METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ACTIVATING AN ELECTRICAL CHARGING PROCESS FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE AND SERVER DEVICE

Abstract

A method for activating an electrical charging process between an electric vehicle and a charging station. The certificate data for activating the charging process are stored in a server device by an operating device of a user distinct from the motor vehicle, and the operating device transfers the certificate data to a data memory assigned to the motor vehicle in the server device, by a predetermined transfer command, and, before or while the motor vehicle is connected to the charging station for the charging process, a control unit of the motor vehicle sends out access data for accessing the data memory to an activation circuit of the charging station and the activation circuit requests the certificate data from the data memory of the motor vehicle at the server device based on the access data and, if the requested certificate data meet a predetermined permissibility criterion, carries out the charging process.

Claims

1. A method for activating an electrical charging process which is to be carried out between an electrically drivable motor vehicle and an electrical charging station, comprising: certificate data for activating the charging process are stored in a stationary server device external to the vehicle by means of an operating device of a user distinct from the motor vehicle, the operating device transfers the certificate data to a data memory, which is assigned to the motor vehicle in the server device, by means of a predetermined transfer command to the server device, before or while the motor vehicle is connected to the charging station for the charging process, a control unit of the motor vehicle sends out access data for accessing the data memory to an activation circuit of the charging station, and the activation circuit of the charging station receives the access data and based on the received access data requests the certificate data from the data memory of the motor vehicle via an internet connection at the server device and, only if the requested certificate data meet a predetermined admissibility criterion, the activation circuit carries out the charging process by actuating a switch arrangement.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating device transfers the certificate data to the data memory by the transfer command in dependence on the operating device receiving a coupling signal which signals that the operating device is being coupled in a coupling process to the control unit of the motor vehicle via a communication channel or is currently coupled.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating device invalidates the certificate data in the data memory for the recharging process during a decoupling process, in which the operating device is decoupled from the control unit of the motor vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein a decoupling signal is detected in the operating device, which signal signals that the operating device is removed from the motor vehicle, and the operating device invalidates the certificate data in the data memory by a predetermined reverse booking command in dependence on the detection of the decoupling signal for the decoupling process.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the decoupling process takes place after a predetermined time span or in response to a predetermined event.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the reverse booking command is sent out to the server device and the server device upon receipt of the rebooking command enters the certificate data by a rebooking process in a data memory, which is assigned to the control unit.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the certificate data are transferred to a credit memory of an operator of the charging station during the charging process or after the charging process, wherein the certificate data are already transferred to an escrow memory, which is accessible neither to the control unit of the motor vehicle nor to the activation circuit of the charging station, before the charging process and, during the charging process, operating data that describe at least one electrical operating variable of the charging process are registered by the charging station and/or the motor vehicle and provided to a monitoring circuit controlling the escrow memory which, after the charging process, transmits the certificate data to the credit memory only in the event that the operating data meet a predetermined okay criterion.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the server device provides the respective data memory in a distributed ledger technology, in particular a blockchain, and the transfer of the certificate data to the respective data memory and/or from the respective data memory is designed as a transaction in the distributed ledger technology, in particular the blockchain.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein operating data and/or charging data and/or motor vehicle identification data are encrypted with a cryptographic private key of the motor vehicle before they are stored in the distributed ledger technology so that the items of information of these encrypted operating data and/or loading data and/or motor vehicle identification data of the motor vehicle are only accessible by decryption.

10. A system for carrying out a charging process of electrical energy in a motor vehicle, wherein the system comprises at least one operating device, at least one motor vehicle, at least one charging station, and a server device, wherein the operating device is configured to store certificate data for activating the charging process in the server device and to transfer the certificate data to a data memory which is assigned to the motor vehicle in the server device, the control device is configured, before or while the motor vehicle is coupled to the charging station for the charging process, to send out access data for accessing the data memory to an activation circuit of the charging station, and the activation circuit of the charging station is configured to receive the access data and, based on the received access data, to request the certificate data of the operating device via an internet connection at the server device from the data memory of the control unit and, only if the requested certificate data meet a predetermined admissibility criterion, to carry out the charging process by actuating a switch arrangement.

