FR3139299A1 - Method and device for managing the charging of an electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and a device (4) for charging an electric vehicle (EV1). The method comprises: obtaining station data defining for each station (SC): a station position, a number of chargers (10) and a maximum power of each charger; determining, from the station data, charging plans for recharging the vehicle along a route (12), each charging plan defining candidate stations and recharges; sending charging data (DT2) indicating an estimated time of arrival at the candidate stations and a charging time; reception of estimated waiting times (DT3) at candidate stations for recharging the vehicle (VE1); selection, from the estimated waiting times, of a load plan minimizing the time to complete the journey; and scheduling with charging stations (SC) according to the selected charging plan. Figure for abstract: Figure 1

Description

Method and device for managing the charging of an electric vehicle

The present invention relates to methods and devices for managing the charge (or recharging) of an electric vehicle, in particular but not exclusively of the automobile type. The invention also aims at cooperation between, on the one hand, a device for managing the charging of an electric vehicle and, on the other hand, charging station agents with a view to managing or planning electric recharges at charging stations along of a journey.

Technology background

Recent years have seen the emergence of an increasing number of battery-powered electric vehicles, particularly automobiles. If the range of such vehicles was initially limited to a few dozen kilometers, the range of certain electric vehicles now reaches several hundred kilometers. It is thus possible to envisage increasingly longer journeys with an electric vehicle, as is possible with vehicles with a traditional thermal engine.

In parallel with the increase in the autonomy of electric vehicles, it is now possible to recharge the batteries of these vehicles in a few minutes, for example in 15 minutes to recharge a battery to 80% of its maximum capacity. It is thus possible to make long journeys with relatively short stops along the route to recharge the battery(ies) fitted to an electric vehicle.

However, it still remains difficult to organize a long journey in an electric vehicle without risking running out of battery, for example when users travel long distances on motorways. As charging times are longer than those needed to fill up with gasoline, waiting times at charging stations (or charging stations) can be relatively long and thus discourage users from considering long journeys. with their electric vehicle.

This problem results in particular from the fact that the infrastructure of charging stations still remains relatively limited today and does not make it possible, particularly during busy periods, to respond quickly to user demand.

Summary of the present invention

One of the objects of the present invention is to solve at least one of the problems or deficiencies of the technological background described above.

Another object of the present invention is to enable intelligent (optimal) planning of recharging of an electric vehicle at charging stations along a route.

Another object of the present invention is to minimize waiting times and/or charging times in charging stations in which an electric vehicle stops to recharge its battery(ies).

According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method for controlling a device for managing the charging of an electric vehicle, said method comprising:
- obtaining station data relating to a plurality of charging stations each comprising at least one charger, the station data defining for each charging station: a position of the charging station, a number of chargers and a maximum power of each charger;
- determination, from the station data, of a plurality of charging plans making it possible to recharge the electric vehicle along a route to reach a destination, each charging plan defining candidate stations among said plurality of charging stations and a recharge to be carried out at each candidate station;
- sending, for each candidate station, charging data indicating an estimated time of arrival at said candidate station and a charging time necessary to recharge the electric vehicle at said candidate station;
- reception, in response to said sending, of estimated waiting times at candidate stations to recharge the vehicle according to each charging plan;
- selection, from the estimated waiting times, of a load plan minimizing the time necessary to complete the journey to the destination; And
- scheduling by sending at least one request to reserve charging slots with charging stations in accordance with the selected charging plan.

The present invention advantageously makes it possible to optimize the energy recharged at the different charging stations arranged along the route of the vehicle so as to minimize both the charging time and the waiting time. In other words, the time required to recharge the electric vehicle is minimized, which allows the journey to be completed in a minimum of time while ensuring that the destination can be reached. Indeed, the waiting time at a charging station depends on the time of arrival at the station which itself depends on the charging time at previous stations. In addition, the waiting time depends on current reservations at the charging stations. Determining charging plans and selecting the charging plan as previously described ensures that the vehicle stops at multiple charging stations to efficiently recharge its batteries while ensuring minimal travel time.

The method according to the invention may include other characteristics which can be taken separately or in combination, in particular among the embodiments which follow.

According to a particular embodiment, the load data is sent to agent devices of the candidate stations to recover in return the waiting times estimated by the agent devices according to current reservation states of load slots at said candidate stations .

According to a particular embodiment, the load data is independent of the point of origin of the journey and the destination of the journey.

According to a particular embodiment, the selected charging plan minimizes waiting times and charging times at charging stations along the route to the destination.

