Method for linking an energy transfer process and the location of a charging cable

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for linking an energy transfer process, in which current flows through a charging cable (100) with a first connector (110), a second connector (130) and a connecting line (120) between the first connector (110) and the second connector (130), and a location where the charging cable (100) is located during the energy transfer process, comprising: detecting (500) the energy transfer process by the charging cable (100) or an allocation unit; transmitting (510) a location request for the energy transfer process to an external location unit (11) by the charging cable (100) or the allocation unit; and receiving (530) location information for the energy transfer process from the external location unit (11) by the allocation unit. and an assignment (540), by the assignment unit, of the location information to the energy transfer process.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for linking an energy transfer process in which current flows through a charging cable and a location where the charging cable is located during the energy transfer process, as well as a computing unit or a computing system comprising at least two computing units, and a computer program for implementing the method. The current can, in principle, flow in both directions through the charging cable or supply cable (bidirectional charging). Background of the invention

[0002] Battery-electric or hybrid vehicles can be charged at so-called charging stations or, in the case of bidirectional charging, can also supply energy to such charging stations, other vehicles or consumers such as electrical devices. To do this, the vehicle must be connected to the charging station, the other vehicle or the consumer using a charging cable or a supply cable that is usually carried on board. For energy transfer processes or charging or discharging processes, especially at so-called charging stations, such charging stations often have to be activated or unlocked for the energy transfer process or the feed-in process. In practice, this proves to be complex and error-prone because it involves numerous different parties, such as vehicle manufacturers, charging station operators, eRoaming platforms and providers of charging current contracts. In other cases, a vehicle can also be charged or discharged using private sockets and / or wall boxes or the like.Energy can be fed into a grid at these points.

[0003] In the following, we will always consider the bidirectional case (i.e., energy intake by the vehicle and energy output by the vehicle). For the sake of clarity, however, the following text will primarily refer to an energy transfer process and a charging cable (rather than a general supply cable). Disclosure of the invention

[0004] According to the invention, a method for linking an energy transfer process in which current flows through a charging cable and a location where the charging cable is located during the energy transfer process, as well as a computing unit or a computing system comprising at least two computing units, and a computer program for implementing the method are proposed, having the features of the independent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims and the following description.

[0005] The invention presents a solution in which location information can be linked in a simple and reliable manner to energy or power transmission processes via a charging cable, in particular even when the charging cable itself is not capable of determining a location. Although charging cables themselves can be equipped with a location determination unit, e.g. comprising a satellite navigation module or a receiving unit of a so-called global navigation satellite system (GNSS, such as GPS, GALILEO, BEIDOU, etc.), location determination can be disrupted, for example, within buildings such as parking garages. The invention now makes it possible to easily and reliably determine the location of an energy transmission process for a wide variety of scenarios by interacting with a location unit that is different from or external to the charging cable.If the location of an energy transmission process is known, this can be used very advantageously, for example, for technical monitoring, recording or mapping purposes, billing purposes, etc.

[0006] The method comprises detecting the energy transfer process by the charging cable or an allocation unit and transmitting a location determination request for the energy transfer process to the location unit external to the charging cable. A time at which the location is to be determined can also be transmitted along with the location determination request.

[0007] The allocation unit can be a hardware and / or software unit. The allocation unit can be a unit of the charging cable. Alternatively or additionally, the allocation unit can be a unit of a computing unit remote from the charging cable, such as a mobile device, a server in a data center or in the so-called "cloud," a PC, etc.

[0008] The external tracking unit can be a hardware and / or software unit. The external tracking unit can be a unit of a computing device, such as an input device, a mobile device, e.g., a mobile phone, tablet, PC, etc.

[0009] The allocation unit and the external location unit can also be part or units of the same computing unit.

[0010] In particular, the charging cable comprises a first connector (e.g., plug or socket) for electrically connecting to a charging partner, e.g., to a charging station, a household socket, a wall box, etc., a second connector (e.g., plug or socket) for electrically connecting to a vehicle, and a connecting line between the first connector and the second connector. To carry out the steps described herein, the charging cable further comprises, in particular, a charging cable computing unit and, if appropriate, other units.

[0011] A charging cable or a charging cable processing unit located therein can very easily detect an energy transfer process, as current then flows through the charging cable, which can be detected, measured, or determined. This can be done, for example, by a current detection device and / or a power detection device. The allocation unit can detect that a current has flowed or that an energy transfer process is taking place or has taken place based on the data available to it, transmitted to it, or received by it, e.g., data sent by the charging cable.

[0012] To transmit the location request, the charging cable can have a short-range data transmission unit and / or a mobile radio data transmission unit. The allocation unit can have a data transmission unit or be coupled to such a data transmission unit so that it can transmit the location request to the external location unit.

[0013] A short-range data transmission unit is understood in particular to be a wireless data transmission unit with a range of up to a few hundred meters and using a protocol based, for example, on a Wi-Fi® standard (currently up to 300 m) or a Bluetooth® standard (currently theoretically up to 240 m, but in practice more likely up to 10 m), or an NFC protocol or similar. The short-range data transmission unit can also operate with a cable, e.g., a USB cable.

