METHOD AND PROCEDURE FOR SHARING CHARGING STATIONS IN COMPANY PARKING AREAS

Abstract

The invention relates to a parking lot (100) comprising a charging station (10) for several parking spaces (1), comprising charging station control means (120) for authorizing or prohibiting the distribution of power to a connector inserted in a charging socket, comprising a return support (12) with a receiving socket arranged to receive a connector from an inactive cable and thereby authorizing the delivery of power to another connector inserted in the charging socket, the control means (120) managing access rights linked to time slots allocated to different users, and in particular the charging station (10) serving a first parking space (2) dedicated to a first time slot, and a second parking space (3) adjacent to the first and dedicated to a second time slot different from said first time slot. Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SHARING CHARGING TERMINALS IN COMPANY PARKING SPACES

[0001] The invention relates to a charging terminal comprising a charging socket arranged for the connection of a cable connector for recharging batteries of electric or hybrid motor vehicles, said charging terminal being dedicated to a plurality of parking spaces located, in particular in its immediate vicinity, for example at a distance less than or equal to 5 meters, said charging terminal comprising control means which are arranged to authorize or prohibit the distribution of electric current to a connector inserted in said charging socket.

[0002] The invention also relates to a collective parking lot comprising parking spaces, and at least one such charging station.

[0003] In the case of so-called "mode 3" charging outside the home, the user of a battery electric vehicle (also known as BEV) must use their own charging cable and connect to an electric vehicle charging station (EVSE Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment). Mode 3 refers to the charging method that connects the vehicle to a specific socket and allows charging to be controlled. A safety device is integrated into the infrastructure, thus ensuring safe charging. This use case represents approximately 25% of charging cases outside the home according to internal surveys carried out in 2022 for the Europe G9 zone.

[0004] More and more companies are equipping their employee parking lots with charging stations. In several countries, this has even become a legal requirement. Indeed, in France, the construction code and the 2015 law on energy transition for green growth require companies to pre-equip their parking lots.

[0005] The law stipulates that businesses must supply their parking lots with a specialized electrical circuit to enable the charging of electric or hybrid vehicles. At least 5% of parking spaces are intended to accommodate electric charging stations. In businesses with a parking lot of less than or equal to 40 spaces, the rule is to equip 10% of parking spaces with charging stations, this level is lowered to 5% for commercial complexes and cinemas; in businesses with a parking lot of more than 40 spaces, the rule is to equip 20% of parking spaces with charging stations, this level is lowered to 10% for commercial complexes and cinemas.

[0006] Generally for parking areas dedicated to electric vehicles, each space is equipped with a terminal.

[0007] It is understood that the occupation of a terminal all day by the same vehicle penalizes other users who were unable to access a terminal when they arrived in the parking lot, while the duration of a recharge is less than that of a working day.

[0008] The objective of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks by proposing hardware and software means making it possible to implement a logic of sharing charging stations in company car parks with the following principle: one station for two spaces and sharing of the charging time between two consecutive periods, and in particular the two half-days: morning and afternoon.

[0009] To achieve this objective, the invention proposes a charging terminal comprising a charging socket arranged for the connection of a cable connector for recharging batteries of electric or hybrid motor vehicles, said charging terminal being dedicated to a plurality of parking spaces, in particular located in its immediate vicinity, for example, at a distance less than or equal to 5 meters, said charging terminal comprising control means which are arranged to authorize or prohibit the distribution of electric current to a connector inserted in said charging socket.

[0010] According to the invention, said control means comprise hardware and software management means, said charging terminal comprises a return support comprising a reception socket arranged to receive a connector of an inactive cable and to, when said reception socket is occupied by a connector, trigger a signal reactivating said charging terminal and authorizing it to deliver electric current to another connector of another active cable inserted in said charging socket, and said control means are arranged to manage time access rights linked to time slots assigned to different users to authorize or prohibit, at a given moment, the delivery of energy to a user.

[0011] Thus, each user of a common charging station is certain to be delivered energy in the time slot allocated to them. The charging station is dedicated to a plurality of parking spaces arranged around this station. Each of these spaces can be allocated to a particular time slot; the time slots allocated to these different spaces are different from each other. In the same way, each user is allocated a charging time slot that is specific to them.