11. Server device for a system according to claim 9, wherein the server device is configured to keep ready a data memory assigned to a motor vehicle and, in dependence on a transfer command from an operating device, to enter certificate data of the operating device in the data memory of the motor vehicle and, in dependence on a request from an activation circuit of the charging station, provides the certificate data to the activation circuit if the request of the activation circuit contains access data which are assigned to the data memory.

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein the operating device invalidates the certificate data in the data memory for the recharging process during a decoupling process, in which the operating device is decoupled from the control unit of the motor vehicle.

13. The method according to claim 4, wherein the decoupling process takes place after a predetermined time span or in response to a predetermined event.

14. The method according to claim 5, wherein the reverse booking command is sent out to the server device and the server device upon receipt of the rebooking command enters the certificate data by a rebooking process in a data memory, which is assigned to the control unit.

15. The method according to claim 2, wherein the certificate data are transferred to a credit memory of an operator of the charging station during the charging process or after the charging process, wherein the certificate data are already transferred to an escrow memory, which is accessible neither to the control unit of the motor vehicle nor to the activation circuit of the charging station, before the charging process and, during the charging process, operating data that describe at least one electrical operating variable of the charging process are registered by the charging station and/or the motor vehicle and provided to a monitoring circuit controlling the escrow memory which, after the charging process, transmits the certificate data to the credit memory only in the event that the operating data meet a predetermined okay criterion.

16. The method according to claim 3, wherein the certificate data are transferred to a credit memory of an operator of the charging station during the charging process or after the charging process, wherein the certificate data are already transferred to an escrow memory, which is accessible neither to the control unit of the motor vehicle nor to the activation circuit of the charging station, before the charging process and, during the charging process, operating data that describe at least one electrical operating variable of the charging process are registered by the charging station and/or the motor vehicle and provided to a monitoring circuit controlling the escrow memory which, after the charging process, transmits the certificate data to the credit memory only in the event that the operating data meet a predetermined okay criterion.

17. The method according to claim 4, wherein the certificate data are transferred to a credit memory of an operator of the charging station during the charging process or after the charging process, wherein the certificate data are already transferred to an escrow memory, which is accessible neither to the control unit of the motor vehicle nor to the activation circuit of the charging station, before the charging process and, during the charging process, operating data that describe at least one electrical operating variable of the charging process are registered by the charging station and/or the motor vehicle and provided to a monitoring circuit controlling the escrow memory which, after the charging process, transmits the certificate data to the credit memory only in the event that the operating data meet a predetermined okay criterion.

18. The method according to claim 5, wherein the certificate data are transferred to a credit memory of an operator of the charging station during the charging process or after the charging process, wherein the certificate data are already transferred to an escrow memory, which is accessible neither to the control unit of the motor vehicle nor to the activation circuit of the charging station, before the charging process and, during the charging process, operating data that describe at least one electrical operating variable of the charging process are registered by the charging station and/or the motor vehicle and provided to a monitoring circuit controlling the escrow memory which, after the charging process, transmits the certificate data to the credit memory only in the event that the operating data meet a predetermined okay criterion.

19. The method according to claim 6, wherein the certificate data are transferred to a credit memory of an operator of the charging station during the charging process or after the charging process, wherein the certificate data are already transferred to an escrow memory, which is accessible neither to the control unit of the motor vehicle nor to the activation circuit of the charging station, before the charging process and, during the charging process, operating data that describe at least one electrical operating variable of the charging process are registered by the charging station and/or the motor vehicle and provided to a monitoring circuit controlling the escrow memory which, after the charging process, transmits the certificate data to the credit memory only in the event that the operating data meet a predetermined okay criterion.

