System and method for pre-cooling building using vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for pre-cooling a building using a vehicle. A vehicle configured to transfer energy to a building is disclosed. The vehicle may include a transceiver and a processor. The transceiver may receive temperature information and demand information associated with a power grid. The processor may determine that a first predefined condition may be satisfied based on the demand information. The processor may then calculate a first amount of energy to be delivered to the building based on the temperature information, and cause the vehicle to deliver the first amount of energy to the building. The processor may also determine that a second predefined condition may be satisfied based on the first amount of energy and / or vehicle availability information, and determine a second amount of energy to deliver to the building based on the temperature information. The processor may then cause the vehicle to transfer the second amount of energy to the building.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for pre-cooling a building by using energy drawn from a bidirectional electric vehicle (EV). Background Art

[0002] A bidirectional electric vehicle (EV) is configured to receive energy and to supply energy to a charger. The bidirectional energy transfer feature enables an EV to supply energy to other vehicles, buildings, equipment, and the like. For example, an EV can supply energy from an EV battery to a building (e.g., a house) when excess energy is required and the grid may not be able to meet the building's energy needs. An EV can also supply energy to a building to optimize a consumer's spending on energy obtained from the grid, such as during those durations of the day when the cost of energy drawn from the grid may be high. EVs can be particularly helpful in optimizing a consumer's spending on energy when the energy can be used to operate building components that typically draw considerable amounts of electricity, such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present disclosure describes a bidirectional electric vehicle (EV) that can be configured to supply energy to a building to operate one or more building devices, such as a building heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. When, for example, the power cost, demand, or price associated with energy drawn from a utility grid may be high, the vehicle can deliver energy to the building, thereby enabling the building owner (user) to optimize the expenditure on energy drawn from the grid. The vehicle can be configured to obtain power cost / demand / price information associated with energy supplied by the grid, and determine a duration associated with high power cost / demand / price (or "high energy demand duration") based on the demand / price information. At the beginning of the high energy demand duration, the vehicle can automatically calculate the amount of energy per unit time required to be delivered to the building to operate the HVAC system (e.g., a first amount of energy), and can begin delivering the first amount of energy to the building when the vehicle has a sufficient battery state of charge (SoC) level to supply energy to the building. When the building receives energy from the vehicle, it may not be necessary for the building to draw energy from the grid, thereby saving the user the expenditure on the high power cost of energy drawn from the grid during the high energy demand duration.

[0004] In some aspects, the vehicle can calculate the first amount of energy based on temperature information and an HVAC load profile. The temperature information can include, for example, a set point or desired building temperature preset by a user, a real-time building temperature, a real-time ambient temperature, a maximum acceptable building temperature, and a minimum acceptable building temperature. In an exemplary aspect, the vehicle can calculate the first amount of energy based on the set point temperature, the real-time building temperature, the real-time ambient temperature, and the HVAC load profile.

[0005] When the vehicle can supply energy to the building during a high energy demand duration, the vehicle can determine whether the vehicle may need to leave the building during the high energy demand duration and / or whether the vehicle may reach an energy transfer limit when supplying energy to the building during the high energy demand duration. In some aspects, the vehicle can determine that the vehicle may need to leave the building based on historical vehicle availability and driving information and / or based on user input. In addition, when the vehicle determines that the vehicle may reach a minimum battery SoC level and / or a minimum vehicle range level (which may be preset by the user) by transferring a first amount of energy to the building, the vehicle may determine that the vehicle may reach an energy transfer limit during the high energy demand duration. In response to this determination, the vehicle may determine that the vehicle may need to pre-cool the building before the vehicle leaves the building or before the energy transfer limit may be reached.

[0006] In some aspects, to pre-cool the building, the vehicle can calculate a second amount of energy that the vehicle may need to transfer to the building (which may be greater than the first amount of energy). The vehicle can calculate the second amount of energy based on the real-time building temperature, the real-time ambient temperature, the minimum acceptable building temperature, and the HVAC profile. In some aspects, when the building may not be occupied (e.g., when the vehicle may be expected to be away from the building), the vehicle can pre-cool the building to a temperature level even below the minimum acceptable building temperature.

[0007] In some aspects, the vehicle can determine the duration, start time, and end time for supplying a second amount of energy to a building based on the vehicle's expected departure time from the building, the expected trip duration, the expected time when the energy transfer limit may be reached, the availability of other vehicles supplying energy to the building, and their respective battery SoC levels.

[0008] In response to calculating the second amount of energy and determining a start / end time and duration for supplying the second amount of energy, the vehicle may supply the second amount of energy to the building to pre-cool the building. Since the building may be pre-cooled by the vehicle before the vehicle stops delivering energy to the building to operate the HVAC system, a smaller amount of energy may need to be drawn from the grid to operate the HVAC system, thereby enabling a reduction in expenditure on energy obtained from the grid.

[0009] The present disclosure discloses a vehicle that can supply energy to a building to operate an HVAC system during periods of high energy demand, thereby enabling a user to optimize the cost of energy drawn from the grid. In addition, the vehicle can pre-cool the building before the vehicle may not be able to supply energy to the building, thereby enabling the building to draw a smaller amount of energy from the grid to operate the HVAC system. Pre-cooling the building further helps optimize the cost of energy drawn from the grid for the user.

[0010] These and other advantages of the present disclosure are provided in detail herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numerals may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and / or components other than those shown in the accompanying drawings, and some elements and / or components may not be present in various embodiments. The elements and / or components in the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Throughout this disclosure, singular and plural terms may be used interchangeably, depending on the context.

[0012] Figure 1 An exemplary environment is depicted in which techniques and structures for providing the systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented.

[0013] Figure 2 Depicted is a block diagram of an exemplary system that implements energy transfer from a vehicle to a building in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 3 An exemplary first graph showing energy transfer to a building over time is depicted in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 4 An exemplary second graph showing energy transfer to a building over time is depicted in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 5 An exemplary third graph showing energy transfer to a building over time is depicted in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 6 An exemplary fourth graph showing energy transfer to a building over time is depicted in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 7 An exemplary fifth graph illustrating energy transfer to a building over time is depicted in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 8An exemplary sixth graph showing energy transfer to a building over time is depicted in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0020] Fig. 9 A flow chart of an exemplary method for implementing energy transfer from a vehicle to a building according to the present disclosure is depicted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are shown and which are not intended to be limiting.