According to a particular embodiment, the selection of the charging plan minimizing the time necessary to complete the journey includes:
- calculation for each charging plan, from the estimated waiting times, of an estimated total time to complete the journey to the destination by carrying out the recharges according to said charging plan.

According to a particular embodiment, the planning comprises:
- sending, to each charging station of the selected charging plan, a said request to reserve a charging slot with said charging station in accordance with the selected charging plan.

According to a particular embodiment, the sending, receiving, selection and scheduling steps are reiterated during a plurality of distinct cycles over time.

According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to a device for managing the charging of an electric vehicle, said device comprising a memory associated with a processor configured for implementing the steps of the control method according to the first aspect of the present invention .

Note that the different embodiments mentioned above in relation to the control method according to the first aspect of the invention as well as the associated advantages apply analogously to the recharge management device according to the second aspect of the invention. 'invention.

According to a third aspect, the present invention relates to an electric vehicle, for example of the automobile type or of the land vehicle type, comprising a charging management device according to the second aspect of the present invention. This vehicle can for example be an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle.

According to a fourth aspect, the present invention relates to a computer program which comprises instructions adapted for the execution of the steps of the control method according to the first aspect of the present invention, in particular when the computer program is executed by at minus a processor. In other words, the different stages of the control process are determined by computer program instructions. This computer program is configured to be implemented in a recharge management device of the second aspect of the invention, or more generally in a computer.

Such a computer program can use any programming language, and be in the form of a source code, an object code, or an intermediate code between a source code and an object code, such as in partially compiled form, or in any other desirable form.

According to a fifth aspect, the present invention relates to a recording medium (or information medium), readable by the recharge management device according to the second aspect or more generally by a computer (or a processor), on which is recorded a computer program comprising instructions for executing the steps of the control method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

On the one hand, the recording medium can be any entity or device capable of storing the program. For example, the medium may comprise a storage means, such as a ROM memory, a CD-ROM or a ROM memory of the microelectronic circuit type, or even a magnetic recording means or a hard disk.

On the other hand, this recording medium can also be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, such a signal being able to be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by conventional or terrestrial radio or by self-directed laser beam or by other ways. The computer program according to the present invention can in particular be downloaded onto an Internet type network.

Alternatively, the recording medium may be an integrated circuit in which the computer program is incorporated, the integrated circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in executing the method in question.

Brief description of the figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the description of the particular and non-limiting examples of embodiment of the present invention below, with reference to the appended Figures 1 to 5, in which:

schematically illustrates an environment in which an electric vehicle charging management device cooperates with charging station agents, according to at least one particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

schematically illustrates the operation of the charging management device and the charging agents , according to at least one particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

schematically illustrates the operation of an agent of a charging station of the , according to at least one particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

schematically illustrates the charging management device and the charging agents -2, according to at least one particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention; And

illustrates a diagram of different stages of a method of controlling the charging management device of Figures 1-3, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the implementation examples

A control method and a charging management device according to particular and non-limiting embodiments of the invention will now be described in what follows with reference jointly to Figures 1-5. Unless otherwise indicated, elements common or similar to several figures bear the same reference signs and have identical or similar characteristics, so that these common elements are generally not described again for the sake of simplicity.

The terms “first(s)” (or first(s)), “second(s)”, etc.) are used in this document by arbitrary convention to help identify and distinguish different elements implemented in the modes of realization described below.

As previously indicated, the invention relates in particular to a method of controlling a device for managing the charging of an electric vehicle, such as for example of the automobile type. More generally, the electric vehicle can be any motorized land vehicle. The invention aims in particular, but not exclusively, at controlling an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle. The invention is subsequently described in the context of automobile-type electric vehicles, although other types of vehicle are possible.

In this document, the notions of charging and recharging (and related notions: loading/recharging, etc.) are used interchangeably. The invention aims in particular to electrically charge (or recharge) an electric vehicle, or more precisely the battery(ies) equipping said electric vehicle.

According to a particular and non-limiting example of embodiment, the present invention aims at a method for controlling a device for managing the charging of an electric vehicle, said method comprising:

- obtaining station data relating to a plurality of charging stations each comprising at least one charger, the station data defining for each charging station: a position of the charging station, a number of chargers and a maximum power of each charger;
- determination, from the station data, of a plurality of charging plans making it possible to recharge the electric vehicle along a route to reach a destination, each charging plan defining candidate stations among said plurality of charging stations and a recharge to be carried out at each candidate station;
- sending, for each candidate station, charging data indicating an estimated time of arrival at said candidate station and a charging time necessary to recharge the electric vehicle at said candidate station;
- reception, in response to said sending, of estimated waiting times at candidate stations to recharge the vehicle according to each charging plan;
- selection, from the estimated waiting times, of a load plan minimizing the time necessary to complete the journey to the destination; And
- automated scheduling by sending at least one request to reserve charging slots at charging stations in accordance with the selected charging plan.

There schematically illustrates an environment 2 in which EV electric vehicles (for example of the automobile type) circulate, including in particular a VE1 vehicle carrying a charging management device 4.

The EV electric vehicles travel on any traffic lanes (e.g. highways) along respective routes. The configuration of these traffic lanes may, however, vary depending on the case. Furthermore, the type and characteristics of EV electric vehicles can be adapted as appropriate. EV electric vehicles are, for example, automobile type or equivalent. Alternatively, these electric vehicles can be a coach, a bus, a truck, a utility vehicle or a motorcycle, or more generally a motorized land vehicle type vehicle.

According to a particular example, the electric vehicle VE1 travels under the total supervision of a driver. According to a particular example, the electric vehicle VE1 circulates in an autonomous or semi-autonomous mode. In other words, the VE1 vehicle can be an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle.

The device 4 is configured to manage or plan the electrical recharges of the electric vehicle VE1, or more precisely the recharges of the electric battery(ies) (not shown) equipping the vehicle VE1. To do this, the device 4 is configured to cooperate with charging stations SC (also called charging stations or stations) positioned along a path 12 that the vehicle VE1 takes to reach a destination 14.

More precisely, the device 4 (also called management device or charging management device) implements a control process (or method) as described below to plan electrical recharges of the vehicle VE1 along a route 12 To this end, the device 4 may comprise at least one processor configured to execute a computer program PG1 ( ) stored in a non-volatile memory of said device 4. This computer program PG1 includes instructions executable by the processor for implementing the control method (or process) as described below. The memory can thus constitute an information medium according to a particular embodiment in that it comprises the computer program PG1 comprising instructions for carrying out the steps of the control method (or process) of the invention.

During the execution of the control process (or method), the device 4 is configured to cooperate (or communicate) with agent devices (or agents) AG associated respectively with these charging stations SC. These AG agents may possibly be part of the respective SC charging stations or be distinct from these stations. For example, it is assumed that the charging stations SC1, SC2 and SC3 are arranged along the path 12 and accessible by the vehicle VE1. The charging management device 4 collectively forms with the AG agents a system (or charging management system) denoted SY1 ( ).

The VE1 vehicle can, if necessary, stop at each of the SC charging stations to partially or completely recharge its batteries. The respective agents AG1, AG2 and AG3 of the charging stations communicate with the device 4 to allow the latter to plan or organize the recharges to be carried out in at least part of the stations along the route 12 so that the vehicle VE1 can reach its destination 14. The configuration of the SC charging stations, particularly in terms of number and positioning, can be adapted as appropriate.

As indicated below, the device 4 includes a communication interface suitable for communicating with each AG agent of the SC charging stations. These communications are done for example via a mobile network of type 4G, 5G or other.

As shown, each SC station comprises at least one charger (or charging terminal) 10 configured to electrically recharge the battery(ies) of an electric vehicle EV. The number of 10 chargers and the maximum power of each of them may vary depending on the case in each SC station. As indicated below, we assume for example that each charging station SC has an integer number p of chargers 10 (p ≥ 1). It is assumed that these chargers 10 are capable of recharging the electric vehicle VE1 along the route 12.

The charging management device 4 can for example take the form of (or include a) calculator, or a combination of calculators. An example of implementation of device 4 is described later.

Furthermore, the agents AG associated with each charging station SC can take the form of a server (or any other appropriate computer equipment) comprising a complementary communication interface for communicating with the device 4 of the electric vehicle VE1.

As indicated above, the charging management device 4 (and more generally the system SY1) is configured to implement a control process. This process is now described jointly in Figures 1 and 2 according to particular embodiments.

For example, it is assumed that the electric vehicle VE1 makes a journey 12 to reach a destination 14 ( ). This journey can for example be greater than or equal to 300 km. According to a particular example, journey 12 is made on the motorway.

According to a particular example, route 14 requires at least one recharge at a so-called “fast” charging station (for example with a maximum power ≥ 50 kW). The type of terminals used as well as the number of recharges carried out can however be adapted depending on the case.

