Loading quantity determination method

Abstract

To suppress deterioration in electricity consumption and reduction in convenience.SOLUTION: A loading quantity determination method is a method of a computer (a CPU of a server, an ECU of a vehicle) determining a loading quantity of a cartridge type battery that can be attached to and detached from a vehicle and supplies electric power for travel. The method includes: a step (Step S111 to Step S114) of the computer specifying a travel planned distance of the vehicle; and a step (Step S114) of the computer determining a loading quantity such that a total electric power of the cartridge type battery becomes large when the specified travel planned distance is large, as compared to a case where the specified travel planned distance is small.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a loading quantity determination method, and more particularly to a loading quantity determination method in which a computer determines the loading quantity of power storage devices that are detachable from a vehicle and supply electric power for running. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there have been electric vehicles equipped with a plurality of detachable batteries (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-61369 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, for example, when a planned driving distance is short, if a vehicle equipped with multiple batteries is driven, the amount of battery power is excessive compared to the planned driving distance. In addition, by mounting multiple batteries, the vehicle weight increases, and the power consumption worsens. On the other hand, when a planned driving distance is long, if a vehicle equipped with one battery is driven, the possibility of needing to perform external charging midway through the planned driving distance increases, and convenience may be reduced.

[0005] This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a loading quantity determination method that can suppress deterioration in electricity consumption and reduction in convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The loading quantity determination method disclosed herein is a method in which a computer determines the loading quantity of power storage devices that are attachable to and detachable from a vehicle and supply power for driving, and includes a step in which the computer identifies a planned driving distance of the vehicle, and when the identified planned driving distance is long, determines the loading quantity so that the total amount of power of the power storage devices is large compared to when the identified planned driving distance is short.

[0007] According to this configuration, when the planned travel distance is short, the vehicle weight is not increased by installing more power storage devices than necessary, and the deterioration of the electric power consumption can be prevented. Also, when the planned travel distance is long, the necessary power storage devices are installed, and the need for external charging during the trip is reduced, and the deterioration of convenience can be prevented. As a result, a method for determining the loading quantity that can suppress the deterioration of the electric power consumption and the deterioration of convenience can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle dispatch system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart showing a process for dispatching a vehicle in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and their description will not be repeated.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle dispatch system 1 according to this embodiment. Referring to Fig. 1, the vehicle dispatch system 1 includes a plurality of vehicles 10, such as taxis, for transporting users, a server 100, and a mobile terminal 800 carried by a user who desires transportation by the vehicle 10. The vehicles 10, the server 100, and the mobile terminal 800 are capable of communicating with each other via a communication network 900.

[0011] Vehicle 10 includes battery 11, ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 12, drive unit 13, DCM (Data Communication Module) 14, HMI (Human Machine Interface) 15, inlet 16, and navigation device 17. Battery 11 stores electric power used for traveling vehicle 10. Battery 11 includes a plurality of cartridge-type batteries 101A-101J (hereinafter also representatively referred to as "cartridge-type batteries 101") that are detachable from vehicle 10 by the driver. In battery 11, cartridge-type batteries 101A-101J are connected in series and in parallel. Cartridge-type battery 101 is, for example, a lithium-ion battery. However, without being limited thereto, cartridge-type batteries 101A-101J may be other types of batteries, for example, nickel-metal hydride batteries or solid-state batteries. Spare cartridge-type batteries 102A to 102J (hereinafter also representatively referred to as "cartridge-type batteries 102") are loaded onto the vehicle 10. The replacement cartridge-type battery 102 is replaceable with the cartridge-type battery 101 included in the battery 11. When the plug 32 of the power supply device 31 is connected to the inlet 16, the battery 11 can be charged from the power supply device 31.

[0012] The ECU 12 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. The memory includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory) and stores programs and data used by the CPU. The CPU executes predetermined processing defined by a program according to the programs and data stored in the memory and data input from the outside, and stores data resulting from the execution in the memory or outputs it to the outside.

[0013] The navigation device 17 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System). The GPS detects position information of the vehicle 10. The navigation device 17 transfers the position information detected by the GPS to the CPU.

[0014] The drive unit 13 includes a motor generator and an inverter that drives the motor generator using power from the battery 11 and charges the battery 11 with regenerative power from the motor generator. The drive unit 13 may further include an engine that runs on fuel to drive the motor generator or the vehicle 10. In other words, the vehicle 10 may be an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle) that is equipped with a motor generator but does not have an engine. The vehicle 10 may be a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV: Hybrid Electric Vehicle) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) that is equipped with a motor generator and an engine. The vehicle 10 may be a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle).

[0015] The DCM 14 is a module for communicating with external devices via a communication network 900, transmitting data from the ECU 12 to the external devices and transferring data from the external devices to the ECU 12.

[0016] The HMI 15 is provided near the driver's seat of the vehicle 10, receives information input by the user and outputs it to the ECU 12, and displays or audibly notifies the user of information from the ECU 12, and is configured to include, for example, a touch panel display.

