Method and system for dynamically providing information about charging stations

• US 9,669,721 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2016
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: innogy SE (E.ON SE)
• Original Assignee: RWE AG
• Inventors: Becker, Gernot
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US15/057,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20160176307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• Field of Search: 320109, 701 22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A method is provided for dynamically providing up-to-date information about charging stations for electric vehicles. Charging station information including at least one charging station identification assigned to a respective charging station and location information assigned to the respective charging station is stored for multiple charging stations. A charge request containing identification of the mobile station and geographical information for the mobile station is received from a mobile station. A tuple of charging station information from the plurality of items of stored charging station information dependent on at least the received charge request is selected such that the received geographical information is compared with the respective location information of the charging stations and when the result of a comparison is positive the corresponding charging station information is added to the tuple and the tuple is sent to the mobile station using the identification of the mobile station.

Claims

1. A method for providing information about charging stations for electric vehicles, comprising the steps of:

storing on a central computer, for a plurality of charging stations, charging station information comprising at least one charging station identification assigned to a respective charging station and at least one item of location information assigned to the respective charging station;

receiving from a mobile station a charge request containing at least one identification of the mobile station and one item of geographical information for the mobile station, wherein the charge request in addition contains information whether the electric vehicle is charged with direct current or alternating current;

selecting, by the central computer, a tuple of charging station information from the plurality of items of stored charging station information dependent on at least the received charge request such that the received geographical information is compared with the respective location information of the charging stations and when the comparison results that a defined distance value between charging station and mobile station is not exceeded, the corresponding charging station information is at least in part added to the tuple; and

sending the tuple, at least in part, to the mobile station using the identification of the mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the charging station information of the respective charging station additionally comprises information selected from the group consisting of status information, operator information, charging type, plug type, and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the status information is at least dependent on information received from a respective charging station and/or reservation information for the respective charging station.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the charge request comprises additional information regarding the electric vehicle, the additional information begin selected from the group consisting of a charge type of the electric vehicle, a plug type of the electric vehicle, a user identification, a remaining range of the electric vehicle, a state of charge of a battery of the electric vehicle, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographical information is acquired in the mobile station or through the mobile network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the tuple dependent on the received charge request further comprises selecting the tuple based on at least one of:

received information regarding a charging type of the electric vehicle compared with a charging type of the respective charging station;

received information regarding a plug type of the electric vehicle compared with a plug type of the respective charging station;

received information of a remaining range of the electric vehicle compared with location information of the respective charging station;

an item of operator information item determined by means of a received user identification and compared with an item of operator information of the respective charging station; and

a desired status for a charging station compared with status information of the respective charging station and when the comparison results that a defined distance value between mobile station and charging station is not exceeded, the corresponding charging station information is at least in part added to the tuple.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein relative distance information can be calculated from the received geographical information together with dynamically stored traffic information and the location information of the respective charging stations.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the charging station information is arranged prioritised in the tuple.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the charging station information is arranged prioritised in the tuple such that the prioritisation is made dependent on the comparison result and/or on the relative distance information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a selected item of charging station information of a charging station selected from the tuple is received from the mobile station, and in that the charging station identification from the selected item of charging station information is determined and reservation information is created with the charging station identification for the selected charging station.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the reservation information contains at least one of:

a reservation duration;

a start time of a reservation period;

an end time of a reservation period;

a duration of a reservation waiting time; and

a user identification.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the duration of the reservation waiting time is calculated dependent on the geographical information, the location information and relative distance information, and/or in that for the duration of the reservation waiting time a charging process can only be activated at the respective charging station with the user identification.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a charge requirement comprising a charging station identification and a user identification is received, and in that the received charging station identification and user identification is compared with reservation information for the charging station, in particular in that an enabling signal for a charging current is dependent on a comparison result.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the charge request, the selected charging station information, and the charge requirement is sent by the mobile station via a signalling channel of a mobile network.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, by sending from the mobile station at least one of the charge request, the selected charging station information, and the charge requirement, at least one of a message-specific and recipient-specific fee-charging signal is triggered in the mobile network.

16. A system for providing information via charging stations for electric vehicles comprising:

at least a plurality of charging stations, for which charging station information comprising at least one charging station identification assigned to a respective charging station and at least one item of location information assigned to the respective charging station is stored,

a control centre set up to receive at least one identification of a mobile station and one charge request containing an item of geographical information for the mobile station,

wherein the control centre is set up to select a tuple consisting of charging station information from the plurality of charging station information dependent on at least the received charge request such that the received geographical information is compared with the respective location information of the charging stations and when a comparison results that a defined distance value between mobile station and charging station is not exceeded, the corresponding charging station information is at least in part added to the tuple, and

wherein the control centre is set up to at least in part send the tuple to the mobile station using the identification of the mobile station.