Granted Patent B2

US 12,609,035 · App. 17/882,672 · Granted Apr 21, 2026

Inventors: Norman Lu (Fairview, TX); Maximilian Parness (Takoma Park, MD)

Assignees: TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.; TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

G08G1/202B60L58/13G06Q30/0205G06Q50/06B60L2240/62

Abstract

Claims (79)

1 . A method performed by a processor, the method comprising:

analyzing an impact on an electric grid caused by a resource delivery issue;

identifying an area affected by the impact;

dispatching vehicles to provide electricity to locations within the area; and

controlling the vehicles at the locations to perform a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) transfer of energy to the electric grid;

monitoring a state of charge of each dispatched vehicle in real-time during the transfer;

dynamically adjusting an amount of energy transferred from each vehicle based on grid demand, vehicle constraints, and energy reserve thresholds; and

ensuring that each vehicle retains a minimum charge level required for one or more returning to its base location or fulfilling subsequent tasks.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying the issue with the delivery of the resource comprises:

receiving a notification from a provider of the resource of a limited resource supply;

comparing a current level of the resource to a threshold; and

notifying the electricity provider in response to the current level of the resource being below the threshold.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the analyzing the impact comprises:

predicting the issue with the delivery of the resource will exist for a time period;

estimating an electrical demand during the time period; and

calculating a difference between the issue with the resource and the electrical demand.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying the area comprises:

retrieving a geographical area serviced by the electricity provider; and

designating a portion of the geographical area as the area based on electricity lost in the portion of the geographical area.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dispatching the vehicles to provide electricity comprises:

identifying vehicles proximate to the area;

selecting a subset of the vehicles equipped with V2G capabilities and sufficient electricity storage;

transmitting instructions to the subset of the vehicles to proceed to the locations within the area; and

coordinating a V2G energy transfer between the subset of vehicles and grid infrastructure in the area to provide electricity to the locations within the area.

6 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:

selecting vehicles having an available electricity amount above a first threshold and a vehicle availability above a second threshold; and

dispatching the selected vehicles to provide electricity to locations within the area.

7 . A system, comprising:

a processor that, when executing instructions stored in a memory, is configured to:

analyze an impact on an electric grid caused by a resource delivery issue;

identify an area affected by the impact;

dispatch vehicles to provide electricity to locations within the area; and

control the vehicles at the locations to perform a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) transfer of energy to the electric grid;

monitor a state of charge of each dispatched vehicle in real-time during the transfer;

dynamically adjust an amount of energy transferred from each vehicle based on grid demand, vehicle constraints, and energy reserve thresholds; and

ensure that each vehicle retains a minimum charge level required for one or more returning to its base location or fulfilling subsequent tasks.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein when the processor identifies the issue with the delivery of the resource, the processor is further configured to:

receive a notification from a provider of the resource of a limited resource supply;

compare a current level of the resource to a threshold; and

notify the electricity provider in response to the current level of the resource being below the threshold.

9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein when the processor analyzes the impact, the processor is further configured to:

predict the issue with the delivery of the resource will exist for an upcoming time period;

estimate an electrical demand during the time period; and

calculate a difference between the issue with the resource and the electrical demand.

10 . The system of claim 7 , wherein when the processor identifies the area, the processor is further configured to:

retrieve a geographical area serviced by the electricity provider; and

designate a portion of the geographical area as the area based on electricity lost in the portion of the geographical area.

11 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the processor dispatches the vehicles to provide electricity, the processor is further configured to:

identify vehicles proximate to the area;

select a subset of the vehicles equipped with V2G capabilities and sufficient electricity storage;

transmit instructions to the subset of the vehicles to proceed to the locations within the area; and

coordinate a V2G energy transfer between the subset of vehicles and grid infrastructure in the area to provide electricity to the locations within the area.

12 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to:

select vehicles that have an available electricity amount above a first threshold and a vehicle availability above a second threshold; and

dispatch the selected vehicles to provide electricity to locations within the area.

13 . A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform:

analyzing an impact on an electric grid caused by a resource delivery issue;

identifying an area affected by the impact;

dispatching vehicles to provide electricity to locations within the area;

controlling the vehicles at the locations to perform a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) transfer of energy to the electric grid;

monitoring a state of charge of each dispatched vehicle in real-time during the transfer;

dynamically adjusting an amount of energy transferred from each vehicle based on grid demand, vehicle constraints, and energy reserve thresholds; and

ensuring that each vehicle retains a minimum charge level required for one or more returning to its base location or fulfilling subsequent tasks.

14 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the identifying the issue with the delivery of the resource comprises:

receiving a notification from a provider of the resource of a limited resource supply;

comparing a current level of the resource to a threshold; and

notifying the electricity provider in response to the current level of the resource being below the threshold.

15 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the analyzing the impact comprises:

predicting the issue with the delivery of the resource will exist for an upcoming time period;

estimating an electrical demand during the time period; and

calculating a difference between the issue with the resource and the electrical demand.

16 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the identifying the area comprises:

retrieving a geographical area serviced by the electricity provider; and

designating a portion of the geographical area as the area based on electricity lost in the portion of the geographical area.

17 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein dispatching the vehicles to provide electricity comprises:

identifying vehicles proximate to the area;

selecting a subset of the vehicles equipped with V2G capabilities and sufficient electricity storage;

transmitting instructions to the subset of the vehicles to proceed to the locations within the area; and

coordinating a V2G energy transfer between the subset of vehicles and grid infrastructure in the area to provide electricity to the locations within the area.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (46)