An RFID localization algorithm for a plug-in electric vehicle recharging robot

With the rapid proliferation of electric vehicles requiring battery charging from an off-board power source, there is now a need for an automated recharging system that if economical, reliable, and can be easily installed and operated in a home garage with minimal user intervention. This work reports on the development of a home recharging robot for plug-in electric vehicles. The main contribution is a localization algorithm for determining the location of the plug-in receptacle, using low-cost RFID technology. We report on the design and experiments undertaken with a hardware prototype platform.