Navigation device for vehicle

Abstract

To control a use environment of a battery to prevent a deterioration of the performance of the battery and guide a vehicle to a destination.SOLUTION: A navigation device for a vehicle comprises: a vehicle position information acquisition unit 110; a traveling candidate route searching unit 120; an external information acquisition unit 130; and a battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 that, for a plurality of traveling candidate routes searched for, calculates the remaining capacity of a battery when a vehicle arrives at a destination on the traveling candidate routes searched for, on the basis of a traveling condition and acquired external information. The external information acquisition unit 130 acquires temperature information as external information when the vehicle passes the plurality of traveling candidate routes searched for. The battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the vehicle arrives at the destination in consideration of the temperature information, for the plurality of traveling candidate routes searched for. The traveling candidate route searching unit 120 searches for traveling candidate routes in which the remaining capacity of the battery becomes equal to or more than a predetermined amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation device.

Background Art

[0002] Currently, a vehicle navigation device that displays the current position of a host vehicle by using together the current position information of the host vehicle obtained from a satellite positioning system and map information, and performs route guidance from the current location to a destination, has been widely spread. In recent years, such vehicle navigation devices have advanced as devices having the convenience of presenting a plurality of optimal routes and candidate routes based on the travel time from the current location to the destination, taking into account traffic information and the like.

[0003] On the other hand, in recent years, electric vehicles having features such as consideration for the environment and quietness of running noise have been accelerating their spread, overwhelming vehicles driven by conventional internal combustion engines. At first, electric vehicles had a problem of cruising range, but this problem has been gradually improved by improving the performance of batteries and promoting the construction of charging infrastructure, and they also have high affinity with autonomous driving assuming a navigation system. However, still, the biggest concern in navigating an electric vehicle is the cruising range, and the remaining battery level (charge rate) and electricity cost (power consumption rate) that determine this remain important information.

[0004] Regarding the above matters, a navigation device for an electric vehicle includes a driving motor, a battery that exchanges power with the driving motor, an in-vehicle auxiliary machine including an in-vehicle air conditioner that operates with the power of the battery, and a battery management device including a remaining amount estimating means for estimating the remaining amount of the battery. The navigation device is provided with vehicle position detecting means using a satellite positioning system, route setting means for setting a route to a destination with reference to map information, means for estimating auxiliary machine power consumption with reference to weather information in the route area, and means for calculating the required power and required time for route driving considering the auxiliary machine power consumption and driving power consumption. By guiding the remaining amount of the battery and the arrival time at the destination based on these, the navigation device for an electric vehicle that reflects the driving power consumption and auxiliary machine power consumption in route guidance and expands the route selection range of the user is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Currently, in order to cope with the remarkable spread of electric vehicles in the future, various in-vehicle batteries that ensure costs, safety, etc. have been developed and mounted on electric vehicles as in-vehicle batteries.

[0007] However, among the currently mainstream lithium-ion batteries mounted on electric vehicles, for example, in charging in a low-temperature environment of 0°C or lower, there is a possibility that metallic lithium may precipitate, and it has been pointed out that when metallic lithium precipitates, there is a possibility of forming a dendrite short circuit that induces ignition. Conversely, in the recommended usage environment, safety can be ensured, the cost is low, and a high discharge capacity rate can be enjoyed.

[0008] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the above matters are not disclosed. Although there is a disclosure of "referring to the meteorological information of the route area", the "meteorological information of the route area" is only for estimating the operating status of auxiliary equipment.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and even when a battery whose performance may deteriorate depending on the usage environment is mounted on a vehicle, by controlling the usage environment of the battery, it is possible to prevent performance deterioration of the battery and provide a vehicle navigation device that guides the vehicle to the destination.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] Aspect 1; One or more embodiments of the present invention include a host vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires host vehicle position information, a travel candidate route search unit that searches for a travel candidate route from the current location to the destination based on the host vehicle position information, an external information acquisition unit that acquires external information, and for the plurality of the searched travel candidate routes, a battery remaining capacity calculation unit that calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the host vehicle arrives at the destination of the searched travel candidate route based on travel conditions and the acquired external information. The external information acquisition unit acquires temperature information as the external information when passing through the plurality of the searched travel candidate routes, and the battery remaining capacity calculation unit calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when arriving at the destination for the plurality of the searched travel candidate routes in consideration of the temperature information. The travel candidate route search unit proposes a vehicle navigation device characterized by searching for a travel candidate route in which the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or more than a predetermined amount.

