Charging station and method for carrying out network connection procedure performed by charging station

Abstract

Disclosed in the present specification is a charging station for an electric vehicle. The charging station according to the present specification comprises: a control module configured to control a charging process of an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) on the basis of a control message from a charging operation and management system (COMS); and a communication module configured to receive, from a current COMS, a set request message including identifiers indicating a plurality of configuration slots for a plurality of network connection profiles and information regarding priorities of the plurality of configuration slots, transmit a response message to the current COMS on the basis of the set request message being valid, and receive a reset request message from the current COMS.

Description

A charging station and a method for performing network connection procedures performed by the charging station

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging station and a method for performing a network connection procedure performed by the charging station, and more specifically, to a charging station and a method for changing the connection from a current charging operation management system to another charging operation management system.

[0002] Currently commercialized charging stations for electric vehicles include power cables or other conductors that are detachable from the electric vehicle. The charging station can receive electricity from an electrical distribution network or other electrical sources and transmit power to the electric vehicle through the power cable.

[0003] While the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing due to rising demand, the number of charging stations is not growing proportionally, causing difficulties for EV drivers in charging their batteries. As user demand for EVs is expected to continue growing, various requirements are being raised to manage power delivery to these vehicles. Therefore, there is a need for the development of technology that can resolve the problems associated with conventional EV charging and reflect user requirements.

[0004] The present invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art as described above by providing a method and apparatus for controlling the operation of changing the connection from a charging station to another charging operation management system.

[0005] A charging station for an electric vehicle according to the present invention for achieving the above objective comprises: a control module configured to control the charging process of an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) by means of a control message of a charging operation and management system (COMS); and a communication module configured to receive a set request message from a current charging operation and management system, the set request message including identifiers indicating a plurality of configuration slots for a plurality of network connection profiles and information regarding the priority of the plurality of configuration slots, transmit a response message to the current charging operation and management system based on the validity of the set request message, and receive a reset request message from the current charging operation and management system. The control module performs a reboot based on the reset request message, and after performing the reboot, the communication module is configured to disconnect from the current charging operation and management system and perform a procedure to attempt a connection sequentially to all or part of the plurality of configuration slots. The procedure to attempt a connection is configured such that, among the plurality of configuration slots, the information regarding the priority Starting from the highest priority setting slot, the communication module is configured to attempt a connection to the n-th priority setting slot up to k times if it fails to connect to the n-th priority setting slot, and if all k connection attempts to the n-th priority setting slot fail, the communication module performs a procedure to switch the next target to attempt a connection to the n+1-th priority setting slot after a first interval time, and if the result of performing k connection attempts for each of the plurality of setting slots is all failure, the communication module performs a reconnection to a fallback setting slot,If reconnection to the above fallback setting slot fails, the communication module is characterized by performing a network connection procedure based on either a default mode or a configurable mode after a second interval time.

[0006] In one aspect, the first interval time and the second interval time are the same.

[0007] In another aspect, the second interval time is characterized as being greater than the first interval time.

[0008] In another aspect, the fallback setting slot is characterized as being the setting slot where the last successful connection with the communication module was established.

[0009] In another aspect, the fallback setting slot is characterized by being arbitrarily set by the current charging operation management system.

[0010] In another aspect, the default mode is characterized in that the communication module performs connection attempts sequentially for the plurality of setting slots, starting from the highest priority setting slot.

[0011] In another aspect, the above-mentioned configurable mode is characterized as a mode in which the communication module attempts to connect to a specific configuration slot predetermined by the current charging operation management system.

[0012] A method for performing a network connection procedure performed by a charging station of an electric vehicle according to the present invention for achieving the above objective comprises: receiving a configuration request message from a current charging operation management system (the configuration request message includes identifiers indicating a plurality of configuration slots for a plurality of network connection profiles and information regarding the priority of the plurality of configuration slots); transmitting a configuration response message to the current charging operation management system based on the validity of the configuration request message; receiving a reset request message from the current charging operation management system; transmitting a reset response message based on the reception of the reset request message; disconnecting the connection with the current charging operation management system in response to performing a reboot; and attempting to sequentially connect to all or part of the plurality of configuration slots after performing the reboot, wherein the step of attempting to connect starts with the highest priority configuration slot among the plurality of configuration slots according to the information regarding the priority, and if the connection with the nth priority configuration slot fails, attempts to connect to the nth priority configuration slot up to k times, and if all k attempts to connect to the nth priority configuration slot fail, the After one interval time, the next target to attempt connection is switched to the n+1th priority setting slot, and if the result of performing k connection attempts for each of the plurality of setting slots is a failure, the method further includes the step of reconnecting to a fallback setting slot, and the step of reconnecting further includes, if the reconnection to the fallback setting slot fails, the step of performing a network connection procedure based on either a default mode or a configurable mode after a second interval time.

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention may have effects including the following advantages. However, since the embodiments of the present invention are not required to include all of these, the scope of the present invention should not be understood as being limited by them.

[0014] A method and device for changing a connection to a charging operation management system according to one embodiment of the present invention has the effect of efficiently performing a connection to a charging operation management system based on slot switching timing.

[0015] In addition, it has the effect of resolving the problem of getting stuck in fallback and reconnection loops.

[0016] In addition, it is effective to efficiently perform connections to the charging operation management system by utilizing priority or default slots.

