Mobile charging system and method for electric vehicles

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a mobile charging system and method for electric vehicles. The system includes a receiving module configured to receive status information from mobile charging vehicles and to receive a charging request from an electric vehicle, and a mobile charging vehicle management module configured to maintain a list including statuses of mobile charging vehicles, the mobile charging vehicle management module further configured to update the list based on the received status information of mobile charging vehicles, to select a mobile charging vehicle for charging the electric vehicle based on the statuses of mobile charging vehicles included in the list, and to transmit first instructions to the selected mobile charging vehicle to charge the electric vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of electric vehicles, and more particularly to mobile charging systems and methods for electric vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, driven by environmental and other factors, electric vehicle technology is developing rapidly, and electric vehicle charging technology is also constantly evolving. The large-scale deployment of electric vehicle charging stations requires significant space, leading to a sharp increase in charging station costs and thus spurring the development of mobile charging.

[0003] However, existing mobile charging systems often fail to adequately serve electric vehicles waiting to be charged, are cumbersome to use, and result in longer charging times.

[0004] This disclosure addresses, but is not limited to, the many factors mentioned above. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, this disclosure proposes a mobile charging system and method for electric vehicles. The technical solution of this disclosure can be configured to provide charging for electric vehicles within a specific geographical area and to allocate optional parking locations. Based on charging requests from electric vehicles, the technical solution of this disclosure can plan routes for electric vehicles to charging locations (and / or parking locations), allocate a mobile charging vehicle to the charging location, and charge the electric vehicle after it has been parked there. Furthermore, the technical solution of this disclosure can also replenish the mobile charging vehicle's power in a timely manner while fulfilling the charging requests of electric vehicles, to maximize the satisfaction of electric vehicle charging requests.

[0006] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a mobile charging system for electric vehicles is provided, comprising: a receiving module configured to: receive status information from a mobile charging vehicle; and receive a charging request from an electric vehicle; and a mobile charging vehicle management module configured to maintain a list including the status of each mobile charging vehicle, the mobile charging vehicle management module further configured to: update the list based on the received status information of the mobile charging vehicles; select a mobile charging vehicle for charging the electric vehicle based on the status of the mobile charging vehicles included in the list; and transmit a first instruction to the selected mobile charging vehicle to charge the electric vehicle.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the status information is received periodically from the mobile charging vehicle, wherein the status information includes at least one of the mobile charging vehicle's current location, remaining power, and current task information of the mobile charging vehicle, and the current task information includes at least one of being recharged, assigned, charging, and idle, and the charging request includes at least one of the electric vehicle's identifier and one of the charging duration and charging amount.

[0008] According to another embodiment, selecting a mobile charging vehicle for charging an electric vehicle based on the status of the mobile charging vehicles included in the list includes selecting a mobile charging vehicle that can meet the charging request of the electric vehicle in the shortest possible time.

[0009] According to yet another embodiment, the system further includes a parking location assignment module configured to assign a parking location to the electric vehicle in response to receiving the charging request.

[0010] According to yet another embodiment, the first instruction further includes first navigation information from the current location of the mobile charging vehicle to the assigned parking location.

[0011] According to another embodiment, the charging request also includes the current location of the electric vehicle, and the parking location assignment module is further configured to transmit second navigation information from the current location of the electric vehicle to the assigned parking location to the electric vehicle, wherein the first navigation information and the second navigation information do not overlap in time and space at the same time, so as to avoid the electric vehicle and the mobile charging vehicle competing for road space.

[0012] According to yet another embodiment, the receiving module is further configured to receive a notification from the selected mobile charging vehicle that the electric vehicle has not been found, and the parking location assignment module is further configured to transmit a message including the assigned parking location to the electric vehicle.

[0013] According to yet another embodiment, the receiving module is further configured to receive a message from the electric vehicle indicating arrival at a specific parking location; and the mobile charging vehicle management module is further configured to transmit navigation information from its current location to the specific parking location to the selected mobile charging vehicle, so that the selected mobile charging vehicle can navigate to the specific parking location.

[0014] According to another embodiment, the charging request further includes the parking location of the electric vehicle, and the first instruction further includes third navigation information from the current location of the mobile charging vehicle to the parking location.

[0015] According to yet another embodiment, the receiving module is further configured to receive a charging completion message from the selected mobile charging vehicle, the message including at least the amount of charge already received.

[0016] According to another embodiment, the mobile charging vehicle management module is configured to instruct the mobile charging vehicle to go to a charging station for recharging based on the status of the mobile charging vehicle.

[0017] According to another embodiment, instructing the mobile charging vehicle to go to the charging station for recharging includes instructing the mobile charging vehicle to go to the charging station for recharging when the remaining power of the mobile charging vehicle is lower than a predetermined threshold.

[0018] According to yet another embodiment, the predetermined threshold varies depending on the mobile charging vehicle and / or varies in relation to the current task of all mobile charging vehicles.

[0019] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a computing device is provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, implement the system according to a first aspect of this disclosure.

[0020] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, a mobile charging system for electric vehicles is provided, comprising: a computing device as described in a second aspect of this disclosure; one or more mobile charging vehicles for charging the electric vehicles; and one or more charging piles for replenishing the power to the one or more mobile charging vehicles.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the system further includes a user terminal associated with the electric vehicle, the user terminal being configured to issue the charging request.

[0022] According to yet another embodiment, each of the one or more mobile charging vehicles is configured to: receive the first instruction; proceed to the parking location of the electric vehicle to be charged; identify the electric vehicle based on the electric vehicle identifier included in the first instruction; and, after identifying the electric vehicle, begin charging the electric vehicle.

[0023] According to yet another embodiment, each of the one or more mobile charging vehicles is further configured to: determine whether the cover of the charging port of the electric vehicle is open by image recognition; if the cover is not open, open the cover by a robotic arm; and insert a charging gun into the charging port to begin charging.

[0024] According to a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a mobile charging method for an electric vehicle is provided, comprising: receiving status information from a mobile charging vehicle and updating the status of the mobile charging vehicle accordingly, the status information including at least one of the mobile charging vehicle's current location, remaining battery power, and current task information of the mobile charging vehicle, the current task information including at least one of being recharged, assigned, charging, and idle; receiving a charging request from an electric vehicle, the charging request including at least one of the electric vehicle's identifier, parking location, charging duration, and charging capacity; selecting a mobile charging vehicle that can satisfy the charging request in the shortest time based on the status of mobile charging vehicles included in the list; transmitting a first instruction to the selected mobile charging vehicle to charge the electric vehicle, the first instruction further including third navigation information from the mobile charging vehicle's current location to the parking location; updating the status of the selected mobile charging vehicle to be assigned; receiving a charging completion message from the selected mobile charging vehicle, the message including at least the charged capacity; and updating the status of the selected mobile charging vehicle to be idle.

[0025] The aspects generally include, as substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings and as explained by the drawings, methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, and processing systems.

[0026] The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the examples according to this disclosure so that the following detailed description may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described thereafter. The disclosed concepts and specific examples can be readily used as the basis for modifying or designing other structures for implementing the same purposes as this disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, in both their organization and manner of operation, and their associated advantages, will be better understood by considering the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each drawing is provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes and does not define any limitation on the claims. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To gain a more detailed understanding of the features described above in this disclosure, reference can be made to various aspects of the above-briefly summarized content, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of this disclosure and should not be considered as limiting its scope, as other equivalent aspects are permissible in this description. Identical reference numerals in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

[0028] Figure 1 This is an exemplary block diagram of a mobile charging system for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 2This is an exemplary block diagram of a computing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 3 This is an exemplary block diagram of another mobile charging system for electric vehicles according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0031] Figure 4 This is an exemplary flowchart of a mobile charging method for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Currently, electric vehicles are increasingly appearing in daily life, leading to a surge in charging demands. However, existing mobile charging systems cannot effectively meet these needs. Therefore, the inventors recognized the need for an improved system and method for mobile charging of electric vehicles.

[0033] Therefore, the technical solution disclosed herein is configured to provide charging and optional parking location allocation for electric vehicles within a specific geographical area. Based on charging requests from electric vehicles, this technical solution can plan routes for electric vehicles to charging locations (and / or parking locations), allocate a mobile charging vehicle to the charging location, and charge the electric vehicle after it has been parked there. Furthermore, this technical solution can also replenish the mobile charging vehicle's power in a timely manner while fulfilling the electric vehicle's charging request, thereby maximizing the satisfaction of the electric vehicle's charging needs.

