Electrical connection between a vehicle and a charging station

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical connection (10) between a vehicle (18) and a charging station (22), having a vehicle-side terminal (14) and a charging station-side terminal (16). The electrical connection (10) comprises additional functionalities (24) integrated into the vehicle-side terminal (14) and / or into the charging station-side terminal (16). The invention furthermore relates to a method for determining an exact geolocation of an electrical connection (10), in particular of a charging cable (12); the invention furthermore relates to the use of the electrical connection (10) and of the method to couple an electrical connection (10) to a user account (50) and to determine an exact geolocation of the electrical connection (10) and of a charging station (22).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] title

[0003] Electrical connection between a vehicle and a charging station

[0004] Technical area

[0005] The invention relates to an electrical connection between a vehicle and a charging station, to a method for determining an exact geoposition of an electrical connection and to the use of the electrical connection and the method for coupling an electrical connection to a user account and for determining an exact geoposition of a charging station.

[0006] State of the art

[0007] DE 10 2015 210325 A1 relates to a method for determining a property of a charging station. The method discloses the determination of vehicle data generated during a charging process at the charging station, the determination of a property of the charging station based on the vehicle data, and the provision of data indicating the determined properties of the charging station.

[0008] DE 10 2016 221 471 A1 relates to a method for providing correction data for position determination. For this purpose, first position data are determined and / or provided for a vehicle based on a GNSS reception signal. The corresponding receiver is arranged in the vehicle, and the first position data are determined when the vehicle is in the charging position at a charging station.

[0009] An e-mobility provider (EMP) typically offers its customers the option of recharging their electric vehicle batteries at public charging stations. For this purpose, the EMP typically develops a mobile phone app, which it makes available to customers (users). The charging station data displayed in the EMP's app is typically obtained from aggregation platforms. The EMP can license this data. In some cases, the EMP receives the relevant charging station data directly from the charging station operator. The charging station data includes its geolocation, usually in the form of longitude and latitude. The charging station itself typically does not have a GPS receiver.

[0010] The geolocation data of charging stations is inaccurate because the data is usually recorded by the installer during installation of the charging station and entered into a system. However, this does not involve a precise measuring instrument, but rather a mobile phone, which does not always provide exact data. Several charging stations are usually grouped together into one location, for example if they are set up next to a parking lot by residents. It is not always clear to the user in the app which charging station is at the outermost edges, so authorization is not always easy in some cases because it is unclear which charging station is currently being activated / authorized. Another disadvantage has proven to be that the geolocation data of charging stations includes longitude and latitude, but not the geodetic height above ground.If charging stations are installed on the roof of a parking garage, for example, this fact is not always indicated, which can make finding such charging stations very difficult compared to charging stations located at ground level.

[0011] When using an app from an e-mobility provider (EMP), it is possible to query the corresponding geolocation of the mobile phone used every time the driver, usually the app user, starts a charging process in the app. From the location of the mobile phone, conclusions can be drawn about the geolocation of the charging station. This process can be carried out over several charging processes at a charging station and then an average value can be calculated. A disadvantage, however, is that the position of the mobile phone is recorded, which may not be accurate. This is the case, for example, if the driver of the vehicle has already moved considerably away from the charging station in question after plugging in the charging cable, or if the charging process is started via the app from a different location, for example for a family member who is unable to use the app at the time.Furthermore, the position is only recorded at one point in time, especially not at the beginning of the measurement. Mobile phones typically require a settling time to record their geoposition, so the location data provided may be inaccurate.

[0012] Another possibility would be the use of vehicle data. However, the problem is that the e-mobility provider (EMP) generally does not have access to the vehicle data. Individual models from individual vehicle manufacturers may have an open data interface that the e-mobility provider (EMP) could use. However, the general rule is that vehicle manufacturers do not disclose the data to third parties, so the e-mobility provider (EMP) does not have access to such geolocation data provided by a vehicle.

[0013] Description of the invention

[0014] According to the invention, an electrical connection is proposed between a vehicle and a charging station, with a vehicle-side connection and a charging station-side connection, wherein the electrical connection has additional functionalities integrated into the vehicle-side connection and / or into the charging station-side connection.

[0015] Advantageously, the integrated additional functionalities allow both a coupling of the electrical connection, which is preferably designed as a charging cable, with a user account of an e-mobility provider (EMP) and the determination of a more precise geoposition, compared to the state-of-the-art solutions outlined above.

