Electric charging system of a plurality of electric vehicles and method for distributing the electric power delivered by an electric power supply of such a system

• US 9,586,492 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2014
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Chevalley, Christian, Ricaud, Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): Diao, M'Baye
• Application Number:
  US14/322,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20150008888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/109, 320/137, 701/22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• 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 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• 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 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

This electric charging system (10) of a plurality of electric vehicles (12) comprises, an electric power supply (14) suitable for delivering a maximum electric power, and a plurality of charging points (18). Each charging point (18) is suitable for being connected to an electric vehicle (12) and delivering a plurality of electric power levels. The system (10) comprises, for each charging point (18), a control device (20) for controlling the electric power level delivered. The control devices are connected to each other by communication links (30) and are suitable for controlling the distribution of the maximum power between the charging points as a function of time and the number of electric vehicles (12) connected to the charging points (18) and requiring charging.

Claims

1. An electric charging system of a plurality of electric vehicles, said system comprising:

an electric power supply configured to deliver a maximum electric power;

a plurality of charging points, each configured to be connected to an electric vehicle and recharge a battery of said electric vehicle, and deliver a plurality of electric power levels, each charging point being connected, via a corresponding electric line, to the electric power supply; and

for each charging point, a control device configured to control the electric power level delivered by the charging point to the electric vehicle connected thereto, the control device being configured to transmit a control signal to the corresponding charging point, said electric power level delivered being dependent on said control signal, wherein

the control devices are connected to each other by communication links,

at least one of the control devices generates charging tokens to circulate between the control devices on the communication links, each charging token being associated with a partial power, corresponding to a subdivision of the maximum electric power and a sum of the partial powers associated with the charging tokens being less than or equal to the maximum electric power, and

the control devices are configured to control, using the charging tokens, the distribution of the maximum electric power between the charging points as a function of time and a number of electric vehicles connected to the charging points and requiring charging.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein each control device is connected, via the communication links, to two control devices, forming a chained link, corresponding to a closed communication loop.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein communication between the control devices is a point-to-point type communication, wherein the control devices are configured to be in master or slave mode, and wherein the system includes one control device configured in master mode.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the control device configured in master mode is connected to an electric meter, and wherein based on information received from the electric meter, the control device configured in master mode is configured to communicate with the control devices configured in slave mode to modify the maximum electric power consumable by modifying the distribution of the maximum electric power.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a bidirectional electric link between each charging point and each corresponding control device, and wherein the charging point is configured to indicate to the corresponding control device that an electric vehicle is connected thereto and that the electric vehicle requires charging of its battery.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein each control device comprises a current sensor configured to measure the current flowing through the corresponding electric line and detect connection of an electric vehicle to the corresponding charging point and the charging of said electric vehicle based on the value of said current.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein each charging point comprises the corresponding control device.

8. A method for distributing electric power delivered by an electric power supply of an electric charging system of a plurality of electric vehicles, the electric power supply being configured to deliver a maximum electric power, the charging system including a plurality of charging points, each being configured to be connected to an electric vehicle and recharge a battery of said electric vehicle, and deliver a plurality of electric power levels, each charging point being connected, via a corresponding electric line, to the electric power supply, and for each charging point, a control device configured to control the electric power level delivered by the charging point to an electric vehicle connected thereto, the method comprising:

a) transmitting, by each control device, a control signal to the corresponding charging point, said delivered electric power level being dependent on said control signal;

b) establishing communication between the control devices via communication links, generating, by at least one of the control devices, charging tokens and sending the charging tokens on the communication links to circulate between the control devices, each charging token being associated with a partial power, corresponding to a subdivision of the maximum electric power, a sum of the partial powers associated with the charging tokens being less than or equal to the maximum electric power; and

c) controlling, by the control devices, distribution of the maximum electric power between the charging points using the charging tokens and as a function of time and a number of electric vehicles connected to the charging points and requiring charging, the control devices controlling the circulation of the charging tokens between the control devices.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein during step a) controlling, by each control device, the corresponding charging point via the control signal such that the corresponding charging point delivers at least a minimum electric power when an electric vehicle is connected thereto and requires charging of its battery.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein during step c), when a control device receives a charging token, using the charging token received only in response to the control device already using a number of charging tokens less than a maximum authorised number and when the corresponding charging point is connected to an electric vehicle requiring charging of its battery, and otherwise transmitting, by the control device, the charging token to another control device via the communication links.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein when, during step c) a control device uses a charging token, then storing the charging token for a predetermined allocation time before forwarding the charging token to another control device via the communication links and allocating, via the control signal, the corresponding partial power, to the corresponding charging point during the allocation time.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein each control device is connected, via the communication links, to two control devices, forming a chained link, corresponding to a closed communication loop, and wherein during steps b) and c), circulating the charging tokens in a single direction between the control devices via the communication links.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein during step c), in response to a control device detecting a start of charging of a battery of an electric vehicle connected to the corresponding charging point or an end of charging of the battery of said electric vehicle, transmitting a synchronisation token, by the control device, to the other control devices, the synchronisation token circulating in a single direction between the control devices, and wherein when receiving the synchronisation token, resetting, by the control devices holding a charging token, the allocation time to a latency time and storing the charging token further for the latency time, the synchronisation token being transmitted from control device to control device.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising deleting the synchronisation token by the control device, which generated the synchronisation token, when the control device receives the synchronisation token.