TWI887943B - Electric vehicle charging management methods and systems with offline charging schedule - Google Patents

Abstract

Electric vehicle charging management methods and systems with offline charging schedule are provided, which is applicable to a charging field including a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations, and the electric vehicle charging stations are connected to a server through a network. First, the server executes an energy management scheme, which records a power distribution logic for controlling a charging operation for each of the electric vehicle charging stations, thus to determine a corresponding target power parameter value for the charging operation of each electric vehicle charging station, and perform the charging operations accordingly for respective electric vehicles through the respective electric vehicle charging stations. Then, the server determines whether a connection with a specific electric vehicle charging station among the electric vehicle charging stations is broken. When the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is broken, the server performs an offline power configuration operation to adjust the target power parameter value of the specific electric vehicle charging station according to an offline power parameter value corresponding to the specific electric vehicle charging station, and then executes the energy management scheme based on the offline power parameter value to adjust the corresponding target power parameter value for the charging operation of each electric vehicle charging station.

Description

Electric vehicle charging management method and system with offline charging schedule

The present invention relates to an electric vehicle charging management method and system, and in particular to an electric vehicle charging management method and system that can provide an offline flexible charging schedule adjustment.

In recent years, with the rise of environmental awareness and the advancement of electric vehicle technology, the development of electric vehicles powered by electricity to replace traditional vehicles powered by fossil fuels has gradually become an important goal in the automotive field, making electric vehicles more and more popular. In order to improve the range and willingness of electric vehicles, many countries or cities have begun to plan to set up charging stations in public places to provide electricity for electric vehicles, and have also begun to plan to deploy a large number of charging stations in urban areas or scenic areas to make charging electric vehicles more convenient.

Generally speaking, the power equipment in most sites has already been built. If you want to update the power equipment, such as the capacity of the power disk, it is very expensive and time-consuming to build. Generally speaking, the number of electric vehicle charging stations that can be set up in a single charging site is limited by the existing maximum load capacity of the existing site. Therefore, in the case of limited electric vehicle charging stations, electric vehicle drivers may have to spend time waiting because the charging station is in use, or need to find other nearby charging stations to charge, which causes inconvenience in use and thus discourages drivers from using electric vehicles.

Therefore, without updating the power equipment, some charging sites can introduce load adjustment operations to increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations that can be set up in the site. In the load adjustment operation, by reducing the power output of individual electric vehicle charging stations, more electric vehicles can be charged at the same time in this charging site. On the other hand, since the amount of electricity that can be provided by power companies and their power grids is limited, how to prevent the power required for electric vehicle charging operations from causing an impact on the power grid has also become an important issue in the industry. For example, in some industrial applications, a scheduled charging mechanism can be used to charge during off-peak hours to achieve the purpose of reducing the impact on the power grid. However, different industries will have different needs, and temporary and special needs will also occur at the same time. For example, generally speaking, when the connection between a specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is not interrupted, the server can periodically send instructions to the specific electric vehicle charging station to set the target power parameter value that the specific electric vehicle charging station outputs to a coupled electric vehicle, and the server can also periodically receive the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station from the specific electric vehicle charging station to determine whether it is necessary to adjust the target power parameter value and perform load adjustment on the charging field. However, when the connection between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is disconnected, the specific electric vehicle charging station will not be able to receive the server's instructions, and the server will not be able to send instructions to the specific electric vehicle charging station or receive the specific electric vehicle charging station's response, so that the server will not be able to obtain the charging status of the charging operation of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station, nor can it set the corresponding target power parameter value of the charging operation of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station, causing difficulties in subsequent charging scheduling and load adjustment operations. Therefore, how to maintain flexibility and elasticity in electric vehicle charging management will become an important key to the development of electric vehicles.

In view of this, the present invention provides an electric vehicle charging management method and system with offline charging scheduling.

An electric vehicle charging management method with an offline charging schedule in an embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a charging field including a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations, and each electric vehicle charging station is connected to a server via a network. First, at least one energy management scheme is provided in the server, and the energy management scheme records a power distribution logic for controlling a charging operation corresponding to each of the electric vehicle charging stations. The server executes the energy management scheme to determine a corresponding target power parameter value for the charging operation of each electric vehicle charging station, and performs a charging operation on a coupled electric vehicle according to the corresponding target power parameter value through the individual electric vehicle charging stations. Then, the server determines whether the connection with a specific electric vehicle charging station among the electric vehicle charging stations is disconnected. When the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is disconnected, the server executes an offline power allocation operation to adjust a target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station according to an offline power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station, and executes an energy management plan according to the offline power parameter value to adjust the target power parameter value corresponding to the charging operation of each electric vehicle charging station, wherein the offline power allocation operation causes the offline power parameter value to dynamically change according to a specific rule during an offline period when the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is disconnected.

An electric vehicle charging management system with an offline charging schedule according to an embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a charging field. The system includes a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations and a server. Each electric vehicle charging station has a network connection capability and is connected to the server through a network. The server includes at least one energy management scheme, wherein the energy management scheme records a power distribution logic for controlling a charging operation corresponding to each of the electric vehicle charging stations. The server executes the energy management scheme to determine a corresponding target power parameter value for the charging operation of each electric vehicle charging station, and performs a charging operation on a coupled electric vehicle according to the corresponding target power parameter value through an individual electric vehicle charging station. The server determines whether the connection with a specific electric vehicle charging station among the electric vehicle charging stations is disconnected, and when the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is disconnected, an offline power allocation operation is performed to adjust a target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station according to an offline power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station, and the energy management plan is performed according to the offline power parameter value to adjust the target power parameter value corresponding to the charging operation of each electric vehicle charging station. The offline power allocation operation causes the offline power parameter value to change dynamically according to a specific rule during an offline period when the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is disconnected.

