Charge control system for electric motor vehicle

• US 8,996,213 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2012
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Akihito, Yoshida, Ichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US13/594,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20130079962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/29.1, 701/29.3, 701/29.6, 180/65.285, 180/65.27, 180/65.28, 180/65.265, 180/65.21, 180/65.29, 340/636.1, 340/636.12, 340/636.15
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/68 Traffic data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• 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: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• 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 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

A charge control system for charging a battery in an electric motor vehicle includes a travel history database, a route information acquisition unit, a power consumption estimation unit, and a charge control unit. The travel history database stores data of actual travel history from a plurality of electric motor vehicles. The route information acquisition unit determines a planned travel route toward a destination specified by a user, and the power consumption estimation unit calculates an estimated power amount of the battery for the travel of the electric motor vehicle along the planned travel route. The charge control unit controls a charge of the battery based on the estimated power amount. The estimated power amount is based on data in the travel history database from a same-type vehicle as the electric motor vehicle and a same travel route as the planned travel route.

Claims

1. A charge control system for charging a battery in an electric motor vehicle, the vehicle traveling by an electric motor is driven by the battery, the charging of the battery performed by an external power source, the system comprising:

a travel history database accumulatively storing data of actual travel history from a plurality of electric motor vehicles, the data being information of a vehicle type, a travel route, and an estimated power amount for the travel route used by a motor of each of the plurality of electric motor vehicles;

a route information acquisition unit acquiring information of a planned travel route toward a destination specified by a user;

a power consumption estimation unit calculating an estimated power amount of the battery for the travel of the electric motor vehicle along the planned travel route, wherein the power consumption estimation unit determines the estimated power amount based on data in the travel history database from a same-type vehicle as the electric motor vehicle and a same travel route as the planned travel route;

a charge control unit controlling a charge of the battery based on the estimated power amount;

a weight determination unit determining a weight of the electric motor vehicle for when the electric motor vehicle travels the planned travel route; and

a first correction unit correcting the estimated power amount based on the weight determined by the weight determination unit.

2. The charge control system of claim 1, wherein information of the travel routes in the travel history database is organized as a combination of a road link, a start node,

3. The charge control system of claim 1 further comprising:

a travel environment information acquisition unit acquiring data of a travel environment of the electric motor vehicle for when the electric motor vehicle travels the planned travel route; and

a second correction unit correcting the estimated power amount based on the travel environment acquired by the travel environment information acquisition unit.

4. The charge control system of claim 3 further comprising:

a vehicular device use frequency determination unit determining a use frequency of a vehicular device being used according to a user preference; and

a third correction unit correcting the estimated power amount based on the use frequency determined by the vehicular device use frequency determination unit.

5. The charge control system of claim 1 further comprising:

a fuel mileage information disclosure unit calculating and outputting an averaged power consumption amount for vehicle types based on the data in the travel history database.

6. The charge control system of claim 1 further comprising:

a driving characteristic determination unit determining a driving characteristic of a user based on the travel history data regarding the user in the travel history database.

7. The charge control system of claim 1 further comprising:

an abnormality determination unit determining and notifying the user of an abnormality of the electric motor vehicle, based on the travel history data of the user in the travel history database.

11. The charge control system of claim 1 further comprising:

a travel environment information acquisition unit acquiring data of a travel environment of the electric motor vehicle for when the electric motor vehicle travels the planned travel route; and

an estimated-power-correction unit correcting the estimated power amount based on the travel environment acquired by the travel environment information acquisition unit.

12. The charge control system of claim 1 further comprising:

a vehicular device use frequency determination unit determining a use frequency of a vehicular device being used according to a user preference; and

an estimated-power-correction unit correcting the estimated power amount based on the use frequency determined by the vehicular device use frequency determination unit.

8. A charge control system for charging a battery in an electric motor vehicle, the vehicle traveling by an electric motor is driven by the battery, the charging of the battery performed by an external power source, the system comprising:

a travel history database accumulatively storing data of actual travel history from a plurality of electric motor vehicles, the data being information of a vehicle type, a travel route, and an estimated power amount for the travel route;

a route information acquisition unit acquiring information of a planned travel route toward a destination specified by a user;

a power consumption estimation unit calculating an estimated power amount of the battery for the travel of the electric motor vehicle along the planned travel route, wherein the power consumption estimation unit determines the estimated power amount based on data in the travel history database from a same-type vehicle as the electric motor vehicle and a same travel route as the planned travel route;

a charge control unit controlling a charge of the battery based on the estimated power amount;

a charge station charging the battery of the electric motor vehicle, the charge control unit being part of the charge station; and

an information center having the travel history database, the route information acquisition unit, and the power consumption estimation unit, the information center being coupled to the charge station through a data communication unit, wherein

the charge station transmits, to the information center, a vehicle type, a current position, and a destination of the electric motor vehicle to be charged,

the information center determines a planned travel route based on the current position and the destination of the electric motor vehicle and determines the estimated power amount of the battery for traveling along the planned travel route based on the travel history database, and

the information center transmits the planned travel route and the estimated power amount to the charge station, and the charge station controls the charge of the battery based on the estimated power amount.

9. The charge control system of claim 8, wherein

the charge station acquires the travel history data from the electric motor vehicle, and transmits the travel history data to the information center, and

the information center stores the travel history data from the charge station in the travel history database.

10. The charge control system of claim 8, wherein the charge station is equipped with a weight measurement apparatus for detecting a weight of the electric motor vehicle to be charged.