Abstract:
An Electric Vehicle Having Exchangeable Battery Modules and Method of Resupply Therefor. The device of the present invention is a electrically-powerable vehicle that provides the user with a usage pattern very similar to one experienced through use of an internal-combustion-powered vehicle. That is to say that the operating cost for the vehicle is “pay as you go,” rather than the user needing to pay an exorbitant up-front fee in order to purchase the vehicle. In order to accomplish this, the battery modules for use in the vehicle are exchangable by an individual driver. As a battery module becomes discharged, the user is able to visit a recharging station and exchange his or her discharged battery module with a fully charged module. The user is then be charged an amount that is relative to the number of exchanges and/or re-charge energy consumed. In order to enable this sort of system, and the battery modules are of standard size, and interface with a module tracking and monitoring system. The vehicle purchaser is able to purchase a vehicle without purchasing the battery modules, and then simply rent or lease the battery modules, as desired. Finally, the vehicle has an internal power mode selector switch system that permits the user to select different circuitry alignments for the power being supplied by the battery modules, including parallel, serial and individual. This allows the driver to control the trip length and our propulsion power available to the driver.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to electrically-powered vehicles and, more specifically, to an Electric Vehicle Having Exchangeable Battery Modules and Method of Resupply Therefor. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     The rate of growth of electric vehicles has become exponential in recent years. With regard to electric passenger cars intended for use on standard vehicle byways, two general classes of vehicle propulsion systems have evolved: pure electric vehicles, and so-called hybrid electric vehicles. The instant invention relates to pure electric vehicles, or vehicles having their propulsion provided only by electric motor and onboard batteries. 
     Conventional all-electric vehicles differ in sizes, body styles and cost, but there are several elements that are consistently found in all such vehicles:
         Cost—rechargeable batteries of the type acceptable for use in electric vehicles are extremely expensive. As a result, most electric vehicles cannot compete with gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles because the equivalent electric vehicle will cost at least fifty (50) percent more. While the operating cost of an electric vehicle is substantially lower than an internal combustion vehicle, the upfront cost for the conventional all-electric vehicle is so high that the typical user will never reasonably recoup the cost.   Range limitation—while the onboard batteries in the conventional all-electric vehicle will allow the vehicle to achieve highway speeds, their size, weight and cost generally limit the number of batteries that can feasibly be installed within a vehicle. In the case of virtually all conventional all-electric cars, the car will only be able to travel approximately one hundred (100) miles between recharges.   Recharge requirements—the short-range nature of the conventional all-electric vehicle makes it virtually mandatory that the user recharge the vehicle at least daily. A high-power (240 VAC) battery charger can generally give a full charge to the onboard vehicle batteries in less than an hour. The problem is that these types of stations are not the norm—usually the user charges the vehicle at home during the evening. The typical home charging station is 120 VAC, and it will require up to four (4) hours for a full recharge.       

     Usage pattern—there is a cultural complication related to a user&#39;s transition from an internal combustion vehicle to an all-electric vehicle. The driver of an internal combustion engine-powered vehicle can drive virtually as far and as long as they like. Refueling stations are widely available and open for business so that refueling is generally a relatively short pause in any driving trip. In contrast, the short range capacity of the all-electric vehicle, coupled with the need for regular recharging, means that the user of these types of vehicles really has to change the way in which they use the vehicle. The user of the conventional all-electric vehicle must either stick to a confined, regular, short-distance route, since at least an hour recharging session is required for every 100 miles driven. 
