Apparatus for controlling charging of an electric vehicle and method thereof

Abstract

A device and method for controlling the charging of electric vehicles are provided. The device includes: a communication device that performs vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication with a charging station management server external to the electric vehicle and a vehicle management server configured to manage shared vehicles; and a processor that requests the charging station management server to reserve a charging station via the communication device, and automatically requests the vehicle management server to reserve a shared vehicle for use while the electric vehicle is charging when the vehicle used to drive to the destination has insufficient power.

Description

[0001] Cross-citation of related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0116929, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on September 23, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for controlling the charging of an electric vehicle, and more specifically, to a technique for continuing operation of an electric vehicle when its power is insufficient. Background Technology

[0004] In recent years, in order to address issues such as global warming caused by excessive carbon emissions, there has been increasing attention on electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, and they have been developed to reduce carbon emissions.

[0005] Generally, an electric vehicle (EV) refers to a car that uses its battery and electric motor instead of petroleum-based fuel and an engine. Because the battery installed in an EV is charged by a universal charging system when parked, such an EV can operate using the electrical energy stored in its battery. When the battery needs to be charged while the EV is in operation, the driver should visit a charging station to do so. However, unlike conventional cars that use gasoline as fuel, charging the battery for an EV takes a relatively long time.

[0006] Therefore, when many electric vehicles are charging their batteries at a particular charging station, when many electric vehicles are waiting to charge their batteries, or when there are many electric vehicles accessing a charging station to charge their batteries, the electric vehicles accessing the charging station may have to wait a long time to charge their batteries.

[0007] Therefore, the interruption of operation due to the charging of electric vehicles will cause inconvenience to the users of those electric vehicles. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This disclosure is made to address the aforementioned problems in the prior art while retaining the advantages achieved by the prior art.

[0009] One aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus and method for controlling the charging of an electric vehicle to continue operation by reserving a charging station and a shared vehicle when the electric vehicle's power is insufficient, and enabling a user to move to the reserved shared vehicle to their destination during the charging period without waiting.

[0010] The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to those described above, and any other technical problems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0011] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for controlling the charging of an electric vehicle may include: a communication device for performing vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication with a charging station management server external to the electric vehicle and a vehicle management server configured to manage shared vehicles; and a processor for requesting the charging station management server to reserve a charging station via the communication device, and for automatically requesting the vehicle management server to reserve a shared vehicle for use while the electric vehicle is charging when the vehicle used to drive to the destination has insufficient power.

[0012] In this implementation, the processor may send one of the following to the charging station management server: destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, charging type, information about the charging station, cost information, and payment type information; it may request the charging station management server to perform one of the following: reserve a charging station, change the reservation of a charging station, or cancel the reservation of a charging station; and it may send one of the following to the vehicle management server: destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, information about the shared vehicle, cost information, and payment type information.

[0013] In one implementation, the processor may request the vehicle management server to perform one of the following: reserve a shared vehicle, change the reservation of a shared vehicle, or cancel the reservation of a shared vehicle, using one of the following: destination, vehicle route, road environment, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, information about the shared vehicle, cost information, and payment type.

[0014] In this implementation, when the processor receives information about the reservation of a charging station from the charging station management server, it can execute path guidance or driving control to the reserved charging station.

[0015] In this implementation, the processor can establish a session with the charging station terminal in the charging station to share the information required for wireless charging, and can share the information required for wireless charging with the charging station terminal through the established session.

[0016] In this implementation, when an electric vehicle arrives at a reserved charging station to charge, the processor can share charging status information with the charging station terminal and receive metering information from the charging station terminal.

[0017] In this implementation, when the processor receives information about the shared vehicle from the vehicle management server, it can establish a session with the shared space terminal in the car-sharing space and share information about the shared vehicle with the shared space terminal through the established session.

[0018] In this implementation, when the processor receives reservation information about a shared vehicle from the vehicle management server, it can perform route guidance or driving control if the reserved car-sharing space is the destination.

[0019] In this implementation, when an electric vehicle arrives at a car-sharing space to be converted into a shared vehicle, the processor can share information about the use of the shared vehicle in the arrived car-sharing space with the vehicle management server, and can receive metering information from the vehicle management server.

[0020] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method for controlling the charging of an electric vehicle may include: receiving a request from the electric vehicle to reserve a charging station; and reserving a charging station based on driving information of the electric vehicle and information about the charging station.

[0021] In one implementation, reserving a charging station may include: periodically collecting information about the charging station; selecting a charging station terminal based on the driving information and the information about the charging station when driving information is received from the electric vehicle; and providing the electric vehicle with information about the selected charging station terminal.

[0022] In an implementation, the method may further include automatically changing or canceling the reservation of a charging station based on one of the following: destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, charging type, information about the charging station, cost information, and payment type.

[0023] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method for controlling the charging of an electric vehicle may include: receiving a request from the electric vehicle to reserve a shared vehicle; and reserving the shared vehicle based on driving information of the electric vehicle and information about the shared vehicle.

[0024] In this implementation, reserving a shared vehicle may include: periodically collecting information about the shared vehicle; selecting a shared vehicle based on the driving information and the information about the shared vehicle when driving information is received from an electric vehicle; and sharing the information about the selected shared vehicle with the electric vehicle or the shared space terminal.

[0025] In implementation, the method may also include automatically changing or canceling the reservation of a shared vehicle based on one of the following: destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, information about the shared vehicle, fee information, or payment type. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0027] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle charging system for continuing the operation of an environmentally friendly vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a device for controlling the charging of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a signal sequence diagram illustrating a method for reserving a charging station in an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a signal sequence diagram illustrating a method for reserving a shared vehicle in an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the process of sharing information about charging stations and information about shared vehicles according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating the process of a reserved charging station and shared vehicles according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0033] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating the process of continuing the operation of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of changing the path of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating exemplary operation of a modified shared vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0036] Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating a computing system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0037] In the following, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the exemplary accompanying drawings. When adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical or equivalent components are designated by the same numerals even if shown in other drawings. Furthermore, in describing embodiments of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of well-known features or functions will be omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the spirit of the disclosure.

[0038] In describing components according to embodiments of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, "A", "B", (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are intended only to distinguish one component from another, and they do not limit the nature, sequence, or order of the components. Unless otherwise specified, all terms used herein (including technical or scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Terms defined in a general dictionary shall be interpreted as having the same meaning as in the context of the relevant technical field, and not as having an ideal or overly formal meaning, unless expressly defined in this application as having such a meaning.

[0039] Embodiments of this disclosure disclose a technique that allows a vehicle to request a charging station management server and a vehicle management server to continue operating. When the power to the destination is insufficient during operation, the vehicle is directed to a reserved charging station to charge, and the user is transferred from the vehicle to a reserved shared vehicle to continue traveling to the destination.

[0040] In the following text, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 10 The embodiments of this disclosure are described in detail.

[0041] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle charging system for continuing the operation of an environmentally friendly vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a device for controlling the charging of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] refer to Figure 1The vehicle charging system according to embodiments of this disclosure may include an electric vehicle 10, a charging station management server 200, and a vehicle management server 300. The electric vehicle 10 can communicate with the charging station management server 200 and the vehicle management server 300, and can reserve a charging station terminal 410 at a charging station 400 for continued operation of the electric vehicle 10, and can reserve shared vehicles in a car-sharing space 500, so that while the electric vehicle 10 is charging at the charging station 400, the user of the electric vehicle 10 can continue to move to their destination using the reserved shared vehicle without waiting. In this case, the charging station 400 and the car-sharing space 500 can be connected via a network and gateways 600 and 700. The charging station 400 can access the network via the charging station terminal 410, and the car-sharing space 500 can access the network via the car-sharing space terminal 510 to send and receive charging-related information. In other words, when receiving charging information requests, charging station reservation requests, etc., from the electric vehicle 10, the charging station terminal 410 can provide the electric vehicle 10 with charging station information and charging station reservation information. When the electric vehicle 10 receives a shared vehicle information request and a shared space reservation request, the shared space terminal 510 can provide the electric vehicle 10 with shared vehicle information and shared space reservation information. When the vehicle's power is insufficient to reach its destination, the electric vehicle 10 can automatically request the reservation of a charging station and a shared vehicle. The electric vehicle 10 can perform vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) communication with the charging station management server 200 and the vehicle management server 300. In this context, V2X communication is a technology that enables vehicles or surrounding communication infrastructure to share information for the purpose of providing safety and convenience to users. This technology can define the data transmission and reception for V2X communication in IEEE 802.11p and the application messages for V2X communication in SAE J2735. Furthermore, V2G communication is a technology that adjusts the power supply according to power demand through the connection of the electric vehicle or charging station to the power grid network. This technology can define the communication protocol used to manage the charging station, which is one of the energy storage devices on the power network in IEC 61850.

