Navigation device for vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides a navigation device for a vehicle, which controls the use environment of a battery to prevent the performance of the battery from being degraded and guide the vehicle to a destination. A vehicle navigation device is provided with a host vehicle position information acquisition unit (110), a travel candidate route search unit (120), an external information acquisition unit (130), and an external information acquisition unit (130) that acquires external information based on travel conditions and acquired external information with respect to a plurality of searched travel candidate routes. And a battery remaining capacity calculation unit (140) that calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the host vehicle arrives at the destination of the searched travel route candidates, the external information acquisition unit (130) acquires the air temperature information as external information when the host vehicle passes through the plurality of searched travel route candidates, and the battery remaining capacity calculation unit (140) calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the host vehicle arrives at the destination of the searched travel route candidates in consideration of the air temperature information. The remaining capacity of the battery at the time of arriving at the destination is calculated for the plurality of searched travel candidate routes, and a travel candidate route search unit (120) searches for a travel candidate route for which the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a navigation device for a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Currently, a vehicle navigation device that uses the current position information of the vehicle obtained from a satellite positioning system and map information to display the current position of the vehicle and perform route guidance from the current location to the destination is widely popular.

[0003] In recent years, such a vehicle navigation device has made progress as a device that also considers traffic information and the like and has the convenience of presenting multiple optimal routes and candidate routes based on the required time from the current location to the destination.

[0004] On the other hand, in recent years, electric vehicles with characteristics such as considering the environment and the quietness of driving sounds have been accelerating their popularity at a rate exceeding that of conventional vehicles driven by internal combustion engines.

[0005] The initial problem of electric vehicles was the issue of driving range, but this problem has also been gradually improved by enhancing battery performance and promoting the improvement of charging infrastructure, and it also has a high affinity with autonomous driving assuming a navigation system.

[0006] Nevertheless, when navigating an electric vehicle, the most concerned factor is still the available driving range, and the battery remaining capacity (charge rate) and power consumption (power consumption rate) that determine this available driving range are still important information.

[0007] In view of the above, there is disclosed a navigation device for an electric vehicle, which includes: a driving motor; a battery that exchanges power with the driving motor; an in-vehicle auxiliary machine that includes an in-vehicle air conditioning device that operates using the power of the battery; and a battery management device that includes a remaining capacity estimation unit that estimates the remaining capacity of the battery. The navigation device for the electric vehicle further includes: a vehicle position detection unit that utilizes a satellite positioning system; a route setting unit that sets a route to the destination with reference to map information; a unit that estimates the auxiliary machine power consumption by referring to the weather information of the route area; and a unit that calculates the required power and required time for traveling along the route considering the auxiliary machine power consumption and driving power consumption. By guiding the battery remaining capacity and the destination arrival time when reaching the destination based on the above units, the driving power consumption and the auxiliary machine power consumption are reflected in the route guidance, thereby expanding the path selection range of the user (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[0008] Prior Art Documents Patent Documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-168326 Summary of the Invention

[0009] Technical Problem Currently, in order to cope with the significant popularization of electric vehicles in the future, as in-vehicle batteries, various in-vehicle batteries that ensure cost, safety, etc. are being developed and mounted on electric vehicles.

[0010] However, among the currently mainstream lithium-ion batteries mounted on electric vehicles, it has been pointed out that, for example, during the charging process in a low-temperature environment below 0°C, metallic lithium may precipitate. If metallic lithium precipitates, there is a possibility of forming a dendritic short-circuit circuit that induces ignition.

[0011] On the contrary, in the recommended usage environment, safety can be ensured and a high discharge capacity rate can be enjoyed at low cost.

[0012] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the above-mentioned matters are not disclosed. Although there is a disclosure of "referring to the meteorological information of the route area", the "meteorological information of the route area" is ultimately only information for estimating the operating conditions of auxiliary machines.

[0013] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle navigation device that can prevent deterioration of battery performance by controlling the usage environment of the battery and guide the vehicle to the destination even when a battery whose performance may deteriorate due to the usage environment is mounted on the vehicle.

[0014] Technical Solution Aspect 1: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a vehicle navigation device, characterized by comprising: a vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle position information; a travel candidate route retrieval unit that retrieves a travel candidate route from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information; an external information acquisition unit that acquires external information; and a battery remaining capacity calculation unit that calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the vehicle reaches the destination of the retrieved travel candidate route for each of the retrieved multiple travel candidate routes based on travel conditions and the acquired external information. The external information acquisition unit acquires temperature information as the external information when passing through the retrieved multiple travel candidate routes. The battery remaining capacity calculation unit calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when reaching the destination for each of the retrieved multiple travel candidate routes considering the temperature information. The travel candidate route retrieval unit retrieves the travel candidate routes for which the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or more than a predetermined amount.

[0015] Mode 2: One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a vehicle navigation device, characterized by comprising: a vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle position information; a driving candidate route search unit that searches for driving candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information; an external information acquisition unit that acquires external information; and a remaining battery capacity calculation unit that calculates the remaining battery capacity when the vehicle reaches the destination of the retrieved driving candidate routes based on driving conditions for the retrieved multiple driving candidate routes. The driving candidate route search unit searches for the driving candidate routes in which the remaining battery capacity becomes a predetermined amount or more among the routes including the route that does not travel in the section for a predetermined time or more when there is a section where the temperature during passage becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature based on the external information.

