Method and device for determining an additional charging time for a traction battery of an electric vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and a device for determining an additional charging time for a traction battery of an electric vehicle (10), the additional time being associated with a charging time of the traction battery (10). For this purpose, the time at which the engine of the electric vehicle is switched off, the time at which charging using the charging terminal (101) begins, the time at which charging using the charging terminal (101) ends, and the time at which the engine is restarted are determined and used to determine the additional charging time. Such an additional charging time is, for example, used by a journey planner for an electric vehicle in order to determine the duration of a journey to be made with the electric vehicle (10).

Description

DESCRIPTION Title: Method and device for determining an additional recharging time for a traction battery of an electric vehicle Technical field

[0001] The present invention claims priority from French application 2403803 filed on 12.04.2024, the content of which (text, drawings and claims) is incorporated herein by reference. The invention relates to methods and devices for determining an additional recharging time for a traction battery of an electric vehicle, in particular but not exclusively a motor vehicle. The invention further relates to a method and a device for determining information representative of a travel time for a route calculated by a route planning system of an electric vehicle. The invention also relates to a method and a device for planning a route of an electric vehicle comprising one or more stops at recharging stations for recharging the traction battery of the electric vehicle. Technological background

[0002] The rise of electric vehicles, i.e. vehicles with one or more electric motors powered by a traction battery, has led to the development of new tools to assist drivers of such electric vehicles.

[0003] For example, journey planning tools have emerged to plan a journey by calculating a route that takes into account the need to recharge the traction battery with electrical energy using one or more charging stations located along the route. Several criteria are taken into account to calculate the route in addition to the classic criteria for route calculation, which are the starting point and the end point of the journey to be made. The new criteria taken into account include the estimated electrical energy consumption on the different sections of the route (for example based on the speed limits associated with these different sections), the geographical location of the different charging stations or even a criterion relating to a minimum limit of the charge level of the traction battery not to be exceeded before planning a new recharge of the traction battery at a charging station.

[0004] The duration of a trip planned with a trip planning system takes into account the duration of stops at each charging station, the accuracy of the calculation of the duration of the stop impacting the calculation of the trip duration. An error in such a calculation can lead to certain inconveniences for the driver, for example unavailability of a charging station if the cumulative delay to arrive at the charging station including this charging station is too great. An error in the calculation can also influence the driver's behavior with a risk that the latter accelerates at the end of the trip to try to recover the unanticipated delay, with associated safety risks for the electric vehicle and its passengers. Summary of the present invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to solve at least one of the problems of the technological background described above.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is, for example, to improve the determination of the time required to recharge the traction battery of an electric vehicle.

[0007] According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method for determining an additional recharging time for a traction battery of an electric vehicle, the additional time being associated with a recharging time for the traction battery, the method being implemented by at least one processor and comprising the following steps: - for each recharge of a set of recharges of the traction battery via a charging terminal of a first set of charging terminals: • reception of a first piece of information representative of a first time instant switching off an electric motor of the electric vehicle and a second piece of information representing a second time instant of start of recharging of the traction battery by the charging terminal, • reception of a third piece of information representing a third time instant of end of recharging of the traction battery by the charging terminal and of a fourth piece of information representing a fourth time instant of restarting of the electric motor, • determination of an additional recharge time as corresponding to a sum of a first duration between the first time instant and the second time instant and a second duration between the third time instant and the fourth time instant; - determination of the additional recharge time based on the set of additional recharge times determined for the set of recharges.

[0008] Measuring the time elapsed on the one hand between the instant when the electric motor of the electric vehicle is switched off and the instant when charging of the traction battery begins and on the other hand between the instant when charging of the traction battery ends and the instant when the electric motor of the electric vehicle is restarted each time the electric vehicle stops at a charging station makes it possible to determine an additional charging time which is added to the time actually taken to recharge the traction battery, i.e. the time elapsed between the actual start and the actual end of charging.Determining this additional charging time allows for the time required to connect the charging station to the electric vehicle, disconnect the charging station and other downtime to be taken into account, this additional time being added to the actual charging time of the traction battery when the electric vehicle stops at a charging station during a route. Determining this additional time from measurements taken during actual stops of the electric vehicle to recharge its traction battery allows for an empirical value to be obtained for this additional charging time.

[0009] Taking this additional time into account in the stopping time required by the electric vehicle to recharge its traction battery makes it possible, for example, to have a more accurate assessment of a travel time to cover a route including one or more stops at charging stations.

[0010] According to one variant, the additional recharge time corresponds to an average of the set of additional recharge times.

[0011] According to an additional variant, the method further comprises a step of recording the additional recharging time in a memory of the electric vehicle.

[0012] According to a further variant, the method further comprises the following steps: - selection of a second set of charging terminals along a route planned for the electric vehicle by a route planning system based on first data representative of a route to be made by the electric vehicle and second data representative of characteristics of the electric vehicle, the selection comprising a determination, for each charging terminal of the second set of charging terminals, of an initial state of charge of the traction battery at the start of charging by each charging terminal of the second set of charging terminals and of a final state of charge of the traction battery at the end of charging by the charging terminal of the second set of charging terminals; - determining a downtime at each charging station of the second set of charging stations as a function of the initial state of charge and the final state of charge for each charging station, the downtime comprising a recharging time as a function of the initial state of charge and the final state of charge for each charging station and the additional recharging time when the initial state of charge is greater than a first threshold value and the final state of charge is less than a second threshold value; - determination of a fifth piece of information representative of a travel time to cover the route as a function of the stopping time at each charging station of the second set of charging stations.

[0013] According to an additional variant, the first threshold value is equal to 20% of a total charge capacity of the traction battery and the second threshold value is equal to 80% of the total charge capacity of the traction battery.

[0014] According to another variant, the first data belong to a first data set comprising: - data representative of a starting point of the journey and a destination of the journey; - data representative of the state of charge of the traction battery at the starting point of the journey; and - data representative of a target charge state of the traction battery at the destination of the journey.

[0015] According to a further variant, the second data belong to a second data set comprising: - data representative of a model of the electric vehicle; - data representative of the characteristics of the traction battery of the electric vehicle; - data representative of the total laden weight of the electric vehicle.

[0016] According to a further variant, the set of charging stations is further selected according to: - third data representing the location of the second set of charging stations; and / or - fourth data representative of availability of the second set of charging stations; and / or - fifth representative data of charging power of the second set of charging stations.

[0017] According to a further variant, the fifth information is also a function of a travel time of the route by the electric vehicle.

[0018] According to an additional variant, the fifth information corresponds to an estimated arrival time at the end of the journey.

[0019] According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to a device for determining an additional recharging time for a traction battery of an electric vehicle, the device comprising a memory associated with a processor configured for implementing the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0020] According to a third aspect, the present invention relates to an electric vehicle, for example of the automobile type, comprising a device as described above according to the second aspect of the present invention.

[0021] According to a fourth aspect, the present invention relates to a computer program which comprises instructions adapted for executing the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, in particular when the computer program is executed by at least one processor.

[0022] Such a computer program may use any programming language, and may be in the form of source code, object code, or intermediate code between source code and object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other desirable form.

[0023] According to a fifth aspect, the present invention relates to a computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a computer program comprising instructions for carrying out the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0024] On the one hand, the recording medium can be any entity or device capable of storing the program. For example, the medium may include a storage medium, such as a ROM memory, a CD-ROM or a microelectronic circuit type ROM memory, or a magnetic recording medium or a hard disk.

[0025] Furthermore, this recording medium may also be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, such a signal being able to be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by conventional or hertzian radio or by self-directed laser beam or by other means. The computer program according to the present invention may in particular be downloaded from a network such as the Internet.

[0026] Alternatively, the recording medium may be an integrated circuit in which the computer program is incorporated, the integrated circuit being adapted to perform or to be used in performing the method in question. Brief description of the figures

[0027] Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the description of the particular and non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the present invention below, with reference to the appended figures 1 to 4, in which:

[0028] [Fig. 1] schematically illustrates a recharging of a traction battery of an electric vehicle, according to a particular exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] [Fig. 2] schematically illustrates a route of the electric vehicle of FIG. 1, according to a particular exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] [Fig. 3] illustrates a device configured to determine an additional recharging time for the electric vehicle of FIG. 1, according to a particular and non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] [Fig. 4] illustrates a flowchart of the different steps of a method for determining an additional recharging time for the electric vehicle of FIG. 1, according to a particular and non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Description of examples of implementation

[0032] A method and a device for determining an additional recharging time of a traction battery of an electric vehicle will now be described in the following with joint reference to Figures 1 to 4. The same elements are identified with the same reference signs throughout the description which follows.

[0033] The terms "first(s)", "second(s)" (or "first(s)", "second(s)"), etc. are used in this document by arbitrary convention to identify and distinguish different elements (such as operations, means, etc.) implemented in the embodiments described below. Such elements may be distinct or correspond to a single element, depending on the embodiment.

[0034] According to a particular and non-limiting example of embodiment of the present invention, the determination of an additional recharging time of a traction battery of an electric vehicle, which additional time is associated with a recharging time of the traction battery, is implemented by one or more computers of the vehicle, for example via one or more processors. The electric vehicle comprises a traction battery powering one or more electric motors. In the remainder of the description, reference will be made to an electric motor, the expression "an electric motor" being used to designate one or more electric motors.

[0035] The additional charging time corresponds to the time spent by the electric vehicle when it stops at a charging station to at least partially recharge its traction battery, excluding the actual charging time of the traction battery, i.e. excluding the time the charging station supplies the traction battery with electrical energy to recharge the traction battery cells. The additional charging time thus corresponds to the time spent between switching off (or cutting off) the electric motor until it is restarted to remove the charging cable, connect it to the vehicle, then disconnect it from the vehicle, store it in the space provided for this purpose and possibly pay the amount due for charging, i.e. any downtime during a stop for charging excluding the actual charging time.

