Charging facility proposal system

Abstract

To provide a technology in which a possibility for a user to feel troublesome is reduced in proposing a charging facility.SOLUTION: A charging facility proposal system comprises: an activation condition determination unit that determines whether an activation condition of charging facility proposal is satisfied in a vehicle; a charging propriety determination unit that determines whether the vehicle can be charged at an estimated destination of the vehicle; and a charging facility proposal unit that proposes a charging facility that can charge the vehicle when the activation condition is satisfied and the vehicle cannot be charged at the estimated destination, and does not propose the charging facility when the activation condition is satisfied but the vehicle can be charged at the estimated destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging facility proposal system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a system that proposes a charging facility existing around a vehicle when the state of charge (SOC) of the vehicle is low or when there is a possibility that the vehicle cannot reach the destination. Patent Document 1 describes searching for a charging facility by regarding the user's home of the vehicle as one of the charging facilities.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, if a charging facility is proposed when the user already has a prior plan to charge at a charging facility, the user may feel annoyed. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for reducing the possibility that a user feels annoyance when a charging facility is proposed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] To achieve the above object, a charging facility proposal system includes an activation condition determination unit that determines whether or not an activation condition for proposing a charging facility is satisfied in a vehicle, a chargeability determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle can be charged at a presumed destination of the vehicle, and a charging facility proposal unit that, when the activation condition is satisfied and the vehicle cannot be charged at the presumed destination, proposes a charging facility at which the vehicle can be charged, and does not propose the charging facility when the activation condition is satisfied and the vehicle can be charged at the presumed destination.

[0006] That is, when the charging facility proposal system cannot charge at the estimated destination, it proposes a charging facility if the activation conditions are met. When the charging facility proposal system can charge at the estimated destination, it does not propose a charging facility even if the activation conditions are met. When the estimated destination is a location where charging is possible, there is a possibility that the user has already planned to charge at the estimated destination. In such a case, by not proposing a charging facility even if the activation conditions are met, the possibility that the user feels bothered can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order. (1) Configuration of the charging facility proposal system: (2) Charging facility proposal process: (3) Other embodiments:

[0009] (1) Configuration of the charging facility proposal system: FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a charging facility proposal system 10 mounted on a vehicle. This charging facility proposal system 10 is a system that proposes a charging facility for a vehicle to a user. In the present embodiment, the charging facility proposal system 10 is mounted on the vehicle and realized by a navigation system. The vehicle according to the present embodiment is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) equipped with a battery 52 that is a rechargeable battery, and supplies the power stored in the battery 52 to a motor 51 for driving.

[0010] The charging facility proposal system 10 includes a control unit 20 equipped with a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and a recording medium 30. The control unit 20 can execute a charging facility proposal program 21 stored in the ROM or the like.

[0011] Map information 30a is recorded on the recording medium 30. In the present embodiment, the map information 30a includes node data, link data, shape interpolation point data, and facility data. The node data is data indicating the position of an intersection. The link data indicates a road section and is associated with nodes corresponding to the endpoints of the road section. That is, the link data indicates a link connecting nodes. In the present embodiment, the link data includes information indicating the road attribute of the road section indicated by the link data. The attributes of the road include information indicating the road type, for example, a highway, an expressway for automobiles, a general road such as a national road or a prefectural road, and a narrow street. Also, shape interpolation point data indicating the position of shape interpolation points for specifying the shape of the road between nodes is associated with the link data. Further, the link data includes information indicating the road gradient in the road section.

[0012] The facility data indicates the name, position, and attributes of facilities existing around the road or the like. The facilities include various facilities that can be destinations. In the present embodiment, the names, positions, attributes, etc. of facilities that can charge the battery 52 of the vehicle, for example, charging stands, service areas, parking areas, stores, commercial facilities, public facilities, etc. are defined as the facility data. In the present embodiment, a facility that can charge the battery 52 of the vehicle is called a charging facility.

[0013] Also, during the operation process of the charging facility proposal system 10, the driving history 30b and the charging history 30c of the vehicle are recorded on the recording medium 30. The driving history 30b is a history of the position of the vehicle at each time. The current location of the vehicle is specified by the control unit 20, and the position and time of the vehicle are associated and recorded on the recording medium 30 as the driving history 30b at every elapse of a certain time or every travel of a certain distance.

