WO2023154394A1

WO2023154394A1 - Systems and methods of phase detection and mapping for electric vehicle service equipment

Info

Publication number: WO2023154394A1
Application number: PCT/US2023/012701
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jenya Kirshtein; Daniel Feldman; Amanpreet Kaur; Cornelius Van De Water
Original assignee: ENEL X Way S.r.l.
Priority date: 2022-02-11
Filing date: 2023-02-09
Publication date: 2023-08-17

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for detecting and mapping an electrical phase of an electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE) by detecting a connection of and charging a single-phase electric vehicle (EV) and de-energizing all phase lines at the EVSE site, then iteratively re-energizing each phase line in isolation, detecting the presence of a charging current on the presently active phase line, and associating the charging EVSE to the presently active phase line.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF PHASE DETECTION AND MAPPING FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE SERVICE EQUIPMENT

Related Applications

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/267,904, titled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF PHASE DETECTION AND MAPPING FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE SERVICE EQUIPMENT,” filed February 11 , 2022, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference to the extent such subject matter is not inconsistent herewith.

Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure is generally directed to electric vehicle (“EV”) charging, and more directly to detection and mapping of electrical phase service to electric vehicle service equipment.

Background

[0003] Electric vehicle service equipment (“EVSE”) provides charging service for electric vehicles (“EV” or “EVs”). While EVSEs are installed to three-phase electrical service at a charging facility (a site), not all EVs employ a three-phase charging system. For a variety of reasons, including, e.g., load balancing, site safety, efficiency, EVSE life cycle, maintenance, etc., it is beneficial to have a current map of how each EVSE at a site is coupled to the three-phase power supplied at the site. At installation, the phase lines of each succeeding EVSE may be coupled to alternating (or sequencing) phase lines of the site — which may or may not be accurately mapped. Post-installation maintenance, repairs, upgrades, expansions, etc., may further degrade any EVSE phase map that may exist for the site.

Presently, to create or validate a map of EVSE phase, it is necessary to send to the EVSE site an engineer or technician who will iteratively de-energize and re-energize the site phase lines while testing each EVSE phase line for current — a timeconsuming and relatively expensive undertaking that typically involves taking the EVSE site out of use for charging EVs during the manual mapping evolution.

Summary

[0004] The present disclosure provides systems and methods to detect and map electrical phase service to electric vehicle service equipment. The disclosed systems and methods can detect connection and charging of an EV with a single-phase charging system, then momentarily interrupt electrical power on the site phase lines, re-energize each phase line in isolation and sequentially, and test for current on the one active phase line.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0005] The present embodiments will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that the accompanying drawings depict only typical embodiments and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of the scope of the disclosure, the embodiments will be described and explained with specificity and detail in reference to the following accompanying drawings.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a phase detection and mapping system (“PDMS”) for detection of a phase of an electric vehicle service equipment (“EVSE”), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0007] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a PDMS for detection of a phase of an EVSE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0008] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a PDMS for detection of a phase of an EVSE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 4 is a diagram of a PDMS for detection of a phase of an electrical device service equipment (“EDSE”), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 5 is a flow chart for a method of a PDMS for detecting and mapping a phase connection at an EVSE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 6 diagrams an architecture of a PDMS, such as the PDMS of FIG. 1 — 4, respectively, for detecting and mapping a phase of an EVSE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

[0012] As is well-known, most electric vehicle charging locations or stations (e.g., a “site” or “sites”) have a plurality of electric vehicle service equipment (“EVSE” or “EVSEs”) installed. The site draws three-phase power from an electrical distribution system, such as the utility electrical grid. Each EVSE at the site may use three phase lines, each of which is coupled to one of the site phase lines. Each EVSE may have different sequence of phase line connections. When an electric vehicle (“EV” or “EVs”) having a three-phase charging system connects to an EVSE, all three phases of the EVSE and of the site are equally (or nearly equally) loaded to charge the EV, and load balancing on the site phase lines is not significantly implicated. When an EV having a single-phase charging system connects to an EVSE at the site, the EVSE only draws current on one EVSE phase line, and on only one site phase line, which has the potential of substantially affecting load balancing at the site. Depending on the number of EVSEs at the site, each potential sequence of phase line connections may be reused a number of times. At times, multiple single-phase EVs may connect to EVSEs at the site, and depending on the particular sequence of phase line connections involved, this may create a significant load balancing issue, safety concern, reduced efficiency across the site, diminished life cycle of components of EVSEs or the site, etc.

[0013] The present disclosure provides systems and methods to detect and map electrical connection(s) of electric vehicle service equipment to phase(s) of a multiple phase electrical system. Employing a control server, along with a site meter, the disclosed systems and methods can detect connection and charging of an EV with a charging system, then momentarily interrupt electrical power on the site phase lines, re-energize each phase line in isolation and sequentially, test for current on the one active phase line and, upon detection of charging on the one active phase line, create or update a map to reflect that the particular EVSE employs (e.g., draws power from) the one presently active phase line for charging an EV; and re-energize all phase lines at the site. The systems and methods herein described can produce and maintain EVSE phase maps at low cost and with minimal interruption of service (moments, rather than hours or days).

[0014] As used herein, an EV can include a motor vehicle employing electrical power as a means of operating a drive system whereby the motor vehicle is capable of moving along a travel surface (e.g., a roadway, a trail, a rail, etc.). An EV may be an electric-only vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle employing electrical power at least part time, etc.

[0015] As used herein, “EVSE” refers to electric vehicle service equipment, or any equipment configured to provide a power charging/recharging service for an electric vehicle. The term is inclusive of equipment known by a variety of terminology, for example, vehicle charging station. [0016] As used herein, “electrical device” (“ED”) can refer to a device that receives electrical energy (e.g., from a source outside the device) and converts the electrical energy to an output form. An output form may, by way of example without limitation, be mechanical energy (e.g., a motor or motor output, etc.), a different form of electrical power (e.g., conversion of electrical power from alternating current to direct current, etc.), thermal energy (e.g., a kiln, a forge, etc.), and so forth.

[0017] As used herein, the phrase “electrical device service equipment” (or “EDSE”) can include equipment configured to provide electrical energy to an electrical device.

[0018] As used herein, the terms “electric power” and “electric current” each carry their ordinary meanings, and the terms may be used somewhat interchangeably when such interchange does not detract from the disclosure. For example, electric power may be referred to when electric current is measured to determine the resulting electric power.

