How to Bootstrap an Electric Vehicle Charging Station

Abstract

To provide a bootstrap method for installing a new charging station (CS) or reinstalling a CS that has completed offline maintenance, and registering the CS in an electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) to operate normally. [Solution] The bootstrap method of the present invention includes the steps of: storing at least a portion of bootstrap information in the CS to configure bootstrap information; setting up a security channel between the CS and the CSMS that maintains registration information for the CS to connect the CS to the CSMS; and registering the CS to the CSMS.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a maintenance method for an electric vehicle charging device, and in particular to a method for bootstrapping a charging station, and further to a charging station device suitable for applying the bootstrapping method. [Background technology]

[0002] An electric vehicle (EV) runs by driving a motor with the power of a battery, and has advantages over conventional gasoline engine vehicles, such as less air pollution sources such as exhaust gas and noise, fewer breakdowns, a longer lifespan, and easier operation. An electric vehicle charging system can be defined as a system that charges a battery mounted on an electric vehicle using power from a commercial power grid or an energy storage device. Such an electric vehicle charging system can be realized in various forms, and may include, for example, a conductive charging system using a cable or a contactless wireless power transmission system.

[0003] A charging station is equipped with one or more EVSE (EV supply equipment) as a physical framework for charging EVs, and supplies charging power to a visiting EV through the EVSE by wired charging, i.e., conductive charging or wireless power transmission after a certain authorization process. In general, a charging station does not only supply power to an EV, but also performs various tasks such as identity verification, transaction authorization, payment, and installation of certificates and / or programs for the EV. Since these tasks are performed based on various programs and protocol stacks and require wired and wireless communication based on symmetric keys or PKI (Public Key Infrastructure), a charging station can be said to be a very complex system. In addition, a charging station operates as a part of a network formed by a charging station operator (CSO) and multiple charging stations.

[0004] Since the charging station is a system having a complex configuration and operates on the premise of a network, when a new charging station is added to the network, a properly defined bootstrap procedure is required so that the added charging station can securely connect to the network and operate. Such a bootstrap procedure is also required when a charging station loses its credentials due to the expiration or revocation of a certificate, or the deletion of storage contents, and when the charging station is to be reconnected after maintenance work. Currently, various standards related to electric vehicles have been established or are being established, but no standard has been established that specifies a bootstrap procedure for installing a new charging station or reinstalling a charging station that has undergone maintenance work, which results in instability of the electric vehicle charging system. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention is made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bootstrap method that can safely connect a newly added charging station or a charging station that has completed offline maintenance work to a network and operate it. Another object of the present invention is to provide a charging station device that can perform operations for charging an electric vehicle after being registered in a predetermined charging station management system through a predetermined bootstrap procedure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a bootstrap method for registering an offline charging station (CS) in an electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS) and operating the same, the bootstrap method including the steps of: configuring bootstrap information by storing at least a portion of bootstrap information in the CS; setting a security channel between the CS and the CSMS that maintains registration information for the CS, connecting the CS to the CSMS; and registering the CS in the CSMS.

[0007] The bootstrap information may include connection information for the CSMS in charge of the CS, credential information for setting a security channel in the CSMS, and registration information for the CS. The connection information may include at least one of an IP address and a port number of the CSMS, and information required for communication with the CSMS according to a predetermined communication protocol.

[0008] The predetermined communication protocol may be XMPP, and the information required for communication with the CSMS may include an XMPP application identifier or a subscription topic. The credential information may include at least one of a symmetric key pre-shared by the CS and the CSMS, or identification information that can be used to verify the physical or logical identity of the CS, and a pre-defined public key certificate chain that includes a public key issued to the CS.

[0009] The step of configuring the bootstrap information may be performed in at least one of a factory configuration mode in which the bootstrap information is stored in the CS at a specified factory, a field configuration mode in which the bootstrap information is stored in the CS using a specified storage medium at a site where the CS is installed, and a remote configuration mode in which the bootstrap information is stored in the CS from a bootstrap server in a remote location via a specified communication network.

[0010] The step of configuring the bootstrap information in the remote configuration mode may include the steps of setting predetermined bootstrap trigger information in the CS by any one of the factory configuration mode, the field configuration mode, and a combination thereof, and downloading the bootstrap information from the bootstrap server based on the bootstrap trigger information set in the CS.

[0011] The step of downloading the bootstrap information may include a step of establishing a secure connection between the CS and the bootstrap server in the same manner as setting up the secure channel between the CS and the CSMS to register registration information for the CS. The step of connecting the CS to the CSMS may include setting up the security channel by a TLS-PSK encryption suite if the credentials available to the CS are a symmetric key pre-shared with the CSMS, and setting up the security channel by a transmission layer security technique with mutual authentication or a certificate-based connection method if the credentials available to the CS are a predetermined certificate chain.

[0012] The step of registering the CS with the CSMS may include a step of transmitting the registration information to the CSMS, the registration information including identity information of the CS, identity information of an EVSE provided in the CS or connected to the CS, and capability information of the CS.

[0013] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a charging station device capable of performing an operation for charging an electric vehicle after being registered in a charging station management system (CSMS) through a predetermined bootstrap procedure in an offline state. The charging station device may include a processor and a memory for storing program instructions executed by the processor, and the program instructions may include instructions for performing, when executed by the processor, an operation of configuring bootstrap information by storing at least a portion of bootstrap information in the memory, an operation of establishing a security channel with the CSMS that maintains registration information for the charging station device, and an operation of registering the charging station device with the CSMS.

[0014] The bootstrap information may include connection information for the CSMS responsible for the charging station device, credential information for setting up a security channel with the CSMS, and registration information of the charging station device. The connection information may include at least one of an IP address and a port number of the CSMS, and information required for communication with the CSMS according to a predetermined communication protocol.

[0015] The predetermined communication protocol may be XMPP, and the information required for communication with the CSMS may include an XMPP application identifier or a subscription topic. The credential information may include at least one of a symmetric key pre-shared between the charging station device and the CSMS, or identification information that can be used to verify the physical or logical identity of the charging station device, and a pre-defined public key certificate chain including a public key issued to the charging station device.

[0016] The instruction to configure the bootstrap information may cause operation in at least one of a factory configuration mode in which the bootstrap information is stored in the charging station device at a specified factory, a field configuration mode in which the bootstrap information is stored in the charging station device using a specified storage medium at a site where the charging station device is installed, and a remote configuration mode in which the bootstrap information is stored in the charging station device from a bootstrap server in a remote location via a specified communication network.

[0017] The instructions to configure the bootstrap information in the remote configuration mode may include instructions to set predefined bootstrap trigger information by any one of the factory configuration mode, the field configuration mode, and a combination thereof, and instructions to download the bootstrap information from the bootstrap server based on the bootstrap trigger information.

[0018] The instructions to download the bootstrap information may include instructions to establish a secure connection with the bootstrap server in the same manner as establishing the secure channel with the CSMS to register the registration information.

[0019] The instructions for performing an operation of connecting to the CSMS may include instructions for setting up the security channel using a TLS-PSK encryption suite if the available credentials are a symmetric key pre-shared with the CSMS, and for setting up the security channel using a transmission layer security technique with mutual authentication or a certificate-based connection method if the available credentials are a pre-defined certificate chain.

[0020] The instruction to register with the CSMS may include an instruction to transmit the registration information to the CSMS, the registration information including identity information of the CS, identity information of an EVSE provided in or connected to the charging station equipment, and function information of the charging station equipment. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a newly added charging station or a charging station that has completed maintenance work can be safely connected to a network and start operation, which prevents instability in the electric vehicle charging system caused by the addition or reinstallation of a charging station and maintains interoperability between the charging station and the charging station management system. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a wired charging method for an electric vehicle to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. [Diagram 2] 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining wireless power transmission to an electric vehicle to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the front end of an EV charging infrastructure system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a bootstrap method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is an exemplary diagram illustrating TLS-PSK cipher suites that can be used for security channel setup. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a charging station according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Since the present invention can be modified in various ways and has various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this does not limit the present invention to the specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the present invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

[0024] In describing the various drawings, like reference numbers have been used to refer to like elements. Terms such as first, second, A, B, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only to distinguish one component from another. For example, a first component can be named as a second component, and similarly, the second component can be named as the first component, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The term "and / or" includes a combination of two or more associated listed items or any items of two or more associated listed items. When a component is said to be "coupled" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly coupled or connected to the other component, but there may also be other components in between. On the other hand, when a component is said to be "directly coupled" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

[0025] The terms used in this application are merely used to describe certain embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. A singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "include" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood not to preclude the presence or additional possibility of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning unless expressly defined in this application.

[0027] Some terms used in this specification are defined as follows: "Electric vehicle (EV)" refers to an automobile as defined in 49 CFR (code of federal regulations) 523.3, etc. An electric vehicle can be used on highways and can be powered by electricity supplied from an on-board energy storage device, such as a battery, that can be recharged from a power source outside the vehicle. The power source may include a residential or shared electric service, or a generator that uses on-board fuel, etc.

[0028] An electric vehicle (EV) can be called an electric car, electric automobile, electric road vehicle (ERV), plug-in vehicle (PV), plug-in vehicle (xEV), etc., and an xEV can be called or classified as a plug-in all-electric vehicle (BEV) or battery electric vehicle (PEV), plug-in electric vehicle (PEV), hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), hybrid plug-in electric vehicle (HPEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), etc.

[0029] A "plug-in electric vehicle (PEV)" is an electric vehicle that connects to the power grid to recharge the vehicle's onboard primary battery. A "wireless power charging system (WCS)" may refer to a system for wireless power transmission and control between a GA and a VA, including alignment and communication. "Wireless power transfer (WPT)" can refer to the transmission of electrical power from an alternating current (AC) power supply network, such as a utility or grid, to an electric vehicle by non-contact means.