[0012] According to a particular characteristic, said charging station is arranged to identify a connector belonging to a particular user, and to determine, at each moment of the day, for each said parking space, the authorization or prohibition of parking and recharging of a vehicle of said user by particular, and to determine the authorization or prohibition of supplying electric current to said vehicle by said charging station.

[0013] The management is thus extended to monitoring the correct correlation between a particular parking space, the right of a user to park there, and the respective position of the connectors of two users who follow one another for the use of the terminal.

[0014] According to a particular characteristic, said charging station is arranged to authorize the delivery of electric current to said vehicle of said particular user only during a time slot corresponding to the right of said particular user and in connection with said parking space occupied by said vehicle, and to cease the delivery of energy to said vehicle at the end of said time slot, and then authorize the delivery of electric current to another vehicle occupying another said parking space during another time slot.

[0015] Thus the terminal takes into account the right of a user to park there and to request the delivery of energy in a particular time slot allocated to him, and prohibits the distribution of energy outside this particular time slot.

[0016] More particularly, said charging terminal is arranged to authorize the extraction by a third party of said connector of said particular user after the end of said time slot corresponding to the right of said particular user, and the deposit by said third party of said connector in said reception socket to free said charging terminal for another user.

[0017] Thus, human action is necessary to inform the terminal of the change of user: unhooking the connector of the previous user and inserting it into the reception socket of the return support authorizes the start of a new energy distribution cycle for the benefit of a new user.

[0018] The invention also relates to a collective parking lot comprising parking spaces.

[0019] According to the invention, said parking lot comprises at least one such charging station, a control center comprising hardware and software management means and connected to said control means of each said charging station, and at least one said charging station is dedicated to at least two said parking spaces adjacent to each other, a first parking space dedicated to a first time slot, and a second parking space dedicated to a second time slot different from said first time slot, and / or consecutive to said first time slot.

[0020] The cost of equipping the parking lot with charging stations is thus significantly reduced, and the use of each station is optimized, while allowing each user to be satisfied with the energy recharging of their vehicle.

[0021] More particularly, said parking lot comprises at least one occupancy sensor arranged to determine the presence or absence of a motor vehicle in each of said parking spaces.

[0022] Thus the control center can manage a temporarily vacant parking space, and authorize the parking there of a user having a parking and energy recharging right for the current time slot.

[0023] More particularly, said parking lot comprises, for each said parking space dedicated to a particular time slot, a marking and / or a display of said particular time slot visible to any user.

[0024] Each user is thus easily guided to a parking space corresponding to their energy charging right.

[0025] More particularly, said parking lot comprises, for each said parking space, a colored or luminous signal authorizing or prohibiting parking visible to any user, depending on the time of day.

[0026] More particularly, each said charging station is dedicated to only one said first parking space and one said second parking space immediately adjacent to each other, said first parking space dedicated to a first time slot or to the morning, and said second parking space dedicated to a second time slot or to the afternoon.

[0027] Geographic pair operation simplifies connections, as well as the distribution of vehicles in the parking lot.

[0028] Advantageously, said control center is arranged to determine, at each moment of the day, for each said parking space, the authorization or prohibition of parking of a vehicle, and to determine the authorization or prohibition of supply of electric current by each said charging terminal.

[0029] The invention will be further detailed by the description of non-limiting embodiments, on the particular example of a charging station dedicated to two neighboring locations each dedicated to a different time slot, and on the basis of the appended figures illustrating variants of the invention, in which: - [Fig.l] schematically illustrates, in part, a parking lot which includes a charging terminal located between two spaces dedicated respectively to a first time slot in the morning and to a consecutive time slot in the afternoon; the means for controlling the terminal are interfaced with a control center of the parking lot, and manage a return support comprising the reception of a connector of the cable of a first user and recording the end of its charge; - [Fig.2] illustrates schematically, and from top to bottom, four successive stages at different times of the day; - [Fig.3] to [Fig.6] are flowcharts that illustrate four functional scenarios operation with several customer use cases: - [Fig.3] schematically illustrates the case where a first user A parks in a free “morning” space and recharges his vehicle; - [Fig.4] schematically illustrates the case where a second user B parks in an “afternoon” space and recharges his vehicle, next to the vehicle of a first user A parked next to it who charged during the morning; - [Fig.5] schematically illustrates the case where a second user B parks in an “afternoon” space and wishes to recharge their vehicle, but no vehicle is present in the “morning” space or the first user A has not started charging there; - [Fig.6] schematically illustrates the case where a second user B parks in an "afternoon" space and wishes to recharge their vehicle, but a vehicle present in the "morning" space does not have a charging cable, due to a charge already completed or a thermal vehicle, or the first user A has not started charging there.

