EV user authorization method and system

Abstract

Provides an authorization method for EV users. [Solution] An EV user authorization method for charging an electric vehicle, which is performed by a device that mediates EV user authorization in cooperation with a mobility operator that enters into a contract with an EV user and provides a charging service to the EV, and a charging station operator that supplies power to an EV requesting charging, the EV user authorization method includes the steps of receiving related information between an EV and a charging service account from the mobility operator; storing the related information between the EV and the charging service account; receiving a request to confirm related information for an EV to be charged from a charging station operator; and providing the related information between the EV and the charging service account for the EV to be charged to the charging station operator.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an EV user authorization method and system, and more particularly to an EV user authorization method, an EV user authorization system, and an apparatus for mediating EV user authorization for EV charging. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently developed electric vehicles (EVs) use battery power to drive the motor, and therefore have the advantages of less air pollution sources such as exhaust gas and noise, fewer breakdowns, a longer lifespan, and ease of operation compared to conventional gasoline engine vehicles.

[0003] Electric vehicles are classified into hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) based on the drive source. HEVs have an engine for main power and a motor for auxiliary power. PHEVs have a motor for main power and an engine that is used when the battery is discharged. EVs have a motor but no engine.

[0004] An electric vehicle charging system can basically be defined as a system that charges a battery installed in an electric vehicle using power from a commercial power grid or an energy storage device. Such an electric vehicle charging system can have various forms depending on the type of electric vehicle. For example, an electric vehicle charging system can include a conductive charging system using a cable or a contactless wireless power transmission system.

[0005] In this regard, eMobility services are a business sector that provides electricity to EV users who own and drive EVs, and organizations that own and operate EV fleets for their own business, such as transportation services, logistics services, or rental services. A typical eMobility service enters into a contract with an EV user (including an organization) and charges a fee based on the amount of electricity charged or other billing criteria. From a business perspective, it is important to identify the EV user when charging, but without proper measures related to user authentication, the revenue of the eMobility business is at risk. Another problem is that the entire charging infrastructure and the power grid behind it are vulnerable to malicious attempts by unauthorized parties to exploit security vulnerabilities for political, financial, or pride reasons. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an EV user authorization method for charging an electric vehicle.

[0007] Another object of the present invention to solve the above problems is to provide an EV user authorization system for charging an electric vehicle.

[0008] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for mediating EV user authorization in order to solve the above problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention to achieve the above object, an EV user authorization method for charging an electric vehicle, which is performed by a device that mediates EV user authorization in cooperation with a mobility operator (MO) that enters into a contract with an EV user and provides a charging service to the EV, and a charge point operator (CPO) that supplies power to an EV requesting charging, includes the steps of receiving related information between the EV and a charging service account from the mobility operator; storing the related information between the EV and the charging service account; receiving a request to confirm related information for the EV to be charged from the charging station operator; and providing the related information between the EV and the charging service account for the EV to be charged to the charging station operator.

[0010] The EV user authorization method may further include receiving a notification of a change to a charging service account from the MO, and performing an update to the charging service account where the change has occurred.

[0011] The device that mediates the EV user authorization is a Clearing House Service (CHS) device certified by the V2G root CA (Certificate Authority).

[0012] The EV can request authentication from the charging station operator using an EV certificate and a corresponding personal key.

[0013] The EV certificate is issued by an EV manufacturer (Original Equipment Manufacturer; OEM) and may include a unique identifier of the EV and a corresponding private key.

[0014] Here, the association information between the EV and the charging service account may include at least one of an EV identifier, a charging service account identifier (eMAID; eMobility Account Identity), and a validity period.

[0015] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention to achieve the other object, a device for mediating EV user authorization for charging an electric vehicle may include a processor and a memory for storing at least one instruction to be executed by the processor, the device interfacing with a mobility operator (MO) that enters into a contract with an EV user and provides a charging service to the EV, and a charge point operator (CPO) that supplies power to an EV requesting charging.

[0016] The at least one instruction may include an instruction to receive association information between the EV and the charging service account from the mobility operator; an instruction to store the association information between the EV and the charging service account; an instruction to receive a request to confirm association information for a target EV from the charging station operator; and an instruction to provide association information between the EV and the charging service account for the EV to the charging station operator.

[0017] The at least one instruction may further include an instruction for receiving, from the MO, a notification that a change has occurred to the charging service account; and an instruction for performing an update to the charging service account where a change has occurred.

[0018] The device that mediates the EV user authorization is certified by the V2G (Vehicle to Grid) root CA (Certificate Authority).

[0019] The EV can request authentication from the charging station operator using an EV certificate and a corresponding personal key.

[0020] The EV certificate is issued by an EV manufacturer (Original Equipment Manufacturer; OEM) and may include a unique identifier of the EV and a corresponding private key.

[0021] Here, the association information between the EV and the charging service account may include at least one of an EV identifier, a charging service account identifier (eMAID; eMobility Account Identity), and a validity period.

[0022] To achieve yet another object, an electric vehicle (EV) user authorization system for charging an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a mobility operator (MO) PKI (public key infrastructure) server that generates association information between the EV and the charging service account by associating the EV with a charging service account at the request of an EV user and notifies the association information to a clearing house service device; a clearing house service (CHS) device that receives and stores the association information between the EV and the charging service account from the mobility operator and provides the association information between the EV and the charging service account at the request; and a charge point operator (CPO) server that authenticates the EV requesting charging by querying the clearing house service device for an EV requesting charging and confirming charging service account information bound to an identifier of the EV requesting charging.

