System and method for a battery on wheels (BoW) for charging mobile battery-operated units

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11890957-B2
Application number	US-202117306553-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2021
Priority date	May 6, 2020
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods described herein relate generally to autonomous mobile units carrying a modular configurable battery system that may attach and power mobile units in transportation systems. A method can include determining charge levels, current positions, and transport speeds for an electric vehicle (EV), identifying one or more EVs in need of charging, and mobilizing a Mobile Charging Station (MoCS) to deliver one or more external batteries. A processor, with a memory including computer program code, can be configured to receive current charge level data for mobile battery-powered entities, identify one or more EVs to be charged and the proximity of both MoCS and physical battery stations, and send charging instructions to the EVs. A routing and charge transaction scheduling algorithm can be used to optimize the route of one or more battery-powered entities and to schedule charge transactions between the EV and MoCS and/or the battery station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors and originating from a mobile battery-powered entity in a transportation system, a mobile charging request, the mobile charging request comprising at least a location of the mobile battery-powered entity;
determining, by the one or more processors and based at least in part on the location of the mobile battery-powered entity, a location of each of a plurality of mobile charging stations, and a charge level of each of the plurality of mobile charging stations, a mobile charging station from among said plurality of mobile charging stations to be deployed for mobile charging of the mobile battery-powered entity; and
causing, by the one or more processors, deployment of the mobile charging station by sending a deployment request to the mobile charging station, the deployment request comprising at least the location of the mobile battery-powered entity.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, originating from the mobile charging station, an indication regarding whether the mobile charging station has reached a location within a predetermined distance of a current position of the mobile battery-powered entity such that the mobile charging station can establish electrical communication with the mobile battery-powered entity or deploy an external battery unit to be supported by a portion of the mobile battery-powered entity;
in an instance in which said indication is an affirmative indication, causing the mobile charging station to establish electrical communication with the mobile battery-powered entity or causing the mobile charging station to deploy at least one external battery unit to the current position of the mobile battery-powered entity while the battery-powered entity continues to travel through the transportation network, the deployed at least one external battery unit carrying a replenishing supply of charge; and
causing transfer of at least a portion of the replenishing supply of electrical charge from the at least one external battery unit to the mobile battery-powered entity.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile charging request further comprises charge network subscriber information associated with an operator of the mobile battery-powered entity.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
causing transfer of a replenishing supply of electrical charge from the mobile charging station or at least one external battery unit deployed from the mobile charging station to the mobile battery-powered entity;
tolling an amount of said replenishing supply of electrical charge transferred to the mobile battery-powered entity; and
charging, based at least in part on said charge network subscriber information, said operator for said amount of said replenishing supply of electrical charge transferred to the mobile battery-powered entity.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile charging request further comprises a destination of the mobile battery-powered entity.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining a deployment pathway of the mobile charging station deployed in the transportation network or receiving, originating from the mobile charging station, information regarding said deployment pathway;
determining a destination and a desired route of the mobile battery-powered entity; and
determining, based at least on the destination and the desired route of the mobile battery-powered entity and the deployment pathway of the mobile charging station, whether to modify the desired route of the mobile battery-powered entity.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
in an instance in which said determining whether to modify is determining to modify the desired route of the mobile battery-powered entity, determining a proposed alternative route for the mobile battery-powered entity based at least in part on said destination of the mobile battery-powered entity and the deployment pathway of the mobile charging station;
transmitting the proposed alternative route to the mobile battery-powered entity with a request that the mobile battery-powered entity travel through said transportation network according to the proposed alternative route; and
receiving, from the mobile battery-powered entity, an indication of whether the mobile battery-powered entity will commence traveling through said transportation network according to the proposed alternative route.

8. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least:
receiving, originating from a mobile battery-powered entity in a transportation system, a mobile charging request, the mobile charging request comprising at least a location of the mobile battery-powered entity;
determining, based at least in part on the location of the mobile battery-powered entity, a location of each of a plurality of mobile charging stations, and a charge level of each of the plurality of mobile charging stations, a mobile charging station from among said plurality of mobile charging stations to be deployed for mobile charging of the mobile battery-powered entity; and

causing deployment of the mobile charging station by sending a deployment request to the mobile charging station, the deployment request comprising at least the location of the mobile battery-powered entity.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the instructions stored on the at least one memory, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to perform:
receiving, originating from the mobile charging station, an indication regarding whether the mobile charging station has reached a location within a predetermined distance of a current position of the mobile battery-powered entity such that the mobile charging station can establish electrical communication with the mobile battery-powered entity or deploy an external battery unit to be supported by a portion of the mobile battery-powered entity;
in an instance in which said indication is an affirmative indication, causing the mobile charging station to establish electrical communication with the mobile battery-powered entity or cause the mobile charging station to deploy at least one external battery unit to the current position of the mobile battery-powered entity while the battery-powered entity continues to travel through the transportation network, the deployed at least one external battery unit carrying a replenishing supply of charge; and
causing transfer of at least a portion of the replenishing supply of electrical charge from the at least one external battery unit to the mobile battery-powered entity.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the mobile charging request further comprises charge network subscriber information associated with an operator of the mobile battery-powered entity.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the instructions stored on the at least one memory, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to perform:
causing transfer of a replenishing supply of electrical charge from the mobile charging station or at least one external battery unit deployed from the mobile charging station to the mobile battery-powered entity;
tolling an amount of said replenishing supply of electrical charge transferred to the mobile battery-powered entity; and
charging, based at least in part on said charge network subscriber information, said operator for said amount of said replenishing supply of electrical charge transferred to the mobile battery-powered entity.

12. The apparatu

Assignees

• Univ Florida

Inventors

• Chakraborty Prabuddha
• Bhunia Swarup
• Vega Christopher M

Classifications

• B60L53/35 Primary

  Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles · CPC title

• B60L53/53

  Batteries · CPC title

• B60L53/57

  Charging stations without connection to power networks · CPC title

• B60L53/665

  Methods related to measuring, billing or payment · CPC title

• B60L53/67

  Controlling two or more charging stations · CPC title