Offline management for cloud-based dynamic load management

Abstract

The example embodiments provide improved dynamic load management for electric vehicle charging systems. A cloud-based device is configured to adjust the maximum current ratings of multiple charging stations based on a request for the most recently accepted maximum charging current of the offline charging station when one or more charging stations are offline. An apparatus, method, and computer program are also disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application generally relates to the management of electric vehicle charging stations. In particular, some example embodiments of this application relate to robust management for cloud-based demand load management during offline periods. Background Technology

[0002] Charging stations can accept load management services. Load management services are used to adjust the total charging current, which the charging station must not exceed on-site. These limitations may be due to grid connection constraints, peak power reduction, peak shifting, demand-side management, etc. Ensuring that load management operates under different conditions will be beneficial. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This summary is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form, which will be further described in the detailed embodiments below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0004] The example implementation allows for fail-safe dynamic load management even when one or more charging stations are offline. Dynamic load management can be implemented such that when a charging station loses its internet connection to the device responsible for dynamic load management, the maximum rated current of the associated dynamic load management group is changed based on the current settings of the charging station without an internet connection.

[0005] According to a first aspect, an apparatus for dynamic load management is provided. The apparatus includes: a communication interface for wireless communication with a plurality of charging stations; at least one processor; and at least one memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: monitor events indicating state changes of the plurality of charging stations via the communication interface; determine, based on the events, that at least one charging station has changed from online to offline; determine whether the at least one charging station belongs to a dynamic load management group; determine the current maximum rated current of the dynamic load management group; determine a most recent request for a maximum charging current received by the at least one charging station; determine a new maximum rated current of the dynamic load management group by reducing the current maximum rated current of the dynamic load management group by the recently received maximum rated current; determine a new maximum charging current for each charging station in the dynamic load management group that remains online; and send a message including the new maximum charging current to each online charging station via the communication interface for current adjustment.

[0006] According to one embodiment, the at least one memory includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to: determine, based on the event, that the charging station is in an inactive state; determine whether the inactive charging station belongs to a dynamic load management group; set the maximum charging current of the inactive charging station belonging to the dynamic load management group to a predetermined value; and send a message including the predetermined value as the maximum charging current to the inactive charging station via the communication interface.

[0007] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the predetermined value is 6A.

[0008] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the event includes at least one of the following: a transaction event, a status notification, or a skipped heartbeat.

[0009] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the at least one memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to: detect, based on the event, that at least one charging station has returned from offline to online; recalculate the maximum rated current of the corresponding dynamic load management group by increasing the current maximum rated current with the value of the most recently accepted maximum charging current request of the re-online charging station; and send a message including the new maximum charging current to each online charging station via the communication interface for current adjustment.

[0010] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the at least one memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to: check with the corresponding dynamic load management group whether it is permissible to set the maximum charging current of an inactive charging station to a predetermined value; wherein, when the corresponding dynamic load management group permits, the maximum charging current of the inactive charging station is changed to the predetermined value.

[0011] According to a second aspect, a computer-implemented method for dynamic load management is provided. The method may include: monitoring events indicating state changes of a plurality of charging stations via a communication interface for wireless communication; determining, based on the events, that at least one charging station has changed from online to offline; determining whether the at least one charging station belongs to a dynamic load management group; determining the current maximum rated current of the dynamic load management group; determining the most recent request for a maximum charging current received by the at least one charging station; determining a new maximum rated current of the dynamic load management group by reducing the current maximum rated current of the dynamic load management group by the recently received maximum rated current; determining a new maximum charging current for each charging station remaining online in the dynamic load management group; and sending a message including the new maximum charging current to each online charging station via the communication interface for current adjustment.

[0012] In one embodiment, the method includes: determining, based on the event, that a charging station is in an inactive state; determining whether the inactive charging station belongs to a dynamic load management group; setting the maximum charging current of the inactive charging station belonging to the dynamic load management group to a predetermined value; and sending a message including the predetermined value as the maximum charging current to the inactive charging station through the communication interface.

[0013] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the predetermined value is 6A.

[0014] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the event includes at least one of the following: a transaction event, a status notification, or a skipped heartbeat.