     What is needed is an all-electric vehicle and replenishment system that allows a driver to emulate the driving pattern and ownership cost of an internal combustion engine-powered vehicle without the prohibitively high upfront cost. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices and methods, it is an object of the present invention to provide an Electric Vehicle Having Exchangeable Battery Modules and Method of Resupply Therefor. The device of the present invention is a electrically-powerable vehicle that should provide the user with a usage pattern very similar to one experienced through use of an internal-combustion-powered vehicle. That is to say that the operating cost for the vehicle should be “pay as you go,” rather than needing to pay an exorbitant up-front fee in order to purchase the vehicle. In order to accomplish this, the battery modules for use in the vehicle should be exchangable by an individual driver. As a battery module becomes discharged, the user should be able to visit a recharging station and exchange his or her discharged battery module with a fully charged module. The user should then be charged an amount that is related to the number of exchanges and/or re-charge energy consumed. In order to enable this sort of system, and the battery modules should be of standard size, they should interface with a module tracking and monitoring system. The vehicle purchaser should be able to purchase a vehicle without purchasing the battery modules, and then simply rent or lease the battery modules, as desired. Finally, the vehicle should have an internal power mode selector switch system that permits the user to select different circuitry alignments for the power being supplied by the battery modules, including parallel, serial and individual. This would allow the driver to control the trip length and our propulsion power available to the driver. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a partially exploded side view depicting a preferred embodiment of the electric vehicle having exchangeable battery modules (EVEB) of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  depicts a preferred embodiment of the propulsion system of the EVEB of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 3A-3C  are schematic diagrams of the different power modes available for the EVEB of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  depicts exemplary EVEB vehicle types; 
         FIG. 5  is a conceptual diagram of the preferred module supply system for the EVEB of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart detailing the preferred module supply method of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  depicts exemplary data tracked by the module management system of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 8  is a block diagram depicting the functional units making up the module management system of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide an Electric Vehicle Having Exchangeable Battery Modules and Method of Resupply Therefor. 
     The present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a partially exploded side view depicting a preferred embodiment of the electric vehicle having exchangeable battery modules (EVEB)  10  of the present invention. This scene highlights two major distinctions between the electric vehicle, method and system of the present invention and the prior systems discussed previously. The EVEB  10  solves the problems with the prior vehicles by separating the power packs (in this case rechargeable batteries) from the vehicle, thereby allowing the user much more control of his or her usage experience so as to closely emulate the ownership and operation of an internal combusion-powered vehicle. 
     The vehicle  12  is in many ways identical to a conventional electric vehicle. A critical distinction is that the battery modules  14  can be removed and exchanged by the user. While one or more modules  14  could be exchanged any time, presumably the purpose of the exchange would be to replace a discharged (“empty”) module  14  with a fully charged (“full”) module  14 . The vehicle  12  is provided with a plurality of module receptacles  16  within its chassis—the battery modules  14  are designed to be quickly handled by the driver of the vehicle  12  through the removal and installation steps. As a result, the driver is quickly able to drive away with a set of fully charged batteries without the need for a prolonged recharging period. We will now turn to  FIG. 2  to begin to study the internal features of the propulsion system of the EVEB  10 . 
       FIG. 2  depicts a preferred embodiment of the propulsion system  18  of the EVEB of  FIG. 1 . The usual arrangement for a passenger vehicle would be to have a pair of matching (and standardized) battery modules—first module  14 A and second module  14 B. Each module is inserted into its respective battery module receptacle  16 A,  16 B such that the modules  14 A,  14 B are held securely and safely, and so that there is a positive connection at the power couplings  20 A,  20 B. The electrical power will feed from each module  14 A,  14 B through their respective power coupling  20 A,  20 B to the input leads  22 A,  22 B (one per battery module  14 A,  14 B). 
     The input leads  22 A,  22 B feed the power mode selector device  24 . As will be discussed more fully below in connection with other drawing figures, the power mode selector device  24  is an integral element in the system  18  in order to provide versatility and adaptability never before made available in an electric vehicle. 