[0034] The detailed description that follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. This detailed description includes specific details to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details.

[0035] refer to Figure 1 The diagram illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a mobile charging system 100 for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] like Figure 1As shown, system 100 may include a receiving module 101 and a mobile charging vehicle management module 103. In one embodiment, the receiving module 101 may be configured to receive status information from the mobile charging vehicle. In this embodiment, the status information may include at least one of the mobile charging vehicle's current location, remaining battery power, and current task information. The mobile charging vehicle's current task information may include at least one of being charging, assigned, charging, or idle. Further according to this embodiment, the mobile charging vehicle's status information is received periodically from the mobile charging vehicle. For example, the mobile charging vehicle may periodically transmit its status at predetermined time intervals. In yet another embodiment, the mobile charging vehicle only transmits its status information when its status changes. In this embodiment, when any of the mobile charging vehicle's location, remaining battery power, or current task information changes, the mobile charging vehicle may transmit its changed status information.

[0037] In another embodiment, the receiving module 101 may also be configured to receive a charging request from an electric vehicle. In this embodiment, the charging request includes at least an identifier of the electric vehicle and one of a charging duration and a charging amount.

[0038] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 may be configured to maintain a list including the status of each mobile charging vehicle. For example, all mobile charging vehicles may periodically or at appropriate times (e.g., whenever their status changes) transmit their status information to the mobile charging vehicle management module 103. The mobile charging vehicle management module 103 may aggregate this status information and store it in association with the corresponding mobile charging vehicle for subsequent use when assigning mobile charging vehicles. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that although the status of each mobile charging vehicle is organized and maintained in the form of a list as described herein, any other suitable form of data organization and maintenance may be employed, such as a database, various other file formats, etc.

[0039] Continuing with the above embodiments, the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 can also be configured to update the list based on the received status information of the mobile charging vehicles, select a mobile charging vehicle for charging the electric vehicle based on the status of the mobile charging vehicles included in the list, and send a first instruction to the selected mobile charging vehicle to charge the electric vehicle.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment of this disclosure, selecting a mobile charging vehicle for charging an electric vehicle based on the status of the mobile charging vehicles included in the list may include selecting a mobile charging vehicle that can meet the charging request of the electric vehicle in the shortest possible time.

[0041] For example, the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 can be configured to determine which mobile charging vehicles are in an idle state based on the states included in the list; determine the amount of electricity required to charge the electric vehicle based on the charging request; and compare the determined required amount of electricity with the remaining electricity of each of the idle mobile charging vehicles to select the mobile charging vehicle with sufficient electricity. In this example, the electric vehicle may include a charging duration in the charging request, so the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 can be configured to determine (e.g., multiply) the charging amount based on the output power of the mobile charging vehicle and the charging duration, and then select the idle mobile charging vehicle with a remaining electricity greater than the charging amount and closest to the parking location of the electric vehicle to charge the electric vehicle.

[0042] In another example, system 100 can assign not only idle mobile charging vehicles to charge electric vehicles, but also mobile charging vehicles that are currently being recharged to charge electric vehicles. For example, if all mobile charging vehicles are currently busy, and an electric vehicle requests charging, system 100 can select a mobile charging vehicle from those currently being recharged that can charge the electric vehicle. In this embodiment, the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 can also be configured to first determine that there are currently no idle mobile charging vehicles or that the idle mobile charging vehicles cannot meet the charging needs of the electric vehicle, and then select a mobile charging vehicle from those currently being recharged whose current power is sufficient to charge the electric vehicle. Thus, upon receiving an instruction from system 100, the mobile charging vehicle currently being recharged can stop recharging and start charging the electric vehicle.

[0043] Alternatively, in yet another example, if neither the idle nor the mobile charging vehicle currently being recharged has sufficient power to charge the electric vehicle, the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 may be configured to identify the mobile charging vehicle currently being recharged that has the closest charging capacity to the electric vehicle, and instruct it to go to the electric vehicle's parking location to charge the electric vehicle after its recharged power reaches the electric vehicle's charging capacity (with a certain margin, of course).

[0044] In another example, if neither the idle nor the mobile charging vehicle being recharged has enough power to charge the electric vehicle, the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 can also be configured to determine which of the mobile charging vehicles that is charging other electric vehicles will finish its charging task first and has enough remaining power to meet the charging needs of the electric vehicle that made the charging request, and then instruct it to go to the parking location of the electric vehicle to charge the electric vehicle after the charging task is completed.

