Obtaining information relating to the characteristics of a charging station

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for obtaining information relating to characteristics of an electric vehicle charging station. Upon receiving (201) a request to obtain information relating to characteristics of at least one charging station identified in said request, the method comprises determining (202) the availability of first information relating to the characteristics of said at least one charging station, from a first server. In the event of unavailability of the first information in the first server, second information relating to the characteristics of said at least one charging station is obtained from a second server. In response to the request, information relating to the characteristics of the at least one charging station, derived from said second information, is transmitted. FIG. 2

Description

Title of the invention: Obtaining information relating to characteristics of a charging station

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of on-board navigation for electric vehicles, in particular for the display of information allowing a user to plan a journey.

[0002] It finds applications, in particular, in on-board navigation functions for electric vehicles for displaying information relating to the characteristics of charging stations.

[0003] The term “vehicle” means any type of vehicle such as a private, utility or heavy goods vehicle.

[0004] Autonomy is a major issue for electric vehicles equipped with batteries, also called BEV for "Battery Electric Vehicle" in English. The on-board navigation functions that are implemented in these electric vehicles take into account such autonomy constraints, in order to be able to determine the best route or journey to a destination indicated by the user of the electric vehicle.

[0005] Route planning by a user via an on-board navigation function must take into account the position and technical characteristics of charging stations, capable of electrically recharging electric vehicle batteries.

[0006] It is known in particular for this purpose that the on-board navigation function can access a connected service dedicated to obtaining information relating to characteristics of charging stations, such as the availability of the charging station, the maximum power delivered by the station, a type of station from among an AC type and a DC type, a type of connector of the charging stations, a name of the service provider of the charging station, etc. The information on the characteristics of the charging stations can be displayed on a human-machine interface of the vehicle, controlled by the on-board navigation function, in order to improve the determination of a route taking into account the autonomy constraints of the vehicle.

[0007] A connected service is understood to mean a service which is not implemented in the electric vehicle, but in a remote server and which the vehicle accesses via a wireless communication module.

[0008] The connected service allowing the on-board navigation function to have information relating to the technical characteristics of charging stations operates in the following manner: the service provider in charge of the charging station transmits the information relating to the characteristics of the charging station to the supplier in charge of the connected service, which updates, in real time, for a plurality of charging stations, information relating to the characteristics of the charging stations, in a server dedicated to the connected service.

[0009] The on-board navigation function can thus access, via the connected service, the information stored in the server, in order to be able to display it on the human-machine interface of the electric vehicle.

[0010] However, information relating to the characteristics of a charging station may be unavailable, particularly in the following situations: - the service provider in charge of the charging station did not provide the information to the provider of the connected service; - in the event of a failure of the connected service; and / or - in case of receipt of incorrect information.

[0011] In this case, if a user wishes to access information relating to the characteristics of a charging station, the information cannot be displayed. However, it is important when planning a route, which must take into account both the characteristics of the battery but also the characteristics of the road infrastructure of which the charging stations are part.

[0012] This results in a degradation of the route planning by the use of the on-board navigation function in electric vehicles, as well as an impossibility of ensuring that a route calculated by such a function actually takes into account the autonomy constraints of the battery of the electric vehicle.

[0013] There is thus a need to improve the continuity of service linked to obtaining information relating to the characteristics of a charging station, for consultation by a user when using an on-board navigation function in an electric vehicle.

[0014] The present invention improves the situation.

[0015] To this end, a first aspect of the invention relates to a method for obtaining information relating to characteristics of a charging station for an electric vehicle, the method comprising the following steps: - receipt of a request to obtain information relating to the characteristics of at least one charging station identified in said request; - determination of the availability of first information relating to the characteristics of said at least one charging station, from a first server; - in the event of unavailability of the first information in the first server, obtaining second information relating to the characteristics of said at least one charging station, from a second server, and transmitting, in response to the request, information relating to the characteristics of the at least one charging station, derived from said second information.

[0016] Thus, the present invention provides for the storage of second information in a second server, which can therefore be used as a backup server in the event of unavailability of the first information in the first server. This results in better continuity of the service for obtaining information relating to the characteristics of charging stations, and thus better route planning for users of electric vehicles equipped with batteries.

[0017] According to embodiments, the request can be received from an electric vehicle, and the information derived from the second information can be transmitted to the electric vehicle, for display on a human-machine interface of said electric vehicle.

