Vehicle substitution simulation device and vehicle substitution simulation method

Abstract

To provide a user with objective information for considering replacement with an electric vehicle by acquiring traveling information of a vehicle including an internal combustion engine used by the user, and calculating and comparing environmental load information before and after transfer when the user transfers to the electric vehicle on the basis of the traveling information.SOLUTION: The vehicle substitution simulation apparatus includes a vehicle information input unit that inputs traveling information from each of a vehicle including an internal combustion engine including a vehicle of a user and an electric vehicle, a map information unit of map information, a home position estimation unit that estimates a home position of each vehicle, an environmental load information creation unit that creates environmental load information of a predetermined period of each vehicle estimated to have a home position in a predetermined area, a simulation unit that creates virtual environmental load information in a case where the vehicle of the user is an electric vehicle, and an output unit that creates a first ranking of the vehicle of the user and a second ranking of the virtual environmental load information among the environmental load information of the plurality of vehicles in the predetermined area and outputs the created rankings to an information terminal of the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle substitution simulation device and a vehicle substitution simulation method that acquire driving information of a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine used by a user, and calculates and compares the environmental load before and after the user switches to an electric vehicle (electric car) based on the driving information. [Background technology]

[0002] Various automakers are selling EVs (electric vehicles), and an increasing number of users who are particularly sensitive to environmental impacts such as CO2 emissions are considering replacing their conventional gasoline- or diesel-fueled internal combustion engine vehicles with EVs. However, replacing a vehicle involves a significant expense for users, and vague information about the contribution to the environmental impact is insufficient. In response to this, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that, although not for an EV, serves as a fuel consumption calculation system and notifies the user of the ranking of total fuel consumption or total exhaust gas emissions in a predetermined driving section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5290033 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not allow for the ranking of vehicles if they are replaced with an EV, and therefore does not motivate people to replace their vehicles with EVs in order to contribute to reducing environmental impact.

[0005] It is desirable to obtain driving information for vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines used by users, and when the user switches to an electric vehicle (EV) based on the driving information, calculate and compare environmental impact information before and after the switch, thereby providing users with objective information to help them consider switching to an electric vehicle (EV). [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) A vehicle substitution simulation device according to one aspect of the present invention (for example, a vehicle substitution simulation device 1 described later) includes: a vehicle information input unit (for example, vehicle information input unit 110 described later) that inputs driving information including at least location information, time information, vehicle specification information, and driving distance information from a plurality of vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines including a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine used by a user (for example, vehicle 20a described later) and a plurality of electric vehicles (for example, vehicle 20 described later); a map information unit (for example, a map information storage unit 121 described later) that stores map information that can divide a predetermined area; a home position estimation unit (for example, a home position estimation unit 111 described later) that estimates a home position on the map information of each of the plurality of vehicles (for example, a vehicle 20 described later) based on the location information and the time information; an environmental load information creation unit (e.g., an environmental load information creation unit 112 described later) that creates environmental load information for each of the plurality of vehicles (e.g., vehicle 20 described later) whose home positions are estimated to be within the predetermined area of ​​the map information, from the time information, the vehicle specification information, and the mileage information for a predetermined period of time that is set in advance; a simulation unit (for example, a simulation unit 113 described later) that creates virtual environmental load information from the vehicle specification information and the mileage information regarding the environmental load information for the predetermined period when the vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine (for example, a vehicle 20a described later) used by the user is changed to the electric vehicle; an output unit (e.g., output unit 114 described later) that creates a first ranking in the environmental load information of the plurality of vehicles (e.g., vehicle 20 described later) that belong to the same predetermined area as the predetermined area to which the home location belongs, and a second ranking in the environmental load information of the plurality of vehicles (e.g., vehicle 20 described later) that are equipped with the internal combustion engine and used by the user, and outputs the rankings to an information terminal (e.g., mobile terminal 20A described later) of the user; Equipped with.

[0007] According to (1) above, users will be able to easily understand the extent to which switching to electric vehicles will contribute to improving the local environmental load, thereby encouraging them to consider switching to electric vehicles.

[0008] (2) In the vehicle substitution simulation device described in (1) above (for example, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 described later), The map information unit (for example, the map information storage unit 121 described later) stores information on administrative districts as the predetermined areas, The output unit (for example, the output unit 114 described below) creates the first ranking and the second ranking within the same administrative district.

[0009] According to (2) above, users can understand their contribution to improving the local environmental load in their local administrative district.

[0010] (3) A vehicle substitution simulation method of the present invention is a vehicle substitution simulation method executed by a computer, a vehicle information input step of inputting driving information including at least location information, time information, vehicle specification information, and driving distance information from a plurality of vehicles (e.g., vehicle 20 described below) including a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine used by a user (e.g., vehicle 20a described below) and a plurality of electric vehicles; a map information storage step for storing map information capable of dividing a predetermined area; a home position estimation step of estimating a home position on the map information of each of the plurality of vehicles (e.g., vehicle 20 described below) based on the position information and the time information; an environmental load information creation step of creating environmental load information for each of the plurality of vehicles (e.g., vehicle 20 described below) whose home positions are estimated to be within the predetermined area of ​​the map information, from the time information, the vehicle specification information, and the mileage information, for a predetermined period of time that is set in advance; a simulation step of creating virtual environmental load information from the vehicle specification information and the mileage information regarding environmental load information for the predetermined period in the case where the vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine (e.g., vehicle 20a described below) used by the user is changed to the electric vehicle; an output step of creating a first ranking in the environmental load information of the plurality of vehicles (e.g., vehicle 20 described below) that belong to the same predetermined area as the predetermined area to which the home location belongs, and a second ranking in the environmental load information of the plurality of vehicles (e.g., vehicle 20 described below) that are equipped with the internal combustion engine and used by the user, and outputting these to an information terminal (e.g., mobile terminal 20A described below) of the user; Equipped with.

[0011] According to the method (3) above, the same effects as those of the vehicle substitution simulation device (1) above can be achieved. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, driving information of a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine used by a user is obtained, and when the user switches to an electric vehicle (EV) based on the driving information, environmental load information before and after the switch is created and compared, thereby providing the user with objective information to consider switching to an electric vehicle (EV). [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle substitution simulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a vehicle substitution simulation device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of travel information according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of electric vehicle information according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a home position of a vehicle estimated by a home position estimation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle substitution simulation process according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A preferred embodiment of the vehicle substitution simulation device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows the basic configuration of a vehicle substitution simulation system 100. The vehicle substitution simulation system 100 includes a vehicle substitution simulation device 1, a vehicle 20a equipped with an internal combustion engine, a vehicle 20b which is an electric vehicle, an on-board device 30 mounted on the vehicles 20a and 20b, and user terminals 40A and 40B.

[0015] Vehicle 20a is an internal combustion engine vehicle (e.g., a gasoline vehicle) or a hybrid vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, while vehicle 20b is an electric vehicle. Vehicles 20a and 20b are, for example, connected cars based on telematics technology, and are capable of communicating with a connected system (not shown) operated by the automobile manufacturer of vehicles 20a and 20b via on-board device 30. Vehicle substitution simulation device 1 receives driving information including at least location information, time information, vehicle specification information, and mileage information identified by the vehicle ID of each vehicle 20a and 20b from on-board device 30 of each vehicle 20a and 20b via a communication network such as a network (not shown).

[0016] The in-vehicle device 30 is, for example, a computer such as an in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) device of the vehicles 20a and 20b. When the ignition switch of the vehicle 20a is turned on or the power switch of the vehicle 20b is turned on, the in-vehicle device 30 transmits driving information including position information, time information, vehicle specification information, and time information of the vehicles 20a and 20b to the vehicle substitution simulation device 1. Thereafter, the in-vehicle device 30 transmits driving information including position information, time information, and driving distance information of the vehicles 20a and 20b, for example, periodically, to the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 until the ignition switch of the vehicle 20a is turned on or the power switch of the vehicle 20b is turned off. When the ignition switch of the vehicle 20a or the power switch of the vehicle 20b is turned off, the in-vehicle device 30 stops transmitting the driving information of the vehicles 20a and 20b to the vehicle substitution simulation device 1.

[0017] The user terminal 40A is a PC, smartphone, tablet terminal, etc. of a user who owns the vehicle 20a. The user terminal 40B is a PC, smartphone, tablet terminal, etc. of a user who owns the vehicle 20b. Application software for linking with the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 is pre-installed in the user terminals 40A and 40B. The user terminal 40A of the user of the vehicle 20a receives and displays from the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 a first ranking of CO2 emissions emitted by the vehicle 20a in the administrative district in which the user resides, and a second ranking of CO2 emissions that will be emitted by the electric vehicle to which the user switches from the vehicle 20a to an electric vehicle. Similarly, the user terminal 40B of the user of vehicle 20b receives and displays a first ranking of CO2 emissions emitted by vehicle 20b in the administrative district in which the user resides from the vehicle substitution simulation device 1. Note that the user terminal 40B may also receive and display a second ranking of CO2 emissions in the case of switching to another electric vehicle from the vehicle substitution simulation device 1. The outline of the system configuration in this embodiment has been explained above.

[0018] Next, each configuration will be described. When there is no need to distinguish between the vehicles 20a and 20b, they are collectively referred to as "vehicles 20." When there is no need to distinguish between the user terminals 40A and 40B, they are collectively referred to as "user terminals 40."

[0019] <Vehicle substitution simulation device 1> Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of the vehicle substitution simulation device 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, a display unit 14, and an input unit 15.

[0020] The control unit 11 is configured with an arithmetic processing device such as a microprocessor, and controls each unit that configures the vehicle substitution simulation device 1. Details of the control unit 11 will be described later.

[0021] The memory unit 12 is composed of semiconductor memory, etc., and stores various programs such as control programs called firmware or operating systems, programs for acquiring driving information of each vehicle 20, estimating the home position of the user of each vehicle 20, calculating environmental load information, simulation processing, and output processing, as well as other various information such as map information and driving information of the vehicle 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 12 includes a map information storage unit 121, a driving information storage unit 122, and an electric vehicle information storage unit 123.

[0022] The map information storage unit 121 stores map information capable of dividing predetermined areas (for example, administrative districts, etc.). The stored map information may include road information, facility type information indicating attributes of various facilities such as restaurants, parks, and charging facilities, and location information of the facilities linked to the facilities. The map information may also include road network data including location information and type information of nodes (for example, road intersections, bends, and endpoints), location information and type information of links that are routes connecting the nodes, and link cost data relating to cost information of all links (for example, distance, required time, etc.).

[0023] The travel information storage unit 122 stores travel information (position information, time information, vehicle specification information, travel distance information, etc.) received from the in-vehicle device 30 of each of the multiple vehicles 20 including the vehicles 20a and 20b, in association with the vehicle ID. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the travel information. As shown in FIG. 3, the travel information has storage areas for "vehicle ID," "vehicle specification information," "ON date and time," "ON position information," "OFF date and time," "OFF position information," and "travel distance." The storage area for "vehicle ID" in the travel information stores a vehicle ID that identifies the vehicle 20. The vehicle ID may be a combination of any letters and numbers, or may store the license plate or VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) of the vehicle 20. In the storage area for "vehicle specification information" in the travel information, information on the specifications of the vehicle such as the type of engine, fuel economy, and electricity consumption of each vehicle 20 is stored. The storage area for "ON date and time" in the driving information stores time information indicating the date and time when the ignition switch or power switch of the vehicle 20 is turned on, which is measured by the in-vehicle device 30. The storage area for "ON position information" in the travel information stores the position information of the vehicle 20 measured by the in-vehicle device 30 when the ignition switch or power switch of the vehicle 20 is turned on. The storage area for "OFF date and time" in the driving information stores time information indicating the date and time when the ignition switch or power switch of the vehicle 20 is turned off, as measured by the in-vehicle device 30. The storage area for "OFF position information" in the travel information stores the position information of the vehicle 20 measured by the in-vehicle device 30 when the ignition switch or power switch of the vehicle 20 is turned off. The storage area for "Distance traveled" in the travel information stores the distance traveled by the vehicle 20 from the date and time of the storage area "ON Date and Time" to the date and time of the storage area "OFF Date and Time." Specifically, as will be described later, the storage area for "Distance traveled" in the travel information stores the difference value between the odometer (or trip meter) value of the vehicle 20 at the date and time of the storage area "ON Date and Time" and the odometer (or trip meter) value of the vehicle 20 at the date and time of the storage area "OFF Date and Time," which is received from the in-vehicle device 30 as travel distance information.

[0024] The electric vehicle information storage unit 123 stores electric vehicle performance information for each vehicle type of electric vehicles sold by, for example, automobile manufacturers, etc. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of electric vehicle information. As shown in Fig. 4, the electric vehicle performance information includes, for each commercially available electric vehicle, model information of the electric vehicle (including the vehicle name, etc.), battery capacity (kWh), average electricity consumption (km / kWh), mileage per charge, charging time (normal charging 3 kWh or 6 kWh), and compatible rapid charging (maximum compatible rapid charging output; for example, maximum 50 kW, maximum 70 kW output).

[0025] The above has described the memory unit 12, but for example, the map information stored in the map information memory unit 121 may be configured to be stored in advance, or may be configured to be downloaded as needed from a server device (not shown) connected to a communication network (not shown).

[0026] The communication unit 13 has a DSP and the like, and realizes wireless communication and wired communication between the in-vehicle device 30 of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 40, etc., via a communication network (not shown) in accordance with standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), 5G (5th Generation), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The communication network (not shown) is realized by a network such as the Internet or a mobile phone network, or a network that combines these. Furthermore, a local area network (LAN) may be included as part of the network.

