Electric vehicle charging station bootstrap method

Abstract

A bootstrap method of registering a charging station (CS) in an offline state to a electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) and operating is provided. The bootstrap method includes the steps of storing at least part of bootstrap information in the CS to configure bootstrap information, connecting the CS to the CSMS by setting a secure channel between the CS and the CSMS for maintaining registration information about the CS, and registering the CS to the CSMS.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a method for maintaining an electric vehicle charging device, and more specifically, to a bootstrapping method for a charging station. Furthermore, this disclosure relates to a charging station device suitable for implementing the bootstrapping method. Background Technology

[0002] Electric vehicles (EVs) are powered by electric motors powered by batteries and offer advantages over traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, including reduced pollution such as exhaust fumes and noise, less damage, longer lifespan, and simpler driving operation. An EV charging system can be defined as a system that uses electricity obtained from the commercial power grid or stored in energy storage devices to charge the batteries installed in the EV. Such EV charging systems can be implemented in various forms. For example, an EV charging system may include a conductive charging system using cables or a contactless wireless power transmission system.

[0003] A charging station has one or more Electric Vehicle Power Supply Units (EVSEs) as the physical framework allowing EV charging, and supplies power to the loitering EV via conductive charging or wireless power transfer after a specific authentication process. In addition to supplying power to EVs, charging stations typically perform various tasks such as EV authentication, transaction authorization, payment processing, and installing certificates and / or programs in the EV. Charging stations can be highly complex systems equipped with different programs and data, as these tasks are performed based on different program and protocol stacks and require wired or wireless communication based on symmetric keys or public key infrastructure (PKI). Furthermore, charging stations operate as members of charging networks that include charging station operators (CSOs) and multiple charging stations.

[0004] Because charging stations are complex, network-based systems, a well-defined bootstrapping process is required when a new charging station is added to the network to ensure its secure connection and proper operation. A similar bootstrapping process is also necessary when a charging station is reconnected to the network after offline maintenance, due to lost credentials caused by certificate expiration, revocation, or erasure of stored data. While various EV-related industry standards have been established and are being developed, there are no standards specifying bootstrapping processes for installing new charging stations or reinstalling charging stations that have undergone offline maintenance. This could lead to instability in electric vehicle charging systems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Technical issues

[0006] To address the aforementioned issues, this disclosure provides a bootstrapping method for securely connecting newly added charging stations or charging stations that have completed offline maintenance to a network and enabling the charging stations to operate normally.

[0007] In addition, this disclosure provides a charging station device that can be registered to a predetermined charging station management system via a predetermined bootstrapping process so that it can operate to charge electric vehicles.

[0008] Technical solution

[0009] According to one aspect of an exemplary embodiment, a bootstrapping method is provided for registering an offline charging station with an electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) to enable the charging station to operate normally. The bootstrapping method includes: configuring bootstrapping information by storing at least some bootstrapping information in the charging station; establishing a secure channel between the charging station and the CSMS in which registration information of the charging station is maintained, and connecting the charging station to the CSMS; and registering the charging station with the CSMS.

[0010] Bootstrapping information may include: connection information to the CSMS associated with the charging station; credential information for establishing a secure channel to the CSMS; and registration information of the charging station.

[0011] The connection information may include at least one of the CSMS's IP address and port number, as well as the connection information required to communicate with the CSMS according to a predetermined communication protocol.

[0012] The predefined communication protocol can be Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP), and the connection information required to communicate with CSMS may include an XMPP application identifier or a subscription topic.

[0013] The credentials may include at least one of the following: a symmetric key pre-shared by the charging station and CSMS or identification information that can be used to verify the physical or logical identity of the charging station; and a public key certificate chain, which includes public keys issued to the charging station.

[0014] The configuration bootstrap information operation can be performed in at least one of three modes: factory configuration mode, in which the bootstrap information is stored in a charging station in a predetermined factory; field configuration mode, in which the bootstrap information is stored in a charging station at the installation site via a storage medium; and remote configuration mode, in which the bootstrap information is stored in the charging station from a bootstrap server located at a remote site via a predetermined communication network.

[0015] Configuring bootstrap information in remote configuration mode may include: installing predetermined bootstrap trigger information in the charging station according to any one of factory configuration mode, field configuration mode, and combinations thereof; and downloading bootstrap information from the bootstrap server based on the bootstrap trigger information installed in the charging station.

[0016] The operation of downloading bootstrap information may include: establishing a secure channel between the charging station and the bootstrap server in the same manner as establishing a secure channel between the charging station and CSMS to register the registration information of the charging station.

[0017] The operation of establishing a secure channel between a charging station and a CSMS and connecting the charging station to the CSMS may include: establishing a secure channel by using a Transport Layer Security-Pre-Shared Key (TLS-PSK) cipher suite when the certificate available to the charging station is a pre-shared symmetric key (PSK) shared with the CSMS, and establishing a secure channel by using a transport layer security method with mutual authentication or a certificate-based connection method when the certificate available to the charging station is a pre-defined certificate chain.

[0018] Registering a charging station with CSMS can include sending registration information to CSMS, including the charging station's identity information, the identity information of EVSEs in or connected to the charging station, and the charging station's capability information.