[0017] In addition, setting an appropriate interval when retrying the connection has the effect of preventing network load.

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an electric vehicle charging system.

[0019] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of an electric vehicle and a charger.

[0020] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a charging station.

[0021] Figure 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a bidirectional charging system.

[0022] Figure 5 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an electric vehicle charging operation management system.

[0023] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an electric vehicle charging infrastructure where multiple electric vehicle charging operation management systems exist.

[0024] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for setting a network connection profile between an electric vehicle charging operation management system and a charging station.

[0025] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for performing a network connection to a new electric vehicle charging operation management system.

[0026] The present invention is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail.

[0027] However, this is not intended to limit the invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that it includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0028] Terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components should not be limited by said terms. Such terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component. The term "and / or" includes a combination of a plurality of related described items or any of a plurality of related described items.

[0029] When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, there may also be other components in between. On the other hand, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

[0030] The terms used in this application are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprising" or "having" are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0032] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. In order to facilitate an overall understanding of the present invention, the same reference numerals are used for identical components in the drawings, and redundant descriptions of identical components are omitted.

[0033] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, some components unrelated to the gist of the invention may be omitted or compressed; nevertheless, omitted components are not necessarily unnecessary for the present invention and may be combined and used by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

[0034] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an electric vehicle charging system.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 1, an electric vehicle charging system (100, which may be called a 'charging system') may include a user terminal (110), a management server (120), an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE, 130), and an electric vehicle (140).

[0036] The user terminal (110) may be a terminal corresponding to the user, that is, the driver of the electric vehicle (140). The user terminal (110) may transmit preemption request information to the management server (120) to preempt at least one charger. To this end, the user terminal (110) may communicate with the management server (120) wirelessly or via a wired method. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the user terminal (110) is shown as being implemented as a smartphone, but it may be implemented as a wireless communication terminal such as a tablet or a navigation system installed in a vehicle, or as a wired communication terminal such as a desktop. The management server (120) may constitute a part of the charging operation management system (510) of FIG. 5, which will be described later.

[0037] The user terminal (110) can transmit its location information to a management server. To do this, the user terminal (110) may include a Global Positioning System Module (GPS).

[0038] The management server (120) can identify at least one available charger (130) in response to location information received from the user terminal (110). To do this, the management server (120) can identify and store the location information of each charger in advance. The management server (120) can lock at least one charger corresponding to the preemption request information of the user terminal (110) by transmitting a preemption command signal. To do this, the management server (120) can communicate with the user terminal (110) and the charger (130). For example, the management server (120) can be connected to multiple chargers via a WebSocket method using the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP 2.0) protocol. The management server (120) can continuously perform standard protocol-based communication while connected to the charger (130) for charging infrastructure management. Although FIG. 1 is illustrated as the management server (120) communicating directly with the charger (130), a separate charging station is provided to manage the charger (130), so that the charging station and the management server (120) can communicate based on the OCPP protocol.

[0039] The charger (130) can be unlocked in response to the input of authentication information for user authentication of the user terminal (110) while in a locked state. The charger (130) can charge the electric vehicle (140) corresponding to the user terminal (110) while in an unlocked state. In another view, the charger (130) can charge the battery of the electric vehicle (140) corresponding to the user terminal (110). The charger (130) can be connected to a power supply facility (150) and can transfer power supplied from the power supply facility (150) to the battery of the electric vehicle (140).

[0040] The charger (130) can obtain information about the electric vehicle (140) during the process of charging the electric vehicle (140). For example, various information such as the type of electric vehicle, battery capacity, identification information of the electric vehicle, and information about the user of the electric vehicle can be obtained from the electric vehicle. To this end, the charger (130) can communicate with the electric vehicle during charging.

[0041] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of an electric vehicle and a charger.

[0042] Referring to FIG. 2, an exemplary system (200) for use in charging or providing electricity to an electric vehicle (202) is illustrated. The electric vehicle (202) described in FIG. 2 may be the electric vehicle (140) of FIG. 1, and the charger (204) may be the charger (130) of FIG. 1. For example, the system (200) may include a charger (204) coupled to the electric vehicle (202). The electric vehicle (202) may include at least one power storage device (battery, 206), such as a battery and / or any other storage device coupled to a motor (208). The electric vehicle (202) may further include a vehicle controller (210) coupled to the power storage device (206).

[0043] The charger (204) may be removablely coupled to the power storage device (206) and the vehicle controller (210) by at least one power conduit (212). Alternatively, the charger (204) may be coupled to either the power storage device (206) or the vehicle controller (210) by any other conduit, and the charger (204) may be coupled to the vehicle controller (210) by a wireless data link or by inductive coupling. That is, it may be coupled without using the conduit (212).

[0044] The power conduit (212) may include at least one conductor for supplying electricity to any other part within the power storage device (206) and the electric vehicle (202), and at least one conductor for transmitting data to and receiving data from any other part of the vehicle controller (210) and the electric vehicle (202). For example, the charger (204) may be coupled to a power source (214), such as a power grid of any other device or system, such as an electric utility company (in the case of Korea Electric Power Corporation), a generator, a battery, and the charger (204).

[0045] The charger (204) may be connected to at least one server (216) via a network such as the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or any other network or other connection that enables the charger (204) to function as described in FIG. 2. The server (216) may communicate with the charger (204) by transmitting a signal to the charger (204) to authorize the delivery of electricity to the payment and power storage device (206), thereby accessing customer information.