[0045] It will be understood that these examples are merely illustrative and can be combined arbitrarily, as long as the selected mobile charging vehicle can charge the electric vehicle in the shortest possible time compared to other mobile charging vehicles.

[0046] In another embodiment, when multiple charging requests are received, the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 can be configured to comprehensively consider the multiple charging requests and the remaining power of idle mobile charging vehicles, so as to satisfy the multiple charging requests as simultaneously as possible. For example, it can select the mobile charging vehicle with the closest available power or the mobile charging vehicle with the highest remaining power. For instance, if there are two charging requests with required power of 15 kWh and 20 kWh respectively, and the remaining power of two idle mobile charging vehicles is 17 kWh and 25 kWh respectively, then the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 can be configured to assign the mobile charging vehicle with 17 kWh remaining power to the electric vehicle requiring 15 kWh, and the mobile charging vehicle with 25 kWh remaining power to the electric vehicle requiring 20 kWh.

[0047] Optionally, system 100 may further include a parking location assignment module 105. In this embodiment, parking location assignment module 105 may be configured to assign a parking location to an electric vehicle in response to receiving a charging request from the electric vehicle. For example, the electric vehicle may issue a charging request before arriving at a parking location. In this case, parking location assignment module 105 may be configured to assign a parking space to the electric vehicle to facilitate charging.

[0048] In this embodiment, the first instruction transmitted by the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 to the selected mobile charging vehicle may further include first navigation information from the current location of the mobile charging vehicle to the assigned parking location, so that the mobile charging vehicle can go to the parking location in a timely manner to charge the electric vehicle. In an alternative embodiment, the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 may be configured to transmit only the assigned parking location to the mobile charging vehicle, thereby enabling the mobile charging vehicle to plan its own navigation route to the assigned parking location.

[0049] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the charging request of the electric vehicle may further include the current location of the electric vehicle, and the parking location assignment module 105 may also be configured to transmit second navigation information from the current location of the electric vehicle to the assigned parking location. In an alternative embodiment, the parking location assignment module 105 may be configured to transmit only the assigned parking location to the electric vehicle, thereby allowing the electric vehicle to plan its own navigation route to the assigned parking location. In a further embodiment, the parking location assignment module 105 may also be configured to transmit the identifier of the assigned mobile charging vehicle to the electric vehicle, so that the electric vehicle and the mobile charging vehicle can identify each other.

[0050] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the first navigation information transmitted to the mobile charging vehicle and the second navigation information transmitted to the electric vehicle do not overlap simultaneously in time and space, so as to avoid the electric vehicle and the mobile charging vehicle competing for road space.

[0051] In cases where the mobile charging vehicle fails to find the electric vehicle requesting charging at the designated parking location (e.g., the electric vehicle has not yet arrived), the mobile charging vehicle can transmit this message to system 100. Therefore, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the receiving module 101 can also be configured to receive a notification from the selected mobile charging vehicle that the electric vehicle has not been found. Subsequently, system 100 can again notify the electric vehicle to proceed to the parking location; for example, the parking location assignment module 105 can also be configured to transmit a message to the electric vehicle including the assigned parking location. In an alternative embodiment, system 100 can receive the estimated arrival time of the electric vehicle or estimate the estimated arrival time of the electric vehicle based on messages from the electric vehicle, and accordingly notify the mobile charging vehicle to wait.

[0052] In another embodiment of this disclosure, this message can be transmitted after the electric vehicle arrives at a specific parking location. Therefore, the receiving module 101 can also be configured to receive the message from the electric vehicle indicating arrival at the specific parking location, and the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 can also be configured to transmit navigation information from its current location to the specific parking location to the selected mobile charging vehicle, so that the selected mobile charging vehicle can navigate to the specific parking location. In this way, the electric vehicle can first send a charging request to reserve charging, then find a parking location itself and notify the system 100 so that the mobile charging vehicle can arrive to charge.

[0053] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the electric vehicle can send a charging request after parking, so the charging request may also include the parking location of the electric vehicle. In this embodiment, the first instruction transmitted by the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 to the selected mobile charging vehicle may also include third navigation information from the current location of the mobile charging vehicle to the parking location.

[0054] In yet another embodiment of this disclosure, the receiving module 101 may also be configured to receive a charging completion message from the selected mobile charging vehicle. In this embodiment, the message includes at least the amount of electricity charged. For example, after completing the charging of an electric vehicle, the mobile charging vehicle may transmit the amount of electricity consumed during the charging process to the system 100 for the system 100 to record, archive, and charge the electric vehicle (i.e., its user).

[0055] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the mobile charging vehicle management module 103 can also be configured to instruct the mobile charging vehicle to go to a charging station for recharging based on the status of the mobile charging vehicle. For example, the mobile charging vehicle is instructed to go to a charging station for recharging when its remaining battery power is lower than a predetermined threshold (e.g., 17%, 20%, 33%, etc.). It will be understood that the predetermined threshold can be any suitable value.

[0056] In a preferred embodiment of this disclosure, the predetermined threshold may vary depending on the mobile charging vehicle and / or vary in relation to the current task of all mobile charging vehicles. For example, the predetermined threshold for each mobile charging vehicle may be the same or different. Furthermore, depending on the current task status of all mobile charging vehicles, the system 100 may instruct the mobile charging vehicles to perform recharging as appropriate.

[0057] For example, assuming the initial predetermined threshold for all mobile charging vehicles is set to 20%, meaning that when a mobile charging vehicle's remaining battery level is below or equal to 20%, system 100 will instruct that vehicle to go to a charging station for recharging. When system 100 determines or estimates, based on any suitable factors, that there will be no large number of charging requests to process in the near future, it can instruct mobile charging vehicles with remaining battery levels above 20% to recharge. For instance, system 100 can instruct mobile charging vehicles to recharge in a timely manner based on historical charging request records. In this example, assuming the current time is 1:00 AM and all mobile charging vehicles have remaining battery levels greater than 20%, and historical records show that charging requests after 1:00 AM are very scarce, system 100 can instruct currently idle mobile charging vehicles to recharge sequentially according to their battery levels, even if their remaining battery levels are above 20%.

[0058] In another embodiment of this disclosure, system 100 can also manage the recharging of mobile charging vehicles based on the number of charging piles and the number of mobile charging vehicles. For example, if the number of charging piles is the same as or greater than the number of mobile charging vehicles, the mobile charging vehicles can be recharged at any time (e.g., instructed to go for recharging whenever a mobile charging vehicle is idle). In another embodiment, if the number of charging piles is less than the number of mobile charging vehicles, the mobile charging vehicles can be sorted according to their remaining power, so that the charging vehicle with the lowest power is preferentially charged.

[0059] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the system 100 may also assign multiple charging tasks to the mobile charging vehicle, so that after the mobile charging vehicle completes charging the first electric vehicle, it automatically goes to the next electric vehicle waiting to be charged to charge it.

[0060] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above modules are related to the technical solution of this application; therefore, for the sake of brevity, they are referred to as such. Figure 1 This is specifically shown in the diagram. Naturally, system 100 may also include various other suitable modules and devices, such as... Figure 1 As shown by ellipsis 109 in the figure. Furthermore, the above modules can also be merged or split into several sub-modules, as long as they perform the corresponding functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0061] refer to Figure 2 This illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a computing device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2The computing device 200 may include a processor 205 and a memory 210. The memory 210 stores computer-executable instructions 215, which can be executed by the processor 205 to achieve the above-described combination. Figure 1 The system 100 described.

[0062] refer to Figure 3 The diagram illustrates an exemplary block diagram of another mobile charging system 300 for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0063] As shown in the figure, system 300 may include a mobile charging vehicle 301 for charging electric vehicles, a computing device 303, and a charging pile 305 for replenishing power to the mobile charging vehicle 301. In one embodiment, the computing device 303 may be as described above. Figure 2 The aforementioned computing device 200. Although Figure 3 Only one mobile charging vehicle 301 is shown, but it will be clear that system 300 may include more mobile charging vehicles, as shown in ellipsis 307.

[0064] In yet another embodiment, system 300 may further include a user terminal associated with the electric vehicle. Figure 3 (Not shown in the image). In this embodiment, the user terminal can be configured to issue a charging request. For example, a user of an electric vehicle can use their smartphone to log in to system 100 and issue a charging request.

