Control system for electric vehicle supply equipment

Abstract

A control system 100 controls an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) (200-Fig.6) comprising a charging gun (500-Fig.5) having a user input element 206 (e.g., button, joystick, touchscreen). The c

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to an electric vehicle supply equipment and a charging gun of such a supply equipment. Aspects of the invention relate to a control system for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, to an electric vehicle supply equipment, to a computer implemented method of controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, and to computer readable instructions. BACKGROUND It is known to provide an electric vehicle supply equipment which can connect, via a charging cable, to an electric vehicle, for example, via a charging port of the vehicle, and supply electric charge to the vehicle energy store to recharge the energy store. The charging cable has a fitting on the end which connects to the vehicle, which may be called a charging gun or charging connector. To interact with the supply equipment (for example, to control functionality of the supply equipment such as a charge boost or pausing charging) a user would typically interact either with some input interface on the body of the supply equipment, or with an application (“app”) on a personal electronic device which is linked to the supply equipment. It can be a challenge fora user to provide inputs to a supply equipment and control its functionality when using the charging gun to charge the vehicle, when the inputs to control the functionality are to be made to the body of the supply equipment or an app. It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide a control system for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, an electric vehicle supply equipment, a computer implemented method of controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, and computer readable instructions as claimed in the appended claims. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a control system for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, the electric vehicle supply equipment comprising a charging gun, the charging gun comprising a user input element, the control system comprising one or more processors collectively configured to output an user input element control signal to configure the user input element of the charging gun to provide a function of a plurality of possible functions, the function determined in dependence on a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment and / or an electric vehicle in connection with the electric vehicle supply equipment. Advantageously the user input element can be dynamically adapted to provide control over a function dependent on the context of the supply equipment and / or the vehicle connected with the supply equipment (whether in wireless communication connection or wired charging cable connection). According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a control system for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, the electric vehicle supply equipment comprising a charging gun, the charging gun comprising a user input element, the control system comprising one or more processors collectively configured to: receive a status indicator signal indicative of one or more of a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment and a status of an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle to receive electrical energy from the electric vehicle supply equipment; determine, in dependence on the status indicator signal, a function to be controlled of one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment and the electric vehicle; and output a user input element control signal to configure the user input element of the charging gun to, in response to a user input made to the user input element, provide a function control signal to control the determined function. Advantageously the user input element can be dynamically adapted to provide control over a function dependent on the context of the supply equipment and / or the electric vehicle which is to receive electrical charge from the supply equipment. Within the design restrictions of the charging gun, where including multiple user input elements dedicated to specific features is not feasible (due to a lack of space where such elements may be included on the charging gun), the control system can determine an appropriate function for a user to perform and configure the user input element to allow that functionality to be performed via the user input element on the charging gun, thus being conveniently placed for the user to interact with the user input element when using the charging gun e.g. to plug the charging gun into the charging port of the vehicle. The control system may comprise one or more controllers collectively comprising at least one electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving an input signal; and at least one memory device electrically coupled to the at least one electronic processor and having instructions stored therein; and wherein the at least one electronic processor is configured to access the at least one memory device and execute the instructions thereon so as to: receive a status indicator signal indicative of one or more of a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment and a status of an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle to receive electrical energy from the electric vehicle supply equipment; determine, in dependence on the status indicator signal, a function to be controlled of one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment and the electric vehicle; and output an user input element control signal to configure the user input element of the charging gun to, in response to a user input made to the user input element, provide a function control signal to control the determined function. The control system may be further configured to: receive a user input signal indicative of the user input made to the user input element; and provide the function control signal to control the determined function of the one or more of the electric vehicle and the electric vehicle supply equipment. Advantageously the user can use the user input element to cause the supply equipment to perform appropriate functionality dependent on the context of the supply equipment and / or vehicle. The control system may be configured to: determine, in dependence on the status indicator signal, a plurality of functions to be controlled of one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment and the electric vehicle; and output the user input element control signal to the charging gun to configure the user input element of the charging gun to, in response to one or more of a respective plurality of user inputs made to the user input element, provide a corresponding one or more function control signals to control the determined one or more functions. Advantageously the user input element can provide more than one functionality. For example, a short press (e.g. less than 1 second) on a button of the user input element may cause a light to illuminate and a second short press may cause the light to extinguish (in the context of the environment being dark), whereas a press-and-hold (e.g. more than 1 second) may cause a charge boost to be performed by the supply equipment (in the context of a scheduled charge not being due to take place yet though the user may wish to, at least temporarily, override the schedule and provide charge from the supply equipment by providing a “charge boost”). The user input element may be configured to provide plural different functions, and each of the plurality of functions may be performed by a different user input interaction with the user input element. For example, a user may be able to short press (less than one second) to access a first function, long press (between one and three seconds) to access a different function, press-and-hold to access a further function for the duration of the press, double tap (e.g. provide two presses within e.g. one second) to access a further functionality, and so on. Other user input types may be envisaged (e.g. press in a particular location, drag, light pressure press, heavy pressure press) and may be used with the user input element. The user input element may comprise, for example, one or more of: a physical push button, a touch sensitive button, a touch sensitive display screen, a joystick, a direction pad, a jog wheel. Advantageously there is design freedom in the user input element type which is used, because the contextual detection of functionality that can be controlled by the user input element means a single, or fewer, user input elements can be configured to provide plural contextually appropriate functionalities. The control system may be further configured to: receive a further status indicator indicative of one or more of a further status of the electric vehicle supply equipment and a further status of the electric vehicle in dependence on the