[0016] Technical effects According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the following effects are achieved: Even when a battery whose performance may deteriorate due to the use environment is mounted on a vehicle, it is possible to prevent the performance of the battery from deteriorating by controlling the use environment of the battery and appropriately guide the vehicle to the destination. Description of the drawings

[0017] Figure 1 FIG. is a diagram showing the structure of the vehicle navigation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 FIG. is a diagram illustrating the search result of the driving candidate routes in the vehicle navigation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 FIG. is a diagram showing a display example of the driving candidate routes presented by the vehicle navigation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 FIG. is a diagram showing the processing of the vehicle navigation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5 FIG. is a diagram showing the structure of the vehicle navigation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 6 FIG. is a diagram illustrating the search result of the driving candidate routes in the vehicle navigation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 7 FIG. is a diagram showing a display example of the driving candidate routes presented by the vehicle navigation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 8This is a diagram showing the processing of the vehicle navigation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing the structure of the vehicle navigation device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 10 This is a diagram showing the processing of the vehicle navigation device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Symbol Explanation 1: Vehicle navigation device 1A: Vehicle navigation device 1B: Vehicle navigation device 100: Processor 100A: Processor 100B: Processor 110: Own vehicle position information acquisition unit 120: Travel candidate route search unit 120A: Travel candidate route search unit 130: External information acquisition unit 140: Battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A: Battery remaining capacity calculation unit 150: Avoidance route search unit 160: Control unit 160A: Control unit 160B: Control unit 170: Communication unit 200: Memory 210: Storage unit Detailed Embodiment

[0028] Use Figures 1 to 10 To explain the vehicle navigation device.

[0029] <First Embodiment> Use Figures 1 to 4 To explain the vehicle navigation device 1 of this embodiment.

[0030] <Regarding the vehicle navigation device 1> As Figure 1 Shown, the vehicle navigation device 1 of this embodiment is configured to include a processor 100 and a memory 200.

[0031] The processor 100 executes various processes during the retrieval process of the travel candidate route.

[0032] In this embodiment, the processor 100 obtains, for example, temperature information as external information, calculates the remaining battery capacity when arriving at the destination considering the temperature information, and retrieves and presents a driving candidate route in which the remaining battery capacity becomes equal to or more than a predetermined amount.

[0033] It should be noted that the details of each process will be described later.

[0034] The memory 200 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and stores and saves programs and various data.

[0035] A storage unit 210 is provided in the memory 200, and stores and saves, for example, the control program of the vehicle navigation device 1, map information, or temperature information as external information obtained, for example, in the driving candidate route.

[0036] <Structure of the processor 100> As Figure 1 shown, the processor 100 of the vehicle navigation device 1 in this embodiment is configured to include a vehicle position information acquisition unit 110, a driving candidate route retrieval unit 120, an external information acquisition unit 130, a remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140, an avoidance route retrieval unit 150, and a control unit 160.

[0037] It should be noted that as Figure 1 shown, the above-described respective components are connected via a bus BL.

[0038] The vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 acquires vehicle position information.

[0039] Specifically, the vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 uses GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) led by GPS (Global Positioning System), measures the time until the radio waves constantly emitted from multiple satellites reach a receiver mounted on the vehicle, etc., and acquires vehicle position information.

[0040] The vehicle position information acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 is output to the control unit 160 described later via the bus BL.

[0041] The driving candidate route retrieval unit 120 retrieves a plurality of driving candidate routes including the best route and candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information, the destination information indicated by the user, and the map information stored in the storage unit 210.

[0042] In addition, the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120 retrieves, from among the above-described plurality of driving candidate routes, a driving candidate route in which the remaining battery capacity calculated by a battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 described later becomes equal to or more than a predetermined amount upon arrival at the destination, and presents it to the user.

[0043] As Figure 2 shown, the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120 also classifies the power consumption into, for example, three levels of "low", "medium", and "high" for the plurality of driving candidate routes, taking into account the calculation result of the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 described later.

[0044] For example, when driving candidate routes A (indicated by a dashed line in Figure 3 ), driving candidate route B (indicated by a single-dot dashed line in Figure 3 ), and driving candidate route C (indicated by a double-dot dashed line in Figure 3 ) are calculated as driving candidate routes, for example, considering the power consumption and the required time, driving candidate route A is set as the third in the recommended order, driving candidate route B is set as the first in the recommended order (the best route), driving candidate route C is set as the second in the recommended order, and as Figure 3 shown, driving candidate routes B and C other than driving candidate route A whose power consumption does not satisfy the conditions are presented to the user. Driving candidate route A is a route with a driving distance of "98 km", a driving environmental temperature (the lowest temperature on the driving road) of "-20°C", a high power consumption, and a required time of "2 hours and 30 minutes". Driving candidate route B is a route with a driving distance of "105 km", a driving environmental temperature (the lowest temperature on the driving path) of "+3°C", a low power consumption, and a required time of "2 hours and 45 minutes". Driving candidate route C is a route with a driving distance of "111 km", a driving environmental temperature (the lowest temperature on the driving path) of "+5°C", a medium power consumption, and a required time of "3 hours and 10 minutes".

[0045] The retrieval result of the driving route obtained by the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120 is output to a control unit 160 described later via a bus BL.

[0046] The external information acquisition unit 130 acquires external information.

[0047] In the present embodiment, as the external information, the air temperature information during the driving of the own vehicle in the driving candidate routes retrieved by the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120 can be exemplified.

[0048] For example, the external information acquisition unit 130 can acquire, from a user terminal that has downloaded an application related to weather information, the air temperature information during the driving of the own vehicle as the external information in the candidate routes retrieved by the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120.

[0049] The external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 is output to the control unit 160 described later via the bus BL.

[0050] The remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining battery capacity when the vehicle reaches the destination of the candidate route retrieved by the travel candidate route retrieval unit 120 based on the driving conditions and the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130.

[0051] Here, the driving conditions include information on the driving path, such as road shape, slope, driving distance, etc.

[0052] In addition to the remaining battery capacity when the vehicle reaches the destination of the candidate route retrieved by the travel candidate route retrieval unit 120 based on the driving conditions, the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 adds the remaining battery capacity caused by battery performance degradation based on external information, such as the temperature information when the vehicle is driving on the travel candidate route retrieved by the travel candidate route retrieval unit 120, to calculate the remaining battery capacity when the vehicle reaches the destination.

[0053] It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the vehicle is equipped with a battery composed of, for example, a lithium iron phosphate-based lithium-ion battery whose performance may deteriorate in a low-temperature environment below 0°C.

[0054] As described above, the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining battery capacity caused by battery performance degradation, for example, in the section where the temperature when the vehicle is driving on the travel candidate route is below 0°C.

[0055] The remaining battery capacity information calculated by the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 is output to the control unit 160 described later via the bus BL.

[0056] The avoidance route retrieval unit 150 retrieves the best avoidance route based on the retrieval result of the travel route obtained by the travel candidate route retrieval unit 120, the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130, etc.

[0057] The avoidance route information retrieved by the avoidance route retrieval unit 150 is output to the control unit 160 described later via the bus BL.

[0058] The control unit 160 executes the processing of the vehicle navigation device 1 based on a control program stored in the storage unit 210, such as a ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0059] The control unit 160 executes, for example, the own-vehicle position information acquisition process in the own-vehicle position information acquisition unit 110, the travel candidate route search process in the travel candidate route search unit 120, the external information acquisition process in the external information acquisition unit 130, the remaining battery capacity calculation process in the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140, the avoidance route search process in the avoidance route search unit 150, and the like.

[0060] Specifically, the control unit 160 causes the external information acquisition unit 130 to acquire temperature information as external information in the case of passing through a plurality of travel candidate routes retrieved by the travel candidate route search unit 120.

[0061] In addition, the control unit 160 causes the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 to calculate the remaining capacity of the battery when the vehicle reaches the destination for a plurality of travel candidate routes retrieved by the travel candidate route search unit 120, taking into account the temperature information.

[0062] Then, the control unit 160 causes the avoidance route search unit 150 to search for an avoidance route based on a plurality of travel candidate routes retrieved by the travel candidate route search unit 120.

[0063] <Processing of the vehicle navigation device 1> Use Figure 4 The processing of the vehicle navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0064] The own-vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 measures, using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), the time it takes for radio waves constantly emitted from a plurality of satellites to reach a receiver mounted on the own vehicle, and acquires own-vehicle position information (step S110).

[0065] The own-vehicle position information acquired by the own-vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 is output to the control unit 160 described later via the bus BL.

[0066] The travel candidate route search unit 120 searches for a plurality of travel candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the own-vehicle position information, the destination information indicated by the user, and the map information stored in the storage unit 210 (step S120).

[0067] The information on a plurality of travel candidate routes from the current location to the destination retrieved by the travel candidate route search unit 120 is output to the control unit 160 via the bus BL, and the control unit 160 temporarily stores the information on the plurality of travel candidate routes in the storage unit 210.

[0068] The external information acquisition unit 130 acquires, as external information, the temperature information during the travel of the own vehicle in the travel candidate routes retrieved by the travel candidate route retrieval unit 120 from a user terminal that has downloaded an application related to weather information (step S130).

[0069] The temperature information during the travel of the own vehicle in the travel candidate routes acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 is output to the control unit 160 via the bus BL, and the control unit 160 temporarily stores the temperature information during the travel of the own vehicle in the travel candidate routes in the storage unit 210.

[0070] The remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining battery capacity when the own vehicle reaches the destination of the candidate route retrieved by the travel candidate route retrieval unit 120 based on the travel conditions and the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 (step S140).

[0071] The remaining battery capacity information calculated by the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 is output to the control unit 160 via the bus BL, and the control unit 160 temporarily stores the remaining battery capacity information in the storage unit 210.

[0072] The avoidance route retrieval unit 150 retrieves the optimal avoidance route based on the retrieval results of the multiple travel routes retrieved by the travel candidate route retrieval unit 120 in step S120, the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 in step S130, etc. (step S150).