[0019] According to another aspect of an exemplary embodiment, a charging station device is provided that is capable of registering with a charging station management system (CSMS) in an offline state via a predetermined bootstrapping process to operatively charge electric vehicles. The charging station device includes a processor and a memory storing program instructions executed by the processor. When executed by the processor, the program instructions cause the processor to: configure bootstrapping information by storing at least some bootstrapping information in the memory; establish a secure channel to the CSMS in which registration information for the charging station device is maintained and connect the charging station device to the CSMS; and register the charging station device with the CSMS.

[0020] Bootstrapping information may include: connection information to the CSMS associated with the charging station equipment; credential information for establishing a secure channel to the CSMS; and registration information of the charging station equipment.

[0021] The connection information may include at least one of the CSMS's IP address and port number, as well as the connection information required to communicate with the CSMS according to a predetermined communication protocol.

[0022] The predefined communication protocol can be Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP), and the connection information required to communicate with CSMS may include an XMPP application identifier or a subscription topic.

[0023] The credential information may include at least one of the following: a symmetric key pre-shared by the charging station equipment and CSMS or identification information that can be used to verify the physical or logical identity of the charging station equipment; and a public key certificate chain that includes the public key issued to the charging station equipment.

[0024] The program instructions that enable the processor to configure bootstrapping may include instructions that enable the processor to execute at least one of the following three modes: a factory configuration mode, wherein bootstrapping information is stored in a charging station device in a predetermined factory; a field configuration mode, wherein bootstrapping information is stored in a charging station device at an installation site by using a storage medium; and a remote configuration mode, wherein bootstrapping information is stored in the charging station device from a bootstrapping server located at a remote site via a predetermined communication network.

[0025] The program instructions that enable the processor to configure boot information in remote configuration mode may include instructions that cause the processor to: install predetermined boot trigger information in a charging station according to any one of factory configuration mode, field configuration mode, and combinations thereof; and download boot information from a boot server based on the boot trigger information.

[0026] The program instructions that cause the processor to download bootstrap information may include instructions that cause the processor to establish a secure channel to the bootstrap server in the same manner as establishing a secure channel to CSMS to register registration information.

[0027] The program instructions that enable the processor to establish a secure channel to the CSMS and connect the charging station equipment to the CSMS may include instructions that enable the processor to establish a secure channel by using a Transport Layer Security-Pre-Shared Key (TLS-PSK) cryptographic suite when the available certificate is a pre-shared symmetric key (PSK) shared with the CSMS, and to establish a secure channel by using a transport layer security method with mutual authentication or a certificate-based connection method when the available certificate is a predetermined certificate chain.

[0028] The program instructions that enable the processor to register the charging station device with the CSMS may include instructions that enable the processor to send registration information to the CSMS, including the identity information of the charging station device, the identity information of the EVSE included in or connected to the charging station device, and the capability information of the charging station device.

[0029] Beneficial effects

[0030] According to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, newly added charging stations or charging stations that have undergone maintenance can be safely connected to the charging network for normal operation. Therefore, interoperability between the charging stations and the charging station management system can be maintained without causing instability in the electric vehicle charging system due to the addition or reinstallation of charging stations. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an EV conductive charging system to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied;

[0032] Figure 2 A conceptual diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a wireless power transfer (WPT) system to which this disclosure may be applied;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of the front end of an EV charging infrastructure system according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a bootstrapping method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 5 An example of a TLS-PSK cipher suite that can be used to establish a secure channel is shown; and

[0036] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of a charging station according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0037] To better understand the features and advantages of the present invention, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments and includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions falling within the concept and scope of this disclosure. In describing each drawing, similar reference numerals are used for similar parts.

[0038] Ordinal terms such as “first” and “second” are designated to interpret the various components in this specification, to distinguish one component from another, but are not intended to limit any particular component. For example, a second component may be referred to as a first component without departing from the scope of this disclosure, and similarly, a first component may be referred to as a second component. The expression “and / or” may be used to refer to a combination of the listed items or any one of the listed items.

[0039] When a component is described as "connected" or "coupled" to another component, that component can be directly connected or logically or physically coupled to the other component, or indirectly connected through an object between them. Conversely, when a component is described as "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another component, it should be understood that there is no intermediate object between the components.

[0040] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “this” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that, when used in this specification, the terms “comprising” and / or “including” specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0041] Unless otherwise defined, 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. Unless expressly defined in this application, terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the relevant technical context and should not be interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning.

[0042] The terms used in this disclosure are defined as follows.

[0043] "Electric Vehicle (EV)": As defined in 49 CFR 523.3, an electric vehicle intended for use on highways, powered by an electric motor that draws current from an onboard energy storage device (e.g., a battery) that can be charged from an external source (e.g., a residential or public power service or an onboard fuel cell generator). An EV can be a four- or more wheeled vehicle manufactured primarily for use on public streets or roads. EVs can include electric vehicles, electric automobiles, electric road vehicles (ERVs), plug-in vehicles (PVs), plug-in vehicles (xEVs), etc., and xEVs can be classified as plug-in fully electric vehicles (BEVs), battery electric vehicles, plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (HPEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), etc.

