VEHICLE DRIVING CONTROL METHODS AND ASSOCIATED ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Abstract

The invention relates to vehicle driving control methods for use in an electric vehicle (100). First, it is determined whether the electric vehicle (100) has not connected to a remote server (330) via a network for more than a predetermined time. When the electric vehicle (100) has not connected to the remote server (330) for more than the predetermined time, an permissible driving distance or time for the electric vehicle (100) is defined, or a predetermined amount of electricity from a battery (112) that the electric vehicle (100) can use is defined. The electric vehicle (100) is configured so that it cannot drive when it has traveled the permissible driving distance or time, or when it has used the predetermined amount of electricity. Fig. 4

Description

Title of the invention: VEHICLE DRIVING CONTROL METHODS AND ASSOCIATED ELECTRIC VEHICLES Field of the invention

[0001] The invention relates generally to methods of controlling vehicle driving and associated electric vehicles, and, more particularly, to methods and associated electric vehicles that can control the driving state of an electric vehicle based on whether the electric vehicle is regularly connected to a remote server. Description of the state of the art

[0002] Recently, with the increasing awareness of environmental protection and the technological advancement of electric vehicles, the development of electric vehicles powered by electric energy to replace traditional vehicles using fossil fuels has gradually become an important objective in the automobile sector, thus making electric vehicles increasingly popular. In order to increase the driving range and willingness to use electric vehicles, many countries or cities have begun to install charging stations and battery energy stations in public places to enable the batteries of electric vehicles and / or electric motorcycles to be charged or exchanged, thus making the use of electric vehicles more convenient.

[0003] Generally, batteries represent one of the largest costs for manufacturers, and rechargeable batteries have a relatively limited lifespan. For some electric vehicles, such as electric motorcycles, when the battery power is insufficient, the power difference between each battery is too large and / or the remaining lifespan of the individual batteries is very different, if a combination of these batteries is used to start the electric vehicle, this will have an impact on the operation or lifespan of the vehicle or the battery itself.

[0004] In addition, the high cost of batteries is also one of the main reasons for the high maintenance costs of electric motorcycles. If different charging modes can be planned according to users' needs, or even different suppliers can be introduced to join the ecological chain of electric vehicles, it may be possible to moderately reduce the overall maintenance cost of electric motorcycles and strengthen users' willingness to adopt electric motorcycles. In some cases, if users can charge at home, operators can design more favorable plans to encourage users to adopt electric motorcycles in order to reduce the use of public power supply equipment and thus disperse the power supply pressure on the power grid. However, in this case, it is necessary to obtain the user's battery usage and charging status to prevent the user from encountering abnormal conditions during the charging operation. If the operator is unable to obtain the battery charging status, it may also result in the inability to accurately calculate appropriate charges. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide vehicle driving control methods and associated electric vehicles.

[0006] In one embodiment of a vehicle driving control method for use in an electric vehicle, it is determined whether the electric vehicle has not connected to a remote server via a network for a period of time greater than a predetermined period of time. When the electric vehicle is not connected to the remote server for a period of time greater than the predetermined period of time, an allowable driving distance for the electric vehicle is set, an allowable driving time for the electric vehicle is set, or a predetermined amount of electricity of a battery that the electric vehicle can use is set, the electric vehicle being configured to be unable to drive when the electric vehicle has traveled the allowable driving distance or the allowable driving time, or the electric vehicle has used the predetermined amount of electricity.

[0007] One embodiment of an electric vehicle includes a battery storage unit for storing at least one battery, a network connection unit, and a processing unit. The processing unit couples to the battery storage unit and the network connection unit, and determines whether the electric vehicle has not connected to a remote server via a network via the network connection unit for a period of time greater than a predetermined period of time. When the electric vehicle is not connected to the remote server for a period of time greater than the predetermined period of time, the processing unit sets an allowable driving distance for the electric vehicle, sets an allowable driving time for the electric vehicle, or sets a predetermined amount of electricity from a battery that the electric vehicle can use.When the electric vehicle has traveled the permissible driving distance or reached the permissible driving time, or the electric vehicle has used the predetermined amount of electricity, the electric vehicle is configured to be unable to drive.