determined function being controlled; determine, in dependence on the updated status indicator, a further function to be controlled of the one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment and the electric vehicle; and output a further user input element control signal to configure the user input element of the charging gun to, in response to a further user input made to the user input element, provide a further function control signal to control the determined further function. Advantageously the user input element can be dynamically configured to provide functionality appropriate to the context and to any functionality being provided (including functionality performed in response to a user input to the user input element previously). The status indicator signal may be indicative of one or more of a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment and a status of the electric vehicle and may comprise one or more of: a vehicle status of the electric vehicle, a charging gun status of the charging gun, a supply equipment status of the electric vehicle supply equipment, a remote server status of an online server configured to communicate with the electric vehicle supply equipment, and a sensor status of a sensor associated with the electric vehicle or the electric vehicle supply equipment. Advantageously the different ways in which the context determines what functionality is appropriate to provide can be accommodated by the multi-functional configurable user input element. The status indicator signal may be indicative of at least one of: a disconnected status, a connected status, a power supplied status, a no power supplied status, a schedule status, a boost availability status, an extended charging cable status, a stowed charging cable status, a locked status, an unlocked status, a low-light status, a daylight status, and a vehicle status. Advantageously the different ways in which the context determines what functionality is appropriate to provide can be accommodated by the multi-functional configurable user input element. The control system may be further configured to: in dependence on receipt of a boost availability status indicator signal, determine a boost function to be controlled, the boost function to cause electrical power to be supplied to the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle supply equipment independently of a charging schedule of the electric vehicle supply equipment; and output the user input element control signal to the charging gun to configure the user input element of the charging gun to receive a boost user input, wherein, in response to a boost user input, a boost function control signal is provided to the electric vehicle supply equipment to cause the supply of electrical power to the electric vehicle. Advantageously the user can interact with the user input element in the event of wishing to initiate charge supply to the vehicle even if this overrides a charging schedule in place for the vehicle, conveniently using the user input element on the charging gun which the user is interacting with when connecting the charging gun to the vehicle for charging. The control system may be further configured to: in dependence on receipt of an override availability status indicator signal, determine a schedule override function to be controlled, the schedule override function to cause electrical power to be supplied to the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle supply equipment independently of a charging schedule of the electric vehicle supply equipment; and output the user input element control signal to the charging gun to configure the user input element of the charging gun to receive a schedule override user input, wherein, in response to a schedule override user input, a schedule override function control signal is provided to the electric vehicle supply equipment to cause the supply of electrical power to the electric vehicle. Advantageously a charging schedule can be overridden in the event the user wishes to charge the energy store of the vehicle on demand rather than waiting for scheduled charging by interacting with the user input element which is adapted to allow for the charging to be initiated regardless of any scheduled charging in recognition of charging being scheduled to allow the user to override the schedule. The control system may be further configured to: in dependence on receipt of a power supplied status indicator signal indicative of the supply of power to the electric vehicle, determine a stop function to be controlled, the stop function to stop electrical power being supplied to the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle supply equipment independently of a charging schedule of the electric vehicle supply equipment; and output the user input element control signal to the charging gun to configure the user input element of the charging gun to receive a stop charging user input, wherein, in response to a stop charging user input, a stop charging function control signal is provided to the electric vehicle supply equipment to stop the supply of electrical power to the electric vehicle. Advantageously a charging process can be stopped in the event the user wishes to stop charging the energy store of the vehicle on demand, rather than waiting for a schedule charging process to complete, by interacting with the user input element which is adapted to allow for the charging to be stopped regardless of a scheduled charging process. The status indicator signal of the electric vehicle supply equipment may comprise an extended charging cable status or a stowed charging cable status; and the user input element control signal to the charging gun may configure the user input element to receive a retraction user input or an extension user input, wherein, in response to the retraction user input or extension user input, a function of retraction or extension of the charging cable is performed. Advantageously the status of the charging cable, extended or retracted, is determined and the user input element can be adapted to allow functionality according to the cable extension status. If the cable is retracted the user input element may allow for cable extension, and vice versa. Thus, for example, one user input element (e.g. a button) may provide both extension and retraction functionalities, allowing for plural functions to be performed without the need for plural dedicated user input elements, one for each function, which aids in design of the charging gun which has limited design freedom. The status indicator signal of the electric vehicle supply equipment may comprise one of a charging gun not locked status to the electric vehicle or a charging gun locked status to the electric vehicle; and the user input element control signal to the charging gun may configure the user input element to receive a lock user input or an unlock user input, wherein, in response to the lock user input or the unlock user input, a function of locking the charging gun to a connected vehicle or unlocking the charging gun from a connected vehicle may be performed. Advantageously the control system can adapt the user input element to provide an unlocking function if the charging gun is determined to be locked to the vehicle, and vice versa. Thus, for example, one user input element (e.g. a button) may provide both locking and unlocking functionalities, allowing for plural functions to be performed without the need for plural dedicated user input elements, one for each function, which aids in design of the charging gun which has limited design freedom. The status indicator signal of the electric vehicle supply equipment or the electric vehicle may comprise an environmental light level; and the user input element control signal to the charging gun may configure the user input element to receive an illuminate user input, wherein, in response to the illuminate user input, a function of illuminating a light source of one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment and the electric vehicle is performed. Advantageously the control system can adapt the user input element to provide a light illuminate function in an environment where providing additional lighting is beneficial, and by extension this functionality need not be provided when it would not be useful, e.g. in daylight. The function of illuminating the light source may be performed for a first predetermined period dependent on the environmental light level being above a first light level threshold, and illuminating the light source for a second predetermined period dependent on the environmental light level being below a second light level threshold. Thus the lighting provided may be adapted to the detected light levels. The control system may be further configured to: receive a vehicle status indicator signal indicative of one or more functions controllable by the one or more of the electric vehicle and the electric vehicle supply equipment; determine, in dependence on the vehicle status indicator signal, one or more functions to be inhibited from being controlled by user input made to the user input element of the charging gun; and inhibit output of a user input element control signal to the charging gun which would otherwise configure the user input element of the charging gun to, in response to a user input made to the user input element, provide a function control signal to control the determined one or more functions controllable by the one or more of the electric vehicle and the electric vehicle supply equipment. Advantageously the functionality of the multifunction button can be targeted to those functions which are useful as determined based on the detected context, and functions which are not useful (e.g. retracting a charging cable which is already in a retracted state) are inhibited from being provided, to reduce complexity of the user input element usability, which is important when there are design freedom limitations relating to the charging gun. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a charging gun comprising a user input element, the charging gun configured to be used with an electric vehicle supply equipment comprising any control system disclosed herein. Advantageously charging gun comprises a user input element which is “intelligent” in that it may be configured by a control system to allow a user to access relevant functionality from the charging gun. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided an electric vehicle supply equipment comprising any control system disclosed herein, and a charging gun, the charging gun comprising a user input element. Advantageously the supply equipment has an “intelligent” user input element on the charging gun allowing a user to access relevant functionality from the charging gun. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer implemented method of controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, the electric vehicle supply equipment comprising a charging gun, the charging gun comprising a user input element, the method comprising: receiving a status indicator signal indicative of one or more of a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment and a status of an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle to receive electrical energy from the electric vehicle supply equipment; determining, in dependence on the status indicator signal, a function to be controlled of one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment and the electric vehicle; and outputting a user input element control signal to the charging gun to configure the user input element of the charging gun to, in response to a user input made to the user input element, provide a function control signal to control the determined function. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided computer readable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform any method disclosed herein. Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and / or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in anyway and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an electric vehicle supply equipment according to embodiments of the invention; Figure 2 shows a control system according to embodiments of the invention; Figure 3 shows a flow chart of a method which control systems disclosed herein are configured to perform for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment according to embodiments of the invention; Figure 4 shows a flow chart of a method of determining functionality to allow the user input element to provide control of, according to embodiments of the invention; Figure 5 schematically shows a charging gun comprising a user input element according to embodiments of the invention; and Figure 6 illustrates a system of a supply equipment and a vehicle according to embodiments of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Aspects of the invention relate to a control system for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, to an electric vehicle supply equipment, to a computer implemented method of controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment computer readable instructions. It is known to provide an electric vehicle supply equipment which can connect, via a charging cable, to an electric vehicle, for example, via a charging port of the vehicle, and supply electric charge to the vehicle energy store to recharge the energy store. Discussion herein of supply of electrical charge to the vehicle should be understood as a supply of electrical charge to an energy storage means of the vehicle e.g. a rechargeable battery. An electric vehicle supply equipment (or simply supply equipment) may be understood to be a “charger” or “home charger”, i.e. an apparatus which can be connected to a vehicle (and the electrical energy storage of that vehicle) for the provision of charge from the supply equipment to the vehicle, to recharge the electrical energy storage. The vehicle may be a battery electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, for example. To interact with the supply equipment (for example, to control functionality of the supply equipment such a charge boost or pausing charging) a user would typically interact either with some input interface on the body of the supply equipment, or with an application (“app”) on a personal electronic device which is linked to the supply equipment. The charging cable has a fitting on the end which connects to the vehicle, which may be called a charging gun or charger connector. It can be a challenge for a user to provide inputs to a supply equipment and control its functionality when using the charging gun to charge the vehicle, when the inputs to control the functionality are to be made to the body of the supply equipment or an app. The charging gun is designed within dimensional and feature constraints to be able to connect to the vehicle charging port and there are strict design constraints as to how the charging gun can be designed and manufactured. Examples disclosed herein facilitate a user making inputs to control the supply equipment and / or features of the vehicle by interacting with the charging gun despite the design constraints around how the charging gun may be designed. Figure 1 shows an electric vehicle supply equipment 200 according to embodiments of the invention. The electric vehicle supply equipment 200 comprises a control system 100 as discussed in relation to Figure 2. The electric vehicle supply equipment 200 comprises a charging cable 202 with a connected charging gun 204 which can be connected to an electric vehicle and used to provide electrical charge from the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 to the vehicle (i.e. to a rechargeable energy store of the vehicle). The charging gun 204 comprises at least one user input element 206 (e.g. a button, a joystick, a touch screen, etc.) which a user can interact with to interact with the supply equipment 200 and cause some functionality to be performed. In some examples the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 may comprise an output device 208, such as a display screen, visual indicator or the like, to indicate information to a user. The charging gun 204 is shown and described in more detail with reference to Figure 5. The supply equipment 200 may be thought of as comprising an “intelligent” user input element 206 on the charging gun 204, controlled by the control system 100, which allows a user to access relevant functionality from the charging gun 204, as described in more detail below. Figure 2 shows a control system 100 according to embodiments of the invention. The control system 100 is for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment 200. The electric vehicle supply equipment 200 comprises a charging gun 204, and the charging gun 204 comprises a user input element 206 as in Figure 1. The control system 100 comprises one or more processors collectively configured to output a user input element control signal 155 to configure the user input element 206 of the charging gun to provide a function of a plurality of possible functions. The function is determined in dependence on a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 and / or an electric vehicle in connection with the electric vehicle supply equipment 200. Advantageously the user input element can be dynamically adapted to provide control over a function dependent on the context of the supply equipment 200 and / or the vehicle connected with the supply equipment 200 (whether in wireless communication connection or wired charging cable connection). The control system 100 is configured to receive a status indicator signal 165 which is indicative of one or more of a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 and a status of an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle is configured to receive electrical energy from the electric vehicle supply equipment 200. The status indicator signal 165 may be provided, for example, by a sensor 160 of the charging gun 204, the supply equipment 200, or the vehicle. The control system 100 is configured to determine, in dependence on the status indicator signal 165, a function to be controlled of