[0030] The invention proposes hardware and software means for implementing a logic of sharing charging stations in company car parks with the following principle: one station for at least two spaces and sharing of the charging time between at least two different periods, in particular consecutive periods, and in particular the two half-days: morning and afternoon.

[0031] The invention thus relates to a shared charging station 10, and a collective parking lot 100 using such shared charging stations 10.

[0032] It is understood that the shared charging station 10 according to the invention is dedicated to a plurality of parking spaces arranged around this station, for example two spaces side by side, or four spaces arranged in a square around the station, or other. The only limitations relate to the length of the charging cables, and to the safety of users and installations.

[0033] The invention is more particularly described for the particular and in no way limiting case of a charging station 10 assigned to two parking spaces adjacent to each other. This same example includes the allocation of successive time slots to users, and the marking of these two spaces according to these particular time slots.

[0034] The invention is applicable to any spatial configuration of the parking lot in which the charging station is installed, and to any management mode chosen by its manager, in particular for the definition and allocation of time slots.

[0035] [Fig.l] thus illustrates such a parking lot 100 which comprises a shared charging terminal 10, located between a first location 2 dedicated to a first morning time slot marked with a 5 “morning” marking, and a second location 3 dedicated to a consecutive afternoon time slot, marked with a 5 “afternoon” marking.

[0036] The charging station 10 comprises control means 120, which are interfaced with a control unit 200 of the parking lot 100, which also manages occupancy sensors 4 and light signals 6. The control means 120 are also interfaced with a return support 12, which the charging terminal 10 according to the invention comprises.

[0037] This return support 12 comprises a receiving socket 13, which is arranged to receive a connector 20 of the cable 30 of a user, whose vehicle has been charged, and thus record the end of his charge.

[0038] The invention advantageously uses a "place guidance" system (PGS) which is present in many car parks. This system includes a display which indicates to motorists the number of spaces available per bay. In front of each space, a red or green light makes it possible to see the free spaces and the occupied spaces.

[0039] In the context of the invention, a management device comprises sensors 4, in particular and not limited to the ground, which are arranged to analyze the parking spaces 1, 2, 3, and their occupation, in relation to the activity of the charging terminal 10 linked to the location. Each parking space for vehicle charging is equipped with such a sensor 4. The sensor 4 communicates with the control means 120 of the charging terminal 10, and / or with the control unit 200 of the parking lot 100, in particular and not limited to by radio exchange. Other methods of analyzing spaces can be used (interior sensor installed on the ceiling for video analysis of several spaces, or radar, or camera); in the same way the connection between the sensor and the terminal can be wired, or other.

[0040] The invention combines the installation of a charging station 10 for at least two parking spaces and a functional use adapted to the world of work.

[0041] The invention is described in the particular and non-limiting case where a charging station 10 serves two locations; it is understood that the principle is extensible with a greater number of locations and dedicated time slots, for example for 3x8 shift work, or other.

[0042] The company only invests in one charging station 10 for two parking spaces 2 and 3, preferably adjacent (instead of one station per dedicated space) and guarantees its employees that they will be able to recharge for at least half a day. The charging station 10 is shared between the two users of the adjacent spaces 2 and 3. These spaces are easily identifiable by inscriptions or markings 5, “MORNING” and “AFTERNOON”, or “7-13” and “13-18”, or “AM” and “PM” for example.

[0043] The main interest is to be able to ensure a sharing of resources between two employees of a company and to limit the quantity of charging stations 10 to be installed (cost limitation).

