System and method for enabling energy transfer from vehicle to building

Abstract

Systems and methods for enabling energy transfer from a vehicle to a building are provided. A system for enabling energy transfer from a vehicle to a building is disclosed. The system may include a memory, a transceiver, and a processor. The memory may be configured to store a load profile associated with a building component. The transceiver may be configured to receive temperature information and vehicle information associated with a vehicle. The processor may obtain temperature information, a load profile, and vehicle information. The processor may also determine an estimated amount of energy required to operate the building component based on the temperature information and the load profile. Further, the processor may estimate a vehicle range based on the estimated amount of energy and the vehicle information, and output the vehicle range on a user interface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for enabling energy transfer from a vehicle to a building to operate a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system of the building. 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, etc. For example, an EV can supply energy from an EV battery to a building (e.g., a house) when the building requires excess energy 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 the consumer's spending on energy obtained from the grid, for example, during those durations of the day when charges for energy drawn from the grid may be high.

[0003] In order to optimally supply energy from a vehicle to a building without significantly affecting vehicle performance, it is important to understand the effect of energy transfer on vehicle operating parameters. This is particularly important when the energy from the vehicle can be used to operate the building's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, which typically draws considerable energy. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present disclosure describes a vehicle energy transfer system ("system") for enabling energy transfer from one or more vehicles (e.g., a first vehicle and a second vehicle) to a building. The first vehicle and the second vehicle may be bidirectional electric vehicles (EVs) that may be configured to receive energy via a charger point and to supply energy to a building. In some aspects, the system may specifically enable energy transfer from the first vehicle and / or the second vehicle to the building to operate a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system of the building.

[0005] In order to enable the first vehicle (and / or the second vehicle) to efficiently transfer energy to the building, the system can obtain temperature information associated with the building and the surrounding environment, vehicle information associated with the first vehicle, and an HVAC system load profile. The temperature information may include a set point or user desired temperature for the building, real-time building temperature, and ambient temperature. The vehicle information may include real-time vehicle battery state of charge (SoC) level and information associated with the amount of vehicle energy required to travel per unit distance (e.g., one mile). The HVAC system load profile may indicate the amount of energy required to operate the HVAC system at a specific set point temperature, a specific building temperature, and a specific ambient temperature.

[0006] In response to obtaining the above information, the system can determine an estimated amount of energy required to operate the HVAC system based on the temperature information and the HVAC system load profile. When the first vehicle may be providing energy to the building to operate the HVAC system, the system can also estimate the remaining vehicle range (or vehicle range) associated with the first vehicle based on the estimated amount of energy and the vehicle information. In response to determining / estimating the amount of energy and the vehicle range, the system can determine whether the amount of energy is greater than a predefined maximum energy threshold and / or whether the vehicle range is less than a predefined minimum vehicle range threshold. When any of these conditions are met, the system can output a notification to a user device or a vehicle human-machine interface (HMI) requesting the user to modify (e.g., reduce) the set point temperature, or the system can automatically reduce the set point temperature.

[0007] The system may also output the estimated vehicle range and set point temperature on a user interface associated with the user device, the vehicle HMI, and / or the building thermostat. The user may view the vehicle range and set point temperature on the user interface, and may update the set point temperature at any time during the energy transfer operation from the first vehicle to the building based on the user's desire for the set point temperature and vehicle range. In some aspects, the user interface may include a feature (e.g., a slider or dial) that may enable the user to conveniently modify the set point temperature on the user interface and view the effect of the modified set point temperature on the remaining vehicle range.

[0008] In some aspects, when both the first vehicle and the second vehicle may be providing energy to the building at the same time to operate the HVAC system, the system may estimate the remaining vehicle range of both vehicles based on the "allocation" between the first vehicle and the second vehicle of the total energy delivered to the building. In this case, the system may output both the vehicle range and the allocation and the set point temperature for both vehicles on the user interface. Based on the user's request for the set point temperature and / or vehicle range for the first vehicle and the second vehicle, the user may modify the set point temperature and / or the allocation on the user interface.

[0009] The present disclosure discloses a vehicle energy transfer system that enables a user to view the effect of a set point temperature on a vehicle range associated with a vehicle that may provide energy to a building. Based on the displayed set point temperature and the remaining vehicle range, the user can make an informed decision to adjust the set point temperature. The system also enables the user to adjust the energy transfer distribution between two or more vehicles when such vehicles may simultaneously provide energy to a building to operate an HVAC system.

[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 example 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 example vehicle energy transfer system for enabling energy transfer from one or more vehicles to a building in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 3 Depicted are snapshots of example user interfaces in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 4 Depicted is a snapshot of another example user interface according to the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 5 Depicted is a flow chart of an example first method for implementing energy transfer from a vehicle to a building in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 6 Depicted is a flow chart of an example second method for implementing energy transfer from a vehicle to a building in accordance with the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of the disclosure are shown and which are not intended to be limiting.

[0019] Figure 1An example 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, equipment, etc. In an exemplary aspect, the vehicle 102 may be configured to supply energy to the house 104 via a charger point 106, which may be installed in the house 104 (e.g., a charging station). Figure 1 as shown) or anywhere near house 104.

[0020] 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 premises equipment include, but are not limited to, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems (in Figure 2 212), 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 charges for 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 vehicle 102 to supply energy to house 104 to operate a first house component (e.g., HVAC system) during the morning hours when the charges for energy used from the grid may be high and may enable the HVAC system to operate via energy drawn from the grid during the afternoon when the corresponding charges may be lower.

[0021] The scenarios described above for supplying energy from vehicle 102 to house 104 are exemplary in nature and are for illustrative purposes only. The scenarios described should not be construed as limiting. The vehicle or house owner may 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.

