A charging device, a charging system and a charging method

Abstract

The application provides a charging device, which comprises a shell, a control unit, a power supply line, a charging interface and a recessive interface, wherein the control unit is fixedly installed in the shell; the shell can comprise a display screen and an indicator lamp, the display screen and the indicator lamp are connected with the control unit, the display screen can be touch-operated and display relevant information, and the indicator lamp is used for indicating different states of the charging device; one end of the power supply line is connected with a transformer substation, and the other end penetrates through the shell and is connected with the control unit; the charging interface has a plurality of charging interfaces, one end of each charging interface is connected with the control unit, and the other end is used for connecting a charging inlet of an electric vehicle terminal; and the charging device further comprises a recessive interface. The application further provides a charging system and a charging method, which can effectively solve the problem of insufficient household charging piles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electric vehicle charging, and particularly to a charging device, charging system and charging method. Technical Background

[0002] Charging piles are a crucial infrastructure for electric vehicles, and their number is constantly increasing as the electric vehicle market expands. Statistics show that as of June 2023, the number of charging piles nationwide exceeded 6.6 million, with 1.442 million newly built in the first half of 2023 alone, including 1.091 million home charging piles. However, this is clearly insufficient compared to the number of electric vehicles in use. The construction of home charging piles faces several prominent problems: 1) Limited by current charging solutions, most charging piles operate on a one-to-one basis, leading to low utilization rates and increased construction costs. For a residential community, assuming a charging pile power of P and a total of M charging piles, the grid's rated load is P*M. Especially in older communities, the increase in the number of charging piles can lead to grid overload and safety issues. 2) Current mainstream approaches focus on improving charging power to reduce charging time, reducing construction costs through shared charging piles, and optimizing charging queues to increase charging pile utilization. Some even encourage car owners to charge their vehicles during off-peak hours, such as 3-5 a.m., but this has proven ineffective.

[0003] Furthermore, dynamic charging is currently a hot research topic. Electric vehicles charge quickly in the initial stages, reaching 60%-80% in 15-30 minutes, but charging slows down later. Dynamic charging methods adjust output power in real-time based on the vehicle's status, which causes constant fluctuations in grid load, hindering grid stability. While these methods alleviate the problem to some extent, none have fundamentally solved the issue of insufficient home charging stations. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the above problems, the present invention provides a charging device, which includes a housing, a control unit, a power supply line, a charging interface, and a concealed interface, wherein:

[0005] The control unit is fixedly installed inside the housing; the housing may include a display screen and indicator lights, which are connected to the control unit. The display screen can be touched and display relevant information, and the indicator lights are used to indicate different states of the charging device; one end of the power supply line is connected to the substation, and the other end passes through the housing and is connected to the control unit; there are N charging interfaces, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. One end of each charging interface is connected to the control unit, and the other end is used to connect to the charging port of the electric vehicle terminal; one end of the concealed interface is connected to the power supply line, and the other end is connected to the charging interface and the concealed interface of another charging device.

[0006] Optionally, the control unit includes a microprocessor, a networking module, a display module, and a power control module, wherein:

[0007] The microprocessor includes a control program for controlling the networking module, display module, and power control module, and is connected to the networking module, display module, and power control module.

[0008] The networking module is connected to the microprocessor and is used for communication with the control unit. It includes at least one networking function module among GPRS, LAN and WIFI.

[0009] The display module is connected to the microprocessor and is used to display a human-computer interaction interface. The human-computer interaction interface can display various information required for the charging process, including rules, status, payment, prompts, confirmation feedback, and other types of information. The microprocessor processes the information.

[0010] The power control module is connected to the microprocessor and is used to control the power supply, charging behavior, and query the charging time required for the charging device.

[0011] Optionally, the power control module works as follows: one end of the power supply line is connected to the power station, and the other end is connected to the power control module of the control unit to provide power to the charging device. The power control module controls the connection and disconnection of the power supply. The other end of the power control module is connected to each charging interface and the hidden interface, as well as to the microprocessor, to control the connection and disconnection of the charging interface and the hidden interface. The power control module can realize the connection and disconnection of the power supply line with the charging interface and the hidden interface, as well as the connection and disconnection of the hidden interface with the charging interface. By querying the battery capacity and remaining power of the vehicle to be charged, combined with the output power of the charging device, the charging time can be obtained. The charging cost can be obtained based on the charging time and the electricity price during the charging period.