[0043] Furthermore, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the electric vehicle 10 can perform wireless charging from the charging station terminal 410 of the charging station 400, can share information between the electric vehicle 10 and the charging station terminal 410 for wireless charging, and can be implemented based on the communication protocol defined in ISO 15118 for sharing payment / charging types, etc., for wireless charging of the electric vehicle 10.

[0044] When a charging station reservation request is received from electric vehicle 10, charging station management server 200 can reserve a charging station based on the driving information and charging station information received from electric vehicle 10.

[0045] In this context, driving information may include at least one of the following: destination, vehicle route, battery status, charging type, estimated vehicle arrival time, and required battery charge. Charging station information may include at least one of the following: charging station location, charging reservation information, supported charging types, and charging time.

[0046] The charging station management server 200 can automatically change or cancel the reservation of a charging station based on one of the following: destination, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, and information about the charging station.

[0047] The charging station management server 200 can store and manage information about the charging station, as shown in Table 1 below.

[0048] [Table 1]

[0049]

[0050] When a shared vehicle reservation request is received from electric vehicle 10, vehicle management server 300 can reserve the shared vehicle based on driving information received from electric vehicle 10 and information about the shared vehicle. In this case, the information about the shared vehicle may include at least one of the shared vehicle's battery status, usage time, and driving information.

[0051] The vehicle management server 300 can automatically change or cancel the reservation of shared vehicles based on one of the following: destination, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, occurrence of vehicle malfunction, and information about available shared vehicles.

[0052] When a shared vehicle reservation request is received from electric vehicle 10, vehicle management server 300 can reserve a shared vehicle located within a predetermined distance from the reserved charging station of electric vehicle 10 in the shared space.

[0053] The vehicle management server 300 can store and manage information about shared vehicles, as shown in Table 2 below.

[0054] [Table 2]

[0055]

[0056] Figure 1Examples of separate implementations of the charging station management server 200 and the vehicle management server 300 are disclosed, but are not limited thereto. The charging station management server 200 and the vehicle management server 300 can be implemented as an integrated server. Furthermore, the charging station 400 and the car-sharing space 500 can be located in the same location or within a short distance that users can walk to. Alternatively, the vehicle management server 300 can select and reserve shared vehicles located within a predetermined distance of the reserved charging space.

[0057] The vehicle charging system according to embodiments of this disclosure can ensure continuity of driving to the destination through the reservation of charging station 400 and shared vehicles. Electric vehicle 10 can reserve charging station terminal 410 of charging station 400 for power management via V2X communication without user identification.

[0058] Furthermore, the vehicle charging system according to embodiments of this disclosure can reserve charging stations and can reserve shared vehicles to allow users to continue moving to their destination. When the electric vehicle 10 arrives at the charging station to begin charging, the user can use the reserved shared vehicle to move to their destination.

[0059] refer to Figure 2 When the vehicle used to drive to the destination has insufficient power, the device 100 for controlling the charging of the electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can request the charging station management server 200 to reserve a charging station, and can automatically request the vehicle management server 300 to reserve a shared vehicle for use while the electric vehicle 10 is charging. In this case, the device 100 for controlling the charging of the electric vehicle can be installed in the electric vehicle 10, or it can be a user terminal of a passenger riding in the electric vehicle 10. When the device 100 for controlling the charging of the electric vehicle is a passenger's user terminal, it can communicate with the electric vehicle 10 to receive information about the electric vehicle 10. The device 100 for controlling the charging of the electric vehicle may include a communication device 110, a storage device 120, a display 130, and a processor 140.

[0060] The communication device 110 can be a hardware device implemented using various electronic circuits to send and receive signals via wireless or wired connections. In embodiments of this disclosure, the communication device 110 can perform V2X communication, V2G communication, wireless charging communication, etc., with charging station management server 200, vehicle management server 300, etc., located outside the electric vehicle 10. For example, the communication device 110 can receive information from the vehicle management server 300 (such as the reserved charging power of the shared vehicle, the shared vehicle number, or the location of the shared vehicle parked in the car-sharing space). The memory 120 can store charging station reservation information and shared vehicle information received from the charging station management server 200 and vehicle management server 300 outside the electric vehicle 10. Storage device 120 may include at least one type of storage medium, such as flash memory, hard disk memory, micro memory, card memory (e.g., Security Digital (SD) card or Ultimate Digital (XD) card), random access memory (RAM), static RAM (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), magnetic disk, and optical disk.

