Verification of charging station for mapping motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method (300) for verifying an entry (220) of a map-drawn charging station (125), one entry (220) being associated with a respective geographic position of the charging station (125), comprising the following steps: detecting (320) a location (225) of an actual charging process of at least one motor vehicle (105); assigning (325) spatially adjacent locations (225) into a group (230); assigning (335) entries (220) of charging stations (125) for mapping to nearby groups (230); and determining (340) entries (220) each assigned to exactly one group (230).

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the verification of information for map drawing. In particular, the present invention relates to the verification of charging stations for map drawing of motor vehicles. Background Art

[0002] A motor vehicle that can be electrically operated includes an energy accumulator that can be charged at a fixed charging station. The driving of the vehicle can be planned in such a way that it drives to the charging station frequently enough so that the energy accumulator is not emptied further than a predetermined level.

[0003] For route planning, map information in which entries for charging stations are marked can be used. However, the quality of such entries has proven to be variable. If entries from different information providers are combined in a map, it may include conflicting or duplicate entries (duplicates).

[0004] For route planning, for example, charging stations can be displayed to the driver of the vehicle, which are located in a predetermined search space, such as at the current location, at the target location, or along the route to the target location. If these entries are unreliable, it may be difficult for the driver to find or select a matching entry. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The task on which the present invention is based is to provide an improved technique for verifying charging stations for map drawing of motor vehicles. The present invention solves this task by means of the technical solutions of the independent claims. The dependent claims give preferred embodiments.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for verifying an entry of a charging station for map drawing, wherein a respective geographical location of a charging station is assigned to an entry, the method comprising the steps of: detecting a location of an actual charging process of at least one motor vehicle; assigning spatially adjacent locations to groups; assigning an entry of a charging station for map drawing to a nearby group; and determining an entry that is assigned to exactly one group.

[0007] The determined entries can be considered as being confirmed as valid, while locations that are not assigned to a group or are assigned to multiple groups are not confirmed as valid. By determining the entries that have been confirmed as valid, the entries that have not been confirmed as valid are also determined. A charging station can include multiple charging piles, where each charging pile provides an opportunity to charge the accumulator of exactly one motor vehicle. For this purpose, a parking space for the motor vehicle can be assigned to each charging pile. Usually, all the charging piles of a charging station are provided by the same operator. The actual charging process here includes charging processes that have been completed or are in progress. In this sense, only planned, upcoming, or unsuccessful charging processes are not actual charging processes. The charging process includes increasing the electrical energy that can be extracted from the accumulator, preferably by a significant degree, such as increasing by at least 2% or at least 5% of the total capacity. The presence of the charging station at the assigned location can be ensured by referring to its proven function.

[0008] The charging station is fixedly installed. A change in its geographical location usually requires at least modification or assembly work and can be understood as scrapping the charging station at the old location and establishing another charging station at the new location. Mobile charging stations, charging of the accumulator by means of recycling or by an on-board energy source (such as a photovoltaic device or a current generator), or other charging of the accumulator that does not involve a predetermined location may not be considered as charging stations.

[0009] By means of this method, on the one hand, it is possible to determine what quality the current entries have and, on the other hand, to determine the entries whose quality has been improved. The probability that an entry assigned to exactly one group represents an actually existing and functional charging station at the geographical location assigned to the entry or the group can be high. The driving of motor vehicles can be better planned or implemented based on these entries.

[0010] Particularly preferably, the locations of the charging processes of multiple motor vehicles are detected. The motor vehicles can be, for example, part of a fleet of vehicles jointly operated by vehicle manufacturers, enterprises, townships, or private individuals. Information about the actual charging process can be automatically determined and collected from the motor vehicle side. The collection of such information has been possible for reasons of quality assurance. These information can be provided voluntarily, and the driver can decide whether to provide data about the charging process. The data collected can be used as the basis for the method described here.

[0011] Generally applicable is that the more motor vehicles whose charging processes are determined, the better the consistency of the entries can be checked. The provision of information by different persons or, in this case, the motor vehicles assigned to them is also called crowdsourcing.

[0012] Further preferably, two entries assigned to the same group are merged with each other. Thus, duplicates (Dubletten) can be efficiently eliminated. In the same way, more than two entries assigned to the same group can also be merged with each other. To determine the geographical location of the resulting entry, different approaches can be considered. For example, the location of one of the entries can be used. In a preferred embodiment, this location can be determined as the center of gravity, in particular the geometric center, of the locations of the included entries. The location can also be determined in a different way, for example as the Fermat point that minimizes the sum of all distances to the locations of the included entries.

