VEHICLE ENERGY MANAGEMENT DEVICE

• US 20150134206A1
• Filed: 09/03/2014
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: SUGIYAMA, Akinobu, MATSUNAGA, Takanori, FUJIOKA, Hiroshi, MORI, Kohei, SHIROZONO, Masataka, NAKAMURA, Nobutaka
• Granted Patent: US 9,701,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/48
• 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 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 20/40 Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0088 Adaptive recalibration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• 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 2720/103 Speed profile
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

In a vehicle energy management device, a travel route calculator calculates a travel route of a vehicle, and an energy consumption-related information obtaining unit obtains energy consumption-related information along the travel route. An energy consumption amount computing unit calculates, based on the energy consumption-related information, an estimated value of an energy consumption amount by vehicle devices (required travel energy amount) when the vehicle travels along the travel route. A control plan preparing unit prepares a control plan for the vehicle devices based on the required travel energy amount. A feedback control unit performs feedback control of the vehicle devices to reduce a difference between the estimated value and an actual measured value of the energy consumption amount by the vehicle devices.

Claims

1. A vehicle energy management device used in a vehicle including a plurality of vehicle devices driven by different energy sources, the vehicle energy management device comprising:

a travel route calculator configured to calculate a travel route of said vehicle;

an energy consumption-related information obtaining unit configured to obtain energy consumption-related information which is information related to energy consumption of said vehicle along said travel route;

an energy consumption amount computing unit configured to calculate, based on said energy consumption-related information, an estimated value of an energy consumption amount by said plurality of vehicle devices when said vehicle travels along said travel route;

a control plan preparing unit configured to prepare a control plan for said plurality of vehicle devices based on the estimated value of the energy consumption amount by said plurality of vehicle devices;

a vehicle device control unit configured to control said plurality of vehicle devices according to said control plan; and

a feedback control unit configured to perform feedback control of said plurality of vehicle devices to reduce a difference between the estimated value and an actual measured value of the energy consumption amount by said plurality of vehicle devices.

2. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said energy consumption-related information includes any of road grade information, a road attribute, road width, curvature of a curve, estimated speed information, and actual measured speed information of each road included in said travel route.

3. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said energy consumption-related information includes weather information.

4. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said energy consumption-related information includes supply and demand information of an energy network of an infrastructure.

5. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

the control plan preparing unit re-prepares said control plan when a magnitude of a difference or a variation amount of a difference between the estimated value and the actual measured value of the energy consumption amount by said plurality of vehicle devices exceeds a predetermined threshold.

6. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

the control plan preparing unit re-prepares said control plan when said vehicle deviates from said travel route or when said travel route is changed.

7. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

the control plan preparing unit re-prepares said control plan in response to an instruction from a user.

8. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

a plurality of operation modes each of which utilizes at least one of said plurality of vehicle devices are defined,

said control plan preparing unit includes

a travel route divider configured to divide said travel route into a plurality of sections, and

an operation mode assigning unit configured to assign any of said plurality of operation modes to each of said sections,

said energy consumption amount computing unit calculates the estimated value of the energy consumption amount by said plurality of vehicle devices for each of said sections when said vehicle travels in each operation mode, and

said operation mode assigning unit determines the operation mode assigned to each of the sections based on the estimated value of the energy consumption amount by said plurality of vehicle devices for each of said sections so that the energy consumption amount by said plurality of vehicle devices over said entire travel route satisfies a predetermined condition.

9. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 8, wherein

said travel route divider divides said travel route into a plurality of sections based on any of road grade information, a road attribute, road width, curvature of a curve, estimated speed information, and actual measured speed information of each road.

10. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 8, wherein

said travel route divider divides said travel route into a plurality of sections such that each of the plurality of sections has a predefined distance or a distance that said vehicle travels in a predefined time period.

11. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 8, wherein

said travel route divider divides said travel route into a plurality of sections at branching points on a road.

12. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of vehicle devices include an engine that uses fuel as an energy source, a motor that uses electrical power as an energy source, and a generator that generates electricity using an output of said engine or kinetic energy of said vehicle.

13. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of vehicle devices include an air conditioner that uses electrical power as an energy source.

14. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 13, wherein

said control plan preparing unit prepares a control plan for said air conditioner so that an output power of said air conditioner is reduced when travel by said vehicle requires a relatively large amount of electrical power, and the output power of said air conditioner is raised when travel by said vehicle requires a relatively small amount of electrical power as long as a vehicle interior temperature of said vehicle remains within a specific range.

15. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 13, wherein

said control plan preparing unit prepares the control plan for said air conditioner such that the output power of said air conditioner is limited when a distance between a current location of said vehicle and an end point of said travel route is equal to or less than a specific value, or a difference between a current time and an estimated arrival time at the end point of said travel route is equal to or less than a specific value.