CN113580965A

CN113580965A - Mobile charging box, parking lot vehicle charging system and charging method

Info

Publication number: CN113580965A
Application number: CN202010365715.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 孙伟
Original assignee: Volkswagen Automotive Co ltd
Current assignee: Volkswagen Automotive Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-04-30
Filing date: 2020-04-30
Publication date: 2021-11-02

Abstract

A mobile charging box for charging a vehicle, configured to be adapted to be carried on a rail and to be movable on the rail, and configured to be capable of charging the vehicle with electric power supplied from a charging main cable provided in the rail, comprising: a power unit configured to provide a driving force for movement of the mobile charging cartridge; the power supply unit is used for supplying electric power to the power unit; a power output coupled with a power receiving portion of the vehicle; and a control unit configured to control the moving charging box to move to a predetermined charging position along a predetermined moving path and to control the supply of power from the charging main cable to the power output terminal. Parking lot vehicle charging systems and methods of charging a vehicle using a mobile charging box are also disclosed.

Description

Mobile charging box, parking lot vehicle charging system and charging method

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a mobile charging box, a parking lot vehicle charging system, and a charging method for charging a vehicle using the mobile charging box.

Background

What is compatible with the widespread popularization of electric vehicles is a huge development of the charging facility market. At present, the main solution of electric vehicle charging is to install fixed charging pile on the parking stall of the existing parking. The main problems with this solution are: first, the number and positions of the parking spaces for charging are fixed, and it is difficult to optimally configure resources in the case where the number of gasoline vehicles and electric vehicles in the parking lot dynamically changes. Secondly, fixed electric pile that fills in the parking stall is difficult to adapt to the needs of charging of different motorcycle types, causes resource utilization low.

Although there have been proposed concepts of providing "mobile charging piles" or "mobile storage batteries" that can move on rails in order to charge electric vehicles, these concepts do not completely solve the technical problem of how to efficiently charge electric vehicles entering a parking lot.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of at least one of the above-described technical problems, the present disclosure provides a mobile charging box, a parking lot vehicle charging system, and a charging method, which can efficiently charge an electric vehicle entering a parking lot.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a mobile charging box for charging a vehicle, the mobile charging box being configured to be adapted to be carried on a rail and to be movable on the rail, the mobile charging box being configured to be capable of charging the vehicle using power supplied from a charging main cable provided in the rail, wherein the mobile charging box comprises: a power unit configured to provide a driving force for movement of the mobile charging cartridge; a power supply unit associated with a power unit and configured to provide electrical power to the power unit; a power output configured to couple with a power receiving portion of a vehicle; and a control unit configured to control the moving charging box to move to a predetermined charging position along a predetermined moving path and to control supply of power from the charging main cable to the power output terminal.

In one configuration, the mobile charging box further includes a communication unit, the control unit is connected to the communication unit, and the control unit acquires a control signal from outside the mobile charging box via the communication unit and transmits the control signal generated by the control unit to outside the mobile charging box via the communication unit.

In one configuration, the mobile charging box further comprises a positioning unit for determining a position of the mobile charging box, the positioning unit being connected to the communication unit.

In one configuration, the power output includes a retractable charging plug, and the control device is configured to control extension and retraction of the retractable charging plug, wherein the retractable charging plug includes one type of charging plug or the retractable charging plug includes a plurality of types of charging plugs for mating with different types of power receiving portions.

In one configuration, the power output is replaceable.

In one configuration, the power output includes an energy emitting panel configured for wirelessly charging a vehicle.

In one configuration, the control unit further comprises a rectification control module configured to convert alternating current in the charging main cable into direct current.

In one configuration, the mobile charging box includes a measurement unit configured to measure a parameter related to vehicle charging.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a parking lot vehicle charging system comprising: a plurality of the mobile charging cartridges described above; a track disposed above a parking lot floor; and a charging main cable provided in the rail.

In one configuration, the track is disposed at least one of (i) and (ii) below: (i) the upper part of at least three side parts or the upper parts near the at least three side parts in the four side parts of the front side, the rear side, the left side and the right side of each parking space; and (ii) above the center of each stall or above near the center.