[0022] Figure 1 An exemplary environment 100 is depicted in which techniques and structures for providing the systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented. The environment 100 may include a vehicle 102 and a building 104 (or house 104). The vehicle 102 may take the form of any passenger or commercial vehicle, such as, for example, a car, a work vehicle, a crossover vehicle, a truck, a van, a minivan, a taxi, a bus, etc. The vehicle 102 may be a manually driven vehicle and / or may be configured to operate in a partially or fully autonomous mode. In some aspects, the vehicle 102 may be a bidirectional electric vehicle (EV), which may be configured to receive energy from and supply energy to other vehicles, chargers, buildings, devices, etc. In an exemplary aspect, the vehicle 102 may be configured to supply energy to the house 104 via a charging point 106, which may be installed in the house 104 (e.g., a charging point 106). Figure 1 as shown) or anywhere near house 104.

[0023] Premises 104 may include one or more premises equipment that may be powered by energy drawn from the utility grid and / or vehicle 102. Examples of household equipment include, but are not limited to, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems (in Figure 2 216), fans, lights, electronic devices, etc. In some aspects, vehicle 102 can supply energy to house 104 to power house equipment (e.g., HVAC system) when the energy demand of house 104 may be greater than the energy that the grid can provide, or when the cost of energy drawn from the grid may be high, or when the house / vehicle owner (via a user device) requests vehicle 102 to supply energy to house 104. For example, the vehicle or house owner may request that vehicle 102 supply energy to house 104 to operate the HVAC system during the morning or evening hours when the cost of energy used from the grid may be high, and cause the HVAC system to operate via energy drawn from the grid during the afternoon when the corresponding cost may be lower.

[0024] The scenarios described above for supplying energy from the vehicle 102 to the house 104 are exemplary in nature and are for illustrative purposes only. Therefore, the scenarios described should not be interpreted as limiting. The vehicle or house owner can request the vehicle 102 to supply energy to the house 104 at any time based on user requirements and / or energy supply or demand conditions.

[0025] In some aspects, the house 104 may include a thermostat (at Figure 2 104 ), the thermostat may be configured to control HVAC system operation, measure real-time interior temperature of the house (or a house temperature associated with the house 104), and enable a user (e.g., a house owner) to control the house temperature. For example, a user may enter a set point temperature associated with the house 104 on the thermostat. The set point temperature may be, for example, a temperature of the house 104 desired by the user. The thermostat may be configured to activate and / or deactivate the HVAC system based on the house temperature and the set point temperature. For example, when the house temperature may be above the set point temperature, the thermostat may turn on the air conditioning (AC), and when the house temperature may be below or equal to the set point temperature, the thermostat may turn off the AC.

[0026] In some aspects, in addition to entering a set point temperature, the user may also enter a maximum acceptable house temperature and a minimum acceptable house temperature on the thermostat. The maximum acceptable house temperature may be a temperature above the set point temperature that the user may accept the HVAC system to achieve a house temperature, and the minimum acceptable house temperature may be a temperature below the set point temperature that the user may accept the HVAC system to achieve a house temperature. While the user may want the HVAC system to ideally achieve the set point temperature in the house 104 most of the time, when the cost of electricity associated with energy drawn from the grid may be high, the user may accept a higher temperature (i.e., the maximum acceptable house temperature) or a lower temperature (i.e., the minimum acceptable house temperature) than the set point temperature. The user may accept a higher or lower temperature to optimize the user's spending on energy drawn from the grid. As an example, if energy drawn from the grid between 4 PM and 9 PM is likely to be higher than at other times of the day, a user may accept a higher house temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit and / or a lower house temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit between 4 PM and 9 PM to optimize the user's spending on energy drawn from the grid, while the set point temperature (or ideal desired house temperature) may be 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

[0027] The vehicle 102 may be communicatively coupled to the thermostat and configured to obtain the real-time house temperature, the set point temperature, and the minimum and maximum acceptable house temperatures from the thermostat. The vehicle 102 may also be configured to control the HVAC system operation via the thermostat based on the above temperature information. For example, when the vehicle 102 may be supplying energy to the house 104, the vehicle 102 may transmit a command signal to the thermostat to turn on or off the HVAC system based on the temperature information, thereby optimizing the energy supply from the vehicle 102.

[0028] To optimize the user's spending on energy resources, the vehicle 102 may be configured to determine high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price durations of the day (e.g., between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.) when the electricity cost, demand, or electricity price associated with energy drawn from the grid may be high, and may automatically initiate energy transfer from the vehicle 102 to the home 104 during such durations. For example, when the vehicle 102 may be electrically coupled to the charging spot 106, the vehicle 102 may automatically initiate energy transfer from the vehicle 102 to the home 104 between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. to operate the HVAC system, and may cut off / stop the supply of energy from the grid to the home 104. In this manner, the vehicle 102 may facilitate a user (e.g., a homeowner) to optimize the user's spending on energy drawn from the grid.

[0029] In some aspects, the vehicle 102 can automatically determine the duration of high power cost / demand / price associated with energy drawn from the grid based on energy demand information obtained from a server managed by the power utility company. In other aspects, the user can transmit the energy demand information to the vehicle 102, for example, via a user device. In this case, the vehicle 102 can initiate energy transfer from the vehicle 102 to the house 104 based on the user input.

[0030] When it may be necessary for vehicle 102 to begin energy transfer to premises 104, vehicle 102 may first calculate an amount of energy per unit time (e.g., a first amount of energy) that may be required for vehicle 102 to transfer to premises 104 to operate the HVAC system based on the set point temperature and a load profile (or "HVAC load profile") of the HVAC system. For example, if the set point temperature is 68 degrees Fahrenheit, vehicle 102 may calculate the first amount of energy that may need to be transferred by vehicle 102 to premises 104 to achieve a premises temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

[0031] In some aspects, the vehicle 102 can calculate the first amount of energy based on temperature information including the real-time house temperature and the set point temperature (which the vehicle 102 can obtain from a thermostat) and the ambient temperature that the vehicle 102 can determine using the vehicle's ambient temperature sensor. Additionally, as described above, the vehicle 102 can calculate the first amount of energy based on an HVAC load profile. In some aspects, the vehicle 102 can obtain the HVAC load profile from an external server, or the HVAC load profile can be pre-stored in the vehicle memory (in a Figure 2 Shown as memory 226).