[0036] For this purpose, the determination of this additional recharging time comprises, for each recharging of a set of recharges of the traction battery via a recharging terminal of a first set of recharging terminals (each recharging being carried out with a different recharging terminal and / or several recharges are carried out with the same recharging terminal), the reception of a first piece of information representative of a first time instant of switching off of an electric motor of the electric vehicle, of a second piece of information representative of a second time instant of start of recharging of the traction battery by the recharging terminal, of a third information representative of a third time instant of end of recharging of the traction battery by the charging terminal and a fourth information representative of a fourth time instant of restart of the electric motor. The first and fourth information are for example received from the computer controlling the electric motor of the electric vehicle and the second and third information are for example received from the computer controlling a battery control system, called BMS (Battery Management System). An additional recharging time is determined as corresponding to a sum of a first duration between the first time instant and the second time instant and a second duration between said third time instant and said fourth time instant.

[0037] The additional recharge time is determined based on the set of additional recharge times determined for the set of recharges, for example as the average of all additional times measured for the set of recharges.

[0038] Figure 1 schematically illustrates an electric vehicle 10 parked near a charging station 101 to recharge its traction battery, according to a particular and non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] The vehicle 10 corresponds to an electric vehicle comprising one or more electric motors powered by a traction battery. The electric vehicle 10 thus corresponds, for example, to a land vehicle, for example a car, a truck, a bus, a utility vehicle.

[0040] The vehicle 10 has a traction battery and a BMS (Battery Management System) type device or system configured to monitor the state of the traction battery and to know the electrical energy consumption of the electric vehicle 10, at any time. Such a BMS system is for example associated or coupled to the traction battery. Such a BMS system makes it possible to obtain or measure at a given time 't' the state or level of charge via one or more of the following parameters: - the state of charge, known as SOC (from the English “State of Charge”) or depth of discharge, known as DOD (from the English “Depth of Discharge”) indicating the charge level of the battery; and / or - the voltage: total or of each cell of the battery; and / or - temperature: average temperature, coolant inlet temperature, coolant outlet temperature, temperature of each battery cell; and / or - the state of health, known as SOH (from the English “State Of Health”); and / or - the current (intensity in amperes) into the battery or out of the battery.

[0041] The vehicle 10 has one or more on-board systems each controlled by one or more computers, in particular a computer controlling the electric motor of the electric vehicle and a computer controlling the BMS system and / or a computer controlling the recharging of the traction battery. These computers form, for example, a multiplexed architecture for the performance of various services useful for the proper operation of the vehicle and for assisting the driver and / or passengers of the vehicle in controlling the vehicle 10 via the control of the system(s) on board the vehicle 10.ECUs communicate and exchange data with each other via one or more computer buses, for example a communication bus of the data bus type CAN (from the English "Controller Area Network" or in French "Réseau de contrôles"), CAN FD (from the English "Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate" or in French "Réseau de contrôles à débit de données flexible"), FlexRay (according to the ISO 17458 standard), LIN (from the English "Local Interconnect Network" or in French "Réseau interconnecté local") or Ethernet (according to the ISO / IEC 802-3 standard).

[0042] The charging station 101 belongs to a set of charging stations 11 comprising one or more charging stations. The set of charging stations 11 groups together, for example, the charging stations to which the electric vehicle 10 has stopped and connected to recharge its traction battery, for example over a determined time interval (corresponding to a phase of calculating or learning the additional charging time and, for example, equal to one or more weeks, one or more months or even one or more years).

[0043] The charging stations of the set of charging stations 11 correspond, for example, to charging stations selected by a route planning system during journeys made by the electric vehicle 10.

[0044] For this purpose, the electric vehicle 10 carries a route planning system or module configured to calculate a route for the electric vehicle 10 based on a starting point and a destination, the route providing one or more intermediate stops at one or more charging stations to recharge the traction battery of the electric vehicle 10 via a charging terminal of each charging station and allowing it to reach the final destination of the journey with, for example, a determined state of charge of the traction battery.

[0045] The route planning system is thus configured to optimize stops in terms of stopping duration over the entire route and ensure that the traction battery remains at a sufficient state of charge throughout the route for the electric vehicle to reach the final destination without power supply failure.

[0046] Such a journey planning system, also called an electric vehicle journey planner or electric vehicle journey simulator, is known to those skilled in the art.

[0047] The journey planning system corresponds for example to a system embedded in the electric vehicle and proposed or developed by the manufacturer of the electric vehicle 10. According to an alternative embodiment, the journey planning system is implemented on a mobile communication device (for example a smartphone or a tablet), for example in the form of a mobile application. According to another alternative embodiment, the journey planning system is implemented in the form of a service accessible online from a data processing device (computer, tablet, etc.) having an internet connection, using for example an internet browser.The data representative of the result of the journey planning (for example the identification and / or location of the charging stations) are transmitted to the navigation system (embedded in the electric vehicle 10 or implemented on the mobile communication device in the form of a mobile application) to provide the. guidance instructions to the electric vehicle driver to follow the calculated route and stop at the selected charging stations.

