Notification apparatus

• US 8,452,505 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2010
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Kazunao, Sakai, Tadashi, Mizuno, Yuusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bendidi, Rachid
• Application Number:
  US12/660,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20100228459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 701/70, 701/22, 701/54, 180/65.21, 180/65.1, 180/65.3, 180/65.4, 180/65.5, 180/96.5, 180/69.6
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/20 Output arrangements, i.e. from vehicle to user, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18127 Regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

A re-generation instruction apparatus has a re-generation instruction computer that receives brake operation information from a re-generation control computer for calculating an energy loss in a total energy from speed reduction by the brake operation of the driver, which is lost by a re-generation brake system. The calculated energy loss is utilized for preparing notification for the driver in various situations such as a pre-travel notification, a during-travel notification and/or an after-travel notification.

Claims

1. A notification apparatus having a regeneration brake system that uses electricity generation load of a motor as a braking force to a tire of a vehicle, and collects regenerated electric energy to a vehicle battery, the apparatus comprising:

a notification unit notifying a driver of information;

a loss calculation unit calculating loss information regarding energy loss that is defined as difference between a decrease of kinetic energy due to braking by the driver and regeneration by the regeneration brake in the course of braking;

a control unit generating energy information regarding the energy loss and controlling notification of the energy information for the driver by the notification unit based on the loss information calculated by the loss calculation unit;

a position detector detecting a current position of the vehicle;

an information storage storing the loss information of the energy loss during travel of the vehicle in a plurality of geographical areas in a statistical manner; and

a loss recorder statistically recording, in the information storage, the loss information calculated by the loss calculation unit in association with each of the plurality of geographical areas in which the energy loss is created based on the position of the vehicle detected by the position detector, wherein

the control unit calculates frequency information about a frequency of the energy loss in each of the plurality of geographical areas based on the information recorded in the information storage, and

the control unit notifies the drive of an entrance of the vehicle into an energy loss geographical area that has an above-threshold frequency of the energy loss, at the time of entrance of the vehicle into the energy loss geographical area, based on the information stored in the information storage and the route information acquired by the route acquisition unit.

2. The notification apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a route acquisition unit acquiring route information about a route that is expected to be traveled by the vehicle, wherein

the control unit generates information and notifies the driver of the information, the information about the frequency of creation of the energy loss in geographical area that contains the route that is expected to be traveled by the vehicle, based on the information stored in the information storage and the route information acquired by the route acquisition unit.

3. The notification apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit changes a notification timing of entrance notification that notifies the entrance of the vehicle into the energy loss geographical area of the above-threshold frequency of the energy loss creation, according to a speed of the vehicle.

4. The notification apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a travel locus acquisition unit acquiring travel information on an actually-traveled route of the vehicle, wherein

the control unit generates information on the energy loss creation in a geographical area that corresponds to the actually-traveled route of the vehicle during a period between a start of travel and an end of travel of the vehicle, based on the information stored in the information storage and the route information acquired by the route acquisition unit, and

the control unit notifies the driver of the generated information.

5. The notification apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit notifies the driver of information regarding whether or not the energy loss is created at a current moment or regarding the frequency of the energy loss while the driver is operating the brake, based on the loss information calculated by the loss calculation unit.

6. The notification apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit notifies the driver of information regarding braking skill evaluation for the current frequency of the energy loss while the driver is operating the brake, based on the loss information calculated by the loss calculation unit.

7. The notification apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit notifies the driver of information regarding braking skill evaluation for the frequency of the energy loss due to a braking after the braking of the driver, based on the loss information calculated by the loss calculation unit.

8. The notification apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a field condition acquisition unit acquiring field condition information regarding an obstacle around the vehicle, wherein

the control unit refrains from notifying the loss information during the travel of the vehicle, if the traveling vehicle is determined to be in a closely-located condition based on the field condition information acquired by the field condition acquisition unit.

9. The notification apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a brake information record unit recording information regarding time transition of brake power during braking by the brake operation of the driver, wherein

the control unit calculates, after the travel of the vehicle, time transition information of braking by the driver based on the information recorded by the brake information record unit during a period between a start of travel and an end of travel of the vehicle, and

the control unit notifies the driver of the calculated time transition information.

10. The notification apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the control unit notifies the driver of information on time transition of actual braking by the driver and information on time transition of ideal braking in a relevant situation in an easily comparable manner after a travel of the vehicle, by calculating information on time transition of the ideal braking that achieves an equivalent effect of the actual braking through control of braking power being limited within a maximum regeneration electric power, based on the information recorded by the brake information record unit during the travel and a period between a start of travel and an end of travel of the vehicle and the maximum regeneration electric power by the regeneration brake system.

11. The notification apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a regeneration power calculation unit calculating an amount of regenerated electric power from the regeneration brake system between a start of travel and an end of travel of the vehicle, wherein

the control unit notifies the driver of information on the amount of regenerated electric power during the travel of the vehicle after the travel of the vehicle.

12. The notification apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:

a total braking energy calculation unit calculating a total amount of braking energy by braking operation of the driver between a start of travel and an end of travel of the vehicle, wherein

the control unit notifies the driver of the amount of regenerated electric power calculated by the regeneration power calculation unit during the travel of the vehicle and the total amount of braking energy calculated by the total braking energy calculation unit during the travel of the vehicle after the travel of the vehicle in an easily-comparable manner.

13. The notification apparatus of claim 11, wherein

the regeneration power calculation unit calculates the amount of regenerated electric power for each of divisions of the travel of the vehicle, and

the control unit notifies the driver of information on the amount of regenerated electric power regarding each of the divisions of the travel of the vehicle.

14. The notification apparatus of claim 12, wherein

the regeneration power calculation unit and the total braking energy calculation unit respectively calculate the amount of regenerated electric power and the total amount of the braking energy for each of the divisions of the travel of the vehicle, and

the control unit notifies the driver of the amount of the regenerated electric power and the total amount of braking energy for each of the divisions of the travel of the vehicle in an easily-comparable manner.

15. The notification apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit notifies the driver of the information in a manner that can be perceptive through at least one of visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory sensations of the driver through the notification unit.