[0044] "Plug-in electric vehicle (PEV)": An electric vehicle that is charged by connecting to the power grid.

[0045] "Wireless Charging System (WCS)": A system for wireless power transmission and interactive control, including alignment and communication operations between ground components (GA) and vehicle components (VA).

[0046] "Wireless Power Transfer (WPT)": Transferring power between power sources (such as utilities and the grid) and EVs via contactless channels.

[0047] "Interoperability": The state in which components of a system communicate with each other to perform system objectives. Additionally, information interoperability can refer to the ability of two or more networks, systems, devices, applications, or components to effectively share and easily use information without causing inconvenience to users.

[0048] "Inductive charging system": A system that transfers energy from a power source to an EV through a two-part gapped core transformer, wherein the two halves of the transformer, namely the primary coil and the secondary coil, are physically separated from each other. In this disclosure, the inductive charging system can correspond to an EV power transmission system.

[0049] “Charging station (CS)”: A facility equipped with one or more electric vehicle power supply units (EVSEs) and used for the physical charging of EVs.

[0050] "Charging Station Operator (CSO)": A party responsible for providing and operating charging infrastructure and managing electricity to provide requested energy transfer services. The term "charging station operator" can be synonymous with "charging point operator (CPO)."

[0051] "Charging Station Management System (CSMS)": Responsible for maintaining the registry of one or more charging stations and managing the entities of charging stations (especially EVSE) according to system updates (such as firmware updates).

[0052] "Charging Service Provider (CSP)": An entity that manages and verifies EV user credentials and provides billing and other value-added services to customers. A CSP can be considered a specific type of mobility operator (MO) and can be integrated with an MO.

[0053] "Clearing House (CH)": An entity that handles cooperation between MOs, CSPs, and CSOs. In particular, the Clearing House can act as an intermediary to facilitate the authorization, billing, and settlement procedures for EV charging service roaming between two clearing parties.

[0054] "Certificate": A physical or digital asset that represents the EV or the identifier of the EV owner, and may include a password used to verify the identifier, a public and private key pair used for public-key cryptography algorithms, a public key certificate issued by a certificate authority, and information relating to a trusted root certificate authority.

[0055] "Certificate": An electronic document that binds a public key to an ID through digital signature.

[0056] "Physical identity": A permanent identifier for a device or its components that is unique and does not change throughout its lifecycle. Examples of physical identity can include a device's or vehicle's manufacturing ID and serial number.

[0057] "Logical Identity": An operational identifier for a device or its components, unique but subject to change when operations change (e.g., migration to a different carrier). Examples of logical identities can include the ID of the EVSE (EVSEID) and the ID of the power supply communication controller (SECCID).

[0058] "Secure channel": A communication channel between entities that possesses security attributes such as confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity.

[0059] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] In the electric vehicle charging system used to implement this disclosure, an electric vehicle (EV) can be connected to a charging station via a wired or wireless link to receive energy from the charging station and use the supplied energy to charge an energy storage device such as a battery. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Methods for charging electric vehicles via conductive charging and wireless power transmission are shown respectively.

[0061] Figure 1 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an electric vehicle conductive charging system to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied. For example, conductive charging of an electric vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "EV") can be performed by connecting the electric vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "EV") to the power circuit of a charging station via a charging cable 30 (e.g., by connecting the cable connector of the charging station 20 to the inlet of the EV 10).

[0062] EV 10 can generally be defined as a car powered by an electric motor, which is powered by a rechargeable energy storage device, such as a battery installed on the EV 10. EV 10 can also be a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. In addition, EV 10 is not limited to cars, but can also be a motorcycle, handcart, scooter, or electric bicycle.

[0063] EV 10 may include a plug inlet or socket that can be coupled to a connector of charging cable 30. The plug inlet in EV 10 may support slow charging or fast charging. Here, EV 10 may include a single inlet that supports both slow charging and fast charging via a single plug connection, or multiple inlets that support both slow charging and fast charging respectively.

[0064] The EV 10 may also include an onboard charger to support slow charging or charging using AC power supplied from the grid. During slow charging, the onboard charger can boost the level of AC power supplied from the grid and convert it to DC power to supply the EV 10's battery. Conversely, in cases where DC power is supplied to the EV 10's inlet for fast charging, DC power can also be supplied to the battery without going through the onboard charger.

[0065] The EV charging cable 30 may include at least one of a charging plug 31, an internal control box (ICCB) 32, and a wall socket plug 33. The charging plug 31 may be a connection portion capable of electrically connecting to the inlet of the EV 10. The ICCB 32 may communicate with the EV 10 to receive EV status information or control the charging of the EV 10. Although the ICCB 32 is shown as included in the EV charging cable 30, the ICCB 32 may be installed elsewhere besides the EV charging cable 10, for example, in the power circuitry of a charging station, or may be connected to a power circuitry. The wall socket plug 33 may include electrical connection components such as a standard plug or a wire assembly, and allows the charging cable 30 to connect to a wall socket or charging dock socket to receive power.

