Navigation device presenting information regarding charging and vehicle including same device

• US 8,301,365 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2008
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Niwa, Toshiaki, Takahara, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): MURSHED, NAGI M
• Application Number:
  US12/451,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• 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 2250/16 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 2270/32 of electricity
• 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 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• 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: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096877 where the input to the navigation device is provided by a suitable I/O arrangement details of I/O arrangements for onboard navigation computers G01C21/36; I/O arrangements for general purpose computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• 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

An ECU executes a program including a step of detecting a present location using a GPS system; a step of reading out data of a geographical map proximate to the present location and presenting in the geographical map charging installations including a charging installation employing solar light, together with the location of its vehicle; a step of, if a presentation switching request is made and a real-time solar radiation correction request is made, detecting a solar radiation amount and correcting a charge amount per unit time provided by the power generation installation employing solar light, based on the detected solar radiation amount; and a step of detecting an SOC in the battery to calculate an amount of discharge done until arrival at the charging installation, calculating time required for charging up to a fully charged state, and presenting the time required for charging in the geographical map.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

a display unit for displaying a detected location of a vehicle and stored geographical map information;

a storage unit for storing location information of a charging facility having a solar cell to charge a power storage mechanism mounted on the vehicle using electric power generated through solar light energy; and

a control unit for controlling said display unit to present information about said charging facility on said display unit, wherein

said control unit causes said display unit to present thereon, in association with a location of said charging facility, information about a charging performance in said charging facility attained based on an amount of electric power generated by said solar cell, and

the information about said charging performance includes information about an amount of charging electric power per unit time and information about a distance in which the vehicle is capable of traveling using the amount of charging electric power per unit time.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the information includes information about a ratio of increase of a charge amount per unit time to a fully charged state.

3. The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein said control unit causes the information about the charging performance to be presented in consideration of the amount of electric power generated by said solar cell, which varies depending on a weather condition.

6. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit causes information about charging time in said charging facility to be presented in consideration of a discharge amount resulting from traveling of the vehicle to said charging facility.

7. The navigation device according to claim 6, wherein said control unit causes the information about the charging time in said charging facility to be presented in consideration of a traffic condition during traveling of the vehicle to said charging facility.

8. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle has a solar cell mounted thereon, and

said control unit causes the information about said charging facility to be presented in consideration of an amount of electric power generated by said solar cell mounted on the vehicle.

9. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle has a solar cell mounted thereon, and

said control unit causes information about charging time in said charging facility to be presented in consideration of at least one of an amount of electric power generated by said solar cell mounted on the vehicle during traveling of the vehicle to said charging facility and a discharge amount resulting from the traveling.

10. The navigation device according to claim 9, wherein said control unit causes the information about the charging time in said charging facility to be presented in consideration of a traffic condition during traveling of the vehicle to said charging facility.

21. A vehicle comprising the navigation device according to claim 1.

4. A navigation device comprising:

a display unit for displaying a detected location of a vehicle and stored geographical map information;

a storage unit for storing location information of a charging facility having a solar cell to charge a power storage mechanism mounted on the vehicle using electric power generated through solar light energy; and

a control unit for controlling said display unit to present information about said charging facility on said display unit, wherein

said control unit causes said display unit to present thereon, in association with a location of said charging facility, information about charging time that is based on an amount of electric power generated by said solar cell, and

the information about said charging time includes information about an amount of charging electric power per unit time and information about a distance in which the vehicle is capable of traveling using the amount of charging electric power per unit time.

5. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein said control unit causes the information about the charging time to be presented in consideration of the amount of electric power generated by said solar cell, which varies depending on a weather condition.

11. A navigation device, comprising:

display means for displaying a detected location of a vehicle and stored geographical map information;

storage means for storing location information of a charging facility having a solar cell to charge a power storage mechanism mounted on the vehicle using electric power generated through solar light energy; and

control means for controlling said display means to present information about said charging facility on said display means, wherein

said control means includes means for presenting on said display means, in association with a location of said charging facility, information about a charging performance in said charging facility attained based on an amount of electric power generated by said solar cell, and

the information about said charging performance includes information about an amount of charging electric power per unit time and information about a distance in which the vehicle is capable of traveling using the amount of charging electric power per unit time.

12. The navigation device according to claim 11, wherein the information includes information about a ratio of increase of a charge amount per unit time to a fully charged state.

13. The navigation device according to claim 12, wherein said control means includes means for presenting the information about the charging performance in consideration of the amount of electric power generated by said solar cell, which varies depending on a weather condition.

16. The navigation device according to claim 11, wherein said control means includes means for presenting information about charging time in said charging facility in consideration of a discharge amount resulting from traveling of the vehicle to said charging facility.

17. The navigation device according to claim 16, wherein said control means includes means for presenting the information about the charging time in said charging facility in consideration of a traffic condition during traveling of the vehicle to said charging facility.

18. The navigation device according to claim 11, wherein:

the vehicle has a solar cell mounted thereon, and

said control means includes means for presenting the information about the charging facility, in consideration of an amount of electric power generated by said solar cell mounted on the vehicle.

19. The navigation device according to claim 11, wherein:

the vehicle has a solar cell mounted thereon, and

said control means includes means for presenting information about charging time in said charging facility in consideration of at least one of an amount of electric power generated by said solar cell mounted on the vehicle during traveling of the vehicle to said charging facility and a discharge amount resulting from the traveling.

20. The navigation device according to claim 19, wherein said control means includes means for presenting the information about the charging time in said charging facility in consideration of a traffic condition during the traveling of the vehicle to said charging facility.

14. A navigation device comprising:

a display means for displaying a detected location of a vehicle and stored geographical map information;

a storage means for storing location information of a charging facility having a solar cell to charge a power storage mechanism mounted on the vehicle using electric power generated through solar light energy; and

a control means for controlling said display means to present information about said charging facility on said display means, wherein

said control means includes means for displaying on said display means, in association with a location of said charging facility, information about charging time that is based on said solar cell, and

the information about said charging time includes information about an amount of charging electric power per unit time and information about a distance in which the vehicle is capable of traveling using the amount of charging electric power per unit time.

15. The navigation device according to claim 14, wherein said control means includes means for presenting the information about the charging time in consideration of the amount of electric power generated by said solar cell, which varies depending on a weather condition.