[0023] The EV user authorization system may further include an EV manufacturer (OEM) PKI server that assigns a unique identifier to each EV and issues an EV certificate including the unique identifier and a corresponding private key.

[0024] The CHS device is certified by a Vehicle to Grid (V2G) root Certificate Authority (CA).

[0025] The EV can request authentication from the charging station operator using the EV certificate and the corresponding personal key.

[0026] The CHS device can receive a notification of a change to the charging service account from the MO and perform an update to the charging service account where the change has occurred.

[0027] Here, the association information between the EV and the charging service account may include at least one of an EV identifier, a charging service account identifier (eMAID; eMobility Account Identity), and a validity period. Effect of the Invention

[0028] According to the present invention, EV user authorization is performed using an EV identifier, so there is no risk of privacy infringement or violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

[0029] The present invention also does not require a PKI in the MO system.

[0030] Moreover, the present invention does not require a trust delegation system such as a CPS, a CCP, or a Directory Service. In addition, it is possible to support vehicle sharing services that contribute to user convenience, protection of user personal information, contract flexibility, and various business opportunities. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method for wired charging an electric vehicle to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Diagram 2]1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining wireless power transmission for an electric vehicle to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Diagram 3] This shows a general trust relationship formation procedure used for electric vehicle power transmission services. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an EV-user authorization system using a clearinghouse service according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an EV-user authorization method using a general PnC. [Figure 6] 1 is an operational flowchart according to an embodiment of an EV-user authorization method using an EVPnC according to the present invention. [Figure 7] 2 is a flowchart of an EV user authorization method for charging an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a clearinghouse service device for mediating EV-user authorization in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] The present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, and a specific embodiment will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific embodiment, and it should be understood that the present invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. In the description of each drawing, similar reference numerals are used for similar components.

[0033] Terms such as first, second, A, B, etc. are used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by these terms. The terms are used only to distinguish one component from another. For example, a first component may be named a second component and similarly the second component may be named a first component without departing from the scope of the invention. The term "and / or" includes a combination of multiple associated listed items or any of multiple associated listed items.

[0034] 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 be other components in between. Conversely, 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.

[0035] The terms used in this application are merely used to describe certain embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "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 addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms as defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined in this application.

[0037] Some terms used in this specification are defined as follows:

[0038] An electric vehicle (EV) is an automobile as defined in 49CFR (code of federal regulations) 523.3, etc. An electric vehicle can be used on highways and is powered by electricity supplied from an on-board energy storage device such as a rechargeable battery from a power source outside the vehicle. Power sources can include residential or public electric services, or generators that use on-board fuel.

[0039] Electric vehicles (EVs) can be referred to as electric cars, electric automobiles, electric road vehicles (ERVs), plug-in vehicles (PVs), plug-in vehicles (xEVs), etc., and xEVs can be referred to or classified as plug-in all-electric vehicles or battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), hybrid plug-in electric vehicles (HPEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), etc.

[0040] A plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) is an electric vehicle that connects to the power grid to recharge its on-board primary battery.

[0041] A plug-in vehicle (PV) is referred to herein as a vehicle that can be recharged from an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) through a wireless charging method without using a physical plug and socket.

[0042] Heavy duty vehicles (HD Vehicles) refers to all vehicles with four or more wheels as defined in 49 CFR 523.6 or CFR 37.3 (bus).

[0043] A light duty plug-in electric vehicle is a vehicle with three or four wheels that is propelled by an electric motor powered by a rechargeable battery or other energy device for use primarily on public streets, roads and highways. A light duty plug-in electric vehicle is defined as having a total weight of less than 4.545 kg.

[0044] A wireless power charging system (WCS) refers to a system for wireless power transmission and control between GA and VA, including alignment and communication.

[0045] Wireless power transfer (WPT) refers to the transmission of electrical power to electric vehicles through contactless means from an AC power supply network such as a utility or grid.

[0046] A utility provides electrical energy and typically refers to a collection of systems that include a Customer Information System (CIS), an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), and a Rates and Revenue system. A utility makes energy available to plug-in electric vehicles through a price schedule or discrete events. A utility may also provide information on tariff rates, intervals for metering electricity consumption, and verification of electric vehicle programs for plug-in electric vehicles.

[0047] Smart charging can be described as a system in which EVSE and / or plug-in electric vehicles communicate with the power grid to optimize vehicle charging and discharging rates against grid capacity and time of use cost ratios.

[0048] Automatic charging is defined as the act of inductive charging by placing a vehicle in a suitable position relative to a primary charger assembly capable of transmitting power. Automatic charging is performed after obtaining the necessary authentication and authorization.

[0049] Interoperability refers to the state in which system components relative to one another can work together to accomplish the intended function of the overall system.Information interoperability refers to the ability of two or more networks, systems, devices, applications or components to easily share and use information securely and effectively with little or no inconvenience to users.

[0050] 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.

[0051] An inductive coupler is a transformer that is made up of a GA coil and a VA coil and transmits power through electrical insulation.

