Travel assist system

• US 20060184307A1
• Filed: 01/31/2006
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kosaka, Yuji
• Granted Patent: US 7,181,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/110
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/18 Distance travelled
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 11/00 Monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus , e.g. for catalytic activity safety, indicating or supervising devices for internal combustion engines F02B77/08; testing of machines G01M13/00
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2550/05 Systems for adding substances into exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2610/02 the substance being ammonia or urea
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2900/102 Travelling distance
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2900/1814 Tank level
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/206 Adding periodically or continuously substances to exhaust gases for promoting purification, e.g. catalytic material in liquid form, NOx reducing agents F01N3/2066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/208 Control of selective catalytic reduction [SCR], e.g. dosing of reducing agent
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/701 Information about vehicle position, e.g. from navigation system or GPS signal
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/36 Control for minimising NOx emissions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0055 Special engine operating conditions, e.g. for regeneration of exhaust gas treatment apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1462 with determination means using an estimation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A travel assist system searches a nearest service station based on navigation information and predicts a quantity of aqueous urea solution consumed until the service station is reached. If a quantity of the remaining aqueous urea solution is not greater than the aqueous urea solution consumption at least by a predetermined value, a warning is provided to a user. Control conditions of an internal combustion engine (diesel engine) enabling the vehicle to reach the service station without running short of the aqueous urea solution are calculated. An exhaust gas recirculation quantity is increased based on the calculation result. Thus, nitrogen oxides contained in the exhaust gas is reduced and a consumption of the aqueous urea solution is reduced.

Claims

1. A travel assist system that manages a supplied material consumed through running of a vehicle and supplied at a supply point, the travel assist system comprising:

a calculating device that calculates an operating condition of the vehicle enabling the vehicle to reach the supply point without running short of the supplied material based on information about a running condition between the supply point and the vehicle and a quantity of the supplied material remaining in the vehicle.

2. The travel assist system as in claim 1, wherein;

the calculating device determines whether the quantity of the supplied material remaining in the vehicle is enough for the vehicle to reach the supply point based on the information about the running condition between the supply point and the vehicle, and

the calculating device performs the calculation if the calculating device determines that the quantity of the supplied material is not enough for the vehicle to reach the supply point.

3. The travel assist system as in claim 1, further comprising:

a first restriction announcing device that announces restriction information about operation of the vehicle to reach the supply point based on the calculation result of the calculating device.

4. The travel assist system as in claim 3, wherein the restriction information is variably set in accordance with at least one of the running condition between the supply point and the vehicle and the quantity of the supplied material remaining in the vehicle.

5. The travel assist system as in claim 3, wherein;

the supplied material is fuel of a motor of the vehicle, and

the restriction information is information about at least one of a manipulation mode of an accelerator of the vehicle and average speed of the vehicle.

6. The travel assist-system as in claim 1, further comprising:

a restricting device that restricts operation of the vehicle based on the calculation result of the calculating device.

7. The travel assist system as in claim 6, wherein the restriction mode of the vehicle is variably set in accordance with at least one of the running condition between the supply point and the vehicle and the quantity of the supplied material remaining in the vehicle.

8. The travel assist system as in claim 6, further comprising:

a second restriction announcing device that announces restriction of the operation of the vehicle.

9. The travel assist system as in claim 6, wherein the restriction of the operation is performed as control restriction of a motor of the vehicle.

10. The travel assist system as in claim 9, wherein;

the motor is an internal combustion engine having an exhaust gas recirculation system that recirculates exhaust gas from an exhaust system into an intake system,

the supplied material is aqueous urea solution for purifying nitrogen oxides contained in the exhaust gas, and

the control restriction is restriction of a quantity of the exhaust gas recirculated into the intake system to a larger value.

11. The travel assist system as in claim 6, wherein;

the supplied material is fuel of a motor of the vehicle, and

the restriction of the operation is restriction of at least one of acceleration and average speed of the vehicle.

12. The travel assist system as in claim 1, wherein the supplied material is at least one of gasoline, diesel oil, aqueous urea solution for purifying nitrogen oxides, liquid hydrogen and compressed natural gas.

13. The travel assist system as in claim 1, wherein the information about the running condition between the supply point and the vehicle includes at least one of a distance between the supply point and the vehicle, an altitude difference between the supply point and the vehicle, an altitude change of a road surface between the supply point and the vehicle, and a state of atmosphere surrounding the vehicle.