Method and system for charging electric vehicle at electric vehicle charging station

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station. The charging station is provided with a plurality of pieces of EVSE (electric vehicle power supply equipment), and the charging station is provided with a plurality of pieces of EVSE (electric vehicle power supply equipment); under the control of the cloud controller, the plurality of EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle; judging whether the total power consumption of the building corresponding to the plurality of EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the power equipment of the target building, wherein X is a real number; if yes, the edge controller recalculates the charging power value of each EVSE, and the edge controller distributes the recalculated charging power value to each EVSE, so that under the control of the edge controller, the plurality of EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle; when the plurality of EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller, the edge controller transmits the charging information of each EVSE to the cloud controller.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method and a system for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station. Background Art

[0002] International efforts to mitigate global warming have been launched to promote the development of electric vehicles (EVs) to reduce fuel consumption. The charging equipment industry is noticing the trend of electrification of vehicles and is actively building more and more charging stations to provide drivers with more charging convenience.

[0003] With the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, the need for efficient energy demand management has become increasingly urgent. The charging of electric vehicles can cause considerable strain on the building's internal power system infrastructure, especially during peak hours when energy demand is high. For example, the charging of electric vehicles can cause an increase in the load on the building's internal power system, exceeding its designed capacity in certain areas or at certain times. This situation can lead to problems such as overload, voltage instability, or equipment damage in the building's internal power system, thus affecting the stable operation of the building's internal power system. Therefore, it is necessary to manage the charging of electric vehicles to reduce the strain on the building's internal power system infrastructure and ensure the reliability and stability of the power system.

[0004] Additionally, efforts to minimize or potentially eliminate costs associated with infrastructure upgrades are necessary. Summary of the invention

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle (EV) charging station is provided. The charging station is equipped with a plurality of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). The method comprises the following steps. Under the control of a cloud controller, these EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle. It is determined whether the total building power consumption corresponding to these EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, where X is a real number between 1 and 100. When the total building power consumption corresponding to these EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, an edge controller (EdgeController) recalculates the charging power value of each EVSE, and the edge controller allocates the recalculated charging power value to each EVSE, so that under the control of the edge controller, these EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle. When these EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller, the edge controller transmits the charging information of each EVSE to the cloud controller.

[0006] In one embodiment of the above method of the present invention, the multiple EVSEs and a building are powered by a power line of an internal power system of the building, and the total building power consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs is the sum of the power consumption of the building and the power consumption of the multiple EVSEs, or the total building power consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs is the power consumption of the building including the power consumption of the multiple EVSEs.

[0007] In one embodiment of the above method of the present invention, it also includes:

[0008] When the plurality of EVSEs are charging the at least one electric vehicle, real-time main electricity meter data is obtained from a main electricity meter; wherein,

[0009] In the step of determining whether the total building power consumption corresponding to the plurality of EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, the determination is made based on the real-time main meter data obtained from the main meter.

[0010] In one embodiment of the above method of the present invention, the real-time main meter data is related to the total building electricity consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs, and the real-time main meter data includes at least one of the following: real-time energy loss data, voltage level and current level of each phase of the electricity provided by the internal power system of the building, and energy usage changing over time, wherein the main meter is implemented by a digital meter.

[0011] In one embodiment of the above method of the present invention, the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment is the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment of an internal power system infrastructure of a building.

[0012] In one embodiment of the above method of the present invention, in the step of recalculating the charging power value of each EVSE by the edge controller and distributing the recalculated charging power value to each EVSE by the edge controller so that the multiple EVSEs charge the at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller, the charging power value of each EVSE is evenly distributed.

[0013] In one embodiment of the above method of the present invention, in the step of the plurality of EVSEs charging at least one electric vehicle under the control of the cloud controller, the cloud controller performs the following steps:

[0014] Generating charging prediction data according to a plurality of historical charging data, wherein each historical charging data includes an actual charging amount, and at least one of a stay time of each electric vehicle and a charging time of each electric vehicle; and

[0015] Through the charging prediction data, a predicted power demand and a predicted stay time of each electric vehicle are obtained.