[0011] Embodiment 2; One or more embodiments of the present invention include a vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle position information, a travel candidate route search unit that searches for a travel candidate route from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information, an external information acquisition unit that acquires external information, and a battery remaining capacity calculation unit that calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the vehicle arrives at the destination of the searched travel candidate routes based on travel conditions for the plurality of searched travel candidate routes. The travel candidate route search unit searches for a travel candidate route in which the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount among routes including a route that does not travel through a section where the temperature at the time of passage is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature based on the external information. A vehicle navigation device is proposed

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, even when a vehicle is equipped with a battery whose performance may deteriorate depending on the usage environment, by controlling the usage environment of the battery, it is possible to prevent performance deterioration of the battery and appropriately guide the vehicle to the destination

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] The vehicle navigation device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.

[0015] <First Embodiment> The vehicle navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

[0016] <Regarding the vehicle navigation device 1> As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a processor 100 and a memory 200.

[0017] The processor 100 executes various processes in the search for a driving candidate route. In the present embodiment, for example, the processor 100 acquires temperature information as external information, calculates the remaining battery capacity at the arrival of the destination taking into account the temperature information, and searches for and presents a driving candidate route in which the remaining battery capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. Details of each process will be described later.

[0018] The memory 200 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and stores and stores programs and various data. The memory 200 is provided with a storage unit 210, which stores and stores, for example, the control program of the vehicle navigation device 1, map information, or external information obtained, such as temperature information on a driving candidate route.

[0019] <Configuration of the processor 100> As shown in FIG. 1, the processor 100 of the vehicle navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a self-vehicle position information acquisition unit 110, a driving candidate route search unit 120, an external information acquisition unit 130, a battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140, an avoidance route search unit 150, and a control unit 160. Note that each of the above components is connected via the bus line BL as shown in FIG. 1.

[0020] The self-vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 acquires self-vehicle position information. Specifically, the self-vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 measures the time it takes for radio waves constantly emitted from a plurality of satellites to reach a receiver mounted on the own vehicle using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) including GPS (Global Positioning System), and acquires the self-vehicle position information. The self-vehicle position information acquired by the self-vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 is output to the control unit 160 described later via the bus line BL.

[0021] The driving candidate route search unit 120 searches for a plurality of driving candidate routes including an optimal route and candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the self-vehicle position information, the destination information indicated by the user, and the map information stored in the storage unit 210. Furthermore, the driving candidate route search unit 120 searches for driving candidate routes among the plurality of driving candidate routes described above, for which the remaining battery capacity calculated by the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 described later is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount at the time of arrival at the destination, and presents them to the user. As shown in FIG. 2, the driving candidate route search unit 120 classifies the electricity costs for the plurality of driving candidate routes into, for example, three levels of "low", "medium", and "high", taking into account the calculation results of the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 described later. For example, a driving candidate route A (displayed by a dotted line in FIG. 3) with a driving distance of "98 km", a driving environmental temperature (the lowest temperature on the driving route) of "-20°C", a high electricity cost, and a required time of "2 hours and 30 minutes", and a driving candidate route B (displayed by a dashed-dotted line in FIG. 3) with a driving distance of "105 km", a driving environmental temperature (the lowest temperature on the driving route) of "+3°C", a low electricity cost, and a required time of "2 hours and 45 minutes", and a driving candidate route C (displayed by a double-dotted line in FIG. 3) with a driving distance of "111 km", a driving environmental temperature (the lowest temperature on the driving route) of "+5°C", a medium electricity cost, and a required time of "3 hours and 10 minutes", are calculated as driving candidate routes. For example, considering the electricity cost and the required time, driving candidate route A is ranked 3rd, driving candidate route B is ranked 1st (the optimal route), and driving candidate route C is ranked 2nd. Driving candidate routes B and C, excluding driving candidate route A whose electricity cost does not meet the conditions, are presented to the user as shown in FIG. 3. The search result of the driving route by the driving candidate route search unit 120 is output to the control unit 160 described later via the bus line BL.

[0022] The external information acquisition unit 130 acquires external information. In the present embodiment, as the external information, the air temperature information during the self-vehicle driving on the driving candidate route searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120 can be exemplified. The external information acquisition unit 130 may acquire, for example, the air temperature information during the self-vehicle driving on the candidate route searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120 as the external information from a user terminal in which an application program related to weather information is downloaded. The external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 is output to the control unit 160 described later via the bus line BL.

