KR20240021368A - Electric vehicle charging system based on user scheduling and its operating method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electric vehicle charging system and its operating method in which a charging service is provided based on the user's charging schedule information. In this embodiment, a charging station management system, a user terminal, and a charging station form a network to provide an electric vehicle charging service. A charging system comprising: a template generator that generates a template capable of setting a charging schedule based on billing information provided by a power supplier; a template provider that provides the generated template to a display screen of a user terminal; A schedule information collection unit that collects input charging schedule information, a profile creation unit that creates a charging profile from the collected schedule information, a profile transmission unit that transmits the generated charging profile to a charging station, and a charging request for an electric vehicle is confirmed. It includes a charging request confirmation unit, and a charging power supply unit that supplies power to the electric vehicle according to the charging profile received when the charging request is confirmed by the charging request confirmation unit.

Description

Electric vehicle charging system based on user scheduling and its operating method}

The present invention relates to an electric vehicle charging system, and more specifically, to an electric vehicle charging system that provides a charging service based on a user's charging schedule information and a method of operating the same.

A car runs by driving a power load such as an engine with the energy generated when burning fossil fuels such as gasoline, diesel or gas. Recently, as the problem of depletion of fossil fuels and the problem of air pollution due to excessive use has become more serious, research and development on the use of new and renewable energy and eco-friendly transportation methods are being actively conducted.

Among eco-friendly transportation methods, electric vehicles do not emit any air pollutants or cause noise pollution during operation, so automobile manufacturers around the world are rushing to launch them into the electric vehicle market. In addition, countries around the world are making efforts to develop and install electric vehicle charging systems to ensure the distribution and smooth use of eco-friendly electric vehicles.

Batteries, which provide the most important power to electric vehicles, cannot help but supply relatively less energy than existing internal combustion engine vehicles, making it difficult for electric vehicles to be activated due to their short driving distances. To this end, the capacity of the battery can be increased, but due to the nature of the battery, there are limits to the size and capacity of the battery that can be installed in an electric vehicle, so drivers of electric vehicles must charge the battery while the vehicle is stopped.

To this end, recently, electric vehicle chargers have been installed in apartment complexes and public parking lots in a certain amount or more compared to the total parking space.

Meanwhile, the domestic electric vehicle charging system is not operated so that the total power that can be supplied from the charger is constantly supplied to the electric vehicle. This is because the total amount of electricity demanded in the country varies greatly depending on the season or time of day, and the power supply and demand situation is maintained in a stable manner. For example, in winter or at night, power supply is smooth and a relatively sufficient amount of power is provided through the charger. However, in summer or during the day, power supply is relatively poor and a limited amount of power is provided through the charger.

In addition, the electric vehicle charging system is operated to maintain a stable power supply and demand situation by controlling the amount of power supply and varying the charging power rate by season or time of day. In other words, the charging system supplies power at a relatively low rate in the winter or at night, when power supply and demand are relatively stable, and at a relatively high rate during the summer or during the day, when power supply and demand are somewhat unstable.

Therefore, in order to efficiently charge an electric vehicle, it is necessary to set a charging schedule taking into account the charging power supply situation, the billing fee per unit of power, the operation plan of the electric vehicle, etc.

In the operation of an electric vehicle charging system, charging scheduling can be divided into four methods. The first is the internal load balancing method of the charging station, which distributes power according to the available power limits inside the charging station (CS: Charging Station). Second, there is Central Smart Charging, which is a method of controlling power in the charging station management system (CSMS). Third, there is Local Smart Charging, which is a method of controlling power from a local controller (LC). Fourth, there is External Smart Charging, which is a method of controlling power by an external power manager such as an Energy Management System (EMS).

In this way, charging scheduling performed in a conventional electric vehicle charging system is carried out by the side that supplies electricity, such as a charging station manager or power grid operator. Therefore, it is unreasonable for users, i.e. drivers, to use the charging service provided according to the scheduling unilaterally set by the electricity supplier.

Meanwhile, OCPP messages and control signals are transmitted between the charging station management system (CSMS), field controller (LC), charging station (CS), and various control modules provided in these systems by an OCPP-based standard communication module. For this purpose, the applicant has proposed 'Communication module and operation method of electric vehicle charging system based on OCPP' as Korean Patent No. 10-2363539.

