Electric vehicle charging station with a field upgradeable communications facility

• US 9,725,006 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: DeBoer, III, John R., King, Jr., William A., Bilac, Mario, Haas, Harry Price, Biedrzycki, Timothy, Cowans, John Quentin
• Primary Examiner(s): Rossoshek, Helen
• Application Number:
  US14/750,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20150291049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• 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 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• 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 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

An electric vehicle charging station with a field upgradeable communications facility is provided. The invention includes a sealable housing including a first compartment and a second compartment, the second compartment including an access to an upgrade port; a partition within the housing that is adapted to insulate the first compartment from the second compartment, the partition including an opening providing access the upgrade port; and an EVSE charging station control circuit configured to recognize a communication module when coupled to the upgrade port and to use the communication module for communications if the communication module is connected. Numerous additional aspects are disclosed.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) system, comprising:

an EVSE charging station including

a sealable housing including a first compartment and a second compartment, the second compartment including an access to an upgrade port, a partition within the sealable housing that is adapted to insulate the first compartment from the second compartment, the partition including an opening providing access the upgrade port,

a built-in communications circuit, and

an EVSE charging station control circuit configured to recognize a field upgradeable communication module when coupled to the upgrade port and to use the field upgradeable communication module for communications if the field upgradeable communication module is connected;

a meter device including a wireless communication capability adapted to communicate with the EVSE charging station via a home area network (HAN); and

a power supply outlet adapted to provide electricity to the EVSE charging station and to remotely control the EVSE charging station via commands issued through the home area network (HAN),

wherein the built-in communications circuit enables the EVSE charging station to communicate with both the home area network (HAN) as well as the meter device, and

wherein the field upgradeable communication module provides capability;

where the home area network (HAN) does not support a particular protocol of the built-in communications circuit, if the built-in communications circuit does not provide sufficient range or bandwidth for a homeowner'"'"'s application, to additionally or alternatively communicate wirelessly with devices or systems via a second communications channel and/or for concurrently communicating more detailed metering information to the home area network (HAN).

2. The EVSE system of claim 1 wherein the EVSE charging station further includes the field upgradeable communication module adapted to be coupled to the upgrade port and to provide communications functionality to the EVSE charging station when the communication module is coupled to the upgrade port.

3. The EVSE system of claim 1 wherein the sealable housing is adapted to seal both the first and second compartments against weather.

4. The EVSE system of claim 1 wherein the first compartment is adapted to house high power electrical components.

5. The EVSE system of claim 1 wherein the second compartment is adapted to house non-high power electrical components.

6. The EVSE system of claim 5 wherein the second compartment is adapted to be field accessible.

7. The EVSE system of claim 1 wherein the field upgradeable communication module includes a Wi-Fi protocol communications capability.

8. The EVSE system of claim 1 wherein the EVSE charging station further includes the built-in communications circuit included within the EVSE charging station control circuit.