Energy consumption estimation device

Abstract

To provide an energy consumption estimation device for accurately calculating energy consumption.SOLUTION: An estimation device for estimating energy consumption of a vehicle traveling on a road surface includes: a water information acquisition section 10 for acquiring water-related information being the information related to a water-related substance on the road surface; and an energy estimation section 30 for estimating the energy consumption of the vehicle traveling on the road surface based on the water-related information acquired by the water information acquisition section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a consumption energy estimation device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an energy estimation device that calculates the consumption energy when traveling on a planned route based on a speed pattern, running resistance, and vehicle characteristics has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This energy estimation device calculates the running resistance for calculating the consumption energy using the vehicle characteristics, the output value obtained by detecting the drive source of the vehicle, the braking value obtained by detecting the braking force of the brake, and the vehicle speed obtained by detecting the speed of the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] According to the inventors' intensive studies, the running resistance when a vehicle travels on a road surface changes according to the state of the road surface, such as the amount of snow accumulation when there is snow on the road surface and the amount of rainfall when it is raining on the road surface. For this reason, the consumption energy fluctuates due to the change in the running resistance according to the state of the road surface. However, the energy estimation device described in Patent Document 1 does not consider the state of the road surface when calculating the consumption energy. For this reason, when the state of the road surface changes, such as when there is snow on the road surface or when it is raining, there is a possibility that an error will occur in the calculated consumption energy.

[0005] In view of this point, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a consumption energy estimation device that can accurately calculate the consumption energy.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an estimation device for estimating the energy consumption of a vehicle traveling on a road surface includes a water information acquisition unit (10) that acquires water-related information, which is information related to water-related substances on the road surface, and an energy estimation unit (30) that estimates the energy consumption of a vehicle traveling on the road surface based on the water-related information acquired by the water information acquisition unit.

[0007] When there are water-related substances such as snow on the road surface, the resistance when the vehicle travels on the road surface increases compared to the case where there are no water-related substances on the road surface. For this reason, when there are water-related substances on the road surface, the energy consumption fluctuates compared to the case where there are no water-related substances on the road surface.

[0008] On the other hand, by estimating the energy consumption based on the water-related information, the energy estimation unit can suppress the calculation error of the energy consumption caused by the presence of the water-related substances. For this reason, the energy consumption estimation device can accurately calculate the energy consumption.

[0009] Note that the reference numerals in parentheses attached to each component etc. indicate an example of the correspondence relationship between the component etc. and the specific components etc. described in the embodiments described later.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] The consumption energy estimation device 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the consumption energy estimation device 1 of the present embodiment is configured to be connectable to a server SV and a vehicle C, which are external devices provided outside the consumption energy estimation device 1, via a network N. The consumption energy estimation device 1 is a device that estimates the consumption energy consumed when the vehicle C travels based on various information acquired from the server SV and the vehicle C via the network N.

[0012] Server SV is a communication device that communicates with the energy consumption estimation device 1 via network N. Server SV is composed of a computer having a communication unit, a storage unit, an arithmetic unit, etc., which are not shown in the figure. The communication unit is a network interface that connects to network N and communicates with other devices via network N. The storage unit is a memory that stores programs executed by the arithmetic unit and information to be transmitted to the energy consumption estimation device 1. The storage unit has a volatile storage medium and a non-volatile storage medium, and stores programs executed by the arithmetic unit and information to be transmitted to the energy consumption estimation device 1 in the non-volatile storage medium.

[0013] The storage unit stores, as information necessary for the energy consumption estimation device 1 to estimate energy consumption, for example, driving route information DI regarding the driving route on which vehicle C travels and weather information WI of the driving route on which vehicle C travels. Details of the driving route information DI and the weather information WI will be described later. The arithmetic unit executes the process corresponding to the program by executing the program stored in the non-volatile storage medium. Then, during the execution, the arithmetic unit writes data to the volatile storage medium and the non-volatile storage medium as necessary, reads data from the volatile storage medium and the non-volatile storage medium, and communicates with other devices using the communication unit.

[0014] Vehicle C is, for example, an electric vehicle. Specifically, electric vehicles include not only electric cars but also plug-in hybrid vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. However, vehicle C may be an engine vehicle. An electric vehicle is an automobile that has only an electric motor driven by electric power supplied from a battery as a drive source. A hybrid vehicle is an automobile that has an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as drive sources. An engine vehicle is an automobile that has only an internal combustion engine as a drive source and runs on fuel such as gasoline or light oil.

[0015] In addition, the vehicle C includes not only passenger cars but also vehicles that can run on the road, such as trucks and buses. The passenger car may be an owner's car owned by an individual, or it may be a taxi, a car-sharing vehicle, a rental car, etc. A taxi is a motor vehicle used for a paid service to transport passengers to a predetermined destination. A car-sharing vehicle is a motor vehicle used for a car-sharing service. A rental car is a motor vehicle used for a vehicle rental service. A truck is a freight motor vehicle that transports goods to a predetermined destination. The destination of the truck may be, for example, the same location is set repeatedly, or different locations are set each time. A bus is a large passenger vehicle that transports passengers at a fixed fare by operating on a predetermined route. Hereinafter, these vehicles C that the energy consumption estimation device 1 estimates the energy consumption for may be referred to as the host vehicle. Also, those different from the vehicle C that the energy consumption estimation device 1 estimates the energy consumption for may be referred to as other vehicles.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle C has a vehicle communication device C10 and a sensor C20. The vehicle communication device C10 is a communication unit for communicating with the server SV and the energy consumption estimation device 1 via the network N. In addition, the vehicle communication device C10 is configured to be able to receive the detection signal of the sensor C20 by communicating with the sensor C20 provided in the vehicle C via the in-vehicle network of the vehicle C.

[0017] The sensor C20 is a sensor group provided in the vehicle C and for acquiring information about the vehicle C. The sensor C20 includes, for example, a tire pressure sensor that detects the air pressure of the tire, a speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle C, an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the vehicle C, and a driving force sensor that detects the driving force of the vehicle C. In addition, the sensor C20 may include a brake sensor that detects the braking force of the vehicle C, a peripheral monitoring sensor that monitors the peripheral environment of the vehicle C and detects an object existing around the vehicle C, and the like.

[0018] The air pressure sensor detects the air pressure of the tire and transmits a detection signal corresponding to the detected air pressure to the vehicle communication device C10. The speed sensor detects the vehicle speed and transmits a detection signal corresponding to the detected vehicle speed to the vehicle communication device C10. The acceleration sensor detects the acceleration of the vehicle C and transmits a detection signal corresponding to the detected acceleration to the vehicle communication device C10. The driving force sensor detects the driving force of the vehicle C and transmits a detection signal corresponding to the detected driving force to the vehicle communication device C10. The brake sensor detects the braking force of the vehicle C and transmits a detection signal corresponding to the detected braking force to the vehicle communication device C10.

