Vehicle to vehicle charge cable acquisition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11498447-B2
Application number	US-202017131151-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2020
Priority date	Dec 22, 2020
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

A vehicle includes a controller that sends a charge request defining a charge location to a charge donor vehicle for vehicle-to-vehicle charging, responsive to not detecting a charge cable that satisfies the charge request in the vehicle and the charge donor vehicle, sends a borrow request including the charge location to a charge cable donor vehicle, and responsive to confirmation from the charge donor vehicle and charge cable donor vehicle, directs the vehicle to drive to the charge location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a traction battery; and
a controller programmed to
responsive to detecting a state-of-charge of the traction battery being less than a threshold, send a charge request defining a charge location to a charge donor vehicle for vehicle-to-vehicle charging,
responsive to not detecting a charge cable that satisfies the charge request in the vehicle and the charge donor vehicle, send a borrow request including the charge location to a charge cable donor vehicle, and
responsive to confirmation from the charge donor vehicle and charge cable donor vehicle, direct the vehicle to drive to the charge location.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to direct the vehicle to autonomously drive to the charge location.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to, responsive to receiving from the charge donor vehicle a counteroffer proposing to modify the charge request, modify the charge request.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to, responsive to detecting the charge cable being returned to the charge cable donor vehicle, permit activation of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the charge request includes a charge amount, a charge time, and a charge port configuration for the vehicle and the charge donor vehicle.

6. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the charge request further includes a charge cable requirement.

7. A method comprising:
sending a charge request defining a charge location to a charge donor vehicle for vehicle-to-vehicle charging;
sending a borrow request including the charge location to a charge cable donor vehicle for charge cable acquisition;
receiving confirmation that the charge request and borrow request have been accepted; and
directing a vehicle to drive to the charge location.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the sending the charge request is responsive to detecting a state-of-charge of a traction battery being less than a threshold.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the sending the borrow request is responsive to not detecting a charge cable that satisfies the charge request in the vehicle and the charge donor vehicle.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the directing includes autonomously driving the vehicle to the charge location.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising modifying the charge request responsive to receiving from the charge donor vehicle a counteroffer proposing to modify the charge request.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising permitting activation of the vehicle responsive to detecting the charge cable being returned to the charge cable donor vehicle.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the charge request includes a charge amount, a charge time, and a charge port configuration for the vehicle and the charge donor vehicle.

14. A power system for a vehicle, comprising:
a controller programmed to send a charge request defining a charge location and a charge cable requirement to a charge donor vehicle for vehicle-to-vehicle charging, send a borrow request to a charge cable donor vehicle after acceptance of the charge request by the charge donor vehicle and indication of lack of availability of a charge cable that can satisfy the charge cable requirement, and direct the vehicle to drive to the charge location after acceptance of the borrow request by the charge cable donor vehicle.

15. The power system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further programmed to send the charge request responsive to detecting a state-of-charge of a traction battery of the vehicle being less than a threshold.

16. The power system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further programmed to direct the vehicle to autonomously drive to the charge location.

17. The power system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further programmed to permit activation of the vehicle after receiving indication that the charge cable has been returned to the charge cable donor vehicle.

18. The power system of claim 14 , wherein the charge request includes a charge amount, a charge time, and a charge port configuration.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Salter Stuart C
• Howard-Cone Katherine
• Campanaro Justin Carmen
• Harirchi Farshad
• Dave Devang Bhalchandra

Classifications

• B60L58/12 Primary

  responding to state of charge [SoC] · CPC title

• Y04S30/12

  Remote or cooperative charging · CPC title

• B60L58/13

  Maintaining the SoC within a determined range · CPC title

• Y04S30/14

  Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing · CPC title

• B60L53/18

  Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles · CPC title