Method of configuring electric vehicle charging station to enable plug-and-play function

Abstract

Various example embodiments relate to configurations of an electric vehicle charging station (102) and a charging station management system (101) such that authorization without user interaction can be achieved in response to a plug-in electric vehicle (103). A computing device (200), a method (600), a computer readable medium, and a computer program are disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application generally relates to electric vehicle charging stations. In particular, some example embodiments of the present application relate to the configuration of plug & charge functionality at an electric vehicle charging station. Background Art

[0002] When an electric vehicle (EV) driver wishes to begin charging at a charging station, they may be authorized based on identification provided by the driver at the charging station.

[0003] Improving the user experience when charging starts would be beneficial. Summary of the invention

[0004] This Summary is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] Example embodiments may enable configuration of a charging station and a charging station management system to enable automatic authorization. Automatic authorization may enable a user to begin charging at a charging station such that the user only needs to plug in the charging cable of their electric vehicle. The configuration may be implemented between the charging station and the charging station management system such that no data from the charging cable or vehicle is required. Furthermore, the interaction required by the user may be minimized.

[0006] According to a first aspect, a computer-implemented method is provided. The method may include: receiving a first message for authorization from an electric vehicle charging station, the message including an indicator of an automatic authorization function initiated by detecting that an electric vehicle is connected to the electric vehicle charging station and an identifier of the electric vehicle charging station; when the identifier is not associated with an authorized user, refusing authorization based on the identifier of the charging station; receiving a second message for authorization from the electric vehicle charging station, the message including an identifier of a user; accepting authorization after determining that the identifier of the user is associated with the authorized user; determining whether any message for authorization including the indicator is rejected within a predetermined interval from accepting the authorization; when a message including the indicator is received within a predetermined interval, linking the identifier of the charging station with the authorized user associated with the identifier of the user; and for any subsequent message for authorization including the identifier of the charging station with the indicator, accepting authorization based on the linked authorized user.

[0007] In one embodiment, the predetermined interval has a value between ten seconds and ten minutes.

[0008] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the computer-implemented method may further include: in response to detecting a connected electric vehicle, sending a request to determine whether a user wishes to enable an automatic authorization function at the electric vehicle charging station; and upon receiving approval from the user, linking an identifier of the charging station with the authorized user.

[0009] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the computer-implemented method may further include: determining a charging station group to which the electric vehicle charging station belongs; determining whether the charging stations in the group allow automatic authorization; and if the group allows automatic authorization, linking an identifier of the charging station with an authorized user.

[0010] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, wherein the request is sent to the user in response to determining that the group allows automatic authorization only after approval is received from the user.

[0011] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the computer-implemented method may further include: receiving a startup notification from an electric vehicle charging station; in response to the startup notification, requesting configuration settings of the electric vehicle charging station; based on the configuration settings, determining whether an automatic authorization function is set to be enabled, the automatic authorization function including using an identifier of the electric vehicle charging station with an indicator; when automatic authorization is disabled, determining whether automatic authorization for the group is allowed to be enabled at startup; and sending a configuration message to the electric vehicle charging station to enable the automatic authorization function and set an identifier of the charging station with an indicator for use when automatic authorization is allowed.

[0012] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the computer-implemented method may further include: sending a request to the user to determine whether the electric vehicle charging station is the user's personal electric vehicle charging station; and upon receiving verification from the user, removing the electric vehicle charging station from the group.

[0013] According to a second aspect, a computing device is provided. The computing device includes at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory including program code, the at least one memory being configured to, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to: receive a first message for authorization from an electric vehicle charging station, the message including an indicator of an automatic authorization function initiated by detecting that an electric vehicle is connected to the electric vehicle charging station and an identifier of the electric vehicle charging station; when the identifier is not associated with an authorized user, deny authorization based on the identifier of the charging station; receive a second message for authorization from the electric vehicle charging station, the message including the identifier of the user; accept authorization after determining that the identifier of the user is associated with the authorized user; determine whether any message for authorization including the indicator is rejected within a predetermined interval from accepting the authorization; when a message including the indicator is received within a predetermined interval, link the identifier of the charging station with the authorized user associated with the identifier of the user; and for any subsequent message for authorization including the identifier of the charging station with the indicator, accept authorization based on the linked authorized user.