[0008] In some embodiments, the battery electrically couples to the electric vehicle to provide electrical power to the electric vehicle, and transmits boost registration data to the electric vehicle, the boost registration data recording situations in which the battery performs a boost operation on at least one boost device, and the boost registration data includes battery identification data of the battery and boost information. The electric vehicle transmits the boost registration data to the remote server via the network. It is determined that the electric vehicle is connected to the remote server when the remote server receives the boost registration data sent by the electric vehicle.

[0009] In some embodiments, the electric vehicle directly transmits the power boost recording data to the remote server via the network, or connects to a mobile device via the network, and transmits the power boost recording data and mileage to the remote server via the mobile device.

[0010] In some embodiments, the power booster device comprises the electric vehicle, a home charger, or a battery charging station.

[0011] In some embodiments, a notification is generated via a display unit of the electric vehicle to notify the execution of a connection operation between the electric vehicle and the remote server when the electric vehicle has not connected to the remote server via the network for a period of time greater than the predetermined period of time.

[0012] In some embodiments, the remote server determines whether the electric vehicle has not connected to the remote server within the predetermined time period. When the electric vehicle has not connected to the remote server within the predetermined time period, the remote server sends a notification to a user device corresponding to the electric vehicle. The notification is used to request the user device to perform a connection operation between the electric vehicle and the remote server.

[0013] In some embodiments, a reward program is defined for the electric vehicle when the electric vehicle is connected to the remote server via the network, the reward program including a discount on the monthly rental fee of the electric vehicle, or a discount on the distance that can be driven each month.

[0014] In some embodiments, a motor of the electric vehicle is configured to be inoperable such that the electric vehicle cannot be driven when the electric vehicle has traveled the permissible driving distance or reached the permissible driving time, or that the electric vehicle has used the predetermined amount of electricity.

[0015] The vehicle driving control methods may take the form of program code embedded in a tangible medium. When the program code is loaded and executed by a machine, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the disclosed method. Brief description of the drawings

[0016] The invention will appear more clearly on reading the detailed description given below with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

[0017] [Fig-1] is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of an electric vehicle of the invention;

[0018] [Fig.2] is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of connection of a remote server of the invention;

[0019] [Fig.3] is a schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment of connecting a remote server of the invention;

[0020] [Fig.4] is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for controlling driving of the vehicle of the invention;

[0021] [Fig.5] is a flowchart of an embodiment of a power backup recording data collection method of the invention;

[0022] [Fig.6] is a flowchart of another embodiment of a vehicle driving control method of the invention;

[0023] [Fig.7] is a flowchart of an embodiment of a generation method of a notification of the invention;

[0024] [Fig.8] is a flowchart of another embodiment of a method of generating a notification of the invention; and

[0025] [Fig.9] is a flowchart of another embodiment of a method of vehicle driving control of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] The following description is of the most preferred embodiment of the invention. This description is given for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and is not to be construed in a limiting sense. It will be apparent that the embodiments may be embodied in software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0027] [Fig. 1] is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of an electric vehicle of the invention. The electric vehicle 100 may be an electric vehicle, such as an electric motorcycle using at least one battery as a power source. As depicted in [Fig.l], the electric vehicle 100 comprises at least one battery storage unit 110, a network connection unit 120, a power unit 130, and a processing unit 140. The battery storage unit 110 may store at least one battery, such as a battery 112. The battery 112 may be a battery module having at least one battery cell for storing and releasing electrical energy. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, at least one battery may be connected in series or in parallel to provide electrical energy to the power unit 130 of the electric vehicle 100 for operation. The network connection unit 120 may be connected to a network, such that the electric vehicle 100 has network connection capability. In some embodiments, the network may be a wired network, a telecommunications network, and a wireless network, such as a Bluetooth network, a Wi-Fi network, etc.The power unit 130 may operate to drive the vehicle and other vehicle accessories that require rotation. The processing unit 140 may control the operation of all hardware and software of the electric vehicle 100 and perform the vehicle driving control methods of the invention, the details of which are described later. It should be understood that, in some embodiments, the electric vehicle 100 may include a storage unit. The storage unit may store relevant information regarding the electric vehicle and / or the battery.

