Information processing device and information processing method

Abstract

To provide an improved technique for controlling traveling of a vehicle.SOLUTION: An information processing device 30 provided herein comprises a control unit 33 configured to present a first route, including a green wave driving-enabled section, generated in response to a request from a navigation device 20 of a vehicle 10 on a display screen 24A of the navigation device 20, and present a predetermined driving speed on the display screen 24A when the vehicle 10 enters a start point of the section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for controlling the running of a vehicle has been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for switching between electric running and hybrid running according to the state of charge of a battery.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when the vehicle 10 is forced to stop at a red signal and there are many unnecessary accelerations and decelerations repeating Stop / Go, the decrease in the state of charge of the battery is accelerated. Patent Document 1 focuses on switching the power source according to the state of charge of the battery during running, but does not consider suppressing the decrease in the state of charge of the battery by signal control between signal intersections. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the technique for controlling the running of a vehicle.

[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the technique for controlling the running of a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing apparatus having a communication unit and a control unit that communicates via the communication unit. The control unit presents, on a display screen of the navigation apparatus, a first route including a section where green wave driving is possible, created in response to a request from a navigation apparatus of a vehicle, and presents a predetermined driving speed on the display screen when the vehicle enters the starting point of the section.

[0007] An information processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes creating, by an information processing apparatus, a first route including a section where green wave driving is possible in response to a request from a navigation apparatus of a vehicle, presenting the created first route on a display screen of the navigation apparatus, and presenting a predetermined driving speed on the display screen when the vehicle enters the starting point of the section.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the technology for controlling the driving of a vehicle is improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0011] (Overview of the Embodiment) Referring to FIG. 1, an overview of the system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The system 1 includes a vehicle 10, a navigation device 20, and an information processing device 30. The navigation device 20 is mounted on the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10, the navigation device 20, and the information processing device 30 are communicably connected to a network 2 including, for example, the Internet and a mobile communication network.

[0012] The vehicle 10 is, for example, an automobile, but is not limited thereto and may be any vehicle. The automobile may be a gasoline vehicle, a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), an HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), an FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), or the like, but is not limited to these. In the present disclosure, the vehicle 10 will be described as a BEV. However, the vehicle 10 is not limited to a BEV and may be an HEV or a PHEV, or a gasoline vehicle. The vehicle 10 is wirelessly communicably connected to the navigation device 20 and the information processing device 30 via the network 2. Further, the vehicle 10 may be communicably connected to the communication unit 21 of the navigation device 20 by a wired connection such as CAN via the communication unit 11. The number of vehicles 10 included in the system 1 may be arbitrarily determined.

[0013] The navigation device 20 is a car navigation device installed in the vehicle 10. However, the navigation device 20 is not limited to a so-called "car navigation" installed on the dashboard of the vehicle 10. The navigation device 20 may be a so-called "smartphone navigation" in which a smartphone or a tablet terminal possessed by the driver of the vehicle 10 is temporarily installed on the dashboard and a car navigation application is executed on the display screen 24A of the terminal. The navigation device 20 is wirelessly communicably connected to the vehicle 10 and the information processing device 30 via the network 2. Further, the navigation device 20 may be communicably connected to the communication unit 11 of the vehicle 10 by a wired connection such as CAN via the communication unit 21.

[0014] The information processing device 30 is a computer such as a navigation server. The information processing device 30 is wirelessly connected to be communicable with the vehicle 10 and the navigation device 20 via the network 2.

[0015] First, the outline of this embodiment will be described, and the details will be described later. The information processing device 30 presents, on the display screen 24A of the navigation device 20, a first route including a section where green wave driving is possible, which is created in response to a request from the navigation device 20 of the vehicle 10, and when the vehicle 10 enters the starting point of the section, presents a predetermined driving speed on the display screen 24A.

[0016] As described above, according to this embodiment, the information processing device 30 presents, on the display screen 24A of the navigation device 20, a section where green wave driving is possible and a predetermined driving speed in the section. Therefore, for example, even when the navigation device 20 does not hold information on a section where green wave driving is possible, with the assistance of the information processing device 30, the vehicle 10 can perform green wave driving. Thus, the technology for controlling the driving of the vehicle is improved in terms of improving the probability of reducing the amount of power consumed during the driving of the vehicle 10.

