Technical Field

The present invention relates to an express electric vehicle charging station enabling vehicle owners to receive priority service for charging their electric vehicles, dynamically giving priority service according to charging station density, and having variable number of chargers.

Prior Art

Electric vehicles are encouraged by governments both for reducing environmental pollution and for economic reasons, and are developing rapidly. Charging of a vehicle at home environment with direct connection to the mains takes up to all night. The demand for commercial fast charging stations open to the public is also increasing due to the insufficient availability of electric vehicle batteries for long journeys and the limited availability of vehicle charging in building parking lots of city dwellers.

Electric vehicle charging stations are devices that use electrical energy to charge electric vehicles. These stations are used to charge electric vehicles by providing special connectors for vehicles that conform to various electric charge connector standards. With the importance of renewable energy, increasing interest in systems with low carbon emissions, and the development of battery technologies in electric vehicles, the interest and demand for electric vehicles is increasing. With the increase in the use of electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging stations have also started to become widespread. As the demand for charging stations increases, there is a greater need for equipment that supports faster charging at higher voltages and currents. Globally, the system of public charging stations for electric vehicle charging is increasing and efforts are underway to provide these infrastructures in the energy sector.

At fast charging stations, charging with level-3 equipment can be completed in less than 30 minutes, depending on the type and state of charge of the vehicle. This time is considerably longer than the filling time of gasoline vehicles. It is predicted that the insufficient number of fast charging stations and the long charging time will cause congestion and long waiting times at the stations. Long waiting times increase the time that electric vehicle owners lose in traffic. At the same time, the concern about waiting times prevents the spread of electric vehicles.

One of the technical problems with electric charging stations is the length of the charging time and the long waiting times at the charging stations. With the present patent application, vehicles waiting in electric vehicle fast charging (level-3) stations are evaluated in two classes as high and low priority, and high priority vehicles are offered to wait less than the low priority vehicles. With the application, the users can get a priority charging order when they enter the charging station and start the charging process at the charger they are directed to.

An electric charging station control system is described in the Korean patent document numbered KR20110004294, which is state of the art. In this study, the priority of the vehicles arriving at the station is determined by systems such as an identification system or ID card, and customers are directed to the appropriate lines according to the station utilization information. In that document, the system makes definitions. In the present application, the users select the level of service they request and the system allocates resources and guides the vehicles according to their requests. The system performs resource management and error calculations in accordance with a target waiting time ratio of low priority vehicles’ average waiting time to high priority vehicles’ average waiting time, and dynamically makes resource allocation and directs vehicles according to their priorities.

In the state of the art, the Chinese patent document numbered CN112134300 describes an electric vehicle charging station management that will operate optimally. In the aforementioned Chinese document, reservation is made for service purchase from the charging station. It makes appropriate calculations by using the energy to be supplied according to the workload on the system, the workload on the stations and the previous period transactions. In the said Chinese patent document, there is no explanation regarding the orientation of the vehicles and the direction of the vehicle to the charger determined by the system. In the present application, resource usage is planned by the system and vehicle guidance is provided according to the requests from the users according to the user selection. The system performs resource management and error calculations in accordance with the targeted waiting time ratio and dynamically makes delay planning according to priority requests.

Objectives of the Invention

The objective of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle charging station that prioritizes the vehicles that want to be charged, allowing them to receive service with less or no waiting time.

Another purpose of the present invention is to realize an electric vehicle charging station that allows the charging devices in the charging station to be dynamically scheduled as low priority and high priority, and to adjust the service price accordingly.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle charging station, where the user can receive fast service or normal service, and where charger allocation can be made according to the service priority that the user wants to receive. Brief Description of the Invention

The electric vehicle charging station, which is the subject of the application, enables users to receive service with high or low priority, according to their demand. The electric vehicle charging station as defined in the first claim and other claims dependent on this claim, realized to achieve the purpose of the present invention; comprises a charging unit, a waiting area, a guidance signboard, a kiosk, and a tracking monitor.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The electric vehicle charging station provided to achieve the purpose of the present invention is shown in the attached figures, among which:

Figure 1. is a schematic view of the electric vehicle charging station.

Figure 2. is a schematic view of the tracking monitor.

Figure 3. is a schematic view of the electric vehicle charging station control model.

The components given in the figures are enumerated individually, and the meanings of these numbers are given below.