[0016] Advantageously, the electrical connection proposed according to the invention is designed, with regard to the additional functionalities integrated therein, such that these at least enable the detection of an exact geoposition of the electrical connection, which can be linked to a user account. In an advantageous development of the electrical connection proposed according to the invention, the electrical connection is provided with visible or invisible identification markers on the vehicle-side and / or charging station-side connection. The identification markers, such as a serial number of the electrical connection, serve to link the electrical connection, for example in the form of a charging cable, to the user account. After the end of a charging process, the e-mobility provider (EMP) can merge two data sets of different origins.The e-mobility provider (EMP) receives the time and geolocation of a completed charging session from the electrical connection in the form of the charging cable, and the e-mobility provider (EMP) receives the billing data, including the charging station used, from the charge point operator (CPO). Combining these two data sets enables the e-mobility provider (EMP) to determine the geolocation of the charging station used.

[0017] Advantageously, in the electrical connection proposed according to the invention, the visible or invisible identification markers are designed, for example, as QR codes and / or as data matrix codes, which can be printed, for example, on the electrical connection in the form of a charging cable, or as serial numbers, which can be stamped, for example, into the electrical connection designed as a charging cable.

[0018] In the electrical connection proposed according to the invention, the integrated additional functionalities include, in addition to the detection of the exact geoposition of the electrical connection, a detection of information regarding the time or times of charging processes.

[0019] The electrical connection proposed according to the invention is designed as a charging cable which comprises the vehicle-side connection in the form of a plug and a charging station-side connection, also designed as a plug.

[0020] In an advantageous development of the electrical connection according to the invention, the integrated additional functionalities comprise a GNSS module, which can be integrated into the vehicle-side connection and / or the charging station-side connection of the electrical connection in the form of a charging cable. The electrical connection is advantageously designed with regard to its additional functionalities such that the additional functionalities comprise a communication module for establishing communication between an electrical connection in the form of a charging cable in the vehicle-side and / or charging station-side connection and a network. For this purpose, a SIM card or an eSIM functionality is included according to the invention in the vehicle-side and / or charging station-side connection.

[0021] In a further development of the electrical connection proposed according to the invention, the additional functionalities comprise an integrated Bluetooth and / or WI-FI module, which is accommodated in the vehicle-side connection and / or in the charging station-side connection of the electrical connection.

[0022] The electrical connection proposed according to the invention is further characterized in that the electrical connection can be coupled to a mobile phone and / or a Wi-Fi router.

[0023] The invention further relates to a method for determining the exact geoposition of an electrical connection and for coupling the electrical connection to a user account, wherein the electrical connection is designed in particular as a charging cable and according to the method at least the following method steps are carried out: a) coupling a user account to the electrical connection by entering a serial number of the electrical connection into a mobile phone or by scanning a QR code or a data matrix code into a mobile phone, b) determining an exact geoposition of the electrical connection by detecting an active charging process of a vehicle at a charging station.

[0024] The method proposed in the invention allows, on the one hand, the exact geolocation of the electrical connection to be recorded, and, on the other hand, an active charging process can be indirectly assigned to a charging station via the aforementioned data merging at the e-mobility provider (EMP) or a vehicle. Linking a user account to the electrical connection is only necessary once.

[0025] The electrical connection is then registered in the user account; pairing with the user account is not required before each charging session. Vehicle assignment is possible if the electrical connection, in the form of the charging cable, can identify a connected vehicle, for example, using ISO 15118.

[0026] In a further development of the method proposed according to the invention, the following process steps are carried out according to b):

[0027] Acquisition and storage of signals from GPS and / or GLONASS and / or Galileo and / or Beidou and / or QZSS,

[0028] Recording of longitude, latitude and geodetic height above sea level,

[0029] Carrying out the geopositioning several times per charging process and recording the time of determination,

[0030] Transmission of the geopositions of the electrical connection, determined several times per charging process, as well as their determination time(s) to the e-mobility provider (EMP).

[0031] The method proposed according to the invention can therefore advantageously be coupled to several satellite-based positioning systems, which considerably improves operational reliability.