[0048] The route planning system is for example associated with or included in a navigation and geolocation system, also called a GNSS system (Geolocation and Navigation by a Satellite System), for example a GPS (Global Positioning System) or Galileo type system, such a system being configured to calculate one or more routes based on the current geographical position of the electric vehicle and a destination entered via a human-machine interface (HMI) associated with the navigation system and for example displayed on the touch screen 12. The navigation system is embedded in the electric vehicle 10 or implemented by a data processing device of the mobile communication device type for example (in the form of a mobile application).

[0049] A process for determining the additional recharging time of the traction battery of the electric vehicle 10, which additional recharging time is associated with the actual recharging time of the traction battery, is advantageously implemented by one or more processors, for example by one or more processors of the computer controlling the journey planning system when the latter corresponds to an on-board system of the electric vehicle 10.

[0050] The first, second and third operations of the process described below are implemented for each recharge of a set of recharges of the traction battery via a charging terminal, such as the charging terminal 101, of a first set 11 of charging terminals.

[0051] Thus, each time the electric vehicle 10 stops at a charging station to partially or completely recharge its traction battery, the first, second and third operations are implemented. The same charging station can be used for several recharges of the traction battery.

[0052] In the first operation of the process, a first piece of information representative of a first time instant, noted 't1', of switching off the electric motor of the electric vehicle 10 and a second piece of information representative of a second time instant, noted 12', of start of recharging of the traction battery (temporally following the switching off of the electric motor associated with the first time instant 11') by a charging terminal of the first set 11 of charging terminals, for example the charging terminal 101, are received.

[0053] The first information is for example received from the computer controlling the electric motor or from the computer associated with the control to switch off (or cut off) the electric motor. According to an alternative embodiment, the computer in charge of the process receives data representative of an event of the type switching off the electric motor (from the computer controlling the electric motor) or of the type command to switch off the electric motor (from the switching off control means, for example a button arranged in the passenger compartment of the electric vehicle 10), the first time instant corresponding to the time of reception of this data (determined from a clock accessible by the computer controlling the process).

[0054] The second information is for example received from the computer controlling the BMS system when the recharging is initiated, that is to say when the traction battery begins to receive electrical energy supplied by the recharging terminal. According to a variant, the computer in charge of the process receives data representative of an event of the start of recharging type from the BMS system, the second time instant corresponding to the time of reception of this data (determined from a clock accessible by the computer controlling the process).

[0055] In the second operation of the process, a third piece of information representative of a third time instant, noted 13', of the end of recharging of the traction battery by the charging terminal (temporally following the start of recharging by this same charging terminal associated with the second time instant 2') and a fourth piece of information representative of a fourth time instant, noted 14', of restarting of the electric motor (temporally following the end of recharging associated with the third time instant 13'), are received.

[0056] The third information is received or determined in the same way as the second information. The fourth information is received or determined in the same way as the first information.

[0057] In the third operation of the process, a time equivalent to a determined duration, called additional recharge time, is determined as corresponding to a sum of a first duration, noted 'A1', between the first time instant 11' and the second time instant 12' and a second duration, noted 'A2', between the third time instant 13' and the fourth time instant 14'.

[0058] Thus, A1 = t2 - 11, A2 = t4 - 13 and Te = A1 + A2.

[0059] Each additional charging time calculated when the electric vehicle 10 stops at a charging station of the first set 11 (during the calculation or learning phase of the additional charging time) is for example recorded or stored in a memory of the electric vehicle 10.

[0060] In a fourth operation of the process, the additional recharge time is determined or calculated based on the set of additional recharge times determined for the set of recharges during the third operations.

[0061] The additional charging time is, for example, calculated at the end of the additional charging time calculation phase from all the additional charging time values ​​stored in memory.

[0062] According to one variant, the additional charging time is calculated and updated as the various additional charging times are determined.

[0063] The additional recharge time corresponds, for example, to the average of all the additional recharge times determined previously.

[0064] This additional charging time is stored in the memory of the electric vehicle 10 as a parameter of the journey planning system.

[0065] This additional recharging time is used by the journey planning system to calculate or estimate the travel time of each journey that the electric vehicle 10 will travel, for example each journey following the calculation (or learning) phase of the additional recharging time. According to a variant, the additional recharging time is updated throughout the life of the electric vehicle 10, at each recharge or regularly (for example by considering 1 recharge every 5, 10 or 20 recharges). In this variant, the journey planning system uses the latest update of the additional recharge time to estimate the journey time of the next journey to be made with the electric vehicle.

[0066] An example of implementation of a process for determining information representative of a travel time for a route calculated by a route planning system of an electric vehicle 10 using the additional recharging time is described below with reference to FIG. 2.

[0067] Figure 2 schematically illustrates a route associated with a journey to be made with the electric vehicle 10, according to a particular and non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] The route corresponds to a route comprising one or more stops at a charging station to at least partially recharge the traction battery of the electric vehicle 10.