[0019] As used herein, the phrases “activate [a] phase line” and “energize [a] phase line” can refer to closing a connection, such as at a switch, whereby electrical energy is permitted to travel along the particular phase line (e.g., one line of a three- phase system) if otherwise possible (such as when closing the switch closes the entire circuit for the particular phase line and no other open condition exists). In the context of the present disclosure, activating a phase line may or may not result in electrical current passing through the particular phase line. For example, if a phase line serving an electrical outlet is activated but no electrical device is connected to the electrical outlet, closing the switch to activate the phase line does not close a circuit at the electrical outlet, hence, no current will flow even though the phase line is activated.

[0020] As used herein, the phrases “deactivate [a] phase line,” “de-energize [a] phase line” can refer to opening a connection, such as at a switch, whereby electrical energy is prevented from traveling along the particular phase line (e.g., one line of three-phase system).

[0021] As used herein, the term “signal” refers to an electrical signal. A signal may be simple, such as a brief electrical pulse having a particular characteristic or set of characteristics (e.g., a single binary digit (“bit”); a sine (or binary sine) wave of a fixed amplitude, frequency, and duration, with no modulation; etc.); or may be complex, such as a payload-bearing electrical message.

[0022] As used herein, the term “Internet” refers to any network-based communication system, including cloud-based computing and communication systems. In other words, “Internet” may refer to the commonly known and publicly available Internet, but may also (or alternatively) refer to a private network system. [0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a phase detection and mapping system (“PDMS”) 100 for detection of a phase of an electric vehicle service equipment (“EVSE” or “EVSEs”) 160a — 160n, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The PDMS 100 comprises a control server 105 and a site 120; and may employ the Internet 20 (or a private communication system). The control server 105 is communicatively coupled 110 to the Internet 20. The site 120 further comprises a site control unit (“SOU”) 130 and a plurality of EVSEs 160a — 160n. The SCU 130 is communicatively coupled 115 to the Internet 20. The site 120 draws three-phase electrical power 125 from an electric grid 10 via the SCU 130. The SCU 130 is configured to deliver the three-phase electrical power 125 to the plurality of EVSEs 160a — 160g via three site phase lines 140, 145, 150. The SCU 130 comprises a site power meter 135 configured to measure electrical consumption on each site phase line 140, 145, 150. The SCU 130 may comprise (or operate) a local network 155 whereby the SCU 130 is communicatively coupled 180a — 180n to each of the EVSEs 160a — 160n, respectively. Illustration of eight EVSEs 160a — 160n is for convenience of the disclosure and not by way of limitation.

[0024] Each EVSE 160a — 160n is configured with three phase lines, such as the first phase line 165a, the second phase line 170a, and the third phase line 175a of the first EVSE 160a. The first phase line 165a of the first EVSE 160a couples to the site phase line 140 from the SCU 130. The second phase line 170a couples to the second site phase line 145. The third phase line 175a couples to the third site phase line 150. Similarly, the first phase line 165b — 165n of each of the second through last EVSEs 160b — 160n couples to the site phase line 140 from the SCU 130, each second phase line 170b — 170n couples to the second site phase line 145, and each third phase line 175b — 175n couples to the third site phase line 150.

[0025] As can be noted by examination of FIG. 1 , multiple configurations of EVSE phase lines are shown. More particularly, when viewed as from the SCU 130, the first, second, and third phase lines 165a, 170a, 175a are in order of first, second, and third. At the EVSE 160b, the sequence, in the same progressive order, is the first phase line 165b, the third phase line 175b, and the second phase line 170b. Similarly, the phase line order at the EVSE 160c is, progressively, the second phase line 170c, the first phase line 165c, and the third phase line 175c. The particular arrangement of EVSE phase lines illustrated in FIG. 1 is by way of example and not a limitation. Rather, the shown EVSE phase line arrangements illustrate that a variety of EVSE phase line arrangements may be employed at an EVSE site in an effort to provide a modicum of electrical power load balancing.

[0026] Furthermore, there may be no record (or no reliable record) of the EVSE phase line arrangements. Hereafter, a record of EVSE phase line arrangements is referred to as an “EVSE phase map.” As this name suggests, the EVSE phase map can be a record of which EVSE phase line at each EVSE is connected to which site phase line at a site.

[0027] Presently, an electric vehicle (“EV”) may be configured to employ either three-phase or single-phase power. By way of example, an EV 185a is shown with a three-phase connection 190 to the EVSE 160g, and an EV 185b is shown with a single-phase connection 195 to the EVSE 160f. When the EV 185a is connected to the EVSE 160g (or any of the EVSEs 160a — 160n), each of the three site phase lines 140, 145, 150 provides theoretically equal electric power to charge the EV 185a. When multiple EVs of the same type as the EV 185a are charging at the various EVSEs 160a — 160n, power balancing is essentially inherent because each of the three site phase lines 140, 145, 150 is carrying essentially equal electric current. Conversely, when the EV 185b is connected to the EVSE 160f (or any of the EVSEs 160a — 160n), only one of the three site phase lines 140, 145, 150 provides electric power to charge the EV 185b. By extension, when multiple single-phase charging EVs connect to the EVSEs 160a — 160n, the electric current on each of the three phase lines 140, 145, 150 may be different. More particularly, it is conceivable that multiple single-phase charging EVs may connect to EVSEs that have the same EVSE phase line configuration, resulting, potentially, in a single member of the three site phase lines 140, 145, 150 carrying a high electric current while the other two members of the site phase lines 140, 145, 150 carry no current. When at least one EV 185b connects to one of the EVSEs 160a — 160n, the site power meter 135 may detect a disparity in current carried by each of the three site phase lines 140, 145, 150; however, the site power meter 135 will have no information about which EVSE 160a — 160n is charging that EV 185b.

