VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEM, VEHICLE, AND AUTHENTICATION METHOD FOR VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEM

• US 20190315245A1
• Filed: 04/11/2019
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kinomura, Shigeki
• Granted Patent: US 11,220,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/91 Battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/73 Access point logical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 Graphical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• 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

Abstract

Charging equipment of a vehicle charging system comprises an information indicator configured to indicate authentication information, and an authentication device configured to perform authentication using the authentication information. A vehicle of the vehicle charging system comprises an imaging device, and a communication device configured to send the authentication information acquired by the imaging device to the authentication device. The authentication device of the charging equipment is configured to perform the authentication using the authentication information received from the communication device, and is configured to, if the authentication has succeeded, permit the vehicle to use a wireless LAN.

Claims

1. A vehicle charging system comprising:

a vehicle, and

charging equipment configured to perform supply of electric power from the charging equipment to the vehicle,

the charging equipment comprising;

an information indicator configured to indicate authentication information; and

an authentication device configured to perform authentication using the authentication information;

the vehicle comprising;

an imaging device; and

a sending device configured to send the authentication information acquired by the imaging device to the authentication device,

the authentication device being configured to perform the authentication using the authentication information received from the sending device, and configured to, if the authentication has succeeded, permit the vehicle to use a prescribed service.

2. The vehicle charging system according to claim 1, wherein

the charging equipment includes

a first communication device configured to perform wireless communication, and

a power transmission device configured to wirelessly supply electric power,

the vehicle includes

a second communication device configured to perform wireless communication, and

a power reception device configured to wirelessly receive electric power, and

in response to the authentication succeeding, wireless communication between the first communication device and the second communication device is permitted as the prescribed service.

3. The vehicle charging system according to claim 2, wherein the information indicator is provided at the power transmission device.

4. The vehicle charging system according to claim 2, wherein

the wireless communication to be permitted is wireless communication using a wireless LAN,

the authentication information includes an SSID and an encryption key for connection to the wireless LAN, and

the authentication information is indicated in a form of a two-dimensional code.

5. The vehicle charging system according to claim 1, wherein

the supply of electric power from the charging equipment to the vehicle is performed when the vehicle is parked in a prescribed region of the charging equipment,

the information indicator is provided in the prescribed region,

the imaging device includes a front camera configured to image a frontward field of the vehicle, and a back camera configured to image a backward field of the vehicle, and

the front camera is configured to acquire the authentication information when the vehicle parks forward in the prescribed region, and the back camera is configured to acquire the authentication information when the vehicle parks backward in the prescribed region.

6. The vehicle charging system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is configured to be usable for drive assist of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle charging system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle further includes a decryption device configured to decrypt the authentication information using a key inputted beforehand when the authentication information is encrypted.

8. A vehicle including a power storage device configured to be charged with electric power supplied from charging equipment, the vehicle comprising:

the power storage device;

an imaging device;

a recognizing device configured to recognize authentication information included in information acquired by the imaging device; and

a sending device configured to send the authentication information recognized by the recognizing device to the charging equipment.

9. The vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising a decryption device configured to decrypt the authentication information using a key inputted beforehand when the authentication information is encrypted.

10. An authentication method for a vehicle charging system, the authentication method comprising:

determining, by a vehicle, whether or not authentication information is included in information acquired by an imaging device;

if it is determined that the authentication information is included in the information acquired by the imaging device, determining, by the vehicle, whether or not the authentication information is encrypted;

if it is determined that the authentication information is encrypted, determining, by the vehicle, whether or not a key for decrypting the encrypted authentication information has been inputted beforehand;

if it is determined that the key has been inputted beforehand, decrypting the encrypted authentication information using the key inputted beforehand, and sending the decrypted authentication information to charging equipment, by the vehicle;

if it is determined that the key has not been inputted beforehand, requesting a user to input the key, decrypting the encrypted authentication information using the key inputted by the user, and sending the decrypted authentication information to the charging equipment, by the vehicle;

if it is determined that the authentication information is unencrypted, sending, by the vehicle, the unencrypted authentication information to the charging equipment; and

if it is determined that the authentication information is not included in the information acquired by the imaging device and a prescribed condition is satisfied, requesting a user to input the authentication information, and sending the authentication information inputted by the user to the charging equipment, by the vehicle.