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Architecture and Topology

Opening remarks on OCPP 2.0.1

📄️ Device Model: Addressing Components and Variables

The Device Model refers to a generalized mechanism within OCPP to enable any model of Charging Station to report how it is build up, so it can be managed from any CSMS. To manage a Charging Station with the Device Model (i.e. "to manage a device") a number of messages and use cases is defined to configure and monitor a Charging Station in detail, without defining the structure of the Charging Station in advance. To be able do do this, OCPP provides a generalized mechanism to allow the exchange of a wide range of information about Charging Station. This version of the Device Model has the 3-tier model (Charging Station, EVSE, Connector) as its starting point, which means that any description created with the Device Model follows these three tiers. The remainder of this chapter describes how the data (and associated meta-data) looks like that can be exchanged between a Charging Station and a CSMS. The use cases and messages that are used to manage a device are not described here, but in Part 2 of the specification. This chapter only focuses on the data model.'

📄️ Information Model vs. Device Model

As described above, the terms Information Model and Device Model refer to different concepts. The Information Model refers to a model of the information structure upon which the messages and datatypes in OCPP are based, whereas the Device Model refers to a generalized mechanism within OCPP to enable any model of Charging Station to report how it is build up so, it can be managed from any CSMS without defining the structure of the Charging Station in advance. The messages that are used for Device Management are therefore part of the Information Model and the objects that are used for modelling a device ('Component' and 'Variable') are also part of the Information Model.

📄️ Using OCPP for other purposes than EV charging

As indicated in the introduction of this document, OCPP is primarily intended for two way communication between a CSMS and a Charging Station. However, with the addition of the Device Model as described in the chapter Device Model, OCPP can additionally be used for other purposes. For example, the reporting of Events or Status changes in transformers or stand-alone battery packs might also be useful for companies that are rolling out EV charging infrastructure. In this example, a BootNotification could be used to connect these devices to a management system. In the device model a device that is not a Charging Station, can be recognized by the fact that the component Charging Station is not present at the top level. At the moment the OCPP specification does not provide use cases for non Charging Station devices. However, they may be added in a future version of OCPP.