[0046] The server (216) and the vehicle controller (210) may each include at least one processor and at least one memory device. The processor may include any suitable programmable circuit, microprocessor, reduced instruction set circuit (RISC), application application integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable logic circuit (PLC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), and any other circuit capable of performing the functions described herein, each of which may include one or more systems and microcontrollers. The examples are merely exemplary and are therefore not intended to limit the definition and meaning of the term “processor” in any way. The memory device may each include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), flash memory, hard disk drive, solid-state drive, diskette, flash drive, compact disk, digital video disk, and / or any suitable memory device that enables the processor to store, retrieve, and / or execute instructions and / or data.

[0047] The user can combine the power storage device (206) with the charger (204) using the power conduit (212). The user can access the user interface of the charger (204) to input information such as payment information and initiate power delivery to the power storage device (206). The charger (204) may be configured to communicate with the server (216) to authenticate the user, process payment information, or authorize or approve power delivery. When the charger (204) receives a signal from the server (216) instructing permission or approval to deliver power to the power storage device (206), the charger (204) may receive power from the power source (214) and provide power to the power storage device (206) through the power conduit (212).

[0048] The charger (204) communicates wirelessly with the vehicle controller (210) through the power conduit (212) and / or any other conduit to control and monitor the delivery of power to the power storage device (206). For example, the vehicle controller (210) may transmit a signal to the charger (204) indicating the charging level of the power storage device (206) or the desired amount and rate of power to be provided by the charger (204). The charger (204) may transmit a signal to the vehicle controller (210) indicating the amount and / or rate of electricity delivered to the power storage device (206). Additionally, the charger (204) and the vehicle controller (210) may transmit and receive any other signals or messages that enable the system (200) to function as described above. When the power storage device (206) is charged to a desired level, the charger (204) stops delivering power to the power storage device (206), and the user can disconnect the power conduit (212) from the power storage device (206).

[0049] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a charger.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 3, the charger (300) of an electric vehicle battery may include a plurality of power converters (310) and a master control board (320). The charger (300) of FIG. 3 may be the charger (130) described in FIG. 1. The power converter (310) may be referred to as an On Board Charger (OBC). In addition, the battery charger (300) may include various additional components in addition to the components shown in FIG. 3, or may omit some of the above components.

[0051] The onboard charger (310) may be configured to convert AC power supplied from an external source into DC power and supply it to a load (vehicle or energy storage system (ESS), 20). For example, the onboard charger (310) may correspond to a power conversion device that converts AC power supplied from a grid (grid, 10) into DC power, and converts the converted DC power into a set DC power and supplies it to the load (20). Such an onboard charger (310) may be recycled from one originally used in an electric vehicle.

[0052] Multiple onboard chargers (310) can be connected in parallel. For example, if a 100kW charger is required, four 30kW onboard chargers (310) can be connected in parallel. The output voltage of the multiple onboard chargers (310) can be limited to 400V or 800V and can be composed of onboard chargers (310) with similar specifications.

[0053] The onboard charger (310) may be single-phase or three-phase. In the case of a single-phase onboard charger, it can charge the battery by receiving one of the three-phase power (R, S, T) supplied from the outside (distribution power) and the N phase, and by converting the received power into DC power and outputting it. In the case of a three-phase onboard charger, it can charge the battery by receiving three-phase power supplied from the outside and by converting the received power into DC power and outputting it.

[0054] Meanwhile, when bidirectional power transmission is initiated from an electric vehicle connected for charging or discharging, the charger (300) may transmit information regarding the grid code of the charging operation management system to the electric vehicle. Alternatively, the charging operation management system may be controlled to directly transmit information regarding the grid code to the electric vehicle. The information regarding the grid code may include at least one of the trip region, return to service related parameters, power curve, and inverter safety related parameters for the onboard inverter of the electric vehicle.

[0055] Figure 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a bidirectional charging system.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 4, a bidirectional fast charging system with V2G applied may include an electric vehicle (410), a grid (420), and a bidirectional fast charging / discharging device (430). The bidirectional fast charging / discharging device (430) may correspond to the charger (130) of FIG. 1. Not all components of the bidirectional fast charging system with V2G applied shown in FIG. 3 are essential components, and the bidirectional fast charging system with V2G applied may be implemented with more components than those shown in FIG. 4, or with fewer components.

[0057] The electric vehicle (410) may be an electric vehicle capable of bidirectional charging and discharging. Additionally, when the electric vehicle (410) is connected to a charging and discharging connector configured in a bidirectional rapid charging and discharging device (430), the electric vehicle (410) may perform a charging function for the battery configured in the electric vehicle (410) based on charging schedule information or other charging schedule information generated by the bidirectional rapid charging and discharging device (430) under the control of the bidirectional rapid charging and discharging device (430), or perform a discharging function to transfer power stored in the battery configured in the electric vehicle (410) to an energy storage device or grid (420) connected to the bidirectional rapid charging and discharging device (430) based on discharging schedule information or other discharging schedule information generated by the bidirectional rapid charging and discharging device (430).

