Method for determining a route guidance for an electric vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the computer-aided determination of a route guidance for an electric vehicle to a destination. The route guidance comprises one or more charging stops at charging stations for charging an energy storage device of the electric vehicle along the travel route. The charging stops are selected on the basis of the charging plugs which are available at the charging stations of a charging stop and which correspond to a charging connection of the electric vehicle. In the method, information is provided which indicates whether an adapter is carried in the electric vehicle, the adapter allowing a charging plug which does not correspond to the charging connection of the electric vehicle to be connected to the charging connection of the electric vehicle. Furthermore, the route guidance is determined by processing the information, wherein, if the information indicates the adapter is carried by the vehicle, charging stops which can only be connected to the charging connection of the electric vehicle using the adapter are also taken into account.

Description

[0001] METHOD FOR DETERMINING A ROUTE OF A

[0002] ELECTRIC VEHICLE

[0003] The invention relates to a method for determining the route of an electric vehicle to a destination, taking into account one or more charging stops at charging stations for charging the electric vehicle's energy storage system along the route, and to an adapter for connecting a charging port of an electric vehicle to a charging plug of a charging station. The invention further relates to an electric vehicle.

[0004] NACS is a proprietary DC fast-charging connector standard developed by Tesla, also known as the Tesla charging connector, and is used in Tesla's Supercharger network. It has been used in Tesla vehicles since 2012, with the connector design made available to other manufacturers in 2022.

[0005] The charging ports of many existing electric vehicles are based on the CCS (Combined Charging System) standard, which was developed in 2011 in cooperation between US and German automakers. CCS includes both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) connections. In the US, the CCS connector is usually referred to as CCS1. In contrast, the CCS2 charging connector is predominantly used in Europe. It has a larger size and shape than CCS1 to accommodate the three-phase AC power grid in Europe. Both CCS1 and CCS2 are designed for operation with ultra-fast 800V battery architectures and charging speeds of up to 350 kW and beyond.

[0006] The ability to use Tesla's Supercharger network suggests that there will be an increased use of adapters to and from NACS charging stations (i.e., charging stations that use the NCAS connector) in the future. This will allow current vehicles equipped with a CCS1 or CCS2 charging port to charge their electric vehicle's battery at the Supercharger network.

[0007] An adapter that allows the connection of a charging station's charging plug that does not correspond to the electric vehicle's charging port is known, for example, from US 11,884,170 B1. The navigation systems of existing electric vehicles, when calculating routes to a destination, consider charging stations whose plugs correspond to the electric vehicle's charging port, e.g., CCS1 or CCS2. To also include charging stations with plugs that do not correspond to the electric vehicle's charging ports (e.g., NACS) in the route planning, manual interaction by the electric vehicle user is required.

[0008] The object of the invention is to provide a method for the computer-aided determination of a route for an electric vehicle to a destination, which is an improvement over the prior art. It is further an object of the invention to provide a charging adapter supporting the method and an electric vehicle configured to carry out the method according to the invention.

[0009] These tasks are solved by a method according to the features of claim 1, an adapter according to the features of claim 12, and an electric vehicle according to the features of claim 13. Advantageous embodiments are set forth in the dependent claims.

[0010] A method for computer-aided route planning for an electric vehicle to a destination is proposed. The route includes one or more charging stops at charging stations to recharge the electric vehicle's energy storage system along the route. The selection of charging stops is based on the charging plugs available at each charging station that correspond to the charging port of the electric vehicle.

[0011] In this description, a charging stop is understood to be a location between a starting point and a destination where one or more charging stations are available for charging the electric vehicle's energy storage system. A charging stop could, for example, be a charging park along a motorway or highway, a rest area, or a gas station equipped with one or more charging stations.

[0012] The charging port of an electric vehicle can be based on standards such as CCS1, CCS2, CHAdeMO, or others. These standards specify the number and arrangement of conductors required for charging the energy storage system. The number, arrangement, and size of the conductors can vary from country to country or continent to continent.

