Vehicle control system, vehicle information providing device, and vehicle information providing method

• US 9,751,423 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2013
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Niioka, Hisashi, Yamamoto, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ziaeianmehdizadeh, Navid
• Application Number:
  US14/429,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20150210181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/06 with air cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/008 with means for heating the electrical propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0092 with use of redundant elements for safety purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/24 for controlling the temperature of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/443 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6571 : Resistive heaters arrangements for heating the battery by its resistance to the internal current H01M10/637
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/663 : the system being an air-conditioner or an engine
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 : Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 : Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 : Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 : with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0029 : with safety or protection devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• 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 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle control system has a battery installed in a vehicle and capable of being charged with electricity supplied from an external power source outside the vehicle, an auxiliary device that operates by consuming the electricity supplied from the external power source or the battery, a communication unit that transmits information about the vehicle outward from the vehicle, and a control unit that directs the communication unit to transmit information about predetermined notice to a user of the vehicle when a predetermined condition for activating the auxiliary device is fulfilled and when the external power source is not available. The predetermined condition is that a request for activating the auxiliary device is made but the auxiliary device cannot start or continue operating.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system comprising:

a battery installed in a vehicle and configured to be charged with electricity supplied from an external power source outside the vehicle;

an auxiliary device configured to operate by consuming the electricity supplied from the external power source or the battery;

a communication device configured to transmit information about the vehicle outward from the vehicle; and

a control circuitry configured to direct the communication device to transmit information about a predetermined notice to a user of the vehicle when a predetermined condition for activating the auxiliary device is fulfilled and when the external power source is not available,

wherein the predetermined condition is that a request for activating the auxiliary device is made, remaining battery level of the battery is a predetermined value or higher, and the auxiliary device starts operating via the electricity from the battery, and

wherein, when the predetermined condition is fulfilled, the control circuitry directs the communication device to transmit information about a decrease in remaining battery level to notify that the remaining battery level decreases.

2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitry determines the predetermined condition after a lapse of a predetermined time from a point where a power of the vehicle is turned off.

3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitry does not provide the notice when the vehicle drives.