Power consumption recording apparatus and program for the same

• US 7,761,203 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2007
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Kazunao
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US11/984,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20080119982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/35, 701/115, 701/210, 903/903, 903/906, 290/40.B, 290/40.C, 290/40.D
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A power consumption recording apparatus is provided that can perform the following for multiple travels of a section traveled by the vehicle. The apparatus can detect as many power consumption events used by the vehicle as the multiple travels. When the vehicle has traveled a given section, the apparatus detects time attributes and occupant counts for the multiple travels. The apparatus divides the power consumption events detected for the section into groups based on power consumption magnitudes. For each group, the apparatus can record a representative power consumption of power consumption events belonging to the group, a time attribute and an occupant count corresponding to occurrence of the power consumption belonging to the group, and the number of occurrences of respective power consumption events, in association with each other.

Claims

1. A power consumption recording apparatus mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

a first detection means for sequentially detecting a plurality of power consumption events by the vehicle corresponding to a plurality of travels as a result of traveling a section by the vehicle more than once;

a second detection means for sequentially detecting at least one of a plurality of time attributes corresponding to the plurality of travels on the section by the vehicle and a plurality of occupant counts corresponding to the plurality of travels for the time attributes; and

a recording means for classifying the plurality of power consumption events detected by the first detection means into a plurality of groups based on power consumption magnitudes and recording a representative power consumption representative of the plurality of power consumption events belonging to each of the plurality of groups and a time attribute or an occupant count corresponding to occurrence of a power consumption belonging to a given group in association with each other.

2. The power consumption recording apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the second detection means detects a plurality of time attributes for the plurality of travels on the section by the vehicle;

and

wherein the recording means records the following in association with each other for each of the plurality of groups;

a representative power consumption for a given group;

a plurality of time attributes corresponding to occurrence of a plurality of power consumption events belonging to a given group; and

the number of detections made by the first detection means for a power consumption belonging to a given group corresponding to each of the plurality of time attributes.

3. The power consumption recording apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the second detection means detects a plurality of time attributes for the plurality of travels on the section by the vehicle;

and

wherein the recording means collectively records part or all of a plurality of time attributes recorded for at least one of the plurality of groups into one time attribute based on satisfaction of a criterion condition.

4. The power consumption recording apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the first detection means detects a plurality of charge amounts generated by the vehicle corresponding to a plurality of travels as a result of traveling a section by the vehicle more than once;

and

wherein the recording means classifies the plurality of charge amounts detected by the first detection means into a plurality of groups based on charge amount magnitudes and records a representative charge amount representative of the plurality of charge amounts belonging to each of the plurality of groups and a plurality of time attributes for generating a charge amount belonging to a given group or an occupant count corresponding to the time attributes in association with each other.

5. The power consumption recording apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the vehicle travels a plurality of sections more than once;

wherein the first detection means detects as many consumptions used by the vehicle as the number of travels as a result of traveling each of the sections by the vehicle;

wherein the second detection means detects at least one of a plurality of time attributes corresponding to the plurality of travels by the vehicle and a plurality of occupant counts corresponding to the plurality of travels for the time attributes; and

wherein the recording means classifies the plurality of power consumption events detected by the first detection means in each of the sections into a plurality of groups based on power consumption magnitudes and records a representative power consumption representative of the plurality of power consumption events belonging to each of the plurality of groups and a plurality of quantities detected by the second detection means on a plurality of opportunities for allowing the first detection means to detect a power consumption belonging to the group in association with each other.

6. The power consumption recording apparatus of claim 5, comprising:

a route specification means for specifying a scheduled traveling route for the vehicle;

a section power consumption estimation means for specifying one of the plurality of representative power consumption events for the plurality of groups recorded by the recording means in each of a plurality of sections included in a scheduled traveling route specified by the route specification means, the representative power consumption having the associated time attribute or occupant count matching a current time attribute or occupant count, as an estimated power consumption;

a total power consumption estimation means for specifying a total of estimated power consumption events for each of the plurality of sections estimated by the power consumption estimation means as an estimated power consumption for the scheduled traveling route.

7. The power consumption recording apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the vehicle travels a plurality of sections more than once;

wherein the first detection means detects as many consumptions used by the vehicle as the number of travels as a result of traveling each of the sections by the vehicle;

wherein the first detection means further detects a plurality of charge amounts generated by the vehicle corresponding to a plurality of travels as a result of traveling each of the sections by the vehicle;

wherein the second detection means detects at least one of a plurality of time attributes corresponding to the plurality of travels by the vehicle and a plurality of occupant counts corresponding to the plurality of travels for the time attributes;

wherein the recording means classifies the plurality of power consumption events detected by the first detection means for each of the sections into a plurality of groups based on charge amount magnitudes and records a representative power consumption representative of the plurality of power consumption events belonging to each of the plurality of groups and a time attribute or an occupant count corresponding to occurrence of a power consumption belonging to a given group in association with each other; and

wherein the recording means further classifies the plurality of charge amounts detected by the first detection means for each of the sections into a plurality of groups based on charge amount magnitudes and records a representative charge amount representative of the plurality of charge amounts belonging to each of the plurality of groups and a plurality of quantities detected by the second detection means on a plurality of opportunities for allowing the first detection means to detect a charge amount belonging to the group in association with each other.