[0028] For convenience of the disclosure, and not by way of limitation, the EV 185b is a single-phase charging EV, and has connected to the EVSE 160f to charge the battery system on board the EV 185b. The SCU 130 communicates, via the communication coupling 115, the Internet 20, and the communication coupling 110, to the control server 105 the connection of the EV 185b. The SCU 130 may communicate to the control server 105 a commencement of charging the EV 185b. The SCU 130 may communicate to the control server 105 a disparity of current on the site phase lines 140, 145, 150, suggesting the connected EV is a single-phase charging EV 185b. (If the connected EV were, instead, a three-phase charging EV, such as the EV 185a, the SCU 130 may communicate to the control server 105 an indication of equal (or near equal) current on each of the site phase lines 140, 145, 150.) The control server 105 may signal the SCU 130 to interrupt or discontinue charging at all EVSEs 160a — 160n at the site 120. The SCU 130 may interrupt current on all three of the site phase lines 140, 145, 150 (and may also signal the EVSEs 160a — 160n that the interruption is not a fault or error). The SCU 130 may signal the control server 105 a confirmation that charging at all of the EVSEs 160a — 160n has stopped. The SCU 130 may confirm that all charging at the EVSEs 160a — 160n has been interrupted by polling the site meter 135. If all charging has stopped, the site meter 135 will respond to the SCU 130 with an indication that no current is passing along all three of site phase lines 140, 145, 150. The control server 105 may signal the SCU 130 to permit electrical energy to one of the phase lines (e.g., to activate one of the phase lines) 140, 145, 150. The SCU 130 may activate, for example, the phase line 140. The SCU 130 may poll the site meter 135 to ascertain whether a current is passing through the phase line 140. If the site meter 135 indicates that no current is passing through the phase line 140, the SCU 130 may pass this information (e.g., as telemetry) to the control server 105. The control server 105 may internally note that the site phase line 140 does not provide energy to the EVSE 160f when the EVSE 160f is charging the single-phase charging EV 185b. The control server 105 then signals the SCU 130 to deactivate the phase line 140, to confirm deactivation of the phase line 140, and to activate a next phase line, such as the site phase line 145. The SCU 130 may, accordingly, deactivate the phase line 140. The SCU 130 may poll the site meter 135 to confirm that no current is traveling along the phase line 140. The SCU 130 may activate one of the remaining phase lines, such as the site phase line 145. The SCU 130 may poll the site meter 135 to ascertain whether a current is traveling through the site phase line 145. If the site meter 135 indicates the presence of a current in the site phase line 145, the SCU 130 may provide telemetry to the control server 105 that the site phase line 145 is carrying an electrical current. The control server 105 may note, from this telemetry, that the site phase line 145 provides electrical power to the single-phase EV 185b connected to the EVSE 160f . In one embodiment, the control server 105 may then signal the SCU 130 to resume charging at all EVSEs 160a — 160n by activating all of the site phase lines 140, 145, 150. In one embodiment, the control server 105 may signal the SCU 130 to deactivate the site phase line 145 and to activate the site phase line 150. The SCU 130 may deactivate the site phase line 145, confirm the site phase line 145 is carrying no current, and activate the site phase line 150. The SCU 130 may poll the site meter 135 to ascertain whether a current is present in the site phase line 150. In a no-fault condition, and in the case of the site phase line 145 providing current to the EVSE 160f to charge the singlephase EV 185b, the site phase line 150 should be carrying no current, and the SCU 130 may report this to the control server 150. The control server 105 may note that the site phase line 150 is not carrying a current. The control server 105 may signal the SCU 130 to activate all of the site phase lines 140, 145, 150 whereby charging of all EVs that may be connected at any of the EVSEs 160a — 160n may resume. The control server 105 may update (or create) an EVSE phase map for the site 120 based on the results of deactivating all of the site phase lines 140, 145, 150, and sequentially activating each of the site phase lines 140, 145, 150 to identify which of the site phase lines 140, 145, 150 is coupled to the particular EVSE phase line 165a — 165n, 170a — 170n, 175a — 175n, respectively, at each of the EVSEs 160a — 160n.

[0029] FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of a PDMS 200 that resembles the PDMS 100 of FIG. 1 described above, in certain respects. Accordingly, like features are designated with like reference numerals, with the leading digit(s) incremented to “2.” For example, the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2 includes a control server 205 that may, in some respects, resemble the control server 105 of FIG. 1. Relevant disclosures set forth above regarding similarly identified features thus may not be repeated hereafter. Moreover, specific features of the PDMS 100 and related components shown in FIG. 1 may not be shown or identified by reference numeral in the drawings or specifically discussed in the written description that follows. However, such features may clearly be the same, or substantially the same, as features depicted in other embodiments and/or described with respect to such embodiments. Accordingly, the relevant descriptions of such features apply equally to the features of the PDMS 200 and related components of FIG. 2. Any suitable combination of the features, and variation of the same, described with respect to the PDMS 100 and related components illustrated in FIG. 1 can be employed with the PDMS 200 and related components of FIG. 2, and vice versa. This pattern of disclosure applies equally to further embodiments depicted in subsequent figures and described hereafter, wherein the leading digits may be further incremented. [0030] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a PDMS 200 for detection of a phase of an EVSE 260a — 260n, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The PDMS 200 may be similar in some respects to the PDMS 100 of FIG. 1. The electric grid 10, the Internet 20, the control server 205, the communication couplings 210, 215, the site 220, the site control unit (“SOU”) 230, the site meter 235, the site phase lines 240, 245, 250, and the local network 255 are shown for reference. The EVSEs 260a, 260b, 260c, and 260n (260a — 260n) are also shown for reference. The EVSEs 260a — 260n are communicatively coupled 280a — 280n, respectively, to the local network 255. The site 220 draws three-phase power 225 from the electric grid 10 via the SCU 230. The respective EVSE phase lines 265a, 265b, 265n, 270a, 270b, 270n, 275a, 275b, 275n are identified. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, a phase detection unit (“PDU”) 212 is located at the site 220. The PDU 212 may be colocated with the SCU 230. The PDU 212 may perform some of the functions of the PDMS 200 local to the site 220. For example, the SCU 230 may signal the PDU 212 when an EV connects to any of the EVSEs 260a — 260n. The PDU 212 may signal the SCU 230 to interrupt charging at all of the EVSEs 260a — 260n (to deactivate all of the site phase lines 240, 245, 250), and may subsequently and sequentially signal the SCU 230 to activate and deactivate the site phase lines 240, 245, 250. The PDU 212 may receive from the SCU 230, or directly from the site meter 235, data regarding which of the site phase lines 240, 245, 250 carries a current during the sequential activation/deactivation of the site phase lines 240, 245, 250. The PDU 212 may provide this data to the control server 205. The control server 205 may update (or create) an EVSE phase map for the site 220.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a PDMS 300 for detection of a phase of an EVSE”) 360a — 360n, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The PDMS 300 may be similar in some respects to the PDMS 100 of FIG. 1 and/or the PDMS 200 of FIG. 2. The electric grid 10, the Internet 20, the control server 305, the communication couplings 310, 315, the site 320, the site control unit (“SOU”) 330, the site meter 335, the site phase lines 340, 345, 350, and the local network 355 are shown for reference. The EVSEs 360a, 360b, 360c, and 360n (360a — 360n) are also shown for reference. The EVSEs 360a — 360n are communicatively coupled 380a — 380n, respectively, to the local network 355. The site 320 draws three-phase electrical power 325 from the electric grid 10. The respective EVSE phase lines 365a, 365b, 365n, 370a, 370b, 370n, 375a, 375b, 375n are identified. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the phase detection unit (“PDU”) 312 is located at the site 320. More particularly, the PDU 312 may be co-located with an EVSE at the site. In FIG. 3, the PDU 312 is shown co-located with the EVSE 360a; however, the PDU 312 may be co-located with any of the EVSEs 360a — 360n. The PDU 312 may perform some of the functions of the PDMS 300 local to the site 320. For example, the SCU 330 may signal the PDU 312 when an EV connects to any of the EVSEs 360a — 360n. The PDU 312 may signal the SCU 330 to interrupt charging at all of the EVSEs 360a — 360n (to deactivate all three site phase lines 340, 345, 350), and may subsequently and sequentially signal the SCU 330 to activate and deactivate the site phase lines 340, 345, 350. The PDU 312 may receive from the SCU 330, or directly from the site meter 335, data regarding which of the site phase lines 340, 345, 350 carries a current during the sequential activation/deactivation of the site phase lines 340, 345, 350. The PDU 312 may provide this data to the control server 305. The control server 305 may update (or create) an EVSE phase map for the site 320. In one embodiment, a PDU 312 may be co-located at more than one of the EVSEs 360a — 360n at the site 320, and any PDU 312 at the site 320 may function as a super-peer to the other PDUs 312 co-located with any other EVSE 360a — 360n at the site 320, and the plurality of PDlls 312 may serve as redundancy, failover, etc., for the site 320.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a diagram of a PDMS 400 for detection of a phase of an electrical device service equipment (“EDSE”) 460a — 460n, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The PDMS 400 may be similar in some respects to the PDMS 100 of FIG. 1 , or the PDMS 200 of FIG. 2, or the PDMS 300 of FIG. 3. The electric grid 10, the Internet 20, the control server 405, the communication couplings 410, 415, the site 420, the site control unit (“SOU”) 430, the site meter 435, the site phase lines 440, 445, 450, and the local network 455 are shown for reference. The site 420 comprises a plurality of EDSEs 460 — 460n. There may be more or fewer EDSEs 460a — 460n at a given site 420 than shown in FIG. 4. The EDSEs 460a — 460n are communicatively coupled 480a — 480n, respectively, to the local network 455. The site 420 draws three-phase electrical power 425 from the electric grid 10. Each EDSE 460a — 460n has respective EDSE phase lines 465a — 465n, 470a — 470n, 475a — 475n. The EDSE phase line 465a — 465n at each respective EDSE 460a — 460n couples to the site phase line 440. The EDSE phase line 470a — 470n at each respective EDSE 460a — 460n couples to the site phase line 445. The EDSE phase line 475a — 475n at each EDSE 460a — 460n couples to the site phase line 450. As is evident from FIG. 4, the physical arrangement of the EDSE phase lines 465a — 465n, 470a — 470n, 475a — 475n coupling to the respective site phase lines 440, 445, 450 may vary among the EDSEs 460a — 460n.

