NAVIGATION SYSTEM, HYBRID VEHICLE WITH SAME, AND METHOD OF SEARCHING FOR ROUTE FOR HYBRID VEHICLE

• US 20110022259A1
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Niwa, Toshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,301,323 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• 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 20/12 using control strategies taking into account route information estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/246 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

When passage through a road pricing area where an exhaust gas emission vehicle is subjected to billing is predicted, ECU acquires a current SOC of a power storage device, and estimates a required energy quantity for passing through the road pricing area where an exhaust gas emission vehicle is subjected to billing by EV traveling. Further, a determination is made whether or not the vehicle can pass through the road pricing area by EV traveling based on the current SOC and the required energy quantity as estimated. When a determination is made that the vehicle cannot pass through the road pricing area by EV traveling, ECU executes steps of guiding a route to an adjacent charging station and/or steps of guiding a bypass.

Claims

1. A navigation system for a hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine and a motor that outputs a vehicle driving force using electric power from a power storage device, said navigation system comprising:

a prediction unit configured to predict in advance whether said hybrid vehicle will pass through a certain regulated area where vehicle traveling using said internal combustion engine is subjected to billing, based on vehicle position information and road map information;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire a current state of charge (SOC) of said power storage device when passage through said regulated area is predicted;

an estimation unit configured to estimate a required energy quantity (Wev) required to be output from said power storage device for passing through said regulated area in an electric traveling mode of traveling using the vehicle driving force from said motor with said internal combustion engine stopped, when passage through said regulated area is predicted;

a determination unit configured to determine whether or not said hybrid vehicle can pass through said regulated area in said electric traveling mode, based on an estimated value of said required energy quantity estimated by said estimation unit and the current state of charge of said power storage device; and

a search unit configured to execute route searching for avoiding billing in response to a determination by said determination unit that said hybrid vehicle cannot pass through said regulated area in said electric traveling mode, wherein

said power storage device is configured to be rechargeable by a charging facility external to said hybrid vehicle, and said road map information contains information on said charging facility, and

said search unit is configured to search for a route to an adjacent charging facility relative to a current position of said hybrid vehicle, as said route searching for avoiding billing.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an energy deficit calculation unit configured to calculate an energy deficit (Δ

P) of said power storage device based on the estimated value of said required energy quantity estimated by said estimation unit and the state of charge of said power storage device, when said determination unit determines that said hybrid vehicle cannot pass through said regulated area in said electric traveling mode;

a charge time calculation unit configured to calculate a charge required time (Tch) for said energy deficit at said adjacent charging facility, based on said energy deficit as calculated and said road map information; and

a guiding unit configured to offer guidance on a route to said adjacent charging facility retrieved by said search unit to a driver, when said charge required time as calculated is shorter than a predetermined time that can be set by a user.

4. The navigation system according to claim 3, wherein

said search unit is configured to further search for a bypass for bypassing said regulated area based on said road map information, as said route searching for avoiding billing, when the guidance on the traveling route to said adjacent charging facility by said guiding unit is not executed, and

said guiding unit is configured to offer guidance on said bypass retrieved by said search unit to the driver, when a traveling required time (Tbp) of said bypass is shorter than a predetermined time that can be set by a user.

5. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said search unit is configured to further search for a bypass for bypassing said regulated area based on said road map information, as said route searching for avoiding billing,

said navigation system further comprising a guiding unit configured to offer guidance on said bypass retrieved by said search unit to a driver, when a traveling required time (Tbp) of said bypass is shorter than a predetermined time that can be set by a user.

6. The navigation system according to claim 5, said navigation system further comprising:

an energy deficit calculation unit configured to calculate an energy deficit (Δ

P) of said power storage device based on the estimated value of said required energy quantity estimated by said estimation unit and the state of charge of said power storage device; and

a charge time calculation unit configured to calculate a charge required time (Tch) for said energy deficit at said adjacent charging facility, based on said energy deficit as calculated and said road map information, wherein

said guiding unit is configured to offer guidance on the route to said adjacent charging facility retrieved by said search unit to the driver, when said charge required time as calculated by said charge time calculation unit is shorter than a predetermined time that can be set by the user.

7. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein, when an amount billed by passage through said regulated area is lower than a predetermined amount that can be set by a user, route guidance in accordance with said route searching for avoiding billing is not executed.

8. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said prediction unit is configured to predict whether said hybrid vehicle will pass through said regulated area, based on a result of searching for a route to a destination previously set.

9. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said prediction unit is configured to, during vehicle traveling with no destination set, predict whether said hybrid vehicle will pass through said regulated area, based on said vehicle position information and a past traveling history.

10. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

the navigation system as defined in claim 1;

said power storage device, said motor, said internal combustion engine; and

a traveling controller configured to preferentially select said electric traveling mode during traveling in said regulated area.

2. (canceled)

11. A method of searching for a route for a hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine and a motor that outputs a vehicle driving force using electric power from a power storage device said method comprising the steps of:

predicting in advance whether said hybrid vehicle will pass through a certain regulated area where vehicle traveling using said internal combustion engine is subjected to billing, based on vehicle position information and road map information;

acquiring a current state of charge (SOC) of said power storage device when passage through said regulated area is predicted;

estimating a required energy quantity (Wev) required to be output from said power storage device for passing through said regulated area in an electric traveling mode of traveling using the vehicle driving force from said motor with said internal combustion engine stopped, when passage through said regulated area is predicted;

determining whether or not said hybrid vehicle can pass through said regulated area in said electric traveling mode, based on an estimated value of said required energy quantity estimated by said step of estimating and the current state of charge of said power storage device; and

executing route searching for avoiding billing in response to a determination by said step of determining that said hybrid vehicle cannot pass through said regulated area in said electric traveling mode, wherein

said power storage device is configured to be rechargeable by a charging facility external to said hybrid vehicle, and said road map information contains information on said charging facility, and

said step of executing searches for a route to an adjacent charging facility relative to a current position of said hybrid vehicle, as said route searching for avoiding billing.

13. The method of searching for a route for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

calculating an energy deficit (Δ

P) of said power storage device based on the estimated value of said required energy quantity estimated by said step of estimating and the state of charge of said power storage device, when said step of determining determines that said hybrid vehicle cannot pass through said regulated area in said electric traveling mode;

calculating a charge required time (Tch) for said energy deficit at said adjacent charging facility based on said energy deficit as calculated and said road map information; and

offering guidance on a route to said adjacent charging facility retrieved by said step of executing to a driver, when said charge required time as calculated is shorter than a predetermined time that can be set by a user.

14. The method of searching for a route for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said step of executing further searches for a bypass for bypassing said regulated area based on said road map information, as said route searching for avoiding billing,

said method further comprising a step of offering guidance on said bypass retrieved by said step of executing to a driver, when a traveling required time (Tbp) of said bypass is shorter than a predetermined time that can be set by a user.

15. The method of searching for a route for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising a step of not executing route guidance in accordance with said route searching for avoiding billing, when an amount billed by passage through said regulated area is lower than a predetermined amount that can be set by a user.

12. (canceled)