[0019] The surrounding monitoring sensor may include, for example, a camera that captures a surrounding image, a sonar that outputs ultrasonic waves to detect surrounding objects, a millimeter-wave radar that outputs millimeter waves to detect surrounding objects, and a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) that outputs laser light to detect surrounding objects.

[0020] The various information detected by the sensor C20 is transmitted to the server SV and the energy consumption estimation device 1 via the network N.

[0021] The energy consumption estimation device 1 of the present embodiment is not limited to the vehicle type, and is configured to be able to estimate the predicted energy consumption before the vehicle C travels based on various information acquired from the server SV and the vehicle C via the network N before the vehicle C travels.

[0022] The energy consumption estimation device 1 is composed of a computer having a communication unit 10, a storage unit 20, an arithmetic unit 30, etc. The communication unit 10 is a network interface that connects to the network N and communicates with the server SV and the vehicle C via the network N. The storage unit 20 is a memory that stores the program executed by the arithmetic unit 30 and the vehicle characteristic information CI that is necessary information for estimating the energy consumption. The storage unit 20 has a volatile storage medium and a non-volatile storage medium, and stores the program executed by the arithmetic unit 30 and the vehicle characteristic information CI in the non-volatile storage medium. The details of the vehicle characteristic information CI will be described later.

[0023] The arithmetic unit 30 realizes various processes by executing a program stored in a non-volatile memory medium. During the process, the arithmetic unit 30 uses the volatile memory medium as a work area and reads from and writes to the non-volatile memory medium. Also during the process, the arithmetic unit 30 acquires the driving route information DI, weather information WI, and vehicle characteristic information CI necessary for estimating the consumed energy.

[0024] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the arithmetic unit 30 includes a virtual resistance calculation unit 31, a resistance calculation unit 32, and an energy calculation unit 33 that execute various processes. The virtual resistance calculation unit 31 calculates a virtual driving resistance VFdrv, which will be described later. The resistance calculation unit 32 calculates a driving resistance Fdrv, which will be described later. The energy calculation unit 33 calculates the consumed energy based on the driving resistance Fdrv calculated by the resistance calculation unit 32, the acquired driving route information DI, weather information WI, and vehicle characteristic information CI. The arithmetic unit 30 of the present embodiment functions as an energy estimation unit.

[0025] The arithmetic unit 30 functions as the virtual resistance calculation unit 31, the resistance calculation unit 32, and the energy calculation unit 33 by executing the control program stored in the storage unit 20. Alternatively, the arithmetic unit 30 may include a plurality of circuit modules corresponding to the virtual resistance calculation unit 31, the resistance calculation unit 32, and the energy calculation unit 33, respectively. Hereinafter, the processes executed by the virtual resistance calculation unit 31, the resistance calculation unit 32, and the energy calculation unit 33 will be described as processes executed by the arithmetic unit 30.

[0026] Subsequently, an example of the operation process executed by the arithmetic unit 30 of the consumed energy estimation device 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 2. The control process shown in FIG. 2 is executed, for example, when a planned driving road on which the vehicle C is scheduled to travel from the departure point to the destination is set by an operator, and a start operation of the consumed energy estimation process for calculating the consumed energy when the vehicle C travels on the planned driving road is performed.

[0027] First, in step S10, the arithmetic unit 30 acquires vehicle characteristic information CI from the storage unit 20 of the energy consumption estimation device 1. The vehicle characteristic information CI includes, as information indicating the characteristics of the host vehicle, information on the total vehicle weight W (e.g., 2000 kg, etc.) indicating the weight of the host vehicle, and information on the air resistance coefficient Cd (e.g., 0.3, etc.) indicating the coefficient of air resistance received by the host vehicle when traveling. Also, the vehicle characteristic information CI includes information on the front projected area A (e.g., 5 m 2 etc.) indicating the projected area of the host vehicle when viewed from the front side of the vehicle toward the rear side of the vehicle, and information on the rolling resistance coefficient u (e.g., 0.01, etc.) indicating the rolling resistance coefficient when the host vehicle travels on the road surface. The arithmetic unit 30 of the present embodiment functions as a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires the vehicle characteristic information CI. Further, the vehicle characteristic information CI includes information on the tire contact area Tc (e.g., 0.02 m 2 etc.).

[0028] In the storage unit 20 of the energy consumption estimation device 1, the vehicle characteristic information CI corresponding to each of all vehicles C for which energy consumption is to be calculated is stored in advance. The vehicle characteristic information CI may be set in the storage unit 20 by an operator's input operation, or may be configured to be acquired from an external device such as a server SV.

[0029] In the subsequent step S20, the arithmetic unit 30 acquires the travel route information DI from the server SV via the communication unit 10. Map information including the travel route information DI is stored in advance in the storage unit of the server SV. This map information includes the travel route information DI including various types of information regarding the travel route on which the vehicle C set by the operator travels. Specifically, the travel route information DI includes, as information regarding the position where the vehicle C is scheduled to travel, information regarding the planned travel road set by the operator. The information regarding the planned travel road includes route information from the departure point to the destination, gradient information of the planned travel road, and information on the elapsed time t since departure from the departure point. Further, the information regarding the planned travel road includes information on the estimated travel speed V at the elapsed time t when traveling on the planned travel road and information on the estimated acceleration a at the elapsed time t. The communication unit 10 of the present embodiment functions as a position information acquisition unit that acquires the travel route information DI corresponding to the planned position information.

[0030] In addition, the information regarding the planned travel road includes information on the traffic volume Rt indicating the traffic volume on the planned travel road of the host vehicle. Further, the travel route information DI includes information on the traffic flow velocity Rs indicating the vehicle speed of other vehicles and information on the road surface type Rk indicating the type of the road surface on which the host vehicle is scheduled to travel. The information on the traffic volume Rt is, for example, information on the number of other vehicles passing per unit time on the planned travel road, and is set based on, for example, information on the history of the number of other vehicles passing on the planned travel road. The traffic volume Rt is set to, for example, 100 vehicles / hour.

[0031] The information on the traffic flow velocity Rs is, for example, information on the average vehicle speed of other vehicles on the planned travel road, and is set based on, for example, information on the history of the vehicle speeds of other vehicles passing on the planned travel road. The traffic flow velocity Rs is set to, for example, 40 km / hour. Note that the traffic flow velocity Rs may be set based on information other than the history of the vehicle speeds of other vehicles, and may be set based on, for example, the legal speed.

