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US 11,628,735 B2Granted
Electric vehicle charging using light detection
AssigneeABB Schweiz AG
InventorsGregory A. Cole, Sree Shankar, Daniel T. Lasko, Harshang Shah
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A charge head is connected to a charge inlet of an electric vehicle to supply an electric charge to recharge the battery of the vehicle. The charge head is attached to a connecting device that moves the charge head to the charge inlet. Multiple light detectors are provided on the charge head to sense light emitted from the vehicle. The system then uses a difference in the amount of light received by different light detectors to determine a direction to move the charge head toward the charge inlet.
Claims19
A method of locating a charge inlet on an electric vehicle, comprising:
- sensing a first light with a first light detector and a second light detector, wherein the first light being emitted from the electrical vehicle;
- determining a difference between the first light sensed by the first light detector and the first light sensed by the second light detector;
- and
- moving a charge head toward the charge inlet based on the determined difference;
- wherein moving the charge head toward the charge inlet comprises rotating the charge head when the determined difference in the first light sensed between the first and second light detectors is above a threshold and comprises advancing the charge head in the direction of the first light when the determined difference in the first light sensed between the first and second light detectors is below the threshold.
2 more elements
A method of locating a charge inlet on an electric vehicle, comprising:
- sensing a first light with a first light detector and a second light detector, wherein the first light being emitted from the electrical vehicle;
- determining a difference between the first light sensed by the first light detector and the first light sensed by the second light detector;
- moving a charge head toward the charge inlet based on the determined difference;
- and
- a second source of a second light disposed on the charge head, the second source emitting the second light toward the electric vehicle, the first light detector sensing the second light after the second light reflects back from the electric vehicle, and further comprising determining a distance between the charge head and the electric vehicle based on an amount of time between emitting the second light from the second source and sensing the second light by the first light detector, and wherein the charge head is moved toward the charge inlet based on the determined distance.
2 more elements
A method of locating a charge inlet on an electric vehicle, comprising:
- sensing a first light with a first light detector and a second light detector, wherein the first light being emitted from the electrical vehicle;
- determining a difference between the first light sensed by the first light detector and the first light sensed by the second light detector;
- moving a charge head toward the charge inlet based on the determined difference;
- sensing a stepwise change in an intensity of the first light sensed by the first or second light detector, the stepwise change indicating surfaces of the charge inlet illuminated by the first light or a first source of the first light, the charge head being aligned with the charge inlet based on the stepwise change;
- and
- wherein in response to the stepwise change a second source emits a second light toward the electric vehicle, the first light detector sensing the second light after the second light reflects back from the electric vehicle, and further comprising determining a distance between the charge head and the electric vehicle based on an amount of time between emitting the second light from the second source and sensing the second light by the first light detector, and wherein the charge head is aligned with the charge inlet based on the determined distance.
3 more elements
A method of locating a charge inlet on an electric vehicle, comprising:
- sensing a first light with a first light detector and a second light detector, wherein the first light being emitted from the electrical vehicle;
- determining a difference between the first light sensed by the first light detector and the first light sensed by the second light detector;
- and
- moving a charge head toward the charge inlet based on the determined difference;
- wherein the charge head comprises an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic detector, the ultrasonic transmitter emitting an ultrasonic signal toward the electric vehicle, the ultrasonic detector sensing the ultrasonic signal after the ultrasonic signal reflects back from the electric vehicle, further comprising determining a distance between the charge head and the electric vehicle based on an amount of time between emitting the ultrasonic signal from the ultrasonic transmitter and sensing the ultrasonic signal by the ultrasonic detector, and wherein the charge head is moved toward the charge inlet based on the determined distance.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.