[0017] The server 100 includes a CPU 110, a memory 120, a communication unit 130, and a large-capacity storage device 140. The server 100 manages the dispatch status of the vehicle 10. The memory 120 includes a random access memory (RAM) and a read-only memory (ROM). The communication unit 130 is capable of communicating with an external device via a communication network 900, and transmits data from the CPU 110 to the external device and transfers data from the external device to the CPU 110. The large-capacity storage device 140 is composed of a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and stores programs and data used by the CPU 110. The CPU 110 executes a predetermined process defined by a program according to the programs and data stored in the memory 120 or the large-capacity storage device 140 and data input from the external device to the communication unit 130, and stores data resulting from the execution in the memory 120 or the large-capacity storage device 140 or outputs the data from the communication unit 130 to the external device.

[0018] The mobile terminal 800 includes a CPU 810, a memory 820, a communication unit 830, an input unit 840, and an output unit 850. The functions of the memory 820 and the communication unit 830 of the mobile terminal 800 are the same as those of the memory 120 and the communication unit 130 of the server 100 described above, respectively. The input unit 840 is composed of a touch panel, an operation button, and a microphone, and transfers data input from the touch panel, the operation button, or the microphone to the CPU 810. The output unit 850 is composed of a display and a speaker, and outputs data from the CPU 810 from the display or the speaker. The CPU 810 executes a predetermined process defined by a program according to the program and data stored in the memory 820, data input from an external device to the communication unit 830, and data input from the input unit 840, and stores data resulting from the execution in the memory 820, outputs the data from the communication unit 830 to an external device, or outputs the data from the output unit 850.

[0019] For example, when the planned travel distance is short, if a vehicle equipped with multiple batteries other than the above-mentioned cartridge-type battery 101 is used, the amount of battery power will be excessive compared to the planned travel distance. Furthermore, by installing multiple batteries other than the above-mentioned cartridge-type battery 101, the vehicle weight will increase, and the power consumption will worsen. On the other hand, when the planned travel distance is long, if a vehicle equipped with a single battery other than the above-mentioned cartridge-type battery 101 is used, the possibility of needing to perform external charging midway through the planned travel distance increases, and convenience may be reduced.

[0020] Therefore, the method for determining the loading quantity is a method in which a computer such as the server 100 determines the loading quantity of cartridge batteries 101, 102 that can be attached to the vehicle 10 and supply power for driving, and includes a step in which the computer specifies the planned driving distance of the vehicle 10, and a step in which the computer determines the loading quantity so that the total amount of power of the cartridge batteries 101, 102 is greater when the specified planned driving distance is long compared to when it is short.

[0021] Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the process for dispatching a vehicle in this embodiment. Referring to Fig. 2, a vehicle dispatch application, which is an application program for receiving a vehicle dispatch service in the vehicle dispatch system 1, is pre-installed in the memory 820 of the mobile terminal 800. The vehicle dispatch application is executed by the CPU 810 of the mobile terminal 800. The vehicle dispatch process is called from a higher-level process by the CPU 110 of the server 100 at predetermined intervals and executed. The navigation process is called from a higher-level process by the ECU 12 of the vehicle 10 at predetermined intervals and executed in cooperation with the navigation device 17.

[0022] First, in the vehicle dispatch application of the mobile terminal 800, the CPU 810 of the mobile terminal 800 determines whether or not a vehicle dispatch request from user B has been accepted by the input unit 840 (step S811). If it is determined that the vehicle dispatch request has been accepted (YES in step S811), the CPU 810 controls the communication unit 830 to accept input of the departure point, destination, departure time, and desired arrival time desired by user B at the input unit 840 and transmit them to the server 100 via the communication network 900 (step S812). If it is determined that the vehicle dispatch request has not been accepted (NO in step S811) or after step S812, the CPU 810 returns the processing to be executed to the upper processing of the vehicle dispatch application.

[0023] In the server 100, the CPU 110 judges whether the starting point, destination, departure time, and desired arrival time have been received by the communication unit 130 from the mobile terminal 800 of the user B (step S111). If it is judged that the starting point, etc. have not been received (NO in step S111), the CPU 110 returns the process to be executed to the upper process that called this process. On the other hand, if it is judged that the starting point, etc. have been received (YES in step S111), the CPU 110 searches for a dispatchable vehicle 10 (step S112). The CPU 110 judges whether the remaining power of the cartridge battery 101 connected to the battery 11 of the vehicle 10 is sufficient to travel from the received starting point to the destination (step S113).

[0024] If it is determined that the vehicle cannot travel (NO in step S113), the CPU 110 calculates the number of spare cartridge-type batteries 102 that can be supplied by subtracting the total remaining power of the cartridge-type batteries 101 in the battery 11 from the amount of power required for travel from the departure point to the destination, plus a margin, and controls the communication unit 130 to transmit the determined number of spare cartridge-type batteries 102 to be mounted in the vehicle 10 to the vehicle 10 via the communication network 900 (step S114). As a result, when the specified planned travel distance is long, the loading quantity is determined so that the total amount of power of the cartridge-type batteries 101, 102 is larger than when it is short.