[0065] In another embodiment, the mobile charging vehicle 301 may be configured to receive a first instruction from the computing device 303 to charge the electric vehicle, go to the parking location of the electric vehicle to be charged, identify the electric vehicle based on the electric vehicle identifier included in the first instruction, and start charging the electric vehicle after identifying the electric vehicle.

[0066] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the mobile charging vehicle 301 may include a robotic arm and a camera. In this example, the camera may be configured to acquire images of electric vehicles. Thus, the mobile charging vehicle 301 may also perform image analysis on the images from the camera to identify the electric vehicles. For example, the acquired images of the electric vehicles may include images of the electric vehicle's identifier (e.g., license plate), and the image analysis may parse the license plate number from the image to determine whether the vehicle is the one to be charged.

[0067] Continuing with the above embodiments, the mobile charging vehicle 301 can also be configured to determine whether the cover of the electric vehicle's charging port is open through image recognition. If the cover is not open, a robotic arm can open the cover and insert the charging gun into the charging port to begin charging. For example, the camera can also be configured to capture images of the electric vehicle's charging port. In this embodiment, the mobile charging vehicle 301 can also perform image analysis on the captured images to determine whether the cover of the charging port is open. Furthermore, if the cover of the charging port is not open, the mobile charging vehicle 301 can also control the robotic arm to open the cover and insert the charging gun into the charging port.

[0068] In yet another embodiment of this disclosure, the mobile charging vehicle 301 may also include a light source for supplemental lighting in cases of insufficient ambient light. For example, the light source may be configured to turn on in cases of insufficient ambient light to enable the camera to capture sufficiently clear images. Alternatively, in cases of insufficient ambient light (such as rain, night, etc.), the light source may be turned on to identify itself to other objects in the environment (e.g., pedestrians, vehicles, etc.) to ensure safety.

[0069] The following is for reference. Figure 4 The diagram illustrates an exemplary flowchart of a mobile charging method 400 for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0070] like Figure 4 As shown, method 400 may include, at block 401, receiving status information from the mobile charging vehicle. In one embodiment, method 400 may include updating a list including the status of the mobile charging vehicle accordingly. According to this embodiment, the status information may include at least one of the mobile charging vehicle's current location, remaining battery power, and current task information of the mobile charging vehicle, and the current task information may include at least one of being recharged, assigned, charging, or idle.

[0071] At block 403, method 400 may include receiving a charging request from an electric vehicle. In one embodiment, the charging request may include at least an identifier of the electric vehicle, a parking location, and one of a charging duration and a charging quantity. Those skilled in the art will understand that although a single charging request has been described herein, relevant information (such as the electric vehicle's identifier, parking location, charging duration, charging quantity, etc.) may be distributed across multiple interactions, for example, the electric vehicle first transmits its identifier, then transmits its charging quantity, and finally transmits its parking location, and so on.

[0072] In box 405, method 400 may include selecting a mobile charging vehicle that can meet the charging request in the shortest possible time based on the status of the mobile charging vehicle.

[0073] For example, method 400 may determine which mobile charging vehicles are idle based on the status of mobile charging vehicles included in the list; determine the amount of electricity required to charge the electric vehicle based on the charging request; and compare the determined required amount of electricity with the remaining electricity of each of the idle mobile charging vehicles to select the mobile charging vehicle with sufficient electricity. In this example, the electric vehicle may include a charging duration in the charging request, so method 400 may determine (e.g., multiply) the charging amount based on the output power of the mobile charging vehicle and the charging duration, and then select the idle mobile charging vehicle with a remaining electricity greater than the charging amount and closest to the parking location of the electric vehicle to charge the electric vehicle.

[0074] In another example, method 400 can assign not only idle mobile charging vehicles to charge electric vehicles, but also mobile charging vehicles that are currently being recharged to charge electric vehicles. For example, if all mobile charging vehicles are currently busy, and an electric vehicle requests charging, method 400 can select a mobile charging vehicle that is currently being recharged from among those capable of charging the electric vehicle. In this embodiment, method 400 can first determine that there are currently no idle mobile charging vehicles or that the idle mobile charging vehicles cannot meet the charging needs of the electric vehicle, and then select a mobile charging vehicle from among those being recharged whose current battery level is sufficient to charge the electric vehicle. Thus, method 400 can instruct the mobile charging vehicle that is currently being recharged to stop recharging and begin charging the electric vehicle.

