Charging device, method of determining whether a charging device is at risk, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to a charging device, a method of determining whether a charging device is at risk, and a storage medium. The charging device comprises a sensing unit configured to perceive local risk information around the charging device, a communication unit configured to transmit the local risk information and receive external risk information from other charging devices, and a decision unit configured to determine whether the charging device is at risk based on the local risk information and the external risk information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of vehicle charging system safety, and more specifically, to charging equipment, methods for determining whether the charging equipment poses a risk, and storage media. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of intelligent connected vehicles, the level of vehicle intelligence is increasing, and their ownership is rising significantly. Supporting infrastructure for these vehicles is also becoming more widespread, such as charging stations and battery swapping stations. Charging stations have already been deployed extensively in some areas.

[0003] On the other hand, due to the physical properties of vehicles, they are susceptible to damage or adverse effects under abnormal local physical and information security conditions (such as floods, fires, power grid failures, or radio attacks, signal jamming, and interference). Information about such abnormal local environments needs to be rapidly disseminated to charging stations and vehicles that may be affected but have not yet been affected, so that they can take protective measures.

[0004] Therefore, an improved risk assessment method is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of this application provide a charging device, a method for determining whether the charging device poses a risk, and a storage medium for determining whether the charging device or its receiving vehicle is in a hazardous environment.

[0006] According to one aspect of this application, a charging device is provided. The charging device includes: a sensing unit configured to sense local risk information surrounding the charging device; a communication unit configured to transmit the local risk information and receive external risk information from other charging devices; and a decision unit configured to determine whether the charging device is under risk based on the local risk information and the external risk information.

[0007] In some embodiments of this application, optionally, the local risk information and the external risk information include risks that could cause physical damage to the charging equipment or its powered vehicle and / or carry out information security attacks.

[0008] In some embodiments of this application, optionally, the local risk information and the external risk information include at least one of the following: flood, fire, power grid failure, physical damage, theft, radio attack, and cyber attack.

[0009] In some embodiments of this application, the sensing unit optionally includes: a sensor configured to sense environmental information around the charging device; and a risk identification unit configured to perform risk identification based on the environmental information to generate the local risk information.

[0010] In some embodiments of this application, the communication unit and the other charging devices may optionally be connected via a decentralized network.

[0011] In some embodiments of this application, the decision-making unit is optionally configured to determine whether a risk exists based on the local risk information and the external risk information; and the decision-making unit is further configured to determine the level of risk and the protective measures to be taken if the existence of a risk is determined.

[0012] In some embodiments of this application, the decision unit may optionally be configured to execute the protective measures and / or present the protective measures.

[0013] In some embodiments of this application, the communication unit is optionally configured to send the local risk information and / or the external risk information to vehicles connected to the charging equipment.

[0014] According to another aspect of this application, a method is provided for determining whether a charging device poses a risk. The method includes: sensing local risk information surrounding the charging device; sending the local risk information and receiving external risk information from other charging devices; and determining whether the charging device is at risk based on the local risk information and the external risk information.

[0015] In some embodiments of this application, optionally, determining whether the charging device is at risk includes: determining whether a risk exists based on the local risk information and the external risk information; and, if a risk is determined to exist, determining the level of risk and the protective measures that need to be taken.

[0016] In some embodiments of this application, the method may optionally further include: performing the protective measures and / or presenting the protective measures.

[0017] According to another aspect of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored therein, characterized in that, when executed by a processor, the instructions cause the processor to perform any of the methods described above for determining whether a charging device poses a risk.

[0018] The charging device, method for determining whether a charging device poses a risk, and storage medium according to some embodiments of this application can propagate the risks detected by the charging device to other charging devices via a network, helping them to be aware of potential risks. Vehicles connected to the charging device can also receive risk information and be notified to take early precautions to minimize losses. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The above and other objects and advantages of this application will become more fully clear from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0020] Figure 1 A charging device according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0021] Figure 2 A method for determining whether a charging device poses a risk, according to one embodiment of this application, is illustrated;

[0022] Figure 3 The principle of risk information propagation according to one embodiment of this application is illustrated. Detailed Implementation

[0023] For purposes of brevity and illustration, the principles of this application are described herein primarily with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the same principles can be equivalently applied to all types of charging devices, methods for determining the presence of risks in charging devices, and storage media, and that these same or similar principles can be implemented therein, without departing from the true spirit and scope of this application.

