US 12,384,420 B2
Compartmentalized electric vehicle (EV) having attached compartments with separate power systems
Aaron Williams, Congerville, IL (US); Joseph Robert Brannan, Bloomington, IL (US); John Donovan, Bloomington, IL (US); and Brian N. Harvey, Bloomington, IL (US)
Assigned to STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY, Bloomington, IL (US)
Filed by STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY, Bloomington, IL (US)
Filed on Jul. 13, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/864,261.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/356,782, filed on Jun. 29, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/355,894, filed on Jun. 27, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0415832 A1, Dec. 28, 2023
Int. Cl. G05D 1/00 (2024.01); B60L 53/00 (2019.01); B60L 58/14 (2019.01); B60W 60/00 (2020.01); B62D 63/02 (2006.01); B62D 65/04 (2006.01); B62D 65/14 (2006.01); G01C 21/34 (2006.01)
CPC B60W 60/00256 (2020.02) [B60L 53/00 (2019.02); B60L 58/14 (2019.02); B62D 63/025 (2013.01); B62D 65/04 (2013.01); B62D 65/14 (2013.01); G01C 21/3438 (2013.01); G01C 21/3469 (2013.01); B60L 2200/28 (2013.01); B60L 2240/54 (2013.01); B60W 2510/244 (2013.01); B60W 2556/65 (2020.02)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A compartmentalized electric vehicle (EV) having a plurality of attached compartments each configured to operate separately from other compartments, the EV comprising:
a plurality of detachable compartments, each detachable compartment including:
a power supply;
a motor;
a magnet attached to an external surface of the detachable compartment;
an on-board computing device configured to transmit a control signal to energize the magnet;
a set of wheels; and
one or more autonomous operation features,
wherein the plurality of detachable compartments are attached to each other via magnetic attraction from the magnets to travel to a same location,
wherein the on-board computing device stops sending the control signal to de-energize the magnet attached to the external surface of the detachable compartment to detach from the compartmentalized EV, and
wherein the on-board computing device is configured to determine an amount of charge remaining for powering the detachable compartment, and transfer at least some of the charge remaining for powering the detachable compartment to another detachable compartment in response to determining the amount of charge remaining for powering the detachable compartment is above a first threshold charge level, and the amount of charge remaining for powering the other detachable compartment is below a second threshold charge level.