In one configuration, the track is arranged in a serpentine winding along the perimeter of each stall at each of the following positions: position (a): the left side and the right side of each parking space are arranged above or near the left side and the right side of each parking space; and position (b): one of the front side and the rear side of each parking space or above the vicinity thereof; wherein for each space the track arranged at said position (b) is connected to the track arranged at said position (a), and for each space the track arranged at said position (b) is on a different side of the space than the track arranged at said position (b) of the adjacent space.

In one embodiment, the rails form a closed circuit, wherein at least one additional connecting rail is provided in the circuit for connecting rails corresponding to non-adjacent vehicle spaces to one another.

In one configuration, the parking lot vehicle charging system further includes a server configured to perform a calculation based on information input to the server to determine a mobile charging box to be moved and send an instruction to the mobile charging box.

In one configuration, the server is configured to be able to communicate with a client for receiving user input.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of charging a vehicle using a mobile charging box, wherein the mobile charging box is configured to be carried on a rail and to be movable on the rail, the method comprising: calculating according to information related to the vehicles to be charged and the current position information of each mobile charging box on the track, determining the mobile charging box to be used and sending a control command to the mobile charging box; moving the mobile charging box to be used to a predetermined charging position along a predetermined moving path according to the control instruction; charging the vehicle with the mobile charging box; the mobile charging box measures measurement information related to charging and sends the measurement information to the outside of the mobile charging box; and stopping charging according to a user instruction.

In one configuration, the information related to the vehicle to be charged includes at least one of vehicle information, a parking space number, a stop position of the mobile charging box in the parking space, a charging manner, and a type of a power receiving part of the vehicle.

In one configuration, the method further comprises: after the mobile charging box is moved to the predetermined charging position, the charging plug of the mobile charging box is moved to an appropriate position that can be coupled with the power receiving portion of the vehicle.

In one configuration, the method further comprises: and calculating charging cost according to the measurement information, and sending the cost information to the user.

In one configuration, determining a mobile charging cartridge to be used includes: a mobile charging box that can be matched is selected for the vehicle according to the type of the power receiving portion of the vehicle.

In one configuration, determining a mobile charging cartridge to be used includes: acquiring the position of each movable charging box on the track; planning a moving path for moving the charging box to a predetermined charging position; the mobile charging box having the optimal moving path is determined as the mobile charging box to be used.

According to the present disclosure, for an electric vehicle entering a parking lot, the mobile charging box can be efficiently moved to a predetermined charging position, and various electric vehicles can be intelligently charged.

Drawings

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a parking lot vehicle charging system according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a wired charging mode of a parking lot vehicle charging system according to the present disclosure;

fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless charging mode of a parking lot vehicle charging system according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a parking lot vehicle charging system according to the present disclosure; and

fig. 5 shows a flow chart of a method of charging a vehicle using a mobile charging box according to the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the disclosure. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, the embodiments described below are intended to provide a more complete disclosure of the present disclosure, and to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. It is also to be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide further additional embodiments.

It is to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the specification have the meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art unless otherwise defined. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

The terms "comprising," "including," and "having," or similar terms, as used in the specification, specify the presence of stated features, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features. The term "and/or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The term "coupled" as used in this specification includes, but is not limited to, being connected in direct contact, being connected by intermediate components (including, but not limited to, cables, wires, etc.), and being coupled by an electromagnetic field.

Any of the methods, procedures, programs, algorithms or code described in this disclosure may be converted or expressed as a programming language or computer program. "programming language" and "computer program" are any language used to designate instructions to a computer, and include (but are not limited to) these languages and their derivatives: assembly language, Basic, batch files, BCPL, C + +, Delphi, Fortran, Java, JavaScript, machine code, operating system command language, Pascal, Perl, PL1, scripting language, Visual Basic, its own meta-language specifying programs, and first, second, third, fourth, and fifth generation computer languages. Also included are databases and other data schemas, as well as any other meta-language.

In the following embodiments, like reference numerals denote like parts. Unless otherwise indicated, terms of the same name may have the same definition, the same components and devices may have the same configuration, and features already described in the foregoing embodiments may be omitted from the following embodiments for the sake of brevity. Each feature in each example and embodiment of the present disclosure may be used alone, or in combination with other features, or applied to any other example and embodiment, alone or in combination with other features, without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 1, the parking lot vehicle charging system according to the present disclosure includes a track 1, a charging main cable 2, a plurality of mobile charging boxes 3, and a server 5.