Korean Patent No. 10-1771221 (Electric vehicle charging scheduling neglect and method) Korean Patent No. 10-2363539 (communication module of electric vehicle charging system based on OCPP and its operation method)

The present invention was proposed to solve the above problems, and its object is to provide an electric vehicle charging system and an operating method that allows the user to set a charging schedule and provide charging power based on the schedule. .

In order to solve the above problems, this embodiment is a charging system that provides electric vehicle charging services while a charging station management system, user terminal, and charging station form a network, and sets a charging schedule based on charging information provided by the power provider. A template creation unit for generating this possible template, a template provision unit for providing the generated template to the display screen of the user terminal, a schedule information collection unit for collecting charging schedule information input to the provided template, and from the collected schedule information. A profile creation unit that generates a charging profile, a memory unit that stores the generated charging profile, a profile transmission unit that transmits the charging profile to the charging station, a charging request confirmation unit that confirms the charging request of the electric vehicle, and the charging request confirmation unit. and a charging power supply unit that supplies power to the electric vehicle according to the received charging profile when a charging request is confirmed.

Additionally, the template created by the template creation unit may include an input area where the user inputs a charging schedule and an information area that provides information about billing.

In addition, the input area of the template is displayed as a unit area of 24 hours, so that the user can divide it into one or more arbitrary time areas, and can be configured to input charging power amount information for each divided time area. .

Additionally, the information area of the template may be configured to display the billing information that varies with time in conjunction with the 24-hour unit area of the input area.

In order to solve the above problems, this embodiment is a method of operating an electric vehicle charging system in which a user directly sets a charging schedule and provides a charging service according to the set charging schedule information, including (a) charging information provided by the power supplier; (b) providing the generated template on the display screen of the user terminal and receiving a charging schedule from the user; (c) creating a charging profile from the inputted charging schedule; generating, (d) storing the generated charging profile, (e) transmitting the stored charging profile to the charging station, and (f) the charging profile transmitted when a charging request is confirmed from the user's electric vehicle. It may consist of a step of supplying charging power according to.

Additionally, step (a) may create a template that includes an input area where the user inputs a charging schedule and an information area that provides information about billing.

Additionally, in step (b), charging schedule information including time domain information divided into one or more time zones and information on the amount of charging power supplied in the corresponding time domain may be input.

In the present invention, the user sets the charging schedule directly by taking into account various circumstances such as the hourly rate, the amount of power to be charged to the electric vehicle, and the operation schedule and pattern of the electric vehicle, so that the charging service is provided under optimal conditions considering cost and time. There is an effect of receiving .

1 is a block diagram showing the network configuration of an electric vehicle charging system according to this embodiment;
Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the electric vehicle charging system according to this embodiment;
3 is a diagram illustrating a template of an electric vehicle charging system according to this embodiment;
Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a billing table for each time of the electric vehicle charging system according to the power supplier in this embodiment;
5 is a diagram illustrating a user input schedule in a template of an electric vehicle charging system according to this embodiment;
Figure 6 is a flow chart showing the process of providing electric vehicle charging service according to this embodiment.

The technical problems achieved by the present invention and its implementation will become clear by the preferred embodiments described below. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be examined in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

It should be understood that the differences in this embodiment, described later, are not mutually exclusive. That is, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the specific shape, structure, and characteristics described may be implemented in other embodiments with respect to one embodiment, and the positions of individual components within each disclosed embodiment. Alternatively, it should be understood that the arrangement may change, and like reference numbers in the drawings refer to the same or similar functions across various aspects.

Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the network configuration of an electric vehicle charging system according to this embodiment, Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of an electric vehicle charging system according to this embodiment, and Figure 3 is an electric vehicle charging system according to this embodiment. It is a diagram illustrating a template of the system, Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a billing table for each time of the electric vehicle charging system according to the power supplier according to the present embodiment, and Figure 5 is a user input into the template of the electric vehicle charging system according to the present embodiment. This is a drawing illustrating the schedule.

First, referring to FIG. 1, in the electric vehicle charging system of this embodiment, a charging station management system (CSMS) 10, a user terminal 20, and a charging station (CS) 30 form a network.

The charging station management system 10 functions as an operation server that provides charging services based on user scheduling.