In some embodiments, the server further establishes a network socket with a specific electric vehicle charging station and periodically receives charging data of a corresponding charging operation from the specific electric vehicle charging station through the network socket, and the server determines whether the connection with the specific charging station is interrupted by determining whether the server has not received charging data from the specific electric vehicle charging station for more than a predetermined time, whether the specific electric vehicle charging station has not sent a response for more than a predetermined time, and/or whether the network socket between the server and the specific charging station is available.

In some embodiments, the specific rule is to change the offline power parameter value according to a predetermined power upper limit value during the offline period, and the predetermined power upper limit value is less than an output power upper limit value of a specific electric vehicle charging station.

In some embodiments, a lookup table is further provided, the lookup table having a plurality of power parameter values, wherein the specific rule is to adjust the offline power parameter value sequentially according to the power parameter value during the offline period.

In some embodiments, a first electric vehicle is coupled to a specific electric vehicle charging station for charging, and the specific rule is to dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value according to a battery charge of the corresponding first electric vehicle and a battery charging curve of the corresponding first electric vehicle during the offline period.

In some embodiments, a plurality of lookup tables are provided, each of which has a plurality of power parameter values, wherein the server continuously transmits a specific data to the specific electric vehicle charging station when the connection between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is not interrupted, and the specific rule determines one of the lookup tables according to the specific data during the offline period, and dynamically adjusts the offline power parameter value in sequence according to the power parameter value of the selected lookup table.

In some embodiments, the specific electric vehicle charging station further determines whether the connection with the server is disconnected. When the connection between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is disconnected, the specific electric vehicle charging station performs an offline power allocation operation to dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value according to specific rules during the offline period and adjust the target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station according to the adjusted offline power parameter value.

In some embodiments, the server further determines whether the connection with the specific electric vehicle charging station is restored. When the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is restored, the server terminates the offline power allocation operation and receives a charging data of a corresponding charging operation from the specific electric vehicle charging station through the network, and re-executes the energy management plan based on the charging data to adjust the target power parameter value corresponding to the charging operation of each electric vehicle charging station.

The above method of the present invention can exist in the form of program code. When the program code is loaded and executed by a machine, the machine becomes a device for implementing the present invention.

In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the following is a detailed description of the embodiments with accompanying diagrams.

100: Electric vehicle charging management system with offline charging schedule

110: Charging area

112: First charging station

114: Second charging station

EV1, EV2: Electric vehicles

120: Internet

130: Server

132: Storage unit

EMP: Energy Management Program

134: Network connection unit

136: Processor

200: Charging station

212: Storage unit

214: Network connection unit

216: Rechargeable gun

218: Processing unit

S410, S420, S430, S440: Steps

S510, S520, S530, S540: Steps

S610, S620, S630, S640: Steps

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an electric vehicle charging management system with offline charging scheduling according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an electric vehicle charging station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a flow chart showing an electric vehicle charging management method with offline charging scheduling according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a flow chart showing an electric vehicle charging management method with offline charging scheduling according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a flow chart showing an electric vehicle charging management method with offline charging scheduling according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows an electric vehicle charging management system with an offline charging schedule according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electric vehicle charging management system 100 with an offline charging schedule according to an embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a charging field 110 including a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations. It is noted that the charging field 110 has a power limit. As shown in FIG. 1, the electric vehicle charging management system 100 with an offline charging schedule according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations, such as a first charging station 112, a second charging station 114, and a server 130 connected to the first charging station 112 and the second charging station 114 through a network 120, respectively. Individual charging stations can provide electric vehicles (EV1, EV2) of electric vehicle users with a charging operation. In some embodiments, the network 120 may be a wired network, a telecommunications network, and a wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi network, etc. The server 130 may receive various data from the first charging station 112 and the second charging station 114 through the network 120, and transmit relevant signals to the first charging station 112 and the second charging station 114. The first charging station 112 and the second charging station 114 may perform relevant operations according to the signals received by the server 130. For example, when the electric vehicle EV1 is coupled to the first charging station 112 through a charging gun of the first charging station 112 to perform a charging operation, the first charging station 112 can continuously transmit the charging information of the corresponding charging operation of the electric vehicle EV1 through the network 120, and the server 130 can receive the charging information of the corresponding charging operation from the first charging station 112 through the network 120. Similarly, when the electric vehicle EV2 is coupled to the second charging station 114 through a charging gun of the second charging station 114 to perform a charging operation, the second charging station 114 can continuously transmit the charging information of the corresponding charging operation of the electric vehicle EV2 through the network 120, and the server 130 can receive the charging information of the corresponding charging operation from the second charging station 114 through the network 120.