The parking lot comprises a plurality of parking spaces 4. The parking spaces 4 may be arranged in a plurality of rows, wherein each row comprises a plurality of juxtaposed parking spaces, and the rows have passages for vehicles and pedestrians to pass through. Fig. 1 shows an example of two rows of parking spaces in an exemplary manner. However, the arrangement of the parking spaces is not limited thereto, and the parking lot vehicle charging system of the present disclosure may be applied to the parking spaces in various arrangements, such as, but not limited to, a ring arrangement, a special-shaped arrangement, and the like. The parking lot vehicle charging system of the present disclosure is applicable to an underground parking lot with a ceiling. Of course, the parking lot vehicle charging system of the present disclosure may also be applied to an open parking lot.

In the present disclosure, a longitudinal direction of each space is defined as a direction of the space parallel to a length direction of a vehicle parked in the space, and a lateral direction of each space is defined as a direction of the space parallel to a width direction of the vehicle parked in the space. The front side and the rear side of each parking space can be respectively defined as the two end sides of the parking space in the longitudinal direction of the parking space. For each parking space in the same row, the front side of each parking space may be defined as being located on the same side, and the rear side of each parking space may be defined as being located on the opposite side. More specifically, the "front side" of a slot may be defined as the boundary of the slot that is located on the front side; the "rear side" of a slot may be defined as the boundary of the slot at the rear end side. The left and right sides of a space may be defined as the two end sides of the space in the lateral direction of the space. Here, "left" and "right" may be "left" and "right" when standing facing the front side. More specifically, the "left side" of a slot may be defined as the boundary of the slot on the left end side; the "right side" of a slot may be defined as the boundary of the slot on the right end side. The above definitions of "front side", "rear side", "left side" and "right side" are for convenience of description only and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

The track 1 is configured to carry the mobile charging cartridge 3 such that the mobile charging cartridge 3 can move on the track 1. The track 1 may be arranged above the ground of a parking lot. In particular, the track may be arranged at a distance from the ground above the ground of the parking lot. Wherein the distance is such that the track does not affect the co-ordination of the vehicles and pedestrians. In the case where the parking lot is an underground parking lot, the track 1 may be erected between the parking lot floor and the ceiling of the parking lot. The track 1 may be fixed to the ceiling by suspension posts 8. In an embodiment not shown, the rail 1 can also be laid directly on the ceiling. Depending on the actual situation of the underground parking, the track 1 may also be partly erected between the ground of the parking and the ceiling of the parking and partly laid directly on the ceiling. The arrangement of the track 1 above the ground of the parking lot enables existing parking lots to be easily retrofitted and in use does not affect the passage of vehicles.

The track 1 is also configured to fix a charging main cable 2. The charging main cable 2 may be embedded in the track 1, thereby forming the track 1 as a cable-integrated track. The charging main cable 2 may be connected to a charging main power supply. The charging main cable 2 is configured to supply electric power for charging of the electric vehicle.

The mobile charging box 3 may include wheels 31. In one configuration, as shown in fig. 2 or 3, the track 1 may include a U-shaped slot 7. The left and right sides of the rail may be provided with the U-shaped grooves 7, respectively. The wheels 31 of the mobile charging box 3 can be held in said U-shaped groove 7 and move in said U-shaped groove 7. With this arrangement, the mobile charging box 3 can be moved on the rail by the wheels 31.

As shown in fig. 4, the mobile charging box 3 may include a power supply unit 32, a power unit 34, a communication unit 36, a measurement unit 38, a control unit 35, a positioning unit 37, and a power output 33.

The power unit 34 is configured to provide a driving force for the movement of the mobile charging cartridge. The power unit 34 may include an electric motor. The power of the power unit 34 is output to the wheels 31 to change the moving speed and moving direction thereof. The power unit 34 may also include a braking device. The braking means is used to brake the wheels 31 to stop the movement of the mobile charging box 3.