[0018] Thus, the user of the electric vehicle can consult the derived information and plan his journey, in particular the choice of a charging station, based on this information. This results in better management of the battery life of an electric vehicle.

[0019] According to embodiments, in the event of availability of the first information, the method may further comprise obtaining said first information and transmitting, in response to said request, said first information.

[0020] The first information can be provided to the first server by the service provider in charge of each charging station: the first information can thus be more reliable and precise than the second information. By default, the invention advantageously provides for obtaining the first information, when it is available.

[0021] According to embodiments, the second information may be a history comprising at least one set of information collected by another electric vehicle during use of a given charging station among said at least one charging station.

[0022] Thus, it is made possible to obtain information relating to characteristics of a charging station, even when the provider of the charging station does not provide such characteristics. It is therefore the users of these charging stations who send the second information to the second server.

[0023] In addition, each set of information collected by another vehicle may include a combination of information obtained from the following information: - a connection status of the other vehicle to the given charging station; - a type of connector of the given charging station, used by the other vehicle; - a terminal type identifying a type of current delivered by the given charging terminal to the other vehicle; and / or - power delivered by the charging station given to the other vehicle.

[0024] Such second information is accessible to the other vehicle when using the charging station, and makes it possible to derive relevant information for the selection of a charging station when planning a journey by a user.

[0025] According to embodiments, the information derived from the second information may comprise, for each given charging station among said at least one charging station, a combination of information obtained from the following information: - a status of availability of the given charging station; - at least one type of connector of the given charging station; - a terminal type identifying a type of current delivered by the given charging terminal; - a maximum power of the given charging station.

[0026] Such information is relevant for the selection of a charging station when planning a journey by a user. In particular, it makes it possible to avoid adding to the journey a stop at a charging station which is unavailable and / or which is unsuitable for the electric vehicle.

[0027] A second aspect of the invention relates to a computer program comprising instructions for implementing the method according to the first aspect of the invention, when these instructions are executed by a processor.

[0028] A third aspect of the invention relates to a server comprising an interface capable of communicating with an electric vehicle, the interface being capable of receiving a request to obtain information relating to characteristics of at least one charging station identified in said request; the server further comprising a processor configured to - determine the availability of first information relating to the characteristics of said at least one charging station, from a first server; - in the event of unavailability of the first information in the first server, obtaining second information relating to the characteristics of said at least one charging station, from a second server, and transmitting, via the interface and in response to the request, information relating to the characteristics of the at least one charging station, derived from said second information.

[0029] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on examining the detailed description below, and the appended drawings in which:

[0030] [Fig.l] illustrates a system for obtaining information relating to characteristics of an electric vehicle charging station, according to embodiments of the invention;

[0031] [Fig.2] a method for obtaining information relating to characteristics of an electric vehicle charging station, according to embodiments of the invention;

[0032] [Fig.3] illustrates a server of a navigation system for an electric vehicle, capable of obtaining information relating to characteristics of a charging station, according to embodiments of the invention.

[0033] [Fig.l] illustrates a system for obtaining information relating to characteristics of charging stations of a road infrastructure, according to embodiments of the invention.

[0034] The connected service is implemented by a navigation server 100 dedicated to an on-board navigation function of an electric vehicle 110. The electric vehicle 110 is a vehicle equipped with an electric battery 111 associated with a set of characteristics specific to the battery 111: a type of connector of the vehicle 110 allowing the battery 111 to be recharged, a type of terminal among an AC terminal and a DC terminal with which the battery 111 is compatible, a storage capacity, etc.

[0035] The on-board navigation function is implemented by a control module 113 of the electric vehicle 110, which can access the navigation server 100 dedicated to this navigation function, via a wireless link enabled by a wireless communication module 112 of the electric vehicle 110. The wireless communication module 112 of the vehicle 110 may be a cellular communication module, capable of accessing a cellular data network, such as a 3G, 4G, 5G or any other generation mobile network. Alternatively, the wireless communication module 112 may be a V2X module capable of communicating with other components of the road infrastructure and / or with other vehicles in the vicinity of the electric vehicle 110.

[0036] The control module 113 implementing the on-board navigation function can control a human machine interface, HMI, 114 of the vehicle 100. No restriction is attached to the HMI 114, which can comprise a screen, for example a touch screen, in a central position in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 110.

