System and method for providing electric vehicle charging service through automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication

Abstract

A system and method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to various embodiments of the present invention includes a plurality of electric vehicle chargers and a computing device that is provided inside each of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers or separately provided outside the plurality of electric vehicle chargers and controls the operation of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, wherein when the computing device recognizes at least one electric vehicle charger among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers through short-range wireless communication with a user terminal, the computing device performs an authentication procedure for the recognized at least one electric vehicle charger, and when an electric vehicle charging request is received from the user terminal, the computing device provides an electric vehicle charging service that supplies power to an electric vehicle through one of the recognized at least one electric vehicle charger based on a result of the authentication procedure.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Various embodiments of the present invention relate to a system and method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication. [Background technology]

[0002] Electric vehicles (EVs) are a futuristic convergence technology that is attracting interest and investment from governments and companies around the world as part of global green growth strategies. As a result, the automotive industry is seeing a rapid shift in market demand from traditional oil-based vehicles to electric vehicles.

[0003] According to data released by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA), even as the automobile market stagnated in the aftermath of last year's COVID-19 pandemic, global electric vehicle sales surged 45% year-on-year to 2,943,172 units, and domestic sales also recorded a 46.1% growth rate compared to the previous year with 61,193 electric vehicles sold. Deloitte previously predicted that the global electric vehicle market would grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29% over the 10 years from 2020 to 2030.

[0004] As demand for electric vehicles increases, technological development is being actively pursued not only for electric vehicles but also for the construction of infrastructure (charging devices, power supply networks, etc.) to enable the smooth use of electric vehicles.

[0005] Generally, the method of charging an electric vehicle through an electric vehicle charging system involves performing authentication by reading the QR code on the charger through an application or tagging a pre-registered card such as a membership card or apartment resident card, and after authentication is complete, electrically connecting the charger connector to the vehicle to supply power to the vehicle and proceed with charging.

[0006] Here, the PnC (Plug & Charge) based charging method is a structure in which the user is automatically authenticated and charging starts as soon as the vehicle and charger are electrically connected through the connector without the user having to perform a separate authentication process, and the user is automatically charged.

[0007] Standard-based PnC is implemented in the form of exchanging standard protocols through PLC communication, so a PLC module must be inserted into the charger, but this is expensive and makes it difficult to commercialize.

[0008] In addition, to comply with the standard, various implementations such as V2G Root certificates and vehicle certificates are required on the server side, just like on the web, and since each vehicle manufacturer and charging provider is a V2G Root provider, mutual compatibility is required. For example, if a specific vehicle manufacturer and charging provider are not compatible with each other, mutual certification is impossible, and if they do not have a mutual compatibility agreement, the validity of the vehicle manufacturer's certificate cannot be confirmed, making it impossible to carry out the certification process. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a system and method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication, which does not perform authentication between the electric vehicle charger and the vehicle but performs authentication between the electric vehicle charger and the user terminal (or the application of the user terminal) based on short-range wireless communication, thereby enabling authentication to be performed without the need for a PLC module for PLC communication and performing authentication by recognizing the electric vehicle charger or the user terminal, thereby providing an environment in which the vehicle can be charged more easily and conveniently.

[0010] The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To solve the above-mentioned problems, a system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of electric vehicle chargers and a computing device that is provided inside each of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers or separately provided outside the plurality of electric vehicle chargers and controls the operation of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers. When the computing device recognizes at least one electric vehicle charger among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers based on short-range wireless communication with a user terminal, the computing device performs an authentication procedure for the recognized at least one electric vehicle charger, and when it receives an electric vehicle charging request from the user terminal, the computing device can provide an electric vehicle charging service that supplies power to an electric vehicle through any one of the recognized at least one electric vehicle charger based on a result of the authentication procedure.

[0012] In various embodiments, when a first signal based on short-range wireless communication is collected through the user terminal, the computing device recognizes at least one electric vehicle charger among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers based on the collected first signal, and the first signal may be an advertising signal output from an electric vehicle charger electrically connected to an electric vehicle among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, or a scanning signal output from the electric vehicle charger to collect advertising signals output through the user terminal.

[0013] In various embodiments, when a second signal based on short-range wireless communication is collected through the user terminal, the computing device recognizes at least one of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers based on the collected second signal, and the second signal may be an advertising signal output from each of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers regardless of the electrical connection status with the electric vehicle.

[0014] In various embodiments, when two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal, the computing device may select one of the collected two or more second signals with the strongest signal strength, and identify one of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers using the selected one of the second signals.

[0015] In various embodiments, when two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal, the computing device may transmit a first test signal to two or more electric vehicle chargers that transmitted the two or more collected second signals, receive a second test signal from the two or more electric vehicle chargers in response to the transmitted first test signal, and identify one of the two or more electric vehicle chargers based on a difference between a transmission time of the transmitted first test signal and a reception time of the received second test signal.

[0016] In various embodiments, when two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal, the computing device may detect motion of the user terminal and identify one of two or more electric vehicle chargers that transmitted each of the two or more collected second signals based on the detected motion of the user terminal.

[0017] In various embodiments, when two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal, the computing device performs an authentication procedure for two or more electric vehicle chargers that transmitted the two or more collected second signals, thereby converting the state of the two or more electric vehicle chargers from an unauthenticated state to an authenticated state; when any one of the two or more electric vehicle chargers is electrically connected to an electric vehicle, the computing device maintains the state of the one electric vehicle charger in an authenticated state, but converts the state of the remaining electric vehicle chargers that are not connected to the electric vehicle from the authenticated state back to the unauthenticated state.

[0018] In various embodiments, when a third signal based on short-range wireless communication is collected through the user terminal, the computing device recognizes at least one electric vehicle charger among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers based on the collected third signal, and the third signal may be a feedback signal output from the electric vehicle charger that received a signal output through the user terminal.

[0019] In various embodiments, the computing device performs an authentication procedure for a first electric vehicle charger by recognizing the first electric vehicle charger among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, and may receive a request for electric vehicle charging through a second electric vehicle charger from the user terminal, or may transmit the result of the authentication procedure performed for the first electric vehicle charger to the second electric vehicle charger when the second electric vehicle charger and the electric vehicle are electrically connected.

[0020] To solve the above-mentioned problems, a system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of electric vehicle chargers and a computing device that is provided inside each of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers or separately outside the plurality of electric vehicle chargers and controls the operation of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers. When a user terminal is recognized through at least one electric vehicle charger among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers based on short-range wireless communication with the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, the computing device performs an authentication procedure for a user corresponding to the recognized user terminal, and when an electric vehicle charging request is obtained from the recognized user terminal, the computing device may provide an electric vehicle charging service that supplies power to an electric vehicle through any one of the at least one electric vehicle chargers based on a result of the authentication procedure.

