Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to a system for vehicle charging and, more particularly, to a system for coordination of vehicle charging and rich content delivery.

Background

[0002] Electric vehicles powered partially or fully by electricity become increasingly prevalent due to their reduced environmental footprint and their capability of implementing advanced control and entertainment features as compared to their gas powered counterparts. Such electric vehicles typically require recharging of internal energy storage devices, such as batteries, through a charging station that supplies electric energy to the electric vehicle. However, the length of time required for the transfer of electricity from the charge station to the electric vehicle may present an inconvenience for a user of the electric vehicle who must wait for the electric vehicle to recharge.

[0003] Accordingly, manufacturers of electric vehicles have attempted to reduce this inconvenience by minimizing the charge time necessary to recharge the energy storage devices in electric vehicles. Unfortunately, efforts to reduce the charge time for electric vehicles has resulted in fast charge stations that deliver high levels of charging current to the energy storage devices, such as secondary batteries. Such charging currents may reduce the longevity of the energy storage devices, thus incurring monetary costs due to the need to replace the energy storage devices more frequently.

[0004] The disclosed systems and methods are directed to addressing one or more of the problems set forth above.

Summary

[0005] In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a vehicle charging method including receiving first data corresponding to a user selection of rich content to be delivered to an at least partially electrically powered vehicle. The method also includes determining an available charge time for at least one battery of the vehicle based on the first data. The method further includes determining an upper limit of a charge current based on the determined available charge time and providing the rich content to the user while charging the vehicle with the charge current below the upper limit.

[0006] In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a vehicle charging system including a vehicle infotainment system. The vehicle infotainment system includes one or more user interfaces configured to generate first data indicating a user selection of rich content to be delivered to an at least partially electrically powered vehicle. The vehicle charging system also includes an energy storage system including a battery pack and a controller. The controller is configured to determine an available charge time for the battery pack based on the first data and to determine an upper limit of a charge current for the battery pack based on the determined available charge time. The vehicle infotainment system is configured to provide the rich content to the user while the battery pack is being charged with the charge current below the upper limit.

[0007] In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a non-transitory computer- readable medium storing instructions executable by at least one processor to facilitate vehicle charging according to a method. The method includes receiving first data corresponding to a user selection of rich content to be delivered to an at least partially electrically powered vehicle and determining an available charge time for at least one battery of the vehicle based on the first data. The method also includes determining an upper limit of a charge current based on the determined available charge time and providing the rich content to the user while charging the vehicle with the charge current under the upper limit.

[0008] In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a vehicle charging system including a charge station and a powerline. The charge station includes a charge station controller configured to receive first data indicating a user selection of rich content to be delivered to an at least partially electrically powered vehicle, and to source second data corresponding to the rich content from a rich content source. The charge station also includes charge circuitry configured to receive primary power and to convert the primary power to produce a charging power for the vehicle and modulation circuitry configured to modulate the second data over the charging power to produce a modulated output. The powerline includes a one or more conductors and is configured to transmit the modulated output over the one or more conductors to the vehicle via a charge port. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009] Fig. 1 is block diagram of an exemplary vehicle charging system, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

[0010] Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determining a charge current, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

[0011] Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for modulating rich content and charging power over a powerline, according to an aspect of the disclosure; and

[0012] Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determining vehicle data transfer based on a vehicle charge time, according to an aspect of the disclosure.

Detailed Description

[0013] Provided herein are vehicle charging systems and methods that enable coordination between vehicle charging and the delivery of user selected rich content. In some embodiments, a user may select rich content via an infotainment system in the vehicle and, based on a length of time associated with the rich content, a processor may determine an upper limit for charge current for at least one vehicle battery. The rich content may then be delivered to the user via a wired or wireless connection to the vehicle, and the vehicle battery may be charged with a charge current below the upper limit. By coordinating the delivery of rich content to the user with the charging of the vehicle, the user experience and/or battery longevity may be improved, as compared to conventional charging systems. These and other features of the presently disclosed embodiments are discussed in more detail below.

