Optimized charging and discharging of a plug-in electric vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10011183-B2
Application number	US-201615065471-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2016
Priority date	Mar 9, 2016
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

The disclosure includes a system and method for charging and discharging a Plug-in Electric Vehicle (“PEV”). The method may include determining that first event data describes a Renewable Energy Output Control event (“REOC event”) including instructions directing a Renewable Energy Power Generation facility (“REPG facility”) to not output power to a power grid during a time period specified by the REOC event. The method may include the REPG facility charging a battery system included in a PEV during the REOC event. The battery system may be coupled to the REPG facility via a coupling that does not including the power grid. The battery system may be charged by the REPG facility via the coupling with power generated by the REPG facility during the first duration of the REOC event so that the REPG facility continues to generate power during the REOC event.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining that first event data describes a Renewable Energy Output Control event (“REOC event”) including instructions for operating a Renewable Energy Power Generation facility (“REPG facility”) during a first duration of the REOC event, wherein the instructions direct the REPG facility to not output power to a power grid during the first duration of the REOC event;
charging a battery system included in a Plug-in Electric Vehicle (“PEV”) during the first duration of the REOC event, wherein the battery system is coupled to the REPG facility via a coupling that does not including the power grid and charged by the REPG facility via the coupling with power generated by the REPG facility during the first duration of the REOC event so that the REPG facility continues to generate power during the REOC event and wherein the battery system is coupled to the power grid;
determining that second event data describes a Demand Response event (“DR event”);
discharging at least some of the power stored in the battery system to the power grid during a second duration of the DR event;
estimating a next journey that the PEV will take;
estimating a departure time when the next journey will start;
estimating a journey power value describing how much wattage the PEV will consume to complete the next journey;
determining a PEV power value describing how much wattage the battery system is currently storing;
calculating a charge time occurring between an end of the DR event and the departure time;
estimating a charge time power value describing how much wattage can be stored in the battery system during the charge time; and
determining a maximum discharge value that is a maximum amount of wattage discharged by the battery system of the PEV to the power grid during the DR event so that the battery system is storing the journey power value at the departure time, wherein the maximum discharge value is determined by solving for a following equation: the maximum discharge value=the charge time power value−the journey power value+the PEV power value and the discharging to the power grid is limited to the maximum discharge value.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
calculating when to start charging the battery system based on a goal of achieving a lowest cost and a battery charge sufficient to meet the journey power value for the next journey.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
monitoring a wattage of power discharged to the power grid;
determining a cost of the wattage based on a charge schedule describing the cost of the wattage during the DR event;
storing discharge data describing the wattage discharged by the battery system of the PEV to the power grid during the DR event and the cost of the wattage; and
providing the discharge data to a utility for reimbursement based on the cost of the wattage.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
limiting the discharging during second duration of the DR event so that the battery system is guaranteed to store the journey power value at the departure time.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining how long the REOC event will last;
estimating how much energy could be sourced from the REPG facility during a time period associated with the REOC event and before the departure time for the next journey; and
charging the battery system from energy produced by the REPG facility during the REOC event.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining whether there has been a price increase during a present time for a cost of electricity while charging the battery system using the energy produced by the REPG facility during the REOC event; and
responsive to determining that the price increase occurred, discharging at least some of the power stored in the battery system to the power grid.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying a time period when a cost of power is expensive relative to historical cost based on a charge schedule describing the cost of the power during the time period and the historical cost; and
discharging at least some of the power stored in the battery system of the PEV to the power grid during the time period.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
monitoring a wattage of power discharged to the power grid;
determining a cost of the wattage based on the charge schedule;
storing discharge data describing the wattage discharged by the battery system of the PEV to the power grid during the time period and the cost of the wattage; and
providing the discharge data to a utility for reimbursement based on the cost of the wattage.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the charge schedule is stored as charge schedule data in a non-transitory memory of the PEV.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the charge schedule is stored as charge schedule data in a non-transitory memory of a charging system that is coupled to the coupling and the PEV to transmit power from the coupling to the PEV.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the charging system is located within a range of 0.01 centimeters and 100 meters from the PEV.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the charging system is operated by a user of the PEV.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the charging system is operated by the REPG facility.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the charge schedule is published by a utility and transmitted by a first server associated with the utility to the charging system and a second server associated with REPG facility via a network that is communicatively coupled to the charging system, the first server and the second server.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the network includes a wireless network.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the utility also publishes the first event data.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the PEV is an autonomous vehicle.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the PEV includes an electric engine and a combustion engine.

19. A system comprising:
a Plug-in Electric Vehicle (“PEV”) coupled to a charging system;
wherein the PEV includes a battery system operable to be charged by the charging system, a processor and an optimization system, wherein the optimization system includes computer-readable code that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising:
determining that event data describes a Renewable Energy Output Control event (“REOC event”) including instructions for operating a Renewable Energy Power Generation facility (“REPG facility”) during a duration of the REOC event, wherein the instructions direct the REPG facility to not output power to a power grid during the duration of the REOC event;
charging the battery system included in the PEV during the duration of the REOC event, wherein the battery system is coupled to the REPG facility via a coupling that does not including the power grid and charged by the REPG facility via the coupling with power generated by the REPG facility during the duration of the REOC event so that the REPG facility continues to generate power during the REOC event and wherein the battery system is coupled to the power grid;
determining that second event data describes a Demand Response event (“DR event”);
discharging at least some of the power stored in the battery system to the power grid during a second duration of the DR event;
estimating a next journey that the PEV will take;
estimating a departure time when the next journey will start;
estimating a journey

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shimizu Takayuki
• Murakami Kenichi
• Kumita Kunihiko
• Ohno Tomoya

Classifications

• H02J3/32

  using batteries or super capacitors with converting means · CPC title

• B60L55/00

  Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements · CPC title

• B60L53/63

  in response to network capacity · CPC title

• Y04S10/126

  the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G] · CPC title

• B60L53/64 Primary

  Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates · CPC title