[0014] In one embodiment, at least one memory including program code is further configured to, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computing device to: in response to detecting a connected electric vehicle, send a request to determine whether a user wishes to enable an automatic authorization function at the electric vehicle charging station; and upon receiving approval from the user, link an identifier of the charging station with an authorized user.

[0015] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, at least one memory including program code is further configured to, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computing device to: determine the charging station group to which the electric vehicle charging station belongs; determine whether the charging stations in the group allow automatic authorization; and if the group allows automatic authorization, link the identifier of the charging station with the authorized user.

[0016] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, at least one memory including program code is further configured to, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computing device to: send a request to a user to determine whether the electric vehicle charging station is the user's personal electric vehicle charging station, the request including location information of the electric vehicle charging station to be verified by the user; and after receiving verification from the user, remove the electric vehicle charging station from the group.

[0017] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, at least one memory including program code is further configured to, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computing device to: determine whether automatic authorization is allowed in the group only after receiving approval from the user; and send a request to determine whether the user wishes to enable the automatic authorization function at the electric vehicle charging station.

[0018] In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, at least one memory including program code is further configured to, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computing device to: receive a startup notification from an electric vehicle charging station; in response to the startup notification, request configuration settings for the electric vehicle charging station; based on the configuration settings, determine whether the automatic authorization function and the use of the first identifier with an indicator are set to be enabled; when the automatic authorization setting is not enabled, determine whether to allow the configuration of the automatic authorization setting for the group at startup; and send a configuration message to the electric vehicle charging station to enable the automatic authorization function, and when the configuration is allowed, set the first identifier with an indicator for use for the charging station.

[0019] According to a third aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed on a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method of the first aspect.

[0020] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method of the first aspect.

[0021] Many of the accompanying features will be more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of example embodiments and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate example embodiments and together with the description help explain the principles of example embodiments. In the drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 A process for configuring and enabling plug-and-charge at a charging station according to an example embodiment is shown from a user's perspective;

[0024] Figure 2 An example of a computing device configured to implement one or more example embodiments is shown;

[0025] Figure 3 shows a message sequence diagram between a charging station and a charging station management system for enabling plug-and-charge at a charging station according to an example embodiment;

[0026] Figure 4 shows a message sequence diagram between a charging station and a charging station management system for automatic configuration of a charging station according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0027] Figure 5 shows a message sequence chart between a charging station and a charging station management system for verification of allowed plug-and-charge operation according to an example embodiment; and

[0028] Figure 6 A flow chart for configuring a charging station to enable plug-and-charge operation is shown according to an example embodiment.

[0029] In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Reference will now be made in detail to example embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The detailed description provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended to be a description of examples of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only form in which examples of the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions of the examples and possible sequences of operations for constructing and operating the examples. However, the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be implemented by different examples.

[0031] Electric vehicle charging stations are used to charge electric vehicles (EVs). Charging stations can be connected to a charging station management system (CSMS), for example, via an open charge point protocol (OCPP). EV drivers own electric vehicles and charge their EVs at charging stations.

[0032] Authorization at the charging station can be done with an RFID card or a mobile application. However, it may be cumbersome for EV drivers to initiate authorization every time they arrive at a charging station for charging. In addition, RFID cards or mobile phones may not always be convenient to carry around, and they are often easily lost.

[0033] Technically, each EV driver can be identified with a unique identifier, and when the EV driver presents an RFID card or uses their mobile phone to start charging, the charging station sends the unique identifier to the charging station management system for authorization.

[0034] During the authorization process, the charging station asks the management system whether a specific identifier can start charging at the charging station. The management system then checks which (if any) EV driver the identifier belongs to and approves or denies the charging attempt.

[0035] At home charging stations, which may only be used by a single EV driver, a technology called Plug and Charge is typically used (not to be confused with ISO15118 Plug and Charge, which is a different technology authorized between the EV and the charging station via the EV's charging cable).