[0066] Meanwhile, the wall socket 40 can refer to the connection point between the charging dock and the charging connector 31 of the charging station. However, this disclosure is not limited to this, and the wall socket 40 can refer to another connection point between the charging device installed in another location and the charging connector 31. For example, the wall socket 40 can be installed in commercial dedicated charging station facilities and various other locations, such as parking lots at EV owners' homes, parking lots allocated for EV charging at gas stations, and parking areas in shopping malls or office buildings.

[0067] Figure 2 A conceptual diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a wireless power transfer (WPT) system to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0068] Wireless power transfer (WPT) for EVs can be defined as the transfer of electrical energy from a supplier device to a consumer device via a magnetic field under magnetic resonance conditions, without current flowing through the electrical connection. Wireless power transfer can be used to charge EV10 by transferring power from charging station 20 to EV10.

[0069] like Figure 2 As shown, WPT can be performed by at least one component of EV 10 and charging station 20, and can transfer power to EV 10 without any wires.

[0070] EV 10 may include a power receiving disk 11 having a receiving coil suitable for wirelessly receiving magnetic energy from charging station 20. The receiving coil at power receiving disk 11 receives magnetic energy, for example, via magnetic resonance, from the transmitting coil of power transmitting disk 21 at charging station 20. The magnetic energy received by EV 10 is converted into an induced current, which is rectified into a DC current to charge battery 12.

[0071] Charging station 20 can receive power from the power grid 50 or the main power line and supply energy to EV 10 via transmission disk 21. Transmission disk 21 has a transmission coil that can generate magnetic flux and supply magnetic energy to EV 10 through magnetic resonance amplification. Charging station 20 can be located in various places such as the parking lot of EV owner's house, the parking lot allocated for EV charging at gas stations, and the parking area of ​​shopping malls or office buildings.

[0072] Charging station 20 can communicate with the power infrastructure management system or infrastructure server of the power grid 50 via wired or wireless communication. Furthermore, charging station 20 can perform wireless communication with EV 10. Here, wireless communication may include wireless LAN (WLAN) based on W-Fi according to the IEEE 802.11 protocol or P2PS communication using low-frequency (LF) magnetic field signals and / or low-power excitation (LPE) magnetic field signals. Additionally, wireless communication between charging station 20 and EV 10 may include one or more of various communication schemes such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, and cellular communication.

[0073] Meanwhile, according to the ISO 15118 industry standard, which serves as the communication standard for EV charging, the EV and the charging station can exchange messages to control the entire charging process. That is, communication for EV charging can be performed between the EV Communication Controller (EVCC) and the Power Supply Equipment Communication Controller (SECC) via wireless LAN.

[0074] During communication, the EV first authenticates the charging station to ensure its trustworthiness and establishes a secure channel with it to protect communication from unauthorized access. These operations are implemented according to the standardized Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol defined in RFC 5246 produced by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) of the TLS working group. A TLS session can be established after an IP-based communication connection has been established through a TLS session establishment process.

[0075] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of the front end of an EV charging infrastructure system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0076] The EV charging infrastructure system provides charging services to EV 10 and includes at least one charging station (CS) 100 to 104, a charging station operator (CSO), and a charging station management system (CSMS) 210. Both the CSO and the CSMS can be connected to the charging stations 100 to 104. Furthermore, the EV charging infrastructure system shown in the accompanying drawings includes a bootstrapping server 220 supporting the bootstrapping of the charging stations 100 to 104.

[0077] For ease of description, Figure 3 The diagram shows electric vehicles (EVs) 10A to 10F. Each of EVs 10A to 10F can refer to a regular electric vehicle owned by an EV owner, which can be a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, or it can be a motorcycle, handcart, scooter, or electric bicycle. EVs 10A to 10F can be charged via conductive charging or wireless power transmission at charging stations 100 to 104.

[0078] Charging stations 100 to 104 actually perform charging of EVs 10A to 10F. Each of charging stations 100 to 104 is equipped with multiple EV SEs (EVSEs) 100A to 112D. For example, charging station 100 is equipped with multiple EVSEs 100A to 100D, and charging station 102 is equipped with multiple EVSEs 112A to 112D. Each of the EVSEs 100A to 112D may have at least one conductive charger and / or wireless charging point to supply power to one or more EVs 10A to 10F. Each of charging stations 100 to 104 may be installed in a dedicated commercial charging area. Moreover, each of charging stations 100 to 104 can be installed in various locations, such as the parking lot of an EV owner's house, a parking lot allocated for EV charging at a gas station, and a parking area in a shopping mall or office building. Charging stations may also be referred to as "charging points," "EV charging stations," "electric charging points," "electronic charging stations (ECS)," or "EV SEs (EVEs)."

[0079] A charging station operator (CSO) or charging point operator (CPO) provides and operates charging stations and manages electricity to provide requested energy delivery services. A CSO can be operated by, for example, a charging station manufacturer or an electricity supplier.

[0080] The charging station management system (CSMS) 210 maintains the registry of charging stations 100 to 104 and manages charging stations 100 to 104, particularly EVE 100A to 112D, for system updates (such as firmware updates). CSMS 210 can be considered as centralized operating software running in any CSO 200 managing charging stations 100 to 104. However, this disclosure is not limited to this, and CSMS 210 can be installed on and operate on separate hardware. Furthermore, CSMS 210 can have additional functions beyond those of the CSO's operating software.

