Methods for improving electrical energy consumption in a motor vehicle, especially in an electric vehicle, during automated driving

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for improving electrical energy consumption in a motor vehicle (10), in particular in an electric vehicle, during automated driving by means of at least one vehicle assistance system (15). According to the method, depending on the driving behavior of the driver of the motor vehicle (10) and / or depending on at least one environmental parameter of the motor vehicle (10) characterizing the current external environment (16) of the motor vehicle (10), at least one electrical functional component (17a, 17b, 17c) is at least temporarily switched from a nominal (active) state to a standby state with reduced energy consumption during automated driving in order to reduce electrical energy consumption.

Description

The invention relates to a method for improving the electrical energy consumption in a motor vehicle, in particular in an electric vehicle, during automated driving. The invention further relates to a motor vehicle, in particular an electric vehicle, which is set up / programmed to carry out this method.Modern motor vehicles have vehicle assistance systems which enable automated driving. Such vehicle assistance systems typically comprise a multiplicity of electrical functional components, in particular sensors, by means of which the environment of the motor vehicle, but also the driving behavior of the driver of the motor vehicle, can be monitored. However, such electrical functional components and thus also the vehicle assistance system itself are associated with a not inconsiderable amount of electrical energy consumption. This proves to be not unproblematic especially in an electric vehicle with purely battery-electric drive, since the range of the electric vehicle decreases significantly with increasing energy consumption of the vehicle assistance systems present.It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method by means of which the electrical energy consumption of a motor vehicle during automated driving can be reduced.This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.The basic idea of the invention is therefore to monitor the driving behavior of the driver and also the environment of the motor vehicle during automated driving of the motor vehicle and to put or transfer at least one electrical functional component of the vehicle assistance system or for the vehicle assistance system into a standby state with reduced electrical energy consumption if the monitoring reveals that this electrical functional component is not required for automated driving at least temporarily. A standby state can also be a state of the functional component in which it does not consume any electrical energy at all because it is switched off or is electrically separated from an electrical energy store with which it is supplied with electrical energy in a nominal operation. Such a targeted shutdown or shutdown of individual or even a plurality of electrical functional components in situations in which these are not required for automated driving can significantly reduce the electrical energy consumption of the electric vehicle without associated with restrictions relating to automated driving. Thus, the targeted setting of functional components into a standby state also does not involve any safety risks for the vehicle occupants of the motor vehicle, including the driver thereof.In detail, the method according to the invention serves for improving the electrical energy consumption in a motor vehicle, in particular in an electric vehicle, during automated, in particular semi-autonomous or autonomous, driving by means of at least one vehicle assistance system. In the method according to the invention, depending on the driving behavior of the driver of the motor vehicle and / or depending on at least one environmental parameter of the motor vehicle characterizing the current environment of the motor vehicle, at least one electrical functional component for automated driving is at least temporarily transferred from a nominal, i.e. active state in which electrical energy is consumed, into a state with reduced energy consumption compared to the nominal state in order to reduce the electrical energy consumption.In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the at least one functional component is transferred into the standby state with reduced energy consumption if it results from monitoring the driving behavior of the driver or from monitoring the environment that the relevant functional component is not required by the vehicle assistance system for the automated driving of the motor vehicle. Thus, ideally, only those electrical functional components which are currently also required for automatic method are supplied with electrical energy.Particularly expediently, the functional component transferred into the standby state can be left in this standby state until it is required again for the automated driving by the vehicle assistance system. If this is the case, the electrical functional component can be transferred again into the nominal operating state, in which it does indeed consume electrical energy, but also actively contributes to the automated driving of the motor vehicle by the vehicle assistance system.According to an advantageous development of the method according to the invention presented here, the at least one environmental parameter and, alternatively or additionally, the driving behavior are predicted by an artificial intelligence (AI) system present in the motor vehicle, so that the transfer of the at least one functional component into the standby state can be predictively adapted by means of the AI system to the driving behavior of the driver to be expected and to the environmental conditions of the environment to be expected. In this way, the transfer of electrical functional components to the standby state can be improved. This has an advantageous effect on the energy consumption of the motor vehicle or electric vehicle.Particularly preferably, for an improved predictive transfer of the at least one electrical functional component into the standby state, the AI system can train the driving behavior to be expected and / or the environmental conditions to be expected and learn by means of this training. This can be done by comparing the driving behavior predicted by the AI system and the environmental conditions predicted by the AI system with the actually occurring driving behavior or the actually occurring environmental conditions. Such-in particular self-learning-AI systems make possible a particularly precise prediction of driver driving behavior and environmental conditions.According to an advantageous development of the method according to the invention, the at least one electrical functional component can be connected to a low-voltage on-board power supply system, in particular to a 12V on-board power supply system, of the motor vehicle and can be electrically disconnected from the low-voltage on-board power supply system for conversion into the standby state. Since said low-voltage on-board electrical system in an electric vehicle with battery-electric drive draws its electrical energy-typically with the aid of a DC-DC converter-from a high-voltage battery, the consumption of electrical energy drawn from the high-voltage battery can be reduced by means of said electrical isolation of the electrical functional component. Thus, the electrical energy not required is otherwise available, in particular for the drive system of the motor vehicle, so that its range is increased.In a particularly waking manner, the AI system can comprise or be at least one, in particular self-learning, neural network.The invention further relates to a motor vehicle, in particular an electric vehicle with a purely electric drive. The motor vehicle according to the invention comprises an electrical energy store, in particular a high-voltage battery, for providing