Systems and methods for selective battery control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10414280-B2
Application number	US-201715808945-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2017
Priority date	Nov 10, 2017
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

A selective battery control system includes a battery exchange station and an at least partially electric vehicle communicably coupled to the battery exchange station. The at least partially electric vehicle includes processing circuitry configured to determine a number of batteries needed for a trip, determine if the at least partially electric vehicle has a correct number of batteries, and in response to the at least partially electric vehicle having an incorrect number of batteries, add or remove batteries until the at least partially electric vehicle has the correct number of batteries for the trip.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A selective battery control system, comprising:
a battery exchange station; and
an at least partially electric vehicle communicably coupled to the battery exchange station, wherein the at least partially electric vehicle includes processing circuitry configured to
determine a number of batteries needed for a trip,
determine if vehicle weight will changed during the trip,
determine if the at least partially electric vehicle has a correct number of batteries, and
in response to the at least partially electric vehicle having an incorrect number of batteries, instruct the battery exchange station to add or remove batteries until the at least partially electric vehicle has the correct number of batteries for the trip.

2. The selective battery control system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry for determining a number of batteries needed for a trip is further configured to
receive a trip plan.

3. The selective battery control system of claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry for determining a number of batteries needed for a trip is further configured to calculate a total vehicle weight when the vehicle weight will not change during the trip.

4. The selective battery control system of claim 3 , wherein the processing circuitry for determining a number of batteries needed for a trip is further configured to
calculate a total vehicle weight for a first part of the trip when the vehicle weight will change during the trip, and
calculate a total vehicle weight for a second part of the trip when the vehicle weight will change during the trip, wherein the second part of the trip is the part of the trip that begins when the total vehicle weight changes.

5. The selective battery control system of claim 4 , wherein the processing circuitry for determining a number of batteries needed for a trip is further configured to
estimate traffic based on the trip plan.

6. The selective battery control system of claim 5 , wherein the processing circuitry for determining a number of batteries needed for a trip is further configured to
calculate a number of batteries for the trip, wherein the calculation is based on the trip plan, the traffic, the driving history database, the vehicle weight, and whether or not the vehicle weight will change during the trip.

7. The selective battery control system of claim 2 , wherein the trip plan is received from a trip planning interface.

8. The selective battery control system of claim 7 , wherein the trip plan includes a destination, a route, and weather information.

9. The selective battery control system of claim 2 , wherein the battery exchange station stores and charges a plurality of batteries for the at least partially electric vehicle.

10. The selective battery control system of claim 1 , wherein the at least partially electric vehicle is included in a selective battery control network, wherein the selective battery control network includes one or more at least partially electric vehicles, one or more servers, and one or more battery exchange stations.

11. The selective battery control system of claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to
determine if enough batteries are available to complete the trip,
in response to not having enough batteries available to complete the trip, request availability of battery exchange stations, and
update the trip plan based on the availability of the battery exchange stations.

12. The selective battery control system of claim 11 , wherein the battery exchange stations include one or more of one or more public battery exchange stations and one or more private battery exchanges stations.

13. A method for selective battery control, comprising:
determining, via processing circuitry, a number of batteries needed for a trip for an at least partially electric vehicle;
determining, via processing circuitry, if vehicle weight will change during the trip;
determining, via the processing circuitry, if the at least partially electric vehicle has a correct number of batteries; and
in response to the at least partially electric vehicle having an incorrect number of batteries, instructing, via the processing circuitry, a battery exchange station to add or remove batteries until the at least partially electric vehicle has the correct number of batteries for the trip.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving a trip plan.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
calculating a total vehicle weight when the vehicle weight will not change during the trip.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
calculating a total vehicle weight for a first part of the trip when the vehicle weight will change during the trip; and
calculating a total vehicle weight for a second part of the trip when the vehicle weight will change during the trip, wherein the second part of the trip is the part of the trip that begins when the total vehicle weight changes.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
estimating traffic based on the trip plan; and
calculating a number of batteries for the trip; wherein the calculation is based on the trip plan, the traffic, the driving history database, the vehicle weight, and whether or not the vehicle weight will change during the trip.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
determining if enough batteries are available to complete the trip;
in response to not having enough batteries available to complete the trip, requesting availability of battery exchange stations; and
updating the trip plan based on the availability of the battery exchange stations.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:
determining a number of batteries needed for a trip for an at least partially electric vehicle;
determining, via processing circuitry, if vehicle weight will change during the trip;
determining if the at least partially electric vehicle has a correct number of batteries; and
in response to the at least partially electric vehicle having an incorrect number of batteries, instructing a battery exchange station to add or remove batteries until the at least partially electric vehicle has the correct number of batteries for the trip.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 , further comprising:
receiving a trip plan;
calculating a total vehicle weight when the vehicle weight will not change during the trip;
calculating a total vehicle weight for a first part of the trip when the vehicle weight will change during the trip;
calculating a total vehicle weight for a second part of the trip when the vehicle weight will change during the trip, wherein the second part of the trip is the part of the trip that begins when the total vehicle weight changes;

estimating traffic based on the trip plan;
calculating a number of batteries for the trip, wherein the calculation is based on the trip plan, the traffic, the driving history database, the vehicle weight, and whether or not the vehicle weight will change during the trip;
determining if enough batteries are available to complete the trip;
in response to not having enough batteries available to complete the trip, requesting availability of battery exchange stations; and
updating the trip plan based on the availability of the battery exchange stations.

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Williams Paxton S
• Williams Colby S
• Frederick Scott L

Classifications

• B60L53/30

  Constructional details of charging stations · CPC title

• B60L2240/60

  Navigation input · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• B60S5/06

  Supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles (exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80) · CPC title

• B60L53/80 Primary

  Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries · CPC title