[0021] In various embodiments, the computing device initiates a signal scanning operation of any one of the electric vehicle chargers when the one of the electric vehicle chargers is electrically connected to the electric vehicle, and if a fourth signal is collected by the initiated signal scanning operation, identifies a user corresponding to the user terminal based on the collected fourth signal, and the fourth signal may be an advertising signal output through the user terminal.

[0022] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems, a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication is performed by an electric vehicle charging service providing system including a plurality of electric vehicle chargers and a computing device that is provided inside each of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers or that is separately provided outside the plurality of electric vehicle chargers and controls operation of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, and the method may include a step of performing an authentication procedure for the recognized at least one electric vehicle charger when the computing device recognizes at least one electric vehicle charger among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers based on short-range wireless communication with a user terminal, and a step of providing an electric vehicle charging service that supplies power to an electric vehicle through any one of the recognized at least one electric vehicle charger based on a result of the performed authentication procedure when the computing device receives an electric vehicle charging request from the user terminal.

[0023] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems, a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication is performed by an electric vehicle charging service providing system including a plurality of electric vehicle chargers and a computing device that is provided inside each of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers or that is separately provided outside the plurality of electric vehicle chargers and controls operation of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, and the method may include, when the computing device recognizes a user terminal through at least one electric vehicle charger among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers based on short-range wireless communication with the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, performing an authentication procedure for a user corresponding to the recognized user terminal, and when the computing device receives an electric vehicle charging request from the recognized user terminal, providing an electric vehicle charging service that supplies power to an electric vehicle through any one of the at least one electric vehicle chargers based on a result of the authentication procedure performed.

[0024] Other details of the invention are included in the detailed description and drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] According to various embodiments of the present invention, authentication is not performed between the electric vehicle charger and the vehicle, but rather between the electric vehicle charger and the user terminal (or the user terminal application) based on short-range wireless communication. This not only allows authentication to be performed without the need for a PLC module for PLC communication, but also provides an environment in which vehicles can be charged more easily and conveniently by performing authentication by recognizing the electric vehicle charger or the user terminal.

[0026] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] [Figure 2] 10 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a computing device included in a system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service using an electric vehicle charger recognized through a user terminal based on short-range wireless communication in various embodiments.

[0030] [Figure 4]10 is a diagram illustrating a process of recognizing an electric vehicle charger based on short-range wireless communication with a user terminal in various embodiments.

[0031] [Figure 5] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service using an electric vehicle charger recognized through a user terminal in the first embodiment.

[0032] [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service using an electric vehicle charger recognized through a user terminal according to a second embodiment.

[0033] [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service using an electric vehicle charger recognized through a user terminal according to a third embodiment.

[0034] [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an electric vehicle charger that recognizes a user terminal based on short-range wireless communication in various embodiments.

[0035] [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram illustrating a process of recognizing a user terminal based on short-range wireless communication with a charger in various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] The advantages and features of the present invention, as well as methods for achieving them, will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, and may be embodied in various different forms. However, the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below.

[0037] The terms used in this specification are for the purpose of describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, the singular includes the plural unless otherwise specified in the context. The terms "comprising" and / or "comprising" used in this specification do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements in addition to the elements referenced. The same reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout this specification, and "and / or" includes each and every combination of one or more of the referenced elements. Although terms such as "first," "second," etc. are used to describe various elements, it is understood that these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish one element from another. Therefore, it is understood that a first element referred to below may also be a second element within the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0038] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein will be used in the sense that they can be commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Furthermore, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries will not be interpreted ideally or excessively unless they are clearly and specifically defined.

[0039] As used herein, the term "module" or "module" refers to software or a hardware component, such as an FPGA or ASIC, that performs a certain function. However, the term "module" or "module" is not limited to software or hardware. A "module" or "module" may be configured to reside on an addressable storage medium or to execute on one or more processors. Thus, by way of example, a "module" or "module" includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, as well as processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, program code segments, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality provided within a component or "module" or "module" may be combined into fewer components and "modules" or "modules" or further separated into additional components and "modules" or "modules."

[0040] Spatially relative terms such as "below," "beneath," "lower," "above," and "upper" may be used to easily describe the relationship of one component to another as illustrated in the drawings. Spatially relative terms should be understood to encompass different orientations of components in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, if a component depicted in the drawings were turned over, a component described as "below" or "beneath" another component would be positioned "above" the other component. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can encompass both an orientation of below and above. Components may be oriented in other directions, and the spatially relative terms should be interpreted accordingly.

[0041] In this specification, the term "computer" refers to any type of hardware device including at least one processor, and may also encompass software configurations operating on the hardware device, depending on the embodiment. For example, the term "computer" may refer to a smartphone, tablet PC, desktop computer, laptop computer, and all user clients and applications running on each device, but is not limited thereto.

[0042] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] Although each step described in this specification is described as being performed by a computer, the subject of each step is not limited to this, and depending on the embodiment, at least some of each step may be performed by different devices.

[0044]

[0045] FIG. 1 illustrates a system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 1, a system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a computing device 100, a user terminal 200, a plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300, an external server 400, and a network 500.

[0047] Here, the system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication shown in FIG. 1 is according to one embodiment, and its components are not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and may be added, changed, or deleted as necessary.

[0048] In one embodiment, computing device 100 can provide electric vehicle charging services through a near-field communication-based automated authentication process.

[0049] In various embodiments, the computing device 100 may be connected to the user terminal 200 through the network 500, and when an electric vehicle charger 300 is recognized based on short-range wireless communication with the user terminal 200, the computing device 100 may determine the validity of the electric vehicle charger 300 by performing an authentication procedure for the electric vehicle charger 300 recognized through the user terminal 200, and when the electric vehicle charger 300 recognized through the user terminal 200 is determined to be valid, the computing device 100 may provide an electric vehicle charging service that supplies power to an electric vehicle through the electric vehicle charger 300 determined to be valid.

[0050] Here, the user terminal 200 may refer to any type of entity(ies) in a system having a mechanism for communicating with the computing device 100. For example, the user terminal 200 may include a personal computer (PC), a notebook computer, a mobile terminal, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a wearable device, etc., and may include any type of terminal that can connect to a wired / wireless network. The user terminal 200 may also include any computing device implemented by at least one of an agent, an application programming interface (API), and a plug-in. The user terminal 200 may also include an application source and / or a client application.

[0051] Here, the network 500 may refer to a connection structure that allows information exchange between nodes such as a plurality of terminals and servers, etc. For example, the network 500 may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet (WWW), a wired / wireless data communication network, a telephone network, a wired / wireless television communication network, a controller area network (CAN), an Ethernet, etc.

[0052] Wireless data communication networks may include, but are not limited to, 3G, 4G, 5G, 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), 5GPP (5th Generation Partnership Project), LTE (Long Term Evolution), WIMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), Wi-Fi, the Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), Wireless LAN (Wireless Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), PAN (Personal Area Network), RF (Radio Frequency), Bluetooth network, NFC (Near-Field Communication) network, satellite broadcasting network, analog broadcasting network, DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) network, etc.

[0053] Also, although the computing device 100 is described herein as being implemented as a device and / or server independent of the user terminal 200 and providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to various embodiments of the present invention based on data acquired from the user terminal 200 outside the user terminal 200, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in some cases the computing device 100 may be the user terminal 200 or a component included within the user terminal 200 for controlling the user terminal 200, and the electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in the user terminal 200 by executing a computer program pre-installed in the user terminal 200 or an application downloaded through an external platform.

[0054] In various embodiments, the computing device 100 may be connected to the electric vehicle charger 300 through the network 500, and when the user terminal 200 is recognized based on short-range wireless communication with the electric vehicle charger 300, the computing device 100 may determine the validity of the user by performing an authentication procedure for the user corresponding to the user terminal 200 recognized through the electric vehicle charger 300, and when the user is determined to be valid, the computing device 100 may provide an electric vehicle charging service that supplies power to an electric vehicle through the electric vehicle charger 300 in response to an electric vehicle charging request received from the user determined to be valid.

[0055] As described above, the computing device 100 is described as being embodied as a device and / or server independent of the electric vehicle charger 300 and providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to various embodiments of the present invention based on data acquired from the electric vehicle charger 300 outside the electric vehicle charger 300. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In some cases, the computing device 100 may be the electric vehicle charger 300 or a component included within the electric vehicle charger 300 for controlling the electric vehicle charger 300. The electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented within the electric vehicle charger 300 by executing a computer program pre-installed in the electric vehicle charger 300 or an application downloaded via an external platform.

[0056] In one embodiment, a plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 are electrically connected to electric vehicles and can supply power to the electric vehicles in response to a user's request to charge the electric vehicle.

[0057] As an example, the plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 may include a connector (not shown) (e.g., an electric vehicle charging gun) and a battery (not shown), and when electrically coupled and connected to an electric vehicle through the connector, can supply power previously stored in the battery to the electric vehicle.

[0058] As another example, the electric vehicle chargers 300 may include only a connector, and when electrically coupled and connected to an electric vehicle through the connector, can transmit power supplied from an external power source to the electric vehicle.

[0059] The configuration and operation of the electric vehicle charger 300 described above are merely examples to more easily explain various embodiments of the present invention, and are not limited thereto, and various types and configurations of electric vehicle chargers may be applied.

[0060] In one embodiment, the external server 400 may be connected to the computing device 100 through the network 500, and may store and manage various information and data required for the computing device 100 to provide an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication, or may collect, store, and manage various information and data generated when the computing device 100 provides an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication. For example, the external server 400 may be, but is not limited to, a storage server separately provided outside the computing device 100. Hereinafter, a hardware configuration of the computing device 100 that provides an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0061]

[0062] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a computing device included in a system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] 2, in various embodiments, a computing device 100 may include one or more processors 110, a memory 120 into which a computer program 151 executed by the processor 110 is loaded, a bus 130, a communication interface 140, and storage 150 for storing the computer program 151. Only components related to the embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in FIG. 2. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that other general-purpose components may be included in addition to the components illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0064] The processor 110 controls the overall operation of each component of the computing device 100. The processor 110 may be configured to include a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a graphic processing unit (GPU), or any other type of processor commonly known in the technical field of the present invention.

[0065] Furthermore, the processor 110 may perform operations for at least one application or program for performing a method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the computing device 100 may include one or more processors.

[0066] In various embodiments, the processor 110 may further include a random access memory (RAM, not shown) and a read-only memory (ROM, not shown) that temporarily and / or permanently store signals (or data) processed within the processor 110. The processor 110 may also be implemented in the form of a system on a chip (SoC) that includes at least one of a graphics processing unit, RAM, and ROM.

[0067] The memory 120 stores various data, instructions, and / or information. The memory 120 can load a computer program 151 from the storage 150 to perform methods / operations according to various embodiments of the present invention. When the computer program 151 is loaded into the memory 120, the processor 110 can perform the methods / operations by executing one or more instructions constituting the computer program 151. The memory 120 can be embodied as a volatile memory such as a RAM, although the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0068] The bus 130 provides a communication function between the components of the computing device 100. The bus 130 may be implemented as various types of buses such as an address bus, a data bus, and a control bus.

[0069] The communication interface 140 supports wired / wireless Internet communication for the computing device 100. The communication interface 140 may also support various communication methods other than Internet communication. To this end, the communication interface 140 may be configured to include a communication module that is well known in the art of the present invention. In some embodiments, the communication interface 140 may be omitted.

[0070] The storage 150 may non-temporarily store a computer program 151. When performing an electric vehicle charging service providing process through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication through the computing device 100, the storage 150 may store various information required to provide the electric vehicle charging service providing process through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication.

[0071] Storage 150 may be configured to include non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), flash memory, etc., a hard disk, a removable disk, or any other form of computer-readable recording medium commonly known in the technical field to which the present invention belongs.

[0072] The computer program 151, when loaded into the memory 120, may include one or more instructions that cause the processor 110 to perform the methods / operations according to various embodiments of the present invention. That is, the processor 110 can perform the methods / operations according to various embodiments of the present invention by executing the one or more instructions.

[0073] In one embodiment, the computer program 151 may include one or more instructions for causing the computing device to perform a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication, including a step of performing an authentication procedure for any one of the recognized electric vehicle chargers when any one of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers is recognized based on short-range wireless communication with the user terminal, and a step of providing an electric vehicle charging service by supplying power to an electric vehicle through any one of the recognized electric vehicle chargers based on a result of the performed authentication procedure when the computing device receives an electric vehicle charging request from the user terminal.

[0074] The computer program 151 may also include one or more instructions for causing the computing device to perform a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication, including a step of performing an authentication procedure for a user corresponding to the recognized user terminal when a user terminal is recognized through any one of the electric vehicle chargers based on short-range wireless communication with the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, and a step of providing an electric vehicle charging service of supplying power to an electric vehicle through any one of the electric vehicle chargers based on a result of the performed authentication procedure when the computing device receives an electric vehicle charging request from the recognized user terminal.

