DE102022205098A1 - Method for carrying out an automated loading process - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for carrying out an automated charging process for a battery (12) of a motor vehicle (10), in particular an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, the method comprising the following steps: transmitting a charging request for the motor vehicle (10) comprising a battery status Battery (12) from a first data transmission unit (15) to a second data transmission unit (110), which is part of a charging management system (100) and is connected to a computing unit (120) of the charging management system (100), the charging management system (100) being in a parking space for motor vehicles (10) and the parking space comprises a plurality of stopping positions (72), determining a charging strategy for the motor vehicle (10) by the computing unit (120) of the charging management system (100) taking into account the battery status and moving the motor vehicle (10) to a suitable charging position (62) of the parking space and charging the battery (12) of the motor vehicle (10) according to the charging strategy in the suitable charging position (62) by a charging station (20) assigned to the suitable charging position (62) at a charging time and for a Charging time, whereby at least the charging time and the charging duration result from the charging strategy.

Description

The present invention relates to the field of charging stations for motor vehicles and relates to a method for carrying out an automated charging process for a battery of a motor vehicle and a charging management system for a parking space for motor vehicles and a corresponding parking space.

State of the art

The proportion of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles is continuously increasing, but the infrastructure, especially the number of charging stations, is often inadequate. A large number of motor vehicles have to share this.

Methods and systems are now known from the prior art for parking motor vehicles in parking lots, parking garages, etc. to automate and in this context also carry out charging processes for motor vehicle batteries. For example, the patent application discloses DE 10 2014 221 754 A1 a method for carrying out an automated parking process, in which a reservation request for a parking position is sent to a parking space management server and the vehicle in the parking lot is autonomously navigated to the reserved parking position. The reservation request can also include a parking position with a charging bay for electric vehicles. Something similar is said in the patent application DE 10 2011 084 124 A1 a method for navigating a vehicle in a parking lot is discussed, disclosing the possibility of driving an electric vehicle to a suitable location in the parking lot for charging. The patent application DE 10 2015 204 366 A1 Finally, describes a system for the release control of a parking space for a motor vehicle in combination with an electric charging device in the area of the parking lot for charging an electric driving energy storage device.

Disclosure of the invention

According to the invention, a method for carrying out an automated charging process for a battery of a motor vehicle, in particular an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, is proposed according to claim 1. Further advantageous refinements are specified in the subclaims.

The method according to the invention includes the following steps: transmitting a charging request comprising a battery status of the battery of the motor vehicle from a first data transmission unit to a second data transmission unit, which is part of a charging management system and which is connected to a computing unit of the charging management system, the charging management system being a parking space for Motor vehicles are assigned and the parking space includes a plurality of stopping positions, determining a charging strategy for the motor vehicle by the computing unit of the charging management system taking into account the battery state and finally moving the motor vehicle to a suitable charging position of the parking space and charging the battery of the motor vehicle in the suitable charging position according to the charging strategy by a charging station assigned to the suitable charging position at a charging time and for a charging duration, at least the charging time and the charging duration resulting from the charging strategy. The charging time and charging duration do not have to be specified directly, but can also result from the charging strategy in other ways, for example a charging duration can result from a current charge status (actual charge status) of the battery and a required charge status (target charge status) as well as other properties of the battery and/or the charging station.

In the context of this invention, a battery condition is understood to mean data regarding at least one parameter and/or a property of a battery. A battery state can therefore include, for example, a nominal voltage, a battery capacity, an energy content of the battery, a power of the battery, a self-discharge, a charging speed, a temperature of the battery (battery temperature) and / or an actual state of charge of the battery. A state of charge (SOC, filling level) is a capacity of a battery in relation to its maximum capacity, typically given in percent, so the term actual state of charge refers to the current capacity, the term target state of charge corresponds to a desired capacity. A parameter and/or a property of a battery can, for example, be determined using one or more sensors and/or retrieved from a database if the battery has a fixed property.

The transmission of a battery status takes place with a charging request, wherein a charging request is a data record that is suitable for informing a charging management system that a charging process of a battery of a motor vehicle is desired, and contains at least all further information that is required by the charging management system to determine a charging strategy. With the charging request, further information regarding a battery status is typically transmitted, but any other information is also conceivable, in particular such information that are relevant to the desired charging process (for example requirements such as a planned departure time, a target state of charge of the battery, a tank level in a hybrid vehicle, a planned route, an average and/or planned energy consumption of the motor vehicle and/or data used in the determination planned energy consumption should be taken into account, such as weather data, since the operation of air conditioning etc. requires energy, or data about the traffic volume on a planned route, since moving in slow-moving traffic with frequent acceleration and braking requires above-average energy consumption). A loading request does not necessarily have to represent a data set that is transmitted contiguously, but can also be divided into several temporally and/or logically separated data transmissions. It is therefore conceivable that a signal is first sent to a charging management system or its data transmission unit that charging of a battery is generally desired (charging request) and further information is transmitted with a time delay and separately, possibly only upon request from the charging management system. Such further information can, for example, consist of data regarding the current battery status. A charging request combined with additional information relevant to the charging strategy therefore represents a single charging request within the meaning of the invention.