[0030] "Interoperability" refers to the state in which system components relative to one another can work together to perform the intended operations of the overall system. Information interoperability refers to the ability of two or more networks, systems, devices, applications, or components to be easily used by users to share information securely, effectively, and with little or no inconvenience.

[0031] An "inductive charging system" refers to a system that electromagnetically transfers energy from an electrical supply network to an electric vehicle through a transformer with two loosely coupled parts. In this embodiment, the inductive charging system corresponds to an electric vehicle charging system. A "charging station (CS)" can refer to a facility that is equipped with one or more EV power supply devices and actually charges EVs. "Charging station operator (CSO)" may refer to an entity that manages electricity to provide the requested energy transmission service, and may be a term with the same concept as charge point operator (CPO).

[0032] A "charging station management system (CSMS)" may refer to an entity that manages the registration status for one or more CSs as well as managing the EVSE in terms of system updates, such as firmware updates. A "Charge service provider (CSP)" refers to an entity that manages and authenticates the credentials of EV users and provides billing and other value-added services to customers. CSP is considered to be a special type of MO and may be embodied in an integrated form with MO.

[0033] A "Clearing house (CH)" is an entity that handles coordination matters between MOs, CSPs, and CSOs, and may act as an intermediary to facilitate approval, billing, and settlement procedures for roaming EV charging services between the two clearing or settlement parties.

[0034] A "credential" is a physical or digital asset that represents an EV or the personal information of an EV's owner, and may include cryptographic information used to verify identity such as a password, a public / private key pair used in public key cryptography algorithms, a public key certificate issued by a certification authority, or information about trusted root certification authorities. A "Certificate" can refer to an electronic document that binds a public key to an identity through a digital signature. "Physical identity" can refer to the permanent identity (ID) of a device or its components that is universally unique and does not change over its lifetime. Examples of physical identities include the manufacturer ID or the serial number of a device or vehicle.

[0035] A "logical identity" is an operational ID of a device or its components that is universally unique but may change when operational changes occur, such as transfer to another operator. Examples of logical identities include the EVSEID and the SECCID. A "security channel" can refer to a communication channel between entities that has the security attributes of confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity.

[0036] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In an electric vehicle charging system for implementing the present invention, an electric vehicle (EV) can be connected to a charging station via a wired or wireless link, receive energy from the charging station, and use the energy to charge an energy storage device such as a battery. Figures 1 and 2 show methods of charging an electric vehicle via a wired or wireless connection, respectively.

[0037] 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a wired charging method for an electric vehicle to which one embodiment of the present invention can be applied. Wired charging of an electric vehicle can be performed by connecting an electric vehicle (10, hereinafter referred to as "EV") to a power supply circuit of a charging station by a charging cable (30), for example, by connecting a cable connector of a charging station (20) to a jack of the EV (10).

[0038] Here, the EV 10 can be defined as an automobile that supplies power from a rechargeable energy storage device such as a battery as an energy source for an electric motor, which is a power unit. The EV 10 may be a hybrid vehicle having both an electric motor and a general internal combustion engine, and may be not only an automobile but also a motorcycle, a cart, a scooter, or an electric bicycle.

[0039] The EV 10 may include a plug connection port or receptacle that can be connected to a connector of the charging cable 30. The plug connection port of the EV 10 may support slow charging or fast charging. In this case, the EV 10 may support both slow charging and fast charging through a single plug connection port, or may include multiple plug connection ports each supporting slow charging and fast charging.

[0040] The EV (10) according to the present invention may include an on-board charger to support slow charging or charging with AC power supplied from a general power grid. The on-board charger can boost AC power supplied via a wire from an external source during slow charging, convert it into DC power, and supply it to a battery built into the EV (10). Meanwhile, when DC power for fast charging is supplied to a plug connection port, the DC power can be supplied to the battery without passing through the on-board charger to charge it.

[0041] Meanwhile, the EV charging cable (30) may include at least one of a charging connector (31), a power outlet socket connection portion (33), and an in-cable control box (ICCB) (32). The charging connector (31) may be a connection portion that can be electrically connected to the EV (10), and the in-cable control box (32) may communicate with the EV (10) to receive EV status information or control charging of power to the EV (10). Although the in-cable control box (32) is shown as being included in the EV charging cable (10), it may be located at a position other than the EV charging cable (10), for example, connected to a power supply circuit (not shown) that supplies power to the EV (10) at the charging station, or disposed within the power supply circuit. The power outlet socket connection portion (33) may be connected to a charging device at the charging station as an electrical connection mechanism such as a general plug or cord set.

[0042] Meanwhile, the power socket 40 refers to a connection point between the charging device of the charging station and the charging connector 31. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the power socket 40 may refer to a connection point between the charging device installed at other locations and the charging connector 31. For example, the power socket 40 may refer to a wall jack installed in charging facilities such as a parking lot attached to the home of an EV 10 owner, a parking area allocated for EV charging at a gas station, a parking area at a shopping center or workplace, etc., in addition to a commercial specialized charging station facility.

