Autonomous electric vehicle charging
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for automatically recharging an autonomous electric vehicle, comprising:
- detecting, by one or more sensors disposed within the autonomous electric vehicle, charge information associated with a charge level of a battery of the autonomous electric vehicle;
generating, by the one or more processors, a predicted use profile for the autonomous electric vehicle based upon prior vehicle use data;
determining, by the one or more processors, a time and a location at which to charge the battery based upon the charge level and the predicted use profile;
controlling, by the one or more processors, the autonomous electric vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the determined location at the determined time;
causing, by the one or more processors, the battery of the autonomous electric vehicle to charge at the location;
determining, by the one or more processors, a return location for the vehicle; and
controlling, by the one or more processors, the autonomous electric 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 electric vehicles may be automatically recharged by routing the vehicles to available charging stations when not in operation, according to methods described herein. A charge level of the battery of an autonomous electric vehicle may be monitored until it reaches a recharging 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 recharge may be determined. In some embodiments, the vehicle may be controlled to automatically travel to a charging station, recharge the battery, and return to its starting location in order to recharge when not in use.
956 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for automatically recharging an autonomous electric vehicle, comprising:
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detecting, by one or more sensors disposed within the autonomous electric vehicle, charge information associated with a charge level of a battery of the autonomous electric vehicle; generating, by the one or more processors, a predicted use profile for the autonomous electric vehicle based upon prior vehicle use data; determining, by the one or more processors, a time and a location at which to charge the battery based upon the charge level and the predicted use profile; controlling, by the one or more processors, the autonomous electric vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the determined location at the determined time; causing, by the one or more processors, the battery of the autonomous electric vehicle to charge at the location; determining, by the one or more processors, a return location for the vehicle; and controlling, by the one or more processors, the autonomous electric vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the return location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A computer system for automatically recharging an autonomous electric vehicle, comprising:
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one or more processors disposed within the autonomous electric vehicle; one or more sensors disposed within the autonomous electric 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; detect charge information associated with a charge level of a battery of the autonomous electric vehicle using the one or more sensors; generate a predicted use profile for the autonomous electric vehicle based upon prior vehicle use data; determine a time and a location at which to charge the battery based upon the charge level and the predicted use profile; control the autonomous electric vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the determined location at the determined time; cause the battery of the autonomous electric vehicle to charge at the location; determine a return location for the vehicle; and control the autonomous electric vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the return location. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions for automatically recharging an autonomous electric vehicle that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to:
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detect charge information associated with a charge level of a battery of the autonomous electric vehicle using one or more sensors disposed within the autonomous electric vehicle; generate a predicted use profile for the autonomous electric vehicle based upon prior vehicle use data; determine a time and a location at which to charge the battery based upon the charge level and the predicted use profile; control the autonomous electric vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the determined location at the determined time; cause the battery of the autonomous electric vehicle to charge at the location; determine a return location for the vehicle; and control the autonomous electric vehicle to travel fully autonomously to the return location. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification