# US 12,005,801 B2 · AC EVSE cluster load balancing system

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- Number: US 12,005,801 B2
- Document ID: US12005801B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/892,565
- Filed: 2022-08-22
- Published: 2022-12-15
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2019-07-19
- Assignees: Schneider Electric USA, Inc.
- Applicants: Schneider Electric USA, Inc.
- Inventors: Kevin M. Jefferies; Benjamin W. Edwards; Matthew L White; Konstantin A. Filippenko; Richard K. Weiler
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12005801B2

## CPC

- B60L 53/63: in response to network capacity
- B60L 50/60: using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75)
- B60L 53/14: Conductive energy transfer
- B60L 53/62: in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
- B60L 53/67: Controlling two or more charging stations
- B60L 58/15: Preventing overcharging
- H02J 3/26: Arrangements for eliminating or reducing asymmetry in polyphase networks
- H02J 7/50: acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially
- H02J 2105/37: exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV]
- Y02E 60/00: Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- 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
- 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
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program product resolve the problem of unbalanced loads in an EVSE cluster of multiple EVSE charging stations. A signal is provided to the EVSEs identifying which phase of the three-phase power source has the highest current. When one of the EVSEs in the cluster determines whether it is connected to an EV's on board charging device, determines whether it is already charging the connected EV, and determines whether the EVSE is using the phase that has the highest current, then the EVSE may transmit a cluster load balancing control signal as a control pilot signal to the EV's onboard charging device to adjust the charging rate of the current that the EV is consuming from the EVSE.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
determining, by the charging station, whether a charging device is connected via the charging station to a first phase of a three-phase power source;
transmitting, by the charging station, a first control signal to adjust a charging rate of the charging device to consume the current from the first phase;
detecting that the charging device is connected to a second phase of the three-phase power source, wherein the second phase is distinct from the first phase; and
upon determining that the charging station offers less than a default charging rate to the charging device, transmitting a second control signal to adjust the charging rate of the charging device to consume the current from the second phase of the three-phase power source.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining that the charging device is connected to the first phase based on a signal; and
transmitting a third control signal to decrease the charging rate of the charging device to consume the current from the first phase of the three-phase power source based on the determination.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
responsive to detecting that the charging device is connected to the second phase, determining that the charging station offers a default charging rate to the charging device; and
in response to the determination, maintaining a control signal without modification to not adjust the charging rate of the charging device to consume the current from the second phase.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
responsive to detecting that the charging device is connected to the second phase, determining, by the charging station, that the charging station offers less than a default charging rate to the charging device; and
transmitting, by the charging station, a third control signal to increase the charging rate of the charging device to consume the current from the second phase.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
responsive to detecting that the charging device is not connected to the charging station, determining whether the charging station uses the first phase; and
if the charging station uses the first phase, then transmitting a third control signal to adjust the charging device consuming the current from the first phase of the three-phase power source.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
responsive to detecting that the charging device is not connected to the charging station, determining that the charging station uses the first; and
transmitting a third control signal to inhibit the charging device from consuming the current from the first phase of the three-phase power source.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
responsive detecting that the charging device is not connected to the charging station, determining that the charging station uses the second phase; and
activating a new charging session with the charging device for the second phase.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receive a signal identifying the first phase as the phase of the three-phase power source having a highest flow of current.

### Claim 9

A system, comprising:
one or more computer processors; and
a memory containing computer program code that, when executed by operation of the one or more computer processors, performs an operation comprising:
receiving a signal identifying a first phase of a three-phase power source coupled to a charging station as having a highest flow of current relative to other phases of a three-phase power source;
responsive to detecting that the charging station is connected to a charging device, selecting a second phase of the three-phase power source, the second phase distinct from the first phase; and
upon detecting that the charging device is connected to the second phase and upon determining that the charging station offers less than a default charging rate to the charging device, transmitting a second control signal to adjust the charging rate of the charging device to consume the current from the second phase of the three-phase power source.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, the operation further comprising:
determining that the charging device is connected to the first phase based on the signal; and
transmitting, by the charging station, a second control signal to decrease a charging rate of the charging device to consume current from the second phase of the three-phase power source.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, the operation further comprising:
determining that the charging station offers less than the default charging rate to the charging device; and
transmitting a second control signal to increase the charging rate of the charging device to meet the default charging rate based on the determination.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the processing logic is further to:
determine that the charging station offers the default charging rate to the charging device; and
transmit the control signal to partially increase the charging rate of the charging device to consume the current from the second phase of the three-phase power source.

### Claim 13

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that when executed, by a processor, cause the processor to:
receive a signal identifying a first phase of a three-phase power source as having a highest flow of current relative to other phases of the three-phase power source;
responsive to detecting that the charging station is connected to a charging device, selecting a second phase from the other phases of the three-phase power source;
cause the charging station to charge to the charging device based on the selection of second phase;
transmitting a first control signal to adjust a charging rate of the charging device to consume current from the selected second phase; and
upon determining that the charging station offers less than a default charging rate to the charging device, transmit a second control signal to adjust the charging rate of the charging device to consume the current from the second phase of the three-phase power source.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the processor is further to:
determine that the charging device is connected to the first phase based on the signal; and
transmit a third control signal to decrease a charging rate of the charging device to consume current from the second phase.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the processor is further to:
determine that the charging station offers less than the default charging rate to the charging device; and
transmit a third control signal to increase the charging rate of the charging device to meet the default charging rate based on the determination.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the processor is further to:
determine that the charging station offers the default charging rate to the charging device; and
transmit a third control signal to partially increase the charging rate of the charging device to consume the current from the second phase of the three-phase power source.