The power supply unit 32 may be configured to supply power to the mobile charging box 3 itself. The power unit 32 may be configured to supply power to the power unit 34. The power supply unit 32 may also be configured to supply power to the communication unit 36, the measurement unit 38, the control unit 35, the positioning unit 37, and other units of the mobile charging box 3. Due to the provision of the power supply unit 32, the charging main cable 2 may not necessarily be laid in the entire track, but may for example only be laid in a part of the track that is relevant for the charging location, for example above a parking space. In other parts of the track (for example in the connection track 10 shown in fig. 3), the charging main cable may not be laid, and the mobile charging box 3 is moved on the track only by the power supplied from the power supply unit 32. In this way, the cost of cable laying can be reduced. The power supply unit 32 may be a battery.

In one configuration, the cable 2 may be connected to the power supply unit 32 to charge the power supply unit 32. In one configuration, the cable 2 is connected to the power supply unit 32 via the control unit 25. In this way, the control unit 25 can control the charging of the power supply unit 32. In one configuration, the parking lot vehicle charging system may further include a charging station for charging the power supply unit 32 of the mobile charging box 3. The mobile charging box 3 can move to a charging station (for example, the position of three mobile charging boxes in fig. 1) to supplement the power when its own power is insufficient.

The power output 33 may be configured to couple with a power receiving portion of a vehicle (e.g., a vehicle charging port). The power output 33 may include a telescoping charging plug 34 (see fig. 2). The retractable charging plug 34 is for mating with a charging port of a vehicle as a power receiving portion. The retractable charging plug is located inside the mobile charging box 3 when not being charged, and protrudes from inside the mobile charging box 3 and is lowered to the vicinity of the charging port of the vehicle when being charged. The cable of the telescopic charging plug 34 is connected to the main charging cable 2 during charging. The cable of the telescopic charging plug 34 can be disconnected from the charging main cable 2 when not being charged. The length of the telescopic charging plug 34 can be adjusted according to the charging port positions of different vehicle types, so that the telescopic charging plug can better meet the requirements of different vehicle types. The power unit 34 may power the extension and retraction of the retractable charging plug 34.

In one configuration, the power output 33 of each mobile charging box may include a type of charging plug. In this case, a plurality of mobile charging boxes may be provided on the rail so that the mobile charging boxes on the rail have various types of charging plugs for matching with different charging ports. The parking lot vehicle charging system can match the vehicle with an appropriate mobile charging box according to the type of charging port of the entering vehicle.

In an alternative configuration, the power output 33 of each mobile charging box may include multiple types of charging plugs for mating with different charging ports of the vehicle. In this case, the driver or operator of the vehicle may select the appropriate type of charging plug to mate with the charging port of the vehicle when charging.

In one configuration, the power output 33 of the mobile charging box can be replaced. That is, the power output 33 can be detached from the mobile charging box and replaced individually. Like this, under the condition that the mouth that charges of vehicle changed, only need conveniently upgrade the transformation to removing the box that charges through changing power take off.

The communication unit 36 may be a wireless communication device, such as a WiFi signal receiver transmitter or any other wireless communication device capable of wirelessly receiving and transmitting information. The communication unit 36 may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the server 5 and/or other terminals in both directions. The wireless communication device may also be configured to be connected to the control unit of the mobile charging box, for sending information received from outside the mobile charging box to the control unit for use in controlling the mobile charging box 3, and for receiving the control signal generated by the control unit and sending the control signal outside the mobile charging box.

The positioning unit 37 is configured to determine the position of the mobile charging box. The positioning unit 37 may be a GPS module or any other positioning means suitable for determining the position of an object. The positioning unit may be connected to the communication unit to send position data signals to the communication unit 36.

The measurement unit 38 may be configured to measure a parameter related to vehicle charging, which may be at least one of current, voltage, charging time and energy or other parameters. The measurement unit 38 may be connected to the communication unit 36 for transmitting measurement data signals to the communication unit 36. The measuring unit 38 may be, for example, an electric energy meter.

The control unit 35 may comprise any type of computing device, computing circuitry, or any type of processing device or processing circuitry capable of executing a series of instructions stored in a memory device. The control unit may include multiple processing devices and/or a multi-core Central Processing Unit (CPU) and may include any type of processing device, such as a microprocessor, digital signal processor, microcontroller, or the like. The control unit 35 may include a plurality of control modules for performing different functions, respectively, or the control unit 35 may include a control module integrated with a plurality of functions.

