A patent granted to Apple today references a robot that could autonomously carry a power cord to an electric car (via AppleInsider).
Charging System
The patent, dubbed “Charging System” is about a “mobile charging device may be used to move a battery or a power cord to a target device.” The device could attach a power cord to the vehicle, couple a connector, or use a wireless power transfer element. Sensors embedded in the vehicle would help the robot find the power port.
It may be desirable to transfer power between a source of power and equipment that requires power. In some systems, a user must manually plug a power cable into equipment that requires power. In other systems, a user must align equipment to be powered with a wireless charging source. These types of systems can be cumbersome and inefficient.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved systems for transferring power to equipment that uses power.
Because the word “vehicle” is mentioned 26 times in the document, there’s a good chance Apple is talking about its rumored electric car.
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