[0013] The following steps are carried out in the method according to the invention:

[0014] The first step involves providing information indicating whether the electric vehicle carries an adapter that allows a charging plug that doesn't correspond to the vehicle's charging port to be connected to the vehicle's charging port. For example, if the vehicle's charging port is based on the CCS standard, while the charging station's plug is based on the NCAS standard, the adapter will have two connectors at opposite ends, one compatible with CCS and the other with NCAS. This allows the charging station's plug to be connected to the vehicle's charging port.

[0015] In a second step, the route is determined by processing the information. If the information indicates that an adapter is being carried, charging stops that can only be connected to the electric vehicle's charging port using the adapter are also taken into account. Conversely, if the information indicates that no adapter is being carried, charging stations with plugs that cannot be connected to the electric vehicle's charging port are not considered in the route planning.

[0016] This process enables the automatic detection of an adapter in the electric vehicle, allowing all potentially suitable charging stations to be considered during route planning. This results in improved, optimized route planning without requiring any input from the electric vehicle user.

[0017] It is advantageous to determine whether the adapter is carried out in the electric vehicle at the time of route planning. In other words, every time a route to a destination is to be recalculated, the system checks whether the adapter is in the electric vehicle. This ensures that optimal route planning is always carried out, including suitable charging stops at charging stations, which are only relevant if the adapter is in the electric vehicle. Another advantageous implementation involves reading the information about whether the adapter is in the electric vehicle from the vehicle's memory.

[0018] According to a first alternative, the information as to whether an adapter is carried in the electric vehicle is determined and provided automatically by the electric vehicle, specifically by a processing unit within the vehicle. Thus, suitable means and components of the electric vehicle are used to determine whether the adapter is present.

[0019] Determining whether the adapter is present in the electric vehicle can be based, for example, on communication between a communication unit in the electric vehicle and a communication unit in the adapter. This communication can be implemented as near-field communication (NFC). Communication can also occur via Bluetooth or radio frequency (RF). Alternatively, determining whether the adapter is present in the electric vehicle can be based on a spatial analysis of the adapter's radio signals. This could involve, for example, the well-known triangulation method used to identify key fobs.

[0020] The adapter will be extended with a radio module that can be detected by the electric vehicle, similar to key detection, and processed functionally. For example, the same radio transmitter modules used to detect a key fob can be used in the electric vehicle to detect the presence of the adapter in the vehicle interior. The vehicle interior includes not only the passenger compartment but also a trunk or other storage space. Alternatively, an NFC transmitter module or tag can be attached to the adapter to enable vehicle-side detection. Radio detection offers a simple way to implement the method according to the invention, as existing receiver modules in the electric vehicle can be used.

[0021] In another embodiment, the information indicating whether an adapter is carried in the electric vehicle is entered by a user via a human-machine interface and stored in the vehicle's memory or in cloud storage. This information can then be read from the memory and, depending on whether it indicates that the adapter is carried in the electric vehicle, taken into account during route planning. Preferably, the charging plug at the charging station is based on the NACS standard. Advantageously, the charging port of the electric vehicle is based on the CCS1 or CCS2 standard, although other standards are also possible. The adapter is then designed to represent the plug faces of both standards (the charging plug and the charging port) through corresponding connector arrangements to enable a connection between the charging port and the charging plug.

[0022] A second aspect proposes an adapter for connecting an electric vehicle's charging port to a charging station's charging plug, wherein the adapter includes a radio module, a communication module, or an antenna for exchanging radio signals with the electric vehicle. As described above, an NFC transmitter module or tag can also be attached to the adapter for this purpose.

[0023] According to a third aspect, an electric vehicle is proposed which includes: an energy storage device; a charging port electrically connected to the energy storage device, which can be connected to a charging plug of a charging station; a computing unit configured to determine information indicating whether the electric vehicle carries an adapter that enables the connection of a charging plug not corresponding to the electric vehicle's charging port to the electric vehicle's charging port, and configured to determine route guidance by processing this information, whereby, if the information indicates that the adapter is carried, charging stops that can only be connected to the electric vehicle's charging port using the adapter are also taken into account.