[0075] The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments of the present invention may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by hardware, or in a combination thereof. The software module may reside in Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), Flash Memory, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of computer-readable storage medium commonly known in the art to which the present invention pertains.

[0076] The components of the present invention may be embodied as a program (or application) and stored on a medium to be executed in conjunction with a computer (hardware). The components of the present invention may be implemented as software programs or software elements. Similarly, embodiments include various algorithms embodied as a combination of data structures, processes, routines, or other programming constructs, and may be implemented in programming or scripting languages ​​such as C, C++, Java, assembler, etc. Functional aspects may be embodied as algorithms executed by one or more processors. Hereinafter, a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication performed by a computing device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 9.

[0077] First, a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an electric vehicle charger 300 recognized based on short-range wireless communication with a user terminal 200 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0078] Here, referring to Figures 3 to 7, the computing device 100 is illustrated as an independent component separately provided outside the user terminal 200, but is not limited thereto, and the computing device 100 may be the user terminal 200 or a component included within the user terminal 200 for controlling the user terminal 200.

[0079] 3 to 7, the operations performed by the computing device 100 may be interpreted as operations performed by the user terminal 200 or operations performed by executing a program and / or application installed in the user terminal 200. Similarly, the operations performed by the user terminal 200 may also be interpreted as operations performed by the computing device 100.

[0080] As described above, if the computing device 100 is a user terminal 200 or a component included within the user terminal 200 for controlling the user terminal 200, the process of transmitting and receiving signals and / or information between the computing device 100 and the user terminal 200 may be omitted.

[0081]

[0082] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service using an electric vehicle charger recognized through a user terminal based on short-range wireless communication in various embodiments, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a process for recognizing an electric vehicle charger based on short-range wireless communication with a user terminal in various embodiments.

[0083] 3 and 4, in step S110, the user terminal 200 performs an operation of recognizing the electric vehicle charger 300.

[0084] In various embodiments, the computing device 100 may recognize at least one of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 based on short-range wireless communication with the user terminal 200 .

[0085] Here, the at least one electric vehicle charger 300 that is recognized may be, but is not limited to, the electric vehicle charger 300 that the user intends to use to charge the electric vehicle, and in some cases may refer to, but is not limited to, the electric vehicle charger 300 located the shortest distance from the user's current location.

[0086] Here, the short-range wireless communication method may be Bluetooth (BLE), but is not limited thereto, and any short-range wireless communication method such as UWB or Zigbee may be applicable.

[0087] In step S120, an authentication procedure is performed for the electric vehicle charger 300 recognized through the user terminal 200.

[0088] In various embodiments, when at least one electric vehicle charger 300 among a plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 is recognized based on short-range wireless communication with the user terminal 200, the computing device 100 can perform an authentication procedure for the recognized electric vehicle charger 300 through the user terminal 200.

[0089] Here, the authentication procedure performed on the electric vehicle charger 300 is a procedure for determining whether the electric vehicle charger 300 is valid, and may be, for example, a process for determining whether the electric vehicle charger 300 is an electric vehicle charger 300 that can be used by the user, or an electric vehicle charger 300 that has a standard that can supply power to the user's vehicle, but is not limited to this.

[0090] In various embodiments, when at least one electric vehicle charger 300 is recognized through the user terminal 200, the computing device 100 can collect a first identification code (e.g., the ID and / or serial number of the electric vehicle charger 300, or a code generated based on the ID and / or serial number) for the at least one electric vehicle charger 300, and can determine whether the at least one electric vehicle charger 300 is a valid electric vehicle charger by performing authentication based on the collected first identification code.

[0091] In step S130, an electric vehicle charging service is provided that supplies power to an electric vehicle using the electric vehicle charger 300 that has been determined to be valid through the authentication procedure.

[0092] In various embodiments, when the computing device 100 receives an electric vehicle charging request from the user terminal 200, it can provide an electric vehicle charging service that supplies power to the user's electric vehicle through one of at least one electric vehicle charger 300 recognized through the user terminal 200.

[0093] In this case, the computing device 100 may supply power to the electric vehicle only if it is determined that any one of the electric vehicle chargers 300 recognized through the user terminal 200 is valid based on the result of performing an authentication procedure for that electric vehicle charger 300. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Hereinafter, various methods for providing an electric vehicle charging service using an electric vehicle charger recognized through the user terminal will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7.

[0094]

[0095] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service using an electric vehicle charger recognized through a user terminal in the first embodiment.

[0096] Referring to FIG. 5, in step S210, the electric vehicle charger 300 and the electric vehicle are electrically connected.

[0097] In various embodiments, the electric vehicle charger 300 may be electrically connected to the electric vehicle. For example, but not limited to, the electric vehicle charger 300 may be electrically connected to the electric vehicle through a connector (not shown).

[0098] In step S220, a first signal is output from the electric vehicle charger 300 electrically connected to the electric vehicle.

[0099] In various embodiments, the electric vehicle charger 300 may output a first signal in response to being electrically connected to the electric vehicle through step S210.

[0100] Here, the first signal is a signal output from the electric vehicle charger 300 in response to the electric vehicle charger 300 being connected to the electric vehicle (e.g., a signal notifying that an electrical connection with the electric vehicle has been initiated), and may be, for example, an advertising signal or a scanning signal output from the electric vehicle charger to collect advertising signals output through the user terminal, but is not limited thereto.

[0101] In step S230, a first signal is collected through the user terminal 200.

[0102] In various embodiments, the user terminal 200 may collect the first signal by scanning the surrounding area based on short-range wireless communication.

[0103] In step S240, the first signal collected through the user terminal 200 is transmitted to the computing device 100.

[0104] In various embodiments, the user terminal 200 may transmit the first signal to the computing device 100 immediately after the first signal is collected based on short-range wireless communication, but is not limited to this.

[0105] In step S250, an authentication procedure is performed for the electric vehicle charger 300 that is recognized based on the first signal.

[0106] In various embodiments, the user terminal 200 can transmit a first signal collected based on short-range wireless communication to the computing device 100, and the computing device 100 can recognize at least one electric vehicle charger 300 among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 based on the first signal transmitted from the user terminal 200, and can perform an authentication procedure for any one electric vehicle charger 300 among the recognized at least one electric vehicle charger 300.