[0032] The information on road surface type Rk is, for example, information on the type of road surface of the planned route, and is information indicating the material covering the road surface (e.g., asphalt, concrete, gravel, soil, iron plate). Further, the information on road surface type Rk includes information on the number of years elapsed since the planned route was installed when the material covering the road surface of the planned route is formed of asphalt. When the number of years elapsed for the planned route formed of asphalt is relatively long, the road surface type Rk includes old asphalt information indicating that the number of years elapsed for the road formed of asphalt is relatively long. And when the road surface type Rk includes old asphalt information, it includes information indicating the state in which the shape of the planned route has changed due to aging deterioration. Also, when the number of years elapsed for the planned route formed of asphalt is relatively short, the road surface type Rk includes new asphalt information indicating that the number of years elapsed for the road formed of asphalt is relatively short. And when the road surface type Rk includes new asphalt information, it includes information indicating the state in which there is little change in the shape of the planned route due to aging deterioration.

[0033] Note that the map information having the travel route information DI may be configured to be stored in advance in the storage unit 20 of the energy consumption estimation device 1. In this case, the calculation unit 30 acquires the travel route information DI from the storage unit 20.

[0034] Then, the energy consumption estimation device 1 calculates the estimated energy consumption of the vehicle C using the acquired vehicle characteristic information CI and travel route information DI. For example, assume that the departure place and destination of the vehicle C are set by the operator, and the travel speed V when traveling on the planned route from the departure place to the destination is set as shown in FIG. 3. The energy consumption estimation device 1 calculates the predicted energy consumption before traveling based on the elapsed time t and the travel speed V at the elapsed time t. Note that FIG. 3 shows an example of the elapsed time t and the travel speed V at the elapsed time t when traveling on the planned route.

[0035] By the way, the method for calculating the energy consumption differs between the case where the vehicle C is an electric vehicle with an electric motor as a drive source and the case where it is an engine vehicle with a combustion engine as a drive source. Therefore, first, the method for calculating the energy consumption in the case where the vehicle C is an electric vehicle having the configuration shown in FIG. 4 will be described.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle C includes a battery BT that stores electric power, a power device MG that includes an electric motor serving as a drive source for driving the vehicle C, a transmission device T that transmits the power output from the power device MG to the wheels Wh, and an auxiliary machine system H.

[0037] The power device MG operates by the electric power supplied from the battery BT, and includes a booster converter (not shown) that boosts the voltage supplied from the battery BT, an inverter (not shown) that supplies electric power to the electric motor, and the like. The transmission device T includes a transmission (not shown) that adjusts the power output from the electric motor. The auxiliary machine system H includes an air conditioner, auxiliary machines, and the like. The energy consumption of an electric vehicle having such a configuration can be obtained by Formula 1, which is a function regarding the elapsed time t shown below.

[0038] (Formula 1) Etotal_prd_base(t)=Edrv_prd_base(t)+Eother_prd_base(t) Note that “Etotal_prd_base(t)” in Formula 1 indicates an estimated value of the energy consumption consumed by the vehicle C, which is an electric vehicle, up to a predetermined elapsed time t when traveling along the planned road. Also, “Edrv_prd_base(t)” in Formula 1 indicates an estimated value of the driving energy consumed by the power device MG including the electric motor to drive the vehicle C among the energy consumption up to the elapsed time t. And “Eother_prd_base” indicates an estimated value of the energy other than the energy consumed as driving energy among the energy consumption up to the elapsed time t.

[0039] Energy other than the energy consumed as running energy is the energy consumed by the auxiliary system H. Specifically, it is the total energy consumed by the operation of the air conditioner and the energy consumed by the operation of the auxiliary equipment. That is, the total consumed energy Etotal_prd_base is the total consumed energy obtained by summing the running energy Edrv_prd_base consumed by the power device MG including the electric motor and the auxiliary system energy Eother_prd_base consumed by the auxiliary system H.

[0040] In addition, when the total consumed energy Etotal_prd_base becomes a negative value, this total consumed energy Etotal_prd_base is supplied to the battery BT as regenerative energy and stored as electric power.

[0041] Also, the auxiliary system energy Eother_prd_base in Equation 1 can be obtained by Equation 2, which is a function related to the elapsed time t shown below.

[0042] (Equation 2) Eother_prd_base = Σ(Pother(t) * (t - (t - 1))) Note that "Pother(t)" in Equation 2 is the energy consumed by the auxiliary system H for each elapsed time t. The energy Pother is preset as a fixed value such as 5 kw, for example. As shown in Equation 2, the auxiliary system energy Eother_prd_base is obtained by integrating the energy consumed by the auxiliary system H for each elapsed time t other than for running the vehicle C.

[0043] Also, the running energy Edrv_prd_base in Equation 1 can be obtained by Equation 3, which is a function related to the elapsed time t shown below.

[0044] (Equation 3) Edrv_prd_base = Σ(P’’drv(t) * (t - (t - 1))) Note that "P''drv(t)" in Equation 3 is the energy consumed by the power unit MG at each elapsed time t. As shown in Equation 3, the driving energy Edrv_prd_base is obtained by integrating the energy at each elapsed time t consumed to drive the vehicle C.

[0045] And the energy P''drv in Equation 3 can be obtained by Equation 4, which is a function of the elapsed time t shown below, and Equation 5 below.

[0046] (Equation 4) P''drv(t) = P'drv(t) / Relec

[0047] (Equation 5) P'drv(t) = Pdrv(t) / Rmech Note that "Pdrv(t)" in Equation 5 is the driving horsepower at each elapsed time t required to drive the vehicle C at the driving speed V. Also, "P'drv(t)" in Equation 4 and Equation 5 is the transmission energy at each elapsed time t required to output from the transmission device T to drive the vehicle C at the driving speed V. And "Relec" in Equation 4 indicates the transmission coefficient of the electrical energy in the power unit MG, and "Rmech" in Equation 5 indicates the transmission coefficient of the mechanical energy in the transmission device T.

[0048] The transmission coefficient Relec of the electrical energy can be calculated, for example, using a correlation map in which the correlation between the transmission coefficient Relec and the transmission energy P'drv as shown in FIG. 5 is determined in advance. In other words, the transmission coefficient Relec of the electrical energy can be obtained from the correlation map shown in FIG. 5 and the transmission energy P'drv. The transmission coefficient Rmech of the mechanical energy is preset, for example, at a fixed value such as 70%.

[0049] As described above, the estimated value of the energy consumption of the electric vehicle when driving on the planned driving road can be obtained using the above Equations 1 to 5.

[0050] Next, a method for calculating the energy consumption when the vehicle C is an engine vehicle having the configuration shown in FIG. 6 will be described.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle C includes an engine Eg that serves as a drive source for driving the vehicle C, a transmission MT that transmits the power output from the engine Eg to the wheels Wh, and an accessory system H.