[0023] Based on the driving conditions and the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130, the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the host vehicle arrives at the destination of the candidate route searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120. Here, the driving conditions include information on the driving route, for example, road shape, gradient, driving distance, etc. In addition to the remaining capacity of the battery when the host vehicle arrives at the destination of the candidate route searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120 based on the driving conditions, the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining capacity of the battery due to performance degradation of the battery based on external information, for example, the temperature information during the host vehicle's driving on the driving candidate route searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120, and sums them up to calculate the remaining capacity of the battery when the host vehicle arrives at the destination. In this embodiment, the host vehicle is equipped with a battery composed of a lithium iron phosphate-based lithium ion battery whose performance may deteriorate in a low temperature environment of 0°C or less, for example. As described above, the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining capacity of the battery due to performance degradation of the battery, for example, in a section where the temperature during the host vehicle's driving on the driving candidate route is 0°C or less. The remaining capacity information of the battery calculated by the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 is output to the control unit 160 described later via the bus line BL.

[0024] Based on the search result of the driving route by the driving candidate route search unit 120, the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130, etc., the avoidance route search unit 150 searches for an optimal avoidance route. The avoidance route information searched by the avoidance route search unit 150 is output to the control unit 160 described later via the bus line BL.

[0025] Based on a control program stored, for example, in a ROM (Read Only Memory) inside the storage unit 210, the control unit 160 executes the processing of the entire vehicle navigation device 1. The control unit 160 causes, for example, the vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 to execute vehicle position information acquisition processing, the travel candidate route search unit 120 to execute travel candidate route search processing, the external information acquisition unit 130 to execute external information acquisition processing, the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 to execute battery remaining capacity calculation processing, the avoidance route search unit 150 to execute avoidance route search processing, and so on. Specifically, the control unit 160 causes the external information acquisition unit 130 to acquire temperature information as external information when passing through a plurality of travel candidate routes searched by the travel candidate route search unit 120. Also, the control unit 160 causes the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 to calculate the remaining capacity of the battery when the host vehicle arrives at the destination for a plurality of travel candidate routes searched by the travel candidate route search unit 120, taking into account the temperature information. Then, the control unit 160 causes the avoidance route search unit 150 to search for an avoidance route based on a plurality of travel candidate routes searched by the travel candidate route search unit 120.

[0026] <Processing of the vehicle navigation device 1> With reference to FIG. 4, the processing of the vehicle navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0027] The host vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 uses GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) to measure, for example, the time it takes for radio waves constantly emitted from a plurality of satellites to reach a receiver mounted on the host vehicle, and acquires host vehicle position information (step S110). The host vehicle position information acquired by the host vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 is output to the control unit 160, which will be described later, via the bus line BL.

[0028] The driving candidate route search unit 120 searches for a plurality of driving candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the own vehicle position information, the destination information indicated by the user, and the map information stored in the storage unit 210 (step S120). The plurality of driving candidate route information from the current location to the destination searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120 is output to the control unit 160 via the bus line BL, and the control unit 160 temporarily stores the plurality of driving candidate route information in the storage unit 210.

[0029] The external information acquisition unit 130 acquires, as external information, the temperature information during the travel of the own vehicle on the driving candidate route searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120 from a user terminal in which an application program related to weather information is downloaded (step S130). The temperature information during the travel of the own vehicle on the driving candidate route acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 is output to the control unit 160 via the bus line BL, and the control unit 160 temporarily stores the temperature information during the travel of the own vehicle on the driving candidate route in the storage unit 210.

[0030] The battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the own vehicle arrives at the destination of the candidate route searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120 based on the driving conditions and the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 (step S140). The battery remaining capacity information calculated by the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 is output to the control unit 160 via the bus line BL, and the control unit 160 temporarily stores the battery remaining capacity information in the storage unit 210.

[0031] The avoidance route search unit 150 searches for an optimal avoidance route based on the search results of the plurality of driving routes searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120 in step S120, the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 in step S130, etc. (step S150).

[0032] Then, for the avoidance route searched by the avoidance route search unit 150, the driving candidate route search unit 120 re-searches for a driving candidate route on which the remaining battery capacity calculated by the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 in step S140 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount when arriving at the destination, determines the recommended driving route, presents it to the user, and ends the process (step S160).