[0014] In one embodiment, the short-range data transmission unit comprises at least one data transmission unit selected from a Bluetooth®, NFC, ZigBee, infrared, Wi-Fi®, or USB data transmission unit. These are common, cost-effective, and proven interfaces that are easy to implement and are robust and reliable. It is understood that the short-range data transmission unit can also comprise several different data transmission units or support several different associated protocols.

[0015] The mobile data transmission unit uses a protocol based, in particular, on a mobile communications standard of at least the second generation (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.). It is understood that the mobile data transmission unit can also support multiple protocols.

[0016] The charging cable processing unit and / or the short-range data transmission unit and / or the mobile radio data transmission unit can each be present as separate elements (components), but can also be integrated solutions in the form of integrated circuits (ICs) and / or microcontrollers. For example, the short-range data transmission unit and the mobile radio data transmission unit can be integrated, although it is understood that all conceivable combinations are possible.

[0017] The method further comprises receiving location information for the energy transfer process from the external locating unit by the allocation unit. In addition to the location information, the allocation unit also contains data relating to the energy transfer process.

[0018] The method further comprises assigning the location information to the energy transfer process by the assignment unit. Such an assignment can take place in the creation of a data set which comprises data depending on the energy transfer process, such as an identifier and / or a start and / or end of the energy transfer process and / or an amount of energy transferred during the energy transfer process, and data depending on the location information, such as address information and / or coordinate information and / or semantic information (e.g. "workplace", "home zone", "in the vicinity of the mobile phone") and / or an identification of the charging station (e.g. a serial number). The coordinate information can in particular contain an indication of a height above or below ground in order to define a location, for example on an upper floor of a parking garage.One or more such data records can be stored in a database, for example in a list or table. The assignment can be automatic or manual. The transmission of the location determination request and / or the assignment can take place in the immediate temporal proximity of the energy transfer process (or energy transfer operations), e.g. during the energy transfer process or at its end. However, the transmission of the location determination request and / or the assignment can also take place at a different time than the energy transfer process. For example, it can take place after a defined period of time after the energy transfer process or at regular intervals (e.g. once or several times a day or week) or on an ad hoc basis (e.g. when a network connection is detected and / or when several charging processes have been registered without location information being available).

[0019] In one embodiment, the method comprises checking by the charging cable or the allocation unit whether location information is available in the charging cable or the allocation unit for the energy transfer process, and transmitting the location determination request to the external location unit only if no location information is available in the charging cable or in the allocation unit for the energy transfer process. Thus, the method is advantageously only executed when necessary, e.g., because a location determination unit present in the charging cable is currently unable to determine the location of the charging cable, or because the charging cable does not even have such a location determination unit. This advantageously saves resources (e.g., data volume and energy).

[0020] In one embodiment, the charging cable has a receiving unit of a global satellite navigation system, wherein checking whether location information is available in the charging cable or in the allocation unit for the energy transfer process comprises checking whether location information from the global satellite navigation system is available for the energy transfer process. On the other hand, if location information from the global satellite navigation system is available for the energy transfer process, a determination via an external positioning unit does not need to be made, which advantageously limits the implementation of the method to only necessary situations.

[0021] In one embodiment, the charging cable connects a vehicle to a charging partner during the energy transfer process, wherein checking whether location information is available in the charging cable or in the allocation unit for the energy transfer process comprises checking whether an identification feature of the charging partner can be received or is present. In particular, this is an identification feature of the charging partner that is itself linked to location information or intrinsically contains such information. The charging partner can, for example, be a (e.g. public) charging station whose location is usually fixed and known, so that the location information for the energy transfer process is directly derived from the location of the charging partner when the charging partner is identified. An identifier, serial number, or similar can be used as an identification feature.

[0022] In one embodiment, the method further comprises receiving, by the external locating unit, the location determination request for the energy transfer process from the charging cable or from the allocation unit, performing a location determination by the external locating unit to obtain location information for the energy transfer process, and transmitting the location information for the energy transfer process to the allocation unit by the external locating unit. Thus, the external locating unit is advantageously able to determine the location information and make it available to the allocation unit. The determination can be made manually or automatically. In this way, the location information can be provided simply and reliably, even if the charging cable cannot provide it temporarily or permanently and / or it is not available in the allocation unit for some reason.Furthermore, a redundant query is also possible so that the location information of the charging cable can be checked for plausibility and, for example, a defect in a location determination unit or receiving unit for location information of the charging cable can be detected in order to then repair it, for example.

[0023] In one embodiment, the external locating unit performing the location determination to obtain the location information for the energy transfer process comprises reproducing information about the energy transfer process using a playback means of the external locating unit, receiving a user input from an input means of the external locating unit, and determining the location information for the energy transfer process depending on the user input. The playback means can comprise, for example, only a loudspeaker and / or a screen and / or a haptic output unit, etc. The input means can comprise, for example, only a microphone and / or a keyboard and / or a mouse and / or a touchscreen and / or a camera (e.g., for gesture recognition or facial expression recognition or the like).Accordingly, the playback can comprise, for example, an acoustic playback and / or a visual playback and / or haptic playback. The user input can comprise an acoustic input (in particular spoken words), haptic input (in particular typing), gesture input, etc. This embodiment can advantageously essentially comprise a manual location determination by a user. The user input can be received promptly in relation to the energy transfer process, for example during or shortly thereafter, or independently of the time and location, for example later at home or in the office. Thus, a location of the energy transfer process can be determined by the external locating unit or by means of the external locating unit even if automatic location determination is not possible.

