ENERGY-EFFICIENT NAVIGATION ROUTE FOR ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION DEVICE

• US 20170227369A1
• Filed: 02/08/2016
• Published: 08/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Harpster, JR., Michael O., Yang, Wenjing, Chen, Eric, Wang, Peggy
• Granted Patent: US 9,857,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968

Abstract

A navigation system for an electric vehicle includes an electrical energy storing device having a currently-available energy and a controller. The electric vehicle is at least partially operated by a driver. An off-board control module is operatively connected to a remote server and configured to communicate with the controller. The controller has a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for executing a method of determining a preferred route for travelling from a start location to an end location. The controller is programmed to obtain respective energy consumption for each of a plurality of routes based at least partially on a driving style profile of the driver.

Claims

1. A navigation system for an electric transportation device, the electric transportation device being at least partially operated by a driver, the system comprising:

an electrical energy storing device having a currently-available energy;

a controller having a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for executing a method of determining a preferred route for travelling from a start location to an end location;

an off-board control module operatively connected to a remote server and configured to communicate with the controller, the off-board control module not being physically connected to the controller;

wherein execution of the instructions by the processor causes the controller to;

obtain a plurality of routes from the start location to the end location; and

obtain a respective energy consumption for each of the plurality of routes based at least partially on a driving style profile of the driver.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to:

if the respective energy consumption of one of the plurality of routes is greater than the currently-available energy, determine, via the off-board control module, availability of at least one charging station on said one of the plurality of routes; and

select the preferred route from the plurality of routes based at least partially on the availability of the at least one charging station and a lowest value of the respective energy consumption.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is programmed to:

control at least one parameter of the electric transportation device such that the electric transportation device adheres to the preferred route.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a plurality of driving sensors each operatively connected to the electric transportation device and configured to obtain respective driving data, the plurality of driving sensors each configured to communicate the respective driving data to the controller.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

a smart phone programmed to receive the respective driving data from the controller and transmit the respective driving data to the off-board control module;

a data transfer device connectable to the controller and programmed to selectively transfer the respective driving data from the controller to the smart phone;

wherein the off-board control module is programmed to construct the driving style profile from the respective driving data.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the controller is configured to transfer the respective driving data to the off-board control module through a Wi-Fi connection; and

the off-board control module is programmed to construct the driving style profile from the respective driving data.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of driving sensors include a brake sensor, an accelerator sensor, a lateral accelerometer, a roll sensor and a pitch sensor.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein said obtaining the respective energy consumption for each of the plurality of routes includes:

dividing each of the plurality of routes into a respective plurality of nodes with respective paths (i) having respective path lengths (d_i);

obtaining an expected speed (S_e,i) for each of the respective paths (i);

converting the expected speed (S_e,i) to an energy consumption rate (CR_i) via a look-up table;

obtaining respective path-energy consumed (E_i) along the respective paths (i) as a product of the energy consumption rate (CR_i) and the respective path lengths (d_i) such that E_i=(CR_i*d_i); and

obtaining the energy consumption along each of the plurality of routes as a sum of the respective path-energy consumed (E_i) along all the respective paths (i).

9. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the expected driving speed (S_e,i) on an i^th path is based on an expected driving speed (S_e,NT) on the i^th path without a traffic factor, an expected driving speed (S_e,T) on the i^th path with a traffic factor and a sensitivity factor (β

); and

wherein the sensitivity factor is defined as a ratio of a covariance and a variance such that;

[β

=covariance(S_e,i, S_e,NT)/variance (S_e,NT)].

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the expected driving speed (S_e,i) on the i^th path is defined as;

S_e,i=[S_e,NT+β

*(S_e,T−

S_e,NT)].

