Vehicle range projection

• US 8,996,295 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2012
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Tate, Edward D. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trivedi, Atul
• Application Number:
  US13/609,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20140074391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 701/123, 701/400, 701409-418, 701423-426, 701/428
• US Class Current: 701/400
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/26 Transition between different drive modes
• 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 50/50 using propulsion power supplied by batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

Vehicle range projection is implemented by a host system having logic executable thereon. The logic identifies a starting location of a vehicle and identifies destination locations for the vehicle. The logic also builds routes from the starting location to the destination locations based on routing objectives and travel constraints. The logic further outputs at least a portion of at least one route and travel cost information associated with the at least a portion of at least one route.

Claims

1. A system for providing vehicle range projection, the system comprising:

a host system computer; and

logic executable by the host system computer, the logic configured to implement a method, the method comprising;

identifying a starting location of a vehicle;

identifying a plurality of different destination locations for the vehicle;

defining a region reachable from the starting location by the vehicle by building a route from the starting location to each destination location of the plurality of different destination locations using a routing algorithm that is modified to use a negative of a distance from the starting location to the destination location based on routing objectives and travel constraints;

partitioning the region into a plurality of Voronoi cells based on the travel constraints of the vehicle; and

outputting the region and the plurality of routes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the travel constraints include at least one of a distance, an amount of time, and an energy usage.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the routing objectives include at least one of minimizing travel time, minimizing travel distance, and minimizing energy usage.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the building the plurality of routes includes:

maintaining a travel cost for each of the plurality of routes; and

eliminating a route responsive to the travel cost of the route exceeding at least one of the travel constraints.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the outputting is to a display.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the outputting the region comprises displaying the Voronoi cells in different colors based on the travel constraints of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the routing algorithm comprises an A* algorithm.

8. A method for providing vehicle range projection, the method comprising:

identifying a starting location of a vehicle;

identifying a plurality of different destination locations for the vehicle;

defining a region reachable from the starting location by the vehicle by building a route from the starting location to each destination location of the plurality of different destination locations using a routing algorithm that is modified to use a negative of a distance from the starting location to the destination location based on routing objectives and travel constraints;

partitioning the region into a plurality of Voronoi cells based on the travel constraints of the vehicle; and

outputting at least a portion of at least one route and travel cost information associated with the at least a portion of at least one route the region and the plurality of routes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the travel constraints include at least one of a distance, an amount of time, and an energy usage.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the routing objectives include at least one of minimizing travel time, minimizing travel distance, and minimizing energy usage.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the building the plurality of routes includes:

maintaining a travel cost for each of the plurality of routes; and

eliminating a route responsive to the travel cost of the route exceeding at least one of the travel constraints.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the outputting is to a display.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the outputting the region comprises displaying the Voronoi cells in different colors based on the travel constraints of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the routing algorithm comprises an A* algorithm.

15. A computer program product for providing vehicle range projection, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions, which when executed by a computer cause the computer to implement a method, the method comprising:

identifying a starting location of a vehicle;

identifying a plurality of different destination locations for the vehicle;

defining a region reachable from the starting location by the vehicle by building a route from the starting location to each destination location of the plurality of different destination locations using a routing algorithm that is modified to use a negative of a distance from the starting location to the destination location based on routing objectives and travel constraints;

partitioning the region into a plurality of Voronoi cells based on the travel constraints of the vehicle; and

outputting at least a portion of at least one route and travel cost information associated with the at least a portion of at least one route the region and the plurality of routes.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the travel constraints include at least one of a distance, an amount of time, and an energy usage.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the routing objectives include at least one of minimizing travel time, minimizing travel distance, and minimizing energy usage.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the building the plurality of routes includes:

maintaining a travel cost for each of the plurality of routes; and

eliminating a route responsive to the travel cost of the route exceeding at least one of the travel constraints.

19. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the outputting the region comprises displaying the Voronoi cells in different colors based on the travel constraints of the vehicle.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the routing algorithm comprises A* algorithm.