[0017] Next, each component of the system 1 will be described in detail.

[0018] (Configuration of the vehicle) As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, a control unit 13, a battery 14, and a navigation device 20. The details of the navigation device 20 will be described later.

[0019] The communication unit 11 includes one or more communication interfaces that are wired-connected to the communication unit 21 of the navigation device 20. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, the communication standard of an in-vehicle network such as CAN, or the wired LAN (Local Area Network) standard, etc., but is not limited thereto and may correspond to any communication standard. Further, the communication unit 11 includes one or more communication interfaces that are wirelessly connected to the network 2. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a mobile communication standard such as 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation), but is not limited thereto.

[0020] The storage unit 12 includes one or more memories. The memory is, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, etc., but is not limited thereto. Each memory included in the storage unit 12 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores any information used for the operation of the vehicle 10. For example, the storage unit 12 may store a system program, an application program, and embedded software, etc.

[0021] The control unit 13 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited thereto. The programmable circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), but is not limited thereto. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), but is not limited thereto. The control unit 13 controls the operation of the entire vehicle 10.

[0022] The battery 14 is a rechargeable secondary battery mounted on a BEV, HEV, or PHEV. The type of the secondary battery is, for example, a lithium-ion battery, a lead-acid battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, or an all-solid-state battery, etc., but is not limited thereto. The battery 14 also supplies power to the communication unit 11, the memory unit 12, the control unit 13, and the navigation device 20 of the vehicle 10.

[0023] (Configuration of Navigation Device) As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a positioning unit 22, an input unit 23, an output unit 24, a memory unit 25, and a control unit 26.

[0024] The communication unit 21 includes one or more communication interfaces that are wired-connected to the communication unit 11 of the vehicle 10. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a communication standard of an in-vehicle network such as CAN or a wired LAN standard, etc., but is not limited thereto and may correspond to any communication standard. Further, the communication unit 11 includes one or more communication interfaces that are wirelessly connected to the network 2. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a mobile communication standard such as 4G or 5G, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0025] The positioning unit 22 includes one or more devices that acquire the position information of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the positioning unit 22 includes, for example, a receiver corresponding to GPS, but is not limited thereto and may include a receiver corresponding to any satellite positioning system.

[0026] The input unit 23 is configured to include at least one input interface capable of receiving an input by a driver of the vehicle 10. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, a camera, a touch screen provided integrally with the display screen 24A of the output unit 24 described later, or a microphone that picks up the voice of the driver. However, the input interface is not limited thereto.

[0027] The output unit 24 includes at least one audio output interface capable of outputting audio and at least one display interface capable of displaying characters or video. The audio output interface is, for example, a speaker. The display interface is, for example, a display screen such as an LCD or an organic EL display (referred to as display screen 24A in this disclosure). The audio output interface and the display interface are not limited to these.

[0028] The storage unit 25 includes one or more memories. The memory is, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or the like, but is not limited thereto. Each memory included in the storage unit 25 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 25 stores any information used for the operation of the navigation device 20. For example, the storage unit 15 may store a system program, an application program, embedded software, map information, and the like. The information stored in the storage unit 25 may be updated with information acquired from the network 2 via the communication unit 21, for example.

[0029] The control unit 26 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The control unit 26 controls the operation of the entire navigation device 20.

[0030] (Configuration of the information processing device) As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33.

[0031] The communication unit 31 includes one or more communication interfaces for connecting to the network 2. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a mobile communication standard, a wired LAN standard, or a wireless LAN standard, but is not limited thereto and may correspond to any communication standard. In the present embodiment, the information processing device 30 communicates with the vehicle 10 and the navigation device 20 via the communication unit 31 and the network 2.

[0032] The storage unit 32 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 32 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 32 stores any information used for the operation of the information processing apparatus 30. For example, the storage unit 32 stores a system program, an application program, and the like. Further, the storage unit 32 includes a map database 32A that stores a map of the area where the vehicle 10 travels, and a green wave section database 32B that stores the electricity cost of the sections where the vehicle 10 can perform green wave driving. The information stored in the storage unit 32 may be updated with information acquired from the network 2 via the communication unit 31, for example.