[0107] That is, the computing device 100 can recognize and identify the electric vehicle charger 300 electrically connected to the electric vehicle among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 based on the first signal transmitted from the user terminal 200, and when the electric vehicle charger 300 is recognized and identified, it performs an authentication procedure for the recognized and identified electric vehicle charger 300 without receiving a separate request, thereby pre-authenticating the electric vehicle charger 300, thereby enabling the user to use the electric vehicle charging service more quickly and conveniently.

[0108] In step S260, a request for charging an electric vehicle is received from a user.

[0109] In various embodiments, the user terminal 200 may acquire a user input corresponding to a request for charging an electric vehicle from a user and transmit the input to the computing device 100 .

[0110] In step S270, a control command is transmitted to control the operation of the electric vehicle charger 300 that supplies power to the electric vehicle.

[0111] In various embodiments, the computing device 100 may determine a control command (e.g., a control command instructing power supply) for controlling the operation of the electric vehicle charger 300 in response to an electric vehicle charging request transmitted from the user terminal 200, and may transmit the determined control command to the electric vehicle charger 300.

[0112] In this case, the computing device 100 may determine and transmit a control command only if the electric vehicle charger 300 is determined to be valid based on the result of the authentication procedure performed on the electric vehicle charger 300, and may generate and provide to the user terminal 200 and / or the electric vehicle charger 300 a notification message informing that the corresponding electric vehicle charger 300 cannot be used if the electric vehicle charger 300 is determined to be invalid, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0113] In step S280, an electric vehicle charging service is provided through the electric vehicle charger 300.

[0114] In various embodiments, the electric vehicle charger 300 may supply power to an electrically coupled electric vehicle by initiating operation according to a control command received from the computing device 100 .

[0115]

[0116] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service using an electric vehicle charger recognized through a user terminal in the second embodiment.

[0117] Referring to FIG. 6, in step S310, the electric vehicle charger 300 outputs a second signal.

[0118] In various embodiments, each of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 can output a second signal.

[0119] Here, the second signal is a signal that is constantly output from the electric vehicle charger 300 regardless of whether or not there is an electrical connection with the electric vehicle, or is output at predetermined intervals, or is output in response to a specific trigger (e.g., electrical connection with the electric vehicle), and the second signal may be, for example, but is not limited to, an advertising signal.

[0120] In step S320, a second signal is collected through the user terminal 200.

[0121] In various embodiments, the user terminal 200 may collect the second signal by scanning the surrounding area based on short-range wireless communication.

[0122] In step S330, the second signal collected through the user terminal 200 is transmitted to the computing device 100.

[0123] In various embodiments, the user terminal 200 may transmit the second signal to the computing device 100 immediately after the second signal is collected based on short-range wireless communication, but this is not limiting.

[0124] In step S340, an authentication procedure is performed for the electric vehicle charger 300 that is recognized based on the second signal.

[0125] In various embodiments, the user terminal 200 can transmit a second signal collected based on short-range wireless communication to the computing device 100, and the computing device 100 can recognize at least one electric vehicle charger 300 among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 based on the second signal transmitted from the user terminal 200, and can perform an authentication procedure for the recognized at least one electric vehicle charger 300.

[0126] Meanwhile, unlike a method in which an electric vehicle charger 300 outputs a signal when electrically connected to an electric vehicle, if the electric vehicle charger 300 constantly outputs a signal regardless of whether or not it is electrically connected to an electric vehicle, two or more signals may be collected through the user terminal 200. As a result, two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 may be recognized, which may cause a problem in that it may be difficult for the user to identify one electric vehicle charger 300 that the user wants to use.

[0127] Taking this into consideration, when two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal 200, the computing device 100 can use the two or more second signals to identify one of the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 that output the two or more second signals.

[0128] As an example, when two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal 200, the computing device 100 may select one of the two or more second signals with the strongest signal strength, and identify one of the electric vehicle chargers 300 that outputs the selected one of the second signals as the electric vehicle charger 300 to be used by the user.

[0129] As another example, when two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal 200, the computing device 100 may transmit a first test signal to two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 that transmitted the two or more second signals, and may receive a second test signal in response to the first test signal from the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300. The computing device 100 may identify one of the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 based on the difference between the transmission time of the first test signal and the reception time of the second test signal. For example, the computing device 100 may identify one of the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 that has the smallest difference between the transmission time of the first test signal and the reception time of the second test signal. In other words, the computing device 100 may identify an electric vehicle charger 300 located adjacent to the user based on the test signal, but is not limited to this.

[0130] As yet another example, when two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal 200, the motion of the user terminal 200 can be detected, and one of the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 that transmitted each of the two or more second signals can be identified based on the motion of the user terminal 200. For example, when two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal 200, the computing device 100 can identify the direction of the electric vehicle charger 300 by detecting the motion of the user terminal 200, and can identify one of the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 that is located in the identified direction from the position of the user terminal 200.

[0131] In various embodiments, when two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal 200, the computing device 100 can convert the state of the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 from an unauthenticated state to an authenticated state by performing an authentication procedure for the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 that transmitted the two or more second signals.

[0132] That is, when two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 are recognized based on the second signal and it is difficult to identify any one of the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300, the computing device 100 performs an authentication procedure for all of the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 and converts all of the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 to an authenticated state. When an electric vehicle charger 300 that the user intends to use or an electric vehicle charger 300 that the user is currently using is identified, the computing device 100 maintains the state of the identified electric vehicle charger 300 in an authenticated state, but cancels the authenticated state of the remaining electric vehicle chargers 300 and converts them back to an unauthenticated state.

[0133] If multiple electric vehicle chargers 300 are installed in a given area, the multiple electric vehicle chargers 300 continuously transmit and receive data with the computing device 100, and the computing device 100 can determine the charging status (or electrical connection status with the electric vehicle) of each of the multiple electric vehicle chargers 300 based on the data received from the multiple electric vehicle chargers 300.

[0134] That is, when a plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 are recognized through the user terminal 200, the computing device 100 performs an authentication procedure on the plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 and converts all of them into an authenticated state. Then, based on data collected from the plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300, the computing device 100 can identify an electric vehicle charger 300 that the user intends to use or is determined to be using, and can maintain the authenticated state for only the identified electric vehicle charger 300.

[0135] At this time, when a plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 are recognized based on the second signal collected through the user terminal 200, the computing device 100 can perform an authentication procedure only for the electric vehicle chargers 300 that satisfy the predetermined conditions among the recognized plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300.

[0136] As an example, the computing device 100 may perform an authentication procedure only for electric vehicle chargers 300 whose signal strength is above a threshold value among a plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 recognized based on the second signal collected through the user terminal 200.

[0137] As another example, the computing device 100 may perform an authentication procedure only for electric vehicle chargers 300 located within a predetermined range around the location of the user terminal 200 among a plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 recognized based on the second signal collected through the user terminal 200.

