Route search apparatus

• US 8,175,795 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Tsukamoto, Akira, Narita, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Cobanoglu, Dilek B
• Application Number:
  US12/232,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20090082952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/115, 701/1, 701/200, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects

Abstract

An apparatus calculates a coefficient b that reflects a road slope condition of each section based on an altitude difference of both ends of each section stored in a memory, and identifies a carbon dioxide discharge amount that changes in proportion to the distance of each section by multiplying a distance D of each section by the coefficient b and another coefficient Ec. Further, the apparatus identifies a discharge amount that changes in proportion to a travel time of each section by multiplying a travel time T of each section and yet another coefficient a, and identifies a discharge amount based on an index that changes in proportion to the number of stops in each section by multiplying an index AEE by the coefficient Ec and still yet another coefficient c for performing a carbon-conscious routing between a start place and a destination.

Claims

1. A route search apparatus comprising:

a calculation unit configured to calculate a carbon dioxide discharge amount discharged from an internal combustion engine of a vehicle per section in a route from a start place to a destination;

a carbon-conscious routing unit configured to search a carbon-minimum route that minimizes the carbon dioxide discharge amount in the route from the start place to the destination based on a calculation by the calculation unit; and

a memory unit configured to memorize altitude information that represents an altitude difference between both ends of each section in the route,

the calculation unit is further configured to

determine for each section a slope coefficient that reflects a slope condition of each section based on the altitude difference of the memory unit,

variably identify the carbon dioxide discharge amount for each section by multiplying a section distance of each section by the slope coefficient,

variably identify the carbon dioxide discharge amount based on a travel time of the vehicle in each section, and

variably identify the carbon dioxide discharge amount based on an index that changes according to a number of stops in each section,

determine the carbon dioxide discharge amount for each section based on a fuel consumption amount, Q, that is defined as Q=aT+bD+cAEE, wherein a is a fuel type-displacement coefficient, T represents the travel time of each section, b is a road slope condition reflecting index, D represents the section distance, c is vehicle weight coefficient, and AEE represents an acceleration energy, and

calculate a total carbon dioxide discharge amount for each section by adding each of identified carbon dioxide discharge amounts.

2. The route search apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the calculation unit is further configured to calculate the road slope condition reflecting index b by employing a friction index of μ

, a vehicle weight of m, a gravitational acceleration of g, and an equation b=μ

mg when the calculation unit determines that the section is flat based on the altitude difference between both ends of the section.

3. The route search apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the calculation unit is further configured to calculate the road slope condition reflecting index b=(mg/D)(μ

D√

(1−

(H/D)²)+H) by employing a friction index of μ

, a vehicle weight of m, a gravitational acceleration of g, the section distance of D, a section altitude difference of H, and an equation b=(mg/D)(μ

D√

(1−

(H/D)²)+H) when the calculation unit determines that the section is uphill based on the altitude difference between both ends of the section.

4. The route search apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

when the calculation unit determines that the section is downhill based on the altitude difference between both ends of the section, the calculation unit is further configured to calculate the road slope condition reflecting index b by employing a friction index of μ

, a vehicle weight of m, a gravitational acceleration of g, the section distance of D, a section altitude difference of H in addition to an equation b=(mg/D)(μ

D√

(1−

(H/D)²)−

H) if μ

mgL is equal to or greater than mgH, and

when the calculation unit determines that the section is downhill based on the altitude difference between both ends of the section, the calculation unit is further configured to use a value of zero for the road slope condition reflecting index b if μ

mgL is smaller than mgH.

5. The route search apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

the calculation unit is further configured to calculate the carbon dioxide discharge amount that varies according to the travel time of each section by multiplying an index that is determined in association with displacement of the internal combustion engine of the vehicle and a fuel type by the travel time of each section.

6. The route search apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a route search unit configured to search an optimum route from the start place to the destination that minimizes an evaluation value based on the evaluation value that is different from the carbon dioxide discharge amount;

a carbon discharge calculation unit configured to calculate a total carbon dioxide discharge amount for the optimum route searched by the route search unit; and

a discharge amount display unit configured to display a comparison screen that compares the total carbon dioxide discharge amount for the optimum route searched by the route search unit and the total carbon dioxide discharge amount for the carbon-minimum route searched by the carbon-conscious routing unit.

7. The route search apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a time-conscious routing unit configured to search a shortest route that minimizes a travel time from the start place to the destination;

a travel time calculation unit configured to calculate a travel time between the start place to the destination for the carbon-minimum route searched by the carbon-conscious routing unit; and

a travel time display unit configured to display a comparison screen that compares a travel time from the start place to the destination for the carbon-minimum route calculated by the travel time calculation unit and a travel time from the start place to the destination for the shortest route calculated by the time-conscious routing unit.

8. The route search apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a distance-conscious routing unit configured to search a shortest route that minimizes a travel distance from the start place to the destination;

a travel distance calculation unit configured to calculate a travel distance between the start place to the destination for the carbon-minimum route searched by the carbon-conscious routing unit; and

a travel distance display unit configured to display a comparison screen that compares comparing a travel distance from the start place to the destination for the carbon-minimum route calculated by the travel distance calculation unit and a travel distance from the start place to the destination for the shortest route calculated by the distance-conscious routing unit.