VEHICLE FUNCTION DETERMINATION

• US 20160009188A1
• Filed: 07/08/2014
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: YOKOYAMA, Akihisa, SHIMIZU, Takayuki, KUMITA, Kunihiko, OHNO, Tomoya
• Granted Patent: US 9,315,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/14 by input of vehicle departure time
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/58 Departure time prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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: Y04S 10/126 the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]

Abstract

The disclosure includes a system and method for performing one or more vehicle functions associated with a vehicle. The system includes a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the system to: receive sensor data indicating that a vehicle has arrived at a destination location; determine a synchronized arrival time describing when the vehicle arrived at the destination location, the synchronized arrival time determined based in part on the sensor data; and determine one or more vehicle functions associated with the vehicle based in part on the synchronized arrival time.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving sensor data indicating that a vehicle has arrived at a destination location;

determining a synchronized arrival time describing when the vehicle arrived at the destination location, the synchronized arrival time determined based in part on the sensor data; and

determining one or more vehicle functions associated with the vehicle based in part on the synchronized arrival time;

wherein determining the one or more vehicle functions based in part on the synchronized arrival time comprises;

estimating departure time data including a departure time range associated with the vehicle based in part on the synchronized arrival time, wherein the departure time range indicates an uncertainty of the vehicle departure time; and

determining the one or more vehicle functions based in part on the departure time range indicating the uncertainty of the vehicle departure time; and

executing at least one of the one or more vehicle functions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, responsive to the departure time range indicating uncertainty of the vehicle departure time, the at least one vehicle function is executed substantially immediately in order to minimize a risk of failure to execute the at least one vehicle function due to a time shortage.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein estimating the departure time data based in part on the synchronized arrival time comprises:

determining a distribution pattern describing a relationship between arrival times and departure times; and

estimating the departure time data based in part on the distribution pattern and the synchronized arrival time.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the distribution pattern includes a probability density distribution table.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a user preference based on the departure time range indicating an uncertainty of the vehicle departure time, wherein the user preference describes a timing for executing the one or more vehicle functions; and

wherein the at least one vehicle function is executed in conformity to the user preference.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user preference is described by user profile data provided by a social network server that hosts a social network service and the user preference indicates that the user prefers to charge the vehicle as soon as the vehicle arrives at the destination location and the at least one vehicle function is executed substantially immediately.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating graphical data for providing a user interface that depicts a notification describing the vehicle function to the user and a time slot for performance of the vehicle function and providing the graphical data to a client device that displays the user interface on a display of the client device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more vehicle functions include charging the vehicle, and determining the one or more vehicle functions comprises:

determining a charging completion time as a time before the estimated departure time;

receiving DR event data;

analyzing the DR event data to determine one or more DR requirements;

determining available time slots for charging the vehicle based in part on the one or more DR requirements and the charging completion time;

retrieving price data associated with the available time slots;

determining a target state of charge for a battery associated with the vehicle;

selecting one or more charging time slots from the available time slots based in part on the target state of charge and the price data; and

assigning the one or more charging time slots to the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicle functions include one or more of charging the vehicle, controlling temperature in the vehicle, transferring data between the vehicle and a server, and transferring data between the vehicle and a client device.

10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-usable medium including a computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

receive sensor data indicating that a vehicle has arrived at a destination location;

determine a synchronized arrival time describing when the vehicle arrived at the destination location, the synchronized arrival time determined based in part on the sensor data;

determine an arrival day associated with the synchronized arrival time, wherein the arrival day may be a weekday, weekend or a holiday;

determine one or more vehicle functions associated with the vehicle based in part on the synchronized arrival time and the arrival day;

wherein determining the one or more vehicle functions based in part on the synchronized arrival time and the arrival day comprises;

selecting, based on the arrival day, a distribution pattern from a set of distribution patterns describing relationships between arrival times and departure times, wherein the departure time varies based on the arrival day and the set includes (1) a first distribution pattern for weekdays, (2) a second distribution pattern for weekends and (3) a third distribution pattern for holidays, wherein the distribution pattern is selected from the set based on a correspondence between the arrival day and the selected distribution pattern;

estimating the departure time data based in part on the selected distribution pattern, the arrival day and the synchronized arrival time; and