[0025] If it is determined that the remaining energy is sufficient to travel to the destination (YES in step S113), or after step S114, the CPU 110 controls the communication unit 130 to transmit the received information on the user's departure point, destination, departure time, and desired arrival time to the determined vehicle 10 via the communication network 900 (step S115).

[0026] In the vehicle 10, the CPU of the ECU 12 judges whether the quantity of spare cartridge type batteries 102 to be mounted on the vehicle 10 has been received by the DCM 14 from the server 100 (step S211). If it is judged that the quantity of spare cartridge type batteries 102 has been received (YES in step S211), the CPU of the ECU 12 executes a process for mounting the spare cartridge type batteries 102 on the vehicle 10 (step S212). This process may be, for example, a process of displaying or announcing an instruction to the driver of the vehicle 10 to mount the received quantity of charged cartridge type batteries 102 on the HMI 15, or a process of automatically mounting the received quantity of charged cartridge type batteries 102 on the vehicle 10 by a machine such as a robot.

[0027] If it is determined that the quantity of spare cartridge batteries 102 has not been received (NO in step S211), or after step S212, the CPU of the ECU 12 determines whether the transport section and the scheduled transport time have been received by the DCM 14 from the server 100 (step S221). If it is determined that the transport section and the scheduled transport time have been received (YES in step S221), the CPU of the ECU 12 stores the received transport section and the scheduled transport time in the memory of the ECU 12 (step S222).

[0028] If it is determined that the transportation section etc. have not been received (NO in step S221), or after step S222, the CPU of the ECU 12 determines whether or not it is time to start moving to the departure point (step S231). If it is determined that the movement start time has arrived (YES in step S231), the CPU of the ECU 12 controls the navigation device 17 to start navigation for the movement to the departure point and the travel of the transportation section (step S232). The CPU of the ECU 12 controls the navigation device 17 to make a temporary stop at the departure point and the destination to allow the user to get on and off. If it is determined that the movement start time has not arrived (NO in step S231), or after step S232, the CPU of the ECU 12 returns the process to be executed to the upper process that called this process.

[0029] [Variations] (1) In the embodiment described above, the server 100 transmits the number of spare cartridge batteries 102 to the vehicle 10 as shown in step S114 in Fig. 2. However, this is not limited to the above, and when the spare cartridge batteries 102 have various full charge capacities, the total amount of power of the cartridge batteries 102 mounted as spares may be transmitted. Also, the number of cartridge batteries 102 for each full charge capacity may be transmitted.

[0030] (2) In the embodiment described above, the quantity of spare cartridge-type batteries 102 is calculated by the CPU 110 of the server 100 as shown in step S114 of Fig. 2. However, this is not limited to this, and the calculation may be performed by another device, for example, the ECU 12 of the vehicle 10.

[0031] (3) In the above-described embodiment, vehicle 10 is a commercial vehicle for transporting users, such as a taxi. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and vehicle 10 may be a vehicle for other purposes, a commercial vehicle for transporting luggage, or a general household vehicle, such as a personal car.

[0032] (4) The above-described embodiment can be understood as a disclosure of the vehicle dispatch system 1, the server 100, the vehicle 10, and the mobile terminal 800, or a disclosure of a vehicle dispatch-related method or program executed by these.

[0033] [summary] (1) As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the loading quantity determination method is a method in which a computer (e.g., CPU 110 of server 100, ECU 12 of vehicle 10) determines the loading quantity of power storage devices (e.g., cartridge-type batteries 101, 102) that are detachable from vehicle 10 and supply power for driving, and includes a step in which the computer specifies a planned driving distance of vehicle 10 (e.g., steps S111 to S114), and a step in which, when the specified planned driving distance is long, the computer determines the loading quantity so that the total amount of power of the power storage devices is large compared to when the specified planned driving distance is short (e.g., step S114).

[0034] As a result, when the planned travel distance is short, the cartridge-type batteries 101, 102 are not loaded more than necessary, which makes it possible to suppress an increase in vehicle weight and prevent a deterioration in electricity consumption. Also, when the planned travel distance is long, the necessary cartridge-type batteries 101 are loaded, which makes it possible to suppress the need for external charging along the way and prevents a deterioration in convenience. As a result, it is possible to suppress a deterioration in electricity consumption and a decrease in convenience.

[0035] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the description of the embodiments described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1 vehicle distribution system, 10 vehicle, 11 battery, 12 ECU, 13 drive unit, 14 DCM, 15 HMI, 16 inlet, 17 navigation device, 31 power supply device, 32 plug, 100 server, 101, 101A to 101J, 102, 102A to 102J cartridge battery, 110 CPU, 120 memory, 130 communication unit, 140 large-capacity storage device, 800 mobile terminal, 810 CPU, 820 memory, 830 communication unit, 840 input unit, 850 output unit, 900 communication network.

Claims

[Claim 1] A method for determining a loading quantity of power storage devices that are detachable from a vehicle and supply electric power for running, comprising the steps of: The computer, Identifying a planned travel distance of the vehicle; and determining the loading quantity so that the total amount of electric power of the power storage devices is larger when the specified planned travel distance is large, compared to when the specified planned travel distance is small.

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