[0033] Each EDSE 460a — 460n may be configured to accept one or more electrical devices (“EDs”), such as the EDs 485a, 485b. The ED 485a represents a three-phase electrical device and has a three-phase connection 490 to, in the present example, the EDSE 460g. The ED 485b represents a single-phase electrical device and has a single-phase connection 495 to, in the present non-limiting example, the EDSE 480f. There may be more or fewer EDs 485a, 485b at the site 420 at any given time. The EDs 485a, 485b may be connected or disconnected individually at any of the EDSEs 460a — 460n. When an ED 485a, 485b is connected to an EDSE 460a — 460n, the EDSE 460a — 460n may send a signal to the SCU 430. The signal sent to the SCU 430 may indicate a connection only, or may indicate that the sending EDSE 460a — 460n has connected an ED 485a, 485b that is drawing an electric current. The SCU 430 may likewise send a signal to the control server 405. The control server 405 may, as discussed in conjunction with FIG. 1 , send signals to the SCU 430 to: interrupt current on all site phase lines 440, 445, 450; to sequentially activate and deactivate each of site phase lines 440, 445, 450; to acquire and provide telemetry regarding when each site phase line 440, 445, 450 draws a current; and to reactivate all of the site phase lines 440, 445, 450. The control server 405 may update (or create) an EDSE phase map to record which EDSE phase line 465a — 465n, 470a — 470n, 475a — 470n draws a current when a single-phase ED 485b is connected at the particular EDSE 460a — 460n.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a flow chart for a method 500 of a phase detection and mapping system (“PDMS”) for detecting and mapping a phase connection at an electric vehicle service equipment (“EVSE”), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. While the method 500 of FIG. 5 is described in the context of an EVSE (described in conjunction with FIGS. 1 — 3), the same (or a similar) method may be applied in the context of an electric device service equipment (described in conjunction with FIG. 4). The PDMS may detect 505 coupling of an EV at an EVSE of a plurality of EVSEs at a given site. The PDMS may further detect 510 charging at the particular EVSE. The PDMS may detect 515 the charging at the particular EVSE to be single-phase charging. The PDMS determines 520 if the particular EVSE has been mapped. If the EVSE has been phase mapped 521 , the PDMS checks 525 if a validate flag (or an instruction to perform phase mapping again) has been set. If the EVSE has been phase mapped 521 , and a validate flag is not set 527, the PDMS waits for and detects 505 a next coupling. If the EVSE has not been mapped 522, or if the EVSE has been mapped 521 and the validate flag is set 526, the PDMS sends 530 an instruction to stop power on all three phase lines at the site. The PDMS sends an instruction to confirm 535 power is stopped on all three phase lines (stopped on “30”) (or otherwise awaits confirmation from the site). With 30 power stopped (no current can pass along any phase line at the site), the PDMS sends 540 a signal to energize a first phase (e.g., phase line 1 (“01”)). The PDMS causes a measurement 545, as by a power meter at the site, to ascertain 550 if a current sufficient for EVSE charging (“charging current”) is present on 1 . If a charging current is not present 552, the PDMS sends 555 a signal to interrupt 01 . The PDMS confirms 535 that 01 is interrupted, then sends 540 a signal to energize a next phase, e.g., 02. The PDMS measures 545 for a charging current at the site meter. In one embodiment, the PDMS iterates through this process for each phase line at the site. In one embodiment, the PDMS iterates through this process for each phase line at the site until a charging current is detected 551 on with any phase line energized. The PDMS associates 565 the one energized phase line to the EVSE to which the single-phase charging EV is coupled. The PDMS updates (or creates, as appropriate) 570 a phase map to record that the particular EVSE employs the particular phase line for single-phase charging of EVs. The PDMS can also send 575 a signal to resume 30 power at the site so that charging may resume at each EVSE then in use at the site.