[0024] In one embodiment, the external locating unit has a location determination unit, wherein carrying out the location determination by the external locating unit to obtain the location information for the energy transfer process comprises capturing location data by means of the location determination unit and determining the location information for the energy transfer process as a function of the location data. The location determination unit can, for example, be a (further) receiving unit (a receiving unit of the external locating unit) of a global satellite navigation system (GNSS) or it can have such a (further) receiving unit. The location determination unit can, for example, alternatively or additionally also have receiving units for radio cell data, for WiFi® data, etc. The location data captured by the location determination unit can, in particular, be GNSS coordinates, radio cell data, Wi-Fi® data, etc.This embodiment can advantageously essentially comprise automatic location determination by the external location unit. The location determination can take place close to the energy transfer process, for example during it or (shortly) after it or (shortly) before it, or even independently of it, for example based on a (time) history of location data stored in the external location unit. This allows the external location unit to determine the location of the energy transfer process automatically and usually very precisely and in a way that cannot be manipulated. Using the stored time history of location data, in particular by comparing it with the time of the location determination request, the locations stored in this way can be compared with the energy transfer process recorded in the charging cable.

[0025] In one embodiment, the charging cable has a short-range data transmission unit. The determination of the location information for the energy transfer process based on the location data is only carried out if the location determination request is transmitted using the charging cable's short-range data transmission unit. In this case, it can be assumed that the external locating unit (which advantageously also has the short-range data transmission unit) is located in the immediate vicinity of the charging cable and thus the location data acquired using the location determination unit also relates to a close vicinity of the charging cable.

[0026] Alternatively or additionally, the location information for the energy transfer process is determined based on the location data only if, when the location determination request is transmitted, the short-range data transmission unit of the charging cable is or is coupled to another short-range transmission unit of the external locating unit. This advantageously ensures that the external locating unit is or was located in the immediate vicinity of the charging cable during the energy transfer process (e.g., particularly at the beginning and / or end of the energy transfer process), and thus the location information of the external locating unit correlates with a high degree of probability with the location of the charging cable during the respective energy transfer process.

[0027] In a further development, it is provided that the charging cable has a mobile radio data transmission unit, wherein the determination of the location information for the energy transmission process takes place as a function of the user input or is carried out if the transmission of the location determination request takes place by means of a mobile radio data transmission unit of the charging cable.

[0028] This advantageously makes it possible to easily provide and / or verify and / or make plausible location information even if it is uncertain whether automatically determined location information corresponds sufficiently accurately to the location of the charging cable.

[0029] In particular, if the location request is transmitted exclusively via the mobile radio data transmission unit and / or if coupling of the external location unit and charging cable via short-range transmission units is not possible or was not possible during the energy transfer process, it cannot be assumed with certainty that the external location unit is in the immediate vicinity of the charging cable. Determining the location information via user input can therefore be advantageous, especially in this case.

[0030] In one embodiment, the method further comprises transmitting a value of an amount of energy transmitted during the energy transmission process and / or a time or period of the energy transmission process to a remote computing unit via the charging cable, and transmitting the location information to the remote computing unit via the allocation unit and / or via the external locating unit.

[0031] The remote processing unit is not a processing unit of the charging cable or the external tracking unit, and in particular not a processing unit of a vehicle. However, the allocation unit can be part of the remote processing unit. The remote processing unit can also be referred to as another processing unit or external processing unit or server processing unit or cloud processing unit. It can be provided by an e-mobility provider (EMP) or charging station operator (CPO, Charge Point Operator), by a maintenance service provider for the technical maintenance of charging points and / or charging cables and / or vehicles, or by a billing service provider, e.g. of vehicle fleets. An e-mobility provider (EMP) is usually understood to be an entity that acts as an intermediary between drivers or energy consumers on the one hand and charging station operators orEnergy suppliers, on the other hand, are located to enable charging processes and the associated billing procedures (this also applies when energy is fed back from the vehicle into the grid). A driver usually does not conclude contracts with the numerous different charging station operators, but rather with a few e-mobility providers, who then mediate access to a charging station and ensure authentication and subsequent billing. EMPs usually offer their services in the form of mobile phone apps (e.g. the EnBW app or the applicant's "Charge My EV" app). This can also simplify billing processes if the charging partner is identified and appropriate cost compensation can be initiated. A billing service provider can also be an EMP or, for example, a vehicle fleet operator or a department of a company that operates the company's own vehicle fleet.Such billing service providers can, in addition to billing the energy quantities drawn from or fed into public charging points, also bill the energy quantities drawn from or fed into private charging points (e.g. household sockets, wall boxes or the like).

[0032] In one embodiment, the method further comprises carrying out a measure depending on the location information.