[0058] Figure 5 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an electric vehicle charging operation management system.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 5, an electric vehicle charging management system according to one embodiment may include a charging operation and management system (ComS, 510) that manages a charging station, a charging station (CS, 520) that provides a physical environment and system for charging an electric vehicle based on a charger (530), and a charger (EVSE, 530) that charges or discharges an electric vehicle. The charging operation and management system may also be called a charging station management system (CSMS). To explain the relationship between the charging station (520) and the charger (EVSE, 530) in more detail, the charger (530) refers to a device that supplies energy to an electric vehicle as an element independently managed and operated by the charging station (520), and the charging station (520) may refer to a physical system that includes at least one charger (530). The charging station (520) may be called a charging station, and the charger (530) may be called a charging device.

[0060] The charging operation management system (510) is configured to monitor and manage one or more charging stations (520) and functions as an operation server for operating an electric vehicle charging management system. To this end, it may be equipped with a management server (511) that manages the charging stations (520) and a communication server (512) that transmits and receives messages to and from the charging stations (520).

[0061] The charging station (520) is connected to a plurality of chargers (530) and can directly control and manage the electric vehicle charging process performed at the chargers (530). For example, the charging station (520) can determine the charging priority or distribute power to each charger so that efficient charging can be performed for the plurality of chargers (530). The charging station (520) may include a control module (521) that controls the charging process of the chargers (530), and a communication module (522) that transmits and receives messages to and from the charging operation management system (510) and transmits and receives control signals to and from the control module (521).

[0062] The control module (521) is a device configured to control the charging process of the charger (EVSE) by means of a control message from the charging operation management system. The control module (521) can receive a reset request message from the currently connected charging operation management system and can perform a reboot based on the received reset request message. Then, after the reboot, it can disconnect from the current charging operation management system and attempt to sequentially connect to all or part of the multiple configuration slots. That is, it can attempt to connect to another charging operation management system. The control module (521) can attempt to connect according to the priority of the multiple configuration slots. That is, it can start the connection attempt from the highest priority configuration slot based on information regarding the priority of the configuration slots.

[0063] The communication module (522) receives a set request message from the current charging operation management system. The set request message may include identifiers indicating multiple setting slots for multiple network connection profiles and information regarding the priority of the multiple setting slots. Based on the validity of the set request message, the communication module (522) transmits a response message to the current charging operation management system and may receive a reset request message from the current charging operation management system.

[0064] If the communication module (522) fails to connect with a specific setting slot (setting slot of the nth rank), it may attempt to connect to the setting slot up to a preset number of times (maximum k times). If all k connection attempts to the nth rank setting slot fail, the communication module (522) may switch the next target to attempt a connection to the n+1th rank setting slot after a first interval time. The communication module (522) may perform k connection attempts for each setting slot in order of priority of each setting slot, and if all connections fail, it may attempt to reconnect to a fallback setting slot. The fallback setting slot may be the setting slot where the last successful connection was established with the communication module (522) (the setting slot of the current charging operation management system mentioned earlier), or it may be arbitrarily set by the current charging operation management system. If the communication module (522) fails to reconnect to the fallback setting slot, it can perform a network connection procedure based on either default mode or configurable mode after a second interval time.

[0065] Here, the first interval time and the second interval time may be set to be the same, or the second interval time may be set to a value greater than the first interval time. Additionally, the default mode may be a mode in which the communication module (522) attempts to connect sequentially to a plurality of setting slots starting from the highest priority setting slot, and the configurable mode may be a mode in which the communication module (522) attempts to connect to a specific setting slot that has been predetermined by the current charging operation management system.

[0066] The charging station (520) is installed in a charging station equipped with one or more chargers (530), and, for example, the charging station may be a public parking lot, a parking lot of a highway rest area, an underground parking lot of a multi-unit building, etc.

[0067] The charger (530) is configured to supply power to the electric vehicle by connecting to the inlet of the electric vehicle, and multiple chargers can be installed within a single charging station area. In this way, the electric vehicle charging management system can be configured so that the charging operation management system (510) directly monitors and manages the charging station.

[0068] For example, the electric vehicle charging operation management system (510) can operate according to the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) standard. OCPP is an application protocol for communication between a charging station (520) and a central management system, and is an open application protocol that enables the charging station (520) and the central management system to communicate with each other.

[0069] The electric vehicle charging operation management system (510) can provide various functions such as security, provisioning, authorization, local authorization list management, transactions, remote control, availability, reservation, tariff and cost, metering, smart charging, firmware management, ISO 15118 certificate management, diagnostics, display message, and data transfer.

[0070] The provisioning function includes all functions for the Charging Service Operator (CSO), and the authorization function includes all authorization functions such as the processing, actions, and authorization of AuthorizeRequest messages. The regional authorization list management function includes functions for managing regional authorization lists, and the transaction function includes functions related to basic transactions that are started and stopped on the charger. The remote control function implements three types of use cases for remote control managed by the CSMS (remote transaction control, unlocking, connectors, and remote triggers), the availability function includes state transmission functions, and the reservation function includes reservation functions for the charger.

[0071] The tariff and cost function includes the ability to provide efficiency and cost information to electric vehicle drivers through the charging station's display. For example, detailed pricing information can be provided before the driver starts charging, and all components constituting the rate plan can be displayed. This information can be updated at regular intervals and may also show the total cost when charging is stopped.