electrical energy, and also a low-voltage on-board electrical system which is electrically connected to the electrical energy store and to which a plurality of electrical functional components for supplying electrical energy are connected. Furthermore, the motor vehicle according to the invention comprises at least one vehicle assistance system for the automated driving of the motor vehicle, wherein the vehicle assistance system comprises a control / regulating device for transferring at least one of the functional components into a standby state with reduced energy consumption, in particular for interrupting an electrical connection of the at least one functional component to the electrical energy store. In the context of the present invention, the term "standby state with reduced energy consumption" also includes states in which no electrical energy is consumed by the electrical functional component, for example because the electrical connection to the energy store is interrupted. The control / regulation device is set up / programmed for carrying out the method according to the invention. The advantages of the method according to the invention explained above are therefore transferred to the motor vehicle according to the invention.In a preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle according to the invention, the control / regulation device comprises an AI system which in turn can comprise or be at least one, in particular self-learning, neural network.In a preferred embodiment, at least one functional component comprises or is a sensor system for monitoring the external environment or a vehicle interior of the motor vehicle.Further important features and advantages of the invention are evident from the dependent claims, from the drawings and from the associated description of the figures with reference to the drawing.It is understood that the features mentioned above and those still to be explained below can be used not only in the respectively specified combination, but also in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the present invention.Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawing and are explained in more detail in the following description, wherein the same reference numerals refer to the same or similar or functionally the same components.The single FIG. 1 shows, by way of example and in a roughly schematic representation, a motor vehicle 10 according to the invention, which can be an electric vehicle 1 with a purely electric drive. The motor vehicle 10 comprises an electrical energy store 11, for example a high-voltage battery 12, for providing electrical energy.Furthermore, the motor vehicle 10 comprises a low-voltage on-board electrical system 13 which is electrically connected to the electrical energy store 11 via a DC-DC converter (not shown) and to which a plurality of electrical functional components 17 a, 17 b, 17 cof the motor vehicle 10 for supplying electrical energy from the electrical energy store 11 are connected.In the example of FIG. 1, three exemplary functional components 17 a, 17 b, 17 care illustrated. The three functional components 17 a, 17 b, 17 care electrically connected to the low-voltage on-board electrical system 13 independently of one another and can therefore be supplied with electrical energy independently of one another. Furthermore, the motor vehicle 10 comprises a vehicle assistance system 15 for automated, in particular at least partially autonomous, driving of the motor vehicle 10. The vehicle assistance system 15 in turn comprises a control / regulation device 20 for respectively transferring individual functional components 17 a, 17 b, 17 cin a standby state with reduced energy consumption. For the conversion to the standby state, the relevant functional component 17 a, 17 b, 17 cis electrically disconnected from the low-voltage on-board electrical system 13 or from the electrical energy store 11. For this purpose, an electrical or electronic switch 18 a, 18 b, 18 cthat can be controlled by means of the control / regulating device 20 and is switched from a closed state to an open state in each case can be provided in the electrical connection between the relevant functional component 17 a, 17 b, 17 cand the low-voltage on-board electrical system 13. The term "standby state with reduced energy consumption" therefore also includes, in the context of the present invention, states in which no electrical energy at all is consumed by the electrical functional component 17 a, 17 b, 17 c.The control / regulation device 20 comprises an artificial intelligence system 14-referred to below as "AI system"-which is formed in the example by a self-learning neural network 14a. In the example scenario, the individual functional components 17 a, 17 b, 17 care each sensor systems 19 for monitoring the automated driving of the motor vehicle 10. For example, the respective sensor system 19 can be a radar sensor for monitoring the front of the vehicle 10 and an optical sensor or a camera, each for monitoring the front of the vehicle or the interior of the vehicle 10.The method according to the invention, which can be executed in the control / regulation device 20 of the vehicle assistance system 15, is explained below by way of example.In the method according to the invention, depending on the driving behavior of the driver of the motor vehicle 10, such as, for example, no driving assistance is fully desired, the driver drives too fast or too slow, and depending on environmental parameters characterizing the instantaneous external environment of the motor vehicle 10, for example external temperature, weather conditions and associated unavailability of corresponding sensors (e.g. sensor rains, soils, is blinded by sun, is frozen, etc.), one or more electrical functional components 17 a, 17 b, 17 cof the motor vehicle 10 used in each case for automated driving are transferred from a nominal state to a state with reduced energy consumption in order to reduce the electrical energy consumption.The relevant functional components 17 a, 17 b, 17 care transferred into the standby state with reduced energy consumption exactly when it follows from the monitoring of the driving behavior of the driver or from the monitoring of the environment 16 that the relevant functional component 17 a, 17 b, 17 cis not required by the vehicle assistance system 15 for the automated driving of the motor vehicle. Consequently, ideally, only electrical functional components 17 a, 17 b, 17 care supplied with electrical energy, which are currently also required by the vehicle assistance system 15 for automatic driving of the motor vehicle 10.Functional components 17 a, 17 b, 17 c, which are put into the standby state, can be left in the standby state until they are required again for automated driving by vehicle assistance system 15. If this is the case, the relevant electrical functional component 17 a, 17 b, 17 cmay again be placed in the nominal, active operating state, in which it consumes more electrical energy than in the standby state, but also actively contributes to the automated driving of the motor vehicle 10 by the vehicle assistance system 15.In the example scenario, the environmental parameters characterizing the environment 16 of the motor vehicle 10 and the driving behavior of the driver are predicted by an artificial intelligence (AI) system 14 present in the motor vehicle 10 as part of the control / regulation device 20. Thus, the conversion of the functional components 17 a, 17 b, 17 cto the standby state and also back to the nominal state can be predictively adapted to the driver's driving behavior to be expected and to the ambient conditions to be expected of the environment 16 with the aid of the AI system 14.In the example scenario, for improved predictive conversion of the individual electrical functional components 17 a, 17 b, 17 cto the standby state, the AI system 14 trains the driver's driving behavior to be expected and the environmental conditions to be expected around the motor vehicle 10.