[0052] The engine Eg operates by the supplied fuel and includes an injection device (not shown) that injects the supplied fuel, an ignition device (not shown) that ignites the injected fuel, and the like. The transmission MT includes a plurality of gears (not shown) that adjust the power output from the engine Eg and transmit it to the wheels Wh. The accessory system H includes the air conditioner, accessories, etc. described above, similar to an electric vehicle. The energy consumption of an engine vehicle having such a configuration can be obtained by Formula 6, which is a function regarding the elapsed time t shown below.

[0053] (Formula 6) Etotal_prd_base(t)=Σ(P’sum(t)*(t-(t1))) Note that "Etotal_prd_base" in Formula 6 indicates an estimated value of the energy consumption consumed by the vehicle C, which is an engine vehicle, up to the elapsed time t when traveling along the planned road. Also, "P’sum(t)" in Formula 6 is the total energy consumed by the engine Eg to drive the vehicle C for each elapsed time t. As shown in Formula 6, the energy consumption Etotal_prd_base is obtained by integrating the energy for each elapsed time t consumed by the engine Eg to drive the vehicle C.

[0054] Also, the total energy P’sum in Formula 6 can be obtained by Formula 7, which is a function regarding the elapsed time t shown below.

[0055] (Formula 7) P’sum(t)=Psum(t) / Reng Note that "Psum(t)" in Equation 7 is the required engine power for each elapsed time t to drive the vehicle C at the traveling speed V. Also, "Reng" in Equation 7 indicates the engine efficiency when the engine Eg outputs power by the supplied fuel. The engine efficiency Reng can be calculated, for example, using a correlation map that predefines the correlation between the engine efficiency Reng as shown in FIG. 7 and the engine power Psum obtained from "P’drv(t)+Pother(t)" shown in the following Equation 8. In other words, the engine efficiency Reng can be obtained from the correlation map shown in FIG. 7 and the engine power Psum. The engine power Psum can be obtained by Equation 8, which is a function regarding the elapsed time t shown below.

[0056] (Equation 8) Psum(t)=P’drv(t)+Pother(t) Note that "P’drv(t)" in Equation 8 is the power transmitted to the transmission MT side among the power output by the engine Eg at the elapsed time t. Also, "Pother(t)" in Equation 8 is the power transmitted to the auxiliary machine system H at the elapsed time t. The power Pother is preset as a fixed value such as 5 kw, for example. As shown in Equation 8, the engine power Psum can be obtained by summing the power transmitted to the transmission MT and the power transmitted to the auxiliary machine system H.

[0057] And the power P’drv transmitted to the transmission MT can be obtained by Equation 9, which is a function regarding the elapsed time t shown below.

[0058] (Equation 9) P’drv(t)=Pdrv(t) / Rmech Note that "Pdrv(t)" in Equation 9 is the running horsepower for each elapsed time t required to drive the vehicle C at the required traveling speed V. Also, "Rmech" in Equation 9 indicates the transmission coefficient of mechanical energy in the transmission MT.

[0059] The mechanical energy transfer coefficient Rmech is preset as a fixed value, for example, 70%, in the same way as when vehicle C is an electric vehicle.

[0060] As described above, the estimated value of the energy consumption of the gasoline vehicle when traveling on the planned route can be obtained using the above equations 6 to 9.

[0061] And the energy consumption Etotal_prd_base of the electric vehicle and the energy consumption Etotal_prd_base of the gasoline vehicle obtained using the above equations increase as the driving distance X of vehicle C increases, as shown in FIG. 8.

[0062] Incidentally, the driving horsepower Pdrv in Equation 5 and the driving horsepower Pdrv in Equation 9 can be obtained by Equation 10, which is a function regarding the elapsed time t shown below, using the driving resistance Fdrv and the driving speed V at the elapsed time t.

[0063] (Equation 10) Pdrv(t) = Fdrv(t) * V(t) Note that "Fdrv(t)" shown in Equation 10 is an estimated driving resistance value generated when vehicle C travels on the road surface of the planned route at the elapsed time t, and includes various resistance components such as air resistance and rolling resistance.

[0064] And the driving resistance Fdrv in Equation 10 can be obtained by Equation 11, which is a function regarding the elapsed time t shown below.

[0065] (Equation 11) Fdrv(t) = Wa(t) + 0.5 * ρ * Cd * A * v 2 (t) + u * Wg + Wg * sinθ(t) Note that, in Equation 11, "W" represents the total vehicle weight, "a(t)" represents the acceleration at elapsed time t, "ρ" represents the air density, "Cd" represents the air resistance coefficient, "A" represents the total projected area, "V(t)" represents the vehicle speed at elapsed time t, "u" represents the rolling resistance coefficient, and "g" represents the gravitational acceleration. Also, "sinθ(t)" represents the gradient of the planned driving route between the predicted location of the host vehicle at time (t) and the predicted location of the host vehicle at time (t-1).

[0066] The information on the total vehicle weight W, the air resistance coefficient Cd, the front projected area A, and the rolling resistance coefficient u is included in the vehicle characteristic information CI and is information that is a factor in changing the driving resistance Fdrv. Also, the information on the acceleration a, the driving speed V, and the gradient of the planned driving route is information included in the driving route information DI.

[0067] The information on the air density ρ and the gravitational acceleration g is set in advance in the calculation unit 30. The air density ρ may be set in advance as a fixed value such as 1.293 kg / m 3 or the calculation unit 30 may calculate it based on the ambient temperature. The gravitational acceleration g is set in advance as a fixed value such as 9.8 m / s 2 and so on. And, "0.5*ρ*Cd*Av 2 (t)" in the above Equation 11 represents the air resistance component among the driving resistance Fdrv. Also, "μWg" in the above Equation 11 represents the rolling resistance component among the driving resistance Fdrv.

[0068] Thus, the driving power Pdrv required to obtain the total energy consumption Etotal_prd_base when driving on the planned driving route can be calculated using the driving resistance Fdrv. However, the driving resistance Fdrv varies according to the condition of the road surface of the planned driving route. For example, when there are water-related substances such as snow, ice, or water on the road surface of the planned driving route, the rolling resistance coefficient u changes. Specifically, when there are water-related substances on the road surface of the planned driving route, when the vehicle C is driving, a force is required to push aside the water-related substances existing between the road surface and the tires, so the rolling resistance coefficient u increases. In other words, when there are water-related substances on the road surface of the planned driving route, the resistance force when the vehicle C drives on the road surface becomes larger compared to the case where there are no water-related substances on the road surface.

