WO2023192383A1

WO2023192383A1 - Customizing electric vehicle charging station services for users with disabilities

Info

Publication number: WO2023192383A1
Application number: PCT/US2023/016734
Authority: WO
Inventors: Huy Nguyen; Ramsey MEYER; Michael Clement; Anna Christine Jackson BAILEY; Jeffrey Kinsey
Original assignee: Volta Charging, Llc
Priority date: 2022-03-31
Filing date: 2023-03-29
Publication date: 2023-10-05

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided herein for an electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) customizing services based on a user of an electric vehicle. This may be accomplished by an EVCS using one or more sensors to detect an electric vehicle and then determine a characteristic of the detected electric vehicle. For example, the characteristic of the detected electric vehicle may indicate that the user associated with the electric vehicle has a disability and/or needs assistance when charging the electric vehicle. In response to this determination, the EVCS may transmit a notification to one or more devices (e.g., nearby EVCS users, EVCS attendants, etc.) requesting assistance with charging the electric vehicle.

Description

CUSTOMIZING ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION SERVICES FOR USERS WITH DISABILITIES

Background

[0001] The present disclosure relates to computer-implemented techniques for charging electric vehicles, and in particular to techniques for allocating resources to electric vehicles based on information about the electric vehicles.

Summary

[0002] As more consumers transition to electric vehicles, there is an increasing demand for electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs). These EVCSs usually supply electric energy, either using cables or wirelessly, to the batteries of electric vehicles. For example, a user can connect their electric vehicle via cables of an EVCS, and the EVCS supplies electrical current to the user’s electric vehicle. The cables and control systems of the EVCSs can be housed in kiosks in locations to allow a driver of an electric vehicle to park the electric vehicle close to the EVCS and begin the charging process. These kiosks may be placed in areas of convenience, such as in parking lots at shopping centers, in front of commercial buildings, or in other public places. These kiosks often comprise a display that can be used to provide media items to the user to enhance the user’s charging experience. Consequently, passers-by, in addition to users of the EVCS, may notice media items displayed by the EVCS. In some instances, users require assistance when utilizing an EVCS. For example, it may be very difficult or impossible for users with disabilities to connect and/or disconnect their electric vehicle to an EVCS. In another example, new users may be unaware of how to operate an EVCS. Traditionally, EVCSs provide little to no assistance to users that require assistance when charging their electric vehicle.

[0003] Various systems and methods described herein address these problems by providing EVCSs that customize services based on the user. To provide customized services based on the user, an EVCS may need to determine a user characteristic. One way an EVCS determines a user characteristic is by first detecting a characteristic of an electric vehicle and then determining a profile associated with the electric vehicle. The profile may comprise one or more user characteristics associated with the user of the electric vehicle. One methodology to identify characteristics of an electric vehicle is for the EVCS to receive information about the electric vehicle from one or more sensors. For example, these sensors may be image sensors (e.g., one or more cameras), ultrasound sensors, depth sensors, infrared (IR) cameras, Red Green Blue (RGB) cameras, passive IR (PIR) cameras, proximity sensors, radar, tension sensors, near field communication (NFC) sensors, and/or any combination thereof. After the one or more sensors capture information about the electric vehicle, the EVCS determines an electric vehicle characteristic (e.g., model, make, license plate, VTN number, tire pressure, specifications, condition, etc.) based on the captured information. The EVCS can then determine a user and/or user characteristic associated with the electric vehicle based on the electric vehicle characteristic. For example, the EVCS may receive a plurality of images from a camera (i.e., sensor) fixed to the EVCS. If the EVCS determines, using the plurality of images, that a disabled person placard is hanging inside the electric vehicle, the EVCS may determine that the user of the electric vehicle has a disability (i.e., user characteristic). In another example, the EVCS may access a database comprising entries that link electric vehicle characteristics to a user and/or a user profile. Accordingly, an EVCS can determine a user and/or user characteristic associated with the electric vehicle based on an electric vehicle characteristic (e.g., license plate).

[0004] The EVCS may identify a user characteristic when the user requests the EVCS to charge their electric vehicle. For example, the user may have to present a credential (e.g., password, PIN, biometrics, device, item, etc.) to request the EVCS to charge their electric vehicle. The EVCS can identify a user profile associated with the user based on the credential, wherein the profile comprises one or more user characteristics. In another example, the user may select and/or reserve an EVCS. For example, a user may select an EVCS by setting the EVCS as their destination in their navigation system. When the user selects and/or reserves the EVCS, the EVCS may receive a notification indicating a user characteristic and/or the profile of the user that made the selection/reservation. The EVCS can access a database comprising entries that link user profiles with user characteristics. [0005] The EVCS may customize services for the user of the electric vehicle based on the determined user characteristic. For example, if the user characteristic indicates that the user has a disability, the EVCS may transmit a notification indicating that the user requires assistance. The notification may be transmitted to one or more devices associated with a nearby business, on-site employees, other electric vehicle owners, nearby assistants, etc. For example, nearby electric vehicle owners may receive a notification from the EVCS indicating that the user at the EVCS has a disability and requires assistance. The notification may also indicate a benefit (e.g., compensation, credit, etc.) for assisting the user with a disability with charging their electric vehicle. In another example, if the user characteristic indicates that the user is a new user, the EVCS may activate a light coupled to the EVCS, signaling that the user of the electric vehicle requires assistance. The notification may also comprise an estimated arrival time for the user. The EVCS may calculate the estimated arrival time for the user using information received from the user. For example, the EVCS may receive a request to charge an electric vehicle, wherein the request indicates a location of the electric vehicle. Based on the location of the electric vehicle, the EVCS may be able to calculate an estimated amount of time required for the electric vehicle to travel to the EVCS. The EVCS can then calculate an estimated arrival time based on the estimated amount of time required for the electric vehicle to travel to the EVCS. In another example, the estimated arrival time may be indicated by the user. In another example, the EVCS may detect (e.g., via a sensor) the arrival of the electric vehicle and determine that the estimated arrival time is when the electric vehicle is detected.

[0006] The EVCS may also determine customized services for when the user leaves based on the user characteristic. For example, if the user characteristic indicates that the user has a disability, the EVCS may transmit a first notification when the user arrives indicating that the user requires assistance in connecting their electric vehicle and may send a second notification when the user intends to leave indicating that the user requires assistance in disconnecting their electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the EVCS can determine an inferred dwell time, such as described in U.S. Application No. 63/218,770, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. The EVCS can estimate when the user of the electric vehicle intends to leave based on the inferred dwell time. In another example, if the user characteristic indicates that the user has a disability, the EVCS may automatically retract the EVCS’s connector from the user’s electric vehicle after an inferred dwell time.

[0007] The EVCS may leverage machine learning to identify a user characteristic, estimated arrival time, inferred dwell time, electric vehicle characteristics, and/or similar such information. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] The below and other objects and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] FIGS. 1 A-1C show illustrative diagrams of a system for determining customized services based on a user, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

[0010] FIGS. 2 A and 2B show block diagrams of an illustrative process for determining an inferred dwell time of a user of the electric vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

[0011] FIG. 3 shows an illustrative block diagrams of notifications indicating that a user requires assistance, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 4 shows an illustrative block diagram of an EVCS system, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

[0013] FIG. 5 shows an illustrative block diagram of a user equipment device system, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

[0014] FIG. 6 shows an illustrative block diagram of a server system, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 7 is an illustrative flowchart of a process of determining customized services based on a user, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 8 is another illustrative flowchart of a process of determining customized services based on a user, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; and [0017] FIG. 9 is another illustrative flowchart of a process of determining customized services based on a user, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

Detailed Description

[0018] FIGS. 1A-1C show illustrative diagrams of a system of determining customized services based on a user 106 of an electric vehicle 104, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments, an EVCS 102 provides an electric charge to the electric vehicle 104 via a charging cable 122 or a wireless connection (e.g., wireless charging). The EVCS 102 may be in communication with the electric vehicle 104 and/or a user device 108 belonging to a user 106 (e.g., a driver, passenger, owner, renter, or other operator of the electric vehicle 104) that is associated with the electric vehicle 104. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 communicates with one or more devices or computer systems, such as user device 108 or server 110, respectively, via a network 112. Although some steps or methods may be described as being executed by the EVCS 102, user device 108, and/or server 110, said steps and methods may also be performed by any combination of the devices.