[0012] Optionally, the display screen includes a fixed display screen and a mobile display screen. The fixed display screen is a display screen installed at a fixed position on the charging device, and the mobile display screen includes any one of a mobile phone, tablet computer, or vehicle screen for communicating with the control unit.

[0013] Optionally, the indicator light has three states: red, green, and yellow, corresponding to the busy, idle, and replaceable states of the charging device. The indicator light can be installed separately on the housing or its state can be displayed on a screen. The busy state is indicated by a red light, meaning that the charging device is currently charging and the current vehicle cannot change its charging order. The idle state is indicated by a green light, meaning that no vehicle is currently charging the charging device. The replaceable state is indicated by a yellow light, meaning that the charging device is currently charging and the current vehicle can accept a replacement charging order.

[0014] Optionally, the hidden interface is connected to the hidden interfaces of other charging devices to form a hidden interface network for charging support.

[0015] Optionally, the charging interface includes a fixed charging interface and a mobile charging interface. The fixed charging interface is installed at a fixed position in each parking space, and the mobile charging interface is a charging interface that is not installed at a fixed position.

[0016] Optionally, the charging device can be used alone or connected with other charging devices to form a charging system.

[0017] Optionally, the output power of the charging device does not exceed the rated power of the charging device, and the total power of the charging device when charging multiple vehicles simultaneously does not exceed the rated power of the charging device.

[0018] The present invention also provides a charging system comprising at least two of the aforementioned charging devices, which are interconnected via the implicit interface to form an implicit interface network for charging support, and the control units of the charging devices are interconnected via a network to form a control unit network.

[0019] Optionally, the charging system includes at least two charging devices, which send / receive charging support requests and charging commands through a control unit network, and perform charging support through the implicit interface network.

[0020] The present invention also provides a charging method, which includes a static charging method and a dynamic charging method. The static charging method includes the following steps:

[0021] S1. After the first vehicle to be charged is connected to the charging interface of the charging device, the display screen indicates that the current queue is 1 and displays a charging confirmation prompt page. After the owner of the first vehicle to be charged selects the charging rules and pays the fee, charging is started. After the charging task is completed, the charging device automatically stops charging (when there are no vehicles in the subsequent queue) or automatically switches to charging the next vehicle (when there are vehicles in the subsequent queue).

[0022] S2. After the i-th vehicle to be charged is connected to the electrical interface of the charging device, where 2≤i≤N, the display screen indicates that the current queue is i and displays a charging confirmation prompt page. After the owner of the i-th vehicle to be charged selects the charging rules and pays the fee, the charging will start after the (i-1)-th vehicle in the queue completes the charging task.

[0023] S3. If the i-th vehicle has an emergency charging need, it can look for a charging device whose charging device indicator light shows an idle or replaceable state. If it is idle, it can charge directly. If it is replaceable, it can first check the replacement conditions. If it accepts the replacement conditions, after paying, it can replace the charging position with the currently charging vehicle, that is, the current charging vehicle's position is replaced to the i-th position.

[0024] S4. If a charging device awaiting support has (i-1) vehicles waiting to be charged in the queue, the charging device awaiting support will automatically send a support request to the charging system. If another charging device in an idle state has no vehicles charging, it will receive the support request from the charging device awaiting support and issue a support command to connect the power supply interface with the hidden interface. At the same time, the charging device awaiting support will receive the support command and connect the hidden interface with the first priority charging interface in the queue. The idle charging device will then charge the first priority vehicle waiting to be charged in the queue of the charging device awaiting support through the hidden interface network.

[0025] Optionally, the charging rules are displayed on the screen and include the following steps:

[0026] 1) Ask if you accept charging replacement. If you choose not to accept replacement, then fix the charging queue position.

[0027] 2) If you choose to accept the replacement, you will be further asked about the latest acceptable charging completion time T. end The replacement conditions include replacement cost and remaining charging time, wherein the replacement cost is either free replacement or paid replacement.

[0028] 3) If you choose paid replacement, the display screen will show the full-time replacement price. If the vehicle currently being charged has already used part of the charging time, the replacement cost will be reduced accordingly. If you choose free replacement, there will be no additional cost.

