VEHICLE REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM, SERVER, AND REMOTE CONTROL TERMINAL

• US 20140330453A1
• Filed: 02/22/2012
• Published: 11/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Masashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,589,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00428 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00657 Remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/12 by confirmation, e.g. of the input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/14 by input of vehicle departure time
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/56 Temperature prediction, e.g. for pre-cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 : involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 : Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 : responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 : Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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 10/88 : Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses
• 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 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]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

After start of pre-air-conditioning, when a preset set condition is satisfied, an in-vehicle terminal transmits information regarding a vehicle state and a screen display command for selection between continuation and termination of the pre-air-conditioning to a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal receives the screen display command and displays a notification indicating the vehicle state and a selection button for selection between the continuation and the termination of the pre-air-conditioning on a screen. After obtaining the vehicle state, the user selects whether to continue or terminate the pre-air-conditioning. In this manner, pre-air-conditioning suitable for each individual user can be performed.

Claims

1. A vehicle remote control system for transmitting a remote control command input by a user to a remote control terminal to an in-vehicle terminal so as to control actuation of an in-vehicle device based on the remote control command, the vehicle remote control system comprising:

vehicle-state detection means for detecting a vehicle state;

notification means for notifying the user of information regarding the vehicle state by using the remote control terminal when a preset set condition is satisfied after start of the actuation of the in-vehicle device;

selection-screen display means for displaying a selection screen for allowing the user to select whether to continue or terminate the actuation of the in-vehicle device on the remote control terminal when the notification is made by the notification means; and

actuation control means for controlling the actuation of the in-vehicle device in accordance with a result of selection made by the user.

2. A vehicle remote control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the in-vehicle device comprises an air-conditioning device for air-conditioning a vehicle interior; and

the notification means notifies the user of information regarding a vehicle-interior temperature as the information regarding the vehicle state, by using at least one of a condition that the vehicle-interior temperature reaches a set temperature, a condition that an actuation duration of the air-conditioning device becomes equal to a set time period, or a condition that a current time reaches a set time as the preset set condition.

3. A vehicle remote control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the in-vehicle device comprises an air-conditioning device for air-conditioning a vehicle interior; and

the notification means notifies the user of information regarding a vehicle-interior temperature and a remaining energy amount of an energy supply source for actuation of the air-conditioning device as the information regarding the vehicle state, by using a condition that the remaining energy amount or a travelable distance of a vehicle, which is calculated based on the remaining energy amount, becomes smaller than a set value as the preset set condition.

4. A vehicle remote control system according to claim 3, wherein, in a case where a destination to which the vehicle travels is set in a navigation device, the notification means notifies the user of the information regarding the vehicle-interior temperature and the remaining energy amount as the information regarding the vehicle state, by using an estimation that the vehicle is incapable of traveling to the destination with the remaining energy amount of the energy supply source for actuation as the preset set condition.

5. A vehicle remote control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the in-vehicle device comprises a charging device for charging an in-vehicle battery; and

the notification means notifies the user of information regarding a remaining level of the in-vehicle battery and a reason of satisfaction of the preset set condition as the information regarding the vehicle state, by using a condition that a current time becomes out of a lower electricity-rate time period or an estimation that photovoltaic power generation becomes unavailable as the preset set condition.

6. A vehicle remote control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the in-vehicle device comprises a charging device for charging an in-vehicle battery; and

the notification means notifies the user of information regarding a remaining level of the in-vehicle battery and a reason of satisfaction of the preset set condition as the information regarding the vehicle state, by using a condition that the remaining level of the in-vehicle battery is below a set remaining level at end of timer-based charging as the preset set condition.

7. A vehicle remote control system according to claim 6, further comprising arrival determination means for determining whether or not a travel to a destination is possible with the remaining level of the in-vehicle battery at end of the timer-based charging when the destination of the travel of a vehicle is set in a navigation system,

wherein the notification means notifies that the travel to the destination is impossible when the arrival determination means determines that the travel to the destination is impossible.

8. A vehicle remote control system according to claim 1, further comprising pre-selection means for allowing the user to select in advance, for each of a plurality of preset set conditions, whether to continue or terminate the actuation of the in-vehicle device when the each of the plurality of preset set conditions is satisfied.

9. A server to be applied to the vehicle remote control system according to claim 1, for mediating communication between the remote control terminal and the in-vehicle terminal, the server comprising:

condition satisfaction determination means for receiving the information regarding the vehicle state transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal after start of the actuation of the in-vehicle device to determine based on the information whether or not the preset set condition is satisfied;

transmission means for transmitting to a mobile terminal notification information regarding the vehicle state for a notification to the user and a command for displaying a selection screen for allowing the user to select whether to continue or terminate the actuation of the in-vehicle device when satisfaction of the set condition is determined by the condition satisfaction determination means; and

selection result transfer means for receiving a result of selection transmitted from the remote control terminal and transmitting the received result of selection to the in-vehicle terminal.

10. A remote control terminal to be applied to the vehicle remote control system according to claim 1, the remote control terminal comprising:

condition satisfaction determination means for receiving the information regarding the vehicle state transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal after start of the actuation of the in-vehicle device to determine based on the information whether or not the preset set condition is satisfied;

notification/selection screen display means for displaying a selection screen for notifying the user of the information regarding the vehicle state and allowing the user to select whether to continue or terminate the actuation of the in-vehicle device when satisfaction of the preset set condition is determined by the condition satisfaction determination means; and

selection result transmission means for transmitting a result of selection made by the user to the in-vehicle terminal.

11. A vehicle remote control system for transmitting a remote control command input by a user to a remote control terminal to an in-vehicle terminal so as to control actuation of an in-vehicle device based on the remote control command, the vehicle remote control system comprising:

selection-screen display means for displaying a selection screen for allowing the user to select in advance whether to continue or terminate the actuation of the in-vehicle device when a preset set condition is satisfied; and

actuation control means for storing a result of the selection regarding whether to continue or terminate the actuation of the in-vehicle device and for controlling the actuation of the in-vehicle device in accordance with the result of selection during the actuation of the in-vehicle device.