[0052] Inductive coupling refers to the magnetic coupling between two coils, the ground assembly coil and the vehicle assembly coil.

[0053] A ground assembly (GA) refers to an assembly that includes a GA coil and other suitable components and is placed on the ground or infrastructure side. Other suitable components may include at least one component for controlling impedance and resonant frequency, ferrites for enhancing the magnetic path, and electromagnetic shielding materials. For example, the GA may include a power / frequency conversion device required to function as the power source for the wireless charging system, a GA controller, and wiring from the grid, and wiring between each unit and filtering circuits, housings, etc.

[0054] Vehicle assembly (VA) refers to an assembly that includes a VA coil and other suitable components and is placed in a vehicle. Other suitable components may include at least one component for controlling impedance and resonant frequency, ferrites for enhancing the magnetic path, and electromagnetic shielding materials. For example, the VA may include the rectifier / power converter and VA controller and vehicle battery wiring necessary to function as the vehicle component of the wireless charging system, as well as wiring between each unit and filtering circuitry, housing, etc.

[0055] The GA may be referred to as a supply device or a power supply side device, and similarly, the VA may be referred to as an EV device or an EV side device.

[0056] A power supply device is a device that provides a contactless connection to an electric vehicle device, i.e., a device outside the electric vehicle. The power supply device is called a primary device. When the electric vehicle receives power, the power supply device can act as a power source that transmits the power. The power supply device can include a housing and all covers.

[0057] An EV device is an on-board device in an EV that provides a contactless connection to a power supplying device. The EV device is called a secondary device. When an EV receives power, the EV device can transmit power from the power supplying device to the EV. The EV device can include a housing and all covers.

[0058] The Ground Assembly controller is the part of the GA that adjusts the output power level to the GA coils based on information from the vehicle.

[0059] The Vehicle Assembly controller is the part of the VA that monitors vehicle specific parameters during charging and initiates communication with the GA to control the output power level.

[0060] The GA controller described above can be referred to as a supply power circuit (SPC) of the power supplying device, and the VA controller can be referred to as an electric vehicle power circuit (EVPC).

[0061] Magnetic gap refers to the vertical distance between the highest plane of the top of a litz wire or the top of the magnetic material of a GA coil and the lowest plane of the bottom of the litz wire or the magnetic material of a VA coil when they are aligned with each other.

[0062] Ambient temperature refers to the ground level temperature measured from the atmosphere of a given subsystem that is not directly exposed to sunlight.

[0063] Vehicle ground clearance refers to the vertical distance between the road or road pavement and the bottom of the vehicle floor.

[0064] Vehicle magnetic ground clearance refers to the vertical distance between the lowest plane of the bottom of the Litz wire or the insulating material of the vehicle-mounted VA coil and the road pavement.

[0065] Vehicle assembly (VA) coil surface distance refers to the vertical distance between the bottommost plane of the Litz wire or magnetic material of the VA coil and the lowest exterior surface of the VA coil. Such distance may include additional items packaged in protective covering materials and coil wrap.

[0066] The above-mentioned VA coil may be referred to as a secondary coil, vehicle coil, receiver coil, etc., and similarly, the ground assembly coil (GA coil) may be referred to as a primary coil, transmit coil, etc.

[0067] An exposed conductive component refers to a conductive part of an electrical device (e.g., an electric vehicle) that can be touched by a human and that does not normally conduct electricity but can conduct electricity when a fault occurs.

[0068] Hazardous live component refers to a live component that, under certain conditions, can give rise to a harmful electric shock.

[0069] Live component refers to any conductor or conductive part that is electrically active in the basic application.

[0070] Direct contact refers to contact with a human organism.

[0071] Indirect contact refers to a failure of insulation that causes a person to come into contact with an exposed, conductive, electrically conducting active component (see IEC 61140).

[0072] Alignment refers to a procedure for determining the relative position of an electric vehicle device with respect to a power supplying device for a specified efficient power transmission and / or a procedure for determining the relative position of a power supplying device with respect to an electric vehicle device. In this specification, alignment refers to, but is not limited to, the positional alignment of a wireless power transmission system.

[0073] Pairing refers to the procedure of associating a vehicle (electric vehicle) with a single dedicated ground assembly (power supplying device) arranged to transmit power. In this specification, pairing can include the procedure of associating a charging spot or a specific ground assembly with a vehicle assembly controller. Correlation / Association can include the procedure of establishing a relationship between two peer-to-peer communication entities.

[0074] High level communication can handle all information that exceeds the information handled by command and control communication. The data link for high level communication can use PLC (Power line communication), but is not limited to this.

[0075] Low power excitation refers to, but is not limited to, activating an electric vehicle to sense a powered device in order to perform precision positioning and pairing, and vice versa.

[0076] An SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​is a unique 32-character identifier attached to the header of a packet transmitted over a wireless LAN. The SSID distinguishes the BSS (basic service set) that wireless devices are trying to connect to. The SSID basically distinguishes several wireless LANs from each other. Therefore, all access points (APs) and all terminal / station equipment using a particular wireless LAN can all use the same SSID. Equipment that does not use a unique SSID cannot join the BSS. Because the SSID is visible in plain text, it does not provide any security features to the network.

[0077] ESSID (Extended service set identifier) ​​is the name of the network you want to connect to. It is similar to SSID but is more extended.

[0078] BSSID (Basic service set identifier) ​​is usually 48 bits and is used to identify a specific BSS (basic service set). In infrastructure BSS network, BSSID is the medium access control (MAC) of AP. In independent BSS or ad hoc network, BSSID is generated to an arbitrary value.

[0079] A charging station may include at least one ground assembly and at least one ground assembly controller for managing the at least one ground assembly. The ground assembly may include at least one wireless communication device. A charging station refers to a place that includes at least one ground assembly installed in a home, an office, a public place, a road, a parking lot, etc.

[0080] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0081] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a wired charging method for an electric vehicle to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0082] Referring to FIG. 1, the electric vehicle wired charging method is performed by the interaction of an electric vehicle charging cable 30, at least one component of an electric vehicle 10, and a power socket 40 installed in an existing building or charging station.

[0083] Here, the electric vehicle 10 can be generally defined as a vehicle that supplies an induced current from a rechargeable energy storage device such as a battery to an energy source of an electric motor, which is a power unit.

[0084] In addition, the electric vehicle 10 may include a hybrid vehicle having both an electric motor and a conventional internal combustion engine, and may include not only automobiles but also motorcycles, carts, scooters, and electric bicycles.

[0085] In addition, the electric vehicle 10 according to the present invention may include a plug connection port so that the battery can be charged by a wire. In this case, the electric vehicle 10 capable of charging the battery by a wire is called a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV).

[0086] In addition, the plug connection port provided in the electric vehicle 10 according to the present invention can support slow charging or fast charging. In this case, the electric vehicle 10 can support both slow charging and fast charging through a single plug connection port, or can include separate plug connections supporting slow charging and fast charging.

[0087] In addition, the electric vehicle 10 according to the present invention may include an on-board charger to support slow charging or charging through an AC power source supplied from a general power system. The on-board charger can boost AC power source supplied from an external wire during slow charging, convert it into DC power source, and supply it to the battery built into the electric vehicle 10. Therefore, when AC power source for slow charging is supplied to the plug connection port of the electric vehicle 10, charging can be performed through the on-board charger, and when DC power source for fast charging is supplied to the plug connection port, charging can be performed without going through the on-board charger.

[0088] Meanwhile, the electric vehicle charging cable 30 includes at least one of a charging connector 31, a power outlet socket connection portion 33, and an in-cable control box (ICCB) 32.

[0089] Here, the charging connector 31 may be a connection part that can be electrically connected to the electric vehicle 10, and the in-cable control box (ICCB) 32 may communicate with the electric vehicle 10 to receive status information of the electric vehicle 10 and control the charging of power to the electric vehicle 10.

[0090] Here, although the in-cable control box 32 is illustrated as being included in the electric vehicle charging cable 10, it may be mounted at a location other than the electric vehicle charging cable 10, or may be coupled to the SECC, or may be substituted by the SECC.

[0091] Here, the power outlet socket connector 33 is an electrical connection mechanism such as a general plug or cord set, and is connected to a power outlet from which electric power is supplied.

[0092] For example, the power socket 40 refers to an electrical outlet installed in various locations, such as a parking lot attached to the home of the owner of the electric vehicle 10, a parking area for charging electric vehicles at a gas station, a parking area at a shopping center or a workplace, etc.

[0093] In addition, a device that communicates with the in-cable control box 32 or one of the components of the electric vehicle 10 (e.g., the EVCC) and controls the charging procedure is installed in the building or location (e.g., a station) where the power socket 40 is installed, and such a device is referred to as a Supply Equipment Communication Controller (SECC).

[0094] Here, the SECC can communicate with a power grid or an infrastructure management system that manages the power grid, or a management server or infrastructure server of a building in which the power socket 40 is installed, via wired or wireless communication.

[0095] The power socket 40 can directly supply AC power from a power system, for example, AC power corresponding to at least one of 1P2W (single-phase two-wire) and 3P4W (three-phase four-wire).

[0096] The electric vehicle charging cable 30 can support slow charging and supply power for slow charging to the electric vehicle 10. At this time, power between 3.3 and 7.7 (kWh) can be supplied to the electric vehicle 10 as the amount of slow charging power.

[0097] In addition, the electric vehicle charging cable 30 can support rapid charging and supply power for rapid charging to the electric vehicle 10. In this case, the electric vehicle 10 can be supplied with power of between 50 and 100 (kWh) as the amount of rapid charging power.

[0098] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining wireless power transmission for an electric vehicle to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0099] Referring to FIG. 2, wireless power transmission may be performed by at least one component of an electric vehicle (10) and a charging station (20) that is utilized to wirelessly transmit power to the electric vehicle (10).

[0100] Here, the electric vehicle 10 can be generally defined as a vehicle that supplies induced current from a rechargeable energy storage device, such as a battery 12, to an energy source of an electric motor, which is a power unit.

[0101] However, the electric vehicle 10 according to the present invention may include a hybrid vehicle having both an electric motor and a conventional internal combustion engine, and may include not only automobiles but also motorcycles, carts, scooters, and electric bicycles.

[0102] In addition, the electric vehicle 10 may include a receiving pad 11 including a receiving coil so that the battery 12 can be charged wirelessly, and may include a plug connection port so that the battery 12 can be charged wired. In this case, the electric vehicle 10 that can charge the battery 12 wired is called a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV).