The control unit 35 may be configured to control the supply of electric power from the charging main cable 2 to the electric power output 33. To this end, the control unit 35 is electrically connected to the charging main cable 2 to receive alternating current from the charging main cable 2. The alternating current is processed by the control unit 35, measured by the measuring unit 38 and sent to the power output 33. The control unit 35 can control the on/off of the vehicle charging current, the charging time, the current magnitude and the like to meet different requirements of fast charging, slow charging and the like.

The control unit 35 may also be configured for conversion of alternating current to direct current when required. To this end, the control unit 35 may further include a rectification control module configured to convert the alternating current in the charging main cable into direct current and output the direct current to the power output terminal 33. In this case, the dc power output by the rectification control module may enter the measurement unit 38 via the shunt 39. In this way, the mobile charging box 3 can output alternating current or direct current as needed.

The control unit 35 may also be configured to control a moving path of the moving charging cartridge 3. The control unit 35 may also be configured to control the position of the power output 33 relative to the vehicle after the mobile charging box has been moved to the predetermined charging position. The control unit 35 may be configured to be connected with the power unit 34 via a transformer 40. The control unit 35 controls the movement and stop of the mobile charging cartridge through a predetermined movement path by controlling the power unit 34. The control unit 35 may also control the position of the power output 33 by controlling the power unit 34, for example controlling the extension and retraction of the telescopic charging plug 34.

The server 5 is configured to uniformly manage the movement and charging of all the mobile charging boxes 3. The server 5 may be configured to exchange information with the communication unit 36 of the mobile charging box 3. The server 5 may also be configured to exchange information with the client 6. The client 6 is a device that receives user (e.g., owner) input. The client 6 may be, for example, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a vehicle-mounted input terminal, or a similar electronic device. The server 5 may be configured to receive information from the client 6 relating to the vehicle to be charged. The information related to the vehicle to be charged includes at least one of vehicle information, a parking space number, a stop position of the mobile charging box in the parking space, a charging manner (e.g., wired or wireless charging, fast or slow charging, direct or alternating current charging, etc.), and a type of a power receiving part of the vehicle, or other information. The server 5 may also be configured to receive information of the current position of each mobile charging box 3 from the communication unit 36 of each mobile charging box 3. The server 5 may be configured to perform calculation based on the information about the vehicle to be charged and the information of the current position of each of the mobile charging boxes 3 to determine the best matching one of the mobile charging boxes on the track as the mobile charging box to be used. In particular, the server 5 may be configured to: determining a mobile charging box which can be matched with the vehicle in the mobile charging boxes on the track according to information such as the type of a power receiving part of the vehicle; acquiring the positions of the mobile charging boxes on the track; planning a moving path of the mobile charging boxes to a predetermined charging position; determining a mobile charging box having an optimal moving path as a mobile charging box to be used; and transmitting a control instruction for moving the mobile charging box to be used to a predetermined charging position along a predetermined moving path to the mobile charging box to be used. The server 5 may also be configured to plan by calculation the optimal distribution of the individual mobile charging boxes 3 on the track. This may enable the mobile charging box to reach the target parking space in the shortest time. In addition, the server 5 may also be configured to receive measurement information related to charging transmitted by the communication unit 36 of the mobile charging box 3 and forward the measurement information to the client 6. The server 5 may also be configured to calculate the charge amount of the charged vehicle and charge information related thereto from the measurement information.

Preferably, the mobile charging box 3 may be configured to be detachable from the rail, so that the old mobile charging box can be replaced with a new one.

The arrangement of the track 1 is described in detail below with reference to fig. 1. The track of the present disclosure may be arranged above or near at least three of the four sides of the front, rear, left and right sides of each stall 4. In this way, for various vehicles of different models, no matter the charging port is arranged at the front, the rear or the side of the vehicle, when the vehicle is parked in a parking space, the mobile charging box 3 can be conveniently and accurately moved to the position where the charging port is located along the rail, so that the vehicles of different models can be conveniently charged.

In one embodiment, track 1 may be arranged in a serpentine winding along the perimeter of each slot as shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, the track 1 is arranged at each of the following positions: position (a): the left side and the right side of each parking space are arranged above or near the left side and the right side of each parking space; and position (b): one of the front and rear sides of each space is above or near one of the front and rear sides. Wherein, for each space, the track arranged at the above-mentioned position (b) (the arc-shaped track above the front side or the rear side of the space shown in the figure) is connected with the track arranged at the above-mentioned position (a) (the straight-line track above the left side and the right side of the space shown in the figure), and for each space, the track arranged at the above-mentioned position (b) and the track arranged at the above-mentioned position (b) of the adjacent space are on different sides of the space. The advantage of this arrangement is that the track 1 can be used to connect as many circumferential sections of the respective parking space in series as possible.