[0069] According to the particular example of Figure 2, the route associated with the journey to be planned is between a starting point 201 and a destination 204 and includes: - a first portion of route 211 between the starting point 201 and a first charging terminal 202 (corresponding to an intermediate stopping point for recharging the traction battery for the first time); - a second portion of route 212 between the first charging station 202 (corresponding to an intermediate stopping point for recharging the traction battery for the first time) and a second charging terminal 203 (corresponding to an intermediate stopping point for recharging the traction battery for the second time); and - a third portion of route 212 between the second charging station 203 and the final destination 204 of the route or journey.

[0070] Of course, the number of intermediate stops and associated recharges is not limited to 2 but extends to any number greater than or equal to 1.

[0071] A process for determining information representative of a travel time for a route calculated by a vehicle route planning system electric vehicle 10 is advantageously implemented by one or more processors, for example by one or more processors of the computer controlling the journey planning system when the latter corresponds to an on-board system of the electric vehicle 10 or by one or more processors of a data processing device of the computer type or mobile communication device when the journey planning system is implemented by such a data processing device.

[0072] This process of determining the information representative of the travel time is, for example, part of the process of determining the additional charging time described with regard to figure 1.

[0073] In a first operation of the process (corresponding for example to a fifth operation of the process described with regard to FIG. 1), first data representative of the journey to be planned or carried out and second data representative of characteristics of the electric vehicle 10 are received.

[0074] These first and second data are for example received from a human-machine interface (HMI), for example an HMI displayed on a screen of the electric vehicle 10 or a screen of the data processing device, depending on the implementation mode.

[0075] These first and second data are for example provided by the person planning the journey, for example the driver of the electric vehicle 10.

[0076] According to one variant, the second data are obtained from the electric vehicle 10, for example from a memory embedded in the electric vehicle 10 to which the computer implementing the process has access.

[0077] The first data includes, for example, one or more of the following data, in all possible combinations: - data representative of the starting point of the journey 201 and the destination of the journey 204, this data corresponding for example to coordinates of the longitude / latitude type (for example GPS coordinates), to address data, destination name (for example the name of a point of interest such as a cultural site, a Y1 store referenced in mapping data used by the navigation system and / or the journey planning system); the data representative of the starting point 201 correspond for example to the current position of the electric vehicle 10 and are automatically retrieved from the navigation system; and / or - data representative of a state of charge of the traction battery at the starting point of the journey 201, the person planning the journey indicating at what state (or level) of charge the traction battery is at the start of the journey; and - data representative of a target state of charge of the traction battery at the destination 204 of the journey, the person planning the journey indicating at what state (or level) of charge he wishes the traction battery to be when the electric vehicle 10 arrives at the destination 204.

[0078] According to an alternative embodiment, the first data further comprises one or more of the following data; - representative speed data corresponding for example to a maximum speed not to be exceeded on the calculated route, an average set speed on the route; and / or - meteorological data representative of the weather conditions along the route, such data being for example received from a server providing such data or such data being entered by the person planning the route; and / or - data representing instructions on the use of air conditioning in the electric vehicle during the journey (for example the desired set temperature, activation of the air conditioning in the passenger compartment), this data being entered by the person planning the journey.

[0079] The second data includes, for example, one or more of the following data, in all possible combinations: - data representative of a model of the electric vehicle 10; - data representative of characteristics of the traction battery of the electric vehicle 10, for example the total capacity of the traction battery, the maximum authorized charging power, etc.; - data representative of a total loaded weight of the electric vehicle 10, the person planning the journey indicating for example the number of passengers on the journey and / or the presence of a trailer and the weight carried in the trailer.

[0080] The data representative of the model or type of the electric vehicle 10 make it possible, for example, to know the characteristics of the traction battery.

[0081] In a second operation of the process (corresponding for example to a sixth operation of the process described with regard to FIG. 1), a second set of charging stations (202, 203) along the route is selected to recharge the traction battery of the electric vehicle 10, the selection being based on the first and second data received in the first operation.

[0082] The planning system analyzes the first data relating to the journey, for example the starting point 201 and the destination 204, the second data relating to the vehicle (for example the model of the electric vehicle 10 and / or the technical characteristics of the traction battery) to determine at which charging station(s) 202, 203 the electric vehicle 10 will have to stop to recharge the traction battery, at least partially. The charging station(s) 202, 203 are selected so as to optimize the journey time, for example so that the total journey time is as short as possible.

[0083] For this purpose, the planning system determines for each charging station an initial charge state of the traction battery at the start of charging by each charging station and a final charge state of the traction battery at the end of charging by the charging station.