[0069] Therefore, when there are water-related substances on the road surface of the planned driving route, as shown in FIG. 9, the driving resistance Fdrv increases compared to the case of a dry road surface where there are no water-related substances on the road surface. And the deviation amount between the driving resistance Fdrv when there are water-related substances on the road surface of the planned driving route and the driving resistance Fdrv when there are no water-related substances on the road surface becomes larger as the driving distance X becomes larger. In FIG. 9, the solid line indicates the correlation between the driving distance X and the driving resistance Fdrv when there are water-related substances on the road surface, and the dashed line indicates the correlation between the driving distance X and the driving resistance Fdrv in the case of a dry road surface.

[0070] And according to the inventors' intensive studies, depending on the type, amount, state, etc. of the water-related substances present on the road surface, the change amount of the driving resistance Fdrv that changes due to the presence of the water-related substances is different. For example, the driving resistance Fdrv changes according to the condition of the road surface, such as the amount of snow accumulation when there is snow on the road surface, the presence of ice caused by the melted snow freezing, and the amount of rainfall when it is raining on the road surface. And the energy consumption fluctuates according to the change amount of the driving resistance Fdrv.

[0071] Therefore, when there is a water-related substance on the road surface of the planned driving route, when it is assumed that a water-related substance exists, or when calculating the energy consumption without considering the water-related substance, there is a possibility that an error will occur in the calculation result of the energy consumption.

[0072] Therefore, when estimating the energy consumption, as shown in FIG. 2, the energy consumption estimation device 1 of the present embodiment calculates a provisional running resistance VFdrv, which is a value of the provisional running resistance obtained without considering the water-related substance, in step S30 by the calculation unit 30. Then, the calculation unit 30 calculates the running resistance Fdrv considering the water-related substance in steps S40 and S50, and calculates the estimated value of the energy consumption based on the running resistance Fdrv calculated in step S60. Hereinafter, the details of the processes of steps S30 to S60 will be described.

[0073] In step S30, the calculation unit 30 calculates the provisional running resistance VFdrv using the vehicle characteristic information CI and the driving route information DI acquired in steps S10 and S20 and the above formula (11). The provisional running resistance VFdrv is a provisional resistance estimated value calculated without considering whether there is a water-related substance on the road surface of the planned driving route.

[0074] Specifically, when calculating the provisional running resistance VFdrv, the calculation unit 30 uses the total vehicle weight W, the air resistance coefficient Cd, the front projected area A, and the rolling resistance coefficient u among the vehicle characteristic information CI acquired in step S10. In addition, when calculating the provisional running resistance VFdrv, the calculation unit 30 uses information on the gradient of the planned driving route, information on the estimated driving speed V at the elapsed time t when driving on the planned driving route, and information on the estimated acceleration a at the elapsed time t among the driving route information DI acquired in step S20. The calculation unit 30 calculates the provisional running resistance VFdrv using these total vehicle weight W, air resistance coefficient Cd, front projected area A, rolling resistance coefficient u, gradient of the planned driving route, driving speed V, and acceleration a, and the preset air density ρ and gravitational acceleration g.

[0075] Next, in step S40, the arithmetic unit 30 acquires weather information WI from the storage unit of the server SV as information for obtaining an estimated value of the energy consumption. The weather information WI includes, as information indicating the state of the atmosphere and various phenomena in the atmosphere, information on the outside air temperature Te indicating a predicted value of the ambient temperature of the host vehicle when the host vehicle travels on the planned travel road, and information on the sunshine duration Su indicating a predicted value of the sunshine duration of the planned travel road. Further, the weather information WI includes the wind speed Ws indicating a predicted value of the wind speed around the host vehicle when the host vehicle travels on the planned travel road, and information on the predicted weather of the planned travel road. The weather information of the planned travel road includes, for example, when the weather is snow, information on the snowfall amount Sf indicating the predicted snowfall amount per unit time, and information on the predicted amount of snow accumulated at a predetermined observation point, the snow depth Sd. Also, the weather information of the planned travel road includes, for example, when the weather is rain, information on the rainfall amount Ra indicating the predicted rainfall amount per unit time. The weather information WI including the information on the snowfall amount Sf, the information on the snow depth Sd, and the information on the rainfall amount Ra is water-related information related to the physical quantity of water-related substances on the road surface. Also, the information on the snowfall amount Sf and the information on the snow depth Sd are snow information related to the physical quantity of snow on the road surface. Therefore, the communication unit 10 of the present embodiment that acquires the weather information WI, which is information on these water-related substances, from the server SV functions as a water information acquisition unit.

[0076] The outside air temperature Te is set to, for example, 2°C. The sunshine duration Su is set to, for example, 2 hours. The wind speed Ws is set to, for example, 2 m / s. The snowfall amount Sf is set to, for example, 1 cm / hour or 15 cm / day. The snow depth Sd is set to, for example, 50 cm. The rainfall amount Ra is set to, for example, 3 mm / hour or 40 mm / day.

[0077] Then, based on the acquired weather information WI, the arithmetic unit 30 acquires information regarding the state of water-related substances necessary for calculating the driving resistance Fdrv. As information regarding the state of water-related substances, for example, the arithmetic unit 30 acquires the road surface temperature Rte, which is the temperature of the road surface for estimating whether the water-related substances existing on the road surface of the planned driving route contain snow, ice, or water. The reason why the road surface temperature Rte is necessary as information regarding the state of water-related substances is that the state of water-related substances on the road surface varies based on the road surface temperature Rte.

[0078] For example, even if snow is falling on the road surface, if the state where the road surface temperature Rte is 0°C or higher continues for a time period necessary for the snow to melt, as shown in FIG. 10, the snow accumulated on the road surface melts and becomes water. Also, even if it is water obtained by melting snow, if the state where the road surface temperature Rte is lower than 0°C continues for a time period necessary for the water to freeze, as shown in FIG. 10, the melted snow on the road surface changes from water to ice.

[0079] In addition, after rainfall or snowfall occurs during the day when the road surface temperature Rte is 0°C or higher, if the road surface temperature Rte drops to a temperature lower than 0°C in an environment where the outside air temperature Te is likely to be relatively low at night or the like, the snow or water on the road surface becomes ice.

[0080] When the road surface temperature Rte changes in this way, the state of water-related substances changes. And the water-related substances existing on the road surface can be in one state of snow, ice, or water, or can exist in a mixed state in various ratios depending on various environmental conditions around the road surface. For example, when snow falls again on the ice formed from snow or water on the road surface, a state where an ice layer and a snow layer are laminated in order from the closest to the road surface is formed.

[0081] The arithmetic unit 30 of the present embodiment acquires the road surface temperature Rte that changes the state of water-related substances as information regarding the state of water-related substances necessary for calculating the driving resistance Fdrv based on the weather information WI.