[0024] One aspect of this application provides a charging device. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the charging device 10 includes a sensing unit 101, a communication unit 102, and a decision unit 103. The charging devices 10 can communicate with each other via... Figure 3 The decentralized network shown is interconnected, allowing charging devices 10 within the network to communicate directly or through multiple intermediate nodes (acting as charging devices 10) with other charging devices 10. With a large-scale deployment of charging devices 10, the decentralized network can be relatively large, enabling the sharing of various risks that may exist in the same area among the charging devices 10. The decentralized local network can also achieve rapid distribution of risk information while better ensuring privacy.

[0025] As understood, charging devices 10 deployed in the same network are geographically proximate, and the maximum permissible span of the network is the coverage allowed by the signals used to construct the network. For example, Figure 3 The charging device 10 shown can be deployed within a charging station. Furthermore, if necessary, auxiliary nodes can be added to the network to achieve greater coverage. These auxiliary nodes are network-compatible relay nodes and may not provide vehicle charging functionality.

[0026] A common form of charging equipment 10 is a charging pile. As understood, charging equipment 10 can replenish the electrical energy of a vehicle and, depending on the design, can be an AC charging pile, a DC charging pile, or an AC / DC dual-use charging pile. Charging equipment 10 can be a home charging pile, or a commercial charging pile serving a specific vehicle model or conforming to general specifications.

[0027] return Figure 1 The sensing unit 101 of the charging device 10 can sense local risk information around the charging device 10. In the context of this application, various risk information refers to environmental risks estimated through the detection and analysis of the surrounding environment. "Local" risk information is relative to "external" risk information, which will be described in detail below; the two have different data sources (one is generated locally, and the other is received via a network). However, local risk information and external risk information can be the same in content and form.

[0028] For example, Figure 3 The charging device 10 in the lower right corner of the diagram can sense the risks around it through the sensing unit 101 and form local risk information for further analysis. The sensing unit 101 of the charging device 10 senses a risk—a fire. This fire information is local risk information for the charging device 10, but for other charging devices 10 in the network (e.g., ...), ... Figure 3 The other three charging devices (10) are external risk information.

[0029] In some embodiments of this application, local risk information includes risks that could cause physical damage to the charging equipment 10 or its powered vehicles and / or launch cybersecurity attacks. Here, powered vehicles refer to vehicles connected to the charging equipment 10 that are charging or have completed charging but have not yet left the charging bay. Specifically, local risk information can include risks such as floods, fires, power grid failures (e.g., voltage failures or power grid unavailability), physical damage, theft, radio attacks (e.g., signal jamming attacks), and cyberattacks.

[0030] In some embodiments of this application, the sensing unit 101 may include sensors and a risk identification unit. The sensors can sense environmental information around the charging device 10 (e.g., temperature, images, water level, humidity, voltage fluctuations, vibration, radio signals, network traffic, etc.), while the risk identification unit can perform risk identification based on the environmental information to generate local risk information. For example, the sensing unit 101 may include a temperature sensor, an image sensor, and a risk identification unit with a built-in risk identification algorithm, enabling the sensing unit 101 to assess whether a fire has occurred. When the risk identification unit confirms a fire based on data from the temperature sensor and the image sensor, the sensing unit 101 generates local risk information—fire.

[0031] The communication unit 102 of the charging device 10 can send local risk information to other charging devices 10 and connected vehicles, and can also receive external risk information from other charging devices 10. Each charging device 10 in the decentralized network can send its own local risk information (if any) to other charging devices 10 in the network, and can receive external risk information from other charging devices 10 in the network. Since the network built between the charging devices 10 is a decentralized local network, information transmission does not pass through the public network, and if one charging device 10 fails and goes out of service, it will not cause all nodes to lose connection.

