Shared-Circuit EV Charging Control for Multi-Bay Availability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost and inefficiency of installing dedicated charging stations for electric vehicles, coupled with the inconvenience of sharing stations, necessitate a solution that reduces installation costs and enhances convenience for EV owners.
Innovation Solution
A single power circuit is shared among multiple charging stations, with a controller managing the distribution of charging current to each station in a round-robin fashion, ensuring only one vehicle is charged at a time and alternating based on load and charge requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated charging stations are installed for each vehicle, then charging reliability is improved, but installation cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple charging stations are connected to a single shared power circuit, merging the power supply infrastructure. The controller manages current distribution among multiple stations, eliminating the need for separate dedicated circuits for each station while maintaining charging functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared power circuit serves multiple charging stations simultaneously, making the power supply system universal. The controller dynamically allocates power to different stations based on demand, allowing one circuit to fulfill multiple charging functions.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple charging stations share a single power circuit, then installation cost is reduced, but charging availability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The controller dynamically switches the power circuit connection between different charging stations based on real-time demand. When one station is in use, the circuit is connected to it; when idle, the connection switches to another station, creating a dynamic allocation system that optimizes availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic switching between charging stations in a round-robin manner. The controller cycles through available stations, connecting the power circuit to each in sequence, ensuring that over time all stations receive adequate power supply while maintaining cost efficiency.
3Ease of manufacture
If EV owners share charging stations, then the number of required stations is reduced, but user convenience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The controller automatically manages the charging allocation without requiring user intervention. It monitors which stations are in use and switches connections autonomously, eliminating the need for EV owners to manually move vehicles between stations while maximizing the utilization of available charging resources.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electric vehicle (EV) charging system includes a number of output connections (e.g., cables). Each of the output connections is connected to at least one head, and each head can be connected concurrently to an EV. A controller can direct a charging current, delivered over a dedicated circuit from an electric power supply, to a first one of the output connections if a first EV is connected to a head connected to the first one of the output connections. Then, the charging current to the first one of the output connections can be stopped, switched to a second one of the output connections, and restarted if a second EV is connected to a head connected to the second one of the output connections.