For fixed properties of the battery, it is also conceivable that the charging management system uses a database (for example connected via the Internet) to query these. In such a case, together with the battery status, an identifier of the battery type used and/or the type of motor vehicle used could be transmitted to the charging management system as part of the charging request and the required properties of the battery could be determined with the help of this information. It would be conceivable, for example, for the battery capacity and the charging speed of the battery to be queried from a database.

In the context of this invention, a parking space refers to an environment and/or a building that is set up for parking motor vehicles, for example a parking garage, a parking lot, a large garage, an underground garage or combinations of these options. Parking garages and parking spaces with automated parking systems (AVP, Automated Valet Parking) are particularly advantageous for implementing the invention. A stopping position is to be understood as meaning a portion of a parking space that is suitable for enabling a motor vehicle to be parked there, for example to park it there, and without being set up to carry out a charging process for a battery of a motor vehicle parked there. Typically, a parking space includes a plurality of stopping positions. In contrast to this, a charging position in the sense of the invention is a portion of a parking space where a battery of a motor vehicle positioned there can be charged. For this purpose, a charging position is typically assigned to a charging station, whereby a charging station is a device that is used to charge a battery, i.e. can be, for example, a charging station for electric vehicles. A loading position is therefore not a stopping position in the sense of the invention.

Here, the electrical energy can be transferred from the charging station to the motor vehicle via a cable connection, for example a plug connection, and/or inductively. Within the scope of this invention, such a cable connection can be established with human assistance, for example by a user of a motor vehicle to be charged and/or another person. Alternatively, it is also conceivable to use a machine, for example a fully automated robot, which ensures that the cable connection is established.

A data transmission unit of a charging station can be connected to a data transmission unit of the charging management system by means of a wired and/or wireless connection (radio connection, for example via WLAN), for example in order to inform the computing unit of the charging management system about its own status and/or to provide a charging strategy or parts of one To transmit charging strategy from the charging management system to the charging station. Such a charging station can also receive information from a data transmission unit of a motor vehicle, for example the charging strategy specific to the motor vehicle or parts of the specific charging strategy, such as the charging duration and/or the charging time. By providing a charging station with all the information required for the charging process, such as charging duration and charging time, either through the charging management system directly or through a motor vehicle to be charged, fully automated charging of a motor vehicle can advantageously be carried out.

In the context of this invention, a charging strategy is a specification of how a battery of a motor vehicle should be charged and can contain any information that is necessary and/or helpful for charging a battery. A charging strategy can, for example, take the form of a parameter set for a charger to be used for charging the battery of the motor vehicle have station. A charging strategy is automatically determined by a computing unit of the charging management system based on a charging request and, if necessary, taking into account other parameters (such as further charging requests from other motor vehicles). It is conceivable that such a charging strategy is checked again by a human user before it is used and then approved, changed or rejected accordingly.

For all data transmission units (computing units for transmitting data) used in the present invention, it is conceivable that they communicate with one another using wireless and/or wired data transmission. For example, the data transmission unit of the charging management system can be a computer that can be reached via a mobile network (for example using “Cellular V2X”), for example an Internet server. The data transmission unit of the charging management system and the computing unit of the charging management system can also communicate with each other using wired or wireless transmission. The transmission unit and the connected computing unit of the charging management system can also be implemented in a single computer and the data transfer between the two units can take place within a program running on the computer or between several programs running on the computer.

Alternatively or additionally, a motor vehicle or a data transmission unit of the motor vehicle can also be connected to the data transmission unit of the charging management system of a parking space by means of vehicle-to-infrastructure communication (V21 communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure communication). A data transmission unit of the charging management system can also be located in the vicinity or in the vicinity (preferably <_ 500 m, particularly preferably ≤ 100 m, very particularly preferably ≤ 10 m away) of the parking space. In such a case, data transfer does not have to take place via long-range mobile communications technologies, but can also take place in the form of dedicated short-range communication (DSCR, Dedicated Short Range Communication) based on WLAN-based technologies such as pWLAN (IEEE 802.11p). It is conceivable, for example, that the parking space is an AVP-suitable parking garage and a charging request is transmitted using pWLAN or a similar standard. Communication between a data transmission unit of the motor vehicle and a data transmission unit of a charging station can also take place using such WLAN-based technologies.

