Electric vehicle charging

• US 10,197,412 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2017
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Dudar, Aed M., Martin, Douglas Raymond, Miller, Kenneth James
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US15/470,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20180283887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/665 Light intensity
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• 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 vehicle charge system includes a computer programmed to navigate a vehicle to a charge location based on a determination, upon determining that light received by the vehicle is below a light threshold, that one of a current vehicle charge level and a predicted charge level is below a charge threshold.

Claims

1. A system comprising, a computer programmed to:

navigate a vehicle to a charge location upon determining that light received by a vehicle sensor is below a light threshold, and that a current vehicle charge level or a predicted charge level is below a charge threshold;

wherein the charge location is selected from a photovoltaic charge location and an induction charge location by comparing the predicted or current charge level to a second charge threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to navigate the vehicle away from a photovoltaic charge location upon a determination that a cost of remaining at the photovoltaic charge location is greater than a benefit of remaining at the photovoltaic charge location.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the photovoltaic charge location is selected when the predicted or current charge level is above the second charge threshold.

4. The system of claim 1, the computer further programmed to determine the photovoltaic charge location based on a time at which the vehicle is intended to be operated.

5. The system of claim 1, the computer further programmed to determine the photovoltaic charge location based on information received from a light sensor.

6. The system of claim 1, the computer further programmed to determine the predicted charge level based on the current charge level, a predicted charge rate, and an amount of time until sunset.

7. The system of claim 1, the computer further programmed to determine the photovoltaic charge location based on information received from a smart light.

8. The system of claim 1, the computer further programmed to actuate the vehicle to provide a movement that can be sensed by a motion-actuated light in response to determining the motion-actuated light has turned off.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the light received by the vehicle is identified as being below the light threshold when the current time is after sunset.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the induction charge location is selected when the predicted or current charge level is not above the second charge threshold.

11. A method comprising:

navigating a vehicle to a charge location upon determining that light received by a vehicle sensor is below a light threshold, and that a current vehicle charge level or a predicted charge level is below a charge threshold;

wherein the charge location is selected from a photovoltaic charge location and an induction charge location by comparing the predicted or current charge level to a second charge threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising navigating the vehicle away from a photovoltaic charge location upon a determination that a cost of remaining at the photovoltaic charge location is greater than a benefit of remaining at the photovoltaic charge location.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the photovoltaic charge location is selected when the predicted or current charge level is above the second charge threshold, and the induction charge location is selected when the predicted or current charge level is not above the second charge threshold.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining the photovoltaic charge location based on a time at which the vehicle is intended to be operated.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining the photovoltaic charge location based on information received from a light sensor.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining the photovoltaic charge location based on information received from a smart light.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining the predicted charge level based on the current charge level, a predicted charge rate, and an amount of time until sunset.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising actuating the vehicle to provide a movement that can be sensed by a motion-actuated light in response to determining the motion-actuated light has turned off.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the light received by the vehicle is identified as being below the light threshold when the current time is after sunset.