[0138] As yet another example, the computing device 100 may perform an authentication procedure only on the remaining electric vehicle chargers 300 among the multiple electric vehicle chargers 300 recognized based on the second signal collected through the user terminal 200 of the first user, excluding the electric vehicle chargers 300 that have been pre-authenticated based on the second signal collected through the user terminal 200 of the second user.

[0139] As yet another example, the authentication procedure can be performed only for electric vehicle chargers 300 that do not provide electric vehicle charging services (e.g., electric vehicle chargers 300 that do not supply power) among the multiple electric vehicle chargers 300 recognized based on the second signal collected through the user terminal 200.

[0140] In various embodiments, after performing an authentication procedure for a plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300, the computing device 100 can maintain the state of only the electric vehicle chargers 300 electrically connected to the electric vehicle in an authenticated state among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300, and can convert the state of the remaining electric vehicle chargers 300 from an authenticated state to an unauthenticated state.

[0141] In this case, if two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 among a large number of electric vehicle chargers 300 are connected to electric vehicles of different users simultaneously (or within a very short time), it may be difficult to accurately match the electric vehicles of the two or more users with the electric vehicle chargers 300, which may result in a problem that it may be difficult to accurately charge users for the cost of charging their electric vehicles.

[0142] For example, if a first user and a second user are simultaneously recognized by multiple electric vehicle chargers 300, and electric vehicles corresponding to the first user and the second user are simultaneously connected and charged via a first electric vehicle charger 300-1 and a second electric vehicle charger 300-2 among the multiple electric vehicle chargers 300, even if the first user's electric vehicle is actually connected to the first electric vehicle charger 300-1 and the second user's electric vehicle is actually connected to the second electric vehicle charger 300-2, it may be determined that the first user's electric vehicle is connected to the second electric vehicle charger 300-2 and the second user's electric vehicle is connected to the first electric vehicle charger 300-1 because the two users were simultaneously recognized and charging of the electric vehicles for the two users began simultaneously. In other words, the matching relationship between the users and the electric vehicle chargers may be inaccurately determined.

[0143] Taking this into consideration, when two or more users are recognized at the same time and charging of the electric vehicles of the two or more users starts at the same time, the computing device 100 stores all of the authentication information of the two or more users. In the future, when charging of a vehicle of a specific user among the two or more users is completed and the specific user's vehicle is electrically disconnected from the specific electric vehicle charger 300, the computing device 100 can match the authentication information and payment information of the specific user with the specific electric vehicle charger 300 at the time the connection between the specific user's vehicle and the specific electric vehicle charger 300 is disconnected.

[0144] That is, when two or more users are recognized at the same time and charging of the electric vehicles of the two or more users starts simultaneously, making it difficult to accurately grasp the matching relationship between the two or more users and two or more electric vehicle chargers 300, the computing device 100 can correct the matching relationship between the two or more users and two or more chargers by using a disconnection signal that disconnects the electric vehicles of the two or more users from two or more electric vehicle chargers 300.

[0145] Even if charging operations for electric vehicles of two or more different users are started simultaneously (or within a short time), it is extremely rare for charging operations for electric vehicles of two or more different users to be ended simultaneously. Therefore, as described above, by correcting the matching relationship between the user and the electric vehicle charger 300 using a disconnection signal when the user's vehicle is disconnected from the electric vehicle charger 300, it is possible to prevent erroneous charges from being billed to the user, which has the advantage of significantly improving the reliability of charge billing.

[0146] In step S350, a request for charging an electric vehicle is received from a user.

[0147] In various embodiments, the user terminal 200 may acquire a user input corresponding to a request for charging an electric vehicle from a user and transmit the user input to the computing device 100. Here, the computing device 100 is described as acquiring a request for charging an electric vehicle from the user terminal 200, but is not limited thereto, and may recognize an electrical connection between the user's electric vehicle and the electric vehicle charger 300 as a request for charging an electric vehicle, but is not limited thereto.

[0148] In various embodiments, the computing device 100 performs an authentication procedure for the first electric vehicle charger 300 by recognizing the first electric vehicle charger 300 among the multiple electric vehicle chargers 300. However, when a request for electric vehicle charging through the second electric vehicle charger 300 is received from the user terminal 200, the result of the authentication procedure performed for the first electric vehicle charger 300-1 is transmitted to the second electric vehicle charger 300-2, thereby preventing the inconvenience of having to perform the authentication procedure again to use the second electric vehicle charger 300-2.

[0149] In various embodiments, when there are two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 that have been converted to an authenticated state, if an electric vehicle is electrically connected to any one of the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 that have been converted to an authenticated state, the computing device 100 may maintain the state of the electric vehicle charger 300 connected to the electric vehicle in the authenticated state, but may convert the state of the remaining electric vehicle chargers 300 that are not connected to the electric vehicle back to the unauthenticated state. In other words, the computing device 100 may cancel the authentication of the remaining electric vehicle chargers 300 that are not connected to the electric vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0150] In step S360, a control command is transmitted to control the operation of the electric vehicle charger 300 that supplies power to the electric vehicle.

[0151] In various embodiments, the computing device 100 may determine a control command (e.g., a control command instructing power supply) for controlling the operation of the electric vehicle charger 300 in response to an electric vehicle charging request transmitted from the user terminal 200, and may transmit the determined control command to the electric vehicle charger 300.

[0152] In this case, the computing device 100 may determine and transmit a control command only if the electric vehicle charger 300 is determined to be valid based on the result of the authentication procedure performed on the electric vehicle charger 300, and may generate and provide to the user terminal 200 and / or the electric vehicle charger 300 a notification message informing that the corresponding electric vehicle charger 300 cannot be used if the electric vehicle charger 300 is determined to be invalid, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0153] In addition, the computing device 100 can provide information guiding the electric vehicle to connect the connector of the electric vehicle charger 300 to the electric vehicle if the electric vehicle is not electrically connected to the electric vehicle charger 300 that supplies power.

[0154] In step S370, an electric vehicle charging service is provided through the electric vehicle charger 300.

[0155] In various embodiments, the electric vehicle charger 300 may supply power to an electrically coupled electric vehicle by initiating operation according to a control command received from the computing device 100 .

[0156]

[0157] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service using an electric vehicle charger recognized through a user terminal according to the third embodiment.

[0158] Referring to FIG. 7, a signal is output through the user terminal 200 in step S410.

[0159] In various embodiments, the user terminal 200 may output a signal when a computer program or application preset by the user is executed.

[0160] Here, the signal output by the user terminal 200 is a signal for recognizing the electric vehicle charger 300, and may be, for example, an advertising signal, but is not limited thereto.