[0032] In some aspects, the HVAC load profile may indicate an expected load or energy that the HVAC system may draw from the vehicle 102 at a particular set point temperature, a particular ambient temperature, and a particular house temperature. For example, when the ambient temperature is likely to be 85 degrees Fahrenheit, the HVAC load profile may indicate an expected first energy that the HVAC system may draw from the vehicle 102 to cool a house temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit to a set point temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit. As another example, when the ambient temperature is likely to be 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the HVAC load profile may indicate an expected second energy that the HVAC system may draw from the vehicle 102 to cool a house temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit to a set point temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

[0033] One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the expected first energy described above may be different from the expected second energy because when the ambient temperature and / or the house temperature may be higher, the HVAC system may require more energy to cool the house 104. In some aspects, the HVAC load profile may also depend on the house 104, for example, the type of insulation in the house 104, the location of the house (e.g., the height above sea level), the typical humidity levels of the geographic area where the house 104 may be located, etc.

[0034] The vehicle 102 may calculate the first amount of energy based on the above-mentioned temperature information and the HVAC load profile. In response to calculating the first amount of energy, the vehicle 102 may determine / check whether the first amount of energy may be less than a maximum energy transfer threshold (which may be preset by a user), and / or whether the vehicle battery may have a sufficient state of charge (SoC) level or remaining vehicle range (e.g., more than 100 or 120 miles) to provide the first amount of energy to the house 104 to operate the HVAC. When the vehicle 102 determines that there is a sufficient SoC level / vehicle range in the vehicle 102 (e.g., greater than a predefined threshold), and / or the first amount of energy is less than the maximum energy transfer threshold, the vehicle 102 may start energy transfer to the house 104.

[0035] In some aspects, when the vehicle 102 is likely to transfer a first amount of energy to the premises 104 during a high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration (e.g., between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.), the vehicle 102 may determine whether the vehicle 102 may be required to disconnect from the charge spot 106 at any time during the high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration (e.g., between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.), or whether an energy transfer limit associated with the vehicle 102 may be reached at any time during the high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration. In some aspects, the vehicle 102 may be required to disconnect from the charge spot 106 when the vehicle 102 may be required to leave the premises 104 (e.g., when the user may need the vehicle 102 for mobility purposes). In this case, the vehicle 102 may determine that the vehicle 102 may be required to leave the premises 104 based on historical vehicle usage or availability information that may be pre-stored in the vehicle memory, or the vehicle 102 may obtain such information from an external server. In some aspects, historical vehicle availability information may include historical vehicle travel information, historical information associated with energy transfer from the vehicle 102 to the home 104, expected or typical vehicle departure times from the home 104 each day, expected vehicle return times to the home 104 each day, and expected vehicle trip durations associated with each vehicle trip.

[0036] In some aspects, the vehicle 102 may determine that the vehicle 102 may be required to leave the premises 104 during a high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration (e.g., between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.) based on an expected or typical vehicle departure time from the premises 104 each day determined based on historical vehicle availability information. In other aspects, the vehicle 102 may determine that the vehicle 102 may be required to leave the premises 104 during a high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration based on user input. For example, the vehicle 102 may determine that the vehicle 102 may be required to leave the premises 104 when a user activates the vehicle ignition or opens a vehicle door (or driver door).

[0037] In some aspects, the vehicle 102 may determine that the energy transfer limit associated with the vehicle 102 may be reached at any time during the high power cost / energy demand / electricity price duration based on the first amount of energy that the vehicle 102 may transfer to the premises 104 per unit time and the vehicle battery SoC level. In some aspects, to determine whether the energy transfer limit associated with the vehicle 102 may be reached, the vehicle 102 may calculate the total amount of energy that may need to be transferred to the premises 104 during the entire high power cost / energy demand / electricity price duration based on the first amount of energy and the high power cost / energy demand / electricity price duration. The vehicle 102 may then determine the difference between the calculated total amount of energy and the vehicle battery SoC level. When the total amount of energy may be greater than the vehicle battery SoC level, or the difference between the vehicle battery SoC level and the calculated total amount of energy may be less than a predefined energy transfer threshold (which may be preset by a user), the vehicle 102 may determine that the energy transfer limit associated with the vehicle 102 may be reached during the high power cost / energy demand / electricity price duration. For example, if a user expects a vehicle battery SoC level of at least 30% and / or a vehicle range of at least 100 miles (e.g., as predefined energy transfer thresholds), and vehicle 102 determines that the vehicle battery SoC level may drop below the 30% level and / or the vehicle range may drop below 100 miles during a duration of high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price by transferring a first amount of energy to house 104, vehicle 102 may determine that the energy transfer limit may be reached during the duration of high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price.

[0038] In response to determining that the vehicle 102 may be required to disconnect from the charging point 106 at any time during the high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price durations (as described above), and / or that energy transfer limits may be reached during the high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price durations, the vehicle 102 may pre-cool the premises 104. Specifically, in this case, in response to the above determination, the vehicle 102 may determine that the vehicle 102 may be required to pre-cool the premises 104 so that when the grid begins to supply energy to the premises 104 when the vehicle 102 may have to stop energy transfer, the premises 104 may not be required to extract / draw a considerable amount of energy from the grid during the high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration, thereby optimizing the user's expenditure on energy drawn from the grid.

[0039] When the vehicle 102 determines that the vehicle 102 may have to pre-cool the house 104, the vehicle 102 may determine a "second amount of energy" that the vehicle 102 may need to transfer to the house 104, a duration for transferring the second amount of energy to the house 104, and a start time for transferring the second amount of energy to the house 104. In some aspects, the vehicle 102 may calculate the second amount of energy based on the real-time house temperature, the minimum acceptable house temperature (or the maximum acceptable house temperature if the HVAC system may be heating rather than cooling the house 104), the ambient temperature, and the HVAC load profile. Since the minimum acceptable house temperature may be lower than the set point temperature, the second amount of energy may be greater than the first amount of energy. In some aspects, when the house 104 may be expected to be unoccupied in the event that the vehicle 102 can pre-cool the house 104, the vehicle 102 may pre-cool the house 104 to a temperature even lower than the minimum acceptable house temperature.

[0040] In some aspects, vehicle 102 may determine a start time for delivering the second amount of energy to house 104 based on an expected vehicle departure time from house 104. As an example, the start time may be 15 minutes or 30 minutes before the expected vehicle departure time. The start time may also depend on a duration for delivering the second amount of energy to house 104. The duration may depend on an expected trip duration associated with vehicle 102 (which may be part of the vehicle availability information). For example, when vehicle 102 may be expected to make a short trip and may be expected to return to house 104 to deliver energy to house 104, the duration may be shorter. On the other hand, when vehicle 102 may be expected to make a long trip or may not be expected to return to house 104 during a high demand / electricity price duration, the duration may be relatively longer.