20. A method according to claim 2, wherein the server device provides the respective data memory in a distributed ledger technology, in particular a blockchain, and the transfer of the certificate data to the respective data memory and/or from the respective data memory is designed as a transaction in the distributed ledger technology, in particular the blockchain.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0028] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described hereinafter. In the figures:

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the system according to the invention, by which an embodiment of the method according to the invention can be carried out;

[0030] FIG. 2 shows a diagram to illustrate a recharging process; and

[0031] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a motor vehicle and a charging station and a server device which coordinate a recharging process.

[0032] The exemplary embodiments explained hereinafter are preferred embodiments of the invention. In the exemplary embodiments, the described components of the embodiments each represent individual features of the invention to be considered independently of one another, which each also refine the invention independently of one another. Therefore, the disclosure is intended to comprise combinations of the features of the embodiments other than those shown. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by further features of the invention that have already been described.

[0033] In the figures, the same reference numerals designate elements that have the same function.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a system 10 which can have a server device 11, by means of which operation of one or more motor vehicles 12 can be coordinated with operation of one or more charging stations 13 via one or more operating devices 14. A respective operating device 14 can be used by a user 15 who can use one or more of the motor vehicles 12. The motor vehicles 12 can be private motor vehicles or can belong to a fleet 16 of a company or a vehicle rental company. The server device 11 can ensure that the user 15 can, with little effort, preferably once, upgrade or equip a respective motor vehicle 12 that he would like to use so that this motor vehicle 12 can independently activate and carry out a charging process 17 at a charging station 13, as will be described in more detail below in conjunction with FIG. 2.

[0035] The server device 11 can comprise one or more server computers 18, each of which can operate a control module 19 in order to control or activate respective charging processes 17 of the motor vehicles 12 at the charging stations 13 and to take into consideration the specifications of users 15 for this purpose. A control module 19 can be implemented on the basis of program data or program code. A memory device 20 can be implemented by a control module 19 in order to provide a respective data memory for the user 15, the motor vehicles 12, and for a respective operator 21 of the respective charging station 13. By way of example, such a storage device 20 can be formed as a distributed ledger technology 22, for example a blockchain made up of multiple blocks B1, B2, B3 chained to one another, for example via checksums or hash codes 23. The three blocks B1, B2, B3 shown here by way of example are only exemplary; n blocks can be provided, wherein the number n can also be greater than three. The data stored in the storage device 20 can be processed, for example, by a smart contract 24, the program code of which can be executed by the respective server computer 18.

[0036] The server computers 18 can exchange the storage device 20 as a data structure with one another, so that all server computers 18 have the same data available.

[0037] By way of the charging process 17, a respective motor vehicle 12 receives electrical energy for which the current user 15 of the motor vehicle 12 is supposed to pay. Here, a user 15 would like to ensure that after he has turned in the motor vehicle 12, for example because it is a rental vehicle, he no longer pays for energy that the motor vehicle 12 receives or recharges from a charging station 13 after it has been given to another user. Is thus supposed to be ensured that a payment 25 for electrical energy by the user 15 to an operator 21 is only made for those charging processes 17 that the user 15 has carried out for a motor vehicle 12 used by him.

[0038] For this purpose, a user 15 can specify on his operating device 14, for example at an operating interface 26, that certificate data 27, the credit 28 due to the user 15 or a contract relating to the authorization to use a charging station 13 (e.g., a charging station) in the server device 11, are transferred one of the motor vehicles 12, which will be explained in more detail below in connection with FIG. 3. For this purpose, the user 15 can use access data 29, which he can store in the operating device 14, to activate or enable the transfer of the certificate data 27 to the motor vehicle 12. The user 15 can also configure this transfer of the access data at the operating interface 26 to such an extent that the actual provision of the certificate data 27 for a specific motor vehicle 12 takes place automatically by way of a transmission command 30 from the operating device 14 when the operating device 14 detects a coupling process 31 by which the operating device 14 is coupled to a control unit 32 of the motor vehicle 12 in order to form a communication channel between them, for example on the basis of Bluetooth or WLAN.