According to the invention, it was recognized that the prior art does not disclose any methods or devices with which a charging process for a motor vehicle with a battery, in particular an electric vehicle and hybrid vehicle, can be carried out efficiently in a parking space with a plurality of stopping positions for motor vehicles and one or more charging stations A large number of charging requests from other motor vehicles can be carried out. It was further recognized that a solution to this problem consists in defining charging strategies for motor vehicles taking into account a battery condition in order to enable the charging processes to be planned as optimally as possible, especially when there are a large number of vehicles to be charged at the same time or in close proximity to one another. Appropriately optimized charging strategies can prevent a motor vehicle from standing in a charging position longer than necessary and blocking a charging station. For example, a motor vehicle can be parked in a stopping position of the parking space as soon as the loading process has been completed. If necessary, this can be done automatically.

Through the method according to the invention, an infrastructure of a parking space for motor vehicles and the charging stations present there, in particular for electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, can be optimally used. Instead of increasing the number of charging stations as the number of vehicles increases, the invention enables efficient charging of every motor vehicle even with small numbers of charging stations.

According to a variant of the method according to the invention, for example, the motor vehicle can comprise the first transmission unit and/or the first data transmission unit can be part of a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer, which is operated, for example, by a user of the motor vehicle. In particular, it is conceivable that a navigation device of the motor vehicle includes the first data transmission unit. It is also possible for the first data transmission unit to be part of a parking machine, which is arranged, for example, in or on the parking space or in the vicinity (preferably ≤ 500 m, particularly preferably ≤ 100 m, very particularly preferably ≤ 10 m away) of the parking space.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that after the charging strategy has been determined, the charging strategy for the motor vehicle is subsequently transmitted by the second data transmission unit of the charging management system to the first data transmission unit. This ensures that the motor vehicle or its user (in the case of partially automated motor vehicles, the driver) receives the information regarding the charging strategy via the same information channel as the charging request was sent. As part of the transmission of the charging strategy, for example, the path to the suitable loading position and/or the coordinates of the suitable loading position and/or an identifier of the suitable loading position and/or a possible route to the suitable loading position can also be transmitted to the first data transmission unit in order to ensure that the motor vehicle or its user can control the charging position. Alternatively, it is also conceivable that only parts of the charging strategy are transmitted to the first data transmission unit and other information is transmitted from the charging management system to a data transmission unit of a charging station of the suitable charging position if the charging station and the charging management system are connected to one another wirelessly (for example via WLAN) and/or in a wired manner are. For example, it could be that only the path to the suitable charging position and/or its identifier and/or coordinates are transmitted to a data transmission unit of the motor vehicle or a mobile terminal, and the remaining data of the charging strategy, including an identifier of the motor vehicle, is transmitted to the data transmission unit of the charging station transferred to the appropriate loading position. This allows the charging station to be informed which motor vehicle should be charged at what time and for how long. It is also conceivable that the charging strategy is not transmitted to the first data transmission unit, but rather a transmission to a data transmission unit of a charging station of the suitable charging position. In the latter case, the user of the motor vehicle to be charged can be informed about the further method via a different route than the first data transmission unit, for example via a further data transmission unit of a device accessible to the user and/or through optical signals, for example one in the area of the suitable charging position attached display. Such optical signals or other additional information for the user can of course also occur in the other cases mentioned above and are generally advantageous.

In particular, if a mobile device represents the first data transmission unit, it makes sense to transfer at least parts of the charging strategy to this first data transmission unit: the user of a motor vehicle could use a mobile device such as a smartphone, which can also be used to send the charging request to the charging management system of a parking space, a parking garage, for example, receive information about where to drive the car in a parking garage in order to get to the loading position assigned to the motor vehicle as quickly as possible. Alternatively, for example, coordinates, identification and/or route could also be transmitted to a position for temporarily parking the motor vehicle (i.e. a stopping position) in order to enable the vehicle to be temporarily parked if no loading position can currently be provided.

In general, when the user of the motor vehicle uses a mobile device, it is particularly advantageous (regardless of whether the user makes the charging request via this device, i.e. the mobile device is the first data transmission unit), to use this device during important events such as the completion of the charging process to inform the mobile device of the charging management system. In general, it is conceivable to keep the user of a motor vehicle informed about the current status of his motor vehicle while a charging process is being carried out in accordance with the method according to the invention and/or to enable the user to exert influence on the process, for example the motor vehicle, even after the charging request has been made than originally planned and/or to abort a loading process.