[0075] Alternatively, in yet another example, if neither the idle nor the mobile charging vehicle currently being recharged has sufficient power to charge the electric vehicle, method 400 may further identify the mobile charging vehicle currently being recharged that has the closest charging capacity to the electric vehicle, and instruct it to go to the electric vehicle's parking location to charge the electric vehicle after it has replenished its power to the level required for the electric vehicle (with a certain margin, of course).

[0076] In another example, if neither the idle nor the mobile charging vehicle being recharged has enough power to charge the electric vehicle, method 400 can also determine which of the mobile charging vehicles that is charging other electric vehicles will finish its charging task first and have enough remaining power to charge the electric vehicle that made the charging request, and can then instruct it to go to the parking location of the electric vehicle to charge the electric vehicle after the charging task is completed.

[0077] It will be understood that these examples are merely illustrative and can be combined arbitrarily, as long as the selected mobile charging vehicle can charge the electric vehicle in the shortest possible time compared to other mobile charging vehicles.

[0078] At block 407, method 400 may include transmitting a first instruction to the selected mobile charging vehicle to charge the electric vehicle. In one embodiment, the first instruction may further include third navigation information from the current location of the mobile charging vehicle to the parking location of the electric vehicle. The mobile charging vehicle may then proceed to the parking location of the electric vehicle to charge it.

[0079] In box 409, method 400 may include updating the status of the selected mobile charging vehicle to "assigned". For example, method 400 may change the status of the selected mobile charging vehicle from "idle" to "assigned".

[0080] In block 411, method 400 may include receiving a charging completion message from the selected mobile charging vehicle. In one embodiment, the message may include at least the amount of charge already received.

[0081] Finally, in box 413, method 400 may include updating the status of the selected mobile charging vehicle to idle, thereby enabling the mobile charging vehicle to be assigned to charge the next electric vehicle.

[0082] The above detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form part of the detailed description. The drawings illustrate specific embodiments that can be practiced by way of illustration. These embodiments are also referred to herein as “examples.” Such examples may include elements other than those shown or described. However, examples including the shown or described elements are also contemplated. Furthermore, examples of any combination or arrangement of those elements shown or described are contemplated, or with reference to specific examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein, or with reference to other examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein.

[0083] In the appended claims, the terms “comprising” and “including” are open-ended, meaning that a system, apparatus, article of manufacture, or process containing elements other than those listed after such terms in a claim is still considered to fall within the scope of that claim. Furthermore, in the appended claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc., are used merely as designations and are not intended to indicate a numerical order of their contents.

[0084] Furthermore, the order of operations described in this specification is exemplary. In alternative embodiments, the operations may be performed in a different order than that shown in the accompanying drawings, and the operations may be combined into a single operation or broken down into more operations.

[0085] The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the examples described above (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in conjunction with other embodiments. Other embodiments may be used by those skilled in the art after reviewing the above description. The abstract allows the reader to quickly determine the nature of this technical disclosure. This abstract is submitted and it is understood that it is not intended to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Furthermore, in the above detailed description, various features may be grouped together to make this disclosure flow smoothly. However, the claims may not state every feature disclosed herein, as embodiments may characterize a subset of said features. Furthermore, embodiments may include fewer features than those disclosed in a particular example. Therefore, the appended claims are thus incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim existing independently as a separate embodiment. The scope of the embodiments disclosed herein should be determined by reference to the full scope of the appended claims and equivalents of such claims.

Claims

1. A mobile charging system for electric vehicles, comprising: The receiving module is configured to: Receive status information from the mobile charging vehicle; as well as Receive charging requests from electric vehicles; as well as A mobile charging vehicle management module, configured to maintain a list including the status of each mobile charging vehicle, and further configured to: The list is updated based on the received status information of the mobile charging vehicle; The mobile charging vehicle for charging the electric vehicle is selected based on the status of the mobile charging vehicles included in the list. as well as The system transmits a first instruction to the selected mobile charging vehicle to charge the electric vehicle. The system further includes a parking location assignment module configured to assign a parking location to the electric vehicle in response to receiving the charging request. The first instruction also includes first navigation information from the current location of the mobile charging vehicle to the assigned parking location. Furthermore, the charging request also includes the current location of the electric vehicle, and the parking location assignment module is configured to transmit second navigation information from the current location of the electric vehicle to the assigned parking location to the electric vehicle, wherein the first navigation information and the second navigation information do not overlap in time and space to avoid the electric vehicle and the mobile charging vehicle competing for road space.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The status information is received periodically from the mobile charging vehicle. The status information includes at least one of the mobile charging vehicle's current location, remaining power, and current task information. The current task information includes at least one of being recharged, assigned, charging, or idle. The charging request includes at least one of the electric vehicle's identifier and one of the charging duration and charging amount.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The selection of a mobile charging vehicle for charging an electric vehicle is based on the status of the mobile charging vehicles included in the list, including selecting a mobile charging vehicle that can meet the charging request of the electric vehicle in the shortest possible time.