[0035] It should be noted that the PDMS, prior to sending 530 the 3 stop signal, may record the electrical power or current passing through the site meter. When the PDMS detects 551 a charging current at the site meter, the PDMS may determine 560 if the charging current is the result of multiple EVSEs charging on the currently active phase line. If power is being drawn by EVSEs and/or other devices on the current phase line, the PDMS determines if the charging current is sufficient to charge the EV at the particular EVSE accounting for power consumption from all other EVs/devices on the particular phase line. The PDMS may be configured to resolve power consumption accounting, or to set/reset a validation flag for the particular EVSE so that phase mapping for the particular EVSE can proceed on a next coupling for charging at the particular EVSE.

[0036] FIG. 6 diagrams an architecture of a phase detection and mapping system (PDMS) 600, such as the PDMS 100, 200, 300, 400 of FIG. 1 — 4, respectively, for detecting and mapping a phase of an EVSE, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. While FIG. 6 is described in the context of phase detection and mapping at an EVSE, the description is equally applicable to phase detection and mapping at an EDSE; hence, with regard to FIG. 6, the term “EVSE” is intended to extend to “EDSE” as used elsewhere herein. The PDMS 600 includes a control server 610, hereafter referred to as a computing system 610 that may be similar in some respects to the control server 110 of FIG. 1 (and, respectively, the control servers 210, 310, 410 of FIGS. 2 — 4). The PDMS 600 comprises a network 605 and the computing system 610. The computing system 610 includes a system bus 625, one or more processors 630, an electronic memory 635, an input/output interface (I/O interface) 620, and a network interface 615. [0037] The one or more processors 630 may include one or more general purpose devices, such as an Intel®, AMD®, or other standard microprocessor. The one or more processors 630 may include a special purpose processing device, such as ASIC, SoC, SiP, FPGA, PAL, PLA, FPLA, PLD, or other customized or programmable device. The one or more processors 630 may perform distributed (e.g., parallel) processing to execute or otherwise implement functionalities of the present embodiments. The one or more processors 630 may run a standard operating system and perform standard operating system functions. It is recognized that any standard operating systems may be used, such as, for example, Microsoft® Windows®, Apple® MacOS®, Disk Operating System (DOS), UNIX, IRJX, Solans, SunOS, FreeBSD, Linux®, ffiM® OS/2® operating systems, and so forth.

[0038] The electronic memory 635 may include static RAM, dynamic RAM, flash memory, one or more flip-flops, ROM, CD-ROM, DVD, disk, tape, or magnetic, optical, or other computer storage medium. The electronic memory 635 may include a plurality of program modules 645 — 665 and program data 640. The electronic memory 635 may be local to the computing system 610 or may be remote from the computing system 610 and/or distributed over the network 605.

[0039] The program modules 645 — 665 may include all or portions of other elements of the PDMS 600. The program modules 645 — 665 may run multiple operations concurrently or in parallel by or on the one or more processors 630. In some embodiments, portions of the disclosed modules, components, and/or facilities are embodied as executable instructions embodied in hardware or in firmware, or stored on a non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium. The instructions may comprise computer program code that, when executed by a processor and/or computing device, cause a computing system to implement certain processing steps, procedures, and/or operations, as disclosed herein. The modules, components, and/or facilities disclosed herein may be implemented and/or embodied as a driver, a library, an interface, an API, FPGA configuration data, firmware (e.g., stored on an EEPROM), and/or the like. In some embodiments, portions of the modules, components, and/or facilities disclosed herein are embodied as machine components, such as general and/or application-specific devices, including, but not limited to: circuits, integrated circuits, processing components, interface components, hardware controller(s), storage controller(s), programmable hardware, FPGAs, ASICs, and/or the like. [0040] The program data 640 stored on the electronic memory 635 may include data generated by the PDMS 600, such as by the program modules 645 — 665 or other modules. The stored program data 640 may be organized as one or more databases. [0041] The I/O interface 620 may facilitate interfacing with one or more input devices and/or one or more output devices. The input device(s) may include a keyboard, mouse, touch screen, light pen, tablet, microphone, sensor, or other hardware with accompanying firmware and/or software. The output device(s) may include a monitor or other display, printer, speech or text synthesizer, switch, signal line, or other hardware with accompanying firmware and/or software.

[0042] The network interface 615 may facilitate communication with other computing devices and/or networks 605, such as the Internet and/or other computing and/or communications networks. The network interface 615 may be equipped with conventional network connectivity, such as, for example, Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Token Ring (IEEE 802.5), Fiber Distributed Datalink Interface (FDDI), or Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). Further, the computer may be configured to support a variety of network protocols such as, for example, Internet Protocol (IP), Transfer Control Protocol (TCP), Network File System over UDP/TCP, Server Message Block (SMB), Microsoft® Common Internet File System (CIFS), Hypertext Transfer Protocols (HTTP), Direct Access File System (DAFS), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Real-Time Publish Subscribe (RTPS), Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) protocols, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Secure Shell (SSH), Secure Socket Layer (SSL), and so forth.

[0043] The system bus 625 may facilitate communication and/or interaction between the other components of the PDMS 600, including the one or more processors 630, the electronic memory 635, the I/O interface 620, and the network interface 615.

[0044] As noted, the PDMS 600 includes various program modules 645 — 665 (or engines, elements, or components) (hereafter, “modules”) to implement functionalities of the PDMS 600 and to generate, access, and/or manipulate the program data 640 stored in the electronic memory 635. Each of the various modules 645 — 665 may comprise machine-readable instructions that may be read and used by the one or more processors 630 to perform various functions of the PDMS 600. The modules 645 — 665 can include a current/power detection module 645, a phase detection module 650, a phase map generation module 655, and other appropriate software modules 660, 665. There may be more or fewer software modules 645 — 665 than shown in FIG. 6 and described herein.