According to a variant of the method according to the invention, determining the charging strategy can also include determining and/or taking into account a suitable charging position (if the parking space has several charging positions) and/or the charging time and/or a charging duration and/or a target state of charge of the battery and thereby certain requirements are also taken into account. According to the invention, in particular requirements (for example wishes of the user) of the motor vehicle to be charged can be part of the charging request, such as a desired departure time of the user and/or a desired state of charge after charging. Further information can also be part of a charging request, such as information about the user's flexibility with regard to a request and/or a given general prioritization of a user. These requirements can then be taken into account when determining the charging strategy.

It is also advantageous if the charging request includes data regarding a planned route of the motor vehicle and this is taken into account when determining the charging strategy. This variant of the invention can be implemented particularly advantageously if the navigation device provides the data on the route. According to the invention, this can be taken into account, for example, by based on the planned trip route and an estimated energy consumption for the route (whereby additional data such as weather data or data about the traffic volume on the planned route can be included in this estimate, which can also be part of the charging request and/or are determined separately by the charging management system) the battery of the Motor vehicle can be charged just so that the destination is reached (if necessary with a safety buffer), or that a desired charge level is still present when the destination is reached, i.e. the battery is still 30% charged, for example. Such a destination can, for example, represent another charging station where the battery can be recharged. Such a charging station as a destination can also be suggested to a user of the motor vehicle (for example the driver of the motor vehicle) by the charging management system and can also be adopted directly into the navigation system of the motor vehicle. Such embodiments of the invention ensure that the state of charge is sufficiently high to achieve the desired goal.

In a particularly advantageous and important embodiment of the invention, the charging strategy is determined taking into account other charging strategies and/or other charging requests from other motor vehicles. In the event that other motor vehicles have also transmitted charging requests to the charging management system, these or the charging strategies intended for these motor vehicles can be taken into account when determining the charging strategy, for example with regard to determining the suitable charging position (if the parking space has several charging positions) and/or the charging time and/or a charging duration and/or a target state of charge of the battery, such that the desired requirements (for example wishes of the user of the motor vehicle) are best possible for all motor vehicles for which the charging of their battery is based on the respective charging strategy could not yet be executed or at least not yet fully executed. For example, the charging strategy for a motor vehicle can be determined taking into account a charging strategy and/or charging request for another motor vehicle after the other motor vehicle has already sent its own charging request to the computing unit of the parking lot and/or a charging strategy has been determined for this other motor vehicle.

If a charging management system receives charging requests from several motor vehicles at the same time, the charging strategies can also be determined taking into account each other (the best possible fulfillment of the boundary conditions while avoiding conflicts between the charging strategies) of the other charging requests and preferably the charging strategies for the motor vehicles can be determined at the same time or in a timely manner take place.

The task of an optimized determination of the charging strategy for a large number of existing charging requests for different vehicles and the resulting boundary conditions, which should ideally be met, is a task of machine occupancy planning (scheduling). The charging time and charging duration for each motor vehicle may need to be coordinated with boundary conditions such as the transmitted battery status, the characteristics of the charging station, a planned arrival time at the parking space, a planned departure time from the parking space, a planned route (and thus the required charging time for this route), the energy consumption and/or a customer-requested prioritization of the vehicle. A variety of optimization algorithms known from the field of machine occupancy planning can be used to determine the loading strategies accordingly. Since in certain cases there is no perfect solution, it can make sense to weight the boundary conditions differently. It can also be advantageous to specify at least some of the boundary conditions flexibly (with a tolerance range), for example to define a later, optional departure time with regard to the departure time, which can be used under certain conditions. As an alternative to using more complex algorithms, it is of course also possible to define simpler procedures such as a decision tree or a decision matrix for determining a charging strategy for a motor vehicle. A human user can also serve to check the charging strategy determined by the computing unit of the charging management system for a motor vehicle and, if necessary, to change or refuse it.

A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, in particular if the method has to be used simultaneously by a charging management system in a large number of vehicles, is given by the fact that before and/or after moving the motor vehicle to the suitable charging position, the computing unit of the charging management system determines a Stopping position and preferably a stopping period for the stopping position takes place, and that the motor vehicle is moved to the specific stopping position and in the case of determining a stopping period, the motor vehicle is parked in the specific stopping position, preferably for the specific stopping period.

This makes it possible, for example, for a motor vehicle to first be moved to a stopping position before charging the battery, where the motor vehicle waits for a certain period of time, for example until a previously blocked and/or reserved charging position and thus the assigned charging station is free, i.e. available . Such a stopping position for parking a motor vehicle before charging its battery is referred to as a waiting position. Conversely, after charging, a motor vehicle can also be parked in a holding position until the user of the motor vehicle wants to leave the parking space. Such a stopping position, which is used to park a motor vehicle after charging, is referred to as a parking position. Parking positions and waiting positions can be identical, but it can be advantageous to define special areas of a parking space for this purpose (for example waiting areas comprising several waiting positions; parking areas comprising several parking positions; pick-up areas, also comprising several parking positions, in this case also referred to as pick-up positions within the scope of this invention , in which motor vehicles are parked until they are picked up by the user of the motor vehicle), which are either statically determined or defined dynamically, for example at certain times, by the charging management system.