[0041] In further aspects, the start time and / or duration can be dependent on the vehicle battery SoC level and / or the time when the vehicle 102 can be expected to reach the energy transfer limit. In additional aspects, if the premises 104 has another vehicle (e.g., a second vehicle, in the Figure 2 206 ), the start time and / or duration of pre-cooling the house 104 may depend on the availability information of the second vehicle and / or the SoC level of the battery of the second vehicle.

[0042] By automatically pre-cooling the premises 104, the vehicle 102 helps to save or minimize the amount of energy that needs to be drawn from the grid during periods of high demand / electricity prices, thereby minimizing the user's expenditures on energy. Figure 2 The vehicle 102 is described in further detail.

[0043] The vehicle 102 implements and / or performs operations as described herein in the present disclosure in accordance with the owner's manual and safety guidelines. Additionally, any actions taken by the user based on recommendations or notifications provided by the vehicle 102 should comply with all rules specific to the location (e.g., federal, state, country, city, etc.) and operation of the vehicle 102. Recommendations or notifications as provided by the vehicle 102 should be considered suggestions and followed only in accordance with any rules specific to the location and operation of the vehicle 102.

[0044] Figure 2 A block diagram of an exemplary system 200 for implementing energy transfer from a vehicle 202 to a building 204 (or house 204) according to the present disclosure is depicted. The vehicle 202 may be combined with the above Figure 1 The vehicle 102 described above is the same, and the house 204 can be combined with the above Figure 1 The same as described in house 104. Figures 3 to 8 To describe Figure 2 .

[0045] System 200 may include vehicle 202, premises 204, vehicle 206 (e.g., a second vehicle), user device 208, one or more servers 210 (or servers 210) communicatively coupled to one another via one or more networks 212 (or networks 212). Vehicle 206 may be configured to transfer energy to premises 204 independently or in conjunction with vehicle 202. In some aspects, vehicle 206 may be similar to vehicle 202.

[0046] The home 204 may include a thermostat 214 and an HVAC system 216 (or HVAC 216) that may be communicatively coupled to the vehicles 202, 206, the user device 208, and the server 210 via the network 212. The thermostat 214 may be configured to receive information related to a set point temperature, a minimum and maximum acceptable home temperature (as described above in conjunction with Figure 1 The thermostat 214 may also be configured to measure the real-time house temperature and transmit the house temperature to the vehicle 202, 206. The thermostat 214 may also be configured to control HVAC operation (e.g., turn off or turn on the HVAC 216) based on command signals received from the vehicle 202, 206, the user device 208, and / or the server 210.

[0047] The user device 208 may be associated with a vehicle owner or a home owner (which may be the same or different). The user device 208 may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a laptop, a computer, a tablet, a wearable device, or any other similar device with communication capabilities. The server 210 may be part of a cloud-based computing infrastructure and may be associated with and / or include a telematics service delivery network (SDN) that provides services to the vehicles 202, 206, and other vehicles that may be part of a commercial vehicle fleet ( Figure 2 204). In another aspect, the server 210 may be associated with a company that supplies energy to the house 204 via the power grid. In this case, the server 210 may be communicatively coupled to the thermostat 214 and may obtain information associated with the house temperature, set point temperature, etc. from the thermostat 214 at a predefined frequency. In addition, the server 210 may transmit the information obtained from the thermostat 214 to the vehicles 202, 206 at a predefined frequency. In addition, in this case, the server 210 may transmit demand information associated with the power grid to the vehicles 202, 206 at a predefined frequency. In some aspects, the demand information may include electricity price information associated with energy drawn from the utility grid at different times of the day, as well as predefined durations of high energy demand or high electricity prices associated with energy drawn from the utility grid (i.e., the above in conjunction with Figure 1 Information associated with describing the duration of high electricity costs / energy demand / electricity prices).

[0048] The server 210 may also be configured to store an HVAC load profile associated with the HVAC 216 and may transmit the HVAC load profile to the vehicle 202, 206 at a predefined frequency or when the vehicle 202, 206 transmits a request to obtain the HVAC load profile to the server 210. In an additional aspect, the server 210 may be associated with a company that provides weather-related information to the vehicle 202, 206. In this case, the server 210 may transmit the real-time ambient temperature of the geographic area where the house 204 may be located to the vehicle 202, 206 via the network 212.

[0049] In additional aspects, the server 210 can be configured to store vehicle availability information associated with the vehicle 202 (i.e., “first vehicle availability information”) and vehicle availability information associated with the vehicle 206 (i.e., “second vehicle availability information”). In some aspects, the vehicle availability information can include one or more of the following: historical vehicle travel information, historical information associated with energy transfers from the vehicles 202, 206 to the premises 204, expected or typical vehicle departure times from the premises 204, expected or typical vehicle return times to the premises 204, and expected vehicle trip durations for each vehicle trip.

[0050] The network 212 illustrates an exemplary communication infrastructure in which the connected devices discussed in various embodiments of the present disclosure may communicate. The network 212 may be and / or include the Internet, a private network, a public network, or other configurations operating using any one or more known communication protocols, such as, for example, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Wi-Fi, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard 802.11, and cellular technologies such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPDA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and Fifth Generation (5G), to name a few examples.

[0051] The vehicle 202 may include a plurality of units, including but not limited to a transceiver 218, a detection unit 220, a battery 222, a processor 224, and a memory 226. The transceiver 218 may be configured to transmit / receive signals / information / data to / from external systems and devices via the network 212. For example, the transceiver 218 may transmit or receive information / signals to or from the vehicle 206, the thermostat 214, the HVAC 216, the user device 208, and / or the server 210 via the network 212. The detection unit 220 may include one or more vehicle sensors, including but not limited to an ambient temperature sensor, a rest area sensor, a vehicle camera, and the like. The detection unit 220 may also be configured to detect a real-time SoC level (or battery SoC level) associated with the battery 222. The battery 222 may be configured to store energy / power that may be used to provide energy to the house 204.

[0052] The processor 224 may be configured to communicate with one or more memory devices (e.g., memory 226 and / or Figure 2 The processor 224 may utilize the memory 226 to store programs and / or store data in code form to perform various aspects of the present disclosure. The memory 226 may be a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium or memory that stores program codes that enable the processor 224 to perform operations according to the present disclosure. The memory 226 may include any one or combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), etc.), and may include any one or more non-volatile memory elements (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), etc.).