[0036] When using plug-and-charge technology, EV drivers may not need to use RFID cards / tags or mobile applications for authorization, but instead use a fixed identifier (also called idTag) that is configured to the charging station (e.g., plug-and-charge ID=ABC123). When the EV driver connects the charging cable to the charging station, the charging station can automatically send an authorization request to the CSMS using a fixed identifier. Depending on the protocol used, the request may include, for example, "Authorize, idTag=ABC123". The EV driver may not need to use an RFID card or mobile application in the authorization. The CSMS then needs to approve the authorization, which is processed in the same way as any identifier (just like the start-up done with RFID or mobile application). The CSMS system can have the same identifier configured to the EV driver account, for example, an EV driver named John Doe can be associated with idTag=ABC123. If the CSMS approves the request, charging can be started automatically without the EV driver using an RFID card or mobile application. For example, the CSMS can find the idTag (ABC123) from John Doe's driver account and accept the authorization-message.

[0037] To enable plug-and-charge, two different places may need the same configuration: the charging station needs to have a fixed identifier, such as an idTag, and enable the plug-and-charge configuration, and the CSMS needs to have the same identifier linked to an authorized party (such as with an EV driver account).

[0038] One solution to configure the identifier to two different locations (charging station and CSMS) is to have some kind of setting in the mobile app, which requires the EV driver to log in to the app provided by the CSMS operator. In the app, there can be a setting "Enable Plug and Charge". When the EV driver then enables that setting, the CSMS adds a new identifier to the CSMS configuration, sends the same identifier to the charging station's configuration, and enables Plug and Charge at the charging station.

[0039] This approach may not provide the best customer experience. The main problem is that EV drivers usually have many different apps in their mobile phones. They may have an app from the charging station manufacturer, an app from the CSMS operator, and different apps can have different settings. EV drivers may not even know that there is such a thing as plug-and-charge. Moreover, they may not know from which app and from which setting to search for it. Especially for people who are not tech-savvy, finding the right setting from the right app is not an easy or optimal solution.

[0040] Generally speaking, plug and charge can refer to an automatic identification and authorization process to begin charging an electric vehicle, where the only action required by the driver is to plug the charging cable into the EV and / or charging station.

[0041] One object (of the present application) is to enable the plug and charge feature in a simpler way and configure the correct identifiers for both the charging station and the CSMS locations so that the required user interaction can be minimized.

[0042] The proposed procedure differs from ISO15118, a standard for vehicle-to-grid communication that specifies the way a vehicle communicates with a charging device. This standard also defines the prerequisites for identification using a cable or via Wi-Fi, enabling the charging device and backend services to identify the vehicle and its owner when the vehicle is plugged in. On the other hand, in the present disclosure, the identification is based on a fixed identifier of the respective charging station, rather than, for example, on information obtained from the vehicle, such as based on an identifier of the charging cable.

[0043] With the methods described herein, charging at a specific charging station (such as at home) becomes as easy and automatic as possible, enabling non-technical experts with little technical knowledge to do it. The user does not even need to know how to install the mobile application or configure from the application.

[0044] In one embodiment, when a user plugs an EV into a charging station for the first time, the user can use an RFID card that the user obtains from a CSMS operator to identify himself to the charging station. After the first identification, charging can begin normally. However, as a new feature, plug and charge is automatically enabled without any interaction from the user, so that the user does not need to perform any configuration anywhere. Therefore, the next time the user connects the charging cable to the charging station, plug and charge is already working, and after the first charge, an RFID card or mobile application may no longer be required for authorization.

[0045] Figure 1 The process of configuring and enabling plug-and-charge at charging station 102 according to an example embodiment is shown from a user's perspective.

[0046] Generally speaking, a charging station designed for home use may have a factory configuration in which the plug-and-charge feature is set to be enabled. The factory configuration may further include an identifier that is unique to each charging station.

[0047] When a user 104 (such as an EV driver) plugs an EV 103 into a charging station 102 for the first time, the charging station 102 may send a message to the CSMS 101 to authorize based on the identifier. Because the factory-set identifier of the charging station 102 is not linked to any EV driver account, the CSMS 101 denies authorization and charging does not begin. An EV driver account may refer to any account associated with an authorized party. An EV driver account may include, for example, user information such as name and payment or billing details.

[0048] Thereafter, the EV driver may present their RFID card 105, which is linked to the EV driver account, to the charging station 102. The charging station 102 may then send a new message for authorization to the CSMS 101, where the message now includes an identification determined based on the RFID card 105 of the user 104. The CSMS 101 may now accept the authorization message and may begin charging at the corresponding charging station.