[0084] The time to recharge a traction battery is a function of the initial state of charge and the final state of charge, the function between time and state of charge not being linear over the entire state of charge interval. For example, the recharge rate is high or maximum between a minimum state of charge value (e.g. 5, 10, 15 or 20% of the total capacity of the traction battery) until reaching a maximum state of charge value (e.g. 75, 80 or 85% of the total capacity of the traction battery). The recharge rate from the maximum value until reaching the full charge of the traction battery is then much lower. To optimize the duration of the journey time, it is sometimes more It is worthwhile to make more stops at charging stations 202, 203 with a partial recharge of the traction battery (e.g. up to 50, 60, 70 or 08% of the total capacity of the traction battery) than to make fewer stops with full recharges of the traction battery.

[0085] The selection of the charging terminals 202, 203 thus comprises the determination, for each charging terminal of the second set of charging terminals, of an initial state of charge of the traction battery at the start of charging by each charging terminal and of a final state of charge of the traction battery at the end of charging by the charging terminal.

[0086] The selection of the charging stations 202, 203 is furthermore a function of the location (geographic coordinates) of each of the charging stations, in particular the distance 211 along the route between the starting point 201 and the first charging station 202, the distance 212 along the route between the first charging station 202 and the second charging station 203 (i.e. the next charging station in relation to the first charging station 202) and the distance 213 along the route between the second charging station 202 and the final destination 204, according to the particular example of FIG. 1.The number of charging stations (and therefore stops for recharging the traction battery of the electric vehicle 10) is not limited to 2 charging stations but extends to any number (for example 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 or more), depending on various parameters such as the total distance to be covered by the electric vehicle, the state of charge of the battery at the starting point 201, the desired target state of charge of the battery at the final destination 204, the speed of the electric vehicle along the route, etc.

[0087] According to a particular embodiment, the set of charging stations is further selected according to: - third data representing the location of the second set of charging stations; and / or - fourth data representative of availability of the second set of charging stations; and / or - fifth representative data of charging power of the second set of charging stations.

[0088] According to one variant, the selection of the charging stations 202, 203 is furthermore a function of one or more of the following parameters: - the total distance of the associated calculated journey or route; - the charge status of the traction battery at the starting point 201; - the desired target charge state of the traction battery at the final destination 204; - a minimum state of charge corresponding to a minimum state of charge value above which the state of charge of the traction battery must always remain, throughout the route, this minimum state of charge being for example equal to 3, 5, 10 or 12% of the total capacity of the traction battery; - the speed of the electric vehicle (for example the maximum set speed, the maximum speed authorized on the different sections of the route); - the topology of the route, for example the different slopes associated with the sections of the route; - weather conditions; - activation of on-board systems of the electric vehicle (air conditioning, infotainment system, wifi® communication module, etc.); - the charging power available at each charging station; - the availability of charging stations 202, 203 on the planned date of the journey; - etc.

[0089] In a third operation of the process (corresponding for example to a seventh operation of the process described with regard to figure 1), the journey planning system (i.e. the computer in charge of this system) determines a stopping time at each charging station as a function of the initial state of charge and the final state of charge for each charging station, the stopping time comprising a recharging time as a function of the initial state of charge and the final state of charge for each charging station and the additional recharging time determined previously (as described with regard to figure 1) when the initial state of charge is greater than a first threshold value and the final state of charge is less than a second threshold value.

[0090] The recharging time is calculated for each recharging terminal 202, 203 as a function of the initial state of charge in which the traction battery will be found when the vehicle 10 arrives at the recharging terminal in question and of the final state of charge in which the traction battery will be found at the end of recharging, as determined in the second operation.

[0091] The charging time is for example determined by considering an average power available from each charging station 202, 203 and the characteristics of the traction battery (obtained via the second data). According to a variant, the planning system knows the actual power of each charging station 202, 203 and uses this parameter to determine the charging time.

[0092] The determined additional time is added to the charging time when the initial state of charge is greater than a first threshold value and the final state of charge is less than a second threshold value to obtain the stopping time at each charging station 202, 203.

[0093] The first threshold value is equal to 20% of a total charge capacity of the traction battery, the second threshold value is equal to 80% of the total charge capacity of the traction battery and the additional recharge time was determined empirically, its value being stored in memory.

[0094] According to other examples, the first threshold value is equal to 15, 25 or 30% of the total capacity of the traction battery, the second threshold value is equal to 70, 75, 85 or 90% of the total capacity of the traction battery and the additional recharging time determined previously is for example equal to 3, 5, 7 or 10 minutes, depending on the time taken by the driver to connect the cable to the terminal, disconnect it, store it in the vehicle 10, etc.

[0095] The additional charging time is only added to the charging time when charging is carried out for a range of state of charge values ​​whose lower limit is greater than or equal to the first threshold value and whose upper limit is less than or equal to the second threshold value. Indeed, outside the range defined by the first threshold value and the second threshold value, the charging speed of the traction battery is much slower and the charging time is much longer, the additional time determined then becoming negligible over the entire journey.

[0096] In a fourth operation of the process (corresponding for example to an eighth operation of the process described with regard to FIG. 1), the information representative of the journey time is determined as a function of the stopping time at each charging terminal 202, 203 of the set of charging terminals.

