DRIVING SUPPORT DEVICE, METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20110227532A1
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: NIWA, Toshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,710,797 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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 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: Y04S 10/126 the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]

Abstract

Provided is a driving support device and method that includes a charging facility information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a position and a charging capacity of a charging facility that exists within a predetermined distance from a position of a vehicle and a guidance unit that provides information indicating a charging time period at the charging facility based on the position of the vehicle, a registered position, the position and the charging capacity of the charging facility, and a remaining electric power amount of a battery in the vehicle and information indicating a charging time period at the charging facility that is required for traveling a route from the position of the vehicle to the registered position by electric power of the battery.

Claims

1. A driving support device comprising:

a charging facility information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a position and a charging capacity of a charging facility that exists within a predetermined distance from a position of a vehicle; and

a guidance unit that provides information indicating a charging time period at the charging facility based on the position of the vehicle, a registered position, the position and the charging capacity of the charging facility, and a remaining electric power amount of a battery installed in the vehicle, the charging time period being required for traveling a route from the position of the vehicle to the registered position by electric power of the battery.

2. The driving support device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the position of the vehicle;

a registered position information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the registered position that has been previously registered; and

a remaining electric power amount information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the remaining electric power amount of the battery at the position of the vehicle.

3. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein

the guidance unit provides information on states in which the charging time period is zero, more than zero but less than or equal to a predetermined time period, and more than the predetermined time period, as different stages.

4. The driving support device according to claim 3, wherein

the guidance unit provides information indicating the position of the charging facility if the charging time period is more than zero but less than or equal to the predetermined time period.

5. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein

the guidance unit determines the charging time period for each of a plurality of routes and provides information on the each of the plurality of the routes being associated with the charging time period.

6. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein

the route from the position of the vehicle to the registered position includes a route going through the charging facility that exists in an opposite direction of the registered position with respect to the position of the vehicle.

7. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein

the guidance unit acquires total electric power amount necessary for traveling the route from the position of the vehicle to the registered position based on a distance of the route and consumption electric power amount per a unit of distance of the battery, acquires necessary electric power amount to charge the battery based on the total electric power amount and the remaining electric power amount of the battery, and acquires the charging time period to be required for charging the battery for the necessary electric power amount based on the charging capacity.

8. A driving support method, the method comprising:

acquiring information indicating a position and a charging capacity of a charging facility that exists within a predetermined distance from a position of a vehicle;

acquiring information indicating a remaining electric power amount of a battery at the position of the vehicle, the battery being installed in the vehicle; and

providing information indicating a charging time period at the charging facility based on the position of the vehicle, the registered position, the position and the charging capacity of the charging facility, and the remaining electric power amount of the battery, the charging time period being required for traveling a route from the position of the vehicle to the registered position by electric power of the battery.

9. The driving support method according to claim 8, further comprising:

acquiring information indicating the position of the vehicle; and

acquiring information indicating the registered position that has been previously registered.

10. A driving support program causing the computer to execute the functions of:

acquiring information indicating a position and a charging capacity of a charging facility that exists within a predetermined distance from a position of a vehicle;

acquiring information indicating a remaining electric power amount of a battery at the position of the vehicle, the battery being installed in the vehicle; and

providing information indicating a charging time period at the charging facility based on the position of the vehicle, the registered position, the position and the charging capacity of the charging facility, and the remaining electric power amount of the battery, the charging time period being required for traveling a route from the position of the vehicle to the registered position by electric power of the battery.

11. The driving support program according to claim 10, further comprising:

acquiring information indicating the position of the vehicle; and

acquiring information indicating the registered position that has been previously registered;