System and method for determining identity information of an electrically operable machine

A system for determining identity information corresponding to an electrically operable machine is disclosed, where the electrically operable machine receives electricity from a power supply port. The system includes at least one sensor to generate a signal indicative of the electricity being drawn by the electrically operable machine from the power supply port. The system further includes a controller communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor and configured to determine the identity information corresponding to the electrically operable machine based on one or more electrical characteristics of the signal sensed by the at least one sensor. Method and non-transitory computer readable media for determining the identity of the electrically operable vehicle are also disclosed. Moreover, a system for controlling charging of a vehicle that is operated at least partially by the electricity is also disclosed.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to determination of identity information of electrically operable machines (EOMs), and more particularly to systems and methods for selectively adjusting a delivery of electricity to the EOMs.

Traditionally, in order to identify EOMs, such as electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, household electric equipment, or industrial equipment, and the like, use of various marking techniques and associated electronic reading/detection systems have been prevalent. For example, the marking techniques include use of printed names, identity numbers, and/or codes such as barcodes, quick response (QR) codes, and the like. Such printed names, identity numbers, and codes are typically identified by corresponding scanning equipment having optical sensors. Similarly, wireless systems employing radio frequency identifier (RFID) tags have also been employed to determine identity of the EOMs. Such wireless systems require equipping the EOMs and/or owners or drivers/operators of the EOMs with the RFID tags. Moreover, corresponding detection systems also need to be installed at the premises where the EOMs need to be identified.

The abovementioned techniques are prone to human errors. Moreover, such systems require additional infrastructure leading to a costly and spacious system for identification of the EOMs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

In accordance with one embodiment, a system for determining identity information corresponding to an electrically operable machine (EOM) is disclosed, where the EOM receives electricity from a power supply port. The system includes at least one sensor to generate a signal indicative of the electricity being drawn by the EOM from the power supply port. The system further includes a controller coupled to the at least one sensor and configured to determine the identity information corresponding to the EOM based on one or more electrical characteristics of the signal sensed by the at least one sensor.

In accordance with one embodiment, a system for controlling charging of a vehicle operable at least partially by electricity is disclosed. The system includes at least one sensor to generate a signal indicative of the electricity being drawn by the vehicle from an electric vehicle supply equipment. The system further includes a controller coupled to the at least one sensor and configured to: determine identity information corresponding to the vehicle based on one or more electrical characteristics of the signal sensed by the at least one sensor; and selectively adjust the charging of the vehicle based on at least one of the identity information corresponding to the vehicle and the one or more electrical characteristics of the signal.

In accordance with one embodiment, a method for determining an identity information corresponding to an EOM is disclosed, where the EOM receives electricity from a power supply port. The method includes receiving a signal indicative of the electricity being drawn by the EOM. The method further includes determining at least one of current and/or voltage characteristics, a power drawn versus time profile, harmonics, or a total harmonic distortion corresponding to the signal. Furthermore, the method includes determining the identity information corresponding to the EOM based on at least one of the current and/or voltage characteristics, the power drawn versus time profile, the harmonics, or the total harmonic distortion.

In accordance with one embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium is disclosed. The non-transitory computer readable medium stores an executable code for causing a computer to perform the method of: receiving a signal indicative of a power being drawn by an EOM from a power supply port; determining at least one of current and/or voltage characteristics, a power drawn versus time profile, harmonics, or a total harmonic distortion corresponding to the signal; and determining the identity of the EOM based on at least one of the current and/or voltage characteristics, the power drawn versus time profile, the harmonics, or the total harmonic distortion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The specification may be best understood with reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein. Various embodiments are described hereinafter with reference to the figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the method and the system extend beyond the described embodiments.

In the following specification and the claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, the term “or” is not meant to be exclusive and refers to at least one of the referenced components being present and includes instances in which a combination of the referenced components may be present, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, the terms “may” and “may be” indicate a possibility of an occurrence within a set of circumstances; a possession of a specified property, characteristic or function; and/or qualify another verb by expressing one or more of an ability, capability, or possibility associated with the qualified verb. Accordingly, usage of “may” and “may be” indicates that a modified term is apparently appropriate, capable, or suitable for an indicated capacity, function, or usage, while taking into account that in some circumstances, the modified term may sometimes not be appropriate, capable, or suitable.