[0024] Advantageously, the electric vehicle is also configured to carry out the method according to one or more embodiments of the invention.

[0025] The electric vehicle has the same advantages as those described above in connection with the method according to the invention.

[0026] In particular, the electric vehicle comprises a communication unit and / or a radio module with one or more antennas configured to exchange radio signals with a corresponding radio module or communication module or antenna of the adapter according to the invention. The invention is described in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing. The drawing shows:

[0027] Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an electric vehicle according to the invention; and

[0028] Fig. 2 shows a schematic flow chart of the method according to the invention.

[0029] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a motor vehicle according to the invention in the form of an electric vehicle 1. The electric vehicle 1 comprises an energy storage device 2, which is electrically connected to a charging port 3. Via the charging port 3, which is designed according to a predefined standard, e.g. CCS 1 or CCS 2, the energy storage device 2 can be connected to a charging plug (not shown) of a charging station (also not shown) in order to charge the energy storage device 2 with electrical energy.

[0030] To charge the energy storage unit 2 of the electric vehicle 1 along a route from a starting point to a destination, a processing unit 4 (e.g., of a navigation system not shown in detail) calculates one or more charging stops at charging stations for route guidance. A charging stop corresponds to a location that is included in the route planning.

[0031] Typically, the processing units of electric vehicle navigation systems operate in such a way that only those charging stops along the route are considered where the charging plugs available at the charging stations correspond to charging port 3 of the electric vehicle 1. If, for example, charging port 3 of the electric vehicle 1 is based on the CCS1 standard, then only those charging stations, and thus charging stops, whose charging plugs are designed according to the CCS1 standard are considered.

[0032] However, by carrying an adapter 5 in the electric vehicle 1, it is also possible for the charging port 3 according to the CCS1 / 2 standard to be connected to a charging plug according to the NCAS standard.

[0033] The procedure described below makes it possible, within the framework of computer-aided route planning to the destination, to also consider charging stops that can only be connected to the charging port 3 of the electric vehicle 1 using adapter 5. For this purpose, information is provided (step S1 or step S1A, Fig. 2) indicating whether the electric vehicle 1 carries an adapter 5 that enables the connection of a charging plug not corresponding to the charging port 3 of the electric vehicle 1. This information is stored in a memory 6 of the electric vehicle 1 in step S2. In step S3, the route is determined by processing this information, whereby if the information indicates that adapter 5 is carried, the route is calculated accordingly.If the information read from memory indicates that no adapter 5 is carried inside the vehicle (i.e., in the passenger compartment or trunk), then only those charging stations whose charging plugs correspond to the charging port 3 of the electric vehicle 1 are considered for charging stops.

[0034] The provision of information indicating whether or not the adapter 5 is carried in the electric vehicle 1 is preferably carried out automatically and by the electric vehicle 1 using computer support. The automatic detection of the adapter 5 by the electric vehicle 1 or its computing unit 4 can be enabled by various technologies.

[0035] For example, the adapter 5 can be supplemented with a communication module, a radio module, or an antenna, enabling communication with corresponding communication modules or antennas of the electric vehicle 1. The communication technology can optionally be based on Bluetooth, radio, or NFC. The detection of the adapter, or of the integrated or attached communication module, radio module, or antenna, can be implemented analogously to key detection for a keyless entry system of the electric vehicle 1. In particular, the same radio transmitter modules as in a vehicle key can be used to detect the presence of the adapter 5 in the electric vehicle 1. Alternatively, an NFC transmitter module or tag can be attached to the adapter 5 to enable vehicle-side detection of the adapter 5.

[0036] Alternatively, the information indicating whether the adapter 5 is carried in the electric vehicle can be pre-entered by a user via a human-machine interface 7 and stored in memory 5. This corresponds to step S1A in Fig. 2. Steps S1 and S1A thus differ only in how the information about whether the adapter s is carried in the electric vehicle 1 is written to memory 6. According to step S1, this is done automatically and by the electric vehicle 1. According to step S1A, this occurs as a result of user input via a human-machine interface 7.

