# US 10,766,377 B2 · Charging device, charging management server, and charging method

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- Number: US 10,766,377 B2
- Document ID: US10766377B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/023,471
- Filed: 2018-06-29
- Published: 2019-07-04
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-28
- Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation; Yura Corporation Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation; Yura Corporation Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Yun Jae Jung; Sohyun Jang; Daehwan Kwon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10766377B2

## CPC

- B60L 53/14: Conductive energy transfer
- B60L 53/665: {Methods related to measuring, billing or payment}
- B60L 53/16: Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
- B60L 53/305: {Communication interfaces}
- B60L 53/31: Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
- B60L 53/68: Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
- B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC]
- G06Q 30/0283: Price estimation or determination
- G06Q 30/04: Billing or invoicing
- B60L 2240/70: Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
- H04W 4/02: Services making use of location information
- H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
- Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility
- Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations
- Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles
- Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
- Y02T 90/167: Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
- Y04S 30/14: Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS

## Abstract

A charging device and method for controlling the same may include a charging connector connectable to a vehicle; a power connector connectable to a power source; a communication module configured to receive beacon signals from a plurality of beacons and send beacon information included in the received beacon signals to a charging management server; and a controller configured to, upon reception of a charging authorization signal from the charging management server, charge the vehicle connected to the charging connector and control the communication module to send information related to an amount of power used for charging the vehicle to the charging management server.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A charging device comprising:
a charging connector connectable to a vehicle;
a power connector connectable to a power source;
a communication module configured to receive beacon signals from a plurality of beacons and send identification (ID) information and received signal strength indication (RSSI) information included in the received beacon signals to a charging management server; and
a controller configured to, upon reception of a charging authorization signal from the charging management server, charge the vehicle connected to the charging connector and control the communication module to send information related to an amount of power used for charging the vehicle to the charging management server,
wherein the charging authorization signal is a signal received from the charging management server when it is determined by the charging management server that a location of the charging device is within a predetermined radius from the power source, and
wherein the location of the charging device is obtained by the identification (ID) information and the received signal strength indication (RSSI) information included in the received beacon signals.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The charging device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the amount of power used for charging the vehicle.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The charging device of claim 2, wherein the communication module is configured to send a charging completion signal to the charging management server when the charging of the vehicle is completed.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The charging device of claim 2, wherein the communication module is configured to send a charging completion signal and information related to a total amount of power used for charging to the charging management server when the charging of the vehicle is completed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The charging device of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to determine that the charging is completed when information related to a state of charge (SOC) received from the vehicle indicates that charging a battery of the vehicle is completed.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The charging device of claim 2, further including:
an input configured to receive information related to an amount of charging or a charging cost from a user.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The charging device of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the charging is completed based on the amount of charging or the charging cost input to the input.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The charging device of claim 1, further including:
a display configured to display information related to a location of a charging outlet, which is nearest to a current location of the charging device, when the communication module receives the information related to the location of the charging outlet from the charging management server.

### Claim 9

A charging management server comprising:
a communication module configured to receive a plurality of pieces of beacon information from a charging device;
a storage configured to store locations of a plurality of beacons corresponding to identification (ID) information of the plurality of beacons, respectively; and
a controller configured to identify the identification (ID) information and receive signal strength indication (RSSI) information of the plurality of beacons based on the received plurality of pieces of beacon information, obtain a location of the charging device based on the identification (ID) information and the receive signal strength indication (RSSI) information of the plurality of beacons, determine whether the charging device is located within a predetermined radius from a charging outlet based on the obtained location of the charging device and a predetermined location of the charging outlet, and when it is determined that the charging device is located within the predetermined radius from the charging outlet, and control the communication module to send a charging authorization signal to the charging device.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The charging management server of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to control the communication module to send information related to the predetermined location of the charging outlet to the charging device when determining that the charging is unavailable.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The charging management server of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to determine a charging cost based on information related to an amount of power used for charging when the communication module receives a charging completion signal and information related to an amount of power used for charging from the charging device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The charging management server of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to subtract the charging cost from an electricity bill of an owner of the charging device.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The charging management server of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to charge an owner of the vehicle for the charging cost.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The charging management server of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to control the communication module to send information related to a recommended maximum charging current to the charging device when determining that a predetermined number or more of vehicles are currently being charged.

### Claim 15

A charging method comprising:
receiving beacon signals from a plurality of beacons;
obtaining a plurality of pieces of identification (ID) information and receive signal strength indication (RSSI) information from the beacon signals;
sending identification (ID) information and the received signal strength indication (RSSI) information included in the beacon signals to a charging management server of a charging device;
charging, by a controller, a vehicle connected to a charging connector when a charging authorization signal is received, by the controller, from the charging management server; and
sending, by the controller, information related to an amount of power used for charging the vehicle to the charging management server,
wherein the charging authorization signal is a signal received from the charging management server when it is determined by the charging management server that a location of the charging device is within a predetermined radius from a power source, and
wherein the location of the charging device is obtained by the identification (ID) information and the received signal strength indication (RSSI) information included in the received beacon signals.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The charging method of claim 15, further including: measuring an amount of power used for the charging the vehicle.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The charging method of claim 16, further including:
sending a charging completion signal to the charging management server when the charging of the vehicle is completed.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The charging method of claim 16, further including:
determining whether the charging of the vehicle is completed.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The charging method of claim 18, wherein the determining of whether the charging of the vehicle is completed includes:
determining that the charging is completed when information related to a state of charge (SOC) value received from the vehicle indicates that charging a battery of the vehicle is completed.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The charging method of claim 18, further including:
receiving information related to an amount of charging or a charging cost from a user.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The charging method of claim 20, wherein the determining of whether the charging of the vehicle is completed includes:
determining whether the charging is completed based on an amount of the charging or the charging cost input.

### Claim 22 (depends on 18)

The charging method of claim 18, further including:
displaying information related to a location of a charging outlet, which is nearest to a current location of the charging device, when the information related to the location of the charging outlet is received from the charging management server.