[0049] After authorization, CSMS 101 can check whether any authorization message with the factory-set identifier has been rejected within a predetermined interval. If such a rejected authorization message is found, CSMS 101 links the rejected factory-set identifier with the same EV driver account to which the accepting identifier belongs.

[0050] The next time the EV driver connects the charging cable, the charging station 102 again sends an authorization message including the factory-set identifier of the corresponding charging station 102. This time, the identifier is found from the EV driver account and the authorization message can be accepted by the CSMS 101. Therefore, charging can be started automatically without using RFID.

[0051] In addition to the RFID card 105, a mobile application can also be used to authorize the user 104. The user 104 can initiate authorization using the mobile application from a mobile device 106 (such as a mobile phone of the user 104). Therefore, the plug-and-charge feature can be provided without the need for some settings that may be complicated or difficult to find in the mobile application. The working principle of this configuration is similar to the RFID card 105, but the user 104 does not need to show the RFID card 105, but can log in to the mobile application provided by the CSMS101 and start charging according to the mobile application. After the initial charging event, the mobile application is no longer required to start charging because the plug-and-charge has been configured and enabled.

[0052] In one embodiment, CSMS 101 can be configured to display a notification that plug and charge is enabled to user 104 via a mobile application. Thus, user 104 knows that the next time they connect their vehicle to a charging station, charging can automatically begin without any further action by user 104.

[0053] Figure 2 An example of a computing device 200 configured to implement one or more example embodiments is shown. The computing device 200 may include, for example, a server device, a client device, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, etc. Although the computing device 200 is shown as a single device, it should be understood that the functionality of the computing device 200 may be distributed across multiple devices where applicable. In an embodiment, the charging station management system 101 may include the computing device 200.

[0054] The computing device 200 may include at least one processor 201. The at least one processor 201 may include, for example, one or more of various processing devices, such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing circuit 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.

[0055] The computing device 200 may further include at least one memory 202. The memory 202 may be configured to store, for example, computer program code 203, such as operating system software and application software. The memory 202 may include one or more volatile memory devices, one or more non-volatile memory devices, and / or a combination thereof. For example, the memory may be implemented as a magnetic storage device (such as a hard disk drive, a magnetic tape, etc.), an optical magnetic storage device, or a semiconductor memory (such as a mask ROM, a PROM (programmable ROM), an EPROM (erasable PROM), a flash ROM, a RAM (random access memory), etc.

[0056] The computing device 200 may also include a communication interface 204, which is configured to enable the computing device 200 to send and / or receive information to / from other devices. The communication interface 204 may be configured to provide at least one radio connection, such as a 3GPP mobile broadband connection (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G). However, the communication interface 204 may be configured to provide one or more other types of connections, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) connection, such as, 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, etc.; or a wired Internet connection. The communication interface 204 may include or be configured to be connected to at least one antenna to send 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 connected or configured to be connected to multiple antennas.

[0057] When the computing device 200 is configured to implement a certain function, a certain component and / or several components of the computing device 200 (such as, for example, at least one processor 201 and / or memory 202) can be configured to implement the function. In addition, when the at least one processor 201 is configured to implement a certain function, the function can be implemented using, for example, the program code 203 included in the memory 202.

[0058] The functions described herein may be performed at least in part by one or more computer program product components, such as software components. According to an embodiment, the computing device 200 includes a processor 201 or a processor circuit, such as a microcontroller, which is configured by program code 203 when executed to perform the described operations and embodiments of the functions. Alternatively or additionally, the functions described herein may be performed at least in part by one or more hardware logic components. For example, but not limited to, illustrative types of hardware logic components that may be used include field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), systems on chips (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and graphics processing units (GPUs).

[0059] The computing device 200 includes means for performing at least one method described herein. In one example, the means includes at least one processor 201, and the at least one memory 202 includes program code 203, which is configured to, when executed by the at least one processor 201, cause the computing device 200 to perform the method.

[0060] Figure 3A message sequence chart between the charging station 102 and the charging station management system 101 is shown for enabling plug-and-charge at the charging station 102 according to an example embodiment.

