Electric vehicle charging station parking spot monitoring system

Method and apparatus are disclosed for electric vehicle charging station parking spot monitoring system. An example electric vehicle charging station includes a communication module, sensors, and a charge controller. The communication module communicatively couples to a vehicle parked in a parking spot associated with the charging station. The sensors monitor the parking spot. The charge controller receives identifying information and battery information from the vehicle parked in the parking spot, and when the vehicle is not eligible for charging, sends the identifying information of the vehicle to a parking enforcement authority.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to electric vehicle charging stations and, more specifically, an electric vehicle charging station parking spot monitoring system.

BACKGROUND

Electric charging stations are often positioned in parking structures and lots to provide a charging to electric vehicle. While the number of available charging stations is increasing, typically, a parking lot or structure will only have a few parking spots that can access the charging stations. When a non-electric vehicle parks in the electric vehicle charging spots, the charging station is unused and unavailable for charging an electric vehicle. In some jurisdictions, it is unlawful to park in a parking spot designated for electric vehicles if the parked car is not an electric vehicle.

SUMMARY

Example embodiments are disclosed for electric vehicle charging station parking spot monitoring system. An example electric vehicle charging station includes a communication module, sensors, and a charge controller. The communication module communicatively couples to a vehicle parked in a parking spot associated with the charging station. The sensors monitor the parking spot. The charge controller receives identifying information and battery information from the vehicle parked in the parking spot, and when the vehicle is not eligible for charging, sends the identifying information of the vehicle to a parking enforcement authority.

An example method of operating a electric vehicle charging station includes monitoring, with a sensor, a parking spot associated with an electric vehicle charging station. The method also includes, in response to detecting a vehicle park in the parking sport, (a) establishing wireless communication, via a communication module, with the vehicle, (b) receiving identifying information and battery information from the vehicle via the wireless communication, (c) determining whether the vehicle is eligible for charging based on the identifying information and battery information, and (d) when the vehicle is not eligible for charging, sending the identifying information of the vehicle to a parking enforcement authority.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Electric vehicles are often charged when a driver is parked and running errands. Electric vehicle charging stations are placed in parking lots and parking structures so that the electric vehicles can be charged. Because of the limited number of parking spaces that include an electric vehicle charging station and the increasing numbers of electric vehicles, it is important to efficiently use those parking spaces. Efficiently using the parking spaces includes having an electric vehicle parked in the spot and charging as much as possible. However, when a non-electric vehicle, charged electric vehicle, or an electric vehicle that is not plugged in parks in the spot, the abilities of the charging station are wasted.

As disclosed below, the vehicle charging station advertises, via a wireless network, when it is available and monitors the vehicles parked in the parking spot. The advertisements include location information (e.g., coordinates, retail location associated with the parking spot, etc.) to assist vehicles and/or driver to find the parking spot. For example, when an autonomous electric vehicle is in a mode to look for a parking spot, the autonomous electric vehicle may use the location information to autonomously park the parking spot. As another example, a navigation system of the vehicle may populate a map with locations of nearby parking spots based on the location information.

When the charging station detects that a vehicle has parked in the corresponding parking spot, the charging station determines whether the vehicle is eligible for charging. The vehicle is eligible for parking when the vehicle is an electric vehicle and the current state of charge (SoC) of the vehicle is below a threshold. In some examples, the charging station communicates wirelessly with the vehicle to determine characteristics of the vehicle. Example characteristics include the type of the vehicle (e.g., standard, electric, hybrid, etc.), identifying information (e.g., vehicle identification number (VIN), license plate number, etc.), and battery state information (e.g., state of charge, etc.), etc. The charging station responds based on the determined characteristics. When the vehicle is not an electric vehicle, the charging station (a) wirelessly communicates a warning to the vehicle and (b) if the vehicle remains parked, transmits a message to the owner of the parking lot and/or parking enforcement authorities with identifying information and, in some examples, an image or video of the vehicle parked in the spot. When the vehicle is an electric vehicle, but the SoC is above a charging threshold, the charging station (a) wirelessly communicates a warning to the vehicle and (b) communicates a request for the vehicle to move. When the vehicle is an electric vehicle, the SoC is below the charging threshold, but the charger is not plugged into the vehicle, the charging station wirelessly communicates a reminder to the vehicle.