[0103] Here, the charging station 20 can be connected to a power grid (50) or a power backbone and can provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the transmitting pad 21 including the transmitting coil via a power link.

[0104] In addition, the charging station 20 can communicate with a power grid (50) or an infrastructure management system or infrastructure server that manages the power grid through wired or wireless communication, and can perform wireless communication with the electric vehicle 10.

[0105] Here, examples of wireless communication include Bluetooth (registered trademark), Zigbee, cellular, and wireless local area networks.

[0106] Also, for example, the charging station 20 may be located in a variety of locations, such as a parking lot attached to the home of the owner of the electric vehicle 10, a parking area for charging electric vehicles at a gas station, a parking area at a shopping center or workplace, and the like.

[0107] Here, the process of wirelessly charging the battery 12 of the electric vehicle 10 is performed by first positioning the receiving pad 11 of the electric vehicle 10 in an energy field of the transmitting pad 21, and then interacting or coupling with the transmitting coil of the transmitting pad 21 and the receiving coil of the receiving pad 11. As a result of the interaction or coupling, an electromotive force is induced in the receiving pad 11, and the battery 12 is charged by the induced electromotive force.

[0108] In addition, the charging station 20 and the transmitting pad 21 may be referred to as a ground assembly (GA) in whole or in part, and the ground assembly may refer to the above-defined meaning.

[0109] In addition, the receiving pad 11 of the electric vehicle 10 and all or a part of other internal components of the electric vehicle may be referred to as a vehicle assembly (VA), and the vehicle assembly may refer to the meaning defined above.

[0110] Here, the transmitting pads or receiving pads may be configured to be non-polarized or polarized.

[0111] If the pad is non-polarized, it can have one pole in the center of the pad and the opposite pole on the outer periphery, where magnetic flux is formed to exit from the center of the pad and return from all outer boundaries of the pad.

[0112] Also, if the pads are polarized, they can have a respective pole on either end of the pad, where magnetic flux is formed based on the orientation of the pad.

[0113] Figure 3 shows a typical trust relationship formation procedure used for electric vehicle power transmission services.

[0114] The trust relationship formation procedure illustrated in Figure 3 follows the ISO15118 standard. ISO15118 is an international standard for communication between EVs and EV chargers. This standard defines communication technologies and application protocols that enable many of the functions required for eMobility services. Such functions include scheduled charging, safety checks, pricing, progress control, discharging, wireless charging and other auxiliary services. The latest version of ISO15118 also defines security requirements for communication protection and end-to-end security, including user authentication.

[0115] PnC (Plug-and-Charge) is the main mechanism for user authentication in ISO15118 and is a contract-based authentication mechanism. When an EV user "plugs" the charging cable into the charger through PnC, the system automatically recognizes the EV user and can start "charging." In the case of wireless charging, the user can simply park the vehicle and leave, and the rest of the process is handled between the EV and the charger.

[0116] PnC relies on security technologies such as public key cryptography, digital certificates and public key infrastructure (PKI).

[0117] Looking more closely at the trust relationships based on ISO15118 in Figure 3, the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), which is the manufacturer of the EV, issues an OEM certificate to the EV (S31). The V2G PKI issues a CPS certificate and a CPO certificate (S32, S33). The MO (Mobility Operator) PKI also issues contract data (S34), and the CPS (Certificate Provisioning Service) signs the contract data (S35). Furthermore, the EV trusts the V2G (Vehicle to Grid) Root CA (Certificate Authority) (S36), and the CPO (Charge Point Operator) trusts the MO Root CA (S37), establishing a relationship.

[0118] The general PnC procedure will be described with reference to FIG.

[0119] First, an EV user contracts with an eMobility service provider for charging services for a specific EV that the user has permission to use. This contract can be called eMAID (eMobility Account Identity). The eMobility operator (MO) issues a contract certificate bound to the eMAID and the corresponding personal key as the account credential.

[0120] The second step of PnC is to install a contract certificate and private key in the EV. This certificate installation procedure requires the interaction of many parties, which makes it complicated and costly. Specifically, the EV manufacturer (OEM) issues and installs an OEM provisioning certificate in the EV, and the V2G operator performs trust delegation. The CPO, which manages and operates the charging infrastructure, helps the MO securely transmit the contract certificate and key to the EV, which likely has no means of communication other than the charger.

[0121] End-to-end security between the EV and MO requires complex hard-core encryption technologies such as the unilaterally ephemeral Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol for secure and economical transfer of sensitive information, a certificate provisioning service for trust-delegation between the EV and MO, and a real-time certificate validation service called Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP).

[0122] The contract certificate and private key are installed in the EV and are used for authentication and authorization of the EV user before each charging service. During the authorization stage, the EV signs a message using the private key to prove ownership of the contract certificate, and uses the certificate to indicate the eMAID for which the specific session should be claimed. Also during the authentication process, the CPO's back-end system checks the revocation status of the contract certificate and the validity of the corresponding MO and account.

[0123] As we have seen, the various limitations of the current PnC mechanism defined in ISO15118 can be summarized as follows:

[0124] First, the setup of contract certificates and private keys is very complex, and many actors are involved, making implementation and testing difficult and increasing architectural complexity due to trust delegation through related services such as Certificate Provisioning Service (CPS), Contract Certificate Pool (CCP), and Directory Service.