     A pair of positive and negative power cables (the output leads  26 ) transmit power from the power mode selector device  24  to the main electric motor  28  used to propel the vehicle. In this version, a transmission  34  is driven by the motor shaft  30  in order to transmit rotation&amp; force from the electric motor  28  to the drive wheels  38 , but this element may be considered to be optional. Since the electric motor  28  is innately controllable, and can reverse direction electrically (rather than mechanically), there may not be a need for the transmission  34 , in which case the motor shaft  30  would connect directly to the drive shaft  36 . A variety of auxiliary motor systems  32  may also be driven by the main electric motor  28 . For example, an air conditioning compressor would generally receive at least part of its input power from the propulsion motor  28  (perhaps while also using electricity to power an internal compressor motor). It should be understood that other elements of the mechanical drive train (other than those shown) may be added to the system, as the depicted system  18  is provided to highlight the major elements that distinguish the instant vehicle and system from the prior art. Turning now to  FIGS. 3A-3C , we will discuss the function of the power mode selector device  24 . 
       FIGS. 3A-3C  are schematic diagrams of the different power modes available for the EVEB of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The power mode selector device  24  allows the driver to change the interconnection configuration of the battery modules to best fit the then-current situation. It is this flexibility that allows the EVEB to fully capitalize on the benefits of the modular battery system. 
       FIG. 3A  depicts a first propulsion power supply configuration  40 A. Here, selector device  24  has been placed in the “parallel” position. In the parallel position, output current from the battery modules  14  are arranged in parallel. As shown in the simplified propulsion circuit diagram  40 A, the output voltage to the vehicle motor is generally equivalent to V 1 , or the voltage of one of the modules  14  (or groups of modules) arranged in parallel. If each module  14  produces ninety-six (96) DC volts, then a pair of modules  14  aligned in parallel as shown in  40 A will also provide ninety-six DC volts. 
     From a user&#39;s perspective, placing the device  24  in parallel mode will provide less power (translates into vehicle top speed), but will provide extended discharge duration (translates into vehicle driving range). While a vehicle operating in parallel mode might be capable of highway speeds, it would generally be better suited for long-range in-town travel. Higher torque is provided in the series mode, such as might be desired for the hauling of heavy loads or the climbing of steep inclines. 
       FIG. 3B  depicts a second propulsion power supply configuration  40 B. Here, the selector device  24  has been placed in “serial” position, such that the two modules  14  are connected in serial (as shown in circuit  40 B). In such a configuration, the propulsion system will deliver the sum-total of the voltage in both modules  14  to the electric motor. In this example (96 DCV modules), a vehicle having its power selector device  24  in serial position will generate one hundred and ninety two (192) DC volts. That power configuration will provide the vehicle with supreme top speed capacity, but with more limited driving range. 
       FIG. 3C  depicts a third propulsion power supply configuration  40 C. Here, the selector device  24  has been placed in the “individual” position. In certain circumstances, the driver may wish to discharge only a portion of the available battery modules  14 . While in this condition, the device  24  will deliver ninety-six DC volts to the electric propulsion motor. Selection of the individual position will allow the user to actually operate the vehicle without a full complement of modules  14 , or to prolong the driving range of the vehicle. 
     In the depicted examples, the vehicle has two modules  14 , but larger vehicles may have additional modules. In those situations, the selector device  24  may permit a wider variety of power combinations. For example, groups of modules  14  may be aligned in parallel (e.g. three pairs of two modules in parallel). Similarly, different numbers of modules might be arranged in series (e.g. where there are six modules, two-, three-, four-, five- or six-module combinations may be selected). Turning to  FIG. 4 , we can review a variety of propulsion power configurations. 
       FIG. 4  depicts exemplary EVEB vehicle types. A small vehicle (e.g. passenger car)  12 A may have the capability to carry a pair of battery modules  14  within it. The driver would be able to exchange one or both modules  14  individually, much like a driver of a gasoline-powered vehicle fills the fuel tank with gas. 
     A mid-size vehicle  12 B, such as a utility truck, would be expected to have the space and cargo capacity to handle more batteries than a passenger vehicle. As shown, a utility truck  12 B may have two pairs of modules  14 . As discussed previously, these modules  14  could be electrically connected in parallel, serial or individual arrangements, or in some hybrid orientation. 