[0072] The metering function includes the ability to transmit meter values ​​based on periodic sampling and clock-aligned timing, and the smart charging function includes all functions that enable CSO. For example, to affect the charging current or power, the charging station may provide the electric vehicle with limit settings for the charging session or the amount of power / current.

[0073] In addition, the smart charging function can provide features such as power per phase, Price Level Schedule and Absolute Price Schedule, a Central Setpoint used to select setpoints for discharge, an External Setpoint that instructs external entities like the EMS at the charging station to determine setpoint parameters, Central Frequency, Local Frequency, and Local Load Balancing. Here, the Price Level Schedule refers to indicating price levels and displaying said prices in monetary units. Here, Central Frequency is similar to Local Frequency but is used during calibrated frequency measurements, and the setpoint for frequency support is determined by the CSMS. Local Frequency is a mode that operates while the electric vehicle participates in the Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR) service or aFCR, helping to maintain the stability of the power grid. Local Load Balancing allows the electric vehicle to be utilized for load distribution. For example, the energy of a building can be measured by a charger of BIPV (Building-integrated photovoltaics) that consumes energy and produces energy from solar panels, and based on this, the load on the power grid can be influenced.

[0074] Next, the firmware management function includes the function for the CSO to update the firmware of the charging station, the ISO 15118 certificate management function includes the function for installing and updating the ISO 15118 certificate, and the diagnostic function includes the function for the CSO to manage requests for uploading diagnostic files from the charging station, tracking, and monitoring of charging station data.

[0075] The display message function includes the ability for the CSO to display messages from the charging station via OCPP that are not part of the firmware using the Display Message function. Additionally, the CSO can perform message control functions such as message setting, searching (importing), replacing, and deleting. Finally, the data transmission function includes the ability for the party to add custom commands.

[0076] Meanwhile, the electric vehicle charging operation management system (510) provides a function that supports the smooth operation of a communication protocol (e.g., the ISO 15118-20 standard) between the electric vehicle and the charging station (520). For example, the electric vehicle charging operation management system (510) can install an OEM root certificate at the charging station, supports more certificate chains, and supports a certificate revocation list. It also supports several basic contract certificates. Here, a certificate chain is an ordered list of certificates including SSL / TLS certificates and certificate authority certificates, through which the recipient can verify whether the sender and the certificate authority are trustworthy.

[0077] The electric vehicle charging operation management system (510) can support the control of a Distributed Energy Resource (DER). Here, the DER is a generator and energy storage technology capable of providing active power to the power, and the charging station can be used as a distributed energy resource, and the utility can set specific parameters such as power factor and frequency drop.

[0078] The above Energy Manage System (EMS) standard is as follows. It may include additional power that can be used for charging in conjunction with PV. The local EMS can control the following and can directly control charging stations. It can also be controlled via OCPP communication through a local controller.

[0079] The standards for the aforementioned Local Payment are as follows. Features such as prepaid transactions, credit card payments, smartphone payments, and multilingual support are included for calculating local costs at charging stations.

[0080] More specifically, it refers to paying top-up fees via a lump sum, debit card, or credit card. The payment terminal may be integrated into the top-up station or may be a separate device. This is called an OPT (Outdoor Payment Terminal), and once the payment card is approved, the OPT instructs the CSMS to remotely initiate the top-up transaction for the designated charge.

[0081] The above Prepaid standard is as follows: it limits the recharge duration, inputs costs and recharge times via the UI. In other words, you can set the recharge time or configure the recharge amount by setting the prepaid balance, and it can also be initiated remotely.

[0082] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an electric vehicle charging infrastructure where multiple electric vehicle charging operation management systems exist.

[0083] Referring to FIG. 6, the electric vehicle charging infrastructure may include a plurality of charging stations (CS 01, CS 02, CS 03), a charging station operator (610) managing the plurality of charging stations, and a plurality of electric vehicle charging operation management systems (620, 630). The charging station may be referred to as a Charging Point (CP). The Charging Station Operator (CSO) may be a business operator managing the charging station and may be referred to as a Charging Point Operator (CPO).

[0084] Each electric vehicle charging operation management system may be provided by different electric vehicle charging companies, and each company may provide services available through the charging operation management system to customers through its own platform. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the first charging operation management system may be a charging operation management system in service through a government agency integrated platform, and the second charging operation management system may be a charging operation management system in service through a private consignment business operator's platform. Although two charging operation management systems are shown as examples, in reality, there may be more charging operation management systems in proportion to the number of electric vehicle charging companies.

[0085] Each charging operation management system stores a server certificate and can verify the certificate through a Certification Authority (CA). Then, it can communicate with charging stations that store device certificates based on the OCPP protocol.

[0086] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for setting a network connection profile between an electric vehicle charging operation management system and a charging station.

[0087] Referring to FIG. 7, the charging operation management system (CSMS) can transmit information regarding network connection to the charging station (CS), and connection data from the charging station to the charging operation management system can be updated. In preparation for a potential problem with the current network connection with the charging operation management system, the charging station can update the connection data according to the procedure of FIG. 7 to prepare for migration to a new charging operation management system in advance.

[0088] Detailed message exchange procedures between the charging operation management system and the charging station can be performed according to steps S710 through S730, and can be performed under the premise that multiple charging operation management systems exist.