In a first operation, the device 4 obtains station data DT1 relating to a plurality of charging stations SC (namely SC1, SC2 and SC3 in this example) each comprising at least one charger 10. The station data DT1 defines for each charging station SC at least the following information: a position (denoted “m”) of the charging station SC, a number “p” of chargers 10 and a maximum power (or maximum level of charging power) “q” that each charger 10 can deliver ( ).

Note that a charging station SC may include a plurality of chargers 10 having different maximum levels q of charging power.

These DT1 station data can be obtained in various ways depending on the case considered. For example, device 4 can query a remote server (possibly one of the AG agents or a separate server) to retrieve the DT1 data. Alternatively, the device 4 comprises a non-volatile memory in which it previously stores the station data DT1. The device 4 can thus recover the DT1 station data in good time by consulting its memory.

In a second operation, the device 4 determines, from the station data DT1, a plurality of charging plans PL making it possible to recharge the electric vehicle VE1 along the path 12 to reach the destination 14. Each charging plan PL defines candidate stations SCc among the plurality of charging stations SC and a recharge E to be carried out at each candidate station SCc. The same candidate station SCc can be included in several distinct PL load plans. We assume for example that the candidate stations SCc, listed in the load plans PL, include the stations SC1, SC2 and SC3.

Each PL charging plan can therefore identify two or more candidate stations SCc, each of these stations being intended to carry out a respective electric recharge denoted E. In other words, each PL charging plan can define a list of candidate stations SCc in which the vehicle VE1 must stop to carry out an E recharge (partial or total). A recharge E is defined for example by a level of electrical energy to be delivered by a candidate station SCc to the electric vehicle VE1. The time necessary for a charging station SC to provide the required level of electrical energy E is a function in particular of the maximum power q deliverable by the charger 10 used in said station.

According to a particular example, each PL charging plan determined during the second operation can also define the maximum charging power q which is used to recharge the energy E at each charging station SC associated with said PL charging plan. This additional information facilitates the calculation of waiting times at each station as described in more detail below.

As described below, depending in particular on the level of affluence in a charging station SC and the number of chargers 10 deployed in said station, a more or less significant waiting time may be necessary before the vehicle VE1 can carry out A reload.

To have a finite number of charging plans PL associated with a list of candidate stations SCc, we can for example discretize the recharged energy E by candidate station SCc. We can thus establish as many PL load plans as there are possible combinations of discretized energies. Various algorithms can, however, be implemented to limit the number of PL load plans so as to only take into account the most relevant ones. For example, a dynamic programming algorithm can be implemented for this purpose.

According to a particular example, the PL charging plans are determined on the basis of the station data DT1 previously obtained, and possibly also on the basis of a current charging level (or state) of the electric vehicle VE1. To do this, the device 4 is for example capable of determining the current charge level of the battery(ies) of the vehicle VE1.

According to a particular example, the determination of the plurality of PL load plans comprises a determination, from the station data DT1, of the different possible PL load plans along the path 14. The device 4 can optionally preselect part of the plans possible PL loads according to appropriate criteria adaptable by those skilled in the art.

In a third operation, the device 4 sends, for each candidate station SCc (namely SC1, SC2 and SC3 in this example), load data DT2 indicating an estimated arrival time t _in to said candidate station SCc and a time charging time (or recharging time) t2 necessary to electrically recharge the electric vehicle VE1 at said candidate station SCc. This charging time t2 is set so as to fully or partially charge the batteries of the vehicle VE1 depending on the case. An arrival time t _in corresponds to a time indication defining a point in time. This instant t _in can correspond for example to a time and/or a date.

For example, the device 4 can send to the agent AG1 of the station SC1 charging data DT2 indicating an estimated time of arrival t _in at the station SC1 and a charging time t2 necessary to carry out a given recharge from the VE1 vehicle to this station (allowing the batteries of the VE1 vehicle to be partially or completely recharged depending on the case). Analogous DT2 load data can be sent by the device 4 to the agents AG2 and AG3 of the stations SC2 and SC3 respectively. From the energy recharged at each station according to a given PL charging plan, the device 4 can calculate the recharge time necessary at said each station and estimate the time of arrival at the next station according to the PL charging plan considered.

According to a particular example, the device 4 determines the charging data (or recharging data) DT2 as a function of various data available to it, including for example the current state of charge of the batteries of the vehicle VE1, the current position of the vehicle VE1 and the route 12 that the vehicle VE1 must travel.

In a fourth operation, the device 4 receives, in response to the sending carried out during the third operation, waiting times t3 estimated at the candidate stations SCc to recharge the vehicle VE1 according to each charging plan PL. As illustrated in , these estimated waiting times t3 are received by the device 4 in data DT3.

