EVENT TIME MANAGEMENT IN AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION WITHOUT A BATTERY-BACKED REAL TIME CLOCK

• US 20110208953A1
• Filed: 02/19/2010
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Inventors: Cheng, Hongfei, Solomon, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,250,398 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/14 Time supervision arrangements, e.g. real time clock
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

An electric vehicle charging station, which does not include a battery-backed Real Time Clock, is in a charging station network managed by a charging station network server. Upon booting, the charging station requests actual real time from a remote source. While the charging station has not received the actual real time, it records the time of charging station specific events in a local system time format that resets when the charging station loses power. The charging station maintains the events recorded in their local system time until actual time is received. When actual real time is received, the charging station synchronizes its local system clock with the actual real time and converts the time of each event into real time format. When actual time is received, the charging station converts the time of each event into real time format. After the time of the events are converted to real time format, they are communicated to the charging station network server for further processing. After synchronizing its local clock with actual real time, the charging station records the time of any subsequent events in actual real time.

Claims

1. A method performed in an electric vehicle charging station for time synchronization with a Real Time Clock, wherein the electric vehicle charging station does not include a battery-backed Real Time Clock, the method comprising:

responsive to booting of the electric vehicle charging station, incrementing a value of an epoch counter which indicates the number of times the electric vehicle charging station has booted, wherein the incremented value indicates the current epoch, and wherein the booting of the electric vehicle charging system creates a boot-up event;

beginning a local system clock, wherein the local system clock is not backed up with a battery and will restart once power is lost to the electric vehicle charging station;

recording the time of the boot-up event for the current epoch in local system time format, wherein local system time format is not in real time format;

requesting real time from one of a charging station network server and a charging station network gateway;

responsive to failing to receive the requested real time, performing the following;

for each event that occurs on the electric vehicle charging station, including charging session start events and charging session stop events, recording the time of that event in local system time format for the current epoch; and

responsive to receiving the requested real time, performing the following;

recording the time of receipt of the requested real time in local system time format,

synchronizing the local system clock to the real time,

converting the time of each event recorded in local system time format to real time format, and

communicating each event and its respective time of occurrence in real time format to the charging station network server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the time of each event recorded in local system time format to real time format comprises:

determining the real time that the current epoch started;

for each event recorded during the current epoch, setting the real time of that event as the sum of the local system time value of that event and the real time that the current epoch started.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising periodically recording a length of the current epoch.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein converting the time of each event recorded in local system time format to real time format further comprises:

determining that there is one or more previous epochs with events recorded in local system time format; and

for each of these previous epochs, performing the following;

determining a recorded length of that previous epoch, wherein the value of that epoch length is an approximate amount of time the electric vehicle charging station operated during that epoch;

determining an approximate real time that the epoch started based on the determined epoch length, wherein the approximate real time that the epoch started corresponds with a boot-up event of that epoch, and

for each event recorded during that epoch, setting the real time of the event as the sum of the local system time value of that event and the approximate real time that the epoch started.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the approximate real time that the previous epoch started comprises:

determining the real time of the boot-up event of the current epoch;

identifying the length of the previous epoch and the length of any other epochs between the previous epoch and the current epoch; and

setting the approximate real time of the boot-up event of the previous epoch as the difference between the length of the previous epoch and the length of any other epochs between the previous epoch and the current epoch and the real time of the boot-up event of the current epoch.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the approximate real time that the epoch started also takes into an account an approximate amount of time to boot-up the electric vehicle charging station.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the events also include one or more of the following:

ground fault circuit interrupt (GFCI) events, overcurrent events, charging plug out events, authentication events, and tampering events.

8. An electric vehicle charging station to synchronize a local system clock with a Real Time Clock, comprising:

an event manager to record time of events according to the local system clock, wherein the local system clock is not backed up with a battery, wherein the event manager is to record events in local system time format when the local system clock is not synchronized with real time, and record events in real time format when the local system clock is synchronized with real time, and wherein the events include charging session start events and charging session stop events; and

a time synchronization module to perform the following;

increment a value of an epoch counter of the charging station responsive to the charging station booting, wherein the incremented value indicates a current epoch and represents the number of times the electric vehicle charging station has booted,

periodically record a length of the current epoch,

request real time after the charging station boots,

synchronize the local system clock with received real time, and

convert times of events recorded in local system time format to real time format responsive to the local system clock being synchronized with real time.

9. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 8, wherein the time synchronization module is to convert times of events recorded in local system time format to real time format from previous epochs taking into account the lengths of those previous epochs.

10. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 9, wherein the conversion of events recorded in local system time format to real time format from previous epochs also takes into account an approximate amount of time to boot the electric vehicle charging station.

11. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 8, wherein the events include charging session start events and charging session stop events.

12. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 11, wherein the events further include one or more of ground fault circuit interrupt (GFCI) events, overcurrent events, charging plug out events, authentication events, and tampering events.

13. A machine-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, if executed by a processor, will cause said processor to perform operations in an electric vehicle charging station for time synchronization with a Real Time Clock, wherein the electric vehicle charging station does not include a battery-backed Real Time Clock, the operations comprising:

responsive to booting of the electric vehicle charging station, incrementing a value of an epoch counter which indicates the number of times the electric vehicle charging station has booted, wherein the incremented value indicates the current epoch, and wherein the booting of the electric vehicle charging system creates a boot-up event;

beginning a local system clock, wherein the local system clock is not backed up with a battery and will restart once power is lost to the electric vehicle charging station;

recording the time of the boot-up event for the current epoch in local system time format, wherein local system time format is not in real time format;

requesting real time from one of a charging station network server and a charging station network gateway;

responsive to failing to receive the requested real time, performing the following;

for each event that occurs on the electric vehicle charging station, including charging session start events and charging session stop events, recording the time of that event in local system time format for the current epoch; and

responsive to receiving the requested real time, performing the following;

recording the time of receipt of the requested real time in local system time format,

synchronizing the local system clock to the real time,

converting the time of each event recorded in local system time format to real time format, and

communicating each event and its respective time of occurrence in real time format to the charging station network server.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein converting the time of each event recorded in local system time format to real time format comprises:

determining the real time that the current epoch started;

for each event recorded during the current epoch, setting the real time of that event as the sum of the local system time value of that event and the real time that the current epoch started.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising periodically recording a length of the current epoch.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein converting the time of each event recorded in local system time format to real time format further comprises:

determining that there is one or more previous epochs with events recorded in local system time format; and

for each of these previous epochs, performing the following;

determining a recorded length of that previous epoch, wherein the value of that epoch length is an approximate amount of time the electric vehicle charging station operated during that epoch;

determining an approximate real time that the epoch started based on the determined epoch length, wherein the approximate real time that the epoch started corresponds with a boot-up event of that epoch, and

for each event recorded during that epoch, setting the real time of the event as the sum of the local system time value of that event and the approximate real time that the epoch started.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein determining the approximate real time that the previous epoch started comprises:

determining the real time of the boot-up event of the current epoch;

identifying the length of the previous epoch and the length of any other epochs between the previous epoch and the current epoch; and

setting the approximate real time of the boot-up event of the previous epoch as the difference between the length of the previous epoch and the length of any other epochs between the previous epoch and the current epoch and the real time of the boot-up event of the current epoch.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein determining the approximate real time that the epoch started also takes into an account an approximate amount of time to boot-up the electric vehicle charging station.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the events also include one or more of the following:

ground fault circuit interrupt (GFCI) events, overcurrent events, charging plug out events, authentication events, and tampering events.

20. A method performed in an electric vehicle charging station for time synchronization with a Real Time Clock, wherein the electric vehicle charging station does not include a battery-backed Real Time Clock, the method comprising:

responsive to booting of the electric vehicle charging station, incrementing a value of an epoch counter which indicates the number of times the electric vehicle charging station has booted, wherein the incremented value indicates the present epoch, and wherein the booting of the electric vehicle charging system creates a boot-up event;

beginning a local system clock, wherein the local system clock is not backed up with a battery and will restart once power is lost to the electric vehicle charging station;

determining a locally estimated real time value that the present epoch started, wherein the locally estimated real time value is not based on actual real time, and wherein the locally estimated real time value is in a format that is persistent across reboots of the electric vehicle charging station;

setting the local system clock to the determined locally estimated real time value the present epoch started;

recording the boot-up event for the current epoch with a locally estimated real time value using the local system clock;

requesting actual real time from one of a charging station network server and a charging station network gateway; and

while the requested actual real time is not received and the communication between one of the charging station network server and the charging station network gateway is operable, performing the following for each event that occurs on the electric vehicle charging station;

recording that event with a locally estimated real time value using the local system clock, and

communicating that event with its locally estimated real time value to the charging station network server.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

responsive to receiving the actual real time, performing the following;

synchronizing the local system clock to the actual real time,

recording each event subsequently occurring in actual real time, and

communicating each event recorded in actual real time to the charging station network server.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

periodically recording a length of the current epoch; and

wherein the locally estimated real time value that present epoch started is the sum of the start of the immediately previous epoch of the present epoch and a length of the immediately previous epoch.