[0073] Then, the travel candidate route retrieval unit 120 re - retrieves the travel candidate routes for which the remaining battery capacity calculated by the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 in step S140 becomes a predetermined amount or more when reaching the destination for the avoidance route retrieved by the avoidance route retrieval unit 150, determines the recommended travel route, and presents it to the user to end the process (step S160).

[0074] <Function / Effect> As described above, the vehicle navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment includes: a vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 that acquires vehicle position information; a travel candidate route search unit 120 that searches for a travel candidate route from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information; an external information acquisition unit 130 that acquires external information; and a remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 that calculates, for each of the plurality of retrieved travel candidate routes, the remaining battery capacity when the vehicle reaches the destination of the retrieved travel candidate route based on the driving conditions and the acquired external information. The external information acquisition unit 130 acquires temperature information as the external information in the case of the plurality of retrieved travel candidate routes. The remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 calculates, for each of the plurality of retrieved travel candidate routes, the remaining battery capacity when reaching the destination, taking into account the temperature information. The travel candidate route search unit 120 searches for travel candidate routes in which the remaining battery capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount.

[0075] That is, the external information acquisition unit 130 acquires temperature information as the external information in the case of the plurality of retrieved travel candidate routes. The remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 calculates, for each of the plurality of retrieved travel candidate routes, the remaining battery capacity when reaching the destination, taking into account the temperature information. The travel candidate route search unit 120 searches for travel candidate routes in which the remaining battery capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount.

[0076] Here, the reason why the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining battery capacity when reaching the destination by taking into account the temperature information as the external information in the case of the plurality of retrieved travel candidate routes in addition to the driving conditions is that at low temperatures (for example, below 0°C), the performance of the mounted battery may deteriorate.

[0077] Therefore, the travel candidate route search unit 120 searches for travel candidate routes in which the remaining battery capacity calculated by the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 when reaching the destination is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and presents them to the user. Thus, even when a battery whose performance may deteriorate due to the use environment is mounted on the vehicle, it is possible to prevent the performance of the battery from deteriorating by controlling the use environment of the battery and appropriately guide the vehicle to the destination.

[0078] The external information acquisition unit 130 in the vehicle navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment uses a user terminal to acquire temperature information as the external information when there are a plurality of retrieved travel candidate routes.

[0079] That is, the external information acquisition unit 130 acquires temperature information as the external information at each point of the plurality of retrieved travel candidate routes, for example, by using a user terminal on which an application related to weather information is downloaded.

[0080] In addition to the driving conditions, the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 estimates the driving time of the vehicle in the area where the performance of the battery is likely to deteriorate based on the external information from the external information acquisition unit 130, and calculates the remaining battery capacity of the vehicle when it reaches the destination based on the calculated battery capacity reduction amount.

[0081] Then, the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120 retrieves the driving candidate route using the calculation result obtained by the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 as an index, and presents it to the user.

[0082] Therefore, even when a battery whose performance may deteriorate due to the usage environment is mounted on the vehicle, it is possible to prevent the performance deterioration of the battery by controlling the usage environment of the battery and appropriately guide the vehicle to the destination.

[0083] In addition, since the temperature information as external information is acquired using the user terminal, it is possible to acquire the desired information without constructing a large-scale system.

[0084] In the vehicle navigation device 1 of the present embodiment, the battery is composed of a lithium iron phosphate-based lithium ion battery.

[0085] Among the currently mainstream lithium ion batteries mounted on electric vehicles, it has been pointed out that, for example, during the charging process in a low temperature environment below 0°C, metallic lithium may precipitate. If metallic lithium precipitates, a dendritic short circuit circuit that may trigger a fire may be formed. An example of such a battery is a battery composed of a lithium iron phosphate-based lithium ion battery.

[0086] Such a battery is not mounted on all vehicles, but in the vehicle navigation device 1 of the present embodiment, the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining battery capacity when reaching the destination considering factors based on the usage environment in addition to the driving conditions. The driving candidate route retrieval unit 120 retrieves the driving candidate route using the calculation result obtained by the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 as an index, and presents it to the user.

[0087] Therefore, even when a battery whose performance may deteriorate due to the usage environment is mounted on the vehicle, it is possible to prevent the performance deterioration of the battery by controlling the usage environment of the battery and appropriately guide the vehicle to the destination.

[0088] <Modification Example 1> In the present embodiment, a process flow is exemplified in which processing is performed in the order of driving candidate route search processing (step S120), external information acquisition processing (step S130), remaining battery capacity calculation processing (step S140), and avoidance route search processing (step S150). However, the processing may also be performed in the order of external information acquisition processing (step S130), driving candidate route search processing (step S120), and remaining battery capacity calculation processing (step S140).

[0089] <Second Embodiment> Use Figures 5 to 8 , the vehicle navigation device 1A of the present embodiment will be described.

[0090] It should be noted that in the first embodiment, after a driving candidate route is retrieved based on the current location, destination, and map information of the vehicle, if there is a low-temperature area in a part of the route, in addition to the driving conditions, factors based on the usage environment are considered to calculate the remaining battery capacity when reaching the destination, and a driving candidate route with a remaining battery capacity of a predetermined amount or more when reaching the destination is presented to the user.