     Even a large tractor trailer truck  12 C could be outfitted with the propulsion system of the present invention. Several standard-sized battery modules  14  would be installed within the appropriate receptacles (see  FIG. 1 ). As with the smaller vehicles previously described, modules  14  are individually exchanged, as desired, to serve the driver&#39;s needs. It is noted that in large-capacity vehicles such as these, there may be more than one electric motor devoted to propelling the vehicle (as well as the other auxiliary components). Even where there are multiple drive motors, the system of the present invention will still provide the driver with the power supply combinations discussed above in connection with  FIGS. 3A-3C . Now that we have reviewed the basics of the instant concept, we will begin to delve deeper into specific functional and operational facets of the entire exchangeable battery system. 
       FIG. 5  is a conceptual diagram of the preferred module supply system  11  for the EVEB  10  (generically) of the present invention. Each battery module  14  would be selected from a group of standard sizes such that a particular vehicle class would be able to exchange modules  14  with other vehicles in its class. Smaller vehicles may utilize smaller modules  14  than would larger (e.g. commercial) vehicles. Large trucks and the like may utilize larger, high-voltage battery modules  14 . In either example, the modules  14  would be selected from a group of standard sized modules so that there is always the ability to share or exchange modules from one vehicle with those of another vehicle (or pool of vehicles). 
     Each module  14  will typically be made from a group of battery units wired together in series to create the desired size and voltage. The “bundle” of batteries making up the module  14  will be housed together to have a single set of electrical contacts. The module  14  will have a case or rack housing the batteries, and a series of wheels so that the module  14  can easily be transported to and from the vehicle  10 . For the purposes of this general disclosure, we will refer to this aspect as a wheeled case  42 , since the particular orientation or design of the housing/case may evolve without departing from the spirit of the invention, in that the design will provide the user to exchange modules  42  (which are too heavy to lift manually) without external mechanical assistance. 
     The modules  14  will preferably include a module status element  44 . This element  44  is an associated subsystem which has the purpose of reporting the charge status of the module  14 . This will enable the driver and others to determine how full the electrical charge in the module  14  is. The element  44  may further track how many times the module  14  has been discharged and recharged, maintenance status (e.g. maintenance needed or maintenance recorded), and perhaps even the historical usage of the module  14  (vehicles that it has been in, where it has been stored, etc.). Some of this information will be retained elsewhere within the system  11 , but it may be tracked within the status element  44  as a backup to other remote systems. 
     The modules  14  will also preferably include its unique identification within an identity element  46 . Each module  14  is provided with a unique identity so that the histories of the individual modules can be kept for the purpose of tracking not only the modules  14  themselves, but also the demand history for modules and other statistical data related to module usage. 
     The system  11  includes a plurality of exchange stations  48  distributed around geographical areas. Presumably as module demand grows (or growth is predicted), the number and location of exchange stations  48  will also grow. The exchange station  48  is defined by one or more charger controller units  52  for controlling the re-charging of modules  14 , the issuance of the fully charged modules  14 , and the acceptance of modules  14  needing re-charging. In small-scale installations, the charging bank  50  may only number a handful of modules  14 . These sort of stations  48  could piggy-back on existing commercial facilities, such as gas stations, convenience stores and motels, among others. As the size of the charging bank  50  grows, additional dedicated facilities space may be appropriate. It is noted that due to the portability of the modules  14 , and the ease of exchange for the drivers, there is supreme flexibility in the potential for exchange stations  48 . It is conceived that the hardware portion of the station  48  could be trailer-mounted and simply parked in an empty lot having suitable electrical services to power the charger controller unit  52  and any other related auxiliary systems. 