[0014] Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary vehicle charging system 10 for charging an exemplary vehicle 12, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. Vehicle 12 may have any body style, such as a sports car, a coupe, a sedan, a pick-up truck, a station wagon, a sports utility vehicle (SUV), a minivan, or a conversion van. Vehicle 12 may be an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or any other vehicle that is completely or partially powered by electricity.

[0015] As illustrated in Fig. 1 , charging system 10 may include one or more charging components of vehicle 12, a fast charge station 14, and a vehicle charge port 16 configured to couple vehicle 12 to the fast charge station 14. Fast charge station 14 may be further in communication with local or remote servers through a network connection 18 to gain access to cloud data 20. During operation, fast charge station 14 may deliver power to vehicle 12 via vehicle charge port 16. Consistent with some embodiments, vehicle 12 and fast charge station 14 may also exchange data through vehicle charge port 16. Vehicle charge port 16 may be located, for example, at a vehicle charging location, such as a grocery store or other electrical power fueling station.

[0016] Vehicle 12 may include a vehicle infotainment system 22 configured to receive inputs from a user and to deliver entertainment, such as user selected rich content, to the user. Consistent with the disclosure, a user may be any occupant of vehicle 12, including the driver and passengers. To that end, the vehicle infotainment system may include one or more user interfaces 24. User interface(s) 24 may be located in any suitable location within vehicle 12. For example, the user interface(s) may be embedded or mounted onto a vehicle dashboard and/or installed in a center console, a steering wheel, and/or a smart phone. User interface(s) 24 may be configured to receive data input, such as the selection of rich content, from users who are occupants of vehicle 12, and send the data to vehicle infotainment circuitry 26 for processing.

[0017] User interface(s) 24 may include an LCD, an LED, a plasma display, or any other suitable type of display. In some embodiments, user interface(s) 24 may provide a Graphical User interface (GUI) presented on the display for user input and data display. User interface(s) 24 may further include a touchscreen, a touch pad, a keyboard, a mouse, or a tracker ball to enable user input. User interface(s) 24 may also be configured to receive inputs via voice commands and/or gesture commands.

[0018] Furthermore, in one embodiment, user interface(s) 24 may present rich content entertainment options to the user, such as a selection between various types of rich content. The rich content available to the user via the user interface(s) may include, but is not limited to, movies, video games, television shows, audio programs, or other digital content available locally or on the Internet, etc. In another embodiment, updates to vehicle 12 and/or data logs associated with vehicle 12 may be communicated to the user via user interface(s) 24.

[0019] User interface(s) 24 may be communicatively coupled to vehicle infotainment circuitry 26. Vehicle infotainment circuitry 26 may include any suitable circuitry configured to process data being delivered to and/or received from user interface(s) 24. For example, in some embodiments, vehicle infotainment circuitry 26 may include processing circuitry having any appropriate type, such as general-purpose or special-purpose microprocessor, digital signal processor, or microcontroller. Vehicle infotainment circuitry 26 may further include one or more memory devices, for example, in the form of any appropriate type of mass storage for storing information. For example, the memory may include one or more hard disk devices, optical disk devices, or other storage devices to provide storage space. The memory may also include one or more memory devices including, but not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a dynamic random access memory (RAM), and a static RAM.

[0020] Vehicle 12 may also include an energy storage system 30 configured to store electrical power and partially or fully power vehicle 12 with electricity. Energy storage system 30 may include a battery pack 32, a battery pack controller 34, and demodulation circuitry 36. Battery pack 32 may include one or more batteries configured to selectively charge to store power for later use and to selectively discharge to provide electricity to power vehicle 12. However, in other embodiments, battery pack 32 may be replaced with any other energy storage devices capable of selectively storing and releasing power.