[0091] However, in the present embodiment, even if there is a section on the retrieved driving candidate route where the temperature when the vehicle passes through is below a predetermined temperature, a driving candidate route that has not traveled for a predetermined time or more in this section is set as the search target, and based on the driving conditions, a driving candidate route with a remaining battery capacity of a predetermined amount or more when reaching the destination is presented to the user.

[0092] <Regarding the Vehicle Navigation Device 1A> As Figure 5 shown, the vehicle navigation device 1A of the present embodiment is configured to include a processor 100A and a memory 200A.

[0093] The processor 100A performs various processes during the search process of the driving candidate route.

[0094] In the present embodiment, the processor 100A includes, for example, a driving candidate route that has not traveled for a predetermined time or more in a section where the temperature when the vehicle passes through is below a predetermined temperature even if such a section exists on the retrieved driving candidate route as the search target.

[0095] It should be noted that the details of each process will be described later.

[0096] The memory 200A is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and stores and saves programs and various data.

[0097] In this embodiment, the memory 200A includes a storage unit 210 that stores, for example, a control program for the vehicle navigation device 1, map information, or information on a temperature range in which the temperature when the vehicle passes is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature.

[0098] <Structure of the processor 100A> As Figure 5 shown, the processor 100A of the vehicle navigation device 1A in this embodiment is configured to include a vehicle position information acquisition unit 110, a driving candidate route search unit 120A, an external information acquisition unit 130, a remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140A, and a control unit 160A.

[0099] It should be noted that for the components denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, since they have the same functions, their detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0100] In addition, as Figure 5 shown, the above components are connected via the bus BL.

[0101] The driving candidate route search unit 120A searches for a plurality of driving candidate routes including the optimal route and candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information, the destination information indicated by the user, the map information stored in the storage unit 210, and the information on the temperature range in which the temperature when the vehicle passes is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature.

[0102] In addition, the driving candidate route search unit 120A searches for driving candidate routes in which the remaining battery capacity calculated by the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 described later is equal to or more than a predetermined amount among the above plurality of driving candidate routes, and presents them to the user.

[0103] The driving candidate route search unit 120A searches for a plurality of driving candidate routes including the optimal route and candidate routes from the current location to the destination, and the plurality of driving candidate routes include routes that do not travel for a predetermined time or more in a temperature range in which the temperature when the vehicle passes is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature.

[0104] Here, the "predetermined time" is, for example, a verified driving time in which no performance degradation is found in a part of the battery even when the vehicle travels in a temperature range in which the temperature when the vehicle passes is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. For example, based on actual observations based on actual verification, it can be exemplified that the temperature is 0°C or lower and 30 minutes.

[0105] Figure 6 、 7This is an example of a driving candidate route retrieved by the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120A.

[0106] As Figure 6 shown, the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120A also takes into account the calculation result of the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A described later. For example, when calculating driving candidate route A (indicated by a dashed line in Figure 7 ), driving candidate route B1 (indicated by a single-dot dashed line in Figure 7 ), and driving candidate route C (indicated by a double-dot dashed line in Figure 7 ) as multiple driving candidate routes, for example, considering power consumption and required time, driving candidate route A is set as the third in the recommended order, driving candidate route B1 is set as the first in the recommended order (the best route), driving candidate route C is set as the second in the recommended order, and as Figure 7 shown, driving candidate routes B1 and C other than driving candidate route A whose power consumption does not meet the conditions are presented to the user. This driving candidate route A is a route with a driving distance of "98 km", a driving environment temperature (the lowest temperature on the driving path) of "-20 °C", a high power consumption, and a required time of "2 hours and 30 minutes". This driving candidate route B1 is a route with a driving distance of "103 km", a driving environment temperature (the lowest temperature on the driving path) of "+3 °C", a low power consumption, and a required time of "2 hours and 35 minutes". This driving candidate route C is a route with a driving distance of "111 km", a driving environment temperature (the lowest temperature on the driving path) of "+5 °C", a medium power consumption, and a required time of "3 hours and 10 minutes".

[0107] The retrieval result of the driving route obtained by the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120A is output to the control unit 160A described later via the bus BL.

[0108] The battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the vehicle reaches the destination of the driving candidate route retrieved by the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120A based on the driving conditions.

[0109] Here, the driving conditions include information on the driving path, such as road shape, slope, driving distance, etc.

[0110] As described above, on a route where the passing air temperature does not fall below a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time or more, since it has been verified through actual observation that even for a battery whose performance may deteriorate in a low-temperature state, no performance deterioration has been found in the battery, the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the vehicle reaches the destination of the driving candidate route retrieved by the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120A based on the driving conditions.

[0111] It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the vehicle is equipped with a battery composed of a lithium iron phosphate-based lithium ion battery whose performance may deteriorate in a low temperature environment of 0°C or below.

[0112] The information on the remaining capacity of the battery calculated in the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A is output to the control unit 160A described later via the bus BL.

