In-vehicle device

• US 20090294193A1
• Filed: 05/28/2009
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Okuno, Kiyokazu
• Application Number:
  US12/453,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20090294193A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.265
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• 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 20/13 in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/209 Fuel quantity remaining in tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/086 Power
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle includes a motor, which is supplied with electricity from a battery and configured to drive a driving wheel. An event identifying unit identifies an event before the event occurs, the event indicating to decrease or increase a remaining capacity of the battery in the course of a driving operation of the vehicle or after completion of the driving operation. A control instruction unit provides an instruction to an external device for controlling an output power and a workload of the motor according to the identified event before the event ends at the latest.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle device for a vehicle, which includes a motor supplied with electricity from a battery for driving a driving wheel, the in-vehicle device comprising:

event identifying means for identifying an event before the event occurs, the event being to decrease or increase a remaining capacity of the battery in the course of a driving operation of the vehicle or after the driving operation; and

control instruction means for providing an instruction to an external control device to control an output power and a workload of the motor according to the identified event before the event ends at the latest.

2. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1,

wherein the vehicle is a hybrid vehicle, which includes the battery, the motor, and an engine for driving at least one of a generator, which is for charging the battery, and a driving wheel, and

the control instruction means is configured to provide an instruction to the external control device to control an output power and a workload of the engine according to the identified event.

3. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein the event identifying means is configured to identify a predetermined operation, which is performed by an event device with consumption of electricity supplied from the battery, as the event to decrease the remaining battery capacity in the course of the driving operation or after the driving operation.

4. The in-vehicle device according to claim 3, wherein the event identifying means is configured to identify an operation, which is performed by the event device to download data from an external source with consumption of electricity supplied from the battery, as the event to decrease the remaining battery capacity in the course of the driving operation or after the driving operation.

5. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein the control instruction means is configured to provide an instruction to the external control device to decrease the workload of the motor after the event identifying means identifies the event to decrease the remaining battery capacity and before the event ends at the latest.

6. The in-vehicle device according to claim 5,

wherein the vehicle is a hybrid vehicle, which includes the battery, the motor, and an engine for driving a driving wheel, and

the control instruction means is configured to provide an instruction to the external control device to decrease the workload of the motor by suspending an operation of the motor after the event identifying means identifies the event to decrease the remaining battery capacity and before the event ends at the latest.

7. The in-vehicle device according to claim 2, wherein the control instruction means is configured to provide an instruction to the external control device to increase the workload of the engine after the event identifying means identifies the event to decrease the remaining battery capacity and before the event ends at the latest.

8. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein the event identifying means identifies charge of the battery from an external power source as the event to increase the remaining battery capacity.

9. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein the control instruction means is configured to provide an instruction to the external control device to increase the workload of the motor after the event identifying means identifies the event to increase the remaining battery capacity and before the event ends at the latest.

10. The in-vehicle device according to claim 2, wherein the control instruction means is configured to provide an instruction to the external control device to decrease the workload of the engine after the event identifying means identifies the event to increase the remaining battery capacity and before the event ends at the latest.

11. The in-vehicle device according to claim 10, wherein the control instruction means is configured to provide an instruction to the external control device to decrease the workload of the engine by suspending an operation of the engine after the event identifying means identifies the event to increase the remaining battery capacity and before the event ends at the latest.

12. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving means for receiving the event from an occupant.

13. A computer readable medium comprising instructions being executed by a computer, which is provided in an in-vehicle device for a vehicle, which includes a motor supplied with electricity from a battery for driving a driving wheel, the instructions including a method comprising:

identifying an event beforehand, the event being to decrease or increase a remaining capacity of the battery in the course of a driving operation of the vehicle or after the driving operation; and

providing an instruction to an external control device to control an output power and a workload of the motor according to the identified event before the event ends at the latest.