[0161] In step S420, a signal is collected through the electric vehicle charger 300.

[0162] In various embodiments, the electric vehicle charger 300 may collect signals output from the user terminal 200 by scanning the surrounding area based on short-range wireless communication.

[0163] In various embodiments, the electric vehicle charger 300 may be electrically connected to the electric vehicle to start a signal scanning operation and collect signals output from the user terminal 200. However, without being limited thereto, a plurality of chargers 300 may automatically start a signal scanning operation at predetermined intervals.

[0164] In step S430, the electric vehicle charger 300 outputs a third signal.

[0165] In various embodiments, the electric vehicle charger 300 may output a third signal in response to the signal output from the user terminal 200 being collected.

[0166] Here, the third signal is a signal output by the electric vehicle charger 300 in response to a signal output from the user terminal 200, and may be, for example, a feedback signal for the signal output from the user terminal 200, but is not limited thereto.

[0167] In step S440, a third signal is collected through the user terminal 200.

[0168] In various embodiments, the user terminal 200 may collect the third signal by scanning the surrounding area based on short-range wireless communication.

[0169] In step S450, the third signal collected through the user terminal 200 is transmitted to the computing device 100.

[0170] In various embodiments, the user terminal 200 may transmit the third signal to the computing device 100 as soon as the third signal is collected based on short-range wireless communication, but this is not limiting.

[0171] In step S460, an authentication procedure is performed for the electric vehicle charger 300 that is recognized based on the third signal.

[0172] In various embodiments, the user terminal 200 can transmit a third signal collected based on short-range wireless communication to the computing device 100, and the computing device 100 can recognize at least one electric vehicle charger 300 among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300 based on the third signal transmitted from the user terminal 200, and can perform an authentication procedure for the recognized at least one electric vehicle charger 300.

[0173] Here, the operation of performing an authentication procedure for the electric vehicle charger 300 recognized based on the third signal may be implemented in a form identical to or similar to the operation of performing an authentication procedure for the electric vehicle charger 300 recognized based on the first signal performed in step S250 of FIG. 5 and the operation of performing an authentication procedure for the electric vehicle charger 300 recognized based on the second signal performed in step S340 of FIG. 6, but is not limited thereto.

[0174] In step S470, a request for charging an electric vehicle is received from a user.

[0175] Here, the electric vehicle charging request acquisition operation performed through step S470 may be implemented in the same or similar form as the electric vehicle charging request acquisition operation performed through step S260 of Figure 5 and step S350 of Figure 6, but is not limited thereto.

[0176] In step S480, a control command is transmitted to control the operation of the electric vehicle charger 300 that supplies power to the electric vehicle.

[0177] Here, the control command transmission operation performed through step S480 may be implemented in the same or similar form as the control command transmission operation performed through step S270 of Figure 5 and step S360 of Figure 6, but is not limited thereto.

[0178] In step S490, an electric vehicle charging service is provided through the electric vehicle charger 300.

[0179] Here, the electric vehicle charging service providing operation performed through step S490 may be implemented in the same or similar form as the electric vehicle charging service providing operation performed through step S280 of Figure 5 and step S370 of Figure 6, but is not limited thereto.

[0180] Next, with reference to Figures 8 and 9, a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service based on an electric vehicle charging request acquired through a user terminal 200 recognized through short-range wireless communication with an electric vehicle charger 300 will be described.

[0181] 8 and 9, the computing device 100 is illustrated as an independent component separately provided outside the electric vehicle charger 300, but is not limited thereto, and the computing device 100 may be the electric vehicle charger 300 or a component included within the electric vehicle charger 300 for controlling the electric vehicle charger 300.

[0182] 8 and 9, the operations performed by computing device 100 may be interpreted as operations performed by electric vehicle charger 300 or operations performed by executing a program and / or application installed in electric vehicle charger 300. Similarly, the operations performed by electric vehicle charger 300 may also be interpreted as operations performed by electric vehicle charger 300.

[0183] As described above, if the computing device 100 is the electric vehicle charger 300 or a component included within the electric vehicle charger 300 for controlling the electric vehicle charger 300, the process of transmitting and receiving signals and / or information between the computing device 100 and the electric vehicle charger 300 may be omitted.

[0184]

[0185] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an electric vehicle charger that recognizes a user terminal based on short-range wireless communication in various embodiments, and FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a process for recognizing a user terminal based on short-range wireless communication with a charger in various embodiments.

[0186] 8 and 9, a user terminal 200 recognition operation is performed through the electric vehicle charger 300.

[0187] In various embodiments, the computing device 100 may recognize the user terminal 200 based on short-range wireless communication with at least one of the electric vehicle chargers 300 .

[0188] Here, the user terminal 200 recognized through at least one electric vehicle charger 300 may refer to, but is not limited to, the user terminal 200 adjacent to at least one electric vehicle charger 300 .

[0189] In step S520, an authentication procedure is performed for the user terminal 200 authenticated through at least one electric vehicle charger 300.

[0190] In various embodiments, when the computing device 100 recognizes the user terminal 200 based on short-range wireless communication with at least one electric vehicle charger 300, it can perform an authentication procedure for the user corresponding to the recognized user terminal 200 through at least one electric vehicle charger 300.

[0191] Here, the authentication procedure performed on the user is to determine whether the user is a valid user, and may be, for example, but is not limited to, determining whether the user is a member who has previously subscribed to the electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication.

[0192] In various embodiments, when the computing device 100 recognizes the user terminal 200 through at least one electric vehicle charger 300, it can collect a second identification code for the user terminal 200 (e.g., the ID and / or serial number of the user terminal 200, or a code generated based on the ID and / or serial number), identify the user corresponding to the user terminal 200 based on the collected first identification code, and perform authentication on the identified user to determine whether the user is a valid user.

[0193] In various embodiments, when the same user terminal 200 is recognized by two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 among a plurality of electric vehicle chargers 300, the computing device 100 can perform an authentication procedure for the user corresponding to the user terminal 200 recognized by the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300, and can transmit the results of the authentication procedure performed for the user to all two or more electric vehicle chargers 300, so that the states of the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 that recognize the same user terminal 200 can all be changed to an authenticated state.

[0194] Thereafter, when any one of the two or more electric vehicle chargers 300 that have been converted to the authenticated state is electrically connected to the user's electric vehicle, the computing device 100 can maintain the state of the electric vehicle charger 300 electrically connected to the user's electric vehicle in the authenticated state, and can convert the states of the remaining electric vehicle chargers 300 from the authenticated state back to the unauthenticated state.

