Cluster charging system

Abstract

This application provides a cluster charging system. The system includes a cloud platform, a control host, and multiple charging terminals. The control host includes a terminal interaction module for enabling multiple charging terminals to share the cloud communication network used by the control host; a first communication module for establishing a communication connection with the cloud platform via a first operator network; a second communication module for establishing a communication connection with the cloud platform via a second operator network; a network status monitoring module for real-time monitoring of the first network status parameters of the first communication module and the second network status parameters of the second communication module, and transmitting this data to the main control module; and the main control module for determining whether switching conditions are met based on the first and second network status parameters. If so, it controls the activation mode of the first and second communication modules to switch the cloud communication network used by the control host; otherwise, it does not process the switch.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates primarily to the field of group charging technology, and in particular to a group charging system. Background Technology

[0002] Cluster charging systems rely on data interaction between charging terminals and a cloud platform to achieve key functions such as charging process control and remote operation and maintenance. In conventional cluster charging systems, each charging terminal is equipped with an independent network communication module and connects to the cloud platform through a single network link. While this approach has the advantage that a single point of failure does not affect the entire system, the large number of charging terminals leads to a significant increase in hardware procurement, deployment, and operation and maintenance costs. Furthermore, hardware redundancy is wasted, increasing the overall complexity of the system deployment. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a cluster charging system to solve the problems of high hardware costs and hardware redundancy waste in existing cluster charging systems.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution: This solution provides a cluster charging system, which includes a cloud platform, a control host, and multiple charging terminals. The control host includes a terminal interaction module, a first communication module, a second communication module, a network status monitoring module, and a main control module. The terminal interaction module is used to enable the multiple charging terminals to share the cloud communication network used by the control host. The first communication module is used to establish a communication connection with the cloud platform through the first operator's network; The second communication module is used to establish a communication connection with the cloud platform through a second operator network, wherein the second operator network is a different network from the first operator network; The network status monitoring module is used to monitor the first network status parameters of the first communication module and the second network status parameters of the second communication module in real time, and transmit the first network status parameters and the second network status parameters to the main control module; and The main control module is used to determine whether the switching conditions are met based on the first network status parameters and the second network status parameters. If so, it controls the activation mode of the first communication module and the second communication module to switch the cloud communication network used by the control host. Otherwise, it does not process the switch.

[0005] In some embodiments, the first operator network is the primary network, and the second operator network is the backup network; the main control module is further configured to: when the control host is initialized, enable the first communication module by default and disable the second communication module, so that the control host uses the first operator network by default.

[0006] In some embodiments, a data caching module is also included; The data caching module is electrically connected to the main control module and is used to temporarily store the data of the multiple charging terminals in a local caching manner.

[0007] In some embodiments, an early warning log module is also included; the early warning log module is electrically connected to the main control module and is used to push early warning information to the multiple charging terminals, and to record the entire process log of network switching and fault recovery, so as to facilitate traceability and maintenance.

[0008] In some embodiments, the main control module determines whether the switching conditions are met based on the first network status parameter and the second network status parameter, including: Based on the first network status parameters, determine whether the first operator network meets the first fault condition; If so, then within the preset handover delay time, monitor whether the first operator's network can recover in time: if it can recover in time, then do not process it; otherwise, execute the network handover process. Otherwise, no action will be taken.

[0009] In some embodiments, the main control module performs the network switching process including: Based on the second network status parameters, determine whether the second operator network meets the second fault condition; If so, the warning log module is controlled to push warning information to the multiple charging terminals, and the data cache module is controlled to temporarily store the data of the multiple charging terminals. Otherwise, the first communication module is shut down, the second communication module is enabled, and the data caching module is controlled to temporarily store the data of the multiple charging terminals, thereby switching the cloud communication network to the second operator's network.

[0010] In some embodiments, the main control module is further configured to: determine in real time whether the first operator network meets the recovery conditions when the control host switches to the second operator network; if so, shut down the second communication module and enable the first communication module, thereby switching the cloud communication network back to the first operator network; otherwise, do not process.

[0011] In some embodiments, both the first communication module and the second communication module are 4G communication modules.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first network state parameter and the second network state parameter each include at least one of the following parameters: signal strength, latency, and packet loss rate.

[0013] Compared with related technologies, this technical solution has the following advantages: This technical solution enables multiple charging terminals to share the cloud communication network used by the control host, and by having the control host autonomously trigger the automatic switching logic between dual-carrier networks. This reduces the hardware costs required for network communication while meeting the network configuration needs of multiple charging terminals. Furthermore, this solution uses local caching to temporarily store charging terminal data during host switching, ensuring that network switching does not interrupt the charging process of any terminal, achieving seamless network switching and guaranteeing the network online rate and operational stability of the cluster charging system. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the more detailed description of some embodiments thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a cluster charging system provided in an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of another cluster charging system provided in an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the logic of the main control module implementing autonomous network switching is shown. Figure 4 A flowchart of a network handover control method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not impose any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in ways other than those described below.

[0016] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0017] References to "an embodiment," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiments may include specific features, structures, or characteristics, but not every embodiment needs to include specific features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an exemplary embodiment, whether explicitly described or not, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a feature, structure, or characteristic affects its connection to other embodiments.

[0018] The embodiments of this application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a cluster charging system provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the cluster charging system includes a cloud platform 11, a control host 12 and multiple charging terminals 13, and the control host 12 includes a terminal interaction module 121, a first communication module 122, a second communication module 123, a network status monitoring module 124 and a main control module 125.

[0020] The terminal interaction module 121 is used to enable multiple charging terminals 13 to share the cloud communication network used by the control host 12.

[0021] The first communication module 122 is used to establish a communication connection with the cloud platform 11 through the first operator network.

[0022] The second communication module 123 is used to establish a communication connection with the cloud platform 11 through the second operator network, which is a different network from the first operator network.

[0023] In some embodiments, both the first and second communication modules are 4G communication modules, meaning that two 4G communication modules are deployed in the control host, and these two 4G communication modules correspond to different operator networks. The 4G communication modules adopt industrial-grade hardware design to adapt to the outdoor deployment environment of the cluster charging system.

[0024] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, "first" and "second" are only pronouns. In other examples, the first communication module or the second communication module may also be a wireless router, or of course, other communication modules such as a 5G communication module. There are no restrictions on this.

[0025] The network status monitoring module 124 is used to monitor the first network status parameters of the first communication module 122 and the second network status parameters of the second communication module 123 in real time, and transmit the first network status parameters and the second network status parameters to the main control module 125.

[0026] The main control module 125 is used to determine whether the switching conditions are met based on the first network status parameter and the second network status parameter. If so, it controls the activation mode of the first communication module 122 and the second communication module 133 to switch the cloud communication network used by the control host 12. Otherwise, it does not process the switch.

[0027] In some embodiments, the first operator network is the primary network and the second operator network is the backup network; the main control module 125 is also configured to: enable the first communication module by default and disable the second communication module when the control host is initialized, so that the control host uses the first operator network by default.

[0028] Based on the above solution, by enabling multiple charging terminals to share the cloud communication network applicable to the control host, and by having the control host autonomously trigger the automatic switching logic of dual operator networks, the network configuration requirements of multiple charging terminals can be met while reducing the hardware cost required for network communication.

[0029] Figure 2 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of another cluster charging system provided in an embodiment of this application, compared to... Figure 1 The improvement of the cluster charging system shown is that it also includes a data caching module 126 and an early warning log module 127.

[0030] like Figure 2 As shown, the data caching module 126 is electrically connected to the main control module 125 and is used to temporarily store data from multiple charging terminals 13 using a local caching method. The early warning log module 127 is electrically connected to the main control module 125 and is used to push early warning information to multiple charging terminals 13, as well as record the entire process log of network switching and fault recovery for easy traceability and maintenance.

[0031] Figure 3 A logical diagram illustrating the main control module's autonomous network switching is shown. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the main control module determines whether the switching conditions are met based on the first network status parameter and the second network status parameter by performing the following steps: Step A: Based on the first network status parameters, determine whether the first operator's network meets the first fault condition; if yes, proceed to step B; otherwise, do not process.

[0032] In some embodiments, the first network state parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: signal strength, latency, and packet loss rate. The first fault condition can be a threshold set for any one of these parameters, for example: the signal strength in the first network state parameter is lower than the corresponding signal strength threshold, or the packet loss rate in the first network state parameter is higher than the corresponding packet loss rate threshold; or it can be a comprehensive consideration of multiple parameters, and there is no limitation thereto.

[0033] Step B: Within the preset handover delay time, monitor whether the first operator's network can recover in time. If it can recover in time, no action is taken; otherwise, proceed to step C.

[0034] Specifically, if the first operator's network can be restored in time, subsequent steps will be stopped to avoid incorrect handover due to brief network jitter (such as instantaneous signal fluctuations).

