Charging cable and method for paying for a charging process

Abstract

The invention relates to a charging cable (4) comprising a first plug (7) for connecting to a connection socket (3) of a charging station, comprising a second plug (8) for connecting to a charging socket (5) of an at least partially electrically powered vehicle (1), and comprising an NFC antenna (10). The charging cable according to the invention is characterised in that a control unit (9) is provided, which is configured to activate the NFC antenna (10) only when the second plug (8) is connected to the charging socket (5). In addition, the invention also relates to a method for paying for an electric charging process using such a charging cable (4).

Description

[0001] Charging cable and method for paying for a charging session

[0002] The invention relates to a charging cable for charging an electric vehicle at a charging station according to the type defined in the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for paying for a charging process using such a charging cable.

[0003] Charging cables for connecting at least partially electric vehicles to electric charging stations are known from the state of the art. Furthermore, during payment transactions at charging stations, the data required for payment can be exchanged, for example, via a smartphone or smartwatch and an NFC reader on the charging station. However, the person charging the vehicle must have the appropriate device with them and have configured or activated a suitable payment function on the device. This may not be particularly convenient.

[0004] In this context, DE 102016221 350 A1 describes a charging cable for a vehicle that features a charging cable detection system. This system can, among other things, control the vehicle's functions. For this purpose, an NFC transponder or an NFC antenna can be incorporated into the charging cable. This can also be used to pay for the charging process.

[0005] The problem here is that the integration of NFC functionality into the charging cable and the corresponding data stored in the charging cable, for example on a token, for the payment process can be misused. For example, if the charging cable is forgotten or stolen, it can also be used to pay for other things, such as paying for petrol, paying in a supermarket, or the like. The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved charging cable according to the preamble of claim 1, which is capable of increasing security during the payment process. Furthermore, the object of the present invention is to provide a method for paying for a charging process using such a cable.

[0006] According to the invention, this object is achieved by a charging cable having the features of claim 1, and in particular in the characterizing part of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments emerge from the dependent subclaims. Furthermore, a method having the features of claim 5 solves the problem. Here, too, advantageous embodiments and further developments emerge from the dependent subclaims.

[0007] The charging cable according to the invention provides an NFC antenna, comparable to the charging cable in the prior art mentioned at the beginning, and is otherwise designed like a conventional charging cable with a first plug for connection to a connection socket of a charging station and a second plug for connection to a charging socket of a vehicle.

[0008] According to the invention, a control unit is provided which is configured to activate the NFC antenna only when the second plug is connected to the charging socket. The NFC functionality or the NFC antenna, via which data can be exchanged between the charging cable and the charging station to initiate a payment transaction, is therefore a dormant system which is built into the cable and does not enable any functionality as long as the cable is not plugged into the vehicle's charging socket. The NFC antenna is only activated or woken up after the cable has been plugged into the vehicle's charging socket, so that it can only exchange data, for example with an NFC reader at the charging station, when the second plug of the charging cable is connected to the vehicle's charging socket.The control unit can also be designed as a simple electrical connection between the NFC antenna and the second connector, which activates the NFC antenna when connected to a vehicle's power source when the second connector is plugged in. This alone significantly increases security, as it must now be ensured that the cable is plugged into the charging socket of the vehicle or a vehicle in order to utilize the payment functionality of the NFC antenna in the charging cable.

[0009] According to another exceptionally advantageous design of such a charging cable, security can be further increased if the control unit is configured to activate the NFC antenna only when the second connector has been plugged into the charging socket of a vehicle stored in the control unit. The control unit, or in principle the other way around, the vehicle, are thus provided with appropriate codes so that they can recognize each other. If the correct charging cable is connected to the correct vehicle, the NFC functionality is enabled. If this is not the case, for example, because a lost or stolen charging cable is plugged into another vehicle, the NFC functionality is not enabled.This ensures that payment for the charging process via NFC functionality can only be made if the charging cable is plugged into the correct vehicle, i.e., the vehicle to which the charging cable is assigned. The NFC antenna is therefore only activated when the assigned vehicle is charging, so it can be assumed with a high degree of probability that this charging process and the associated payment were actually initiated by the vehicle user, or that they permitted or desired it. Security can thus be further increased.

[0010] According to a very advantageous development, the NFC antenna is arranged in the first plug. This first plug is the plug that is connected to the charging station's socket. The arrangement of the NFC antenna in its area enables very simple and efficient handling. To pay using NFC functionality, the NFC antenna must be moved relatively close to the appropriate NFC reader, typically at a distance of a few centimeters. This is easily and efficiently achieved if the first plug encloses the NFC antenna. The charging cable can then be plugged into the vehicle's charging socket with the second plug. The cable is then guided to the charging station, where the first plug is first moved past the NFC reader to initiate the payment process.This plug can then be inserted into the charging station's connection socket to start or complete the charging process. Of course, it is also conceivable that the reader for the NFC payment process on the charging station is positioned in such a way that data can be transmitted from the NFC antenna of the first plug even when plugged in, so that simply plugging the plug into the connection socket is sufficient without first having to pass the plug past the reader. However, since this requires special readers, the former case currently plays a more important role, since the payment process can be initiated by passing the plug past an existing standardized reader on the charging station before the plug is inserted into the connection socket.

