Electric vehicle charging system interface

• US 11,104,246 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2016
• Issued: 08/31/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyber Switching Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cyber Switching Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Reynolds, Charles H., Silorio, Ronald L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Isla, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bui, Dung V
• Application Number:
  US15/222,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20170158071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• 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: 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 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 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

An electric vehicle (EV) charging system includes a number of output connections (e.g., cables). Each of the output connections is connected to at least one head, and each head can be connected concurrently to an EV. A charging current is directed to a first one of the output connections if a first EV is connected to a head connected to the first one of the output connections. Then, the charging current to the first one of the output connections can be stopped, switched to a second one of the output connections, and restarted if a second EV is connected to a head connected to the second one of the output connections. A graphical user interface (GUI) is rendered on the display of a computer system. The GUI includes elements that indicate which output connection of the charging station is receiving a charging current.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring and managing a network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, the system comprising:

a processor;

a controller coupled to the processor, the controller comprising a central processing unit (CPU) and implemented on a single printed circuit board, the controller also comprising a first memory on the single printed circuit board and coupled to the CPU, the printed circuit board having a lower voltage side that powers the central processing unit, the printed circuit board also having a higher voltage side that receives an alternating current (AC) charging current delivered over a dedicated circuit from an AC power supply, wherein the CPU receives power from a lower voltage power supply that is separate from the AC power supply and that is not powered by the AC power supply, and wherein a voltage from the lower voltage power supply is less than a voltage from the AC power supply;

a second memory coupled to the processor; and

a display coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is operable for executing instructions that, when executed, render a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display, the GUI comprising;

a plurality of GUI elements representing an EV charging station in the network of EV charging stations, wherein the EV charging station comprises a plurality of output connections and wherein each of the output connections is couplable to at least one head of a plurality of heads that are connectable to EVs, wherein the output connections are numbered in sequence from one to N, where N is an integer, and wherein further the AC charging current from the higher voltage side of the printed circuit board is provided to only one of the output connections at a time per EV charging station in accordance with a charging procedure, wherein the charging procedure comprises directing the AC charging current to the plurality of output connections in a round-robin fashion, one at a time, when multiple EVs are concurrently connected to the plurality of output connections, wherein the round-robin fashion comprises directing the AC charging current to the output connections one at a time in the sequence from one to N then back to one, wherein the AC charging current is directed to a first output connection of the plurality of output connections until a programmed length of a first interval of time expires, and wherein further the AC charging current is then stopped, restarted, and directed to a second output connection of the plurality of output connections until a programmed length of a second interval of time expires;

wherein the GUI elements visually indicate which output connection of the EV charging station is receiving the AC charging current; and

wherein the processor is further operable for executing instructions that, when executed, turn on and turn off a component of the network of EV charging stations responsive to user interaction with the GUI, wherein the component is selected from the group consisting of;

a selected head of the plurality of heads, a selected output connection of the plurality of output connections, and a selected EV charging station in the network of EV charging stations.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the GUI further comprises a graph that indicates amperage versus time for an AC charging current for the selected output connection of the plurality of output connections.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the GUI further comprises a log of amperages of AC charging currents for each output connection of the plurality of output connections.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the GUI further comprises a map showing locations of the EV charging stations in the network of EV charging stations.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the GUI elements representing the EV charging station are displayed in response to user selection of one of the locations in the map.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the GUI further comprises a visual indicator that is operable to indicate there is a fault associated with an output connection of the plurality of output connections.

7. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a controller coupled to the processor, the controller comprising a central processing unit (CPU) and implemented on a single printed circuit board, the controller also comprising a first memory on the single printed circuit board and coupled to the CPU, the printed circuit board having a lower voltage side that powers the central processing unit, the printed circuit board also having a higher voltage side that receives an alternating current (AC) charging current delivered over a dedicated circuit from an AC power supply, wherein the CPU receives power from the lower voltage side from a lower voltage power supply that is separate from the AC power supply and that is not powered by the AC power supply, and wherein a voltage from the lower voltage power supply is less than a voltage from the AC power supply from the higher voltage side;

a second memory coupled to the processor; and

a display coupled to the processor, wherein the second memory stores instructions that when executed cause the processor to perform a method of monitoring and managing a network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, the method comprising;

receiving information from the network of EV charging stations, wherein each of the EV charging stations comprises a plurality of output connections, wherein the output connections are numbered in sequence from one to N, where N is an integer, and wherein each of the output connections is couplable to at least one head of a plurality of heads that are concurrently connectable to EVs, wherein further the AC charging current from the higher voltage side of the printed circuit board is provided to only one of the output connections at a time per EV charging station in accordance with a charging procedure, wherein the charging procedure comprises directing the AC charging current to the plurality of output connections in a round-robin fashion, one at a time, when multiple EVs are concurrently connected to the plurality of output connections, wherein the round-robin fashion comprises directing the AC charging current to the output connections one at a time in the sequence from one to N then back to one, wherein the AC charging current is directed to a first output connection of the plurality of output connections until a programmed length of a first interval of time expires, and wherein further the AC charging current is then stopped, restarted, and directed to a second output connection of the plurality of output connections until a programmed length of a second interval of time expires;

generating a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising a respective GUI element for each of the EV charging stations in the network of EV charging stations;

receiving a selection of a GUI element for a selected EV charging station;

based on the information received from the network of EV charging stations, displaying information indicating which output connection of the selected EV charging station is receiving the AC charging current; and

turning on and turning off a component of the network of EV charging stations in response to input commands, wherein the component is selected from the group consisting of;

a selected head of the plurality of heads, a selected output connection of the plurality of output connections, and a selected EV charging station in the network of EV charging stations.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the GUI further comprises a graph based on the information received from the network of EV charging stations, wherein the graph visually indicates amperage versus time for an AC charging current for the selected output connection of the plurality of output connections.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the GUI further comprises a log based on the information received from the network of EV charging stations, wherein the log lists amperages of AC charging currents for each output connection of the plurality of output connections.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the GUI comprises a map showing locations of the EV charging stations in the network of EV charging stations.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises displaying an indicator operable to visually indicate there is a fault with an output connection of the plurality of output connections, based on the information received from the network of EV charging stations.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising a communication interface coupled to the processor, wherein the method further comprises sending, to another device, information that indicates which of the EV charging stations is available to charge an EV.