[0097] This information corresponds, for example, to the estimated total duration of the journey, i.e. the total duration required by the electric vehicle to cover the route calculated from the starting point 201 to the final destination 204, including the stopping times at the charging stations 202, 203.

[0098] According to a variant, the information is also a function of a travel time of the route by the electric vehicle 10, the route being formed of route portions 211, 212 and 213 according to the example of figure 1.

[0099] The total duration noted 'At' is thus obtained by the following equation:

[0100] At = T211 + TA202 + T212 + TA203 + T213

[0101] With T211 the estimated time to travel the route portion 211 between the starting point 201 and the first charging station 202, TA202 the stopping time at the first charging station 202, T212 the estimated time to travel the route portion 212 between the first charging station 202 and the second charging station 203, TA203 the stopping time at the second charging station 203 and T213 the estimated time to travel the route portion 213 between the second charging station 203 and the final destination 204.

[0102] According to another example, this information corresponds to an estimated time of arrival at the end of the journey, called ETA (from the English “Estimated Time of Arrival” or in French “heure d’arrivée statistique”). According to this example, the ETA is obtained by adding At to the planned departure time or the actual departure time (at the starting point 201) of the electric vehicle 10.

[0103] According to a particular embodiment, the process further comprises the transmission of data representative of the information determined in the fourth operation to the navigation system, for example via one or more data buses. According to this particular embodiment, the data representative of the route calculated by the journey planning system are also transmitted to the navigation system. These data include, for example, the data representative of the location of the starting point 201, of the destination 204 and of each of the selected charging stations 202, 203.

[0104] According to this particular embodiment, guidance instructions are rendered (e.g., displayed on a screen) under the control of the navigation system to guide the driver of the electric vehicle 10 along the calculated route to the destination 204.

[0105] Figure 3 schematically illustrates a device 3 configured to determine an additional recharging time of a traction battery of an electric vehicle, for example of the electric vehicle 10. The device 3 corresponds for example to a device on board the electric vehicle 10, for example a computer

[0106] According to a particular embodiment, the device 3 is further configured to determine information representative of a travel time for a route calculated by a route planning system of an electric vehicle, for example the electric vehicle 10.

[0107] According to a particular example, the device 3 corresponds to a data processing device.

[0108] The device 3 is for example configured for the implementation of the operations described with regard to figures 1 and 2 and / or the steps of the method described with regard to figure 4. Examples of such a device 3 include, but are not limited to, on-board electronic equipment such as an on-board computer of a vehicle, an electronic calculator such as an ECU (“Electronic Control Unit”), a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop. The elements of the device 3, individually or in combination, can be integrated in a single integrated circuit, in several integrated circuits, and / or in discrete components. The device 3 can be implemented in the form of electronic circuits or software (or computer) modules or even a combination of electronic circuits and software modules.

[0109] The device 3 comprises one (or more) processor(s) 30 configured to execute instructions for carrying out the steps of the method and / or for executing the instructions of the software(s) embedded in the device 3. The processor 30 may include integrated memory, an input / output interface, and various circuits known to those skilled in the art. The device 3 further comprises at least one memory 31 corresponding for example to a volatile and / or non-volatile memory and / or comprises a memory storage device which may comprise volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM, ROM, PROM, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, flash, magnetic or optical disk.

[0110] The computer code of the embedded software(s) including the instructions to be loaded and executed by the processor is for example stored in the memory 31.

[0111] According to various particular and non-limiting embodiments, the device 3 is coupled in communication with other similar devices or systems and / or with communication devices, for example a TCU (from the English “Telematic Control Unit” or in French “Telematic Control Unit”), for example via a communication bus or through dedicated input / output ports.

[0112] According to a particular and non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the device 3 comprises a block 32 of interface elements for communicating with external devices. The interface elements of the block 32 comprise one or more of the following interfaces: - RF radio frequency interface, for example Wi-Fi® type (according to IEEE 802.11), for example in the 2.4 or 5 GHz frequency bands, or Bluetooth® type (according to IEEE 802.15.1), in the 2.4 GHz frequency band, or Sigfox type using UBN (Ultra Narrow Band) radio technology, or LoRa in the 868 MHz frequency band, LTE (Long-Term Evolution), LTE-Advanced (or in French LTE-Advanced); - USB interface (from the English “Universal Serial Bus” or “Universal Serial Bus” in French); - HDMI interface (from the English “High Definition Multimedia Interface” or “High Definition Multimedia Interface” in French); - LIN interface (from the English “Local Interconnect Network”).

[0113] According to another particular and non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the device 3 comprises a communication interface 33 which makes it possible to establish communication with other devices (such as other computers of the on-board system) via a communication channel 330. The communication interface 33 corresponds for example to a transmitter configured to transmit and receive information and / or data via the communication channel 330. The communication interface 33 corresponds for example to a wired network of the CAN (Controller Area Network) type, CAN FD (Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate), FlexRay (standardized by the ISO 17458 standard) or Ethernet (standardized by the ISO / IEC 802-3 standard).