[0021] Battery pack controller 34 may be configured to communicate within energy storage system 30 with demodulation circuitry 36 to bidirectionally exchange data with demodulation circuitry 36. Further, battery pack controller 34 may be configured to bidirectionally exchange data with vehicle infotainment circuitry 26. As such, battery pack controller 34 may facilitate the exchange of data between vehicle infotainment system 22 and one or more systems or devices external to vehicle 12.

[0022] Battery pack controller 34 may include any suitable circuitry configured to process data being delivered to and/or received from energy storage system 30. For example, in some embodiments, battery pack controller 34 may include processing circuitry and one or more memory devices similar to those disclosed above for vehicle infotainment circuitry 26.

[0023] Demodulation circuitry 36 may be coupled to battery pack controller 34 and battery pack 32. Demodulation circuitry 36 may be configured to receive a signal having data modulated over power via vehicle charge port 16 and a powerline 38. Once the data and power are received from powerline 38, demodulation circuitry 36 may demodulate the data from the power, distributes the data to the battery pack controller 34, and distributes the power to battery pack 32. To that end, demodulation circuitry 36 may include one or more circuit components, such as, but not limited to transformers, capacitors, resistors, etc. Some of these circuit components may be power electronic components, such as IGBT, power MOSFET, etc.

[0024] Fast charge station 14 may be located proximate to or remote from vehicle charge port 16, and is coupled to vehicle charge port 16 via powerline 38. In some embodiments, powerline 38 may include a single conductor configured to receive a signal including data modulated over power, and to transmit the modulated signal over the single conductor. In other embodiments, multiple conductors may be provided in powerline 38, and one or more of the multiple conductors may receive a signal including data modulated over power.

Further, in some embodiments, powerline 38 may be configured to transmit data modulated over power at a high bandwidth. In some embodiments, the bandwidth may be sufficiently high to support a transfer of data at a rate equal to or greater than 1 megabyte/second.

[0025] Fast charge station 14 may include a modulation circuitry 40 configured to modulate data over power and transmit the modulated power signal to powerline 38 for further transmission to vehicle 12. Modulation circuitry 40 may include any suitable number and type of circuit components, such as transformers, rectifiers, capacitors, etc., capable of modulating data signal on power signal for the high bandwidth data transmission over powerline 38. Modulation circuitry 40 may include signal processing circuitry such as digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and analog-to-digital converter (ADC).

[0026] Fast charge station 14 may also include charge station controller 42 coupled to modulation circuitry 40 and configured to transfer data to the modulation circuitry 40.

Charge station controller 42 may include processing circuitry and one or more memory devices similar to those disclosed for vehicle infotainment circuitry 26.

[0027] Fast charge station 14 may also include charge circuitry 44. Charge circuitry 44 may be configured to receive primary power, for example, from a power grid or other suitable source, and to convert the primary power into a charging power suitable for charging battery pack 32. Because primary power is usually in the form of AC power but vehicle 12 typically stores and uses DC power, charge circuitry 44 may include an AC to DC converter 46 to convert to AC power to DC power.

[0028] Fast charge station 14 may be coupled to network connection 18 over a high bandwidth Ethernet connection 48. High bandwidth Ethernet connection 48 may be a wired Internet connection or a wireless Internet connection. Network connection 18 may provide charge station controller 42 with access to cloud data 20. In this way, cloud data 20 may be transferred to and/or from vehicle 12 via charge station controller 42, powerline 38, and vehicle charge port 16.

[0029] Network connection 18 may be any type of wired or wireless connection providing access to remotely stored cloud data 20. For example, network connection 18 may be a virtual private network connection enabling access to the user's personal data (e.g., purchased movies, television shows, etc.) stored by a third party organization on behalf of the user. For further example, network connection 18 may provide access to third party user accounts, such as Netflix. [0030] Cloud data 20 may be any type of data that may be delivered to the user in vehicle 12. For example, cloud data 20 may be rich content, such as movies, television shows, audio recordings, etc. Cloud data 20 may be stored by any available cloud computing service to which the user subscribes. Further, in some embodiments, cloud data 20 may be data previously stored by the user in a personal cloud computing account. In other embodiments, cloud data 20 may be vehicle updates or data logs, as discussed in more detail below.