FIG. 1illustrates a system100with a vehicle102and an electric vehicle charging station104operating in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. The vehicle102may be a standard gasoline powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, and/or any other mobility implement type of vehicle. The vehicle102includes parts related to mobility, such as a powertrain with an engine and/or electric motor, a transmission, a suspension, a driveshaft, and/or wheels, etc. The vehicle102may be non-autonomous, semi-autonomous (e.g., some routine motive functions controlled by the vehicle102), or autonomous (e.g., motive functions are controlled by the vehicle102without direct driver input). In the illustrated example the vehicle102includes a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) module106, an on-board communications module (OBCM)108, a battery control module110, a body control module112, and an infotainment head unit114.

The V2X module106facilitates wireless communication between the vehicle102and the charging station104. The V2X module106includes antenna(s), radio(s) and software to broadcast messages and to establish connections between the vehicle102and infrastructure-based modules (e.g., the V2X module107of the charging station104), other V2X-equipped vehicles, (not shown), and mobile device-based modules (not shown). More information on the V2X network and how the network may communicate with vehicle hardware and software is available in the U.S. Department of Transportation's Core June 2011 System Requirements Specification (SyRS) report (available at http://www.its.dot.gov/meetings/pdf/CoreSystem_SE_SyRS_RevA%20(2011-06-13).pdf), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety along with all of the documents referenced on pages 11 to 14 of the SyRS report. V2X systems may be installed on vehicles and along roadsides on infrastructure. V2X systems incorporating infrastructure information is known as a “roadside” system. DSRC may be combined with other technologies, such as Global Position System (GPS), Visual Light Communications (VLC), Cellular Communications, and short range radar, facilitating the vehicles communicating their position, speed, heading, relative position to other objects and to exchange information with other vehicles or external computer systems. V2X systems can be integrated with other systems such as mobile phones.

In one example, the V2X system is implemented by a dedicated short range communication (DSRC) network protocol. However, other names are sometimes used, usually related to a Connected Vehicle program or the like. Most of these systems are either pure DSRC or a variation of the IEEE 802.11 wireless standard. However, besides the pure DSRC system it is also meant to cover dedicated wireless communication systems between cars and roadside infrastructure system, which are integrated with GPS and are based on an IEEE 802.11 protocol for wireless local area networks (such as, 802.11p, etc.).

The on-board communications module108includes wired or wireless network interfaces to enable communication with external networks. The on-board communications module108also includes hardware (e.g., processors, memory, storage, antenna, etc.) and software to control the wired or wireless network interfaces. In the illustrated example, the on-board communications module108includes one or more communication controllers for standards-based networks (e.g., Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), WiMAX (IEEE 802.16m); Near Field Communication (NFC); local area wireless network (including IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac or others), and Wireless Gigabit (IEEE 802.11ad), etc.). The external network(s) may be a public network, such as the Internet; a private network, such as an intranet; or combinations thereof, and may utilize a variety of networking protocols now available or later developed including, but not limited to, TCP/IP-based networking protocols. In the illustrated example, the on-board communications module108communicatively couples to a mobile device116(e.g., a smart phone, a smart watch, a tablet, etc.) of as user118to, in some examples, send messages to the mobile device in response to the vehicle102receiving a message from the charging station104.

The battery control module110manages charging of the battery (not shown) based on the status of the battery of the vehicle102. The battery control module110monitors the parameters of the battery, such as voltage of the battery and voltages of individual battery cells, average battery temperature, the SoC, and/or current, etc. The SoC measures a percentage of the useful charge of the battery (e.g., the percentage between the peak charge voltage and the end of discharge voltage). The battery control module110protects the battery from over-current conditions, over-voltage conditions while charging, over-temperature conditions, and/or ground faults, etc.