[0029] 4) When a vehicle to be replaced requests to be replaced with a currently charging vehicle, the latest completion time of the charging queue corresponding to the position of the vehicle to be replaced must be earlier than the latest acceptable completion time T of the currently charging vehicle. end Otherwise, it cannot be replaced;

[0030] 5) If the replacement is successful and the currently charging vehicle chooses to pay for the replacement, the vehicle to be replaced shall pay the corresponding charging fee for the remaining time and the replacement fee; if the replacement is successful and the currently charging vehicle chooses to replace for free, the vehicle to be replaced shall only pay the corresponding charging fee for the remaining time.

[0031] 6) After payment is completed, the charging order of the vehicle to be replaced and the currently charging vehicle are swapped, without affecting vehicles in other queues.

[0032] Optionally, the idle charging device connects the power supply line to the hidden interface through the power control module. The hidden interface transmits power through the hidden interface network to the charging interface of the first vehicle waiting to be charged in the queue of the charging devices to be supported, and starts charging. After charging starts, the idle charging device changes to a busy state or a replaceable state according to the charging rule selected by the vehicle being charged.

[0033] Optionally, after completing a charging support operation, the status of each charging device queue will be checked again. If there are vehicles waiting to be charged in the queue, the vehicles in the queue will be charged first after the charging support operation is completed.

[0034] Optionally, if multiple vehicles are waiting for charging support at a charging station, or if multiple charging stations are in an idle state, charging support can be provided through the hidden interface network.

[0035] Optionally, the dynamic charging method is as follows: If multiple vehicles are queuing for the charging device, when the first vehicle completes the fast charging phase with an output power P, and the subsequent output power is P0, dynamic charging is initiated, and the charging power starts at P1 = P - P0 to charge the second vehicle in the queue; similarly, after the second vehicle completes the fast charging phase, the subsequent output power is P1'. If the first vehicle has not yet completed charging, the remaining available power is P2 = P - P0 - P1'. If the first vehicle has already completed charging, then P2 = P - P1'. If there are still vehicles queuing, then P2 can charge subsequent vehicles. If there are no vehicles queuing, then the output stops. If there is a charging device waiting for charging support, then the output is provided to the other charging devices waiting for support; and so on, the charging power when the dynamic charging method is applied to the i-th vehicle can be calculated, where 2 ≤ i ≤ N, and the output power of the charging device does not exceed the rated power P.

[0036] Optionally, the dynamic charging method prioritizes fast charging at the rated power P when there is sufficient power. When charging at the charging power P1, if there is charging support, the charging power is increased to P to complete fast charging. If there is still remaining power in the charging support, charging of vehicles in the queue begins.

[0037] Optionally, the fast charging stage refers to charging the battery to 80% of its capacity using a DC fast charging method, wherein the power of the DC fast charging is not less than 60kW.

[0038] Optionally, to further improve the overall charging efficiency of the area, vehicle owners can be encouraged to stop charging when the battery capacity reaches 80%, which helps protect the battery and extend its lifespan. The charging rules can be expanded to include two options: charging to 80% or charging to 100%.

[0039] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0040] 1) Compared to a charging station that can only charge one vehicle at a time, covering the same number of vehicles reduces the grid load by a factor of N (where N is the number of charging ports on the charging device), significantly lowering the grid load. Since the output power of each charging device does not exceed its rated power at any given time, it does not cause excessive fluctuations in the grid power.

[0041] 2) Sharing a single charging station with multiple vehicles not only reduces construction costs but also saves on land investment for charging station construction. Furthermore, since vehicle owners don't need to wait for the charging station to be available and compete for charging resources and parking spaces after connecting to the charging port, the automatic switching of charging by the charging station greatly facilitates vehicle owners and increases their willingness to use the charging station.

[0042] 3) A charging system consisting of multiple charging devices can provide charging support, greatly improving the utilization rate of the charging devices. They can be parked anywhere within the coverage area of ​​the charging system to enable charging, reducing the impact of space limitations on charging.

[0043] 4) The adoption of dynamic charging methods can further improve regional charging efficiency and effectively increase the coverage of a single charging device. Considering that car owners do not need to charge every day, and charge once every 2 days on average, the coverage of a single charging device can be further increased.

[0044] 5) The method provided by this invention is also applicable to wireless charging mode. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The technical solution of the present invention will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0049] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0050] Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0051] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] See Figure 1 The charging device 100 of the present invention includes a housing 101, a control unit 102, a power supply line 104, a charging interface 103, and a concealed interface 105, wherein:

[0053] The control unit is fixedly installed inside the housing;

[0054] The housing may include a display screen 1101 and an indicator light 1102. The display screen and indicator light are connected to the control unit. The display screen can be touched and display relevant information. The indicator light is used to indicate different states of the charging device.