In particular, it is advantageous if, as part of the method according to the invention, the charging strategy for the motor vehicle is determined again by the computing unit of the charging management system when another motor vehicle has transmitted its own charging request to the second data transmission unit. This means that both charging requests can be optimally coordinated with one another. It is conceivable that even during the charging process of a first motor vehicle, the charging process of the first motor vehicle is interrupted if there is a charging request from a second motor vehicle and there is a corresponding urgency. The interrupted charging process can be continued later if possible and necessary. Alternatively, such a continuation can be dispensed with. Users of the first motor vehicle could be informed about this, for example by means of a corresponding message on a mobile device.

A particularly advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention is provided in that the motor vehicle is moved (driven fully automatically) at least within the parking space. This can ensure that the motor vehicle is moved fully automatically from a transfer position (the position from which the motor vehicle is moved fully automatically) by the charging management system to a waiting position and parked there until the charging position determined by the charging strategy is free. After charging, the motor vehicle can be moved fully automatically to a parking position where it is parked, for example until a time specified by the user of the motor vehicle. The user of the motor vehicle can then pick up the motor vehicle from this parking position. The parking area is then a pickup area and the parking position is a pickup position. Alternatively, a pick-up area comprising pick-up positions can also be defined separately, whereby pick-up positions are also holding positions in the sense of the application, or a special transfer position can be defined.

For this variant of the invention based on fully automated motor vehicles, parking garages and parking spaces with automated parking systems (AVP, Automated Valet Parking) are particularly suitable as parking spaces. In such a case, the charging management system can be part of the automated parking system of the parking garage or parking lot. In the case of a motor vehicle that moves automatically, it is furthermore particularly advantageous if the battery of the motor vehicle is charged either inductively (i.e. wirelessly) or if a cable connection is carried out automatically, for example by means of a robot.

In this context, it should be emphasized that the individual areas of a parking space can be adjacent, but do not have to be. The areas can be completely spatially separated from each other, for example in different parts of the city. This is useful if you want to use existing infrastructure such as existing parking garages, but the required charging stations can only be set up elsewhere. For movement over longer distances between areas, it is advantageous to use motor vehicles that can drive fully automatically without the support of an AVP system so that they do not have to rely on human drivers.

Although structurally connected or spatially adjacent areas (waiting, parking and/or pick-up areas) are an important form of implementation of the invention, it should be emphasized that it can be advantageous to create or define a decentralized parking space. This means that the waiting, parking and/or pick-up area and/or certain sub-areas of the waiting, parking and/or pick-up area are arranged spatially and structurally (constructively) separately from one another, so for example there are two spatially and structurally separate smaller waiting areas a big one. Here, a spatial separation means a distance of ≥ 10 m, preferably ≥ 50 m and particularly preferably ≥ 100 m. It is also conceivable that, in extreme cases, even individual waiting, parking and pick-up positions are spatially and structurally distributed. Assuming possible fully automated movement of the motor vehicles, spatial proximity is advantageous, but not a mandatory requirement for the implementation of the invention.

An advantageous area of application of the invention for such a decentralized parking space is the case where a large number of motor vehicles have to be charged over a relatively short period of time and the vehicles are then to be moved back to their old positions that are further away from each other. An example of this would be private cars in one or more residential areas: Assuming fully automated vehicles, these can, when not needed, for example at night, move from their local parking spaces near their owners' homes (the waiting positions) to a central charging area of the parking space as soon as a loading position is free, and after loading drive back to the original location (the original waiting position, which is now a pick-up and parking position).

According to another aspect of the invention, a charging management system for a parking space, for example a parking garage, a parking lot, a large garage and / or an underground car park, is proposed with a plurality of stopping positions and a charging position with a charging station, the charging management system comprising a data transmission unit and a computing unit and the data transmission unit is set up to receive a charging request from a motor vehicle and transmit it to the computing unit, the computing unit being set up to determine a charging strategy for the motor vehicle. This charging strategy is then sent by the data transmission unit of the charging management system, preferably to a data transmission unit of the motor vehicle and/or a mobile terminal of a user (for example a driver of the motor vehicle). The charging management system is preferably set up to be used in a method according to the invention.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a parking space is provided, for example a parking garage, a parking space, a large garage and/or an underground car park, with a plurality of stopping positions and a charging position with a charging station, with the parking space being assigned a charging management system according to the invention.

The parking space according to the invention and the associated charging management system can also be designed according to the invention in such a way that the batteries of the parked electric vehicles or hybrid cars can be used in the stopping positions as intermediate energy storage (Vehicle to grid, V2G). All that is required is that the charging strategy is set in such a way that the motor vehicle is charged as required at the time the vehicle is scheduled to continue its journey. Such use is particularly useful when parking for a longer period of time. In such a type of use, autonomous movement of the motor vehicles is particularly advantageous in order to be independent of a human driver and to be able to charge and unload the motor vehicles as required.
Such a parking space according to the invention preferably has two, three, four, five or more, for example ten, loading positions and / or two, three, four, five or more, for example ten, stopping positions in order to ensure smooth operation of charging requests even for a large number of vehicles to enable.

Advantages of the invention

The invention described offers various advantages. By optimizing the utilization of charging stations in a parking space when using the invention, fewer charging stations have to be provided for the parking space; efficient use of the infrastructure is achieved. The need for charging stations can therefore be reduced overall by the approach according to the invention, whereby costs for the new construction or the purchase of corresponding charging stations are reduced. An application of the invention also promotes the use of electric cars, since users no longer need to worry that the motor vehicles used cannot be sufficiently charged, for example due to blocked charging stations.

The invention is particularly suitable for use at airports or train stations, since a large number of electric cars need to be charged there, but at the same time they are often parked for a longer period of time (e.g. several days). In this case, the use of the invention in the context of a vehicle-to-grid system is particularly advantageous. A motor vehicle is only required to be charged immediately before the user picks it up.

Brief description of the drawings

Embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the drawings and the following description.

• 1 eine schematische Darstellung eines erfindungsgemäßen Abstellplatzes für Kraftfahrzeuge mit einem erfindungsgemäßen Lademanagementsystem
• 2 ein Flussdiagramm eines erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens
• 3 ein Diagramm zur Verdeutlichung möglicher Kommunikationen zwischen erfindungsgemäßen Lademanagementsystem und mobilem Endgerät

Show it:

• 1 a schematic representation of a parking space according to the invention for motor vehicles with a charging management system according to the invention
• 2 a flowchart of a method according to the invention
• 3 a diagram to illustrate possible communications between the charging management system according to the invention and the mobile terminal

Embodiments of the invention

In the following description of the embodiments of the invention, the same or similar elements are referred to with the same reference numerals, with a repeated description of these elements being omitted in individual cases. The figures represent the subject matter of the invention only schematically.

1 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of a parking space according to the invention for motor vehicles 10 with a charging management system 100 according to the invention, with motor vehicles 10 with batteries 12 (for example electric vehicles) being shown, in which the method according to the invention is used to carry out an automated charging process. In the 1 Percentages are indicated in the symbols for the batteries 12 of the motor vehicles 10, which represent exemplary charge states of the batteries 12 and are intended purely to illustrate the method according to the invention.

The parking space shown includes a waiting area 50 comprising several waiting positions 52 (as stopping positions), a loading area 60 comprising several loading positions 62, a pickup area 70 comprising several pickup positions 72, which simultaneously represent parking positions (and thus stopping positions), and several streets 90. The Different areas 50, 60, 70 are designed as parking spaces and are connected to each other with connecting roads 94. This is therefore a decentralized parking space, since there is a spatial separation of the three areas 50, 60, 70. Motor vehicles 10 can reach and leave the parking space via access roads 92 from public roads. In the present case, the connecting roads 94 between the areas 50, 60, 70 are part of the parking area, but in general such connecting roads 94 can also be part of a public road network. The figure also shows pedestrian areas 80, which identify areas in which pedestrians, for example users of motor vehicles 10, can move safely from motor vehicles 10, which preferably move fully automatically between the three areas 50, 60, 70.

The parking space is also assigned a charging management system 100 according to the invention, which includes a data transmission unit 110 which is connected to a computing unit 120 via a cable 130. Alternatively, a wireless connection between data transmission unit 110 and computing unit 120 is also conceivable. The data transmission unit 110 is set up to receive charging requests from motor vehicles 10 and can also be set up, for example, to transmit a charging strategy and/or share it with a data transmission unit 15 assigned to a motor vehicle 10 and/or a data transmission unit 25 of a charging station 20 .

Such a charging station 20 is in the 1 assigned to loading positions 62. By means of a cable 30, a connection can be established between the charging station 20 and a motor vehicle 10 in order to transmit electrical energy and to charge a battery 12 of the motor vehicle 10. The data transmission unit 25 of the charging station 20 and the data transmission unit 110 of the charging management system 100 can be connected to one another by means of a cable 140 or alternatively a radio connection (for example WLAN). In this way, the computing unit 120 connected to the data transmission unit 110 can be informed about the status of the charging station 20.

