Autonomous vehicle refueling
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for automatically refueling an autonomous vehicle, comprising:
- determining, using one or more sensors disposed within the autonomous vehicle, a fuel level of one or more fuel tanks of the autonomous vehicle;
generating, by the one or more processors, a predicted use profile for the autonomous vehicle based upon prior vehicle use data;
determining, by the one or more processors, a time and a location at which to refuel the autonomous vehicle based upon the fuel level and the predicted use profile;
controlling, by the one or more processors, the autonomous vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the determined location at the determined time;
causing, by the one or more processors, the one or more fuel tanks of the autonomous vehicle to be fully or partially filled at the location;
determining, by the one or more processors, a return location for the vehicle based upon the predicted use profile; and
controlling, by the one or more processors, the autonomous vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the return location.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems for autonomous vehicle recharging or refueling are disclosed. Autonomous vehicles may be automatically refueled by routing the vehicles to available fueling stations when not in operation, according to methods described herein. A fuel level within a tank of an autonomous vehicle may be monitored until it reaches a refueling threshold, at which point an on-board computer may generate a predicted use profile for the vehicle. Based upon the predicted use profile, a time and location for the vehicle to refuel the vehicle may be determined. In some embodiments, the vehicle may be controlled to automatically travel to a fueling station, refill a fuel tank, and return to its starting location in order to refuel when not in use.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for automatically refueling an autonomous vehicle, comprising:
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determining, using one or more sensors disposed within the autonomous vehicle, a fuel level of one or more fuel tanks of the autonomous vehicle; generating, by the one or more processors, a predicted use profile for the autonomous vehicle based upon prior vehicle use data; determining, by the one or more processors, a time and a location at which to refuel the autonomous vehicle based upon the fuel level and the predicted use profile; controlling, by the one or more processors, the autonomous vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the determined location at the determined time; causing, by the one or more processors, the one or more fuel tanks of the autonomous vehicle to be fully or partially filled at the location; determining, by the one or more processors, a return location for the vehicle based upon the predicted use profile; and controlling, by the one or more processors, the autonomous vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the return location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer system for automatically refueling an autonomous vehicle, comprising:
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one or more processors disposed within the autonomous vehicle; one or more sensors disposed within the autonomous vehicle and communicatively connected to the one or more processors; and a program memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computer system to; determine a fuel level of one or more fuel tanks of the autonomous vehicle using the one or more sensors; generate a predicted use profile for the autonomous vehicle based upon prior vehicle use data; determine a time and a location at which to refuel the autonomous vehicle based upon the fuel level and the predicted use profile; control the autonomous vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the determined location at the determined time; cause the one or more fuel tanks of the autonomous vehicle to be fully or partially filled at the location; determine a return location for the vehicle based upon the predicted use profile; and control the autonomous vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the return location. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions for automatically refueling an autonomous vehicle that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to:
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determine a fuel level of one or more fuel tanks of the autonomous vehicle; generate a predicted use profile for the autonomous vehicle based upon prior vehicle use data; determine a time and a location at which to refuel the autonomous vehicle based upon the fuel level and the predicted use profile; control the autonomous vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the determined location at the determined time; cause the one or more fuel tanks of the autonomous vehicle to be fully or partially filled at the location; determine a return location for the vehicle based upon the predicted use profile; and control the autonomous vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the return location. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification