Granted Patent B2

US 12,449,268 · App. 17/991,771 · Granted Oct 21, 2025

Inventors: James G. Swartz (Prosper, TX); Alexander M. Gross (Allen, TX); James D. Wilder (Dallas, TX); James J. George (Frisco, TX)

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

G01C21/3476B60L53/62

Abstract

Claims (66)

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a vehicle, a request for a charge, wherein one or more preferences are associated with the vehicle;

based on one or more preferences related to the vehicle, identifying a charging location used by an other vehicle associated with a same one or more preferences; and

in response to the charging location being identified, routing the vehicle to the charging location.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving the request for the charge comprises:

determining a battery level of the vehicle is below a threshold; and

including the one or more preferences and the battery level in the request.

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

routing the vehicle to the charging station based on the vehicle and the other vehicle being proximate.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the routing of the vehicle to the charging location comprises:

determining a route to the charging location from a current location of the vehicle; and

transferring the route to the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

comparing the one or more preferences to one or more historical preferences related to the vehicle;

modifying the one or more preferences based on the one or more historical preferences; and

selecting the charging location based on the one or more modified preferences.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

determining an area having a high charging demand proximate to the vehicle; and

altering the preference based on a characteristic of the area.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

determining that the vehicle has been rerouted to a different charging location that is different than the charging location;

determining a change in a vehicle charging preference based on the different charging location; and

storing the changed vehicle charging preference.

8. A system, comprising:

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

receive, from a vehicle, a request for a charge, wherein one or more preferences are associated with the vehicle;

based on one or more preferences related to the vehicle, identify a charging location used by an other vehicle associated with a same one or more preferences; and

in response to the charging location being identified, route the vehicle to the charging location.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein when the processor receives the request for the charge, the processor is configured to:

determine a battery level of the vehicle is below a threshold; and

include the one or more preferences and the battery level in the request.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein when the processor routes the vehicle, the processor is configured to:

route the vehicle to the charging station based on the vehicle and the other vehicle being proximate to one another.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor routes the vehicle, the processor is configured to:

determine a route to the charging location from a current location of the vehicle; and

transfer the route to the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions are configured to:

compare the one or more preferences related to the vehicle to one or more historical preferences related to the vehicle;

modify the one or more preferences based on to the one or more historical preferences; and

select the charging location of one or more charging locations based on the one or more modified preferences.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor is configured to:

determine an area that has a high charging demand proximate to the vehicle; and

alter the preference based on a characteristic of the area.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor is configured to:

determine that the vehicle has been rerouted to a different charging location that is different than the charging location;

determine a change in a vehicle charging preference based on the different charging location; and

store the changed vehicle charging preference.

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

receiving, from a vehicle, a request for a charge, wherein one or more preferences are associated with the vehicle;

based on one or more preferences related to the vehicle, identifying a charging location used by an other vehicle associated with a same one or more preferences; and

in response to the charging location being identified, routing the vehicle to the charging location.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the receiving the request for the charge comprises:

determining a battery level of the vehicle is below a threshold; and

including the one or more preferences and the battery level in the request.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the routing comprises:

routing the vehicle to the charging station based on the vehicle and the other vehicle being proximate to one another.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein routing the vehicle to the charging location comprises:

determining a route to the charging location from a current location of the vehicle; and

transferring the route to the vehicle.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform:

comparing the one or more preferences to one or more historical preferences related to the vehicle;

modifying the one or more preferences based on the one or more historical preferences; and

selecting the charging location based on the one or more modified preferences.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform:

determining an area having a high charging demand proximate to the vehicle; and

altering the preference based on a characteristic of the area.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (24)