Multi-Port EV Charging Layout With Centralized Control and Metering
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing electric vehicle charging infrastructure faces challenges in efficiently and cost-effectively managing the rapid growth of electric vehicle adoption, particularly in densely populated areas, where long cabling and high costs associated with individual smart charging stations become impractical.
Innovation Solution
A multi-port electric vehicle charging system that centralizes communication and control functions in a smart EV charging station, with each charge port having only a charging function and a metering circuit, allowing for efficient energy tracking and data collection, and communicating back to the station, thereby reducing costs and improving scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If individual smart charging stations are deployed at every parking space, then charging functionality and communication capabilities are provided to each port, but infrastructure costs and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides functionality into two segments: a central smart charging station that handles communication, control, and metering, and simple charge ports that only provide charging capability. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining full functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple charge ports are merged into a single charging station unit, sharing common communication interfaces, control logic, and metering infrastructure. This consolidation reduces redundant components and lowers deployment costs while maintaining individual port functionality.
2Ease of operation
If individual smart charging stations are deployed at every parking space, then each port has independent communication and control capabilities, but deployment costs increase due to redundant infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The central charging station provides universal functionality that serves multiple charge ports simultaneously - a single communication interface, control system, and metering infrastructure can manage any number of connected vehicles. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for redundant infrastructure at each port.
Solution Approach 2:
The central charging station acts as an intermediary between the charge ports and the external network (cloud, payment systems, monitoring). It consolidates all communication and control functions, allowing simple charge ports to interface with complex systems without requiring their own dedicated infrastructure.
3Productivity
If dual or quad charging stations are implemented on one mount, then charging capacity is increased, but cabling requirements become excessive and installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple charge ports share a common mounting structure and central control unit, consolidating what would otherwise require separate stations. This merging approach provides high charging capacity (dual, quad, or more ports) while minimizing cabling requirements and simplifying installation compared to multiple independent stations.
4Reliability
If gateway communication is included in every charging station, then each station can independently communicate with the cloud for authorization and metering, but cost per charging session increases
Solution Approach 1:
Communication gateways are consolidated into a single unit at the central charging station, serving all charge ports simultaneously. This eliminates redundant communication infrastructure and reduces the cost per charging session while maintaining reliable cloud connectivity for authorization, metering, and monitoring functions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A multi-port charging system is provided for charging a rechargeable battery pack that solely propels a plug-in electric vehicle (EV). The system comprises a smart EV charging station including a single network gateway as an entire system communication portion of the multi-port charging system and a single charging system controller as an entire system controller portion of the multi-port charging system. The system further comprises at least two or expandable to greater than two charge ports electrically coupled to the smart EV charging station. Each charge port includes only a charging portion but not a system communication portion and a system controller portion. Each charge port includes a metering circuit to track an amount of electric energy delivered to an EV and collect metered energy data and send the metered energy data back to the smart EV charging station. Each charge port includes one or more EV connection plugs.