For example, the device 4 can receive waiting times t3 estimated at the candidate station SC1 to recharge the vehicle VE1 according to each charging plan PL comprising the station SC1 as a candidate station SCc. Estimated waiting times t3 can be received by the device 4 for each other candidate station SCs, namely SC2 and SC3 in this example.

According to a particular example, the load data DT2 are sent by the device 4 to the agent devices AG of the candidate stations SCc (namely the agents AG1, AG2 and AG3 in this example) to recover, in response, the waiting times t3 estimated by the AG agent devices as a function of current reservation states of charging slots with said candidate stations. Each candidate station SCc can determine, via its agent AG, one or more waiting times t3 also depending on the reservations in progress in said station, that is to say according to the reservation requests for charging slots which have already been issued by other electric vehicles to said station. The way in which AG agents can determine or calculate waiting times t3 may vary depending on the case, with exemplary embodiments being described in more detail later.

According to a particular example, the charging data DT2 transmitted by the device 4 to the candidate stations SCc includes an identifier ID of the electric vehicle VE1 (or of the device 4). Each AG agent thus recognizes the vehicle VE1 wishing to make a charging stop using this identifier ID. If the AG agent receives several transmissions of DT2 data over time, it can, based on the identifier ID contained in these data, link the different transmissions to the same vehicle VE1.

According to a particular example, the load data DT2 sent by the device 4 to the candidate stations SCc are independent of the point of origin of the path 12 and the destination 14 of the path 12. In other words, the load data DT2 does not contain either the point of origin (or starting point) of the journey 12 nor of the destination 14 of the journey. Thus, the VE1 vehicle does not transmit its start and end of journey to the SC charging stations, which makes it possible to limit the dissemination of personal data and thus protect the privacy of users, in particular complying with certain regulations that may be in force in this area. .

In a fifth operation, the device 4 selects, from the estimated waiting times t3 received during the fourth operation, a load plan denoted PLs (among the load plans PL previously determined) minimizing a time necessary to carry out the journey 12 to the destination 14. To do this, the device 4 can calculate for each PL load plan, from the estimated waiting times t3, a total time t4 estimated to complete the journey 12 to the destination 14 by carrying out the recharges E according to said PL charging plan. The device 4 can then select the PL load plan which has the lowest estimated total time t4.

According to a particular example, the selected PLs charging plan minimizes the waiting times and charging times in the SC charging stations along the route 12 to the destination 14. The device 4 is thus capable of optimizing the times waiting time and charging time on all SC stations where the electric vehicle VE1 must stop to recharge.

According to a particular example, the selected PLs charging plan defines a plurality of stops in SC charging stations to recharge the vehicle VE1.

In a sixth operation, the device 4 carries out planning by sending at least one request RQ1 to reserve charging slots with SC charging stations in accordance with the selected PLs charging plan.

According to a particular example, the device 4 sends, to each charging station SC of the selected PLs charging plan (or to the agents AG of these stations), a reservation request RQ1 of a charging slot with said charging station SC in accordance with the selected HGV load plan. The recharges carried out at each SC charging station can in fact be organized according to successive slots, each slot being allocated to one (or at least one) electric vehicle EV to carry out a recharge for a given duration. In response to a request RQ1 from device 4, an agent AG can allocate one or more charging slots to the vehicle VE1 at a given time.

According to a particular example, the third, fourth, fifth and sixth operations (sending load data DT2, receiving back waiting times t3, selection of a PLs load plan among the PL load plans and planning) are reiterated during a plurality of distinct cycles over time. These cycles can be repeated a plurality of times (possibly regularly, or even periodically) in order to adapt, if necessary, the PLs charging plan selected according in particular to the progress of the vehicle VE1 along the path 12 or even according to the state of the charging reservations at SC charging stations. It is thus possible for the device 4 to adapt over time the selected charging plan PLs and the slot reservations, possibly in real time in order to optimize as much as possible the stops at the charging stations SC according to the current situation. For example, the above cycle can be repeated every five minutes by the device 4 to update the charging situation and adapt the charging slots reserved to the actual arrival time of the EV electric vehicles ( for example in the event of traffic jams on the motorway).