[0014] The charging history 30c is the history when the vehicle's battery 52 is charged by an external power source. When the vehicle control ECU 50 detects that the battery 52 has been charged by an external power source, the control unit 20 acquires the current location of the vehicle and records the current location and the charging date and time (charging start date and time, charging end date and time) as the charging history 30c in the recording medium 30.

[0015] The vehicle in this embodiment includes a GNSS receiver 41, a vehicle speed sensor 42, a gyro sensor 43, a communication unit 44, a user I / F unit 45, a vehicle control ECU 50 for controlling the vehicle, a motor 51, and a battery 52.

[0016] The GNSS receiver 41 is a device that receives signals of the Global Navigation Satellite System. The GNSS receiver 41 receives radio waves from navigation satellites and outputs a signal for calculating the position of the vehicle via an interface (not shown). The control unit 20 acquires this signal to obtain the position of the vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 42 outputs a signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the wheels provided on the vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown) to obtain the vehicle speed.

[0017] The gyro sensor 43 detects the angular acceleration about the turning of the vehicle in the horizontal plane and outputs a signal corresponding to the direction of the vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal to obtain the traveling direction of the vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 42, the gyro sensor 43, etc. are used to specify the traveling trajectory of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the control unit 20 specifies the position of the vehicle based on the departure location and the traveling trajectory of the vehicle, and corrects the current position of the vehicle specified based on the departure location and the traveling trajectory according to the output signal of the GNSS receiver 41. Further, the control unit 20 performs map matching processing based on the trajectory of the vehicle's position and the map information 30a to specify the position of the vehicle on the road.

[0018] The user I / F unit 45 is an interface unit for inputting the instructions of the user and providing various types of information to the user, and includes a display unit composed of a touch panel type display (not shown), an input unit such as a switch, and an output unit such as a speaker. In the present embodiment, the travelable range acquired by the control unit 20 is displayed on the display unit of the user I / F unit 45.

[0019] The battery 52 is a high-voltage power storage device composed of, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery, or a capacitor, and can be charged at a charging facility. The battery 52 is electrically connected to the motor 51 which is a driving power source, and drives the vehicle by supplying electric power from the battery 52 to the motor 51. Note that a sensor (not shown) is attached to the battery 52, and the sensor outputs information indicating the remaining charge amount of the battery. Based on the output of the sensor, the vehicle control ECU 50 periodically acquires the SOC of the battery 52. The control unit 20 acquires the SOC from the vehicle control ECU 50.

[0020] The motor 51 is composed of, for example, a permanent magnet type synchronous motor or an induction motor, and is connected to the drive wheels of the vehicle (not shown) so as to be able to transmit power. The motor 51 has a function as an electric motor that is driven at least by being supplied with electric power and outputs torque. In addition, the motor 51 has a function as a generator that generates electric power by being driven by receiving torque from the outside. That is, the motor 51 is a so-called motor-generator that has both a function as an electric motor and a function as a generator. The motor 51 is electrically connected to the battery 52 as described above. Therefore, the electric power stored in the battery 52 can be supplied to the motor 51, and the motor 51 can be made to function as an electric motor to output driving torque. Also, the motor 51 can be made to function as a generator by the torque transmitted from the drive wheels, and the regenerative electric power generated at that time can be stored in the battery 52. Note that the output rotation speed and output torque of the motor 51 are electrically controlled by the vehicle control ECU 50.

[0021] The vehicle control ECU 50 is an electronic control device mainly composed of, for example, a microcomputer. In the example shown in FIG. 1, it mainly controls the motor 51. Specifically, the vehicle control ECU 50 can output a control signal to the motor 51, and by outputting the control signal to the motor 51, the motor 51 is operated to drive the vehicle. Also, it is possible to rotate the motor 51 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction when the vehicle is running, and the regenerative power generated by this rotation is charged to the battery 52. That is, the switching between charging and discharging by the motor 51 is controlled by the control signal output by the vehicle control ECU 50, and the regenerative power is recovered.

[0022] The control unit 20 can execute programs stored in the recording medium 30 and the ROM. In this embodiment, as this program, it is possible to execute the charging facility proposal program 21. As described above, since the charging facility proposal system 10 is realized by the navigation system, the control unit 20 can execute a navigation program (not shown) recorded in the ROM or the like. The navigation program is a program that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of displaying a map including the current location of the vehicle on the display unit of the user I / F unit 45 and guiding the driver to the destination.