[0028] It is understood that the battery may be provided with a power boost operation via a power boost device 120. In some embodiments, the power boost operation may consist of battery charging or battery swapping. The power boost device may be used to charge the battery 112. In some embodiments, the power boost device may comprise an electric vehicle, a home charger and / or a battery charging station. It will be apparent that, in some embodiments, the battery 112 and / or the power boost device may respectively comprise a storage unit (not shown in [Fig.l]) for storing associated information, such as identification data of the battery 112, the power boost device and / or the electric vehicle 100.In some embodiments, the storage unit may record the power boost recording data of the corresponding power boost operation. In some embodiments, the power booster registration data may include battery identification data of the corresponding battery, device identification data of the power booster device, and power booster information. In some embodiments, the power booster registration data may further include a vehicle identification code of the corresponding electric vehicle and user identification data corresponding to the battery. In addition, in some embodiments, the storage unit may record charging mode data of the corresponding battery 112. The charging mode data may record the mode in which the battery 112 can be supplied with power. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the mode may include any of charging in an electric vehicle, charging on a home charger, charging in a battery charging station, and battery swapping in a battery charging station, or any combination thereof. It should be noted that the charging modes mentioned above are only examples of the invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the electric vehicle 100 may be an electric motorcycle.The electric vehicle 100 may record the total mileage of the electric vehicle 140 and / or the distance traveled between each battery recharging operation.

[0029] [Fig. 2] is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of connecting a remote server of the invention. In this embodiment, the power booster device 210 may connect to a remote server 230 via a network 220. When performing the power booster operation for a battery, the power booster device 210 may record the power booster recording data of the corresponding power booster operation. The power booster device 210 may have network connection capability. The power booster device 210 may transmit the power booster recording data to the remote server 230 via the network 220. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the network may be a wired network, a telecommunications network, and a wireless network, such as a Bluetooth network, Wi-Fi, etc.As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the power booster device may comprise an electric vehicle, a home charger, and / or a battery charging station. It should be noted that in some embodiments, when the remote server 230 receives the power booster registration data of the corresponding battery / electric vehicle, it may be determined that the electric vehicle has completed the connection operation with the remote server via the network.

[0030] [Fig. 3] is a schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment of connecting a remote server of the invention. In this embodiment, the electric vehicle 100 can connect to a mobile device 310, such as a user's smartphone, via a wireless network, such as a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi network, and transmit the battery power boost recording data to the mobile device 310. The mobile device 310 has network connection capability and transmits the power booster registration data to the remote server 330 via a network 320. Similarly, in some embodiments, the network may be a wired network, a telecommunications network, and a wireless network, such as a Bluetooth network, Wi-Fi, etc. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the remote server 330 may simultaneously manage batteries, electric vehicles, and / or power booster devices located at the same location or at different locations. Similarly, when the remote server 330 receives the power booster registration data from the corresponding battery / electric vehicle, it may be determined that the electric vehicle has completed the connection operation with the remote server via the network.

[0031] [Fig.4] is a flowchart of an embodiment of a vehicle driving control method of the invention. The vehicle driving control method according to the invention can be used in an electric vehicle, such as an electric motorcycle.