It is worth noting that the user can connect the electric vehicle EV1 to the first charging station 112, such as inserting a charging gun into the charging port of the electric vehicle to send a charging request corresponding to the first charging station 112, so as to use the first charging station 112 to charge the electric vehicle EV1. Similarly, the user can connect the electric vehicle EV2 to the second charging station 114, such as inserting a charging gun into the charging port of the electric vehicle to send a charging request corresponding to the second charging station 114, so as to use the second charging station 114 to charge the electric vehicle EV2. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the server 130 may directly or indirectly receive a charging request from a mobile device (not shown in FIG. 1 ) of the owner of the corresponding electric vehicle EV1, generate a charging authorization instruction according to the charging request, and transmit it to the first charging station 112 through the network 120, so that the first charging station 112 outputs power to an electric vehicle EV1 electrically connected thereto, such as an electric motorcycle or an electric car, or prohibits the first charging station 112 from outputting power to the electric vehicle EV1. It is noted that in some embodiments, the charging request may be accompanied by an identity authentication and/or a payment mechanism, and the charging authorization instruction will be generated only after the identity authentication and/or the payment mechanism is completed. In some embodiments, the user of the electric vehicle EV1 can download and install an application using his mobile device to generate a charging request through the user interface of the application. In some embodiments, the user can scan a quick response code (QR code) on the first charging station 112 through the scanning function of the application to generate the above-mentioned charging request, thereby starting a charging process. In some embodiments, the user can select a specific electric vehicle charging station through the application and execute an activation function to generate the above-mentioned charging request, thereby starting a charging process. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the owner of the electric vehicle EV1 can use an RFID sensing card to approach a sensing area (not shown in Figure 1) on the first charging station 112 to generate a corresponding charging request and transmit it to the server 130 via the network 120. It is noted that in some embodiments, each user can have an RFID sensing card.

It is noted that the device of the electric vehicle owner can be any electronic device with Internet access, such as a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a global positioning system, and a laptop. In some embodiments, the mobile device can receive status information and notifications of the corresponding charging operation from the cloud management server 130 via the network 120. In some embodiments, the status information and notifications can include notification that the electric vehicle has stopped charging, notification that the vehicle is being moved, and/or notification that the charging gun of the electric vehicle charging device has been removed from the electric vehicle, etc.

As mentioned above, the charging site 110 has a power limit. The server 130 can perform a load adjustment operation for the electric vehicle charging station of the charging site 110 according to at least one energy management scheme. Specifically, the server 130 can generate an instruction and transmit the instruction to the charging station (112, 114) through the network 120 to control the charging station to output power to the electric vehicle connected to the charging station at a specific time period with a specified power parameter, such as a specified ampere, or prohibit the charging station from outputting power to the electric vehicle. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, when the server 130 receives charging requests from the charging station, it can perform a charging scheduling operation for these charging requests. In some embodiments, the charging scheduling operation can be performed in conjunction with a time electricity price. For example, when an electric vehicle is connected to a charging station, such as inserting a charging gun into the charging port of the electric vehicle, the corresponding charging operation will not be performed immediately. The server will schedule charging according to the time electricity price, the power limit of the site, and the electric vehicle that needs to be charged, select the appropriate charging time point, and perform all charging operations in a way that minimizes the electricity cost.

FIG. 2 shows an electric vehicle charging station according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electric vehicle charging station 200 shown in FIG. 2 can be applied to the first charging station 112 and the second charging station 114 in FIG. 1. It has processing computing capabilities to perform charging management operations belonging to the electric vehicle charging station, and has a network connection function to transmit, receive, download or update various parameters and information required for charging management operations.

The electric vehicle charging station 200 includes at least a storage unit 212, a network connection unit 214, a charging gun 216, and a processing unit 218. The storage unit 212 can be a memory for storing and recording relevant data, such as the electric vehicle charging station information contained in the electric vehicle charging station, such as the charging station identification code, charging request information, etc. It should be noted that the aforementioned data is only an example of this case, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The network connection unit 214 can transmit, receive, download or update various parameters and information required for charging management calculations through a network, such as a wired network, a telecommunications network, and a wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi network. The charging gun 216 may include one or more charging connectors that conform to the same charging interface specification or conform to different charging interface specifications, which are electrically connected to the corresponding electric vehicle. The processing unit 218 can control the operation of the relevant software and hardware in the electric vehicle charging station 200, and cooperate with the server 130 to execute the electric vehicle charging management method with offline charging scheduling of this case, and the relevant details will be described later. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the processing unit 218 can be a general controller, a microcontroller (Micro-Control Unit, MCU), or a digital signal controller (Digital Signal Processor, DSP), etc., to provide data analysis, processing and calculation functions, but the present invention is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the processing unit 218 can transmit the power status of the corresponding electric vehicle through a network using the network connection unit 214, so that a cloud management server, such as the cloud server 130, can perform subsequent charging management. In another embodiment, the processing unit 218 can obtain the power parameters of a corresponding charging operation through the server 130, and determine the output power based on the power parameters received by the server 130, and output the power to at least one electric vehicle through the charging gun 216 for charging. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the electric vehicle charging station 200 can include an RFID reading unit for sensing the information of an RFID card. In some embodiments, the storage unit 212 can store one or more offline power parameter values. In some embodiments, the storage unit 212 may store one or more comparison tables, each of which includes one or more offline power parameter values. In some embodiments, the storage unit 212 may store a predetermined power upper limit value. As previously mentioned, individual electric vehicle charging stations may have an output power upper limit value and an output power lower limit value, and the predetermined power upper limit value is less than the output power upper limit value of the electric vehicle charging station. For example, the predetermined power upper limit value may be set to half or ninety percent of the output power upper limit value of the electric vehicle charging station. It should be noted that the aforementioned data is only for this case, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The processing unit 218 can perform an offline power allocation operation during an offline period when the connection between the electric vehicle charging station 200 and the server 130 is disconnected to determine the target power parameter value of the corresponding electric vehicle charging station during the aforementioned offline period. Specifically, the offline power allocation operation will obtain an offline power parameter value used during the offline period from the storage unit 212 and determine the target power parameter value of the corresponding electric vehicle charging station accordingly, and dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value according to a specific rule during the offline period and adjust the target power parameter value of the corresponding electric vehicle charging station according to the adjusted offline power parameter value. In other words, the offline power parameter value during the offline period is a variable non-fixed value.