An arriving motor vehicle 10 with a battery 12 or its user can send a charging request comprising a battery state of the battery 12 (comprising, for example, an actual state of charge) by means of a data transmission unit 15 that is assigned to the motor vehicle 10 (for example, part of the motor vehicle 10, but also a mobile terminal 300) to the data transmission unit 110 of the charging management system 100. The charging request is forwarded in the charging management system 100 to a computing unit 120, which, for example, determines a charging strategy based on this and the existing charging requests from other motor vehicles 10 and/or the status of the other motor vehicles 10 in the parking space and/or the status of the charging station 20. Such a charging strategy specifies a charging time and a charging duration for the requesting motor vehicle 10. Taking into account the charging strategies of other motor vehicles 10 that have sent a charging request to the charging management system 100, a charging strategy for the arriving motor vehicle 10 can now be determined the, in particular a charging duration and a charging time and a suitable charging position.

Since the number of available loading positions 62 of a parking space is typically limited, it is conceivable that an arriving motor vehicle 10 is parked in a waiting area 50 until a loading position 62 becomes available. A waiting position 52 of the waiting area 50 can be specified by the computing unit 120 of the charging management system 100. At a certain point in time, for example at a predetermined time, the motor vehicle 10 is moved to the charging position 62 determined by the charging management system 100 or its computing unit 120 (arrow 40) and there the battery 12 of the motor vehicle 10 is moved through the associated charging station 20 according to the charging strategy charged at a charging time and for a charging duration. Here, parts of the charging strategy or the entire charging strategy may have been transmitted to the charging station 20 and/or the motor vehicle 10 by the data transmission unit 110 of the charging management system 100. It is also conceivable that the motor vehicle 10 transmits data to the charging station 20, for example the charging time. The movement of the motor vehicle 10 within the parking space is preferably fully automated. The user can in the in 1 In the example shown, leave the motor vehicle 10 via the pedestrian area 80 when you reach the waiting area 50.

After the charging process, the motor vehicle 10 is loaded with the battery 12 (in 1 clarified by the indication 100%) moved to the pick-up area 70. This is also preferably done fully automatically. There the motor vehicle 10 is parked in a pick-up position 72 until the user picks it up, i.e. the user gets into the motor vehicle 10. The motor vehicle 10 is then moved out of the parking space via one of the access roads 92. It is also conceivable that the user controls the motor vehicle 10 again, whereby the user can safely reach the motor vehicle 10 via the pedestrian area 80.

2 shows in schematic form as a flowchart a method according to the invention for carrying out an automated charging process for a battery 12 of a motor vehicle 10. Here, in a first step 210, a charging request is first transmitted to the data transmission unit 110 of a charging management system 100 according to the invention. In the present example, this step 210 can be divided into two sub-steps 210a, 210b: In step 210a, a charging request is made to the charging management system 100 of a parking space according to the invention by the motor vehicle 10 or its user, for example via a corresponding app on a smartphone. The charging management system 100 then asks the motor vehicle 10 or the mobile device 300 for all information relevant to creating a charging strategy. These are then transferred in step 210b. In this example, some of the information is only transmitted upon request from the charging management system 100, but overall it is a single charging request in the sense of the invention. All relevant information for determining a charging strategy was thus transmitted to the charging management system 100 in step 210 through a charging request.

The charging management system 100 or its computing unit 120 then determines a charging strategy in a step 220 based on this and, if necessary, taking into account other existing charging requests. This step can often be divided into substeps: For example, a planned route for the motor vehicle 10 could be transmitted as part of the charging request be. Based on information about the battery 12 such as the current actual state of charge of the battery 12 and this planned route, a target state of charge can be determined in step 220a in order to determine a minimum charging time that is required to reach the next destination of the route or at least one to reach another charging station. Taking into account the charging requests of other motor vehicles 10, the priority of the charging request of the motor vehicle 10 can now be set in step 220b and a suitable charging position, a charging time and a charging duration can be determined as part of a charging strategy. A charging strategy is therefore determined in steps 220a and 220b. If necessary, the charging strategies of other motor vehicles 10 are also adapted, for example their charging times and charging durations, in order to enable the charging processes of all motor vehicles 10 to be prioritized as optimally as possible relative to one another.

Based on the determined charging strategy, in step 230 the motor vehicle 10 is moved to a suitable charging position and the battery 12 is charged there according to the charging strategy. After the charging process has been completed, the motor vehicle 10 is moved to a pickup area in step 240, where it can be picked up by the user.