[0055] One end of the power supply line is connected to the substation, and the other end passes through the housing and is connected to the control unit;

[0056] There are N charging interfaces, and in some embodiments N is 4. One end of each charging interface is connected to the control unit, and the other end is used to connect to the charging port of the electric vehicle terminal.

[0057] One end of the concealed interface is connected to the power supply line, and the other end is connected to the charging interface and the concealed interface of another charging device.

[0058] In some embodiments, the control unit includes a microprocessor, a networking module, a display module, and a power control module, wherein:

[0059] The microprocessor includes a control program for controlling the networking module, display module, and power control module, and is connected to the networking module, display module, and power control module.

[0060] The networking module is connected to the microprocessor and is used for communication with the control unit. It includes at least one networking function module among GPRS, LAN and WIFI.

[0061] The display module is connected to the microprocessor and is used to display a human-computer interaction interface. The human-computer interaction interface can display various information required for the charging process, including rules, status, payment, prompts, confirmation feedback, and other types of information. The microprocessor processes the information.

[0062] The power control module is connected to the microprocessor and is used to control the power supply, charging behavior, and query the charging time required for the charging device.

[0063] In some embodiments, the power control module operates as follows: one end of the power supply line is connected to a power station, and the other end is connected to the power control module of the control unit to provide power to the charging device. The power control module controls the connection and disconnection of the power supply. The other end of the power control module is connected to each charging interface and the hidden interface, as well as to the microprocessor, to control the connection and disconnection of the charging interface and the hidden interface. The power control module can realize the connection and disconnection of the power supply line with the charging interface and the hidden interface, as well as the connection and disconnection of the hidden interface with the charging interface. By querying the battery capacity and remaining power of the vehicle to be charged, combined with the output power of the charging device and the charging option selected by the user, the charging time can be obtained. The charging fee can be obtained based on the charging time and the electricity price during the charging period. The charging fee is displayed on the display screen through the microprocessor, and the user can pay the corresponding fee by scanning the payment code on the display screen.

[0064] In some embodiments, the workflow of the control unit is as follows: after receiving a charging request, the microprocessor commands the power control module to query and estimate the charging time required for the vehicle to be charged, and then displays payment information through the display module. After receiving the payment instruction, the microprocessor commands the power control module to connect the charging interface, start charging, and change the status of the indicator light to busy or replaceable according to the selected charging rules.

[0065] In some embodiments, the networking module includes one of GPRS, LAN, and WIFI networking functions.

[0066] In some embodiments, the networking module includes two networking function modules selected from GPRS, LAN, and WIFI;

[0067] In some embodiments, the networking module includes three networking function modules: GPRS, LAN, and WIFI.

[0068] In some embodiments, the display screen includes a fixed display screen and a mobile display screen. The fixed display screen is a display screen installed at a fixed position on the charging device, and the mobile display screen includes any one of a mobile phone, tablet computer, or vehicle screen for communicating with the control unit.

[0069] In some embodiments, the display screen includes a fixed display screen, which is a display screen installed at a fixed position on the charging device, and the display screen is a touch screen.

[0070] In some embodiments, the display screen includes a mobile display screen, which is any one of a mobile phone, tablet computer, or vehicle screen for communicating with the control unit.

[0071] In some embodiments, the indicator light has three states: red, green, and yellow, corresponding to the busy, idle, and replaceable states of the charging device. The indicator light can be installed separately on the housing. The busy state is indicated by a red light, meaning that the charging device is currently charging and the current vehicle cannot change its charging order. The idle state is indicated by a green light, meaning that no vehicle is currently charging the charging device. The replaceable state is indicated by a yellow light, meaning that the charging device is currently charging and the current vehicle can accept a replacement charging order.

[0072] In some embodiments, the status of the indicator light is displayed on a screen.

[0073] In some embodiments, the hidden interface is connected to the hidden interfaces of other charging devices to form a hidden interface network for charging support.

[0074] In some embodiments, the charging interface is a fixed charging interface, which is installed at a fixed position in each parking space.

[0075] In some embodiments, the charging interface is a mobile charging interface, which is a charging interface that is not installed in a fixed position.

[0076] In some embodiments, the charging interface is partly a fixed charging interface and partly a mobile charging interface.