[0022] In some aspects, the house 104 may include a thermostat (or a second house component, such as a Figure 2104 ), 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 input a set point temperature associated with the house 104 on the thermostat. The set point temperature may be, for example, a desired temperature of the house 104 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.

[0023] The vehicle 102 may be communicatively coupled to the thermostat and may be configured to obtain the house temperature and the set point temperature from the thermostat. The vehicle 102 may also be configured to control HVAC system operation via the thermostat. 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 the HVAC system on or off to optimize the energy supply from the vehicle 102.

[0024] To ensure efficient operation of the vehicle, it may be convenient and beneficial for the user to know how the set point temperature entered by the user on the thermostat may affect the operating parameters of the vehicle (e.g., the range of the vehicle). One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that when the house temperature (and / or the ambient temperature in the geographic area that includes the house 104) may be high and the set point temperature may be low, considerable vehicle energy may be required to operate the HVAC system. In such circumstances, the vehicle 102 may be required to transfer a large amount of energy to the house 104 to operate the HVAC system, which may affect (e.g., reduce) the range of the vehicle. On the other hand, if the user increases the set point temperature to be slightly higher, the vehicle 102 may be required to transfer a smaller amount of energy to the house 104 to operate the HVAC system, which may have a reduced impact on the range of the vehicle.

[0025] To make the user aware of the impact of the user-entered set point temperature on vehicle range, the vehicle 102, HVAC system and thermostat may communicate with the vehicle energy delivery system (in Figure 2104 ) is communicatively coupled to a vehicle energy transfer system 200 (shown in FIG. 104 as a vehicle energy transfer system 200), which can be hosted on a server (or be part of the vehicle 102) and is configured to determine and output an expected vehicle range based on a set point temperature entered by a user on a thermostat. A user can view the expected vehicle range output by the vehicle energy transfer system ("system") and can decide to modify the set point temperature based on the expected vehicle range and expected vehicle use in the future. For example, if the user enters a set point temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the system can output an expected vehicle range of 120 miles. If the user desires more vehicle range based on expected future vehicle use (e.g., when the user may need to drive the vehicle 102 after the vehicle 102 transfers energy to the house 104), the user can increase the set point temperature (e.g., to 75 degrees Fahrenheit). In response to the user increasing the set point temperature, the system can output an updated vehicle range (e.g., 200 miles). The user can determine the set point temperature based on the vehicle range that the user may expect. In this manner, the system enables the user to make a trade-off between the home temperature comfort level and the expected vehicle range. In other words, the system facilitates the user to make an informed decision regarding the set point temperature for the home 104 that the user enters on the thermostat by making the user aware of the impact of the set point temperature on the vehicle range.

[0026] In some aspects, to determine the expected vehicle range based on the set point temperature, the system can obtain temperature information, vehicle information, and a load profile associated with the HVAC system (or HVAC load profile). The temperature information can include a set point temperature associated with the house 104 entered by a user on a thermostat, a real-time house temperature, and an ambient temperature in a geographic area that includes the house 104. The system can obtain the set point temperature and the house temperature from the thermostat, and the system can obtain the ambient temperature from an ambient temperature sensor associated with the vehicle 102 (or from a server that provides weather condition information to the system).

[0027] The vehicle information may include a real-time vehicle battery state of charge (SOC) associated with the vehicle 102 and information associated with an amount of vehicle energy required per unit distance traveled (e.g., an amount of vehicle energy required to travel one mile). The system may obtain the vehicle information from the vehicle 102. In some aspects, the vehicle may determine information associated with an amount of vehicle energy required per unit distance traveled based on historical driving / travel patterns associated with the vehicle 102, and may store the determined information in a vehicle memory (in a Figure 2 In this case, the system can obtain information associated with the amount of vehicle energy required to travel per unit distance from the vehicle memory.

[0028] In some aspects, the system can obtain the HVAC load profile from an external server or the vehicle 102. In other aspects, the HVAC load profile can be pre-stored in the system memory (in Figure 2 The HVAC load profile may indicate an expected load or energy that the HVAC system may draw from the vehicle 102 at a specific set point temperature, a specific ambient temperature, and a specific house temperature. For example, the HVAC load profile may indicate an expected amount of energy (e.g., a first amount of 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 when the ambient temperature may be 85 degrees Fahrenheit. As another example, the HVAC load profile may indicate an expected amount of energy (e.g., a second amount of 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 when the ambient temperature may be 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

[0029] It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the first energy amount described above may be different from the second energy amount 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, such as the type of insulation in the house 104, the location of the house (e.g., height above sea level), typical humidity levels in the geographic area where the house 104 may be located, etc.

[0030] In response to obtaining the temperature information, the vehicle information, and the HVAC load profile described above, the system can determine an estimated amount of energy that may need to be drawn from the vehicle 102 to operate the HVAC system based on the temperature information and the HVAC system load profile. In addition, the system can calculate / estimate a remaining vehicle range (or vehicle range) based on the estimated amount of energy and the vehicle information. In other words, the system can determine the vehicle range based on the estimated amount of energy that the HVAC system can draw from the vehicle 102 and the current or real-time vehicle battery SOC and the amount of vehicle energy required per unit distance traveled.

[0031] In some aspects, the system may additionally obtain a duration availability of the vehicle (or vehicle availability) to deliver energy to the premises 104, and may determine the vehicle range based on the vehicle availability. For example, if the vehicle 102 may only have two hours available to provide energy to the premises 104 to operate the HVAC system, the system may determine the vehicle range based on the input that the vehicle 102 may only have two hours available to deliver energy to the premises 104. In some aspects, the system may receive information associated with vehicle availability from a user via the vehicle 102 or a user device. In other aspects, the system or the vehicle 102 itself may predict vehicle availability based on historical vehicle travel, usage, and energy delivery patterns.

[0032] In response to determining the vehicle range, the system may transmit / output the vehicle range on a user interface. In some aspects, the user interface may be associated with a thermostat, a user device, or a vehicle human-machine interface (HMI). The system may additionally cause the user interface to output a set point temperature entered by a user at the thermostat. The user may view the set point temperature and the vehicle range on the user interface, and may modify the set point temperature (e.g., increase or decrease the set point temperature) based on the user's vehicle range requirements. In response to the user modifying the set point temperature, the vehicle range output on the user interface may also be modified based on the new set point temperature entered by the user. In some aspects, the user interface may enable the user to modify the set point temperature on the user interface itself, as described later below in conjunction with Figure 3 and Figure 4 As described in the description.

[0033] In some aspects, the user may also "preset" a maximum amount of energy that may be transferred from the vehicle 102 to the premises 104 to operate the HVAC system, or a minimum vehicle range that may be acceptable to the user, or a duration (e.g., a start time and / or end time) that the vehicle 102 may transfer energy to the premises 104 to operate the HVAC system. The system may automatically control the HVAC system operation via the thermostat and / or energy transfer from the vehicle 102 based on the above preset information. For example, when the determined estimated amount of energy that needs to be drawn from the vehicle 102 to operate the HVAC system may be greater than the preset maximum amount of energy, the system may automatically disable the transfer of energy from the vehicle 102 and / or increase the set point temperature via the thermostat. Similarly, when the estimated vehicle range may be less than the preset minimum vehicle range, the system may automatically disable the transfer of energy from the vehicle 102 and / or increase the set point temperature via the thermostat. The system may also automatically trigger or activate the energy transfer from the vehicle 102 to the premises 104 at the above start time, and may deactivate the energy transfer at the end time.

[0034] In some aspects, the system can also communicate with a second vehicle (in Figure 2In one embodiment, the system may be configured to transfer energy to the home 104 to operate the HVAC system independently or in conjunction with the vehicle 102, the second vehicle being communicatively coupled to the home 104 (shown as vehicle 202 in FIG. 1 ). Similar to obtaining vehicle information associated with the vehicle 102 from the vehicle 102, the system may obtain vehicle information associated with the second vehicle (or "second vehicle information", which may be similar to the vehicle information associated with the vehicle 102) from the second vehicle. The system may also obtain the allocation of energy transferred to the home 104 between the vehicle 102 and the second vehicle from a user interface associated with the vehicle 102, the second vehicle, a user device, or a thermostat. In some aspects, the user may input the allocation on the user interface, or the system itself may determine the allocation based on user preferences / requirements. As an example, when both the vehicle 102 and the second vehicle provide energy to the home 104 to operate the HVAC system, the allocation may indicate that 40% of the amount of energy required to operate the HVAC system should be drawn from the vehicle 102 and the remaining 60% of the energy should be drawn from the second vehicle.

[0035] In response to obtaining the second vehicle information and the allocation, the system can determine an estimated remaining vehicle range associated with the second vehicle in the same manner as described above. The system can then output the vehicle ranges and allocations associated with the vehicle 102 and the second vehicle on a user interface. The user can then view the respective vehicle ranges associated with the vehicle 102 and the second vehicle, and can modify the set point temperature and / or allocation if the user desires more or less vehicle range for one or both of the vehicle 102 and the second vehicle.

[0036] Combined with the following Figure 2 Describe the system in further details.

[0037] The vehicle 102, system, and second vehicle implement and / or perform operations as described herein in the present disclosure in accordance with the vehicle owner's manual and safety guide. Additionally, any actions taken by the user based on recommendations or notifications provided by the vehicle 102, system, and / or second vehicle should comply with all rules specific to the location (e.g., federal, state, country, city, etc.) and operation of the vehicle 102 and second vehicle. Recommendations or notifications as provided by the vehicle 102, system, and / or second vehicle should be considered suggestions and followed only in accordance with any rules specific to the location and operation of the vehicle 102 and second vehicle.

[0038] Figure 2 A block diagram of an example vehicle energy transfer system 200 (or system 200) for implementing energy transfer from one or more vehicles 102, 202 to a property 104 according to the present disclosure is depicted. The vehicle 202 may be the same as the second vehicle described above, which may be configured to transfer energy to the property 104 independently or in conjunction with the vehicle 102. Figure 3 and Figure 4To describe Figure 2 .

[0039] System 200 may be communicatively coupled with vehicle 102 and vehicle 202 via network 204. System 200 may also be communicatively coupled with user device 206, one or more servers 208 (or servers 208), and thermostat 210 and HVAC system 212 (or HVAC 212) of house 104 via network 204.

[0040] The user device 206 may be associated with a vehicle owner or a home owner (which may be the same or different). The user device 206 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 208 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 102, 202, and other vehicles that may be part of a commercial vehicle fleet ( Figure 2 200). In other aspects, the server 208 may be associated with a company that supplies energy to the house 104 via the power grid. In this case, the server 208 may be communicatively coupled to the thermostat 210 and may obtain information associated with the house temperature, set point temperature, etc. from the thermostat 210 at a predefined frequency. The server 208 may transmit the information obtained from the thermostat 210 to the system 200 at a predefined frequency. The server 208 may also be configured to store an HVAC load profile associated with the HVAC 212 and may transmit the HVAC load profile to the system 200 at a predefined frequency or when the system 200 transmits a request to obtain the HVAC load profile to the server 208. In additional aspects, the server 208 may be associated with a company that provides weather-related information to the system 200. In this case, the server 208 may transmit the real-time ambient temperature of the geographic area where the house 104 may be located to the system 200 via the network 204.

[0041] The network 204 illustrates an example communication infrastructure in which the connected devices discussed in various embodiments of the present disclosure may communicate. The network 204 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.

[0042] Thermostat 210 may be configured to receive user input associated with a set point temperature (as described above in conjunction with Figure 1 ) and transmits the set point temperature to the system 200 via the network 204. As described above, the thermostat 210 can also be configured to measure the real-time house temperature and transmit the house temperature to the system 200. The thermostat 210 can also be configured to control HVAC operation (e.g., turn off or turn on the HVAC 212) based on command signals received from the vehicle 102, 202 and / or the system 200.

[0043] The vehicle 102 may include a plurality of units including, but not limited to, a vehicle transceiver 214, a sensor suite 216, a vehicle control unit (VCU) 218, a vehicle memory 220, and a vehicle processor 222. The vehicle transceiver 214 may be configured to transmit / receive signals / information / data to / from external systems and devices via the network 204. For example, the vehicle transceiver 214 may transmit / receive information / signals to / from the vehicle 202 and the system 200 via the network 204. The sensor suite 216 may include one or more vehicle sensors including, but not limited to, an ambient temperature sensor, a seating area sensor, a vehicle camera, and the like. The VCU 218 may control aspects of vehicle operation and implement one or more instruction sets received from the vehicle processor 222 and / or the system 200. For example, when the vehicle 102 can be connected to the charger point 106, the VCU 218 can activate or enable energy transfer from the vehicle 102 to the premises 104 based on a command signal received from the system 200 via the vehicle transceiver 214. In a similar manner, the VCU 218 can deactivate energy transfer from the vehicle 102 to the premises 104 based on a command signal received from the system 200. The VCU 218 can also be configured to detect when the vehicle 102 can be connected to the charger point 106, and can transmit a trigger signal to the system 200 (via the vehicle transceiver 214) when the vehicle 102 is connected to the charger point 106. The VCU 218 can additionally be configured to determine a real-time vehicle battery state of charge (SoC) level, and transmit information associated with the SoC level to the system 200 (via the vehicle transceiver 214) at a predefined frequency or when the system 200 transmits a request to obtain the SoC level to the vehicle 102.

[0044] The vehicle processor 222 may be configured to communicate with one or more memory devices (e.g., the vehicle memory 220 and / or Figure 2 The vehicle processor 222 may utilize the vehicle memory 220 to store programs and / or store data in code form to perform various aspects of the present disclosure. The vehicle memory 220 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or memory storing program code that enables the vehicle processor 222 to perform operations according to the present disclosure. The vehicle memory 220 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, electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), etc.).

[0045] In some aspects, the vehicle memory 220 may store historical driving / travel patterns associated with the vehicle 102, historical vehicle usage patterns, historical energy transfer patterns from the vehicle 102 to the premises 104, etc. The vehicle processor 222 may be configured to calculate / determine an estimated amount of vehicle energy required to travel per unit distance (e.g., one mile) based on the historical information stored in the vehicle memory 220. The vehicle processor 222 may also be configured to determine availability information associated with the vehicle 102 to transfer energy to the premises 104 to operate the HVAC 212 based on the historical information stored in the vehicle memory 220. For example, the vehicle processor 222 may determine that the vehicle 102 is available to transfer energy to the premises 104 to operate the HVAC 212 between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM on Monday nights based on the historical energy transfer patterns from the vehicle 102 to the premises 104. The vehicle processor 222 may be configured to transmit the estimated amount of vehicle energy required per unit distance traveled and availability information to the system 200 via the vehicle transceiver 214 at a predefined frequency or when the system 200 transmits a request to obtain the information to the vehicle 102 .

[0046] Similar to vehicle 102, vehicle 202 may include multiple units including, but not limited to, a vehicle transceiver 224, a sensor suite 226, a VCU 228, a vehicle memory 230, and a vehicle processor 232. The functions of the units of vehicle 202 are the same as those of the corresponding units of vehicle 102, and therefore, for the sake of simplicity and conciseness, they are not described here.

[0047] The system 200 may include a plurality of units including, but not limited to, a system transceiver 234, a system processor 236, and a system memory 238. The system transceiver 234 may be configured to transmit / receive signals / information / data to / from external systems and devices including the vehicle 102, 202, the thermostat 210, the HVAC 212, the charger point 106, and the like.

[0048] The system processor 236 may be configured to communicate with one or more memory devices (eg, system memory 238 and / or Figure 2 The system processor 236 may utilize the system memory 238 to store programs and / or store data in code form to perform various aspects of the present disclosure. The system memory 238 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or memory that stores program code that enables the system processor 236 to perform operations according to the present disclosure. The system memory 238 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, electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), etc.).

[0049] In some aspects, the system memory 238 may include a plurality of databases, including, but not limited to, an HVAC load profile database 240, a vehicle information database 242, and a temperature information database 244. The HVAC load profile database 240 may store HVAC load profiles associated with the HVAC 212 that the system 200 may obtain from the vehicle 102, 202, or the server 208. The vehicle information database 242 may store vehicle information associated with the vehicle 102, 202 that the system 200 may obtain from the respective vehicle. The vehicle information may include, for example, real-time vehicle battery SoC levels, the amount of vehicle energy required per unit distance traveled, and information associated with vehicle availability to deliver energy to the premises 104 to operate the HVAC 212 associated with each of the vehicles 102 and 202 ("availability information"). The temperature information database 244 may store temperature information that the system 200 may obtain from the vehicle 102, 202, the thermostat 210, and / or the server 208. As described above, the temperature information may include a set point temperature associated with the house 104 entered by a user on the thermostat 210 , a real-time house temperature associated with the house 104 , and an ambient temperature.

[0050] In operation, the system transceiver 234 may receive an HVAC load profile from the vehicle 102, 202 or the server 208, receive temperature information from the vehicle 102, 202, the thermostat 210 and / or the server 208, and receive vehicle information (including availability information) associated with the vehicle 102, 202 from the respective vehicle. In response to receiving the above information, the system transceiver 234 may transmit the information to the respective system memory database for storage purposes.