[0039] If a motor vehicle 12 is then to be connected to the charging station 13 for a charging process 17, during this connection process or coupling process 33, the control unit 32 of the motor vehicle 12 can transmit access data 34 to an activation circuit 35 of the charging station 13, by means of which the activation circuit 35 of the charging station 13 can inquire or request at the server device 11 using a request command 35′ whether the motor vehicle 12 is authorized to use the charging station 13, which is confirmed by the certificate data 27. Subsequently, a credit 36 of the operator 21 of the charging station 13 can be compensated for by rebooking 37, for example, the certificate data 27 to his credit account for the provision or output of the energy to the motor vehicle 12.

[0040] FIG. 2 once again illustrates the charging process 17 with the coupling process 33.

[0041] In a step S10, the charging station 13 can send out a request signal 39 to the control unit 32 via a communication channel 38, for example for the case that the motor vehicle 12 has been coupled (for example galvanically or inductively) to the charging station 13 for the transfer of energy, by which request signal it is requested that the motor vehicle 12 is to provide access data 34 for accessing or obtaining valid certificate data. If the storage device 20 is a distributed ledger technology 22, the access data can thus comprise, for example, a public key by means of which a data memory 40, which is assigned to the motor vehicle 12, is identified in the distributed ledger technology 22. This assignment can take place in that the access to or the modification of the data memory 40 is only enabled by means of the public key from the access data 34. For this purpose, the data memory 40 can be encrypted by means of a private key, which can be stored in the motor vehicle 12, in particular in its control unit 32. If the control unit 32 provides the access data 34 via the communication channel 38 of the activation circuit 35 in a step S11, the activation circuit 35 can thus send out the described request command 35′ to request the valid access data 27 to the server device 11, where it can be processed by the smart contract 24, for example, in a step S12. For example, the activation circuit 35 can also additionally transmit its own access data 41, for example also a public key, together with the access data 34 in step S12 to the smart contract 24 so that this smart contract rebooks the certificate data 27 from the data memory 40 of the motor vehicle 12 in the storage device 20 to a credit memory 42 of the operator 21 of the charging station 13. For this purpose, the certificate data 27 can be transferred by the smart contract 24 to the credit memory 42 of the operator 21. For this purpose, the smart contract 24 can trigger a rebooking command 43 for the storage device 20, in particular the distributed ledger technology 22. In a step S14, the certificate data 27 can then be transferred from the data memory 40 to the credit memory 42 in the data memory. In a step S15, the successful rebooking can be confirmed by means of a confirmation signal 44 of the activation circuit 35 of the charging column 13, which can be controlled by a backend server 45 optionally via a communication interface 46 in a step S16. It is thus signaled or known in the activation circuit 35 of the charging station 13 by way of the confirmation signal 44 that the connected motor vehicle 12 is authorized by the certificate data 27 to receive energy from the charging station 13. Accordingly, the charging station 13 can then activate a converter circuit.

[0042] This process is illustrated again in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 illustrates how it can be ensured here that the user 15 only pays for the energy for such a motor vehicle 12 that he is also actually currently using.

[0043] FIG. 3 shows a motor vehicle 12 that can be parked at a charging station 13 in order to recharge electrical energy 47 for an electrical energy store 48 of the motor vehicle 12. The energy store 48 can be, for example, a traction battery or a high-voltage battery (high-voltage—electrical voltage greater than 60 volts, in particular greater than 100 volts). The energy store 48 can be designed to operate an electric traction drive of the motor vehicle 12. The motor vehicle 12 can accordingly be an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. The motor vehicle 12 can be coupled to the charging station 13 via an electrical transfer link 49, which can be formed, for example, by a galvanic connection, for example via a cable or by way of an induction coil. In order to transfer the energy 47, an electrical converter circuit 50 of the charging station 13 has to be activated or enabled by means of an actuation signal 51. Only in the activated state does the converter circuit 50 convert electrical energy from an electrical supply network 52, that is to say a public power network, in such a way that it is transferred to the motor vehicle 12 via the transfer link 49. The actuation signal 51 can be generated by the described activation circuit 35 of the charging station 13 if it is detected in the activation circuit 35 that the motor vehicle 12 can pay for the energy 47 or is authorized to receive the energy 47. This can be signaled by the described confirmation signal 44, which signals that certificate data 27 of a user of the motor vehicle 12 meet an admissibility criterion 53, which can be signaled by the confirmation signal 44.