The body control module112controls various subsystems of the vehicle102. For example, the body control module112may control power windows, power locks, an immobilizer system, and/or power mirrors, etc. The body control module112includes circuits to, for example, drive relays (e.g., to control wiper fluid, etc.), drive brushed direct current (DC) motors (e.g., to control power seats, power locks, power windows, wipers, etc.), drive stepper motors, and/or drive LEDs, etc. In the illustrated example, the body control module112is communicatively coupled to a door position sensor120. The door position sensor120measure the position of the door (e.g., open or closed) to determine when the user118leaves the vehicle102.

The infotainment head unit114provides an interface between the vehicle102and the user118. The infotainment head unit114includes digital and/or analog interfaces (e.g., input devices and output devices) to receive input from the user(s) and display information. The input devices may include, for example, a control knob, an instrument panel, a digital camera for image capture and/or visual command recognition, a touch screen, an audio input device (e.g., cabin microphone), buttons, or a touchpad. The output devices may include instrument cluster outputs (e.g., dials, lighting devices), actuators, a heads-up display, a center console display (e.g., a liquid crystal display (“LCD”), an organic light emitting diode (“OLED”) display, a flat panel display, a solid state display, etc.), and/or speakers. In some examples, the infotainment head unit114includes hardware (e.g., a processor or controller, memory, storage, etc.) and software (e.g., an operating system, etc.) for an infotainment system (such as SYNC® and MyFord Touch® by Ford®, Entune® by Toyota®, IntelliLink® by GMC®, etc.). Additionally, the infotainment head unit114displays the infotainment system on, for example, the center console display.

In the illustrated example, the infotainment head unit114includes a station coordinator122to (a) communicate with the charging station104via the V2X module106, and (b) display message on the infotainment system and/or forward messages to the mobile device116received from the charging station104. The station coordinator122sends identifying information (e.g., license plate number, VIN, owner information, state registration information, etc.) and/or battery information (e.g., the SoC, etc.) to the charging station104. When the vehicle102receives messages from the charging station via the V2X module106, the station coordinator122displays the warnings via the infotainment system. In some examples, when the mobile device116of the user118is communicatively coupled (e.g., via Bluetooth®, etc.) to the vehicle102(e.g., via the on-board communications module108), the station coordinator122forwards messages received from the charging station104to the mobile device116to be displayed on an application (e.g., FordPass, etc.) executing on the mobile device116.

The charging station104provides power to electric vehicles when plugged in. Often, charging stations104provide this power and charge a price per kilowatt hour. In the illustrated example, the charging station104includes a V2X module107, a camera124, one or more range detection sensors126, a power source128, a plug130, and a charge controller132. The camera124captures images and/or video of the parking spot and any vehicle102parked in the parking spot. The range detection sensors126detect objects in the vicinity of the charging station104. The range detection sensors126may include a RADAR sensor, a LiDAR sensor, a ultrasonic sensors, and/or an infrared sensor, etc. The power source128receives power (e.g., 200 volt/3-phase power, etc.) from a power grid and converts the power to charge electric vehicles. For example, the power source128may provide 120 volt/single phase power or 240 volt/split phase power. The plug130is configured to plug into a corresponding port of electric vehicles to electrically couple the charging station104and the electric vehicle. The plug130may conform with a standard plug interface, such as the plug configurations identified in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 62196 standard (e.g., the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1772 standard, the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) VDE-AR-E 2623-2-2 standard, the EV Plug Alliance connector standard, or the CHAdeMO standard, etc.).

The charge controller132controls the charging of an electric vehicle and meters the charging. Additionally, the charge controller132includes a parking spot manager134. The parking spot manager134advertises when the parking spot is available and monitors the state of the parking spot. The parking spot manager134determines when the parking spot is empty using the camera124and/or the range detection sensors126to detect if a vehicle102is parked. When the parking spot is empty, the parking spot manager134advertises by broadcasting an advertisement message via the V2X module107of the charging station104. The advertisement message includes location information to facilitate the vehicle102finding the available parking space. The location information includes coordinates of the parking space, a store or parking structure associated with the parking space, and/or a parking space number, etc. In some examples, the advertisement message also includes instructions for the infotainment head unit114of the vehicle102to display/act on the information in the advertisement message when that vehicle102is an electric vehicle.

