DE102019215246A1 - Method for determining an availability of a charging place for an electric vehicle and device for determining an availability of a charging place for an electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention creates a method for determining an availability of a charging point for an electric vehicle, comprising receiving (S1) operating data from at least one or more charging points (1); a determination (S2) of a current occupancy and / or a probability of future occupancy of the at least one loading space (1) based on the operating data; and outputting (S3) a statement about the current and / or future occupancy of the at least one charging point (1) to a user of the electric vehicle.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for determining an availability of a charging place for an electric vehicle and a device for determining an availability of a charging place for an electric vehicle.

State of the art

Current charging systems for electric vehicles use auxiliary and search systems for charging points. In Internet services, for example for mobile phones, the locations of charging stations and their occupancy can be queried and displayed, whereby this information is mostly limited to the current occupancy. An exemplary system is Tesla's in-vehicle system for displaying the availability of charging locations. In the known systems, however, it would be desirable to have an additional function for estimating the charging capacity that will be available in the future, as well as an indication of the time from when a charging option will be available and for which vehicle it would be useful.

In the EP 3 487 032 A1 a method and a charging station for charging several electric vehicles are described, with a charging controller charging the electric vehicles connected at the same time individually.

Disclosure of the invention

The present invention provides a method for determining an availability of a charging place for an electric vehicle according to claim 1 and a device for determining an availability of a charging place for an electric vehicle according to claim 9.
Preferred further developments are the subject of the subclaims.

Advantages of the invention

The idea on which the present invention is based is to provide an improved device and method for the allocation of suitable charging locations to electric vehicles and vice versa. Such a device and such a method can improve the utilization of loading spaces and shorten the idle times of the loading space. Furthermore, the allocation of a loading space that is suitable for the vehicle and has a corresponding loading capacity can be improved. The ability to predict the charging space that is likely to be available in the future can also be improved.

According to the invention, in the method for determining an availability of a charging point for an electric vehicle, operating data is received from at least one or more charging points; determining a current occupancy and / or a probability of future occupancy of the at least one loading space based on the operating data; and outputting a statement about the current occupancy and / or about the determined probability of future occupancy of the at least one charging point to a user of the electric vehicle.

The availability statement can simplify the selection of a suitable charging station for end users. For example, a charging station that will shortly become available and its type can be recognized and specified, or at least a statement can be made about the level of probability of such or precisely this charging point becoming free in a relevant period of time. In this way, the use of charging points with regard to the allocation of vehicles can be made more efficient and the utilization and flexibility of the charging network can be improved. In this sense, several and different charging processes, taking place simultaneously and / or one after the other, can be coordinated and the idle times per charging point (charging point) can advantageously be shortened.

Depending on the available initial data, a predication (prediction of the availability of the at least one charging place over time) can be made in various degrees of quality.

This means that a statement can be made for each charging point and for each user at any time as to when it will be available for this or the next user and which charging options (capacity, duration, connections) are available there. Depending on the type of vehicle, the loading area, knowledge of these or other conditions, a statement can be calculated in different ways. A generic approach can be used to generate a statement using publicly accessible data, for example from a cloud or a server.

The operating data can be a plug standard for the charging station or a possible charging capacity, a charging type (AC or DC), an achievable charging voltage, a number of charged vehicles in certain parts of the day, as well as their type or the like.

The occupancy can be determined, for example, from statistical data sets, for example from information about the usual or average number of vehicles in certain vehicles Charging places, their type, the charging time and the charging time as well as the charging capacity requested and delivered.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method, a statistical statement about the current and / or future occupancy based on what has previously been made at the at least one charging place is made for ignorance about a vehicle type that is currently charging at a charging point and / or for which charging is intended Charging processes and / or registered vehicle types.

If no information about the vehicle type and / or the requested or withdrawn amount of charge (amount of electricity) can be determined or is not available, there is a lack of knowledge. In order to make a statistical statement, already known charging processes at a certain charging point over a certain past period can be used, for example information about the duration, the vehicle type, the amount of electricity, the type of charging or the like. In addition to the specific period of time, for example the past 1 to 10 days, charging behavior at the respective charging point at specific times of the day can also be taken into account. From this, a statistical charging request can be determined for a respective charging point, for example if such information is called up in a control element (locally in the charging station or in a cloud, server, control device). It is also possible to specify the probability with which in which future period a particular vehicle type will request charging and for which charging capacity this request can fail with what probability.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method, the vehicle type is recognized by a user and / or by the vehicle and / or by the charging station or is transmitted to a control device and stored as a charging behavior.