[0033] In particular, the invention allows the charging partner, e.g. a charging station, but also a (simple) socket or another vehicle or a home energy storage device or the like, to be identified by its location (since the charging cable location is usually in the immediate vicinity of the charging partner during the energy transfer process, usually at most a distance of one connecting cable from the charging partner). This can then be advantageously used to link data obtained from the energy transfer process (e.g. maximum (dis)charging current, maximum (dis)charging voltage, ripples of the charging voltage, charging losses via the charging cable (e.g. by comparing the amount of energy recorded in the charging cable or in the vehicle with an externally recorded amount of energy), etc.) with the charging partner, e.g. in a database, in particular in a central database that is used by several vehicles or drivers or an external third party, e.g.a service provider (workshop, charging station provider, etc.). In this way, for example, a map of charging partners can be created. Likewise, if an error or discrepancy or a change over time in the energy transfer process is detected, the person who caused the error can be identified and informed in order to initiate action such as a repair if necessary. Finally, billing processes can also be simplified or automated, e.g. by automatically identifying the charging partner or their location and initiating appropriate cost compensation. In particular, it can be detected, for example, whether a vehicle has consumed or supplied electricity in a so-called home zone and the corresponding amount of energy can be linked to a stored electricity tariff.

[0034] In one embodiment, carrying out a measure depending on the location information comprises comparing an amount of energy determined by the charging cable or the vehicle, which was transferred during the energy transfer process, with an amount of energy determined by the charging partner or the vehicle and carrying out an action depending on the comparison. As a result, for example, an energy measuring device in the charging cable with knowledge of the amount of energy determined in the vehicle or charging partner and / or an energy measuring device in the charging partner with knowledge of the amount of energy determined in the charging cable or vehicle and / or an energy measuring device in the vehicle with knowledge of the amount of energy determined in the charging cable or charging partner can be checked as an action, if necessary (re-)calibrated or marked as faulty. This can be done, for example, based on a plurality of transmitted data from, for example, different vehicles.On the other hand, assuming the accuracy of the determined values, a significant deviation from the values ​​could also indicate a fault, e.g., in the charging cable or in a mechanical interface between the charging cable and the vehicle and / or between the charging cable and the charging partner, i.e., energy is lost as heat along the way. The action taken could be a warning to the user or a notification that the charging cable and / or the vehicle's socket requires maintenance. Alternatively, the owner or operator of the charging partner could be informed that there may be a problem with the charging partner.

[0035] In one embodiment, carrying out a measure depending on the location information comprises determining a quality of the energy transfer process and carrying out an action depending on the determined quality. Parameters that influence the quality of the energy transfer process and that can be measured in the process include, for example, current and / or voltage ripple, the shape of the current curve (particularly in the case of AC transmission), which can be influenced, for example, by a voltage converter and its components, current and / or voltage peaks, or general disturbances in the voltage or current and / or temperature, particularly in the area of ​​the connection interfaces between the vehicle and the charging cable or between the charging cable and the charging partner. This data can also be collected, evaluated and used as an action for maintenance and warning purposes.

[0036] In one embodiment, carrying out a measure depending on the location information comprises determining a cost center of the charging partner depending on the location information for the energy transfer process. This can, in particular, comprise a comparison using a database in which a cost center is stored for specific location information. A cost center can, for example, be an e-mobility provider or a charging station operator. Such a cost center can also be another driver or vehicle owner if energy is transferred between two vehicles, or an electricity provider (anyone, e.g., a customer of an electricity supply company) who merely provides a socket for charging processes and can nevertheless be easily compensated for this. It can also be a user who draws electricity from the vehicle, e.g., within the framework of so-called Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS), e.g.for a battery storage system in a property or for operating electrical devices in a property while the vehicle is stationary. For example, interested providers can register their location information, allowing allocation as explained above. This particularly applies to simple socket solutions without the need to provide a "real" charging station. In one embodiment, implementing the measure also includes initiating a cost settlement between the specific cost carrier and the vehicle's cost carrier.

[0037] A computing unit according to the invention, e.g., a charging cable computing unit, the external locating unit, the allocation unit, or the remote computing unit, or a computing system comprising multiple computing units, is configured, in particular by programming, to carry out a method according to the invention. The computing unit(s) may also be a distributed computing unit, which may, for example, have multiple modules.

[0038] The implementation of a method according to the invention in the form of a computer program or computer program product, in particular with program code that causes a computing unit or a computing system to carry out all method steps, is also advantageous since this causes particularly low costs, in particular if an executing computing unit (e.g. a control unit) is also used for other tasks and is therefore already present.

[0039] Finally, a machine-readable storage medium is provided with a computer program stored thereon as described above. Suitable storage media or data carriers for providing the computer program include, in particular, magnetic, optical, and electrical storage devices, such as hard disks, flash memories, EEPROMs, DVDs, and others. Downloading a program via computer networks (internet, intranet, etc.) is also possible. Such a download can be wired or cable-based or wireless (e.g., via a Wi-Fi network, a 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, etc. connection).

[0040] Further advantages and embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the description and the accompanying drawings.

[0041] The invention is illustrated schematically in the drawing using exemplary embodiments and is described below with reference to the drawing. Short description of the drawings Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a charging cable on which the invention may be based. Fig. Figure 2 shows schematically a linking of an energy transfer process in which current flows through a charging cable and a location where the charging cable is located, such as the charging cable from Fig. 1, during the energy transfer process. Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of a method according to the invention in a block diagram. Embodiment(s) of the invention

[0042] In Fig. 1 schematically shows a supply cable or a charging cable, as can preferably be used within the scope of the invention, and is designated overall by 100. The charging cable 100 has a first connector or plug 110, a connecting line 120 and a second connector or plug 130. Such a charging cable 100 serves to connect a charging station, such as a charging column (cf. 200a in Fig. 2) or so-called wallbox, or a socket, such as a household socket, with a vehicle (see 300 in Fig. 2). The plugs or connectors 110, 130 can, in particular, be so-called CSS plugs or Type 2 plugs or the like (depending on the country and / or region). The charging cable 100 can, in principle, also be arranged between the vehicle 300 and a consumer (e.g., another vehicle, a terminal device, or a power grid) and transfer energy from the vehicle 300 to this consumer (bidirectional charging).