FIG. 1is a diagrammatical illustration of an infrastructure100in which a system for determining identity information corresponding to an electrically operable machine may be employed, in accordance with one embodiment.

The infrastructure100may include a network102, a pole104, power supply lines106supported by the pole104coupled to an electricity source108, a transformer112mounted on the pole104, and a controller114. The network102may include a plurality of electrically operable machines (EOMs)116,118, and120that are electrically coupled to power supply ports122,124, and126, respectively, for receiving electricity. Although only three EOMs and three power supply ports have been shown inFIG. 1, one or more EOMs and power supply ports may be present in the network102without limiting the scope of the present specification.

In one embodiment, the network102may be representative of a residential premise, where the EOMs116,118, and120may correspond to household electric equipment including, but not limited to, washing machines, dish washers, dryers, microwave ovens, mixers, televisions, and the like. In another embodiment, the network102may be representative of a public or an organizational premise such as a vehicle parking and charging facility, where the EOMs116,118, and120may correspond to a fleet of vehicles (seeFIG. 2). Moreover, in yet another embodiment, the network102may be representative of an industry, where the EOMs116,118, and120may correspond to a variety of industrial machines. Each of the EOMs116,118, and120may include one or more energy storage devices such as batteries and/or capacitors to store at least a portion of the electricity received from the respective power supply ports122,124, and126. The EOMs116,118, and120may be identified by their respective identity information, for example, a machine make, a machine model, a year of manufacturing, a vehicle number, information associated with the respective energy storage devices, information associated with an owner, operator, or a driver of the EOM, or combinations thereof. The EOMs116,118, and120may be coupled to the power supply ports122,124, and126, respectively, via a wired or wireless medium. For example, in the embodiment ofFIG. 1, a plug and socket type connection may be employed between the EOMs116,118, and120and the power supply ports122,124, and126.

In one embodiment, each of the power supply ports122,124, and126may include a power controller129operatively coupled to the controller114. The power controllers129may be employed to control voltage and/or current being supplied to the respective EOMs under the control of the controller114. In another embodiment, there may be a common power controller (not shown) operatively coupled to the controller114. The common power controller may be disposed in the network102or at a remote location from the network102. Furthermore, the common power controller may be operatively coupled to the power supply ports122,124, and126. The common power controller may be configured to selectively control the voltage and/or current being supplied to the EOMs116,118, and120under the control of the controller114. The power controllers129or the common power controller may include electronics suitable for increasing or decreasing magnitude, frequency, and/or duty cycle of voltage and/or current being supplied by the respective power supply ports. Examples of the power controllers129or the common power controller may include, but are not limited to, digitally controlled resistors such as digital potentiometers or variable resistors, voltage regulators, elements (e.g., a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)) of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) based system, and the like.

Moreover, each of the power supply ports122,124, and126may include a sensor128operatively coupled to the controller114. The sensors128may be configured to detect electricity (e.g., current and/or voltage) being drawn by the respective EOM. In an alternative embodiment, a sensor (not shown) similar to the sensor128instead or additionally may be disposed at the transformer112or on the power supply lines106. In such a configuration, the sensor may be configured to detect the electricity being drawn by the EOMs116,118, and120in the network102. Furthermore, each of the sensors128may generate a signal indicative of the electricity being drawn by the respective EOM from the corresponding power supply port. The sensors128may include one or more of current transformers, Rogowski coils, resistors, fiber optic current sensors, Hall Effect integrated circuit sensors, sensors capable of detecting voltage, or combinations thereof. The sensors128may also include necessary electronics for communicating the information indicative of the sensed signal to the controller114.