[0037] Thus, the navigation server 100 can be accessible via a wide area network such as the Internet and can thus be remote from the electric vehicle 110. The vehicle 110 can thus communicate with the navigation server 100, even while the electric vehicle 110 is moving.

[0038] According to the invention, the navigation server 100 comprises an interface module 101 forming an interface of the navigation server 100 for the navigation function on board the electric vehicle 110. Such an interface module 101 can receive a request requiring information relating to characteristics of a charging station, or of several charging stations of the road infrastructure, which are identified in the request.

[0039] The navigation server 100 further comprises a main module 102 capable of implementing a main connected service for obtaining information relating to characteristics of charging stations, including a charging station 150 illustrated in [Fig.l], from a first server 130.

[0040] The first server 130 may be a server according to the prior art, capable of storing first information relating to characteristics of charging stations provided by one or more providers 160 of charging stations.

[0041] By default, the navigation server 100 is able to implement the main connected service upon receipt of a request from an electric vehicle, and is therefore able to query the first server 130 to obtain such first information.

[0042] The invention further provides that the navigation server 100 comprises a secondary module 103 capable of implementing a secondary connected service for obtaining second information relating to characteristics of charging stations, when the main connected service is unavailable.

[0043] The secondary connected service can thus be considered as a backup system, or “back up” in English, in the event of unavailability of the main connected service.

[0044] For this purpose, the secondary module 103 is able to access a second server 140, distinct from the first server 130. The second server 140 is able to collect second information relating to characteristics of charging stations, from electric vehicles 120 following the use of such charging stations.

[0045] As shown, another electric vehicle 120 can use the charging station 150, and send back second information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150, which is time-stamped and stored in the server 140.

[0046] The first information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150 may be more detailed and / or more reliable than the second information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150 which is stored in the second server 140.

[0047] For example, the first information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150 may comprise any combination of the following information: - an availability status of the charging station 150, indicating whether another vehicle is connected, at a current time, to the charging station 150; - a maximum power that can be delivered by the charging station 150; - one type of terminal among an AC type and a DC type. An AC type corresponds to a charging terminal which delivers an alternating current while a DC type corresponds to a charging terminal which delivers a direct current; - at least one type of connector of the charging terminal 150. Note that a charging terminal may include several connectors of different types; - the name of the service provider in charge of charging station 150; - any other information relating to charging station 150.

[0048] The second information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150 may be a history comprising one or more sets of time-stamped information, each set being able to comprise any combination of the following information: - a connection status of the other vehicle 120 to the charging station 150, indicating whether or not the other vehicle 120 is still connected to the charging station; - a type of connector to which the other vehicle 120 is connected; - a type of charging station among the AC type and the DC type as identified by the other vehicle 120, depending on the electric current received; - power delivered by the charging station 150 to the other vehicle 120.

[0049] Thus, in the event of unavailability of the main connected service, for example because the first server 130 cannot be reached or because no information relating to the charging station 150 has been received and stored by the first server 130 from the service provider 160 of the charging station 150, the navigation server 100 can access the second server 140, via the secondary module 103, to obtain the second information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150.

[0050] [Fig.2] is a diagram illustrating the steps of a method for obtaining information relating to characteristics of a charging station, according to embodiments of the invention.

[0051] Steps 201 to 206 described below can be implemented in the navigation server 100 described previously, step 207 is implemented by the vehicle 110 and steps 210 and 211 can be implemented by the second server 140 described previously.

[0052] In a step 201, the navigation server 100 receives a request via the navigation interface 101, the request coming from the vehicle 110 and requesting information relating to characteristics of one or more electric charging stations, identified or identified in the request. In the example considered below for illustrative purposes, the request identifies the charging station 150 shown in [Fig. 1]. For example, the request may follow an input from the user, such as a touch, on the human-machine interface 114, in particular on a graphic element representing the charging station 150. Such a press reflects the user's desire to obtain information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150, for example to verify that it is well suited to the electric vehicle 110.

[0053] In a step 202, the navigation server 100 checks the availability of first information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150 in the first server 140.

[0054] If such first information is available, the method proceeds to step 203, in which the main module 102 obtains from the first server 130 the first information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150. As a reminder, the first server 130 keeps the information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150 up to date, based on the information received from the service providers 160 in charge of such charging stations.

[0055] In order to obtain the first information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150 in step 203, the main module 102 can transmit to the first server 130 the request received in step 201. Upon receiving the request, the first server 130 obtains the first information associated with the charging station 150 identified in the request, and returns it to the navigation server 100.