[0023] When the above-described charging facility proposal program 21 is executed, the control unit 20 functions as an activation condition determination unit 21a, a chargeability determination unit 21b, and a charging facility proposal unit 21c. The control unit 20 determines, by the function of the activation condition determination unit 21a, whether or not the activation conditions for the charging facility proposal are satisfied in the vehicle. In this embodiment, there are the following two activation conditions. The first activation condition is that the SOC has become equal to or less than a preset value. When the SOC becomes equal to or less than the preset value, the vehicle control ECU 50 turns on an empty lamp indicating that the SOC has decreased on the meter panel of the vehicle. Also, the control unit 20 acquires the SOC from the vehicle control ECU 50 and determines that the first activation condition is satisfied when the SOC becomes equal to or less than the preset value.

[0024] The second activation condition is that, after the user has set a destination and the planned driving route has been determined, or after the planned driving route has deviated from the original planned driving route and the planned driving route to the destination has been re-searched and determined, it is estimated that the SOC will drop below the reference value when the planned driving route is completed to the destination. Note that the reference value is a value greater than 0%. The second activation condition is satisfied when it is expected that the SOC will be left with little when the planned driving route can be completed but will be completed. The control unit 20 calculates the estimated power consumption A1 required for driving based on the distance, travel speed, gradient, etc. of the planned driving route. Further, the control unit 20 calculates the remaining power amount A2 from the current SOC acquired from the vehicle control ECU 50, calculates the remaining power amount A3 corresponding to the reference value, and calculates the difference power amount ΔA between the former and the latter. When the estimated power consumption A1 is equal to or greater than the difference power amount ΔA and smaller than A2, the control unit 20 determines that the second activation condition is satisfied. A configuration may be adopted in which the second activation condition is regarded as being satisfied when the route length of the planned driving route is equal to or greater than a predetermined percentage and less than 100% of the cruising distance corresponding to the SOC at the time of determination.

[0025] When the user has set a destination, it is possible to determine whether the first and second types of activation conditions described above are satisfied. However, when the user has not set a destination, in the present embodiment, the second activation condition is not used and it is determined whether the first activation condition is satisfied.

[0026] By the function of the chargeability determination unit 21b, the control unit 20 determines whether the vehicle can be charged at the estimated destination of the vehicle. First, the estimated destination will be described. The estimated destination is the point set as the destination when the destination has been set by the user of the vehicle. Therefore, when the user has set a destination, the control unit 20 can switch whether to propose a charging facility as described later according to whether the vehicle can be charged at the point explicitly set as the destination by the user.

[0027] When the destination is not set by the user, the estimated destination is a point estimated as the destination based on the driving history 30b of the vehicle. For example, assume that the driving history 30b includes a history that the vehicle has reached the same point through the same route a predetermined number of times or more and has stopped at the point for a predetermined time or more. When it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a route that matches the said route by a predetermined ratio or more, the control unit 20 regards the arrival point on the route that matches by a predetermined ratio or more and at which the vehicle has stopped for a predetermined time or more as the estimated destination. This is because if the user has a history of frequently going to the same destination on the same route, it is assumed that the user is heading to the same destination if the vehicle is also passing through the same route this time. By doing so, even when the user does not explicitly set the destination, the control unit 20 can switch whether to propose a charging facility as described later according to the chargeability at the estimated destination.

[0028] In addition, the control unit 20 may be configured to regard the destination candidate point as the estimated destination when the distance between the destination candidate point based on the driving history 30b and the vehicle is decreasing. Specifically, for example, when there are a plurality of routes in the driving history 30b that match the currently traveling route by a predetermined ratio or more, the control unit 20 acquires the end points of each of these plurality of routes as destination candidate points respectively. When the distance between the destination candidate point and the vehicle is decreasing during driving, the control unit 20 regards the destination candidate point as the estimated destination. When there are a plurality of destination candidate points whose distances from the vehicle are decreasing during driving, the control unit 20 withholds the judgment until the destination candidate points whose distances are decreasing are narrowed down to one, and when the destination candidate points whose distances are decreasing are narrowed down to one, the control unit 20 regards the said destination candidate point as the estimated destination. Even when the destination is not explicitly set by the user, by narrowing down the estimated destination from the destination candidate points as described above, the control unit 20 can switch whether to propose a charging facility as described later according to the chargeability at the point that is considered to be highly likely to be the destination.