[0015] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the method further includes: detecting, based on the event, that at least one charging station has switched from offline to online; recalculating the maximum rated current of the corresponding dynamic load management group by adding the current maximum rated current to the value of the most recently accepted maximum charging current request of the charging station that is now online; and sending a message including the new maximum charging current to each of the online charging stations via the communication interface for current adjustment.

[0016] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the method includes: checking whether a corresponding dynamic load management group allows setting the maximum charging current of an inactive charging station to a predetermined value; and when the corresponding dynamic load management group allows it, changing the maximum charging current of the inactive charging station to the predetermined value.

[0017] According to a third aspect, a computer program product is provided, including instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the second aspect.

[0018] According to a fourth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, including instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the second aspect.

[0019] Many of the accompanying features will be more readily understood as they become better understood by referring to the following specific embodiments considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The following accompanying drawings provide a further understanding of the exemplary embodiments and form part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, help explain the principles of the exemplary embodiments. In the drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 An example is shown of a countermeasure performed by the device when one or more charging stations in a dynamic load management group become offline, according to an example embodiment.

[0022] Figure 2 An example is shown of a countermeasure performed by the device when most charging stations in a dynamic load management group are offline, according to an example embodiment;

[0023] Figure 3 An example of a method for improving dynamic load management during offline periods by reducing available capacity, according to an example embodiment, is shown;

[0024] Figure 4 An example of a method for improving dynamic load management during offline periods by controlling minimum current based on charging transaction events, according to an example embodiment, is shown.

[0025] Figure 5 An example of a device configured to implement at least one example embodiment is shown.

[0026] In the accompanying drawings, similar markings are used to indicate similar parts. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Reference will be made here to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The detailed description provided below, in conjunction with the drawings, is intended to describe this example and is not intended to represent the only form in which this example can be constructed or used. The description illustrates the functionality of the example and the possible sequences for constructing and operating the example. However, the same or equivalent functionality and order can be implemented through different examples.

[0028] Dynamic load management (DLM) is a technology used in the electric vehicle (EV) industry to manage energy across a group of charging stations. A single charging station can have one or more charging points. Charging points can include devices for providing charging power to EVs, such as charging cables. DLM solutions can be built by grouping multiple charging points into a single group. A maximum rated current can be assigned to this group, and the multiple charging points are not allowed to exceed this maximum rated current.

[0029] Through a centralized DLM (Dynamic Charging Station Management) solution, the charging station management system (CSMS) can continuously adjust the maximum rated current available for charging at multiple charging points. The CSMS can individually control each charging point via an application programming interface (API). Each time a DLM event occurs, the CSMS can recalculate the maximum rated current for each charging point. However, ultimately, it is the electric vehicle that determines the amount of electricity it needs to charge. In other words, a maximum limit can be set for the charging point corresponding to an electric vehicle, but the electric vehicle can also use less power. The amount of electricity used by the electric vehicle depends on the charging cycle, i.e., the start of charging, during charging, and the end of charging.

[0030] For example, if a charging station limits the current to 64A and eight charging points are charging simultaneously, the available charging current for each charging point could be 64A / 8 = 8A. When four charging stations are charging, the available current for each station could be 64A / 4 = 16A. The DLM system can also support VIP charging. The concept of VIP charging means that some electric vehicle drivers may receive higher charging power than others. VIP status is based on the user, not the charging point.

[0031] Demand load management can be performed in the cloud. The cloud refers to servers accessible via the internet, along with the software and databases running on those servers. Therefore, for example, compute and storage can be performed remotely on cloud servers, rather than locally on the user's device.

[0032] A major weakness of cloud-based load management is internet connectivity—what happens when a charging station loses its connection to the CSMS? If a charging station is offline, the CSMS may be unable to see or control it. For example, an electric vehicle (EV) driver can locally begin charging at an offline charging station, for instance, by using an RFID tag. An offline charging station can start or continue charging based on the most recently accepted request from the CSMS. In the worst-case scenario, it's possible that the CSMS's most recent request to the charging station is for maximum power charging, but the station is offline. If someone then initiates a charging transaction, due to the lost internet connection, the charging station will begin charging at maximum power without the CSMS's knowledge. This charging load is then considered uncontrollable because the CSMS may lack any ability to manage the load. This could lead to overcurrent, causing fuses to blow. The situation is even more severe if multiple charging stations go offline on a large scale.

