Control information output device

• US 7,835,860 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Kazunao
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith; Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shafi; Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US11/882,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20080071472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/25, 701200-226, 340988-996
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles

Abstract

A control information output device assumes not only a destination but also a travel route based on accumulated travel route information. Moreover, after a travel is started, if it is found that an assumed travel route is incorrect, assumption of the destination and assumption of the travel route are performed again. Therefore, accuracy of the control information outputted to a driving force control unit is high, and accordingly, it is possible for the driving force control unit to perform control of charging/discharging with an improved energy utilization factor.

Claims

1. A control information output device for a vehicle, the device comprising:

a travel route accumulating unit configured to accumulate as travel route information a place of departure, a destination, information that specifies a travel route, and a travel frequency of the specified travel route;

a destination assuming unit configured to assume a destination when a driving start position is considered as the place of departure based on the accumulated travel route information;

a route assuming unit configured to assume an expectable travel route from the driving start position to the assumed destination, based on the accumulated travel route information;

a road characteristic storing unit configured to store road characteristic information for each predetermined road unit;

an additional road characteristic storing unit configured to store, as road characteristic additional information for each predetermined road unit, at least a consumed electric energy actually measured in a travel of the vehicle; and

a control information outputting unit configured to read, road characteristic information corresponding to the assumed travel route and additional characteristic information corresponding to the assumed travel route from the road characteristic storing unit and the additional road characteristic storing unit, respectively,

the control information outputting unit being further configured to output the read road characteristic information corresponding to the assumed travel route and the read additional road characteristic information corresponding to the assumed travel route, to predetermined equipment as control information.

2. The control information output device of claim 1,

the road characteristic storing unit being further configured to store a distance corresponding to each predetermined road unit as the road characteristic information.

3. The control information output device of claim 1, wherein:

when the route assuming unit determines that the assumed travel route is incorrect after driving is started, it is determined whether a travel route passing through a current position is accumulated in the travel route accumulating unit as the travel route information;

when it is determined that the travel road passing through the current position is accumulated, the route assuming unit assumes again a travel route corresponding to any one of the accumulated travel route information as an expectable travel route; and

wherein the control information outputting unit reads road characteristic information corresponding to the travel route assumed again from the road characteristic storing unit and outputs the read road characteristic information to the predetermined equipment as control information.

4. The control information output device of claim 1, wherein

when the destination assuming unit or the route assuming unit fails in assuming the destination or the travel route, the control information outputting unit outputs a fact of assumption failure or predetermined road characteristic information to the predetermined equipment as control information.

5. The control information output device of claim 1, further comprising:

an additional road characteristic acquiring unit for acquiring the road characteristic additional information,

the road characteristic additional information including not only the consumed electric energy but also an average vehicle speed both actually measured in the travel of the vehicle for each predetermined road unit.

6. The control information output device of claim 1, further comprising:

a driving characteristic acquiring unit for acquiring a driver'"'"'s driving characteristic as driving characteristic information for each predetermined road unit; and

a driving characteristic storing unit for storing the driving characteristic information acquired by the driving characteristic acquiring unit for each predetermined road unit, wherein

the control information outputting unit further reads the driving characteristic information corresponding to the travel route assumed by the route assuming unit from the driving characteristic storing unit, and outputs the read driving characteristic information to the predetermined equipment as the control information.

7. The control information output device of claim 1, wherein the control information output device is configured for communication with a driving force control unit in a vehicle, the driving force control unit receiving the control information from the control information outputting unit to control an energy charging/discharging plan of an engine and a vehicle driving motor of the vehicle based on the control information.

8. The control information output device of claim 1, wherein

the road characteristic storing unit stores as the road characteristic information an average gradient, in respect of a height from a horizontal plane, of a line segment connecting complementary gradient points, each complementary gradient point being defined as a point whose variation in road gradient in respect of the height is equal to or more than a predetermined value.

9. The control information output device of claim 8, wherein

the road characteristic storing unit stores as the road characteristic information node data, road map data including data of nodes and links;

and

a plurality of complementary shape points are defined as being included in a link between two nodes so that a plurality of average gradients are defined with respect to each link.

10. The control information output device of claim 1, the vehicle using electric power stored in an accumulator battery to travel, wherein

the consumed electric energy actually measured in a travel of the vehicle is the electric energy of a motor for driving the vehicle, an engine in the vehicle, and electrical equipment related to traveling.

11. A method for outputting control information, the method comprising:

storing road characteristic information for each predetermined road unit;

storing, as road characteristic additional information for each predetermined road unit, at least a consumed electric energy actually measured in a travel of the vehicle;

accumulating as travel route information a place of departure, a destination, information able to specify a travel route, and a travel frequency of the specified travel route;

assuming a destination when a driving start position is considered as the place of departure based on the accumulated travel route information;

assuming an expectable travel route from the driving start position to the assumed destination, based on the accumulated travel route information;

reading the road characteristic information corresponding to the assumed travel route and road characteristic additional information corresponding to the assumed travel route from the stored road characteristic information and the stored road characteristic additional information, respectively; and

outputting the read road characteristic information corresponding to the assumed travel route and the read road characteristic additional information corresponding to the assumed travel route, to predetermined equipment as control information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein

the road characteristic information which is stored includes node data and road map data including data of nodes and links;

and

a plurality of complementary shape points are defined as being included in a link between two nodes so that a plurality of average gradients are defined with respect to each link.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving, in a driving force control unit in a vehicle, the control information and controlling an energy charging/discharging plan of an engine and a vehicle driving motor of the vehicle based on the control information.

14. The control information output device of claim 11, the vehicle using electric power stored in an accumulator battery to travel, wherein

the consumed electric energy actually measured in a travel of the vehicle is the electric energy of a motor for driving the vehicle, an engine in the vehicle, and electrical equipment related to traveling.