one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 and the electric vehicle. The control system is configured to then output a user input element control signal 155 to configure the user input element 206 of the charging gun 204 to, in response to a user input made to the user input element 206, provide a function control signal to control the determined function. In otherwords, the user input element 206 is dynamically adaptable to allow a user to control functionality relevant to the detected context of the supply equipment and / or vehicle. The control system 100 as illustrated in Figure 1 comprises one controller 110, although it will be appreciated that this is merely illustrative. The controller 110 comprises processing means 120 and memory means 1130. The processing means 120 may be one or more electronic processing device 120 which operably executes computer-readable instructions. The memory means 130 may be one or more memory device 130. The memory means 130 is electrically coupled to the processing means 120. The memory means 130 is configured to store instructions, and the processing means 120 is configured to access the memory means 130 and execute the instructions stored thereon. The controller 110 comprises an input means 140 and an output means 150. The input means 140 may comprise an electrical input 140 of the controller 110. The output means 150 may comprise an electrical output 150 of the controller 110. The input 140 is arranged to receive a status indicator signal 165 which is indicative of one or more of a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 and a status of an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle to receive electrical energy from the electric vehicle supply equipment 200. The charging cable connection signal 165 is an electrical signal which is indicative of one or more of a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 and a status of an electric vehicle. The control 110 is configured to determine, in dependence on the status indicator signal 165, a function to be controlled of one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 and the electric vehicle. The output 150 is arranged to output a user input element control signal 155 to configure the user input element 206 of the charging gun 204 to, in response to a user input made to the user input element 206, provide a function control signal to control the determined function. The user input element control signal 155 is an electrical signal. Advantageously the user input element 206 can be dynamically adapted to provide control over a function dependent on the context of the supply equipment 200 and / or the electric vehicle which is to receive electrical charge from the supply equipment 200. Within the design restrictions of the charging gun, the control system 100 can determine an appropriate function for a user to perform and dynamically configure the user input element 206 to allow that functionality to be performed. The status indicator signal 165 may be indicative of a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200, and / or a status of the electric vehicle. The status indicator signal 165 may comprise: a vehicle status of the electric vehicle (e.g. whether the vehicle is authorised to receive any charge or other functionality from the supply equipment 200), a charging gun status of the charging gun (e.g. is the charging gun stowed and can be deployed, or is it deployed and can be stowed), a supply equipment status of the electric vehicle supply equipment (e.g. is the supply equipment operational or is there a fault, can the supply equipment supply electrical charge at 400V or 800V), a remote server status of an online server configured to communicate with the electric vehicle supply equipment (e.g. is the server in communication with the supply equipment to allow charging schedule retrieval or is the server offline and is to be re-connected), and a sensor status of a sensor associated with the electric vehicle or the electric vehicle supply equipment (e.g. a light sensor indicating whether a torch on the charging gun and / or the vehicle could be switched on, a charging port hatch sensor indicating whether the hatch is open or closed). Advantageously the different ways in which the context determines what functionality is appropriate to provide can be accommodated by the multi-functional configurable user input element 206. The status indicator signal 165 may be indicative of, for example: a disconnected status and / or a connected status (e.g. of the charging cable with the vehicle, of a server with the supply equipment), a power supplied status and / or a no power supplied status (e.g. whether charge is being supplied or not to the vehicle from the supply equipment), a schedule status (e.g. whether there is a schedule for charging the vehicle, whether the charging schedule is active and the vehicle is undergoing charging according to the schedule), a boost availability status (i.e. can a charge boost be supplied to the vehicle energy store), an extended charging cable status, a stowed charging cable status, a locked status and / or an unlocked status (e.g. of a charging port hatch of the vehicle, of a supply equipment charging cable hatch / door), a low-light status and / or a daylight status (e.g. what light level is detected in the vicinity of the supply equipment), and a vehicle status (e.g. is the vehicle authorised to use the supply equipment, is the vehicle connected to the charging cable correctly, is the vehicle fully charged or can be charged). Advantageously the different ways in which the context determines what functionality is appropriate to provide can be accommodated by the multi-functional configurable user input element. For example, if the supply equipment 200 status is to provide charge to the vehicle according to a charging schedule which is not supplying charge at a particular time, the user input element 206 may be configured to provide a “charge boost” function and / or override the current charge schedule and provide charge when the user provides input to the user input element 206. As another example, if the environment at the location of the supply equipment 200 and the vehicle is dark (low ambient light, such as at night time) then the user input element 206 may be configured to provide a light on / off functionality allowing the user to switch a light on and off (e.g. a light on the charging gun, or on the supply equipment) to allow the user to control lighting when using the charging gun (for example to see where to put the charging gun in the charging port of the vehicle). As another example, the user input element may be configured to provide an “user authorisation” functionality in the context of a vehicle not being already detected as authorised to receive charge from the supply equipment, and allow a user to provide authorisation to commence charging (of provide some other functionality of the supply equipment), for example by entry of a PIN code, fingerprint, or other identification. In some examples, the user input element 206 may comprise a display element, or be in connection with a display element on the charging gun 204, which can indicate the available functionality which can be controlled by the user input element 206 at any time, and which may also indicate what user input type can be provided to access that functionality. For example the display element may indicate “charge boost - long press ; light on / off, short tap”, or “unwind / wind in charging cable - hold left / hold right”. Other variations may be envisaged. Figure 3 shows a flow chart of a computer implemented method 300 which control systems 100 disclosed herein are configured to perform, for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment 200 according to embodiments of the invention. The method 300 is of controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment 200, the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 comprising a charging gun 204, the charging gun 204 comprising a user input element 206. The method 300 comprises receiving 302 a status indicator signal 310 indicative of one or more of a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment and a status of an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle is to receive electrical energy from the electric vehicle supply equipment. The method 300 comprises determining 304, in dependence on the status indicator signal, a function to be controlled of one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment and the electric vehicle. The method 300 comprises outputting 306 a user input element control signal 320 to the charging gun to configure the user input element of the charging gun to, in response to a user input made to the user input element, provide a function control signal to control the determined function. Computer readable instructions may, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method 300 or any other method disclosed herein. Figures 2 and 3 illustrate that the user input element 206 may be configured according to the context of the supply equipment 200 