System for supporting a user of an electrically driven vehicle

• US 8,825,354 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Horita, Yuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALHARBI, ADAM MOHAMED
• Application Number:
  US13/599,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/118
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects

Abstract

A system for supporting a user of an electrically driven vehicle comprises position information obtaining unit for obtaining, during traveling, position information indicating a position of the vehicle, electric power amount estimating unit for estimating, during traveling, a remaining electric power amount of an electric power source of the vehicle, shortage risk estimating unit for estimating, during traveling, an estimated risk of electric power amount shortage on the basis of the estimated remaining electric power amount, and notifying unit for notifying a user in case the estimated risk of electric power amount shortage estimated by the shortage risk estimating unit exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

Claims

1. A system for supporting a user of an electrically driven vehicle, comprising:

a position information obtaining unit configured to obtain, during traveling, position information indicating a position of the vehicle;

an electric power amount estimating unit configured to estimate, during traveling, a remaining electric power amount of an electric power source of the vehicle;

a shortage risk estimating unit configured to estimate, during traveling, an estimated risk of electric power amount shortage on a basis of the estimated remaining electric power amount;

a notifying unit configured to notify a user in case the estimated risk of electric power amount shortage estimated by the shortage risk estimating unit exceeds a predetermined threshold;

a traffic information acquiring unit configured to acquire traffic information;

wherein

the required electric power amount estimating unit is configured to estimate a required electric power amount on a basis of traffic information acquired by the traffic information acquiring unit, and/or

the shortage risk estimating unit is configured to estimate the estimated risk of electric power amount shortage on the basis of traffic information acquired by the traffic information acquiring unit; and

a route calculation unit configured to calculate travel routes from a determined position to a destination position,

wherein

when the shortage risk estimating unit estimates that the estimated risk of electric power amount shortage exceeds a predetermined threshold due to traffic conditions on a current route which are indicated in the traffic information, the route calculation unit is configured to calculate one or more alternative routes from the determined position to the destination position, and the required electric power amount estimating unit is configured to estimate, for each of the one or more alternative routes, an alternatively required electric power amount required for traveling with the vehicle from the determined position to the destination position along the respective alternative route, and

the shortage risk estimating unit is configured to estimate, for each of the one or more alternative routes, a respective estimated risk of electric power amount shortage on the basis of the remaining electric power amount and the alternatively required electric power amount.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the notifying unit is further configured to notify the user of the vehicle about alternative routes for which the respective estimated risk of electric power amount shortage estimated by the shortage risk estimating unit is below the predetermined threshold.

3. A system for supporting a user of an electrically driven vehicle, comprising:

a position information obtaining unit configured to obtain, during traveling, position information indicating a position of the vehicle;

an electric power amount estimating unit configured to estimate, during traveling, a remaining electric power amount of an electric power source of the vehicle;

a shortage risk estimating unit configured to estimate, during traveling, an estimated risk of electric power amount shortage on a basis of the estimated remaining electric power amount;

a notifying unit configured to notify a user in case the estimated risk of electric power amount shortage estimated by the shortage risk estimating unit exceeds a predetermined threshold;

a traffic information acquiring unit configured to acquire traffic information;

wherein

the required electric power amount estimating unit is configured to estimate a required electric power amount on a basis of traffic information acquired by the traffic information acquiring unit, and/or

the shortage risk estimating unit is configured to estimate the estimated risk of electric power amount shortage on the basis of traffic information acquired by the traffic information acquiring unit; and

a delay risk estimating unit configured to estimate, during traveling, an estimated risk of a delayed arrival time at a destination position on a basis of an intended arrival time being specified for the destination position and traffic information acquired by the traffic information acquiring unit, in particular wherein the destination position is a position of a specific support station and/or the intended arrival time is an intended arrival time at the specific support station.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein

the notifying unit is further configured to notify the user of the vehicle in case the estimated risk of a delayed arrival time estimated by the delay risk estimating unit exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

5. A system for supporting a user of an electrically driven vehicle, comprising:

a position information obtaining unit configured to obtain, during traveling, position information indicating a position of the vehicle;

an electric power amount estimating unit configured to estimate, during traveling, a remaining electric power amount of an electric power source of the vehicle;

a shortage risk estimating unit configured to estimate, during traveling, an estimated risk of electric power amount shortage on a basis of the estimated remaining electric power amount;

a notifying unit configured to notify a user in case the estimated risk of electric power amount shortage estimated by the shortage risk estimating unit exceeds a predetermined threshold;

a support station information acquiring unit configured to acquire support station information comprising at least one of position information indicating positions of one or more support stations and availability information indicating an availability status of the one or more support stations;

wherein

a required electric power amount estimating unit is configured to estimate, for each of one or more support stations indicated in the support station information, a required electric power amount required for traveling with the vehicle from a determined position to a position of the respective support station, and

the shortage risk estimating unit is configured to estimate, for each of the one or more support stations indicated in the support station information, an estimated risk of electric power amount shortage, when traveling from the determined position to the position of the respective support station.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein

the notifying unit is configured to notify the user of the vehicle about support stations for which the estimated risk of electric power amount shortage estimated by the shortage risk estimating unit is below a predetermined threshold value.

7. A system for supporting a user of an electrically driven vehicle, comprising:

a position information obtaining unit configured to obtain, during traveling, position information indicating a position of the vehicle;

an electric power amount estimating unit configured to estimate, during traveling, a remaining electric power amount of an electric power source of the vehicle;

a shortage risk estimating unit configured to estimate, during traveling, an estimated risk of electric power amount shortage on a basis of the estimated remaining electric power amount;

a notifying unit configured to notify a user in case the estimated risk of electric power amount shortage estimated by the shortage risk estimating unit exceeds a predetermined threshold;

a support station information acquiring unit configured to acquire support station information comprising at least one of position information indicating positions of one or more support stations and availability information indicating an availability status of the one or more support stations; and

a support station booking support unit configured to support booking of support stations that are available for booking operations using a communication network (N),

wherein the support station booking support unit is configured to;

issue a request for reservation directed to one of the support stations indicated in the support station information, in particular when the shortage risk estimating unit estimates that the estimated risk of electric power amount shortage exceeds a predetermined threshold, and/or

issue a request for cancellation of a reservation directed to a support station indicated in the support station information, in particular when the estimated risk of electric power amount shortage for traveling with the vehicle from the determined position to the position of the respective support station exceeds a predetermined threshold.

9. The system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a delay risk estimating unit configured to estimate, during traveling, an estimated risk of a delayed arrival time at the destination position on a basis of an intended arrival time being specified for the destination position and traffic information acquired by the traffic information acquiring unit, in particular wherein the destination position is a position of a specific support station and/or the intended arrival time is an intended arrival time at the specific support station,

wherein the notifying unit is further configured to notify the user of the vehicle in case the estimated risk of a delayed time estimated by the delay risk estimating unit exceeds a predetermined threshold value, to issue a request for cancellation of reservation having been made to one of the support stations and to issue a request for a rebooking of reservation to be made to another support station than the one of the support stations.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the another support station is closer to the vehicle than the one of the support stations.

8. A system for supporting a user of an electrically driven vehicle, comprising:

a position information obtaining unit configured to obtain, during traveling, position information indicating a position of the vehicle;

an electric power amount estimating unit configured to estimate, during traveling, a remaining electric power amount of an electric power source of the vehicle;

a shortage risk estimating unit configured to estimate, during traveling, an estimated risk of electric power amount shortage on the basis of the estimated remaining electric power amount;

a notifying unit configured to notify a user in case the estimated risk of electric power amount shortage estimated by the shortage risk estimating unit exceeds a predetermined threshold;

wherein

the system comprises an on-board apparatus being mountable to the vehicle, the on-board apparatus comprising at least one of a position monitoring unit, a required electric power amount estimating unit, the electric power amount estimating unit, and the shortage risk estimating unit;

the system comprises an external apparatus being communicably connectable with communication unit of the vehicle, the external apparatus comprising at least one of the position monitoring unit, the required electric power amount estimating unit, the electric power amount estimating unit, and the shortage risk estimating unit;

or

the system comprises an on-board apparatus being mountable to the vehicle and an external apparatus having communication unit being communicably connectable with communication unit of the vehicle, the on-board apparatus being configured to communicate with the external apparatus and comprising at least one of the position monitoring unit, the required electric power amount estimating unit, the electric power amount estimating unit, and the shortage risk estimating unit, and

the external apparatus being configured to communicate with the on-board apparatus and comprising the other unit of the position monitoring unit, the required electric power amount estimating unit, the electric power amount estimating unit, and the shortage risk estimating unit.