It should be noted that the electric vehicle charging station 200 has an output power upper limit value and an output power lower limit value. Specifically, the electric vehicle charging station 200 can use this output power upper limit value as a power parameter at most to output power to the electric vehicle in a charging operation. On the other hand, the electric vehicle charging station 200 must use this output power lower limit value as a power parameter at least to output power to the electric vehicle in a charging operation. It should be noted that charging stations of different brands and models may have different output power upper limits and output power lower limits. The present invention is not limited to any value, and the value may vary for different charging stations.

FIG. 3 shows a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the server 130 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be any processor-based electronic device, which at least includes a storage unit 132, a network connection unit 134, and a processor 136. It is worth noting that the server 130 can receive various data corresponding to a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations in the charging field. The server 130 can directly or indirectly receive a charging request from an electric vehicle charging station or a mobile device, and after performing relevant authentication and other actions according to the charging request, generate a charging authorization instruction and transmit it to the corresponding electric vehicle charging station through the network to allow the corresponding electric vehicle charging station to output power to an electric vehicle connected to it, such as an electric motorcycle or electric car, or prohibit the electric vehicle charging station from outputting power to the electric vehicle.

The storage unit 132, such as a memory, can store and record relevant data, such as various data of the corresponding electric vehicle charging station. It is noted that the storage unit 132 may include at least one energy management scheme EMP. The energy management scheme EMP records a distribution logic for controlling a charging operation corresponding to each of the electric vehicle charging stations. It is reminded that the distribution logic is configured to determine the execution order of individual charging demands (charging operations) in the charging demands (charging operations) of the corresponding different charging stations under the power limit of the charging field, and the corresponding target power parameter value when executing the charging demand. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the storage unit 132 may include a time setting table for setting at least one peak time period and an off-peak time period, and a corresponding time electricity price. In some embodiments, the storage unit 132 may store one or more offline power parameter values. In some embodiments, the storage unit 132 may store one or more comparison tables, each of which includes one or more offline power parameter values. In some embodiments, the storage unit 132 may store a predetermined power upper limit value. As mentioned above, individual electric vehicle charging stations may have an output power upper limit value and an output power lower limit value, and the predetermined power upper limit value is less than the output power upper limit value of the electric vehicle charging station. For example, the predetermined power upper limit value may be set to half or ninety percent of the output power upper limit value of the electric vehicle charging station. It should be noted that the aforementioned data is only an example of this case, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Through the network connection unit 134, the server 130 can couple and communicate with the electric vehicle charging stations 112 and 114 through the network 120, such as a wired network, a telecommunications network, and a wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi network, and transmit relevant data/signals/instructions to different electric vehicle charging stations through the network 120 to control whether the electric vehicle charging station outputs power and specifies power parameters to output power to charge the electric vehicle. The processor 136 can control the operations of the relevant software and hardware in the server 130 and execute the electric vehicle charging management method with offline charging scheduling of the present case, and the relevant details will be described later. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, when the connection between a specific electric vehicle charging station (such as the first charging station) and the server 130 is disconnected, the processor 136 can execute an offline power allocation operation to determine the target power parameter value of the corresponding electric vehicle charging station during the connection interruption period. Specifically, the offline power allocation operation will obtain the offline power parameter value from the storage unit 132 and determine the target power parameter value of the corresponding electric vehicle charging station accordingly, and dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value according to a specific rule during the connection interruption period and adjust the target power parameter value of the corresponding electric vehicle charging station according to the adjusted offline power parameter value. It is reminded that when the server has multiple energy management schemes EMP, the processor 136 can select one from the energy management schemes EMP and perform a load adjustment operation for the charging field according to the selected energy management scheme EMP. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the processor 136 can be a general controller, a microcontroller, or a digital signal controller, etc., to provide data analysis, processing and calculation functions, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It is noted that, as mentioned above, the server can perform a charging scheduling operation for the charging request of the corresponding electric vehicle charging station. In some embodiments, the charging scheduling operation can be performed in conjunction with a time electricity price, so that all charging operations are performed in a manner with the lowest electricity cost.

FIG. 4 shows an electric vehicle charging management method with an offline charging schedule according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electric vehicle charging management method with an offline charging schedule according to an embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a charging field. The charging field includes a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations and has a power limit. Individual electric vehicle charging stations can be electrically coupled to a remote server via a network.