Claims

Method for improving the electrical energy consumption in a motor vehicle (10), in particular in an electric vehicle, during automated driving by means of at least one vehicle assistance system (15), according to which, as a function of the driving behavior of the driver of the motor vehicle (10) and / or as a function of at least one environmental parameter of the motor vehicle (10) characterizing the instantaneous external environment (16) of the motor vehicle (10), at least one electrical functional component (17a, 17b, 17c) is at least temporarily transferred during automated driving from a nominal (active) state to a standby state with reduced energy consumption.Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the at least one functional component / 17a, 17b, 3c) is transferred into the standby state with reduced energy consumption if it results from the monitoring of the driver's driving behavior or from the monitoring of the environment (16) that the relevant functional component (17a, 17b, 3c) is currently not required by the vehicle assistance system (15) for the automated driving of the motor vehicle.Method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the functional component (17a, 17b, 17c) which has been converted into the standby state remains in this state until it is required again by the vehicle assistance system (15) for the automated driving.Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the at least one environmental parameter and / or the driving behavior is predicted by an AI system (14) present in the motor vehicle (10), with the result that the transfer of the at least one functional component (17a, 17b, 17c) into the standby state can be predictively adapted by means of the AI system to the driving behavior of the driver to be expected and to the environmental conditions of the motor vehicle (10) to be expected.Method according to Claim 4, characterized in that, for improved predictive transfer of the at least one functional component (17a, 17b, 17c) into the standby state, the AI system (14) trains the driving behavior of the driver to be expected and / or the environmental conditions of the motor vehicle (10) to be expected.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one electrical functional component (17a, 17b, 17c) is connected in the nominal state to a low-voltage on-board electrical system (13), in particular to a 12V on-board electrical system, of the motor vehicle (10) and is electrically disconnected from this low-voltage on-board electrical system (13) for the purpose of conversion into the standby state.Method according to one of Claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the AI system (14) comprises or is a, in particular self-learning, neural network (14a).Motor vehicle (10), in particular electric vehicle, - having an electrical energy store (11), in particular a high-voltage battery (12), for providing electrical energy, - having a low-voltage on-board electrical system (13) which is electrically connected to the electrical energy store (11) and to which a plurality of electrical functional components (17a, 17b, 17c) for supplying electrical energy are connected, - having a vehicle assistance system (15) for automated, preferably at least semi-autonomous, driving of the motor vehicle (10), wherein the vehicle assistance system (15) comprises a control / regulating device (20) for transferring at least one of the functional components (17a, 17b, 17c) into a standby state with reduced energy consumption, in particular for interrupting an electrical connection of the at least one functional component (17a, 17b, 17c) to the electrical energy store (11), wherein the control / regulation device (20) is set up / programmed for carrying out the method according to the invention.Motor vehicle according to Claim 8, characterized in that the control / regulating device (20) comprises an AI system (14), which preferably comprises or is at least one, in particular self-learning, neural network (14).Motor vehicle according to Claim 8 or 9, characterized in that at least one functional component (17a, 17b, 17c) comprises or is a sensor system (19) for monitoring the environment (16) of the motor vehicle and / or a vehicle interior of the motor vehicle (10).

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