US 11,691,467 B2
Autonomous dock
Conor H. Dodd, Kalamazoo, MI (US); Nathan H. Cox, Portage, MI (US); Matthew T. Boillat, Scotts, MI (US); Jon A. Steeby, Scholcraft, MI (US); Sujay Sirur, Kalamazoo, MI (US); Rajeev Verma, Troy, MI (US); Vishal V. Mahulkar, Columbus, IN (US); Vasilios Tsourapas, Northville, MI (US); and Kevin Snow, Battle Creek, MI (US)
Assigned to EATON INTELLIGENT POWER LIMITED, Dublin (IE)
Filed by Eaton Intelligent Power Limited, Dublin (IE)
Filed on May 24, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/327,956.
Application 17/327,956 is a continuation of application No. 16/061,332, granted, now 11,014,416, previously published as PCT/US2016/066027, filed on Dec. 9, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/266,220, filed on Dec. 11, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2021/0276379 A1, Sep. 9, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B60D 1/36 (2006.01); B60W 10/02 (2006.01); B60W 10/06 (2006.01); B60R 19/48 (2006.01); B60W 10/20 (2006.01); B60D 1/62 (2006.01); B60D 1/01 (2006.01); B60W 30/18 (2012.01); B60W 10/10 (2012.01); B60W 40/105 (2012.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G05D 1/02 (2020.01)
CPC B60D 1/36 (2013.01) [B60D 1/015 (2013.01); B60D 1/62 (2013.01); B60R 19/48 (2013.01); B60W 10/02 (2013.01); B60W 10/06 (2013.01); B60W 10/10 (2013.01); B60W 10/20 (2013.01); B60W 30/18036 (2013.01); B60W 40/105 (2013.01); G05D 1/0088 (2013.01); G05D 1/0223 (2013.01); B60W 2300/14 (2013.01); B60W 2710/0605 (2013.01); B60W 2710/1005 (2013.01); B60W 2720/10 (2013.01); B60Y 2200/147 (2013.01); G05D 2201/0213 (2013.01)] 27 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An autonomous dock system, comprising:
a vehicle comprising a processor-controllable speed-control mechanism comprising one or both of a motor or an engine;
at least one sensor or transceiver on the vehicle;
at least one transponder on a target;
a control system, comprising a processor, a tangible memory device, and processor executable instructions stored in the tangible memory device, the processor executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, configured to implement an autonomous dock process comprising:
calculating a connection distance between the at least one sensor or transceiver and the at least one transponder; and
controlling the processor-controllable speed-control mechanism to output a torque to autonomously ramp a vehicle speed and traverse the connection distance to connect the vehicle with the target.