[0082] The road surface temperature Rte is affected by the outside air temperature Te, sunshine duration Su, rainfall Ra, snowfall Sf, snow depth Sd, wind speed Ws, traffic volume Rt, traffic flow velocity Rs, road surface type Rk, etc. For example, the lower the outside air temperature Te, the lower the road surface temperature Rte. Also, the road surface temperature Rte tends to be lower as the sunshine duration Su is shorter, tends to be lower as the rainfall Ra or snowfall Sf is larger, and tends to be lower as the snow depth Sd is deeper. And the road surface temperature Rte tends to be lower as the wind speed Ws is stronger, tends to be lower as the traffic volume Rt is smaller, and tends to be lower as the traffic flow velocity Rs is slower. Furthermore, the road surface of the planned driving route has different heat storage amounts depending on the material covering the road surface, and the shape such as ruts changes due to the aging deterioration of the road surface, so the way snow accumulates and the way rain pools on the road surface are different when snow accumulates on the road surface. Therefore, the road surface temperature Rte during snowfall or rainfall may change according to the road surface type Rk.

[0083] Note that the reason why the road surface temperature Rte decreases as the traffic volume Rt decreases is that as the traffic volume Rt decreases, the heat (for example, heat radiation, exhaust, and tire heat of internal combustion engine vehicles, etc.) emitted by other vehicles, which is a factor that raises the road surface temperature Rte, decreases.

[0084] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the calculation unit 30 calculates the road surface temperature Rte based on the driving route information DI and the weather information WI using the following mathematical formula 12.

[0085] (Mathematical formula 12) Rte = f(Te, var ⊆ {Su, Ra, Sf, Sd, Ws, Rt, Rs, Rk}) As shown in Equation 12, the road surface temperature Rte is obtained by a function f with respect to the outside air temperature Te, sunshine duration Su, rainfall Ra, snowfall Sf, snow depth Sd, wind speed Ws, traffic volume Rt, traffic flow velocity Rs, and road surface type Rk as variables for calculating the road surface temperature Rte. Also, the part on the right side of "⊆ (subset)" in Equation 12 indicates that when calculating the road surface temperature Rte using Equation 12, it may include any one or a plurality of the sunshine duration Su, rainfall Ra, snowfall Sf, snow depth Sd, wind speed Ws, traffic volume Rt, traffic flow velocity Rs, and road surface type Rk, or may include all of them, or may be an empty set that includes none of them.

[0086] That is, the road surface temperature Rte may be calculated based only on the outside air temperature Te. Or, in addition to the outside air temperature Te, the road surface temperature Rte may be calculated including any one or a plurality of the sunshine duration Su, rainfall Ra, snowfall Sf, snow depth Sd, wind speed Ws, traffic volume Rt, traffic flow velocity Rs, and road surface type Rk, or may be calculated including all of them.

[0087] Then, the arithmetic unit 30 detects the state of water-related substances on the road surface based on the calculated road surface temperature Rte.

[0088] Then, in step S50, the arithmetic unit 30 calculates an increased resistance amount Fup, which is an increased amount of the driving resistance Fdrv that increases due to the presence of water-related substances on the road surface of the planned driving road, using the following Equation 13.

[0089] (Equation 13) Fup = uWg * Hresistance Here, "Hresistance" in Equation 13 is a predetermined coefficient set in advance for calculating the increased resistance amount Fup, and is set to a value greater than 1.0. Also, the water resistance coefficient Hresistance is set according to the state of water-related substances on the road surface.

[0090] When the state of the water-related substance on the road surface is snow, the water resistance coefficient Hresistance is set based on a two-dimensional map determined by, for example, the road surface snow depth RSd and snow density RSs shown in FIG. 11. The road surface snow depth RSd indicates the predicted amount of snow accumulated on the road surface of the planned driving route. The snow density RSs indicates the predicted mass per unit volume of the snow accumulated on the road surface of the planned driving route.

[0091] The road surface snow depth RSd can be calculated based on, for example, the snowfall amount Sf, snow depth Sd, and calculated road surface temperature Rte included in the weather information WI. The snow density RSs can be calculated based on the snowfall amount Sf and snow depth Sd included in the weather information WI, the calculated road surface snow depth RSd, the road surface temperature Rte, traffic volume Rt, traffic flow velocity Rs, and road surface type Rk included in the driving route information DI.

[0092] And when the road surface snow depth RSd is 0.1 m and the snow density RSs is 190 kg / m 3 the water resistance coefficient Hresistance is set to 1.25 based on the two-dimensional map shown in FIG. 11.

[0093] Also, when the state of the water-related substance on the road surface is ice, although not shown, the water resistance coefficient Hresistance is set based on a two-dimensional map determined by the rainfall amount Ra and the outside air temperature Te.

[0094] Also, when the state of the water-related substance on the road surface is water, although not shown, the water resistance coefficient Hresistance is set based on a correspondence map showing the correlation between the rainfall amount Ra and the water resistance coefficient Hresistance.

[0095] And in step S60, the arithmetic unit 30 calculates the driving resistance Fdrv when there is a water-related substance on the road surface of the planned driving route using the following formula 14.

[0096] (Formula 14) Fdrv(t)=Wa(t)+0.5*ρ*Cd*Av 2(t) + uWg + Wgsinθ(t) + Fup(t) In this way, when there are water-related substances on the road surface of the planned driving route, the driving resistance Fdrv can be calculated based on the vehicle characteristic information CI, the driving route information DI, and the weather information WI. Then, in step S70, the calculation unit 30 calculates the estimated energy consumption using the calculated driving resistance Fdrv. Specifically, when the host vehicle is an electric vehicle, an estimated value of the energy consumption is calculated using the calculated driving resistance Fdrv and formulas 1 to 5. When the host vehicle is an engine vehicle, an estimated value of the energy consumption is calculated using the calculated driving resistance Fdrv and formulas 6 to 9.

[0097] By the way, when there is snow on the road surface of the planned driving route, a force is required to crush the snow existing between the road surface and the tire. And the force to crush the snow is a factor that increases the driving resistance Fdrv. Therefore, when there is snow on the road surface of the planned driving route, the energy consumption estimation device 1 can obtain an estimated value of the energy consumption by further considering the increase in the driving resistance Fdrv caused by the force to crush the snow. Hereinafter, the increase in the driving resistance Fdrv caused by the force to crush the snow is also referred to as the snow compaction increase amount Fsup.

[0098] The calculation unit 30 calculates the driving resistance Fdrv when there is snow on the road surface of the planned driving route using the following formula 15.

[0099] (Formula 15) Fdrv(t) = Wa(t) + 0.5 * ρ * Cd * Av 2 (t) + uWg + Wgsinθ(t) + Fup(t) + Fsup(t) By the way, the snow compaction increase amount Fsup is determined by the total vehicle weight W, the pressure when the tire crushes the snow, and the snow resistance R which is the resistance received from the snow when crushing the snow. And the snow compaction increase amount Fsup increases as the snow resistance R increases. And the snow resistance R increases as the snow density RSs decreases. Therefore, the snow compaction increase amount Fsup increases as the snow density RSs decreases.