[0033] One approach allows for local adjustment of charging power across multiple charging stations when they are offline. This means the charging stations are interconnected via Ethernet cables, and in most cases, additional control units need to be installed on-site. Furthermore, local management is implemented in a master-slave manner, with one unit (the master) controlling the others (the slaves). This setup often forces "vendor lock-in," meaning it may be impossible to mix and match charging stations from different manufacturers. Additionally, local solutions are more expensive than cloud-based solutions because they require additional cabling and underground installation.

[0034] One objective is to provide a cloud-based solution that responds to situations where one or more charging points go offline while receiving load management services. In one embodiment, bandwidth is reserved for uncontrollable offline charging points by reducing the available capacity of remaining online charging stations. Furthermore, once a user stops charging, the maximum available current at the charging point can be set to a minimum current. This mitigates the risk associated with charging points being offline and recent requests being for excessively high power (such as maximum power).

[0035] The proposed solution is not limited to a specific hardware manufacturer or charging station model; rather, it is compatible with, for example, any OCPP-compliant charging station. Furthermore, offline functionality is deployed via the cloud. This means that no operation may be required at the actual installation site. Charging stations do not need to be physically connected to each other.

[0036] When a charging station goes offline—meaning its status may have changed from online to offline—the device can reduce the available capacity of the DLM group. The device can be configured to detect offline status, for example, based on skipped heartbeats. A heartbeat is a periodic signal generated by the charging station's hardware or software to indicate to the device that it is operating normally. When the device detects a skipped heartbeat, it can detect that no heartbeats, i.e., specific messages, have been received from the charging station within a configured time period. The available capacity of the DLM group can be reduced by a value equal to the most recent charging request that the device sent to the charging station's charging point before going offline.

[0037] Initially, a charging station may be online. For example, a device configured to perform DLM can adjust the maximum current of that charging station to 10A.

[0038] Subsequently, the charging station goes offline. Since the device may no longer be able to control the charging points at the station, the available capacity of the DLM group can be reduced by 10A, where 10A corresponds to the most recently accepted request at the offline charging station. Therefore, the new DLM group limit could be 100A - 10A = 90A.

[0039] The charging station then becomes online. Once the device detects that the charging station is online again, it can restore the DLM group limit to 100A. The device can be configured to detect the charging station's online status based, for example, on a received heartbeat or any other message from the charging station.

[0040] Figure 1 An example is shown of a countermeasure performed by device 100 in the event that one or more charging stations in Dynamic Load Management Group 106 become offline, according to an example embodiment. Device 100 may be communicatively coupled to multiple charging stations. Device 100 and the multiple charging stations may be wirelessly coupled, for example, via the cloud. Device 100 may be configured to monitor and control one or more DLM groups. Each of the multiple charging stations may belong to one or more DLM groups. Because device 100 and the multiple charging stations can communicate wirelessly via the Internet, the device and the multiple charging stations can be located at a great distance from each other, for example, in different cities or even different countries.

[0041] At point 102, each charging station in DLM group 106 can be online. Therefore, DLM can be performed by device 100 as usual. For example, the maximum current limit of this group can be 64A. In the case of four charging stations in DLM group 106, each charging station can receive a maximum power of 16A.

[0042] At point 104, two charging stations in DLM group 106 may be offline. Therefore, device 100 can be configured to reduce the maximum current limit (i.e., maximum rated current) of DLM group 106 to the sum of the maximum rated currents of the two charging stations. For example, the maximum rated current of the first offline charging station could be 16A, and the maximum rated current of the second offline charging station could be 32A. The maximum rated current of a charging station can also be referred to as the maximum charging current. Therefore, the new temporary limit for DLM group 106 can be calculated as follows: 64A - 32A - 16A = 16A. Therefore, each charging station remaining online can receive a maximum of 8A (16A / 2).

[0043] At point 106, one of the multiple offline charging stations can return to an online state. After at least one offline charging station has re-established its connection to device 100, the maximum current limit of DLM group 106 can be recalculated by device 100. For example, if the first offline charging station with a maximum rated current of 16A re-establishes its connection, the new temporary limit can be calculated as follows: 64A - 32A = 32A. Therefore, the maximum current limit can be divided among three online charging stations, making the maximum current of each charging station 10A.