First, as in step S410, at least one energy management scheme is provided in the server. As mentioned above, the energy management scheme can record a power distribution logic to control a charging operation corresponding to each of the electric vehicle charging stations. It is reminded that the power distribution logic is configured to determine the execution order of individual charging demands (charging operations) in the charging demands of different charging stations under the power limitation of the charging field, and the corresponding target power parameter value when executing the charging demand. As in step S420, the server executes the energy management scheme to determine a corresponding target power parameter value for the charging operation of each electric vehicle charging station, and performs a charging operation on a coupled electric vehicle through the individual electric vehicle charging station according to the corresponding target power parameter value. For example, when the total of the number of electric vehicle charging stations that need to perform charging operations multiplied by the output power upper limit of each electric vehicle charging station is greater than the power limit of the charging site, the power output (target power parameter value) of each corresponding electric vehicle charging station will be reduced so that the total will not exceed the power limit of the charging site. Then, as in step S430, the server determines whether the connection with a specific electric vehicle charging station among the electric vehicle charging stations is broken. In some embodiments, the server may establish a network socket with a specific electric vehicle charging station and periodically receive a charging data of a corresponding charging operation from the specific electric vehicle charging station through the network socket, and the server determines whether the connection with the specific charging station is interrupted by determining whether the server has not received charging data from the specific electric vehicle charging station for more than a predetermined time, whether the specific electric vehicle charging station has not sent a response for more than a predetermined time, and/or whether the network socket between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is available. As described above, when the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station (for example, the first charging station 112 or the second charging station 114 shown in FIG. 1) is not interrupted, the server can receive various data from the specific electric vehicle charging station through the network and send relevant signals to the specific electric vehicle charging station. The specific electric vehicle charging station can perform related operations based on the signal received by the server. When the server does not receive charging data from the specific electric vehicle charging station for a predetermined time (e.g., 5 minutes or 10 minutes), the specific electric vehicle charging station does not send a response for a predetermined time, or the network slot between the server and the specific charging station is not available, the server determines that the connection with the specific charging station has been disconnected. When the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is not disconnected (No in step S430), continue the operation of step S420. When the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is disconnected (Yes in step S430), as in step S440, the server performs an offline power allocation operation to adjust a target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station according to an offline power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station, and executes an energy management plan according to the offline power parameter value to adjust the target power parameter value corresponding to the charging operation of each electric vehicle charging station. The offline power allocation operation causes the offline power parameter value to dynamically change according to a specific rule during an offline period when the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is disconnected. Specifically, the server may store one or more offline power parameter values corresponding to individual electric vehicle charging stations in a storage unit, and the offline power allocation operation will obtain the offline power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station from the storage unit of the server and determine the target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station accordingly, and dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value according to a specific rule during the offline period when the connection is disconnected, and adjust the target power parameter value of the corresponding electric vehicle charging station according to the adjusted offline power parameter value. In other words, during the offline period when the connection between a specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is disconnected, the server can perform offline power allocation operations to schedule offline charging according to specific rules, so that during the offline period, the target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station can still be dynamically adjusted without causing an overload on the overall charging field.

In some embodiments, the specific rule is to change the offline power parameter value according to a predetermined power upper limit value during the offline period, and the predetermined power upper limit value is less than an output power upper limit value of the specific electric vehicle charging station. Similarly, as mentioned above, the specific electric vehicle charging station may have an output power upper limit value and an output power lower limit value, and the predetermined power upper limit value is less than the output power upper limit value of the specific electric vehicle charging station, for example, the predetermined power upper limit value may be set to half or ninety percent of the output power upper limit value of the electric vehicle charging station. For example, in one embodiment, when the predetermined power upper limit is set to half of the output power upper limit of a specific electric vehicle charging station and the offline period is about 1 hour, the server may adjust the offline power parameter value to half of the output power upper limit, a specific power parameter value, and the output power lower limit every 20 minutes during the offline period, wherein the specific power parameter value is a specified value between half of the output power upper limit and the output power lower limit. It should be noted that the aforementioned data is only an example of this case, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the server may provide a comparison table, wherein the comparison table has one or more power parameter values, wherein the specific rule is to adjust the offline power parameter value according to a portion or all of the power parameter values in the comparison table in sequence during the offline period. For example, in one embodiment, the comparison table may include a first power parameter value, a second power parameter value, and a third power parameter value, and when the offline period is about 1 hour, the server may adjust the offline power parameter value to the first power parameter value, the second power parameter value, and the third power parameter value in sequence every 20 minutes during the offline period. It should be noted that the aforementioned data is only an example of this case, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, a first electric vehicle is coupled to a specific electric vehicle charging station for charging, and the specific rule is to dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value according to a battery charge of the corresponding first electric vehicle and a battery charging curve of the corresponding first electric vehicle during the offline period. It is worth noting that the server can continuously obtain the current battery power of the corresponding first electric vehicle during the connection period, and estimate the current charging progress according to the last obtained battery power and the battery charging curve of the corresponding first electric vehicle during the offline period, and then dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value according to the subsequent changes of the battery charging curve. In some embodiments, the server can further provide multiple lookup tables, each lookup table has one or more power parameter values, wherein the server continuously transmits a specific data to the specific electric vehicle charging station when the connection between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is not interrupted, and the specific rule determines one of the lookup tables according to the specific data during the offline period, and dynamically adjusts the offline power parameter value in sequence according to the power parameter value of the selected lookup table. For example, in one embodiment, specific data can be used to represent the remaining power of the charging field of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station, and the server can select the first comparison table from multiple comparison tables according to the remaining power of the charging field of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station, and then dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value in sequence according to the power parameter value in the first comparison table. In other words, in this example, different offline power parameter value changes can be selected according to the amount of remaining power in the charging field, which can provide flexible parameter settings that meet actual application requirements. In some embodiments, the settings of the corresponding offline power parameter values can also be adjusted. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, if the adjusted target power parameter corresponding to the charging operation of a specific electric vehicle charging station causes the total power required for all charging operations to exceed the power limit of the charging site, then the target power parameter values of the corresponding other charging operations will also be adjusted, such as reduced, to ensure that the total power required for charging does not exceed the power limit of the charging site.

