EV Charging Parking Guidance for Cable-Reachable Vehicle Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drivers of electric or hybrid vehicles face challenges in positioning their vehicles correctly with respect to charging stations due to varying locations of charging ports and different arrangements of charging stations and cables.
Innovation Solution
A driver assistance system and method that retrieve information about the vehicle's charging port, the charging station's position, and the cable length, and use this information to determine suitable vehicle positions for easy connection without repositioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If drivers manually position vehicles at charging stations without assistance, then drivers have full control over vehicle placement, but positioning accuracy deteriorates leading to connection difficulties and potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning with an automated optical/image processing system. The driver assistance system uses images captured by sensors to automatically determine the charging station's position and calculate the optimal vehicle parking position, substituting the driver's manual judgment and physical positioning actions with automated computational methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary computational system that mediates between the charging station environment and the vehicle positioning. The driver assistance system acts as an intermediary by processing images, identifying the charging station, calculating relative positions, and providing guidance information to the driver, thereby bridging the gap between the physical charging station and the vehicle's charging port.
2Adaptability or versatility
If charging stations are arranged in different positions and orientations, then charging station versatility is improved, but vehicle positioning difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the vehicle positioning adaptive to different charging station arrangements. Instead of requiring fixed charging station positions, the system dynamically calculates the optimal vehicle parking position based on the actual detected position and orientation of the charging station, allowing the solution to adapt to various configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of vehicle positioning based on the detected charging station parameters. By identifying the charging station's position and orientation in the image and calculating relative position relationships, the system adjusts the recommended vehicle parking position to match the specific charging station configuration, thereby handling diverse arrangements effectively.
3Adaptability or versatility
If charging cable length varies among different charging stations, then charging station adaptability is improved, but connection reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by determining the optimal vehicle parking position before the driver attempts to connect the charging cable. By pre-calculating the position that ensures the charging port is within reachable distance of the charging station, considering cable length constraints, the system prevents connection failures before they occur.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method comprises, in response to identifying a parking spot having a charging station for electric or hybrid vehicles, retrieving first information concerning a location of a charging port on a vehicle, retrieving second information concerning a position of the charging station with respect to the identified parking spot, and retrieving third information concerning a length of a charging cable of the charging station. The method further comprises, based on the first, second, and third information, determining one or more suitable positions of the vehicle on the identified parking spot with respect to the charging station that allow the vehicle to be connected to the charging station by means of the charging cable, and presenting at least one of the one or more suitable positions of the vehicle to a driver of the vehicle.