[0043] In the present example, a computing unit is provided in the first plug or connector 110 as a charging cable computing unit 111, wherein this is particularly integrated in a housing of the first plug or connector 110. The charging cable computing unit 111 is programmed to carry out certain steps of an embodiment of a method according to the invention, as described below, for example, with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. For this purpose, the charging cable computing unit 111 comprises, in particular, computing and storage means, such as a CPU, RAM, flash, etc., as well as optionally its own energy supply source, for example a battery or accumulator (it can also be operated by externally supplied power, e.g., from the vehicle 300 and / or the charging station 200a, etc.). The charging cable computing unit 111 can be a distributed computing unit, which can, for example, have multiple modules. These modules can all be arranged in one of the plugs or connectors 110, 130 or the connecting line 120 or an ICCB (“In Cable Control Box”) of the charging cable 100 - not present in the charging cable 100 shown here - or can also be arranged distributed in the connecting line 120 and / or the plugs or connectors 110, 130 and / or the ICCB.

[0044] Furthermore, the charging cable 100 comprises, merely by way of example, a short-range data transmission unit 112, a mobile radio data transmission unit 113, and a receiving unit 114 of a global satellite navigation system. These are also arranged in the first plug or first connector 110 and can be designed, in particular, as integrated circuits (e.g., IC, ASIC, microcontroller, etc.). Two, three, or four units of the charging cable computing unit 111, short-range data transmission unit 112, mobile radio data transmission unit 113, and receiving unit 114 can be designed as a common chip or as an integrated circuit.

[0045] The short-range data transmission unit 112 can, for example, be selected from a Bluetooth®, NFC, ZigBee, infrared, WiFi®, or USB data transmission unit, or can comprise several of the aforementioned data transmission units or support several protocols. In principle, other short-range data transmission units are also conceivable. Short-range data transmission can be understood as data transmission in the range up to, for example, 300 m, preferably in the range up to 100 m, and particularly preferably in the range up to 10 m. The mobile radio data transmission unit 113 uses, for example, a protocol based in particular on a mobile radio standard of at least the second generation (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.). In principle, it can also be a satellite mobile radio transmission unit. The mobile radio data transmission unit 113 and / or the receiving unit 114 can also support several protocols.

[0046] The charging cable 100 is designed to carry out an embodiment of a method according to the invention, as described below, for example, with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, alone or in cooperation with other units.

[0047] In Fig. 2 shows a situation in which a driver 10 charges his vehicle 300 by means of a charging cable 100, in particular as shown in Fig. 1, the driver 10 wants to charge at a charging column 200a or charging station as charging partner 200. For this purpose, the driver 10 connects the charging cable 100 or its connectors 110, 130 to the vehicle 300 on the one hand and to the charging partner 200, here the charging column 200a, on the other hand, in order to carry out an energy transfer process. It goes without saying that instead of a charging station / charging column, for example, a simple (household) socket or a wall box or the like can also be used.

[0048] The location of the energy transfer process is to be recorded using a location unit 11 that is different from or external to the charging cable 100, e.g., to perform monitoring or simplify billing. A mobile phone 11a of the driver can be used for this purpose. The mobile phone 11a has a location determination unit, which can comprise software and hardware modules, wherein the current position can be determined based on, for example, GNSS data, radio cell data, Wi-Fi® data, etc. The location determination unit can thus have a (further) receiving unit for determining the location, in particular a (further) receiving unit of a global satellite navigation system.

[0049] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the entities involved carry out the following steps, as described below with reference to Fig. 3, in which an embodiment of methods of the invention is schematically illustrated in a block diagram. Fig. Figure 3 shows an embodiment in which steps are performed by the charging cable 100, the external tracking unit 11, an allocation unit 700, and the remote processing unit 400. The individual columns labeled 100, 11, 700, and 400 contain the steps performed by the respective entity.

[0050] In step 500, the charging cable 100 detects that an energy transfer process is being performed. For example, the charging cable 100 may have current measuring devices for this purpose. This step 500 can also, in principle, be performed in the allocation unit 700.

[0051] In a step 505, the charging cable 100 (or in other embodiments, the allocation unit) checks whether location information is available in the charging cable 100 (or in the allocation unit) for the energy transfer process. In one embodiment, step 505 may include checking whether location information from the global satellite navigation system is available from the receiving unit 114 for the energy transfer process, and / or whether an identification feature of the charging station 200a as a charging partner can be received or is present. For example, it may be provided that the charging station 200a transmits data such as a serial number, an EVSE ID ("Electrical Vehicle Supply Equipment"), or similar, based on which the location of the charging station 200a can also be determined.