In the case of an inquiry for an available charging point or a connection for charging to this charging point, the vehicle type can advantageously also be transmitted, preferably to a local or central control device.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method, a request for a charging point is made by a user via an access system.

The access system can be an application, for example for a computer and / or a mobile phone. The access system can also include a registration and payment system.

The method can advantageously determine how long an anticipated waiting time for a waiting electric vehicle can still be when all charging stations are occupied. Therefore, a customer of the access system can also select and / or reserve a charging place that is as close as possible to the electric vehicle but is currently still occupied.

A targeted and meaningful coordination of the request and allocation of charging places can increase comfort for the user and make charging and using electric vehicles easier and more attractive for the user. In this way, the attractiveness of using electric vehicles can generally be increased, for example the so-called range anxiety can be reduced.

For the charging station operator, an improved utilization of the charging network can be achieved.

The access system can furthermore comprise a navigation device or be connected to such a device. In conjunction with the navigation device, the availability of a charging station can be displayed. Depending on the occupancy, a route of the electric vehicle can be adapted and / or a slot (charging socket) can be reserved at the charging station, for example at a charging station.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method, the request and / or the operating data include a specific vehicle model and / or a battery size of a vehicle to be charged and / or a charge status of a vehicle and / or a duration of a charging process that has already taken place or has been completed.

By transmitting more comprehensive information about the desired or completed charging behavior and about the vehicle itself, statistics about the charging behavior and / or current occupancy and their duration can be better created and / or estimated.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method, the statement about the current and / or future occupancy is generated by means of a neural network, an actual state of the at least one charging point being queried continuously or at specific times and the operating data of the charging point being determined therefrom.

The neural network can be advantageously trained by the transmitted and / or ascertained information from the charging behavior and via the charging vehicle at one or more charging stations.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method, a specific vehicle type and / or a specific scope of a charging request is assigned a suitable and, according to a request, corresponding charging place from a plurality of charging places.

A targeted allocation can improve the capacity utilization of the charging stations and shorten the waiting times for the user, as well as advantageously directing and shortening routes in a targeted manner.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method, a point in time for the availability of a suitable charging point is displayed.

A direct indication, for example on a display or acoustically (for example on a mobile phone), can improve the flow of information to the user and facilitate the search.

According to the invention, the device for determining the availability of a charging point for an electric vehicle comprises a control device which is set up to receive operating data from at least one or more charging points and based on these to determine a current and / or future occupancy of the at least one charging point and a statement to output to a user of the electric vehicle about the current and / or future occupancy of the at least one charging point.

According to a preferred embodiment of the device, the control device can be connected to an access system for a user.

The method can also be distinguished by the features mentioned in connection with the device and vice versa.

Further features and advantages of embodiments of the invention emerge from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure list

The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiment indicated in the schematic figures of the drawing.

• 1 eine schematische Darstellung einer Vorrichtung zum Bestimmen einer Verfügbarkeit eines Ladeplatzes für ein Elektrofahrzeug gemäß einem Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Erfindung an welcher ein Verfahren nach einem Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Erfindung erfolgt;
• 2 eine schematische Darstellung einer Verfahrensabfolge gemäß einem weiteren Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Erfindung;
• 3 eine Darstellung einer Vorrichtung zum Bestimmen einer Verfügbarkeit eines Ladeplatzes für ein Elektrofahrzeug gemäß einem weiteren Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Erfindung; und
• 4 eine Darstellung einer Kommunikation zwischen einem Endanwender und einer Steuereinrichtung in einer Vorrichtung gemäß einem Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Erfindung.

Show it:

• 1 a schematic representation of a device for determining an availability of a charging station for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, on which a method according to an embodiment of the present invention is carried out;
• 2 a schematic representation of a process sequence according to a further embodiment of the present invention;
• 3 a representation of a device for determining an availability of a charging place for an electric vehicle according to a further embodiment of the present invention; and
• 4th a representation of a communication between an end user and a control device in a device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figures, identical reference symbols denote identical or functionally identical elements.

1 shows a schematic representation of a device for determining an availability of a charging station for an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, on which a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is carried out.

After 1 takes place in the device 10 to determine an availability of a loading space 1 for an electric vehicle, a receiving S1 of operating data from several charging points 1 which can include any type of DC or AC charging station. Furthermore, a determination takes place S2 a current occupancy and / or a probability of future occupancy of the respective loading spaces 1 based on the operating data, wherein a control device SE the operating data from the loading stations 1 receives. Information about the operating data of the vehicles and / or charging points can be collected, for example worldwide, such as their location, the respective charging time of each charging process, a rest period between the charging times at a charging point, the time of day of charging and more. The control device SE can forward the operating data to a database DB which can consist of several servers or on which several control devices Be (Server) can access and output on request S3 a statement about the current occupancy and / or about the ascertained probability of future occupancy of the respective loading space requested or suitable for the loading request 1 to a user of the electric vehicle. A neural network can be trained with the database. The control devices Be can make a statement about a future occupancy of the respective loading space. The control devices Be can even function as access points (APIs) or be connected to such, whereby a request for a Loading place can be provided by the user and statements about the operating data (current and / or future) can be made to the user.