[0044] At point 108, the second offline charging station has also re-established its connection with device 100. Since each charging station in DLM group 106 is now back online, device 100 can restore its original maximum current limit of 64A. Device 100 can then send a current adjustment message to each charging station accordingly.

[0045] The above method may be particularly useful when some charging points are offline. However, when all charging points are offline, the device may no longer have any control over the charging stations when no online charging stations are available. Therefore, adjusting the available capacity of the group may not have the desired effect in all cases. Furthermore, considering the possibility that most or even all charging stations may be offline simultaneously, further improvements to dynamic load management are proposed.

[0046] The example implementation can mitigate the risk of a charging station going offline during the most recent request for maximum power. This can be achieved by setting the charging station's maximum rated current to a minimum current after charging transactions at the station have ceased. The minimum current could be, for example, 6A, or any other predetermined value. In practice, this might mean that all idle or inactive charging points are configured to output a maximum of 6A (or other predetermined value).

[0047] Once a user initiates a charging transaction, the device can be configured to calculate the "actual" maximum available current based on DLM logic, meaning the maximum rated current of the DLM group is allocated and evenly distributed among the charging points currently charging. If an inactive / idle charging station begins to lose connection and go offline, it cannot output a current exceeding the set 6A if an electric vehicle driver begins charging (e.g., using an RFID tag).

[0048] Because it might not be desirable to completely block charging, a minimum current of 6A can be set for inactive charging stations instead of simply setting it to 0A. From a user experience perspective, it would be terrible if users couldn't charge at all. The relevant power system could be designed to allow all charging points to charge simultaneously at the minimum current. However, in many cases, a site may not be able to meet the requirement of all these charging points charging at higher power simultaneously. This is why DLM (Diverterless Lightning Modulation) is used first.

[0049] In situations where most or all charging stations tend to be offline, automatically setting a minimum current for each charging station at the end of a charging transaction can be particularly useful. For example, consider a group of 20 charging stations with a maximum rated current of 32A, which, after the DLM loses connection, is set to 6A as their maximum rated current. The difference is significant. By setting a lower current value based on the charging station's status, the safe operation of the charging system can be ensured.

[0050] Figure 2 An example is shown of a countermeasure performed by device 100 when most charging stations in DLM group 106 are offline, according to an example embodiment; DLM group 106 includes multiple charging points.

[0051] At point 202, all charging points in DLM group 106 are online and charging the electric vehicle. Therefore, device 100 can be configured to perform DLM as usual.

[0052] At point 204, an electric vehicle departs. Since the associated charging point is no longer charging, it may enter an idle mode. In response to the detected idle mode, device 100 can be configured to set the maximum rated current value of the currently idle charging point to a predetermined value, such as 6A.

[0053] A moment later, the idle charging point goes offline. At point 206, a new electric vehicle arrives at the offline charging point, and someone begins charging, for example, using an RFID card. Advantageously, since the most recently received request at point 204 is 6A, the offline charging station cannot exceed the given current value. Therefore, while ensuring the normal operation and safety of the entire charging system, service can still be provided to customers. Typically, the charging system can refer to the charging station and related infrastructure, as well as the electric vehicles being charged. Because the maximum charging current of the offline charging station is determined based on the most recently received message, even if the user has VIP status, the current provided to the user can not exceed the predetermined current, whereas a higher current is usually provided based on VIP status.

[0054] The above procedure may not be exclusive. A device can be configured to... Figure 1 and Figure 2 Performing these two steps reduces the risk caused by temporary charging station outages. While this might seem excessive and inconvenient for EV drivers, in reality, a charging station outage is only a momentary issue. However, for example, telecommunications operators' services might be interrupted. In such cases, charging stations relying on cloud-based DLM (Dynamic Light Management System) could face problems. Therefore, a fail-safe mechanism is needed to address outages. If we exclude issues with telecommunications operators and assume the charging stations are well-designed and constructed, they shouldn't actually go offline, for example, due to poor signal. From this perspective, neither method should inconvenience EV drivers, as outages should be infrequent. Furthermore, from a user experience perspective, employing both methods might be better, as fuses will be very secure, meaning a blown fuse is unlikely (a blown fuse would prevent everyone from charging). Therefore, EV drivers will at least receive some charging during outage events.

[0055] Figure 3 An example of a method for improving dynamic load management during offline periods by reducing available capacity, according to an example embodiment, is shown.