[0113] The control unit 160A executes the processing of the vehicle navigation device 1A based on a control program stored in the storage unit 210, such as a ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0114] The control unit 160A executes, for example, the vehicle position information acquisition processing in the vehicle position information acquisition unit 110, the driving candidate route search processing in the driving candidate route search unit 120A, the external information acquisition processing in the external information acquisition unit 130, the battery remaining capacity calculation processing in the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A, and the like.

[0115] Specifically, the control unit 160A causes the external information acquisition unit 130 to acquire temperature information as external information of the area from the current location to the destination.

[0116] In addition, the control unit 160A causes the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A to calculate the remaining capacity of the battery when the vehicle reaches the destination considering only the driving conditions for a driving candidate route that does not include an interval in which the temperature when the vehicle passes is below a predetermined temperature or includes an interval in which the temperature when the vehicle passes is below a predetermined temperature but the driving time in this interval is below a predetermined time.

[0117] Then, the control unit 160A causes the driving candidate route search unit 120A to search for a driving candidate route among the retrieved multiple driving candidate routes in which the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or more than a predetermined amount.

[0118] <Processing of the vehicle navigation device 1A> Use Figure 8 The processing of the vehicle navigation device 1A in the present embodiment will be described.

[0119] The vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 uses GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) to measure the time it takes for radio waves constantly emitted from multiple satellites to reach a receiver mounted on the vehicle, etc., and acquires the vehicle position information (step S110).

[0120] The vehicle position information acquired in the vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 is output to the control unit 160A described later via the bus BL.

[0121] The external information acquisition unit 130 acquires, for example, temperature information as external information on the area from the current location to the destination from a user terminal that has downloaded an application related to weather information (step S210).

[0122] The temperature information on the area from the current location to the destination acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 is output to the control unit 160A via the bus BL, and the control unit 160A temporarily stores the temperature information on the area from the current location to the destination in the storage unit 210.

[0123] The driving candidate route search unit 120A searches for a plurality of driving candidate routes including the optimal route and candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information, the destination information indicated by the user, the map information stored in the storage unit 210, and the information on the temperature range in which the temperature when passing through is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature obtained by the external information acquisition unit 130 (step S220).

[0124] The information on the plurality of driving candidate routes from the current location to the destination retrieved by the driving candidate route search unit 120A is output to the control unit 160A via the bus BL, and the control unit 160A temporarily stores the information on the plurality of driving candidate routes in the storage unit 210.

[0125] The remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140A calculates the remaining battery capacity when the vehicle reaches the destination of the candidate route retrieved by the driving candidate route search unit 120A based on the driving conditions (step S230).

[0126] The remaining battery capacity information calculated by the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140A is output to the control unit 160A via the bus BL, and the control unit 160A temporarily stores the remaining battery capacity information in the storage unit 210.

[0127] The driving candidate route search unit 120A detects a driving candidate route among the plurality of driving candidate routes retrieved in step S220 in which the remaining battery capacity calculated by the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140A in step S230 is equal to or more than a predetermined amount, determines the recommended driving route, presents it to the user, and ends the process (step S240).

[0128] <Function / Effect> As described above, the vehicle navigation device 1A according to the present embodiment includes: a vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 that acquires vehicle position information; a driving candidate route search unit 120A that searches for a driving candidate route from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information; an external information acquisition unit 130 that acquires external information; and a remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140A that calculates the remaining battery capacity when the vehicle reaches the destination of the retrieved driving candidate route based on the driving conditions for the plurality of retrieved driving candidate routes. The driving candidate route search unit 120A searches for a driving candidate route in which the remaining battery capacity becomes a predetermined amount or more among the routes including a route that does not travel in the section for a predetermined time or more when there is a section where the temperature at the time of passing becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature based on the external information.

[0129] That is, based on the external information, even when there is a section where the temperature at the time of passing becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, and when the driving time in this section is equal to or shorter than a predetermined time, it has been verified that even if the battery mounted on the vehicle is a battery whose performance may deteriorate at low temperatures, no performance deterioration has been observed in the battery.

[0130] Therefore, the driving candidate route search unit 120A searches for a driving candidate route in which the remaining battery capacity becomes a predetermined amount or more among the routes including a route that does not travel in the section for a predetermined time or more when there is a section where the temperature at the time of passing becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature based on the external information.

[0131] Thus, even when a battery whose performance may deteriorate due to the use environment is mounted on the vehicle, it is possible to prevent the performance deterioration of the battery by controlling the use environment of the battery and appropriately guide the vehicle to the destination.

[0132] Based on the above description, the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140A calculates the remaining battery capacity when the vehicle reaches the destination of the retrieved driving candidate route based on the driving conditions for the plurality of retrieved driving candidate routes.

[0133] That is, the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140A does not calculate the remaining battery capacity when reaching the destination by considering the temperature information as external information in the case of passing through the plurality of retrieved driving candidate routes in addition to the driving conditions, but calculates the remaining battery capacity when the vehicle reaches the destination of the retrieved driving candidate route only based on the driving conditions.

[0134] Therefore, the processing load on the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140A can be reduced.

