Distributed charging system and method for electric vehicles

Abstract

The present invention relates to a distributed charging system for electric vehicles comprising: two or more sockets configured to be connected to a vehicle; two or more switches each connected to one of the sockets and configured to activate or deactivate the power supply of each socket; and a charge management device connected to the switches and configured to set charging time intervals and to activate or deactivate the switches. The present invention further relates to a distributed charging method comprising: determining a set of sequential charging time slot reservations; determining a socket to be activated based on the time slot reservations; activating a switch corresponding to the socket to be activated; activating the power supply of the socket to be activated; deactivating the power supply in the activated socket at the end of the time slot reservation period; deactivating the switch corresponding to the deactivated socket; and repeating the preceding steps sequentially.

Description

[0001] DISTRIBUTED CHARGING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES

[0002] OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention falls within the field of electric vehicle charging systems.

[0004] The object of the present invention is a system and method for the distributed charging of various electric vehicles in an orderly manner, allowing efficient use of energy and chargers, and minimizing power demand.

[0005] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Considering the climate emergency the planet is currently experiencing, a primary objective is to reduce CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases. These CO2 emissions are closely related to the use of fossil fuels, with transportation responsible for 29% of global emissions. A major challenge to achieving mobility change and reducing emissions is its electrification, which requires the use and installation of electric vehicle chargers.

[0007] Charging electric vehicles has some unique characteristics compared to gasoline. Charging electric vehicles takes a certain amount of time, ranging from 8 hours at slow chargers to around 15-20 minutes at faster chargers. This sometimes forces users to wait to charge, and also requires them to move the vehicle once it's fully charged, if it's at a public charger or at a charging station network operator.

[0008] Spain is a country where the majority of the population lives in apartment buildings, which means that in order to make the switch to electric mobility, chargers must be included in communal garages in apartment buildings. These buildings have a large number of parking spaces, making it unfeasible to contract an electrical power equivalent to the number of parked cars charging simultaneously, as this would entail introducing medium voltage into the buildings. Currently, there are many types of electric vehicle chargers on the market, both for private and public use, and they all suffer from the same problem. They do not efficiently manage the sequential charging of several vehicles and force the user to manually connect and disconnect the vehicle at the beginning and end of the charge to be able to charge the next vehicle.

[0009] The solution being adopted to address this problem is the installation of individual chargers for each parking space, an extremely expensive option, both in terms of investment in chargers and in contracting electrical power.

[0010] A clear example of this is the largest electric car park in Europe, built in Stockholm by the companies CTEK and Parkehng, which has 1,000 individual chargers inside.

[0011] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention describes a distributed charging system and method for electric vehicles, which allows solving the problems previously raised.

[0013] Specifically, the distributed charging system of the invention allows vehicles to be charged sequentially, thus solving the problem of power contracting, since it would not be necessary to contract high power, instead distributing the charges over time. The system of the invention also solves the problem of having to manually change the charger, since it comprises two or more plugs configured to be connected to an electric car via a connection hose. Preferably, the system of the invention may also comprise one or more connection hoses configured to be connected to a plug and to a vehicle.

[0014] The system of the invention also comprises two or more circuit breakers, each connected to one of the outlets. These circuit breakers are configured to activate or deactivate the power supply to each of the outlets. The distributed charging system also comprises a load management device that manages the load in an orderly manner, without forcing the user to manually change the charger. This load management device is connected to the circuit breakers and configured to set hourly charging reserves and to automatically activate or deactivate the switches based on the hourly charging reserves. In addition, the load management device may comprise a digital counter for monitoring the amount of energy supplied.

[0015] The system of the invention may also comprise two or more meters connected to the charging management device. These meters would also each be connected to one of the plugs to determine the consumption level of each electric vehicle and its charge level.

[0016] Preferably, the switches can be configured to be activated or deactivated via a wireless connection. Alternatively, a wired connection could be used.

[0017] Preferably, circuit breakers can be implemented by automatic relays controlled via wireless or wired connection by the load management device.