[0019] There can be more than one EVCS 102, electric vehicle 104, user 106, user device 108, server 110, and network 112, but only one of each is shown in FIGS. 1 A-1C to avoid overcomplicating the drawings. In addition, a user 106 may utilize more than one type of user device 108 and more than one of each type of user device 108. In some embodiments, there may be paths 114a-d between user devices, servers, EVCSs, and/or electric vehicles, so that the items may communicate directly with each other via communication paths, as well as other short-range point-to-point communication paths, such as USB cables, IEEE 1394 cables, wireless paths (e.g., Bluetooth, infrared, IEEE 802-1 lx, etc.), or other short-range communication via wired or wireless paths. In some embodiments, the devices may also communicate with each other directly through an indirect path via a communications network. The communications network may be one or more networks including the Internet, a mobile phone network, mobile voice, short message service (SMS), or data network (e.g., a 4G, 5G, or LTE network), cable network, public switched telephone network, or other types of communications network or combinations of communications networks. In some embodiments, a communication network path comprises one or more communications paths, such as, a satellite path, a fiber-optic path, a cable path, a path that supports Internet communications (e.g., IPTV), free-space connections (e.g., for broadcast or other wireless signals), or any other suitable wired or wireless communications path or combination of such paths. In some embodiments, a communication network path can be a wireless path.

Communications with the devices may be provided by one or more communication paths but are shown as single paths in FIG. 1 A to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

[0020] In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 identifies a user characteristic to determine customized services for the user 106. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 identifies a user characteristic when the user 106 requests the EVCS 102 to charge the electric vehicle 104. For example, the user 106 may present credentials (e.g., password, PIN, biometrics, device, item, etc.) to request the EVCS 102 to charge the electric vehicle 104. In some embodiments, the user 106 inputs a password using the display 118 of the EVCS 102. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 receives credentials from the user device 108 when the user device 108 is within a distance (e.g., five feet) from the EVCS 102. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 identifies a user profile associated with the user 106 based on the received credentials. In some embodiments, the user profile comprises one or more user characteristics associated with the user 106. In some embodiments, the user 106 selects and/or reserves EVCS 102. For example, the user 106 can select the EVCS 102 when the user inputs the EVCS 102 as a destination in a navigation system. In some embodiments, the navigation system is implemented using the user device 108 and/or the electric vehicle 104. In another example, the user 106 may access a web page and reserve the EVCS 102 for a time period. In some embodiments, when the user 106 selects and/or reserves the EVCS 102, the EVCS 102 receives a notification indicating a profile and/or user characteristic associated with the user that made the selection/reservation. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 determines a user characteristic using the profile. In some embodiments, a user 106 may press a button on the EVCS 102 indicating a user characteristic, for example, that the user 106 requires assistance. In some embodiments, the button is a selectable option on the display 118 of the EVCS 102. In some embodiments, the button is separate from the display 118.

[0021] In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 identifies a user characteristic based on a characteristic of the electric vehicle 104. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 determines a characteristic of an electric vehicle based on information received from one or more sensors (e.g., camera 116). Although a camera 116 is displayed, the one or more sensors may comprise image sensors, ultrasound sensors, depth sensors, IR cameras, RGB cameras, PIR cameras, proximity sensors, radar, tension sensors, NFC sensors, and/or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, after the camera 116 captures information about the electric vehicle 104, the EVCS 102 determines an electric vehicle characteristic (e.g., model, make, license plate, VIN number, tire pressure, specifications, condition, etc.) based on the captured information. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 accesses a database linking characteristics of electric vehicles to users of the electric vehicle.

[0022] FIG. IB shows the user 106 in the electric vehicle 104 located in a parking spot 120 corresponding to the EVCS 102. In some embodiments, EVCS 102 receives a plurality of images from the camera 116. In some embodiments, FIG. 1C shows a first image 124 of the plurality of images captured by the camera 116. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 determines a characteristic of the user 106 based on one or more of the plurality of images. For example, the EVCS 102 may determine (e.g., via image recognition) that an item 126 is located inside the electric vehicle 104. In some embodiments, the item 126 is associated with a user characteristic. For example, the item 126 may be a disabled person placard. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 determines a user characteristic (e.g., user 106 is disabled, is a new driver, needs assistance to complete a charge, etc.) based on determining that the item 126 is located inside the electric vehicle 104. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 may determine (e.g., via image recognition) that a user 106 is struggling to connect or disconnect the charging cable 122 and needs assistance to complete a charge (e.g., user 106 is unable to plug the charging cable 122 into electric vehicle 104 or the charging cable 122 is stuck in electric vehicle 104).

[0023] In another example, the EVCS 102 may determine (e.g., using optical character recognition) the characters of the license plate 128. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 uses a database to look up user characteristics of the user 106 using the license plate information. For example, the database may comprise public records (e.g., public registration information linking license plates to user profiles), collected information (e.g., entries linking license plates to user characteristics based on data inputted by a user), historic information (entries linking license plates to user characteristics based on the EVCS 102 identifying user characteristics related to one or more license plates in the past), and/or similar such information. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 determines a user characteristic (e.g., user 106 is disabled, is a new driver, needs assistance to complete a charge, etc.) based on determining that the license plate 128 being associated with a person with that characteristic. [0024] In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 accesses a database comprising a plurality of entries wherein user characteristics are mapped to types of services. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 determines that a first entry, corresponding to a determined user characteristic (e.g., user 106 is disabled, is a new driver, needs assistance to complete a charge, etc.) indicates a first service (e.g., notification to a nearby location). In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 receives the user characteristic and/or service type from the server 110, user device 108, and/or electric vehicle 104.

[0025] In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 customizes services based on the determined user characteristic. For example, if the user characteristic indicates that the user 106 has a disability, the EVCS 102 can transmit a notification (e.g., via network 112) indicating that the user 106 requires assistance. The notification may be transmitted to one or more devices associated with a nearby business, on-site employees, other electric vehicle owners, nearby assistants, etc. For example, nearby electric vehicle owners may receive a notification from the EVCS 102 indicating that the user 106 at the EVCS 102 has a disability and requires assistance. The notification may also indicate a benefit (e.g., compensation, credit, etc.) for assisting the user 106 with a disability with charging their electric vehicle 104. In another example, if the user characteristic indicates that the user 106 is a new user, the display 118 of the EVCS 102 may display a graphic, turn a color, and/or flash, signaling that the user 106 of the electric vehicle 104 requires assistance. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 causes a light mounted to the EVCS 102 to turn on, signaling that user 106 requires assistance.

[0026] In some embodiments, the notification comprises an estimated arrival time for the electric vehicle 104. For example, the EVCS 102 may receive a request to charge the electric vehicle 104, wherein the request indicates a location of the electric vehicle 104. Based on the location of the electric vehicle 104, the EVCS 102 can calculate an estimated arrival time using an estimated amount of time required for the electric vehicle 104 to travel to the EVCS 102. In another example, the estimated arrival time may be indicated by the user 106. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 detects (e.g., via a sensor) the arrival of the electric vehicle 104 when the electric vehicle 104 enters the parking space 120. In some embodiments, the estimated arrival time is when the electric vehicle 104 is detected in the parking space 120.

[0027] In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 determines a first service for when the user 106 is leaving the EVCS 102 based on a user characteristic. For example, if the user characteristic indicates that the user 106 has a disability, the EVCS 102 may transmit a first notification when the user 106 arrives, indicating that the user 106 requires assistance in connecting their electric vehicle 104 and may send a second notification when the user 106 intends to leave indicating that the user 106 requires assistance in disconnecting the charging cable 122 from their electric vehicle 104. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 determines an inferred dwell time to calculate an estimated departure time. In some embodiments, if the user characteristic indicates that the user 106 has a disability, the charging cable 122 disconnects from the electric vehicle 104 and retracts back into the EVCS 102 upon the departure of the user 106.

[0028] In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 determines the electric vehicle’s 104 characteristics (e.g., model, make, specifications, condition, etc.) using information captured by the one or more sensors. For example, the EVCS 102 may obtain characteristics of the electric vehicle 104 using a communication interface standard (e.g., ISO 15118) when the electric vehicle 104 is connected to the EVCS 102. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 receives a media access control (MAC) address from the electric vehicle 104, and the EVCS 102 uses the MAC address to determine vehicle characteristics of the electric vehicle 104 and/or to determine the user 106 associated with the electric vehicle 104. The EVCS 102 can use a database to match the received MAC address or portions of the received MAC address to entries in the database to determine vehicle characteristics of the electric vehicle 104. For example, certain vehicle manufacturers keep portions of their produced electric vehicle’s MAC addresses consistent. Accordingly, if the EVCS 102 determines that a portion of the MAC address received from the electrical vehicle 104 corresponds to an electric vehicle manufacturer, the EVCS 102 can determine vehicle characteristics of the electric vehicle 104. The EVCS 102 can also use a database to match the received MAC address or portions of the received MAC address to entries in the database to determine the user 106 associated with the electric vehicle 104. For example, the electric vehicle’s MAC address may correspond to a user profile corresponding to the user 106 associated with the electric vehicle 104.

[0029] In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 can use the information captured by the one or more sensors to determine an estimated charge time to calculate an inferred dwell time. For example, the one or more sensors may determine that the electrical vehicle’s battery is 20% charged. Based on this information, the EVCS 102 can determine an estimated charge time (e.g., one hour). The EVCS 102 may determine the estimated charge time based on accessing a database where battery percentages correspond to estimated charge times. In some embodiments, the estimated charge time can be used in conjunction with and/or derived from information captured by the one or more other sensors. For example, using the camera 116, the EVCS 102 can determine the make and model of the electric vehicle 104, and a battery sensor can determine the battery percentage of the electric vehicle 104. The EVCS 102 can then access a database to determine the estimated charge time when using an optimal charging rate given the make, model, and battery percentage of the electric vehicle 104. In some embodiments, the EVCS 102 can use the information captured by the one or more sensors to determine that the user 106 is walking back to or approaching electric vehicle 104 and can update the inferred dwell time accordingly.

[0030] FIGS. 2 A and 2B show block diagrams of an illustrative process for determining an inferred dwell time of a user of an electric vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments, FIGS. 2A and 2B use the same or similar methods and devices described in FIGS. 1A-1C.

[0031] FIG. 2 A shows a dwell time module 204 receiving user information 202 and outputting an estimated dwell time 206. As described herein, the dwell time module 204 may be located in an EVCS (e.g., EVCS 102), a server (e.g., server 110), a user device (e.g., user device 108) or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the estimated dwell time 206 relates to the estimated amount of time that a user (e.g., user 106) will be within a first vicinity, which relates to the amount of time that the user’s electric vehicle (e.g., electric vehicle 104) will be charging at an EVCS (e.g., EVCS 102). [0032] In some embodiments, to determine the estimated dwell time 206, the dwell time module 204 uses user information 202 (e.g., user location, user calendars, user purchases, user patterns, etc.). The dwell time module 204 has a variety of methods of obtaining the user information 202 (e.g., receiving the user information 202 from a database, receiving the user information 202 from a user, receiving the user information 202 from a third-party provider, etc.). The dwell time module 204 can determine the estimated dwell time 206 based on one piece of user information 202 or a plurality of user information. In some embodiments, different user information is weighted according to significance. For example, a first piece of user information indicating that the user has an upcoming event may be weighted higher than a second piece of user information indicating that the user made a purchase two weeks ago. Accordingly, the dwell time module 204 may assign different weights when determining an estimated dwell time 206 of the user. In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 outputs the estimated dwell time 206 to an EVCS (e.g., EVCS 102), a server (e.g., server 110), a user device (e.g., user device 108) or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the estimated dwell time is included in a notification transmitted to a location. For example, a notification may indicate that a user will need help disconnecting their vehicle from an EVCS at a first time, wherein the first time is calculated using the estimated dwell time. In some embodiments, the estimated dwell time is used to determine an estimated charge time and/or a charging rate for an electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 uses the estimated dwell time 206 to determine an estimated charge time for an electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 uses the estimated dwell time 206 and/or the estimated charge time to determine a charging rate to charge an electric vehicle.

[0033] FIG. 2B shows a dwell time module 204 receiving user information 202, electric vehicle characteristics 208, and location information 210 and outputting an estimated dwell time 206. In some embodiments, FIG. 2B generates an estimated dwell time 206 in the same or similar way as described above in FIG. 2A. In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 uses any combination of user information 202, electric vehicle characteristics 208, location information 210, and similar such information to determine the estimated dwell time 206. In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 receives only the user information 202 and the electric vehicle characteristics 208 and determines the estimated dwell time 206. In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 receives only the user information 202 and the location information 210 and determines the estimated dwell time 206. The dwell time module 204 can use one or more pieces of user information 202, electric vehicle characteristics 208, and/or location information 210 to determine the estimated dwell time 206. In some embodiments, different information is weighted according to significance. Accordingly, the dwell time module 204 assigns different weights when determining an estimated dwell time 206.

[0034] In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 outputs the estimated dwell time 206 to an EVCS (e.g., EVCS 102), a server (e.g., server 110), a user device (e.g., user device 108) or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the estimated dwell time is included in a notification transmitted to a location. In some embodiments, the estimated dwell time is used to determine an estimated charge time and/or a charging rate for an electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 uses the estimated dwell time 206 to determine an estimated charge time for an electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 uses the estimated dwell time 206 and/or the estimated charge time to determine a charging rate to charge an electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 uses one or more pieces of information to determine the estimated dwell time and then uses a different one or more pieces of information to determine the estimated charge time and/or charging rate of an electric vehicle. For example, the dwell time module 204 can use the user information 202 to determine the estimated dwell time 206 and can use the estimated dwell time 206 and electric vehicle characteristics 208 to determine the estimated charge time. In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 uses one or more pieces of information to determine the estimated dwell time and then uses the same one or more pieces of information to determine the estimated charge time and/or charging rate of an electric vehicle. For example, the dwell time module 204 can use the user information 202 and location information 210 to determine the estimated dwell time 206 and can then use the estimated dwell time 206, user information 202, and location information 210 to determine the estimated charge time.

[0035] In some embodiments, a dwell time module 204 receives a user’s calendar information (user information 202) and calculates an estimated dwell time 206 for a user. For example, a user may request an EVCS to start charging their electric vehicle at 1 :00 pm and the dwell time module 204 may receive a user’s calendar information 212 indicating that the user has an event, located within the vicinity of the EVCS, ending at 3:00 pm. The dwell time module 204 can use the user’s calendar information to determine that the estimated dwell time 206 is approximately two hours. In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 also determines an estimated charge time and/or charging rate for the electric vehicle of the user. For example, a slower charging rate may be used for longer estimated dwell times (e.g., two hours) and a faster charging rate may be used for shorter estimated dwell times (e.g., 15 minutes). Accordingly, an electric vehicle is not subjected to unnecessarily fast charging rates, resulting in a prolonged lifespan of the vehicle’s battery.

[0036] In some embodiments, a dwell time module 204 receives a geofence notification (user information 202) and calculates an estimated dwell time 206 for a user. For example, the user may request an EVCS to start charging their electric vehicle at 1 :00 pm and the dwell time module 204 may receive a geofence notification indicating that a device associated with the user crossed a geofence at 1 :05 pm. The dwell time module 204 can use the geofence notification to determine an estimated dwell time (e.g., 15 minutes) based on the amount of time that the user spent in the location related to the geofence in the past. For example, the dwell time module 204 may receive past user behavior patterns indicating that the user spent an average amount of time (e.g., 15 minutes) in the location related to the geofence. In some embodiments, the location related to the geofence may correspond to an estimated dwell time (e.g., coffee shops correspond to 15 minutes, movie theaters correspond to two hours, etc.). In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 can also determine an estimated charge time and/or charging rate for the electric vehicle of the user based on the estimated dwell time 206.

[0037] In some embodiments, a dwell time module 204 receives a purchase notification (user information 202) and calculates an estimated dwell time 206 for a user. For example, the user may request the EVCS to start charging their electric vehicle at 1 :00 pm and the dwell time module 204 may retrieve a purchase notification indicating that the user 216 purchased a movie ticket for a movie ending at 3 :00 pm. The dwell time module 204 can use the purchase notification to determine that the estimated dwell time 206 will be approximately two hours. In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 can also determine an estimated charge time and/or charging rate for the electric vehicle of the user based on the estimated dwell time 206.

[0038] In some embodiments, a dwell time module 204 receives a user’s calendar information (user information 202) and location trends (location information 210) and calculates an estimated dwell time 206 for a user. For example, the user may request an EVCS to start charging their electric vehicle at 1 : 00 pm and the dwell time module 204 may receive a user’s calendar information indicating that the user has an event (e.g., a haircut) occurring at a location. In some embodiments, the user’s calendar information is ambiguous on the end time for the event. The dwell time module 204 may also receive location trends comprising the dwelling trends of the location. In some embodiments, the dwelling trends can relate to the amount of time users normally spend in the location. For example, users may spend different amounts of time in different locations (e.g., average of 10 minutes in coffee shops, average of two hours in restaurants, etc.). In some embodiments, the dwell trends indicate that the average dwell time changes depending on other factors (e.g., time of day, day of the week, seasonal, temperature, traffic, etc.). The dwell time module 204 can use the user’s calendar information and location trends to determine that the estimated dwell time 206 to be approximately 45 minutes at 1 :00 pm. In some embodiments, the dwell time module 204 can also determine an estimated charge time and/or charging rate for the electric vehicle of the user based on the estimated dwell time 206.

[0039] In some embodiments, the estimated dwell time 206 is used to customize media items to display to the users of the electric vehicles. For example, the dwell time module 204 can determine that a first estimated dwell time for a first electric vehicle will be longer than a second estimated dwell time for a second electric vehicle. In some embodiments, an EVCS, server, and/or user device determines that a first media item (e.g., movie ticket sale) may be more desirable to the user of the first electric vehicle because the first media item corresponds to an activity with a time frame similar to the first estimated dwell time. In some embodiments, this determination is made using a database that contains entries where media items correspond to estimated dwell times.

[0040] FIG. 3 shows an illustrative block diagram of notifications 304 indicating that a user requires assistance, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments, the notifications 304 are displayed on a user device 302. Although a smartphone is used in this example, a user device 302 may be any device or devices capable of displaying notifications 304 such as televisions, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and/or similar such devices.

[0041] In some embodiments, a first notification 304a is received from an EVCS and/or from a server. In some embodiments, the first notification 304a is only received by the user device 302. For example, the user device 302 may be associated with an account signed up to receive alerts related to drivers with certain user characteristics and/or groups of characteristics (e.g., any drivers requiring assistance when charging). In some embodiments, the first notification 304a is received by multiple devices. For example, all user devices associated with users within a distance of the EVCS that use an electric vehicle may receive the first notification 304a. In some embodiments, the first notification indicates the user characteristic. For example, the notification may indicate that the user is disabled, new, and/or requires assistance. In some embodiments, the first notification indicates the estimated arrival time (e.g., five minutes) of the user requiring assistance.

[0042] In some embodiments, a second notification 304b is received from an EVCS and/or server. In some embodiments, the second notification 304b is transmitted from the same or different EVCS and/or server as the first notification. In some embodiments, the second notification 304b is only received by the user device 302. In some embodiments, the second notification 304b is received by multiple devices. In some embodiments, the second notification 304b indicates a distance (e.g., 100 feet) between the user device 302 and the EVCS. In some embodiments, the second notification 304b indicates an incentive (e.g., free charge) for assisting a user. In some embodiments, the second notification indicates an estimated departure time (e.g., two minutes) of the user requiring assistance. In some embodiments, the departure time is determined using an estimated dwell time.

[0043] The first and second notification are just two embodiments. Any type of information in the first notification 304a can be included in the second notification 304b, and any type of information in the second notification 304b can be included in the first notification 304a. For example, the distance may be included in both notifications 304 or neither notification 304. In some embodiments, the notifications comprise more or less information than shown. For example, the second notification 304b may not comprise the distance or the estimated departure time. In some embodiments, additional information may be displayed if a user of the user device 302 selects one or more of the notifications 304. [0044] FIG. 4 shows an illustrative block diagram of an EVCS system 400, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In particular, EVCS system 400 of FIG. 4 may be any of the EVCSs depicted in FIGS. 1 A, and/or IB. In practice, and as recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, items shown separately could be combined and some items could be separated. In some embodiments, not all shown items must be included in EVCS 400. In some embodiments, EVCS 400 may comprise additional items.

[0045] The EVCS system 400 can include processing circuitry 402 that includes one or more processing units (processors or cores), storage 404, one or more network or other communications network interfaces 406, additional peripherals 408, one or more sensors 410, a motor 412 (configured to retract a portion of a charging cable), one or more wireless transmitters and/or receivers 414, and one or more input/output (VO) paths 416. VO paths 416 may use communication buses for interconnecting the described components. VO paths 416 can include circuitry (sometimes called a chipset) that interconnects and controls communications between system components. EVCS 400 may receive content and data via I/O paths 416. The I/O path 416 may provide data to control circuitry 418, which includes processing circuitry 402 and a storage 404. The control circuitry 418 may be used to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable data using the I/O path 416. The I/O path 416 may connect the control circuitry 418 (and specifically the processing circuitry 402) to one or more communications paths. I/O functions may be provided by one or more of these communications paths but are shown as a single path in FIG. 4 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

[0046] The control circuitry 418 may be based on any suitable processing circuitry such as the processing circuitry 402. As referred to herein, processing circuitry should be understood to mean circuitry based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may include a multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores) or supercomputer. In some embodiments, processing circuitry may be distributed across multiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multiple of the same type of processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). The determining customized services based on a user functionality can be at least partially implemented using the control circuitry 418. The determining customized services based on a user functionality described herein may be implemented in or supported by any suitable software, hardware, or combination thereof. The determining customized services based on a user functionality can be implemented on user equipment, on remote servers, or across both.

[0047] The control circuitry 418 may include communications circuitry suitable for communicating with one or more servers. The instructions for carrying out the above- mentioned functionality may be stored on the one or more servers. Communications circuitry may include a cable modem, an integrated service digital network (ISDN) modem, a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, a telephone modem, Ethernet card, or a wireless modem for communications with other equipment, or any other suitable communications circuitry. Such communications may involve the Internet or any other suitable communications networks or paths. In addition, communications circuitry may include circuitry that enables peer-to-peer communication of user equipment devices, or communication of user equipment devices in locations remote from each other (described in more detail below).

[0048] Memory may be an electronic storage device provided as the storage 404 that is part of the control circuitry 418. As referred to herein, the phrase “storage device” or “memory device” should be understood to mean any device for storing electronic data, computer software, or firmware, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, high-speed random-access memory (e.g., DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random-access solid- state memory devices), non-volatile memory, one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, other non-volatile solid-state storage devices, quantum storage devices, and/or any combination of the same. In some embodiments, the storage 404 includes one or more storage devices remotely located, such as database of server system that is in communication with EVCS 400. In some embodiments, the storage 404, or alternatively the non-volatile memory devices within the storage 404, includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

[0049] In some embodiments, storage 404 or the computer-readable storage medium of the storage 404 stores an operating system, which includes procedures for handling various basic system services and for performing hardware dependent tasks. In some embodiments, storage 404 or the computer-readable storage medium of the storage 404 stores a communications module, which is used for connecting EVCS 400 to other computers and devices via the one or more communication network interfaces 406 (wired or wireless), such as the Internet, other wide area networks, local area networks, metropolitan area networks, and so on. In some embodiments, storage 404 or the computer-readable storage medium of the storage 404 stores a media item module for selecting and/or displaying media items on the display(s) 420 to be viewed by passersby and users of EVCS 400. In some embodiments, storage 404 or the computer-readable storage medium of the storage 404 stores an EVCS module for charging an electric vehicle (e.g., measuring how much charge has been delivered to an electric vehicle, commencing charging, ceasing charging, etc.), including a motor control module that includes one or more instructions for energizing or forgoing energizing the motor. In some embodiments, storage 404 or computer-readable storage medium of the storage 404 stores a dwell time module (e.g., dwell time module 204). In some embodiments, executable modules, applications, or sets of procedures may be stored in one or more of the previously mentioned memory devices and correspond to a set of instructions for performing a function described above. In some embodiments, modules or programs (i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures, or modules, and thus various subsets of modules may be combined or otherwise re-arranged in various implementations. In some embodiments, the storage 404 stores a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. In some embodiments, the storage 404 may store additional modules or data structures not described above. [0050] In some embodiments, EVCS 400 comprises additional peripherals 408 such as displays 420 for displaying content, and charging cable 422. In some embodiments, the displays 420 may be touch-sensitive displays that are configured to detect various swipe gestures (e.g., continuous gestures in vertical and/or horizontal directions) and/or other gestures (e.g., a single or double tap) or to detect user input via a soft keyboard that is displayed when keyboard entry is needed. In some embodiments, the additional peripherals include a microphone and/or speaker. For example, a user may utter instructions to the control circuitry 418 which are received by the microphone. The microphone may be any microphone (or microphones) capable of detecting human speech. The microphone can be connected to the processing circuitry 402 to transmit detected voice commands and other speech thereto for processing. In some embodiments, voice assistants (e.g., Siri, Alexa, Google Home, and similar such voice assistants) receive and process the voice commands and other speech. In another example, a speaker (or speakers) may be provided as integrated with other elements of EVCS 400 or may be a stand-alone unit.

[0051] In some embodiments, EVCS 400 comprises one or more sensors 410 such as cameras (e.g., camera, described above with respect to FIGS. 1 A, 2A and/or 3A), ultrasound sensors, depth sensors, IR cameras, RGB cameras, PIR cameras, thermal IR, proximity sensors, radar, tension sensors, NFC sensors, and/or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the one or more sensors 410 are for detecting whether external objects are within a region proximal to EVCS 400, such as living and nonliving objects, and/or the status of EVCS 400 (e.g., available, occupied, etc.) in order to perform an operation, such as determining a user characteristic, vehicle characteristic, etc.

[0052] FIG. 5 shows an illustrative block diagram of a user equipment device system, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In practice, and as recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, items shown separately could be combined and some items could be separated. In some embodiments, not all shown items must be included in device 500. In some embodiments, device 500 may comprise additional items. In an embodiment, the user equipment device 500, is the same user equipment device displayed in FIGS. 1 A and/or 3. The user equipment device 500 may receive content and data via VO path 502. The VO path 502 may provide audio content (e.g., broadcast programming, on-demand programming, Internet content, content available over a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), and/or other content) and data to control circuitry 504, which includes processing circuitry 506 and a storage 508. The control circuitry 504 may be used to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable data using the VO path 502. The VO path 502 may connect the control circuitry 504 (and specifically the processing circuitry 506) to one or more communications paths. I/O functions may be provided by one or more of these communications paths but are shown as a single path in FIG. 5 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

[0053] The control circuitry 504 may be based on any suitable processing circuitry such as the processing circuitry 506. As referred to herein, processing circuitry should be understood to mean circuitry based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, FPGAs, ASICs, etc., and may include a multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores) or supercomputer. In some embodiments, processing circuitry may be distributed across multiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multiple of the same type of processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Core i7 processor).

[0054] In client-server-based embodiments, the control circuitry 504 may include communications circuitry suitable for communicating with one or more servers that may at least implement the described allocation of services functionality. The instructions for carrying out the above-mentioned functionality may be stored on the one or more servers. Communications circuitry may include a cable modem, an ISDN modem, a DSL modem, a telephone modem, Ethernet card, or a wireless modem for communications with other equipment, or any other suitable communications circuitry. Such communications may involve the Internet or any other suitable communications networks or paths. In addition, communications circuitry may include circuitry that enables peer-to-peer communication of user equipment devices, or communication of user equipment devices in locations remote from each other (described in more detail below).

[0055] Memory may be an electronic storage device provided as the storage 508 that is part of the control circuitry 504. Storage 508 may include random-access memory, read-only memory, hard drives, optical drives, digital video disc (DVD) recorders, compact disc (CD) recorders, BLU-RAY disc (BD) recorders, BLU-RAY 3D disc recorders, digital video recorders (DVR, sometimes called a personal video recorder, or PVR), solid-state devices, quantum storage devices, gaming consoles, gaming media, or any other suitable fixed or removable storage devices, and/or any combination of the same. The storage 508 may be used to store various types of content described herein. Nonvolatile memory may also be used (e.g., to launch a boot-up routine and other instructions). Cloud-based storage may be used to supplement the storage 508 or instead of the storage 508. [0056] The control circuitry 504 may include audio generating circuitry and tuning circuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, audio generation circuitry, filters or any other suitable tuning or audio circuits or combinations of such circuits. The control circuitry 504 may also include scaler circuitry for upconverting and down converting content into the preferred output format of the user equipment device 500. The control circuitry 504 may also include digital-to-analog converter circuitry and analog-to-digital converter circuitry for converting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and encoding circuitry may be used by the user equipment device 500 to receive and to display, to play, or to record content. The circuitry described herein, including, for example, the tuning, audio generating, encoding, decoding, encrypting, decrypting, scaler, and analog/digital circuitry, may be implemented using software running on one or more general purpose or specialized processors. If the storage 508 is provided as a separate device from the user equipment device 500, the tuning and encoding circuitry (including multiple tuners) may be associated with the storage 508.

[0057] The user may utter instructions to the control circuitry 504 which are received by the microphone 516. The microphone 516 may be any microphone (or microphones) capable of detecting human speech. The microphone 516 is connected to the processing circuitry 506 to transmit detected voice commands and other speech thereto for processing. In some embodiments, voice assistants (e.g., Siri, Alexa, Google Home, and similar such voice assistants) receive and process the voice commands and other speech.

[0058] The user equipment device 500 may optionally include an interface 510. The interface 510 may be any suitable user interface, such as a remote control, mouse, trackball, keypad, keyboard, touch screen, touchpad, stylus inputjoystick, or other user input interfaces. A display 512 may be provided as a stand-alone device or integrated with other elements of the user equipment device 500. For example, the display 512 may be a touchscreen or touch-sensitive display. In such circumstances, the interface 510 may be integrated with or combined with the microphone 516. When the interface 510 is configured with a screen, such a screen may be one or more of a monitor (e.g., light-emitting diode (LED) monitor), a television, a liquid crystal display (LCD) for a mobile device, active matrix display, cathode ray tube display, light-emitting diode display, organic light-emitting diode display, quantum dot display, or any other suitable equipment for displaying visual images. In some embodiments, the interface 510 may be HDTV-capable. In some embodiments, the display 512 may be a 3D display. The speaker (or speakers) 514 may be provided as integrated with other elements of user equipment device 500 or may be a standalone unit. In some embodiments, the display 512 may be outputted through speaker 514. [0059] FIG. 6 shows an illustrative block diagram of a server system 600, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Server system 600 may include one or more computer systems (e.g., computing devices), such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, and a tablet computer. In some embodiments, the server system 600 is a data server that hosts one or more databases (e.g., databases of images or videos), models, or modules or may provide various executable applications or modules. In practice, and as recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, items shown separately could be combined and some items could be separated. In some embodiments, not all shown items must be included in server system 600. In some embodiments, server system 600 may comprise additional items.