[0089] In step S710, the charging station receives a first message from the charging operation management system. That is, the charging operation management system transmits the first message to the charging station. For example, the first message is a configuration request message and may be called a SetNetworkProfileRequest message. The first message may be received in the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) format of the OCPP protocol. The first message may include identifiers (Configuration Slot Field) indicating multiple configuration slots for multiple network connection profiles and connection data fields of the multiple configuration slots.

[0090] The configuration slot field may indicate the network configuration number of the charging operation management system, and the connection data field may contain network configuration information of the charging operation management system. For example, assuming there are four charging operation management systems that can be connected to a charging station, each charging operation management system may correspond to slot 0, slot 1, slot 2, and slot 3, and the charging station may indicate (select) a slot of a specific index among them. Network connection configuration information regarding the charging operation management system corresponding to that slot may be stored in each slot.

[0091] A charging station can support at least two slots identified by an index, and the number of configuration slots can be announced in advance by the charging station to the charging operation management system. This action can be performed by the charging station sending a NetworkConfigurationPriority message to the charging operation management system. The index of the available configuration slots can be reported in the valueList of the priority (NetworkConfigurationPriority) variable by the charging station. That is, the charging station can indicate which slot among slots 0 through 4 to use for the connection, and this can be reported by the parameter OCPPCommCtrlr.ActiveNetworkProfile.

[0092] In step S720, the charging station verifies the content included in the first message (PDU) and stores new data. Accordingly, a new credential can be set (updated) in the charging station.

[0093] In step S730, the charging station sends a second message to the charging operation management system. The second message is a response message (setting response message) to the setting request message and can be called a SetNetworkProfileResponse message. For example, if the received content is valid, the charging station can indicate that it is accepted via the second message. For another example, if the received content is invalid, the charging station can indicate that it is rejected via the second message. For yet another example, if the charging station fails to set up a new network profile, it can indicate that it is failed via the second message.

[0094] The charging station may send a second message to the charging operation management system indicating rejection if the security profile included in the first message contains a security profile lower than the already configured security profile. The charging station may also send a second message to the charging operation management system indicating rejection if the configuration slot index of the first message does not match the value list item of NetworkConfigurationPriority.

[0095] Meanwhile, as the charging station updates connection data, errors may occur when changing from the existing charging operation management system to the new charging operation management system. That is, the connection to the new charging operation management system may fail. The charging station can take measures regarding the occurrence of such errors. The procedure for taking measures regarding the occurrence of errors will be described later with reference to FIG. 8.

[0096] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for performing a network connection to a new electric vehicle charging operation management system.

[0097] The procedure illustrated in Fig. 8 is a procedure for connecting to a new charging operation management system using a different Network Connection Profile in the event of an error, and may be referred to as migration to the new charging operation management system. The scenario in Fig. 8 is based on the premise that during the process of migrating from the current charging operation management system (1st CSMS) to the new charging operation management system (2nd CSMS), a connection attempt is made according to the value of Network Configuration Priority, and the connection fails more than a certain number of times. For example, if the value of Network Configuration Priority is "1, 0" and Network Profile Connection Attempts is set to a specific number (which may be k times), the charging station can attempt to connect to the highest priority slot, Slot 1, up to k times, and if all k connection attempts fail, it can attempt to connect to the next highest priority slot, Slot 0.

[0098] The detailed message exchange procedure of FIG. 8 can be performed according to steps S810 through S870. Steps S810 through S870 can be performed by a charging station.

[0099] Prior to performing step S810, the first CSMS may receive a message regarding a network configuration change from the operator (CSO). For example, it may receive a Charge Network Config message.

[0100] In step S810, the charging station receives a third message from the first CSMS, which is the currently connected CSMS. For example, the third message is intended to change the network slot priority between CSMSs and may be called a configuration request message or a SetVariablesRequest message. The first CSMS can set a new value for the network configuration priority parameter through the transmission of the third message. That is, if the first CSMS was previously in the first position of the priority list and the second CSMS was in the second position of the priority list, it can be configured to change this. In other words, through the third message, the second CSMS can be placed in the first position of the priority list, and the first CSMS can be placed in a lower position than the second CSMS.

[0101] If the third message is valid in step S820, the charging station transmits a fourth message, which is a response message to the third message, to the first CSMS. For example, the fourth message may be called a set response message or a SetVariablesResponse message. If all network profile slots of the third message contain valid configurations, the charging station may indicate that it is accepted through the fourth message. If even one network profile slot of the third message contains an invalid configuration, the charging station may indicate that it is rejected through the fourth message.

[0102] In step S830, the charging station receives a fifth message from the first CSMS. The fifth message may be called a ResetRequest message for migrating to the second CSMS. If the charging station indicates acceptance via the fourth message, the first CSMS may send the fifth message to the charging station to perform a Reset OnIdle.

[0103] In step S840, the charging station sends a 6th message to the 1st CSMS in response to the 5th message. For example, the 6th message is a reset response message and may be called a ResetResponse message, and if the charging station accepts the restart, the 6th message may be sent in the form of ResetResponse(Accepted).

[0104] In step S850, the charging station performs a reboot. During the reboot process, the connection with the first CSMS is disconnected.

[0105] In step S860, the charging station sends the 7th message to the 2nd CSMS. For example, the 7th message is intended to notify the 2nd CSMS that it is ready to connect to the new CSMS, and may be called a BootNotificationRequest message. After performing a reboot, the charging station may attempt to connect sequentially to all or part of the multiple configuration slots.

