EV Charging Event Matching for Offline Authorization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current electric vehicle charging systems face inefficiencies in verifying payment and initiating charging events, often requiring manual input of payment information and lacking automated authentication processes, especially in scenarios where communication with billing systems is offline or unreliable.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a verification controller unit and charging unit system that determines event data matches between vehicles and charging units, using thresholds for connection time, location, and charging patterns to autonomously initiate charging events, even when offline, by comparing event data and sending specific charging patterns to identify unique matches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual payment verification is used, then system complexity is reduced, but productivity and ease of operation deteriorate due to manual input requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by capturing event data (vehicle identification, location, timestamp) before charging begins. This preliminary data collection enables automated verification without manual payment input during the charging process, improving ease of operation while the backend complexity handles the verification logic
2Productivity
If automated authentication is implemented, then productivity improves, but reliability worsens when communication with billing systems is offline or unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The system cushions against communication failures by implementing offline verification capability. Event data is captured and stored locally, and verification can proceed using cached billing information or alternative verification methods when online communication is unavailable, ensuring charging operations continue without interruption
Solution Approach 2:
The verification controller unit acts as an intermediary between the charging unit and the billing system. It buffers communication by processing event data locally and only requiring intermittent communication with the billing system, reducing the impact of communication failures on system reliability
3Measurement precision
If event data matching with thresholds is used, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity worsens due to multiple data comparison requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The verification process is segmented into distinct event data types (vehicle identification, location, timestamp, charging parameters) that are captured and verified separately. Each data type is compared against corresponding event data from the charging unit independently, making the complex verification process manageable and systematic
Data Source
AI summary
Various disclosed embodiments include illustrative verification controller units, charging units, and methods. In an illustrative embodiment, a controller unit includes a controller and computer-readable media configured to store computer-executable instructions configured to cause the controller to determine an event data type, receive vehicle event data of a first vehicle, receive charging unit event data of one or more charging units, determine one or more event matches between the vehicle event data of the first vehicle and the charging unit event data of the one or more charging units relative to a threshold, and responsive to determining a unique event match between the vehicle event data of the first vehicle and the charging unit event data of a first charging unit, initiate a charging event of the first vehicle and the first charging unit.