[0032] Similarly, external risk information includes risks that could cause physical damage to the current charging equipment 10 or its powered vehicle and / or carry out cybersecurity attacks. Specifically, external risk information includes at least one of the following: floods, fires, power grid failures, physical damage, theft, radio attacks, and cyberattacks.

[0033] In some embodiments of this application, the communication unit 102 can establish a decentralized network connection with other charging devices 10 through decentralized network communication protocols. For example, the communication unit 102 of the charging device 10 can establish a decentralized communication network with the communication units of other charging devices 10 through protocols such as Chord, Content-addressable network, Pastry, and Tapestry.

[0034] The decision unit 103 of the charging device 10 can determine whether the charging device 10 is at risk based on local risk information and external risk information. In some embodiments of this application, the decision unit 103 is configured to determine whether a risk exists based on local risk information and external risk information. The decision unit 103 can verify whether the risk information perceived by the local sensing unit 101 is accurate, and can also evaluate the received external risk information. For example, when the decision unit 103 of the charging device 10 receives fire information reported by the sensing unit 101, it can enable the infrared image sensor for secondary verification. If the infrared image sensor does not capture a clear flame image, the decision unit 103 may consider it a false alarm by the sensing unit 101 and ignore this information. The cause of the false alarm may be the failure of the temperature sensor of the sensing unit 101. As another example, if the decision unit 103 of the charging device 10 receives a report of flood information from only one charging device 10 in the network, while the other nearby charging devices 10 do not detect events exceeding the water level, the decision unit 103 may also consider the external risk information to be a false alarm and ignore this information.

[0035] The decision-making unit 103 is also configured to determine the level of risk and the protective measures to be taken when a risk is identified. For example, the external risk information received by the communication unit 102 of the charging device 10 may include the geographical location of the charging device 10 that senses the information. If the charging device 10 that senses the information is far away from the current charging device 10, the decision-making unit 103 may assign a lower level to the external risk information, and the protective measure to be taken may be "observe further risk trends".

[0036] For example, if a charging device 10 located in a low-lying area senses a flood, it can broadcast the information in the decentralized network. Upon receiving this information, another charging device 10 located at a higher elevation can use decision unit 103 to assign a lower level to the flood, and the necessary protective measures might be "observing the trend of water level changes".

[0037] For example, if a charging device 10 senses a fire, it can broadcast the information in the decentralized network. Another charging device 10 located nearby can receive the information and determine its risk level through the decision unit 103. For example, the fire can be classified as high-risk, and the necessary protective measures may be "suspending charging services".

[0038] In some embodiments of this application, the decision unit 103 is also configured to perform and / or present protective measures. Specifically, the decision unit 103 may perform protective measures, such as disconnecting the connection to the power grid. The decision unit 103 may also issue alerts via acoustic or optical means, for example, alerting the maintenance personnel of the charging device 10 to the risk information.

[0039] In some embodiments of this application, the communication unit 102 of the charging device 10 can also send local risk information and / or external risk information to the vehicle 20 connected to the charging device 10. See also... Figure 3 Vehicle 20 is connected to charging equipment 10, and charging equipment 10 can send received external risk information (such as a fire as shown in the figure) to vehicle 20. Vehicle 20 can forward this information to the owner to promptly remind the owner to take appropriate action. For example, if vehicle 20 (regardless of whether it has been affected by the current risk) receives fire information, vehicle 20 can remind the owner to stop charging immediately and move the vehicle to a safe area.

[0040] Another aspect of this application provides a method for determining whether a charging device poses a risk. For example... Figure 2As shown, the method 20 for determining whether a charging device is at risk (hereinafter referred to as method 20) includes the following steps: in step S202, sensing local risk information around the charging device; in step S204, sending the local risk information and receiving external risk information from other charging devices; and in step S206, determining whether the charging device is at risk based on the local risk information and the external risk information.