[0053] In some aspects, the memory 226 may include a plurality of databases, including, but not limited to, an HVAC load profile database 228, a temperature information database 230, a vehicle information database 232, and a grid information database 234. The HVAC load profile database may store an HVAC load profile associated with the HVAC 216. The temperature information database 230 may store temperature information that the vehicle 202 may receive from the thermostat 214, the server 210, and / or an ambient temperature sensor associated with the detection unit 220. In some aspects, the temperature information may include a set point temperature associated with the premises 204, a real-time temperature (or a premises temperature) associated with the premises 204, a maximum acceptable user temperature and a minimum acceptable user temperature (or a minimum or maximum acceptable premises temperature) associated with the premises 204, and an ambient temperature associated with a geographic region where the premises 204 may be located.

[0054] The vehicle information database 232 may store the first vehicle availability information and the second vehicle availability information. The grid information database 234 may store demand information associated with the utility grid that the vehicle 202 may obtain from the server 210 .

[0055] The vehicle 206 may also include a number of units similar to the units of the vehicle 202. For the sake of simplicity and brevity, the units associated with the vehicle 206 will not be described herein.

[0056] In operation, the transceiver 218 may receive temperature information from the thermostat 214, the server 210, and / or an ambient temperature sensor associated with the detection unit 220, and receive demand information associated with the utility grid from the server 210. The transceiver 218 may then transmit the temperature information and the demand information to a corresponding memory database for storage purposes. The transceiver 218 may further transmit the temperature information and the demand information to the processor 224. In some aspects, the transceiver 218 may also receive second vehicle availability information associated with the vehicle 206 from the vehicle 206 or the server 210, and receive a real-time second vehicle battery SoC level associated with a battery (not shown) of the vehicle 206 directly from the vehicle 206. The transceiver 218 may transmit the second vehicle availability information and the real-time second vehicle battery SoC level to the vehicle information database 232 for storage purposes. The transceiver 218 may additionally receive an HVAC load profile associated with the HVAC 216 from the server 210, and may transmit the HVAC load profile to the HVAC load profile database 228 for storage purposes.

[0057] The processor 224 can obtain the temperature information and the demand information from the transceiver 218 (or from a corresponding memory database). The processor 224 can also obtain the first vehicle availability information, the second vehicle availability information, and the real-time second vehicle battery SoC level from the vehicle information database 232, and obtain the HVAC load profile from the HVAC load profile database 228.

[0058] In response to obtaining the above information, the processor 224 can determine whether the first predefined condition can be met based on the demand information. In some aspects, the first predefined condition can be met when the current time may correspond to the start time of the high power cost / energy demand / electricity price duration. In other words, when the high power cost / energy demand / electricity price duration begins (which is in Figures 3 to 8 ), the processor 224 may determine that a first predefined condition may be satisfied.

[0059] exist Figures 3 to 8 2, the X-axis depicts time, the first Y-axis 302 depicts the amount of energy delivered to the house 204 per unit time to operate the HVAC 216, and the second Y-axis 304 depicts the house temperature. The temperature level 306 depicts the lowest acceptable house temperature entered by the user on the thermostat 214, and the temperature level 308 depicts the highest acceptable house temperature entered by the user on the thermostat 214. In addition, the time "T1" depicts the start time of the high power cost / energy demand / electricity price duration, and the time "T2" depicts the expected end time of the high power cost / energy demand / electricity price duration.

[0060] In response to determining that the first predefined condition may be satisfied, processor 224 may determine that vehicle 202 may be required to transfer energy to property 204 (e.g., when vehicle 202 may be electrically coupled to charging spot 106) when the demand / price associated with energy drawn from the grid may be high (e.g., above a predefined threshold). In some aspects, property 204 may obtain energy from the grid before time “T1”, such as Figures 3 to 8 216. At time “T1” (or before time “T1”), processor 224 may determine / calculate a first amount of energy per unit time that may be required for vehicle 202 to transfer to premises 204 to operate HVAC 216 based on the temperature information and the HVAC load profile. Specifically, processor 224 may determine the first amount of energy based on the set point temperature, the real-time premises temperature, the real-time ambient temperature, and the HVAC profile.

[0061] In response to determining the first amount of energy, the processor 224 can determine whether the battery 222 can have sufficient stored energy / vehicle battery SoC level to provide the first amount of energy to the house 204. Specifically, the processor 224 can determine whether the first amount of energy is likely to be less than or greater than a predefined maximum energy transfer threshold, which can be pre-stored in the memory 226 and / or provided by the user. In some aspects, the predefined maximum energy transfer threshold can be based on the vehicle battery SoC level (or can be a minimum SoC level or vehicle range acceptable to the user when the vehicle 202 begins to transfer energy to the house 204). In response to determining that the first amount of energy is likely to be greater than the predefined maximum energy transfer threshold, the vehicle 202 can determine whether the vehicle 206 is available to provide energy to the house 204 and whether the battery SoC level associated with the vehicle 206 is greater than the corresponding SoC threshold associated with the vehicle 206. In response to determining that vehicle 206 may be available and may have a sufficient battery SoC level (e.g., greater than a SoC threshold), vehicle 202 may transmit a command signal to vehicle 206 to transfer energy to premises 204 to operate HVAC 216 when vehicle 206 may be electrically coupled to charge spot 106. On the other hand, when vehicle 206 may not be available or may not have a sufficient battery SoC level, vehicle 202 may enable premises 204 to continue to obtain energy from the grid.

[0062] When the first amount of energy may be less than the predefined maximum energy transfer threshold, the processor 224 may cause the vehicle 202 / battery 222 to begin transferring the first amount of energy to the house 204 at time “T1” to operate the HVAC 216 (at this stage, the house 204 may not be obtaining energy from the grid), such as Figures 3 to 8 As shown in the graph segment / energy level 312 in FIG.

[0063] When the vehicle 202 can provide the first amount of energy to the premises 104 at or after time "T1", the processor 224 can determine whether the second predefined condition can be satisfied during the high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration (i.e., between time "T1" and time "T2"). In some aspects, the processor 224 can determine that the second predefined condition can be satisfied when the expected vehicle departure time (which can be part of the first vehicle availability information) from the premises 204 associated with the vehicle 202 is likely to be within the high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration. Example expected vehicle departure time is within Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8, shown as time “T3”. In some aspects, processor 224 may determine time “T3” based on the first vehicle availability information (e.g., based on historical vehicle departure times) or based on user input. In the latter case, transceiver 218 may receive user input via user device 208 or vehicle infotainment system (e.g., when the user may have a pre-planned or scheduled trip), including an expected vehicle departure time from house 204 and an expected vehicle return time to house 204. In other aspects, processor 244 may determine time “T3” when the user activates the vehicle ignition (e.g., remotely) or opens the vehicle driver's door, thereby indicating to processor 224 that vehicle 202 may leave house 204 immediately or within 2 to 5 minutes (e.g., when vehicle 202 may be required to depart for an unplanned trip). As an example, if Figure 6 As shown, if the user performs the remote vehicle ignition activation action 602 at time “ T4 ,” the processor 244 may determine that the vehicle 202 may be required to leave the premises 204 immediately or before time “ T3 .”

