EV Charging Authorization via Clearing House Account Association

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electric vehicle (EV) charging systems face challenges in user authorization, leading to security vulnerabilities, privacy risks, and high operational costs due to complex certificate provisioning and trust delegation processes, which hinder the adoption of vehicle sharing services.

Innovation Solution

An EV user authorization method and system that utilizes an intermediary device, such as a clearing house service (CHS), to manage association and authentication between EVs and charging service accounts, eliminating the need for contract certificates and simplifying the authentication process by using EV-specific certificates and a backend mechanism to maintain contract information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a standard certificate provisioning method (ISO 15118) is used for EV charging authorization, then security and authentication are established, but the system complexity increases due to multiple trust delegation processes and contract certificate management

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthorization securityVSAvoidcertificate provisioning complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a Clearing House Service (CHS) as an intermediary component that centralizes the management of contract information and association data between EVs and charging service accounts. The CHS acts as a mediator between the EV, Mobility Operator, and Charge Point Operator, eliminating the need for complex mutual trust delegation and contract certificate management between each pair of entities. This intermediary approach maintains authorization security while significantly reducing system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If contract certificates and trust delegation processes are implemented for each EV charging session, then user authorization is secured, but operational costs increase due to complex certificate management

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser authorization securityVSAvoidoperational cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the complex certificate provisioning and trust delegation processes from the EV charging authorization flow and relocates them to a centralized Clearing House Service. By separating these functions into a dedicated intermediary system, the patent eliminates the need for each charging session to undergo complex certificate validation and trust establishment, thereby reducing operational costs while maintaining authorization security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Measurement precision

If detailed contract information and association data are stored and processed for each EV charging session, then billing and authorization accuracy are improved, but privacy risks increase due to exposure of user information

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebilling accuracyVSAvoidprivacy risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the handling of sensitive information by separating the storage and processing of contract information in the Clearing House Service from the actual charging authorization process. The CHS stores association data between EV identifiers and charging service accounts in a centralized, secure manner, while the charging infrastructure only receives minimal authorization tokens. This segmentation allows precise billing based on stored contract information while minimizing privacy risks during the charging process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Adaptability or versatility

If a standardized authorization system is implemented across different charging infrastructures, then interoperability is improved, but adaptability to different service models decreases due to rigid certificate requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveinteroperabilityVSAvoidsystem rigidity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal Clearing House Service that can handle multiple service models and authorization scenarios through a single standardized interface. The CHS maintains a centralized repository of association information that can accommodate different EV types, charging service providers, and billing models, all accessed through the same authorization mechanism. This universal approach improves interoperability across different charging infrastructures while maintaining adaptability to various service models.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3962017B1Ev user authorization method and system
Publication Date: 2025.10.01 HYUNDAI MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP3962017B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3962017B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3962017B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

An electric vehicle (EV) user authorization method for charging an EV is performed by a device for mediating EV user authorization, in association with a mobility operator (MO) who makes a contract with an EV user and provides a charging service to a corresponding EV and a charge point operator (CPO) who supplies electric power to the EV which requests charging. The EV user authorization method may include steps of: receiving association information between the EV and a charging service account from the mobility operator; storing the association information between the EV and the charging service account; receiving an association information identification request for an EV to be charged, from the charge point operator; and providing association information between the EV to be charged and the charging service account to the charge point operator.