Systems and methods for determining preferred battery capacities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12204297-B2
Application number	US-202217652421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2022
Priority date	Feb 24, 2022
Publication date	Jan 21, 2025
Grant date	Jan 21, 2025

Abstract

The disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for determining preferred battery capacities. In an example method, a first set of data associated with scooter usage in a geographic area may be received. A first number of battery packs and a second number of battery packs for servicing the geographic area may be determined based at least on the first set of data, where the first number of battery packs has a first power capacity and the second number of battery packs has a second power capacity. A first cost associated with the first number of battery packs and a second cost associated with the second number of battery packs may be determined via a simulation model. The first cost may be determined to be lower than the second cost, and the first number of battery packs having the first power capacity may be selected to service the geographic area.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving a first set of data associated with scooter usage in a geographic area, the first set of data including one or more of: a number of scooters used in the geographic area, a number of scooter trips made in the geographic area, a distance travelled by each scooter in the geographic area, and a battery depletion state of each scooter in the geographic area;
determining, based at least in part on the first set of data, a first number of battery packs for servicing the geographic area, wherein the first number of battery packs has a first power capacity;
determining, based at least in part on the first set of data, a second number of battery packs for servicing the geographic area, wherein the second number of battery packs has a second power capacity;
determining, via a simulation model, a first cost of the first number of battery packs;
determining, via the simulation model, a second cost of the second number of battery packs;
determining that the first cost is lower than the second cost;

selecting the first number of battery packs having the first power capacity;
physically placing a first subset of the first number of battery packs at a first charging station in the geographic area; and
physically placing a second subset of the first number of battery packs at a second charging station in the geographic area.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the simulation model comprises Monte Carlo simulation.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
randomizing a number of scooter trips associated with each scooter in the geographic area;
randomizing a distance traveled by the each scooter in the geographic area; or
randomizing a battery depletion state of the each scooter in the geographic area.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a subset of the first number of battery packs to be used for a scooter.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, based at least in part on the first set of data, a third number of battery packs for servicing the geographic area, wherein the third number of battery packs has a third power capacity;
determining, via the simulation model, a third cost of the third number of battery packs;
determining that the third cost is lower than the first cost; and
selecting the third number of battery packs having the third power capacity to service the geographic area.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Sohmshetty Raj
• Rajendra Vikas
• Hoff Sam
• Berg James
• Beltran Alan

Classifications

• B60L3/12

  Recording operating variables {; Monitoring of operating variables} · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• B60L53/64 Primary

  Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates · CPC title

• B60L53/80

  Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries · CPC title

• G08G1/202

  Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching · CPC title