Automated recharging system and method for an electric vehicle using RFID tags
First Claim
1. An automated recharging system comprising:
- an electric vehicle having;
a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) having a charge level;
a charging receptacle in electrical communication with the RESS;
a plurality of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags arranged in an array around the charging receptacle, each of the RFID tags having a primary reception zone with an associated tag identification (ID) value;
a first controller configured to monitor the electric vehicle, the charge level of the RESS, and the charging receptacle;
a charging apparatus having;
a charging plug configured to mate with the charging receptacle of the electric vehicle to recharge the RESS;
a movement mechanism configured to substantially align the charging plug with the charging receptacle, and to insert the charging plug into the charging receptacle, wherein the movement mechanism is configured to move the charging plug relative to the charging receptacle between a plugged position and an unplugged position;
a RFID reader configured to read at least one of the plurality of RFID tags;
a second controller configured to communicate with the first controller, to communicate with the RFID reader, to control the movement mechanism, and to initiate and terminate recharging of the RESS; and
wherein, in the plugged position, the charging plug is in contact with the charging receptacle; and
wherein at least two of the primary reception zones of the RFID tags overlap to create at least one secondary reception zone having an associated tag sum value equal to the sum of the tag ID values associated with the at least two overlapping primary reception zones, and one of the tag ID values or the tag sum value is assigned to a location of a charging receptacle zone.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automated recharging system includes an electric vehicle and a charging apparatus. The electric vehicle includes a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), a charging receptacle, and a first controller configured to monitor the status of the electric vehicle and the charge level of the RESS. The charging apparatus includes a charging plug configured to mate with the charging receptacle to recharge the RESS, and a movement mechanism to substantially align the charging plug with and insert it into the charging receptacle. The charging apparatus also includes a second controller to control the movement mechanism and to communicate with the first controller. The electric vehicle further includes an array of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags arranged around the charging receptacle, and the charging apparatus further includes a RFID reader configured to read the RFID tags to determine the location of the charging plug in relation to the charging receptacle.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An automated recharging system comprising:
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an electric vehicle having; a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) having a charge level; a charging receptacle in electrical communication with the RESS; a plurality of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags arranged in an array around the charging receptacle, each of the RFID tags having a primary reception zone with an associated tag identification (ID) value; a first controller configured to monitor the electric vehicle, the charge level of the RESS, and the charging receptacle; a charging apparatus having; a charging plug configured to mate with the charging receptacle of the electric vehicle to recharge the RESS; a movement mechanism configured to substantially align the charging plug with the charging receptacle, and to insert the charging plug into the charging receptacle, wherein the movement mechanism is configured to move the charging plug relative to the charging receptacle between a plugged position and an unplugged position; a RFID reader configured to read at least one of the plurality of RFID tags; a second controller configured to communicate with the first controller, to communicate with the RFID reader, to control the movement mechanism, and to initiate and terminate recharging of the RESS; and wherein, in the plugged position, the charging plug is in contact with the charging receptacle; and wherein at least two of the primary reception zones of the RFID tags overlap to create at least one secondary reception zone having an associated tag sum value equal to the sum of the tag ID values associated with the at least two overlapping primary reception zones, and one of the tag ID values or the tag sum value is assigned to a location of a charging receptacle zone. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for automatically recharging an electric vehicle via a charging apparatus, the electric vehicle having a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), a charging receptacle, a plurality of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, and a first controller, and the charging apparatus having a charging plug, a movement mechanism, a RFID reader, and a second controller, the method comprising:
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receiving, by the second controller, a first signal from the first controller indicating that the electric vehicle is parked and ready for recharging; substantially aligning the charging plug with the charging receptacle, wherein the substantial aligning of the charging plug with the charging receptacle comprises; receiving, by the RFID reader, at least one tag ID value from an associated RFID tag; transmitting the at least one tag ID value to the second controller; calculating, by the second controller, a tag sum value; processing the tag sum value to determine an initial location of the charging plug in relation to the charging receptacle; and moving, by the movement mechanism, the charging plug such that the charging plug is substantially aligned with the charging receptacle; inserting, by the movement mechanism, the charging plug into the charging receptacle; charging the RESS of the electric vehicle; and wherein the plurality of RFID tags are arranged in an array around the charging receptacle, and each RFID tag has a primary reception zone with an associated tag ID value. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for automatically recharging an electric vehicle via a charging apparatus, the electric vehicle having a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), a charging receptacle, a plurality of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, and a first controller, and the charging apparatus having a charging plug, a movement mechanism, a RFID reader, and a second controller, the method comprising:
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receiving, by the second controller, a first signal from the first controller indicating that the electric vehicle is parked and ready for recharging; substantially aligning the charging plug with the charging receptacle; inserting, by the movement mechanism, the charging plug into the charging receptacle; charging the RESS of the electric vehicle; wherein the plurality of RFID tags are arranged in an array around the charging receptacle, and each RFID tag has a primary reception zone with an associated tag ID value; and wherein at least two of the primary reception zones of the RFID tags overlap to create at least one secondary reception zone having an associated tag sum value equal to the sum of the tag ID values associated with the at least two overlapping primary reception zones, and wherein one of the tag ID values or the tag sum value is assigned to a location of a charging receptacle zone.
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Specification