[0033] The control unit 33 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The control unit 33 controls the operation of the entire information processing apparatus 30.

[0034] (Operation flow of the information processing apparatus) With reference to FIG. 2, the operation of the information processing apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment will be described. This operation relates to the presentation of a route including a section where green wave driving is possible.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining green wave driving. Green wave refers to a technology that reduces the average number of stops of vehicles by controlling the speed of the entire vehicle so that all vehicles traveling between intersections where traffic lights are installed can pass through on a green light. As shown in FIG. 3, in the case of a normal section, when the vehicle 10 travels at an arbitrary speed, it may be forced to stop at a red light, and there are many unnecessary accelerations and decelerations of Stop / Go, so the decrease in the SoC of the battery 14 is accelerated. On the other hand, as long as the vehicle 10 travels at the legal speed, by traveling in a section where green wave driving is possible, where it can pass through between signal intersections on a green light, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the SoC (State of Charge) of the battery 14, and it is possible to perform driving with good SoC efficiency.

[0036] The SoC is an indicator representing the charging rate (or state of charge) of the battery. The SoC is defined as 100% when the battery is fully charged and 0% when it is completely discharged. For example, for a battery with a full charge capacity of 2000 mAh, when 500 mAh is discharged from a full charge, the SoC of the battery is (2000 - 500) / 2000 × 100 = 75%.

[0037] S101: The control unit 33 receives a route creation request from the navigation device 20 of the vehicle 10.

[0038] When the navigation device 20 (denoted as "navigation device" in FIG. 2) does not hold information on a section Sg where green wave driving is possible (hereinafter referred to as the green wave section Sg), it requests the information processing device 30 (navigation server) to create a route including a green wave section Sg with good SoC efficiency.

[0039] S102: The control unit 33 reads out the electricity cost of the green wave section Sg stored in the storage unit 32.

[0040] In S107 described later, the electricity cost from the start point to the end point of the green wave section Sg that the vehicle 10 has traveled in the past is stored in the green wave section database 32B (green wave section DB) of the storage unit 32. The control unit 33 reads out the electricity cost of the green wave section Sg from the green wave section database 32B.

[0041] In a BEV, the term equivalent to "fuel efficiency" of a gasoline vehicle is "electricity cost". The electricity cost is an indicator showing the amount of electric power required for traveling 1 km, and the unit is expressed as "kWh / km". The electricity cost is calculated by the following formula (1). Electricity cost (kWh / km) = Battery capacity (kWh) ÷ Distance (km) (1) Note that the electricity cost may also be expressed in the unit of "km / kWh". In such a case, the electricity cost indicates the traveling distance per 1 kWh of electric power.

[0042] S103: The control unit 33 creates a first route R1 that includes the green wave section Sg.

[0043] The control unit 33 creates a first route R1 that maximizes the remaining charge amount when the vehicle 10 arrives at the destination, based on (i) the electricity cost (kWh / km) obtained by dividing the amount of electric power consumed by the vehicle 10 during traveling from the start point to the end point of the green wave section Sg, which is stored in the green wave section database 32B of the storage unit 32, by the distance of the green wave section Sg, (ii) the remaining charge amount of the battery 14 at the departure place of the vehicle 10 (battery capacity (kWh) × SoC (%)), and (iii) the distances of a plurality of routes connecting the departure place and the destination of the vehicle 10 that include the green wave section Sg. Note that, for the electricity cost of the section other than the green wave section Sg in the first route R1, the control unit 33 may use the numerical value (nominal value) announced by the vehicle 10's manufacturer. The battery capacity of the BEV is expressed in "kWh (kilowatt hour)". "kWh" indicates the amount of electric power that can be taken out per hour, and the larger the numerical value of "kWh", the higher the performance of the battery.

[0044] For example, assuming that the electricity cost of the green wave section Sg is Eg, the electricity cost announced by the manufacturer is En, the battery capacity of the vehicle 10 is Bc, the distance of the first route R1 is D1, and the distance of the green wave section Sg is Dg, the remaining charge amount Br when the vehicle 10 arrives at the destination via the first route R1 is calculated by the following formula (2) as an example, but the calculation method is not limited to this. Br = Bc * SoC - (Eg * Dg + En * (D1 - Dg)) (2) For example, if the electricity cost Eg of the green wave section Sg is 100 Wh / km, the battery capacity Bc is 70 kWh, the SoC at the departure location of vehicle 10 is 90%, the electricity cost En announced by the manufacturer of vehicle 10 is 125 Wh / km, the distance D1 of the first route R1 connecting the departure and destination locations of vehicle 10 is 50 km, and the distance Dg of the green wave section Sg is 30 km, then the remaining charge Br of the battery when vehicle 10 arrives at the destination is calculated as Br = 70 * 0.9 - (0.1 * 30 + 0.125 * 20) = 63 - (3 + 2.5) = 57.5 (kWh). In this case, the SoC of the battery 14 when vehicle 10 arrives at the destination is 57.5 / 70 × 100 = 82%.

[0045] S104: The control unit 33 presents the first route R1 including the created green wave section Sg on the display screen 24A of the navigation device 20.

[0046] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the green wave section Sg. As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 33 may further present a second route R2 that does not include the green wave section Sg on the display screen 24A. The control unit 33 may present, for the first route R1 and the second route R2 presented on the display screen 24A, the scheduled arrival time at the destination and the estimated remaining charge of the battery 14 at the scheduled arrival time. The "remaining charge (estimated): 70%" displayed in FIG. 4 indicates that the estimated remaining charge of the battery 14 at the scheduled arrival time when vehicle 10 arrives at the destination is 70% of the battery capacity. In the example of FIG. 4, only two routes, the first route R1 and the second route R2, are presented, but the number of presented routes may be arbitrarily determined.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 33 presents the first route R1 and the second route R2 connecting the departure point and the destination on the display screen 24A. The first route R1 includes the green wave section Sg. The driver of the vehicle 10 can select either the first route R1 or the second route R2 on the display screen 24A. When either route is selected, the control unit 26 of the navigation device 20 starts route guidance (route guidance) from the departure point to the destination via the selected route. In the example of FIG. 4, when selecting the first route R1 or the second route R2, if the first route R1 is selected, although the arrival time at the destination is delayed by 10 minutes, the estimated remaining charge at the arrival time is 10% higher, and the difference in the remaining charge until the destination is presented. According to such a configuration, driving in the green wave section Sg is encouraged and energy consumption is reduced.

[0048] S105: The control unit 33 determines whether the vehicle 10 has entered the starting point of the green wave section Sg. If the vehicle 10 has entered the starting point of the green wave section Sg, it proceeds to S106; if not, it proceeds to S108.

[0049] S106: The control unit 33 presents a predetermined driving speed on the display screen 24A.

[0050] The predetermined driving speed is, for example, the legal speed such as 50 km / h shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, when the vehicle 10 enters the starting point of the green wave section Sg, the control unit 33 presents a notification such as "Entered the green wave section. Please drive at 50 km / h." on the display screen 24A.

[0051] When the control unit 26 of the navigation device 20 receives the predetermined driving speed from the control unit 33, it may control the cruise control device to make the vehicle 10 drive at the predetermined driving speed.

[0052] Further, even when the navigation device 20 is not performing route guidance, the control unit 33 may present a predetermined traveling speed on the display screen 24A when the vehicle 10 enters the starting point of the green wave section. According to such a configuration, since the decrease in the SoC of the battery 14 is suppressed when the vehicle 10 changes the traveling speed to a predetermined speed, it is possible to travel with good SoC efficiency.

[0053] S107: The control unit 33 stores, in the storage unit 32, the power consumption per unit distance obtained by dividing the power consumption consumed during traveling from the starting point to the end point of the green wave section Sg received from the vehicle 10 by the distance of the green wave section Sg.

[0054] The control unit 33 receives the power consumption consumed during traveling from the vehicle 10 that has traveled from the starting point to the end point of the green wave section Sg. The control unit 33 stores, in the green wave section database 32B (green wave section DB) of the storage unit 32, the power consumption per unit distance obtained by dividing the power consumption consumed during traveling by the distance of the green wave section Sg. Note that the control unit 33 may receive the actual value of the power consumption per unit distance of the green wave section Sg from the vehicle 10.

[0055] S108: The control unit 33 determines whether the vehicle 10 has arrived at the destination. If the vehicle 10 has not arrived at the destination, the process returns to S102 to continue the information processing. If the vehicle 10 has arrived at the destination, the information processing ends.