The present invention makes it possible to optimize the energy recharged at the different charging stations SC arranged along the route of the vehicle VE1 so as to minimize both the charging time and the waiting time. In other words, we minimize the time required to recharge the electric vehicle, which allows us to complete the journey in a minimum of time while ensuring that we can reach the destination. Indeed, the waiting time at a SC station depends on the arrival time t _in at the station which itself depends on the charging time at the previous SC stations. In addition, the waiting time depends on current reservations at SC charging stations. Determining the PL charging plans and selecting the PLs charging plan as previously described ensures that the vehicle VE1 stops at several SC charging stations to efficiently recharge its batteries while ensuring minimal travel time.

More precisely, the invention thus allows optimization of total journey time with several stops intended for successive recharges at SC stations. The selected PLs charging plan comprises at least two SC charging stations each marking a stop along the route 12 to recharge the electric vehicle VE1 according to the selected PLs charging plan. This planning advantageously takes into account the waiting time at each charging station SC which depends on the time of arrival t _in at said station, this time of arrival itself being a function of the charging time at the station SC previous in the selected load plan. For this, the invention can for example discretize the energy that can be recharged at each SC station for a given combination of stations in order to form PL charging plans (energy recharged at each station of a combination) then the Total travel time can be calculated for each PL charging plan by taking into account the reservations of other vehicles at the SC stations concerned. The HGV charging plan with the minimum travel time can then be selected. In this way, we can guarantee that the selected PLs load plan is the one that is most optimized in relation to the energy step used for the discretization.

The invention can thus cause, for example, an electric vehicle EV to increase the number of stops made at the SC charging stations along the route 12 to carry out recharges, with the effect of reducing the total journey time due to optimization of the charging plan with minimized waiting times and charging times.

To optimize the organization of multiple recharges at SC charging stations along the route 12, the invention can also implement a multi-reservation system via an appropriate communication network in order to allow the device 3 to cooperate with SC charging stations.

Note that the invention does not require choosing a best route from several possible routes. In this case, it is assumed that the route 12 that the vehicle VE1 must complete is fixed and that the best PL load plan must be identified on the basis of this given route 12. Thus, the invention implements a simulation which is based on the postulate that the charging infrastructure is fixed, insofar as it is a function of route 12 which is itself fixed. In the case of a long motorway journey, for example, the choice of routes is generally very limited due to the limited network of motorways in a given area (weaker network than the road network in an urban environment for example).

As described above, the estimated waiting times t3 at the charging stations SC (i.e. at the candidate stations SC1-SC3) can for example be calculated by the respective stations SC1-SC3, or more precisely by their respective agents AG1- AG3. We describe below in conjunction with the the calculation carried out by an agent device AG (AG1 for example) of a waiting time t3 estimated at the corresponding charging station SC (SC1 for example).

More precisely, it is assumed that the charge management device 4 is on board an electric vehicle – now denoted VE4 – traveling along route 12. The device 4 executes the control process to plan charging stops at charging stations SC, including station SC1. However, other electric vehicles VE1, VE2 and VE3 already have reservation slots allocated to the SC1 station.

We note p the number of chargers 10 at the charging station SC1. As illustrated in , we assume for example that p = 2. To calculate a waiting time t3 of the vehicle VE4 at the station SC1, the agent device AG1 groups and lists in ascending order all the arrival and departure times (for example arrival and departure times) of each charging slot reservation already received from said charging station SC1. The agent AG1 establishes the number b of vehicles recharging (or supposed to be recharging) per reservation slot (also called charging slot) over time. As illustrated in , we assume in this case that each reservation slot is delimited (or defined) by an instant (or time) of arrival and an instant (or time) of departure, or possibly by two instants of arrival and two instants of departure corresponding respectively to the two chargers 10 in this example. Depending on the time of arrival t _in of the vehicle VE4 at the station SC1, the agent AG1 of said station SC1 searches for the closest series (or accumulation) of consecutive reservation slots in the time of t _in which lasts long enough to allow the VE4 vehicle to carry out the necessary charging without unplugging and such that b < p. If the arrival time t _in of the vehicle VE1 is located in this series of slots, there will be no waiting time for the vehicle VE1 (t3 = 0) which will be able to start recharging as soon as it arrives at the station SC1. Otherwise, vehicle VE1 must wait until the series of slots begins (t3 > 0), as illustrated in .

In response to a reservation request RQ1, the agent AG1 is further configured to reserve at least one reservation slot allocated to the vehicle VE1 to allow it to recharge.