[0032] First, in step S410, it is determined whether the electric vehicle has not connected to a remote server via a network for a period of time longer than a predetermined period of time, such as one month. When the electric vehicle has connected to the remote server for the predetermined period of time (No in step S420), the procedure returns to step S410. When the electric vehicle has not connected to the remote server via the network for a period of time longer than the predetermined period of time (Yes in step S420), in step S430, an allowable driving distance or an allowable driving time is set for the electric vehicle, or a predetermined amount of electricity of a battery that the electric vehicle can use is set. It should be noted that the electric vehicle can record the mileage and driving time of the corresponding electric vehicle and / or the energy used by the battery.When the electric vehicle travels the allowable driving distance or reaches the allowable driving time, or the electric vehicle uses the predetermined amount of electricity, the electric vehicle is configured to be unable to drive. In other words, after setting the allowable driving distance, allowable driving time, or predetermined amount of electricity, when the mileage of the electric vehicle is greater than the allowable driving distance or allowable driving time, or the energy obtained by the electric vehicle from the battery is greater than the predetermined amount of electricity, the electric vehicle will not be able to drive.

[0033] As mentioned above, the battery can perform a power boost operation, and the power boost recording data will be generated during the power boost operation. [Fig.5] is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for collecting power boost recording data. power of the invention. In this embodiment, the power boost recording data in the battery can be transmitted to the electric vehicle. The electric vehicle can connect to a remote server and transmit the electric vehicle recording data to the remote server.

[0034] First, in step S510, a battery is electrically coupled to an electric vehicle, such as an electric motorcycle, to supply electric power to the electric vehicle. In step S520, the power boosting record data of the battery is sent (transmitted) to the electric vehicle. As mentioned above, when the power boosting operation of the battery is performed, the power boosting record data of the corresponding power boosting operation is recorded and stored in the battery storage unit. Then, in step S530, the electric vehicle connects to the remote server, and transmits the power boosting record data and the mileage of the corresponding electric vehicle to the remote server.It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the electric vehicle may directly transmit the power boost registration data to the remote server via the network, or connect to a mobile device via the network, such as a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi network, and transmit the power boost registration data to the remote server via the mobile device. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, in addition to the battery identification data of the corresponding battery, the device identification data of the power boost device and / or the power boost information, the power boost registration data may further comprise an identification code of the vehicle, the electric vehicle, and user identification data corresponding to the battery.As mentioned above, when the remote server receives the power booster registration data of the corresponding battery / electric vehicle, it can be determined that the electric vehicle has completed the connection operation with the remote server via the network.

[0035] [Fig.6] is a flowchart of another embodiment of a vehicle driving control method of the invention. The vehicle driving control method according to the invention can be used in an electric vehicle, such as an electric motorcycle.

[0036] First, in step S610, it is determined whether the electric vehicle has not connected to a remote server via a network for a period of time greater than a predetermined period of time, such as one month. When the electric vehicle has connected to the remote server for the predetermined period of time (No in step S620), the procedure returns to step S610. When the electric vehicle has not connected to the remote server via the network for a period of time greater than the predetermined (Yes in step S620), in step S630, a notification is generated to notify the user to perform the connection operation between the electric vehicle and the remote server. Then, as in step S640, an allowable driving distance or an allowable driving time is set for the electric vehicle, or a predetermined amount of electricity of a battery that the electric vehicle can use is similarly set, the electric vehicle can record the mileage, the driving time of the corresponding electric vehicle and / or the energy used by the battery. When the electric vehicle travels the allowable driving distance or reaches the allowable driving time, or the electric vehicle uses the predetermined amount of electricity, the electric vehicle is configured to be unable to drive.

[0037] [Fig.7] is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for generating a notification of the invention. First, in step S710, it is determined whether the electric vehicle has not connected to a remote server via a network for a period of time greater than a predetermined period of time, such as one month. When the electric vehicle has connected to the remote server for the predetermined period of time (No in step S720), the procedure returns to step S710. When the electric vehicle has not connected to the remote server via the network for a period of time greater than the predetermined period of time (Yes in step S720), in step S730, a notification is generated via a display unit of the electric vehicle to notify the execution of the connection operation between the electric vehicle and the remote server.

