Vehicular battery charger, charging system, and method

Abstract

A vehicle battery charger and a vehicle battery charging system are described and illustrated, and can include a controller enabling a user to enter a time of day at which the vehicle battery charger or system begins and / or ends charging of the vehicle battery. The vehicle battery charger can be separate from the vehicle, can be at least partially integrated into the vehicle, can include a transmitter and / or a receiver capable of communication with a controller that is remote from the vehicle and vehicle charger, and can be controlled by a user or another party (e.g., a power utility) to control battery charging based upon a time of day, cost of power, or other factors.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 737,803, filed Feb. 17, 2011, which application is a national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT / US2009 / 054174, filed on Aug. 18, 2009, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 189,353 filed on Aug. 18, 2008, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.BACKGROUND[0002]In light of the ever-rising costs of energy in the global market, energy consumers of all types seek to reduce the impact such costs to the greatest extent possible. One popular manner of doing so is the use of vehicles that do not rely solely (and in some cases, at all) upon petroleum products as a source of energy. Many such vehicles have been developed that rely exclusively or in large part on batteries that must be recharged from a source of electrical power external to the veh...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention provides a vehicle charger that can charge a battery of a vehicle during a charging session. The charger has a controller and display that shows the time. The user can enter the time through a user-manipulatable control. The controller will change the power supply to the battery based on the time needed to charge it. The charger can communicate with a remote controller and can also have its own display and user control. Additionally, the charger can have a battery and a cord to connect it to the vehicle's battery, and the controller can change the power supply to the charger based on the time. The technical effect is a more efficient and precise charger that can adjust its power supply based on the user's needs and the time of day.

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, significant limitations exist to the widespread utilization of electric vehicles.

The introduction of an electrical vehicle as another daily draw of electric power for a household would place unprecedented strain on community power systems, many of which are already incapable of meeting peak demands.

This problem is exacerbated by the fact that in some cases, the daily draw of electric power to charge the battery of an electric vehicle may be the highest of a household.

Simply put, existing power infrastructure for most communities is incapable of meeting the demand that widespread use of rechargeable electric vehicles would place on the infrastructure.

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