[0033] <Function and Effect> As described above, the vehicle navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a host vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 that acquires host vehicle position information, a driving candidate route search unit 120 that searches for a driving candidate route from the current location to the destination based on the host vehicle position information, an external information acquisition unit 130 that acquires external information, and a battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 that calculates the remaining battery capacity when the host vehicle arrives at the destination of the searched driving candidate route based on the driving conditions and the acquired external information. The external information acquisition unit 130 acquires temperature information as external information when passing through the plurality of searched driving candidate routes, and the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining battery capacity when arriving at the destination for the plurality of searched driving candidate routes in consideration of the temperature information. The driving candidate route search unit 120 searches for a driving candidate route on which the remaining battery capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. That is, the external information acquisition unit 130 acquires temperature information as external information when passing through the plurality of searched driving candidate routes, the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining battery capacity when arriving at the destination for the plurality of searched driving candidate routes in consideration of the temperature information, and the driving candidate route search unit 120 searches for a driving candidate route on which the remaining battery capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. Here, in addition to the driving conditions, the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining battery capacity when arriving at the destination in consideration of the temperature information as external information when passing through the plurality of searched driving candidate routes because there is a possibility that a battery whose performance may deteriorate at low temperatures (for example, 0°C or lower) is installed. Therefore, the driving candidate route search unit 120 searches for a driving candidate route in which the remaining battery capacity calculated by the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 when arriving at the destination is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and presents it to the user. By doing so, even when a battery whose performance may deteriorate depending on the usage environment is mounted on the vehicle, by controlling the usage environment of the battery, it is possible to prevent performance deterioration of the battery and appropriately guide the vehicle to the destination.

[0034] In the vehicle navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment, the external information acquisition unit 130 acquires temperature information as external information when passing through a plurality of searched driving candidate routes using a user terminal. That is, the external information acquisition unit 130 acquires temperature information as external information when passing through each point of a plurality of searched driving candidate routes by, for example, a user terminal in which an application program related to weather information is downloaded. In addition to the driving conditions, the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 estimates the driving time of the vehicle in an area where the performance of the battery may deteriorate based on the external information from the external information acquisition unit 130, and calculates the remaining battery capacity when the vehicle arrives at the destination also taking into account the calculated reduction in battery capacity. Then, the driving candidate route search unit 120 searches for a driving candidate route using the calculation result by the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 as an index, and presents it to the user. Therefore, even when a battery whose performance may deteriorate depending on the usage environment is mounted on the vehicle, by controlling the usage environment of the battery, it is possible to prevent performance deterioration of the battery and appropriately guide the vehicle to the destination. In addition, since temperature information as external information is acquired using a user terminal, desired information can be acquired without constructing a large-scale system.

[0035] In the vehicle navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment, the battery is composed of a lithium iron phosphate-based lithium ion battery. Among the currently mainstream lithium-ion batteries installed in electric vehicles, for example, during charging in a low-temperature environment of 0°C or below, metallic lithium may precipitate. It has been pointed out that when metallic lithium precipitates, it may form a dendrite short circuit that induces ignition. An example of this is a battery composed of a lithium iron phosphate-based lithium-ion battery. Although this type of battery is not installed in all vehicles, in the vehicle navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment, the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining battery capacity at the time of arrival at the destination, taking into account elements based on the usage environment in addition to the driving conditions. The driving candidate route search unit 120 searches for a driving candidate route using the calculation result by the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 as an index and presents it to the user. Therefore, even when a battery whose performance may deteriorate depending on the usage environment is installed in a vehicle, by controlling the usage environment of the battery, it is possible to prevent performance deterioration of the battery and appropriately guide the vehicle to the destination.

[0036] <Modification Example 1> In the present embodiment, a flow of processing in the order of the driving candidate route search process (step S120), the external information acquisition process (step S130), the battery remaining capacity calculation process (step S140), and the avoidance route search process (step S150) has been illustrated. However, the processing may be performed in the order of the external information acquisition process (step S130), the driving candidate route search process (step S120), and the battery remaining capacity calculation process (step S140).

[0037] <Second Embodiment> The vehicle navigation device 1A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. In the first embodiment, after searching for a candidate driving route based on the current location of the host vehicle, the destination, and the map information, if, for example, a low-temperature area exists in a part of the route, in addition to the driving conditions, elements based on the usage environment are taken into account to calculate the remaining battery capacity at the time of arrival at the destination, and a candidate driving route with a remaining battery capacity at the time of arrival at the destination equal to or greater than a predetermined amount is presented to the user. However, in the present embodiment, even if there is a section on the searched candidate driving route where the temperature at the time of passage is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, a candidate driving route that does not drive through that section for a predetermined time or more is also included in the search target, and a candidate driving route with a remaining battery capacity at the time of arrival at the destination equal to or greater than a predetermined amount is presented to the user based on the driving conditions.

[0038] <Regarding the vehicle navigation device 1A> As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle navigation device 1A according to the present embodiment includes a processor 100A and a memory 200.

[0039] The processor 100A executes various processes in the search for candidate driving routes. In the present embodiment, for example, even if there is a section on the searched candidate driving route where the temperature at the time of passage of the host vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, the processor 100A includes a candidate driving route that does not drive through that section for a predetermined time or more in the search target. Details of each process will be described later.