[0195] In step S530, an electric vehicle charging service is provided that supplies power to an electric vehicle through an electric vehicle charger 300 based on an electric vehicle charging request obtained from the user terminal 200 of a user who is determined to be a valid user through the authentication procedure.

[0196] In various embodiments, when the computing device 100 receives an electric vehicle charging request from the user terminal 200 of a user determined to be a valid user, the computing device 100 may determine a control command for controlling the operation of the electric vehicle charger 300 and transmit the control command to the electric vehicle charger 300 that recognizes the user terminal 200 of the user, but is not limited to this.

[0197]

[0198] The method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication has been described with reference to the flowcharts shown in the drawings. For ease of explanation, the method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication has been illustrated and described using a series of blocks. However, the present invention is not limited to the order of the blocks, and some blocks may be performed in a different order or simultaneously than the order illustrated and described herein. Furthermore, new blocks not shown in the present specification and drawings may be added, or some blocks may be deleted or modified.

[0199]

[0200] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be understood to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.

Claims

1. 1. A system for providing an electric vehicle charging service, comprising: a plurality of electric vehicle chargers; and a computing device that is provided inside each of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers or separately provided outside the plurality of electric vehicle chargers and controls operation of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, the computing device, When at least one electric vehicle charger among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers is recognized based on short-range wireless communication with the user terminal, an authentication procedure is performed for the recognized at least one electric vehicle charger; When a request for charging an electric vehicle is received from the user terminal, an electric vehicle charging service is provided that supplies power to the electric vehicle through one of the at least one electric vehicle charger recognized based on a result of the authentication procedure.

2. the computing device, When a first signal based on short-range wireless communication is collected through the user terminal, at least one electric vehicle charger is recognized based on the collected first signal; The first signal is 2. The system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the advertising signal is an advertising signal output from an electric vehicle charger electrically connected to the electric vehicle among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, or a scanning signal output from the electric vehicle charger to collect the advertising signal output through the user terminal.

3. the computing device, When a second signal based on short-range wireless communication is collected through the user terminal, at least one electric vehicle charger is recognized based on the collected second signal, The second signal is 2. The system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the advertising signal is output from each of the electric vehicle chargers regardless of the electrical connection status with the electric vehicle.

4. the computing device, 4. The system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to claim 3, wherein, when two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal, one second signal having the strongest signal strength is selected from the two or more collected second signals, and one electric vehicle charger is identified from the plurality of electric vehicle chargers using the selected one second signal.

5. the computing device, When two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal, transmitting a first test signal to two or more electric vehicle chargers that respectively transmitted the two or more collected second signals; receiving second test signals from the two or more electric vehicle chargers in response to the transmitted first test signals; 4. The system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to claim 3, wherein any one of the two or more electric vehicle chargers is identified based on a difference between a transmission time of the transmitted first test signal and a reception time of the received second test signal.

6. the computing device, 4. The system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication as claimed in claim 3, wherein, when two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal, motion of the user terminal is detected, and one of the two or more electric vehicle chargers that transmitted each of the two or more collected second signals is identified based on the detected motion of the user terminal.

7. the computing device, When two or more different second signals are collected through the user terminal, an authentication procedure is performed on two or more electric vehicle chargers that have transmitted the two or more collected second signals, respectively, thereby converting the states of the two or more electric vehicle chargers from an unauthenticated state to an authenticated state; 4. The system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to claim 3, wherein when any one of the two or more electric vehicle chargers is electrically connected to an electric vehicle, the state of any one of the electric vehicle chargers is maintained in an authenticated state, but the state of the remaining electric vehicle chargers not connected to the electric vehicle is converted from the authenticated state to an unauthenticated state again.

8. the computing device, When a third signal based on short-range wireless communication is collected through the user terminal, at least one electric vehicle charger is recognized based on the collected third signal, The third signal is 2. The system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the feedback signal is output from an electric vehicle charger that receives a signal output through the user terminal.

9. the computing device, A first electric vehicle charger is recognized among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, and an authentication procedure is performed for the first electric vehicle charger; 2. The system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein a request for charging an electric vehicle through a second electric vehicle charger is received from the user terminal, or when the second electric vehicle charger and the electric vehicle are electrically connected, a result of an authentication procedure performed on the first electric vehicle charger is transmitted to the second electric vehicle charger.

10. 1. A system for providing an electric vehicle charging service, comprising: a plurality of electric vehicle chargers; and a computing device that is provided inside each of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers or separately provided outside the plurality of electric vehicle chargers and controls operation of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, the computing device, When a user terminal is recognized through at least one of the electric vehicle chargers based on short-range wireless communication with the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, an authentication procedure is performed for a user corresponding to the recognized user terminal; When an electric vehicle charging request is received from the recognized user terminal, an electric vehicle charging service is provided that supplies power to the electric vehicle through one of the at least one electric vehicle charger based on a result of the authentication procedure.

11. the computing device, When any one of the electric vehicle chargers is electrically connected to an electric vehicle, a signal scanning operation of the one of the electric vehicle chargers is started, and when a fourth signal is collected by the started signal scanning operation, a user corresponding to the user terminal is identified based on the collected fourth signal; The fourth signal is 11. The system for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication according to claim 10, wherein the information is an advertising signal output through the user terminal.

12. A method performed by an electric vehicle charging service providing system including a plurality of electric vehicle chargers and a computing device that is provided inside each of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers or separately provided outside the plurality of electric vehicle chargers and controls operation of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, When at least one electric vehicle charger among the plurality of electric vehicle chargers is recognized based on short-range wireless communication with the user terminal, the computing device performs an authentication procedure for the recognized at least one electric vehicle charger; and When the computing device receives an electric vehicle charging request from the user terminal, the computing device provides an electric vehicle charging service that supplies power to the electric vehicle through one of the at least one electric vehicle charger recognized based on a result of the performed authentication procedure. A method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication.

13. A method performed by an electric vehicle charging service providing system including a plurality of electric vehicle chargers and a computing device that is provided inside each of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers or separately provided outside the plurality of electric vehicle chargers and controls operation of the plurality of electric vehicle chargers, When the computing device recognizes a user terminal through at least one of the electric vehicle chargers based on short-range wireless communication with the electric vehicle chargers, performing an authentication procedure for a user corresponding to the recognized user terminal; and When the computing device receives an electric vehicle charging request from the recognized user terminal, the computing device provides an electric vehicle charging service that supplies power to the electric vehicle through any one of the at least one electric vehicle charger based on a result of the performed authentication procedure. A method for providing an electric vehicle charging service through an automated authentication process based on short-range wireless communication.

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