[0106] At step S870, the charging station receives the 8th message from the 2nd CSMS. For example, the 8th message may be called the BootNotificationResponse message as a response to the 7th message. Upon receiving the 8th message, the charging station may attempt to connect to the 2nd CSMS via a new network connection profile after restarting. If the connection attempt fails during this process, the charging station may attempt the connection as many times as included in the network configuration priority. That is, it may attempt the connection as many times as specified in NetworkProfileConnectionAttempts.

[0107] Meanwhile, if the charging station fails to connect to the 2nd CSMS after attempting to connect a maximum number of times (k times), it may attempt to connect to the next-ranked CSMS. The next-ranked CSMS may include the 1st CSMS, or it may be another CSMS on the network other than the 2nd CSMS. The charging station may attempt to connect to each CSMS by the maximum number of times for each priority.

[0108] In this way, when performing the migration procedure to a new CSMS, if the charging station fails to connect to the highest priority slot (the nth priority setting slot) despite attempting to connect a maximum number of times, it may attempt to connect to the next priority slot (the n+1th priority setting slot), and this is defined as slot switching. The time / timing from the failure to connect to the previous slot until the start of the connection attempt to the next priority slot is defined as slot switching timing or the first interval time. The CSMS can pre-define the slot switching timing and can notify the charging station of information regarding the slot switching timing.

[0109] Before the charging station restarts, the CSMS may transmit information regarding slot switching timing via a separate message or via an existing message. For example, the charging station may receive information regarding slot switching timing from the first CSMS before restarting according to step S850. That is, it may receive a message in the form of SlotSwitchingTiming() from the first CSMS. As another example, the first CSMS may transmit by adding a field regarding slot switching timing within the fields of the third message. That is, the third message in the form of SetVariablesRequest(NetworkConfigurationPriority) may be transmitted in the form of SetVariablesRequest(NetworkConfigurationPriority, SlotSwitchingTiming). As yet another example, the first CSMS may transmit by adding a field regarding slot switching timing within the fields of the fifth message. That is, the fifth message in the form of ResetRequest(Reset OnIdle) can be transmitted in the form of ResetRequest(Reset OnIdle, SlotSwitchingTiming). The first CSMS can transmit the slot switching timing information inserted into the existing message or as a separate message, taking into account the amount of data (PDU) of the message transmitted to the charging station.

[0110] In other words, the charging station can start a connection from the highest priority setting slot based on information regarding the priority among multiple setting slots, and if the connection with the nth priority setting slot fails, it can attempt to connect to the nth priority setting slot up to k times. Then, if all connection attempts to the nth priority setting slot fail even after k attempts, it can switch the next target for connection attempts to the n+1th priority setting slot after a first interval time. Then, it can attempt to connect to the n+1th priority setting slot up to k times as well. The charging station can attempt this process sequentially in the order of priority of the multiple connectable setting slots.

[0111] Meanwhile, if connection attempts for all items in the network configuration priority fail, the charging station may attempt to reconnect to the fallback configuration slot. That is, it may attempt to reconnect to the first CSMS that was previously successfully connected. When reconnecting to the first CSMS, the charging station may attempt to reconnect a maximum number of times, just as it does for other CSMSs. However, a situation may arise where the reconnection to the first CSMS also fails due to network instability or errors caused by external factors. If the charging station fails to reconnect to the first CSMS during all k connection attempts, it may become trapped in a loop of continuously attempting fallback and reconnection. To prevent this situation, criteria for the reconnection procedure may be established at the charging station to prevent loops.

[0112] For example, if the charging station fails to reconnect to the fallback configuration slot, it may perform a network connection procedure based on the default mode after a second interval time. The default mode may be a mode that attempts to reconnect starting from the slot with the highest priority (based on the highest priority at the current time). Even without receiving separate information from the CSMS, the charging station may attempt to reconnect a predetermined number of times in order of the highest priority of each CSMS based on a pre-stored internal setting (which may be a setting updated according to the third message).

[0113] As another example, if the charging station fails to reconnect to the fallback configuration slot, it may perform a network connection procedure based on a configurable mode after a second interval time. The configurable mode may be a mode that attempts to connect to a specific predetermined configuration slot. The charging station may perform a network connection procedure based on either of the two modes.

[0114] In addition, a procedure may be added in which the CSMS pre-configures the charging station in which the charging station will operate among the two embodiments above. For example, if the charging station fails to fall back to and reconnect to the last successful connection slot, the CSMS may configure whether i) the charging station attempts to connect to the configuration slots according to the existing priority based on the default mode, or ii) attempt to connect starting from a predetermined configuration slot based on the configurable mode.

[0115] CSMS can instruct the charging station's settings through a separate message. For example, CSMS can send a message to the charging station in the form of SetSlotConnectRequest. CSMS can instruct the station to attempt a connection starting from the highest priority slot if the message field is 0 (in the case of SetSlotConnectRequest(0)), and to attempt a connection starting from the default slot if the message field is 1 (in the case of SetSlotConnectRequest(1)). Since it is desirable for these messages to be sent before the charging station attempts to reconnect, the SetSlotConnectRequest message can be sent before the charging station restarts. In response to the SetSlotConnectRequest message, the charging station can send SetSlotConnectResponse(Accepted) to the CSMS to indicate that it accepts a specific method.

