Vehicle preferential treatment system, electrically powered vehicle, server used for vehicle preferential treatment system, and vehicle preferential treatment method

• US 8,000,852 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2009
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Oyobe, Hichirosai, Nakamura, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; John Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kiswanto; Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US12/461,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20090306842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/18 Controlling the braking effect B60L7/12, B60L7/14, B60L7/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle preferential treatment system includes a controller mounted in a hybrid vehicle, and a server performing wireless communications with the controller. The controller estimates an SOC of an electric storage (not shown) and transmits the SOC to the server. When the SOC of the electric storage exceeds a reference level, the server gives a preferential treatment to the hybrid vehicle. Then, information on the preferential treatment is transmitted from the server to the controller, and is displayed on a display unit of the controller.

Claims

1. A vehicle preferential treatment system comprising:

an electrically powered vehicle; and

a server capable of communicating with said electrically powered vehicle,

wherein said electrically powered vehicle includes;

an electric storage;

a motor generating a driving force of the vehicle by using electric power from said electric storage;

a charging unit configured to be able to charge said electric storage from a commercial power source;

a calculation unit calculating a charge amount or a charge time by said charging unit;

a first transmission unit transmitting the charge amount or the charge time calculated by said calculation unit to said server;

a first reception unit receiving information on a predetermined preferential treatment with respect to the electrically powered vehicle from said server; and

a display unit displaying the received information, and

said server includes;

a second reception unit receiving said charge amount or said charge time from said electrically powered vehicle;

a determination unit determining whether to give said predetermined preferential treatment to said electrically powered vehicle based on said charge amount or said charge time; and

a second transmission unit transmitting the information on said predetermined preferential treatment to said electrically powered vehicle based on a determination result by said determination unit, the predetermined preferential treatment corresponding to allowing the electrically powered vehicle to access a preferred lane among a plurality of lanes on a single roadway.

2. The vehicle preferential treatment system according to claim 1, wherein said determination unit determines to give said predetermined preferential treatment to said electrically powered vehicle when said charge amount exceeds a predetermined value or said charge time exceeds a predetermined time.

3. The vehicle preferential treatment system according to claim 1, wherein said electrically powered vehicle further includes announcement unit announcing such a fact to an outside of the vehicle when said predetermined preferential treatment is given.