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The receiving module is also configured to receive a notification from the selected mobile charging vehicle that the electric vehicle has not been found, and the parking location assignment module is also configured to retransmit a message including the assigned parking location to the electric vehicle.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The receiving module is further configured to receive a message from the electric vehicle indicating that it has arrived at a specific parking location; and the mobile charging vehicle management module is further configured to transmit navigation information from its current location to the specific parking location to the selected mobile charging vehicle, so that the selected mobile charging vehicle can navigate to the specific parking location.

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The charging request also includes the parking location of the electric vehicle, and the first instruction also includes third navigation information from the current location of the mobile charging vehicle to the parking location.

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The receiving module is also configured to receive a charging completion message from the selected mobile charging vehicle, the message including at least the amount of charge already received.

8. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mobile charging vehicle management module is configured to instruct the mobile charging vehicle to go to a charging station for recharging based on the status of the mobile charging vehicle.

9. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The instruction to the mobile charging vehicle to go to the charging station for recharging includes instructing the mobile charging vehicle to go to the charging station for recharging when the remaining power of the mobile charging vehicle is lower than a predetermined threshold.

10. The system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The predetermined threshold varies depending on the mobile charging vehicle and / or varies in relation to the current task of all mobile charging vehicles.

11. A computing device, comprising: processor; as well as A memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, implement the system according to any one of claims 1-10.

12. A mobile charging system for electric vehicles, comprising: The computing device according to claim 11; One or more mobile charging vehicles used to charge electric vehicles; as well as One or more charging piles used to replenish the power of the one or more mobile charging vehicles.

13. The system according to claim 12, characterized in that, It also includes a user terminal associated with the electric vehicle, which is configured to issue the charging request.

14. The system according to claim 12, characterized in that, Each of the one or more mobile charging vehicles is configured to: Receive the first instruction; Head to the designated charging location for the electric vehicle; The electric vehicle is identified based on the electric vehicle identifier included in the first instruction; as well as After identifying the electric vehicle, charging of the electric vehicle begins.

15. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that, Each of the one or more mobile charging vehicles is further configured to: Image recognition is used to determine whether the cover of the electric vehicle's charging port is open; The lid is opened using a robotic arm when it is not in use. as well as Insert the charging gun into the charging port to begin charging.

16. A mobile charging method for electric vehicles, comprising: Receive status information from the mobile charging vehicle and update the list including the status of the mobile charging vehicle accordingly. The status information includes at least one of the mobile charging vehicle's current location, remaining power, and current task information. The current task information includes at least one of the following: charging, assigned, charging, or idle. Receive a charging request from an electric vehicle, the charging request including at least one of the electric vehicle's identifier, parking location, and charging duration and charging amount; In response to receiving the charging request, a mobile charging vehicle that can meet the charging request in the shortest time is selected based on the status of the mobile charging vehicles included in the list, and a parking location is assigned to the electric vehicle. A first instruction to charge the electric vehicle is transmitted to the selected mobile charging vehicle, the first instruction further including first navigation information from the current location of the mobile charging vehicle to the parking location; Update the status of the selected mobile charging vehicle to show that it has been assigned; Receive a message from the selected mobile charging vehicle indicating that charging has ended, the message including at least the amount of charge already received; as well as Update the status of the selected mobile charging vehicle to idle. The charging request also includes the current location of the electric vehicle, and the method further includes transmitting second navigation information from the current location of the electric vehicle to the assigned parking location to the electric vehicle, wherein the first navigation information and the second navigation information do not overlap in time and space to avoid the electric vehicle and the mobile charging vehicle competing for road space.

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