[0035] Step C: Based on the second network status parameters, determine whether the second operator network meets the second fault condition; if yes, proceed to step D; otherwise, proceed to step E.

[0036] In some embodiments, the second network state parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: signal strength, latency, and packet loss rate. The second fault condition can be a threshold set for any one of these parameters, for example: the signal strength in the second network state parameter is lower than a corresponding signal strength threshold, or the packet loss rate in the second network state parameter is higher than a corresponding packet loss rate threshold; it can also be a comprehensive consideration of multiple parameters, without limitation. Furthermore, the second fault condition can be the same as or different from the first fault condition.

[0037] Step D: Control the early warning log module to push early warning information to multiple charging terminals, and at the same time control the data caching module to temporarily store data from multiple charging terminals; Step E: Shut down the first communication module, enable the second communication module, and simultaneously control the data caching module to temporarily store data from multiple charging terminals, thereby switching the cloud communication network to the second operator's network.

[0038] Step F: When the control host switches to the second operator's network, determine in real time whether the first operator's network meets the recovery conditions; if so, proceed to step G; otherwise, do not process.

[0039] Step G: Disable the second communication module and enable the first communication module, thereby switching the cloud communication network back to the first operator's network.

[0040] Based on the above solution, by using local caching to temporarily store the data of the charging terminals during the autonomous switching process, the network switching will not interrupt the charging process of any charging terminal, support remote operation and maintenance traceability and fault analysis, realize seamless network switching, and ensure the network online rate and operational stability of the cluster charging system.

[0041] Figure 4 A flowchart of a network handover control method provided in this application is shown. This method is applied to, for example... Figure 1 or Figure 2 The cluster charging system shown includes the following steps:

[0042] S401 monitors the first and second network status parameters in real time.

[0043] The first network status parameter corresponds to the first operator network provided by the first communication module, and the second network status parameter corresponds to the second operator network provided by the first communication module. The second operator network is a different network from the first operator network.

[0044] In some embodiments, both the first communication module and the second communication module are 4G communication modules. The first network status parameter and the second network status parameter each include at least one of the following parameters: signal strength, latency, and packet loss rate.

[0045] S402: Determine whether the switching conditions are met based on the first network status parameter and the second network status parameter. If so, control the activation mode of the first communication module and the second communication module to switch the cloud interaction network used by the control host. Otherwise, do not process.

[0046] In some embodiments, the first operator network is the primary network and the second operator network is the backup network; the network switching control method further includes: when the control host is initialized, the first communication module is enabled by default and the second communication module is disabled, so that the control host uses the first operator network by default.

[0047] In some embodiments, determining whether the handover conditions are met based on the first network status parameter and the second network status parameter includes: determining whether the first operator network meets the first fault condition based on the first network status parameter; if so, monitoring whether the first operator network can recover in time within a preset handover delay time; if it can recover in time, no action is taken; otherwise, the network handover process is executed; otherwise, no action is taken.

[0048] In some embodiments, the network switching process includes: determining whether the second operator network meets the second fault condition based on the second network status parameter; if so, pushing warning information to multiple charging terminals and temporarily storing the data of multiple charging terminals; otherwise, shutting down the first communication module, enabling the second communication module, and temporarily storing the data of multiple charging terminals, thereby switching the cloud communication network to the second operator network.

[0049] In some embodiments, the network switching control method further includes: when the control host switches to the second operator network, determining in real time whether the first operator network meets the recovery conditions; if so, shutting down the second communication module and enabling the first communication module, thereby switching the cloud communication network back to the first operator network; otherwise, no action is taken.

[0050] It should be understood that the specific working process of executing the above network switching control method in the cluster control system can refer to the corresponding process in the aforementioned system embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0051] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the above disclosure is merely illustrative and does not constitute a limitation of this application. Although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and corrections to this application. Such modifications, improvements, and corrections are suggested in this application, and therefore remain within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this application.

[0052] Furthermore, this application uses specific terms to describe embodiments of the application. For example, "an embodiment," "one embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a particular feature, structure, or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of the application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "an embodiment," "one embodiment," or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more in different locations in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the application can be appropriately combined.

[0053] Some aspects of this application can be executed entirely by hardware, entirely by software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or by a combination of hardware and software. The aforementioned hardware or software may be referred to as a "data block," "module," "engine," "unit," "component," or "system." The processor may be one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DAPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or combinations thereof. Furthermore, aspects of this application may manifest as computer products residing in one or more computer-readable media, including computer-readable program code. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic tapes, etc.), optical discs (e.g., compressed CDs, digital multifunction DVDs, etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks, key drives, etc.).