1. Electric vehicle charging station

2. Charging unit

3. Waiting area

4. Guidance signboard

5. Kiosk

6. Tracking monitor

6.1. Resource manager

6.2. Controller 6.3. Feedback unit

The present invention comprises an electric vehicle charging station (1) enabling users to receive fast charging service with high or low priority, instantaneously planning the charging devices in the charging station to be dynamically scheduled as low priority and high priority, and providing charging for the service received according to the said plan, and comprising: at least one charging unit (2) enabling the charging of electric vehicles and keeping track of the charged vehicle information, the charging duration length, and the charging time recording, a waiting area at the station (3) having sections where vehicles can wait and having a guidance signboard (4), at least one kiosk (5), located at the station entrance, with a screen, wireless data communication unit and processor on which the user can interact with his smart device, and adapted to receive the user's high priority or low priority service request by recognizing the user, a tracking monitor (6) having at least one resource manager (6.1), at least one controller (6.2) and at least one feedback unit (6.3), and adapted to communicate with the charging unit (2), guidance signboard (4), and kiosk (5) in a wired or wireless fashion, to track the events and time, to track the entry, exit, service start and end times of all vehicles according to the data received from the charging unit (2), to follow the events related to the vehicle when a vehicle enters or exits the station, to determine the charging units (2) to be used as high priority and low priority according to the number of vehicles at the station and the number of high priority and low priority vehicles, record the waiting times of the vehicles from the moment they arrive at the station and calculate how much they deviate from the target waiting time determined according to the pre-set waiting time ratio, redetermine the number of high priority and low priority existing charging units (2) according to the calculated station waiting time deviation value in the set time period. The electric vehicle charging station (1), which is the subject of the invention, can provide high or low priority electric vehicle charging service according to the demands of the users. The users can decide whether to receive high priority or low priority service before or when they arrive at the station. Priority service is provided at the electric vehicle charging station (1), allowing users to receive service with shorter or no waiting time. In the electric vehicle charging station (1), operation is preferably modeled according to at least two priorities: high priority and low priority. Users who want to charge their vehicles with high priority can have their vehicles charged without waiting or waiting less than low priority ones. The electric vehicle charging station (1) gives a waiting time rate to its users. When users come to the electric vehicle charging station (1), they would know that they can charge their vehicles faster in accordance with the said rate, they will charge their vehicles by paying a high priority service fee and by waiting less than the other waiting low priority vehicles.

At the electric vehicle charging station (1), a waiting area (3) for vehicles that are not being charged, a guidance signboard (4) that provides information to and ensures guidance for the vehicles in the waiting area (3), and a kiosk (5) at the station entrance and a tracking monitor (6) that monitors the station and provides management exist.

There is a kiosk (5) at the entrance of the electric vehicle charging station (1). The kiosk (5) comprises hardware parts such as at least one display, a wireless transmitter, a receiver, a Wi-Fi circuit, a speaker, a timer, and a counter. When the users arrive at the electric charging station (1), they give their information to the kiosk (5) or the kiosk (5) recognizes the vehicle. The user can transmit high priority or low priority request and vehicle information to the kiosk (5) via an application on the smart device (such as a phone, tablet). In an embodiment of the invention, with the smart vehicle identification system on the kiosk (5) or the vehicle identification system integrated with the kiosk (5), a user can automatically be recognized from the user plate. In another embodiment of the invention, the kiosk (5) only records the incoming users and transmits the incoming user information to the tracking monitor, keeping no records in its memory.

When the kiosk (5) enters the electric vehicle charging station (1), it records what time the vehicle entered the station. The kiosk (5) also informs the user about which charging unit (2) the vehicle will go to according to the service type (high priority/low priority) and service duration. When the vehicle enters the electric vehicle charging station (1), if all charging units (2) are full, the vehicle is directed to the waiting area (3).

The waiting area (3) is an area where vehicles park and wait for their turn to be charged. In the waiting area (3) there are divided and marked parking areas where each vehicle can park. While vehicles are waiting in line for charging, they preferably wait for their turn in the said waiting area (3).

There is a guidance signboard (4) in the waiting area (3) of the electric vehicle charging station (1). The guidance signboard (4) preferably comprises hardware such as display, processor, memory card, cable/wireless transceiver, and speaker. There is preferably a screen on the guidance signboard (4) and information is provided on the screen. Information about which vehicle will go to which charging unit (2), and which charger (2) is planned for which vehicle can be followed over the guidance signboard (4). The guidance signboard (4) can also make a vocal announcement. The notifications made on the guidance signboard (4) can also be made audibly.

In the electric vehicle charging station (1), which is the subject of the invention, the charging unit (2), the guidance signboard (4) and the kiosk (5) have a receiver and transmitter that can communicate with the tracking monitor (6) both in wired and wireless fashion, and can communicate with each other. In an embodiment of the invention, all modules, such as the charging unit (2), the guidance signboard (4), the kiosk (5) and the tracking monitor (6) can communicate with each other, and transmit and receive data to/from each other.

In the electric vehicle charging station (1), which is the subject of the invention, the tracking monitor (6) continuously records the occurrences in the station. When a new vehicle arrives at the station, the kiosk (5) transmits the vehicle information and the time to the tracking monitor (6). When the vehicle approaches the charging unit (2) and starts charging, when its charge is completed and when it is disconnected, the charging unit (2) transmits all the data of the charging process (such as charging started, charging in progress, charging completed, charging start time, charging end time) to the tracking monitor (6). The tracking monitor (6) records every incoming vehicle and exiting vehicle continuously.

The monitor (6) preferably includes at least one resource manager (6.1), at least one controller (6.2) and at least one feedback unit (6.3). The tracking monitor (6) monitors the events and time. In event tracking, entry, exit, service start and end times of all vehicles are tracked. When a vehicle enters or exits the station, the event related to the vehicle is transmitted to the resource manager (6.1) and checked. Thus, the Vehicle-Event transaction path is activated and the transaction then passes to the resource manager (6.1). The resource manager (6.1) classifies resources (chargers (2)) into classes, or in other words classifies them according to their high priority or low priority status.

The resource manager (6.1) starts the action with the event reported by the monitor (6). If the Vehicle-Event Transaction path is activated (a vehicle has arrived or departed from the station), and if the event is a vehicle arrival and there is an idle charging unit (2) (server) at the station, it directs the vehicle to the said charging unit. If there is no idle charging unit, it directs the vehicle to the waiting area (3). If the event is a vehicle leaving the station, it means that a charging unit (2) will become idle. If there is a vehicle in the waiting area (3) only from one class, it directs the first vehicle of that class to the empty charging unit (2). If there are vehicles of both classes in the waiting area (3), it directs the first vehicle waiting in the queue to the server (charger (2)) from the class to which that server is assigned. The resource manager (6.1) transmits the license plate number of the vehicle and the information on which charging unit (2) it should go to, via the tracking monitor (6), to the routing sign (4) in order to direct the vehicles.

The Time-Event path is activated at the end of each pre-set time interval. The controller (6.2) transmits the data sets that contain the information on the high priority (HP) and low priority (LP) vehicles currently waiting and the statuses (server states) of the chargers (2) to the feedback unit (6.3). When the Time-Event Transaction path cycle is completed, the Controller (6.2) transmits the information about the ratio of the charge units (2) that should be assigned to the high priority class until the next time event, to the resource manager (6.1). The resource manager (6.1) is adapted to calculate the desired number of high priority chargers (2) (servers) and assign the desired number of chargers (2) to the high priority class, starting with the chargers (2) that will be discharged soon, or to reduce the number of high-priority chargers (2) if a reduction is demanded.

The feedback unit (6.3) calculates the deviation from the target, in other words, the delay experienced with the currently planned high priority and low priority charging units (2), and how much the deviation is from the determined time.

The feedback unit (6.3) uses the high priority and low priority vehicles’ data sets coming from the resource manager (6.1) to calculate the average waiting time of high priority and low priority vehicles currently waiting in the system at the current moment and calculate the amount of deviation (5 _q (t)) from the waiting time that should occur according to the targeted waiting rate, and transmit this to the controller (6.2). The amount of deviation is denoted by 5 _q (t). The controller (6.2) is adapted to calculate the ratio of the charger units (6.2) that should be assigned to the high priority vehicles class. The controller (6.2) uses the following equation when calculating the deviation amount (6 _q (t)), where “hbo” represents the target waiting time rate, HP _wa \ _t denotes the high priority vehicle average waiting time, and LP _wajt denotes the low priority vehicle average waiting time;

The controller (6.2) calculates the “error” using the amount of deviation from the feedback unit (6.3). The error is measured by the difference of the deviation amount from the reference (ref) value 0 (zero). The equation that enables the measurement of error is given below.