[0081] Bootstrapping server 220 provides bootstrapping information required by charging stations 100 to 104. When a secure channel is established between bootstrapping server 220 and one of charging stations 100 to 104 while bootstrapping trigger information, which is the minimum information required for bootstrapping, is stored in the charging station, bootstrapping server 220 provides the remaining information required for bootstrapping to the charging station, thereby installing the bootstrapping information in CS 100 to 104.

[0082] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a bootstrapping method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0083] As used herein, the term "bootstrapping" refers to the process of installing and providing new charging stations added to a charging network to facilitate secure access to the network and operation of the newly added charging stations. Bootstrapping can also be the process of reinstalling and providing charging stations that have been taken offline due to irreversible problems, such as certificate loss due to certificate expiration or revocation, or erasure of stored contents, following extensive maintenance work. In the following text, for example, in Figure 3 It is assumed that charging station 102 is a reinstalled device and charging station 104 is a newly added device.

[0084] See Figure 4 The bootstrapping method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes: an operation (operation 400) of configuring bootstrapping information by storing some bootstrapping information in charging station 102 or 104; an operation (operation 410) of establishing a secure channel between CSMS 210 and charging station 102 or 104 to connect charging station 102 or 104 to CSMS 210; and an operation (operation 420) of registering charging station 102 or 104 with CSMS 210.

[0085] Here, a secure channel refers to a communication channel between entities that possesses the security attributes of confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. Confidentiality means that no one other than the communicating parties can read the message. Integrity means that no one can modify or forge the message. Authenticity means that the source of the message can be verified as correct, and the content of the message as trustworthy.

[0086] In operation 400, at least some bootstrap information is stored in the charging station 102 or 104 to be installed or reinstalled, enabling the charging station 102 or 104 to use the stored bootstrap information. As used herein, the term "bootstrap information" refers to the information required for the charging station 102 or 104 to securely boot in the charging network, and may include connection information to the CSMS 210 associated with the charging station, credential information for establishing a secure channel to the CSMS 210, and registration information of the charging station 102 or 104.

[0087] The connection information to the CSMS 210 associated with the charging station may include at least one of the CSMS 210's IP address and port number, as well as the connection information required to communicate with the CSMS 210 according to a predetermined communication protocol. Here, the predetermined communication protocol may include Extensible Message Protocol and Existence Protocol (XMPP). In such a case, the connection information required to communicate with the CSMS 210 may be an XMPP application identifier and / or a subscription topic.

[0088] The credential information used to establish a secure channel to CSMS 210 may include a symmetric key pre-shared between charging station 102 or 104 and CSMS 210, or identity information (ID) that can be used to verify the physical or logical identity of charging station 102 or 104. The credential information may include a public key paired with the private key of charging station 102 or 104, a public key certificate for the public key, or a certificate chain. The certificate chain may include a supply certificate chain. The supply certificate may be a certificate used for one-time authentication via CSMS 210. After one-time authentication using the supply certificate is completed, a CS leaf certificate may be issued and installed in charging station 102 or 104, allowing the CS leaf certificate to be used in subsequent normal authentication processes. Alternatively, the certificate chain may include a certificate issued by CSO 200 and a CSO Root CA certificate. Furthermore, the credential information may include authentication information that can be manually entered, such as an ID and password or another authentication code.

[0089] Physical identity refers to a permanent identifier for a device or its components that is universally unique and does not change over its lifetime. Examples of physical identity include the manufacturer ID and serial number of a device or vehicle. Logical identity, on the other hand, is the operational ID of a device or its components, which is universally unique but can change when operational changes occur, such as migration to another operator. Examples of logical identity include EVSEID and SECCID; EVSEID is the identifier for each EVE 100A to 100F, and SECCID is the identifier for each power supply communication controller (SECC) included in the EVE 100A to 100F and capable of communicating with the EV10A to 10F via a wireless LAN (WLAN).

[0090] In addition, the registration information may include the information required for the operation and management of charging stations 102 and 104 by CSMS 210.

[0091] In addition, the registration information may include the physical and logical identity information of charging stations 102 and 104. Examples of the physical identity information of charging stations 102 and 104 may include the device's manufacturer ID and serial number, and examples of the logical identity information of charging stations 102 and 104 may include the SECC identifier, i.e., SECCID.

[0092] Furthermore, the registration information may include physical identification information (e.g., serial number) or logical identification information (e.g., EVEID) of the EVSE in charging stations 102 and 104.

[0093] The registration information may further include information about the capabilities of charging stations 102 and 104. Capability information may include a product model ID, a set of operating model attributes (e.g., AC, DC, WPT, BPT, Dynamic, ACD, etc.), and one or more of a set of capabilities for each EVE.

[0094] The registration information may also include any other information related to the operation of charging stations 102 and 104 or CSMS 210.

[0095] In operation 400, the method of storing bootstrap information in charging station 102 or 104 to configure bootstrap information can be classified into three modes: factory configuration mode, field configuration mode using storage medium, and remote configuration mode.

