Control of Charging Stations

• US 20120146583A1
• Filed: 02/09/2012
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: innogy SE (E.ON SE)
• Original Assignee: RWE AG
• Inventors: Gaul, Armin, Diefenbach, Ingo
• Granted Patent: US 8,766,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/322 the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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 10/126 the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

Method and device for controlling charging stations for electrical vehicles. In order to minimise peak power demands in at least two charging stations 10 combined into a group 12, actual charging parameters are exchanged 32 within the charging stations 10 within the group 12, a load prediction for the group 12 is created 34 depending on at least the actual charging parameters, and setpoint charging parameters for the charging stations 10 of the group 12 are determined 38 depending on the load prognosis.

Claims

1. Method for controlling charging stations for electrical vehicles, comprising the steps of

grouping at least two charging stations into a group, wherein several charging stations of the group are connected with a common transformer station,

exchanging at least actual charging parameters of the charging stations within the group, wherein actual charging parameters comprise information regarding the currently provided electrical power at the charging station,

exchanging a charging prediction being established by a charging controller being arranged in an electrical vehicle being connected to the charging station, comprising a current load curve for charging the electrical vehicle in the remaining duration of loading,

estimating a future energy need of the common transformer station using a daily load curve of at least one charging station of the group from a database,

creating a load prediction for the group as a function of at least the actual charging parameters, the charging prediction and the daily load curve,

adaptively determining reference charging parameters, comprising at least a maximal charging amperage and a charging time for the charging stations of the group as a function of the load prediction, such that on the one hand the power provided by the charging stations of the group does not exceed a maximum transformer power and on the other hand the electrical vehicles connected to the charging stations of the group receive the power required for charging their batteries within their respective remaining charging durations,

negotiating of charging parameters with the electrical vehicle depending on the reference charging parameters, wherein in the event of varying reference charging parameters, the charging parameters are renegotiated with the electrical vehicle during a charging phase.

2. Method of claim 1, wherein the actual charging parameters of the charging station contain at least one of information about present charging amperage and/or a charging regulator of the electrical vehicle connected to the charging station.

3. Method of claim 1, wherein the actual charging parameters are exchanged at intervals, and in that at least one of load predictions and/or must charging parameters are modified adaptively as a function of the present actual charging parameters.

4. Method of claim 1, wherein the reference charging parameters contain at least one of information about a charging duration, a current load curve and/or a quantity of energy.

5. Method of claim 1, wherein at the start of a charging process, at least one of information about a required quantity of energy, a preferred charging duration, a preferred charging time and/or a charging regulator is sent from an electrical vehicle to a charging station, and in that at least one of a maximum charging amperage, a charging period, a charging duration and/or a maximum charging duration are determined and communicated to the electrical vehicle by the charging station depending of the reference charging parameters and the information from the electrical vehicle.

6. Method of claim 1, wherein the reference charging parameters are determined as a function of the available electrical power of at least one of a low-voltage level and/or a medium-voltage level.

7. Method of claim 1, wherein the group has at least one group ID.

8. Method of claim 7, wherein the group ID is at least one of sent from a low-voltage transformer station to charging stations connected thereto, and/or exchanged between charging stations connected to the same low-voltage transformer station.

9. Method of claim 1, wherein the load prediction and the reference charging parameters within the group are determined in one of a low-voltage transformer station or in a charging station.

10. Method of claim 1, wherein the exchange of the actual charging parameters comprises at least one of transmission of the actual charging parameters to the transformer of the low-voltage system or to a charging station of the group.

11. Charging stations for electrical vehicles comprising:

allocation means for grouping the charging stations into a group of at least two charging stations, wherein several charging stations of the group are connected with a common transformer station,

communication means operable for exchanging at least actual charging parameters within the group, wherein actual charging parameters comprise information regarding the currently provided electrical power at the charging station, the communication means operable for exchanging a charging prediction being established by a charging controller being arranged in an electrical vehicle being connected to one of the charging stations, comprising a current load curve for charging the electrical vehicle in the remaining duration of loading, wherein in the event of varying reference charging parameters, the charging parameters can be renegotiated with the electrical vehicle during a charging phase,

the communication means operable for receiving reference charging parameters in order to determine charging parameters for the charging of electrical vehicles, wherein the reference charging parameters comprise a charging amperage and a charging time and are adaptively determined depending on a load prediction for the group depending on at least one of the current charging parameters, the charging prediction and daily load curve defining a future energy need of the transformer station of at least one charging station, such that on the one hand the power provided by the charging stations of the group does not exceed a maximum transformer power and on the other hand the electrical vehicles connected to the charging stations of the group receive the power required for charging their batteries within their respective remaining charging durations.

14. System comprising at least one charging station of claim 11, one charging station of claim 12, and/or a low-voltage transformer station of claim 13.

12. Charging stations for electrical vehicles comprising:

allocation means for grouping the charging station into a group of at least two charging stations, wherein several charging stations of the group are connected with a common transformer station,

communication means operable for receiving at least actual charging parameters from charging stations of the group, wherein actual charging parameters comprise information regarding the currently provided electrical power at the charging station, the communication means operable for exchanging a charging prediction being established by a charging controller being arranged in an electrical vehicle being connected to one of the charging stations, comprising a current load curve for charging the electrical vehicle in the remaining duration of loading,

computation means operable for estimating a future energy need of the transformer station using a daily load curve of at least one charging station of the group and for compiling a load prediction for the group depending on at least the received actual charging parameters, the charging prediction and the daily load curve and for adaptively determining reference charging parameters comprising a maximal charging amperage and a loading duration for the charging stations of the group depending on the load prediction, such that on the one hand the power provided by the charging stations of the group do not exceed a maximum transformer power and on the other hand the electrical vehicles connected to the charging stations of the group receive the power required for charging their batteries within their respective remaining charging durations, wherein

the communication means is configured to transmit must charging parameters to charging stations of the group.

13. Low-voltage transformer station comprising:

allocation means for grouping charging stations into a group of at least two charging stations, wherein several charging stations of the group are connected with a common transformer station,

communication means operable for receiving at least actual charging parameters from charging stations of the group, wherein the actual charging parameters comprise information regarding the currently provided electrical power at the charging station, the communication means operable for exchanging a charging prediction being established by a charging controller being arranged in an electrical vehicle being connected to one of the charging station, comprising a current load curve for charging the electrical vehicle in the remaining duration of loading,

computation means for estimating a future energy need of the transformer station using a daily load curve of at least one charging station of the group and for compiling a load prediction for the group depending on at least the received actual charging parameters, the charging prediction and the daily load curve and for adaptively determining reference charging parameters comprising a maximal charging amperage and a loading duration for the charging stations of the group depending on the load prediction, such that on the one hand the power provided by the charging stations of the group do not exceed a maximum transformer power and on the other hand the electrical vehicles connected to the charging stations of the group receive the power required for charging their batteries within their respective remaining charging durations.