As illustrated in the particular example of the , the agent AG1 detects that the time range 20 between the times t _in4 (arrival time of VE4) and t _in3 (arrival time of VE3) is too short to recharge the vehicle VE4, that is to say -say so that the vehicle VE4 carries out the required electrical recharge E by means of a charger from the charging station SC1. The agent AG1, however, detects that during the subsequent time period denoted 22 between t _out2 (departure time of VE2) and t3 (arrival time of VE3), a charger from station SC1 is available (since only the vehicle VE3 is intended for recharging in this period) and that this range 22 is sufficiently long to carry out the recharging E required for the vehicle VE4 with the available charger. Also, the agent AG1 allocates a reservation slot (or a series of successive slots) from t _out2 in the time slot 22. The vehicle VE4 will have to wait a waiting time t4 from its arrival time t _in4 to be able to carry out the required recharge E with the available charger.

There schematically illustrates the charging management device 4 as previously described with reference to Figures 1-3, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. The device 4 corresponds for example to a device embedded in an electric vehicle EV (for example VE1), for example a computer.

The device 4 is for example configured for the implementation of the operations of the control process as previously described with reference to Figures 1-3 and/or the steps of the control process described below with regard to the . Examples of such a device 4 include, without being limited to, on-board electronic equipment such as an on-board computer of a vehicle, an electronic computer such as an ECU (“Electronic Control Unit”), a telephone smart (from the English “smartphone”), a tablet, a laptop. The elements of device 4, individually or in combination, can be integrated into a single integrated circuit, into several integrated circuits, and/or into discrete components. The device 4 can be produced in the form of electronic circuits or software (or computer) modules or even a combination of electronic circuits and software modules.

As illustrated in , the charging management device 4 comprises one (or more) processor(s) 40 configured to execute instructions for carrying out the steps of the control method (or process) and/or for executing the instructions of the control method(s). software embedded in the device 4. The processor 40 may include integrated memory, an input/output interface, and various circuits known to those skilled in the art. The device 4 further comprises at least one memory 41 corresponding for example to a volatile and/or non-volatile memory and/or comprises a memory storage device which may comprise volatile and/or non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM, ROM , PROM, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, flash, magnetic or optical disk.

The computer code of the embedded software(s) comprising the instructions to be loaded and executed by the processor 40 is for example stored on the memory 41. The memory 41 can constitute an information medium according to a particular embodiment in that it comprises a computer program (for example PG1 in ) comprising instructions for carrying out the steps of the method (or control process) of the invention.

According to different particular and non-limiting examples of embodiment, the device 4 is coupled in communication with other similar devices or systems and/or with communication devices, for example a TCU (from the English “Telematic Control Unit” or in French “Telematic Control Unit”), for example via a communications bus or through dedicated input/output ports.

According to a particular and non-limiting example of embodiment, the device 4 comprises a block 42 of interface elements for communicating with external devices, for example a remote server or the "cloud", or the vehicle VE1 when the device 4 corresponds to a smartphone or tablet for example. The interface elements of block 42 include one or more of the following interfaces:

- RF radio frequency interface, for example of the Wi-Fi® type (according to IEEE 802.11), for example in the 2.4 or 5 GHz frequency bands, or of the Bluetooth® type (according to IEEE 802.15.1), in the band frequency at 2.4 GHz, or Sigfox type using UBN radio technology (from English Ultra Narrow Band, in French ultra narrow band), or LoRa in the 868 MHz frequency band, LTE (from English “ Long-Term Evolution” or in French “Long-Term Evolution”), LTE-Advanced (or in French LTE-advanced);

- USB interface (from the English “Universal Serial Bus” or “Bus Universel en Série” in French);

- HDMI interface (from the English “High Definition Multimedia Interface”, or “Interface Multimedia Haute Definition” in French).

According to another particular and non-limiting example of embodiment, the charging management device 4 comprises a communication interface 43 which makes it possible to establish communication with other devices via a communication channel 45. The communication interface 43 corresponds for example to a transmitter configured to transmit and receive information and/or data via the communication channel 45. The communication interface 43 corresponds for example to a CAN type wired network (from the English “Controller Area Network” or in French “Réseau de controllers”), CAN FD (from the English “Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate” or in French “Réseau de controllers à flow flexible data”), FlexRay (standardized by the ISO 17458 standard) , Ethernet (standardized by the ISO/IEC 802-3 standard) or LIN (from the English “Local Interconnect Network”, or in French “Réseau interconnectée local”).

The device 4 communicates for example with the charging stations SC by means of the block 42 of interface elements and/or the communication interface 43 so as to allow the exchange of data as described above.

According to a particular and non-limiting embodiment, the device 4 can provide output signals to one or more external devices, such as a display screen, touch or not, one or more speakers and/or other devices (projection system) via respective output interfaces. According to one variant, one or the other of the external devices is integrated into the device 4.

