Dynamic driving range maps for improving driving range anxiety

• US 9,580,079 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2013
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Long, Mary
• Primary Examiner(s): Jos, Basil T
• Application Number:
  US13/922,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20140379183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/00 Methods, circuits, or devices for controlling the traction-motor speed of electrically-propelled vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/64 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/66 Ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/68 Traffic data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• 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 10/64 : 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 90/12 : 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
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

The systems, methods and articles described herein are directed to a cloud based server which can access and retrieve data for dynamically calculating and generating information relating to driving ranges of one or more electric vehicles. In addition, the information relating to the driving ranges can be displayed on the one or more electric vehicles for improving driving range anxiety. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer program product storing instructions, which, when executed by at least one data processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

continually receiving or accessing data identifying one or more conditions affecting a driving range of a vehicle powered by at least one battery;

dynamically calculating, based on the received or accessed data, driving range information for the vehicle characterizing a distance the vehicle can travel until the at least one battery is depleted;

generating, based on the dynamically calculated driving range information, a display in a graphical user interface characterizing the driving range information for the vehicle, wherein the display comprises a first accessibility range defining a first area having a first probability of the vehicle accessing the first area a second accessibility range defining a second area having a second probability of the vehicle accessing the second area, and a third accessibility range defining a third area having a third probability of the vehicle accessing the third area, wherein the first probability is lower than the second probability, and wherein the second probability is lower than the third probability; and

updating the display based on changes in the data identifying the one or more conditions affecting the driving range of the vehicle.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the data comprises at least one of a current vehicle characteristic, route information, route history, and a driver history.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the current vehicle characteristic comprises one or more of a battery charge, location of the vehicle, car component activity, and battery condition.

4. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the route information comprises one or more of a current traffic condition, upcoming traffic condition along a defined route, current vehicle speed, current weather along the defined route.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the display comprises one or more of a geographical area, a defined route, a point of interest, a current location indicator, and a charging station.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the first accessibility range is color coded with a first color characterizing the first probability of the vehicle accessing the first area, wherein the second accessibility range is color coded with a second color characterizing the second probability of the vehicle accessing the second area, and wherein the third accessibility range is color coded with a third color characterizing the third probability of the vehicle accessing the third area.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the display comprises at least one charging station displayed either along or near a defined route.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the charging stations comprise a characteristic which indicates the accessibility of the charging stations relative to a current location of the vehicle.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the vehicle wirelessly communicates with a cloud based server which dynamically calculates in at least near real-time information characterizing driving range information for the vehicle which is displayed on the display.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the dynamically calculating comprises:

accessing a route history database to dynamically calculate and generate battery charge and driving range information in at least near real-time for the vehicle, the route history database comprising a matrix of locations of electric vehicles and factors relating to their battery charge and battery charge consumption at particular locations.

11. A computer implemented method comprising:

continually receiving or accessing data identifying one or more conditions affecting a driving range of a vehicle powered by at least one battery;

dynamically calculating, based on the received or accessed data, driving range information for the vehicle characterizing a distance the vehicle can travel until the at least one battery is depleted;

generating, based on the dynamically calculated driving range information, a display in a graphical user interface characterizing the driving range information for the vehicle, wherein the display comprises a first accessibility range defining a first area having a first probability of the vehicle accessing the first area, a second accessibility range defining a second area having a second probability of the vehicle accessing the second area, and a third accessibility range defining a third area having a third probability of the vehicle accessing the third area, wherein the first probability is lower than the second probability, and wherein the second probability is lower than the third probability; and

updating the display based on changes in the data identifying the one or more conditions affecting the driving range of the vehicle.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein the data comprises at least one of a current vehicle characteristic, route information, route history, and a driver history.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein the current vehicle characteristic comprises one or more of a battery charge, location of the vehicle, car component activity, and battery condition.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein the route information comprises one or more of a current traffic condition, upcoming traffic condition along a defined route, current vehicle speed, current weather along the defined route.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein the display comprises one or more of a geographical area, a defined route, a point of interest, a current location indicator, and a charging station.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein the first accessibility range is color coded with a first color characterizing the first probability of the vehicle accessing the first area, wherein the second accessibility range is color coded with a second color characterizing the second probability of the vehicle accessing the second area, and wherein the third accessibility range is color coded with a third color characterizing the third probability of the vehicle accessing the third area.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein the display comprises at least one charging station displayed either along or near a defined route.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 17, wherein:

the charging stations comprise a characteristic which indicates the accessibility of the charging stations relative to a current location of the vehicle;

the vehicle wirelessly communicates with a cloud based server which dynamically calculates in at least near real-time information characterizing driving range information for the vehicle which is then displayed on the display.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein the dynamically calculating comprises:

accessing a route history database to dynamically calculate and generate battery charge and driving range information in at least near real-time for the vehicle, the route history database comprising a matrix of locations of electric vehicles and factors relating to their battery charge and battery charge consumption at particular locations.

20. A system comprising:

an electric vehicle powered by at least one battery;

a cloud based server comprising memory and at least one data processor which continually retrieves and accesses data identifying one or more conditions affecting a driving range of at least the electric vehicle, the cloud based server implementing a mileage module which retrieves data from the cloud based computing module and dynamically calculates and generates driving range information for the electric vehicle, the mileage module having wireless communication with the electric vehicle for sending driving range information to the electric vehicle; and

a display viewable by the driver of the electric vehicle showing one or more configurations of the driving range information, wherein the display comprises a first accessibility range defining a first area having a first probability of the vehicle accessing the first area, a second accessibility range defining a second area having a second probability of the vehicle accessing the second area, and a third accessibility range defining a third area having a third probability of the vehicle accessing the third area, wherein the first probability is lower than the second probability, and wherein the second probability is lower than the third probability.