[0077] In some embodiments, the charging device can be used alone or connected with other charging devices to form a charging system.

[0078] In some embodiments, when the charging device is used alone, the hidden interface is not connected to the hidden interfaces of other charging devices.

[0079] In some embodiments, the charging device can only charge one vehicle at a time, and the output power does not exceed the rated power of the charging device. The charging device can only charge multiple vehicles by the same charging device through charging support.

[0080] In other embodiments, the present invention also provides a charging system, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the charging system 200 includes four charging devices. The charging devices are interconnected through the hidden interface to form a hidden interface network. Through the hidden interface network, the charging devices are connected in pairs to provide charging support to each other. The control units of the charging devices are interconnected through a networking module to form a control unit network.

[0081] In other embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the charging system includes four charging devices. The charging devices send / receive charging support requests and charging commands through the control unit network, and perform charging support through the implicit interface network.

[0082] In some other embodiments, a charging method is also provided, the charging method comprising the following steps:

[0083] S1. After the first vehicle to be charged is connected to the charging interface of the charging device, the display screen indicates that the current queue is 1 and displays a charging confirmation prompt page. After the owner of the first vehicle to be charged selects the charging rules and pays the fee, charging is started. After the charging task is completed, the charging device automatically stops charging (when there are no vehicles in the subsequent queue). At this time, the indicator light of the charging device turns green, or automatically switches to charging the next vehicle (when there are vehicles in the subsequent queue). At this time, the indicator light of the charging device lights up red or yellow.

[0084] S2. After the i-th vehicle to be charged is connected to the electrical interface of the charging device, where 2≤i≤4, the display screen indicates that the current queue is i and displays a charging confirmation prompt page. After the owner of the i-th vehicle to be charged selects the charging rules and pays the fee, charging will start after the (i-1)-th vehicle in the queue completes its charging task. Each owner can leave after connecting the charging interface, confirming the charging rules and paying the fee. There is no need to move the vehicle again. They only need to wait for the charging device to charge automatically.

[0085] S3. If the i-th vehicle has an emergency charging need, it can look for a charging device whose charging device indicator light shows an idle or replaceable state. If it is idle, it can charge directly. If it is replaceable, it can first check the replacement conditions, accept the replacement conditions, and pay. Then it can replace the charging position with the currently charging vehicle, that is, the current charging vehicle's position is replaced to the i-th position.

[0086] S4. If a charging device awaiting support has (i-1) vehicles waiting to be charged in the queue, the charging device awaiting support will automatically send a support request to the charging system. If another charging device in an idle state has no vehicles charging, it will receive the support request from the charging device awaiting support and issue a support command to connect the power supply interface with the hidden interface. At the same time, the charging device awaiting support will receive the support command and connect the hidden interface with the first priority charging interface in the queue. The idle charging device will then charge the first priority vehicle waiting to be charged in the queue of the charging device awaiting support through the hidden interface network.

[0087] In yet other embodiments, the charging rules are displayed on the screen and include the following steps:

[0088] 1) Ask if you accept charging replacement. If you choose not to accept replacement, then fix the charging queue position.

[0089] 2) If you choose to accept the replacement, you will be further asked about the latest acceptable charging completion time T. end The replacement conditions include replacement cost and remaining charging time, wherein the replacement cost is either free replacement or paid replacement.

[0090] 3) If you choose paid replacement, the display screen will show the full-time replacement price. If the vehicle currently being charged has already used part of the charging time, the replacement cost will be reduced accordingly. If you choose free replacement, there will be no additional cost.

[0091] 4) When a vehicle to be replaced requests to be replaced with a currently charging vehicle, the latest completion time of the charging queue corresponding to the position of the vehicle to be replaced must be earlier than the latest acceptable completion time T of the currently charging vehicle. end Otherwise, it cannot be replaced;

[0092] 5) If the replacement is successful and the currently charging vehicle chooses to pay for the replacement, the vehicle to be replaced shall pay the corresponding charging fee for the remaining time and the replacement fee; if the replacement is successful and the currently charging vehicle chooses to replace for free, the vehicle to be replaced shall only pay the corresponding charging fee for the remaining time.

[0093] 6) After payment is completed, the charging order of the vehicle to be replaced and the currently charging vehicle are swapped, without affecting vehicles in other queues.