There illustrates a diagram of the different stages of a method of controlling a device 4 for managing the charging of an electric vehicle VE1 as previously described. The method is for example implemented by the device 4 previously described (Figures 1-4), this device being able to be on board the vehicle VE1.

In a first step 51, the device 4 obtains station data DT1 relating to a plurality of charging stations SC each comprising at least one charger 10. The station data DT1 defines for each charging station SC: a position of the station charging SC, a number p of chargers 10 and a maximum power q of each charger 10.

In a second step 52, the device 4 determines, from the station data DT1, a plurality of charging plans PL making it possible to recharge the electric vehicle VE1 along a path 12 to reach a destination 14, each plan charging station PL defining candidate stations SC among said plurality of charging stations PL and a recharge to be carried out at each candidate station SC.

In a third step 53, the device 4 sends, for each candidate station SC, charging data DT2 indicating an arrival time t _in estimated at said candidate station SC and a charging time t2 necessary to recharge the electric vehicle VE1 at said candidate station SC.

In a fourth step 54, the device 4 receives, in response to said step 53, waiting times t2 estimated at the candidate stations SC to recharge the vehicle VE1 according to each charging plan PL.

In a fifth step 55, the device 4 selects, from the estimated waiting times t2, a PLs load plan minimizing the time necessary to complete the journey 12 to the destination 14.

In a sixth step 56, the device 4 carries out planning by sending at least one request RQ1 to reserve charging slots with SC charging stations in accordance with the selected PLs charging plan.

According to alternative embodiments, the variants and examples of the operations described above in relation to Figures 1-3 apply to the stages of the process for controlling the .

A person skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments and variants described above constitute only non-limiting examples of implementation of the invention. In particular, those skilled in the art may consider any adaptation or combination of the embodiments and variants described above, in order to meet a very specific need.

The present invention is therefore not limited to the examples of embodiment described above but extends in particular to a control method (or process) which would include secondary steps without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention in accordance with the claims herein. -After. The same would apply to a device configured to implement such a process.

The present invention also relates to an electric vehicle, for example an automobile or a land engine (for example autonomous or semi-autonomous), comprising the charging management device 4 as previously described.

Claims (10)

Method for controlling a device (4) for managing the charging of an electric vehicle (VE1), said method comprising:
- obtaining (51) station data (DT1) relating to a plurality of charging stations (SC) each comprising at least one charger (10), the station data defining for each charging station: a position of the charging station charge, a number of chargers and a maximum power of each charger;
- determination (52), from the station data, of a plurality of charging plans (PL) making it possible to recharge the electric vehicle along a route (12) to reach a destination, each charging plan defining candidate stations (SCc) among said plurality of charging stations and a recharge to be carried out at each candidate station;
- sending (53), for each candidate station, charging data (DT2) indicating an estimated time of arrival (t _in ) at said candidate station and a charging time (t2) necessary to recharge the electric vehicle at said station candidate;
- reception (54), in response to said sending, of waiting times (t3) estimated at the candidate stations to recharge the vehicle according to each charging plan;
- selection (55), from the estimated waiting times (t3), of a load plan (PLs) minimizing the time necessary to complete the journey to the destination; And
- planning (56) by sending at least one request (RQ1) to reserve charging slots with charging stations in accordance with the selected charging plan. Method according to claim 1, in which the load data (DT2) is sent to agent devices (AG) of the candidate stations (SCc) to recover in return the waiting times (t3) estimated by the agent devices as a function of current reservation states of charging slots with said candidate stations. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the load data (DT2) is independent of the origin of the journey (12) and the destination (14) of the journey. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the selected charging plan (PLs) minimizes waiting times and charging times at charging stations along the route (12) to the destination. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the selection of the load plan (PLs) minimizing the time necessary to complete the journey comprises:
- calculation for each charging plan (PL), from the estimated waiting times (t3), of an estimated total time to complete the journey to the destination by carrying out the recharges according to said charging plan. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the planning comprises:
- sending, to each charging station (SC) of the selected charging plan, a said request (RQ1) to reserve a charging slot with said charging station in accordance with the selected charging plan. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sending, receiving, selection and scheduling steps are repeated over a plurality of distinct cycles over time. Computer program (PG1) comprising instructions for implementing the method according to any one of the preceding claims, when these instructions are executed by a processor (40). Device (4) for managing an electric vehicle, said device comprising a memory (41) associated with at least one processor (40) configured for implementing the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Electric vehicle (EV) comprising the control device (4) according to claim 9.