[0044] The following process can be provided so that the user 15 of the motor vehicle 12 only activates the motor vehicle 12 that he is currently using with his certificate data 27. When the user 15 uses the motor vehicle 12 or gets into the motor vehicle 12, his operating device 14 can establish a communication channel 54 via a communication circuit 55 of the motor vehicle 12 with the control unit 32 of the motor vehicle 12. The communication channel 54 can be based on a Bluetooth technology or WLAN technology or NFC technology in the manner described. Furthermore, manual input of the motor vehicle identification number or a code attached to the motor vehicle is possiblevia the operating device 14.

[0045] Once the communication channel 54 has been established, this can be signaled by a coupling signal 56, which can be received by the operating device 14. Depending on the coupling signal 56, the operating device 14 can send a transfer signal or a transfer command 30 for transferring the certificate data 27 from a data memory 57, which is assigned to the user 15, to the data memory 40, for which an assignment 58 to the motor vehicle 12, in particular the control unit 32 of the motor vehicle 12, is present. The transfer command 30 can be transmitted to the server device 11, which can be provided on the Internet 59 for this purpose. The transfer command 30 can correspondingly be transmitted via an Internet connection 60. Once the certificate data 27 have been transferred to the data memory 40, they are available to the control unit 32 to activate the charging process 17. In the manner described in conjunction with FIG. 2, the activation circuit 35 can now send out the request signal 39 for the certificate data 27 via the communication channel 38 and the control device 32 can then provide the access data 34 to the activation circuit 35. The transmission can take place via a communication circuit 61 of the activation circuit 35. The activation circuit 35 can request the certificate data 27 via a request signal 39 via an additional communication circuit 62 or the same communication circuit 61 from the server device 11 via an internet connection 64. This can be, for example, a booking process by which the certificate data 27 are to be transferred to the credit memory 42. In each case, transfer means that the certificate data 27 then become invalid or are deleted in the data memory in which they were previously located. The transmission can take place in conjunction with a distributed ledger technology 22 as a so-called transaction or rebooking. As an alternative to direct transfer, an escrow memory 65 can also initially temporarily store the access data 27 so that they are not available to either the control unit 32 or the activation circuit 35. This has already been described.

[0046] If the transaction described in FIG. 2 shows that certificate data present as valid in the sense of the admissibility criterion 53 are available in the data memory 40, the confirmation signal 44 can be signaled to the activation circuit 35. The activation circuit 35 can then generate the above-mentioned actuation signal 51, whereupon the converter circuit 50 begins operation or provides or transfers the energy 47 for the energy store 48. This can be done for one or more charging processes 17. If the user 15 leaves the motor vehicle 12 with his operating device 14, a decoupling process takes place in order to disconnect or separate the communication channel 54. This can be signaled to the operating device 14 by a decoupling signal 66, whereupon the operating device 14 can send out a rebooking command 67 via the Internet connection 60 to the server device 11. The certificate data 27 or remaining certificate data 27 can then be transferred or booked as remaining credit or remaining certificate data 27′ from the data memory 40 back to the data memory 57 of the user 15. These remaining certificate data 27′ are therefore no longer available in the data memory 40 for the control device 32 for triggering or activating a further charging process 17. The user can thus leave the motor vehicle with the operating device 14 and his certificate data can no longer be used from the motor vehicle to activate a further charging process. The user can get into another motor vehicle with his operating device 14 and then upgrade or equip it in the manner described for activating a further charging process 17.

[0047] If the described transfers of the certificate data 27 between the data memories 57, 40, 42 are carried out in a distributed ledger technology 22, then it can in each case be a transaction between corresponding credits on credit accounts 28, 36 and a credit account provided for the control unit 32 of the motor vehicle 12.

[0048] Overall, the examples show how a decentralized charging system or a decentralized charging platform for electric vehicles can be provided.