[0032] In an advantageous development of the method proposed according to the invention, a check of recorded data is carried out within the electrical connection in such a way that recorded geoposition data are compared with one another, and the recorded geoposition and its recording time(s) are only transmitted when the recorded geoposition data no longer change significantly during the comparison. Such a procedure greatly increases the accuracy of the transmitted geopositions and increases the reliability of the data stock at the e-mobility provider (EMP). In an advantageous development of the method proposed according to the invention, the e-mobility provider (EMP) correlates the geoposition data of the electrical connection received with users' charging processes for temporal coincidence, and from this, the charging station used during the charging process is determined.

[0033] In a further development of the method proposed according to the invention, the geoposition of the charging station is updated, corrected, or confirmed in the data records of the e-mobility provider (EMP). Such further processing of the received data is therefore carried out in the central system of the e-mobility provider (EMP), without the electrical connection in the form of a charging cable being used further.

[0034] In a further development of the method proposed according to the invention, in order to register the electrical connection in the user account with the e-mobility provider (EMP), the electrical connection is coupled via Bluetooth connection to a mobile phone via a Bluetooth module integrated into the electrical connection.

[0035] In the method proposed according to the invention, the exact geoposition can further be transmitted to the e-mobility provider (EMP) either via a network using communication modules SIM, eSIM integrated in the electrical connection or via a freely receivable WIFI or via a password-protected WIFI, whereby the password of the electrical connection was made known when it was set up, or via a Bluetooth connection to a mobile phone from which the received data is further processed and / or forwarded.

[0036] In the method proposed according to the invention, the recorded geopositions can also be transmitted to the e-mobility provider (EMP) at regular intervals with their respective recording times, or the geopositions and associated time stamps are recorded regularly and then transmitted to the e-mobility provider (EMP) in a collective manner at one point in time.

[0037] Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of the electrical connection and the method for coupling the electrical connection with a user account and for determining an exact geoposition of a charging station and / or an electrical connection in the form of a charging cable.

[0038] Advantages of the invention

[0039] The solution proposed according to the invention advantageously achieves the result that a component used stationary during the charging process is used, on the one hand, to couple the electrical connection with a user account of an e-mobility provider (EMP), and, on the other hand, is used to update geopositions and active charging processes booked via the respective authorized user account at the e-mobility provider (EMP). Therefore, the solution proposed according to the invention can significantly improve the data structure or data material at the e-mobility provider (EMP) in terms of its informative value. Furthermore, active charging processes that are taking place are reliably recorded and unambiguously assigned to a user account maintained by the e-mobility provider (EMP). Within the scope of the merging of data records that the e-mobility provider (EMP) receives from the CPO, i.e.Plausibility checks can also be performed when comparing the data received from the charging station operator with the data the e-mobility provider (EMP) receives from the electrical connection in the form of the charging cable. The start and end times of charging processes, which are reported by the charging station via the CPO and to the e-mobility provider (EMP), and recorded by the electrical connection, should match. This match does not need to be exact to the second, but it must also not contain any significant deviations.On the one hand, this facilitates the overview of the data status at the e-mobility provider (EMP), and on the other hand, the solution proposed by the invention significantly increases user-friendliness with regard to locating charging stations, since their geoposition and, above all, their height above ground (such as in or on top of a multi-story parking garage) can be stored much more precisely by applying the solution proposed by the invention. The solution proposed by the invention can improve the geoposition data of charging stations with regard to their longitude and latitude by adding a geodetic height above ground. For example, charging stations on the roof of a parking garage can be identified just as easily as charging stations provided at ground level.

[0040] The solution proposed by the invention allows precise geopositioning data to be used independently of vehicle models from different vehicle manufacturers. The solution proposed by the invention allows multiple data sources to be combined: the precise geoposition resulting from the use of the electrical connection proposed by the invention, including its additional functionalities, information on the times of active charging processes, and the use of stored geopositions of charging stations in the database of the e-mobility provider (EMP).

[0041] On the e-mobility provider's (EMP) side, geoposition data received from the electrical connection in the form of a charging cable can be checked for temporal consistency with users' charging processes and thus used charging stations can be identified.

[0042] In the final evaluation procedures used, the exact geoposition of the charging station in the data records of the e-mobility provider (EMP) is updated or corrected or, if necessary, confirmed, so that the charging station or frequently used charging stations of the respective e-mobility provider (EMP) can be displayed on maps or in navigation systems with improved, i.e. significantly more precise, coordinates.