     The exchange station  48  and/or charger controller unit  52  is in communication with a remote server  56  over a communications link  54 , such as LAN, WAN, cellular, satellite, or other well-known methods of communication. The remote server  56  is a conventional microprocessor-based computing device, including cluster computing and networked computing device. As will be discussed more fully below in connection with subsequent figures, the remote server  56  manages the battery module  14  assets within the system  11 , for the purpose of maintaining the operations as well as customer/driver billing. 
     It is also noted that the EVEB  10  may also be equipped within an internal re-charging system  49 . The re-charging system  49  permits the user to charge the internal battery modules  14  by plugging the system  49  into an electrical power source. In some forms, the battery charger may be external to the vehicle  10 , in which case the output from the charger would plug into the modules (either individually or as a single “smart” connection). As discussed above in relation to the prior systems, use of the re-charging system will essentially emulate the current “plug-in” electric vehicles, in that a prolonged period of time will be necessary to fully charge the modules  14 . The module status element  44  would track such self-charging sessions for the purpose of updating the remote server  56  at such as time as communications are established therewith.  FIG. 6  highlights the driver&#39;s beneficial experience in owning an EVEB of the present invention, as compared to prior electric car ownership. 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart detailing the preferred module supply method  58  of the present invention. Since the battery modules of the present invention are not permanently installed within the EVEB, the mode of usage will differ from a conventional plug-in electric vehicle in many critical ways, as will be discussed herein below. 
     The vehicle and battery modules are separately acquired  100 ,  102 . The vehicle could be bought, leased or even rented, just as with a prior vehicle type. The difference is that the EVEB vehicle would be expected to be much cheaper than either an equivalent internal combustion engine-powered vehicle because, absent the battery modules, the electric motor and related electric systems are much cheaper as a system than are an internal combustion propulsion system. Furthermore, the expected maintenance costs will be only a fraction of the cost of IC (internal combustion) engines. Of course, absent the cost of the batteries, the EVEB vehicle will be much cheaper than a conventional hybrid or all-electric vehicle, since the battery cost is absent. 
     The battery modules can be acquired through a wide variety of financial models. Although not likely to be attractive to most buyers, it would be possible to simply purchase the necessary battery modules for the vehicle. It is much more likely that the driver/owner will lease the battery modules under an arrangement that tends to assess charges to the lessee based on the amount that the battery modules are used (i.e. exchanged and/or re-charged). In this manner, the user&#39;s costs will be directly related to the amount of use, just as with an IC engine-powered vehicle. 
     Once acquired, the battery modules are installed in the vehicle  104 , and assuming that they hold an electrical charge, the vehicle can be driven. As the electrical charge in the modules is depleted, the user can either self re-charge the modules  106 , or exchange the modules  108  through an authorized exchange station. When a user turns in a module, it is entered into pool of exchanged battery modules  60 . Likewise, the user then would draw his or her replacement module(s) from the pool  60 . 
     When completing a transaction with the exchange station, the monitoring system (see discussion below in connection with  FIGS. 7 and 8 ) will detect the value of the re-charge(s) (either self-administered, or via exchanged modules), and attribute the cost to the owner/lessee/driver, such that only the power (or module) usage is charged to the driver  110 . 
     Since there is no requirement that the modules stay with the vehicle, or vice-versa, the user can replace the vehicle as desired  114  independently of how he or she manages the battery module supply/agreement  112 . Again, this closely emulates the cost attribution for operation of an IC-powered vehicle, and therefore is well-ingrained and understood by the general public (substantially reducing obstacles to the EVEB and associated replenishment method from being accepted). We will begin to delve into the management system for the battery modules by now considering  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 7  depicts exemplary data tracked by the module management system  62  of the present invention. Since a significant strength of the instant invention is the ability to “pay-as-you-go” for fuel (electricity) rather than being required to purchase the prohibitively expensive battery modules, it is critical that the disposition and history of the modules  12  is closely tracked so that usage can be attributed to the appropriate owner/lessee. 