[0011] According to a very advantageous embodiment, the NFC antenna is connected to a token. This can be achieved directly, in particular, by integrating the NFC antenna and the token into the charging cable or attaching them to it. Preferably, they can both be housed in the first plug, or one functionality in the first plug and the other functionality in the second plug of the charging cable. Alternatively, it is also conceivable for the connection between the NFC antenna and the token to be made via the plug connection of the second plug and the charging socket, so that the token can be virtually located in the vehicle and transmits the data required for the payment process, which is stored on the token in both embodiments, to the cable or to the NFC antenna in the second variant only when it is activated.

[0012] The method according to the invention for paying for an electric charging process now provides for the use of such a charging cable. For this purpose, the charging cable is connected to the vehicle's charging socket with its second plug, as already described above. By plugging the second plug into the vehicle's charging socket, the NFC antenna, which had previously been "dormant," is then activated accordingly. It is thus enabled to provide data for an NFC reader of the charging station, whereby the data required for the payment process is transmitted before, during, and / or after the first plug is inserted into the charging station's connection socket, as already described above. Typically, the charging process itself then takes place after the data required for the payment process has been transmitted.According to a very advantageous development of the method according to the invention, the affiliation of the charging cable to the correct vehicle can be verified before the NFC antenna is activated, as has also already been described above.

[0013] A particularly advantageous development of the method according to the invention can also provide that a connection is established via the second plug inserted into the charging socket to an application in a control unit, a media device, or the like of the vehicle, via which the data required for payment is stored in the token of the charging cable and / or the data already stored in the token is verified. This makes it possible, for example, to compare and verify payment data stored in the vehicle and for the corresponding vehicle with the token in the charging cable, if present there.If the bank details, credit card number, expiration date or similar have changed in the meantime, the data in the token can also be updated in this situation, if necessary after verification of a user via another channel such as Bluetooth or WLAN via an additional mobile device, in order to prevent misuse.

[0014] This functionality is particularly useful when the application has stored the authorized user's data required for payment and / or retrieves it from a user account at the vehicle manufacturer, or verifies the data stored in the vehicle with the data stored in a user account at the vehicle manufacturer. This ensures that the relevant data, which can be used for various payment transactions, such as toll payments and the like, is stored in a manufacturer-specific app for the vehicle—in the applicant's case, for example, the "Mercedes me" app. This data can then also be used to pay for charging processes, either immediately or after being temporarily stored in the token.

[0015] Another very advantageous embodiment of the method can further provide for the data required for payment transmitted via the charging cable to be limited to the payment of charging transactions. Such a limitation of the data transmitted via the NFC functionality of the charging cable to charging transactions enables a further increase in security, preventing fraudulent use of the charging cable to pay for other goods and / or services.

[0016] Further advantageous embodiments of the charging cable according to the invention and of the method according to the invention also emerge from the exemplary embodiment which is illustrated in more detail below with reference to the figure.

[0017] The only attached Figure 1 shows a schematically indicated vehicle which is connected to a charging station via a charging cable.

[0018] In Figure 1, a vehicle designated 1 is shown in front of a charging station 2, via which electrical power is provided to charge traction batteries of the vehicle 1, which is designed, for example, as a battery-electric vehicle or as an at least partially electrically powered hybrid vehicle. The charging station 2 has a connection socket 3, which is connected to a charging socket 5 of the vehicle 1 via a charging cable designated 4. The charging cable 4 is typically owned by a person using or owning the vehicle 1 and is installed by this person accordingly for the charging process of the vehicle 1.

[0019] To pay for the charging process for vehicle 1, an NFC reader 6 may also be present at charging station 2. This is known from the state of the art and is frequently used to pay for the charging process, for example, using payment information stored on a smartphone or smartwatch.

[0020] The charging cable 4 comprises a first plug 7, which is designed to be combined with the connection socket 3 or plugged into it. At the other end of the charging cable 4 there is a second plug 8, which is designed to be plugged into the charging socket 5 of the vehicle 1. In this respect, the structure corresponds to a generally known and conventional charging cable 4. The special feature is that an NFC functionality with at least one NFC antenna 10 is built into the first plug 7. In addition, a token 11 can be built in, for example in the same plug 7 or elsewhere in the charging cable 4, which token has stored data required for the payment process and which can be read out via the NFC reader 6 of the charging station 2 in order to pay for the charging process for the vehicle 1.

[0021] The special feature is that the NFC functionality, and in particular the NFC antenna 10, is configured in the charging cable 4 as a sleeping NFC antenna, which is only activated or awakened when the second plug 8 of the charging cable 4 is plugged into the charging socket 5 of the vehicle 1. This can be achieved, for example, by establishing a power supply to the NFC functionality in the first plug 7 upon insertion, which awakens the NFC antenna 10 so that the data stored in the token 11 can be read.

