Method and system for reducing range anxiety

• US 9,132,746 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2013
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Enomoto, Tomoyuki, Nakano, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US13/968,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20150051763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/22, 340/995.17, 320/109, 320/134
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/18 by enquiring driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• 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

Abstract

A first range, a second range, and a third range are determined for a state-of-charge associated with a battery. The second range is determined based on a first set of information. The third range is determined based on a second set of information different from the first set of information. A map including a first zone associated with the first range, a second zone associated with the second range, and a third zone associated with the third range is displayed.

Claims

1. A method of reducing range anxiety in a vehicle including a motor coupled to a battery, the method comprising:

determining a state-of-charge associated with the battery using at least one sensor communicatively coupled with the battery;

determining a first drivable range of the vehicle for the state-of-charge associated with the battery;

determining a second drivable range of the vehicle for the state-of-charge associated with the battery based on a first set of information;

determining a third drivable range of the vehicle for the state-of-charge associated with the battery based on a second set of information, the second set of information different from the first set of information; and

displaying a map including a first zone associated with the first drivable range, a second zone associated with the second drivable range, and a third zone associated with the third drivable range.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first drivable range, the second drivable range, and the third drivable range comprises retrieving topography information, and calculating the first drivable range, the second drivable range, and the third drivable range based on the topography information and the state-of-charge associated with the battery.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first drivable range comprises retrieving the state-of-charge associated with the battery.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second drivable range comprises retrieving a driving style of a driver of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein retrieving a driving style of the driver comprises extracting the driving style from the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the second drivable range comprises retrieving a driving style of a driver of the vehicle and charging station location information.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the second drivable range comprises retrieving a driving style of a driver of the vehicle and charging station location information, and wherein determining the third range comprises retrieving the charging station location information and emergency contact information.

8. A computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein, when executed by a processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:

determine a state-of-charge associated with a battery coupled to a motor of a vehicle based on a signal received from at least one sensor communicatively coupled with the battery;

determine a first drivable range of the vehicle for the state-of-charge associated with the battery;

determine a second drivable range of the vehicle for the state-of-charge associated with the battery based on a first set of information;

determine a third drivable range of the vehicle for the state-of-charge associated with the battery based on a second set of information, the second set of information different from the first set of information; and

present a map including a first zone associated with the first drivable range, a second zone associated with the second drivable range, and a third zone associated with the third drivable range.

9. The computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to determine the first drivable range, the second drivable range, and the third drivable range based on topography information and the state-of-charge associated with the battery.

10. The computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to retrieve the state-of-charge associated with the battery.

11. The computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to determine the second drivable range based on the state-of-charge associated with the battery, a driving style of a driver of the vehicle, and charging station location information.

12. The computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to determine the third drivable range based on the state-of-charge associated with the battery, charging station location information, and emergency contact information.

13. The computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to determine the first drivable range without a driving style of a driver of the vehicle, charging station location information, and emergency contact information.

14. A computing device connectable to a vehicle including a motor coupled to a battery, the computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein, when executed by the processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to;

determine a state-of-charge associated with a battery based on a signal received from at least one sensor communicatively coupled with the battery;

determine a first drivable range of the vehicle for the state-of-charge associated with the battery;

determine a second drivable range of the vehicle for the state-of-charge associated with the battery based on a first set of information;

determine a third drivable range of the vehicle for the state-of-charge associated with the battery based on a second set of information different from the first set of information; and

present, on a display associated with the vehicle, a map including a first zone associated with the first drivable range, a second zone associated with the second drivable range, and a third zone associated with the third drivable range.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to retrieve map information from a cellular network.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to retrieve vehicle information from the vehicle, wherein the first set of information includes the vehicle information.

17. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to retrieve a driving style from the vehicle.

18. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to retrieve an emergency contact from a remote source, wherein the second set of information includes emergency contact information associated with the emergency contact.

19. The computing device of claim 18 wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to retrieve the emergency contact information from a cellular network.