[0114] According to a particular and non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the device 3 can provide output signals to one or more external devices, such as a display screen 340, touch-sensitive or not, one or more speakers 350 and / or other peripherals 360 (projection system) via output interfaces 34, 35 and 36 respectively. According to a variant, one or other of the external devices is integrated into the device 3.

[0115] Figure 4 illustrates a flowchart of the different steps of a method for determining an additional recharging time for a traction battery of an electric vehicle, for example the electric vehicle 10, the additional time being associated with a recharging time for the traction battery, according to a particular and non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The method is by example implemented by a device on board the electric vehicle 10 or by the device 3 of figure 3.

[0116] The first step 41, the second step 42 and the third step 43 are repeated for each recharge of a set of recharges of the traction battery via a charging terminal of a first set of charging terminals.

[0117] In a first step 41, a first piece of information representative of a first time instant of switching off an electric motor of the electric vehicle and a second piece of information representative of a second time instant of start of recharging of the traction battery by the charging terminal are received.

[0118] In a second step 42, a third piece of information representative of a third time instant of end of recharging of the traction battery by the charging terminal and a fourth piece of information representative of a fourth time instant of restarting of the electric motor are received.

[0119] In a third step 43, an additional recharge time is determined as corresponding to a sum of a first duration between the first time instant and the second time instant and a second duration between said third time instant and said fourth time instant.

[0120] In a fourth step 44, the additional recharging time is determined based on the set of additional recharging times determined for the set of rechargings.

[0121] According to a variant, the variants and examples of the operations described in relation to Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 apply to the steps of the method of Figure 4.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Method for determining an additional recharging time for a traction battery of an electric vehicle (10), said additional time being associated with a recharging time for said traction battery, said method being implemented by at least one processor and comprising the following steps: - for each recharge of a set of recharges of the traction battery at a charging terminal (101) of a first set (11) of charging terminals: • reception (41) of a first piece of information representative of a first time instant of switching off of an electric motor of said electric vehicle (10), of a second piece of information representative of a second time instant of start of recharging of the traction battery by said charging terminal (101), • reception (42) of a third piece of information representative of a third time instant of end of recharging of the traction battery by said recharging terminal (101) and of a fourth piece of information representative of a fourth time instant of restarting of said electric motor, • determination (43) of an additional recharge time as corresponding to a sum of a first duration between said first time instant and said second time instant and of a second duration between said third time instant and said fourth time instant, - determination (44) of said additional recharging time as a function of the set of additional recharging times determined for said set of recharging times.

2. Method according to claim 1, for which said additional recharge time corresponds to an average of the set of additional recharge times.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a step of recording said additional recharging time in a memory of said electric vehicle (10).

4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising the following steps: - selection of a second set of charging stations (202, 203) along a route planned for the electric vehicle (10) by a route planning system based on first data representative of a route to be made by said electric vehicle (10) and second data representative of characteristics of said electric vehicle (10), said selection comprising a determination, for each charging terminal of said second set of charging terminals (202, 203), of an initial state of charge of said traction battery at the start of charging by said each charging terminal of said second set of charging terminals (202, 203) and of a final state of charge of said traction battery at the end of charging by said charging terminal of said second set of charging terminals (202, 203); - determining a stopping time at each charging terminal of said second set of charging terminals (202, 203) as a function of said initial state of charge and said final state of charge for each charging terminal, said stopping time comprising a recharging time as a function of said initial state of charge and said final state of charge for said each charging terminal and said additional recharging time when said initial state of charge is greater than a first threshold value and said final state of charge is less than a second threshold value; - determination of a fifth piece of information representative of a travel time for covering said route as a function of said stopping time at each charging station of said second set of charging stations (202, 203).

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein said first threshold value is equal to 20% of a total charge capacity of said traction battery and said second threshold value is equal to 80% of said total charge capacity of said traction battery.

6. Method according to claim 4 or 5, for which said first data belong to a first set of data comprising: - data representative of a starting point (201) of said journey and a destination (204) of said journey; - data representative of a state of charge of said traction battery at the starting point (201) of said journey; and - data representative of a target state of charge of said traction battery at said destination (204) of said journey, and for which said second data belong to a second set of data comprising: - data representative of a model of said electric vehicle (10); - data representative of characteristics of said traction battery of said electric vehicle (10); - data representative of a total laden weight of said electric vehicle (10).

7. Method according to one of claims 4 to 6, for which said second set of charging terminals (202, 203) is further selected as a function of: - third data representative of the location of said second set of charging terminals (202, 203); and / or - fourth data representative of availability of said second set of charging terminals (202, 203); and / or - fifth data representative of the charging power of said second set of charging terminals (202, 203).

8. Computer program comprising instructions for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, when these instructions are executed by at least one processor.

9. Device (3) for determining an additional recharging time for a traction battery of an electric vehicle (10), said device (3) comprising a memory (31) associated with at least one processor (30) configured for implementing the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. Electric vehicle (10) comprising the device (3) according to claim 9.

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