[0054] A computer-readable medium may contain a propagated data signal containing computer program code, for example, on baseband or as part of a carrier wave. This propagated signal may take various forms, including electromagnetic, optical, and so on, or suitable combinations thereof. A computer-readable medium can be any computer-readable medium other than a computer-readable storage medium, which can be connected to an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device to enable communication, propagation, or transmission of a program for use. The program code located on the computer-readable medium can be propagated through any suitable medium, including radio, cable, fiber optic cable, radio frequency signals, or similar media, or any combination of the above media.

[0055] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the description of the present application and thus aid in the understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention, the foregoing description of the embodiments of the present application sometimes combines multiple features into a single embodiment, drawing, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not imply that the subject matter of the application requires more features than those mentioned in the claims. In fact, the embodiments contain fewer features than all the features of the single embodiments disclosed above.

[0056] In some embodiments, numbers describing the quantity of components and attributes are used. It should be understood that such numbers used in the description of embodiments are modified in some examples with the terms "approximately," "approximately," or "generally." Unless otherwise stated, "approximately," "approximately," or "generally" indicates that the numbers are allowed to vary by ±20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are approximate values, which may be changed depending on the characteristics required by individual embodiments. In some embodiments, numerical parameters should take into account specified significant digits and employ a general method of digit reservation. Although the numerical ranges and parameters used to confirm their breadth of scope in some embodiments of this application are approximate values, in specific embodiments, such values ​​are set as precisely as feasible.

Claims

1. A cluster charging system, characterized in that, The cluster charging system includes a cloud platform, a control host, and multiple charging terminals. The control host includes a terminal interaction module, a first communication module, a second communication module, a network status monitoring module, and a main control module. The terminal interaction module is used to enable the multiple charging terminals to share the cloud communication network used by the control host. The first communication module is used to establish a communication connection with the cloud platform through the first operator's network; The second communication module is used to establish a communication connection with the cloud platform through a second operator network, wherein the second operator network is a different network from the first operator network; The network status monitoring module is used to monitor the first network status parameters of the first communication module and the second network status parameters of the second communication module in real time, and transmit the first network status parameters and the second network status parameters to the main control module; and The main control module is used to determine whether the switching conditions are met based on the first network status parameters and the second network status parameters. If so, it controls the activation mode of the first communication module and the second communication module to switch the cloud communication network used by the control host. Otherwise, it does not process the switch.

2. The cluster charging system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first operator network is the primary network, and the second operator network is the backup network; the main control module is also used to: when the control host is initialized, enable the first communication module by default and disable the second communication module, so that the control host uses the first operator network by default.

3. The cluster charging system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a data caching module; The data caching module is electrically connected to the main control module and is used to temporarily store the data of the multiple charging terminals in a local caching manner.

4. The cluster charging system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an early warning log module; the early warning log module is electrically connected to the main control module and is used to push early warning information to the multiple charging terminals, as well as record the entire process log of network switching and fault recovery, so as to facilitate traceability and maintenance.

5. The cluster charging system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The main control module determines whether the switching conditions are met based on the first network status parameter and the second network status parameter, including: Based on the first network status parameters, determine whether the first operator network meets the first fault condition; If so, then within the preset handover delay time, monitor whether the first operator's network can recover in time: if it can recover in time, then do not process it; otherwise, execute the network handover process. Otherwise, no action will be taken.

6. The cluster charging system as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The network switching process executed by the main control module includes: Based on the second network status parameters, determine whether the second operator network meets the second fault condition; If so, the warning log module is controlled to push warning information to the multiple charging terminals, and the data cache module is controlled to temporarily store the data of the multiple charging terminals. Otherwise, the first communication module is shut down, the second communication module is enabled, and the data caching module is controlled to temporarily store the data of the multiple charging terminals, thereby switching the cloud communication network to the second operator's network.

7. The cluster charging system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The main control module is also used to: determine in real time whether the first operator network meets the recovery conditions when the control host switches to the second operator network; if so, shut down the second communication module and enable the first communication module, so that the cloud communication network switches back to the first operator network; otherwise, do not process it.

8. The cluster charging system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Both the first communication module and the second communication module are 4G communication modules.

9. The cluster charging system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first network status parameter and the second network status parameter each include at least one of the following parameters: signal strength, delay, and packet loss rate.

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