[0135] <Modification Example 2> In the present embodiment, a process flow is exemplified in which processing is performed in the order of external information acquisition processing (step S210), travel candidate route search processing (step S220), and remaining battery capacity calculation processing (step S230). However, processing may also be performed in the order of travel candidate route search processing (step S220), external information acquisition processing (step S210), remaining battery capacity calculation processing (step S230), and avoidance route search processing.

[0136] <Third Embodiment> Use Figure 9 , Figure 10 The vehicle navigation device 1B of the present embodiment will be described.

[0137] <Regarding the Vehicle Navigation Device 1B> As Figure 9 shown, the vehicle navigation device 1B of the present embodiment is configured to include a processor 100B and a memory 200B.

[0138] The processor 100B performs various processes during the search process of travel candidate routes.

[0139] In the present embodiment, the processor 100B acquires, for example, temperature information as external information, calculates the remaining battery capacity at the destination considering the temperature information, and searches for travel candidate routes in which the remaining battery capacity is equal to or more than a predetermined amount.

[0140] The processor 100B sends the retrieved travel candidate route information and the reason for the search to the user terminal.

[0141] It should be noted that the details of each process will be described later.

[0142] The memory 200B is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and stores and saves programs and various data.

[0143] In the present embodiment, the memory 200B includes a storage unit 210 that stores and saves, for example, a control program of the vehicle navigation device 1B, map information, or temperature information obtained as external information in a travel candidate route, text information related to the reason for the search sent to the user terminal, and the like.

[0144] <Structure of the Processor 100B> As Figure 9As shown, the processor 100B of the vehicle navigation device 1B of the present embodiment is configured to include a vehicle position information acquisition unit 110, a driving candidate route retrieval unit 120, an external information acquisition unit 130, a remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140, an avoidance route retrieval unit 150, a control unit 160B, and a communication unit 170.

[0145] As Figure 9 shown, the above-described respective components are connected via a bus BL.

[0146] It should be noted that, for the components denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, since they have the same functions, detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0147] The control unit 160B executes the processing of the entire vehicle navigation device 1B based on a control program stored in, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) inside the storage unit 210.

[0148] In the present embodiment, the control unit 160B, for example, executes control to cause the communication unit 170 to transmit the driving candidate route information retrieved by the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120 and the retrieval reason to the user terminal.

[0149] <Processing of Vehicle Navigation Device 1B> Using Figure 10 the processing of the vehicle navigation device 1B of the present embodiment will be described.

[0150] The vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 measures, using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), the time it takes for radio waves constantly emitted from multiple satellites to reach a receiver mounted on the vehicle, etc., and acquires the vehicle position information (step S110).

[0151] The vehicle position information acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 is output to the control unit 160B described later via the bus BL.

[0152] The driving candidate route retrieval unit 120 retrieves multiple driving candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information, the destination information indicated by the user, and the map information stored in the storage unit 210 (step S120).

[0153] The information on the multiple driving candidate routes from the current location to the destination retrieved by the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120 is output to the control unit 160B via the bus BL, and the control unit 160B temporarily stores the information on the multiple driving candidate routes in the storage unit 210.

[0154] The external information acquisition unit 130 acquires, for example, temperature information during the travel of the own vehicle in the travel candidate routes retrieved by the travel candidate route retrieval unit 120 from a user terminal that has downloaded an application related to weather information as external information (step S130).

[0155] The temperature information during the travel of the own vehicle in the travel candidate routes acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 is output to the control unit 160B via the bus BL, and the control unit 160B temporarily stores the temperature information during the travel of the own vehicle in the travel candidate routes in the storage unit 210.

[0156] The remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining battery capacity when the own vehicle reaches the destination of the candidate route retrieved by the travel candidate route retrieval unit 120 based on the travel conditions and the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 (step S140).

[0157] The remaining battery capacity information calculated by the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 is output to the control unit 160B via the bus BL, and the control unit 160B temporarily stores the remaining battery capacity information in the storage unit 210.

[0158] The avoidance route retrieval unit 150 retrieves the best avoidance route based on the retrieval results of the multiple travel routes retrieved by the travel candidate route retrieval unit 120 in step S120, the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 in step S130, etc. (step S150).

[0159] The travel candidate route retrieval unit 120 re - retrieves travel candidate routes for which the remaining battery capacity calculated by the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140 in step S140 becomes a predetermined amount or more when reaching the destination for the avoidance route retrieved by the avoidance route retrieval unit 150, determines the recommended travel route, and presents it to the user to end the process (step S160).

[0160] Then, the control unit 160B causes the communication unit 170 to send the travel candidate route information and the retrieval reason retrieved again by the travel candidate route retrieval unit 120 to the user terminal and ends the process (step S310).

[0161] <Function / Effect> As described above, the vehicle navigation device 1B of the present embodiment includes the communication unit 170 that sends information to the user terminal, and the communication unit 170 sends the travel candidate route information and the retrieval reason retrieved by the travel candidate route retrieval unit 120 to the user terminal.

[0162] That is, in the vehicle navigation device 1B of the present embodiment, a driving candidate route from the current location to the destination that includes a large range of low-temperature regions even though the driving distance is very short is excluded from the driving candidate routes.

