Solar charged automotive vehicle having means to determine a parking location

• US 8,884,784 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kirsch, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US13/459,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20130285841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/636.1, 340/438, 701/532, 701/439
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles

Abstract

An automotive vehicle having at least one solar panel, a battery rechargeable by the at least one solar panel, and a computer system including one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs. The program(s) generate a list of parking locations, determine which of the one or more parking location provide sun exposure, and recommending at least one parking location to a vehicle operator.

Claims

1. An automotive vehicle comprising at least one solar panel, a battery rechargeable by the at least one solar panel, and a computer system including one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs, said program requesting input of an anticipated parking duration, generating a list of parking facilities, determining which one or more parking facilities provide sun exposure, and recommending at least one parking facility to a vehicle operator, said program further calculating at least one optimal parking space within said parking facility based on at least one of vehicle orientation, time of day, date, shading and vehicle tilt, and directing the vehicle operator to said at least one optimal parking space.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein a database of parking locations is maintained in said memory or accessed remotely via one of satellite and cellular network communications.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, including a GPS.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein one or more of said programs provides a mapping function.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein one or more of said programs determines weather conditions at an anticipated parking location.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, further including at least one sensor determining vehicle tilt, said sensor in communication with said computer system to allow vehicle tilt to be assessed in determining optimal sun exposure.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said vehicle is directed to a parking space having optimal sun exposure at a point in time later in a parking period than at an initiation of the parking period.

7. A method for directing the parking of an automotive vehicle including at least one solar panel and a battery rechargeable by the at least one solar panel, the method comprises selecting an anticipated parking location, identifying parking facilities having surface or rooftop parking spaces geographically proximate to said parking location, assessing the identified parking facilities based on at least one of weather conditions, time of day and date, and shading and providing at least one recommended parking facility to a vehicle operator, said method further comprising assessing the parking spaces within said recommended parking facility based on at least one of weather conditions, time of day and date, and shading and recommending at least one optimal parking space to the vehicle operator.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of parking cost and anticipated duration of parking are assessed.

9. The method of claim 7, being performed by a smart phone.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising identifying real time available parking spaces via satellite or near field communication.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising reserving a parking space.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising advising the vehicle operator if a sufficient battery charge will be achieved to complete travel to a subsequent destination.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein said at least one recommended parking facility comprises a plug-in facility.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of providing the vehicle operator at least one of a predicted amount of time until an at least substantially fully charged battery is achieved and a predicted level of battery charge at the end of an anticipated duration of parking.

15. The method of claim 7 further comprising predicting an anticipated duration of parking.

16. The method of claim 7 being performed by a navigation system for said automotive vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said geographically proximate parking facilities are identified from a database stored on said navigation system or from a remote database accessed via a satellite or cellular network communication.

18. A navigation device for an associated, at least partially, solar powered vehicle comprising a display unit, a positioning unit for determining a location of said vehicle, an information database retaining or accessing a geographical position of parking locations, a control unit for calculating the sun exposure of parking spaces within the parking locations and instructing the display unit to display a parking space having optimal sun exposure.

19. The navigation device of claim 18, wherein the step of calculating the sun exposure comprises analyzing shading of the parking locations.