[0061] The display 130 can show information about the reserved charging station, information about the shared vehicle, the travel route to the destination, or modified reservation information. For example, the display 130 can show the reserved charging power of the shared vehicle, the vehicle number, and the location of the shared vehicle in the car-sharing space.

[0062] Display 130 can be implemented as a head-up display (HUD), dashboard, audio-video navigation (AVN), etc. Furthermore, display 130 can include one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), thin-film transistor-LCD (TFT-LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) display, organic LED (OLED) display, active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) display, flexible display, curved display, and three-dimensional (3D) display. Some of these can be implemented as transparent displays, configured to be transparent or semi-transparent for viewing the outside. Additionally, display 130 can be implemented as a touchscreen including a touch panel, serving as an input device in addition to an output device.

[0063] The processor 140 can be electrically connected to the communication device 110, the storage device 120, the display 130, etc., and can electrically control the corresponding components. The processor 140 can be a circuit that executes software instructions and can perform various data processing and calculations described below.

[0064] When the vehicle used to drive to the destination has insufficient power, the processor 140 can request the charging station management server 200 to reserve a charging station via the communication device 110, and can also automatically request the vehicle management server 300 to reserve a shared vehicle to be used when the electric vehicle 10 is charging via the communication device 110.

[0065] The processor 140 can support applications for autonomous driving and navigation, and can use one of the destination, road environment and traffic volume to set the vehicle route and estimated arrival time to display the vehicle route and estimated arrival time on the display 130, and can use the vehicle route and estimated arrival time to request reserved charging stations and shared vehicles.

[0066] Processor 140 can use one of the following information—destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, charging type, information about the charging station, cost information, and payment type information—to request charging station management server 200 to perform one of the following actions: reserving a charging station, changing a reserved charging station, or canceling a reserved charging station. In this case, when requesting charging station management server 200 to perform one of these actions, processor 140 can send one of the following information to charging station management server 200: destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, charging type, information about the charging station, cost information, and payment type information. The charging station management server 200 can use one of the following received from the processor 140 of the electric vehicle 10: destination, vehicle route, road environment, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, charging type, information about the charging station, cost information, and payment type information, to perform one of the following: reserving a charging station, changing the reservation of a charging station, or canceling the reservation of a charging station.

[0067] The processor 140 can use one of the following to request the vehicle management server 300 to perform one of the following actions: reservation of a shared vehicle, change of reservation of a shared vehicle, or cancellation of reservation of a shared vehicle: destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, information about the shared vehicle, cost information, and payment type.

[0068] When the processor 140 receives information about the reservation of a charging station and information about the change / cancellation of the reservation from the charging station management server 200, it can execute route guidance or driving control to the reserved charging station.

[0069] The processor 140 can establish a session with the charging station terminal 410 in the charging station to share information required for wireless charging, and can share information required for wireless charging with the charging station terminal 410 through the established session. In this case, the information required for wireless charging may include battery status, requested amount of charge, charging time required, maximum voltage, maximum current, minimum current, etc.

[0070] When the electric vehicle 10 arrives at a reserved charging station for charging the electric vehicle 10, the processor 140 can share information about the charging status with the charging station terminal 410 and can receive metering information from the charging station terminal 410. In this case, the metering information may include the amount of electricity used and information about usage costs.

[0071] When the processor 140 receives information about the shared vehicle from the vehicle management server 300, it can establish a session with the sharing space terminal 510 in the car sharing space 500 and share information about the shared vehicle with the sharing space terminal 510 through the established session.

[0072] When using a shared vehicle, the processor 140 can receive metering information, including fare information for the shared vehicle, from the vehicle management server 300. Before the driver reaches their final destination, wireless communication can automatically perform wireless charging of the electric vehicle 10 and payment for the driver's use of the shared vehicle, without the driver's awareness. Furthermore, unified payment can be executed when server interactions are performed between the wireless charging service provider and the car-sharing service provider.

[0073] When electric vehicle 10 inputs its destination before starting, or when its power is insufficient to reach the destination while it is traveling, the charging device 100 controlling the charging of electric vehicle 10 can request the charging station management server 200 and the vehicle management server 300 to reserve charging stations and shared vehicles to continue operation. Once the charging station management server 200 and the vehicle management server 300 have completed the reservation of charging stations and shared vehicles, electric vehicle 10 can proceed to the reserved charging station to perform wireless charging. Without needing to wait during charging time, the user of electric vehicle 10 can move to a shared vehicle located in a shared space near the charging station and can transfer from electric vehicle 10 to the shared vehicle to continue traveling to the destination.