[0056] If the vehicle 10 has not arrived at the destination, the control unit 33 may return to S102 and create the first route R1 again.

[0057] As described above, the information processing apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment presents, on the display screen 24A of the navigation device 20, the first route R1 including the green wave section Sg created in response to a request from the navigation device 20 of the vehicle 10, and presents a predetermined traveling speed on the display screen 24A when the vehicle 10 enters the starting point of the green wave section Sg.

[0058] According to such a configuration, the information processing device 30 presents a green wave section Sg and a predetermined traveling speed in the green wave section Sg on the display screen 24A of the navigation device 20. Therefore, for example, even when the navigation device 20 does not hold information on the green wave section Sg, the vehicle 10 can perform green wave driving with the assistance of the information processing device 30. Accordingly, the technology for controlling the traveling of the vehicle is improved in terms of improving the probability of reducing the amount of power consumed during the traveling of the vehicle 10.

[0059] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and embodiments, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions and the like included in each component or each step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and a plurality of components or steps can be combined into one or divided.

[0060] For example, in the above-described embodiment, an embodiment in which the configuration and operation of the information processing device 30 are distributed to a plurality of computers capable of communicating with each other is also possible. Also, for example, an embodiment in which some or all of the components of the information processing device 30 are provided in the navigation device 20 mounted on the vehicle 10 is also possible. For example, when the navigation device 20 receives information on the green wave section Sg and the legal speed from a navigation server (information processing device 30) or a roadside device, the navigation device 20 may be configured to start route guidance including the green wave section Sg.

[0061] In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle 10 has been described as being a BEV, but the vehicle 10 may be a gasoline vehicle, or an HEV or PHEV during engine operation. If the vehicle 10 that performs engine operation selects a route including the green wave section Sg, the fuel efficiency in the green wave section Sg is improved and the consumption of gasoline (or light oil, LNG, etc.) is reduced, so suppression of energy consumption is expected.

[0062] In addition, for example, an embodiment in which a general-purpose computer functions as the information processing apparatus 30 according to the above-described embodiment is also possible. Specifically, a program describing the processing content for realizing each function of the information processing apparatus 30 according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the memory of a general-purpose computer, and the program is read out and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program.

Description of Signs

[0063] 1 System 2 Network 10 Vehicle 11 Communication Unit 12 Storage Unit 13 Control Unit 14 Battery 20 Navigation Device (Navigation Unit) 21 Communication Unit 22 Positioning Unit 23 Input Unit 24 Output Unit 24A Display Screen 25 Storage Unit 26 Control Unit 30 Information Processing Apparatus (Navigation Server) 31 Communication Unit 32 Storage Unit 32A Map Database (Map DB) 32B Green Wave Section Database (Green Wave Section DB) 33 Control Unit

Claims

1. A communication unit, and a control unit that communicates via the communication unit, the information processing apparatus comprising: The control unit presents, on a display screen of the navigation device, a first route including a section where green wave driving is possible, created in response to a request from a vehicle navigation device, and presents a predetermined driving speed on the display screen when the vehicle enters the starting point of the section. An information processing apparatus.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit, wherein the control unit stores, in the storage unit, an electricity cost obtained by dividing the amount of power consumed during travel from the starting point to the end point of the section received from the vehicle by the distance of the section. An information processing apparatus.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first route is based on the electricity cost stored in the storage unit, the remaining charge of the battery at the departure place of the vehicle, and the distances of a plurality of routes connecting the departure place and the destination of the vehicle including a section where green wave driving is possible, and is a route with the largest remaining charge when the vehicle arrives at the destination. An information processing apparatus.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further presents, on the display screen, a second route that does not include a section where green wave driving is possible, and presents, for the first route and the second route presented on the display screen, an estimated time of arrival at the destination and an estimated remaining charge of the battery at the estimated time of arrival. An information processing apparatus.

5. By an information processing apparatus, creating a first route including a section where green wave driving is possible in response to a request from a vehicle navigation device; presenting the created first route on a display screen of the navigation device; and presenting a predetermined driving speed on the display screen when the vehicle enters the starting point of the section. An information processing method. ​

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