[0016] In one embodiment of the above method of the present invention, in the step of the plurality of EVSEs charging at least one electric vehicle under the control of the cloud controller, the cloud controller further performs the following steps:

[0017] generating a charging schedule, the charging schedule comprising providing a basic charging power value for each electric vehicle; and

[0018] A charging priority level of each electric vehicle is determined according to the predicted power demand and the predicted stay time.

[0019] In one embodiment of the above method of the present invention, when the multiple EVSEs charge the at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller, in the step of transmitting the charging information of each EVSE to the cloud controller by the edge controller, the charging information of each EVSE transmitted by the edge controller to the cloud controller is used as a new historical charging data, and the cloud controller uses the new historical charging data to generate another charging prediction data, so that in the next operation, under the control of the cloud controller, the multiple EVSEs use the other charging prediction data to charge the at least one electric vehicle.

[0020] In an embodiment of the above method of the present invention, the charging information of each EVSE includes at least one of the charging state of each electric vehicle, the charging power value of each electric vehicle, and the stay time of each electric vehicle.

[0021] In one embodiment of the above method of the present invention, it also includes:

[0022] A new charging configuration file for each EVSE is generated by the edge controller, and the new charging configuration file is transmitted to each EVSE to update a charging configuration file for each EVSE; wherein,

[0023] The new charging profile indicates an allocated charging power value or charging current value and a recalculated charging power value or charging current value for each EVSE.

[0024] In one embodiment of the above method of the present invention, when the total building power consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs in a specific phase of power is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, the edge controller recalculates the charging current value or charging power value in the specific phase for each specific EVSE using the current or power of the specific phase, and allocates the recalculated charging power value of the specific phase to each specific EVSE so that the at least one electric vehicle is charged by the specific multiple EVSEs.

[0025] In one embodiment of the method of the present invention, the edge controller collects data from each EVSE and a main electricity meter, and the edge controller uses the data to execute a dynamic load management (DLM) algorithm when power crunch occurs.

[0026] According to one aspect of the present invention, a system for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station is provided, wherein the charging station is equipped with a plurality of EVSEs. The system includes a cloud controller and an edge controller. The cloud controller is used to control these EVSEs so that these EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle. The edge controller is used to execute the following program. Determine whether the total building power consumption corresponding to these EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, where X is a real number between 1 and 100. When the total building power consumption corresponding to these EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, recalculate the charging power value of each EVSE, and allocate the recalculated charging power value to each EVSE, so that these EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller. When these EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller, the charging information of each EVSE is transmitted to the cloud controller.

[0027] In one embodiment of the above system of the present invention, the multiple EVSEs and a building are powered by a power line of an internal power system of the building, and the total building power consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs is the sum of the power consumption of the building and the power consumption of the multiple EVSEs, or the total building power consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs is the power consumption of the building including the power consumption of the multiple EVSEs.

[0028] In one embodiment of the above system of the present invention, the edge controller is further used to obtain real-time main electricity meter data from a main electricity meter when the multiple EVSEs charge the at least one electric vehicle; wherein,

[0029] In the process of determining whether the total building power consumption corresponding to the plurality of EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, the determination is made based on the real-time main meter data obtained from the main meter.

[0030] In one embodiment of the above system of the present invention, the real-time main meter data is related to the total building electricity consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs, and the real-time main meter data includes at least one of the following: real-time energy loss data, voltage level and current level of each phase of the power provided by the internal power system of the building, and energy usage changing over time, wherein the main meter is implemented by a digital meter.

[0031] In one embodiment of the system of the present invention, the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment is the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment of an internal power system infrastructure of a building.

[0032] In one embodiment of the above system of the present invention, the charging power value of each EVSE is recalculated and the recalculated charging power value is distributed to each EVSE, so that under the control of the edge controller, the charging power value of each EVSE is evenly distributed in the process of charging the at least one electric vehicle by the multiple EVSEs.