[0013] It can be determined what share the entries assigned to exactly one group represent. For these entries, a bijective mapping to the groups can be stated. Conversely, it can also be determined what share the entries that are not assigned to exactly one group represent. The said share includes entries that are assigned to more than one group or not assigned to any group at all. For the entries of the said share, there is no bijective mapping to the groups. If the share mentioned first is large and / or the share mentioned last is small, the quality of the method for suppressing duplicates implemented previously can be regarded as high. Conversely, if the share mentioned first is small and / or the share mentioned last is large, the quality of the method can be regarded as low.

[0014] The entries assigned to exactly one group can be identified as valid. The method for determining a charging station for a motor vehicle preferably can take these entries identified as valid into account. For example, a list of entries can be generated, which represents candidates for the charging station to be driven to in a predetermined search aspect. In this list, the entries identified as valid can be shown at prominent positions, in particular at the beginning of the list. The driver can better plan or carry out the journey with an electrically driven motor vehicle based on the list entries shown.

[0015] If the same entry can be assigned to multiple groups, the charging station described by the entry can include charging piles distributed accordingly. For example, small buildings such as kiosks or toilet facilities can separate the first group of charging piles from the second group. For the purpose of route planning, the groups that can be assigned to the same entry can be merged with each other. Optionally, a hint about the charging piles grouped in location can be added to the entry. The hint can include the location of one of the original groups.

[0016] To determine spatially adjacent locations, it is preferable to use a method called DBSAN (Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise). Here, locations can be assigned to groups (clusters) based on density. Noise points can be ignored and sent back separately. Noise points can represent locations that cannot be assigned to any group. The DBSCAN method has proven to be effective for handling clustering problems, and libraries for implementing the DBSCAN method are known for different programming environments.

[0017] The DBSCAN method uses a first parameter called the proximity length or ε and a second parameter called the number of minimum points or minPts. One or both parameters can also be used by other clustering methods available for determining groups. Preferably, a proximity length of approximately 10 m is used. A large number of experiments have shown that this length achieves a particularly good compromise between forming too few and too many groups.

[0018] Furthermore, it is preferable that at least two locations are required to form a group. Thus, when using the DBSAN method, the parameter minPts can be set to 2. It has been shown that available conclusions about the geographical location of charging stations can already be drawn based on two locations. In additional embodiments, for example, three or five locations may be required to form a group.

[0019] In additional embodiments, new entries are created based on the groups formed that have not been assigned any entries. In addition to the geographical location of the charging station, the entries can also include other information, such as charging power, set electricity prices, or whether charging can be carried out using direct current or alternating current. This information can be determined for the newly created entries from the accompanying information of the underlying charging process. In one embodiment, the newly created entries can also be confirmed as valid. Thereby, they can be given the same attributes as the original existing entries that can be positively verified based on the observed charging process.

[0020] In additional embodiments, groups whose locations are in residential areas are not considered for creating new entries. Here, the situation can be advantageously utilized that public charging stations in residential areas are usually well mapped in the entries. Additional charging stations in residential areas may be restricted for private or residential use in the residential area.

[0021] Furthermore, it is preferable to determine the geometric center of the included locations as the geographical location of a group. Locations close to the group can have their positions at a distance from the position of the group that is less than a predetermined degree. In the DBSAN method, this degree can correspond to the proximity length.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present invention, a device for verifying entries includes mapped charging stations, where a respective geographical location of a charging station is assigned to an entry. The device includes: a first interface for detecting the location of an actual charging process of at least one motor vehicle; a second interface for detecting the mapped charging stations; and a processing device. Here, the processing device is designed to assign spatially adjacent locations to groups; assign entries for the mapped charging stations to nearby groups; and determine entries that are assigned to exactly one group.

[0023] The processing device may be designed to perform completely or partially the methods described herein. For this purpose, the processing device may be implemented electronically and may include, for example, a programmable microcomputer or microcontroller, and the method may exist in the form of a computer program product having program code modules. The computer program product may also be stored on a computer-readable data carrier. The features or advantages of the method may be transferred to the device, or vice versa.