[0027] The display unit 14 is configured by a display device such as a liquid crystal display, an organic electroluminescence panel, etc. The display unit 14 receives an instruction from the control unit 11 and displays an image. The input unit 15 is configured with an input device (not shown) such as a physical switch called a numeric keypad or a touch panel provided over the display surface of the display unit 14.

[0028] Next, details of the control unit 11 will be described. The control unit 11 is configured by a microprocessor having a CPU, RAM, ROM, I / O, etc. The CPU executes each program read from the ROM or storage unit 12, and during execution, reads information from the RAM, ROM, and storage unit 12, writes information to the RAM and storage unit 12, and exchanges signals with the communication unit 13. In this way, the processing in this embodiment is realized by the cooperation of hardware and software (programs).

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 11 includes, as functional blocks, a vehicle information input unit 110, a home position estimation unit 111, an environmental load information creation unit 112, a simulation unit 113, and an output unit 114.

[0030] The vehicle information input unit 110 inputs (receives) from the in-vehicle device 30 traveling information including at least location information, time information, vehicle specification information, and traveling distance information from a plurality of vehicles 20, including a plurality of vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines, including a vehicle 20a equipped with an internal combustion engine, used by a user, and a plurality of electric vehicles, including a vehicle 20b. Specifically, the vehicle information input unit 110 receives, for example, from the in-vehicle device 30 of the vehicle 20, driving information including at least location information, time information, vehicle specification information, and driving distance information of the vehicle 20, together with the vehicle ID of the vehicle 20. The vehicle information input unit 110 stores the received driving information of the vehicle 20 in the driving information storage unit 122.

[0031] The home position estimation unit 111 estimates the home position on the map information of each of the multiple vehicles 20 from the storage area "ON date and time" and storage area "ON position information" (or storage area "OFF date and time" and storage area "OFF position information") of the driving information stored in the driving information storage unit 122. Specifically, the home position estimation unit 111 refers to, for example, the storage area "ON date and time" and the storage area "ON position information" (or the storage area "OFF date and time" and the storage area "OFF position information") of the driving information memory unit 122, and estimates the statistically most frequent location as the home position of the vehicle 20 based on statistics of the starting location where the ignition switch or power switch of the vehicle 20 was first turned on each day (or the stopping location where the ignition switch or power switch was last turned off). FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the home position of the vehicle 20 estimated by the home position estimation unit 111. As shown in FIG. The home position estimation unit 111 refers to the map information stored in the map information storage unit 121 and estimates that the home position of the vehicle 20 shown in FIG. 5 is in an administrative district of Yokohama city. Furthermore, the home position estimation unit 111 may estimate the user's workplace, school, etc. as the home position by comparing the stopping position with map information if the frequency of moving from the stopping position to home is high based on a count of each day (especially on weekdays, etc.) when the user leaves home and stays at the same stopping position for a long time with the ignition switch or power switch of the vehicle 20 turned off, and then the stopping position is regarded as the starting position when the ignition switch or power switch is turned on. The home position estimation unit 111 may pre-register a point registered in advance by the user terminal 40 of the user of the vehicle 20 as the home position. The home position estimation unit 111 may store the estimated home position (e.g., home, workplace, school, etc.) of the user of the vehicle 20 in the travel information of the travel information storage unit 122 as a home position linked to the vehicle ID.

[0032] The environmental load information creation unit 112 creates environmental load information for each of the multiple vehicles 20 for a predetermined period of time based on the time information, vehicle specification information, and mileage information in the driving information for the multiple vehicles 20 whose home positions are estimated to be within a predetermined area of ​​the map information. In the following, as shown in FIG. 5, a case will be described in which "Yokohama City" is set as the predetermined area and the home location of the user of vehicle 20a equipped with an internal combustion engine is estimated to be "Yokohama City." Note that the same applies to cases in which the predetermined area is an administrative district other than "Yokohama City." Also, a case will be described in which the predetermined period is set by the user via user terminal 40A as "one month," for example, but it may also be set to a period other than "one month" (for example, one year, etc.). Specifically, the environmental load information creation unit 112 receives an instruction for a vehicle substitution simulation process from the user terminal 40A, for example, via the communication unit 13. Since the home location of the vehicle 20a equipped with an internal combustion engine of the user of the user terminal 40A that received the instruction is estimated to be "Yokohama City," the environmental load information creation unit 112 reads out the driving information of each of the multiple vehicles 20, including the vehicle 20a whose home location is "Yokohama City," from the driving information storage unit 122. The environmental load information creation unit 112 refers to the vehicle specification information in the read driving information of the vehicle 20, and, if the vehicle 20 is a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, creates the CO2 emissions of the vehicle 20 as environmental load information using the following equation (1). CO2 emissions associated with the use of gasoline vehicles = