Vehicle energy management device

• US 9,758,145 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2015
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshikawa, Atsushi, Matsunaga, Takanori, Sugiyama, Akinobu, Mori, Kohei, Shirozono, Masataka, Nakamura, Nobutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Troost, Aaron L
• Application Number:
  US14/683,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20150329102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 701 22
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/12 using control strategies taking into account route information estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/20 Control strategies involving selection of hybrid configuration, e.g. selection between series or parallel configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• 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: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A vehicle energy management device includes: an energy consumption related information acquisition unit which acquires energy consumption related information that is information related to energy consumption of an own vehicle in each of traveling sections; an energy consumption related information correction unit which corrects the energy consumption related information; and a control plan production unit which produces a control plan for vehicle instruments based on an estimated value of an energy consumption amount of each of the vehicle instruments calculated by using the corrected energy consumption related information. The energy consumption related information correction unit corrects the energy consumption related information based on a result of comparing an actually measured value of traveling characteristics of the own vehicle in each of the road categories and a statistical result of traveling characteristics of a plurality of general vehicles in each of the traveling sections.

Claims

1. A vehicle energy management device used in a vehicle including a plurality of vehicle instruments driven by different energy sources, the vehicle energy management device comprising:

a processor to execute a software program; and

a memory to store the program which, when executed by the processor, performs processes of;

calculating a traveling route of said vehicle;

dividing said traveling route into a plurality of traveling sections, and setting for each of the traveling sections a road category corresponding to road characteristics of each of the traveling sections;

acquiring energy consumption related information that is information related to energy consumption of said vehicle in each of the traveling sections;

acquiring own vehicle traveling characteristic information that is an actually measured value of traveling characteristics when said vehicle travels on a road of each road category and general vehicle traveling characteristic statistical information that is a statistical result acquired by statistically processing traveling characteristics of a plurality of general vehicles for each road category when the plurality of general vehicles travels on the road of each road category, and correcting said energy consumption related information of each of the traveling sections based on a result of comparing said own vehicle traveling characteristic information and said general vehicle traveling characteristic statistical information of each of the traveling sections;

calculating an estimated value of an energy consumption amount by each of said plurality of vehicle instruments when said vehicle travels in each of the traveling sections, based on said corrected energy consumption related information;

producing a control plan for said plurality of vehicle instruments for each of the traveling sections based on the estimated value of the energy consumption amount by each of said plurality of vehicle instruments in each of the traveling sections; and

controlling said plurality of vehicle instruments according to said control plan.

2. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said general vehicle traveling characteristic statistical information is acquired from a storage device mounted on said vehicle.

3. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said general vehicle traveling characteristic statistical information is acquired from an information server outside of said vehicle.

4. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said processor obtains a difference between the traveling characteristics of said vehicle and an average value or median value of the traveling characteristics of said plurality of general vehicles from said own vehicle traveling characteristic information and said general vehicle traveling characteristic statistical information, and corrects said energy consumption related information based on the difference.

5. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said own vehicle traveling characteristic information includes one or more of own vehicle average vehicle speed information indicating an average vehicle speed of said vehicle, own vehicle acceleration dispersion information indicating a dispersion value of acceleration of said vehicle, and own vehicle stop state information indicating a frequency or number of stops of said vehicle, and

said general vehicle traveling characteristic statistical information includes one or more of general vehicle average vehicle speed statistical information indicating a statistical result of an average vehicle speed for said plurality of general vehicles, general vehicle acceleration dispersion statistical information indicating a statistical result of a dispersion value of acceleration for said plurality of general vehicles, and general vehicle stop state statistical information indicating a statistical result of a frequency or number of stops for said plurality of general vehicles.

6. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 5, wherein

said own vehicle traveling characteristic information includes said own vehicle acceleration dispersion information,

said general vehicle traveling characteristic statistical information includes said general vehicle acceleration dispersion statistical information, and

said own vehicle acceleration dispersion information and said general vehicle acceleration dispersion statistical information are defined while being classified for vehicle speed ranges.

7. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 5, wherein

said own vehicle traveling characteristic information includes said own vehicle acceleration dispersion information,

said general vehicle traveling characteristic statistical information includes said general vehicle acceleration dispersion statistical information, and

said own vehicle acceleration dispersion information and said general vehicle acceleration dispersion statistical information are defined without being classified for vehicle speed ranges.

8. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 5, wherein

said own vehicle traveling characteristic information includes said own vehicle average vehicle speed information indicating an average vehicle speed of said vehicle,

said general vehicle traveling characteristic statistical information includes said general vehicle average vehicle speed statistical information indicating a statistical result of an average vehicle speed for said plurality of general vehicles,

said average vehicle speed of said vehicle is an average value of a vehicle speed of said vehicle calculated while excluding a stop state, and

said average vehicle speed of a general vehicle is an average value of a vehicle speed of the general vehicle calculated while excluding a stop state.

9. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 5, wherein

said own vehicle traveling characteristic information includes said own vehicle average vehicle speed information indicating an average vehicle speed of said vehicle,

said general vehicle traveling characteristic statistical information includes said general vehicle average vehicle speed statistical information indicating a statistical result of an average vehicle speed for said plurality of general vehicles,

said average vehicle speed of said vehicle is an average value of a vehicle speed of said vehicle calculated while including a stop state, and

said average vehicle speed of a general vehicle is an average value of a vehicle speed of the general vehicle calculated while including a stop state.

10. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said processor divides said traveling route into said plurality of traveling sections by dividing said traveling route for each of road characteristics, dividing said traveling route for each of fixed distances, dividing said traveling route for each of estimated traveling distances during a fixed time, dividing said traveling route by branch points of the road, dividing said traveling route based on said energy consumption related information on said traveling route, dividing said traveling route based on said general vehicle traveling characteristic statistical information on said traveling route, dividing said traveling route for different time periods when said vehicle travels, and dividing said traveling route according to weather when said vehicle travels.

11. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 10, wherein,

in the dividing said traveling route for each of said road characteristics, said road characteristics are defined by any of a type, altitude and gradient of a road, a road width, curvature of a curve, presence of a branch point, an estimated vehicle speed range, a time period during a traveling time, weather during a traveling time, said energy consumption related information, and said general vehicle traveling characteristic statistical information.

12. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said road characteristics as said road category are defined by any of a type, altitude and gradient of a road, a road width, curvature of a curve, presence of a branch point, an estimated vehicle speed range, a time period during a traveling time, weather during a traveling time, said energy consumption related information, and said general vehicle traveling characteristic statistical information.

13. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said energy consumption related information includes any of road characteristic information, congestion information, vehicle speed information indicating a flow of a vehicle, weather information, and supply and demand information of an energy network of an infrastructure.

14. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said energy consumption related information includes vehicle speed information indicating a flow of a vehicle, and

said processor corrects said energy consumption related information by changing one or more of a gradient of vehicle speed variation in said vehicle speed information, a frequency of the vehicle speed variation, an amplitude of the vehicle speed variation, and a frequency of stops of a vehicle.

15. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

a plurality of operation modes each of which uses one or more of said plurality of vehicle instruments is defined,

said processor calculates the estimated value of the energy consumption amount by each of said plurality of vehicle instruments for each of the traveling sections when said vehicle travels in each of the operation modes, and

said processor determines each of the operation modes assigned to each of the traveling sections based on the estimated value of the energy consumption amount by each of said plurality of vehicle instruments for each of said traveling sections such that the energy consumption amount by each of said plurality of vehicle instruments on said entire traveling route satisfies a predetermined condition.

16. The vehicle energy management device according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of vehicle instruments includes an engine that uses fuel as an energy source, a motor that uses electric power as an energy source, and an electric generator that generates electricity by using output of said engine or kinetic energy of said vehicle.