[0163] On the other hand, from the user's perspective, if there is no message when a driving candidate route with a significantly short driving distance is excluded, there may also be doubts about the search results.

[0164] Therefore, in the vehicle navigation device 1B of the present embodiment, the communication unit 170 sends the driving candidate route information retrieved by the driving candidate route retrieval unit 120 and the retrieval reason to the user terminal.

[0165] Thus, even when a battery whose performance may deteriorate due to the usage environment is mounted on the vehicle, it is possible to prevent the performance deterioration of the battery by controlling the usage environment of the battery and appropriately guide the vehicle to the destination.

[0166] In addition, it is possible to improve the user's trust in the search results.

[0167] <Modified Example 3> In the present embodiment, a process flow in which the driving candidate route retrieval process (step S120), the external information acquisition process (step S130), the remaining battery capacity calculation process (step S140), and the avoidance route retrieval process (step S150) are performed in this order is exemplified, but it may also be performed in the order of the external information acquisition process (step S130), the driving candidate route retrieval process (step S120), and the remaining battery capacity calculation process (step S140).

[0168] <Supplementary Note 1> A vehicle navigation device, characterized by comprising one or more processors and one or more memories communicably connected to the one or more processors, The one or more processors include: A vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle position information; A driving candidate route retrieval unit that retrieves a driving candidate route from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information; An external information acquisition unit that acquires external information; and A remaining battery capacity calculation unit that calculates the remaining capacity of the battery of the vehicle when reaching the destination of the retrieved driving candidate route based on the driving conditions and the acquired external information for the plurality of retrieved driving candidate routes, The external information acquisition unit acquires temperature information as the external information when passing through the multiple retrieved driving candidate routes. The remaining battery capacity calculation unit calculates the remaining battery capacity when reaching the destination for the multiple retrieved driving candidate routes in consideration of the temperature information. The driving candidate route retrieval unit retrieves the driving candidate routes for which the remaining battery capacity is equal to or more than a predetermined amount.

[0169] <Supplementary Note Item 2> A vehicle navigation device, characterized by comprising one or more processors and one or more memories communicably connected to the one or more processors. The one or more processors include: A vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle position information; A driving candidate route retrieval unit that retrieves driving candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information; An external information acquisition unit that acquires external information; and A remaining battery capacity calculation unit that calculates the remaining battery capacity of the vehicle when reaching the destination of the retrieved driving candidate routes based on driving conditions for the multiple retrieved driving candidate routes. Based on the external information, when there is a section where the temperature during passage is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, the driving candidate route retrieval unit retrieves the driving candidate routes for which the remaining battery capacity is equal to or more than a predetermined amount from the routes including the routes that do not travel in the section for more than a predetermined time.

[0170] It should be noted that by recording the processing of processors 100, 100A, and 100B on a recording medium readable by a computer system, and causing processors 100, 100A, and 100B to read and execute the program recorded on the recording medium, the vehicle navigation devices 1, 1A, and 1B of the present invention can be realized. Here, the computer system mentioned includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.

[0171] In addition, in the case of using a WWW (World Wide Web) system, the "computer system" also includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment). In addition, the above program can also be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" for transmitting the program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication wire) such as a telephone line.

[0172] In addition, the above program may also be a program for implementing a part of the above functions. Furthermore, the above program may also be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can implement the above functions through combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.

[0173] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment and also includes designs and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims

1. A navigation device for a vehicle, characterized in that, Comprising: A vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle position information; A driving candidate route search unit that searches for driving candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information; An external information acquisition unit that acquires external information; And A remaining battery capacity calculation unit that calculates the remaining battery capacity when the vehicle reaches the destination of the retrieved driving candidate routes based on driving conditions and the acquired external information for the plurality of retrieved driving candidate routes, The external information acquisition unit acquires temperature information as the external information when passing through the plurality of retrieved driving candidate routes, the remaining battery capacity calculation unit calculates the remaining battery capacity when reaching the destination for the plurality of retrieved driving candidate routes considering the temperature information, and the driving candidate route search unit searches for the driving candidate routes for which the remaining battery capacity is equal to or more than a predetermined amount.

2. A navigation device for a vehicle, characterized in that, Comprising: A vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle position information; A driving candidate route search unit that searches for driving candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information; An external information acquisition unit that acquires external information; and A remaining battery capacity calculation unit that calculates the remaining battery capacity when the vehicle reaches the destination of the retrieved driving candidate routes based on driving conditions for the plurality of retrieved driving candidate routes, When there is an interval where the temperature during passage is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature based on the external information, the driving candidate route search unit searches for the driving candidate routes for which the remaining battery capacity is equal to or more than a predetermined amount among the routes including the routes that do not drive for more than a predetermined time in the interval.

3. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The external information acquisition unit uses a user terminal to acquire temperature information as the external information when passing through the plurality of retrieved driving candidate routes.

4. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 3, wherein The battery is composed of a lithium iron phosphate-based lithium ion battery.

5. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The vehicle navigation device is provided with a communication unit that sends information to a user terminal, The communication unit sends the driving candidate route information and the search reason retrieved by the driving candidate route search unit to the user terminal.

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