[0029] When the estimated destination is acquired as described above, the control unit 20 determines whether the vehicle can be charged at the estimated destination. Specifically, the control unit 20 refers to the facility data in the map information 30a and determines whether the estimated destination is a charging facility from the facility data of the facilities existing at the estimated destination. Note that the control unit 20 determines whether the estimated destination is the user's home. When the estimated destination is the user's home, the control unit 20 refers to the charging history 30c to determine whether there is a charging record at home. The user registers the location of their own home in the navigation system in advance, and the control unit 20 determines whether the estimated destination is the user's home by comparing it with the location of the point registered as the user's home.

[0030] When the activation conditions are satisfied and the vehicle cannot be charged at the estimated destination, the control unit 20 proposes a charging facility where the vehicle can be charged by the function of the charging facility proposal unit 21c. When the activation conditions are satisfied and the vehicle can be charged at the estimated destination, the control unit 20 does not propose a charging facility. When the vehicle cannot be charged at the estimated destination, the control unit 20 determines that the user should be proposed to charge at a charging facility different from the estimated destination because the user is not heading towards the estimated destination for charging, and proposes a charging facility if the activation conditions are satisfied. As a result, the user can recognize the existence of the proposed charging facility and can also select the charging facility at which to actually charge from among them.

[0031] When the first activation condition is satisfied, that is, when the SOC becomes equal to or lower than the preset value, the control unit 20 searches for and proposes charging facilities around the current location of the vehicle. Specifically, the control unit 20 obtains the cruising range corresponding to the value of the SOC, and sets a range of the cruising range based on the current location of the vehicle. The control unit 20 searches for charging facilities within the set range. The control unit 20 ranks the charging facilities obtained by the search according to the type of charging facilities desired by the user set in advance (for example, facilities capable of cruising charging), the degree of congestion indicated by the occupancy information of the charging facilities, the remaining time of business hours, etc. The control unit 20 displays a list of the ranked charging facilities on the display of the user I / F unit 45. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the control unit 20 displays a list L of charging facilities on a map including the current location. Also, the control unit 20 displays an icon indicating the charging facility on the map based on the position of the charging facility listed in the list L. The number of the icon corresponds to the number of the charging facility in the list L.

[0032] When the second activation condition is satisfied, for example, when the user sets a destination and the planned driving route to the destination is determined, and it is determined that the planned driving route can be completed to the destination but the SOC will decrease below the reference value after completion, the control unit 20 searches for charging facilities within a range of a predetermined width including the planned driving route. The control unit 20 sorts the charging facilities obtained by the search in ascending order of proximity to the destination and acquires a predetermined number of the top ones. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, the control unit 20 displays a list L of charging facilities on a map showing the planned driving route to the destination. Also, the control unit 20 displays an icon indicating the charging facility on the map based on the position of the charging facility listed in the list L. The number of the icon corresponds to the number of the charging facility in the list L.

[0033] On the other hand, when it is possible to charge the vehicle at the estimated destination, the control unit 20 determines that the user intends to charge at the estimated destination, and does not propose charging facilities even if the activation condition is satisfied. According to the present embodiment, when it is possible to charge at the estimated destination, by not proposing charging facilities even if the activation condition is satisfied, the possibility that the user feels bothered can be reduced.

[0034] (2) Charging Facility Proposal Processing: Next, the charging facility proposal processing executed by the control unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The charging facility proposal processing is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle. When the charging facility proposal processing is started, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the activation conditions for the charging facility proposal are satisfied by the function of the activation condition determination unit 21a (step S100). That is, when the user has set a destination, it is determined whether or not the first activation condition is satisfied, or whether or not the second activation condition is satisfied. When the user has not set a destination, it is determined whether or not the first activation condition is satisfied.

[0035] If it is determined in step S100 that the activation conditions are satisfied, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the user has set a destination by the function of the chargeability determination unit 21b (step S105). That is, it is determined whether or not the destination has been set by the user.

[0036] If it is determined in step S105 that the destination has been set, the control unit 20 determines whether or not charging is possible when the destination is reached by the function of the chargeability determination unit 21b (step S110). That is, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the vehicle can be charged at the facility existing at the point set as the destination with reference to the facility data of the map information 30a. When the point set as the destination is the user's home, the control unit 20 determines whether or not there has been a past charging record at the home based on the charging history 30c, and if there has been a charging record at the home, it is considered that charging is possible at the home.