[0033] In one embodiment of the system of the present invention, the cloud controller is further configured to execute the following procedures:

[0034] Generating charging prediction data according to a plurality of historical charging data, wherein each historical charging data includes an actual charging amount, and at least one of a stay time of each electric vehicle and a charging time of each electric vehicle; and

[0035] Through the charging prediction data, a predicted power demand and a predicted stay time of each electric vehicle are obtained.

[0036] In one embodiment of the system of the present invention, the cloud controller is further configured to execute the following procedures:

[0037] generating a charging schedule, the charging schedule comprising providing a basic charging power value for each electric vehicle; and

[0038] A charging priority level of each electric vehicle is determined according to the predicted power demand and the predicted stay time.

[0039] In one embodiment of the above system of the present invention, when the multiple EVSEs charge the at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller, in the process of transmitting the charging information of each EVSE to the cloud controller, the charging information of each EVSE transmitted to the cloud controller is used as a new historical charging data, and the cloud controller uses the new historical charging data to generate another charging prediction data, so that in the next operation, under the control of the cloud controller, the multiple EVSEs use the other charging prediction data to charge the at least one electric vehicle.

[0040] In an embodiment of the above system of the present invention, the charging information of each EVSE includes at least one of a charging state of each electric vehicle, a charging power value of each electric vehicle, and a stay time of each electric vehicle.

[0041] In one embodiment of the system of the present invention, the edge controller is further configured to execute the following procedures:

[0042] updating a charging profile of each EVSE by generating a new charging profile of each EVSE and transmitting the new charging profile to each EVSE;

[0043] The new charging profile indicates the allocated charging power value or charging current value and the recalculated charging power value or charging current value for each EVSE.

[0044] In one embodiment of the system of the present invention, the edge controller is further configured to execute the following procedures:

[0045] When, in a specific phase of electric power, the total building power consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, the charging current value or charging power value of each specific EVSE using the current or power of the specific phase in the specific phase is recalculated, and the recalculated charging power value of the specific phase is allocated to each specific EVSE so that the at least one electric vehicle is charged by the specific multiple EVSEs.

[0046] In one embodiment of the system of the present invention, the edge controller is further configured to collect data from each EVSE and a main electricity meter, and the edge controller uses the data to execute a dynamic load management algorithm when power is overloaded.

[0047] In order to better understand the above and other aspects of the present invention, the following embodiments are specifically described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Figure 1 A flow chart of a method for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0049] Figure 2 A block diagram of a system for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0050] Figure 3 A detailed flow chart of a method for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0051] Figure 4A block diagram of a system portion for charging electric vehicles in an electric vehicle charging station using three-phase power from a building's internal power system, which may be single-phase, two-phase, or three-phase, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0052] The accompanying drawings illustrate:

[0053] 102~108,202~216: Process step 302: Cloud controller

[0054] 304:Edge Controller

[0055] 306: Main electricity meter

[0056] 308: Building internal power system

[0057] 402:Edge Controller

[0058] 404:Digital Electricity Meter

[0059] 406: Building internal power system DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] Please refer to Figure 1 , which depicts a flow chart of a method for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle (EV) charging station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The charging station is equipped with a plurality of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). In step 102, under the control of a cloud controller, a plurality of EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle. In step 104, it is determined whether the total building power consumption corresponding to these EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, where X is a real number between 1 and 100. When the total building power consumption corresponding to these EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, step 106 is entered, otherwise, step 102 is returned. In step 106, an edge controller (Edge Controller) recalculates the charging power value of each EVSE, and the edge controller distributes the recalculated charging power value to each EVSE, so that these EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller. Next, in step 108, when these EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller, the edge controller transmits the charging information of each EVSE to the cloud controller as a reference for calculating the charging power value allocated to each EVSE in the next operation. This method will be described in more detail below.

[0061] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , Figure 2A block diagram of a system for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3 A detailed flow chart of a method for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the electric vehicle charging system in the electric vehicle charging station includes, for example, a cloud controller 302 and an edge controller 304 .

[0062] exist Figure 2 , the environment of the electric vehicle charging system is shown. The internal building power system 308 provides power to loads, such as EVSE1 312(1) to EVSEn 312(n) and the building 310. In addition, when the load demand is lower than the energy generated by the renewable energy source, the renewable energy source can also provide power to these loads, and potentially even export excess energy to the internal building power system 308. In order to cope with high load demand, an Energy Storage System (ESS) can also be used to provide supplemental energy to the loads.