[0052] If location information is available in the charging cable 100 (or, in other embodiments, in the allocation unit) for the energy transfer process, branch "1," the method branches to a block 506, in which the location information present in the charging cable 100 or in the allocation unit is further used. In principle, for redundancy purposes, in other embodiments, starting from block 506, it is also possible to branch to the next step 510 (see below) in order to compare or reconcile the data collected or recorded there with the available data.

[0053] If no location information is available in the charging cable 100 (or, in other embodiments, in the allocation unit) for the energy transfer process, branch "0", the charging cable 100 (or, in other embodiments, the allocation unit) transmits a location determination request to the location unit 11 external to or separate from the charging cable 100 in a step 510, which can be designed as a mobile phone 11a, as explained here only by way of example.

[0054] The location determination request is received by the external location unit 11 in a step 610.

[0055] This transmission of the location determination request can be carried out, for example, via a short-range data connection 12, which is established between the charging cable 100 and the external locating unit 11 via the short-range data transmission unit 112. Alternatively or additionally, a remote data connection 13, in particular a so-called "internet connection," can be established between the charging cable 100 and the external locating unit 11 via the mobile radio data transmission unit 113 and other participating units not shown, as is known in the art.

[0056] In a step 620, the external locating unit 11 performs a location determination to obtain location information for the energy transfer process.

[0057] In a first embodiment, which describes automatic location determination, step 620 comprises capturing location data, e.g., address or coordinates, by means of the location determination unit of the external locating unit 11 and determining the location information for the energy transfer process depending on the location data. The location information can, for example, contain the address or coordinates themselves. The location information can also contain only the confirmation ("in the vicinity of the locating unit") that the external locating unit 11, here the mobile phone 11a, is nearby, and advantageously also whether or that location data could be determined. An actual location determination or identification of the charging partner can take place later and possibly also outside the charging cable 100, for example in a remote computing unit 400, which is symbolized here with a "cloud symbol."In this case, the location data are transmitted from the external locating unit 11 to the remote computing unit 400, in particular together with a time stamp and / or an identification of the energy transfer process concerned.

[0058] It may be provided that the first embodiment is only carried out if one or more conditions are met, as explained below.

[0059] A first condition may include that the location determination request is transmitted via the short-range data connection 12, since it can then be assumed that the external locating unit 11 is located in the short range of the charging cable 100 and / or that when transmitting the location determination request (e.g. by means of a mobile radio connection), the short-range data transmission unit 112 of the charging cable 100 can be coupled or is coupled to another short-range transmission unit of the external locating unit 11.

[0060] A second condition may include that the location determination unit of the external location unit 11 itself is capable of acquiring location data during the energy transfer process, i.e., receiving a GNSS signal, radio cell signal, WiFi® signal, etc.

[0061] If, in this exemplary embodiment, at least one of these requirements is not met, i.e., in the example explained, the location determination request is received from the external locating unit 11 via an internet connection without a short-range connection simultaneously existing between the charging cable 100 and the external locating unit 11 and / or the external locating unit 11 cannot acquire any location information, step 620 advantageously comprises at least partially manual location determination. In this case, step 620 can comprise reproducing information about the energy transfer process by a reproducing means of the external locating unit 11, receiving a user input from an input means of the external locating unit 11, and determining the location information for the energy transfer process depending on the user input.It should be noted that in certain embodiments, the external positioning unit 11 can also be any terminal device, such as a mobile phone 11a, a tablet computer, a PC, or the like, on which an app, an internet application, a web browser, or the like is installed. In a further embodiment, it can also be a dedicated GNSS or GPS receiver, which, for example, has at least one communication interface.

[0062] The information to be displayed about the energy transfer process should enable the user to identify the energy transfer process and may, for example, comprise one or more pieces of information selected from an identifier, a start of the energy transfer process, an end of the energy transfer process, an amount of energy transferred during the energy transfer process, etc.

[0063] In particular, the information to be reproduced about the energy transfer process can be transmitted together with the location determination request.

[0064] The user input may contain an address and / or coordinates and / or semantic information (e.g., “work location,” “home zone,” “at mobile phone location”), etc.

[0065] Determining the location information for the energy transfer process as a function of the user input may include deriving the location information from the user input in the form in which it is required within the scope of the method, e.g. by the allocation unit.

[0066] If the location request is transmitted using the mobile radio data transmission unit 113, it cannot necessarily be assumed that the charging cable 100 and the external locating unit 11 are located at the same location. However, this may still be the case. Therefore, if the external locating unit 11 is capable of capturing location data, the information to be displayed about the energy transfer process may already contain the location data and / or the question of whether the charging cable 100 and the external locating unit 11 are or were located at the same location during the energy transfer process, and the user input may merely contain or represent a confirmation.

[0067] In a step 630, the external locating unit 11 transmits the location information for the energy transfer process to the allocation unit 700. In a step 730, the allocation unit 700 receives the location information for the energy transfer process from the external locating unit 11.

[0068] The allocation unit 700 can be the charging cable 100 or a unit of the charging cable 100, the external locating unit 11 or a part thereof, or the (other) computing unit 400 remote from the charging cable or a part thereof, such as a mobile device, a server in a data center or in the so-called “cloud,” a PC, etc.