[0041] In step S202 of method 20, local risk information surrounding the charging device is sensed. This local risk information is relative to external risk information sensed by other charging devices; the two have different data sources (one generated locally, the other received via network). However, the local and external risk information can be identical in content and form.

[0042] For example, in step S202 Figure 3 The charging device 10 in the lower right corner of the diagram can sense risks in its surroundings and generate local risk information for further analysis. This charging device 10 senses a risk—a fire. This fire information is local risk information for this charging device 10, but for other charging devices 10 in the network (e.g., [other devices]), it is different. Figure 3 The other three charging devices (10) are external risk information.

[0043] In some embodiments of this application, the local risk information perceived in step S202 includes risks that could cause physical damage to the charging equipment 10 or its powered vehicles and / or launch information security attacks. Here, a powered vehicle refers to a vehicle connected to the charging equipment 10 that is charging or has completed charging but has not yet left the charging bay. Specifically, the local risk information can be floods, fires, power grid failures (e.g., voltage failures or power grid unavailability), physical damage, theft, radio attacks (e.g., signal jamming attacks), and cyberattacks.

[0044] Method 20 involves sending local risk information and receiving external risk information from other charging devices in step S204. See also... Figure 3In a decentralized network, each charging device 10 can send its local risk information (if any) to other charging devices 10 in the network, and can receive external risk information from other charging devices 10 in the network. Since the network constructed between the charging devices 10 is a decentralized local network, information transmission does not pass through the public network, and if one charging device 10 fails and goes out of service, it will not cause all nodes to lose connection. In some embodiments of this application, the charging devices 10 can construct a decentralized communication network through protocols such as Chord, Content-addressable network, Pastry, and Tapestry.

[0045] Similar to local risk information, external risk information includes risks that could cause physical damage to the current charging equipment 10 or its powered vehicle and / or launch cybersecurity attacks. Specifically, external risk information includes at least one of the following: floods, fires, power grid failures, physical damage, theft, radio attacks, and cyberattacks.

[0046] In step S206 of method 20, it is determined whether the charging device is at risk based on local risk information and external risk information. Specifically, determining whether the charging device is at risk in step S206 may include the following steps (not shown in the figure): determining whether a risk exists based on local risk information and external risk information; and, if a risk is determined to exist, determining the level of risk and the protective measures that need to be taken.

[0047] In step S206, the accuracy of the local risk information sensed by the charging device 10 can be confirmed, and the received external risk information can also be evaluated. For example, when the charging device 10 senses fire information, the infrared image sensor can be activated for secondary verification in step S206. If the infrared image sensor does not capture a clear flame image, it may be considered a false alarm and can be ignored. The cause of a false alarm may be a malfunction of the temperature sensor. Similarly, if the charging device 10 receives a flood warning reported by only one other charging device 10 in the network, while other nearby charging devices 10 do not detect events exceeding the water level, the external risk information may also be considered a false alarm in step S206 and can be ignored.

[0048] Furthermore, if a risk is determined in step S206, the risk level and necessary protective measures can also be determined. For example, the external risk information received by the charging device 10 may include the geographical location of the charging device 10 that senses the information. If the charging device 10 that senses the information is far away from the current charging device 10, then in step S206, the external risk information may be assigned a lower level, and the necessary protective measure may be "observe further risk trends".

[0049] For example, if a charging device 10 located in a low-lying area senses a flood, it can broadcast the information in the decentralized network. Upon receiving the information, another charging device 10 located at a higher elevation can assign a lower level to the flood in step S206, and the necessary protective measures may be "observing the trend of water level changes".

[0050] For example, if a charging device 10 senses a fire, it can broadcast the information in the decentralized network. Upon receiving the information, another nearby charging device 10 can determine its risk level in step S206. For instance, it can assign a high risk level to the fire and the necessary protective measures might be to "suspend charging services".