[0094] In some other embodiments, the idle charging device connects the power supply line to the hidden interface via a power control module. The hidden interface transmits power through the hidden interface network to the charging interface of the first vehicle waiting to be charged in the queue of the charging devices to be supported, and starts charging. After charging starts, the idle charging device changes to a busy state or a replaceable state according to the charging rule selected by the vehicle being charged.

[0095] In some other embodiments, after a charging support is completed, the status of each charging device queue is checked again. If there are vehicles waiting to be charged in the queue, the vehicles in the queue are charged first after the charging support is completed.

[0096] In some other embodiments, the dynamic charging method is as follows: if multiple vehicles are queuing for the charging device, when the first vehicle completes the fast charging phase with an output power P, and the subsequent output power is P0, dynamic charging is initiated, and the charging power starts at P1 = P - P0 to charge the second vehicle in the queue; similarly, after the second vehicle completes the fast charging phase, the subsequent output power is P1'. If the first vehicle has not yet completed charging, the remaining available power is P2 = P - P0 - P1'. If the first vehicle has already completed charging, then P2 = P - P1'. If there are still vehicles queuing, then P2 can charge subsequent vehicles. If there are no vehicles queuing, then the output stops. If there is a charging device waiting for charging support, then the output is provided to the other charging devices waiting for support. And so on, the charging power when the dynamic charging method is applied to the i-th vehicle can be calculated, where 2 ≤ i ≤ N, and the output power of the charging device does not exceed the rated power P.

[0097] In some other embodiments, the fast charging phase refers to charging the battery to 80% of its capacity using a DC fast charging method, wherein the power of the DC fast charging is not less than 60kW.

[0098] In some other embodiments, to further improve the overall charging efficiency of the area, vehicle owners can be encouraged to stop charging when the battery capacity reaches 80%, which helps protect the battery and extend its lifespan. The charging rules can be enhanced by adding two options: charging to 80% or charging to 100%.

[0099] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0100] The embodiments described above are merely examples of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0101] Therefore, the scope of protection of this invention patent shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A charging device, characterized in that, The charging device includes a housing, a control unit, a power supply cable, a charging interface, and a concealed interface, wherein: The control unit is fixedly installed inside the housing; The housing may include a display screen and indicator lights, which are connected to the control unit. The display screen can be touched and display relevant information, and the indicator lights are used to indicate different states of the charging device. One end of the power supply line is connected to the substation, and the other end passes through the housing and is connected to the control unit; There are N charging interfaces, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. One end of each charging interface is connected to the control unit, and the other end is used to connect to the charging port of the electric vehicle terminal. One end of the concealed interface is connected to the power supply line, and the other end is connected to the charging interface and the concealed interface of another charging device.

2. The charging device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit includes a microprocessor, a networking module, a display module, and a power control module, wherein: The microprocessor includes a control program for controlling the networking module, display module, and power control module, and is connected to the networking module, display module, and power control module. The networking module is connected to the microprocessor and is used for communication with the control unit. It includes at least one networking function module among GPRS, LAN and WIFI. The display module is connected to the microprocessor and is used to display a human-computer interaction interface. The human-computer interaction interface can display various information required for the charging process, including rules, status, payment, prompts, confirmation feedback, and other information. The microprocessor processes the information. The power control module is connected to the microprocessor and is used to control the power supply, charging behavior, and query the charging time required for the charging device.

3. The charging device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The display screen includes a fixed display screen and a mobile display screen. The fixed display screen is a display screen installed at a fixed position on the charging device, and the mobile display screen includes any one of a mobile phone, tablet computer, or vehicle screen for communicating with the control unit.

4. The charging device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The indicator light has three states: red, green, and yellow, corresponding to the busy, idle, and replaceable states of the charging device. The indicator light can be installed separately on the housing or its state can be displayed on a screen. The busy state is indicated by a red light, meaning that the charging device is currently charging and the current vehicle cannot switch charging positions. The idle state is indicated by a green light, meaning that no vehicle is currently charging the charging device. The replaceable state is indicated by a yellow light, meaning that the charging device is currently charging and the current vehicle can switch charging positions.

5. The charging device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The hidden interface connects with the hidden interfaces of other charging devices to form a hidden interface network for charging support.

6. The charging device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The charging interface includes a fixed charging interface and a mobile charging interface. The fixed charging interface is installed at a fixed position in each parking space, and the mobile charging interface is a charging interface that is not fixedly installed at a fixed position.