[0043] Furthermore, the solution proposed by the invention is characterized by the fact that data is collected and transmitted via the electrical connection in the form of the charging cable, and the relatively complex further processing of the collected data takes place at the e-mobility provider (EMP). This provider performs "post-processing" (downstream data cleansing) on ​​the received geopositioning data. This allows for simple data cleansing by calculating an average or by discarding certain quantiles in the case of a wide spread of data points. The filtering of inaccurate data during a settling phase is not performed in the electrical connection in the form of a charging cable, but rather at the e-mobility provider (EMP).

[0044] The application of the method proposed in the invention enables the e-mobility provider (EMP) to add new, previously unknown charging stations if corresponding geopositioning data is received and there is no charging station in the database for this new geoposition. The e-mobility provider (EMP) can thus display at least one charging station on the map or in the data for a navigation system, even if no details are yet available. This allows the e-mobility provider (EMP) to anticipate any delayed transmission by the aggregation platforms used.

[0045] During longer offline periods, it is possible for the electrical connection to store the geopositions, including the acquisition times, across multiple charging processes by applying the solution proposed in the invention. Only transmit them collectively to the e-mobility provider (EMP) when an online connection becomes available again. The provider can then carry out the necessary steps retrospectively.

[0046] Furthermore, the solution proposed according to the invention allows, based on the information on the geodetic height, i.e. the height above ground, to be used by suitable data processing to determine, for example, a floor within a parking garage, so that the charging stations can also be precisely located vertically and this information can be made available to the user.

[0047] Short description of the drawings

[0048] The invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0049] Shown are: Figure 1 a schematic representation of an electrical connection in the simplest case, designed as a charging cable with a vehicle-side connection and a charging station-side connection,

[0050] Figure 2 shows the electrical connection as shown in Figure 1, designed as a charging cable in the plugged-in state on the vehicle or on the charging station,

[0051] Figure 3 shows a variant of the electrical connection designed as a charging cable with additional functionalities integrated into the vehicle-side and charging station-side connections in the form of GNSS modules or communication modules for SIM and eSIM as well as a network to the e-mobility provider (EMP),

[0052] Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the electrical connection proposed according to the invention with Bluetooth or Wl Fl modules integrated into the vehicle-side or charging station-side connection, and

[0053] Figure 5 shows a variant of the electrical connection with charging station-side and vehicle-side connections as well as a representation of a WL Fl router or a mobile phone for transmitting the data to the e-mobility provider (EMP).

[0054] Embodiments of the invention

[0055] In the following description of the embodiments of the invention, identical or similar elements are designated by the same reference numerals, whereby a repeated description of these elements is omitted in individual cases. The figures only schematically illustrate the subject matter of the invention.

[0056] Figure 1 schematically shows an electrical connection 10 proposed according to the invention, which is designed as a charging cable 12. This comprises a vehicle-side connector 14 and a charging station-side connector 16. The aforementioned connectors 14, 16 can be designed as plugs, whereby various plug types can be considered, such as a Type 2 plug, a CHAdeMO plug, and the like.

[0057] Figure 2 shows that the electrical connection 10 proposed according to the invention, designed as a charging cable 12 with its vehicle-side connection 14 or its charging station-side connection 16, is plugged into both the vehicle 18 and the charging station 22. Thus, according to Figure 2, a connected plugged-in state 20 results, i.e., the formation of a galvanic connection between the vehicle 18 and the charging station 22 charging its traction battery. The charging station 22 is operated, for example, by a nationwide e-mobility provider 48 (EMP), which offers its service via an app or the like. A user account 50, see illustration according to Figures 3 and 5, for the driver of the vehicle 18 is generally maintained by the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP), so that both the user and the charging process can be identified and assigned to a user account 50 of the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP).

[0058] Figure 3 shows that the electrical connection 10 is designed as a charging cable 12, and integrated additional functionalities 24 are housed in the vehicle-side connection 14 and the charging station-side connection 16. As shown in Figure 3, the integrated additional functionalities 24 are provided in both elements, i.e., both in the vehicle-side connection 14 and in the charging station-side connection 16. Alternatively, the additional functionalities 24 can be integrated only in the vehicle-side connection 14 or only in the charging station-side connection 16.

[0059] The integrated additional functionalities 24 include, for example, a GNSS module 26, which is housed in the vehicle-side connection 14, and a GNSS module 28, which is located in the charging station-side connection 16. Additionally or alternatively, communication modules 30, 32 for SIM / eSIM communication can be housed in both connections, i.e., the vehicle-side connection 14 and / or the charging station-side connection 16. The communication modules 30, 32 for SIM or eSIM communication can also be housed only in the vehicle-side connection 14 or only in the charging station-side connection 16.The GNSS modules 26, 28 and / or communication modules SIM, eSIM 30, 32 located in the vehicle-side connection 14 and / or the charging station-side connection 16 can transmit recorded geoposition data during active charging processes. This data can be transmitted wirelessly to an e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) via a network 34. The e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) maintains a user account 50, which can be used to identify the user who wishes to authorize a charging process.

[0060] Figure 4 shows that the electrical connection 10 in the form of the charging cable 12 in the vehicle-side connection 14 and / or in the charging station-side connection 16 can also have visible or invisible identification markers 36, 38. The visible or invisible identification markers 36, 38 can be, for example, QR codes or data matrix codes or even serial numbers or the like stamped into the electrical connection 10 in the form of the charging cable 12. These enable identification of the electrical connection 10 when recorded geopositioning data is transmitted to the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP), which maintains corresponding user accounts 50.

[0061] Finally, Figure 5 shows a possible embodiment of the electrical connection 10 in the form of the charging cable 12 with a vehicle-side connection 14 and a charging station-side connection 16, in which the integrated additional functionalities 24 are implemented in the form of integrated Bluetooth / Wi-Fi modules 40, 42. Via the Bluetooth / Wi-Fi modules 40, 42 integrated in the vehicle-side connection 14 and the charging station-side connection 16, the electrical connection 10 can communicate either with a mobile phone 44 or with a Wi-Fi router 46, so that a transmission of recorded geopositioning data to the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) and a coupling of the electrical connection 10 to the user account 50 maintained there can be carried out.

[0062] The user, who is usually the driver of the vehicle 18, can enter the serial number stamped or printed into the electrical connection 10 in the form of the charging cable 12 into his user account 50, for example displayed in an app of the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) on his mobile phone 44, or scan a QR code or a data matrix code via the mobile phone 44 and thus assign the electrical connection 10 in the form of the charging cable 12 to his user account 50.At the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP), following the solution proposed by the invention, several data sources are combined, namely the geoposition, which is recorded by the electrical connection 10 in the form of the charging cable 12, further information about the time of the active charging processes and the geopositions of the charging stations 22 in the database of the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP), as well as the data about charging processes that the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) receives from charging point operators (CPOs). As soon as the electrical connection 10 in the form of the charging cable 12 detects an active charging process (see the illustration according to Figure 2), namely that the vehicle 18 and the charging station 22 are galvanically connected via the electrical connection 10 in the form of the charging cable 12), the geoposition determination is activated by the electrical connection 10 with the additional functionality 24 integrated therein, as described above with reference to Figures 1 to 5.Signals from the Global Positioning System (GPS) and / or GLONASS and / or Galileo and / or Beidou and / or QZSS are recorded and stored. Not only are longitude and latitude recorded, but also the geodetic altitude above sea level (which corresponds to a basic functionality of the aforementioned satellite-based navigation systems). The geoposition can be determined multiple times during an active charging process, just as measurement times can be recorded multiple times with regard to the date and time. Once a sufficiently precise geoposition and the measurement times have been determined, this recorded data can be transmitted to the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) via the additional functionalities 24 of the electrical connection 10 integrated into the vehicle-side connection 14 or the charging station-side connection 16.

[0063] In the present context, "sufficiently precise" means that a data check is carried out in the electrical connection 10, such that recorded geoposition data are compared with each other. As soon as the recorded geoposition data no longer change significantly, i.e. after a settling time has elapsed, an exact geoposition is transmitted together with the recording times or the recording time, i.e. via the network 34, for example by means of the mobile phone 44 or via a Wi-Fi router 46, to the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP). On the side of the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP), received geoposition data from the electrical connection 10 are checked for temporal coincidence with charging processes of users, so that the charging stations 22 used can be unambiguously identified. Subsequently, in the central system, i.e.The e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) uses suitable evaluation procedures to update, correct, or confirm the geopositions of the respective charging station 22 in use in the database of the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP). This allows the respective geopositions of the charging stations 22 of the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) to be displayed on an app, a map, or as data on a navigation system with improved geoposition coordinates.