[0063] The main electricity meter 306 can be implemented as a digital meter and can detect the energy input and output of the entire infrastructure at specific time intervals. In addition, each renewable energy source and ESS can be equipped with its own digital meter. Each EVSE has the ability to monitor its individual energy usage obtained from the building's internal power system 308. If applicable, each EVSE also has the ability to monitor the energy it outputs to the building's internal power system 308.

[0064] The edge controller 304 can collect data, such as input / output values, from each EVSE 312 and the main electric meter 306. Using this information, the edge controller 304 can avoid overload when the power is overloaded (power crunch) or the load is too heavy, and implement the Dynamic Load Management (DLM) algorithm. The DLM algorithm is implemented by executing the Smart Charging Algorithm.

[0065] Dynamic load management adjusts the power distribution of each EVSE phase (i.e., phase L1, phase L2, and phase L3) in real time based on the actual power demand of the building. This power distribution is performed to ensure that the current of each phase does not exceed the current limit of each phase in the power distribution, thereby optimizing energy use and preventing overloading of the building internal power system 308. Dynamic load management will be performed in real time based on the actual power demand of the building. Figure 3 This is further illustrated in the provided flowchart.

[0066] like Figure 3As shown, in step 202, the charging pile is preset to supply zero power. The transaction profile of each EVSE, for example, represents the charging power value or charging current value of each EVSE, which is used by the corresponding EVSE to charge the corresponding electric vehicle. In step 204, real-time main meter data is collected. In other words, real-time main meter data is obtained from the main meter 306 at fixed intervals.

[0067] EVSE1 312(1) to EVSEn 312(n) and building 310 are powered by power lines 320 of the building's internal power system 308. The total building power usage corresponding to EVSE1 312(1) to EVSEn 312(n) is the difference between the total building power usage on power lines 320 and the power consumption of building 310, or the difference between X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment and the power consumption of building 310. In this case, Figure 2 As shown, EVSE1 312 ( 1 ) to EVSEn 312 ( n ) are powered from a building power system 308 via power lines 322 and 320 and circuit breakers 318 and 314 , while building 310 is powered from a building power system 308 via power lines 324 and 320 and circuit breakers 316 and 314 .

[0068] In some embodiments, the total building power consumption corresponding to the EVSEs is the power consumption of the building including the power consumption of the EVSEs. In this case, the EVSEs are located inside the building and the EVSEs and the building are powered by the same power line (not shown) from the building's internal power system.

[0069] In step 206, it is determined whether the total building power usage corresponding to the EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment. In some embodiments, it can be determined whether the total building power usage corresponding to the EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment based on real-time main meter data obtained from the main meter 306. The main meter 306 can detect the current flowing through the power line 320, detect the power transmitted on the power line 320, or detect the voltage on the power line 320. Since the current flowing through the power line 320 may flow to EVSE1 312(1) to EVSEn 312(n) and the building 310, and the power transmitted through the power line 320 may be transmitted to EVSE1 312(1) to EVSEn 312(n) and the building 310, the real-time main meter data is related to the total building power usage corresponding to the EVSEs.

[0070] The real-time main electric meter data may include at least one of the following: real-time energy loss data, voltage level and current level of each phase of the electric power provided by the internal building power system, and energy usage over time. The maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment is, for example, the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment of the infrastructure of the internal building power system 308.

[0071] In one embodiment, in step 206, when the total power of the EVSEs plus the total building power corresponding to the total building power is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, the method proceeds to step 210. Otherwise, the method proceeds to step 208. In step 208, the cloud controller 302 performs the charging operation. That is, under the control of the cloud controller 302, the EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle.