[0056] In a step 204, the first information obtained in step 203 is transmitted to the electric vehicle 110 via the interface module 101.

[0057] In a step 207, upon receipt of the first information from the navigation server 100, the control module 113 controls the HMI 114 so as to display at least part of the first information obtained from the navigation server.

[0058] Thus, in the event of availability of the main service, for the charging station identified in the request, the main service is favored over the secondary service, and the first information, which is more precise and / or reliable than the second information, is displayed on the HMI 114 of the electric vehicle 110, which allows the user of the electric vehicle 110 to decide whether or not to recharge his electric vehicle at the charging station 150. In the event of unavailability of the charging station, or if the connector or the type of terminal is not suitable for the electric vehicle 110, the user can choose another charging station.

[0059] However, in the event of unavailability of the main service for the charging station 150, as determined in step 202, the method proceeds to a step 205.

[0060] In step 205, the secondary module 103 obtains from the second server 140 second information relating to the characteristics of the charging terminal 150. As a reminder, the second server 140 can collect second information relating to the characteristics of the charging terminal 150, from other vehicles 120 having used, or currently using, the charging terminal 150.

[0061] In order to obtain the second information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150 in step 205, the secondary module 103 can transmit to the second server 140 the request received in step 201. Upon receipt of the request, the second server 140 obtains the second information associated with the charging station 150 identified in the request, and returns it to the navigation server 100.

[0062] As indicated previously, the second information may be a history comprising several sets of time-stamped information, the history being able for example to comprise the information of Table 1 below.

[0063] Table 1: Other vehicle A Other vehicle B Other vehicle 120 Charging date 03 / 23 / 2023 03 / 24 / 2023 03 / 24 / 2023 Connection status No No In progress Connector type CCS2 CCS2 TYPE2 Terminal type DC DC DC Power delivered 50kWh 50kWh 80kWh

[0064] According to the example of Table 1, the other vehicle 120 is being recharged at the charging station 150, which indicates that the charging station is temporarily unavailable. Before recharging the other vehicle 120, another vehicle A and another vehicle B have been recharged by the charging station 150. Of course, since the other vehicle 120 is connected to the charging station 150, the other vehicles A and B are no longer connected to it.

[0065] As indicated previously, a charging terminal can comprise several connectors of different types: this is the case of the charging terminal 150 which is equipped with a CCS2 type connector but also with a TYPE2 type connector, such connectors being well known and not being described further in the present description.

[0066] The power delivered to each other electric vehicle is expressed in kilo Watt hours. The maximum power can be derived from the history by determining the maximum value of power delivered, i.e. 80 kWh in the example considered.

[0067] No restriction is attached to the number of sets of history stored as second information, in the second server 140. For example, the history may include the information sent back from the last N vehicles having used the charging station 150, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0068] Thus, upon each reception of a new set of information from another vehicle at a step 210, the second server updates at a step 211 the second information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150, by updating Table 1 for example.

[0069] Thus, the second information obtained by the navigation server 100 in step 205 is up-to-date information concerning the charging station 150. It is thus made possible to have backup information on the characteristics of the charging station 150, in the event of unavailability of the main service for the charging station 150.

[0070] In a step 206, the navigation server 100 transmits information relating to the characteristics of the charging station 150, derived from the second information obtained in step 205, to the vehicle 100.

[0071] In step 207, upon receipt of the information derived from the second information from the navigation server 100, the control module 113 controls the HMI 114 so as to display at least part of the derived information received.

[0072] The information derived from the second information may be identical to the second information. Alternatively, the derived information is determined by the navigation server 100 from the history comprising the time-stamped information sets. For example, the following derived information may be obtained: - an availability status of the charging station 150 can be derived from the connection status of the last vehicle in the history. In the example of Table 1 above, an unavailable status is deduced from the fact that the other vehicle 120 is currently charging at the charging station 150; - at least one connector type of the charging station 150, which may comprise several different connector types, and which may be derived from the connector types of the historical information sets. For example, the at least one connector type of the charging station 150 comprises any connector type indicated in at least one historical information set. In the example of Table 1 above, the charging station 150 comprises at least two connector types: CCS2 and Type2; - a terminal type, among an AC type and a DC type, which is derived directly from the history: the terminal type corresponds to that which is indicated for each set of information in the history. In the example of Table 1 above, the charging terminal 150 is of the DC type; and / or - a known maximum delivered power, which may be the maximum value of the delivered powers indicated in the historical information sets. In the example in Table 1 above, the maximum delivered power of charging station 150 is 80 kWh.

