Smart EV Charging Platform
Modular Embedded Software Architecture for RFID-Based Charging Stations
1) Project Overview
The project focused on the development of a complete embedded software platform for an RFID-controlled charging barrier for electric vehicles. The system combined user interaction, hardware control, RFID validation and charging-state management within one embedded product.
The software was developed from scratch and had to operate reliably on an Embedded Windows based target system installed directly inside the charging infrastructure.
The core objective was not only to implement individual functions, but to create a modular and reusable software architecture for controlling multiple hardware components in a real charging station.
2) Engineering Challenge
The charging station consisted of several hardware modules that had to work together as one coordinated embedded device. The software had to control the charging barrier, interact with the RFID card reader, visualize the operating state on a TFT display and manage the complete charging process.
The system had to coordinate:
- RFID authentication and card validation,
- charging authorization,
- state-dependent activation and deactivation of power delivery,
- control of barrier and locking mechanisms,
- TFT display output and user feedback,
- hardware monitoring and module coordination,
- configuration and deployment on the final embedded target system.
3) Architectural Approach
I designed the software as a modular component-based architecture. Hardware-specific control logic was separated from application logic and user interface behavior, making the system easier to extend, test and maintain.
A Model-View based design approach was used to decouple the graphical user interface from the internal device logic. This allowed hardware states, charging states and user interaction to be represented cleanly without tightly coupling the display layer to the control logic.
The architecture was built around reusable software components rather than one monolithic device program.
4) My Responsibilities
- definition of the overall software architecture,
- development of all major software components from scratch,
- implementation of the hardware control layer,
- development of the graphical user interface for the TFT display,
- implementation of RFID reader communication and card validation,
- development of the charging-state logic and state machine,
- control of barrier and locking mechanisms,
- configuration of the Embedded Windows target environment,
- commissioning directly on the assembly line,
- support for reuse of the software architecture in later projects.
5) State Machine for Charging Control
A central part of the system was a state machine responsible for controlling the charging process. It evaluated the operating state of the charging station and reacted to events such as card validation, vehicle presence, charging authorization, charging start, charging interruption and hardware status changes.
Based on these states and events, the software enabled or disabled power delivery and controlled the associated hardware modules in a deterministic way.
6) Hardware Integration
The software interacted with several physical modules of the charging station. A hardware abstraction approach reduced direct dependencies between business logic and low-level device handling.
Integrated components included:
- RFID card reader,
- TFT display,
- barrier and locking hardware,
- charging-state detection,
- control logic for switching the power delivery on and off.
7) Production Deployment and Commissioning
The project extended beyond pure software development. I configured the Embedded Windows environment directly on real production systems so that the charging station operated correctly in the final hardware cabinet.
This included practical commissioning on the assembly line and ensuring that the software image, hardware configuration and device behavior matched the requirements of the real product.
8) Long-Term Reuse
The developed software architecture was not limited to a single prototype or one isolated device. Due to its modular structure, parts of the software were later reused in additional charging infrastructure projects, including systems related to EnBW.
This reuse demonstrated that the architecture was sufficiently stable and flexible to serve as a software platform for further product variants.
9) Results
- Complete embedded software platform developed from scratch
- Modular architecture for controlling multiple hardware components
- RFID authentication and card validation integrated
- State-machine based charging control implemented
- TFT-based user interface developed
- Embedded Windows target system configured for real product deployment
- Commissioning performed directly on the assembly line
- Software components reused in later charging infrastructure projects
10) Technologies
C# · Embedded Windows · RFID · TFT Display · State Machine · Model-View Design Pattern · Hardware Abstraction · GUI Development · Embedded Systems · Industrial Automation · EV Charging · Production Deployment
This project combined software architecture, embedded hardware control, graphical user interaction, RFID validation and production deployment into one reusable charging-station software platform.