[0100] Therefore, the increased snow compaction amount Fsup can be obtained based on the correlation map based on the snow resistance R and the snow density RSs.

[0101] However, the snow resistance R varies depending on the pressure when the tire crushes the snow. And the pressure when the tire crushes the snow is determined by the total vehicle weight W and the tire contact area Tc included in the vehicle characteristic information CI. Also, the total vehicle weight W and the tire contact area Tc vary for each vehicle C. For example, the pressure generated when the tire crushes the snow increases as the total vehicle weight W included in the vehicle characteristic information CI increases, and also increases as the tire contact area Tc increases.

[0102] Here, the total vehicle weight W and the tire contact area Tc can be roughly classified according to the vehicle type. For example, for vehicle types with a larger total vehicle weight W, tires with a larger outer diameter and a larger tire width are more likely to be applied, so the tire contact area Tc is more likely to be large. On the contrary, for vehicle types with a smaller total vehicle weight W, tires with a smaller outer diameter and a smaller tire width are more likely to be applied, so the tire contact area Tc is more likely to be small. Therefore, the total vehicle weight W and the tire contact area Tc can be roughly classified according to the size of the vehicle C.

[0103] Therefore, in the arithmetic unit 30 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, three correlation maps based on the snow resistance R and the snow density RSs are predefined according to the size of the host vehicle. Specifically, there are three types of correlation maps defined corresponding to a large vehicle with a relatively large total vehicle weight W and a relatively large tire contact area Tc, a small vehicle with a relatively small total vehicle weight W and a relatively small tire contact area Tc, and a medium vehicle with a standard total vehicle weight W and tire contact area Tc. As shown in FIG. 12, the correlation maps are set with different slopes according to small vehicles, medium vehicles, and large vehicles, and the snow resistance R for the same snow density RSs increases as the tire contact area Tc of the large vehicle is larger.

[0104] Then, based on the vehicle characteristic information CI, the arithmetic unit 30 determines whether the vehicle C for which the energy consumption is to be calculated is a small vehicle, a medium vehicle, or a large vehicle. Then, the arithmetic unit 30 calculates the amount of snow compaction increase Fsup based on a correlation map corresponding to the type of the determined vehicle C. Thereby, the energy consumption estimation device 1 can estimate the energy consumption in consideration of the change in the driving resistance Fdrv caused by the force for crushing snow.

[0105] As described above, the energy consumption estimation device 1 of the present embodiment includes a communication unit 10 that acquires weather information WI which is information related to water-related substances on the road surface, and an arithmetic unit 30 that estimates the energy consumption of a vehicle traveling on the road surface based on the weather information WI acquired by the communication unit 10.

[0106] By the way, when there are water-related substances on the road surface, the resistance force when the vehicle C travels on the road surface becomes larger compared to the case where there are no water-related substances on the road surface. For this reason, when there are water-related substances on the road surface, the energy consumption fluctuates compared to the case where there are no water-related substances on the road surface.

[0107] On the other hand, by estimating the energy consumption by the arithmetic unit 30 based on the weather information WI which is information related to water-related substances, it is possible to suppress the calculation error of the energy consumption caused by the presence of water-related substances. Therefore, the energy consumption estimation device 1 can accurately calculate the energy consumption.

[0108] Also, according to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0109] (1) In the above embodiment, the arithmetic unit 30 estimates the driving resistance Fdrv based on the weather information WI, and estimates the energy consumption based on the estimated driving resistance Fdrv.

[0110] According to the inventors' intensive studies, the driving resistance Fdrv changes due to the presence of water-related substances on the road surface. And, due to the change in the driving resistance Fdrv, the energy consumption of the vehicle C changes.

[0111] On the other hand, by estimating the driving resistance Fdrv by the arithmetic unit 30 based on the weather information WI, even when the driving resistance Fdrv changes due to the presence of water-related substances, the driving resistance Fdrv can be accurately calculated. Then, by calculating the consumed energy by the arithmetic unit 30 based on the accurately calculated driving resistance Fdrv, the consumed energy can be accurately calculated.

[0112] (2) In the above embodiment, the arithmetic unit 30 estimates the driving resistance Fdrv based on the information regarding the weather, and estimates the consumed energy based on the estimated driving resistance Fdrv.

[0113] According to this, when the weather is such that it generates water-related substances on the road surface, such as rain or snow, by estimating the driving resistance Fdrv based on the information of the weather that generates water-related substances on the road surface, the driving resistance Fdrv can be accurately calculated. Then, by calculating the consumed energy by the arithmetic unit 30 based on the accurately calculated driving resistance Fdrv, the consumed energy can be accurately calculated.

[0114] (3) In the above embodiment, the weather information WI includes snow information which is information related to the snow on the road surface. The arithmetic unit 30 estimates the driving resistance Fdrv based on the snow information, and estimates the consumed energy based on the estimated driving resistance Fdrv.

[0115] According to the inventors' intensive studies, the amount of change in the driving resistance Fdrv varies depending on the state of the water-related substances present on the road surface. On the other hand, by estimating the driving resistance Fdrv based on the snow information, when the state of the water-related substances is snow, the driving resistance Fdrv corresponding to the snow can be accurately calculated. Then, by calculating the consumed energy by the arithmetic unit 30 based on the accurately calculated driving resistance Fdrv, the consumed energy can be accurately calculated.

[0116] (4) In the above-described embodiment, the snow information includes information on the road surface snow depth RSd, which is information on the depth of snow accumulated on the road surface, and information on the snow density RSs, which is information on the density of snow accumulated on the road surface. The calculation unit 30 estimates the driving resistance Fdrv based on the information on the road surface snow depth RSd and the information on the snow density RSs, and estimates the energy consumption based on the estimated driving resistance Fdrv.

[0117] According to this, by estimating the driving resistance Fdrv based on the information on the road surface snow depth RSd and the information on the snow density RSs that affect the change amount of the driving resistance Fdrv, the driving resistance Fdrv can be accurately calculated. Then, by calculating the energy consumption by the calculation unit 30 based on the accurately calculated driving resistance Fdrv, the energy consumption can be accurately calculated.

[0118] (5) In the above-described embodiment, the communication unit 10 that acquires the vehicle characteristic information CI is provided. The calculation unit 30 estimates the energy consumption based on the vehicle characteristic information CI acquired by the communication unit 10.

[0119] According to the inventors' intensive studies, the driving resistance Fdrv changes according to the vehicle characteristics. In contrast, by estimating the driving resistance Fdrv by the calculation unit 30 based on the vehicle characteristic information CI, the driving resistance Fdrv can be accurately calculated. Then, by calculating the energy consumption by the calculation unit 30 based on the accurately calculated driving resistance Fdrv, the energy consumption can be accurately calculated.

