Systems for vehicle battery charging
The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and devices for controlling charging of vehicles, to avoid charging during charge-adverse time periods or during charge restriction events. This can advantageously reduce cost to vehicles owners, and or provide access to reward incentives. Further, power distribution entities (utility providers) advantageously have increased control over power distribution to avoid over-burdening of power distribution infrastructure. Further, systems and methods for determining or inferring whether a vehicle is connected to a charge station are described, which can be used to inform automatic restriction of vehicle charging.
1. A system for controlling charging of a battery of a vehicle by a power source external to the vehicle, the system comprising:
a control unit; and
a communication interface,
wherein the system is operable to:
receive an indication of a minimum charge threshold for the battery, the minimum charge threshold being less than a full charge of the battery;
receive an indication of a charge-restriction event from a device remote from the control unit, the charge-restriction event being a designated period of time to solicit reduction in power usage;
determine whether a charge level of the battery is above the minimum charge threshold before an end of the charge-restriction event;
if the charge level is below the minimum charge threshold, enable charging of the battery at a first charge rate during the charge-restriction event;
if the charge level is above the minimum charge threshold, restrict charging of the battery to a second charge rate less than the first charge rate during the charge-restriction event; and
transmit, via the communication interface to the device remote from the control unit, an indication of whether charging of the battery is enabled at the first charge rate or restricted to the second charge rate for the charge-restriction event.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the communication interface is operable to transmit the indication of whether charging of the battery is enabled at the first charging rate or restricted to the second charge rate prior to a beginning of the charge-restriction event.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the communication interface is operable to transmit the indication of whether charging of the battery is enabled at the first charging rate or restricted to the second charge rate during the charge-restriction event.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the communication interface is operable to transmit the indication of whether charging of the battery is enabled at the first charging rate or restricted to the second charge rate after an end of the charge-restriction event.
5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the device remote from the control unit, operable to receive the indication of whether charging of the battery is enabled at the first charging rate or restricted to the second charge rate.
6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the device remote from the control unit operable to allocate a reward for a recipient associated with the vehicle if charging was restricted to the second charge rate during the charge-restriction event.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the device remote from the control unit is operable to allocate the reward for the recipient associated with the vehicle based on a quantity of energy which is saved during the charge-restriction event by restricting charging of the battery to the second charge rate instead of enabling charging of the battery at the first charge rate.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system being operable to receive the indication of the charge-restriction event comprises: the communication interface being operable to receive the indication of the charge-restriction event from the device remote from the control unit.
9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the device remote from the control unit operable to provide the indication of the charge-restriction event.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the control unit is operable to monitor the charge level of the battery during charging of the battery;
if the charge level of the battery goes from below the minimum charge threshold to above the minimum charge threshold during the charge-restriction event:
the control unit is operable to restrict charging of the battery to a second charge rate less than the first charge rate until an end of the charge-restriction event; and
the communication interface is operable to transmit an indication of when charging of the battery is restricted to the second charge rate.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further operable to enable charging of the battery at the first charge rate outside of the charge-restriction event, regardless of whether the charge level is above the minimum charge threshold.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the control unit is operable to receive an override input from a user;
the control unit is operable to, in response to the override input, enable charging of the battery at the first charge rate during the charge-restriction event even if the charge level is below the minimum charge threshold; and
the communication interface is operable to transmit an indication of when charging of the battery is enabled at the first charge rate.
13. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the control unit is a component of the vehicle;
the control unit being operable to enable charging of the battery at the first charge rate comprises the control unit being operable to control the vehicle to accept a first amount of power from the power source; and
the control unit being operable to restrict charging of the battery to the second charge rate comprises the control unit being operable to control the vehicle to accept less power from the power source than the first amount of power.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the control unit being operable to control the vehicle to accept less power from the power source than the first amount of power comprises the control unit being operable to restrict the vehicle to accept no power from the power source.
15. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the power source, wherein:
the control unit is a component of the power source;
the control unit being operable to enable charging of the battery at the first charge rate comprises the control unit being operable to control the power source to provide a first amount of power to the vehicle; and
the control unit being operable to restrict charging to the second charge rate comprises the control unit being operable to control the power source to provide less power to the vehicle than the first amount of power.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the control unit being operable to control the power source to provide less power to the vehicle than the first amount of power comprises the control unit being operable to control the power source to provide no power to the vehicle.
17. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an intermediate device operable to be coupled to the power source and the vehicle to control provision of power from the power source to the vehicle, wherein:
the control unit is a component of the intermediate device;
the control unit being operable to enable charging of the battery at the first charge rate comprises the control unit being operable to control flow of power from the power source to the vehicle to provide a first amount of power to the vehicle; and
the control unit being operable to restrict charging to the second charge rate comprises the control unit being operable to control flow of power from the power source to the vehicle to provide less power to the vehicle than the first amount of power.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the control unit being operable to control flow of power from the power source to the vehicle to provide less power to the vehicle than the first amount of power comprises the control unit being operable to control flow of power from the power source to the vehicle to provide no power to the vehicle.