     Above, the discussion related to  FIG. 5  implied that certain internal mechanisms or systems had “brains” to keep track of the usage history of the modules  12 . While in some versions this may be the case, other options are also available. For example, the module  12  may only have an unique identifier  64  attached or embedded within it, while some or other of the transactional history of the module  12  is retained within the remote server (see  FIG. 5 ). Here, then, the battery module management system  62  (as maintained on the remote server and other places) is depicted as tracking usage aspects such as the recharge history (including a counter tracking the sequential number of charges)  66  for the individual module  12 , the net power quantity used  68  to re-charge the module  12 , and the prior user  70  of the module being recharged (in order to correctly attribute the re-charge cost).  FIG. 8  elaborates on the features of the system  62 . 
       FIG. 8  is a block diagram depicting the functional units making up the module management system  62  of  FIG. 7 . The system  62  is preferably comprised of three functional units: the commercialization unit  72 , the operations unit  74 , and the maintenance unit  76 . These units may be contained within the remote server (see  FIG. 5 ), or a series of remote computing devices, or even partially within each battery module (such as the recharge counter). In fact, it may be possible that the modules themselves communicate directly with the remote server and self-report even if not at a re-charge station. 
     The commercialization unit  72  serves to manage the commercial relationship and transactions between the financial beneficiary of the asset pool of modules and re-charging stations, and the individual user/driver/lessees. The commercialization unit  72  will track recharge activity  84  and apply the terms of the module lease agreements  80  thereto in order to generate appropriate customer billing  82 . As discussed previously, a wide variety of financial arrangements are feasible under the system of the present invention, and therefore the lease scenario discussed here is only exemplary of the specific functionality of the commercialization unit  72 . The reader is also reminded that the system  62  also keeps track of self-charging sessions for the purpose of customer billing. Cost is proportional to use, or number/quantity of re-charges. Batteries have a finite predicted capacity for reliable re-charges, so each re-charge cycle will reduce the value of the battery. Since self-charges do not use exchange-station-based facilities, it would be expected that the per-cycle charge would be less. 
     One note regarding the commercial implications on the instant system  62 . Financially, separating the batteries from the vehicle opens up a wide variety of options for subscriber/owner/drivers. For example, similar to cellular telephone plans, a driver could choose a prepaid amount of charges, including an unlimited number of re-charges in a particular time period. The larger the prepaid number of re-charges, the less that the “overage” re-charges would be expected to cost. A security deposit would most likely be required for each installed battery module (or module receptacle), but it would be much less than the actual cost of the modules themselves. 
     The operations unit  74  is responsible for controlling the trafficking of the modules  86 . That is to say that the movement of modules to and from vehicles, exchange stations and maintenance/replacement activities is tracked herein. Corrective maintenance  88  to resolve reported operational problems will be triggered and tracked by the operations unit  74 . Also, the control of customer usage of modules  90  is effected by the operations unit  74 . For example, if a customer&#39;s account has become delinquent, module exchanges may be prohibited until the problem is resolved. Or perhaps the customer has not made an exchange for a prolonged period of time, so that the system  62  is uncomfortable with the maintenance status of a particular module. In such a case, the user would be prompted to exchange the questionable module for the purpose of surveillance/verification of operability. 
     The maintenance unit  76  is responsible for module upgrades/replacements  92 , such as the phasing out of old modules and phasing in of new ones. The maintenance unit  76  will also track exchange station usage/demand patterns for the purpose of making recommendations regarding the geographical placement of existing or new module exchange capacity, including the establishing of new exchange stations in underserved areas. Exchange station capacity control  96  is closely related to this analysis—this relates to the increase or decrease of exchange/re-charge capacity at existing exchange stations in response to demand trends. 
     Finally, it is pointed out that the term “vehicle” as discussed herein is not intended to be limited to those particular examples depicted or discussed. In fact, it is expected that a system such as disclosed herein would be very desirable for airplanes, helicopters, bicycles or motorcycles, boats and virtually any other transportation apparatus. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.