FIG. 5 shows an electric vehicle charging management method with offline charging schedule according to another embodiment of the present invention. The electric vehicle charging management method with offline charging schedule according to the embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a charging field. The charging field includes a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations and has a power limit. Individual electric vehicle charging stations can be electrically coupled to a remote server through a network. It is reminded that in this embodiment, a specific electric vehicle charging station (for example, the first charging station 112 or the second charging station 114 shown in FIG. 1) can perform an offline power allocation operation during the offline period when the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is disconnected to perform an offline charging scheduling operation at the electric vehicle charging station.

First, as in step S510, the specific electric vehicle charging station establishes a connection with the server through the network, and as in step S520, continuously receives instructions from the server through the network, and outputs power according to the target power parameter value in the instruction to perform a charging operation for a coupled electric vehicle and return the charging status. It is reminded that, as mentioned above, the specific electric vehicle charging station can establish a network socket with the server and periodically transmit a charging data of a corresponding charging operation or receive instructions from the server through the network socket. When the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is not interrupted, the server can receive various data from the specific electric vehicle charging station through the network and transmit relevant signals to the specific electric vehicle charging station. The specific electric vehicle charging station can perform related operations according to the signal received by the server 130. For example, when the electric vehicle EV1 is coupled to the first charging station 112 through a charging gun of the first charging station 112 to perform a charging operation, the first charging station 112 can continuously transmit the charging information of the charging operation of the corresponding electric vehicle EV1 through the network 120, and the server 130 can receive the charging information of the corresponding charging operation from the first charging station 112 through the network 120, and transmit the related instructions including the target power parameter value to the first charging station 112 through the network 120. Then, as shown in step S530, the specific electric vehicle charging station determines whether the connection with the server is disconnected. In some embodiments, the specific electric vehicle charging station determines whether the connection with the server is disconnected by determining whether the specific electric vehicle charging station has not received data from the server for more than a predetermined time, whether the server has not sent a response for more than a predetermined time, and/or whether the network slot between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is available. Similarly, when the specific electric vehicle charging station has not received any data from the server for more than a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes or 10 minutes), the server has not sent a response for more than a predetermined time, or the network slot between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is not available, the specific electric vehicle charging station determines that the connection with the server has been disconnected. When the connection between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is not disconnected (No in step S530), the operation of step S520 is continued. When the connection between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is disconnected (step S530 is yes), as in step S540, the specific electric vehicle charging station performs an offline power allocation operation, so that during the offline period, a target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station is adjusted according to an offline power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station, and the offline power parameter value is dynamically adjusted according to a specific rule, and the target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station is adjusted according to the adjusted offline power parameter value to output power to perform a charging operation for the coupled electric vehicle. Similarly, an individual electric vehicle charging station can store one or more offline power parameter values corresponding to the individual electric vehicle charging station in a storage unit, and the offline power allocation operation will obtain the offline power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station from the storage unit of the specific electric vehicle charging station and determine the target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station accordingly, and dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value according to specific rules during the offline period when the connection is disconnected, and adjust the target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station according to the adjusted offline power parameter value, so that the specific electric vehicle charging station outputs power according to this target power parameter value to perform charging operations on the coupled electric vehicle. Similarly, in some embodiments, the specific rule is to change the offline power parameter value according to a predetermined power upper limit value during the offline period, and the predetermined power upper limit value is less than an output power upper limit value of the specific electric vehicle charging station. Similarly, as mentioned above, the specific electric vehicle charging station may have an output power upper limit value and an output power lower limit value, and the predetermined power upper limit value is less than the output power upper limit value of the specific electric vehicle charging station, for example, the predetermined power upper limit value may be set to half or ninety percent of the output power upper limit value of the electric vehicle charging station. For example, in one embodiment, when the predetermined power upper limit is set to half of the output power upper limit of the specific electric vehicle charging station and the offline period is about 1 hour, the specific electric vehicle charging station may sequentially adjust the offline power parameter value to half of the output power upper limit, a specific power parameter value, and the output power lower limit every 20 minutes during the offline period, wherein the specific power parameter value is a specified value between half of the output power upper limit and the output power lower limit. In some embodiments, the specific electric vehicle charging station may store a lookup table, wherein the lookup table has one or more power parameter values, wherein the specific rule is to sequentially adjust the offline power parameter value according to a portion or all of the power parameter values in the lookup table during the offline period. In some embodiments, a first electric vehicle is coupled to a specific electric vehicle charging station for charging, and the specific rule is to dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value according to a battery power of the corresponding first electric vehicle and a battery charging curve of the corresponding first electric vehicle during the offline period. It is worth noting that the specific electric vehicle charging station can continuously obtain the current battery power of the corresponding first electric vehicle during the online period, and dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value according to the current battery power and subsequent changes of the battery charging curve of the corresponding first electric vehicle during the offline period. In some embodiments, a specific electric vehicle charging station may further store multiple lookup tables, each lookup table having one or more power parameter values, wherein the specific electric vehicle charging station continuously receives specific data transmitted by the server when the connection between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is not interrupted, and the specific rule determines one of the lookup tables based on the specific data during the offline period, and dynamically adjusts the offline power parameter value in sequence based on the power parameter value of the selected lookup table. For example, in one embodiment, the specific data can be used to represent the remaining power of the charging field of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station, and the specific electric vehicle charging station can select the first comparison table from multiple comparison tables according to the remaining power of the charging field of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station, and then dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value in sequence according to the power parameter value in the first comparison table. In other words, in this example, different offline power parameter values can be selected according to the amount of remaining power in the charging field, which can provide flexible parameter settings that meet actual application requirements. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, if the adjusted target power parameter corresponding to the charging operation of a specific electric vehicle charging station causes the total power required for all charging operations to exceed the power limit of the charging site, then the target power parameter values of the corresponding other charging operations will also be adjusted, such as reduced, to ensure that the total power required for charging does not exceed the power limit of the charging site. It is noted that the above data is only an example of this case, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In other words, during the offline period when the connection between a specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is disconnected, the specific electric vehicle charging station can perform offline power allocation operations to perform offline charging scheduling corresponding to the specific rules of the server, so that the target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station can still be dynamically adjusted during the offline period, so as not to cause the load of the entire charging field to be overloaded.