[0031] In some embodiments, vehicle 12 may also be configured to receive cloud data 20 through a wireless connection 21. For example, vehicle 12 may include a cell modem capable of receiving data wirelessly.

[0032] Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 52 for limiting a charge current to battery pack 32 based on a length of time corresponding to a user selection, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. The process 52 may be implemented by any suitable controller in the vehicle charging system 10. For example, the process 52 may be implemented by battery pack controller 34, or alternatively, in some embodiments, by vehicle infotainment circuitry 26 or charge station controller 42.

[0033] The process 52 includes receiving data indicating that the vehicle 12 has been coupled to the vehicle charge port 16 (step 53). For example, upon connection of vehicle 12 to vehicle charge point 16, a signal may be sent to battery pack controller 34 to indicate that a connection has been formed. In some embodiments, battery pack controller 34 may then communicate to the vehicle infotainment system 22 via vehicle infotainment circuitry 26 that a connection is formed between the vehicle charge port 16 and the vehicle 12 (step 54).

Battery pack controller 34 may then coordinate with vehicle infotainment circuitry 26 to prompt a user to select a user selection, for example, via user interface(s) 24 (step 55). For example, if the vehicle infotainment circuitry 26 includes stored information regarding the user's preferences, a set of recommended choices of rich content may be displayed on the user interface(s) 24 for the user to select.

[0034] Once a connection has been identified, battery pack controller 34 may determine an available charge time for battery pack 32 based on a user selection (step 56). For example, the user may select rich content, such as high definition video, high definition audio, etc., via user interface(s) 24. Data corresponding to the rich content selection may be transferred via vehicle infotainment circuitry 26 to battery pack controller 34. Battery pack controller 34 may then determine a length of time associated with the rich content delivery and set the available charge time to the length of the rich content selection. Alternatively, vehicle infotainment circuitry 26 may perform the determination and provide the determined length of time to battery pack controller 34.

[0035] Battery pack controller 34/vehicle infotainment circuitry 26 may be configured to determine the available charge time in a variety of suitable ways, depending on

implementation-specific considerations. For example, in some embodiments, the length of time associated with the rich content may be automatically calculated, for example, based on the length of a movie or song. In other embodiments, the user may directly input via user or select interface(s) 24 the length of time the user is willing to wait during a given charge session. Still further, in other embodiments, vehicle infotainment system 22 may suggest content to the user based on an amount of charge time needed to charge battery pack 32 to a desired or predetermined level.

[0036] The process 52 further includes determining an upper limit of charge current for charging battery pack 32 based on the determined charge time (step 58). The upper limit of charge current may be determined based on one or more factors, including but not limited to the total capacity of battery pack 32, the current available from fast charge station 14, and the current state of charge of battery pack 32. For example, in some embodiments, the upper limit of charge current may be calculated according to equation (1):

. _A _ (SOCMAX - SOCCUR) * Capacity 1

\ ^L ) ^Λ — : * ~ >

^allowable 1 where A is the upper limit of charge current {i.e., the non-saturation charging current), SOCMAX is the maximum state of charge of battery pack 32, SOCCUR is the current state of charge of battery pack 32, Capacity is the capacity of battery pack 32 in Ah, t _a ii ₀ wabie is the charging time in hours, and η is the efficiency of battery pack 32, which is a number between zero and one. However, it should be noted that equation (1) is merely an example, and the actual formula used in a given system is subject to a variety of implementation-specific considerations. For example, equation (1) assumes the temperature of battery pack 32 is within an allowable range for charging. As such, equation (1) may be modified, if desired for the given implementation, to take into account the necessary current requirement to control the temperature of battery pack 32. Also, saturation charging may be dependent on the chemistry of the batteries in battery pack 32 and may further affect charging time.