[0096] In factory configuration mode, bootstrapping information is stored in charging station 102 or 104 at the factory or service center before the charging station is deployed at its site. This configuration method has the advantages of ease of installation and scalability. On the other hand, this configuration mode is inflexible and may lead to high system maintenance costs when the charging station boots in this mode whenever a failure occurs.

[0097] Depending on the field configuration, bootstrap information can be stored at charging station 102 or 104 at its site while it is being installed or reinstalled at the site, using storage media such as smart cards, USB sticks, or SDC cards. In other words, bootstrap information copied from the storage media is stored at charging station 102 or 104 at its site. To ensure system stability, operators may find it impossible or very difficult to manually input bootstrap information directly into charging station 102 or 104 during field configuration. Deploying charging stations in this configuration mode can be expensive. Moreover, the flexibility and maintenance costs of this mode are likely to be moderate, and scalability may not be very high.

[0098] According to the remote configuration mode, the Bootstrap Trigger Information (BTI) is first installed in charging station 102 or 104 via factory configuration mode, field configuration mode, field manual configuration mode, or a combination thereof. Then, based on the Bootstrap Trigger Information, complete bootstrap information is downloaded from the bootstrap server. The Bootstrap Trigger Information (BTI) may include connection information to the bootstrap server, physical and / or logical identity information of charging station 102 or 104, and credential information for secure connection. If information from multiple bootstrap servers is available, the next server can be selected each time a successful download is made. Because the process of establishing a secure connection to the bootstrap server is the same as the establishment process described below, its description will be omitted for simplicity. This configuration method is the most flexible and cost-effective. However, this mode may have the limitation of needing to be combined with another configuration mode.

[0099] Figure 4 The operation 410, which establishes a secure channel between charging station 102 or 104 and CSMS 210 to connect charging station 102 or 104 to CSMS 210, can vary depending on the type of credential information stored in charging station 102 or 104. Therefore, when a secure channel is to be established by a cipher suite, the credential information required by the cipher suite must be stored in charging station 102 or 104.

[0100] When the credentials available to charging station 102 or 104 are a pre-shared key (PSK) shared with CSMS 210, charging station 102 or 104 uses one of the following Transport Layer Security-Pre-Shared Key (TLS-PSK) methods to establish a secure channel.

[0101] - TLS with PSK cipher suites defined in RFC4279 or RFC5478

[0102] - TLS as defined in RFC4279 or RFC5478, using the DHE and PSK cipher suite.

[0103] - TLS with ECDHE and PSK cipher suites as defined in RFC5489

[0104] - TLS with server-certificate-client-PSK cipher suite as defined in RFC4279 or RFC5478

[0105] - Any PSK-based connection method provided by the XMPP protocol

[0106] Figure 5 An example of a usable TLS-PSK cipher suite is shown.

[0107] If the certificates available for charging stations 102 or 104 are a certificate chain issued by the CSO PKI and a CSO Root CA certificate, charging stations 102 or 104 use mutually authenticated TLS 1.2 or any certificate-based connection method provided by the XMPP protocol. In this case, server authentication can use the server certificate, and client authentication can use the client certificate.

[0108] In remote configuration mode or manual login, when authorized personnel on-site enter credential information to trigger remote bootstrapping, charging stations 102 or 104 use a secure channel (i.e., HTTPS) to connect to the bootstrapping server. In this case, according to RFC 7235, the server's SSL certificate can be used for server authentication, and the HTTP Basic Authentication Method (i.e., ID and password) can be used for client authentication. Alternatively, the ID and password-based connection method provided by the XMPP protocol can be used for both authentication methods.

[0109] After charging station 102 or 104 successfully connects to CSMS 210 in operation 410, in operation 420, charging station 102 or 104 provides CSMS 210 with at least some bootstrapping information required for proper management of the charging station as registration information, thereby registering charging station 102 or 104 with CSMS 210. When charging station 102 or 104 registers with CSMS 210, a common procedure can be performed regardless of the configuration mode and connection method. The information registered with CSMS 210 includes the charging station's identity information (including the charging station's physical and logical identity information), the identity information of the EVSEs under the charging station (including physical EVSE identifiers (e.g., serial numbers) and logical EVSE identifiers (e.g., EVSEID)), the charging station's capability information (e.g., model, a set of capability attributes such as AC, DC, WPT, BPT, dynamic, ACD, etc., and a set of capabilities for each EVSE), and other information related to the operation of the charging station.

[0110] Figure 6This is a block diagram of any one of CS 100, 102 and 104 according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0111] See Figure 6 Any CS (e.g., CS 102) according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure includes a controller 500 and a plurality of EVSEs 100A to 100D. The controller 500 may include at least one processor 520, a memory 540, and a storage device 560, and controls the overall operation of the CS 102. Specifically, the controller 500 performs the processes that the CS 102 is responsible for during bootstrapping operation.

[0112] Processor 520 can execute program instructions stored in memory 540 and / or storage device 560. Processor 520 can be at least one central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), or any other type of dedicated processor suitable for performing the processes according to the invention.