[0051] When a user desires to transfer energy from the vehicle 102 (and / or the vehicle 202) to the premises 104 to operate the HVAC 212, the user may electrically couple or connect the vehicle 102 to the charger spot 106. In response to the user connecting the vehicle 102 to the charger spot 106, the VCU 218 and / or the charger spot 106 may transmit a trigger signal to the system transceiver 234 via the network 204. In other aspects, when a user desires to transfer energy from the vehicle 102 (and / or the vehicle 202) to the premises 104 to operate the HVAC 212, the user may transmit a request to the system transceiver 234 via the user device 206, the server 208, or the vehicle 102. In this case, when the system transceiver 234 receives the energy transfer request, the system transceiver 234 may receive the trigger signal. In some aspects, the user may also indicate in the energy transfer request an energy transfer start time (e.g., Monday at 7 p.m.) and / or an energy transfer end time (e.g., 10 p.m.) at which the user may desire the vehicle 102 to start and stop transferring energy to the property 104.

[0052] The system processor 236 may obtain the trigger signal and / or the energy transfer request from the system transceiver 234. In some aspects, the system processor 236 may obtain the trigger signal from the system transceiver 234 when the system transceiver 234 receives the trigger signal from the VCU 218 and / or the charger spot 106, or when the system transceiver 234 receives the energy transfer request. In other aspects, when the energy transfer request includes an energy transfer start time, the system processor 236 may receive the trigger signal from a system timer (not shown) at the energy transfer start time.

[0053] In response to obtaining the trigger signal, the system processor 236 may obtain the HVAC load profile, temperature information, and vehicle information from a corresponding system memory database or directly from the system transceiver 234. The system processor 236 may then determine an estimated amount of energy required to operate the HVAC 212 based on the HVAC load profile and the temperature information. In other words, the system processor 236 may determine the amount of energy that may need to be transferred from the vehicle 102 to the house 104 to operate the HVAC 212 based on the set point temperature entered by the user on the thermostat 210, the real-time house temperature, and the ambient temperature (when the vehicle 102 may be electrically connected to the charger point 106 to transfer energy to the house 104 to operate the HVAC 212). In some aspects, the system processor 236 may also determine the estimated amount of energy based on the real-time power consumption of the house 104 that the system processor 236 may obtain from the charger point 106, the vehicle 102, and / or the server 208.

[0054] In response to determining the amount of energy described above, the system processor 236 may compare the amount of energy to a predefined energy threshold that may be pre-stored in the system memory 238. The predefined energy threshold may indicate the maximum amount of energy that the user may allow the vehicle 102 to transfer to the premises 104. In this case, the user may have transmitted the predefined energy threshold to the system 200 via the user device 206 or the vehicle 102, and the system 200 may have stored the predefined energy threshold in the system memory 238.

[0055] When the system processor 236 determines that the amount of energy may be greater than the predefined energy threshold based on the above comparison, the system processor 236 may transmit a notification to the user device 206 or a vehicle human machine interface (HMI, not shown) via the system transceiver 234. The notification may indicate to the user that the amount of energy is greater than the predefined energy threshold, and therefore the user should increase the set point temperature so that the energy required to operate the HVAC 212 may drop below the predefined energy threshold (and therefore the above energy amount may drop below the predefined energy threshold). In other aspects, when the system processor 236 determines that the amount of energy may be greater than the predefined energy threshold based on the above comparison, the system processor 236 may transmit a command signal (a first command signal) to the vehicle 102 via the system transceiver 234 to disable the delivery of energy to the premises 104.

[0056] On the other hand, when the system processor 236 determines that the amount of energy may be less than the predefined energy threshold, the system processor 236 may calculate / estimate the remaining vehicle range associated with the vehicle 102 based on the amount of energy and the vehicle information associated with the vehicle 102. In other words, when the amount of energy required to operate the HVAC 212 may be less than the predefined energy threshold, the system processor 236 may estimate the remaining vehicle range (or vehicle range) of the vehicle 102 based on the real-time battery SoC level, the amount of energy required per unit distance traveled, and the amount of energy required to operate the HVAC 212. In some aspects, the system processor 236 may additionally estimate the remaining vehicle range based on availability information associated with the vehicle 102. For example, if the vehicle 102 may only have two hours to provide energy to the premises 104 to operate the HVAC 212, the system processor 236 may estimate the vehicle range based on the input that the vehicle 102 may only have two hours to deliver energy to the premises 104.

[0057] In response to estimating the vehicle range, the system processor 236 may compare the estimated vehicle range to a predefined range threshold (which may be pre-stored in the system memory 238 and provided by the user to the system 200). The predefined range threshold may indicate a minimum vehicle range that is acceptable to the user for the vehicle 102 when the vehicle 102 is transferring energy to the premises 104 to operate the HVAC 212. For example, the user may provide the system 200 with a predefined range threshold of 180 miles.

[0058] When the system processor 236 determines that the vehicle range may be less than the predefined range threshold based on the above comparison, the system processor 236 can transmit a notification to the user device 206 or the vehicle HMI via the system transceiver 234. The notification can indicate to the user that the vehicle range may be less than the predefined vehicle range, and therefore the user should increase the set point temperature so that the vehicle range can be increased above the predefined range threshold. In other aspects, when the system processor 236 determines that the vehicle range may be less than the predefined range based on the above comparison, the system processor 236 can transmit a command signal (a second command signal) to the vehicle 102 via the system transceiver 234 to disable energy delivery to the premises 104.