[0064] In another aspect, when the processor 224 determines that the energy transfer limit associated with the vehicle 102 may be reached at any time during the high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration (i.e., between times "T1" and "T2"), the energy transfer limit associated with the vehicle 102 may be reached at any time during the high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration (i.e., between times "T1" and "T2"). Figure 1 The processor 224 may determine that a second predefined condition may be satisfied when the second predefined condition is satisfied. In this case, in order to determine whether the energy delivery limit associated with the vehicle 102 may be reached during the high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration, the processor 224 may calculate the total amount of energy that may need to be delivered to the house 204 to operate the HVAC 216 during the high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration based on the first amount of energy and the difference between times "T1" and "T2" (i.e., the high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration). In response to calculating the total amount of energy, the processor 224 may compare or associate the total amount of energy with the vehicle battery SoC level. Specifically, the processor 224 may determine the expected vehicle battery SoC level and / or vehicle range at the end of the high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration (i.e., at time "T2") based on the calculated total amount of energy and the current / real-time vehicle battery SoC level. When the expected vehicle battery SoC level and / or vehicle range at time “T2” may be less than a predefined SoC level threshold or vehicle range threshold (which may be pre-stored in memory 226 and provided by the user), processor 224 may determine that the energy transfer limit associated with vehicle 202 may be reached within the high power cost / energy demand / power price duration (e.g., at time “T5” (which may be less than time “T2”)), as Figure 4In response to such a determination, the processor 224 may determine that a second predefined condition may be satisfied.

[0065] In some aspects, the processor 224 may determine that a second predefined condition may be met when the total amount of energy may be greater than the real-time vehicle battery SoC level at time “T1”, or when the difference between the real-time vehicle battery SoC level and the total amount of energy at time “T1” may be less than a predefined energy threshold.

[0066] In response to determining that the second predefined condition may be satisfied, processor 224 may determine that vehicle 202 may not be able to provide the first amount of energy to premises 204 to operate HVAC 216 for the entire high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration. In this case, processor 224 may determine that vehicle 202 may be required to pre-cool premises 204 to a temperature below the set point temperature before vehicle 202 becomes unavailable to deliver energy to premises 204. In some aspects ... by causing vehicle 202 to deliver the second amount of energy per unit time (at the high energy duration) for the entire high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration. Figures 3 to 8 The second amount of energy may be greater than the first amount of energy (shown as energy level 314 in FIG. 1 ) to pre-cool the house 204. In some aspects, the second amount of energy may be greater than the first amount of energy (shown as energy level 314 in FIG. 1 ). Figures 3 to 8 ), such that vehicle 202 may pre-cool home 204 to a temperature below a set point temperature (eg, to a minimum acceptable home temperature that may be part of the temperature information).

[0067] In some aspects, the processor 224 can determine / calculate the second amount of energy based on temperature information, HVAC profiles, and / or premises occupancy information (which the vehicle 202 / transceiver 218 can receive from one or more premises sensors). As an example, the second amount of energy can be based on a minimum acceptable premises temperature, a real-time premises temperature, a real-time ambient temperature, and an HVAC profile. In some aspects, if the premises occupancy information indicates that the premises 204 may not be occupied, for example, when the vehicle 202 leaves the premises 204, the processor 224 can pre-cool to a temperature level even below the minimum acceptable premises temperature.

[0068] Processor 224 may determine the high energy duration based on the first vehicle availability information, the vehicle battery SoC level and / or the second vehicle availability information and the second vehicle battery SoC level, i.e., a high energy start time when vehicle 202 may start providing the second amount of energy to premises 204 and a high energy end time when vehicle 202 may stop / end providing the second amount of energy to premises 204. In some aspects, processor 224 may additionally determine the high energy duration based on user input provided by a user, for example, via user device 208 and / or a vehicle infotainment system.

[0069] As a first example, Figure 3 As shown, vehicle 202 may begin providing the second amount of energy to house 204 at high energy start time “T6” and may stop providing the second amount of energy to house 204 at time “T3” (which may be an expected vehicle departure time from house 204). In some aspects, the high energy duration (i.e., the difference between “T3” and “T6”) may depend on an expected vehicle trip duration (determined based on the first vehicle availability information) during which vehicle 202 may be expected to leave house 204 (and not provide energy to house 204). For example, Figure 5 As shown, for a long expected vehicle trip duration, the high energy start time “ T7 ” may be earlier than the high energy start time “ T6 ” that may be associated with a relatively short expected vehicle trip duration.

[0070] In response to vehicle 202 providing a second amount of energy during the high energy duration, home 204 may be cooled below the set point temperature. When vehicle 202 leaves home 204 at time “T3”, home 204 may begin drawing energy from the grid. Since home 204 may have been pre-cooled by vehicle 202, a smaller amount of energy from the grid may be required to cool home 204 (e.g., until the real-time home temperature reaches the maximum acceptable home temperature), thereby optimizing or saving energy costs from the grid, such as in Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown in the curve graph area 316 in .

[0071] When the vehicle 202 is at the time “T8” of the short trip (eg Figure 3 and Figure 5 ) or at the time "T9" for long-distance trips (such as Figure 5 When the vehicle 202 returns to the house 204 (as shown), the vehicle 202 can resume delivering the first amount of energy to the house 204 to operate the HVAC 216 at the set point temperature until time "T2". Starting at time "T2", the house 204 can draw energy from the grid until the next high electricity cost / energy demand / electricity price duration begins.

[0072] As a second example, Figure 6 As shown, when the user provides user input indicating an expected vehicle departure time from the premises 204 at time “T4” (e.g., in the form of a remote vehicle ignition activation action 602 or via the user device 208), the processor 224 can cause the vehicle 202 to begin delivering a second amount of energy to the premises 104 at time “T4” until the vehicle 202 leaves the premises 204 at time “T3”. Figure 6 In the exemplary aspects depicted in FIG. 2 , the vehicle 202 may not be expected to return to the premises 104 within the high electricity cost / energy demand / price duration (i.e., before time “T2”), or the user may not input / provide an expected vehicle return time to the vehicle 202 / processor 224. In this case, the premises 204 may begin drawing energy from the grid when the vehicle 202 leaves the premises 204, and may continue to draw energy from the grid after time “T2”.

[0073] As a third example, Figure 7 As shown, when processor 224 determines that vehicle 206 may be available to provide energy to house 204 if vehicle 202 may leave and vehicle 206 may have a sufficient battery SoC level, processor 224 may cause vehicle 202 to begin delivering a second amount of energy to house 204 at a high energy start time "T10" until vehicle 202 leaves at time "T3". In this case, the high energy duration (i.e., the difference between time "T3" and "T10") may depend on time "T11" when vehicle 206 may be available to deliver energy (e.g., the first amount of energy) to house 204 to operate HVAC 216. As shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown, in this exemplary aspect, graph region 702 depicts exemplary energy savings from the grid. At time "T11", vehicle 206 may begin delivering a first amount of energy to home 204 until time "T2", when home 204 may begin drawing energy from the grid.

[0074] As a fourth example, Figure 8As shown, when vehicle 206 may be available in house 204 but may not have enough battery SoC to deliver a first amount of energy to house 104 to operate HVAC 216, processor 224 may cause vehicle 202 to begin delivering a second amount of energy at a high energy start time "T12" and continue to deliver the second amount of energy until time "T3", when vehicle 202 leaves house 204. Until time "T3", vehicle 206 (or a battery associated with vehicle 206) may be charged. In this case, at time "T13", vehicle 206 may begin delivering the first amount of energy to house 204, and may continue to deliver energy until time "T2", when house 204 may begin drawing energy from the grid.

[0075] As a fifth example, Figure 4 As shown, when the processor 224 determines that the energy transfer limit associated with the vehicle 202 may be reached at time "T5" (which may be earlier than time "T2"), the processor 224 may cause the vehicle 202 to begin transferring a second amount of energy to the house 204 at time "T14", and continue to provide the second amount of energy until time "T15" (which may be earlier than time "T5"), at which time the energy transfer limit associated with the vehicle 202 may be reached. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that since the vehicle 202 begins transferring the second amount of energy (which is greater than the first amount of energy) to the house 204 at time "T14", the energy transfer limit is reached earlier than the expected time "T5" (i.e., at time "T15").

[0076] In this case, house 104 may draw energy from the grid starting at time “ T2 ”. Figure 4 The exemplary graph area 402 in FIG. 4 depicts energy saved from the grid.

[0077] Although the description describes the vehicle 202 cooling the home 204 via the HVAC 216 , one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the vehicle 202 may perform a similar process when the vehicle 202 heats the home 204 via the HVAC 216 .

[0078] Furthermore, although the above description describes aspects of vehicle 202 pre-cooling house 204 based on an expected vehicle departure time, in some aspects, when vehicle 202 does not depart from house 104 at the expected vehicle departure time, vehicle 202 may transmit a notification requesting user confirmation of the departure time to user device 208. In an exemplary aspect, when vehicle 202 may not receive a user response to the notification within a predefined response duration, vehicle 202 may stop pre-cooling house 104.

[0079] Furthermore, if vehicle 206 is expected to be used less often by the user for mobility purposes than vehicle 202, vehicle 202 may enable vehicle 206 to deliver the first amount of energy to premises 104 for a longer duration. Additionally, if vehicle 206 has more vehicle battery SoC, vehicle 202 may enable vehicle 206 to deliver the first amount of energy to premises 104 for a longer duration. The duration of energy delivered to premises 104 may also depend on the health of battery 222 (e.g., wear).

[0080] Fig. 9 A flow chart of an exemplary method 900 for implementing energy transfer from a vehicle 202 to a premises 204 according to the present disclosure is depicted. Fig. 9 The following process is exemplary and is not limited to the steps described below. Furthermore, alternative embodiments may include more or fewer steps than shown or described herein, and may include the steps in an order different from that described in the example embodiments below.

[0081] The method 900 begins at step 902. At step 904, the method 900 may include obtaining, by the processor 224, temperature information, first (and second) vehicle availability information, and demand information. Additionally, the processor 224 may obtain an HVAC load profile. At step 906, the method 900 may include determining, by the processor 224, that a first predefined condition may be satisfied based on the demand information. In response to determining that the first predefined condition may be satisfied, at step 908, the method 900 may include determining, by the processor 224, a first amount of energy to be delivered to the premises 204 to operate the HVAC 216 based on the temperature information and the HVAC load profile.

[0082] At step 910, method 900 may include causing, by processor 224, vehicle 202 to transfer a first amount of energy to premises 204. At step 912, method 900 may include determining, by processor 224, that a second predefined condition may be satisfied based on the first amount of energy, first vehicle availability information, and / or vehicle battery SoC level, as described above.

[0083] In response to determining that the second predefined condition may be satisfied, at step 914, method 900 may include determining, by processor 224, a second amount of energy to be delivered to premises 204 (e.g., to pre-cool premises 204). At step 916, method 900 may include causing, by processor 224, vehicle 202 to deliver the second amount of energy to premises 204 to pre-cool premises 204.

[0084] Method 900 ends at step 918 .

[0085] In the above disclosure, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings that form a part of the above disclosure, which illustrate specific implementations in which the present disclosure can be practiced. It should be understood that other implementations can be utilized and structural changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. References to "one embodiment", "embodiment", "exemplary embodiment" and the like in this specification indicate that the described embodiment may include specific features, structures or characteristics, but each embodiment may not necessarily include the specific features, structures or characteristics. In addition, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when features, structures or characteristics are described in conjunction with an embodiment, whether or not explicitly described, those skilled in the art will recognize such features, structures or characteristics in conjunction with other embodiments.

[0086] In addition, where appropriate, the functions described herein may be performed in one or more of the following: hardware, software, firmware, digital components, or analog components. For example, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) may be programmed to perform one or more of the systems and programs described herein. Certain terms are used throughout the specification and claims to refer to specific system components. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, components may be referred to by different names. This document is not intended to distinguish between components that have different names but the same function.

[0087] It should also be understood that the word "example" as used herein is intended to be non-exclusive and non-limiting in nature. More specifically, the word "example" as used herein indicates one of several examples, and it should be understood that no undue emphasis or preference is placed on the specific example described.