[0125] Second, a configuration that requires personal and sensitive information to be stored inside the EV could pose security risks and privacy violations. Depending on the region, such an architecture could violate local regulations on handling personal data, such as GDPR.

[0126] Third, PnC requires each MO to set up and operate its own PKI to issue contract certificates, which incurs significant financial and operational costs.

[0127] Finally, the hierarchical nature of the PnC architecture allows people to use the same contract for many EVs, making it impossible to support car-sharing services where one EV can support many contracts: use cases including EV rental services, EVs shared by many drivers, ownership changes, EV termination, etc. all require decoupling the contract from the EV.

[0128] In a typical PnC using contract certificates, there are three issues related to authentication: first, how the EV trusts the CPO / SECC, second, how the EV trusts the contract data, and how the CPO trusts the contract.

[0129] In normal PnC, the first trust problem is solved by the EV trusting the V2G, which issues a certificate to the CPO. The second trust problem is solved by the EV trusting the V2G, which issues a certificate to the CPS, and the CPS signs the contract package. Finally, the CPO trusts the MO, and the MO issues a contract certificate, allowing the CPO to trust the contract.

[0130] This invention proposes so-called EVPnC as a method to overcome such limitations of existing PnC. This invention proposes a flexible and cost-effective EV-user authorization mechanism by completely removing contract certificates from the system and simplifying the architecture.

[0131] The EVPnC proposed in this invention uses the same technology as PnC, but simplifies the architecture to overcome the limitations of PnC and has the following features:

[0132] First, the contract certificate is not issued to the user.

[0133] Second, authentication of EV users is carried out using the EV itself certificate.

[0134] Third, linking an EV to a specific contract is accomplished in the back-end system.

[0135] Fourth, various approaches to the back-end mechanisms that map EVs to contracts can be used for scalability, efficiency, and flexibility.

[0136] More specifically, the EVPnC according to the present invention can operate as follows.

[0137] The EVPnC according to the present invention starts with the same prerequisites as the existing PnC.

[0138] The OEM PKI (public key infrastructure) issues a certificate for each vehicle during manufacturing and securely stores the certificate and private key on each EV. EVPnC can invoke the EV certificate in place of the OEM provisioning certificate used for other purposes. Similarly to PnC, the CPO PKI can also issue its own certificate for the charger.

[0139] The biggest difference between EVPnC and the existing PnC is that it requires a back-end mechanism to maintain information on which contract account (identified by eMAID (eMobility Account ID)) is linked to which EV.

[0140] The back-end mechanism for performing such functions is a directory service, a clearing house service, etc. In the present invention, a clearing house service (CHS) is proposed as a preferred embodiment of such a back-end mechanism.

[0141] Like the CPS in PnC, the CHS is required to be a trusted service certified by the V2G (Vehicle to Grid) Root CA (Certificate Authority). However, there are no restrictions on the form of the actual realization technology used for the CHS. One possible implementation of the CHS is a cloud service that is accessible to all MOs and CPOs. Another alternative is to have multiple CHS services and various different MOs / CPOs for business reasons.

[0142] In one embodiment of the present invention, it is assumed that a V2G operator operates a CHS cloud service.

[0143] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of an EV user authorization system using a clearinghouse service according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0144] The EV-user authorization system according to an embodiment of the present invention may be referred to as EVPnC, and FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an EV user authorization system using a clearinghouse.

[0145] Referring to FIG. 4, an EV-user authorization system according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a CPO 200, a CHS 300, an OEM PKI 400, a V2G PKI 500, and an MO PKI 600.

[0146] MO600 will acknowledge the EV user's request, associate the EV with the relevant account, and monitor any changes to the account and the EV. MO600 will also notify CHS of any information or changes to the relationship and validity period between the user and the contract.

[0147] The CHS300 securely receives and securely stores the relevant information (EVID, eMAID) from the MO600. Upon request, the CHS300 can transmit the stored information on the relationship and validity period of (EVID, eMAID) to the authorized CPO.

[0148] The CPO 200 authenticates the EV by verifying the ownership of the EV against the EV certificate bound to the EVID. The CPO also authenticates the EV for charging by querying the CHS to verify the eMAID and validity period bound to the EVID.

[0149] OEM PKI400 assigns a unique EVID to each EV and issues an EV certificate that contains the EVID and the corresponding private key. EV securely stores the EV certificate issued by the OEM.

[0150] Additionally, V2G PKI500 issues CPS certificates and CPO certificates.

[0151] Explaining in more detail with reference to FIG. 4, when an EV user registers with the MO, he or she can link their eMAID to a specific EV 100, which is represented by an EV unique identifier, EVID. The EVID is included in the EV certificate. The MO 600 submits information on the relationship between the eMobility Account and the EV, e.g., (EVID, eMAID, expiration) to the CHS. Upon receiving this, the CHS can store such relationship information and the validity period. When the EV arrives at the charging station and starts a charging session, the EV can authenticate itself to the charger using the EV certificate and private key.