[0037] Once the upper limit for the charge current has been determined, battery pack controller 34 may transmit the determined upper limit charge current to fast charge station 14 (step 60). Fast charge station 14 may then provide a charge current to vehicle 12 below the determined upper limit of the charge current. Further, the user selection of the rich content may be delivered to vehicle 12 while the charging power is being delivered, while the charge current below the upper limit of the charge current is delivered to battery pack 32 (step 62). In this way, the delivery of rich content to the user may be coordinated with the charging of battery pack 32. The foregoing feature may improve the user experience since the user selects the rich content to be delivered, while improving battery longevity since the upper limit of the charge current is determined based on the length of the selected rich content.

[0038] Consistent with some embodiments, the rich content may be delivered to vehicle 12 through powerline 38 simultaneously with the delivery of the charging power, as will be discussed in more detail in connection with Fig. 3. In some embodiments, the user selected rich content may be transferred to vehicle 12 via a wireless connection, e.g., wireless connection 21.

[0039] Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 64 for transmitting high bandwidth rich content and charging power to vehicle 12 via powerline 38 and vehicle charge port 16. The process 64 may be implemented by any controller or processor, or group of components, located in vehicle charging system 10. For example, the process 64 may be implemented by the components of fast charge station 14 in some embodiments.

[0040] The process 64 may include receiving data indicating vehicle 12 is connected to vehicle charge port 16 (step 66). Once the connection of vehicle 12 to vehicle charging port 16 is detected, the process 64 may include receiving data corresponding to user selected rich content (step 68). For example, the user may select via user interface(s) 24 a high bandwidth rich content, such as streamed video.

[0041] The process further may include sourcing the user-selected rich content via high bandwidth Ethernet connection 48 (step 70). For example, charge station controller 42 may access a personal data streaming account of the user via network connection 18 to acquire the selected high bandwidth rich content. Further, charging power may be sourced from charge circuitry 44 (step 72). In some embodiments, the charging power may be sourced at a level below a determined upper limit of the charge current for battery pack 32, as described in detail above with respect to Fig. 2.

[0042] The user selected rich content may then be modulated over the charging power, for example, by modulation circuitry 40, and transmitted via one or more conductors of powerline 38 (step 74). Powerline 38 may include one or more conductive wires configured to transfer the charging power from fast charge station 14 to battery pack 32. A modulation may superpose a modulated carrier signal on top of the power signal, i.e., a line voltage. The carrier signal may be high-frequency band so that high bandwidth data can be modulated onto the power signal. It is contemplated that the modulation may be performed by any known modulation methods in the communication literature, such as Frequency Shifting Keying (FSK), Spread Frequency Shifting Keying (S-FSK), Binary Phase Shifting Keying (BPSK), Spread Spectrum (SS), and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation, etc.

[0043] In some embodiments, the modulation may include a high bandwidth modulation in which high bandwidth data is modulated over power. In some embodiments, the bandwidth may be sufficiently high to support a transfer of data over power at a rate equal to or greater than 1 megabyte/second. Further, in certain embodiments, the type of data selected by the user may dictate the type of modulation method used for step 74. For example, in a high bandwidth application (e.g. , one requiring a data transfer rate of greater than 1 megabyte/second such as transfer of standard definition video), OFDM modulation may be performed. In a lower bandwidth application, S-FSK, BPSK or FSK modulations may be performed. In this way, selection of the modulation method may correspond to the bandwidth of the rich content selected by the user.

[0044] Upon receipt by vehicle 12, the modulated rich content and charging power may be demodulated by demodulation circuitry 36. A demodulation may separate the signal containing the rich content from the electric power signal, using a demodulation process corresponding to the modulation process. The user selected rich content may then be delivered to the user via user interface(s) 24, and the charging power may be directed to battery pack 32 (step 76).

