have to provide the charge for the incoming customer
vehicles 108.
[0074] In one embodiment, the dealership energy management system
104 may not charge the inventory vehicle 106 until it reaches a
predefined threshold. For example, the system 104 may charge the
inventory vehicle 106 when the SOC reaches below 48%. The inventory
vehicle 106, otherwise, may not be charged until reaching this
threshold.
[0075] The threshold set above may also depend on the number of
inventory vehicles 106. For example, if there are a total of five
(5) inventory vehicles 106, the dealership energy management system
104 may set the threshold at 45% to begin charging during off-peak
times. While the inventory vehicle 106 may discharge to 4%,
charging may be set when the vehicle 106 SOC drops below 45%.
[0076] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative chart 1000
showing processes for charging newer inventory vehicles 106 and
providing charge to the customer electric vehicles 108 in
accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure. After
discharging the inventory vehicle 106 from nearly 100% SOC, the
inventory vehicles 106 may be charged and discharged more
frequently.
[0077] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative chart 1100
showing processes for charging older inventory vehicles 106 and
providing charge to the customer electric vehicles 108 in
accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure. As compared
to newer inventory vehicles 106, the older inventory vehicles 106
may not be charged and discharged as much to prevent degradation of
the batteries. In one alternative implementation, older vehicles
106 may be charged and discharged more frequently.
[0078] Turning now to FIG. 12, a schematic diagram of an
illustrative scenario 1200 showing prioritizing of charging energy
storage units 1202A, 1202B, 1202C, 1202D and 1202E (collectively
energy storage units 1202) in accordance with one aspect of the
present disclosure is provided. The dealership energy management
system 104 may begin to charge those vehicles 106 that have been
within the inventory 212 the least amount of days. Alternatively,
those vehicles 106 having been within inventory 212 the longest may
charged and discharged more frequently. Those vehicles would be at
Spot 3 202C and Spot 5 202E. The system 104 may then charge the
energy storage units 1202 at those spots 202C and 202E first, or
one after the other. Typically, the SOC of the inventory vehicles
106 may be charged up to 60%. The energy storage unit 202C and the
energy storage unit 202E may be charged first, either
simultaneously (in parallel) or one after the other (in series).
The energy storage unit 202C and the energy storage unit 202E may
each have 4% SOC and thus, have hit the predefined threshold to
begin charging during off-peak hours.
[0079] The dealership energy management system 104 may charge the
energy storage unit 202C and the energy storage unit 202E up to 60%
first and then charge the other energy storage units 1202A, 1202B
and 1202D. For example, the next energy storage units 1202 to be
charged may be based on dates. That is, energy storage unit 1202D
may be charged next because it has been in the inventory the next
least amount of time, that is, thirty-three (33) days. The energy
storage unit 1202D may have also fallen below the predefined
threshold such that it would start charging also during off-peak
hours.
[0080] Following, and if this were based on the days in inventory
212, the dealership energy management system 104, may charge the
energy storage unit 1202B next as it has been in inventory 212 for
sixty-three (63) days. The energy storage unit 1 1202A may be
charged over energy storage unit 1202B even though the energy
storage unit 1 1202A has eighty-five (85) days and the energy
storage unit 2 1202B has sixty-three (63) days. In this case, the
energy storage unit 2 1202B has not reached the threshold of 45%
SOC as it has a 50% SOC. The system 104 may bypass energy storage
unit 2 1202B for energy storage unit 1 1202A, which has a lower
SOC, 40%, and has hit the threshold of less than 45% SOC. If there
is time remaining, the system 104 may then charge the energy
storage unit 2 1202B up to 60%. Each of the energy storage units
1202 may be charged up to 60% if given enough time.
[0081] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative flow chart
showing processes for charging inventory vehicles 106 at the
dealership 102 in accordance with one aspect of the present
disclosure. The processes may begin at block 1300. The processes
are for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as
limiting. Further, the ordering of the processes may be changed
where applicable.
[0082] At block 1302, the dealership energy management system 104
may detect the number of inventory vehicles 106 within the
inventory 212. The dealership energy management system 104, at
block 1304, may determine the number of days the inventory vehicles
106 have been at the dealership 102. This may be used to determine
which inventory vehicles 106 are charged first.
[0083] At block 1306, the SOC for the inventory vehicles 106 is
determined. In some instances, this may be used to determine
whether the vehicle 106 is to be charged. When the vehicle 106 has
not reached below the threshold, the vehicle 106 may be charged
later and passed for those vehicles 106 that are below a
threshold.
[0084] At block 1308, during off-peak hours, the dealership energy
management system 104 may charge new vehicles up to 60% that have a
lower SOC than a predefined threshold, then proceed to older
vehicles. Each may be charged up to 60% if below a threshold and
then any remaining time afterwards may allow those above the
threshold to charge. The processes may end at block 1310.
[0085] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative flow chart
showing processes for providing charge to customer electric
vehicles 108 at the dealership 102 in accordance with one aspect of
the present disclosure. The processes may begin at block 1400. At
block 1402, the dealership energy management system 104 may detect
an incoming customer electric vehicle 108 parked within a customer
electric vehicle spot 702.
[0086] Charge from the inventory vehicles 106, at block 1404, may
be redirected to the customer electric vehicle 108. The charge may
be directed from a portion or all of the inventory vehicles 106.
Newer inventory vehicles 106 that have charge above 4% SOC may be
used. The processes may end at block 1406.
[0087] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person
skilled in the relevant art to practice the various embodiments
described herein. Various modifications to these embodiments will
be readily apparent to those skilled in the relevant art and
generic principles defined herein may be applied to other
embodiments. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the
embodiments shown and described herein, but are to be accorded the
full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein
reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean
"one and only one" unless specifically stated, but rather "one or
more." All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of
the various embodiments described throughout this disclosure that
are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in
the relevant art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and
intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing
disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public
regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the
claims.
* * * * *