[0045] The processor 630 is configurable to enable the processor 630 to read and execute computer-executable instructions, such as computer-executable instructions to perform the methods describe herein. The computer-executable instructions may be stored in the electronic memory 635, or in another memory accessible to the processor 630. The I/O interface 620 and/or the network interface 615 may enable to processor 630 to communicate with the electronic memory 635 and/or another memory, and to communicate with, for example, a site control unit (SCU), such as the SCU 130 of FIG. 1 , etc. The electronic memory 635 may store computer- readable and executable instructions to enable the processor 630 to perform the methods described herein. More particularly, the electronic memory 635 may store instructions to enable the processor 630 to operate or otherwise activate the current/power detection module 645 to detect when an EVSE controlled by the SCU is delivering power, such as to charge an EV. The current/power detection module 645 may determine a when an EVSE is delivering current/power based on data in the electronic memory 635 and telemetry from the SCU (including from the site meter, e.g., the site meter 135 of FIG. 1 ), etc. The current/power detection module 645 may further ascertain, acquire, or otherwise determine an individual EVSE may be drawing current or power at the site, whereby the processor 630 may activate or employ the phase detection module 650. The phase detection module 650 may enable the processor 630 to cause interruption of current/power on all phase lines served by the SCU, to singly energize each phase line, and to determine whether each phase line is providing power to the particular EVSE. One or more of the modules 645 — 665 may resolve current/power accounting when more than one EVSE may be charging an EV (or delivering power to an ED) on a particular phase when the particular phase is energized based on instructions derived from the phase detection module 650. The phase detection module 650 may activate or otherwise employ the phase map generation module 655 to create and/or to update a map of EVSEs at a site and served by the SCU, including a relational map of each phase line of the SCU. More particularly, based on telemetry from the SCU (and the site meter), and data resulting from operation of the phase discrimination module 650, the processor 630 may associate the particular EVSE to an individual phase during single-phase charging, and may further generate (or update) a logical map detailing the associations of each EVSE of the SCU to each phase of the site.

[0046] The network interface 615 may enable communication of the results generated by the modules 645 — 665 to a memory for retention storage and/or to another system.

[0047] Examples.

[0048] Some examples of embodiments of the present disclosure are now provided.

[0049] Example 1 . A phase detection system to detect a grid-to-EVSE phase connection mapping of an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) (e.g., a multiphase or single-phase EVSE) to a three-phase electrical grid, comprising: one or more EVSEs, each including an EVSE phase to electrically couple to a phase of a three-phase electrical grid at a site (and/or each including a meter able to measure electricity consumption for the EVSE phase); a site meter to measure electricity consumption per phase of the three-phase electrical system at the site; a control server communicatively coupled to the one or more EVSEs and the site meter, the control server comprising: a network interface to receive telemetry (or data) (e.g., via a communication network or protocol) from the one or more EVSEs and/or to communicate with the one or more EVSEs over the communication network; a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control server to: detect, via the telemetry (or data) received via the network interface, an electrical coupling of an electric vehicle (EV) to an EVSE of the one or more EVSEs at the site; send, via the network interface (e.g., over the communication network or protocol), a signal to the one or more EVSEs at the site to halt any active charging of any other current or voltage consumption (which guarantees that when this “calibration” is in place, there is no possibility of current being consumed by any EV other than the EV connected to the EVSE selected); send, via the network interface (e.g., over the communication network), a signal (e.g., a pulse signal) to the EVSE to initiate (or actuate) charging the EV (e.g., in isolation); measure, using the site meter, a present electricity consumption per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site; identify a given phase of the three- phase electrical system the EVSE is connected to, based on the present electricity consumption per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site; and note (or associate, indicate, map, or record) the EVSE as connected to the given phase (e.g., in a phase mapping, such as may be stored in the memory). The associated phase may be added to a mapping that indicates the EVSE phase connection to the given phase. The mapping may be utilized for load balancing at the site.

[0050] Example 2. The system of example 1 , wherein the network interface receives telemetry from the site meter, including data from the site meter indicating a measurement of the present electricity consumption per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site.

[0051] Example 3. The system of example 1 , wherein the control server is local to the site meter.

[0052] Example 4. The system of example 1 , wherein the control server memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control server to receive, via the telemetry, an indication of a present electricity consumption at the EVSE phase (e.g., as measured by a meter of the EVSE); and identify the given phase further based on the present electricity consumption at the EVSE phase.

[0053] Example 5. The system of example 1 , wherein the site meter measures electricity consumption by measuring electrical current per phase of the three-phase electrical system at the site.

[0054] Example 6. The system of example 1 , wherein the site meter measures electricity consumption by measuring electrical power per phase of the three-phase electrical system at the site.

[0055] Example 7. The system of example 1 , wherein the control server memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control server to send a signal to the one or more EVSEs at the site to recommence any previously active charging.

[0056] Example 8. The system of example 1 , wherein the control server memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control server to iteratively: detect an electrical coupling of a next EV to a next EVSE of the one or more EVSEs at the site; send a signal to the one or more EVSEs at the site to halt any active charging; send a signal to the next EVSE to initiate charging the next EV; measure a next present electricity consumption per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site; identify a next given phase of the three-phase electrical system the EVSE is connected to, based on the present electrical current per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site; and note the next EVSE as connected to the next given phase.

[0057] Example 9. The system of example 1 , wherein the control server memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control server to send a signal to the one or more of the EVSEs to adjust a charging level to a connected EV based on the note that the EVSE is connected to the given phase. [0058] Example 10. The system of example 9, wherein the signal to adjust the charging level is determined according to one or more of: improving safety at the site; load balancing; and enhancing usage of available capacity of the three-phase electrical system at the site toward an optimal usage.

[0059] Example 11 . A method to detect a phase connection of an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) to a three-phase electrical grid, comprising: detecting (e.g., via or over a communication network) an electrical coupling of an electric vehicle (EV) to a given EVSE of one or more EVSEs at a site, wherein the given EVSE includes a given EVSE phase to electrically couple to a phase of a three- phase electrical grid at the site; sending (e.g., over the communication network) a signal to the one or more EVSEs (e.g., all of the one or more EVSEs) at the site to halt any active charging (or any other electricity consumption) (which can guarantee that when this “calibration” is in place, there is no possibility of electricity being consumed by any car other than the EV connected to the EVSE selected); sending (e.g., over the communication network) a signal to the given EVSE to initiate charging the EV (e.g., in isolation); measuring, using a site meter, a present power current and voltage per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site; identifying which given phase of the three-phase electrical system the EVSE is connected to, based on the present electricity consumption per phase of the three- phase electrical system for the site; and noting (e.g., associating, indicating, mapping) the EVSE as connected to the given phase.

[0060] Example 12. The method of example 11 , further comprising: receiving (e.g., over the communication network) a present electricity consumption at the given EVSE phase as measured by a meter associated with the EVSE, wherein the identifying which given phase of the three-phase electrical system the EVSE is connected to is further based on the present electricity consumption at the given EVSE phase.