[0040] The memory 200A is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like, and stores and stores programs and various data. In the present embodiment, the memory 200A includes a storage unit 210, and stores and stores, for example, a control program for the vehicle navigation device 1, map information, or information on a section where the temperature at the time of passage of the host vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature.

[0041] <Configuration of the processor 100A> As shown in FIG. 5, the processor 100A of the vehicle navigation device 1A according to the present embodiment includes a vehicle position information acquisition unit 110, a travel candidate route search unit 120A, an external information acquisition unit 130, a battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A, and a control unit 160A. Note that components denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment have the same functions, and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the above-described components are connected via a bus line BL.

[0042] The travel candidate route search unit 120A searches for a plurality of travel candidate routes including an optimal route and candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information, the destination information indicated by the user, the map information stored in the storage unit 210, and information on a section where the temperature when the host vehicle passes is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. Furthermore, the travel candidate route search unit 120A searches for a travel candidate route in which the remaining battery capacity calculated by a battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140, which will be described later, is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount among the above-described plurality of travel candidate routes, and presents it to the user. The travel candidate route search unit 120A searches for a plurality of travel candidate routes including an optimal route and candidate routes from the current location to the destination, including a route that does not travel through a section where the temperature when the host vehicle passes is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time or more. Here, the “predetermined time” is, for example, a verified travel time in which even when the vehicle travels through a section where the temperature when the host vehicle passes is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, no deterioration in performance is observed in some batteries. For example, based on findings from verification, 30 minutes at a temperature of 0° C. or lower can be exemplified. FIG. 7 is an example of a travel candidate route searched by the travel candidate route search unit 120A. As shown in FIG. 6, the driving candidate route search unit 120A, taking into account the calculation results of the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A described later, calculates, as a plurality of driving candidate routes, for example, a driving candidate route A with a driving distance of "98 km", a driving environment temperature (the lowest temperature of the driving route) of "-20°C", a high electricity cost, and a required time of "2 hours 30 minutes" (in FIG. 7, indicated by a dotted line), a driving candidate route B1 with a driving distance of "103 km", a driving environment temperature (the lowest temperature of the driving route) of "+3°C", a low electricity cost, and a required time of "2 hours 35 minutes" (in FIG. 7, indicated by a dashed-dotted line), and a driving candidate route C with a driving distance of "111 km", a driving environment temperature (the lowest temperature of the driving route) of "+5°C", a medium electricity cost, and a required time of "3 hours 10 minutes" (in FIG. 7, indicated by a double-dotted line). When these are calculated as driving candidate routes, for example, considering the electricity cost and the required time, the driving candidate route A is ranked 3rd, the driving candidate route B1 is ranked 1st (the optimal route), and the driving candidate route C is ranked 2nd. Excluding the driving candidate route A where the electricity cost does not meet the conditions, the driving candidate routes B1 and C are presented to the user as shown in FIG. 7. The search result of the driving route by the driving candidate route search unit 120A is output to the control unit 160A described later via the bus line BL.

[0043] The battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the own vehicle arrives at the destination of the driving candidate route searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120A based on the driving conditions. Here, the driving conditions include information on the driving route, for example, road shape, gradient, driving distance, etc. As described above, in a route where the vehicle does not drive for a predetermined time or more in a section where the temperature at the time of passing is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, it has been verified by findings that even a battery whose performance deterioration is a concern in a low-temperature state does not show performance deterioration. Therefore, the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the own vehicle arrives at the destination of the driving candidate route searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120A based on the driving conditions. Note that in this embodiment, the host vehicle is equipped with a battery composed of a lithium iron phosphate ion battery, for example, whose battery performance may deteriorate in an environment with a low temperature of 0°C or lower. The remaining battery capacity calculated by the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A is output to the control unit 160A described later via the bus line BL.

[0044] The control unit 160A executes the processing of the entire vehicle navigation device 1A based on a control program stored in, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) inside the storage unit 210. The control unit 160A causes, for example, the host vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 to execute the host vehicle position information acquisition process, the travel candidate route search unit 120A to execute the travel candidate route search process, the external information acquisition unit 130 to execute the external information acquisition process, and the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A to execute the battery remaining capacity calculation process. Specifically, the control unit 160A causes the external information acquisition unit 130 to acquire temperature information as external information in the area from the current location to the destination. In addition, for a travel candidate route that does not include a section where the temperature when the host vehicle passes is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, or even if it includes a section where the temperature when the host vehicle passes is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, but the travel time of the section is equal to or shorter than a predetermined time, the control unit 160A causes the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A to calculate the remaining battery capacity when the host vehicle arrives at the destination considering only the travel conditions. Then, the control unit 160A causes the travel candidate route search unit 120A to search for a travel candidate route among the plurality of searched travel candidate routes whose remaining battery capacity is equal to or more than a predetermined amount.

[0045] <Processing of the vehicle navigation device 1A> The processing of the vehicle navigation device 1A according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0046] The own-vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 measures, using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), the time it takes for radio waves constantly emitted from a plurality of satellites to reach a receiver mounted on the own vehicle, etc., and acquires own-vehicle position information (step S110). The own-vehicle position information acquired by the own-vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 is output to a control unit 160A described later via a bus line BL.

[0047] The external information acquisition unit 130 acquires, as external information, temperature information of a region from the current location to the destination as external information from, for example, a user terminal in which an application program related to weather information is downloaded (step S210). The temperature information of the region from the current location to the destination acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 is output to the control unit 160A via the bus line BL, and the control unit 160A temporarily stores the temperature information of the region from the current location to the destination in the storage unit 210.

[0048] The travel candidate route search unit 120A searches for a plurality of travel candidate routes including an optimal route and candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the own-vehicle position information, destination information indicated by the user, map information stored in the storage unit 210, and information on a section where the temperature at the time of passing obtained by the external information acquisition unit 130 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature (step S220). The information on the plurality of travel candidate routes from the current location to the destination searched by the travel candidate route search unit 120A is output to the control unit 160A via the bus line BL, and the control unit 160A temporarily stores the information on the plurality of travel candidate routes in the storage unit 210.

[0049] The battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the own vehicle arrives at the destination of the candidate route searched by the travel candidate route search unit 120A based on the driving conditions (step S230). The battery remaining capacity information calculated by the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A is output to the control unit 160A via the bus line BL, and the control unit 160A temporarily stores the battery remaining capacity information in the storage unit 210.

[0050] Among the plurality of driving candidate routes searched in step S220, the driving candidate route search unit 120A detects, in step S230, a driving candidate route in which the remaining capacity of the battery calculated by the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, determines the recommended driving route, presents it to the user, and ends the process (step S240).

[0051] <Function and Effect> As described above, the vehicle navigation device 1A according to the present embodiment includes a vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 that acquires vehicle position information, a driving candidate route search unit 120A that searches for driving candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information, an external information acquisition unit 130 that acquires external information, and a battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A that calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the vehicle arrives at the destination of the searched driving candidate route based on driving conditions for the plurality of searched driving candidate routes. The driving candidate route search unit 120A searches for a driving candidate route in which the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount among routes including a route that does not travel through a section where the temperature at the time of passage is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature based on external information. That is, even when there is a section where the temperature at the time of passage is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature based on external information, if the driving time of this section is equal to or less than a predetermined time, it has been verified that even if the battery mounted on the vehicle is a battery whose performance may deteriorate at low temperatures, no deterioration in battery performance is observed. Therefore, when there is a section where the temperature at the time of passage is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature based on external information, the driving candidate route search unit 120A searches for a driving candidate route in which the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount among routes including a route that does not travel through this section for a predetermined time or more. Accordingly, even when a vehicle is equipped with a battery whose performance may deteriorate depending on the usage environment, by controlling the usage environment of the battery, it is possible to prevent performance deterioration of the battery and appropriately guide the vehicle to the destination. Based on the above, the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the host vehicle arrives at the destination of the searched travel candidate route based on the travel conditions for the plurality of searched travel candidate routes. That is, the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A does not calculate the remaining capacity of the battery when arriving at the destination by taking into account the temperature information as external information when passing through the plurality of searched travel candidate routes in addition to the travel conditions, but calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the host vehicle arrives at the destination of the searched travel candidate route based only on the travel conditions. Therefore, the processing load on the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140A can be reduced.

[0052] <Modification 2> In the present embodiment, a flow of processing in the order of the external information acquisition process (step S210), the travel candidate route search process (step S220), and the battery remaining capacity calculation process (step S230) has been illustrated, but the travel candidate route search process (step S220), the external information acquisition process (step S210), the battery remaining capacity calculation process (step S230), and the avoidance route search process may be processed in this order.

[0053] <Third Embodiment> The vehicle navigation device 1B according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

[0054] <Regarding the vehicle navigation device 1B> As shown in FIG. 9, the vehicle navigation device 1B according to the present embodiment includes a processor 100B and a memory 200B.

[0055] The processor 100B executes various processes in the search for travel candidate routes. In this embodiment, for example, the processor 100B acquires temperature information as external information, calculates the remaining battery capacity at the destination considering the temperature information, and searches for a driving candidate route where the remaining battery capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. The processor 100B transmits the searched driving candidate route information and the reason for the search to the user terminal. Details of each process will be described later.

[0056] The memory 200B is composed of, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores programs and various data. In this embodiment, the memory 200B includes a storage unit 210, and stores, for example, a control program for the vehicle navigation device 1B, map information, or temperature information on a driving candidate route as acquired external information, text information regarding the reason for the search transmitted to the user terminal, and the like.

[0057] <Configuration of the processor 100B> As shown in FIG. 9, the processor 100B of the vehicle navigation device 1B according to this embodiment includes a vehicle position information acquisition unit 110, a driving candidate route search unit 120, an external information acquisition unit 130, a remaining battery capacity calculation unit 140, an avoidance route search unit 150, a control unit 160B, and a communication unit 170. As shown in FIG. 9, the above-described respective components are connected via a bus line BL. Note that components denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment and the second embodiment have the same functions, and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0058] The control unit 160B executes the processing of the entire vehicle navigation device 1B based on a control program stored, for example, in a ROM (Read Only Memory) inside the storage unit 210. In this embodiment, the control unit 160B executes control to cause the communication unit 170 to transmit, to the user terminal, the travel candidate route information searched by the travel candidate route search unit 120 and the reason for the search, for example.

[0059] <Processing of Vehicle Navigation Device 1B> The processing of the vehicle navigation device 1B according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10.

[0060] The own vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 uses GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) to measure, for example, the time it takes for radio waves constantly emitted from a plurality of satellites to reach a receiver mounted on the own vehicle, and acquires own vehicle position information (step S110). The own vehicle position information acquired by the own vehicle position information acquisition unit 110 is output to a control unit 160B described later via a bus line BL.

[0061] The travel candidate route search unit 120 searches for a plurality of travel candidate routes from the current location to the destination based on the own vehicle position information, the destination information instructed by the user, and the map information stored in the storage unit 210 (step S120). Information on a plurality of travel candidate routes from the current location to the destination searched by the travel candidate route search unit 120 is output to the control unit 160B via the bus line BL, and the control unit 160B temporarily stores the information on the plurality of travel candidate routes in the storage unit 210.

[0062] The external information acquisition unit 130 acquires, as external information, temperature information during travel of the own vehicle on the travel candidate route searched by the travel candidate route search unit 120 from a user terminal in which an application program related to weather information is downloaded, for example (step S130). The temperature information during travel of the own vehicle on the travel candidate route acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 is output to the control unit 160B via the bus line BL, and the control unit 160B temporarily stores the temperature information during travel of the own vehicle on the travel candidate route in the storage unit 210.

[0063] Based on the driving conditions and the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130, the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the host vehicle arrives at the destination of the candidate route searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120 (step S140). The battery remaining capacity information calculated by the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 is output to the control unit 160B via the bus line BL, and the control unit 160B temporarily stores the battery remaining capacity information in the storage unit 210.

[0064] Based on the search results of the plurality of driving routes searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120 in step S120 and the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 130 in step S130, etc., the avoidance route search unit 150 searches for an optimal avoidance route (step S150).

[0065] The driving candidate route search unit 120 re-searches for a driving candidate route in which the remaining capacity of the battery calculated by the battery remaining capacity calculation unit 140 in step S140 is equal to or more than a predetermined amount when arriving at the destination with respect to the avoidance route searched by the avoidance route search unit 150, determines the recommended driving route, presents it to the user, and ends the process (step S160).

[0066] Then, the control unit 160B causes the communication unit 170 to transmit the driving candidate route information re-searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120 and the reason for the search to the user terminal, and ends the process (step S310).

[0067] <Function and Effect> As described above, the vehicle navigation device 1B according to the present embodiment includes the communication unit 170 that transmits information to the user terminal, and the communication unit 170 transmits the driving candidate route information searched by the driving candidate route search unit 120 and the reason for the search to the user terminal. That is, in the vehicle navigation device 1B according to the present embodiment, among the driving candidate routes from the current location to the destination, a driving candidate route that includes a wide range of low-temperature areas in the driving candidate route is excluded even if the driving distance is short. On the other hand, from the user's perspective, if a driving candidate route with an obviously short driving distance is excluded and there is no message, there may be doubts about the search results. Therefore, in the vehicle navigation device 1B according to the present embodiment, the communication unit 170 transmits the driving candidate route information and the search reason retrieved by the driving candidate route search unit 120 to the user terminal. Thereby, even when a battery whose performance may deteriorate depending on the usage environment is mounted on the vehicle, by controlling the usage environment of the battery, deterioration of the battery performance can be prevented, and the vehicle can be appropriately guided to the destination. In addition, the reliability of the user with respect to the search results can be enhanced.

[0068] <Modification Example 3> In the present embodiment, a flow of processing in the order of driving candidate route search processing (step S120), external information acquisition processing (step S130), remaining battery capacity calculation processing (step S140), and avoidance route search processing (step S150) is illustrated. However, the processing may be performed in the order of external information acquisition processing (step S130), driving candidate route search processing (step S120), and remaining battery capacity calculation processing (step S140).

[0069] <Supplementary Note 1> One or more processors, and one or more memories communicably connected to the one or more processors, comprising the one or more processors a vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle position information, a driving candidate route search unit that searches for a driving candidate route from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information, an external information acquisition unit that acquires external information, For the plurality of searched driving candidate routes, a battery remaining capacity calculation unit that calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the host vehicle arrives at the destination of the searched driving candidate route based on the driving conditions and the acquired external information; comprising: The external information acquisition unit acquires temperature information as the external information when passing through the plurality of searched driving candidate routes, and the battery remaining capacity calculation unit takes into account the temperature information and calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when arriving at the destination for the plurality of searched driving candidate routes. The driving candidate route search unit searches for a driving candidate route in which the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. A vehicle navigation device characterized by this.

[0070] <Additional Clause 2> One or more processors, and one or more memories communicably connected to the one or more processors; comprising: The one or more processors include a host vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires host vehicle position information; A driving candidate route search unit that searches for a driving candidate route from the current location to the destination based on the host vehicle position information; An external information acquisition unit that acquires external information; For the plurality of searched driving candidate routes, a battery remaining capacity calculation unit that calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the host vehicle arrives at the destination of the searched driving candidate route based on the driving conditions; comprising: When there is a section where the temperature during passage is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature based on the external information, the driving candidate route search unit searches for a driving candidate route in which the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount among routes including a route that does not travel through the section for a predetermined time or more. A vehicle navigation device characterized by this.

[0071] Note that the processing of the processors 100, 100A, and 100B can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the vehicle navigation devices 1, 1A, and 1B of the present invention can be realized by causing the processors 100, 100A, and 100B to read and execute the program recorded on this recording medium. Here, the computer system includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.

[0072] In addition, the "computer system" shall include a homepage providing environment (or display environment) if the WWW (World Wide Web) system is used. Further, the above program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" for transmitting the program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication wire) such as a telephone line.

[0073] Also, the above program may be for realizing a part of the above-described functions. Furthermore, it may be a so-called difference file (difference program) that can realize the above-described functions in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.

[0074] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and designs and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0075] 1; Vehicle navigation device 1A; Vehicle navigation device 1B; Vehicle navigation device 100; Processor 100A; Processor 100B; Processor 110; Own vehicle position information acquisition unit 120; Travel candidate route search section 120A; Travel candidate route search section 130; External information acquisition section 140; Battery remaining capacity calculation section 140A; Battery remaining capacity calculation section 150; Avoidance route search section 160; Control section 160A; Control section 160B; Control section 170; Communication section 200; Memory 210; Storage section

Claims

1. A vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle position information; A travel candidate route search unit that searches for a travel candidate route from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information; An external information acquisition unit that acquires external information; For the plurality of searched travel candidate routes, based on travel conditions and the acquired external information, a battery remaining capacity calculation unit that calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the vehicle arrives at the destination of the searched travel candidate route; Comprising; The external information acquisition unit acquires temperature information as the external information when passing through the plurality of searched travel candidate routes, and the battery remaining capacity calculation unit takes into account the temperature information and calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when arriving at the destination for the plurality of searched travel candidate routes, and the travel candidate route search unit searches for a travel candidate route in which the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. A vehicle navigation device characterized by the above.

2. A vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle position information; A travel candidate route search unit that searches for a travel candidate route from the current location to the destination based on the vehicle position information; An external information acquisition unit that acquires external information; For the plurality of searched travel candidate routes, based on travel conditions, a battery remaining capacity calculation unit that calculates the remaining capacity of the battery when the vehicle arrives at the destination of the searched travel candidate route; Comprising; When there is a section where the temperature during passage is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature based on the external information, the travel candidate route search unit searches for a travel candidate route in which the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount among routes including a route that does not travel through the section for a predetermined time or more. A vehicle navigation device characterized by the above.

3. The external information acquisition unit acquires temperature information as the external information when passing through the plurality of searched travel candidate routes by using a user terminal. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

4. The battery is composed of a lithium iron phosphate-based lithium ion battery. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 3, characterized by the above.

5. Comprising a communication unit that transmits information to a user terminal The vehicle navigation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication unit transmits the travel candidate route information and the search reason retrieved by the travel candidate route search unit to a user terminal.

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