[0038] [Fig.8] is a flowchart of another embodiment of a method for generating a notification of the invention. First, in step S810, the remote server determines whether a connection from an electric vehicle has not been received for a predetermined time. When the remote server receives the connection from the electric vehicle for the predetermined time, i.e., the electric vehicle has connected to the remote server for the predetermined time (No in step S820), the procedure returns to step S810. When the remote server does not receive a connection from the electric vehicle for a predetermined time (Yes in step S820), in step S830, a notification is sent to a user device of the corresponding electric vehicle. The notification is used to notify the user device to perform the connection operation between the electric vehicle and the remote server.

[0039] It should be noted that the above-mentioned method for generating notifications is only one example of the invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Any method of generating a notification to remind the user to perform the connection between the electric vehicle and the remote server can be applied to the present invention. In addition, the number of notifications can also be adjusted according to the application and needs.

[0040] [Fig.9] is a flowchart of another embodiment of a vehicle driving control method of the invention. The vehicle driving control method according to the invention can be used in an electric vehicle, such as an electric motorcycle.

[0041] First, in step S910, it is determined whether the electric vehicle has not connected to a remote server via a network for a period of time longer than a predetermined period of time, such as one month. When the electric vehicle has connected to the remote server for the predetermined period of time (No in step S920), the procedure returns to step S910. When the electric vehicle has not connected to the remote server via the network for a period of time longer than the predetermined period of time (Yes in step S920), in step S930, an allowable driving distance or an allowable driving time is set for the electric vehicle, or a predetermined amount of electricity of a battery that the electric vehicle can use is similarly set, the electric vehicle can record the mileage, the driving time of the corresponding electric vehicle and / or the energy used by the battery.Then, in step S940, it is determined whether the electric vehicle has traveled the permissible driving distance, reached the permissible driving time, or used the predetermined amount of electricity from the battery. If the electric vehicle has not traveled the permissible driving distance, reached the permissible driving time, or used the predetermined amount of electricity (No in step S940), the procedure proceeds to step S960. When the electric vehicle has traveled the permissible driving distance, reached the permissible driving time, or used the predetermined amount of electricity (Yes in step S940), in step S950, a motor of the electric vehicle is configured to be unable to operate, thereby rendering the electric vehicle inoperable.It should be noted that configuring the motor so as to be unable to operate is only one example of the invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, it may be configured so that the electric vehicle cannot obtain power from the battery, so that the electric vehicle cannot be driven. Any method that can make the electric vehicle unable to drive can be applied to the present invention. Next, in step S960, it is determined whether the electric vehicle has not connected to the remote server via the network for a predetermined time. When the electric vehicle has not connected to the remote server via the network for a time greater than a predetermined time (Yes in step S960), the procedure returns to step S940. When the electric vehicle has . connected to the server for a predetermined duration (No in step S960), in step S970, the remote server defines a reward program for the electric vehicle. It should be noted that in some embodiments, the reward program may include a discount on the monthly rental fee of the electric vehicle, or a discount on the distance that can be traveled each month. Then, the procedure returns to step S910.

[0042] Therefore, the vehicle driving control methods and the associated electric vehicles can control the driving state of the electric vehicle based on whether the electric vehicle is regularly connected to the remote server. In the application, the remote server can obtain the power boosting record data of the corresponding battery / electric vehicle through the above mechanisms, so as to manage the usage behavior of the electric vehicle.

[0043] The vehicle driving control methods may take the form of program code (i.e., executable instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy disks, CD-ROMs, hard disks, or other machine-readable storage media, such that when the program code is loaded onto and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for performing the methods. The methods may also be implemented as program code transmitted over some transmission medium, such as electrical wiring or cabling, via optical fibers, or via some other form of transmission, such that when the program code is received and loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for performing the disclosed methods.When implemented on a general-purpose processor, the program code combines with the processor to provide a single device that operates analogously to application-specific logic circuits.

[0044] Although the invention has been described by way of example by means of a preferred embodiment, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art in this technology may still make various alterations and modifications without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention will be defined and protected by the following claims and their equivalent.