7. A charging system, characterized in that, The charging system includes at least two charging devices as described in claim 1, which are interconnected through the hidden interface to form a hidden interface network for charging support. The control units of the charging devices are interconnected through a network to form a control unit network.

8. The charging system as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The charging system includes at least two charging devices, which send / receive charging support requests and charging commands through the control unit network, and perform charging support through the implicit interface network.

9. A charging method, applied to the charging device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The charging method includes a static charging method and a dynamic charging method, and the static charging method includes the following steps: S1. After the first vehicle to be charged is connected to the charging interface of the charging device, the display screen indicates that the current queue is 1 and displays a charging confirmation prompt page. After the owner of the first vehicle to be charged selects the charging rules and pays the fee, charging is started. After the charging task is completed, if there are no vehicles in the subsequent queue, the charging device automatically stops charging, or if there are vehicles in the subsequent queue, it automatically switches to charging the next vehicle. S2. After the i-th vehicle to be charged is connected to the charging interface of the charging device, where 2≤i≤N, the display screen indicates that the current queue is i and displays a charging confirmation prompt page. After the owner of the i-th vehicle to be charged selects the charging rules and pays the fee, the charging will start after the i-1 vehicle in the queue completes the charging task. S3. If the i-th vehicle has an emergency charging need, it can look for a charging device whose charging device indicator light shows an idle or replaceable state. If it is idle, it can charge directly. If it is replaceable, it can first check the replacement conditions. If it accepts the replacement conditions, after paying, it can replace the charging position with the currently charging vehicle, that is, the current charging vehicle's position is replaced to the i-th position. S4. If one of the charging devices to be supported has i-1 vehicles waiting to be charged in the queue, the charging device to be supported will automatically send a support request to the charging system. If another charging device in an idle state has no vehicles charging, it will receive the support request from the charging device to be supported and issue a support command to connect the power supply interface with the hidden interface. At the same time, the charging device to be supported will receive the support command and connect the hidden interface with the first priority charging interface in the queue. The idle charging device will then charge the first priority vehicle waiting to be charged in the queue of the charging device to be supported through the hidden interface network.

10. The charging method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The charging rules are displayed on the screen and include the following steps: 1) Ask if you accept charging replacement. If you choose not to accept replacement, then fix the charging queue position. 2) If you choose to accept the replacement, you will be further asked about the latest acceptable charging time T. end The replacement conditions include replacement cost and remaining charging time, wherein the replacement cost is either free replacement or paid replacement. 3) If you choose paid replacement, the display screen will show the full-time replacement price. If the vehicle currently being charged has already used part of the charging time, the replacement cost will be reduced accordingly. If you choose free replacement, there will be no additional cost. 4) When a vehicle requesting replacement needs to be replaced with a currently charging vehicle, the latest completion time of the charging queue corresponding to the position of the vehicle to be replaced must be earlier than the latest acceptable completion time T of the currently charging vehicle. end Otherwise, it cannot be replaced; 5) If the replacement is successful and the current charging vehicle chooses to pay for the replacement, the vehicle to be replaced shall pay the corresponding charging fee for the remaining time and the replacement fee; if the replacement is successful and the current charging vehicle chooses to replace for free, the vehicle to be replaced shall only pay the corresponding charging fee for the remaining time. 6) After payment is completed, the charging order of the vehicle to be replaced and the currently charging vehicle are swapped, without affecting vehicles in other queues.

11. The charging method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The idle charging device connects the power supply line to the hidden interface through the power control module. The hidden interface transmits power through the hidden interface network to the charging interface of the first vehicle waiting to be charged in the queue of the charging devices to be supported, and starts charging. After charging starts, the idle charging device changes to a busy state or a replaceable state according to the charging rule selected by the vehicle being charged.

12. The charging method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The dynamic charging method is as follows: If multiple vehicles are queuing for the charging device, when the first vehicle completes the fast charging phase with an output power P, the subsequent output power is P0, and dynamic charging is started. The charging power starts at P1 = P - P0 to charge the second vehicle in the queue. Similarly, after the second vehicle completes the fast charging phase, the subsequent output power is P1'. If the first vehicle has not yet completed charging, the remaining available power is P2 = P - P0 - P1'. If the first vehicle has already completed charging, then P2 = P - P1'. If there are still vehicles queuing, then P2 can charge subsequent vehicles. If there are no vehicles queuing, then the output stops. If there is a charging device waiting for charging support, then the output is provided to the other charging devices waiting for support.

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