[0056] At point 302, charging transaction events can be monitored by a device. This device can be configured to remotely monitor and control multiple charging stations via the internet. Therefore, this device can be referred to as a cloud-based device. A transaction event can refer to a change in the state of a charging point. This state can indicate, for example, whether the charging station is online or offline.

[0057] At operation 304, the method may include the device checking whether a charging point belongs to any DLM group when it receives an offline event from any charging point. Receiving an offline event may refer to receiving a transaction event indicating that the corresponding charging station is offline. Offline events may occur, for example, when no heartbeat message is received from the charging station, or when the device does not receive any other expected message from the charging station.

[0058] At operation 306, the method may include having the device check what the current maximum rated current of the DLM group is.

[0059] At operation 308, the method may include the device checking what the most recently accepted request for the offline charging point is.

[0060] At operation 310, a new maximum rated current for the associated DLM group can be calculated by subtracting the value from the most recently accepted request from the offline charging station from the current maximum current rating of the DLM group. This calculation can be performed by the device.

[0061] At operation 312, the method may include calculating, by the device, the current that each charging station can now be used for charging. The current value used for charging can be calculated by dividing the maximum rated current of the DLM group determined at operation 310 by the number of online charging stations.

[0062] At operation 314, the current of each online charging station can be adjusted. For example, the device can be configured to send a message to the online charging stations to adjust their respective maximum rated current based on the value determined at operation 312.

[0063] Figure 4 An example of a method for improving dynamic load management during offline periods by controlling minimum current based on charging transaction events, according to an example embodiment, is shown.

[0064] At Operation 402, charging transaction events can be monitored by a device. This device can be configured to remotely monitor and control multiple charging stations via the internet. Therefore, this device can be referred to as a cloud-based device. A transaction event can refer to a change in the state of a charging point. This state can indicate, for example, whether the charging station is online or offline. The transaction event can also indicate the charging status of the charging point, such as the start or stop of a charging event. The charging status can indicate the state of the charging station. For example, when the charging station is charging, its state can be active, and when the charging station is not charging, its state can be inactive.

[0065] At operation 404, the device can receive a report from the charging point or charging station instructing that the charging point is no longer charging. For example, this report can be triggered when an electric vehicle driver stops a charging transaction at a charging point.

[0066] At operation 406, the method may include the device checking whether the charging point belongs to the DLM group.

[0067] After determining that the charging point belongs to the DLM group, at operation 408, the method may include the device checking whether the DLM group has enabled the offline fault protection function. When the offline fault protection function is enabled, the device may be allowed to change the maximum rated current of the charging point if it is determined that there is no active charging transaction at each charging point, i.e., no one is currently charging at the charging point.

[0068] After determining that the offline fault protection function is enabled, at operation 410, the maximum rated current of the corresponding charging station can be set by the device to 6A. At operation 412, the method may include sending a current adjustment to the charging station. For example, the device may be configured to send a message with a stop charging transaction to the charging station to adjust the maximum rated current of the charging station according to the value determined at operation 410.

[0069] Further features of the method are directly derived from the functions and parameters of the device described in the appended claims and throughout the specification, and therefore will not be repeated here. It should be noted that one or more operations of the method may be performed in different orders.

[0070] Figure 5 An example of a device 100 configured to implement at least one example embodiment is shown.

[0071] Device 100 may include at least one processor 502. At least one processor 502 may include, for example, one or more various processing devices, such as coprocessors, microprocessors, controllers, digital signal processors (DSPs), processing circuitry with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing devices including integrated circuits such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), microcontroller units (MCUs), hardware accelerators, dedicated computer chips, etc.

[0072] Device 100 may also include at least one memory 504. Memory 504 may be configured to store, for example, computer program code 506, such as operating system software and application software. Memory 504 may include one or more volatile memory devices, one or more non-volatile memory devices, and / or combinations thereof. For example, the memory may be implemented as a magnetic storage device (e.g., hard disk drive, magnetic tape, etc.), an optical-magnetic storage device, or a semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROM, PROM (programmable ROM), EPROM (erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory), etc.).

