Accessibility Assessment for EV Charging Stations

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Solution Overview

Problem

Charging stations for hybrid and electric vehicles can be difficult for individuals with disabilities to navigate due to physical challenges in locating and accessing charging ports, and existing systems lack personalized accessibility assessments for users with varying needs.

Innovation Solution

An accessibility system utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze charging station features and generate personalized accessibility profiles, providing heat maps and recommendations based on user preferences, and optionally guiding or autonomously driving to selected destinations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If traditional charging station systems are used, then charging functionality is provided, but accessibility for individuals with disabilities is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAccessibility for individuals with disabilitiesVSAvoidSystem complexity for accessibility assessment

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments accessibility assessment into multiple independent components: physical accessibility features (parking space dimensions, pathway clearance), charging port accessibility (port location, cable length, connector type), and auxiliary features (handrails, signage). Each component is evaluated separately and aggregated into an overall accessibility score, making the complex assessment manageable and systematic.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary accessibility assessment system that acts as a mediator between the charging station infrastructure and users with disabilities. This system collects data from multiple sources (images, reviews, databases), processes it through AI/ML algorithms, and provides personalized recommendations, thereby bridging the gap between existing charging stations and accessibility needs without requiring modification of the charging stations themselves.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If personalized accessibility assessments are implemented, then user-specific needs are met, but data processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovePersonalization for varying user needsVSAvoidVolume of data to be processed

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-collecting and storing accessibility data from multiple sources (website information, crowd-sourced reviews, satellite images, street view images) before users make requests. This pre-processing creates a ready-to-use database that can be quickly queried and matched with user profiles, reducing real-time processing requirements while still providing personalized assessments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual data collection and assessment methods with automated AI and machine learning systems. These systems automatically process images, text reviews, and structural data to extract accessibility features, substituting human effort with computational algorithms that can handle large volumes of data efficiently and scale to multiple users simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If comprehensive accessibility data collection is performed, then assessment accuracy is improved, but time required for evaluation increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAccessibility assessment accuracyVSAvoidTime for data collection and processing

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements multi-functionality by using a single integrated AI/ML platform that simultaneously processes multiple types of data (images, text, structural information) and performs multiple assessment tasks (physical accessibility evaluation, charging port accessibility analysis, route optimization). This universal approach allows comprehensive data collection without proportionally increasing processing time, as the same computational infrastructure handles all assessment functions concurrently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20250304116A1Accessibility discovery, assessment, and recommendation for vehicle charging locations and other requested destinations

Publication Date: 2025.10.02 GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC

AI summary

A vehicle system includes a transceiver that collects source data from sources. An accessibility module: receives a request for a final destination from a user; determine a route from a current location to the final destination; obtains user criteria information for features of destinations along the route; collects the source data via the transceiver and regarding the features of the destinations; based on the source data and the user criteria information, scores each of the destinations to generate scores; based on the scores, displays a heat map and a recommendation to the user, where the heat map is indicative of the scores respectively of the destinations, and where the scores are specific to the user; and receives an input selecting one of the destinations. A vehicle control module, based on the selected destination, guides the user to or autonomously drives the vehicle to the selected destination.