[0074] Thus, in embodiments of this disclosure, users can move to a reserved shared vehicle to their destination without waiting during the charging time of the electric vehicle. Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure can automatically change or cancel the reservation of charging stations or shared vehicles in response to changes in circumstances (such as changes in the destination or estimated arrival time), and can change shared vehicles to new ones during use to ensure operational continuity in case of vehicle malfunction or changes in road conditions. In other words, embodiments of this disclosure are flexible enough to adapt to various changes that can occur during driving.

[0075] In the following text, reference will be made to Figure 3 A method for reserving a charging station in an electric vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure is described. Figure 3 This is a signal sequence diagram illustrating a method for reserving a charging station in an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0076] In the following text, it may be assumed that it is described as being by Figure 1 The operations performed by the electric vehicle 10 are performed by a device 100 installed in the electric vehicle 10 for controlling the charging of the electric vehicle. Furthermore, the operations described as being performed by the electric vehicle 10 can be understood as being controlled by a processor 140 of the device 100 for controlling the charging of the electric vehicle.

[0077] refer to Figure 3 In S101, the charging station management server 200 can periodically communicate with the charging station terminal 410 to collect and manage information about the charging station, and can send information about the charging station to the electric vehicle 10, such as the location of the charging station, the ID of the charging station, the charging type, the fee information, the payment type, the location of the charging station terminal, the ID of the charging station terminal, or the reserved information of the charging station.

[0078] In S102, the electric vehicle 10 can request the charging station terminal 410 to establish a session to share the information required for wireless charging with the charging station terminal 410, and the charging station terminal 410 can respond to the request by issuing a session ID.

[0079] In S103, the electric vehicle 10 can share charging information required for wireless charging (e.g., battery status, requested charging amount, charging time, maximum voltage, maximum current, or minimum current) with the charging station terminal 410, and can request the charging station 400 to reserve charging based on the charging information. Therefore, in S104, the charging station terminal 410 can respond to grant the reservation. In this case, when the user inputs a destination, the electric vehicle 10 can calculate the amount of electricity required to reach the destination. When the amount of electricity required to reach the destination is greater than the current capacity of the electric vehicle 10's battery (when the electric vehicle 10's power is insufficient), the electric vehicle 10 can request the charging station to be reserved and the vehicle to be shared.

[0080] Subsequently, in S105, the electric vehicle 10 can reach the charging station 400 and can request the charging station terminal 410 to supply power based on the reserved information. The charging station terminal 410 can recognize the reservation of the electric vehicle 10 to notify the electric vehicle 10 that it is ready to supply power.

[0081] In S106, the electric vehicle 10 can receive the required amount of electricity suitable for its characteristics using the previously exchanged information required for wireless charging, and can share charging status information with the charging station terminal 410. Subsequently, in S107, the charging station terminal 410 can share the supplied amount of electricity and metering information, including fee information, with the electric vehicle 10.

[0082] Thus, when the vehicle used to drive to its destination has insufficient power, the electric vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of this disclosure can automatically request the charging station management server 200 to reserve a charging station. When the electric vehicle 10 receives a request to reserve a charging station, the charging station management server 200 can reserve a charging station based on information about the electric vehicle 10's driving and information about the charging station.

[0083] Upon receiving a request for a reserved charging station, the charging station management server 200 can periodically collect information about the charging station. Based on driving information received along with the request for a reserved charging station from the electric vehicle 10, and information about the charging station, it can select the optimal charging station terminal and provide the electric vehicle 10 with information about the selected charging station terminal. Therefore, the electric vehicle 10 can guide its route to the reserved (selected) charging station or perform autonomous driving control. For this purpose, the electric vehicle 10 may also include a navigation device (not shown) or an autonomous driving controller (not shown).

[0084] Furthermore, the charging station management server 200 can automatically change or cancel the reservation of a charging station based on one of the following: destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, charging type, information about the charging station, cost information, and payment type. It can also automatically change or cancel the reservation based on a request from the electric vehicle 10. In other words, the electric vehicle 10 can request the charging station management server 200 to automatically change or cancel the reservation of a charging station based on one of the following: destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, charging type, information about the charging station, cost information, and payment type.