In one embodiment, the track 1 forms a closed loop, as shown in fig. 1. In this way, the mobile charging box 3 can be moved to each slot in the loop. Further, at least one additional connecting track 10 is arranged between the tracks corresponding to some non-adjacent parking spaces. In this way, the rear mobile charging box 3 can conveniently reach a non-adjacent parking space through the connecting rail 10 without being obstructed by the front mobile charging box 3.

The wired charging method using the retractable charging gun 34 is described above, but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the parking lot vehicle charging system of the present disclosure may be used for wireless charging of a vehicle, as shown in fig. 3. In this case, the track 1 can be arranged above the center of each parking space or above it in the vicinity of the center, in addition to or instead of the track arrangement shown in fig. 1. In this case, the wheels 31 of the mobile charging box may be located at an upper portion of the box body of the mobile charging box. That is, the mobile charging box hangs upside down in the U-shaped groove 7 of the rail 1. In this case, the power output 33 may include an energy emitting plate 34'. The energy emitting plate 34' is disposed on the opposite side of the mobile charging box 3 from the roof of the vehicle. The energy transmitting plate 34' is configured to convert electrical energy into an alternating electromagnetic field and transmit directionally to wirelessly charge the vehicle.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the parking lot vehicle charging system of the present disclosure may be equipped with both a retractable charging plug 34 and an energy emitting panel 34' to combine the two modes of wireless charging with a wired charging box.

A charging method of the parking lot vehicle charging system according to the present disclosure is explained below with reference to fig. 5. The working process can be divided into a mobile charging box matching mobile phase, a charging phase and a charging end phase.

In the mobile charging box matching mobile phase, first, the driver or operator of the vehicle triggers a charging demand through the network, inputs the aforementioned information related to the charging of the vehicle through the client 6, and sends the information to the server 5. Then, the server 5 receives the information related to the vehicle charging, and performs calculation based on the information related to the vehicle to be charged and the current position information of each mobile charging box on the track, determines the best matching mobile charging box, and transmits a control instruction to the mobile charging box. Next, the movable charging box 3 receives the control command, moves to a predetermined charging position according to the control command along a predetermined path, and then moves the power output terminal 33 to a position suitable for charging, such as lowering the retractable charging plug and connecting the charging plug cable to the charging main cable, or connecting the electrical connection between the energy transmitting plate and the charging main cable.

In the charging phase, the driver or operator of the vehicle couples the power output 33 with the charging port of the vehicle or automatically couples the power output 33 with the charging port of the vehicle, initiating the charging service. And meanwhile, the charging parameter measuring device in the mobile charging box starts to measure the measurement information related to charging and sends the measurement information to the server in real time. And the server forwards the received measurement information related to charging to the client.

In the charge end phase, the driver or operator of the vehicle stops charging. For example, the driver or operator of the vehicle may disconnect the power output 33 from the charging port of the vehicle, thereby causing the mobile charging box to disconnect the charging plug cable from the charging main cable or disconnect the energy transmitting panel from the charging main cable. And the server receives the charging stopping signal, summarizes the data collected in the charging process, calculates the service price, sends the cost information to the client and sends a command of withdrawing the power output end to the mobile charging box. The mobile charging box retracts the power output (e.g., retracts the retractable charging plug into the charging box) and stands by in situ. The driver or operator of the vehicle pays to complete the charging service.

The parking lot vehicle charging system according to the present disclosure may be applicable to charging of various electric vehicles, including but not limited to: electric automobiles, electric bicycles, electric tricycles, electric motorcycles, electric vehicles, and the like.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described above for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details of the present invention may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A mobile charging box for charging a vehicle, the mobile charging box being configured to be adapted to be carried on a rail and to be movable on the rail, the mobile charging box being configured to be able to charge a vehicle using electric power supplied from a charging main cable provided in the rail, the mobile charging box comprising:

a power unit configured to provide a driving force for movement of the mobile charging cartridge;

a power supply unit associated with a power unit and configured to provide electrical power to the power unit;

a power output configured to couple with a power receiving portion of a vehicle; and

a control unit configured to control the moving charging box to move to a predetermined charging position along a predetermined moving path and to control supply of power from the charging main cable to the power output terminal.