[0152] After authenticating the EV 100, the CPO (or SECC) 200 can contact the CHS 300 to confirm the eMAID and validity period associated with the EV. The positive response of the CHS for the EV confirms that the charging services provided to the EV should be billed under the contract of the eMAID that the CHS responded with. Here, the eMAID represents a valid account that is authorized to receive charging services until the expiration of the relationship. Once authentication of the EV user is complete, the charging session can continue.

[0153] Whenever a contract account related to the charging service is changed, the MO600 can update the EVID linked to the account, change the validity period, or remove the relationship record of an eMAID that has been terminated or suspended, and notify the CHS300. Before linking an EVID to an eMAID, the MO600 must confirm that the user owns the account and all EVs, or that the actual owner of the EV has granted permission, and that a person authorized to create the link has made the request. The MO600 can also set an appropriate expiration time for the relationship.

[0154] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of a general EV-user authorization method using PnC.

[0155] Referring to FIG. 5, in the case of an existing PnC based on a contract certificate, the process includes a process of installing the contract certificate in the EV (S510), and a process of checking the validity of the contract certificate and approving the contract (S520).

[0156] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an EV-user authorization method using the EVPnC according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0157] The EV-user authorization method according to the embodiment of FIG. 6 does not include a process of installing a contract certificate in an EV, as compared with the existing method detailed in FIG.

[0158] Furthermore, the CHS 300 is involved as an operating entity to implement the EV-user authorization method according to the embodiment of Fig. 6. Accordingly, the EV-user authorization method according to the embodiment of Fig. 6 may include a step of checking the validity of the OEM certificate (i.e., the user certificate) (S610) and a step of the CPO 200 acquiring relationship information between the EV and the contract from the CHS 300 (S620), instead of the process of checking the validity of the contract certificate and authorizing the contract (S520).

[0159] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an EV user authorization method for charging an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0160] The EV user authorization method illustrated in FIG. 7 is performed by a device that mediates EV user authorization, for example, a clearing house service device described in the above embodiments.

[0161] The device for mediating EV user authorization may be linked with a Mobility Operator (MO) and a Charge Point Operator (CPO) to perform the EV user authorization method according to the present invention.

[0162] 7, an EV user authorization mediation device receives related information between an EV and a charging service account from a Mobility Operator (MO) that provides a charging service to an EV by making a contract with the EV user (S710). Having received the related information, the EV user authorization mediation device securely stores the information in a storage device owned by the device or a separate storage connected to the device (S720).

[0163] Thereafter, the device that mediates EV user authorization may receive a request to confirm related information for the EV to be charged from the charging station operator of the charging station where the specific EV that wishes to be charged is located (S730). Having received the request, the device that mediates EV user authorization may provide the stored related information for the EV to be charged and the charging service account to the charging station operator (S740).

[0164] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a clearinghouse service device for mediating EV-user authorization according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0165] The clearinghouse service device 300 is a device that mediates EV user authorization for charging electric vehicles, and can be linked to a mobility operator (MO) that enters into a contract with an EV user and provides charging services to the EV, and a charging station operator (CPO) that supplies power to EVs requesting charging.

[0166] To this end, the clearinghouse service device 300 may include at least one processor 310, a memory 320 storing at least one instruction for performing the above-mentioned operations via the processor, and a communication module 330.

[0167] The processor can execute program commands stored in the memory and refers to a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor in which the method according to the present invention is performed. The memory can be composed of a volatile storage medium and / or a non-volatile storage medium, and can be composed of a read only memory (ROM) and / or a random access memory (RAM).

[0168] Here, the at least one instruction may include an instruction to receive related information between the EV and the charging service account from the mobility operator; an instruction to store the related information between the EV and the charging service account; an instruction to receive a request to confirm related information for a target EV from the charging station operator; and an instruction to provide the related information between the EV and the charging service account for the EV to the charging station operator.

[0169] The clearing house service device 300 can also interface with a mobility operator (MO), a charging station operator (CPO), and a V2G root CA (Certificate Authority) through the communication module 330.

[0170] The at least one instruction may further include an instruction for receiving, from the MO, a notification that a change has occurred to the charging service account; and an instruction for performing an update to the charging service account where a change has occurred.

[0171] The device that mediates the EV user authorization is certified by the V2G (Vehicle to Grid) Root CA.

[0172] The EV can request authentication from the charging station operator using an EV certificate and a corresponding personal key.

[0173] The EV certificate is issued by an EV manufacturer (OEM) and may include a unique identifier of the EV and a corresponding private key.

[0174] Meanwhile, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the EV can support both general contract-based PnC and EV-based PnC. In this case, a contract certificate, an EV certificate, and an OEM provisioning certificate are used as identification certificates. The identification certificate is a certificate used by the EVCC to authenticate itself to the SECC through the contract-based PnC or EV-based PnC authentication method. Here, the EV certificate is a certificate issued to the EVCC for identification in the EV-based PnC (Plug-and-Charge) method.

[0175] To achieve EVPnC with Contract Platform PnC implemented, EVPnC can be selected as the identification service and the OEM provisioning certificate or EV certificate can be used for authentication request / response. The same certificate can also be used to sign metering receipts and authorize charges via the V2G route.

[0176] The EV-user authorization mechanism proposed in this invention has the following advantages: There are no privacy issues or violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). No PKI required in MO systems. No need for trust delegation systems such as CPS, CCP, and Directory Services. Supports car-sharing use cases that contribute to user convenience, protection of user personal information, contract flexibility, and diverse business opportunities.

