Monitoring and surveillance system of transportation electric vehicles charging stations based on OCPP protocol

Abstract

This invention is a charging control and monitoring dashboard that receives information about power, current, voltage, error packets from the charger by the OCPP server, and after storing it in the MongoDB database, the information is sent online by The dashboard server, which is implemented in JavaScript and on the NodeJs platform, retrieves and processes data from the database, and then displays it in statistical and tabular forms to the operator or owner of the electric vehicle charging station through web socket communication. It can monitor and control charging, the status of chargers, error detection, and sending OCPP commands from the server to the charger. It is also possible to define the basic information by displaying the registration forms and sending them through the web socket from the front side of the dashboard to the back end and storing them in the database.

Description

Monitoring and Surveillance System of Transportation Electric Vehicles Charging Stations Based on OCPP Protocol

[0001] With the growth of electric vehicles and related infrastructures, which are added to this vast collection every day, the need for powerful and efficient monitoring software that can receive, process, and display data without errors and in real time is inevitable. Is. The proposed solution to meet this need is the design of a charging control and monitoring dashboard that receives information about power, current, voltage, error packets from the charger by the OCPP server, and With the rise of electric vehicles and related charging infrastructures, the need for a robust and efficient monitoring system that can receive, process and display data without errors and in real-time is becoming more and more important.

[0002] This dashboard has a range of features that enable the monitoring and control of charging, detection of charging errors and sending OCPP commands from the server to the charger. Additionally, the dashboard allows for the display of basic information by showing registration forms and sending them through the web socket from the dashboard's front end to the back end, where the data is stored in the database.

[0003] Overall, the charging control and monitoring dashboard provides a comprehensive solution for monitoring and controlling electric vehicle charging stations, ensuring that they operate safely and efficiently, storing it in the MongoDB database, the information is sent online by the dashboard server, which is implemented in JavaScript and on the NodeJs platform, retrieves and processes data from the database. Then it displays it in statistical and tabular forms to the operator or owner of the electric vehicle charging station through web socket communication.

[0004] B60R 16 / 00 - B60R 26 / 03 - B60K 37 / 20

[0005] WO2020120093

[0006] SYSTEM FOR CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OF THE CHARGING OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES

[0007] A system for control and management of the charging of electric vehicles of a type chosen from vehicles with exclusively electric motor drives and vehicles with hybrid motor drives, which comprises: at least one main server, at least one telecommunications network, at least one first supervision and control unit for charging facilities of at least one operator of charging facilities for electric vehicles and at least one computer associated with a user account chosen between a user, a driver, a corresponding electric vehicle, the person jointly liable for the vehicle and any combination thereof. The server is adapted to be connected, via the telecommunications network, to at least one first supervision and control unit of at least one operator of electric charging facilities for road vehicles and at least one computer associated with the user, for the execution of operations comprising bookings, and / or corresponding cancellations, of at least one stall of at least one charging facility and for sharing the effects of such operations with a predefined number of computers which are associated with respective users.

[0008] This system for charging management is exclusive to some vehicles and it is not a program like our claimed patent which is suitable for all charging stations and also managing other systems. Also, this patent has a server but it is not based on the OCPP protocol which our claimed program works based on.

[0009] US20220289065

[0010] MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, AND ELECTRIC VEHICLE

[0011] A charger information holding unit of a management system holds an identification information item and charging efficiencies of a plurality of chargers for charging an electric vehicle, the identification information item and the charging efficiencies being associated with each other. A communication unit of the management system receives an identification information item on a charger from an electric vehicle connected to the charger, via a network. A creating unit of the management system creates a charging plan for the electric vehicle, based on a required charging amount and a target charging termination time. The creating unit of the management system refers to the charger information holding unit and determines a charging efficiency of the charger connected to the electric vehicle, based on the received identification information item, and creates a charging plan with the charging efficiency of the charger. The communication unit of the management system transmits the created charging plan to the electric vehicle via the network.

[0012] This system receives information by network but our claimed program transports data through the Web socket feature and it displays as a statistical form. This mentioned system creates charging plans, calculates their efficiency, and updates them, on the other hand, our claimed program gives the chance to control the charging amount and the whole program can be updated even from a long distance; also, the users can insert their information and receive charging card themselves, so user interface in our claimed program is vaster than the mentioned one.

[0013] US20240125607

[0014] TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT AND BATTERY CHARGE MANAGEMENT SERVER FOR TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF

[0015] A battery charge management server for an electric vehicle may include a storage unit configured to store and update transportation data, a communication unit configured to receive information on a destination and information on an electric vehicle battery from a user, and a processor configured to calculate a driving route and a transportation time to the destination based on the transportation data and the information on the destination, predict a remaining battery capacity of the electric vehicle battery after reaching the destination based on the driving route, the transportation time, and the electric vehicle battery, and providing the predicted remaining battery capacity.

[0016] Both of the systems comprise updating data features and have similarities, but overall, this mentioned system is mostly about battery management while our program covers administration and surveillance of charging stations and their proper function with a control dashboard based on OCPP protocol; the mentioned system predicts the battery’s remaining power according to the routes and destination while out mentioned patent analyzes and identifies errors occurring in the charging station.

[0017] US20220410758

[0018] ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING MANAGEMENT METHODS AND SYSTEMS

[0019] Electric vehicle charging management methods and systems are provided. A server performs a charging scheduling operation for each electric vehicle charging station to determine a specific time point for each electric vehicle charging station to perform a charging operation in which the charging operation is to charge an electric vehicle coupled with the electric vehicle charging station. When the charging operation corresponding to each electric vehicle charging station is being performed, each electric vehicle charging station transmits charging information corresponding to the charging operation to the server through a network. The server determines whether the charging operation of specific electric vehicle charging station among the electric vehicle charging stations is abnormal based on the charging information received from each electric vehicle charging station, and generates a warning notification and sends the warning notification through the network when the charging operation of the specific electric vehicle charging station is abnormal.

[0020] This charging management system can be also connected to charging stations via a network, but it is considerable that our claimed patent uses OCPP protocol, and its dashboard control manages the amount of charge through V2G and G2V in a direct connection with the vehicle. Our claimed program can go further and be used in other fields too. This mentioned patent can maintain a charging plan for each vehicle and when they need to recharge again, our claimed system only focuses on monitoring charging stations, their process, and user interface by features such as Change Stream, MongoDB database, etc.., errors occur in each part. This mentioned patent can also send a warning if an error happens, but it does not have an improving backup, and updating even from a long distance.

[0021] WO2021000015

[0022] ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEM

[0023] An electric vehicle charging system, comprising: an electric vehicle charge station for supplying electrical power to an electric vehicle; a charge control management system in communication with the electric vehicle charging station, for managing the amount of electrical power supplied to the electric vehicle via the electric vehicle charging station; and a payment facility arranged on or near the electric vehicle charging station, in communication with the charge control management system; wherein the payment facility is configured to initialize the charge control management system and process payment based on the amount of electrical power supplied by the electric vehicle charging station.

[0024] The mentioned patent implements OCPP protocol like our claimed program and is connected to charging stations, but it uses more protocols than our claimed program and also manages the amount of charging current in addition to payment calculations; besides these similarities, their process of working is different, our claimed program is a designed dashboard control which avails the manager to monitor the station plus if an error occurs and also avails the users to have their charging cart by themselves. Our claimed patent has a backup team to be improved and databases.

[0025] This computer program manages and monitors electric vehicle charging stations, allowing real-time status viewing, online charging operation analysis, error resolution, and remote charger updates. It supports the OCPP protocol and offers smart charging features. All commands of the OCPP protocol are implemented, making it possible to support chargers of different companies from different countries. Data is displayed in real-time and analyzed by developers for improvement. Remote updating and sending OCPP commands, including smart charging setup and G2V and V2G communications, are also possible.

[0026] The charging process of electric vehicles consists of different stages, including user authentication, charging start, charging routine viewing, charging termination, charging termination reason viewing, and troubleshooting in case of errors in the charging routine.