[0024] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a system includes the device described herein and at least one motor vehicle, which is designed to provide the location of an actual charging process. Preferably, the system includes a plurality of such motor vehicles. In one embodiment, a central station is provided, which is designed to receive and collect the locations of the actual charging processes of the motor vehicles. The central station may also operate independently of the system. Description of the Drawings

[0025] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Figure 1 shows the system;

[0027] Figure 2 shows an illustration of geographical data; and

[0028] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of the method. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0029] Figure 1 shows system 100, which includes at least one motor vehicle 105 and device 110. In addition, system 100 may include central station 115. Motor vehicle 105 includes an electric energy storage 120, which can be charged at charging station 125. Here, charging station 125 is stationary and a geographical location can be assigned to it. For the charging process, motor vehicle 105 must be located directly at charging station 125.

[0030] The motor vehicle 105 is preferably designed to provide information about a charging process that is taking place or has just taken place. For this purpose, the motor vehicle 105 can include a wireless interface 130. The central station 115 can also have a wireless interface 130 and thus receive the information provided by the motor vehicle 105. Preferably, the central station 115 collects the received information about the actual charging process of one or more motor vehicles 105 in a data memory 135. The information can be maintained in a conventional manner, for example by discarding or no longer taking into account information related to a time in the past that exceeds a predetermined time.

[0031] The device 110 preferably comprises a processing device 140, a first interface 145 and a second interface 150. The first interface 145 is designed to be connected to the central station 115 or its data memory 135. The second interface 150 is designed to receive entries of the mapped charging stations 125. These entries can be in a further data memory 155. The data memory 155 can be filled from one or more different sources via the interface 160. The entries in the further data memory 155 are not necessarily disjoint or uniquely assigned to the charging stations 125. In order to improve the uniqueness, to eliminate duplicates or remove unreliable entries, a further processing device can be provided, the way in which it works is no longer important here.

[0032] Figure 2 Schematic diagram 200 of geographical data is shown. Geographical map 205 shows, by way of example, roads 210 and buildings 215. Entries 220, each representing a charging station 125, are shown as hatched circles. The brightly filled circles symbolize locations 225 at which a charging process has respectively taken place at charging station 125.

[0033] Each entry 220 and each location 225 is associated with a geographic location that can be presented on the geographic map 205. All geographic locations can be provided with a certain uncertainty or determination error. Entries 220 may include locations that are farther from the actual (unknown) location of the charging station 125 than is typically caused by measurement errors. Entries 220 located in the water or in undeveloped areas have been observed. Such entries 220 are unreliable and can be eliminated before being stored in the data storage 155 based on any conventional heuristics. Entries that have exceeded a predetermined year can also be ignored or removed entirely from the data storage 155.

[0034] It is proposed to combine locations 225 that are adjacent to each other into groups or clusters 230. A group 230 can be assigned a geographical location determined based on its members (locations 225). The group 230 can thus be assigned to an entry 220 whose location is less than a predetermined distance from the location of the group 230. Overall, an attempt is made to establish a one-to-one association between the group 230 and the entry 220. An entry 220 that can achieve this association can be recognized as valid. Conversely, an entry 220 that is not associated with any group or is associated with multiple groups 230 cannot be recognized. Optionally, such an entry 220 can be discarded. Locations 225 that are not associated with any group 230 are also preferably discarded. Unassociated entries 220 and unassociated locations 225 can be seen in the lower region of the schematic diagram 200.

[0035] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method 300 for verifying an entry 220 of a charging station 125 for map drawing is shown. The method 300 is preferably implemented by means of a device 110.

[0036] In step 305, multiple entries 220 can be detected, where one entry relates to a charging station 125 and includes its geographical location. The entries 220 can come from different sources and can have different degrees of currency or reliability. In step 310, the entries 220 can be de-duplicated to merge or combine pairs of entries 220 representing the same charging station 125. For this purpose, any known heuristic method can be used. In step 315, the cleaned or uncleaned entries 220 can be provided. It should be noted that steps 305 to 315 are not an essential part of the method 300 and can also be performed by other devices different from the device 110.

[0037] According to the present method, in step 320, a charging process that has actually been or will be carried out at the charging station 125 by means of a motor vehicle 105 is detected. Some motor vehicles 105 transmit a hint of an ended charging process within the range of an LSC (Last State Call) report. Such a report includes the geographical location of the motor vehicle 105, which is determined by means of a positioning device, such as a satellite-supported navigation system. Preferably, such a report is collected by means of a central site 115 and provided for the purpose of this method 300. Here, such a report preferably comes from multiple motor vehicles 105 and relates to multiple charging processes at multiple different charging stations 125.

[0038] In step 325, the locations 225 can be combined into groups 230. For this purpose, the DBSCAN method is preferably used, where further preferably, a proximity length of approximately 10 m and two minimum number of points minPts are based on.