[0064] The solution proposed according to the invention, i.e. in the form of the electrical connection 10 proposed according to the invention, preferably designed as a charging cable 12, allows its coupling to a user account 50 of an e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) on the one hand and, on the other hand, precisely that electrical connection 10 can be used to determine the geopositioning of the electrical connection 10 or the charging station 22. To register the electrical connection 10 in the form of the charging cable 12 in the user account 50, the charging cable 12 is coupled via Bluetooth to the mobile phone 44 via the integrated additional functionality 24, here an integrated Bluetooth / Wi-Fi module 40, 42, either accommodated in the vehicle-side connection 14 or in the charging station-side connection 16 of the electrical connection 10. In this way, for example, the serial number can be transmitted via the mobile phone 44 for storage in the user account 50.The transmission of the exact geoposition to the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) of both the electrical connection 10 in the form of the charging cable 12 and the charging station 22 takes place optionally via the network 34 using the communication modules SIM, eSIM 30, 32 installed in the electrical connection 10. Furthermore, the geoposition can be transmitted via freely receivable WiFi without password access or alternatively via a protected WiFi, whereby the password was made known to the electrical connection 10 during setup. The data can also be transmitted via the aforementioned Bluetooth connection in the form of integrated Bluetooth / Wi-Fi modules 40, 42 to the mobile phone 44 or the app of the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) available there. The data transmitted to the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) is further processed or forwarded there in the central system.Alternatively, instead of transmitting the geoposition and the corresponding acquisition time from the electrical connection 10 to the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) only when the position is deemed "sufficiently precise," the geoposition can be transmitted to the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) at regular intervals, along with the respective acquisition times. This also occurs via the network 34. Furthermore, it is possible to regularly record the geoposition with the associated time stamp(s) and then transmit it to the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) at a later time as a collective transmission. The provider then performs "post-processing" on the received geoposition data, usually a subsequent data cleansing. Simple data cleansing can be achieved, for example, by calculating the mean or discarding certain quantiles if a wide spread of data emerges.Filtering of received inaccurate data, for example, during the settling time, is not performed in the electrical connection 10 in the form of the charging cable 12 itself, but in the central system at the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP). The filtering and further processing ("post-processing") of data can be fed to the app on the mobile phone 44 if the data connection runs via the app, such as in the case of a Bluetooth connection. The electrical connection 10 cannot be linked to a user account 50 at the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP); however, the transmitted geoposition can be transmitted to the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) for each detected charging process. Therefore, no assignment to a specific user can be made at the e-mobility provider's end.In this case, however, it is known that there must be a charging station 22 at the transmitted geoposition; otherwise, the electrical connection 10 would not have detected an active charging process and would not have performed a geopositioning. Using the data in its database on the charging stations 22, the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) can still check which charging station 22 was presumably used and thus either compare or update its position data, thus improving it.

[0065] A further possible implementation of the solution proposed by the invention is for the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) to add a new, previously unknown charging station 22 to its database when geopositioning data is received and no charging station 22 is yet registered at this location in the current database of the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP). The e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) can then display at least one charging station 22 on the map or in its data material, even if no more detailed information is yet available, thereby enabling the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) to anticipate a delayed transmission by aggregation platforms.

[0066] Should longer offline times occur during the transmission of geoposition data, it is possible to store the corresponding geopositions, including their acquisition times, in the electrical connection 10, embodied as a charging cable 12, even across multiple charging processes. The provider can then transmit them to the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) when an online connection to the network 34 becomes available again. The provider then subsequently performs the further data processing steps in the central system.

[0067] In a further embodiment of the method proposed according to the invention, a three-dimensional position of a charging station 22 can be detected from the geopositioning data transmitted via the electrical connection 10 in the form of the charging cable 12—more precisely, from the height above ground—so that conclusions can be drawn about the floor, for example, in a multi-story parking garage in which the charging station 22 is located. The floor, whether above ground or below ground, can then be displayed in the app of the e-mobility provider 48 (EMP) as additional information to make it easier for the user to navigate there and find it.

[0068] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described here and the aspects highlighted therein. Rather, numerous modifications are possible within the scope of the claims, which are within the scope of one skilled in the art.

Claims

Claims 1. Electrical connection (10) between a vehicle (18) and a charging station (22) with a vehicle-side connection (14) and a charging station-side connection (16), characterized in that the electrical connection (10) includes additional functionalities (24) integrated into the vehicle-side connection (14) and / or the charging station-side connection (16).