[0061] Example 13. A method to detect a phase connection of an electrical device, comprising: detecting (e.g., over a communication network) a connection of an electrical device (e.g., having a load) of one or more electrical devices to a three- phase electrical system at a site; sending (e.g., over a communication network) a signal to the one or more electrical devices (e.g., all of the one or more electrical devices) at the site to halt drawing electricity; sending (e.g., over a communication network) a signal (e.g., a pulse signal) to actuate (or otherwise initiate) the electrical device to begin drawing electricity from the three-phase electrical system; measuring (e.g., using a site meter) a present electricity consumption per phase for the site; identifying which given phase of the three-phase electrical system has non-zero electricity consumption; and noting the electrical device as connected to the given phase.

[0062] Example 14. The method of example 13, wherein the electrical device is an electric vehicle supply equipment (“EVSE”).

[0063] Example 15. The method of example 13, further comprising: receiving (e.g., over a communication network) a measurement of a present electricity consumption by the electrical device as measured by a meter associated with the electrical device, wherein the identifying which given phase of the three-phase electrical system the electrical device is connected to is further based on the measurement of the present electricity consumption by the electrical device.

[0064] Example 16. The method of example 13, wherein measuring electricity consumption comprises measuring electrical current per phase of the three-phase electrical system at the site.

[0065] Example 17. A system to detect a phase connection (e.g., a mapping thereof) of an electrical device to a multi-phase electrical system, comprising: one or more electrical devices (e.g., EVSEs) each coupled to a phase of a multi-phase electrical system at a site, each electrical device associated with (or including) a meter to measure electricity consumption of the electrical device from the multiphase electrical system on each phase; a site meter to measure power consumption at the site from each phase of the multi-phase electrical system; and a control server communicatively coupled to the one or more electrical devices over a communication network, the control server to determine a phase connection for each of the one or more electrical devices by iteratively performing operations to: detect, via telemetry received over a communication network via a network interface, a connection at the site of a connected electrical device to the multi-phase electrical system, the connected electrical device from the one or more electrical devices; send, via the network interface (e.g., over a communication network), a signal to the connected electrical device (e.g., to begin drawing power from the multi-phase electrical system); determine from the site meter a present power consumption per phase of the multi-phase electrical system for the site; identify which given phase of the multiphase electrical system has a non-zero present power consumption; and note in a phase mapping the electrical device as connected to the given phase.

[0066] Example 18. A system to detect a phase connection of an electrical device to a multi-phase electrical system, comprising: one or more electrical devices each coupled to a phase of a multi-phase electrical system at a site; a site meter to measure power consumption at the site from each phase of the multi-phase electrical system; and a control server communicatively coupled to the one or more electrical devices over a communication network, the control server to determine a phase connection for each of the one or more electrical devices by iteratively performing operations to: detect, via telemetry received over a communication network via a network interface, a connection at the site of a connected electrical device to the multi-phase electrical system, the connected electrical device from the one or more electrical devices; send, via the network interface, a signal to the connected electrical device to activate; determine from the site meter a present power consumption per phase of the multi-phase electrical system for the site; identify which given phase of the multi-phase electrical system has a non-zero present power consumption; and record in a phase mapping the electrical device as connected to the given phase.

[0067] Example 19. The system of example 18, wherein the control server receives the telemetry from the site meter, including data from the site meter indicating a measurement of the present electricity consumption per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site.

[0068] Example 20. The system of example 18, wherein the control server is local to the site meter. [0069] Example 21 . The system of example 18, wherein the operations iteratively performed by the control server include operations to: send, via the network interface, a signal to the one or more electrical devices to deactivate electricity consuming activity.

[0070] Example 22. The system of example 18, wherein the operations iteratively performed by the control server include operations to: send, via the network interface, a signal to the one or more electrical devices to recommence any previous electricity consuming activity.

[0071] Example 23. The system of example 18, wherein the control server memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control server to send a signal to the one or more of the electrical devices to adjust electricity consumption based on the note that the given electrical device is connected to the given phase.

[0072] Example 24. An electric vehicle supply equipment (“EVSE”) comprising: an electrical coupling to couple to a phase of a three-phase electrical system at a site; a conductive charge coupler to electrically couple to an electric vehicle (EV); a meter to measure power consumed by the EVSE from a phase of the three-phase electrical system; a network interface to communicate over a communication network with a control server that is communicatively coupled to one or more additional EVSEs also coupled to the three-phase electrical system at the site, the control server to receive telemetry from the EVSE and the one or more additional EVSEs; a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the EVSE to: detect a connection of an electric vehicle (EV) to the conductive charge coupler; transmit, via the network interface, indication of the connection to the control server; receive, via the network interface, a signal from the control server, the signal to halt the EVSE; receive, via the network interface, a signal (e.g., a pulse signal) from the control server, the signal to actuate (or otherwise initiate) the EVSE (e.g., to begin drawing power from the three-phase electrical system) to charge the EV; charge the EV with power drawn from the three-phase electrical system (e.g., a single phase thereof) at the site; obtain, via the meter, a measurement of a present power consumption of the EVSE from a phase of the three-phase electrical system; communicate, via the network interface, the measure to the control server to identify which given phase of the three-phase electrical system has a non-zero present power consumption; and note (e.g., associate, indicate, map record) the EVSE as connected to the given phase.

[0073] Example 25. A phase detection device to detect a phase connection of an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) (e.g., single-phase, multi-phase) comprising: a network interface to receive telemetry (or data) (e.g., over a communication network) from one or more EVSEs that each is coupled to a three- phase electrical system at a site and/or to communicate with the one or more EVSEs over the communication network; a meter to measure power consumed (e.g., per EVSE) per phase of the three-phase electrical system at a site; a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the phase detection device to: detect, via the telemetry (or data) received via the network interface, a connection of an electric vehicle (EV) to an EVSE of the one or more EVSEs that each is coupled to the three-phase electrical system, the connection at a site; send, via the network interface (e.g., over a communication network), a signal to the EVSE to initialize (or actuate) charging the EV; obtain (e.g., measure), via the meter, a present power consumption per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site; identify which given phase of the three-phase electrical system has a non-zero present power consumption; and note (e.g., associate, indicate, map, record) the EVSE as connected to the given phase.

[0074] Example 26. The phase detection device of example 25, wherein the phase detection device is integrated in an EVSE coupled to the three-phase electrical system at the site.

[0075] It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. The scope of the present invention should, therefore, be determined only by the following claims.