and / or the vehicle to be charged by the supply equipment 200. In some examples, the control system 100 may be further configured to receive a user input signal indicative of the user input made to the user input element 206, and provide the function control signal 320 to control the determined function of the electric vehicle and / or the electric vehicle supply equipment 200. For example, the user may push a button user input element to activate the functionality of the button. The control system 100 may be configured to determine a boost function to be controlled in dependence on receipt of a boost availability status indicator signal 310. The boost function is to cause electrical power to be supplied to the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle supply equipment independently of a charging schedule of the electric vehicle supply equipment. The control system 100 may output the user input element control signal 320 to the charging gun to configure the user input element of the charging gun to receive a boost user input, wherein, in response to a boost user input, a boost function control signal is provided to the electric vehicle supply equipment to cause the supply of electrical power to the electric vehicle. Advantageously the user can interact with the user input element in the event of wishing to initiate charge supply to the vehicle even if this overrides a charging schedule in place for the vehicle, conveniently using the user input element on the charging gun which the user is interacting with when connecting the charging gun to the vehicle for charging. The control system 100 may be configured to determine a schedule override function to be controlled in dependence on receipt of an override availability status indicator signal 310. The schedule override function is to cause electrical power to be supplied to the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle supply equipment independently of a charging schedule of the electric vehicle supply equipment. The control system 100 is configured to output the user input element control signal 320 to the charging gun to configure the user input element of the charging gun to receive a schedule override user input, wherein, in response to a schedule override user input, a schedule override function control signal is provided to the electric vehicle supply equipment to cause the supply of electrical power to the electric vehicle. Advantageously a charging schedule can be overridden in the event the user wishes to charge the energy store of the vehicle on demand rather than waiting for scheduled charging by interacting with the user input element which is adapted to allow for the charging to be initiated regardless of any scheduled charging in recognition of charging being scheduled to allow the user to override the schedule. The control system 100 may be further configured to determine a stop function to be controlled in dependence on receipt of a power supplied status indicator signal 310 indicative of the supply of power to the electric vehicle. The stop function is to stop electrical power being supplied to the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle supply equipment independently of a charging schedule of the electric vehicle supply equipment. The control system 100 may be configured to output the user input element control signal 320 to the charging gun to configure the user input element of the charging gun to receive a stop charging user input, wherein, in response to a stop charging user input, a stop charging function control signal is provided to the electric vehicle supply equipment to stop the supply of electrical power to the electric vehicle. Advantageously a charging process can be stopped in the event the user wishes to stop charging the energy store of the vehicle on demand, rather than waiting for a schedule charging process to complete, by interacting with the user input element which is adapted to allow for the charging to be stopped regardless of a scheduled charging process. Figure 4 shows an example flow chart of a method 400 of determining functionality to allow the user input element 206 to provide control of, according to embodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated that different permutations of the flow chart may be envisaged dependent on the functionality which may be provided and the nature of the status indicator signal 310 received. The control system 100 may be configured to determine 402, 404, 406, in dependence on the status indicator signal 310, a plurality of functions 412, 414, 416, 422, 424 to be controlled. The functions may be performed by the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 and / or the electric vehicle as before. The control system 100 may then output the user input element control signal 320 to the charging gun 204 to configure the user input element 206 of the charging gun 204. Then, in response to one or more of a respective plurality of user inputs made to the user input element 206, the control system can provide a corresponding one or more function control signals 320 to control the determined one or more functions. Advantageously the user input element can provide more than one functionality. The user input element 206 may be configured to provide plural different functions 412, 414, 416, 422, 424 and each of the plurality of functions may be performed by a different user input interaction with the user input element. For example, a user may be able to short press (less than one second) to access a first function, long press (between one and three seconds) to access a different function, press-and-hold to access a further function for the duration of the press, double tap (e.g. provide two presses within e.g. one second) to access a further functionality, and so on. Other user input types may be envisaged (e.g. press in a particular location, drag, light pressure press, heavy pressure press) and may be used with the user input element. For example, the control system may receive 402 a status indicator signal 310 of the electric vehicle supply equipment which comprises an extended charging cable status or a stowed charging cable status. The control system 100 can determine, based on the status indicator signal 310, whether the user input element should provide functionality to stow, or to extend, the charging cable. The user input element can then be configured by the control system 100 accordingly to provide cable stow functionality 412 or cable extension functionality 422. The user input element 206 may then receive a retraction user input if the user input element is configured to receive a retraction user input due to the cable being stowed (orthe user input element 206 may then receive a stow user input if the user input element is configured to receive a stow user input due to the cable being extended). In response to the retraction user input or extension user input, a function of retraction 412 or extension 422 of the charging cable is performed. Advantageously the status of the charging cable, extended or retracted, is determined and the user input element 206 can be adapted to allow functionality according to the cable extension status. For example, the control system may receive 402 a status indicator signal 310 of the electric vehicle supply equipment which comprises one of a charging gun not locked status to the electric vehicle or a charging gun locked status to the electric vehicle. The control system 100 can determine, based on the status indicator signal 310, whether the user input element should provide lock or unlock the changing gun to / from the vehicle. The user input element 206 can then be configured by the control system 100 accordingly to provide charging gun locking 414 or charging gun unlocking 424. The user input element 206 may then receive a lock user input if the user input element is configured to receive a lock user input due to the charging gun being unlocked from the vehicle (or the user input element 206 may then receive an unlock user input if the user input element is configured to receive an unlock user input due to the charging cable being locked to the vehicle). In response to the lock user input or the unlock user input, a function of locking the charging gun to a connected vehicle 414 or unlocking the charging gun from a connected vehicle 424 is performed. Advantageously the status of the charging cable being locked to or unlocked from the vehicle, is determined and the user input element 206 can be adapted to allow functionality according to the locking status. For example, the control system may receive 402 a status indicator signal 310 of the electric vehicle supply equipment which comprises an environmental light level. The control system 100 can determine, based on the status indicator signal 310, whether the user input element should provide functionality to allow a light (e.g. on the charging gun 204, on the supply equipment 200, or on the vehicle such as a wing mirror puddle light) to be illuminated 416. The user input element 206 can then be configured by the control system 100 accordingly to