Systems and method for management of electric vehicle supply equipment

Abstract

A control system for a charging control network may include a primary server system that applies a control process to an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (“EVSE”), a secondary server system that applies a monitoring process to the EVSE, and a mediator system that maintains a virtualized connection there-between. The mediator system may: in response to receiving a first request from the EVSE, selectively route the first request to one or more server systems based on predetermined rules; in response to receiving at least one first reply, selectively route only one of the at least one first reply to the EVSE; in response to receiving a second request from one of the server systems directed toward the EVSE, route the second request to the EVSE; and, in response to receiving a second reply to the second request, route the second reply to the server system that transmitted the second request.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A control system for a charging control network, comprising:
 a mediator system configured to communicate with an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (“EVSE”), a primary device, and at least one secondary device, the mediator system including a processor and a memory operatively connected to the processor, and storing instructions executable by the processor to perform acts that include:   determining that a first transmission from the primary device or the at least one secondary device uses a communication protocol different from the other of the primary device or the at least one secondary device;   parsing information from the first transmission;   generating a second transmission, based on the parsed information, that is compatible with the communications protocol of the other of the primary device or the at least one secondary device.   
     
     
         22 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein the acts further comprise:
 determining that a functionality available via the communication protocol utilized by the primary device is not available via the communication protocol utilized by the at least one secondary device; and   upon determining that a request pertaining to the functionality from the first device directed toward the second device is not available, rejecting the request.   
     
     
         23 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein the acts further comprise:
 upon determining that a request of the first transmission pertaining to a functionality from the first device directed toward the second device is different, adapting at least a portion of the request into an adapted request for a second functionality compatible with the at least one secondary device.   
     
     
         24 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein the acts further comprise:
 upon determining that a request of the first transmission pertaining to a functionality from the first device directed toward the second device is different, adjusting a response from the at least one secondary device toward being more aligned with an expected response to the request.   
     
     
         25 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein the acts further comprise:
 upon determining that the EVSE is utilizing a protocol in which periodic monitoring is unavailable, rejecting a request from the primary device related to a periodic monitoring of a charging rate of an EVSE.   
     
     
         26 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein the acts further comprise:
 upon determining that the EVSE is utilizing a protocol in which periodic monitoring is unavailable, transmitting one or more single instance monitoring requests from the primary device at one or more regular monitoring intervals that approximate the protocol requested.   
     
     
         27 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein the protocol of the primary device is a stateless communications protocol, and the protocol of the at least one secondary device is a stateful communications protocol. 
     
     
         28 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein the protocol of the primary device is a first version of a communications protocol, and the protocol of the at least one secondary device is a second version of the communications protocol that is different than the first version. 
     
     
         29 . A method of using a control system in a charging control network, comprising:
 in response to a connection of a virtualized connection between an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (“EVSE”), a primary device, and at least one secondary device being interrupted, caching at least one request, reply or other transmission schedule to have been routed;   initiating by a mediator system, an attempt to re-establish the virtualized connection;   in response to the virtualized connection being re-established, routing, by the mediator system, the at least one cached request via the re-established virtualized connection to the EVSE, the primary device, and/or the at least one secondary device.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 in response to a second connection of the virtualized connection between the EVSE, the primary device, and the at least one secondary device being interrupted, caching at least one second request, reply or other transmission schedule to have been routed;   initiating an attempt to re-establish the virtualized connection;   in response to the virtualized connection being re-established, routing the at least one cached second request via the re-established virtualized connection to the EVSE, the primary device, and/or the at least one secondary device.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 in response to a failure of the mediator system to re-establish the virtualized connection, terminating a remainder of the connections forming the virtualized connection.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 in response the connection being disrupted, terminating a remainder of the connections of the virtualized connection with the EVSE, the primary device, and/or the at least one secondary device.   
     
     
         33 . A method of mediating one or more conflicts between server systems, comprising
 applying, by a primary server system, at least one control process to an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (“EVSE”) in a charging control network;   applying, by at least one secondary server system, at least one monitoring process to the EVSE; and   resolving, by a mediator system, overlapping and/or conflicting transmissions of the primary server system and the at least one secondary server system based on a rank of the primary server system and the at least one secondary server system.   
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising:
 maintaining, by the mediator system, a virtualized connection between the EVSE, the primary server system, and the least one secondary server system.   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising:
 determining, by the mediator system, the rank of the primary server system and the at least one secondary server system.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising:
 assigning, by the mediator system, each charging station to a respective primary server system or the at least one secondary server system based on operating parameters of the respective charging station.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising:
 controlling, by the primary server system, charging characteristics of the EVSE.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising:
 monitoring, by the at least one secondary server system, charging by at least one charging station of the EVSE and/or energy use parameters associated with a power grid electrically connected to the EVSE.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising:
 in response to receiving a first request from the EVSE, selectively routing, by the mediator system, the first request to one or more of the primary server system or the at least one secondary server systems based on a set of predetermined rules; and   in response to receiving at least one first reply to the first request from the selected one or more of the primary server system or the at least one secondary server systems, selectively routing one of the at least one first reply to the EVSE.   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , further comprising:
 in response to receiving a second request from one of the primary server system or one of the at least one secondary server systems, the second request directed toward the EVSE, routing the second request to the EVSE; and   in response to receiving a second reply to the second request from the EVSE, routing the second reply to the one of the primary server system or one of the at least one secondary server systems that transmitted the second request.