In certain embodiments, the sensors128and the power controllers129that are disposed in the power supply ports122,124, and126may be operatively coupled to the controller114via a communication link134. In another embodiment, sensors (not shown) which are disposed at the transformer112or on the power supply lines106may be operatively coupled to the controller114via a communication link136. The communication links134and136may be representative of a wired or a wireless medium of communication. In one embodiment, the controller114, sensors128, and/or power controllers129may constitute the system for determining the identity information corresponding to one or more of the EOMs116,118, and120.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, electricity is fed to the power supply ports122,124, and126via the power supply lines106. The power supply lines106may be coupled to the electricity source108through a link130. In certain embodiments, the transformer112may be employed to couple the electricity from the electricity source108to the power supply lines106. The electricity source108may represent a traditional grid or alternative sources of electricity such as a solar power plant, a wind based power plant, a hydro power plant, local power generators, and the like.

In one embodiment, the controller114may be disposed at a location remote from the network102. In another embodiment, the controller114may be disposed within the network102. The controller114may include a specially programmed general purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor, and/or a microcontroller. The controller114may also include input/output ports and a storage medium, such as, an electronic memory. Various examples of the microprocessor include, but are not limited to, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) architecture type microprocessor or a complex instruction set computing (CISC) architecture type microprocessor. Further, the microprocessor may be of a single-core type or multi-core type. Moreover, in some embodiments, the controller114may implement one or more operations of SCADA. The storage medium may store computer readable instructions that are executable by the general purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor, and/or microcontroller for performing the methods described below as well as other variants that are anticipated but not specifically listed. In certain embodiments, the controller114may be capable of communicating with an external database (not shown).

The controller114may be configured to determine the identity information corresponding to one or more of the EOMs116,118, and120based on one or more electrical characteristics of the signal sensed by the corresponding one of sensors128. The identity information of the EOMs116,118, and120may include, for example, the EOM make, the EOM model, the year of manufacturing, the vehicle number, information associated with the corresponding energy storage device, information associated with the owner or driver of the EOM, or combinations thereof. The electrical characteristics of the signal may include current and/or voltage characteristics, a power drawn versus time profile, harmonics, a total harmonic distortion, or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, during a learning phase, the controller114may develop a knowledge base115indicative of a relationship between the identity information corresponding to multiple EOMs and the one or more electrical characteristics of the signal sensed by respective sensors to which the EOMs are electrically coupled to. Whereas, in some embodiments, the knowledge base115may be readily available for access by the controller214. For example, the knowledge base115may be created in advance by a third party, available from an organization's database or from the Internet. In one embodiment, the knowledge base115may include one or more of a look-up table, a mathematical model, or a function. The knowledge base115may be stored in a memory device accessible by the controller114. For example, the knowledge base115may be located in cloud storage. Alternatively, knowledge base115may be stored in a memory within the controller114. The learning phase will be described in detail in conjunction withFIG. 2.

In order to determine the identity information of a particular EOM, for example the EOM116, the controller114is configured to process the signal generated by the respective sensor128to determine the one or more electrical characteristics of the signal. More particularly, the controller114may perform a time domain analysis and/or a frequency domain analysis (e.g., Fourier analysis) of the signal generated by the respective sensor128. Thereafter, the controller114may determine the identity information corresponding to the EOM116based on the knowledge base115developed by the controller114. Details of identification of the EOMs will be described in detail in conjunction withFIG. 2.

Moreover, in certain embodiments, the controller114may selectively adjust a delivery of the electricity to one or more of the EOMs116,118, and120based on at least one of the identity information corresponding to the EOMs116,118, and120, the current and/or voltage characteristics, the power drawn versus time profile, the harmonics, the total harmonic distortion, and combinations thereof, of the signals sensed by the sensors128. In one embodiment, the selective adjustment may include prioritizing or deprioritizing the delivery of the electricity to one or more of the EOMs116,118, and120. In another embodiment, the selective adjustment includes modifying at least one of a voltage and a current supplied to one or more of the EOMs116,118, and120.

Moreover, in some embodiments, the system for determining the identity information corresponding to one or more of the EOMs116,118, and120also aids in health monitoring of the EOMs116,118, and120. To aid in the health monitoring, the controller114may be configured to identify anomalous EOM(s) having abnormalities including, but not limited to, faulty components or presence of increased harmonics. By way of an example, the controller114may determine that a particular EOM is anomalous if the number of harmonics present in the current drawn by the EOM is greater than a first predefined limit. In another example, the controller114may determine that a particular EOM is anomalous if the total harmonic distortion in the current drawn by the EOM is greater than a second predefined limit. In one embodiment, the controller114may be configured to communicate a notification that is indicative of such anomaly. The notification may be communicated to an operator of the system, an operator of the anomalous EOM, and/or the owner of the anomalous EOM. Also, in one embodiment, the controller114may update the knowledge base115based on the detection of the anomaly.

FIG. 2is a diagrammatical illustration of an infrastructure200in which a system for controlling charging of vehicles may be employed, in accordance with one embodiment. The infrastructure200may include a charging facility202, a pole204that supports power supply lines206coupled to an electricity source208, a transformer212mounted on the pole204, and a controller214. The charging facility202facilitates charging of a plurality of vehicles, such as the vehicles216,218, and220, via power supply ports222,224, and226(hereinafter also referred to as Electric Vehicle Supply Equipments (EVSEs)222,224, and226), respectively. In one embodiment, as depicted inFIG. 2, the vehicles216,218, and220may be coupled to the EVSEs222,224, and226via a wired medium. In some embodiments, EVSEs222,224, and226are capable of wirelessly transferring electricity to the respective vehicles216,218, and220.

The vehicles216,218, and220may include vehicles that are operable at least partially by electricity, such as, electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. Each of the vehicles216,218, and220may include one or more energy storage devices such as batteries and/or capacitors to store at least a portion of the electricity received from the respective EVSEs222,224, and226. The vehicles216,218, and220may be represented by their respective identity information that may include a machine make, a machine model, a year of manufacturing, a vehicle number, information associated with the respective energy storage devices, information associated with an owner or a driver of the vehicles, or combinations thereof. By way of example, the information associated with the respective energy storage devices may include model number, energy storage capacity, etc. Similarly, the information associated with the owner or driver of the vehicles may include name, address, designation or rank, preferences, special recommendations, etc. For the sake of brevity, certain description of various elements of the infrastructure200that are similar to the elements of infrastructure100is not repeated.

In one embodiment, each of the EVSEs222,224, and226may further include a power controller229to control voltage and/or current being supplied to the respective vehicles216,218, and220under the control of the controller214. In another embodiment, there may be a common power controller (not shown). The common power controller may be disposed in the charging facility202or at a remote location from the charging facility202. Furthermore, the common power controller may be operatively coupled to the EVSEs222,224, and226. Moreover, the common power controller may be employed to selectively control the voltage and/or current being supplied to one or more of the vehicles216,218, and220under the control of the controller214. Examples of the power controllers229or the common power controller may include, but are not limited to, digitally controlled resistors such as digital potentiometers or variable resistors, voltage regulators, elements (e.g., a PLC) of the SCADA based system, and the like.

Each of the EVSEs222,224, and226may further include a sensor228operatively coupled to the controller214. Alternatively, a sensor such as the sensor228instead or additionally may be disposed at the transformer212or on the power supply lines206. The sensors228may generate a signal indicative of electricity being drawn by the respective vehicle.

The controller214may be operatively coupled to the sensors228and the power controllers229via a communication link234. Alternatively, when a sensor (such as the sensor228) is disposed either at the transformer212or on the power supply lines206, the controller214may be operatively coupled to the sensors via a communication link236. The controller214, sensors228, and power controllers229may constitute the system for controlling charging of the vehicles216,218, and220.

In some embodiments, the controller214may be trained during a learning phase to develop a knowledge base215that may include look-up tables, mathematical models, and/or functions indicative of a relationship between the identity information corresponding to vehicles in a fleet and corresponding to one or more electrical characteristics of the signals sensed by respective sensors. More particularly, in certain embodiments, the knowledge base215may be developed based on a large set of vehicles such as a fleet of vehicles containing, for example, a variety of vehicle makes, models, and years of manufacture. Moreover, the identity information related to the vehicles in the fleet of vehicles may be provided to the controller214. Subsequently, the controller214may process the signals sensed by respective sensors228to determine various electric characteristics for the vehicles including, but not limited to, the current and/or voltage characteristics, the power drawn versus time profile, the harmonics, or the total harmonic distortion, and combinations thereof.