[0061] At 300, the charging station 102 is configured with a unique identifier. In addition, the charging station 102 can be configured to enable plug-and-play charging. When plug-and-play charging is enabled at the charging station, the charging station can be configured to send an authorization message including the unique identifier to the CSMS when the charging station detects that the charging cable of the EV is connected to the charging station. This configuration can be set at the factory.

[0062] The configuration may include an identifier for the Plug and Charge feature, for example, "P&C idTag = 'PANDC: xxxxxx'", where xxxxx is a unique identifier for each charging station. The unique identifier of the charging station may be accompanied by an affix. In the previous example, the affix is ​​represented by the prefix "PANDC:". The affix may include, for example, one or more letters, numbers, or a combination of letters and numbers. The affix may be used as an indicator that the message includes an identifier based on the Plug and Charge authorization.

[0063] At 301 , charging station 102 may be configured to detect that an EV is plugged into charging station 102 .

[0064] At 302, the charging station 102 may be configured to send a message to the CSMS. The message may be an OCPP message. The message may include, for example, an authorization request based on an identifier of the charging station 102 (e.g., "Authorize, idTag=PANDC:xxxxxx"). The CSMS 101 then receives the message, and if the CSMS 101 determines at 303 that the identifier (idTag=PANDC:xxxxxx) is not linked to any EV driver account, the CSMS 101 denies authorization at 304. Therefore, at 305, charging is not started at the charging station 102.

[0065] Thereafter, at 306, the EV driver may present their RFID card, which is linked to the corresponding EV driver account, to the RFID reader of the charging station 102. Then, at 307, the charging station 102 may send a new authorization message to the CSMS 101 with another identifier (e.g., idTag=A1B2C3D4, where A1B2C3D4 is the number of the RFID card). At 308, the CSMS 101 may be configured to determine that the received identifier is associated with the EV driver account (e.g., the RFID card is owned by John Doe, and the RFID-based identifier is linked to an account of a user named John Doe at the CSMS 101). At 309, the CSMS 101 system may accept the authorization message. In response, at 310, charging may be started at the corresponding charging station 102.

[0066] After authorization, at 311, CSMS101 may check within a predetermined interval 312 whether any authorization message with an identifier starting with a specific indicator (such as "PANDC:") has been rejected. The predetermined interval 312 may be any value between 10 seconds and 10 minutes. For example, CSMS101 may check whether any authorization has been rejected within the past 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds, 2 minutes, or 5 minutes. If such a rejected authorization message is found (e.g., at 304), then at operation 313, CSMS101 may be configured to link idTag=PANDC:xxxxxx (received at 302) to the same EV driver account to which the accepted idTagA1B2C3D4 (received at 307) belongs.

[0067] The next time the EV driver connects the charging cable (at 314), the charging station 102 again sends an authorization message at 315 (such as "Authorize, idTag=PANDC:xxxxxx"), which includes an indicator and an identifier of the charging station 102. Now, at 316, the CSMS 101 can be configured to determine that idTag=PANDC:xxxxxx is found from the EV driver account (e.g., John Doe's account). Therefore, at 317, the CSMS 101 is configured to accept the authorization message received at 315. Therefore, at 318, the charging station receives the acceptance, and charging can begin automatically without the use of RFID.

[0068] At 306, instead of using an RFID card, an identifier associated with the user may be received, for example, via a mobile application or a user interface of the charging station. When using a mobile application, the identifier of the charging station may be linked to the same EV driver account logged into the mobile application. In one embodiment, the charging station 102 may include a device for receiving a user identifier manually entered by a user. The identifier of the charging station may then be linked to the EV driver account that is linked to the identifier entered by the user.

[0069] In one embodiment, the mobile application may request from the user whether they want to enable the plug and charge function after operation 311. If the user uses an RFID card for identification, the request may be displayed to the user the next time the user opens the mobile application. In one embodiment, after receiving approval from the user via the mobile application, the CSMS 101 may be configured to proceed to operation 313. The benefit is that more control is provided for the settings while keeping it simple and not requiring the EV driver to look for settings somewhere in the mobile application to configure the plug and charge.

[0070] In an embodiment, the charging station may be pre-configured at the factory. Thus, when the charging station is shipped for deployment, it may already include the correct configuration (e.g., Plug and Charge = enabled, idTag = PANDC: xxxxxx). However, many charging stations may be shipped with a default configuration in which Plug and Charge is disabled.

