Method and device for forecasting the range of a vehicle with an at least partially electric drive

• US 10,023,176 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2015
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Tabanoglu, Gokhan, Vujasinovic, Mirko
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Merlino, David P.
• Application Number:
  US14/964,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20160167643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/169 Remaining operating distance or charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/55 Remote control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/566 Mobile devices displaying vehicle information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/00 Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/15 Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/00 Estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters for road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub unit, e.g. by using mathematical models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 : having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A method for predicting a range of a vehicle having an at least partially electric drive. When a first operating mode of the vehicle is ended at a time, the vehicle switches into a second operating mode when the first operating mode ends. The range of the vehicle is determined when the first operating mode ends. Starting at the time at which the first operating mode ends, the temporal development of a parameter from the surroundings of the vehicle is determined for a certain duration, wherein the vehicle is in the second operating mode for at least a portion of the certain duration. Also disclosed is a device for predicting a range of a vehicle having an at least partially electric drive.

Claims

1. A method for forecasting predicted remaining driving ranges of a transportation vehicle for a plurality of times within a predetermined period of time in the future, wherein the transportation vehicle is at least partially electric driven, the method comprising:

detecting, by the transportation vehicle, when a first operating mode of the transportation vehicle is ended, wherein, during the first operating mode, an engine of the transportation vehicle is on, wherein the transportation vehicle switches into a second operating mode in response to the first operating mode ending, wherein, during the second operating mode, the engine of the transportation vehicle is off;

determining, by the transportation vehicle, a state of charge and corresponding predicted remaining driving range of the transportation vehicle at the time the first operating mode ends, in response to detection of the first operating mode ending;

determining, by the transportation vehicle, forecasted weather conditions for transportation vehicle surroundings over the predetermined period of time in the future, wherein the predetermined period of time begins at the first operating mode end time, wherein the transportation vehicle is in the second operating mode for at least a portion of the predetermined period of time;

determining, by the transportation vehicle, a plurality of adjusted, predicted, remaining driving ranges corresponding to the state of charge determined when the first operating mode ends based on the forecasted weather conditions and the state of charge and predicted driving range determined when the first operating mode ends, wherein the plurality of adjusted, predicted, remaining driving ranges correspond to the plurality of times during the predetermined period of time and take into consideration forecasted weather conditions at the plurality of times during the predetermined period of time; and

transmitting, by the transportation vehicle, the plurality of adjusted, predicted, remaining driving ranges for the plurality of times during the predetermined period of time along with the forecasted weather conditions to the mobile phone for display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operating mode is a transportation vehicle driving mode.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the transportation vehicle, a predicted time, at which the transportation vehicle will switch from the second operating mode to the first operating mode, and the further time is transmitted to the mobile phone for display.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the transportation vehicle, a position of the transportation vehicle in the second operating mode.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, determining, by the transportation vehicle, whether an energy accumulator of the transportation vehicle is charged during the second operating mode, and

in response to determination that the energy accumulator being charged, predicting, by the transportation vehicle, the state of charge of the energy accumulator based on the predicted state of charge as part of the determination of the plurality of adjusted predicted, remaining driving ranges of the transportation vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the transportation vehicle, a target energy quantity, which the energy accumulator of the transportation vehicle should have at a certain time;

determining, by the transportation vehicle, a target time, at which charging the energy accumulator must be started to provide the target energy quantity at the certain time, and

outputting, by the mobile phone, indication of the target time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a resolution of time increments displayed within the predetermined time period is based upon a resolution of time increments for the weather forecast.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, by the mobile phone, a graphic depiction on a display panel to output the adjusted, predicted, remaining driving range data transmitted from the transportation vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the graphic depiction comprises a diagram, wherein the predetermined time period is plotted on a first axis and the adjusted predicted, remaining driving range is plotted on a second axis.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a resolution of the weather forecast is displayed in hour units, and the predetermined time period is 24 hours.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the graphic diagram has a graphic element for each output time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the graphic elements in the diagram is movable along the first axis, so that the time can be set by moving the graphic element.

13. A device to forecast a predicted driving range of a transportation vehicle for a plurality of times within a predetermined period of time in the future, wherein the transportation vehicle is at least partially electric driven, the device comprising:

a detection unit to detect when a first operating mode of the transportation vehicle ends, wherein, during the first operating mode, an engine of the transportation vehicle is on, wherein the transportation vehicle switches into a second operating mode in response to the detected end of the first operating mode, wherein, during the second operating mode, the engine of the transportation vehicle is off;

a determination unit to determine a state of charge and corresponding predicted remaining driving range of the vehicle at the time the first operating mode ends, in response to the detected end of the first operating mode and, in response to the detected end of the first operating mode, determine forecasted weather conditions for surroundings of the transportation vehicle over the predetermined period of time in the future;

a prediction unit to determine a plurality of adjusted, predicted, remaining driving ranges corresponding to the state of charge and predicted, remaining driving range determined when the first operating mode ends based on the forecasted weather conditions for the plurality of times during the predetermined period of time and the state of charge and predicted, remaining driving range determined when the first operating mode ends, wherein the plurality of adjusted, predicted, remaining driving ranges correspond to the plurality of times during the predetermined period of time and take into consideration forecasted weather conditions at the plurality of times during the predetermined period of time; and

an output unit to output the plurality of adjusted, predicted remaining, driving ranges for the plurality of times during the predetermined period of time along with the forecasted weather conditions.

14. A transportation vehicle that is at least partially electric driven that has a device according to claim 13.