[0037] If it is determined in step S110 that charging is possible, the control unit 20 decides not to propose a charging facility by the function of the charging facility proposal unit 21c (step S115), and ends the charging facility proposal process. If it is not determined in step S110 that charging is possible, the control unit 20 proposes a charging facility by the function of the charging facility proposal unit 21c (step S125). In step S130, if the first activation condition is satisfied, charging facilities around the current location of the vehicle are proposed (see, for example, FIG. 2A). If the second activation condition is satisfied, charging facilities are proposed in the order of proximity to the destination (see, for example, FIG. 2B).

[0038] In step S105, if it is not determined that the destination has been set, the control unit 20 determines whether it is possible to charge at the estimated destination by the function of the chargeability determination unit 21b (step S120). That is, the control unit 20 estimates the destination of the vehicle based on the driving history 30b. The control unit 20 refers to the facility data of the facilities existing at the estimated destination and determines whether the vehicle can be charged at the facilities existing at the destination. If the estimated destination is the home, the control unit 20 determines whether there is a charging record at home based on the charging history 30c, and if there is a charging record at home, determines that charging is possible at the estimated destination (home).

[0039] If it is determined in step S120 that charging is possible, the control unit 20 decides not to propose a charging facility (step S115). If it is not determined in step S120 that charging is possible, the control unit 20 proposes a charging facility as described above (step S125).

[0040] (3) Other embodiments: The above embodiments are examples for implementing the present invention, and various other embodiments can also be adopted. For example, the charging facility proposal system 10 may be a device mounted on a vehicle or the like, may be a device realized by a portable terminal, or may be a device realized by a plurality of devices (for example, a client and a server).

[0041] At least a part of the activation condition determination unit 21a, the chargeability determination unit 21b, and the charging facility proposal unit 21c that constitute the charging facility proposal system may be divided and exist in a plurality of devices. For example, the function of the chargeability determination unit 21b may be realized by a server. The extraction and ranking processes of the proposed charging facilities in the charging facility proposal unit 21c may be performed by a server, and the result may be notified to a client having a user I / F unit. A part of the configuration of the above-described embodiment may be omitted, or the processing order may be changed or omitted.

[0042] The vehicle only needs to be able to charge the traveling battery with an external power source. The estimated destination may be a waypoint set separately from the destination by the user for the navigation system. Even if it is not a commercial charging facility but a location where there has been a past charging record outside the home, if it is the estimated destination, it may be configured to determine that charging is possible at the estimated destination.

[0043] Furthermore, the method of the present invention is also applicable as a program or a method. Also, the above-described system, program, and method may be realized as a single device in some cases, or may be realized using components shared with each part provided in the vehicle, and include various aspects. Also, it can be appropriately changed, such as being partly software and partly hardware. Furthermore, the invention is also established as a recording medium for a program that controls the system. Of course, the recording medium for the program may be a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or any recording medium developed in the future, and the same can be considered in exactly the same way.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0044] 10…Charging facility proposal system, 20…Control unit, 21…Charging facility proposal program, 21a…Activation condition determination unit, 21b…Chargeability determination unit, 21c…Charging facility proposal unit, 30…Recording medium, 30a…Map information, 30b…Driving history, 30c…Charging history, 41…GNSS receiver, 42…Vehicle speed sensor, 43…Gyro sensor, 44…Communication unit, 45…User I / F unit, 50…Vehicle control ECU, 51…Motor, 52…Battery

Claims

1. An activation condition determination unit that determines whether or not the activation conditions for a charging facility proposal are satisfied in a vehicle; A chargeability determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle can be charged at the estimated destination of the vehicle; A charging facility proposal unit that, when the activation conditions are satisfied and the vehicle cannot be charged at the estimated destination, proposes a charging facility at which the vehicle can be charged, and that does not propose the charging facility when the activation conditions are satisfied but the vehicle can be charged at the estimated destination; A charging facility proposal system comprising the above.

2. The estimated destination is a point set as the destination by the user of the vehicle. The charging facility proposal system according to Claim 1.

3. The estimated destination is a point estimated as the destination based on the driving history of the vehicle. The charging facility proposal system according to Claim 1.

4. When the distance between the destination candidate point based on the driving history and the vehicle is decreasing, the destination candidate point is regarded as the estimated destination. The charging facility proposal system according to Claim 3.

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