FIG. 6 shows an electric vehicle charging management method with offline charging schedule according to another embodiment of the present invention. The electric vehicle charging management method with offline charging schedule according to the embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a charging field. The charging field includes a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations and has a power limit. Individual electric vehicle charging stations can be electrically coupled to a remote server through a network. In this embodiment, the server can terminate the offline power allocation operation and re-execute the energy management plan to perform charging scheduling when the connection of a specific electric vehicle charging station is restored.

First, as in step S610, the server performs an offline power allocation operation to dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value of the specific electric vehicle charging station according to specific rules during the connection interruption period, and determines the target power parameter value of the specific electric vehicle charging station according to the adjusted offline power parameter value and executes the energy management plan. Then, as in step S620, the server determines whether the connection with the specific electric vehicle charging station is restored. It is worth noting that, as mentioned above, the server can establish a network socket with the specific electric vehicle charging station and periodically receive a charging data of the corresponding charging operation from the specific electric vehicle charging station through the network socket, and the server determines whether the connection with the specific charging station is restored by determining whether the server can receive the charging data from the specific electric vehicle charging station within a predetermined time, whether the specific electric vehicle charging station can send a response within a predetermined time, and/or whether the network socket between the server and the specific charging station is available. When the server can receive the charging data from the specific electric vehicle charging station within a predetermined time, the specific electric vehicle charging station can send a response within a predetermined time, and/or the network socket between the server and the specific charging station is available, the server determines that the connection with the specific charging station has been restored. On the contrary, when the server does not receive charging data from the specific electric vehicle charging station for a predetermined time, the specific electric vehicle charging station does not send a response for a predetermined time, and/or the network slot between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is not available, the server determines that the connection with the specific electric vehicle charging station has not been restored. When the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station has not been restored (No in step S630), return to step S610 and continue to perform the offline power allocation operation during the offline period. When the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is restored (Yes in step S630), as in step S640, the server terminates the aforementioned offline power allocation operation, and receives a charging data of a corresponding charging operation from the specific electric vehicle charging station through the network, and re-executes the energy management plan based on the charging data to adjust the target power parameter value corresponding to the charging operation of each electric vehicle charging station.

Similarly, at the specific electric vehicle charging station, when the specific electric vehicle charging station performs an offline power allocation operation to dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value of the specific electric vehicle charging station according to a specific rule during the connection interruption period, and determines the target power parameter value of the specific electric vehicle charging station according to the adjusted offline power parameter value, the specific electric vehicle charging station can further determine whether the connection with the server is restored. When the connection between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is not restored, the offline power allocation operation during the offline period is continuously performed. When the connection between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is restored, the specific electric vehicle charging station ends the aforementioned offline power allocation operation and transmits a charging data of the corresponding charging operation to the server through the network, so that the server re-executes the energy management plan according to the received charging data to adjust the target power parameter value corresponding to the charging operation of each electric vehicle charging station. In other words, during the offline period when the connection between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is disconnected, the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station can respectively perform offline power allocation operations to perform offline charging scheduling according to the corresponding specific rules. When the connection between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is restored, the server can re-acquire the charging data of the specific electric vehicle charging station and re-execute the energy management plan based on the charging data, thereby adjusting the target power parameter value corresponding to the charging operation of each electric vehicle charging station.

Therefore, the electric vehicle charging management method and system with offline charging scheduling of the present case can perform electric vehicle charging management operations, and during the offline period when the connection between a specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is disconnected, the target power parameter value corresponding to the charging operation of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station during the offline period can be dynamically set and adjusted through the offline power allocation operation to perform offline charging scheduling, further increasing the flexibility of load adjustment operations and/or scheduled charging in individual charging sites.

The method of the present invention, or a specific form or part thereof, may exist in the form of program code. The program code may be contained in a physical medium, such as a floppy disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, or any other machine-readable (such as computer-readable) storage medium, or a computer program product that is not limited to an external form, wherein when the program code is loaded and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes a device for participating in the present invention. The program code may also be transmitted through some transmission medium, such as wires or cables, optical fibers, or any transmission type, wherein when the program code is received, loaded and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes a device for participating in the present invention. When implemented on a general-purpose processing unit, the code combines with the processing unit to provide a unique device that operates like an application-specific logic circuit.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with this technology can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the scope of the patent application attached hereto.