[0045] Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 78 for delivering vehicle updates and data logs to vehicle 12 via a wired or wireless Internet connection, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. The process 78 may include receiving data indicating that vehicle 12 is connected to vehicle charge port 16 (step 80). The process 78 further may include determining a vehicle charge time based on a user selection (step 82). For example, the vehicle charge time may be determined as described in detail above with respect to Fig. 2.

[0046] The process 78 further may include determining a unidirectional or bidirectional vehicle data transfer based on the determined vehicle charge time (step 84). For example, the vehicle data transfer may include the transfer of data in addition to the rich content selected by the user via user interface(s) 24. For instance, the vehicle data may include vehicle updates transferred from the maker or service provider of vehicle 12. The vehicle updates may include software updates to vehicle infotainment system 22, such as updates concerning new rich content types that may be provided as options for the user to select. The vehicle updates may further include updates to the software being run by vehicle infotainment circuitry 26 and/or battery pack controller 34.

[0047] Further, the vehicle data that is transferred may include data logs associated with the vehicle. For example, the vehicle data may include battery diagnostic information, electricity usage patterns, driving patterns, etc. These data logs may be transferred from vehicle 12 to the maker or service provider of vehicle 12. Further, in some embodiments, information regarding a comparison of the user's data logs to compiled data logs for a group of users with similar vehicles may be transferred to vehicle 12, for example, for display via user interface(s) 24.

[0048] Further, the type, amount, and/or directionality of vehicle data transferred may be selected based on the available charge time, as dictated by the user selected rich content. For example, once the available charge time is determined, the available time for transfer may be compared to an estimated amount of time it will take to transfer certain types of vehicle data to and/or from vehicle 12. For instance, the driving patterns associated with vehicle 12 may have been recently communicated to the maker or service provider such that a transfer of the data corresponding to recent driving patterns (e.g., corresponding to approximately 1 day) may be estimated to take less time than the rich content selected by the user. In such instances, the vehicle data may be transferred to or from vehicle 12.

[0049] For further example, in other instances, the software updates in queue to be transferred to vehicle 12 may be estimated to take longer to transfer to vehicle 12 than the length of the user selected rich content. For instance, if the user has selected a short television program (e.g., approximately 15-20 minutes), but the software updates are extensive and estimated to take a long time to transfer (e.g., approximately 1 hour), then the software updates may not be transferred during the given charging session.

[0050] The process 78 further may include performing the determined vehicle data transfer over a wired or wireless connection (step 86). In some embodiments, the vehicle data transfer may be performed through a wireless Internet connection. In some

embodiments, the vehicle data transfer may occur through a wired connection, such as through a wired Internet connection, such as Ethernet connection 48, and/or powerline 38. , Wired communication may be advantageous where the availability of a wireless Internet connection is limited. Further, in some embodiments, the vehicle data transfer may occur while the user selection of rich content is being provided to the user and the charge current is being provided to battery pack 32 (step 88). The foregoing feature may enable the vehicle charge time to be efficiently utilized for providing user entertainment, charging battery pack 32, and providing vehicle updates.

[0051] The example embodiments disclosed herein include computer-implemented methods, non-transitory computer-readable mediums, and systems. The computer- implemented methods may be executed, for example, by at least one processor that executes instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Similarly, systems consistent with the present disclosure may include at least one processor and memory (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). As used herein, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, solid state drive, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic data storage medium, a CD- ROM, any other optical data storage medium, any physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM or any other flash memory, NVRAM, a cache, a register, any other memory chip or cartridge, and networked versions of the same. A computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by at least one processor, including instructions for causing the processor to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. Additionally, one or more computer- readable storage mediums may be used to implement a computer-implemented method. The term "computer-readable storage medium" should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals.

[0052] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed systems. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosed systems and methods. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.