In one case after the 1 Both the type of vehicle that would like to charge at the loading area and / or the type of vehicle that is currently charging at the loading area may be unknown. In this case, a statistical statement can be made based on previous charging behavior and vehicle types as well as the requested charging capacities. A neural network can be trained with the data about the charging processes carried out in the past. This can then output a prediction of when an arbitrary charging place will be available or with what probability the arbitrary charging place will be available at what time.

In order to collect the relevant data of the charging processes, charging stations and / or APIs, which can display information about current availability, can be queried continuously, for example by a control device of a device according to the invention connected to them. Such information can be obtained in advance of the operation of the device according to the invention and the method for determining availability in order to initially train the neural network. When a sufficiently large database has been built up, the service (the determination process) can be started for an end customer.

During ongoing operation of the determination of the availability of the loading area, the external APIs (accesses, servers, loading areas) can still be queried in order to improve the quality of the information and to be able to display or at least determine any technical changes to the loading areas and take them into account in the information. In this sense, for example, a charging speed could be increased at a charging station by replacing a charging station with a faster model.

After the APIs have been called up regularly, it is possible that the charging time of an individual charging process can be determined and saved as a data record and, for example, used for statistical information, for example to be able to train a neural network.

After the APIs have been called up regularly, it is possible that the charging time of an individual charging process can be determined and saved as a data record and, for example, used for statistical information, for example to be able to train a neural network.

2 shows a schematic representation of a method sequence according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The 2 shows a sequence of process steps S1 , S2 and S3 with a routine for determining operational data.

After a start 0 of the process flow can receive S1 of operating data from at least one or more charging points 1 from an API, for example. In the next step it can be determined whether the loading space is occupied (B) or free (F). If the loading space is free (F), the control device can SE which can query this operating data for a certain period of time T wait and then receive again S1 from operating data from the same charging point and start the loop again. If before the loading area 1 was occupied (B), the control device can begin to measure the charging time t. After a certain amount of time T can receive again S1 take place from operating data of the same charging point and it can again be determined whether the charging point is occupied (B) or free (F). Is now the loading area 1 can still be occupied for a certain period of time T waited and then received again S1 take place from operating data of the same charging point and it can again be determined whether the charging point is occupied (B) or free (F). When the loading bay 1 is free (F), the measurement of the charging time can be stopped and the charging time dT to be determined. This loading time can then be used as a further consequence dT are stored and made available to a neural network for training. The steps S2 and S3 take place, with a determination S2 a current occupancy and / or a likelihood of future occupancy of the at least one loading space takes place based on the operating data; and spending S3 a statement about the current occupancy and / or about the determined probability of the future occupancy of the at least one charging place to a user of the electric vehicle. For this purpose, information I about the loading location, which may be necessary for the corresponding statement, can be determined and advantageously stored in a database.

After that, the loop can start again and after a certain time T can receive again S1 from operating data from the same charging point

3 shows an illustration of a device for determining an availability of a charging place for an electric vehicle according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The device 10 for determining an availability of a charging space for a Electric vehicle includes a control device SE , which is set up to receive operating data from at least one or more charging points 1 to receive and based on this a current and / or future occupancy of the at least one loading space 1 to determine and a statement about the current and / or future occupancy of the at least one loading space 1 to output to a user of the electric vehicle. The control device SE can be connected to an access system for a user, for example a mobile phone M. . Here, a user can use the mobile phone M. a loading bay 1 request. After allocation and loading at the loading point, a payment service can be carried out, for example, via a suitable application via the access system and before or after the loading process via the control device SE , which may include a server, can be started and stopped accordingly. The vehicle to be charged EF can after allocation at the loading area 1 getting charged. If a booking of the charging point is started via the application, then the operating data and subsequently these as training data for a neural network can advantageously be determined directly from this application, with a request itself and / or the operating data then currently determined being the basis for training and Additional information for which a database can represent. The charging time can be determined as well as, for example, the specific vehicle model, a battery size, a state of charge of the battery (SoC) at the beginning and / or end of the charging process, a charging rate, a charging rate change, a charging time and length of stay at the charging point without active charging. This makes it possible to obtain more precise data for training the neural network, which can lead to a more precise prediction of the occupancy of suitable charging locations. The operating data determined can then be sent by the control device SE to the database DB and to the associated control devices Be be transmitted. The control devices Be can be used to determine and provide the statements requested by the user. To do this, the user can only enter the system data of the vehicle to be charged EF indicate, for example, the size of the battery. A statement for a respective charging point, for example a specific charging point selected by the user but still occupied, can then be made based on the current charging rate or a gradient of the charging rate of the vehicle currently charging there and its battery size. The access system can also communicate directly with the control devices Be communicate and make the charge request there.