Claims

Claims

1. A vehicle driving control method for use in an electric vehicle (100), comprising: determining (S410) that the electric vehicle (100) has not connected to a remote server (330) via a network for a period of time greater than a predetermined period of time;and setting (S430) an allowable driving distance for the electric vehicle (100), setting an allowable driving time for the electric vehicle (100), or setting a predetermined amount of electricity of a battery (112) that the electric vehicle (100) can use when the electric vehicle (100) is not connected to the remote server (330) for a period of time longer than the predetermined time, wherein the electric vehicle (100) is configured so as to be unable to drive when the electric vehicle (100) has traveled the allowable driving distance or reached the allowable driving time, or when the electric vehicle (100) has used the predetermined amount of electricity.;

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: electrically coupling (S510) the battery (112) to the electric vehicle (100) to supply electric power to the electric vehicle (100); transmitting (S520) power boost recording data from the battery (112) to the electric vehicle (100), the power boost recording data recording situations in which the battery performs a power boost operation on at least one power boost device (210), and the power boost recording data includes battery identification data of the battery (112) and power boost information;and transmitting (S530) the power boost registration data by the electric vehicle (100) to the remote server (330) via the network, wherein it is determined that the electric vehicle (100) is connected to the remote server (330) when the remote server (330) receives the power boost registration data sent by the electric vehicle (100).;

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the electric vehicle (100) directly transmits the power boost recording data to the remote server (330) via the network, or connects to a mobile device (310) via the network, and transmits the power boost recording data and mileage to the remote server (330) via the mobile device (310).

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the power booster device (210) comprises the electric vehicle (100), a home charger or a battery charging station.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating (S630) a notification via a display unit of the electric vehicle (100) for notifying the execution of a connection operation between the electric vehicle (100) and the remote server (330) when the electric vehicle (100) has not connected to the remote server (330) via the network for a period of time greater than the predetermined period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining (S810) that the electric vehicle (100) has not connected to the remote server (330) within the predetermined time period by the remote server (330); and sending (S830) a notification to a user device corresponding to the electric vehicle (100) by the remote server (330) when the electric vehicle (100) has not connected to the remote server (330) within the predetermined time period, wherein the notification is used to notify the user device to perform a connection operation between the electric vehicle (100) and the remote server (330).

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a reward program for the electric vehicle (100) when the electric vehicle (100) is connected to the remote server (330) via the network, wherein the reward program comprises a discount on the monthly rental fee of the electric vehicle (100), or a discount on the distance that can be driven each month.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring a power unit (130) of the electric vehicle (100) to be inoperable such that the electric vehicle (100) cannot be driven when the electric vehicle (100) has traveled the permissible driving distance or reached the permissible driving time, or the electric vehicle (100) has used the predetermined amount of electricity.

9. An electric vehicle (100), comprising: a battery storage unit (110) for storing at least one battery (112); a network connection unit (120); and a processing unit (140) coupled to the battery storage unit (110) and the network connection unit (120), determining whether the electric vehicle (100) has not connected to a remote server (330) via a network via the network connection unit (120) for a period of time greater than a predetermined period of time, setting an allowable driving distance for the electric vehicle (100), setting an allowable driving time for the electric vehicle (100), or setting a predetermined amount of electricity of a battery (112) that the electric vehicle (110) can use when the electric vehicle (100) is not connected to the remote server (330) for a period of time greater than the predetermined period of time,wherein the electric vehicle (100) is configured to be unable to drive when the electric vehicle (100) has traveled the permissible driving distance or reached the permissible driving time, or when the electric vehicle (100) has used the predetermined amount of electricity.,

10. An electric vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the processing unit (140) further generates a notification via a display unit of the electric vehicle (100) to notify the execution of a connection operation between the electric vehicle (100) and the remote server (330) when the electric vehicle (100) has not connected to the remote server (330) via the network for a period of time greater than the predetermined period of time.

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