S410, S420, S430, S440: Steps

Claims (8)

A charging management method for an electric vehicle charging station with an offline charging schedule is applicable to a charging field, wherein the charging field includes a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations, and the electric vehicle charging stations are connected to a server via a network, comprising the following steps: providing at least one energy management scheme on the server, wherein the energy management scheme records a power distribution logic for controlling a corresponding charging of each of the electric vehicle charging stations; The server executes the energy management scheme to determine a corresponding target power parameter value for the charging operation of each of the electric vehicle charging stations, and performs the charging operation on a coupled electric vehicle according to the corresponding target power parameter value through the individual electric vehicle charging stations; the server determines whether the connection with a specific electric vehicle charging station among the electric vehicle charging stations is disconnected; and when the server is connected to the When the connection of a specific electric vehicle charging station is disconnected, the server executes an offline power allocation operation to adjust a target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station according to an offline power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station, and executes the energy management plan according to the offline power parameter value to adjust the target power parameter value corresponding to the charging operation of each of the electric vehicle charging stations, wherein the offline power adjustment The allocation operation causes the offline power parameter value to dynamically change according to a specific rule during an offline period when the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is disconnected, and the specific electric vehicle charging station performs the offline power allocation operation to dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value according to the specific rule during the offline period and adjust the target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station according to the adjusted offline power parameter value. As described in item 1 of the patent application scope, the charging management method of an electric vehicle charging station with an offline charging schedule, wherein the server further establishes a network slot with the specific electric vehicle charging station and periodically receives a charging data corresponding to the charging operation from the specific electric vehicle charging station through the network slot, and the server determines whether the connection with the specific electric vehicle charging station is interrupted by determining whether the server has not received the charging data from the specific electric vehicle charging station for more than a predetermined time, whether the specific electric vehicle charging station has not sent a response for more than the predetermined time, and/or whether the network slot between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is available. As described in Item 1 of the patent application scope, the charging management method of an electric vehicle charging station with an offline charging schedule, wherein the specific rule is to change the offline power parameter value according to a predetermined power upper limit value during the offline period, and the predetermined power upper limit value is less than an output power upper limit value of the specific electric vehicle charging station. The charging management method of an electric vehicle charging station with an offline charging schedule as described in Item 1 of the patent application scope further includes providing a comparison table having a plurality of power parameter values, wherein the specific rule is to adjust the offline power parameter value in sequence according to the power parameter values during the offline period. As described in Item 1 of the patent application scope, a charging management method for an electric vehicle charging station with an offline charging schedule, wherein a first electric vehicle is coupled to a specific electric vehicle charging station to perform the charging operation, and the specific rule is to dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value according to a battery power of the corresponding first electric vehicle and a battery charging curve of the corresponding first electric vehicle during the offline period. The charging management method of an electric vehicle charging station with an offline charging schedule as described in Item 1 of the patent application scope further includes providing a plurality of lookup tables, each of which has a plurality of power parameter values, wherein the server continuously transmits a specific data to the specific electric vehicle charging station when the connection between the specific electric vehicle charging station and the server is not interrupted, and the specific rule determines one of the lookup tables according to the specific data during the offline period, and dynamically adjusts the offline power parameter value in sequence according to the power parameter values of the selected lookup table. The charging management method of an electric vehicle charging station with an offline charging schedule as described in Item 1 of the patent application scope further includes the following steps: the server determines whether the connection with the specific electric vehicle charging station is restored; and when the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is restored, the server terminates the offline power allocation operation, and receives a charging data corresponding to the charging operation from the specific electric vehicle charging station through the network, and re-executes the energy management plan based on the charging data to adjust the target power parameter value corresponding to the charging operation of each of the electric vehicle charging stations. A charging management system for an electric vehicle charging station with an offline charging schedule is applicable to a charging field, comprising: a plurality of electric vehicle charging stations, each of which has a network connection capability; and a server, comprising at least one energy management scheme, wherein the energy management scheme records a power distribution logic for controlling a charging operation corresponding to each of the electric vehicle charging stations, executing the energy management scheme to determine a corresponding target power parameter value for the charging operation of each of the electric vehicle charging stations, and performing the charging operation for a coupled electric vehicle by the individual electric vehicle charging stations according to the corresponding target power parameter value, determining whether the connection with a specific electric vehicle charging station among the electric vehicle charging stations is disconnected, and when the server is connected to the specific electric vehicle charging station, the server sends a signal to the specific electric vehicle charging station to determine whether the connection with the specific electric vehicle charging station is disconnected. When the connection of the electric vehicle charging station is disconnected, an offline power allocation operation is performed to adjust a target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station according to an offline power parameter value, and the energy management plan is executed according to the offline power parameter value to adjust the target power parameter value corresponding to the charging operation of each of the electric vehicle charging stations, wherein the offline power allocation operation causes the offline power parameter value to be adjusted. The value is dynamically changed according to a specific rule during an offline period when the connection between the server and the specific electric vehicle charging station is disconnected, and the specific electric vehicle charging station performs the offline power allocation operation to dynamically adjust the offline power parameter value according to the specific rule during the offline period and adjust the target power parameter value of the corresponding specific electric vehicle charging station according to the adjusted offline power parameter value.

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