[0039] In step 330, a geographical location can be determined for a group 230. In a preferred embodiment, for this purpose, the geometric center of the geographical locations of the places 225 included in the group 230 is determined.

[0040] In step 335, the position of the entry 220 can be compared with the position of the group 230. If the distance between the entry and the position of the group is below a predetermined threshold, the entry 220 can be associated with the group 230 (or vice versa).

[0041] In step 340, it can be evaluated which associations exist. In particular, it can be determined which entries 220 are uniquely associated with exactly one group 230 each. This means that such an entry 220 is associated with no more and no less than one group 230, and this group 230 is also not associated with any other entries 220. These entries 220 can be considered as having been confirmed as valid. The search for charging stations 125 within a predetermined geographical search area can preferably take into account those entries 220 that have been confirmed in this way.

[0042] Furthermore, in step 340, an evaluation of the quality of the entries 220 in the said further data memory 155 can be carried out. In particular, the share of entries 220 that are bijectively associated and / or the share of entries 220 that are non-bijectively associated can be determined. With the aid of such metrics, the quality of the entries 220 or the quality of the deduplication can be evaluated in step 310, in particular with regard to sensitivity and specificity. If the evaluation is not as good as a predetermined level, then the processing mode in step 310 can be modified.

[0043] Reference Signs

[0044] 100 System

[0045] 105 Motor Vehicle

[0046] 110 Device

[0047] 115 Central Site

[0048] 120 Electric Energy Storage

[0049] 125 Charging Station

[0050] 130 Wireless Interface

[0051] 135 Data Memory

[0052] 140 Processing Device

[0053] 145 First Interface

[0054] 150 Second Interface

[0055] 155 Further Data Memory

[0056] 160 Interface

[0057] 200 Schematic Diagram

[0058] 205 Geographic Map

[0059] 210 Road

[0060] 215 Building

[0061] 220 Entry

[0062] 225 Location

[0063] 230 Group, Cluster

[0064] 300 Method

[0065] 305 Detection Entry

[0066] 310 Duplicate Removal

[0067] 315 Provide

[0068] 320 Detect Charging Process

[0069] 325 Form Group

[0070] 330 Location of Formed Group

[0071] 335 Allocate (Associate)

[0072] 340 Evaluate

Claims

1. A method (300) for verifying entries (220) of a charging station (125) for map drawing, wherein, An item (220) is assigned a respective geographical location of the charging station (125), and the method has the following steps: - Detect (320) the location (225) of the actual charging process of at least one motor vehicle (105); - Assign (325) spatially adjacent locations (225) to groups (230); - Assign (335) an item (220) of the charging station (125) for mapping to a nearby group (230); and - Determine (340) the items (220) respectively assigned to exactly one group (230).

2. The method (300) according to claim 1, wherein, Detect (320) the locations (225) of the charging processes of multiple motor vehicles (105).

3. The method (300) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein Merge (335) two items (220) assigned to the same group (230) with each other.

4. The method (300) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Determine (340) the share of the items (220) respectively assigned to exactly one group (230).

5. The method (300) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Confirm (335) the items (220) assigned to exactly one group (230) as valid; and the method (300) for determining the charging station (125) for the motor vehicle (105) preferably takes into account the items (220) confirmed as valid.

6. The method (300) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Determine (325) spatially adjacent locations (225) by means of the DBSCAN method (300).

7. The method (300) according to claim 6, wherein Use a proximity length of approximately 10 m.

8. The method (300) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, At least two locations (225) are required to form a group (230).

9. The method (300) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Create new items (220) based on the groups (230) to which no items (220) are assigned.

10. The method (300) according to claim 9, wherein, Do not consider the groups (230) whose locations (225) are in residential areas.

11. The method (300) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Determine (330) the geometric center of the included locations as the geographical location of the group (230).

12. Apparatus (110) for verifying entries (220) of charging stations (125) for map drawing, wherein, An item (220) is assigned a respective geographical location of the charging station (125), wherein the device (110) includes the following: - A first interface (145) for detecting the location (225) of the actual charging process of at least one motor vehicle (105); - A second interface (150) for detecting the items (220) of the charging station (125) for mapping; - A processing device (140) designed to assign spatially adjacent locations (225) to groups (230); assign the items (220) of the charging station (125) for mapping to nearby groups (230); and determine the items (220) respectively assigned to exactly one group (230).

13. A system (100) comprising the device (110) according to claim 12 and at least one motor vehicle (105), the system being designed to provide the location (225) of the actual charging process.

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