[0027] One of the challenges in this field is the authentication of users using electric vehicle chargers, as well as the control of the start and end of remote charging when unforeseen events occur when it is not possible to start and end charging normally. Another challenge is to find the fault of the electric vehicle charger and observe its status, which is one of the objectives of the implementation in the dashboard. Viewing the charging status to monitor and report the income from charging is one of the inevitable requirements of this field. With the increasing number of charging stations and chargers, the need for a suitable infrastructure to control and monitor the charging of electric vehicles was felt to respond to the problems and needs of users, and this goal was achieved by implementing a dashboard. Due to the existence of the global OCPP standard, the connection between the electric vehicle charger and the server has been made using this protocol, as a result, the charging control and management dashboard was designed and implemented following the OCPP protocol.

[0028] According to the appearance of charging infrastructure in charging electric vehicle stations, there should be a concrete surveillance system on the chargers and charging process conditions to display the data changes online on a chart or graph. Since the connection between the chargers and the server is based on the OCPP protocol, the solution should have the possibility of supporting this protocol.

[0029] According to the complete adaptation of the control dashboard and charging management on OCPP protocol, in addition to displaying the electric vehicle charging station’s general information and charging station’s geographical location, charging process information and charger’s condition, statistical display of the charging process information, it made it possible to send orders as the ones in the protocol are known as orders from server to charger like beginning the charging process from distance, ending the charging process from distance, applying access level at the charging station, chargers or the connectors, observing the primary setting of the chargers, chargers setting changes, software and hardware reinstallation, sending the allowable user lists to charge on offline mode, charger’s software update and setting the maximum amount of energy delivered by the charger to the electric vehicle. So the required information of each order is received from the operator and sent from the server, based on the defined format of the protocol, through the WebSocket in the form of event-based to the charger and the result of the request is also based on the defined format of OCPP. By occurring a fault through the charging process, the charger sends a packet to the server; interpreting this error is included as one of the problem-solving cases, and after notifying the error to the operator by noticing the control dashboard screen, charge management and also sending a message, the operator knows the error and through attending to the errors section in the dashboard, observes the error’s detailed information and begins to solve them.

[0030] It is possible to define different levels of access to limit the operator's authority in using the charging control and monitoring center dashboard. In the database structure, a table specifies the set of authority limits, and by assigning a set of authority limit codes to a role, the access level of that role is determined and assigned to the user.

[0031] To charge users through the card, after registering the card issuance request, it is possible to issue the card through the charging control and management dashboard. In the issuance of the card, a set of restrictions must be met, such as the correctness of the user's information, having sufficient balance, and non-duplication of the check card number. If there is no problem, this information is sent to the backend through a socket with a specific event and stored in the backend database.

[0032] It is possible to record the basic information of chargers, charging stations, operators, and access levels in the dashboard. This dashboard is provided in Persian and English languages. The charging control and management dashboard includes the database section, the server (back-end), and front-end codes, and the client is connected to the server through the web socket. OCPP is a global standard for communication between charger and server that was introduced in 2017 and is presented in different versions such as 1.5, 1.6, and 2.1.

[0033] OCPP version 1.6 has been used in the design and implementation of the charge control and management dashboard. In this protocol, the method of communication as well as the format of messages and responses sent and received between the charger and the server is specified. By using this protocol, you can take advantage of features such as information about the status of the charger, starting and ending charging remotely, restarting the charger, updating the software in the charger, etc. This protocol is used in more than 20,000 chargers in 16 countries.

[0034] In the database section, MongoDB is used as one of the most popular and widely used databases in the NoSQL database branch. This database allows us to store data in the desired format. This database is used to store the information of chargers, users, performed and ongoing charging procedures, and such information. In the programming section, JavaScript language Reactjs and Redux technology are used in the front end, and Nodejs in the back end.

[0035] Since the data related to the charger must be displayed online in the dashboard, the most appropriate communication method is to use the web socket, which informs the dashboard server of the changed information in the database with Change Stream technology and through the web socket to the open front. Is returned also that, the web socket is one of the communication methods introduced in the OCPP protocol.

[0036] Statistical display of the charger’s condition information and electric vehicle’s charging process.

[0037] Online display of the received information from the electric vehicle’s charger.

[0038] Complete adaptation of control dashboard and charge management with OCPP.

[0039] The possibility of defining different accessibility levels.

[0040] Presenting control dashboard and electric vehicle’s charge management in two languages.

[0041] Brief Description of Drawing

[0042] shows the process of sending orders from server to charger by a flowchart.

[0043] shows a flowchart of error occurrence in the chargers.

