Automated electric vehicle charging system and method

• US 10,106,048 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2016
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interim Design, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Interim Design, Inc.
• Inventors: Haddad, Joseph C., Lysak, Daniel B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Piggush, Aaron
• Application Number:
  US15/011,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20160144735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 320104, 320106, 320109, 382104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/35 Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/37 using optical position determination, e.g. using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A system and method for charging an electric vehicle includes identifying vehicle information corresponding to the electric vehicle based on an electronic image of the electric vehicle, retrieving from an electronically stored database a location of a charging port on the electric vehicle based on the vehicle information, and robotically moving a charging connector according to the retrieved location to engage the charging port of the electric vehicle to charge a battery.

Claims

1. A system for charging an electric vehicle, comprising:

a camera configured to acquire an electronic image of the electric vehicle;

an electronic database;

a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader configured to read an RFID tag mounted on the electric vehicle;

a processor configured to identify vehicle information corresponding to the electric vehicle based on the electronic image of the electric vehicle, and retrieve from the electronic database a location of a charging port on the electric vehicle based on the vehicle information; and

a robotic arm configured to move a charging connector to engage the charging port of the electric vehicle to charge a battery based on the retrieved location and the RFID reader reading the RFID tag,

wherein the processor is configured to;

identify the vehicle information by comparing the electronic image of the electric vehicle with a plurality of vehicle model candidates stored in the electronic database;

calculate a similarity score for each of the vehicle model candidates stored in the electronic database; and

select a vehicle model candidate having a highest similarity score, wherein the vehicle information is identified using the selected vehicle model candidate.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the RFID reader is configured to read customer billing information from the RFID tag.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a communication link configured to transmit the customer billing information read from the RFID tag to a remote billing system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is mounted on a door of the charging port of the electric vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an actuator disposed on the robotic arm and configured to open a door covering the charging port on the electric vehicle prior to engaging the charging connector into the charging port, and dose the door covering the charging port upon disengaging the charging connector from the charging port.

6. A system for charging an electric vehicle, comprising:

a camera configured to acquire an electronic image of the electric vehicle;

an electronic database;

a processor configured to identify vehicle information corresponding to the electric vehicle based on the electronic image of the electric vehicle, and retrieve from the electronic database a location of a charging port on the electric vehicle based on the vehicle information;

a robotic arm configured to move a charging connector according to the retrieved location to engage the charging port of the electric vehicle to charge a battery;

an actuator disposed on the robotic arm and configured to open a door covering the charging port on the electric vehicle prior to engaging the charging connector into the charging port, and close the door covering the charging port upon disengaging the charging connector from the charging port; and

a communication device configured to facilitate wireless communication between the system and another computing device,

wherein the processor is configured to;

identify the vehicle information by comparing the electronic image of the electric vehicle with a plurality of vehicle model candidates stored in the electronic database;

calculate a similarity score for each of the vehicle model candidates stored in the electronic database; and

select a vehicle model candidate having a highest similarity score, wherein the vehicle information is identified using the selected vehicle model candidate.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the communication device and the another computing device communicate with each other via an Internet connection.

8. A method of charging an electric vehicle, comprising:

acquiring an electronic image of the electric vehicle;

reading a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag mounted on the electric vehicle;

identifying vehicle information corresponding to the electric vehicle based on the electronic image of the electric vehicle;

retrieving from an electronic database a location of a charging port on the electric vehicle based on the vehicle information; and

robotically moving a charging connector to engage the charging port of the electric vehicle to charge a battery based on the retrieved location and reading the RFID tag,

wherein identifying the vehicle information comprises;

comparing the electronic image of the electric vehicle with a plurality of vehicle model candidates stored in the electronic database;

calculating a similarity score for each of the vehicle model candidates stored in the electronic database; and

selecting a vehicle model candidate having a highest similarity score, wherein the vehicle information is identified using the selected vehicle model candidate.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

reading customer billing information from the RFID tag; and

transmitting the customer billing information read from the RFID tag to a remote billing system.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

robotically disengaging the charging connector from the charging port on the electric vehicle.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

robotically removing a door covering the charging port on the electric vehicle prior to engaging the charging connector into the charging port; and

robotically covering the charging port with the door subsequent to disengaging the charging connector from the charging port.

12. A method of charging an electric vehicle, comprising:

acquiring an electronic image of the electric vehicle;

identifying vehicle information corresponding to the electric vehicle based on the electronic image of Me electric vehicle;

retrieving from an electronic database a location of a charging port on the electric vehicle based on the vehicle information;

robotically moving a charging connector according to the retrieved location to engage the charging port of the electric vehicle to charge a battery;

robotically removing a door covering the charging port on the electric vehicle prior to engaging the charging connector into the charging port;

robotically covering the charging port with the door subsequent to disengaging the charging connector from the charging port; and

facilitating wireless communication with a computing device,

wherein identifying the vehicle information comprises;

comparing the electronic image of the electric vehicle with a plurality of vehicle model candidates stored in the electronic database;

calculating a similarity score for each of the vehicle model candidates stored in the electronic database; and

selecting a vehicle model candidate having a highest similarity score, wherein the vehicle information is identified using the selected vehicle model candidate.