[0018] The plugs can be female plugs from an EmonEVSE type charger and, preferably, with a Type 2 or Mennekes connection.

[0019] Likewise, the plugs can comprise 7 pins, 3 corresponding to phases, a neutral, a ground pin, a control pin and a proximity pin.

[0020] Preferably, the control pin may be configured to transmit information to the charging management device regarding maximum current intensity, possible errors, and a battery level; while the proximity pin may be configured to send a verification signal and transmit information to the charging management device regarding whether the hose connected to the plug is correctly connected. Each connection hose has two connectors, a male connector intended to be connected to the plug of the system and a female connector intended to be connected to a vehicle. The system of the invention may further comprise, connected to each of the switches, a set of relays, each associated with each of the pins. Thus, the switches may be configured to open or close the relays.Relays associated with the phase, neutral and ground pins can cut off the power supply and relays associated with the control and proximity pins can cut off the transmission of information.

[0021] Preferably, the switches can be connected to a different phase than the socket, to allow them to be powered when the power supply has not been started at the socket.

[0022] In addition, relays and switches can be configured in normally open mode, to prevent them from continuing to supply power in the event of a fault or malfunction.

[0023] In addition, the charging management device can be linked to a mobile app to enable user identification and management, reservation of charging times for electric vehicles, and monitoring of energy consumption associated with charging.

[0024] The invention also relates to a distributed charging method for electric vehicles, which allows several electric vehicles to be charged in an orderly and sequential manner, without the need to manually change the connector of a hose between vehicles at the time of charging and allowing efficient use of energy.

[0025] The method of the invention makes use of the described system and comprises the steps of: a) determining a set of sequential load time reservations; b) determining a plug to be activated based on the time reservations; c) activating a switch corresponding to the plug to be activated; d) activating the power supply to the plug to be activated; e) deactivating the power supply to the activated plug at the end of the time reservation period; f) deactivating the switch corresponding to the deactivated plug; and g) repeating steps b) to f) sequentially based on the set of time reservations. Thus, based on the time reservations, the load management device can activate or deactivate each of the switches.

[0026] Thus, in the method of the invention, a user can have their parking space assigned to them, and upon making a time reservation, charging will begin when scheduled, without the user having to go at that moment to plug or unplug the charger's hose. Instead, the user can park their vehicle and connect the hose connector or charger to the vehicle at any time.

[0027] This allows you to limit the number of cars charging simultaneously in a garage so you don't have to contract excessively high power from the chargers.

[0028] Its application to vehicle fleets is also interesting, as they are typically charged overnight. The method of the invention allows for sequential charging without the need for personnel to plug and unplug the vehicle's hose connectors.

[0029] Furthermore, the method of the invention may comprise a step of monitoring a charging level, a charging intensity level, possible errors or a charging state of a vehicle during charging.

[0030] Also, the method may comprise another step of adjusting a charging intensity level or turning off the power supply prematurely during charging of a vehicle.

[0031] Preferably, after step d), the method may also comprise a step of determining that charging has not started when the power supply is activated and sending a notice to a user who owns the corresponding socket.

[0032] The method of the invention, therefore, makes it possible to limit the power contracted by a community, garage, or company, since the vehicles are charged sequentially. Furthermore, it allows for the charging of each vehicle to associate the costs with each user. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] To complement the description being made and in order to help better understand the characteristics of the invention, in accordance with a preferred example of practical implementation thereof, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description, in which the following has been represented for illustrative and non-limiting purposes:

[0034] Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the system of the invention.

[0035] Figure 2.- Shows an embodiment of the plug of the invention with its pins.

[0036] Figure 3.- Shows an embodiment of the connection between a switch, the relays and the plug pins of the system of the invention.

[0037] PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0038] Figure 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which the method of the invention is implemented on a personal device such as a computer, tablet or mobile phone. In particular, the method is implemented as a mobile application (5) in which a user registers with a password and can, through that password, reserve a certain number of hours to charge their vehicle.

[0039] The system of the invention comprises a load management device (1) comprising a digital counter to monitor the amount of energy supplied and shares the collected data with an external server (4), with which it connects.

[0040] This configuration allows for various configuration options related to scheduling, maximum charging intensity, displaying charging percentage, and displaying operating temperature, among others.

[0041] In this way, the user can check the amount of energy used by accessing the information stored on the server through the mobile application (5). Furthermore, in this way the electricity bill of a community of neighbors can be distributed, associating each neighbor with their corresponding energy expenditure. The system of the invention also comprises two or more plugs (6) configured to be connected to an electric car and two or more switches (7) each connected to one of the plugs and configured to activate or deactivate the power supply of each of the plugs.

[0042] The load management device (1 ) connects to the switches (7) to control them. In addition, through a set of pins on the plug, it can send consumption information to the digital counter (2) of the load management device (1 ).

[0043] Each of the switches (7) is connected to one of the plugs (6) for charging the vehicle, so that there is one plug (6) per space and / or per user.

[0044] In this case, the plug is from an EmonEVSE charger. This is an open-source charger that allows charging up to 22 kW in three-phase and 7 kW in single-phase, and can be activated or deactivated via Wi-Fi. The plug preferably uses a Type 2 female connector (or Mennekes), as this is the European standard. A hose with two Type 2 connectors (female-male) can be connected to the plug.

[0045] The plug shown in Figure 2, comprises 5 pins, at the bottom, which are intended to power the vehicle. The 5 pins correspond to 3 phases (L1, L2 and L3), a neutral (N) and a ground (PE). The plug also comprises two pins, at the top, corresponding to a control pin (CP, Control Pilot) that is responsible for communicating between the vehicle and the charge management device (1) to report the maximum current intensity, possible errors and battery level, and with a proximity pin (PP, Proximity Pilot), which sends a verification signal to determine that the connector is correctly connected.

[0046] The plug (6) of the system of the invention is a female connector. In addition, the system of the invention may comprise a hose with a male connector, configured to connect to the plug, and a female connector, configured to connect to the electric car.

[0047] The switch, in this case, is an open source Shellyl type wifi switch (7) that allows the load to be activated or deactivated by opening or closing the relays (3) connected to the pins of the plug (6). In particular, the switch (7) can be implemented as an automatic relay configured to connect with the relays (3) connected to the pins of the plug (6). The switch can also be programmed and allows an initial state to be defined, which in this case will be open.

[0048] The system of the invention is especially useful for vehicle fleets (urban buses, for example) where with a single management device (1) it can sequentially charge, during the night, the different buses, connecting and disconnecting the switches (7) automatically.

[0049] In this case, the load management device (1) activates or deactivates the switches (7) depending on the time. In turn, each switch (7) controls the opening or closing of a set of relays (3) connected to the pins of the plug (6).

[0050] The charging management device (1) is connected to the three-phase network (8) to allow charging of electric vehicles.

[0051] Preferably, the switch (7) is connected to a phase other than that of the charger, so that it can be activated even if no current is flowing through the charger.

[0052] Furthermore, the relays (3) and switches (3) can be configured as normally open to prevent power from being supplied in the event of a failure.

[0053] Figure 3 shows an example of an embodiment of the connection in the relay assembly (3) of the system of the invention. The switch (7) is powered by a phase different from that of the plug (6). Each of the relays (3) is connected to one of the phase pins of the plug (6). Also, the relays are connected to the control pin and the proximity pin. In this way, the switch, connected to the relays (3), controls the opening or closing of said relays (3) when it is activated or deactivated.

[0054] The system of the invention works in conjunction with a charging method comprising the steps of: receiving a charging request from the user, in a free time slot. The selected time slot is then marked as occupied, so that other users cannot select it. When the time comes to start charging, it is checked that the vehicle is correctly connected to the plug (6) by means of the hose, and, if so, the corresponding switch (7) is activated and charging is started, supplying power to the corresponding plug (6) during the chosen time slot.