[0044] shows a flowchart of the online data display.

[0045] shows a flow chart of when the server sends an order to the charger, the required information is gained from the operator and sent to the charger in the event-based form.

[0046] presents a flowchart of errors in the chargers which shows as soon as an error occurs in the charger, its information is sent in the form of a packet to the OCPP server and the operator will be informed in the form of an online error warning notification in the form of a notification on the dashboard, and displaying the charging station with an error on the map.

[0047] shows a flowchart of the data display which explains that the information is recognized by the Change Stream feature in the MongoDB database, and then the changed information is sent through the web socket and finally presented online.Examples

[0048] For example, for a new electric vehicle charging station, after registering the basic information about the electric vehicle charging station and its chargers by defining a user for the operator of that station (station owner) and assigning an access level to determine the limits of the operator's authority, After entering the user name and password by the operator, it is possible to view the chargers of the electric vehicle charging station and all the related details. The status of chargers and their connection to the Internet, geographic location, name, number, and status of the connectors of that charger are among the visible information of the charger's status. Also, the charging operation is being carried out and the amount of energy delivered, the duration of charging, and the income from charging can be seen in the charging operation section. It is also possible to report information in Excel format. The set of stated information can be filtered in the form of linear, bar, and circular graphs by provinces, charging stations, and chargers, as well as the desired time interval. It should be explained that the set of OCPP commands includes: starting the remote charging operation, terminating the remote charging operation, applying access level to the charging station, charger, or connectors, viewing the initial settings of the charger, changing the settings of the charger, restarting software and hardware. It is possible to send the list of authorized users for offline charging, update the charger software, and set the maximum amount of energy delivered by the charger to the electric vehicle.

[0049] A concrete system in which the data changes are displayed online is necessary for all the electric vehicle charging stations, to observe the charging process, solve the errors, follow the income, define the basic information, send OCPP orders, and export cards.

Claims

A computer program for broad management and monitoring of charging stations for electric vehicles allows the operator or owner of the charging station to view the status of chargers in real-time, view charging operations online, define basic information, issue cards, analyze and resolve issues. As soon as the error occurs, it provides payment management, sends messages to others, updates chargers remotely, and implements smart charging, this computer program, which is a charging control and management dashboard, is made with JavaScript language and is made from It supports the OCPP protocol and all its commands and settings, and in addition to being used in the field of managing and monitoring electric vehicle chargers, it can also be used in other fields and businesses such as shared cars and connected cars.According to claim 1, the charging management and control dashboard follows the OCPP communication protocol, which is the most widely used and reliable communication protocol between chargers and servers in the world, and all the commands of this protocol are implemented in this dashboard. It can be used and with the support of this protocol, it is possible to support chargers of different companies from different countries.According to claim 1, the data is displayed in real-time, and by applying any change in the information related to the status of chargers and charging operations, the information is recognized by the Change Stream feature in the MongoDB database, and then the changed information is sent through the web socket. It is displayed online in statistical and tabular form.According to claim number 1, the data is sent to the developers and support team for analysis, and they can access detailed information about the chargers to develop new items or improve processes and features. The data format is fully implemented according to the needs of the developers.According to claim 1, as soon as an error occurs that causes the charger to be out of reach, the information related to the error occurrence is sent in the form of a packet from the charger side to the OCPP server and the operator will be informed in the form of an online error warning notification. This notification is done in the form of displaying a notification on the main page of the dashboard, playing an audio warning, sending an error message to the relevant operator, and displaying the charging station with an error in a blinking manner on the map.According to claim 1, the possibility of remote updating and sending OCPP commands to the charger, including starting or terminating the remote charging operation, applying the access level at the charging station, changing the charger settings, restarting software and hardware. Sending the list of authorized users for charging in offline mode, updating the charger software, setting the maximum amount of energy delivered by the charger to the electric vehicle, as well as the possibility of updating other boards of remote charging protocols have been provided.According to claim 1, setting up and implementing smart charging is done using the dashboard features developed for this purpose, and using the dashboard, the flow rate of each charge can be determined to implement a smart charging network. It is also possible to set up G2V and V2G communications (network to car and car to network) through the dashboard, and these settings are made through the relevant section of the dashboard and sent to the charger.

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