[0072] When the total building power consumption corresponding to these EVSEs is not equal to and not greater than X% (e.g., 90%) of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, this means that there is no power overload, and the cloud controller 302 is preset to perform charging actions until a power overload occurs. Therefore, in step 208, the cloud controller 302 can, for example, use an AI engine to execute the following intelligent charging program. The cloud controller 302 generates a charging prediction data based on multiple historical charging data. Each historical charging data includes an actual charging amount, and at least one of a stay time for each electric vehicle and a charging time for each electric vehicle. The cloud controller 302 obtains a predicted power demand and a predicted stay time for each electric vehicle through the charging prediction data. The cloud controller 302 can also generate a charging schedule, which includes providing a basic charging power value for each electric vehicle. The cloud controller 302 can also use an AI engine to determine the charging priority of each electric vehicle based on the predicted power demand and the predicted stay time.

[0073] In step 210, the charging action is performed by the edge controller 304. When the total building power consumption of these EVSEs and the building is greater than or equal to X% (e.g., 90%) of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, this means that a power overload has occurred and dynamic load management should be initiated. During the dynamic load management process, the charging action performed by the cloud controller 302 will be changed to the charging action performed by the edge controller 304. Therefore, in step 210, under the control of the edge controller 304, these EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle. The edge controller 304 performs dynamic load management by recalculating the available power of each EVSE, evenly distributing power to each EVSE by assigning an appropriate charging power value to each EVSE, and updating a new charging profile for each EVSE.

[0074] That is, in step 210, the edge controller 304 recalculates the charging power value of each EVSE and distributes the recalculated charging power value to each EVSE, and under the control of the edge controller 304, these EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle. In some embodiments, the charging power value of each EVSE is evenly distributed. For example, each EVSE is allocated the same power, the same current, or the same ratio (the ratio of the individual power received by the EVSE to the individual maximum received power of the EVSE). The charging amount of the electric vehicle battery can be measured using the unit of "work", and its unit is, for example, kilowatt hours (kWh) or other units of "work".

[0075] After step 210, step 212 is executed. In step 212, a new charging profile for each EVSE is generated by the edge controller 304, and the new charging profile is transmitted to each EVSE to update the charging profile of each EVSE. The new charging profile indicates the allocated charging power value or charging current value and the recalculated charging power value or charging current value for each EVSE.

[0076] In addition, in step 212, when EVSE1 312(1) to EVSEn 312(n) charges at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller 304, the edge controller 304 transmits the charging information of each EVSE to the cloud controller 302. The charging information of each EVSE transmitted by the edge controller 304 to the cloud controller 302 is used as new historical charging data. The cloud controller 302 uses the new historical charging data to generate another charging prediction data, so that in the next operation, EVSE1 312(1) to EVSEn 312(n) uses the another charging prediction data to charge at least one electric vehicle under the control of the cloud controller 302.

[0077] The charging information of each EVSE includes, for example, at least one of the following: the charging state of each electric vehicle, the maximum charging current or charging power of each EVSE, the charging current or charging power value of each electric vehicle, and the stay time of each electric vehicle.

[0078] After step 212, step 214 is executed. In step 214, it is determined whether the electric vehicle is still charging. If yes, it proceeds to step 216; if not, it returns to step 204. In step 216, the edge controller 304 updates the charging status of each EVSE and transmits the updated charging status to the cloud controller 302. The charging status of each EVSE indicates whether the corresponding EVSE is still in the charging state. After step 216, it proceeds to step 204.

[0079] When the determination in step 214 is negative, step 204 is executed again to collect the real-time main electric meter data again for the next calculation.

[0080] Please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 A block diagram of a system portion for charging electric vehicles in an electric vehicle charging station using three-phase power from a building's internal power system, which may be single-phase, two-phase, or three-phase, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 An example of multiple EVSE networks connected to the same edge controller 402 is shown. This system can be a single-phase, two-phase, or three-phase charging station, and can be a three-pole neutral (Three Pole Neutral, TPN) or a four-pole (Four Pole, 4P) system.

[0081] The data of each EVSE may include, but is not limited to, the charging status of each EVSE, the charging current or charging power value of each electric vehicle, and the charging priority level of each EVSE. Load sharing is considered for each phase (ie, phases L1, L2, and L3). Each EVSE may be connected to each phase separately.