[0043] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining wireless power transmission to an electric vehicle to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. Wireless power transfer (WPT) for EVs can be defined as the transfer of electrical energy from a supply network to a consumer device through a magnetic field in a magnetic resonance state, without the flow of current through a galvanic connection. Wireless power transfer can be used to transfer power to an EV (10) at a charging station (10) to charge the EV (10).

[0044] Referring to FIG. 2, wireless power transfer may be performed by at least one component of the EV (10) and a charging station (20) to wirelessly transfer power to the EV (10). The EV (10) may include a receiving pad (11) with a receiving coil for wirelessly receiving magnetic energy from the charging station (20). The receiving coil in the receiving pad (11) receives magnetic energy from a transmitting coil in a transmitting pad (21) in the charging station (20), for example, by magnetic resonance. The magnetic energy received by the EV (10) is converted into an induced current, which is rectified into a direct current and then charges the battery (12).

[0045] The charging station (20) can receive power from a commercial power grid (50) or power backbone and supply energy to the EV (10) through a transmission pad (21). The transmission pad (21) includes a transmission coil. The transmission coil in the transmission pad (21) generates a magnetic flux and can supply the amplified magnetic energy to the EV (10) through magnetic resonance. The charging station (20) can be located in a variety of locations, such as a parking lot attached to the home of the owner of the EV (10), a parking area for EV charging at a gas station, a parking area at a shopping center or a commercial building, and the like.

[0046] The charging station 20 may communicate with a power infrastructure management system or an infrastructure server that manages the power grid 50 through wired and wireless communications. The charging station 20 may also wirelessly communicate with the EV 10. Here, the wireless communication may include a wireless LAN (WLAN) based on WiFi conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard, and may further include P2PS communication using a low frequency (LF) magnetic field signal and / or a low power excitation (LPE) magnetic field signal. Furthermore, the wireless communication between the charging station 20 and the EV 10 may include one or more of various communication methods such as Bluetooth, zigbee, and cellular.

[0047] Meanwhile, according to ISO 15118, a communication standard document for charging electric vehicles, an EV and an EV charging station exchange messages to control the entire charging process. That is, communication for charging an electric vehicle may be performed between an electric vehicle communication controller (EVCC) and a supply equipment communication controller (SECC) via a wireless LAN (WLAN).

[0048] During the communication process, the EV first verifies the identity of the charging station to ensure that it is a trustworthy facility, and then sets up a security channel with the charging station to protect communication from unauthorized access. These goals can be achieved by the standardized Transport Layer Security (TLS) technique defined in IETF RFC 5246. A TLS session can be created by the TLS session establishment procedure after the IP-based communication connection establishment procedure.

[0049] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a front end of an EV charging infrastructure system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The EV charging infrastructure system provides charging services to an EV 10 and includes at least one charging station (CS) 100-104, a charging station operator (CSO) 200 connectable to the charging stations 100-104, and a charging station management system (CSMS) 210. The illustrated EV charging infrastructure system further includes a bootstrap server 220 that supports bootstrapping of the CSs 100-104.

[0050] For convenience of explanation, electric vehicles (EVs) (10a to 10f) are also shown in FIG. 3. The EVs (10a to 10f) refer to general electric vehicles owned by EV owners, and may be hybrid vehicles equipped with both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, and may be not only automobiles, but also motorcycles, carts, scooters, and electric bicycles. Such EVs (10a to 10f) can be charged by wired or wireless means at CSs (100 to 104).

[0051] The charging stations (CS) (100 to 104) actually charge the EVs (10a to 10f). Each charging station (100 to 104) includes a plurality of EV supply equipment (EVSE) (100a to 112d). For example, the charging station (100) includes a plurality of EVSEs (100a to 100d), and the charging station (102) includes a plurality of EVSEs (112a to 112d). Each EVSE (100a to 112d) includes at least one wired charger and / or wireless charging spot, and can supply charging power to one or more EVs (10a to 10f). One or more of each CS (100 to 104) may be installed in a commercial specialized charging facility. Also, each CS (100-104) may be located in a variety of locations, such as a parking lot attached to the EV owner's residence, a parking area for EV charging at a gas station, a parking area at a shopping center or workplace, etc. The CS may also be referred to as a "charging point," "EV charging station," "electric charging point," "electronic charging station (ECS)," and "EV side power supply equipment (EVSE)."

[0052] A charging station operator (CSO) (200) or a charging point operator (CPO) operates a charging station and manages electricity to provide the requested energy transmission service. The CSO (200) is operated by, for example, a charging station manufacturer, a charging station manufacturer, or an electricity supplier.