[0060] The server system 600 can include processing circuitry 602 that includes one or more processing units (processors or cores), storage 604, one or more network or other communications network interfaces 606, and one or more I/O paths 608. I/O paths 608 may use communication buses for interconnecting the described components. I/O paths 608 can include circuitry (sometimes called a chipset) that interconnects and controls communications between system components. Server system 600 may receive content and data via I/O paths 608. The I/O path 608 may provide data to control circuitry 610, which includes processing circuitry 602 and a storage 604. The control circuitry 610 may be used to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable data using the I/O path 608. The I/O path 608 may connect the control circuitry 610 (and specifically the processing circuitry 602) to one or more communications paths. I/O functions may be provided by one or more of these communications paths but are shown as a single path in FIG. 6 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

[0061] The control circuitry 610 may be based on any suitable processing circuitry such as the processing circuitry 602. As referred to herein, processing circuitry should be understood to mean circuitry based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, FPGAs, ASICs, etc., and may include a multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores) or supercomputer. In some embodiments, processing circuitry may be distributed across multiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multiple of the same type of processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). [0062] Memory may be an electronic storage device provided as the storage 604 that is part of the control circuitry 610. Storage 604 may include random-access memory, read-only memory, high-speed random-access memory (e.g., DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random-access solid-state memory devices), non-volatile memory, one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, other non-volatile solid- state storage devices, quantum storage devices, and/or any combination of the same.

[0063] In some embodiments, storage 604 or the computer-readable storage medium of the storage 604 stores an operating system, which includes procedures for handling various basic system services and for performing hardware dependent tasks. In some embodiments, storage 604 or the computer-readable storage medium of the storage 604 stores a communications module, which is used for connecting the server system 600 to other computers and devices via the one or more communication network interfaces 606 (wired or wireless), such as the Internet, other wide area networks, local area networks, metropolitan area networks, and so on. In some embodiments, storage 604 or the computer-readable storage medium of the storage 604 stores a web browser (or other application capable of displaying web pages), which enables a user to communicate over a network with remote computers or devices. In some embodiments, storage 604 or the computer-readable storage medium of the storage 604 stores a database for storing information on electric vehicle charging stations, their locations, media items displayed at respective electric vehicle charging stations, a number of each type of impression count associated with respective electric vehicle charging stations, user profiles, and so forth.

[0064] In some embodiments, executable modules, applications, or sets of procedures may be stored in one or more of the previously mentioned memory devices and correspond to a set of instructions for performing a function described above. In some embodiments, modules or programs (i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures, or modules, and thus various subsets of modules may be combined or otherwise re-arranged in various implementations. In some embodiments, the storage 604 stores a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. In some embodiments, the storage 604 may store additional modules or data structures not described above.

[0065] FIG. 7 is an illustrative flowchart of a process 700 for determining customized services based on a user, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Process 700 may be performed by physical or virtual control circuitry, such as control circuitry 418 of EVCS 400 (FIG. 4). In some embodiments, some steps of process 700 may be performed by one of several devices. For example, one or more of the steps of process 700 may be performed by a server 600 (FIG. 6).

[0066] At step 702, control circuitry detects an electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the control circuitry detects an electric vehicle based on information received from one or more sensors mounted to an EVCS. In some embodiments, the sensors may be image (e.g., optical) sensors (e.g., one or more cameras), ultrasound sensors, depth sensors, IR cameras, RGB cameras, PIR cameras, thermal IR, proximity sensors, radar, tension sensors, NFC sensors, and/or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, control circuitry determines an electric vehicle is in a location (e.g., parking space) based on information received from the one or more sensors. For example, a camera may transmit images of the location to the control circuitry, and the control circuitry can determine (e.g., via images recognition, machine learning, etc.) that an electric vehicle is in the location. In some embodiments, the one or more sensors are calibrated to detect vehicles. For example, a first sensor may be calibrated to detect objects larger than a size threshold. In another example, a sensor may be calibrated to detect objects that result in a change of inductance corresponding to the presence of a vehicle. In some embodiments, the control circuitry detects the electric vehicle when the electric vehicle enters a location. In some embodiments, the location comprises the parking space of the EVCS. In some embodiments, the location comprises an area larger than the parking space. For example, the location may comprise an area in front of the parking space that an electric vehicle may use to back into the parking space.

[0067] At step 704, control circuitry determines a user characteristic of a user associated with the electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the control circuitry determines the user characteristic based on information captured by one or more sensors. In some embodiments, the one or more sensors are the same sensors used to detect the electric vehicle in step 702. In some embodiments, the one or more sensors are different from the sensors used to detect the electric vehicle in step 702. In some embodiments, the control circuitry receives the user characteristic in conjunction with receiving a request to charge the electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the control circuitry accesses a profile associated with the electric vehicle from a database and/or server, wherein the profile comprises one or more user characteristics. In some embodiments, the control circuitry accesses the user characteristic from a database, the user, and or a third-party provider. In some embodiments, the control circuitry determines the user characteristic after a sensor receives a request to charge an electric vehicle. For example, the user may have to present some credentials (e.g., password, PIN, biometrics, device, item, etc.) to request the control circuitry to charge the electric vehicle. [0068] In some embodiments, the control circuitry determines the user characteristic using an electric vehicle characteristic. For example, once the control circuitry determines an electric vehicle characteristic, the control circuitry can determine a user characteristic of a user associated with the electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the control circuitry uses information collected from the one or more sensors during step 702 to determine one or more electric vehicle characteristics (e.g., model, make, color, license plate number, VIN number, charging status, tire pressure, specifications, condition, etc.) of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the control circuitry uses a machine learning algorithm to process information collected by the sensors to determine an electric vehicle characteristic.

[0069] At step 706, control circuitry determines whether the characteristic relates to a service.

In some embodiments, the control circuitry accesses a database comprising a plurality of entries wherein user characteristics are mapped to types of services. For example, the control circuitry can determine that an entry corresponding to a determined user characteristic (e.g., user is disabled, is a new driver, needs assistance to complete a charge, etc.) indicates a first service (e.g., notification to a nearby location). In some embodiments, a user characteristic is not mapped to a service. For example, the control circuitry may determine the user’s age (user characteristic) and no entry in the database corresponds to the user’s age. In some embodiments, one or more entries may indicate no service. For example, the control circuitry may determine the user’s age (user characteristic) and the control circuitry may determine that an entry, corresponding to the determined characteristic (user’s age), indicates no service. If the characteristic does not relate to a service, the process 700 ends at step 708. If the characteristic does relate to a service, the process 700 continues to step 710.

[0070] At step 710, control circuitry transmits a notification related to the service. In some embodiments, the notification is dependent on the service determined in step 706. For example, if the service corresponds to helping a new user charge their electric vehicle, the control circuitry may transmit a notification to a user device indicating that a new user requires assistance. In another example, if the service corresponds to helping a disabled user retrieve an item, the control circuitry may transmit a notification to a user device indicating that a disabled user requires assistance retrieving an item. In some embodiments, the control circuitry transmits the notification to one or more user devices based on the service. For example, if the service corresponds to helping a new user charge their electric vehicle, the notification may be transmitted to a plurality of user devices corresponding to nearby electric vehicle users. In another example, if the service corresponds to helping a disabled user charge their electric vehicle, the notification may be transmitted to a user device of an assistant. In some embodiments, an assistant may register their user device to receive notifications relating to a disabled user requiring assistance.

[0071] In some embodiments, the notification indicates a benefit (e.g., compensation, credit, etc.) for assisting the user. In some embodiments, the notification comprises an estimated arrival time for the user. In some embodiments, the control circuitry calculates the estimated arrival time for the user based on information received from the user. For example, the control circuitry may receive a request to charge an electric vehicle, wherein the request indicates a location of the electric vehicle. Based on the location of the electric vehicle, the control circuitry may calculate an estimated arrival time using an estimated amount of time required for the electric vehicle to travel to an EVCS. In another example, the estimated arrival time may be indicated by the user. In another example, the estimated arrival of the electric vehicle is when the electric vehicle is detected in step 702. In some embodiments, the control circuitry also activates a light coupled to the EVCS, based on the service identified in step 706. In some embodiments, the control circuitry displays a charging tutorial on the display of the EVCS, based on the service identified in step 706.

