Moving assist apparatus and method

• US 9,896,086 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2015
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Yuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/119,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20170066429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/28 characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/14 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/26 Transition between different drive modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/44 by parameter estimation
• 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 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/10 Dynamic electric regenerative braking B60L7/22 takes precedence
• 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 20/13 in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/18125 : Regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/182 : Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/91 : Battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/112 : Batteries
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/907 : Electricity storage, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 : Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A moving assist apparatus for assisting a vehicle to move from current position to destination includes a mode planning unit for, for each section obtained by dividing traveling route, planning one traveling mode from first mode of not maintaining a charge storage amount of the secondary battery and second mode of maintaining the charge storage amount of the secondary battery, based on a traveling load associated with the section. If the charge storage amount of the battery is above a first threshold, the mode planning unit takes a section after which the charge storage amount of the battery that is predicted with assumption of traveling with the first mode is below a second threshold less than the first threshold by taking the section being traveled by the vehicle or the next section as a reference, as a first mode priority section in which the first mode is planned in priority.

Claims

1. A moving assist apparatus for assisting a vehicle to move from a current position to a destination, the vehicle including:

an internal combustion engine;

a motor apparatus that functions as an electric motor and a generator; and

a secondary battery that is a power source of the motor apparatus and that stores electric power generated by regenerative braking, the moving assist apparatus comprising;

a mode planning unit configured to;

for each section obtained by dividing a traveling route from the current position to the destination, plan one traveling mode from a CD (Charge Depleting) mode of not maintaining a charge storage amount of the secondary battery and a CS (Charge Sustaining) mode of maintaining the charge storage amount of the secondary battery, based on a traveling load associated with the section, and

in a case that it is impossible to travel though the entire traveling route from the current position to the destination with the CD mode and when the charge storage amount of the secondary battery is above a first threshold;

set a section, after which the charge storage amount of the secondary battery that is predicted with assumption of traveling with the CD mode is below a second threshold that is less than the first threshold by taking the section being traveled by the vehicle or the next section consecutive to this section as a reference, as a CD mode priority section that is planned to give priority to the CD mode.

2. The moving assist apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the mode planning unit is configured to, if the charge storage amount of the secondary battery is above the first threshold when the vehicle is traveling in a high speed section requiring traveling with a high speed or a high output section requiring a high output, limit setting the high speed section or the high output section as the CD mode priority section.

3. The moving assist apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the mode planning unit is configured to, if the charge storage amount of the secondary battery is above the first threshold when the vehicle is traveling in the high speed section or the high output section, set at least the high speed section or the high output section, a distance to which from a current position of the vehicle is below a certain distance, as a CS mode priority section that is planned to give priority to the CS mode.

4. The moving assist apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the mode planning unit is further configured to, after the planning of the CD mode priority section is completed, plan the CD mode in an ascending order of the traveling load for the remaining section based on the charge storage amount of the secondary battery that is below the second threshold.

5. A moving assist method for assisting a vehicle to move from a current position to a destination by using an electronic control unit (ECU), the vehicle including:

an internal combustion engine;

a motor apparatus that functions as an electric motor and a generator; and

a secondary battery that is a power source of the motor apparatus and that stores electric power generated by regenerative braking, the moving assist method comprising;

for each section obtained by dividing a traveling route from the current position to the destination, planning, by the ECU, one traveling mode from a CD (Charge Depleting) mode of not maintaining a charge storage amount of the secondary battery having the motor apparatus as a driving source and a CS (Charge Sustaining) mode of maintaining the charge storage amount of the secondary battery, based on a traveling load associated with the section, and

in a case that it is impossible to travel though the entire traveling route from the current position to the destination with the CD mode and when the charge storage amount of the secondary battery is above a first threshold;

setting, by the ECU, a section, after which the charge storage amount of the secondary battery that is predicted with assumption of traveling with the CD mode is below a second threshold that is less than the first threshold by taking the section being traveled by the vehicle or the next section consecutive to this section as a reference, as a CD mode priority section that is planned to give priority to the CD mode.

6. A moving assist apparatus for assisting a vehicle to move from a current position to a destination, the vehicle including:

an internal combustion engine;

a motor apparatus that functions as an electric motor and a generator; and

a secondary battery that is a power source of the motor apparatus and that stores electric power generated by regenerative braking, the moving assist apparatus comprising;

an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to;

for each section obtained by dividing a traveling route from the current position to the destination, plan one traveling mode from a CD (Charge Depleting) mode of not maintaining a charge storage amount of the secondary battery and a CS (Charge Sustaining) mode of maintaining the charge storage amount of the secondary battery, based on a traveling load associated with the section, and

in a case that it is impossible to travel though the entire traveling route from the current position to the destination with the CD mode and when the charge storage amount of the secondary battery is above a first threshold;

set a section, after which the charge storage amount of the secondary battery that is predicted with assumption of traveling with the CD mode is below a second threshold that is less than the first threshold by taking the section being traveled by the vehicle or the next section consecutive to this section as a reference, as a CD mode priority section that is planned to give priority to the CD mode.

7. The moving assist apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the ECU is configured to, if the charge storage amount of the secondary battery is above the first threshold when the vehicle is traveling in a high speed section requiring traveling with a high speed or a high output section requiring a high output, limit setting the high speed section or the high output section as the CD mode priority section.

8. The moving assist apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the ECU is configured to, if the charge storage amount of the secondary battery is above the first threshold when the vehicle is traveling in the high speed section or the high output section, set at least the high speed section or the high output section, a distance to which from a current position of the vehicle is below a certain distance, as a CS mode priority section that is planned to give priority to the CS mode.

9. The moving assist apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the ECU is further configured to, after the planning of the CD mode priority section is completed, plan the CD mode in an ascending order of the traveling load for the remaining section based on the charge storage amount of the secondary battery that is below the second threshold.