11. A method of navigation for an electric transportation device for travelling from a start location to an end location, the electric transportation device having an electrical energy storing device having a currently-available energy and a controller in communication with an off-board control module, the off-board control module not being physically connected to the controller, the electric transportation device being at least partially operated by a driver, the method comprising:

obtaining, via the controller, a plurality of routes from the start location to the end location;

obtaining a respective energy consumption of the electric transportation device for each of the plurality of routes, via the controller and the off-board control module;

if the respective energy consumption of one of the plurality of routes is greater than the currently-available energy, determining, via the off-board control module, availability of at least one charging station on said one of the plurality of routes;

selecting a preferred route from the plurality of routes, via the controller, based at least partially on the availability of the at least one charging station and a lowest value of the respective energy consumption; and

controlling at least one operating parameter of the electric transportation device, via the controller, such that the electric transportation device adheres to the preferred route.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said obtaining the respective energy consumption of the electric transportation device for each of the plurality of routes includes:

dividing, via the controller, each of the plurality of routes into a respective plurality of nodes with respective paths (i) having respective path lengths (d_i);

obtaining an expected speed (S_e,i), via the controller, for each of the respective paths (i); and

converting the expected speed (S_e,i), via the controller, to an energy consumption rate (CR_i) via a look-up table.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said obtaining the respective energy consumption of the electric transportation device for each of the plurality of routes includes:

obtaining respective path-energy consumed (E_i), via the controller, along the respective paths (i) as a product of the energy consumption rate (CR_i) and the respective path lengths (d_i) such that E_i=(CR_i*d_i); and

obtaining the energy consumption along each of the plurality of routes, via the controller, as a sum of the respective path-energy consumed (E_i) along all the respective paths (i).

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the expected driving speed (S_e,i) on an i^th path is based on an expected driving speed (S_e,NT) on the i^th path without a traffic factor, an expected driving speed (S_e,T) on the i^th path with the traffic factor and a sensitivity factor (β

); and

wherein the sensitivity factor is defined as a ratio of a covariance and a variance such that;

[β

=covariance(S_e,i, S_e,NT)/variance (S_e,NT)].

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the expected driving speed (S_e,i) on the i^th path is defined as;

S_e,i=[S_e,NT+β

*(S_e,T−

S_e,NT)].

16. A navigation system for an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle being at least partially operated by a driver, the system comprising:

an electrical energy storing device having a currently-available energy;

a controller operatively connected to the electric vehicle;

an off-board control module operatively connected to a remote server and configured to communicate with the controller, the off-board control module not being physically connected to the controller;

wherein the controller has a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for executing a method of determining a preferred route for travelling from a start location to an end location, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor causes the controller to;

obtain a plurality of routes from the start location to the end location;

obtain a respective energy consumption for each of the plurality of routes based at least partially on a driving style profile of the driver;

if the respective energy consumption of one of the plurality of routes is greater than the currently-available energy, determine, via the off-board control module, availability of at least one charging station on said one of the plurality of routes; and

select the preferred route from the plurality of routes based at least partially on the availability of the at least one charging station and a lowest value of the respective energy consumption; and

control at least one parameter of the electric vehicle such that the electric vehicle adheres to the preferred route.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said obtaining the respective energy consumption of the electric vehicle for each of the plurality of routes includes:

dividing each of the plurality of routes into a respective plurality of nodes with respective paths (i) having respective path lengths (d_i);

obtaining an expected speed (S_e,i) for each of the respective paths (i);

converting the expected speed (S_e,i) to an energy consumption rate (CR_i) via a look-up table;

obtaining respective path-energy consumed (E_i) along the respective paths (i) as a product of the energy consumption rate (CR_i) and the respective path lengths (d_i) such that E_i=(CR_i*d_i); and

obtaining the energy consumption along each of the plurality of routes as a sum of the respective path-energy consumed (E_i) along all the respective paths (i). the expected driving speed (S_e,i) on an i^th path is based on an expected driving speed (S_e,NT) on the i^th path without a traffic factor, an expected driving speed (S_e,T) on the i^th path with the traffic factor and a sensitivity factor (β

);

wherein the sensitivity factor is defined as a ratio of a covariance and a variance such that;

[β

=covariance(S_e,i, S_e,NT)/variance (S_e,NT)]; and

wherein the expected driving speed (S_e,i) on the i^th path is defined as;

S_e,i=[S_e,NT+β

*(S_e,T−

S_e,NT)].

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a smart phone programmed to receive the respective driving data from the controller and transmit the respective driving data to the off-board control module;

a data transfer device connectable to the controller and programmed to selectively transfer the respective driving data from the controller to the smart phone;

wherein the off-board control module is programmed to construct the driving style profile from the respective driving data.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the controller is configured to transfer the respective driving data to the off-board control module through a Wi-Fi connection; and

the off-board control module is programmed to construct the driving style profile from the respective driving data.