[0037] It is advisable to determine whether adapter 5 is carried out in the electric vehicle 1 at the time of route planning. In other words, this means that whenever a new route is planned, a check is also performed to see if adapter 5 is carried out in the electric vehicle. Only in this way can it be ensured that all available charging stops or charging stations are always taken into account.

[0038] In summary, it is proposed that an adapter used for charging an energy storage device be automatically detected by an electric vehicle and that this detection be integrated into route planning functions. The adapter can be supplemented with a Bluetooth, radio, or NFC module or antenna for this purpose. Detection can be performed, for example, analogously to key detection in a keyless entry system, and the result of the detection can then be functionally processed by route planning.

[0039] Reference symbol list

[0040] 1 Electric vehicle 2 Energy storage

[0041] 3 charging ports

[0042] 4 Calculation unit

[0043] 5 adapters

[0044] 6 Memory 7 Human-machine interface

Claims

Claims 1. Method for computer-aided determination of a route for an electric vehicle (1) to a destination, wherein the route includes one or more charging stops at charging stations for charging an energy storage device (2) of the electric vehicle (1) along the route, wherein the selection of the charging stops is based on the charging plugs available at the charging stations of a charging stop that correspond to a charging port (3) of the electric vehicle (1), comprising the steps: Providing information indicating whether the electric vehicle (1) carries an adapter (5) which enables the connection of a charging plug that does not correspond to the charging port (3) of the electric vehicle (1) to the charging port (3) of the electric vehicle (1), Determining the route guidance by processing the information, whereby, if the information indicates that the adapter (5) must be carried along, charging stops which can only be connected to the charging port (3) of the electric vehicle (1) using the adapter (5) are also taken into account.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination of whether the adapter (5) is carried in the electric vehicle (1) is carried out at the time of determining the route guidance.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the information on whether the adapter (5) is carried in the electric vehicle (1) is read from a memory (6) of the electric vehicle (1).

4. Method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the determination of the information as to whether an adapter (5) is carried in the electric vehicle (1) and its provision are carried out automatically and by computer in the electric vehicle (1), in particular by a computing unit of the electric vehicle (1).

5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the determination of whether the adapter (5) is carried in the electric vehicle (1) is based on communication between a communication unit of the electric vehicle (1) and a communication unit of the adapter (5).

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the communication takes place as near-field communication.

7. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that communication takes place via Bluetooth or radio.

8. Method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the determination of whether the adapter (5) is carried in the electric vehicle (1) is based on a spatial evaluation of radio signals of the adapter (5).

9. Method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the information indicating whether an adapter (5) is carried in the electric vehicle (1) is entered by a user via a human-machine interface (7) and stored in a memory (5).

10. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the charging plug at the charging station is based on the NACS standard.

11. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the charging port (3) of the electric vehicle (1) is based on the CCS1 or CCS2 standard.

12. Adapter (5) for connecting a charging port (3) of an electric vehicle (1) to a charging plug of a charging station, wherein the adapter (5) comprises a radio module or a communication module or an antenna for exchanging radio signals with the electric vehicle (1).

13. Electric vehicle (1) comprising an energy storage device (2); a charging port (3) electrically connected to the energy storage device (2) and connectable to a charging plug of a charging station; a computing unit (4) configured to - to determine information indicating whether the electric vehicle (1) carries an adapter (5) which enables the connection of a charging plug not corresponding to the charging port (3) of the electric vehicle (1) to the charging port (3) of the electric vehicle (1), and - to determine a route guidance by processing the information, whereby, if the information indicates the carrying of the adapter (5), such charging stops are also taken into account which can only be connected to the charging port (3) of the electric vehicle (1) using the adapter (5).

14. Electric vehicle (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that it is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

15. Electric vehicle (1) according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that it comprises a communication unit and / or a radio module with one or more antennas.

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