[0116] Meanwhile, in a situation where the charging station fails to fallback and reconnect, and attempts to reconnect to the highest priority slot, it is necessary to define the waiting time before restarting the entire loop. This can be named the retry interval. The retry interval can be defined as a specific time (e.g., k milliseconds or k seconds). The retry interval may be the same time for every iteration, or it may gradually increase as the iterations increase. The CSMS can transmit information about the retry interval to the charging station.

[0117] Information regarding the retry interval can also be sent to the charging station via a separate message or inserted as a field into an existing message. For example, an SMS can send a message in the form of SetIntervalRequest to the charging station. When the CSMS sends a message such as SetIntervalRequest(1), it can set the retry interval time to the same value (1ms) for each retry. If it sends a message such as SetIntervalRequest(1+), it can set the time to increase by 1ms for each retry interval (1ms for the first time, 2ms for the second time). The charging station can send SetIntervalResponse(Accepted) to the CSMS to indicate that it accepts a specific method in response to the SetIntervalRequest message.

[0118] Meanwhile, a situation may occur during normal operation where the charging station is disconnected from a slot set as priority (e.g., CSMS #1) by the CSMS migration procedure to a lower-priority slot (e.g., CSMS #0). In this case, it is necessary to configure whether the charging station should attempt to reconnect starting from the highest-priority slot (e.g., CSMS #1), or simply attempt to connect to the lower-priority slot (CSMS #0) without applying fallback and reconnection rules. If the connection is temporarily established to a lower-priority slot and then disconnected again, the charging station may attempt to reconnect starting from the highest-priority slot (set as the default behavior) or attempt to reconnect to the default slot based on information received from the CSMS.

[0119] Although the invention has been described with reference to the drawings and embodiments, this does not imply that the scope of protection of the present invention is limited by the drawings or embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims.

Claims

1. Regarding electric vehicle charging stations, A control module configured to control the charging process of an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) by means of a control message from a charging operation and management system (COMS); and A communication module configured to receive a set request message from a current charging operation management system, the set request message including identifiers indicating multiple configuration slots for multiple network connection profiles and information regarding the priority of said multiple configuration slots, transmit a response message to the current charging operation management system based on the validity of said set request message, and receive a reset request message from the current charging operation management system. The above control module performs a reboot based on the above reset request message, and After performing the above reboot, the communication module is configured to disconnect from the current charging operation management system and perform a procedure to sequentially attempt to connect to all or part of the plurality of setting slots. The procedure for attempting the above connection starts from the highest priority setting slot among the plurality of setting slots according to the information regarding the priority, and The above communication module is configured to attempt a connection to the n-th priority setting slot up to k times if it fails to connect with the n-th priority setting slot, and If all k connection attempts for the n-th priority setting slot fail, the communication module performs a procedure to switch the next target to attempt a connection to the n+1-th priority setting slot after a first interval time. If the result of performing k connection attempts for each of the plurality of configuration slots is a failure, the communication module performs reconnection to a fallback configuration slot, A charging station characterized in that, if reconnection to the above-mentioned fallback setting slot fails, the communication module performs a network connection procedure based on either a default mode or a configurable mode after a second interval time.

2. In Paragraph 1, A charging station characterized in that the first interval time and the second interval time are the same.

3. In Paragraph 1, A charging station characterized in that the second interval time is greater than the first interval time.

4. In Paragraph 1, A charging station characterized in that the above-mentioned fallback setting slot is the setting slot where the last successful connection with the communication module was established.

5. In Paragraph 1, A charging station characterized in that the above-mentioned fallback setting slot is arbitrarily set by the above-mentioned current charging operation management system.

6. In Paragraph 1, A charging station characterized in that the above default mode is a mode in which the communication module performs connection attempts sequentially for the plurality of setting slots, starting from the highest priority setting slot.

7. In Paragraph 1, A charging station characterized in that the above-mentioned configurable mode is a mode in which the communication module attempts to connect to a specific configuration slot predetermined by the current charging operation management system.

8. A method for performing a network connection procedure performed by an electric vehicle charging station, A step of receiving a configuration request message from a current charging operation management system, wherein the configuration request message includes identifiers indicating multiple configuration slots for multiple network connection profiles and information regarding the priority of the multiple configuration slots; A step of transmitting a setting response message to the current charging operation management system based on the validity of the above setting request message; A step of receiving a reset request message from the current charging operation management system; A step of transmitting a reset response message based on receiving the above reset request message; A step of disconnecting the connection with the current charging operation management system in response to performing a reboot; and The method includes the step of attempting to sequentially connect to all or part of the plurality of setting slots after performing the above reboot, The step of attempting the above connection starts the connection from the highest priority setting slot according to the information regarding the priority among the plurality of setting slots, If the connection with the n-th priority setting slot fails, the connection to the n-th priority setting slot is attempted up to k times, and If all k connection attempts for the above n-th rank setting slot fail, the next target to attempt a connection is switched to the n+1-th rank setting slot after the first interval time, and If the result of performing k connection attempts for each of the plurality of setting slots is a failure, the method further includes the step of reconnecting to a fallback setting slot. A method for performing a network connection procedure, wherein the step of performing the above reconnection further includes the step of performing a network connection procedure based on either a default mode or a configurable mode after a second interval time if the reconnection to the above fallback setting slot fails.

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