Decentralized Control Units for EV Charging Station Reliability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric vehicle charging stations face availability issues due to the failure of central control units, leading to potential permanent failures and customer-perceptible impairments, as they lack redundancy and effective fault detection mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hierarchical system with multiple control units, including a central control unit and decentralized control units, which provide redundancy and mutual monitoring, allowing for the detection and compensation of failures, and storing result data for comparison to initiate corrective measures, along with current measuring units to ensure safe charging operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a central control unit is used to control the charging station, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates because the failure of the central control unit leads to permanent failure of the charging station
Solution Approach 1:
The control device is segmented into a central control unit and multiple decentralized control units, each assigned to specific plug-in elements. This segmentation allows the system to maintain functionality even when the central control unit fails, as decentralized control units can independently manage their assigned plug-in elements, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation (centralized control) and reliability (distributed control).
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements beforehand cushioning by providing redundant control capabilities through decentralized control units. When the central control unit fails, the decentralized control units are already in position and capable of taking over control functions, preventing permanent system failure and maintaining reliability while preserving ease of operation.
2Reliability
If redundancy is implemented through multiple control units, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the hierarchical system structure
Solution Approach 1:
The control device is segmented into a central control unit and multiple decentralized control units, each assigned to specific plug-in elements. This segmentation allows the system to maintain functionality even when the central control unit fails, as decentralized control units can independently manage their assigned plug-in elements, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation (centralized control) and reliability (distributed control).
Solution Approach 2:
The decentralized control units are designed with multi-functionality, capable of operating independently for their assigned plug-in elements while also being able to cooperate with the central control unit. This universality reduces the overall system complexity by using standardized control units that can function in multiple roles, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
3Reliability
If decentralized control units are assigned to each plug-in element, then the reliability is improved through redundancy, but the manufacturing cost increases due to additional control units
Solution Approach 1:
The decentralized control units are designed with multi-functionality, capable of operating independently for their assigned plug-in elements while also being able to cooperate with the central control unit. This universality reduces the overall system complexity by using standardized control units that can function in multiple roles, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a fail-operational concept where decentralized control units can take over when the central control unit fails. This allows the system to recover from failures automatically, improving reliability. The standardized design of control units enables easier manufacturing and replacement, offsetting the initial increased cost through reduced maintenance and repair expenses over time.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a device for providing electrical energy to electrically operated vehicles, comprising at least one plug-in element, wherein the at least one plug-in element is conductively connected to a fixed supply line and can be connected to an energy storage device of the vehicle via a mating plug-in element, comprising at least one switching device for individually switching the at least one plug-in element on and off, and a control device which interacts with the at least one plug-in element and with the switching device via data communication, wherein the control device comprises a central control unit and a number of decentralized control units corresponding to the number of plug-in elements, wherein each plug-in element is assigned a decentralized control unit, and wherein the central control unit is connected to all decentralized control units via data communication.