ROUTE DETERMINATION SYSTEM FOR A HYBRID VEHICLE

• US 20070294026A1
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Schirmer, Hartmut
• Application Number:
  US11/692,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20070294026A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• 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 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• 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 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/40 Altitude
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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 10/84 : Data processing systems or methods, management, administration
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

Route determination systems and methods are provided for determining a route for a hybrid vehicle having at least two different mechanisms for driving the vehicle. One example of a method includes determining the resource status of at least one of the at least two different driving mechanisms, determining a destination location for the vehicle, and determining a route to the predetermined destination location. The uses of the different driving mechanisms may be determined in accordance with the determined resource status.

Claims

1. A method for determining a route for a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle having at least two different mechanisms for driving the vehicle, the method comprising:

determining a resource status of at least one of the at least two different driving mechanisms;

determining a destination location for the vehicle;

determining a route to the predetermined destination location; and

determining a use of the different driving mechanisms for the route in accordance with the determined resource status.

2. The method of claim 1 where the step of determining the use of the different driving mechanisms includes the step of determining which driving mechanism is used for the different parts of the route.

3. The method of claim 1 where the step of determining the use of the different driving mechanisms includes the step of determining at least one switch location for changing the driving mechanism.

4. The method of claim 1 where the driving mechanisms are selected from the following mechanisms:

gasoline, diesel, gas engine, electric motor, or hydrogen driven motor.

5. The method of claim 1 where the step of determining the resource status includes determining the resource status for a non-fossil fuel combusting driving mechanism.

6. The method of claim 1 where one driving mechanism is an electric motor and the step of determining the resource status includes the step of determining a charge status of a battery that stores the electric energy for the electric motor.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

determining at least one driving mechanism preference for at least one geographical region where the step of determining the route to the predetermined destination includes a step of accounting for the driving mechanism preferences, and the step of determining the use of the different driving mechanisms includes a step of accounting for the driving mechanism preferences.

8. The method of claim 7 where the driving constraints are received via a wireless communication unit.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining at least one driving mechanism constraint for at least one geographical region where the step of determining the route to the predetermined destination includes a step of accounting for the driving mechanism constraints, and the step of determining the use of the different driving mechanisms includes a step of accounting for the driving mechanism constraints.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a position of the vehicle;

determining preferences and/or constraints for the driving mechanism for the vehicle position; and

performing one or both of the steps of;

informing the user of the vehicle of possible driving mechanism preferences or constraints, or automatically selecting the driving mechanism in accordance with the driving mechanism constraints or preferences.

11. The method of claim 10 where the step of determining the use of the different driving mechanisms includes a step of selecting a driving mechanism for which no constraint exists during a part of the route for which a driving mechanism constraint is present.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

determining whether, based on the resource status, a route can be calculated meeting the driving mechanism constraints or preferences.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a minimum resource level for at least one of the different driving mechanisms and ensuring that the resource status for the at least one driving mechanism does not fall under the minimum resource level during the step determining the use of the different driving mechanisms.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

predicting the resource status for the different parts of the route, where during driving, the resource status is determined to differ from the predicted resource status by a predetermined amount.

15. The method of claim 14 where the step of determining the use of the different driving mechanisms is recalculated for a remainder of the route if the resource status differs from the predicted resource status by a predetermined amount.

16. The method of claim 15 where the step of determining the use of the different driving mechanisms includes the step of determining at least one switch location for changing the driving mechanism, where the at least one switch location is repeated for a remainder of the route if the resource status differs from the predicted resource status by a predetermined amount.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

determining the driver'"'"'s driving habits relative to the resource consumption, and accounting for the driver'"'"'s driving habits during the step of predicting the resource status for the different parts of the route.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining traffic information for the determined route; and

accounting for the traffic information during the step of determining the use of the driving mechanisms for the determined route.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a preset condition where the step of determining the route includes calculating the predetermined destination location in accordance with the preset condition.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the destination location includes a refilling location for refilling a resource for at least one of the driving mechanisms where the step of determining the route and the step of determining the use of the different driving mechanisms includes accounting for the refilling location.

21. The method of claim 1 where the different driving mechanisms includes a fossil-fuel consuming driving mechanism, and where the step of controlling the driving mechanisms includes determining the route so as to minimize the fuel consumption for a fossil fuel.

22. A method for determining a route for a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle having at least two different mechanisms for driving the vehicle, the method comprising:

determining a resource status of at least one of the at least two different driving mechanisms;

determining a destination location for the vehicle;

determining a route to the predetermined destination location based upon the determined resource status of the at least one of the at least two different driving mechanisms.

23. The method of claim 22 where the driving mechanisms are selected from the following mechanisms:

gasoline, diesel, gas engine, electric motor, or hydrogen driven motor.

24. The method of claim 22 where the step of determining the resource status includes determining the resource status for a non-fossil fuel combusting driving mechanism.

25. The method of claim 22 where one driving mechanism is an electric motor and the step of determining the resource status include the step of determining a charge status of a battery that stores the electric energy for the electric motor.

27. The method of claim 22 where the step of determining a route to the predetermined destination location based upon the determined resource status of the at least one of the at least two different driving mechanisms includes accounting for driving mechanism constraints when determining the route.

28. A system for controlling a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle having at least two different driving mechanisms, the system comprising:

a resource determination unit for determining the resource status of at least one of the at least two different driving mechanisms;

a position detecting unit for calculating the present position of the vehicle;

a route determination unit for determining the route to a predetermined destination location; and

a driving mechanism control unit for determining the use of the different driving mechanisms and for determining switching locations for changing the driving mechanism for the route in accordance with the determined resource status.

29. The system of claim 28 where the hybrid vehicle has at least one of the following driving mechanisms:

a fuel combustion motor, an electric motor, and hydrogen driven motor.

30. A system for controlling a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle having at least two different driving mechanisms, the system comprising:

a resource determination unit for determining the resource status of at least one of the at least two different driving mechanisms;

a position detecting unit for calculating the present position of the vehicle; and

a route determination unit for determining the route to a predetermined destination location based upon the determined resource status of the at least one of the at least two different driving mechanisms.

31. The system of claim 30 where the hybrid vehicle has at least one of the following driving mechanisms:

a fuel combustion motor, an electric motor, and hydrogen driven motor.