Charging Station Billing Server for EV Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electric vehicle charging systems face challenges in user-based billing, security against misuse, and the limited ability to efficiently heat or cool vehicles without depleting the battery, especially with the increasing number of users and the need for location-independent energy procurement.
Innovation Solution
A method for location-independent electrical energy procurement at a stationary charging station, where a mobile consumption unit with a cooling and/or heating device is assigned a unique identification number, and the charging station uses a control device for unsupervised operation, high safety, and ease of use, with energy supplied directly to the device without relying on an accumulator, utilizing communication links and billing servers for secure and efficient billing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If electrical energy is supplied directly to cooling and/or heating devices without using the vehicle's accumulator, then the battery is preserved for driving purposes, but the system requires complex billing and identification infrastructure to enable location-independent energy procurement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a billing server as an intermediary between the charging station and the user's accumulator. This server handles identification verification, billing calculations, and authorization, enabling location-independent energy procurement while preserving the vehicle's battery. The intermediary manages the complexity of user-based billing across multiple charging stations without requiring complex local infrastructure at each station.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables users to autonomously manage their energy procurement by storing identification data in their vehicles. The billing server automatically processes identification, calculates charges, and authorizes energy delivery without requiring manual intervention at the charging station. This self-service approach simplifies the user interface while maintaining secure, location-independent billing.
2Ease of operation
If user-based billing is implemented across multiple charging stations, then individual users can be accurately charged, but the system becomes vulnerable to manipulation and misuse
Solution Approach 1:
The billing server implements continuous feedback loops by verifying identification data, monitoring energy delivery, and validating billing information across all charging stations. This centralized verification system prevents manipulation by cross-checking data in real-time and maintaining a record of all transactions, thereby securing user-based billing while enabling ease of operation.
3Device complexity
If heating or cooling devices are powered by the vehicle's accumulator, then the system is simple, but the battery capacity is depleted reducing driving range
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the energy supply system into two independent sources: the vehicle's accumulator for driving purposes and the external charging station for thermal management (heating/cooling). This segmentation allows the battery to be preserved for mobility while external energy powers comfort devices, effectively resolving the trade-off between system simplicity and driving range preservation.
4Reliability
If charging stations require complex anti-theft devices and monitoring systems, then energy security is improved, but maintenance and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The billing server acts as a centralized intermediary that handles all security verification, identification validation, and billing authorization. This removes the need for complex local anti-theft devices and monitoring systems at each charging station, as security functions are consolidated in the cloud-based server, thereby reducing maintenance and operational costs while maintaining energy security.
Data Source
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AI summary
The method involves transmitting quantity of electrical energy that is obtained from a mobile consumption unit (E1) via a first communication link (K2). A computer unit (D2) i.e. accounting server, is connected with a charging station (T1) via a second communication link (K3) i.e. radio link (F4). Reference temperature and a desired time point of a cooling or heating device (H) are stored in a memory and transmitted via the second link and a third communication link (K1) e.g. radio frequency identification, where the cooling device is designed as an air conditioning device. An independent claim is also included for a control device in a stationary charging station for implementing a method for location-independent supply of electrical power to the mobile consumption unit at the charging station.