[0072] FIG. 8 is another illustrative flowchart of a process 800 for determining customized services based on a user, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Process 800 may be performed by physical or virtual control circuitry, such as control circuitry 418 of EVCS 400 (FIG. 4). In some embodiments, some steps of process 800 may be performed by one of several devices. For example, one or more of the steps of process 800 may be performed by a server 600 (FIG. 6).

[0073] At step 802, control circuitry detects an electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the control circuitry uses the same or similar methodologies described in step 702 above.

[0074] At step 804, control circuitry determines a user characteristic of a user associated with the electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the control circuitry uses the same or similar methodologies described in step 704 above.

[0075] At step 806, control circuitry determines whether the user requires assistance. In some embodiments, the control circuitry determines whether the user requires assistance based on the user characteristic determined in step 804. In some embodiments, the control circuitry accesses a database comprising a plurality of entries indicating whether one or more user characteristics require assistance. For example, the control circuitry can determine that a user with a first user characteristic (e.g., disabled user) requires assistance but a second user with a second characteristic (e.g., not disabled) does not require assistance. In some embodiments, the control circuitry determines that a user does not require assistance if a user characteristic corresponding to the user is not included in the database. For example, the control circuitry may determine the user’s age (user characteristic) and may also determine that no entry in the database corresponds to the user’s age. In some embodiments, the control circuitry determines an assistance type. For example, a first user with a first user characteristic (e.g., the user is disabled) may require a first assistance type (e.g., assistant connecting the first user’s electric vehicle to an EVCS), and a second user with a second user characteristic (e.g., new user) may require a second assistance type (e.g., tutorial displayed on the display of the EVCS). In some embodiments, assistance type and service are the same or similar. If the control circuitry determines that the user does not require assistance, the process 800 ends at step 810. If the control circuitry determines that the user does require assistance, the process 800 continues to step 808.

[0076] At step 808, control circuitry transmits a notification requesting assistance. In some embodiments, the notification indicates the user characteristic determined in step 804. For example, the notification may indicate that a new user requires assistance disconnecting their electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the control circuitry transmits the notification to one or more user devices based on the user characteristic. For example, if the user characteristic indicates a new user, the notification may be transmitted to a plurality of user devices corresponding to nearby electric vehicle users. In another example, if the user characteristic indicates a disabled user, the notification may be transmitted to a user device of an assistant. In some embodiments, the control circuitry also activates a light mounted to an EVCS, based on the user characteristic identified in step 804. In some embodiments, the control circuitry displays a charging tutorial on the display of the EVCS, based on the user characteristic identified in step 804.

[0077] At step 812, control circuitry determines whether the user received assistance. In some embodiments, the control circuitry may determine whether the user received assistance based on information received from one or more sensors. For example, the control circuitry may detect (e.g., via a sensor in a charging cable), that the charging cable is connected to an electric vehicle so that user did receive assistance charging their electric vehicle. In some embodiments, control circuitry determines whether the user received assistance based on receiving input by the user. For example, the user may select an option on the display of an EVCS indicating that the user received assistance. In another example, the user may send a notification to the control circuitry indicating that the user never received assistance. In some embodiments, control circuitry determines whether the user received assistance based on receiving input from the assistant that received the notification in step 808. For example, the assistant may select an option on the display of the EVCS indicating that the assistant assisted the user. In some embodiments, the control circuitry determines that the user did not receive assistance if the control circuitry does not receive an indication of assistance within a first time period (e.g., five minutes). For example, if the control circuitry does not detect that the charging cable is connected to an electric vehicle within five minutes of transmitting the notification, the control circuitry may determine that the user did not receive assistance. [0078] If the control circuitry determines that the user received assistance, the process 800 ends at step 810. If the control circuitry determines that user did not receive assistance, the process 800 returns to step 808, where the control circuitry transmits a notification. In some embodiments, the control circuitry transmits an additional notification after the process 800 returns to step 808. In some embodiments, the control circuitry transmits the additional notification requesting assistance to additional user devices. For example, if the control circuitry only sent a first notification to a single user device at step 808, the control circuitry may send additional notifications to more than one user device when the process 800 returns to step 808. In some embodiments, when the process 800 returns to step 808, the control circuitry transmits a notification with additional content. For example, if the first notification requested assistance, the second notification may offer an incentive (e.g., reduced charging rates for an electric vehicle).

[0079] FIG. 9 is another illustrative flowchart of a process 900 for determining customized services based on a user, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Process 900 may be performed by physical or virtual control circuitry, such as control circuitry 418 of EVCS 400 (FIG. 4). In some embodiments, some steps of process 900 may be performed by one of several devices. For example, one or more of the steps of process 900 may be performed by a server 600 (FIG. 6).

[0080] At step 902, control circuitry determines a user characteristic relating to a user of an electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the control circuitry uses the same or similar methodologies described in step 704 above. In some embodiments, the control circuitry determines the user characteristic relating to the user after receiving a request to charge the electric vehicle. For example, a user may set an EVCS as their destination in a navigation system and/or reserve the EVCS station using a user device. In some embodiments, when the user selects and/or reserves the EVCS, the EVCS may receive a charge request indicating the profile of the user that made the selection/reservation. In some embodiments, the control circuitry accesses a database comprising entries that link user profiles with user characteristics.

[0081] At step 904, control circuitry determines whether the user requires charging assistance. In some embodiments, the control circuitry uses the same or similar methodologies described in step 806 above. If the control circuitry determines that the user does not require charging assistance, the process 900 ends at step 918. If the control circuitry determines that the user does require charging assistance, the process 900 continues to step 906.

[0082] At step 906, control circuitry transmits a first notification requesting charging assistance. In some embodiments, the control circuitry uses the same or similar methodologies described in step 808 above.

[0083] At step 908, control circuitry determines whether the user received charging assistance. In some embodiments, the control circuitry uses the same or similar methodologies described in step 812 above. If the control circuitry determines that user did not receive charging assistance, the process 900 returns to step 906. If the control circuitry determines that the user did receive charging assistance, the process 900 continues to step 910.

[0084] At step 910, control circuitry determines whether the user requires assistance leaving.

In some embodiments, the control circuitry determines whether the user requires assistance leaving based on the user characteristic determined in step 902. In some embodiments, the control circuitry accesses a database comprising a plurality of entries indicating whether one or more user characteristics require assistance leaving. For example, the control circuitry can determine that a user with a first user characteristic (e.g., disabled user) requires assistance leaving but a second user with a second characteristic (e.g., not disabled) does not require assistance leaving. In some embodiments, this database is the same database used to determine if the user requires charging in step 904. In some embodiments, the control circuitry determines that a user does not require assistance leaving if a user characteristic corresponding to the user is not included in the database. In some embodiments, the control circuitry determines an assistance type as described above. If the control circuitry determines that the user does not require assistance leaving, the process 900 ends at step 918. If the control circuitry determines that the user does require assistance leaving, the process 900 continues to step 912. [0085] At step 912, control circuitry determines an estimated departure time for the user of the electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the estimated departure time is inputted by the user. In some embodiments, the control circuitry determines the estimated departure time by calculating an inferred dwell time. In some embodiments, the inferred dwell time corresponds to the estimated time frame within which a user will charge their electric vehicle with an EVCS. In some embodiments, the inferred dwell time corresponds to an estimated time frame within which the user will be within a vicinity. In some embodiments, the vicinity is within a threshold distance of the EVCS that is charging the electric vehicle. For example, the vicinity may be a restaurant within 100 feet of the EVCS. In some embodiments, control circuitry uses user characteristics, electric vehicle characteristics, location information, and/or similar to determine the inferred dwell time. In some embodiments, the control circuitry notifies the user of the inferred dwell time. In some embodiments, the control circuitry offers the user an option to change the inferred dwell time. In some embodiments, the control circuitry uses a piece of user information or a plurality of user information to determine the inferred dwell time. In some embodiments, the control circuitry uses machine learning to determine the inferred dwell time using the received user information. In some embodiments, different user information is weighted according to significance. For example, a first piece of user information indicating that the user has an upcoming event may be weighted higher than a second piece of user information indicating that the user made a purchase two weeks ago. Accordingly, the control circuitry can use the different weights in determining an inferred dwell time for the user.