[0073] Device 100 may also include a communication interface 508 configured to enable device 100 to send information to and / or receive information from other devices, such as a charging station. Communication interface 508 may be configured to provide at least one radio connection, such as a 3GPP mobile broadband connection (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G). However, communication interface 508 may be configured to provide one or more other types of connections, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) connection, for example, a connection standardized by the IEEE 802.11 series or the Wi-Fi Alliance; a short-range wireless network connection, such as Bluetooth, NFC (near-field communication), or RFID connection; a wired connection, such as a local area network (LAN) connection, a universal serial bus (USB) connection, or an optical network connection; or a wired internet connection. Communication interface 508 may include or be configured to be coupled to at least one antenna to transmit and / or receive radio frequency signals. One or more of the various types of connections may also be implemented as a separate communication interface, which may be coupled or configured to be coupled to multiple antennas.

[0074] Device 100 may include, for example, server devices, client devices, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, etc. In one embodiment, device 100 may include a CSMS (Content Management System). The device may be cloud-based. Therefore, device 100 may include applications, services, or resources provided to users on demand from a cloud computing server via the Internet. Although device 100 is shown as a single device, it should be understood that, where applicable, the functionality of device 100 may be distributed to multiple devices.

[0075] When device 100 is configured to perform certain functions, some components and / or components of device 100 (e.g., at least one processor 502 and / or memory 504) can be configured to implement those functions. Furthermore, when at least one processor 502 is configured to perform certain functions, those functions can be implemented using, for example, program code 506 included in memory 504.

[0076] The functions described herein can be performed at least in part by one or more computer program product components (e.g., software components). According to one embodiment, device 100 includes processor 502 or processor circuitry, such as a microcontroller, which, when executed, is configured by program code 506 to perform embodiments of the described operations and functions. Alternatively or additionally, the functions described herein can be performed at least in part by one or more hardware logic components. Illustrative types of hardware logic components that can be used, such as but not limited to, include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), system-on-a-chip systems (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and graphics processing units (GPUs).

[0077] The device 100 includes means for performing at least one method described herein. In one example, the device includes at least one processor 502, and the at least one memory 504 includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor 502, cause the device 100 to perform the method.

[0078] Those skilled in the art will understand that, with advancements in technology, the basic idea of ​​this invention can be implemented in various ways. Therefore, this invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above; rather, they can be varied within the scope of the claims.

[0079] An apparatus may be configured to perform or cause to perform any aspect of the methods described herein. Furthermore, a computer program may include instructions for causing the apparatus to perform any aspect of the methods described herein when executed. Additionally, an apparatus may include means for performing any aspect of the methods described herein. According to an example embodiment, the apparatus includes at least one processor and a memory including program code, the at least one memory and the program code being configured to cause performance of any aspect of the methods when executed by the at least one processor.

[0080] Any ranges or device values ​​given herein may be extended or modified without losing the desired effect. Furthermore, any embodiment may be combined with another embodiment unless expressly prohibited.

[0081] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or actions, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims, and other equivalent features and actions are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

[0082] It should be understood that the above benefits and advantages may relate to one embodiment or several embodiments. The embodiments are not limited to those that solve any or all of the described problems, or those that have any or all of the described benefits and advantages. It should also be understood that reference to "a" may refer to one or more of these items.

[0083] The methods described herein can be operated in any suitable order, or simultaneously where appropriate. Furthermore, individual blocks can be removed from any method without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Aspects of any of the above embodiments can be combined with aspects of any other described embodiments to form further embodiments without losing the desired effects.

[0084] The term “comprising” is used herein to mean including the identified methods, boxes, or elements, but such boxes or elements do not include an exclusive list and methods or devices may include additional boxes or elements.

[0085] As used herein, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more of the following: (a) an implementation of hardware circuitry alone (e.g., an implementation in analog and / or digital circuitry alone); and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor with software (including digital signal processors), software, and memory, which work together to enable a device (e.g., a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions; and (c) a hardware circuitry or processor (e.g., a microprocessor or a portion thereof) that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but which may be absent when not required to operate. This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim.

[0086] As a further example, as used herein, the term "circuit" also encompasses implementations of hardware circuitry or processors (or processors in general) or a portion thereof and their accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuit" also encompasses, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0087] It should be understood that the above description is given by way of example only, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art. The foregoing specification, examples, and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments. Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to certain features or one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art can make many modifications to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of this specification.