[0113] Memory 540 may include, for example, volatile memory (such as read-only memory (ROM)) and non-volatile memory (such as random access memory (RAM)). Memory 540 may load program instructions stored in storage device 560 to provide to processor 520.

[0114] Storage device 560 may include an intangible recording medium suitable for storing program instructions and data files. Any device capable of storing data readable by a computer system may be used for storage. Examples of storage media may include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes; optical media such as CD-ROMs and digital video discs (DVDs); magneto-optical media such as floppy disks; and semiconductor memories such as ROMs, RAMs, flash memory, and solid-state drives (SSDs).

[0115] Memory 560 stores program instructions. Specifically, the program instructions may include program instructions for implementing the bootstrapping process according to this disclosure. The program instructions for the bootstrapping process include instructions to cause the processor to configure bootstrapping information by storing at least some of the bootstrapping information in memory, establish a secure channel to the CSMS (where registration information for charging station equipment is maintained), connect the charging station equipment to the CSMS, and register the charging station equipment with the CSMS. Such program instructions may be loaded into memory 540 under the control of processor 520 and then executed by processor 520 to implement the method according to this disclosure.

[0116] The apparatus and methods according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by computer-readable program code or instructions stored on a computer-readable intangible recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes all types of recording devices that store data readable by a computer system. The computer-readable recording medium can be distributed across a computer system connected via a network, allowing the computer-readable program or code to be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

[0117] Computer-readable recording media may include hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. Program instructions may include not only machine language code generated by a compiler, but also high-level language code executable by a computer using an interpreter.

[0118] Some aspects of the invention described above in the context of an apparatus may indicate a corresponding description of the method according to the invention, and the blocks or apparatus may correspond to operations of the method or features of the operations. Similarly, some aspects described in the context of the method may be expressed by features of blocks, items, or corresponding devices. Some or all operations of the method may be performed using hardware devices (e.g., microprocessors, programmable computers, or electronic circuits). In some exemplary embodiments, one or more of the most important operations of the method may be performed by such apparatus.

[0119] In some exemplary embodiments, a programmable logic device, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), can be used to perform some or all of the functions of the methods described herein. The FPGA can operate in conjunction with a microprocessor to perform one of the methods described herein. Typically, the method can preferably be performed by a hardware device.

[0120] While this disclosure has been described above with respect to its exemplary embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bootstrapping method for registering offline charging stations with an electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) to enable the charging stations to operate normally, comprising: The bootstrap information is configured by the charging station by storing at least some bootstrap information in the charging station; The bootstrap information includes: Connection information to the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS). Credential information used to establish a secure channel with the electric vehicle charging station management system CSMS, and The registration information of the charging station; Based on the bootstrap information stored in the charging station, the charging station establishes a secure channel between the charging station and the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS), and connects the charging station to the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS); and The charging station registers itself with the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) through the secure channel based on the registration information. Wherein, the electric vehicle charging station management system and the charging station are offline to each other before the establishment of the security channel; and The secure channel is established based on the bootstrap information previously stored in the charging station that is offline from the electric vehicle charging station management system. The registration information includes the capability information required for the Electric Vehicle Charging Station Management System (CSMS) to operate and manage the charging station, and the capability information includes: The charging station has a set of operational model attributes; and Includes a set of capabilities for each electric vehicle power supply device (EVSE) in or connected to the charging station.

2. The bootstrapping method as described in claim 1, wherein, Each EVSE's set of capabilities includes information indicating whether the corresponding EVSE supports one or more of the following: AC, DC, wireless power transmission (WPT), bidirectional power transmission (BPT), dynamic charging or automatic charging device (ACD).

3. The bootstrapping method as described in claim 1, wherein, The connection information includes at least one of the IP address and port number of the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS), as well as connection information required to communicate with the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) according to a predetermined communication protocol.

4. The bootstrapping method as described in claim 3, wherein, The predetermined communication protocol is Extensible Message and Presence Protocol (XMPP). The connection information required to communicate with the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) includes an XMPP application identifier or a subscription topic.

5. The bootstrapping method as described in claim 3, wherein, The credential information includes at least one of the following: The symmetric key pre-shared between the charging station and the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS), or identification information that can be used to check the physical or logical identity of the charging station; as well as A public key certificate chain, which includes public keys published to the charging station.

6. The bootstrapping method as described in claim 1, wherein, Configure the bootstrap information according to at least one of the following three modes: Factory configuration mode, in which the bootstrap information is stored in the charging station in a predetermined factory; In the field configuration mode, the bootstrap information is stored in the charging station at the installation site using a storage medium. as well as In a remote configuration mode, the bootstrap information from a bootstrap server located at a remote site is stored in the charging station via a predetermined communication network.

7. The bootstrapping method as described in claim 6, wherein, Configuring the bootstrap information according to the remote configuration mode includes: According to any one of the factory configuration mode, the field configuration mode, or a combination of the factory configuration mode and the field configuration mode, a predetermined bootstrap trigger information is installed in the charging station; and The bootstrap information is downloaded from the bootstrap server based on the bootstrap trigger information installed in the charging station.