[0071] Figure 4 A message sequence diagram between a charging station and a charging station management system for automatic configuration of a charging station according to an example embodiment is shown. In an embodiment, the charging station management system can be configured to automatically configure the charging station upon restart so that automatic authorization is enabled without factory commissioning or manual configuration to start charging a plugged-in electric vehicle at a corresponding charging station.

[0072] At 400, charging station 102 may be configured at the factory so that the plug-and-charge functionality is disabled. That is, the charging station is not configured to automatically send an authorization message in response to a detected EV connection. The charging station may not include an identifier associated with an indicator of the plug-and-charge functionality.

[0073] At 401, the CSMS 101 may be configured to form one or more groups of one or more charging stations. A charging station 102 may be added to a group, such as a home charging station group. Each group may have a setting for configuration of plug-and-play charging at restart, where the configuration is set to allow (yes) or not allow (no).

[0074] At 402, CSMS 101 may receive a startup notification message when charging station 102 restarts / starts up. After receiving the message, at 403, CSMS 101 may be configured to determine what the setting of the group to which the charging station belongs is for the configuration of plug-and-charge at the time of restart.

[0075] If the configuration is allowed, at 404, CSMS101 can be configured to send a message (such as OCPP GetConfiguration) to charging station 102 to obtain its current configuration for plug and play. At 405, charging station 102 responds with its configuration information. Based on the received configuration information, at 406, CSMS101 can determine to disable plug and play at charging station 102. In response, at 407, CSMS101 can be configured to send a message (e.g., OCPP ChangeConfiguration) to charging station 102 to change the configuration to plug and play = Enable, idTag = PANDC: xxxxxx, where xxxxxx is the identifier of charging station 102.

[0076] After the new configuration at 408 (including the enabled settings and correct settings for plug and play), at 301, the charging station 102 can detect that the electric vehicle is plugged in. At 302, the charging station 102 is now configured to send an authorization message including an identifier for plug and play. Thereafter, the CSMS 101 and the charging station 102 can be configured to perform Figure 3 Therefore, the description of these operations will not be repeated here.

[0077] Figure 5 A message sequence diagram between a charging station and a charging station management system for verification of allowed plug-and-charge operation according to an exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0078] At 500, CSMS 101 may be configured to form one or more charging station groups. CSMS 101 may add charging station 102 to a group with a setting for plug-and-play charging that allows (yes), does not allow (no), or allows only after user approval (ask). For example, the group may include charging stations indicated as home charging stations. The group may correspond to Figure 4 Thus, a group of charging stations may be configured by the CSMS 101 for performing verification of the allowance of plug-and-play operation and configuration of plug-and-play settings upon restart.

[0079] The charging station 102 may include settings for plug-and-charge, which may be factory settings (at 300) or configured at restart (at 408). After the charging station 102 detects that the electric vehicle is plugged in at 301, the system including the charging station 102 and the CSMS 101 may perform the following steps: Figure 3 Operations 302-312 described in .

[0080] After operation 311 , the CSMS 101 may be configured to determine at 501 the group to which the charging station 102 belongs and what the setting of the group is for plug-and-charge.

[0081] If set to no, plug and play charging is not enabled for the corresponding EV driver at charging station 102. If set to yes, CSMS 101 is configured to proceed to operation 313 and link the identifier of charging station 102 with the user account associated with the identifier received at 307. If the setting requires that the user be asked first, at 502, CSMS 101 is configured to send an approval request to user 104. User 104 may receive the request, for example, via an application running on their mobile phone, and reply to CSMS 101 with approval at 503. After CSMS 101 receives the approval, CSMS 101 may be configured to proceed to operation 313. Thereafter, at 314-318, any subsequent authorization requests in response to the plug-in electric vehicle at charging station 102 may be automatically verified by CMSM 101, as already done. Figure 3 Described in .

[0082] In the previous example, the charging station may have been linked to the EV driver account through the CSMS. However, when a new charging station leaves the factory with default settings, it may not be linked to any EV driver account and may not know which user owns the charging station. Therefore, the CSMS may not know which user should be notified via the mobile application.