[0022] In order to initiate and pay for a charging process as simply and efficiently as possible, it is sufficient for a person using the vehicle 1 to plug their charging cable 4 with the second plug 8 into the charging socket 5 of the vehicle 1. They then guide the charging cable 4 or the first plug 7 of the charging cable 4 to the charging station 2. The NFC antenna 10 has been woken up by the insertion of the second plug 8 into the charging socket 5 and is now ready to read the data stored in the token 11 to carry out the payment process. The person can therefore simply pass the first plug 7 past the NFC reader 6, which reads the data accordingly and initiates the payment. They can then plug the first plug 7 into the connection socket 3 and the charging process starts. The person charging the vehicle 1 thus saves themselves the need to pay, for example, via their smartphone or smartwatch and its NFC functionality.

[0023] To ensure sufficient security and to prevent the NFC functionality of the charging cable 4 from being used to illegally pay for goods and / or services, the NFC antenna 10 is only ever woken up or activated when the second plug 8 is plugged into the charging socket 5. This fulfills a first security criterion. This security criterion can be further improved by a control unit 9 arranged in the area of ​​the first plug 8 in the charging cable 4 controlling the waking up or activation of the NFC antenna 10. For this purpose, a corresponding identifier for the vehicle 1 can be stored in this control unit 9, so that in addition to the fact that the charging cable 4 is plugged into the vehicle 1, it can be checked whether the charging cable 4 is also plugged into the correct vehicle 1.The correct vehicle 1 is understood to be the vehicle 1 that transmits an identifier via its charging socket 5, which is stored accordingly in the control unit 9, so that the correct assignment of the respective charging cable 4 to the vehicle 1 is also verified. Only when this is ensured is the NFC antenna 10 activated and the payment process can begin accordingly.

[0024] In addition to the structure described in the illustration in Figure 1, it would also be conceivable for the data pre-stored in the token 11 for making the payment to be replaced by data that is stored in an application of the vehicle manufacturer or that is retrieved via a link between this application and a cloud storage of the vehicle manufacturer. The application installed on an indicated media or control device 12 of the vehicle 1 is assigned to a user account in which, for example, credit card data for making a payment transaction is stored. This means that either the data stored in the token 11 can be verified or the data from the application can be used directly. If the data in the token is no longer up-to-date, for example, it can also be corrected or overwritten. In principle, it would also be conceivable for no data to be stored in the token 11.to dispense with this token 11 entirely and, if necessary, to read the data from the application via the charging cable 4 and to transmit it to the NFC reader 6 of the charging station 2 via the NFC antenna 10.

[0025] All in all, this ensures that no unauthorized payments can be made via the charging cable 4.

[0026] This can be further supported by, for example, specifying in the credit card network that when data required for the payment process is transmitted via the NFC antenna 10 of a charging cable 4, only charging transactions may be paid for. This allows an additional security check to be incorporated into the payment process.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Charging cable (4) with a first plug (7) for connection to a connection socket (3) of a charging station, with a second plug (8) for connection to a charging socket (5) of an at least partially electrically powered vehicle (1), and with an NFC antenna (10), characterized in that a control unit (9) is provided which is designed to activate the NFC antenna (10) only when the second plug (8) is connected to the charging socket (5).

2. Charging cable (4) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit (9) is further configured to activate the NFC antenna (10) only when the second plug (8) is plugged into the charging socket (5) of a vehicle stored in the control unit (9).

3. Charging cable (4) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the NFC antenna (10) is arranged in the first plug (7).

4. Charging cable (4) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the NFC antenna (10) is connected to a token (11) directly or via the plug connection of the second plug (8) and the charging socket (5), wherein the data required for a payment process are stored in the token (11).

5. Method for paying for an electrical charging process with a charging cable (4) according to one of claims 1 to 4, for which purpose the charging cable (4) is connected with its second Plug (8) is connected to the charging socket (5) of the vehicle (1), whereby the NFC antenna (10) is activated and thereby enabled to provide data for an NFC reader (6) of a charging station (2), wherein the data required for a payment process are transmitted before, during and / or after the first plug (7) is inserted into the connection socket (5), after which the charging process starts.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that before the NFC antenna (10) is activated, the affiliation of the charging cable (4) to the correct vehicle (1) is verified.

7. Method according to one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that a connection to an application in a control or media device (12) of the vehicle (1) is established via the second plug (8) inserted into the charging socket (5), via which application the data required for payment are stored in the token (11) and / or the data stored in the token (11) are verified.

8. Method according to one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that a connection to an application in a control or media device (12) of the vehicle (1) is established via the second plug (8) inserted into the charging socket (5), via which connection the data required for payment are transmitted to the NFC antenna (10).

9. Method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the application has stored the data of the authorized user required for payment and / or retrieves it from a user account with the vehicle manufacturer or compares the stored data with the data stored in the user account with the vehicle manufacturer.

10. Method according to one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the data required for payment transmitted via the charging cable (4) are limited to the payment of charging processes.

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