[0120] (6) In the above-described embodiment, the communication unit 10 that acquires the driving route information DI regarding the position where the vehicle C is scheduled to travel is provided. The calculation unit 30 estimates the energy consumption of the vehicle C traveling on the planned driving road based on the driving route information DI acquired by the communication unit 10.

[0121] According to this, the calculation unit 30 can estimate the predicted energy consumption when traveling on the planned driving road.

[0122] (Other Embodiments) As described above, representative embodiments of the present disclosure have been explained. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be variously modified as follows, for example.

[0123] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the energy consumption estimation device 1 is configured separately from the vehicle C that is the target for estimating the energy consumption. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the energy consumption estimation device 1 may be provided inside the vehicle C that is the target for estimating the energy consumption and may be configured integrally with the vehicle C.

[0124] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the arithmetic unit 30 acquires the vehicle characteristic information CI as information for estimating the energy consumption from the storage unit 20 of the energy consumption estimation device 1. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the arithmetic unit 30 may acquire the vehicle characteristic information CI from the vehicle C via the network N.

[0125] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the energy consumption estimation device 1 estimates the predicted energy consumption before the vehicle C travels on the planned travel road. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the energy consumption estimation device 1 may estimate the energy consumption while the vehicle C is traveling on the planned travel road.

[0126] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the energy consumption estimation device 1 acquires information regarding water-related substances on the road surface from the server SV. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the energy consumption estimation device 1 may acquire the information from a peripheral monitoring sensor that detects an object existing around the vehicle C that the sensor C20 has.

[0127] In the above-described embodiment, it goes without saying that the elements constituting the embodiment are not necessarily essential, except in cases where it is explicitly stated that they are particularly essential and cases where they are considered to be clearly essential in principle.

[0128] In the above embodiments, when numerical values such as the number of components, numerical values, amounts, ranges, etc. of the embodiments are mentioned, they are not limited to those specific numbers, unless it is explicitly stated that they are particularly essential or are clearly limited to a specific number in principle.

[0129] In the above embodiments, when referring to the shape, positional relationship, etc. of components, etc., they are not limited to those shapes, positional relationships, etc., unless it is explicitly stated or is clearly limited to a specific shape, positional relationship, etc. in principle.

[0130] The arithmetic unit 30 of the present disclosure and its method may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied by a computer program. The arithmetic unit 30 of the present disclosure and its method may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. The arithmetic unit 30 of the present disclosure and its method may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. Further, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium as instructions to be executed by a computer.

[0131] (From the perspective of the present disclosure) The above-described present disclosure can be grasped from, for example, the following perspectives.

[0132] [First perspective] In an estimation device for estimating the energy consumption of a vehicle traveling on a road surface, a water information acquisition unit (10) that acquires water-related information, which is information related to water-related substances on the road surface; an energy estimation unit (30) that estimates the energy consumption of the vehicle traveling on the road surface based on the water-related information acquired by the water information acquisition unit. An energy consumption estimation device comprising the same.

[0133] [Second aspect] The energy estimation unit is the energy consumption estimation device according to the first aspect, which estimates the running resistance based on the water-related information and estimates the energy consumption based on the estimated running resistance when the resistance component when the vehicle travels on the road surface is defined as the running resistance.

[0134] [Third aspect] The water-related information includes weather information related to weather, The energy estimation unit is the energy consumption estimation device according to the second aspect, which estimates the running resistance based on the weather information and estimates the energy consumption based on the estimated running resistance.

[0135] [Fourth aspect] The weather information includes snow information related to snow on the road surface, The energy estimation unit is the energy consumption estimation device according to the third aspect, which estimates the running resistance based on the snow information and estimates the energy consumption based on the estimated running resistance.

[0136] [Fifth aspect] The snow information includes snow depth information which is information on the depth of snow accumulated on the road surface and snow density information which is information on the density of snow accumulated on the road surface, The energy estimation unit is the energy consumption estimation device according to the fourth aspect, which estimates the running resistance based on the snow depth information and the snow density information and estimates the energy consumption based on the estimated running resistance.

[0137] [Sixth aspect] It includes a vehicle information acquisition unit (30) that acquires vehicle characteristic information regarding characteristics of the vehicle that are factors for changing the running resistance, The energy estimation unit is the energy consumption estimation device according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, which estimates the energy consumption based on the vehicle characteristic information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit.

[0138] [Seventh Aspect] It includes a position information acquisition unit (10) that acquires planned position information regarding the position where the vehicle is planned to travel. The energy estimation unit is an energy consumption estimation device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, which estimates the energy consumption of the vehicle traveling at the planned position based on the planned position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit.

Explanation of Signs

[0139] 10 Water information acquisition unit 30 Arithmetic unit

Claims

1. In an estimation device for estimating the energy consumption of a vehicle traveling on a road surface, a water information acquisition unit (10) that acquires water-related information, which is information related to water-related substances on the road surface; an energy estimation unit (30) that estimates the energy consumption of the vehicle traveling on the road surface based on the water-related information acquired by the water information acquisition unit. The energy consumption estimation device includes the water information acquisition unit and the energy estimation unit.

2. The energy estimation unit estimates the running resistance based on the water-related information, and estimates the energy consumption based on the estimated running resistance, when the resistance component when the vehicle travels on the road surface is regarded as the running resistance. The energy consumption estimation device according to claim 1.

3. The water-related information includes weather information related to the weather, The energy estimation unit estimates the running resistance based on the weather information, and estimates the energy consumption based on the estimated running resistance. The energy consumption estimation device according to claim 2.

4. The weather information includes snow information, which is information related to snow on the road surface, The energy estimation unit estimates the running resistance based on the snow information, and estimates the energy consumption based on the estimated running resistance. The energy consumption estimation device according to claim 3.

5. The snow information includes snow depth information, which is information on the depth of snow accumulated on the road surface, and snow density information, which is information on the density of snow accumulated on the road surface, The energy estimation unit estimates the running resistance based on the snow depth information and the snow density information, and estimates the energy consumption based on the estimated running resistance. The energy consumption estimation device according to claim 4.

6. The vehicle information acquisition unit (30) that acquires vehicle characteristic information related to the characteristics of the vehicle that are factors for changing the running resistance is provided, The energy estimation unit estimates the energy consumption based on the vehicle characteristic information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit. The energy consumption estimation device according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

7. The position information acquisition unit (10) that acquires planned position information related to the position where the vehicle is planned to travel is provided, The energy estimation unit estimates the energy consumption of the vehicle traveling at the planned position based on the planned position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit. The energy consumption estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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