[0083] In one embodiment, the charging station can be linked to an EV driver account based on an identifier received via at least one of an RFID card or a mobile application at the time of initial charging at the charging station. The charging station can be added to a group by the CSMS, such as a home charging station group with factory settings. The user can identify themselves at the charging station at the time of initial charging to start charging using, for example, their RFID card. Thus, after authorization is performed based on the RFID card, charging can begin normally. The CSMS can be configured to send a notification to the user via a mobile application running on the user's mobile device. The CSMS can determine the correct recipient of the notification based on the identifier received for authorization.

[0084] The notification can be configured to start a dialog with the user in which the user is asked whether the charging station is their home charging station, what point-of-interest data is associated with the charging station (e.g., its location on a map), and / or whether the user wants to enable the plug-and-charge feature. If the user confirms that the charging station is their home charging station, the CSMS can be configured to remove the corresponding charging station from the group to avoid further group-specific configuration (e.g., Figure 4 and Figure 5 In addition, the mobile application can display a map view to the user, where the user can point to the correct coordinates of the charging station. In addition, the user can add different POI data for the charging station, such as a name, photo, or other data. If the user chooses to enable plug and charge, the CSMS can configure the charging station to automatically authorize when the EV is plugged in at the charging station by linking the identifier of the charging station with the EV user account associated with the user's identifier, as previously described in Figure 3 As described in .

[0085] Figure 6 A flow chart of a method 400 of configuring a charging station to enable plug-and-charge operation is shown according to an example embodiment.

[0086] At 601 , the method may include receiving a first message for authorization from an electric vehicle charging station, the message including an indicator of an automatic authorization function initiated by detecting that an electric vehicle is connected to the electric vehicle charging station and an identifier of the electric vehicle charging station.

[0087] At 602 , the method may include denying authorization based on an identifier of the charging station when the identifier is not associated with an authorized user.

[0088] At 603 , the method may include receiving a second message for authorization from the electric vehicle charging station, the message including an identifier of the user.

[0089] At 604, the method may include accepting authorization upon determining that the identifier of the user is associated with an authorized user.

[0090] At 605, the method may include determining whether any message for authorization including the indicator is rejected within a predetermined interval from accepting the authorization.

[0091] At 606 , the method may include linking the identifier of the charging station with an authorized user associated with the identifier of the user when a message including the indicator is received within a predetermined interval.

[0092] At 607 , the method may include, for any subsequent message for authorization that includes the identifier of the charging station with the indicator, accepting the authorization based on the linked authorized user.

[0093] It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the basic idea can be implemented in various ways.Thus, the aspects and their embodiments are not limited to the examples described above, but instead they may vary within the scope of the claims.

[0094] Any range or device value given herein may be expanded or altered without losing the effect sought. Furthermore, any embodiment may be combined with another embodiment unless expressly prohibited.

[0095] Although the claimed subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or acts, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Instead, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims, and other equivalent features and acts are intended to fall within the scope of the claims.

[0096] It should be understood that the above benefits and advantages may relate to one embodiment or may relate to several embodiments. These embodiments are not limited to those embodiments that solve any or all of the problems described, or those embodiments that have any or all of the benefits and advantages described. It will also be understood that references to "one", "at least one" and "one or more" items may refer to one or more of those items or a plurality of those items.

[0097] The operations of the methods described herein may be performed in any appropriate order, or simultaneously where appropriate. In addition, individual blocks may be deleted from any method without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Aspects of any of the above-described embodiments may be combined with aspects of any other embodiment described to form additional embodiments without losing the effects sought.

[0098] The term "comprising" is used herein to mean including the identified methods, blocks or elements, but such blocks or elements do not include an exclusive list and the method or apparatus may contain additional blocks or elements.

[0099] Although an object may be referred to as the "first" or "second" object, this does not necessarily indicate any order or importance of these objects. Instead, these attributes may be used solely for the purpose of creating a distinction between objects.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving a first message for authorization from an electric vehicle charging station, the message including an indicator of an automatic authorization function initiated by detecting that an electric vehicle is connected to the electric vehicle charging station and an identifier of the electric vehicle charging station; denying authorization based on the identifier of the charging station when the identifier is not associated with an authorized user; receiving a second message for authorization from the electric vehicle charging station, the message including an identifier of a user; accepting authorization after determining that the identifier of the user is associated with the authorized user; determining whether any message for authorization including the indicator has been rejected within a predetermined interval from accepting the authorization; linking the identifier of the charging station with an authorized user associated with the identifier of the user when a message including the indicator is received within the predetermined interval; as well as For any subsequent message for authorization including the identifier of the charging station with the indicator, the user accepts authorization based on the link.