[0085] In the following text, reference will be made to Figure 4 A method for reserving charging-sharing vehicles in an electric vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure is described. Figure 4 This is a signal sequence diagram illustrating a method for reserving shared vehicles in an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following, it may be assumed that the method is described as being... Figure 1 The operations performed by the electric vehicle 10 are performed by a device 100 installed in the electric vehicle 10 for controlling the charging of the electric vehicle. Furthermore, the operations described as being performed by the electric vehicle 10 can be understood as being controlled by a processor 140 of the device 100 for controlling the charging of the electric vehicle.

[0086] refer to Figure 4 In S201, the vehicle management server 300 can periodically collect and manage information about shared vehicles from the shared space terminal 510 (such as the location of the shared vehicle, the ID of the shared vehicle, fee information, payment type, battery status of the shared vehicle, type of the shared vehicle, passenger capacity of the shared vehicle, or reservation information of the shared vehicle), and can send information about shared vehicles to the electric vehicle 10.

[0087] In S202, electric vehicle 10 can establish a session to share information about the shared space and information about the shared vehicle collected from the shared space terminal 510 and the vehicle management server 300, and the shared space terminal 510 can issue a session ID in response.

[0088] In S203, electric vehicle 10 can share information about shared vehicles with shared space terminal 510.

[0089] In S204, electric vehicle 10 can request the shared space terminal 510 to reserve a shared vehicle based on information about the shared vehicle shared with it, and the shared space terminal 510 can grant the reservation in response to the request. Electric vehicle 10 can determine whether the vehicle's power is insufficient for driving to the destination. When the vehicle's power is insufficient, electric vehicle 10 can automatically request the reservation of a charging station and a shared vehicle.

[0090] Subsequently, in S205, electric vehicle 10 can request shared space terminal 510 to reserve a shared vehicle based on the reserved information in the shared space, and shared space terminal 510 can identify the reservation of the shared vehicle and notify electric vehicle 10 that it is ready to provide a shared vehicle.

[0091] The driver can transfer to shared vehicle 20 to begin driving. In S206, shared vehicle 20 can share metering information, including usage fees, with vehicle management server 300 to update usage information during the move.

[0092] Thus, when the vehicle used to drive to the destination has insufficient power, the electric vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of this disclosure can automatically request the vehicle management server 300 to reserve a shared vehicle. Upon receiving the request from the electric vehicle 10 to reserve a shared vehicle, the vehicle management server 300 can reserve the shared vehicle based on the driving information of the electric vehicle 10 and information about shared vehicles.

[0093] The vehicle management server 300 can periodically collect information about shared vehicles. When driving information is received from the electric vehicle 10, the vehicle management server 300 can select the best shared vehicle from multiple available shared vehicles based on the driving information and information about shared vehicles. Therefore, the vehicle management server 300 can share information about the selected shared vehicle with the electric vehicle 10, the charging station terminal 410, and the charging station management server 200.

[0094] Furthermore, the vehicle management server 300 can automatically change or cancel the reservation of a shared vehicle based on one of the following: destination, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, vehicle malfunction, information about available shared vehicles, cost information, and payment type. It can also automatically change or cancel the reservation of a shared vehicle based on a request from the electric vehicle 10. In other words, the electric vehicle 10 can request the vehicle management server 300 to automatically change or cancel the reservation of a shared vehicle based on one of the following: destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, vehicle malfunction, and information about shared vehicles.

[0095] Figure 5This is a diagram illustrating the process of sharing information about charging stations and information about shared vehicles according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0096] refer to Figure 5 The charging station management server 200 can collect information about the charging station from the charging station terminal 410 and manage the charging type, allowed voltage, or allowed current of each charging station terminal. When a request is received from the electric vehicle 10, the charging station management server 200 can send the collected information about the charging station to the electric vehicle 10. Furthermore, the vehicle management server 300 can collect information about shared vehicles from the shared space terminal 510, manage the power status, usage time, etc., of each shared vehicle, and send the collected information about the shared vehicles to the electric vehicle 10.

[0097] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating the process of reserving a charging station and sharing vehicles according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0098] refer to Figure 6 When insufficient power is expected to reach the destination during operation, electric vehicle 10 can send its driving information to charging station management server 200 and vehicle management server 300, and can request charging station management server 200 and vehicle management server 300 to reserve charging stations and share vehicles.

