Method and system for managing a power-charging space for a vehicle, especially a self-service electrical vehicle

• US 9,472,045 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bluecarsharing (Bollore SA)
• Original Assignee: Bluecarsharing (Bollore SA)
• Inventors: Halnais, Pierre, Lambrinos, Clment, Augustin, Aymeric, Barrois, Raphal, De La Ville, Romain
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US14/129,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20140167985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: 340/901, 340/932.2, 701/22, 702/63, 320/108, 320/109, 705/5
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/246 provided with vehicle proximity-detectors detecting hidden masses, e.g. metal detectors, G01V, e.g. G01V3/00; proximity switches per se H03K17/00; traffic control systems G08G1/00
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a system for managing a parking space for a vehicle, for a space comprising means for detecting whether the space is occupied and at least one power-charging terminal suitable for automatic charging, especially automatic electrical charging following manual correction. Said method comprises, within a so-called occupation monitoring phase (as opposed to other phases such as a non-allocated vehicle storage phase): detection of a state of presence or absence of a vehicle or an object occupying the managed space, and detection of a state of connection or disconnection (operation or state) of a vehicle at the charging terminal. According to the invention, said method also comprises, in the event of a detection of presence without detection of connection, at least one so-called parking processing operation, for example, emitting at least one alert by acoustic or visual means, or recording or emitting at least one computer message.

Claims

1. A method for managing a parking space for a vehicle, said parking space comprising means for detecting the occupation of said parking space and at least one power recharging terminal capable of providing electricity to a vehicle connected to this terminal, the method comprising, within a phase called occupation monitoring:

detecting a state of presence or absence of a vehicle occupying the managed parking space, and

detecting a state of connection or not of a vehicle to the recharging terminal;

said method comprising moreover, in the case of a detection of presence without detection of a connection, at least one processing operation called parking processing operation, comprising transmitting at least one warning by audible or visual means, or by recording or transmission of a computerized message,

wherein the parking processing operation comprises verifying if the detected vehicle is a member of a group of vehicles which are compatible with the recharging terminal by determining that a location characteristic of the detected vehicle corresponds to a location characteristic of a fleet vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

counting down a time period from a positive detection of a presence at a given moment; and

triggering of the parking processing operation dependent on a detection of presence with the absence of connection at the end of said time period.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining if the vehicle is a member of a group of vehicles that are compatible with the charging terminal is performed when the connection of a vehicle onto the terminal is detected.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, in the case of a detection of presence with a connection, the method further comprises:

digital communication between the recharging terminal and the connected vehicle; and

transmission or recording of at least one digital message representing an identifier of the vehicle and a moment of connection of said vehicle to said terminal, to a computer system managing a plurality of vehicles that are compatible in an interchangeable manner with a plurality of parking spaces.

5. The method according to claim 4, in which the parking processing operation comprises a step of reporting the unauthorized occupation of the parking space.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the parking processing operation comprises a step of verification of at least one item of digital data for determining if the vehicle has obtained parking authorization.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, if it is determined that the vehicle has obtained a parking authorization, the method comprises moreover a countdown of the elapsed time since the start of the detection of presence or since the start of the parking processing operation.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the case of a positive membership of the vehicle in the group of vehicles which are compatible with the recharging terminal, it comprises moreover the following steps:

searching for an identifier representing a user currently in charge of the detected vehicle, by a computer system managing a plurality of vehicles which are compatible in an interchangeable manner with a plurality of parking spaces; and

transmission of a digital message to said user currently in charge of the vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising reporting the unauthorized occupation of the parking space in at least one of the following cases:

the vehicle does not have a parking authorization, or

the vehicle does not belong to the predetermined group of vehicles.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the occupation monitoring phase is triggered by an operation of disconnection of a vehicle from the terminal or by the start of a determined time phase.

11. A system for managing a parking space for a vehicle, comprising:

means for detecting the occupation of said parking space;

means for providing power forming a recharging terminal capable of supplying electricity to a vehicle connected to the terminal;

means for detecting connection of a vehicle to said recharging terminal;

audible, visual or digital means of transmission of at least one data message or a warning reporting in particular an unauthorized occupation of the parking space; and

data processing means configured for implementing the management method according to claim 1.

12. The system according to claim 11, further comprising means of digital communication with at least one of:

data processing means of a vehicle which is a member of a fleet of vehicles which are compatible in an interchangeable manner with a plurality of parking spaces;

or

with a computer system managing such a fleet.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein determining if the vehicle is a member of a group of vehicles that are compatible with the charging terminal comprises digital communication of the recharging terminal with the connected vehicle.

14. The method of claim 4, further comprising triggering at least one operation of recharging the vehicle by the recharging terminal.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the determined time phase represents a period during which the vehicle occupying the managed parking space is allocated to a specific user by a computer system managing a plurality of vehicles which are compatible in an interchangeable manner with a plurality of parking spaces.

16. A method for managing a parking space for a vehicle, said parking space comprising means for detecting the occupation of said parking space and at least one power recharging terminal capable of providing electricity to a vehicle connected to this terminal, the method comprising, within a phase called occupation monitoring:

detecting a state of presence or absence of a vehicle occupying the managed parking space, and

detecting a state of connection or not of a vehicle to the recharging terminal;

said method comprising moreover, in the case of a detection of presence without detection of a connection, at least one processing operation called parking processing operation, comprising transmitting at least one warning by audible or visual means, or by recording or transmission of a computerized message,

wherein the parking processing operation comprises verifying if the detected vehicle is a member of a group of vehicles which are compatible with the recharging terminal, and

wherein the verification of membership comprises a comparison between;

on the one hand an item of data representing the geographical position of the managed parking space, and

on the other hand a database containing the current positions of vehicles included in a list of vehicles which are compatible with the recharging terminal.