provide light illumination 416. The user input element 206 may then receive an illuminate user input. In response to the illuminate user input, a function of illuminating the light is performed. Advantageously the status of the environmental light levels is determined and the user input element 206 can be adapted to allow light illumination functionality according to the locking status. In some examples, the control system 100 may be configured to prevent one or more functions from being accessed by interaction with the user input element. For example, such functions may not be considered to be useful (e.g. unlocking a charging gun from a vehicle when the charging gun is not locked to the vehicle) or such functions may not be authorised (e.g. a user may not be determined to be authorised to provide a charge boost using the charging gun). The control system 100 may achieve this by being configured to receive a vehicle status indicator signal indicative of one or more functions controllable by the one or more of the electric vehicle and the electric vehicle supply equipment, and then determine, in dependence on the vehicle status indicator signal 310, one or more functions to be inhibited from being controlled by user input made to the user input element of the charging gun. The control system 100 may then inhibit output of a user input element control signal 320 to the charging gun 204 which would otherwise configure the user input element 206 of the charging gun 240 to, in response to a user input made to the user input element 206, provide a function control signal 320 to control the determined one or more functions controllable by the one or more of the electric vehicle and the electric vehicle supply equipment 200. Advantageously the functionality of the multifunction button can be targeted to those functions which are useful as determined based on the detected context, and functions which are not useful (e.g. retracting a charging cable which is already in a retracted state) are inhibited from being provided, to reduce complexity of the user input element usability, which is important when there are design freedom limitations relating to the charging gun. In some examples the control system 100 may be configured to dynamically adapt the functionality provided by the charging gun 204 by user interaction with the user input element 206. The control system 100 may in such examples be configured to receive a further status indicator indicative of one or more of a further status of the electric vehicle supply equipment and a further status of the electric vehicle in dependence on the determined function being controlled. That is, if a function being controlled is the provision of charge to the vehicle by a charge boost, a further status of the supply equipment 200 may be that it is in the process of delivering charge. The control system 100 may then determine, in dependence on the updated status indicator, a further function to be controlled of the one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment and the electric vehicle. The further function in this example may be stopping charge provision since the control system is informed that charge supply is currently in progress. The control system 100 may then output a further user input element control signal to configure the user input element 206 of the charging gun 204 to, in response to a further user input made to the user input element 206, provide a further function control signal to control the determined further function. Advantageously the user input element 206 can be dynamically configured to provide functionality appropriate to the context and to any functionality being provided (including functionality performed in response to a user input to the user input element previously). Figure 5 schematically shows a charging gun 500 (such as the charging gun 204 of Figure 1) comprising a user input element 520 according to embodiments of the invention. The charging gun 500 is connected to a charging cable 504 (such as the charging cable 202 of Figure 1) and is connectable to a charging port of an electric vehicle via a charging portion 508. The charging gun 500 has a handle portion 510 where a user can hold the charging gun and locate it e.g. in the vehicle charging port or in a stowage portion of the supply equipment 200. The user input element 520 may be located on the charging gun in a convenient location for the user to interact with it while holding the charging gun 500. The user input element 520 is illustrated as being located on the upper surface 502 of the charging gun 500 (upper in the sense of facing upwards when the charging gun is oriented for connection to a vehicle charging port) so that it may be interacted with by a user moving their thumb over the user input element 520 and the user input element 520 being visible to a user looking down at their hand / the charging gun 500. The user input element 520 may comprise some display means so that the use can understand the functionality available by interaction with the user input element 520. In other examples, the user input element 520 may be located on a lower surface 506 (lower in the sense of facing towards the ground opposite the visible upper surface when the charging gun is oriented for connection to a vehicle charging port). In this location, the user input element 520 may be interacted with easily by a user using their index finger akin to pulling a trigger. In such examples where the user input element 520 is not visible the charging gun may further comprise a display means (not shown) on the upper surface 502 which is configured to indicate to the user the functionality available by interaction with the user input element 520. The user input element 520 may comprise, for example, one or more of: a physical push button, a touch sensitive button, a touch sensitive display screen, a joystick, a direction pad, and a jog wheel. Advantageously there is design freedom in the user input element type which is used, because the contextual detection of functionality that can be controlled by the user input element means a single, or fewer, user input elements can be configured to provide plural contextually appropriate functionalities. Figure 6 illustrates a system 600 of a supply equipment 200 and a vehicle 50 according to embodiments of the invention. In this example the vehicle 50 and supply equipment 200 can communicate over a wireless (e.g. WiFi) connection 602, for example so the vehicle 50 can transmit an identifier of the vehicle to the supply equipment 200 to indicate authorisation to use the supply equipment 200). Also illustrated is the connection of the charging cable 604 (such as the charging cable 202 of Figure 1) via the charging gun 500 (such as the charging gun 204 of Figure 1) to the charging port of the vehicle 50. The control system 100 may receive 302 the status indicator signal 310 indicative of the status of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 and / or a status of the electric vehicle 50 via the wireless connection 602, and / or via a wired connection e.g. the charging cable 604. The electric vehicle 50 is to receive electrical energy from the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 via the charging cable 604. The control system 100 is confirmed to determine 304, in dependence on the status indicator signal 310, a function to be controlled of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 and / or the electric vehicle 50, and output the user input element control signal 320 to configure the user input element of the charging gun 500 to provide a function control signal to control the determined function (i.e. configure the user input element to provide suitable functionality when interacted with), in response to a user input made to the user input element. It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A control system for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, the electric vehicle supply equipment comprising a charging gun, the charging gun comprising a user input element, the control system comprising one or more processors collectively configured to:receive a status indicator signal indicative of one or more of a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment and a status of an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle to receive electrical energy from the electric vehicle supply equipment;determine, in dependence on the status indicator signal, a function to be controlled of one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment and the electric vehicle; andoutput a user input element control signal to configure the user input element of the charging gun to, in response to a user input made to the user input element, provide a function control signal to control the determined function.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to:receive a user input signal indicative of the user input made to the user input element; andprovide the function control signal to control the determined function of the one or more of the electric vehicle and the electric vehicle supply equipment.

3. The control system of any preceding claim, configured to:determine, in dependence on the status indicator signal, a plurality of functions to be controlled of one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment and the electric vehicle; andoutput the user input element control signal to the charging gun to configure the user input element of the charging gun to, in response to one or more of a respective plurality of user inputs made to the user input element, provide a corresponding one or more function control signals to control the determined one or more functions.

4. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the control system is further configured to:receive a further status indicator indicative of one or more of a further status of the electric vehicle supply equipment and a further status of the electric vehicle in dependence on the determined function being controlled;determine, in dependence on the updated status indicator, a further function to be controlled of the one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment and the electric vehicle; andoutput a further user input element control signal to configure the user input element of the charging gun to, in response to a further user input made to the user input element, provide a further function control signal to control the determined further function.

5. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the status indicator signal is indicative of one or more of a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment and a status of the electric vehicle and comprises one or more of:a vehicle status of the electric vehicle,a charging gun status of the charging gun,a supply equipment status of the electric vehicle supply equipment,a remote server status of an online server configured to communicate with the electric vehicle supply equipment, anda sensor status of a sensor associated with the electric vehicle or the electric vehicle supply equipment.

6. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the status indicator signal is indicative of at least one of: a disconnected status, a connected status, a power supplied status, a no power supplied status, a schedule status, a boost availability status, an extended charging cable status, a stowed charging cable status, a locked status, an unlocked status, a low-light status, a daylight status, and a vehicle status.

7. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the control system is further configured to: in dependence on receipt of a boost availability status indicator signal, determine a boost function to be controlled, the boost function to cause electrical power to be supplied to the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle supply equipment independently of a charging schedule of the electric vehicle supply equipment; and output the user input element control signal to the charging gun to configure the user input element of the charging gun to receive a boost user input, wherein, in response to a boost user input, a boost function control signal is provided to the electric vehicle supply equipment to cause the supply of electrical power to the electric vehicle.

8. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the control system is further configured to: in dependence on receipt of a power supplied status indicatorsignal indicative of the supply of power to the electric vehicle, determine a stop function to be controlled, the stop function to stop electrical power being supplied to the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle supply equipment independently of a charging schedule of the electric vehicle supply equipment; andoutput the user input element control signal to the charging gun to configure the user input element of the charging gun to receive a stop charging user input, wherein, in response to a stop charging user input, a stop charging function control signal is provided to the electric vehicle supply equipment to stop the supply of electrical power to the electric vehicle.

9. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein:the status indicator signal of the electric vehicle supply equipment comprises an extended charging cable status or a stowed charging cable status; andthe user input element control signal to the charging gun configures the user input element to receive a retraction user input or an extension user input, wherein, in response to the retraction user input or extension user input, a function of retraction or extension of the charging cable is performed.

10. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein:the status indicator signal of the electric vehicle supply equipment comprises one of a charging gun not locked status to the electric vehicle or a charging gun locked status to the electric vehicle; andthe user input element control signal to the charging gun configures the user input element to receive a lock user input or an unlock user input, wherein, in response to the lock user input or the unlock user input, a function of locking the charging gun to a connected vehicle or unlocking the charging gun from a connected vehicle is performed.

11. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein:the status indicator signal of the electric vehicle supply equipment or the electric vehicle comprises an environmental light level; andthe user input element control signal to the charging gun configures the user input element to receive an illuminate user input, wherein, in response to the illuminate user input, a function of illuminating a light source of one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment and the electric vehicle is performed.

12. The control system of claim 11, wherein the function of illuminating the light source is performed for a first predetermined period dependent on the environmental light level being above a first light level threshold, and illuminating the light source fora second predetermined period dependent on the environmental light level being below a second light level threshold.

13. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the control system is further configured to:receive a vehicle status indicator signal indicative of one or more functions controllable by the one or more of the electric vehicle and the electric vehicle supply equipment;determine, in dependence on the vehicle status indicator signal, one or more functions to be inhibited from being controlled by user input made to the user input element of the charging gun; andinhibit output of a user input element control signal to the charging gun which would otherwise configure the user input element of the charging gun to, in response to a user input made to the user input element, provide a function control signal to control the determined one or more functions controllable by the one or more of the electric vehicle and the electric vehicle supply equipment.

14. An electric vehicle supply equipment comprising:the control system of any of claims 1 to 13; anda charging gun, the charging gun comprising a user input element.

15. A computer implemented method of controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, the electric vehicle supply equipment comprising a charging gun, the charging gun comprising a user input element, the method comprising:receiving a status indicator signal indicative of one or more of a status of the electric vehicle supply equipment and a status of an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle to receive electrical energy from the electric vehicle supply equipment;determining, in dependence on the status indicator signal, a function to be controlled of one or more of the electric vehicle supply equipment and the electric vehicle; andoutputting a user input element control signal to the charging gun to configure the user input element of the charging gun to, in response to a user input made to the user input element, provide a function control signal to control the determined function.

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