US 12,456,343 B2
Systems and methods for supplying energy to an autonomous vehicle via a virtual interface
Joshua Wise, Blacksburg, VA (US)
Assigned to Torc Robotics, Inc., Blacksburg, VA (US)
Filed by TORC Robotics, Inc., Blacksburg, VA (US)
Filed on Jun. 15, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/335,251.
Prior Publication US 2024/0420536 A1, Dec. 19, 2024
Int. Cl. G07F 15/00 (2006.01); B25J 9/16 (2006.01); B60L 53/37 (2019.01)
CPC G07F 15/00 (2013.01) [B25J 9/1697 (2013.01); B60L 53/37 (2019.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An energy supply station comprising:
a body:
a mechanical arm movably coupled to the body;
an energy delivery receptacle movably coupled with the mechanical arm and the body, the energy delivery receptacle configured to deliver energy to vehicles; and
one or more processors configured to:
responsive to detecting an arrival of a vehicle at the energy supply station, transmit an indication of the arrival to a remote computer, the indication causing activation of a virtual interface, wherein the virtual interface includes virtual representations of the mechanical arm and the energy delivery receptacle; and
responsive to an input made using at least the virtual representations of the mechanical arm and the energy delivery receptacle within the virtual interface and instructions received from the remote computer that map the input to the mechanical arm and the energy delivery receptacle, move the mechanical arm to cause the energy delivery receptacle to contact or couple with an energy input receptacle of the vehicle and to supply the vehicle with energy.