2. Electrical connection (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the additional functionalities (24) integrated therein include at least the acquisition of an exact geoposition of the electrical connection (10) which is linked to a user account (50).

3. Electrical connection (10) according to claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the electrical connection (10) is provided with visible or invisible identification markers (36, 38) at the vehicle-side and / or charging station-side connection (14, 16).

4. Electrical connection (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that the visible or invisible identification markers (36, 38) comprise QR codes and / or data matrix codes and / or serial numbers and / or RFID chips / markers that can be read by means of a mobile phone (44).

5. Electrical connection (10) according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the integrated additional functionalities (24) include, in addition to recording the exact geoposition of the electrical connection (10), recording information regarding the time(s) of charging processes, and furthermore, recording at least the geopositions of charging stations (22) of an e-mobility provider (48) (EMP). An electrical connection (10) according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the electrical connection (10) is a charging cable (12) comprising a vehicle-side connector (14) and a charging station-side connector (16). An electrical connection (10) according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the integrated additional functionalities (24) comprise a GNSS module (26, 28) in the vehicle-side connector (14) and / or in the charging station-side connector (16). An electrical connection (10) according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the integrated additional functionalities (24) comprise a communication module (30, 32) for establishing communication between a SIM card or an eSIM functionality in the vehicle-side and / or charging station-side connector (14, 16) and a network (34).Electrical connection (10) according to claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the integrated additional functionalities (24) comprise an integrated Bluetooth or WI-Fi module (40, 42) in the vehicle-side and / or charging station-side connection (14, 16). Electrical connection (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that the electrical connection (10) is paired with a mobile phone (44) and / or a Wi-Fi router (46). Method for determining an exact geoposition of an electrical connection (10), in particular a charging cable (12), according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising at least the following method steps: a) Pairing a user account (50) with the electrical connection (10) by entering a serial number of the electrical connection (10) into a mobile phone (44) or by scanning a QR code or a data matrix code into a mobile phone (44) or in a web browser. b) Determining a geoposition of the electrical connection (10) during the detection of an active charging process of a vehicle (18) at a charging station (22). Method according to claim 11, characterized in that the following steps are carried out according to b): Acquisition and storage of signals from GPS and / or GLONASS and / or Galileo and / or Beidou and / or QZSS, acquisition of latitude and longitude and geodetic altitude above mean sea level, Performing geoposition determination multiple times per charging process and recording the determination time, transmitting the geopositions of the electrical connection (10) determined multiple times per charging process, as well as their determination time(s), to the e-mobility provider (48) (EMP). The method according to claims 11 to 12, characterized in that within the electrical connection (10) a check of the recorded data is carried out such that the recorded geoposition data are compared with each other and the recorded geoposition data and their determination time are only transmitted when the recorded geoposition data no longer change significantly during the comparison.A method according to claims 11 to 13, characterized in that geoposition data of the electrical connection (10) received by the e-mobility provider (48) (EMP) are checked for temporal consistency with charging processes of users and the charging station (22) used is determined therefrom. A method according to claims 11 to 14, characterized in that the geoposition of the charging station (22) in the data records of the e-mobility provider (48) (EMP) is updated, corrected, or confirmed. A method according to claims 11 to 15, characterized in that, for the registration of the electrical connection (10) in the user account (50), the electrical connection (10) is coupled to a mobile phone (44) via a Bluetooth connection using Bluetooth / WiFi modules (40, 42) integrated into the electrical connection (10). A method according to claims 11 to 16, characterized in that the geoposition is transmitted to the e-mobility provider (48) (EMP) optionally via a network (34) through communication modules SIM, eSIM (30, 32) integrated into the electrical connection (10), or via a freely receivable Wi-Fi network or a password-protected Wi-Fi network, wherein the password of the electrical connection (10) was disclosed during its setup, or via a Bluetooth connection to a mobile phone (44), from which the received data is further processed and / or forwarded.A method according to claims 11 to 17, characterized in that recorded geopositions are transmitted to the e-mobility provider (48) (EMP) at regular intervals with their respective recording times, or the geopositions and associated timestamps are recorded regularly and then transmitted to the e-mobility provider (48) (EMP) in aggregate at a later time. Use of the electrical connection (10) according to one of claims 1 to 10 and the method according to one of claims 11 to 18 for coupling the electrical connection (10) with a user account (50) and for determining an exact geoposition of a charging station (22).

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