[0177] The operations according to the embodiments 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 all kinds of storage devices in which data readable by a computer system is stored. The computer readable recording medium may also be distributed among computer systems connected to a network, so that the computer readable program or code may be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

[0178] Additionally, the computer readable recording medium may include hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc. The program instructions may include not only machine code, such as produced by a compiler, but also high-level language code that is executed by the computer using an interpreter, etc.

[0179] Although some aspects of the invention have been described in the context of an apparatus, it may also be presented as a corresponding method description, where the blocks or apparatus correspond to method steps or features of the method steps. Similarly, aspects described in the context of a method may also be presented as corresponding blocks or items or features of the 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 electronic circuitry. In some embodiments, one or more of the most important method steps are performed by such an apparatus.

[0180] In some embodiments, a programmable logic device (e.g., a field programmable gate array) may be used to perform some or all of the functionality of the methods described herein. In some embodiments, the field programmable gate array may operate in conjunction with a microprocessor to perform one of the methods described herein. In general, it is preferred that the methods be performed by some hardware device.

[0181] Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0182] 10. Electric Vehicles 11 Receiving Pad 12 Battery 20 Charging Station 21 Send Pad 30 Electric vehicle charging cable 31 Charging connector 33 Power outlet socket connection 40 Power Socket 50 Power grid 100 Specific EV (electric vehicle) 200 CPO (charging station operator) 300 CHS (Clearing House Service) 310 Processor 320 Memory 330 Communication Module 400 OEM PKI 500 V2G PKI 600 MO PKI

Claims

1. An EV user authorization method for charging an electric vehicle, which is performed by an EV user authorization system in which a mobility operator (MO) that enters into a contract with an EV user and provides a charging service to the EV, a charge point operator (CPO) that supplies power to an EV requesting charging based on a digital certificate, and an intermediary device that mediates EV user authorization operate in conjunction with each other, receiving, from one or more of the mobility operators, association information between an EV identifier and charging service account information, the EV identifier mapping the EV identifier to charging service account information; The intermediary device stores association information between the EV identifier and the charging service account information; The charging station operator receives an EV certificate, not a contract certificate, from the EV to be charged, and checks the validity of the EV certificate. Then, the charging station operator transmits a related information confirmation request including the EV identifier of the EV to be charged, which is included in the EV certificate, to the intermediate device; The intermediate device provides the charging station operator with related information corresponding to the EV identifier for the EV to be charged; and The method for authorizing an EV user, comprising the step of the charging station operator requesting EV user authorization for the EV to be charged from the mobility operator using the related information for the EV to be charged.

2. A step of receiving a notification of a change to the charging service account information from the mobility operator by the intermediary device; and The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of: the intermediate device updating the charging service account information where a change has occurred.

3. The intermediary device is The EV user authorization method according to claim 1, wherein the V2G root CA is a Clearing House Service (CHS) device certified by a V2G root CA (Certificate Authority).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the EV requests authentication from the charging station operator using the EV certificate and a corresponding personal key.

5. The EV user authorization method according to claim 4 , wherein the EV certificate is issued by an EV manufacturer (Original Equipment Manufacturer; OEM) and includes the EV identifier and the corresponding private key that are unique to the EV.

6. The association information between the EV identifier and the charging service account information is: The EV user authorization method of claim 1 , wherein the EV user authorization information includes an EV identifier, an eMobility Account Identity (eMAID), and a validity period.

7. An EV (Electric Vehicle) user authorization system for charging an electric vehicle, comprising: one or more Mobility Operator (MO) PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) servers that generate association information between an EV identifier of a corresponding EV and charging service account information by mapping the EV identifier of the corresponding EV to charging service account information at the request of an EV user, notify the association information to a clearinghouse service device, receive a request for authorization of an EV user, and perform authorization of the EV user; A clearing house service (CHS) device that receives and stores association information between the EV identifier and the charging service account information from a mobility operator and provides the association information between the EV identifier and the charging service account information upon request; and and a charge point operator (CPO) server that authenticates an EV requesting charging based on a digital certificate received from the EV, and if the digital certificate received from the EV is not a contract certificate, queries the clearing house service device to receive charging service account information mapped to the EV identifier included in the digital certificate, and requests authorization of the EV user using the received charging service account information.

8. The EV user authorization system of claim 7, further comprising an EV manufacturer (OEM) PKI server that assigns a unique identifier to each EV and issues an EV certificate including the unique identifier and a corresponding private key.

9. The EV user authorization system of claim 7, wherein the clearing house service device is certified by a Vehicle to Grid (V2G) root Certificate Authority (CA).

10. The EV user authorization system of claim 8 , wherein the EV requests authorization from the charging station operator using the EV certificate and the corresponding personal key.

11. The EV user authorization system of claim 7, wherein the clearinghouse service device receives a notification of a change to the charging service account information or association information between the EV identifier and the charging service account information from the mobility operator PKI server, and performs an update to the charging service account information where a change has occurred.

12. The association information between the EV identifier and the charging service account is The EV user authorization system of claim 7, wherein the authentication information includes at least one of an EV identifier, an eMobility Account Identity (eMAID), and a validity period.

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