[0053] A charging station management system (CSMS) (210) manages the registration status of the CSs (100 to 104) and manages the CSs (100 to 104), particularly the EVSEs (100a to 112d), from the viewpoint of system updates such as firmware updates. The CSMS (210) can be considered as centralized operation software executed in any one selected from the CSOs (200) of the CSs (100 to 104), but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the CSMS (210) may be installed and executed in separate hardware, and may have additional functions beyond those of the operation software of the CSO.

[0054] The bootstrap server (220) provides the bootstrap information required by the CS (100-104) to the CS (100-104). That is, when a security channel is established between the CS (100-104) and the CS (100-104) with bootstrap trigger information, i.e., the minimum information required for bootstrap, stored in the CS (100-104), the bootstrap server (220) transmits the remaining information required for bootstrap to the CS (100-104) so ​​that the CS (100-104) can be set up.

[0055] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a bootstrap method according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this specification, bootstrap refers to a procedure for installing and preparing a new CS to be added to a network so that the CS can be securely connected to the network and operate when the new CS is added to the network. Such a bootstrap procedure may be a procedure for reinstalling and preparing a CS that has been offline due to an unrecoverable problem, such as when a certificate expires or is revoked, or when credentials are lost due to deletion of storage contents, after a major maintenance operation. In the following, it is assumed that, for example, CS (102) is a CS to be reinstalled and CS (104) is a CS to be newly added in FIG. 3.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 4, a bootstrap method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a step of configuring bootstrap information by storing a portion of bootstrap information in a CS (102, 104) (step 400), a step of connecting the CS (102, 104) to the CSMS (210) by setting up a security channel between the CS (102, 104) and the CSMS (210) (step 410), and a step of registering the CS (102, 104) with the CSMS (210) (step 420).

[0057] Here, a security channel refers to a communication channel between entities that has the security attributes of confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. Confidentiality refers to the attribute that no one can read a message except the communicating parties. Integrity refers to the attribute that no one can modify or forge a message. Authenticity refers to the attribute that allows one to authenticate whether the sender of a message is correct and whether the contents of the message are true and trustworthy.

[0058] In step 400, at least a part of the bootstrap information is stored in the CS (102, 104) to be installed or reinstalled, so that the CS (102, 104) can use the stored bootstrap information. Here, "bootstrap information" refers to information necessary for the CS (102, 104) to be securely bootstrapped, and includes connection information for the CSMS (210) in charge of the corresponding CS, credential information for setting up a security channel in the CSMS (210), and registration information for the CS (102, 104).

[0059] The "connection information for the CSMS (210) in charge of the corresponding CS" may include at least one of the IP address and port number of the CSMS (210) and information required for communication with the CSMS (210) by a predetermined communication protocol. Here, the predetermined communication protocol may include XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), and in this case, the "information required for communication with the CSMS (210)" may be an XMPP application identifier and / or subscription topics.

[0060] The "credential information for setting a security channel in the CSMS" may include information such as a symmetric key shared in advance between each CS (102, 104) and the CSMS (210), or an ID that can be used to confirm the physical or logical identity of the CS (102, 104). The credential information may also include a public key paired with a private key of each CS (102, 104), or a public key certificate for the public key, or a certificate chain. The certificate chain may include a provisioning certificate chain. The provisioning certificate is a certificate used for one-time authentication through the CSMS (210), and after authentication through the provisioning certificate is completed, a CS leaf certificate is issued and installed in the CS (102, 104) to be used for subsequent authentication. As an alternative to the provisioning certificate, the certificate chain may include a root certificate (RootCA cert.) of the CSO (200) series and a certificate issued by the CSO (200). Additionally, the credential information may include authenticity proof information that can be manually entered, such as an ID and password or other authentication code.

[0061] Here, a physical identity refers to a permanent identity (ID) of a device or its components that is universally unique and does not change throughout its life. Examples of physical identities include a manufacturer ID and a serial number of the device or vehicle. Meanwhile, a logical identity refers to an operational ID of a device or its components that is universally unique but may change when an operational change occurs, such as a transfer to another operator. Examples of logical identities include an EVSEID, which is an identifier of an EVSE (100a to 100f), and a SECCID, which is an ID of a Supply Equipment Communication Controller (SECC) included in the EVSE (100a to 100f) and communicates with EVs (10a to 10f) via, for example, a wireless LAN (WLAN).

[0062] Meanwhile, the "registration information" may include information necessary for the CSMS (210) to operate and manage the CSs (102, 104). Furthermore, the "registration information" may include physical and logical identity information of the CS (102, 104). Examples of physical identity information of the CS (102, 104) include a manufacturer ID and a product serial number, and an example of logical identity information of the CS (102, 104) includes the SECC ID (SECCID).

[0063] The "registration information" may also include physical identity information (e.g., a serial number) or logical identity information (e.g., an EVSEID) of the EVSE installed in the CS (102, 104). Furthermore, the "registration information" may include capability information of the EVSE equipped in the CS (102, 104). The capability information may include one or more of a product model ID, a product attribute set (e.g., AC, DC, WPT, BPT, dynamic, ACD, etc.), and a feature set of each EVSE. In addition, the "registration information" may include information necessary for the operation of the CS (102, 104) or the CSMS (210).