[0073] [Fig.3] shows the structure of a navigation server 100 according to embodiments of the invention.

[0074] The navigation server 100 comprises a processor 301 configured to communicate unidirectionally or bidirectionally, via one or more buses or via a direct wired connection, with a memory 302 such as a memory of the “Random Access Memory” type, RAM, or a memory of the “Read Only Memory” type, ROM, or any other type of memory (Flash, EEPROM, etc.). Alternatively, the memory 302 comprises several memories of the aforementioned types.

[0075] The memory 302 is capable of storing, permanently or temporarily, at least some of the data used and / or resulting from the implementation of steps 201 to 206 described previously.

[0076] The processor 301 is capable of executing instructions, stored in the memory 302, for implementing the steps of the method 201 to 206 according to the invention, described with reference to [Fig. 2]. Alternatively, the processor 301 can be replaced by a microcontroller designed and configured to carry out the aforementioned steps of the method according to the invention, described with reference to [Fig. 2].

[0077] The processor 301 can thus implement the modules 101 to 103 described with reference to [Fig.l]. Alternatively, each of the modules 101 to 103 comprises a processor dedicated to the functionalities of the module. It is thus understood that the modules 101 to 103 described above can be software or hardware modules according to the embodiments of the invention.

[0078] The navigation server 100 comprises a first interface 303 capable of receiving the request from the vehicle 110 during step 201 described previously.

[0079] The navigation server further comprises a second interface 304 capable of communicating with the first server 130 and a third interface 305 capable of communicating with the second server 140.

[0080] The second interface 304 may be a network interface used by the main module 103 to communicate with the first server 130.

[0081] The third interface 305 may be a network interface used by the secondary module 104 to communicate with the second server 140.

[0082] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above as examples; it extends to other variants.

Claims

Claims

1. Method for obtaining information relating to characteristics of an electric vehicle charging station (110; 120), the method comprising the following steps: - receiving (201) a request to obtain information relating to characteristics of at least one charging station (150) identified in said request; - determining (202) the availability of first information relating to the characteristics of said at least one charging station, from a first server (130); - in the event of unavailability of the first information in the first server, obtaining (205) second information relating to the characteristics of said at least one charging station, from a second server (140), and transmitting (206), in response to the request, information relating to the characteristics of the at least one charging station, derived from said second information.

2. A method of obtaining information according to claim 1, wherein the request is received (201) from an electric vehicle (110), and wherein the information derived from the second information is transmitted (206) to the electric vehicle, for display (207) on a human-machine interface (114) of said electric vehicle.

3. A method of obtaining information according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, in case of availability of the first information, obtaining (203) said first information and transmitting (204), in response to said request, said first information.

4. Method for obtaining information according to one of the preceding claims, in which the second information is a history comprising at least one set of information collected by another electric vehicle (120) during use of a given charging station (150) among said at least one charging station.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein each set of information collected by another vehicle (120) comprises a combination of information obtained from the following information: - a connection status of the other vehicle to the given charging station (150); - a type of connector of the given charging station, used by the other vehicle; - a type of terminal identifying a type of current delivered by the given charging station to the other vehicle; and / or - a power delivered by the given charging station to the other vehicle.

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the information derived from the second information comprises, for each given charging station (150) among said at least one charging station, a combination of information obtained from the following information: - an availability status of the given charging station; - at least one type of connector of the given charging station; - a type of terminal identifying a type of current delivered by the given charging station; - a maximum power of the given charging station.

7. Computer program comprising instructions for implementing the method according to one of the preceding claims, when these instructions are executed by a processor (301).

8. Server (100) comprising an interface (303) capable of communicating with an electric vehicle (110), the interface being capable of receiving a request to obtain information relating to characteristics of at least one charging station (150) identified in said request; the server further comprising a processor (301) configured to - determine an availability of first information relating to the characteristics of said at least one charging station, from a first server; - in the event of unavailability of the first information in the first server, obtain second information relating to the characteristics of said at least one charging station, from a second server, and transmit, via the interface and in response to the request, information relating to the characteristics of the at least one charging station, derived from said second information.

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