Investigating S2 a current occupancy and / or a probability of future occupancy of the at least one loading space 1 can on the control device SE and / or at the control devices Be respectively.

Spending S3 a statement about the current occupancy and / or about the determined probability of the future occupancy of the at least one loading space 1 to a user of the electric vehicle can also be done on the control device SE and / or at the control devices Be respectively.

Access to a loading point to determine the operating data can take place directly on the loading point or publicly via an access point, for example a server of a service requester (its control device Be ). Direct access to a charging station to inquire about the charging project can generate a larger amount of data than public access via an access point (API). Here, for example, a state of charge (SoC) can be determined, a charge rate, a change in charge rate, a duration of the charging process and a dwell time without active charge. This information can improve the quality of the prediction after training a neural network.

4th shows an illustration of a communication between an end user and a control device in a device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Between a user as the end user and a control device Be , which on a database DB can access in order to make a statement about the availability of a requested charging place, a communication according to the inventive method steps S1 , S2 and S3 respectively.

After a request for a charging station by a computer C. , a mobile phone M. , a server SE , or a vehicle EF , can by a control device trained for example with a neural network Be or a server predicts the availability, or a probability, of one or more charging points, when a charging process that is currently taking place will be terminated at these and the respective charging point will be released again. The device can advantageously be connected or integrated with a navigation system for the exchange of information. A charging place can be reserved with an application from a point in time when it becomes free. For example, an electric vehicle's route can be adapted to an availability forecast for charging stations. A navigation device can display information about each charging station in the area for the moment and for the future.

As publicly accessible access points, such as additional servers (control units Be and / or APIs) can also be called Internet map services, such as their servers, which can retrieve the information about the charging stations and offer the statement as public information, with this being directed to the service provider and his control device (server SE ) can access and transmit and / or retrieve information for the service according to the invention.

Although the present invention has been fully described above on the basis of the preferred exemplary embodiment, it is not restricted thereto, but rather can be modified in many different ways.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent literature cited

• EP 3487032 A1 [0003]

Claims (10)

Method for determining an availability of a charging point for an electric vehicle (EV) comprise the steps: - Receiving (S1) of operating data from at least one or more charging stations (1); - Determination (S2) of a current occupancy and / or a probability of future occupancy of the at least one loading space (1) based on the operating data; and - Outputting (S3) a statement about the current occupancy and / or about the ascertained probability of future occupancy of the at least one charging point (1) to a user of the electric vehicle. Procedure according to Claim 1 , in which for ignorance about a vehicle type that is currently charging at a loading area (1) and / or for which charging is intended, a statistical statement about the current and / or future occupancy based on the at least one loading area (1 ) charging processes that have taken place and / or registered vehicle types. Procedure according to Claim 1 , in which the vehicle type is recognized by a user and / or by the vehicle and / or by the charging station (1) or a control device (SE) is transmitted and stored as a charging behavior. Method according to one of the Claims 1 to 3 , in which a request for a charging point (1) is made by a user via an access system. Procedure according to Claim 4 , in which the request and / or the operating data include a specific vehicle model and / or a battery size of a vehicle to be charged and / or a state of charge of a vehicle and / or a duration of a charging process that has already taken place or has been completed. Method according to one of the preceding Claims 1 to 5 , in which the statement about the current and / or future occupancy is generated by means of a neural network, an actual state of the at least one charging point (1) being queried continuously or at certain times and the operating data of the charging point (1) being determined therefrom. Method according to one of the Claims 1 to 6th , in which a certain type of vehicle and / or a certain scope of a loading request is assigned a suitable loading location (1) from a plurality of loading locations (1) corresponding to a request. Method according to one of the Claims 1 to 7th , at which a point in time for the availability of a suitable charging point (1) is displayed. Device (10) for determining an availability of a charging place for an electric vehicle comprising - A control device (SE), which is set up to receive operating data from at least one or more loading bays (1) and based on this to determine a current and / or future occupancy of the at least one loading berth (1) and a statement about the current one and / or to output future occupancy of the at least one charging point (1) to a user of the electric vehicle. Device (10) according to Claim 1 , in which the control device (SE) can be connected to an access system for a user.

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