INFORMATION CONTROL DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE, ELECTRIC VEHICLE, AND METHOD FOR GUIDING TIMING OF POWER CHARGE

• US 20110213520A1
• Filed: 01/20/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Adachi, Satoru, Shinomiya, Mamiko, Honda, Masakatsu, YAGUCHI, Hiroyuki, Kaizuka, Masaaki, Noguchi, Kunio, Fujioka, Masato
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,445 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

An information control device for an electric vehicle including a vehicle-mounted battery that is charged with electric power supplied from a power supply provided at an outside of the vehicle includes a lock operation detector, a remaining power detector, and a notification controller. The lock operation detector is configured to detect a lock operation of a door lock mechanism of the vehicle. The remaining power detector is configured to detect a remaining power amount of the vehicle-mounted battery. The notification controller is configured to control a notifying device to make a notification to the outside of the vehicle. The notification is indicative of information that recommends power charge of the vehicle-mounted battery if the remaining power amount is small when the door lock mechanism has been locked or is to be locked, based on detection results of the lock operation detector and the remaining power detector.

Claims

1. An information control device for an electric vehicle including a vehicle-mounted battery that is charged with electric power supplied from a power supply provided at an outside of the electric vehicle, the information control device comprising:

a lock operation detector configured to detect a lock operation of a door lock mechanism of the electric vehicle;

a remaining power detector configured to detect a remaining power amount of the vehicle-mounted battery; and

a notification controller configured to control a notifying device to make a notification to the outside of the electric vehicle, the notification being indicative of information that recommends power charge of the vehicle-mounted battery if the remaining power amount is small when the door lock mechanism has been locked or is to be locked, based on detection results of the lock operation detector and the remaining power detector.

2. The information control device for the electric vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a key detector configured to detect whether or not a key to lock the door lock mechanism is in a vehicle cabin,

wherein the notification controller inhibits the notification from being made if the key is in the vehicle cabin, based on a detection result of the key detector.

3. The information control device for the electric vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a human-presence detector configured to detect a person by a human-presence sensor to detect whether or not a person is in a vehicle cabin,

wherein the notification controller inhibits the notification from being made if the person is in the vehicle cabin, based on a detection result of the human-presence detector.

4. The information control device for the electric vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a travel detector configured to detect whether or not the electric vehicle is traveling based on a vehicle speed,

wherein the notification controller inhibits the notification from being made if the electric vehicle is traveling, based on a detection result of the travel detector.

5. An electric vehicle comprising the information control device for the electric vehicle according to claim 1.

7. An electric vehicle comprising the information control device for the electric vehicle according to claim 2.

8. An electric vehicle comprising the information control device for the electric vehicle according to claim 3.

9. An electric vehicle comprising the information control device for the electric vehicle according to claim 4.

6. A method for guiding a timing of power charge for an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle traveling by a vehicle-mounted battery that is charged with electric power supplied from a power supply provided at an outside of the electric vehicle, the electric vehicle including an information control device, the information control device including a lock operation detector configured to detect a lock operation of a door lock mechanism of the electric vehicle;

a remaining power detector configured to detect a remaining power amount of the vehicle-mounted battery; and

a notification controller configured to control a predetermined notifying device to make a notification to the outside of the electric vehicle, the notification being indicative of information that recommends the power charge of the vehicle-mounted battery based on detection results of the lock operation detector and the remaining power detector, the method being performed by the notification controller of the information control device, the method comprising;

guiding a timing of power charge by making the notification indicative of the information that recommends the power charge of the vehicle-mounted battery if the remaining power amount detected by the remaining power detector is small when the door lock mechanism has been locked or is to be locked.