[0088] Computer-readable media (also referred to as processor-readable media) include any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) media that participate in providing data (e.g., instructions) that can be read by a computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such media may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. A computing device may include computer-executable instructions, where the instructions may be executable by one or more computing devices (such as those listed above) and stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0089] With respect to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes may be practiced by performing the described steps in an order different from that described herein. It should also be understood that certain steps may be performed simultaneously, other steps may be added, or certain steps described herein may be omitted. In other words, the descriptions of the processes herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating various embodiments and should in no way be construed as limiting the claims.

[0090] Therefore, it should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Upon reading the above description, many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided will be apparent. The scope should not be determined with reference to the above description, but should be determined with reference to the entire scope of the appended claims and equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and expected that the technology discussed herein will develop in the future, and the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In short, it should be understood that the present application is capable of modification and change.

[0091] Unless explicitly indicated to the contrary in this article, all terms used in the claims are intended to be given their ordinary meanings as understood by the skilled person described herein. Specifically, unless the claim states an explicit limitation to the contrary, the use of singular articles such as "one", "the", "said" and the like should be interpreted as describing one or more of the indicated elements. Unless otherwise specifically stated or understood in other ways within the context when used, conditional language such as, in particular, "can", "may", "can" or "may" is generally intended to express that certain embodiments may include certain features, elements and / or steps, while other embodiments may not include certain features, elements and / or steps. Therefore, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that one or more embodiments require each feature, element and / or step in any way.

[0092] In one aspect of the invention, the transceiver is further configured to receive building occupancy information, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine the second amount of energy based on the building occupancy information.

[0093] According to the present invention, a method for achieving energy transfer from a vehicle to a building includes: determining, by a processor, that a first predefined condition is satisfied based on demand information associated with a utility grid; in response to determining that the first predefined condition is satisfied, determining, by the processor, a first amount of energy to be transferred to the building to operate building components based on temperature information associated with the building; causing the vehicle to transfer the first amount of energy to the building by the processor; determining, by the processor, that a second predefined condition is satisfied based on at least one of vehicle availability information, a vehicle battery state of charge (SoC) level, and the first amount of energy; in response to determining that the second predefined condition is satisfied, determining, by the processor, a second amount of energy to be transferred to the building to operate building components based on temperature information; and causing the vehicle to transfer the second amount of energy to the building by the processor.

[0094] In one aspect of the invention, the building component is a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system of the building.

[0095] In one aspect of the invention, the temperature information includes a set point temperature associated with the building, a real time temperature associated with the building, a maximum acceptable user temperature and a minimum acceptable user temperature associated with the building, and an ambient temperature.

[0096] According to the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: determine that a first predefined condition is satisfied based on demand information associated with a utility grid; in response to determining that the first predefined condition is satisfied, determine a first amount of energy to be transferred from a vehicle to a building to operate building components based on temperature information associated with the building; cause the vehicle to transfer the first amount of energy to the building; determine that a second predefined condition is satisfied based on at least one of vehicle availability information, a vehicle battery state of charge (SoC) level, and the first amount of energy; in response to determining that the second predefined condition is satisfied, determine a second amount of energy to be transferred to the building to operate building components based on the temperature information; and cause the vehicle to transfer the second amount of energy to the building.

Claims

1. A first vehicle, the first vehicle being configured to transfer energy to a building, the first vehicle comprising: a transceiver configured to receive temperature information associated with the building and demand information associated with a utility grid; a detection unit configured to detect a first vehicle battery state of charge (SoC) level; a memory configured to store first vehicle availability information; as well as a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver, the detection unit, and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: Determining based on the requirement information that a first predefined condition is satisfied; In response to determining that the first predefined condition is satisfied, determining a first amount of energy to be delivered to the building to operate a building component based on the temperature information; causing the first vehicle to transfer the first amount of energy to the building; determining that a second predefined condition is satisfied based on at least one of the first vehicle availability information, the first vehicle battery SoC level, and the first amount of energy; in response to determining that the second predefined condition is satisfied, determining a second amount of energy to be delivered to the building to operate the building component based on the temperature information; as well as The first vehicle is caused to transfer the second amount of energy to the building.

2. The first vehicle of claim 1, wherein the building component is a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system of the building.

3. The first vehicle of claim 1, wherein the temperature information includes a set point temperature associated with the building, a real-time temperature associated with the building, a maximum acceptable user temperature and a minimum acceptable user temperature associated with the building, and an ambient temperature.

4. The first vehicle of claim 1, wherein the demand information includes electricity cost information associated with energy drawn from the utility grid and information associated with a predefined duration of high electricity cost associated with the energy drawn from the utility grid. 5 . The first vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the first predefined condition is satisfied when a current time corresponds to a start time of the predefined duration.

6. The first vehicle of claim 4, wherein the first vehicle availability information comprises one or more of: historical first vehicle travel information, historical information associated with energy transfer from the first vehicle to the building, an expected first vehicle departure time from the building, an expected first vehicle return time to the building, and an expected first vehicle trip duration.

7. The first vehicle of claim 6, wherein the second predefined condition is satisfied when the expected first vehicle departure time is within the predefined duration.

8. The first vehicle of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to: calculating, based on the first amount of energy, a total amount of energy required to be delivered to the building for operating the building component over the predefined duration; comparing the total amount of energy to the first vehicle battery SoC level; as well as When the total amount of energy is greater than the first vehicle battery SoC level, or when a difference between the first vehicle battery SoC level and the total amount of energy is less than a predefined energy threshold, it is determined that the second predefined condition is met.

9. The first vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: determining a duration for delivering the second amount of energy to the structure based on the first vehicle availability information; and The first vehicle is caused to deliver the second amount of energy to the structure for the duration. 10 . The first vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the duration based on the first vehicle battery SoC level.

11. The first vehicle of claim 9, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive second vehicle availability information and a second vehicle battery SoC level associated with a second vehicle configured to provide energy to the building, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine the duration based on at least one of the second vehicle availability information and the second vehicle battery SoC level.

12. The first vehicle of claim 9, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive user input, the user input comprising at least an expected first vehicle departure time from the building and an expected first vehicle return time to the building, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine the duration based on the user input.

13. The first vehicle of claim 1, the first vehicle further comprising a first vehicle battery configured to provide energy to the building, wherein the first vehicle battery SoC level is associated with the first vehicle battery.

14. The first vehicle of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive a load profile associated with the building component, and wherein the processor is configured to determine the first amount of energy and the second amount of energy based on the load profile.

15. The first vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: determining that the first amount of energy is less than a maximum energy transfer threshold, wherein the maximum energy transfer threshold is based on the first vehicle battery SoC level; and When the first amount of energy is less than the maximum energy transfer threshold, causing the first vehicle to transfer the first amount of energy to the building.

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