3 finally illustrates, also in schematic form, an example of a possibility of designing the interaction between a charging management system 100 according to the invention and a mobile terminal 300 of a user of a motor vehicle 10. The user of a motor vehicle 10 with a battery 12 can send a charging request to the charging management system 100 in step 310 using an app on a mobile end advises 300 digits. The app can be designed like a booking system. It is advantageous if the user can use the app to directly communicate their wishes, including parameters such as flexibility with regard to these wishes. Based on this, the charging management system 100 or its computing unit 120 determines the priority of this charging request in step 320 and optimizes it with regard to other existing charging requests and creates a corresponding charging strategy. In step 330, after the user has left the motor vehicle 10, the user's motor vehicle 10 is brought fully automatically to the specific loading position at the planned time. After charging the battery 12 according to the charging strategy, the motor vehicle 10 is parked in the waiting area 50 until it is picked up by the user. It is conceivable that information regarding these steps is continuously transmitted to the mobile terminal 300 and the user is informed via the app, for example, about the progress of the charging process and/or the status of his motor vehicle 10. It is also conceivable that the user is enabled to intervene in the process. For example, he could be given the opportunity to change his mind and demand his motor vehicle 10 back, possibly if the actual charge level of the battery 12 is lower. This possible two-way flow of information in all steps is in the 3 symbolically represented by double arrows.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described here and the aspects highlighted therein. Rather, within the range specified by the claims, a large number of modifications are possible, which are within the scope of professional action.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 102014221754 A1 [0003]
• DE 102011084124 A1 [0003]
• DE 102015204366 A1 [0003]

Claims (12)

Method for carrying out an automated charging process for a battery (12) of a motor vehicle (10), in particular an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, characterized in that the method comprises the following steps: a. Transmitting a charging request for the motor vehicle (10) comprising a battery status of the battery (12) from a first data transmission unit (15) to a second data transmission unit (110), which is part of a charging management system (100) and with a computing unit (120) of the charging management system ( 100), wherein the charging management system (100) is assigned to a parking space for motor vehicles (10) and the parking space comprises a plurality of stopping positions (72), b. Determining a charging strategy for the motor vehicle (10) by the computing unit (120) of the charging management system (100) taking into account the battery condition, c. Moving the motor vehicle (10) to a suitable charging position (62) of the parking space and charging the battery (12) of the motor vehicle (10) according to the charging strategy in the suitable charging position (62) by a charging station (20) assigned to the suitable charging position (62) at a charging time and for a charging duration, whereby at least the charging time and the charging duration result from the charging strategy. Procedure according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the motor vehicle (10) comprises the first data transmission unit (15) and / or the first data transmission unit (15) is part of a mobile terminal (300), in particular a mobile phone or a tablet computer, or the first data transmission unit (15 ) is part of a parking machine. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that after determining the charging strategy, a subsequent transmission of the charging strategy for the motor vehicle (10) or sharing of the charging strategy for the motor vehicle (10) by the second data transmission unit (110) to the first data transmission unit (15 ) and/or a data transmission unit (25) of the charging station (20). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the battery state includes a nominal voltage, a battery capacity, an energy content, a power, a self-discharge, a charging speed, a battery temperature and / or an actual state of charge of the battery (12). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that determining the charging strategy involves determining and/or taking into account the suitable charging position (62) and/or the charging time and/or a charging duration and/or a target state of charge of the battery (12). includes. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the charging strategy is determined taking into account other charging strategies and/or charging requests from other motor vehicles (10). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the charging request includes data relating to a planned route of the motor vehicle (10) and the charging strategy is determined taking into account the data relating to the planned route. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that before and/or after moving the motor vehicle (10) to the suitable loading position (62) the computing unit (120) of the loading management system (100) determines a stopping position (52, 72). and preferably a stopping period for the stopping position (52, 72), and that the motor vehicle (10) moves to the specific stopping position and, in the case of determining a stopping period, the motor vehicle (10) is in the specific stopping position (52, 72), preferably for the parked for a specific holding period. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the charging strategy for the motor vehicle (10) is determined again by the computing unit (120) of the charging management system (100) when another motor vehicle (10) sends its own charging request to the second data transmission unit ( 110). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the motor vehicle (10) is moved fully automatically within the parking space. Charging management system for a parking space, for example a parking garage, a parking lot, a large garage and/or an underground car park, with a plurality of stopping positions (52, 72) and a charging position (62) with a charging station (20), the charging management system (100) being a data transmission unit (110) and a computing unit (120), characterized in that the data transmission unit (110) is set up to receive a charging request from a motor vehicle (10) and to transmit it to the computing unit (120). gen, wherein the computing unit (120) is set up to determine a charging strategy for the motor vehicle (10), the charging management system (100) preferably being set up in a method according to one of Claims 1 until 10 to be used. Parking space, for example a parking garage, parking lot, large garage and/or underground car park, with a plurality of stopping positions (52, 72) and a loading position (62) with a charging station (20), characterized in that the parking space is followed by a charging management system (100). Claim 11 assigned.

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