Smart EV Charging to Protect Battery Life During Long Parking

This patent describes a system that intelligently discharges and recharges an electric vehicle's battery while parked for a long time, like at an airport, to prevent battery damage and ensure it's ready when the owner returns, using vehicle-to-grid technology.

What it covers

This patent describes a computer program, called a "charge control application" (Claim 1), that manages an electric vehicle's (EV) battery when it's parked for an extended period. When the EV connects to a special "vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interface" (Claim 1), the application first commands the interface to discharge the battery to a "low threshold state of charge (SoC)" (Claim 1). This low charge level helps prevent the battery from degrading while stored. The system then figures out when the EV owner is expected to return by using information from their "end-user device" (Claim 1), such as a smartphone (Claim 4) or the car's computer (Claim 5), which might include flight details (Claim 6). Based on this predicted return time, the application calculates a "return threshold time" (Claim 1) and commands the V2G interface to recharge the battery to an "upper threshold SoC" (Claim 1) just before the owner is expected back. For example, if you park your EV at an airport for a week, the system might discharge your battery to 3% (Claim 7) for storage, then recharge it to 95% (Claim 8) just before your flight lands.

What it doesn't cover

• —Does not cover battery management systems that only charge or only discharge without the intelligent timing based on an expected return.
• —Does not cover systems that manage battery degradation without specifically utilizing a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interface.
• —Does not cover systems that determine an operator's return time without using data from an "end-user device" or information characterizing "another vehicle" like a flight.
• —Does not cover simply maintaining a battery at a fixed State of Charge (SoC) without the initial discharge to a low threshold and a timed recharge to an upper threshold.
• —Does not cover systems that do not involve both a "low threshold SoC" and an "upper threshold SoC" for battery management.

The clever bit

The novelty lies in combining active battery degradation prevention, by discharging the battery to a safe low State of Charge for storage, with predictive timing using external data like flight schedules to ensure the battery is fully charged just in time for the owner's return, all while leveraging a V2G connection.

Why it matters

Battery degradation is a significant concern for electric vehicle owners, especially when cars are left parked for long periods at very high or very low charge levels. This patent offers a solution by actively managing the battery's state of charge to extend its lifespan. Furthermore, by integrating with "vehicle-to-grid" technology, it allows the EV to potentially provide power back to the electricity grid, which could offer financial incentives to owners and help stabilize power networks.

Real-world examples

• 1.Electric vehicle charging stations at airports or long-term parking facilities
• 2.Smart charging services that integrate with travel itineraries
• 3.Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) parking solutions for fleet management
• 4.EVs with advanced battery management systems for extended parking