Slashdot Mirror
Amazon Patents Drones That Recharge Electric Vehicles (cnet.com)
slash.jit shared an article from Futurism:
Amazon has been granted a patent for an ambitious new method of maintaining a charge in electric vehicles. The company wants to use drones to allow drivers to top up their vehicles without having to visit a charging station. Drivers would request a top up from a central server, which would dispatch a charging drone to their location. The drone would then dock with the vehicle and start transferring power, without the car ever needing to come to a stop. This solution isn't meant to administer a full charge to the car's battery, it would only supply enough power to get the driver to a charging station, which are still in somewhat limited supply.
"Amazon first applied for this patent back in June 2014," reports CNET, noting it was finally granted this month. "Like many other patents, there's no guarantee that Amazon will actually create a product based on the design. It could merely be an attempt to stop competitors from doing so."
"Amazon first applied for this patent back in June 2014," reports CNET, noting it was finally granted this month. "Like many other patents, there's no guarantee that Amazon will actually create a product based on the design. It could merely be an attempt to stop competitors from doing so."
It's two obvious components used in an obvious way previously limited only by the lack of economically viable technology to create the device.
Too many patents being allowed nowadays are for inventions that are too obvious given other technical advances. Whether computers, or cars, or knives, or whatever, the crap that is being allowed to be patented is shameful.
For a 5 mile top up of a Tesla S?
The part of me that remembers topping off my plane in Top Gun approves. The part of me that remembers topping off my ship with power conduits in Starglider strongly disapproves.
"Like many other patents, there's no guarantee that Amazon will actually create a product based on the design. It could merely be an attempt to stop competitors from doing so."
Rule 35 of the internet: "If it can be hacked, it will be". - Charles Stross
well, maybe not -stop- but "pay to play"
And what is the legal limit for drone size? Seems to me this has to be a pretty damned heavy drone to be economically feasible, I'm guessing you need to at least refuel 2 other drones to be worthwhile, most of a drone's weight is batteries, so, a drone that weighs 3x the drones it's refueling?
Doesn't pencil out for me. Then again, Bezos could be looking ahead 10+ years when things will likely be a lot different.
The USAF has been refueling planes for decades now. Not exactly a new idea. Not sure how this patent gets approved, outside of patent approvers are government employees whose only concern is hitting pension age.
To have the drone just swap out battery packs and take the exhausted one back someplace to re-charge?
Sure charging cars with drones is all well and good, but take that a step further and imagine charging drones with drones!
Imagine a drone flying through the air, almost out of juice - then sending word to AmaNet and a battery drone swoops in from above! Then then both hover for several hours as the other drone slowly fills, until they both run out of power...
But then another battery drone swoops in!! And so on and so forth. Exciting!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Hey, that’s a grrrreat idea, but why wait for electric vehicles when we could have (right now!) helicopters deliver gasoline through a boom permanently mounted on all car roofs, you know, just in case the driver runs out of fuel during that trip to the national park? AAA, are you listening?
Seriously, does Amazon expect mass-produced automobiles to be pre-emptively fitted with a roof-mounted dock (added cost; added weight and air resistance and therefore increased energy consumption; waste of space that could instead accommodate a sun-roof, a solar panel or various sensors; etc.) just in case the driver (possibly a computer) some day incorrectly overestimated the remaining range of the vehicle?
Flying explosive batteries moving into the path of oncoming traffic while trying to make contact with a moving car.
Yeah. Great idea. For a weapon.
Soon to be vividly documented on Nat Geo WILD in “the secret life of drones”: Common drones are actually rather remarkable devices. These sleek, black machines are excellent and acrobatic fliers on par with falcons and hawks. Such aerial skills are on display during refueling season, when exciting docking rituals include an elaborate dance of chases, dives, and rolls. (slightly adapted from Nat Geo)
Networks of aerostat micro drones that shift electric charge to each other as needed (a bit like ants sharing food): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
A 21st century issue: the irony of technologies of abundance in the hands of those still thinking in terms of scarcity.
Which often boils down to the same thing. Where can I buy a mosquito laser, for example?
1) Anyone talking about the validity of a patent without using the word "claim" even once is a dumbass.
2) Why would you submit a patent story to Slashdot without including a link to the patent? I had to go three articles deep just to find the patent number. Here's an actual link to the actual patent: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi...
3) Why does "freepatentsonline" even exist when you can already read patents online for free at the actual Patent Office website? USPTO even gives them to you in HTML.
A Tesla has an 85 KWH battery. Assuming close to 6 KG per KWH Lithium Ion battery capacity, we're looking at 1124 lbs. Good luck carrying an 1124 lb payload with a drone.
In this case it's probably a good thing. The battery technology required to store an EV significant amount of electricity in a light enough package for a drone is a long way off. If and when there is such a thing, this patent will have expired, making it possible for anyone to make such a product without being hindered by a patent.
The good thing is that this patent will be expired by the time it's feasible and then the exact same thing cannot be patented again.
Why not a small ethanol engine that can recharge the battery. Normally you would plug in to recharge, the small engine would keep you charged as needed. It would only run when the battery gets low. A hybrid without the oil and gas industry (replaced by the ethanol industry yes of course)
A small charging generator does make sense for a stop and go vehicle.
Still most exciting if the drone and car batteries are manifactured by Samsung!
And for dealerships who hate electric vehicles because they require much less maintenance and service. Remember, a dealership's income comes mostly from service - new car sales are basically sold very little above cost - maybe $1000 or so above invoice.
So as long as they can sell you an ICE engine with all the required servicing, they'll be happy to sell you oil changes and all the other stuff you need.
If the product meets the customer's needs, its a win win I suppose.