[0044] The principle of sharing is ensured by an employment methodology based on a principle of optimization and sharing of the charging terminals 10 in a private parking lot 100, in particular a company parking lot.

[0045] The logic of use is described below according to a particular non-limiting example, illustrated in [Fig.2], where the charging station is shared between two adjacent spaces, which are a first parking space 2 and a second parking space 3 respectively marked “morning” and “afternoon”, and the charging day is shared between two periods, “morning” until 1 p.m., and “afternoon” from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Two users A and B each have a charging cable.

[0046] User A arriving in the morning, he parks his vehicle in a free “morning” space. The sensor 4 communicates with the charging station 10 to indicate that a vehicle is present. User A identifies himself at the charging station 10 and connects the connector 20 of the charging cable 30 to the charging station 10 then to his vehicle.

[0047] User B also arriving in the morning, he parks his vehicle in an “afternoon” space if all the other “morning” spaces are occupied. Similarly, sensor 4 confirms the presence of a vehicle at the terminal.

[0048] At 1 p.m., all charging stations 10 are programmed to interrupt charging and power distribution.

[0049] From 1 p.m., user B returns to his vehicle to recharge his vehicle during the lunch break: user B must first identify himself on the charging station 10. If the sensor 4 of the “morning” space indicates that the vehicle of user A is present, user B must disconnect the connector 20 of the cable 30 of user A released by the charging station 10, and reattach this connector 20 in the return support. This action allows the charging station 10 to be activated again while waiting for a new charging operation. User B can then connect the connector 20 of his charging cable 30 to the charging station 10 and then to his vehicle.

[0050] At 6 p.m., charging station 10 is programmed to interrupt charging and current distribution.

[0051] When leaving the parking lot, users A and B take back the charging cables from their vehicles and free up the spaces for the next working day.

[0052] The sensors 4 located on each of the spaces make it possible to indicate to the terminal that a vehicle is present (case of users freeing up spaces during the day, or case of two-wheelers parked on spaces dedicated to recharging BEVs).

[0053] [Fig.3] to [Fig.6] illustrate four operating scenarios with several cases of customer uses. Each flowchart distinguishes, in its upper part, the user (USER A or USER B), the charging station (STATION), and the external equipment consisting of the vehicle and the cable (EXT 1 or EXT 2). Each end of action is materialized by a letter, here in quotation marks.

[0054] [Fig.3] illustrates the case where a first user A parks in a “morning” space free and recharges his vehicle.

[0055] The terminal detects vehicle “A”, we check that the vehicle is parked in a space dedicated to the morning.

[0056] The information of the parked vehicle is transmitted to the user “B” via a human-machine interface (HMI) to inform him that the vehicle is parked in a correct space.

[0057] User A plugs in charging cable “C”.

[0058] The terminal is informed of the detection of connection “D”.

[0059] The user can insert a key or badge to start the “E” recharge.

[0060] The time slot is checked: if it is in the “morning” slot, recharging starts and connection information is transmitted to user “F”.

[0061] The terminal delivers energy “G”.

[0062] The load information is transmitted to the user “H”, in particular but not limited to after validation on the human-machine interface of the vehicle.

[0063] If, on the other hand, it is not in the “morning” slot, recharging cannot start and corresponding connection information is transmitted to user “J”.

[0064] The charge fault information is transmitted to user “K”.

[0065] [Fig.4] illustrates the case where a second user B parks in a space "afternoon" and recharges his vehicle, next to the vehicle of a first user A parked next to it who charged during the morning. This time we distinguish the "EXT 1" equipment specific to user A and the "EXT 2" equipment specific to user B.

[0066] The terminal detects the vehicle of user A “Al”.

[0067] The terminal detects the vehicle of user B “A2”.

[0068] The information of the parked vehicle is transmitted to user “B”.

[0069] User B unplugs user A's charging cable: "XI".

[0070] User B plugs User A's charging cable into the return bracket 12: “Y1”.

[0071] The terminal is informed of the detection of connection “Zl”.

[0072] User B plugs his own charging cable into the charging socket 11 of the terminal: “C2”.