[0069] In one embodiment, the allocation unit 700 is part of the charging cable 100, wherein the allocation unit 700 can be implemented as software, for example, in the charging cable computing unit 111 or is part of the charging cable computing unit 111 on which a computer program runs. In a further embodiment, the allocation unit 700 is the external locating unit 11, since this may already have information about the energy transfer process (in order to be able to reproduce it). In a further embodiment, the allocation unit is part of the external computing unit 400 or any external computing unit, and the allocation unit has data about the energy transfer process, but, for example, initially no location information about the energy transfer process or not all of the desired location information.

[0070] In an exemplary embodiment, for example, the external locating unit 11 transmits the location information for the energy transfer process to an allocation unit in the remote processing unit 400. It can then be provided that the data sent from the charging cable 100 to the remote processing unit 400 are combined there (in the allocation unit) with the location information (see also the description of step 740 below).

[0071] In a step 740, the allocation unit 700 assigns the location information to the energy transfer process, so that a location of an energy transfer process can be determined in this way. Advantageously, one or more measures, such as those described above, can then be carried out depending on the location information.

[0072] It should be emphasized that step 500 of detecting the energy transfer process can occur independently of some or all of the subsequent steps 510, 610, etc. In one embodiment, for example, a time at which the location is to be determined can also be transmitted with the location determination request. This is possible, for example, if the external location unit 11 regularly records location information and stores it with a timestamp. This stored location information can also be retrieved at a later time.

[0073] For example, it can also be provided that the charging cable 100 or the allocation unit 700 regularly transmits a location determination request to the external locating unit 11 and receives location information from the external locating unit 11, in particular if this transmission is possible via the near-range data transmission unit 112 or if the charging cable 100 or the allocation unit 700 and the external locating unit 11 are coupled to one another by means of short-range data transmission units. In this way, a temporal progression of location information can be generated in the charging cable 100 or in the allocation unit, on the basis of which an assignment to an energy transfer process is later possible. As explained above, the location information can also only contain the statement "in the near range of the locating unit," so that information is always available as to whether the charging cable 110 and the external locating unit 11 were located at approximately the same location.

[0074] In a step or block 450, a measure is carried out, e.g. by the remote computing unit 400, depending on the location information.

[0075] According to one embodiment, this measure serves to carry out a plausibility check of the charging process and, in particular, to detect incipient damage in the charging cable 100 and / or in the vehicle 300 and / or on or in the charging partner 200 (including possible degradation of mechanical interfaces, e.g. plug connections (such as corrosion on contacts, loose contacts, etc.)) as early as possible.

[0076] For this purpose, the location information can be used to determine which charging station 200a or charging partner 200 is involved. For example, a database can be used in which charging stations 200a and / or charging partners 200 are stored with coordinates or locations.

[0077] For example, energy quantities can be compared. This can be an energy quantity automatically recorded by the charging cable 100, the charging station 200a, or the vehicle 300, but also an energy quantity transmitted, for example, by a user (e.g., the user reads a meter reading from a wallbox or a meter assigned to a socket and transmits this, for example, to their employer, a car rental company, the external (second) processing unit 400, or the like).

[0078] During an energy transfer process, it is typically provided that the charging station 200a records the transferred energy quantity, not least for billing purposes. For example, the charging station 200a is configured to also transmit the energy quantity, in particular together with a vehicle identifier and a time of the energy transfer process, e.g., to the remote computing unit 400. This can be done, for example, via the Internet. If it is determined that the two energy quantities do not match within permissible tolerances and / or taking into account typical energy losses through the charging cable 100 and / or through cables up to an energy quantity measuring device in the vehicle 300, the driver or vehicle owner can be notified accordingly in order to initiate an inspection of the vehicle 300 and / or the charging cable 100.Typically, it can be assumed that a charging station contains calibrated energy metering devices, and thus this result is correct. Alternatively or additionally, however, a notification can also be sent to the operator of the charging station 200a, especially if discrepancies in the comparison values ​​are detected for different vehicles. For example, there may be a defect in the energy metering device or in the socket of the charging station 200a.

[0079] According to another exemplary embodiment, this measure serves to automate billing processes. For this purpose, a (first) cost unit of the charging station 200a can be determined based on the location information, in other words, the party to whom the costs for the energy withdrawn are to be reimbursed (or imposed in the event of a reversal of direction). For this purpose, a database can be used, for example, in which charging stations 200a are stored with location information. The database can, for example, contain a breakdown of charging options, their geographical locations and their use (commercial, private home zone), address, billing type, tariff models, and cost units (payer, payer). It should be noted that multiple home zones can also be declared if there is more than one residence or usual charging location.

[0080] Likewise, a (second) cost center of the vehicle 300 can be determined, e.g. depending on an identifier assigned to the vehicle 300, in other words the one who has to pay the costs for the energy withdrawn (or is to receive compensation for the energy delivered).

[0081] Then, a cost settlement can be initiated between the (second) cost carrier of the vehicle 300 and the (first) cost carrier of the charging partner 200a depending on the amount of energy transferred by the energy transfer process, and in particular on the location information, in other words, a payment process.

[0082] For example, if the energy transfer process of a company vehicle has taken place in a defined zone ("home zone"), the comparison of the location information with the database detects that the energy transfer process is carried out using private electricity ((first) cost carrier of the charging partner = employee) and reimbursement of the charged electricity to the employee ((first) cost carrier of the charging partner) is initiated by the employer ((second) cost carrier of the vehicle). An analogous scenario is conceivable for the billing of energy transfers for rental vehicles from a vehicle rental company. The feeding of energy into a network can also be billed in a similar way, whereby the user bears the costs and reimburses the vehicle's cost carrier.

[0083] As a measure in block 550, particularly in the case of at least partial manual location determination, it may also be provided that the assignment or location determination is verified. For example, this can take place in a facility referred to here as a verification center, which can also be located in the remote computing unit 400. It may be possible for the driver's assignment to be confirmed or rejected. This verification center can, for example, be the center that carries out or commissions technical maintenance on charging stations, charging cables, vehicles, or the like, or a center that also carries out cost compensation. An automatic plausibility check can take place. The following decision criteria / checkpoints, among others, can be included in this automatic plausibility check: • The time interval between the previous and / or the next energy transfer process in relation to the amount of energy loaded, • The nominal (original) or still existing (e.g. lower due to age) storage capacity of the vehicle battery, • The behavior pattern / charging history of past charging processes, • The spatial distance to the previous and / or next energy transfer event in relation to the elapsed time between charges.

Claims

[1] A method for linking an energy transfer process in which current flows through a charging cable (100) having a first connector (110), a second connector (130) and a connecting line (120) between the first connector (110) and the second connector (130), and a location where the charging cable (100) is located during the energy transfer process, comprising the following steps: -- Detecting (500), by the charging cable (100) or an allocation unit (700), the energy transfer process; -- transmitting (510), by the charging cable (100) or the allocation unit (700), a location determination request for the energy transfer process to a location unit (11) external to the charging cable (100); -- Receiving (530), by the allocation unit (700), location information for the energy transfer process from the external locating unit (11); -- Assigning (540), by the assignment unit (700), the location information to the energy transfer process. [2] The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps performed by the charging cable (100) or the allocation unit (700): -- Checking (505) whether location information is available in the charging cable (100) or in the allocation unit (700) for the energy transfer process; -- Transmitting (510) the location determination request to the external location unit (11) only if no location information is available in the charging cable (100) or in the allocation unit (700) for the energy transfer process. [3] Method according to claim 2, wherein the charging cable (100) has a receiving unit (114) of a global satellite navigation system, wherein checking (505) whether location information is available in the charging cable (100) or in the allocation unit (700) for the energy transfer process comprises: -- Check whether location information from the global navigation satellite system is available for the energy transfer process. [4] Method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the charging cable (100) connects a vehicle (300) to a charging partner (200) during the energy transfer process, wherein checking whether location information is available in the charging cable (100) or in the allocation unit (700) for the energy transfer process comprises: -- Check whether an identification feature of the charging partner (200) can be received or is present. [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising the following steps performed by the external locating unit (11): -- receiving (610) the location determination request for the energy transfer process from the charging cable (100) or the allocation unit (700); -- performing (620) a location determination to obtain location information for the energy transfer process; -- Transmitting (630) the location information for the energy transfer process to the allocation unit (700). [6] The method according to claim 5, wherein performing (620) a location determination to obtain location information for the energy transfer process comprises the following steps performed by the external locating unit (11): -- Reproducing information about the energy transfer process by a reproducing means of the external locating unit (11); -- receiving a user input from an input means of the external locating unit (11); -- Determining the location information for the energy transfer process depending on the user input. [7] Method according to claim 6, wherein the charging cable (100) has a mobile radio data transmission unit (113), wherein the determination of the location information for the energy transfer process is carried out in dependence on the user input when the transmission of the location determination request is carried out by means of the mobile radio data transmission unit (113). [8] Method according to one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the external locating unit (11) comprises a location determination unit, wherein performing (620) a location determination for obtaining location information for the energy transfer process comprises the following steps performed by the external locating unit (11): -- Recording location data using the location determination unit, -- Determining the location information for the energy transfer process depending on the location data. [9] The method according to claim 8, wherein the location determining unit comprises a receiving unit of a global satellite navigation system. [10] Method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the charging cable (100) has a short-range data transmission unit (112), wherein the determination of the location information for the energy transmission process is carried out in dependence on the location data only when if the location determination request is transmitted by means of the short-range data transmission unit (112) and / or when transmitting the location determination request, the short-range data transmission unit (112) of the charging cable (100) is or can be coupled to a further short-range transmission unit of the external locating unit (11). [11] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the charging cable (100) has the allocation unit (700), and / or wherein the allocation unit (700) comprises a computing unit remote from the charging cable (100). [12] Method according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising: -- transmitting through the charging cable (100) a value of an amount of energy transferred during the energy transfer process and / or a time or period of the energy transfer process to a remote computing unit (400); -- Transmission by the allocation unit (700) and / or by the external location unit (11) of the location information to the remote computing unit (400). [13] Method according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising: Carrying out an action depending on the location information. [14] Computing unit or computing system comprising at least two computing units, which is designed to carry out all method steps of a method according to one of the preceding claims. [15] Computer program which causes a computing unit or a computing system comprising at least two computing units to carry out all method steps of a method according to one of claims 1 to 13 when it is executed on the computing unit or the computing system. [16] A machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program according to claim 15.

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