[0082] The main electricity meter can be implemented by a digital meter 404, which can read the internal power system information of each phase of the building. The edge controller 402 can distribute power to each EVSE in each phase separately. The edge controller 402 can read data from the digital meter 404 and EVSE1 408 (1) to EVSEn 418 (n).

[0083] Dynamic load management is applied based on the following data (but not limited to): energy loss data (e.g., energy loss data of the facility and these EVSEs), electrical performance data recalculated by the edge controller 402 (e.g., voltage, current, and power quality), electric vehicle charging priority (e.g., VIP accounts), energy loss pattern data (i.e., historical data), and day-ahead plans (i.e., time-of-use electricity prices, day-ahead electricity prices, and real-time electricity prices).

[0084] In detail, the building internal power system 406 provides power in phase L1, phase L2, and phase L3. The digital power meter 404 detects the line voltage of phase L1, the line voltage of phase L2, and the line voltage of phase L3. In some embodiments, the digital power meter 404 detects the line current of phase L1, the line current of phase L2, and the line current of phase L3. In some embodiments, the digital power meter 404 detects the line power of phase L1, the line power of phase L2, and the line power of phase L3.

[0085] Typically, the charging of at least one electric vehicle by these EVSEs is performed under the control of the cloud controller. When the total building power consumption corresponding to these EVSEs in a specific phase of power (e.g., one of the phases L1 to L3) is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, the edge controller 402 recalculates the charging current value or charging power value in this specific phase for each specific EVSE using the current or power of this specific phase, and distributes the recalculated charging power value of this specific phase to each specific EVSE, so that the at least one electric vehicle is charged by the specific EVSEs. Thereafter, when the total building power consumption corresponding to these EVSEs in the power of the specific phase (e.g., one of the phases L1 to L3) becomes less than X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, the edge controller 402 will notify the cloud controller, and then the charging of at least one electric vehicle by these EVSEs is changed to be performed under the control of the cloud controller. By doing so, the power consumption of this specific phase, which is originally equal to or greater than X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, can be reduced, and load balancing between the three phases can be achieved.

[0086] According to certain embodiments, a system for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station is provided, wherein the charging station is equipped with a plurality of EVSEs. The system includes a cloud controller and an edge controller. The cloud controller is used to control these EVSEs so that these EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle. The edge controller is used to execute the following procedure. Determine whether the total building power consumption corresponding to these EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, where X is a real number between 1 and 100. When the total building power consumption corresponding to these EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, recalculate the charging power value of each EVSE, and allocate the recalculated charging power value to each EVSE, so that under the control of the edge controller, these EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle. This charging action is limited to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment. When these EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller, the charging information of each EVSE is transmitted to the cloud controller.

[0087] While the cloud controller uses a prediction engine to predict the behavior of the system load and assign charging configurations to each EVSE, the edge controller can track the actual power consumption locally. When any behavior occurs that causes the real-time power consumption to approach the power limit, the edge controller will take over control and reallocate the charging configuration of each EVSE. In addition, since the edge controller is closer to these EVSEs, it provides shorter latency compared to the cloud controller. The charging of the cloud controller and the edge controller can use the same or different charging strategies.

[0088] Before the electric vehicle is fully charged and the total building power consumption is less than or equal to X% (e.g., 90%) of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, that is, the electric vehicle is in charging mode and the total building power consumption is less than X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, the charging configuration will be processed by the cloud controller, which can be implemented by a smart charging server. The cloud controller implemented by the smart charging server can consider more parameters because the smart charging server has more powerful computing power. The edge controller can be implemented by an ordinary computer, for example, the edge controller considers fewer parameters because its computing power is limited.

[0089] In the above embodiments, in order to minimize or even avoid the cost of infrastructure upgrades, dynamic load management can be introduced by optimizing energy usage and managing load distribution in real time. Advanced smart charging algorithms are deployed through edge controllers to monitor energy supply and energy demand, and can optimize the power distribution of multiple EVSEs in real time within the available capacity threshold.