[0086] At step 914, control circuitry transmits a second notification requesting assistance, wherein the second notification comprises the estimated departure time calculated in step 912. In some embodiments, the control circuitry transmits the second notification to the same or different devices that received the first notification in step 906. In some embodiments, the second notification indicates the user characteristic determined in step 902. For example, the second notification may indicate that a new user requires assistance disconnecting their electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the control circuitry transmits the second notification to one or more user devices based on the user characteristic. For example, if the user characteristic indicates a new user, the second notification may be transmitted to a plurality of user devices corresponding to nearby electric vehicle users. In another example, if the user characteristic indicates a disabled user, the second notification may be transmitted to a user device of an assistant. In some embodiments, the control circuitry also activates a light mounted to the EVCS, based on the user characteristic identified in step 902. In some embodiments, the control circuitry displays a charging tutorial on the display of the EVCS, based on the user characteristic identified in step 902.

[0087] At step 916, control circuitry determines whether the user received assistance leaving. In some embodiments, the control circuitry may determine whether the user received assistance leaving on information received from one or more sensors. For example, the control circuitry may detect (e.g., via a sensor in a charging cable), that the charging cable is disconnected from the electric vehicle. In some embodiments, control circuitry determines whether the user received assistance leaving based on receiving input by the user. For example, the user may select an option on the display of an EVCS indicating that the user received assistance leaving. In another example, the user may send a notification to the control circuitry indicating that they never received assistance leaving. In some embodiments, control circuitry determines whether the user received assistance leaving based on receiving input from the assistant that received the second notification in step 914. For example, the assistant may select an option on the display of the EVCS indicating that the assistant assisted the user. In some embodiments, the control circuitry determines that the user did not receive assistance leaving if the control circuitry does not receive an indication of assistance leaving within a first time period (e.g., five minutes). For example, if the control circuitry detects that the charging cable is still connected to the electric vehicle within five minutes of transmitting the second notification, the control circuitry may determine that the user did not receive assistance.

[0088] If the control circuitry determines that the user received assistance leaving, the process 900 ends at step 918. If the control circuitry determines that user did not receive assistance leaving, the process 900 returns to step 914 where the control circuitry transmits an additional notification. In some embodiments, the control circuitry transmits the additional notification requesting assistance to additional user devices. For example, if the control circuitry only sent the second notification to a single user device at step 914, the control circuitry may send the additional notifications to more than one user device when the process 900 returns to step 914. In some embodiments, when the process 900 returns to step 914, the control circuitry transmits an additional notification with additional content. For example, if the second notification requested assistance, the additional notification may offer an incentive (e.g., reduced charging rates for an electric vehicle).

[0089] It is contemplated that some suitable steps or suitable descriptions of FIGS. 7-9 may be used with other suitable embodiments of this disclosure. In addition, some suitable steps and descriptions described in relation to FIGS. 7-9 may be implemented in alternative orders or in parallel to further the purposes of this disclosure. For example, some suitable steps may be performed in any order or in parallel or substantially simultaneously to reduce lag or increase the speed of the system or method. Some suitable steps may also be skipped or omitted from the process. Furthermore, it should be noted that some suitable devices or equipment discussed in relation to FIGS. 1-6 could be used to perform one or more of the steps in FIGS. 7-9.

[0090] The processes discussed above are intended to be illustrative and not limiting. One skilled in the art would appreciate that the steps of the processes discussed herein may be omitted, modified, combined, and/or rearranged, and any additional steps may be performed without departing from the scope of the invention. More generally, the above disclosure is meant to be exemplary and not limiting. Only the claims that follow are meant to set bounds as to what the present invention includes. Furthermore, it should be noted that the features and limitations described in any one embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment herein, and flowcharts or examples relating to one embodiment may be combined with any other embodiment in a suitable manner, done in different orders, or done in parallel. In addition, the systems and methods described herein may be performed in real time. It should also be noted that the systems and/or methods described above may be applied to, or used in accordance with, other systems and/or methods.

This specification discloses embodiments which include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. An electric vehicle charging station comprising: a housing unit; a sensor with the housing unit; and a control circuitry with the housing unit and coupled to the sensor, the control circuitry configured to: detect a user associated with an electric vehicle; determine a user characteristic using the sensor; and in response to determining the user characteristic, transmitting a first notification related to the user characteristic.

2. The electric vehicle charging station of item 1, wherein the user characteristic is that the user has a disability or needs assistance to complete a charge. 3. The electric vehicle charging station of item 2, wherein the first notification requests assistance for charging the electric vehicle with the electric vehicle charging station.

4. The electric vehicle charging station of item 3, wherein the first notification is transmitted to a location within a threshold distance of the electric vehicle charging station.

5. The electric vehicle charging station of item 3, wherein the first notification is transmitted to a user device within a threshold distance of the electric vehicle charging station.

6. The electric vehicle charging station of item 5, wherein the first notification offers compensation for assistance with charging the electric vehicle with the electric vehicle charging station.

7. The electric vehicle charging station of item 1, wherein the user characteristic is that the user is a new electric vehicle driver.

8. The electric vehicle charging station of item 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: determine an estimated departure time of the electric vehicle; and transmit a second notification related to the user characteristic, wherein the first notification comprises the estimated departure time.

9. The electric vehicle charging station of item 8, wherein the estimated departure time is determined using an inferred dwell time.

10. The electric vehicle charging station of item 8, wherein the user characteristic is that the user has a disability or needs assistance to complete a charge.

11. The electric vehicle charging station of item 10, wherein the second notification requests assistance for disconnecting the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle charging station.

12. The electric vehicle charging station of item 11, wherein the second notification is transmitted to a location within a threshold distance of the electric vehicle charging station. 13. The electric vehicle charging station of item 11, wherein the second notification is transmitted to a user device within a threshold distance of the electric vehicle charging station.

14. The electric vehicle charging station of item 13, wherein the second notification offers compensation for disconnecting the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle charging station.

Claims

What is Claimed is:

1. An electric vehicle charging station comprising: a housing unit; a sensor with the housing unit; and a control circuitry with the housing unit and coupled to the sensor, the control circuitry configured to: detect an electric vehicle; determine a characteristic of the electric vehicle using the sensor; and in response to determining the characteristic, transmitting a first notification related to the characteristic.

2. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 1, wherein the characteristic indicates that the user associated with the electric vehicle has a disability or needs assistance to complete a charge.

3. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 2, wherein the first notification requests assistance for charging the electric vehicle with the electric vehicle charging station.

4. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 3, wherein the first notification is transmitted to a location within a threshold distance of the electric vehicle charging station.

5. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 3, wherein the first notification is transmitted to a user device within a threshold distance of the electric vehicle charging station.

6. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 5, wherein the first notification offers compensation for assistance with charging the electric vehicle with the electric vehicle charging station.

7. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 1, wherein the characteristic indicates that the user is a new electric vehicle driver.

8. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: determine an estimated departure time of the electric vehicle; and transmit a second notification related to the characteristic, wherein the first notification comprises the estimated departure time.

9. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 8, wherein the estimated departure time is determined using an inferred dwell time.

10. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 8, wherein the characteristic indicates that the user associated with the electric vehicle has a disability.

11. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 10, wherein the second notification requests assistance for disconnecting the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle charging station.

12. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 11, wherein the second notification is transmitted to a location within a threshold distance of the electric vehicle charging station.

13. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 11, wherein the second notification is transmitted to a user device within a threshold distance of the electric vehicle charging station.

14. The electric vehicle charging station of claim 13, wherein the second notification offers compensation for disconnecting the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle charging station.