When the parking spot manager134detects the vehicle102via the camera124, the range detection sensors126, and/or the V2X module107, the parking spot manager134determines whether the vehicle102is eligible for charging. The vehicle102is eligible for charging when (a) the vehicle102is an electric vehicle and (b) the SoC of the vehicle102is below a threshold charge. To determine whether the vehicle102is an electric vehicle and/or the SoC of the vehicle102, the parking spot manager134communicatively couples with the vehicle102via the V2X module107. The vehicle102provides identifying information (e.g., VIN, license plate number, vehicle registration, driver's license number, etc.), vehicle type information (e.g., electric vehicle, standard vehicle, hybrid vehicle, etc.), the SoC of the vehicle102, and/or account/payment information. In some examples, when the vehicle102does not include the V2X module106, the parking spot manager134determines that the vehicle102is not an electric vehicle when, after a threshold period of time after parking, the vehicle102is not plugged into the charging station104.

When the vehicle102is not an electric vehicle, the parking spot manager134sends, via the V2X module107, a warning message to the vehicle102to inform the user118that the vehicle102is not allowed to park in the spot and request that the vehicle102be moved. If the vehicle102is still in the parking spot after a threshold period of time, the parking spot manager134communicatively couples with a parking enforcement authority136(e.g., a police department, a parking enforcement agency, etc.) and provides the identifying information. In some such examples, the parking spot manager134starts a timer to compare to the threshold in response to receiving a message from the vehicle102that one of the doors of the vehicle102have been opened (e.g., as detected by the door position sensor120of the vehicle102, etc.). In some examples, the parking spot manager134also provides an image captured by the camera124to the parking enforcement authority136. In some examples, when the parking spot manager134is not able to obtain identifying information via the V2X module107, the parking spot manager134performs license plate recognition on an image captured by the camera124.

When the vehicle102is an electric vehicle, the parking spot manager134determines whether SoC of the battery of the vehicle102is above the charge threshold. In some examples, the charge threshold may be a static value (e.g., 50 percent, 75 percent, etc.) set by, for example, the owner or operator of the charging station104. Alternatively or additionally, in some examples, the parking spot manager134communicates with the vehicle102to determine whether the SoC is sufficient to travel to a planned next destination (e.g., the home of the user118, another store, etc.) without charging to determine whether the vehicle102is eligible to park in the parking spot. When the vehicle102is not eligible to charge, the parking spot manager134sends a message to the vehicle102to request that the user118move the vehicle102. In some examples, the parking spot manager134repeatedly sends the message to the vehicle102while the vehicle102is parked in the parking spot. Additionally, in some examples, the parking spot manager134communicatively couples with the parking enforcement authority136and provides the identifying information of the vehicle102.

When the vehicle102is an electrical vehicle and is eligible for charging, the parking spot manager134determines whether the plug130is plugged into a power port138of the vehicle102. When the plug130is not plugged into the power port138, the parking spot manager134(a) sends a message to the vehicle102to remind the user118to plug in the plug130into the power port138and (b) determines whether the user118is in the vicinity of the vehicle102. In some examples, the parking spot manager134determines whether the user118is in the vicinity of the vehicle102by monitoring the area around the parking spot, via the camera124and/or the range detection sensors126, to determine whether the user118is present (e.g., via motion data analysis, via image recognition, etc.). Alternatively or additionally, the parking spot manager134determines that the user118is not present when after a threshold period of time (e.g., five minutes, ten minutes, etc.). In some such examples, the parking spot manager134starts a timer to compare to the threshold in response to receiving a message from the vehicle102that one of the doors of the vehicle102have been opened (e.g., as detected by the door position sensor120of the vehicle102, etc.). Alternatively or additionally, in some examples, the parking spot manager134requests the coordinates of the mobile device116via the vehicle102and/or via a server associated of an application (e.g., FordPass, etc.) executing on the mobile device116. When the plug130is not plugged into the power port138and the user is not in the vicinity of the vehicle102, the parking spot manager134sends a message to the vehicle102to be forwarded to the mobile device116reminding the user to plug in the vehicle102. Additionally, in some examples, the parking spot manager134communicatively couples with the parking enforcement authority136and provides the identifying information of the vehicle102.

FIG. 2is a block diagram of electronic components200of the electric vehicle charging station104ofFIG. 1. In the illustrated example, the electronic components200include the V2X module107, the camera124, the range detection sensors126, the power source128, the plug130, and the charge controller132.

The charge controller132includes a processor or controller202and memory204. In the illustrated example, charge controller132is structured to include parking spot manager134. The processor or controller202may be any suitable processing device or set of processing devices such as, but not limited to: a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, a suitable integrated circuit, one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and/or one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The memory204may be volatile memory (e.g., RAM, which can include non-volatile RAM, magnetic RAM, ferroelectric RAM, and any other suitable forms); non-volatile memory (e.g., disk memory, FLASH memory, EPROMs, EEPROMs, non-volatile solid-state memory, etc.), unalterable memory (e.g., EPROMs), read-only memory, and/or high-capacity storage devices (e.g., hard drives, solid state drives, etc). In some examples, the memory204includes multiple kinds of memory, particularly volatile memory and non-volatile memory.

The memory204is computer readable media on which one or more sets of instructions, such as the software for operating the methods of the present disclosure can be embedded. The instructions may embody one or more of the methods or logic as described herein. In a particular embodiment, the instructions may reside completely, or at least partially, within any one or more of the memory204, the computer readable medium, and/or within the processor202during execution of the instructions.

FIG. 3is a block diagram of electronic components300of the vehicle102ofFIG. 1. In the illustrated example, the electronic components300include the V2X module106, the on-board communications module108, the battery control module110, the body control module112, the infotainment head unit114, the door position sensor120, and a vehicle data bus302.

The infotainment head unit114includes a processor or controller304and memory306. In the illustrated example, the infotainment head unit114is structured to include the station coordinator122. The processor or controller304may be any suitable processing device or set of processing devices such as, but not limited to: a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, a suitable integrated circuit, one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and/or one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The memory306may be volatile memory (e.g., RAM, which can include non-volatile RAM, magnetic RAM, ferroelectric RAM, and any other suitable forms); non-volatile memory (e.g., disk memory, FLASH memory, EPROMs, EEPROMs, non-volatile solid-state memory, etc.), unalterable memory (e.g., EPROMs), read-only memory, and/or high-capacity storage devices (e.g., hard drives, solid state drives, etc). In some examples, the memory306includes multiple kinds of memory, particularly volatile memory and non-volatile memory.

The memory306is computer readable media on which one or more sets of instructions, such as the software for operating the methods of the present disclosure can be embedded. The instructions may embody one or more of the methods or logic as described herein. In a particular embodiment, the instructions may reside completely, or at least partially, within any one or more of the memory306, the computer readable medium, and/or within the processor304during execution of the instructions.

The vehicle data bus302communicatively couples the V2X module106, the on-board communications module108, the battery control module110, the body control module112, and the infotainment head unit114. In some examples, the vehicle data bus302includes one or more data buses. The vehicle data bus302may be implemented in accordance with a controller area network (CAN) bus protocol as defined by International Standards Organization (ISO) 11898-1, a Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) bus protocol, a CAN flexible data (CAN-FD) bus protocol (ISO 11898-7) and/a K-line bus protocol (ISO 9141 and ISO 14230-1), and/or an Ethernet™ bus protocol IEEE 802.3 (2002onwards), etc.

FIG. 4is a flowchart of a method to monitor a parking spot that may be implemented by the electronic components200ofFIG. 2. Initially, at block402, the parking spot manager134waits until the parking spot is available. At block404, the parking spot manager134broadcasts an advertisement message that includes location information for the charging station via the V2X module107. At block406, the parking spot manager134monitors the parking spot to determine when a vehicle102parks in the parking spot. At block408, the parking spot manager134determines whether the vehicle102has parked in the parking spot. When the vehicle102has parked in the parking spot, the method continues at block410. Otherwise, when the vehicle102has not parked in the parking spot, the method returns to block404.

At block410, the parking spot manager134gathers information (e.g., identifying information, battery state information, etc.) from the vehicle102via the V2X module107. At block412, the parking spot manager134determines whether the vehicle102is an electric vehicle. When the vehicle102is an electric vehicle, the method continues at block414. Otherwise, when the vehicle102is not an electric vehicle, the method continues at block426. At block414, the parking spot manager134determines whether the vehicle102is eligible for charging. In some examples, the vehicle is eligible for charging when the SoC of the battery of the vehicle102is less that a threshold charge. When the vehicle102is eligible for charging, the method continues at block416. When the vehicle102is not eligible for charging, the method continues at block426.

At block416, the parking spot manager134sends, via the V2X module107, a message to the vehicle102to prompt the user118to connect the plug130to the power port138of the vehicle102and activate (e.g., via a touch panel of the charging station104, via an application executing on the mobile device116, etc.) the charging of the vehicle102. At block418, the parking spot manager134determines whether the vehicle102is being charged. The vehicle102is not charging, for example, when the plug130is not connected to the power port138and/or the charging has not been activated on the charging station104. At block420, when the vehicle102is not charging, the parking spot manager134determines the location of the user118. For example, the parking spot manager134may track movement in the vicinity of the vehicle102with the camera124and/or the range detection sensors126and/or track the location of the mobile device116of the user118. At block422, the parking spot manager134determines whether the distance between the user118and the vehicle102satisfies (e.g., is greater than) a distance threshold (e.g., five feet, ten feet, etc.). Alternatively or additionally, the parking spot manager134may receive a message, from the vehicle102, that a key fob and/or the mobile device116associated with the vehicle102is outside the threshold distance from the vehicle102. When the distance between the user118and the vehicle102satisfies the distance threshold, the method continues at block424. Otherwise, when the distance between the user118and the vehicle102does not satisfy the distance threshold, the method returns to block418. At block424, the parking spot manager134sends a message to the vehicle102to inform the user118that charging was not properly activated.

At block426, the parking spot manager134sends a message to the vehicle102warning the user118that the vehicle102is improperly parked. At block428, the parking spot manager134waits a threshold period of time (e.g., five minutes, ten minutes, etc.). At block430, the parking spot manager134determines whether the vehicle102is still improperly parked. At block432, when the vehicle102is still improperly parked, the parking spot manager134sends the identifying information about the vehicle102to the parking enforcement authority136.

The flowchart ofFIG. 4is representative of machine readable instructions stored in memory (such as the memory204ofFIG. 2) that comprise one or more programs that, when executed by a processor (such as the processor202ofFIG. 2), cause the charging station104to implement the example parking spot manager134ofFIGS. 1 and 2. Further, although the example program(s) is/are described with reference to the flowchart illustrated inFIG. 4, many other methods of implementing the example parking spot manager134may alternatively be used. For example, the order of execution of the blocks may be changed, and/or some of the blocks described may be changed, eliminated, or combined.

In this application, the use of the disjunctive is intended to include the conjunctive. The use of definite or indefinite articles is not intended to indicate cardinality. In particular, a reference to “the” object or “a” and “an” object is intended to denote also one of a possible plurality of such objects. Further, the conjunction “or” may be used to convey features that are simultaneously present instead of mutually exclusive alternatives. In other words, the conjunction “or” should be understood to include “and/or”. As used here, the terms “module” and “unit” refer to hardware with circuitry to provide communication, control and/or monitoring capabilities, often in conjunction with sensors. “Modules” and “units” may also include firmware that executes on the circuitry. The terms “includes,” “including,” and “include” are inclusive and have the same scope as “comprises,” “comprising,” and “comprise” respectively.