METHOD AND CONTROL UNIT FOR CHARGING A VEHICLE BATTERY

• US 20130099744A1
• Filed: 06/29/2011
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Falk, Rainer, Fries, Steffen
• Application Number:
  US13/809,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20130099744A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3215 using a plurality of channels network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• 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 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

A vehicle battery is charged by an authorized charging station. A first cryptographically protected communication link is set up between a charging control unit of the vehicle and the charging station after successful preliminary verification of a digital certificate for the charging station by the charging control unit of the vehicle. A second communication link is then set up between the charging control unit and an authorization server for charging stations. The charging control unit transmits information from the preliminarily verified digital certificate to the authorization server via the second communication link, which information is used by the authorization server to carry out an authorization check on the respective charging station. An authorization check result is transmitted from the authorization server to the charging control unit via the second communication link, which result is used to control a charging of the vehicle battery.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A method for charging an accumulator in a vehicle by an authorized charging station, comprising:

performing a provisional verification, by a charging control device of the vehicle, of a digital certificate for the charging station;

after a successful provisional verification, setting up a first communication link between the charging control device of the vehicle and the charging station, the first communication link being cryptographically protected;

setting up a second communication link between the charging control device of the vehicle and an authorization server for charging stations;

sending information from the digital certificate for the charging station, from the charging control device of the vehicle to the authorization server for charging stations over the second communication link, by reference to which the authorization server caries out an authorization check for the charging station; and

sending an authorization check result from the authorization server over the second communication link to the charging control device of the vehicle; and

controlling a charging operation, for charging of the accumulator in the vehicle by the charging station, as a function of the authorization check result from the authorization server.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first communication link is cryptographically protected by at least one of transport layer security (TLS), secure sockets layer (SSL) and internet protocol security (IPsec).

19. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the second communication link between the charging control device of the vehicle and the authorization server is set up via the charging station.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the second communication link between the charging control device of the vehicle and the authorization server is set up by tunneling via the first communication link, which exists between the charging control device of the vehicle and the charging station.

21. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the second communication link between the charging control device of the vehicle and the authorization server is cryptographically protected.

22. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the authorization check result specifies filtering rules for data communications via the first communication link between the charging control device of the vehicle and the charging station.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the filtering rules contain parameters relating to communication addresses, protocols or ports.

24. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the authorization check result has control data identifying which filtering rules should be activated by the charging control device.

25. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the authorization check result specifies charging rules to control charging of the accumulator in the vehicle by the charging station.

26. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein

the charging control device charges the accumulator in the vehicle, as a function of charging rules specified in the authorization check result, and

the charging control unit charges the accumulator in the vehicle using electrical energy transmitted from the charging station to the vehicle.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the charging station charges the accumulator in the vehicle through a charging cable or by inductive energy transmission.

28. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein

the charging station charges the accumulator in the vehicle through the charging cable, and

the first communication link between the charging control device of the vehicle and the charging station is established via the charging cable by Power Line Communication (PLC).

29. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein

the charging station charges the accumulator in the vehicle through the charging cable, and

the first communication link between the charging control device of the vehicle and the charging station is established via a data line which runs in parallel with the charging cable or via a data line which is integrated into the charging cable.

30. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the first communication link between the charging control device of the vehicle and the charging station is established via a radio interface.

31. A charging control device for a vehicle, to control charging of an accumulator in the vehicle by a charging station, comprising:

a calculation unit to provisionally verify a digital certificate for the charging station, the digital certificate being received from the charging station via a first communication link, which is cryptographically protected;

a transmitter to transmit information from the digital certificate, the information being transmitted after the digital certificate has been provisionally verified, the information being transmitted to an authorization server via a second communication link, for determining an authorization check result; and

a receiver to receive the authorization check result from the authorization server via the second communication link,

wherein the charging control device controls a charging of the accumulator in the vehicle, by the charging station, as a function of the authorization check result.

32. The charging control device as claimed in claim 31, wherein

the charging station charges the accumulator in the vehicle, through a charging cable or by inductive energy transmission, and

the charging station charges the accumulator in the vehicle in accordance with charging rules specified in the authorization check result.

33. The charging control device as claimed in claim 31, wherein the first communication link between the charging control device and the charging station is via a charging cable using Powerline Communication (PLC) or via a data line running parallel to the charging cable or via a radio interface.

34. An electric vehicle comprising:

an electric motor;

an accumulator to store electrical energy for the electric motor; and

a charging control device to control charging of the accumulator by a charging station, comprising;

a calculation unit to provisionally verify a digital certificate for the charging station, the digital certificate being received from the charging station via a first communication link, which is cryptographically protected;

a transmitter to transmit information from the digital certificate, the information being transmitted after the digital certificate has been provisionally verified, the information being transmitted to an authorization server via a second communication link, for determining an authorization check result; and

a receiver to receive the authorization check result from the authorization server via the second communication link,

wherein the charging control device controls charging of the accumulator in the vehicle, by the charging station, as a function of the authorization check result.