Mobile recharge station for autonomous vehicles
AssigneeReneu Robotics Corp.
InventorsTim Alan Matus, Michael Odell Blanton, John Henry Gold
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Mobile charging stations may be capable of charging multiple autonomous vehicles at more than one operating site, and may further include features whereby certain such implementations of mobile charging stations also act as mobile base stations (MBS) and/or as means of transportation for relocating autonomous vehicles from one site to another while recharging. Certain implementations herein disclosed may be self-propelled, towed, or able to be carried by other conveying means, and may include a variety of other features directly related to recharging or for performing other services.
Claims20
A mobile recharge station (MRS) for a ground-based autonomous vehicle, the MRS comprising:
- a mobile platform capable of self-relocating or being relocated from a first operating site to a second operating site while carrying the autonomous vehicle;
- a charging station coupled to the mobile platform and capable of charging the autonomous vehicle both when the MRS is not moving and when the MRS is relocating from a first location to a second location;
- and
- a GPS receiver for determining a satellite-signal-accurate (SSA) location for the MRS, determining offsets based at least in part on the SSA location, said offsets comprising the location difference between the determined SSA location for the MRS and a direct-survey accurate (DSA) location for the MRS, and communicating the offsets to the autonomous vehicle to enable the autonomous vehicle to determine a second DSA location by applying the offsets to a second GPS-determined location.
A mobile recharge station (MRS) for a ground-based autonomous vehicle, the MRS comprising:
- a mobile platform capable of self-relocating or being vehicularly-relocated from a first operating site to a second operating site while carrying the autonomous vehicle;
- a charging station coupled to the mobile platform and capable of charging the autonomous vehicle both when the MRS is not moving and when the MRS is relocating from a first location to a second location;
- a GPS receiver for determining a satellite-signal-accurate (SSA) location for the MRS, determining offsets based at least in part on the SSA location, said offsets comprising the location difference between the determined SSA location for the MRS and a direct-survey accurate (DSA) location for the MRS, and communicating the offsets to the autonomous vehicle to enable the autonomous vehicle to determine a second DSA location by applying the offsets to a second GPS-determined location;
- and
- on-board batteries for storing power for transfer to the autonomous vehicle.
A mobile recharge station (MRS) for a ground-based autonomous vehicle, the MRS comprising:
- a mobile platform comprising a GPS receiver for determining a satellite-signal-accurate (SSA) location for the MRS, determining offsets based at least in part on the SSA location, said offsets comprising the location difference between the determined SSA location for the MRS and a direct-survey accurate (DSA) location for the MRS, and communicating the offsets to the autonomous vehicle to enable the autonomous vehicle to determine a second DSA location by applying the offsets to a second GPS-determined location;
- a charging station coupled to the mobile platform and capable of charging the autonomous vehicle both when the MRS is not moving and when the MRS is relocating from a first location to a second location while carrying the autonomous vehicle;
- and
- stabilizing features for minimizing movement of the autonomous vehicle while relocating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.