[0064] The operation of storing the bootstrap information in the CS (102, 104) to configure the bootstrap information in step 400 can be broadly divided into three modes: a factory configuration mode, a field configuration mode using a storage medium, and a remote configuration mode. First, in the factory configuration mode, bootstrap information is stored in the CS (102, 104) at a factory or a service center before the CS (102, 104) is delivered to the site and installed. This configuration mode has the advantage that the installation work is easy and scalable. However, this configuration mode has the disadvantage that it is not flexible and the system maintenance cost is high if this process is performed every time a failure occurs.

[0065] According to the field configuration mode, the bootstrap information is stored in the CSCS (102, 104) on-site using a storage medium such as a smart card, USB stick, or SDCard while the CS (102, 104) is installed or reinstalled on-site. That is, the bootstrap information is copied from the storage medium to the CSCS (102, 104) on-site and stored there. For system stability reasons, it is not desirable for an operator to manually input the bootstrap information directly into the CS (102, 104) in the field configuration mode, and it may be impossible or difficult to do so to the point of being practically impossible. This configuration mode has the disadvantage that it is very costly to install the CS. In addition, this method has medium flexibility in implementation and medium maintenance costs for the system, and is not highly scalable.

[0066] According to the remote configuration mode, bootstrap trigger information (BTI) is first installed in the CS (102, 104) by the factory configuration mode, the field configuration mode, the field manual configuration mode, or a combination thereof, and then the entire bootstrap information is downloaded from the bootstrap server based on the bootstrap trigger information (BTI). The bootstrap trigger information (BTI) may include connection information for the bootstrap server, physical and / or logical identity information of the CS (102, 104), and reliability information for secure connection. If multiple bootstrap server information is available, the next server is selected one by one after each successful download from each bootstrap server. The secure connection method for the bootstrap server is the same as the connection step described below, so the description will be omitted. This configuration mode has the advantages of being the most flexible and versatile in the implementation process, and being cost-effective. However, this configuration has the constraint that it must be combined with other configuration methods.

[0067] In step 410 of Figure 4, the operation of setting up a security channel between the CS (102, 104) and the CSMS (210) to connect the CS (102, 104) to the CSMS (210) varies depending on the type of credential information stored in the CS (102, 104) in step 400. Therefore, if a security channel is to be set up using a specific cipher suite, the necessary credential information must be stored in the CS (102, 104).

[0068] First, if the credentials available to the CS (102, 104) are a symmetric key (PSK: Pre-Shared Key) pre-shared with the CSMS (210), the CS (102, 104) sets up a security channel using one of the following Transport Layer Security-Pre-Shared Key (TLS-PSK) methods: -TLS_PSK cipher suites defined in RFC 4279 or RFC5487 -TLS_DHE_PSK cipher suites as defined in RFC 4279 or RFC5487 -TLS_ECDHE_PSK cipher suite defined in RFC 5489 -TLS_Server_Certificate_Client_PSK Ciphersuite defined in RFC 4279 or RFC5487 -All PSK-based connection methods provided by the XMPP protocol

[0069] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary set of available TLS-PSK cipher suites. Then, if the credentials available to the CS (102, 104) are a certificate chain that includes the PKI certificate of the CSO (200) and the root certificate of the CSO, the CS (102, 104) may use TLS 1.2 with mutual authentication or any certificate-based connection method provided by the XMPP protocol, using a server certificate to authenticate the server and a client certificate to authenticate the client.

[0070] Meanwhile, in the case of the remote configuration mode or manual login described above, when credential information is entered on-site by an authorized staff member to trigger remote bootstrap, the client CS (102, 104) can connect to the bootstrap server (220) using a secure channel (HTTPS), where the server SSL certificate (RFC7235) is used for server authentication, and the client authentication may be performed using HTTP basic authentication method (ID / Password) or a connection method based on ID / Password provided by the XMPP protocol. That is, the server certificate is used to authenticate the server, and the user ID / password is used to authenticate the client, so that the secure channel (HTTPS) can be set up.

[0071] After the CS (102, 104) is successfully connected to the CSMS (210) in step 410, the CS (102, 104) transmits at least a part of the bootstrap information to the CSMS (210) as registration information required for proper management of the CS (102, 104) in step 420, thereby registering the CS (102, 104) with the CSMS (210). When registering the CS (102, 104) with the CSMS (210), the same procedure is performed for all configuration and connection methods. The information registered at this time may include CS identity information including physical identity information and logical identity information of the CS, identity information such as physical EVSE ID (e.g., serial number) and logical EVSE ID (e.g., EVSEID) of the EVSE under the CS, function information of the CS (e.g., model ID, function attribute set such as AC, DC, WPT, BPT, dynamic, ACD, etc., function set of each EVSE), and other information related to operation.

[0072] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a CS (100, 102, 104) according to one embodiment of the present invention. 6, a CS according to an embodiment of the present invention, for example, the CS (102), includes a controller (500) and a plurality of EVSEs (100a to 112d). The controller (500) may include at least one processor (520), a memory (540), and a storage device (560), and controls the overall operation of the CS (102). In particular, the controller (500) performs the process of the bootstrap operation that is handled by the CS (102).

[0073] The processor 520 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 540 and / or storage device 560. The processor 520 may be embodied by at least one central processing unit (CPU) and / or a graphics processing unit (GPU), or other processor capable of performing methods according to the present invention.

[0074] The memory (540) may include a volatile memory such as a read only memory (ROM) and a non-volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM). The memory (540) may load program instructions stored in a storage device (560) and provide them to the processor (520).

[0075] The storage device (560) is a recording medium suitable for storing program instructions and data, and may include, for example, magnetic media such as a hard disk, a floppy disk, and a magnetic tape, optical media such as a compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) and a digital video disk (DVD), magneto-optical media such as a floptical disk, and semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), or an SSD manufactured based on these.

[0076] The storage device (560) stores the program instructions. In particular, the program instructions may include program instructions for a bootstrap process according to the present invention. The program instructions for the bootstrap process include instructions for configuring bootstrap information by storing at least a portion of bootstrap information in the memory, establishing a security channel with the CSMS that maintains registration information for the charging station device, connecting to the CSMS, and registering the charging station device with the CSMS. Such program instructions can be loaded into the memory (540) under the control of the processor (520) and then executed by the processor (520) to implement a method according to the present invention.

[0077] The apparatus and method according to the embodiment of the present invention may be embodied as a computer readable program or code in a computer readable recording medium. The computer readable recording medium includes any kind of recording device in which data readable by a computer system is stored. The computer readable recording medium may also be distributed among computer systems connected via a network, and the computer readable program or code may be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

[0078] The computer-readable recording medium may include a hardware device specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, etc. The program instructions may include not only machine code, such as that produced by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using, for example, an interpreter.

[0079] Although some aspects of the invention have been described in the context of an apparatus, it may also be presented in terms of a corresponding method, where a block or apparatus corresponds to a method step or a feature of a method step. Similarly, aspects described in the context of a method may also be presented as a corresponding block or item or feature of a corresponding apparatus. Some or all of the method steps may be performed by (or using) a hardware apparatus, such as, for example, a microprocessor, a programmable computer, or an electronic circuit. In some embodiments, one or more of the most important method steps may be performed by such an apparatus.

[0080] In some embodiments, a programmable logic device (e.g., a field programmable gate array) may be used to perform some or all of the functions of the methods described herein. In some embodiments, a field programmable gate array may work in conjunction with a microprocessor to perform any of the methods described herein. In general, it is preferred that the methods be performed by some hardware device. Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 10 Electric Vehicles (EV) 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F Electric Vehicles (EV) 11 Receiving Pad 12 Battery 20 Charging Station 21 Send Pad 30 EV charging cable 31 Charging connector 32 In-cable control box 33 Power outlet socket connection 40 Power Socket 50 Commercial power grid 100 Charging Station(CS) 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D EVSE (EV power supply equipment) 102 Charging Station (CS) 104 Charging Station (CS) 112A, 112B, 112C, 112D EVSE (EV power supply equipment) 200 CSO (Charging Station Operator) 210 CSMS (Charging Station Management System) 220 Bootstrap Server 500 Controller 520 Processor 540 Memory 560 Storage Device EVSE EV power supply equipment

Claims

1. A bootstrap method for registering and operating a charging station (CS) that has been offline in an electric vehicle charging station management system (CSMS), comprising: storing at least a portion of bootstrap information in the CS to configure bootstrap information; establishing a security channel between the CS and the CSMS to connect the CS to the CSMS; and registering the CS with the CSMS; Including, The bootstrap information comprises: connection information for the CS to connect to the CSMS; Credential information for establishing a security channel between the CS and the CSMS; A bootstrap method, characterized in that the step of registering the CS in the CSMS registers the CS in the CSMS based on registration information including a function attribute set of each EVSE included in the CS or connected to the CS, and function information of the CS including function information of each EVSE.

2. The bootstrap information further includes registration information of the CS, 2. The bootstrap method of claim 1, wherein the registration information of the CS includes capability information of the CS including a function set of each EVSE included in or connected to the CS, and capability information of each EVSE including at least one of AC / DC, wireless power transfer (WPT), bidirectional power transfer (BPT), dynamic, and automatic charging device (ACD).

3. 3. The bootstrap method according to claim 2, wherein the connection information includes at least one of an IP address and a port number of the CSMS, and information required for communication with the CSMS according to a predetermined communication protocol.

4. 4. The bootstrap method according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined communication protocol is XMPP, and the information required for communication with the CSMS includes an XMPP application identifier or a subscription topic.

5. The credential information is A symmetric key pre-shared between the CS and the CSMS, or other identifying information that can be used to verify the physical or logical identity of the CS; and A predefined public key certificate chain including a public key issued to the CS; 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising at least one of:

6. The step of configuring the bootstrap information comprises:

2. The bootstrap method according to claim 1, which is executed in at least one of a factory configuration mode in which the bootstrap information is stored in the CS at a specified factory, a field configuration mode in which the bootstrap information is stored in the CS using a specified storage medium at a site where the CS is installed, and a remote configuration mode in which the bootstrap information is stored in the CS from a bootstrap server at a remote location via a specified communication network.

7. The step of configuring the bootstrap information in the remote configuration mode includes: setting predetermined bootstrap trigger information in the CS through any one of the factory configuration mode, the field configuration mode, and a combination thereof; and downloading the bootstrap information from the bootstrap server according to the bootstrap trigger information installed in the CS; 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

8. The step of downloading the bootstrap information includes: establishing a secure connection between the CS and the bootstrap server in the same manner as setting up the security channel between the CS and the CSMS to register registration information for the CS; 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

9. The step of connecting the CS to the CSMS includes: setting up the security channel by a TLS-PSK encryption suite if the CS has available credentials that are a symmetric key pre-shared with the CSMS, and setting up the security channel by a transmission layer security technique with mutual authentication or a certificate-based connection method if the CS has available credentials that are a pre-defined certificate chain; 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

10. The step of registering the CS to the CSMS includes: sending the registration information to the CSMS, the registration information including identity information of the CS, identity information of an EVSE included in or connected to the CS, and capability information of the CS; 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

11. A charging station device that can perform an operation for charging an electric vehicle after being registered in a charging station management system (CSMS) through a predetermined bootstrap procedure in an offline state, a processor and a memory storing program instructions that are executed by the processor, the program instructions, when executed by the processor, storing at least a portion of the bootstrap information in said memory to configure the bootstrap information; An operation of establishing a security channel between the charging station device and the CSMS and connecting to the CSMS; and registering the charging station device with the CSMS; [0033] The bootstrap information comprises: Connection information for connecting the charging station device to the CSMS; and credential information for establishing a security channel between the charging station device and the CSMS; The instructions for causing the processor to register the charging station device to the CSMS include: The charging station device further comprises instructions for causing the processor to register the charging station device with the CSMS based on function information of the charging station device including a function attribute set of each EVSE included in or connected to the charging station device, and registration information including the function information of each EVSE.

12. The bootstrap information comprises: registration information of the charging station device; 12. The charging station apparatus of claim 11, wherein the registration information of the charging station apparatus includes capability information of the charging station apparatus including a function set of each EVSE included in or connected to the charging station apparatus, and capability information of each EVSE including at least one of AC / DC, wireless power transfer (WPT), bidirectional power transfer (BPT), dynamic, and automatic charging device (ACD).

13. The charging station device according to claim 12, wherein the connection information includes at least one of an IP address and a port number of the CSMS, and information required for communication with the CSMS according to a predetermined communication protocol.

14. The charging station device according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined communication protocol is XMPP, and the information required for communication with the CSMS includes an XMPP application identifier or a subscription topic.

15. The credential information is A symmetric key pre-shared between the charging station device and the CSMS, or identification information that can be used to verify the physical or logical identity of the charging station device; and a predefined public key certificate chain including a public key issued to the charging station device; 14. The charging station apparatus of claim 13, further comprising at least one of:

16. The instructions constituting the bootstrap information include:

13. The charging station device according to claim 12, wherein the charging station device is capable of operating in at least one of a factory configuration mode in which the bootstrap information is stored in the charging station device at a specified factory, a field configuration mode in which the bootstrap information is stored in the charging station device using a specified storage medium at a site where the charging station device is installed, and a remote configuration mode in which the bootstrap information is stored in the charging station device from a bootstrap server in a remote location via a specified communication network.

17. The instructions for configuring the bootstrap information in the remote configuration mode include: instructions for installing predetermined bootstrap trigger information via any one of the factory configuration mode, the field configuration mode, and combinations thereof; and instructions for downloading the bootstrap information from the bootstrap server based on the bootstrap trigger information; 20. The charging station apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

18. The instructions for downloading the bootstrap information include: instructions for establishing a secure connection with the bootstrap server in the same manner as establishing the secure channel with the CSMS for registering the registration information; 20. The charging station apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

19. The instruction for performing the operation of connecting to the CSMS includes: instructions for setting up the security channel with a TLS-PSK encryption suite if the available credentials are a symmetric key pre-shared with the CSMS, and setting up the security channel with a transport layer security technique with mutual authentication or a certificate-based connection method if the available credentials are a pre-defined certificate chain; 12. The charging station apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

20. The command to register with the CSMS comprises: an instruction to transmit to the CSMS the registration information, the registration information including identity information of the charging station equipment, identity information of an EVSE provided in or connected to the charging station equipment, and capability information of the charging station equipment; 13. The charging station apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

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