[0090] According to the embodiments described herein, the method and system for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station equipped with a plurality of electric vehicle power supply devices can perform dynamic load management when power shortage occurs. In this case, the power of certain phases is redistributed to ensure that the load of each phase is balanced. The charging method and system of the electric vehicle charging station can prevent the pressure on the internal power system infrastructure of the building caused by the charging of electric vehicles, thereby reducing or eliminating the costs associated with infrastructure upgrades.

[0091] In summary, although the present invention has been disclosed as above by way of embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. A person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the attached patent application.

Claims

1. A method for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle (EV) charging station, characterized in that: The charging station is equipped with a plurality of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), and the method comprises: Under the control of a cloud controller, the plurality of EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle; Determine whether the total building power consumption corresponding to the plurality of EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, where X is a real number between 1 and 100; When the total building power consumption corresponding to the plurality of EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, an edge controller recalculates the charging power value of each EVSE, and the edge controller distributes the recalculated charging power value to each EVSE, so that the plurality of EVSEs charge the at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller; and When the plurality of EVSEs charge the at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller, the edge controller transmits charging information of each EVSE to the cloud controller.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The multiple EVSEs and a building are powered by a power line of an internal building power system, and the total building power consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs is the sum of the power consumption of the building and the power consumption of the multiple EVSEs, or the total building power consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs is the power consumption of the building including the power consumption of the multiple EVSEs.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: When the plurality of EVSEs are charging the at least one electric vehicle, real-time main electricity meter data is obtained from a main electricity meter; wherein, In the step of determining whether the total building power consumption corresponding to the plurality of EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, the determination is made based on the real-time main meter data obtained from the main meter.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The real-time main meter data is related to the total building electricity usage corresponding to the multiple EVSEs, and the real-time main meter data includes at least one of the following: real-time energy loss data, voltage level and current level of each phase of electricity provided by the building's internal power system, and energy usage changing over time, wherein the main meter is implemented by a digital meter.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The maximum power capacity of the target building electrical equipment is the maximum power capacity of the target building electrical equipment of a building's internal electrical system infrastructure.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that In the step of recalculating the charging power value of each EVSE by the edge controller and distributing the recalculated charging power value to each EVSE by the edge controller so that the multiple EVSEs charge the at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller, the charging power value of each EVSE is evenly distributed.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that In the step of charging at least one electric vehicle by the plurality of EVSEs under the control of the cloud controller, the cloud controller performs the following steps: Generating charging prediction data according to a plurality of historical charging data, wherein each historical charging data includes an actual charging amount, and at least one of a stay time of each electric vehicle and a charging time of each electric vehicle; and Through the charging prediction data, a predicted power demand and a predicted stay time of each electric vehicle are obtained.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that Under the control of the cloud controller, in the step of the plurality of EVSEs charging at least one electric vehicle, the cloud controller further performs the following steps: generating a charging schedule, the charging schedule comprising providing a basic charging power value for each electric vehicle; and A charging priority level of each electric vehicle is determined according to the predicted power demand and the predicted stay time.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that When the multiple EVSEs charge the at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller, in the step of transmitting the charging information of each EVSE to the cloud controller by the edge controller, the charging information of each EVSE transmitted by the edge controller to the cloud controller is used as new historical charging data, and the cloud controller uses the new historical charging data to generate another charging prediction data, so that in the next operation, under the control of the cloud controller, the multiple EVSEs use the another charging prediction data to charge the at least one electric vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The charging information of each EVSE includes at least one of a charging state of each electric vehicle, a charging power value of each electric vehicle, and a stay time of each electric vehicle.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: A new charging configuration file for each EVSE is generated by the edge controller, and the new charging configuration file is transmitted to each EVSE to update a charging configuration file for each EVSE; wherein, The new charging profile indicates an allocated charging power value or charging current value and a recalculated charging power value or charging current value for each EVSE.

12. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When, in a specific phase of electric power, the total building power consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, the edge controller recalculates the charging current value or charging power value in the specific phase for each specific EVSE using the current or power of the specific phase, and distributes the recalculated charging power value of the specific phase to each specific EVSE so that the at least one electric vehicle can be charged by the specific multiple EVSEs.

13. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The edge controller collects data from each EVSE and a main electricity meter. The edge controller uses the data to execute a Dynamic Load Management (DLM) algorithm when there is a power crunch.

14. A system for charging an electric vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station, characterized in that: The charging station is equipped with multiple EVSEs. The system includes: a cloud controller, used to control the plurality of EVSEs so that the plurality of EVSEs charge at least one electric vehicle; and An edge controller is used to execute the following procedures: Determine whether the total building power consumption corresponding to the plurality of EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, where X is a real number between 1 and 100; When the total building power consumption corresponding to the plurality of EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, recalculate the charging power value of each EVSE and distribute the recalculated charging power value to each EVSE, so that the plurality of EVSEs charge the at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller; and When the plurality of EVSEs charge the at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller, the charging information of each EVSE is transmitted to the cloud controller.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein: The multiple EVSEs and a building are powered by a power line of an internal building power system, and the total building power consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs is the sum of the power consumption of the building and the power consumption of the multiple EVSEs, or the total building power consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs is the power consumption of the building including the power consumption of the multiple EVSEs.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein: The edge controller is further used to obtain real-time main electricity meter data from a main electricity meter when the plurality of EVSEs are charging the at least one electric vehicle; wherein, In the process of determining whether the total building power consumption corresponding to the plurality of EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, the determination is made based on the real-time main meter data obtained from the main meter.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein: The real-time main meter data is related to the total building electricity usage corresponding to the multiple EVSEs, and the real-time main meter data includes at least one of the following: real-time energy loss data, voltage level and current level of each phase of electricity provided by the building's internal power system, and energy usage changing over time, wherein the main meter is implemented by a digital meter.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein: The maximum power capacity of the target building electrical equipment is the maximum power capacity of the target building electrical equipment of a building's internal electrical system infrastructure.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein: The charging power value of each EVSE is recalculated and the recalculated charging power value is distributed to each EVSE, so that the charging power value of each EVSE is evenly distributed in the process of charging the at least one electric vehicle by the multiple EVSEs under the control of the edge controller.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein: The cloud controller is also used to execute the following procedures: Generating charging prediction data according to a plurality of historical charging data, wherein each historical charging data includes an actual charging amount, and at least one of a stay time of each electric vehicle and a charging time of each electric vehicle; and Through the charging prediction data, a predicted power demand and a predicted stay time of each electric vehicle are obtained.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein: The cloud controller is also used to execute the following procedures: generating a charging schedule, the charging schedule comprising providing a basic charging power value for each electric vehicle; and A charging priority level of each electric vehicle is determined according to the predicted power demand and the predicted stay time.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein: In the process of transmitting the charging information of each EVSE to the cloud controller when the plurality of EVSEs charge the at least one electric vehicle under the control of the edge controller, the charging information of each EVSE transmitted to the cloud controller is used as a new historical charging data. The cloud controller uses the new historical charging data to generate another charging prediction data, so that in the next operation, the plurality of EVSEs use the another charging prediction data to charge the at least one electric vehicle under the control of the cloud controller.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein: The charging information of each EVSE includes at least one of a charging state of each electric vehicle, a charging power value of each electric vehicle, and a stay time of each electric vehicle.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein: The edge controller is further used to execute the following procedures: updating a charging profile of each EVSE by generating a new charging profile of each EVSE and transmitting the new charging profile to each EVSE; The new charging profile indicates the allocated charging power value or charging current value and the recalculated charging power value or charging current value for each EVSE.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein: The edge controller is further used to execute the following procedures: When, in a specific phase of electric power, the total building power consumption corresponding to the multiple EVSEs is greater than or equal to X% of the maximum power capacity of the target building power equipment, the charging current value or charging power value of each specific EVSE using the current or power of the specific phase in the specific phase is recalculated, and the recalculated charging power value of the specific phase is allocated to each specific EVSE so that the at least one electric vehicle is charged by the specific multiple EVSEs.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein: The edge controller is further configured to collect data from each EVSE and a main electricity meter, and the edge controller uses the data to execute a dynamic load management algorithm when power is overloaded.

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