The user terminal 20 is a component that allows the user to directly set charging scheduling through an application or the web. For example, it may be a smart phone carried by the user or a smart unit that is mounted on a vehicle and can be operated by the user. In the user terminal 20, some components of a charging system that can provide a charging service based on user scheduling may be installed and executed in the form of an application or web.

The charging station 30 may be composed of dispensers that directly supply power to the electric vehicle according to a schedule set by the user, that is, one or more chargers.

Therefore, the user can set a charging schedule directly through the user terminal 20, and the charging station management system 10 operates the charging station 30 to supply charging power to the user's electric vehicle according to the schedule information transmitted from the user terminal 20. ) is controlled.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electric vehicle charging system 100 for this includes a template generator 110 that creates a user interface to enable setting a schedule for charging an electric vehicle, and the generated template through the user terminal 20. A template providing unit 120, a schedule information collection unit 130 that receives and collects the charging schedule from the provided template, and a profile creation unit 140 that generates a charging profile based on the collected schedule information. ), a profile transmission unit 150 that transmits the generated charging profile to the charging station 30, a charging request confirmation unit 160 that confirms the charging request of the electric vehicle, and, if there is a charging request, the transmitted charging profile. It includes a charging power supply unit 170 that supplies charging power, and a memory unit 180 for storing templates, schedule information, and charging profiles.

Among these components, the template creation unit 110 and the profile transmission unit 150 can be implemented in the charging station management system 10, and the template provision unit 120, schedule information collection unit 130, and profile creation unit 140 and the memory unit 180 may be implemented in the user terminal, and the charging request confirmation unit 160 and the charging power supply unit 170 may be implemented in the charging station 30. However, it is not necessarily limited to this, and the template generator 110 may be implemented in the user terminal 20 or the profile generator 140 may be implemented in the charging station management system, and each configuration may be implemented in other elements as needed. It can be implemented.

In addition, information or profiles are transmitted and received between the charging station management system 10, the user terminal 20, and the charging station 30 according to a standard communication module based on OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol). Accordingly, the charging station management system 10, the user terminal 20, and the charging station 30 each constitute an OCPP Entity, and other OCPP Entities (e.g., user terminals or charging stations) communicate with a specific OCPP Entity (e.g., a charging station management system). becomes the counterpart OCPP Entity.

Looking specifically, the template creation unit 110 is a component that generates a user interface, that is, a template (200 in FIG. 3) through which the user can set charging scheduling. The template 200 can be expressed in the form of a clock representing 24 hours as shown in FIG. 3 and includes an input area 210 where the user inputs a schedule and an information area 220 showing information about billing. The input area 210 may be formed in the center of the template, and the information area 220 may be formed along the edge of the input area 210 in the circumferential direction. The template (200 in FIG. 3) may be composed of various types of user interfaces, such as a chart shape in addition to a clock shape. Hereinafter, a clock shape template will be exemplified.

In the input area 210, time is divided into predetermined area units, and the user can input the amount of power desired to be supplied into the specific time area.

The information area 220 displays billing information based on the current season (or month). The billing information is generated in conjunction with the time-specific billing table provided by the power supplier.

Referring to FIG. 4, the power supplier provides a billing table for each time of day in which billing information divided by season and time zone is recorded. Looking at the billing table above, light load charges are applied in seasons and times when power supply is smooth, medium load charges are applied in seasons and times when power supply is normal, and maximum load charges are applied in seasons and times when power supply is difficult. . For example, according to the above-mentioned billing table, based on June, light load rates are applied from 23:00 to 9:00 the next day, and from 9:00 to 10:00, 12:00 to 13:00, and 17:00 to 23:00. It is suggested that the mid-load rate is applied, and the maximum load rate is applied from 10:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 15:00.

The template generator 110 generates hourly billing information for the current season (June) by linking the hourly billing table of the billing information provided by the power supplier. The generated billing information is displayed in the information area 220, as shown in FIG. 3, and can be divided into 24-hour units along the circumferential direction and displayed in color to distinguish light load charges, medium load charges, and maximum load charges. The information area may also display rate information per unit of electricity.

Therefore, the user can easily check the charging information for each time slot displayed in the information area 220 and set an optimal charging schedule based on the charging information for each time slot. The generated template may be stored in the memory unit 180.

The template provider 120 provides the generated template to the user through the user terminal 20, allowing the user to set a charging schedule in the template 200. The user schedules the charging schedule by inputting a touch signal directly on the template 200 provided through the display screen of the smart phone. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, 7 kw of power is supplied from 0:00 to 12:00. Charging is carried out at 12:00 to 16:00 with a power of 5kw, and from 16:00 to 24:00, the charging schedule can be scheduled so that charging is carried out with a power of 3kw.

Setting the charging schedule is done by entering information on the amount of charging power supplied for charging in each time area. The information on the amount of charging power can be entered in units of power as shown in Figure 5, or in units of a percentage of the total power that can be supplied. It could be. The charging power amount information in percentage units is that for a charger capable of supplying 10 kw of power, charging is carried out at 70% power from 0:00 to 12:00, and from 12:00 to 16:00, charging is carried out at 50% power. You can schedule the charging schedule to proceed with charging at 30% power until 24 hours.

The user's charging schedule is set by the user by additionally considering the amount of electricity currently charged in the electric vehicle and the driving schedule of the electric vehicle, as well as the charging information by time, so that scheduling can be done under optimal conditions in terms of cost and time. .

The schedule information collection unit 130 is configured to collect information about the user's charging schedule input through a template. The schedule information collection unit 130 collects power information desired to be supplied for charging by time slot from the schedule information input into the template 200. The collected schedule information will naturally include identification information that can identify the user or the user's electric vehicle. The charging schedule information collected by the schedule information collection unit 130 is provided to the profile creation unit 140.

The profile creation unit 140 is a component that generates a charging profile according to the charging schedule information provided by the schedule information collection unit 130. The charging profile is an OCPP message that allows schedule information to be transmitted to the charging station management system 10 or the charging station 30 through the OCPP standard communication module and allows the charging station to supply charging power to the schedule information.

For example, when schedule information set as shown in FIG. 5 is collected from the user, the profile creation unit generates a charging profile, that is, an OCPP message, as shown in Table 1 below.

{
“duration”:86400,
“startSchedule”:”2022-06-29T00:00Z”
“chargingRateUnit”:”W”,
“chargingSchedulePeriod”:[
{
“startPeriod”:0,
“limit”:7000,
“numberPhases”:3
}, {
“startPeriod”:43200,
“limit”:5000,
“numberPhases”:3
}, {
“startPeriod”:57600,
“limit”:3000,
“numberPhases”:3
},
]
}

Looking at the above generated charging profile roughly, 7000w (7kw) of power is supplied from 0 o'clock, 5000w (5kw) of power is supplied from 43,200 seconds (i.e., 12 o'clock), and 57,600 seconds (i.e., 16 o'clock). From , it includes an OCPP message to supply 3000w (3kw) of power.

The profile transmission unit 150 is configured to transmit the generated charging profile to the charging station management system 10 or the charging station 30 through the OCPP standard communication module. When the profile creation unit 140 is implemented in the user terminal 20, the generated charging profile is transmitted from the user terminal 20 to the charging station management system 10 and then from the charging station management system 10 to the charging station 30. When the profile generator 140 is implemented in the charging station management system 10, the generated charging profile is transmitted from the charging station management system 10 to the charging station 20. Additionally, even when the profile generator 140 is implemented in the user terminal 20, it is possible to have the generated charging profile directly transmitted to the charging station 30.

The charging request confirmation unit 160 is a component that checks whether the user's electric vehicle requests charging, that is, whether the electric vehicle is connected to a specific charger of the charging station 30. When the charging request is confirmed by the charging request confirmation unit 160, the corresponding information is provided to the charging power supply unit 170.

The charging power supply unit 170 supplies charging power to the electric vehicle when charging request confirmation information is provided from the charging request confirmation unit 160. At this time, the charging power supply unit 170 supplies charging power based on the charging profile, that is, the user's charging schedule information.

For example, when the charging profile for the charging schedule information in FIG. 5 is transmitted and it is confirmed that the user's electric vehicle is connected to a specific charger and requests charging at 9 a.m., the charging power supply unit 170 7kw of power is supplied from 12:00, 5kw of power is supplied from 12:00, and 3kw of power is supplied from 16:00. The charging power supply unit 170 supplies charging power according to this charging profile, but stops supplying power when charging is completed or when there is a request to stop charging (disconnect).

The memory unit 180 stores and manages the time-based billing table, the template generated by the template creation unit 110, the charging schedule information collected by the schedule information collection unit 130, and the charging profile generated by the profile creation unit. When a new billing table for each time is stored in the memory unit 180, the template creation unit 110 generates a new template based on the stored billing table for each time. In addition, when there is no charging schedule input from the user, a previously created and stored charging profile is provided to the charging power supply unit 170 to enable charging.

Hereinafter, we will look at the charging service provision process performed in the charging system of this embodiment. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the process of providing electric vehicle charging service according to this embodiment.

First, in response to a user's request (eg, execution of an application), the template provider 120 provides the template 200 through the display screen of the user terminal (S11). At this time, the template 200 is created in advance in the template creation unit 110.

When a user inputs a schedule through a template, the profile creation unit 140 creates a charging profile based on the input schedule information and stores it in the memory unit 180 (S12, S13), and the profile transmission unit 150 generates a charging profile in the memory unit 180 (S12, S13). The charging profile stored in the unit 180 is transmitted to the charging station 30 (S14).

And when there is a charging request from the user (S15), the charging power supply unit 170 supplies charging power to the electric vehicle according to the charging profile transmitted to the charging station 30 and starts charging (S16). The supply of charging power by the charging power supply unit 170 ends when full charging is achieved or when there is a request to stop charging.

Meanwhile, if a charging request is made without the user setting a schedule through a template, the charging power supply unit 170 checks the existing charging profile and supplies charging power according to the charging profile (S12, S16, S15), and sets the charging schedule. If there is a charging request without setting and there is no existing charging profile, the template provider 120 provides a template with information that the charging schedule has not been set and requests setting the charging schedule (S12, S16, S11). Therefore, the user may not set a new charging schedule, in which case charging is performed according to the existing charging profile.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described as described above, various modifications and other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. These modifications and other embodiments are to be considered and included in the appended claims without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

10: Charging Station Management System (CSMS)
20: user terminal
30: Charging station
100: Electric vehicle charging system
110: Template creation unit 120: Template provision unit
130: Schedule information collection unit 140: Profile creation unit
150: Profile transmission unit 160: Charging request confirmation unit
170: charging power supply unit 180: memory unit
200: Template
210: input area 220: information area

Claims (7)

In a charging system that provides electric vehicle charging services while a charging station management system, user terminal, and charging station form a network,
a template generator that generates a template capable of setting a charging schedule based on billing information provided by the power supplier;
a template providing unit that provides the generated template to a display screen of a user terminal;
a schedule information collection unit that collects charging schedule information input into the provided template;
a profile generator that generates a charging profile from the collected schedule information;
a memory unit that stores the generated charging profile;
A profile transmission unit that transmits the charging profile to the charging station;
A charging request confirmation unit that confirms the charging request for the electric vehicle; and
A charging power supply unit that supplies power to the electric vehicle according to the received charging profile when the charging request is confirmed by the charging request confirmation unit. An electric vehicle charging system based on user scheduling, including a. According to claim 1,
The template generated by the template creation unit includes an input area where the user inputs a charging schedule and an information area that provides information about billing. An electric vehicle charging system based on user scheduling. According to claim 2,
The input area of the template is displayed as a 24-hour unit area so that the user can divide it into one or more arbitrary time areas and input charging power amount information for each divided time area. User scheduling based electric vehicle charging system. According to claim 3,
The information area of the template is configured to display the billing information that varies with time in conjunction with the 24-hour unit area of the input area. A method of operating an electric vehicle charging system in which the user directly sets a charging schedule and provides charging services according to the set charging schedule information,
(a) creating a template that allows setting a charging schedule based on billing information provided by the power provider;
(b) providing the generated template on the display screen of the user terminal and receiving a charging schedule from the user;
(c) generating a charging profile from the input charging schedule;
(d) saving the generated charging profile;
(e) transmitting the stored charging profile to the charging station; and
(f) supplying charging power according to the transmitted charging profile when a charging request is confirmed from the user's electric vehicle; a method of operating an electric vehicle charging system based on user scheduling. According to claim 5,
The step (a) is a method of operating an electric vehicle charging system based on user scheduling, where a template is created including an input area where the user inputs a charging schedule and an information area that provides information about billing. According to claim 5,
The step (b) is a method of operating an electric vehicle charging system based on user scheduling, in which charging schedule information including time domain information divided into one or more time zones and information on the amount of charging power supplied in the corresponding time domain is input.

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