8. The bootstrapping method as described in claim 6, wherein, Downloading the bootstrap information includes: A secure channel is established between the charging station and the bootstrap server in the same manner as the establishment of a secure channel between the charging station and the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) to register the registration information of the charging station.

9. The bootstrapping method as described in claim 1, wherein, Establishing a secure channel between the charging station and the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) and connecting the charging station to the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) includes: When the credentials available to the charging station are a pre-shared symmetric key (PSK) shared with the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS), the secure channel is established by using a Transport Layer Security Pre-Shared Key (TLS-PSK) cryptographic suite. When the credentials available to the charging station are a predetermined certificate chain, the secure channel is established by using a transport layer security method with mutual authentication or a certificate-based connection method.

10. The bootstrapping method as described in claim 1, wherein, Registering the charging station with the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) includes: The registration information is transmitted to the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS), wherein the registration information includes the identity information of the charging station, the identity information of the electric vehicle power supply equipment (EVSE) contained in or connected to the charging station, and the capability information of the charging station.

11. A charging station device capable of registering with an electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) in an offline state via a predetermined bootstrapping process to be operationally charging electric vehicles, comprising: processor; as well as The memory stores program instructions executed by the processor. Wherein, the program instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: The bootstrap information is configured by storing at least some bootstrap information in the memory; The bootstrap information includes: Connection information to the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS). Credential information used to establish a secure channel with the electric vehicle charging station management system CSMS, and The registration information of the charging station; Based on the bootstrapping information stored in the charging station, a secure channel is established to the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS), and the charging station equipment is connected to the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS); and Based on the registration information, the charging station equipment is registered with the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) through the secure channel; Wherein, the electric vehicle charging station management system and the charging station are offline to each other before the establishment of the security channel; and The secure channel is established based on the bootstrap information previously stored in the charging station that is offline from the electric vehicle charging station management system. The registration information includes the capability information required for the Electric Vehicle Charging Station Management System (CSMS) to operate and manage the charging station, and the capability information includes: The charging station has a set of operational model attributes; and Includes a set of capabilities for each electric vehicle power supply device (EVSE) in or connected to the charging station.

12. The charging station equipment as described in claim 11, wherein, Each EVSE's set of capabilities includes information indicating whether the corresponding EVSE supports one or more of the following: AC, DC, wireless power transmission (WPT), bidirectional power transmission (BPT), dynamic charging or automatic charging device (ACD).

13. The charging station equipment as described in claim 11, wherein, The connection information includes at least one of the IP address and port number of the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS), as well as connection information required to communicate with the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) according to a predetermined communication protocol.

14. The charging station equipment as described in claim 13, wherein, The predetermined communication protocol is Extensible Message and Presence Protocol (XMPP). The connection information required to communicate with the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) includes an XMPP application identifier or a subscription topic.

15. The charging station equipment as described in claim 13, wherein, The credential information includes at least one of the following: The symmetric key pre-shared between the charging station equipment and the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS), or identification information that can be used to check the physical or logical identity of the charging station equipment; as well as A public key certificate chain, which includes public keys published to the charging station equipment.

16. The charging station equipment as described in claim 11, wherein, The program instructions that configure the processor to bootstrap include instructions that cause the processor to execute at least one of the following three modes: Factory configuration mode, in which the bootstrap information is stored in the charging station equipment in a predetermined factory; In the field configuration mode, the bootstrap information is stored in the charging station equipment at the installation site using a storage medium. as well as In a remote configuration mode, the bootstrap information from a bootstrap server located at a remote site is stored in the charging station equipment via a predetermined communication network.

17. The charging station equipment as described in claim 16, wherein, The program instructions that cause the processor to configure the bootstrap information in the remote configuration mode include instructions that cause the processor to perform the following operations: According to any one of the factory configuration mode, the field configuration mode, and a combination of the factory configuration mode and the field configuration mode, a predetermined bootstrap trigger information is installed in the charging station equipment; as well as The bootstrap information is downloaded from the bootstrap server based on the bootstrap trigger information.

18. The charging station equipment as described in claim 17, wherein, The program instructions that cause the processor to download the bootstrap information include instructions that cause the processor to perform the following operations: A secure channel to the bootstrap server is established in the same manner as establishing a secure channel to register registration information with the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS).

19. The charging station equipment as described in claim 11, wherein, The program instructions that enable the processor to establish a secure channel with the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) and connect the charging station equipment to the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) include instructions that cause the processor to perform the following operations: When the available credentials are a pre-shared symmetric key (PSK) shared with the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS), a secure channel is established using a Transport Layer Security Pre-Shared Key (TLS-PSK) cryptographic suite. When the available credentials are a pre-defined certificate chain, the secure channel is established using a transport layer security method with mutual authentication or a certificate-based connection method.

20. The charging station equipment as described in claim 11, wherein, The program instructions that cause the processor to register the charging station equipment with the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) include instructions that cause the processor to perform the following operations: The registration information is transmitted to the electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS), wherein the registration information includes the identity information of the charging station equipment, the identity information of the electric vehicle power supply equipment (EVSE) contained in or connected to the charging station equipment, and the capability information of the charging station equipment.

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