Vehicle sensor operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11916420-B2
Application number	US-202117199768-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2021
Priority date	Mar 12, 2021
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

A charge level of a sensor battery providing power to a sensor in a vehicle is determined. A charge depletion of the sensor battery is determined based on the charge level. A recharge rate to recharge the sensor battery is determined based on a time elapsed on a previously traveled path, a current charge level, and the charge depletion. Upon activation of the vehicle, one or both of a propulsion or a vehicle battery is actuated to recharge the sensor battery at the recharge rate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising a computer including a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:
determine a charge level of a sensor battery providing power to a sensor in a vehicle;
determine a charge depletion of the sensor battery based on the charge level;
determine a recharge rate to recharge the sensor battery based on a time elapsed on a previously traveled path, a current charge level, and the charge depletion; and
upon activation of a vehicle, actuate one or both of a propulsion or a vehicle battery to recharge the sensor battery at the recharge rate.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to deactivate one or more components of the vehicle to recharge the sensor battery at the recharge rate.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to, upon receiving user input to deactivate the vehicle, determine that the charge level of the sensor battery is below a threshold and send a request to a user interface to maintain actuation of the propulsion or the vehicle battery to recharge the sensor battery.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the time elapsed on the previously traveled path is one of a plurality of times on respective previously traveled paths, and the instructions further include instructions to identify the recharge rate based on a mean of the plurality of times.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to determine the recharge rate by determining a change in the charge level of the sensor battery from a current charge level to a threshold charge level, and to divide the change in the charge level of the sensor battery by the time elapsed on the previously traveled path.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to determine the charge depletion as a combined charge depletion of the sensor battery of a plurality of previously traveled paths.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to determine the recharge rate by determining a charge rate to restore the charge level of the sensor battery above a threshold prior to completion of one and only one traveled path.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the threshold is based on a decrease in charge level from initiation of a first of the previously traveled paths to an end of a last of the previously traveled paths.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to, upon detecting deactivation of the vehicle, actuate the sensor to collect data of an environment around the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to reduce a data collection rate of the sensor when the charge level of the sensor battery is below a charge threshold.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to actuate a second sensor upon detecting deactivation of the vehicle, the second sensor powered by the sensor battery, and to deactivate one of the sensor or the second sensor when the charge level of the sensor battery is below the charge threshold.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to deactivate the other of the sensor or the second sensor when an elapsed time from the deactivation of the vehicle exceeds a time threshold.

13. A method, comprising:
determining a charge level of a sensor battery providing power to a sensor;
determining a charge depletion of the sensor battery based on the charge level;
determining a recharge rate to recharge the sensor battery based on a time elapsed on a previously traveled path, a current charge level, and the charge depletion; and
upon activation of a vehicle, actuating one or both of a propulsion or a vehicle battery to recharge the sensor battery at the recharge rate.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising deactivating one or more components of the vehicle to recharge the sensor battery at the recharge rate.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising, upon receiving user input to deactivate the vehicle, determining that the charge level of the sensor battery is below a threshold and sending a request to a user interface to maintain actuation of the propulsion or the vehicle battery to recharge the sensor battery.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the time elapsed on the previously traveled path is one of a plurality of times on respective previously traveled paths, and the method further comprises determining the recharge rate based on a mean of the plurality of times.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining the charge depletion as a combined charge depletion of the sensor battery of a plurality of previously traveled paths and identifying the recharge rate based on the combined charge depletion.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising determining the recharge rate by determining a charge rate to restore the charge level of the sensor battery above a threshold prior to completion of one and only one traveled path.

19. The method of claim 13 , further comprising, upon detecting deactivation of the vehicle, actuating the sensor to collect data of an environment around the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising actuating a second sensor upon detecting deactivation of the vehicle, the second sensor powered by the sensor battery, and deactivating one of the sensor or the second sensor when the charge level of the sensor battery is below the charge threshold.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Salter Stuart C
• Bilger Donald Paul
• Safir Tarik
• Van Wiemeersch John Robert
• Deljevic Zeljko
• Harris Sam

Classifications

• H02J7/82 Primary

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H02J7/0048 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• B60L3/0038

  relating to sensors · CPC title

• B60L58/14

  Preventing excessive discharging · CPC title

• G07C5/008 Primary

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title