FIG. 3depicts a graphical representation300of an electrical characteristic, such as the power drawn, versus time profile for three vehicles—vehicle-A, vehicle-B, and vehicle-C, in accordance with one embodiment. The X-axis302of the graphical representation300represents time and the Y-axis304represents power in kilowatts (kW). The graphical representation300includes curves306,308, and310representative of power being drawn over time by the vehicle-A, vehicle-B, and vehicle-C, respectively. As depicted, the power drawn306by the vehicle-A has a smooth profile that is indicative of a smooth charging. That is once the vehicle-A is electrically coupled to the respective EVSE, the power being drawn by vehicle-A gradually/slowly increases towards a steady state level, for example, at about 3.4 kW, as depicted in an enlarged view312of a region314. The power drawn308by the vehicle-B is much higher in amplitude, for example, at about 6.25 kW, which is indicative of higher power requirement for charging the vehicle-B as compared to the vehicles-A and C. Additionally, the power drawn by the vehicle-B indicates a sharp start as observed in an enlarged view316of a region318in comparison to the gradual increase in the power drawn306depicted in the enlarged view312. Also, the power drawn310by the vehicle-C indicates a sharp start as depicted in an enlarged view320of a region322, however, overall charging profile of the vehicle is very noisy as depicted in the region324. More particularly, before completion of the charging (e.g., before reaching to a power level of zero kW), the power drawn by the vehicle-C decreases in a manner as depicted in the region324.

Moreover,FIG. 4depicts a graphical representation400showing another electric characteristic in the form of current402being drawn by a fourth vehicle-D. The X-axis404of the graphical representation400represents time and the Y-axis406represents current in Amperes (A). Similarly,FIG. 5depicts a graphical representation500showing the electric characteristic in the form of current502being drawn by a fifth vehicle-E. As with the plot ofFIG. 4, the X-axis504represents time and the Y-axis506represents current in Ampere (A). It may be observed that the current402being drawn by the vehicle-D is much noisier in comparison to the current502being drawn by the vehicle-E. This indicates that the current402contains more harmonic content in comparison to the current502. Therefore, the total harmonic distortion in the current402is greater than the total harmonic distortion in the current502.

Referring again toFIG. 2, the controller214may analyze the determined electric characteristics (including but not limited to the electric characteristics depicted inFIGS. 3-5) to establish the knowledge base215indicative of the identity of the vehicles A-E and the electric characteristics of the signal sensed by respective sensors. In some embodiments, the knowledge base215may be readily available. For example, the knowledge base215may be created in advance by a third party, available from an organization's database or from the Internet. In any event, once the knowledge base215is established, the controller214may analyze the determined electric characteristics and, using one or more of the determined electric characteristics, cross-reference the knowledge base215to determine identity information of the vehicles.

FIG. 6depicts an example knowledge base (such as the knowledge base215), in accordance with one embodiment. In the example ofFIG. 6, the knowledge base is depicted as a look-up table600developed by the controller214based on the charging of the vehicles A-E. The look-up table600represents values of certain parameters, such as, vehicle ID, make/manufacturer, model number, machine number, maximum power drawn, energy storage capacity (Ampere-hour), total harmonic distortion, harmonics present, name of owner or driver corresponding to the vehicles A-E. In non-vehicle applications, the parameters may be tailored as appropriate.

For the sake of brevity, only certain parameters have been listed in the knowledge base ofFIG. 6. Various other parameters such as the year of manufacturing, vehicle number (e.g., license plate number), model number of the energy storage device, additional information associated with respective owners or drivers such as address, designation or rank, preferences, special recommendations, . . . etc., may also be present in the knowledge base without limiting the scope of the present specification. Moreover, although the look-up table600is represented by a single table, the look-up table600may be stored in the form of multiple interlinked tables, for example, in the form of a relational database. Furthermore, the values depicted in the look-up table600are used for the purpose of illustration only.

Referring again toFIG. 2, during the operation of the system, in a given period of time, the three vehicles216,218, and220are charged in the charging facility202. While the vehicles216,218, and220are being charged, the sensors228may generate respective signals that are indicative of the electricity being drawn by the vehicles216,218, and220from the respective EVSEs222,224, and226. The controller214may receive the signals generated by sensors128over the communication links234or236, as applicable.

Thereafter, the controller214may process the received signals to determine one or more electrical characteristics such as the current and/or voltage characteristics, power drawn versus time profile, harmonics, total harmonic distortion, or combinations thereof, corresponding to the signals. Moreover, the controller214may be configured to determine the identity of one or more of the vehicles216,218, and220based on the respective electrical characteristics of the signals and the developed knowledge base215. For example, the controller214may determine the machine make, machine model, year of manufacturing, vehicle number, information associated with the respective energy storage devices, information associated with an owner or a driver of the vehicles, or combinations thereof. Additionally, the controller214may also determine a present state of charge, an energy storage capacity, and/or remaining power required for charging the energy storage device for one or more of the vehicles216,218, and220based on the respective determined identity information.

The controller214may further be configured to selectively control charging of one or more of the vehicles216,218, and220depending on the determined identity information and respective electrical characteristics of the signals. In one embodiment, in order to selectively control the charging of one or more of the vehicles216,218, and220, the controller214may be configured to modify voltage and/or current levels supplied to the one or more of the vehicles216,218, and220based on at least one of the respective identity information, the one or more electrical characteristics of the signal, the energy storage capacity, and the remaining power required for charging the energy storage device corresponding to the vehicle and other vehicles being charged from respective EVSEs. In some embodiments, in order to modify the voltage and/or current levels, the respective power controller229may be operated under the control of the controller214.

In another embodiment, in order to selectively control the charging of one or more of the vehicles216,218, and220, the controller214may be configured to prioritize or deprioritize a delivery of the electricity to the one or more of the vehicles216,218, and220based on at least one of the respective identity information, the one or more electrical characteristics of the signal, the energy storage capacity, and the remaining power required for charging the energy storage device corresponding to the vehicle and other vehicles being charged from respective EVSEs. In some embodiments, the controller214may determine the priority among the vehicles216,218, and220based on parameters including, but not limited to, the name, address, designation or rank, preferences, and/or special recommendations corresponding to the owners or drivers of the vehicles216,218, and220, the energy storage capacity and/or the remaining power required to fully charge the respective energy storage devices, the harmonics and/or the total harmonic distortion in the respective charging currents. In some embodiments, harmonic content in the current may adversely impact the performance of the transformer212. Therefore, in such instances, the vehicles whose charging current includes harmonic content and/or the total harmonic distortion greater than a specified limit may be given a lowest priority for charging. Similarly, the vehicles that require higher power to fully be charged may be given a lower priority in comparison to vehicle that requires lower power to be fully charged.

In certain embodiments, during the operation of the system, the knowledge base215that was established during the learning phase may be dynamically updated. For example, when a new vehicle is identified by the controller214, the controller214may be configured to update the knowledge base215. The controller214may determine that the identified vehicle is a new vehicle if the electrical characteristics of a signal sensed by the respective sensor228do not find any match in the existing knowledge base215. In some embodiments, if it is determined that the vehicle is new in the fleet, the controller214may assign a default priority to the newly detected vehicle. In one embodiment, the default priority may be the highest priority. In an alternative embodiment, the default priority may be the lowest priority. In some embodiment, if it is determined that the vehicle is new in the fleet, the controller214may obtain relevant identity information from an external database such a company's master database where information about employees is stored. Moreover, the priority of the vehicle may be determined based on the identity information obtained from the external database. The controller214may then update the knowledge base215.