Claims

1 . A phase detection system to detect a grid-to-EVSE phase connection mapping of an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) to a three-phase electrical grid, comprising: one or more EVSEs, each including an EVSE phase to electrically couple to a phase of a three-phase electrical system at a site; a site meter to measure electricity consumption per phase of the three-phase electrical system at the site; a control server communicatively coupled to the one or more EVSEs and the site meter, the control server comprising: a network interface to receive telemetry from the one or more EVSEs; a memory storing instructions to be executed to perform operations; and a processor to execute instructions to cause the control server to: detect, via the telemetry received via the network interface, an electrical coupling of an electric vehicle (EV) to an EVSE of the one or more EVSEs at the site; send, via the network interface, a signal to the one or more EVSEs at the site to halt any active charging; send, via the network interface, a signal to the EVSE to initiate charging the EV; measure, using the site meter, a present electricity consumption per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site; identify a given phase of the three-phase electrical system the EVSE is connected to, based on the present electricity consumption per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site; and note the EVSE as connected to the given phase.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network interface receives telemetry from the site meter, including data from the site meter indicating a measurement of the present electricity consumption per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control server is local to the site meter.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the memory of the control server further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control server to: receive, via the telemetry, an indication of a present electricity consumption at the EVSE phase; and identify the given phase further based on the present electricity consumption at the EVSE phase.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the site meter measures electricity consumption by measuring electrical current per phase of the three-phase electrical system at the site.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the site meter measures electricity consumption by measuring electrical power per phase of the three-phase electrical system at the site.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control server memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control server to send a signal to the one or more EVSEs at the site to recommence any previously active charging.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control server memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the control server to iteratively: detect an electrical coupling of a next EV to a next EVSE of the one or more EVSEs at the site; send a signal to the one or more EVSEs at the site to halt any active charging; send a signal to the next EVSE to initiate charging the next EV; measure a next present electricity consumption per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site; identify a next given phase of the three-phase electrical system the EVSE is connected to, based on the present electricity consumption per phase of the three- phase electrical system for the site; and note the next EVSE as connected to the next given phase.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control server memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control server to send a signal to the one or more of the EVSEs to adjust a charging level to a connected EV based on the note that the EVSE is connected to the given phase.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the signal to adjust the charging level is determined according to one or more of: improving safety at the site; load balancing; and enhancing usage of available capacity of the three-phase electrical system at the site toward an optimal usage.

11 . A method to detect a phase connection of an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) to a three-phase electrical grid, comprising: detecting an electrical coupling of an electric vehicle (EV) to a given EVSE of one or more EVSEs at a site, wherein the given EVSE includes a given EVSE phase to electrically couple to a phase of a three-phase electrical system at the site; sending a signal to the one or more EVSEs at the site to halt any active charging; sending a signal to the given EVSE to initiate charging the EV; measuring, using a site meter, a present electricity usage per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site; identifying which given phase of the three-phase electrical system the EVSE is connected to, based on the present electricity consumption per phase of the three- phase electrical system for the site; and associating the EVSE as connected to the given phase.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising: receiving a present electricity usage at the given EVSE phase as measured by a meter associated with the EVSE, wherein the identifying which given phase of the three-phase electrical system the EVSE is connected to is further based on the present electricity usage at the given EVSE phase.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein measuring present electricity usage comprises measuring electrical current.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein measuring present electricity usage comprises measuring electrical power.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising sending a signal to the one or more EVSEs at the site to recommence any previously active charging.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising iteratively: detecting an electrical coupling of a next EV to a next EVSE of the one or more EVSEs at the site; sending a signal to the one or more EVSEs at the site to halt any active charging; sending a signal to the next EVSE to initiate charging the next EV; measuring a next present electricity usage per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site; identify a next given phase of the three-phase electrical system the EVSE is connected to, based on the present electricity usage per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site; and associating the next EVSE as connected to the next given phase.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising sending a signal to the one or more of the EVSEs to adjust a charging level to a connected EV based on the association that the EVSE is connected to the given phase.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the signal to adjust the charging level is determined according to one or more of: improving safety at the site; load balancing; and enhancing usage of available capacity of the three-phase electrical system at the site toward an optimal usage.

19. A method to detect a phase connection of an electrical device, comprising: detecting a connection of an electrical device of one or more electrical devices to a three-phase electrical system at a site; sending a signal to the one or more electrical devices at the site to halt drawing electricity; sending a signal to actuate the electrical device; measuring a present electricity consumption per phase for the site; identifying which given phase of the three-phase electrical system has nonzero electricity consumption; and associating the electrical device as connected to the given phase.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the electrical device is an electric vehicle supply equipment (“EVSE”).

21 . The method of claim 19, further comprising: receiving a measurement of a present electricity consumption by the electrical device as measured by a meter associated with the electrical device, wherein the identifying which given phase of the three-phase electrical system the electrical device is connected to is further based on the measurement of the present electricity consumption by the electrical device.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein measuring electricity consumption comprises measuring electrical current per phase of the three-phase electrical system at the site.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein measuring electricity consumption comprises measuring electrical power per phase of the three-phase electrical system at the site.

24. A system to detect a phase connection of an electrical device to a multiphase electrical system, comprising: one or more electrical devices each coupled to a phase of a multi-phase electrical system at a site; a site meter to measure power consumption at the site from each phase of the multi-phase electrical system; and a control server communicatively coupled to the one or more electrical devices over a communication network, the control server to determine a phase connection for each of the one or more electrical devices by iteratively performing operations to: detect, via telemetry received over a communication network via a network interface, a connection at the site of a connected electrical device to the multi-phase electrical system, the connected electrical device from the one or more electrical devices; send, via the network interface, a signal to the connected electrical device to activate; determine from the site meter a present power consumption per phase of the multi-phase electrical system for the site; identify which given phase of the multi-phase electrical system has a non-zero present power consumption; and record in a phase mapping the electrical device as connected to the given phase.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the control server receives the telemetry from the site meter, including data from the site meter indicating a measurement of the present electricity consumption per phase of the three-phase electrical system for the site.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the control server is local to the site meter.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the operations iteratively performed by the control server include operations to: send, via the network interface, a signal to the one or more electrical devices to deactivate electricity consuming activity.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the operations iteratively performed by the control server include operations to: send, via the network interface, a signal to the one or more electrical devices to recommence any previous electricity consuming activity.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the operation iteratively performed by the control server include operations to: send a signal to the one or more electrical devices to adjust electricity consumption based on the record in the phase mapping that the given electrical device is connected to the given phase.