[0051] In some embodiments of this application, method 20 further includes the following steps (not shown in the figures): performing protective measures and / or presenting protective measures. Specifically, the charging device 10 may perform protective measures, such as disconnecting from the power grid. The charging device 10 may also issue reminders acoustically or optically, for example, reminding maintenance personnel of the charging device 10 to be aware of the risk information.

[0052] In some embodiments of this application, method 20 further includes the step of (not shown in the figures): sending local risk information and / or external risk information to the vehicle 20 connected to the charging device 10. See also... Figure 3 Vehicle 20 is connected to charging equipment 10, and charging equipment 10 can send received external risk information (such as a fire as shown in the figure) to vehicle 20. Vehicle 20 can forward this information to the owner to promptly remind the owner to take appropriate action. For example, if vehicle 20 (regardless of whether it has been affected by the current risk) receives fire information, vehicle 20 can remind the owner to stop charging immediately and move the vehicle to a safe area.

[0053] Another aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform any of the methods described above for determining whether a charging device poses a risk. The computer-readable medium referred to in this application includes various types of computer storage media and can be any available medium accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. For example, a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, EPROM, E... 2 PROM, registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other temporary or non-temporary medium capable of carrying or storing desired units of program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. As used herein, disks typically magnetically copy data, while discs optically copy data using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor so that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In an alternative, the processor and storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0054] The charging devices, methods for determining whether a charging device poses a risk, and storage media described above in some embodiments can propagate the risks detected by the charging device to other charging devices via a network, helping them to be aware of potential risks. Vehicles connected to the charging device can also receive risk information and be notified to take early precautions to minimize losses. The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can conceive of other feasible variations or substitutions based on the technical scope disclosed in this application, and such variations or substitutions are all covered within the scope of protection of this application. In the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features described in the embodiments of this application can also be combined with each other. The scope of protection of this application is determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A charging device, characterized in that, The charging device includes: A sensing unit configured to sense local risk information around the charging device, wherein the sensing unit includes a sensor and a risk identification unit, the sensor being configured to sense environmental information around the charging device, and the risk identification unit being configured to perform risk identification based on the environmental information to generate the local risk information; A communication unit configured to transmit the local risk information and receive external risk information from other charging devices, wherein the communication unit and the other charging devices are connected via a decentralized network; and A decision-making unit is configured to determine whether the charging device is at risk based on the local risk information and the external risk information. The decision-making unit is further configured to verify the local risk information and evaluate the external risk information. The local risk information and the external risk information include risks that could cause physical damage to the charging device or its powered vehicle and risks that could be used to launch information security attacks. The local risk information and the external risk information are identical in content and form.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein, The local risk information and the external risk information include at least one of the following: floods, fires, power grid failures, physical damage, theft, radio attacks, and cyberattacks.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein, The decision-making unit is configured to determine whether a risk exists based on the local risk information and the external risk information; and The decision-making unit is also configured to determine the level of risk and the protective measures that need to be taken when a risk is identified.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein, The decision-making unit is also configured to execute the protective measures and / or present the protective measures.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein, The communication unit is configured to send the local risk information and / or the external risk information to vehicles connected to the charging equipment.

6. A method for determining whether a charging device poses a risk, characterized in that, The method includes: Sensing local risk information around the charging device, wherein sensing the local risk information further includes: sensing environmental information around the charging device through a sensor, and generating the local risk information by performing risk identification based on the environmental information through a risk identification unit. Sending the local risk information and receiving external risk information from other charging devices, wherein the charging devices and the other charging devices are connected via a decentralized network; and Determining whether the charging device is at risk based on the local risk information and the external risk information, wherein determining whether the charging device is at risk also includes: verifying the local risk information and evaluating the external risk information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, Determining whether the charging device is at risk includes: Determine whether a risk exists based on the local risk information and the external risk information; and Once a risk is identified, determine the level of risk and the protective measures that need to be taken.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: Implement the protective measures and / or present the protective measures.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed by the processor, the processor performs the method as described in any one of claims 6-8.

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