[0073] The terminal is informed of the detection of connection “D2”.

[0074] The user can insert a key or badge to start the “E2” recharge.

[0075] The time slot is verified.

[0076] If the time is not in the “afternoon” slot, recharging cannot start and corresponding connection information is transmitted to user “J2”.

[0077] The charge fault information is transmitted to user “K2”.

[0078] If, on the other hand, we are in the “afternoon” slot, recharging starts and connection information is transmitted to user “F2”.

[0079] The terminal delivers “G2” energy.

[0080] The charging information is transmitted to the user “H2”, in particular but not limited to after validation on the vehicle's human-machine interface.

[0081] If the time is not in the “afternoon” slot, recharging cannot start and corresponding connection information is transmitted to user “J2”.

[0082] The charge fault information is transmitted to user “K2”.

[0083] [Fig.5] illustrates the case where a second user B parks in a space “afternoon” and wants to charge their vehicle, but no vehicle is present in the “morning” space or the first user A has not started charging there.

[0084] The terminal detects the vehicle of user B “A”.

[0085] The parked vehicle information is transmitted to user “B”.

[0086] User B plugs his own charging cable into the charging socket 11 of the terminal: “C”.

[0087] The terminal is informed of the detection of connection “D”.

[0088] The user can insert a key or badge to start the “E” recharge.

[0089] The time slot is verified.

[0090] If the time is not in the “afternoon” slot, recharging cannot start and corresponding connection information is transmitted to user “J2”.

[0091] The charge fault information is transmitted to user “K2”.

[0092] If, on the other hand, we are in the “afternoon” slot, recharging starts and connection information is transmitted to user “F2”.

[0093] The terminal delivers “G2” energy.

[0094] The load information is transmitted to the user “H2”, in particular but not limited to after validation on the vehicle's human-machine interface.

[0095] If the time is not in the “afternoon” slot, recharging cannot start and corresponding connection information is transmitted to user “J2”.

[0096] The charge fault information is transmitted to user “K2”.

[0097] [Fig.6] illustrates the case where a second user B parks in a space "afternoon" and wants to recharge their vehicle, but a vehicle present in the "morning" space does not have a charging cable, due to a charge already completed or a thermal vehicle, or the first user A has not started charging there.

[0098] In order to allow charging to start in the afternoon, user B must in some way "reset" the operation of the terminal. He must therefore first plug his own cable into the restitution support which allows the terminal to reset itself, then reconnect it to the terminal socket, and only then does he connect his cable on the vehicle side.

[0099] The terminal detects the vehicle of user A “Al”.

[0100] The terminal detects the vehicle of user B “A2”.

[0101] The parked vehicle information is transmitted to user “B”.

[0102] User B plugs his own charging cable into return socket 12: “Y1”.

[0103] Then he removes it “XI”.

[0104] User B plugs his own charging cable into the charging socket 11 of the terminal: “ZI”.

[0105] User B connects his own charging cable to his vehicle: “C2”.

[0106] The terminal is informed of the detection of connection “D2”.

[0107] The user can insert a key or badge to start the “E2” recharge.

[0108] The time slot is verified.

[0109] If the time is not in the “afternoon” slot, recharging cannot start and corresponding connection information is transmitted to user “J2”.

[0110] The charge fault information is transmitted to user “K2”.

[0111] If, on the other hand, we are in the “afternoon” slot, recharging starts and connection information is transmitted to user “F2”.

[0112] The terminal delivers “G2” energy.

[0113] The charging information is transmitted to the user “H2”, in particular but not limited to after validation on the vehicle's human-machine interface.

[0114] If the time is not in the “afternoon” slot, recharging cannot start and corresponding connection information is transmitted to user “J2”.

[0115] The charge fault information is transmitted to user “K2”.

[0116] These different examples show that management is flexible, for example in the case of [Fig.2] where, user B arriving in the morning, he parks his vehicle in an “afternoon” space if all the other “morning” spaces are occupied. And in particular if the control center 200 and the terminal control means 120 display a green parking authorization light 6 to him when he arrives. Automatic charging management by time slot, in particular by half-day, with automatic unlocking of the gun, allowing a user B to use the charging port of the station by being able to disconnect the connector of a previous user A charging is a suitable and innovative solution. It is therefore possible to make the most of all the available space.