Moreover, in some embodiments, the system for controlling the charging of the vehicles also aids in health monitoring of the vehicles216,218, and220. To aid in the health monitoring, the controller214may be configured to identify anomalous vehicle(s) having degraded or faulty components. By way of an example, the controller214may determine that a particular vehicle is anomalous if, at a fully charged condition, the energy stored in the respective energy storage device is less than its energy storage capacity. In one embodiment, the controller214may be configured to communicate a notification that is indicative of such anomaly. The notification may be communicated to an operator of the system and/or the respective owner/driver of the anomalous vehicle. Also, in one embodiment, the controller214may update the knowledge base215based on such a change in the energy storage capacity for the respective vehicle.

FIG. 7depicts a flow chart700illustrating an example method for determining identity information corresponding to an EOM, in accordance with one embodiment. The flow chart700ofFIG. 7is described in conjunction with the elements ofFIGS. 1 and 2. As previously noted, a controller such as the controller114or the controller214may develop a knowledge base (115or215) during a learning phase based on a fleet of vehicles. During an operation of the controller, a plurality of EOMs (such as the EOMs116,118, and120or vehicles216,218, and220) may be connected in a network (such as the network102or the charging facility202) for receiving electricity.

While the EOMs receives the electricity from respective power supply ports (such as the power supply ports122,124, and126or the EVSEs222,224, and226), a signal indicative of electricity being drawn by the EOMs may be generated by respective sensors (such as the sensors118or228), as indicated by step702. In one embodiment, to aid in the identification of the respective EOMs, the sensors may start generating the signals as soon as the respective EOMs are coupled to the corresponding power supply ports.

At step704, the signals generated by the sensors may be received by the controller. Subsequently, one or more electrical characteristics of the signals sensed by the sensors may be determined by the controller, as indicated by step706. In order to determine the electrical characteristics, the controller may process the signal by applying various time domain and/or frequency domain signal processing techniques. At step708, the identity information corresponding to one or more of the EOMs may be determined by the controller. In one embodiment, the identity information may be determined based on the determined electrical characteristics and the knowledge base, as described inFIGS. 1 and 2.

Moreover, at step710, a delivery of the electricity to one or more of the EOMs may be selectively adjusted. In the embodiment ofFIG. 2, the selectively adjusting the delivery of the electricity may constitute controlling charging of the vehicles (e.g., EOMs). As previously noted, in one embodiment, selectively adjusting the delivery of the electricity may include prioritizing or deprioritizing of the delivery of the electricity. In another embodiment, selectively adjusting the delivery of the electricity may include modifying the current and/or voltage being supplied to one or more of the EOMs.

Any of the foregoing steps and/or system elements may be suitably replaced, reordered, or removed, and additional steps and/or system elements may be inserted, depending on the needs of a particular application, and that the systems of the foregoing embodiments may be implemented using a wide variety of suitable processes and system elements and are not limited to any particular computer hardware, software, middleware, firmware, microcode, and the like.

The systems and method for determining identity information of EOMs described hereinabove aids in better management and effective utilization of the EOMs. Moreover, since the identity information is determined based on the characteristics of the power drawn by the respective EOMs, additional infrastructural elements such as markers, RFID tags, and corresponding scanning and/or detection systems may be avoided, thereby leading to a cost effective solution. Moreover, charging of the vehicles may be controlled in accordance with various embodiments. Such a controlled charging of the vehicles may lead to effective utilization of the electricity and faster charging in certain cases. Additionally, in certain instances, the transformers may be protected from excessive stresses caused due to noisier charging/power consumption.

Furthermore, the foregoing examples, demonstrations, and method steps such as those that may be performed by the system may be implemented by suitable code on a processor-based system, such as a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. Different implementations of the systems and methods may perform some or all of the steps described herein in different orders, parallel, or substantially concurrently. Furthermore, the functions may be implemented in a variety of programming languages, including but not limited to C++ or Java. Such code may be stored or adapted for storage on one or more tangible, computer readable media, such as on data repository chips, local or remote hard disks, optical disks (that is, CDs or DVDs), memory or other media, which may be accessed by a processor-based system to execute the stored code.

It will be appreciated that variants of the above disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined to create many other different systems or applications. Various unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art and are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.