EV Charging Station Phase Configuration via Power Line Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual configuration of charging systems for electrical vehicles is prone to errors, affecting the phase connection mapping and leading to potential technical failures and inefficient load management in the electrical supply lines.
Innovation Solution
An automated method using communication controllers at each charging station and a main controller to broadcast ID requests and receive responses via electrical phases, allowing for the reliable identification of phase configurations and dynamic load management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual configuration of phase connection sequence is performed via DIP switches or configuration interfaces, then the charging system can be set up, but human error may cause erroneous settings leading to technical failures or degraded charging performance
Solution Approach 1:
The charging station automatically determines its own phase connection sequence by receiving ID requests from a main controller and responding with its connected phase information. This self-configuration process eliminates manual intervention, preventing human errors while maintaining ease of deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a query-response mechanism where the main controller broadcasts ID requests to charging stations, and each charging station responds with its phase connection information. This feedback loop enables automatic discovery and verification of phase connections, ensuring accuracy without manual configuration.
2Measurement precision
If automated ID request/response communication is implemented via electrical phases, then phase configuration determination accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases due to communication controllers and data communication infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical phases serve dual purposes: they provide power transmission to charging stations and simultaneously function as communication channels for transmitting ID requests and responses. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate communication infrastructure, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high identification accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the power transmission function and data communication function into a single infrastructure using the electrical phases. By merging these functions, the system avoids duplicating communication hardware and reduces the complexity of implementing automated phase identification.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a charging system (100, 200) for providing electrical energy, the charging system (100, 200) comprising a number of charging stations (104, 108, 112, 204, 208, 212), each charging station (104, 108, 112, 204, 208, 212) comprising a number of electrical inputs (105, 106, 107, 109, 110, 111, 113, 114, 115, 205, 206, 207, 209, 210, 211, 213, 214, 215), each electrical input (105, 106, 107, 109, 110, 111, 113, 114, 115, 205, 206, 207, 209, 210, 211, 213, 214, 215) being configured to couple the respective charging station (104, 108, 112, 204, 208, 212) to a single one of a plurality of electrical phases (101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203, 301) of the charging system (100, 200), and each charging station (104, 108, 112, 204, 208, 212) comprising a communication controller (116, 117, 118, 216, 217, 218, 316) coupled to the electrical inputs (105, 106, 107, 109, 110, 111, 113, 114, 115, 205, 206, 207, 209, 210, 211, 213, 214, 215) and configured to perform data communication via the respective electrical phases (101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203, 301), and a main controller (125) coupled to the electrical phases (101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203, 301) and configured to perform data communication via the electrical phases (101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203, 301), wherein in a discovery mode the main controller (125) is configured to broadcast an ID request (131, 132, 133, 231, 232, 233) via the electrical phases (101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203, 301) and to receive respective ID responses (134, 135, 136, 234, 235, 236) from the communication controllers (116, 117, 118, 216, 217, 218, 316) via the electrical phases (101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203, 301), and wherein the communication controllers (116, 117, 118, 216, 217, 218, 316) are configured to receive the respective ID requests (131, 132, 133, 231, 232, 233) via the electrical phases (101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203, 301) and to answer each one of the ID requests (131, 132, 133, 231, 232, 233) with a respective ID response (134, 135, 136, 234, 235, 236) via the electrical phase (101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203, 301) on which the ID request (131, 132, 133, 231, 232, 233) was received. Further, the present invention provides a method for operating a charging system (100, 200).