CHARGE CONTROLLER AND NAVIGATION DEVICE FOR PLUG-IN VEHICLE

• US 20110202221A1
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nomura, Daisuke, SOBUE, Eiji, Kouchiyama, Satoshi, Ijima, Ryoichi, Sugawara, Yoshihiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,798,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 16/00 Arrangements in connection with power supply of propulsion units in vehicles from forces of nature, e.g. sun or wind electric propulsion with power supply from forces of nature, e.g. sun or wind B60L8/00; marine propulsion by wind motors driving water-engaging propulsive elements B63H13/00; wind motors specially adapted for installation on vehicles F03D9/32
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2016/003 solar power driven
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• 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: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/90 Energy harvesting concepts as power supply for auxiliaries' energy consumption, e.g. photovoltaic sun-roof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A charge controller for charging a battery of a plug-in vehicle with a plurality of electric power sources includes: a driving route estimation element; an estimated electric power consumption amount calculator; a weather information obtaining element; a sunshine information obtaining element; a solar photovoltaic generation electric power amount calculator; an electric power shortage amount calculator for calculating an electric power shortage amount when the solar photovoltaic generation electric power amount is smaller than an estimated electric power consumption amount; a charge schedule preparation element for preparing a charge schedule, which represents a first charge time for charging the battery with a solar photovoltaic generation system and a second charge time for charging the battery by the electric power shortage amount with another electric power source; and a charge control element for controlling to charge the battery according to the charge schedule.

Claims

1. A charge controller for charging a battery of a plug-in vehicle with a plurality of electric power sources including a solar photovoltaic generation system, the controller comprising:

a driving route estimation element for estimating a next optimum driving route based on information, which an user input;

an estimated electric power consumption amount calculator for calculating an estimated electric power consumption amount, which is necessary to travel the next optimum driving route;

a weather information obtaining element for obtaining weather information until a next driving time;

a sunshine information obtaining element for obtaining sunshine information until the next driving time;

a solar photovoltaic generation electric power amount calculator for calculating a solar photovoltaic generation electric power amount until a next driving time based on the weather information and the sunshine information;

an electric power shortage amount calculator for calculating an electric power shortage amount when the solar photovoltaic generation electric power amount is smaller than the estimated electric power consumption amount;

a charge schedule preparation element for preparing a charge schedule, which represents a first charge time for charging the battery with the solar photovoltaic generation system and a second charge time for charging the battery by the electric power shortage amount with another electric power source; and

a charge control element for controlling to charge the battery according to the charge schedule.

2. The charge controller according to claim 1,

wherein the another electric power source is a commercial electric power source,

wherein the commercial electric power source has a low cost time zone and a high cost time zone,

wherein an electric power unit cost in the low cost time zone is lower than an electric power unit cost in the high cost time zone, and

wherein the charge schedule preparation element prepares the charge schedule in such a manner that the second charge time is arranged in the low cost time zone to a maximum extent.

3. The charge controller according to claim 2,

wherein the low cost time zone is a mid-night time zone.

4. The charge controller according to claim 1, further comprising:

a commute usage indicator for indicating that an usage of the vehicle at the next driving time is a commute usage; and

a memory for storing previous data of an actual electric power consumption amount,

wherein the estimated electric power consumption amount calculator calculates the estimated electric power consumption amount based on the previous data of the actual electric power consumption amount when the commute usage indicator indicates that the usage of the vehicle at the next driving time is the commute usage.

5. The charge controller according to claim 1,

wherein the charge control element controls to switch from the solar photovoltaic generation system to the another electric power source when the charge control element determines that an actual charged electric power amount from the solar photovoltaic generation system is shorter than the calculated solar photovoltaic generation electric power amount while the battery is charged from the solar photovoltaic generation system.

6. The charge controller according to claim 1, further comprising:

a schedule management element for managing schedule information, which is input by an user; and

a schedule information obtaining element for obtaining the schedule information from the schedule management element,

wherein the charge schedule preparation element prepares the charge schedule based on the schedule information.

7. The charge controller according to claim 6, further comprising:

a selection element for selecting whether the schedule information is appropriate,

wherein the charge schedule preparation element prepares the charge schedule based on the schedule information when the selection element selects that the schedule information is appropriate.

8. The charge controller according to claim 7, further comprising:

a correction element for correcting the schedule information according to an operation of the user when the selection element selects that the schedule information is not appropriate.

9. The charge controller according to claim 6,

wherein the schedule management element is a mobile communication device having a short range communication function, and

wherein the schedule information obtaining element communicates with the mobile communication device by the short range communication function.

10. The charge controller according to claim 6,

wherein the schedule management element is a server on a cloud computing network, and

wherein the schedule information obtaining element communicates with the server via a wide area communication network.

11. The charge controller according to claim 1, further comprising:

an actual electric power consumption data obtaining element for obtaining actual electric power consumption data of a probe vehicle, which is stored in an information center,

wherein the estimated electric power consumption amount calculator calculates the estimated electric power consumption amount based on the actual electric power consumption data of the probe vehicle when the probe vehicle is similar to the vehicle, and the probe vehicle has traveled on a same route as the next optimum driving route.

12. The charge controller according to claim 11,

wherein, when the vehicle has traveled on a same route as the next optimum driving route, the estimated electric power consumption amount calculator calculates the estimated electric power consumption amount based on an actual electric power consumption amount in a case where the vehicle traveled on the same route.

13. The charge controller according to claim 1, further comprising:

an information obtaining element for obtaining information, which affects the charge schedule or a driving condition of the vehicle after the charge schedule preparation element prepares the charge schedule,

wherein the charge schedule preparation element modifies the charge schedule when the charge schedule preparation element determines based on the information obtained by the information obtaining element that a scheduled departure time is changed or the next optimum driving route is crowded.

14. The charge controller according to claim 13,

wherein the information obtained by the information obtaining element includes at least one of hourly weather information, wake-up information of the user, commercial activity information showing commercial activity for gathering people, personal schedule information obtained from a mobile device of the user and event information.

15. The charge controller according to claim 13,

wherein the charge control element rapidly charges the battery from the another electric power source when the charge schedule preparation element modifies to advance the charge schedule.

16. The charge controller according to claim 15, further comprising:

a residual electric power amount detection element for detecting a residual electric power amount in the battery,

wherein the charge control element rapidly charges the battery under a condition that the residual electric power amount in the battery is disposed in a predetermined rapid charge capable range.

17. The charge controller according to claim 13,

wherein the charge control element extends the first charge time when the charge schedule preparation element modifies to delay the charge schedule.

18. A navigation device for a vehicle comprising:

the charge controller according to claim 1.