[0059] Although the above description describes aspects in which the system processor 236 transmits a notification when the amount of energy may be greater than a predefined energy threshold or when the vehicle range may be less than a predefined range threshold, in some aspects, in addition to or in lieu of transmitting the notification, the system processor 236 may transmit a command signal (e.g., a third command signal) to the thermostat 210 to automatically increase the set point temperature. In this case, the system processor 236 may automatically increase the set point temperature so that the amount of energy may drop below the predefined energy threshold and / or the vehicle range may increase above the predefined range threshold.

[0060] In response to determining that the vehicle range may be greater than the predefined range threshold, the system processor 236 may transmit / output the vehicle range to a user interface associated with the vehicle 102, the user device 206, and / or the thermostat 210 via the system transceiver 234. In some aspects, the system processor 236 may additionally transmit / output the set point temperature as well as the vehicle range on the user interface. Figure 3 An example user interface displaying vehicle range and set point temperature is shown as view 302 .

[0061] As shown in view 302, the user interface can display the set point and vehicle range on a slider bar 304 and / or in the form of a graphical illustration 306. In some aspects, the slider bar 304 can include a slider 308 that can enable the user to modify the set point temperature by sliding the slider 308 in a right or left direction (in which case the user interface can be a touch screen interface). As an example, if the user desires a vehicle range of more than "270 miles" as shown in view 302, the user can slide the slider 308 in the left direction to increase the set point temperature from 68 degrees Fahrenheit to 74 degrees Fahrenheit, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 310. In some aspects, the slider 308 can be replaced by a dial.

[0062] In response to the user sliding the slider 308, the system processor 236 can obtain a trigger or user request to modify the set point temperature from the current set point temperature (e.g., 68 degrees Fahrenheit) to an updated set point temperature (e.g., 74 degrees Fahrenheit). The system processor 236 can then calculate an updated vehicle range (e.g., 290 miles) based on the updated set point temperature in the same manner as described above, and can output the updated vehicle range on the user interface, as shown in view 310. In addition to outputting the updated vehicle range, the system processor 236 can also transmit a command signal (e.g., a fourth command signal) to the thermostat 210 to modify the set point temperature to the updated set point temperature and operate the HVAC 212 based on the updated set point temperature. In some aspects, the command signal can include the updated set point temperature.

[0063] As the vehicle 102 continues to transfer energy to the premises 104, the system processor 236 can continuously update the vehicle range based on the real-time SoC level and real-time temperature information (e.g., real-time house temperature and ambient temperature) and output the vehicle range on the user interface. The user can modify the set point temperature based on the displayed vehicle range at any time during the energy transfer operation of the vehicle 102 by using the slider 308.

[0064] In some aspects, when the premises 104 may obtain energy from two vehicles simultaneously (e.g., from both the vehicle 102 and the vehicle 202 via the charger spot 106), the system processor 236 may obtain vehicle information associated with both vehicles 102, 202 from the system transceiver 234 or the vehicle information database 242. In addition, the system processor 236 may obtain information associated with the allocation of the total amount of energy delivered to the premises 104 to operate the HVAC 212 between the vehicle 102 and the vehicle 202. For example, the system processor 236 may obtain an allocation indicating that 60% of the total amount of energy delivered to the premises 104 may be provided by the vehicle 102 and the remaining 40% may be provided by the vehicle 202. In some aspects, the system processor 236 may obtain the allocation from the user device 206, the vehicle 102, 202, or the server 208. In this case, the user may have entered the allocation on the user device 206 or the vehicle 102, 202, or the allocation may be pre-stored on the server 208 (e.g., based on historical user preferences).

[0065] In response to obtaining the allocation, the system processor 236 may determine a first amount of energy (e.g., 60% of the total amount of energy) to be delivered by the vehicle 102 to the premises 104 and a second amount of energy (e.g., 40% of the total amount of energy) to be delivered by the vehicle 202 to the premises 104 based on the allocation. The system processor 236 may then determine a remaining vehicle range associated with the vehicle 102 (e.g., “a first vehicle range”) based on the first amount of energy and the vehicle information associated with the vehicle 102. Similarly, the system processor 236 determines a remaining vehicle range associated with the vehicle 202 (e.g., “a second vehicle range”) based on the second amount of energy and the vehicle information associated with the vehicle 202.

[0066] In response to determining the first vehicle range and the second vehicle range, the system processor 236 may transmit / output the first vehicle range and the second vehicle range along with the set point temperature to a user interface, such as Figure 4 The system processor 236 can also transmit / output the allocation on a slide bar 404 including a slider 406. The slide bar 304 and the graphical illustration 306 can display both the first vehicle range and the second vehicle range.

[0067] When the user desires to modify the first vehicle range and / or the second vehicle range, the user may slide slider 308 to the right or left, as described above. The user may additionally slide slider 406 to the left or right to modify the allocation. In response to the user sliding slider 406, system processor 236 may obtain a user request to modify the allocation to an updated allocation. System processor 236 may then transmit a command signal to vehicle 102 and vehicle 202 via system transceiver 234 to modify the amount of energy delivered to premises 104 by the respective vehicles based on the updated allocation.

[0068] Although the above description describes aspects of two vehicles (i.e., vehicles 102 and 202) delivering energy to the premises 104, in some aspects, more than two vehicles may also deliver energy to the premises 104 simultaneously to operate the HVAC 212. In such cases, the system 200 may display the respective vehicle ranges and allocations (totaling up to 100%) for each vehicle on the user interface in the same manner as described above.

[0069] Furthermore, while the above description describes aspects in which the user updates the allocation based on the first vehicle range and the second vehicle range displayed on the user interface, in some aspects, the system 200 may automatically update the allocation (and / or the set point temperature) based on a user preference provided to the system 200 by the user via the user device 206 or the vehicles 102, 202. For example, if the user prefers that the vehicle range decrement rate for both vehicles 102, 202 should be the same (e.g., 1 mile per vehicle) when the vehicles 102, 202 may be delivering energy to the house 104, the system processor 236 may automatically update the allocation so that the vehicle range decrement rate for both vehicles 102, 202 may be the same.

[0070] In other aspects, the user may provide input to the system 200 (e.g., via the user device 206 or the vehicle 102, 202) indicating a maximum vehicle range decrement rate that the user may accept. In this case, the system 200 may dynamically update the allocation (or cause the premises 104 to obtain energy from the grid) when the vehicle range decrement rate of either vehicle 102, 202 increases above the maximum vehicle range decrement rate. In this case, the user may additionally provide the system 200 with an indication of an energy source (e.g., the grid, the vehicle 102, or the vehicle 202) from which the premises 104 may obtain energy when the vehicle range decrement rate increases above the maximum vehicle range decrement rate.

[0071] The system 200 may also dynamically update the allocation based on information associated with historical usage of the vehicles 102, 202, an expected usage profile of the owner and / or driver / operator associated with each vehicle 102, 202 (which may be stored in the system memory 238), and the remaining battery SoC / range of each vehicle 102, 202. In response to dynamically updating the allocation, the system 200 may transmit command signals to the vehicles 102 and 202 to modify the amount of energy delivered to the premises 104 by the respective vehicles based on the updated allocation.

[0072] The system 200 and / or the user may additionally modify / update the allocation based on the expected future vehicle usage of each vehicle 102, 202. For example, if the vehicle 102 will be used primarily by the user for transportation, the user and / or the system 200 may dynamically update the allocation so that the vehicle 202 mostly or primarily transfers energy to the house 104 to operate the HVAC 212, and the vehicle 102 is used for energy transfer only when the vehicle 202 may not be able to meet the HVAC energy demand / requirement. In some aspects, the slider 406 may also incorporate features for updating the amount or percentage of energy that the house 104 can obtain from the utility power / grid. In another exemplary aspect, when the vehicles 102, 202 can be electrically coupled to the charger point 106, the system 200 may dynamically update the allocation so that the SoC levels or vehicle ranges of the respective vehicles can be equalized (or reach the same level) before the vehicles 102, 202 simultaneously transfer energy to the house 104.

[0073] In an additional aspect, by using the system 200, a user may control the operation of energy transfer from the vehicle 102 or the vehicle 202 to the premises 104. For example, a user may input via the user device 206 or the vehicle 102 (or the vehicle 202) that the user desires a set point temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit and a vehicle range of 200 miles at a future time (e.g., 7 a.m. or 2 hours from the current time). The system 200 may receive such user input and may control the energy transfer from the vehicle 102 accordingly so that the user preferred conditions are met at 7 a.m. or 2 hours from the current time.

[0074] In other aspects, the user may input that the above conditions should be met within a predefined duration (e.g., within 15 minutes). Also in this case, the system 200 may control the energy transfer from the vehicle 102 so that the user preferred condition is met within 15 minutes of receiving the user input. In some aspects, instead of entering 15 minutes, the user may also enter the current time, indicating that the user expects the preferred condition to be met immediately. In this case, the system 200 may increase the energy transfer from the vehicle 102 so that the user preferred condition is met immediately. On the other hand, the user may provide input so that the system 200 may "start" controlling the energy transfer operation from the vehicle 102 after a predefined duration (e.g., 4 hours from the current time) rather than immediately. In this case, the system 200 may not automatically or dynamically control the energy transfer operation from the vehicle 102 until 4 hours have passed.

[0075] Figure 5 A flow chart of an example first method 500 for implementing energy transfer from a vehicle 102 to a premises 104 according to the present disclosure is depicted. Figure 5The 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 the order described in the following exemplary embodiments.

[0076] The method 500 begins at step 502. At step 504, the method 500 may include obtaining, by the system processor 236, a trigger signal from the VCU 218, the user device 206, the server 208, or a system timer, as described above. At step 506, the method 500 may include obtaining, by the system processor 236, temperature information associated with the vehicle 102, an HVAC load profile, and vehicle information.

[0077] At step 508, the method 500 may include determining, by the system processor 236, an estimated amount of energy required to operate the HVAC 212 based on the temperature information and the HVAC load profile. At step 510, the method 500 may include estimating, by the system processor 236, a vehicle range associated with the vehicle 102 based on the estimated amount of energy and vehicle information associated with the vehicle 102. At step 512, the method 500 may include outputting, by the system processor 236, the vehicle range to a user interface.

[0078] At step 514 , the method 500 may stop.

[0079] Figure 6 A flow chart of an example second method 600 for implementing energy transfer from a vehicle 102 to a premises 104 according to the present disclosure is depicted. Figure 6 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 the order described in the following exemplary embodiments.

[0080] The method 600 begins at step 602. At step 604, the method 600 may include obtaining, by the system processor 236, temperature information, an HVAC load profile, and vehicle information associated with the vehicle 102. At step 606, the method 600 may include determining, by the system processor 236, an estimated amount of energy and vehicle range based on the obtained temperature information, HVAC load profile, and vehicle information, as described above.

[0081] In response to determining the estimated amount of energy and the vehicle range, the system processor 236 may determine whether a predefined condition may be satisfied at step 608. In some aspects, the predefined condition may be satisfied when the estimated amount of energy may be greater than a predefined energy threshold and / or when the vehicle range may be less than a predefined range threshold. At step 610, the method 600 may include modifying (e.g., reducing) the set point temperature by the system processor 236 when the predefined condition may be satisfied at step 608. In some aspects, when the predefined condition may be satisfied at step 608, the system processor 236 may transmit a notification to the user device 206 or the vehicle 102 via the system transceiver 234 requesting the user to modify the set point temperature. In this case, the user may modify the set point temperature on the thermostat 210. In response to modifying the set point temperature at step 610, the method 600 returns to step 606.

[0082] On the other hand, when the predefined condition may not be satisfied at step 608, method 600 may move to step 612. At step 612, method 600 may include transmitting / outputting, by system processor 236, the vehicle range to a user interface.

[0083] At step 614, the method 600 may include determining, by the system processor 236, whether user input is received to modify the set point temperature (e.g., via the slider 308) in response to outputting the vehicle range. If user input is received, the method 600 may return to step 606, where the estimated energy amount and vehicle range are recalculated based on the modified / updated set point temperature.

[0084] On the other hand, when no user input may be received at step 414, the method 600 moves to step 616. At step 616, the method 600 may include updating the vehicle range based on the real-time SoC value and the real-time temperature information by the system processor 236, and outputting the updated vehicle range on the user interface. In some aspects, the system processor 236 may additionally output the expected end of the charging event vehicle range remaining at the set point temperature on the user interface (based on availability information associated with the vehicle 102).

[0085] At step 618 , method 600 may stop.

[0086] In the above disclosure, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings that form a part of the above disclosure, which illustrate specific embodiments in which the present disclosure can be practiced. It should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. References to "one embodiment," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," etc. 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.

[0087] 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] 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.

[0091] 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.

[0092] 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.

[0093] According to one embodiment, the processor is further configured to: obtain a user request to modify the allocation to an updated allocation; and transmit a command signal to the first vehicle and the second vehicle to modify the amount of energy transferred from the first vehicle and the second vehicle to the building based on the updated allocation.

[0094] According to one embodiment, the processor is further configured to: update the allocation based on information associated with historical usage of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, expected usage profiles of vehicle operators associated with the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and at least one of remaining vehicle ranges associated with the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and transmit command signals to the first vehicle and the second vehicle to modify the amount of energy transferred from the first vehicle and the second vehicle to the building based on the updated allocation.

[0095] According to one embodiment, the transceiver is further configured to receive availability information associated with a first vehicle to transfer energy to the building to operate the first building component, and wherein the processor is further configured to estimate the first vehicle range based on the availability information.

[0096] According to the present invention, a method for achieving energy transfer from a vehicle to a building includes: obtaining a trigger signal by a processor; in response to obtaining the trigger signal, obtaining temperature information, a load profile associated with a building component of the building, and vehicle information associated with a vehicle by the processor, wherein the vehicle is configured to transfer energy to the building to operate the building component; determining, by the processor, an estimated amount of energy required to operate the building component based on the temperature information and the load profile; estimating, by the processor, a vehicle range based on the estimated amount of energy and the vehicle information; and outputting the vehicle range by the processor.

[0097] According to the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon is provided, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: obtain a trigger signal; in response to obtaining the trigger signal, obtain temperature information, a load profile associated with a building component of a building, and vehicle information associated with a vehicle, wherein the vehicle is configured to transfer energy to the building to operate the building component; determine an estimated amount of energy required to operate the building component based on the temperature information and the load profile; estimate a vehicle range based on the estimated amount of energy and the vehicle information; and output the vehicle range.

Claims

1. A system comprising: a memory configured to store a load profile associated with a first building component of a building; a transceiver configured to receive temperature information and first vehicle information associated with a first vehicle configured to transfer energy to the building to operate the first building component; as well as a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: Get a trigger signal; obtaining the temperature information, the load profile, and the first vehicle information in response to obtaining the trigger signal; determining an estimated amount of energy required to operate the first building component based on the temperature information and the load profile; estimating a first vehicle range based on the estimated amount of energy and the first vehicle information; and The first vehicle cruising range is output.

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

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature information includes a set point temperature associated with the building, a real time temperature associated with the building, and an ambient temperature.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the transceiver receives the set point temperature and the real time temperature from a second building component.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second building component is a building thermostat.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to: obtaining a user request to modify the set point temperature to an updated set point temperature in response to outputting the first vehicle range; and In response to obtaining the user request, transmitting a first command signal to the second building component to modify the set point temperature to the updated set point temperature, wherein the first command signal includes the updated set point temperature.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor outputs the first vehicle range to a user interface associated with a user device, the first vehicle, or the second building component.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver receives the first vehicle information from the first vehicle, and wherein the first vehicle information includes a real-time first vehicle battery state of charge (SOC) and a first vehicle energy required per unit distance traveled.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: determining that the estimated amount of energy is greater than a predefined energy threshold; and In response to determining that the estimated amount of energy is greater than the predefined energy threshold, a second command signal is transmitted to the first vehicle to deactivate energy transfer from the first vehicle to the structure.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: Determining that the first vehicle range is less than a predefined range threshold; and In response to determining that the first vehicle range is less than the predefined range threshold, a third command signal is transmitted to the first vehicle to disable energy transfer from the first vehicle to the structure.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor obtains the trigger signal when the first vehicle is electrically coupled to the structure to transfer energy to the structure.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive a request to transfer energy from the first vehicle to the building, and wherein the processor obtains the trigger signal when the transceiver receives the request.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor obtains the trigger signal from the first vehicle, a server, a user device, or a system timer.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive second vehicle information associated with a second vehicle, the second vehicle information being configured to transmit energy to the building to operate the first building component, and wherein the processor is further configured to: obtaining a distribution of the estimated amount of energy delivered to the building by the first vehicle and the second vehicle to operate the first building component; determining a first amount of energy to be transferred from the first vehicle to the building and a second amount of energy to be transferred from the second vehicle to the building based on the allocation; determining a second vehicle range associated with the first vehicle based on the first energy amount and the first vehicle information; determining a third vehicle range associated with the second vehicle based on the second energy amount and the second vehicle information; and The second vehicle cruising range and the third vehicle cruising range are output.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second vehicle information includes a real-time second vehicle battery state of charge (SOC) and a second vehicle energy required per unit distance traveled.

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