8. The power consumption recording apparatus of claim 7, comprising:

a route specification means for specifying a scheduled traveling route for the vehicle;

a section power consumption estimation means for specifying one of the plurality of representative power consumption events for the plurality of groups recorded by the recording means in each of a plurality of sections included in a scheduled traveling route specified by the route specification means, the representative power consumption having the associated time attribute or occupant count matching a current time attribute or occupant count, as an estimated power consumption in the section; and

a total power consumption estimation means for specifying a total of estimated power consumption events for each of the plurality of sections specified by the section power consumption estimation means as a total estimated power consumption for the scheduled traveling route;

a section charge amount estimation means for specifying one of the plurality of representative charge amounts for the plurality of groups recorded by the recording means in each of the plurality of sections, the representative power consumption having the associated time attribute or occupant count matching a current time attribute or occupant count, as an estimated charge amount in the section; and

a charging schedule means for determining the plurality of sections for enabling and disabling charging based on an estimated charge amount for each of the plurality of sections specified by the section charge amount estimation means so as to be capable of charging a power as much as the estimated total power consumption specified by the total power consumption estimation means on the scheduled traveling route.

9. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium and instructions carried on the medium, the instructions readable by a computer in a power consumption recording apparatus mounted on a vehicle, the instructions for causing the computer to:

sequentially detect a plurality of power consumption events by the vehicle corresponding to a plurality of travels as a result of traveling a section by the vehicle more than once;

sequentially detect at least one of a plurality of time attributes corresponding to the plurality of travels on the section by the vehicle and a plurality of occupant counts corresponding to the plurality of travels for the time attributes; and

classifying the plurality of power consumption events detected by the first detection means into a plurality of groups based on power consumption magnitudes and recording a representative power consumption representative of the plurality of power consumption events belonging to each of the plurality of groups and a time attribute or an occupant count corresponding to occurrence of a power consumption belonging to a given group in association with each other.

10. An apparatus for recording power consumption of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a first detector sequentially detecting a plurality of power consumption events corresponding to a plurality of travels over a route section;

a second detector sequentially detecting one of a plurality of time attributes corresponding to the plurality of travels and a plurality of occupant counts for the plurality of travels; and

a classification unit for classifying the plurality of power consumption events detected by the first detector into groups based on power consumption magnitudes and identifying for each of the groups a representative power consumption representative of ones of the plurality of power consumption events in each of the groups and one of a time attribute and an occupant count corresponding to occurrence of a power consumption belonging to a given group in association with each other.

11. The apparatus of claim 10,

wherein the second detector detects a plurality of time attributes for the plurality of travels;

and

wherein the classification unit records the following in association with each other for each of the plurality of groups;

the representative power consumption for a given one of the plurality of groups;

a plurality of time attributes corresponding to times of occurrence of the plurality of power consumption events; and

a number of detections made by the first detector for a power consumption belonging to a given group corresponding to each of the plurality of time attributes.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the second detector detects a plurality of time attributes for the plurality of travels on the route section by the vehicle; and

the classification unit combines and records at least a portion of the plurality of time attributes into one time attribute based on satisfying a condition.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the first detector detects a plurality of charge amounts generated by the vehicle corresponding to the plurality of travels; and

the classification unit classifies the plurality of charge amounts detected by the first detection means into a plurality of groups based on charge amount magnitudes and records a representative charge amount representative of the plurality of charge amounts belonging to each of the plurality of groups and a plurality of time attributes for generating a charge amount belonging to a given group or an occupant count corresponding to the time attributes in association with each other.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein

the first detector detects as many consumptions used by the vehicle as the number of travels as a result of traveling each of the route sections by the vehicle;

the second detector detects the one of the plurality of time attributes and a plurality of occupant counts corresponding to the plurality of travels for the time attributes; and

the classification unit classifies the plurality of power consumption events detected by the first detector in each of the sections into a plurality of groups based on power consumption magnitudes and records a representative power consumption representative of the plurality of power consumption events belonging to each of the plurality of groups and a plurality of quantities detected by the second detector on a plurality of opportunities for allowing the first detector to detect a power consumption belonging to the group in association with each other.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, comprising:

a route specification unit specifying a scheduled traveling route for the vehicle;

a power consumption estimator for specifying one of the plurality of representative power consumption events in each of a plurality of sections included in a scheduled traveling route as an estimated power consumption, the specified one of the plurality of representative power consumption events having one of the associated time attribute and occupant count matching a current corresponding one of the time attribute and the occupant count;

a total power consumption estimator for specifying a total of estimated power consumption events for each of the plurality of sections estimated by the power consumption estimation means as an estimated power consumption for the scheduled traveling route.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, comprising:

a route specification unit for specifying a scheduled traveling route for the vehicle the scheduled traveling route including one of the plurality of sections;

a section power consumption estimator for specifying one of the plurality of representative power consumption events as an estimated power consumption in the section, the representative power consumption events having the associated time attribute or occupant count matching a current time attribute or occupant count; and

a total power consumption estimation means for specifying a total of estimated power consumption events for each of the plurality of sections specified by the section power consumption estimation means as a total estimated power consumption for the scheduled traveling route;

a section charge amount estimator for specifying one of the plurality of representative charge amounts as an estimated charge amount in the one of the plurality of sections, the representative power consumption having one of the associated time attribute and the occupant count matching a corresponding one of a present time attribute and a present occupant count; and

a charging scheduler for enabling and disabling charging during travel over the one of the plurality of sections based on an estimated charge amount for each of the plurality of sections specified by the section charge amount estimation means so as to be capable of charging a power as much as the estimated total power consumption specified by the total power consumption estimation means on the scheduled traveling route.