2. A computer-implemented method according to any preceding claim, wherein: The predetermined interval has a value between ten seconds and ten minutes.

3. The computer-implemented method according to any preceding claim, further comprising: in response to detecting a connected electric vehicle, sending a request to determine whether the user wishes to enable the automatic authorization function at the electric vehicle charging station; as well as After receiving approval from the user, an identifier of the charging station is linked with the authorized user.

4. A computer-implemented method according to any preceding claim, comprising: determining the charging station group to which the electric vehicle charging station belongs; determining whether the charging stations in the group allow the automatic authorization; as well as If the group allows the automatic authorization, the identifier of the charging station is linked to the authorized user.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claims 3 and 4, wherein: The request is sent to the user only after receiving approval from the user, in response to determining that the group allows the automatic authorization.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 or 5, further comprising: receiving a start notification from the electric vehicle charging station; requesting configuration settings of the electric vehicle charging station in response to the activation notification; determining, based on the configuration setting, whether the automatic authorization function is set to be enabled, the automatic authorization function comprising using the identification of the electric vehicle charging station with the indicator; When the automatic authorization is disabled, determining whether automatic authorization of the group is allowed to be enabled at startup; and A configuration message is sent to the electric vehicle charging station to enable the automatic authorization function, and when the automatic authorization is allowed, an identifier of the charging station is set with the indicator for use.

7. The computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising: sending a request to the user to determine whether the electric vehicle charging station is a personal electric vehicle charging station for the user; as well as After receiving verification from the user, the electric vehicle charging station is removed from the group.

8. A computing device, the computing device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising program code configured to, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to perform the following steps: receiving a first message for authorization from an electric vehicle charging station, the message including an indicator of an automatic authorization function initiated by detecting that an electric vehicle is connected to the electric vehicle charging station and an identifier of the electric vehicle charging station; denying authorization based on the identifier of the charging station when the identifier is not associated with an authorized user; receiving a second message for authorization from the electric vehicle charging station, the message including an identifier of a user; accepting authorization after determining that the identifier of the user is associated with the authorized user; determining whether any message for authorization including the indicator has been rejected within a predetermined interval from accepting the authorization; linking the identifier of the charging station with an authorized user associated with the identifier of the user when a message including the indicator is received within the predetermined interval; as well as For any subsequent message for authorization including the identifier of the charging station with the indicator, the user accepts authorization based on the link.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein: The at least one memory including program code is further configured to, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to perform the following steps: in response to detecting a connected electric vehicle, sending a request to determine whether the user wishes to enable the automatic authorization function at the electric vehicle charging station; as well as After receiving approval from the user, an identifier of the charging station is linked with the authorized user.

10. The computing device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: The at least one memory including program code is further configured to, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to perform the following steps: determining the charging station group to which the electric vehicle charging station belongs; determining whether the charging stations of the group allow the automatic authorization; and If the group allows the automatic authorization, the identifier of the charging station is linked to the authorized user.

11. The computing device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein: The request is sent to the user only after receiving approval from the user, in response to determining that the group allows the automatic authorization.

12. The computing device according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein: The at least one memory including program code is further configured to, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to perform the following steps: receiving a start notification from the electric vehicle charging station; requesting configuration settings of the electric vehicle charging station in response to the activation notification; determining, based on the configuration setting, whether the automatic authorization function is set to be enabled, the automatic authorization function comprising using the identification of the electric vehicle charging station with the indicator; When the automatic authorization is disabled, determining whether automatic authorization of the group is allowed to be enabled at startup; and A configuration message is sent to the electric vehicle charging station to enable the automatic authorization function, and when the automatic authorization is allowed, an identifier of the charging station is set with the indicator for use.

13. A computing device according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein: The at least one memory including program code is further configured to, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to perform the following steps: sending a request to the user to determine whether the electric vehicle charging station is a personal electric vehicle charging station for the user; as well as After receiving verification from the user, the electric vehicle charging station is removed from the group.

14. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed on a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

15. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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