[0099] In this configuration, the charging station management server 200 and the vehicle management server 300 can receive requests from the electric vehicle 10 and perform communications for reserving charging stations and shared vehicles. The electric vehicle 10 can receive information from the charging station management server 200 and the vehicle management server 300 regarding available charging stations and available shared vehicles. Based on driving information received from the electric vehicle 10, the charging station management server 200 and the vehicle management server 300 can select the optimal charging station and the optimal shared vehicle to be provided to the electric vehicle 10, provide the electric vehicle 10 with information about charging stations and shared vehicles, and reserve charging stations and shared vehicles.

[0100] Thus, embodiments of this disclosure can minimize changes to travel plans by linking charging stations and shared vehicles based on vehicle driving information to select and reserve charging stations and shared vehicles. Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure can improve user convenience by enabling users to continue moving in unexpected situations of low power, allowing users to reach their destination without stopping.

[0101] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating the process of continuing the operation of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0102] refer to Figure 7 Electric vehicle 10 can request charging station management server 200 and vehicle management server 300 to reserve charging stations and shared vehicles. Charging station management server 200 and vehicle management server 300 can collect and manage information about charging stations and shared vehicles respectively, and can execute the reservation of charging stations and shared vehicles requested from electric vehicle 10. Charging station management server 200 and vehicle management server 300 can provide electric vehicle 10 with information about the reserved charging stations and reserved shared vehicles.

[0103] In another implementation, the vehicle management server 300 may not be able to provide information about the shared vehicle to the electric vehicle 10, but may share it with the charging station management server 200 to provide information about the shared vehicle to the user when the user arrives at the charging station.

[0104] Therefore, electric vehicle 10 can reach the reserved charging station to begin charging, and the user can then transfer to the reserved shared vehicle 20 to travel to their destination. In this scenario, electric vehicle 10 can notify the user of the reserved shared vehicle 20's charging status, the shared vehicle 20's number, and the location of the shared vehicle 20 in the car-sharing space. Therefore, the user can proceed to the shared vehicle 20 based on the notified information to ride in the shared vehicle 20.

[0105] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of changing the path of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of this disclosure. (See reference...) Figure 8 When electric vehicle 10 wishes to change its route based on changes in destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, information about charging stations, cost information, payment type, or information about shared vehicles, electric vehicle 10 can request charging station management server 210 and vehicle management server 310 to cancel and change the reservation for a charging station or shared vehicle. Therefore, charging station management server 210 and vehicle management server 310 can respectively collect information about new charging stations and new shared vehicles, and can select the optimal charging station and optimal shared vehicle based on changes in destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, charging type, information about charging stations, information about shared vehicles, cost information, or payment type. Figure 8When electric vehicle 10 is traveling on an existing route, the session can connect with the shared space terminal 412 of car-sharing space B 521 and the charging station terminal 512 of charging station B 421. However, when electric vehicle 10 wishes to change its route, it can communicate with the new charging station management server 220 and the new vehicle management server 320 to establish a new session between the charging station terminal 411 of charging station A 420 and the shared space terminal 511 of car-sharing space A 520.

[0106] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating exemplary operation of a modified shared vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. (Reference) Figure 9 The document discloses instances of malfunctions or traffic accidents occurring when using shared vehicle 20, or instances of shared vehicle 20 being converted into a new shared vehicle 30 due to changes in road conditions.

[0107] Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating a computing system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0108] refer to Figure 10 The computing system 1000 may include at least one of the following: a processor 1100, a memory 1300, a user interface input device 1400, a user interface output device 1500, a storage device 1600, and a network interface 1700, which are connected to each other via a bus 1200.

[0109] Processor 1100 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or a semiconductor device that processes instructions stored in memory 1300 and / or storage device 1600. Memory 1300 and storage device 1600 may include various types of volatile or non-volatile storage media. For example, memory 1300 may include ROM (Read-Only Memory) 1310 and RAM (Random Access Memory) 1320.

[0110] Therefore, the operation of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be directly embodied in hardware or software modules or combinations thereof executed by processor 1100. The software modules may reside on storage media (i.e., memory 1300 and / or storage device 1600), such as RAM, flash memory, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, registers, hard disks, removable disks, and CD-ROMs.

[0111] An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to processor 1100, and processor 1100 may read information from and record information in the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated with processor 1100. The processor and storage medium may reside in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in the user terminal. In another case, the processor and storage medium may reside as separate components in the user terminal.

[0112] This technology increases user convenience by reserving charging stations and shared vehicles when electric vehicles are low on power, and allowing users to move to the reserved shared vehicles during the charging period without waiting.

[0113] In addition, various effects that can be directly or indirectly determined through this disclosure may be provided.