[0117] In short, the invention allows a company to offer its employees recharging possibilities during working hours, with great flexibility of use, while controlling investment costs as much as possible. The management is well adapted to the world of work, a minimum presence of the employee at the recharging station is necessary. Safety is perfectly ensured. In addition, the sharing of a terminal between users is variable geometry, each user parking in a non-prohibited location, and preferably with marking compatible with the time slot dedicated to them.

Claims

Claims

1. Charging station (10) comprising a charging socket (11) arranged for the connection of a cable connector for recharging batteries of electric or hybrid motor vehicles, said charging station (10) being dedicated to a plurality of parking spaces (1), said charging station (10) comprising control means (120) which are arranged to authorize or prohibit the distribution of electric current to a connector inserted in said charging socket (11), characterized in that said control means (120) comprise hardware and software management means, and in that said charging station (10) comprises a return support (12) comprising a receiving socket (13) arranged to receive a connector (20) of an inactive cable (30) and for, when said receiving socket (13) is occupied by a connector (20),triggering a signal reactivating said charging terminal (10) and authorizing it to deliver electric current to another connector (20) of another active cable (30) inserted into said charging socket (11), and in that said control means (120) are arranged to manage time access rights linked to time slots assigned to different users to authorize or prohibit, at a given moment, the delivery of energy to a user.,

2. Charging station (10) according to claim 1 characterized in that said charging station (10) is arranged to identify a connector belonging to a particular user, and to determine, at each moment of the day, for each said parking space (1), the authorization or prohibition of parking and recharging of a vehicle of said particular user, and to determine the authorization or prohibition of supplying electric current to said vehicle by said charging station (10)

3. Charging station (10) according to claim 2 characterized in that said charging station (10) is arranged to authorize the delivery of electric current to said vehicle of said particular user only during a time slot corresponding to the right of said particular user and in connection with said parking space (1) occupied by said vehicle, and to cease the delivery of energy to said vehicle at the end of said time slot, and then authorize the delivery of electric current to another vehicle occupying another said parking space (1) during another time slot.

4. Charging station (10) according to claim 3 characterized in that said charging station (10) is arranged to authorize the extraction by a third party of said connector (20) of said particular user after the end of said time slot corresponding to the right of said particular user, and the deposit by said third party of said connector in said reception socket (13) to release said charging station for another user.

5. Collective parking lot (100) comprising parking spaces (1), characterized in that said parking lot (100) comprises at least one said charging station (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, a control center (200) comprising hardware and software management means and connected to said control means (120) of each said charging station (10), and in that at least one said charging station (10) is dedicated to at least two said parking spaces (1) adjacent to each other, a first parking space (2) dedicated to a first time slot, and a second parking space (3) dedicated to a second time slot different from said first time slot and / or consecutive to said first time slot.

6. Parking lot (100) according to claim 5 characterized in that said parking lot (100) comprises at least one occupancy sensor (4) arranged to determine the presence or absence of a motor vehicle in each of said parking spaces (1).

7. Parking lot (100) according to claim 5 or 6 characterized in that said parking lot (100) comprises, for each said parking space (1) dedicated to a particular time slot, a marking (5) and / or a display of said particular time slot visible to any user.

8. Parking lot (100) according to one of claims 5 to 7 characterized in that said parking lot (100) comprises, for each said parking space (1), a colored or luminous signal (6) of authorization or prohibition of parking visible to any user, depending on the time of day.

9. Parking lot (100) according to one of claims 5 to 8 characterized in that each said charging station (10) is dedicated to only one said first parking space (2) and one said second parking space (3) immediately adjacent to each other, said first parking space (2) dedicated to a first time slot or to the morning, and said second parking space operation (3) dedicated to a second time slot or to the afternoon.

10. Parking lot (100) according to one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that said control unit (200) is arranged to determine, at each moment of the day, for each said parking space (1), the authorization or prohibition of parking of a vehicle, and to determine the authorization or prohibition of supply of electric current by each said charging terminal (10).

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