determining the one or more vehicle functions based in part on the departure time data; and

executing at least one of the one or more vehicle functions determined based in part on the departure time data.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein if the arrival day corresponds to both (1) a holiday and (2) a weekday or a weekend, the selected distribution pattern is the third distribution pattern for holidays.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the holidays for a user of the vehicle are based on user profile data provided by a social network server communicatively coupled to the vehicle via a network to provide a social network service for the user.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the distribution pattern includes a probability density distribution table.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the departure time data includes a departure time range.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein determining the one or more vehicle functions based in part on the departure time data comprises:

determining that the departure time range indicates the vehicle departs from the destination location after a predetermined time window;

determining a distribution pattern describing a relationship between arrival times and departure times;

estimating a departure time satisfying the departure time range based in part on the synchronized arrival time and the distribution pattern; and

determining the one or more vehicle functions to be performed at the destination location based in part on the estimated departure time.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the departure time data includes an estimated departure time describing when the vehicle departs from the destination location.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the one or more vehicle functions include charging the vehicle, and determining the one or more vehicle functions comprises:

determining a charging completion time as a time before the estimated departure time;

receiving DR event data;

analyzing the DR event data to determine one or more DR requirements;

determining available time slots for charging the vehicle based in part on the one or more DR requirements and the charging completion time;

retrieving price data associated with the available time slots;

determining a target state of charge for a battery associated with the vehicle;

selecting one or more charging time slots from the available time slots based in part on the target state of charge and the price data; and

assigning the one or more charging time slots to the vehicle.

18. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the one or more vehicle functions include one or more of charging the vehicle, controlling temperature in the vehicle, transferring data between the vehicle and a server, and transferring data between the vehicle and a client device.

19. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the system to;

receive sensor data indicating that a vehicle has arrived at a destination location;

determine a synchronized arrival time describing when the vehicle arrived at the destination location, the synchronized arrival time determined based in part on the sensor data;

determine one or more vehicle functions associated with the vehicle based in part on the synchronized arrival time;

estimating a departure time for the vehicle;

determining one or more available time slots for providing the vehicle functions prior to the departure time;

generating graphical data for displaying the available time slots on a client device;

providing the graphical data to the client device;

receiving a user provided selection of one or more selected time slots for providing the vehicle functions prior to the departure time, wherein the selected time slots are selected from the available time slots by the user using the client device; and

executing the vehicle functions during the selected time slots so that the vehicle functions are successfully completed prior to the departure time.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to determine the one or more vehicle functions based in part on the synchronized arrival time by:

estimating departure time data associated with the vehicle based in part on the synchronized arrival time; and

determining the one or more vehicle functions based in part on the departure time data.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to estimate the departure time data based in part on the synchronized arrival time by:

determining a distribution pattern describing a relationship between arrival times and departure times; and

estimating the departure time data based in part on the distribution pattern and the synchronized arrival time.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the distribution pattern includes a probability density distribution table.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the departure time data includes a departure time range.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to determine the one or more vehicle functions based in part on the departure time data by:

determining that the departure time range indicates the vehicle departs from the destination location after a predetermined time window;

determining a distribution pattern describing a relationship between arrival times and departure times;

estimating a departure time satisfying the departure time range based in part on the synchronized arrival time and the distribution pattern; and

determining the one or more vehicle functions to be performed at the destination location based in part on the estimated departure time.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the departure time data includes an estimated departure time describing when the vehicle departs from the destination location.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more vehicle functions include charging the vehicle, and wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to determine the one or more vehicle functions by:

determining a charging completion time as a time before the estimated departure time;

receiving DR event data;

analyzing the DR event data to determine one or more DR requirements;

determining available time slots for charging the vehicle based in part on the one or more DR requirements and the charging completion time;

retrieving price data associated with the available time slots;

determining a target state of charge for a battery associated with the vehicle;

selecting one or more charging time slots from the available time slots based in part on the target state of charge and the price data; and

assigning the one or more charging time slots to the vehicle.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more vehicle functions include one or more of charging the vehicle, controlling temperature in the vehicle, transferring data between the vehicle and a server, and transferring data between the vehicle and a client device.