Route selection apparatus for a motor vehicle

• US 5,790,976 A
• Filed: 05/24/1996
• Issued: 08/04/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Mercedes-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Boll, Wolf, Buck, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US08/653,764
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 364/443, 364/449.1, 364/449.2, 364/424.026, 364/483, 364/481, 364/492, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 340/636, 324/426, 324/436, 324/76.11, 324/77.11, 324/142, 320/48, 320/17, 320/39, 320/137, 320/155, 320/107, 439/142, 439/144, 439/222, 439/956, 439/188, 439/376, 180/65.2, 180/65.4, 180/65.8
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/627 by WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/68 Traffic data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• 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 2250/16 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 2260/58 Departure time prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 : where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096894 : where input is assisted by the navigation device, i.e. the user does not type the complete name of the destination, e.g. using zip codes, telephone numbers, progressively selecting from initial letters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 : Detection of remaining charge capacity or 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 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: 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

A route finder device for a motor vehicle contains a data input unit for inputting one or more destinations for a journey, a road network memory for storing the locations on the network of roads which can be used by the vehicle, a computer unit for determining one or more possible routes from the location to the destination or destinations including energy supply processes which may be required at one or more energy supply locations as a function of the quantity of energy present in the energy accumulator, the energy supply network and the route specific energy consumption, as well as a display unit for displaying the routes determined by the computer unit. When used in electric vehicles, this device permits optimum routes to be found, taking into account charging processes for the traction battery.

Claims

1. Route finder for a motor vehicle having an energy accumulator into which energy can be fed at respective energy supply stations of an energy supply network, said route finder comprising:

a data input unit for inputting at least one destination for a journey;

a road network memory for storing locations on a network of roads which the vehicle can travel, and associated distances to locations;

a computer unit for determining at least one possible route from a vehicle location to said at least one destination, said route including a designation of energy supply processes to be performed at one or more energy supply stations, based on a quantity of energy present in the energy accumulator, location of energy supply stations of the energy supply network, duration of necessary supply processes, and route-specific energy consumption information; and

a display unit for displaying said at least one route determined by the computer unit.

2. Route finder device according to claim 1 wherein locations in the energy supply network, including distances to such locations, are stored in a memory.

3. Route finder device according to claim 1 further comprising a unit for detecting a quantity of energy present in the energy accumulator, a measurement signal output of this unit being connected to an input of the computer unit.

4. Route finder device according to claim 1 further comprising a vehicle location determining unit whose signal output is connected to an input of the computer unit.

5. Route finder device according to claim 1 wherein information relating to expected route-specific energy consumption on the route between the vehicle location and the at least one destination can be prescribed in a plurality of stages using the data input unit.

6. Route finder device according to claim 1 wherein the computer unit is connected to a traffic report reception device from which it receives traffic report information which it takes into account when determining the route.

7. Route finder device according to claim 1 wherein in order to increase the range, the computer unit suggests energy-saving, reduced travel speeds along certain route sections.

8. Route finder device according to claim 1 further comprising a memory for storing destination addresses using assigned abbreviation codes.

9. Route finder device according to claim 1 wherein:

said vehicle is an electric vehicle with a traction battery;

at the user end, stopping times at the respective destinations can be entered using the data input unit, said stopping-times being taken into account by the computer unit when determining the route in order to perform charging processes of the traction battery which may be required.

10. Route finder device according to claim 1 wherein said vehicle is an electric vehicle with a traction battery;

and

further comprising a reception device for receiving information concerning an occupation state at charging stations, which information is transmitted by a communication control center for the charging station network via a wireless data communication link and is taken into account by the computer unit when determining a route.