[0114] Although this disclosure has been described above with reference to exemplary embodiments and accompanying drawings, it is not limited thereto. Various modifications and alterations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure as claimed in the appended claims.

[0115] Therefore, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are provided to explain the spirit and scope of this disclosure, and not to limit them, so that the spirit and scope of this disclosure are not limited by the embodiments. The scope of this disclosure should be interpreted based on the appended claims, and all technical concepts within the scope of the claims should be included within the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle, including equipment for controlling the charging of the electric vehicle, said equipment comprising: The communication device is configured to perform vehicle-to-everything communication with a charging station management server outside the electric vehicle and a vehicle management server configured to manage shared vehicles. as well as The processor is configured to request the charging station management server to reserve a charging station via the communication device, and is also configured to automatically request the vehicle management server to reserve a shared vehicle for use while the electric vehicle is charging when the vehicle used to drive to the destination has insufficient power. The electric vehicle calculates the amount of electricity required to reach its destination. When the amount of electricity required to reach the destination is greater than the current capacity of the electric vehicle's battery, the device controlling the charging of the electric vehicle requests the reservation of the charging station and the shared vehicle.

2. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein, The processor sends one of the following to the charging station management server: destination, vehicle route, road environment, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, charging type, information about the charging station, cost information, and payment type information; requests the charging station management server to perform one of the following: reserving the charging station, changing the reservation of the charging station, or canceling the reservation of the charging station; and sends one of the following to the vehicle management server: destination, vehicle route, road environment, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, information about the shared vehicle, cost information, and payment type information.

3. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein, The processor requests the vehicle management server to use one of the destination, vehicle route, road environment, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, information about the shared vehicle, cost information, and payment type to perform one of reserving the shared vehicle, changing the reservation of the shared vehicle, and canceling the reservation of the shared vehicle.

4. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein, When the processor receives reservation information about the charging station from the charging station management server, it executes path guidance or driving control to the reserved charging station.

5. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein, The processor establishes a session with a charging station terminal in the charging station to share information related to wireless charging, wherein the processor shares the information related to wireless charging with the charging station terminal through the established session.

6. The electric vehicle according to claim 5, wherein, When the electric vehicle arrives at the reserved charging station to charge, the processor shares charging status information with the charging station terminal, and wherein the processor receives metering information from the charging station terminal.

7. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, When the processor receives information about the shared vehicle from the vehicle management server, it establishes a session with a shared space terminal in the car-sharing space, and the processor shares the information about the shared vehicle with the shared space terminal through the established session.

8. The electric vehicle according to claim 7, wherein, When the processor receives reservation information about the shared vehicle from the vehicle management server, it performs route guidance or driving control if the reserved car-sharing space is the destination.

9. The electric vehicle according to claim 8, wherein, When the electric vehicle arrives at the car-sharing space to be converted into a shared vehicle, the processor shares information about the use of the shared vehicle arriving at the car-sharing space with the vehicle management server, and wherein the processor receives metering information from the vehicle management server.

10. A method for controlling the charging of an electric vehicle, the method comprising: The processor receives a request for a reserved charging station from the electric vehicle. and The charging station is reserved based on the driving information of the electric vehicle and information about the charging station. The processor receives a request to reserve a shared vehicle from the electric vehicle; and The shared vehicle is reserved based on the driving information of the electric vehicle and information about the shared vehicle. The electric vehicle calculates the amount of electricity required to reach its destination. When the amount of electricity required to reach the destination is greater than the current capacity of the electric vehicle's battery, the device controlling the charging of the electric vehicle requests the reservation of the charging station and the shared vehicle to be used while the electric vehicle is charging.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The reserved space for the charging station includes: Information about charging stations is collected periodically; When the driving information is received from the electric vehicle, a charging station terminal is selected based on the driving information and information about the charging station; and Provide the electric vehicle with information about the selected charging station terminal.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising: The reservation for the charging station can be automatically changed or cancelled based on one of the following: destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, charging type, information about the charging station, cost information, and payment type.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The reservation of shared vehicles includes: Information about shared vehicles is collected periodically; When the driving information is received from the electric vehicle, a shared vehicle is selected based on the driving information and information about the shared vehicle; and Information about the selected shared vehicle is shared with the electric vehicle or shared space terminal.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising: The reservation of the shared vehicle can be automatically changed or cancelled based on one of the following: destination, vehicle route, road conditions, traffic volume, estimated arrival time, battery status, information about the shared vehicle, cost information, and payment type.

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