Claims

1. A device for dynamic load management, the device comprising: a communication interface for wireless communication with a plurality of charging stations; at least one processor; at least one memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to: monitor, by the communication interface, for an event indicative of a change in status of the plurality of charging stations; determine, based on the event, that at least one charging station has changed from online to offline; determine whether the at least one charging station belongs to a dynamic load management group; determine a current maximum current rating of the dynamic load management group; determine a most recent request for a maximum charging current accepted by the at least one charging station from the at least one charging station, wherein the most recent request for a maximum charging current is sent by the device to the at least one charging station and accepted by the at least one charging station prior to the status of the respective charging station changing from online to offline; determine a new maximum current rating of the dynamic load management group by reducing the current maximum current rating of the dynamic load management group by the maximum charging current of the most recent accepted request; determine a new maximum charging current for each charging station in the dynamic load management group that remains online based on the determined new maximum current rating of the dynamic load management group divided by a number of online charging stations in the dynamic load management group; send, by the communication interface, a message including the new maximum charging current to each of the online charging stations for current adjustment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, the at least one memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to: determine, based on the event, that a charging station is in an inactive state; determine whether the inactive charging station belongs to a dynamic load management group; set the maximum charging current of the inactive charging station belonging to the dynamic load management group to a predetermined value; send, by the communication interface, a message including the predetermined value as the maximum charging current to the inactive charging station.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, the predetermined value is 6A.

4. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein, the event includes at least one of: a transaction event, a status notification, a skipped heartbeat message.

5. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, the at least one memory further including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to: detect, based on the event, that at least one charging station has changed from offline to online; recompute the maximum current rating of the respective dynamic load management group by increasing the current maximum current rating with the value of the most recent accepted maximum charging current request of the charging station that is online again; send, by the communication interface, a message including the new maximum charging current to each of the online charging stations for current adjustment.

6. The apparatus of any one of claims 2-3, wherein, the at least one memory further including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to: check whether the respective dynamic load management group allows setting the maximum charging current of an inactive charging station to a predetermined value; wherein the maximum charging current of the inactive charging station is changed to the predetermined value when the respective dynamic load management group allows.

7. A computer-implemented method for dynamic load management, comprising: monitoring, by a device, through a communication interface for wireless communication, for an event indicative of a state change of a plurality of charging stations; determining, by the device, based on the event, that at least one charging station has changed from online to offline; determining, by the device, whether the at least one charging station belongs to a dynamic load management group; determining, by the device, a current maximum rated current of the dynamic load management group; determining, by the device, a most recent request for a maximum charging current accepted by the at least one charging station from the at least one charging station, wherein the most recent request for a maximum charging current is sent by the device to the at least one charging station and accepted by the at least one charging station before the state of the respective charging station changed from online to offline; determining, by the device, a new maximum rated current of the dynamic load management group by reducing the current maximum rated current of the dynamic load management group by the maximum charging current of the most recent accepted request; determining, by the device, a new maximum charging current for each charging station in the dynamic load management group that remains online based on the determined new maximum rated current of the dynamic load management group divided by the number of online charging stations in the dynamic load management group; sending, by the device, through the communication interface, a message including the new maximum charging current to each of the online charging stations for current adjustment.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: determining, by the device, based on the event, that a charging station is in an inactive state; determining, by the device, whether the inactive charging station belongs to a dynamic load management group; setting, by the device, the maximum charging current of the inactive charging station belonging to the dynamic load management group to a predetermined value; sending, by the device, through the communication interface, a message including the predetermined value as the maximum charging current to the inactive charging station.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined value is 6A.

10. The method of any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein, The event includes at least one of: a transaction event, a status notification, a skipped heartbeat.

11. The method of any one of claims 7 to 9, further comprising: detecting, by the device, based on the event, that at least one charging station has changed from offline to online; recomputing, by the device, the maximum rated current of the respective dynamic load management group by increasing the current maximum rated current with the value of the most recent accepted maximum charging current request of the again online charging station; sending, by the device, through the communication interface, a message including the new maximum charging current to each of the online charging stations for current adjustment.

12. The method of any one of claims 8 to 9, comprising: checking, by the device, whether a respective dynamic load management group allows setting a maximum charging current of an inactive charging station to a predetermined value; changing, when the respective dynamic load management group allows, the maximum charging current of the inactive charging station to the predetermined value.

13. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of claim 7.

14. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of claim 7.

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