[0055] If the vehicle were incorrectly connected, charging would not begin when the power supply was started, so it is determined that the plug (6) is not working correctly because at least one of the hose connectors is not properly connected. In this case, a warning can be configured to prompt the user to check the connection of the vehicle to the plug (6).

[0056] Once the chosen time slot has ended, the power supply to the socket (6) is deactivated and the switch (7) is deactivated.

[0057] It is important to carry out the operations in this order, since if the power supply is started before connecting the switch (7), charging will not begin as the vehicle cannot be detected.

[0058] In the present invention, the application could be used via the web or as a mobile app. In this application, an administrator profile is defined with access to user account information, associating a plug in a specific parking space with each corresponding user account. Furthermore, the administrator profile can access vehicle charging history and time reservations, in order to associate each user's electricity consumption to distribute the total cost.

[0059] User profiles allow you to make time reservations, with a maximum number of hours. They also allow you to cancel or modify your own reservations, as long as they don't overlap with existing reservations from other users.

[0060] While charging the vehicle, the user profile also allows you to access charging information, such as the vehicle's charge level, adjust the charging intensity, stop charging, or view the charging status.

[0061] The reservation system implemented using the system and method of the invention allows for sequential activation of the charging of each of the different users automatically, such that, while a vehicle remains charging, no other vehicle can be charged.

Claims

1. Distributed charging system for electric vehicles comprising: - two or more sockets (6) configured to be connected to a vehicle; - two or more switches (7) each connected to one of the sockets (6) and configured to activate or deactivate the power supply to each of the sockets (6); and - a load management device (1) connected to the switches (7) and configured to set hourly load reservations and to activate or deactivate the switches (7) based on the hourly load reservations.

2. Distributed charging system according to claim 1, further comprising two or more counters (2) connected to the charging management device (1) and each connected to one of the plugs (6) to determine the consumption level of each electric car, possible errors and the charging level thereof.

3. Distributed charging system according to any of claims 1 to 2, wherein the switches (7) are configured to be activated or deactivated by a wireless connection.

4. Distributed charging system according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plugs (6) are from an EmonEVSE type charger.

5. Distributed charging system according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plugs (6) may comprise a type 2 or Mennekes connection.

6. Distributed charging system according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plugs (6) comprise 7 pins, 3 corresponding to phases, a neutral, a ground, a control pin and a proximity pin.

7. Distributed charging system according to claim 6, wherein the control pin is configured to transmit to the charging management device (1) information relating to a maximum current intensity, possible errors and a battery level.

8. Distributed charging system according to claim 6, wherein the proximity pin is configured to send a verification signal and transmit to the charging management device (1) information regarding whether the plug is correctly connected.

9. Distributed charging system according to any of claims 6 to 8, further comprising, connected to each of the switches (7), a set of relays (3), each associated with each of the pins, and where each of the switches (7) is configured to open or close the relays (3).

10. Distributed load system according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the switches (7) are connected to a phase other than those of the plug (6).

11. Distributed load system according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the relays (3) and the switches (7) are configured in normally open mode.

12. A distributed charging method for electric vehicles using the system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising the steps of: h) determining a set of sequential charging time reservations; i) determining a plug (6) to be activated based on the time reservations; j) activating a switch (7) corresponding to the plug (6) to be activated; k) activating the power supply to the plug (6) to be activated; l) deactivating the power supply to the activated plug (6) at the end of the time reservation period; m) deactivating the switch (7) corresponding to the deactivated plug (6); and n) repeat steps b) to f) sequentially based on the set of time reservations.

13. Distributed charging method according to claim 12, further comprising a step of monitoring a charging level, a charging intensity level, possible errors or a charging state of a vehicle during charging.

14. Distributed charging method according to any of claims 12 to 13, further comprising a step of adjusting a charging intensity level or deactivating the power supply prematurely during charging of a vehicle.

15. Distributed charging method according to any of claims 12 to 14, further comprising, after step d), a step of determining that charging has not started by activating the power supply and sending a notice to a user who owns the corresponding plug (6).

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