After calculating the error value, the controller (6.2) calculates the charge unit (2) rate (Sr) that should be assigned to the high priority class by using the error value and transmits this rate to the resource manager (6.1). The controller (6.2) calculates the charge unit (2) ratio with PID control (proportional-integral- derivative controller control loop method). The controller (6.2) uses the following proportional integral control equation (Pl-Control) to calculate the charge unit ratio (Sr) (Equation 3). Then, the Sr ratio is multiplied by the total number of chargers to determine the number of chargers that should be allocated to the high priority class (Equation 4). chargeUnit_HP=Sr * chargeUnit_total (Equation 4) The Kp (Kp-proportional gain parameter; it makes the control output (Sr) change proportionally with the amount of error) and Ki (Ki-integral gain parameter; it makes the control output (Sr) change proportionally with the integral of the pasttime errors) parameters used by the controller (6.2) can be determined using different parameterization techniques. While determining the controller (6.2) Kp and Ki model parameter values; the values minimizing the percentage of deviation from the target waiting rate and minimizing the reaction time to sudden changes are selected. The controller (6.2) chooses among the optimal solutions in order to use the same parameter values under different conditions.

In summary, the express charging station model presented in the electric vehicle charging station (1), which is the subject of the application, aims to keep the ratio of average waiting times of low priority and high priority vehicles in the same queue, at the target waiting time ratio announced by the station, by using the feedback proportional integral control method. The said transactions are performed by the tracking monitor (6) and the resource manager (6.1), the controller (6.3), and the feedback unit (6.3) of the tracking monitor (6).

In the electric vehicle charging station (1), the decisions are adapted to be made by the controller (6.2) and the feedback unit (6.3). The tracking monitor (6) constantly monitors the station, and each incoming and outgoing vehicle is reported to the tracking monitor (6) by the charger unit (2). When there is an event such as vehicle entry and exit to/from the station, the monitor (6) notifies this situation to the resource manager (6.1). The resource manager (6.1) transmits information about the high and low priority vehicle sets in the station to the feedback unit (6.3). A decision is made by the controller (6.2), resource manager (6.1) and feedback unit (6.3) as to how many chargers (2) will be high priority and how many chargers will be low priority for a predetermined time. For example, every one and a half minutes (1.5 minutes), the monitor (6) receives information such as the system status, how many vehicles with high priority and low priority are waiting, how many vehicles are being charged, and how many vehicles have finished and will finish charging, and informs the resource manager (6.1). The resource manager (6.1) decides how many chargers (2) will be allocated to which class.

At the electric vehicle charging station (1), which is the subject of the application, it is ensured that users can receive fast service with high or low priority, and that the charging unit devices (2) located in the charging station (1) can be instantaneously dynamically planned as low priority and high priority, and that the service received is charged according to the said plan.

In the electric vehicle charging station (1), which is the subject of the application, the vehicle owner is not obliged to inform the kiosk (5) of the charging time requested at the time of entry. It is sufficient to indicate how long it will receive service when it is connected to the charging unit (2). This gives the user the flexibility to change their mind during the waiting period.

An application of the electric vehicle charging station (1), which is the subject of the application, is as follows: Vehicles arriving at electric vehicle charging stations (1) for priority service are divided into two classes as high and low priority vehicles. High priority vehicles are those that are willing to pay more for a shorter wait. Low priority vehicles also accept to wait longer to take advantage of the price advantage. At the electric vehicle charging station (1), the ratio of the average waiting times of high and low priority vehicles in the same time slot at the station is kept at a target rate that the station will announce in advance. For example, when the station announces the target waiting rate level to its customers as 1.5, if the low priority vehicles in the same queue wait an average of 15 minutes, high priority vehicles wait an average of 15/1.5=10 minutes. When the density of the station decreases over time and the waiting times decrease, low priority vehicles wait an average of 10 minutes, while high priority vehicles at the station at that time wait an average of 10/1.5=6.6 minutes. Thanks to this invention, vehicles can decide what kind of service they want to receive when they arrive at the electric vehicle charging station (1), by looking at their particular situation and the time constraints. With the invention, which is the subject of the application, the waiting times of vehicles with time constraints are reduced and the waiting time concerns of electric vehicle owners in general are eliminated. At the same time, with the invention, which is the subject of the application, the charging cost of vehicles that are not in a hurry is reduced. Stations will be able to increase their profitability by using this model with appropriate dynamic pricing policies (variable according to the target waiting time ratio to be announced by the station and the instantaneous density of the station).