2. The mobile charging box according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit, wherein the control unit is connected to the communication unit, and wherein the control unit acquires a control signal from outside the mobile charging box via the communication unit and transmits the control signal generated by the control unit to outside the mobile charging box via the communication unit.

3. The mobile charging box according to claim 2, further comprising a positioning unit for determining a position of the mobile charging box, the positioning unit being connected to the communication unit.

4. The mobile charging box of claim 1, wherein the power output comprises a retractable charging plug, and the control device is configured to control the extension and retraction of the retractable charging plug, wherein the retractable charging plug comprises one type of charging plug or the retractable charging plug comprises a plurality of types of charging plugs for mating with different types of power receiving parts.

5. The mobile charging box of claim 1, wherein the power output is replaceable.

6. The mobile charging box of claim 1, wherein the power output comprises an energy emitting panel configured for wirelessly charging a vehicle.

7. The mobile charging box according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit further comprises a rectification control module configured to convert alternating current in a charging main cable into direct current.

8. The mobile charging box according to any one of claims 1-6, comprising a measurement unit configured to measure a parameter related to vehicle charging.

9. A parking lot vehicle charging system, comprising:

a plurality of mobile charging cartridges according to any one of claims 1-8;

a track disposed above a parking lot floor; and

a charging main cable disposed in the track.

10. The parking lot vehicle charging system of claim 9, wherein the track is arranged at least one of the following (i) and (ii):

(i) the upper part of at least three side parts or the upper parts near the at least three side parts in the four side parts of the front side, the rear side, the left side and the right side of each parking space; and

(ii) above the center of each stall or above the vicinity of the center.

11. The parking lot vehicle charging system of claim 10, wherein the track is arranged in a serpentine winding along a perimeter of each parking spot at each of:

position (a): the left side and the right side of each parking space are arranged above or near the left side and the right side of each parking space; and

position (b): one of the front side and the rear side of each parking space or above the vicinity thereof;

wherein for each space the track arranged at said position (b) is connected to the track arranged at said position (a), and for each space the track arranged at said position (b) is on a different side of the space than the track arranged at said position (b) of the adjacent space.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the tracks form a closed loop, and wherein at least one additional connecting track is provided within the loop for connecting tracks corresponding to certain non-adjacent parking spaces to each other.

13. The parking lot vehicle charging system according to any one of claims 9 to 12, further comprising a server configured to perform calculation to determine a mobile charging box to be moved and send an instruction to the mobile charging box according to information input to the server.

14. The parking lot vehicle charging system of claim 13, wherein the server is configured to be communicable with a client for receiving user input.

15. A method of charging a vehicle using a mobile charging box, wherein the mobile charging box is configured to be carried on a track and movable thereon, the method comprising:

calculating according to information related to the vehicles to be charged and the current position information of each mobile charging box on the track, determining the mobile charging box to be used and sending a control command to the mobile charging box;

moving the mobile charging box to be used to a predetermined charging position along a predetermined moving path according to the control instruction;

charging the vehicle with the mobile charging box;

the mobile charging box measures measurement information related to charging and sends the measurement information to the outside of the mobile charging box; and

and stopping charging according to a user instruction.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the information relating to the vehicle to be charged includes at least one of vehicle information, a parking space number, a stop position of the mobile charging box at the parking space, a charging manner, and a type of a power receiving part of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: after the mobile charging box is moved to the predetermined charging position, the charging plug of the mobile charging box is moved to an appropriate position that can be coupled with the power receiving portion of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising: and calculating charging cost according to the measurement information, and sending the cost information to the user.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein determining a mobile charging box to be used comprises: a mobile charging box that can be matched is selected for the vehicle according to the type of the power receiving portion of the vehicle.

20. The method of any one of claims 15-19, wherein determining a mobile charging box to be used comprises: acquiring the position of each movable charging box on the track; planning a moving path for moving the charging box to a predetermined charging position; the mobile charging box having the optimal moving path is determined as the mobile charging box to be used.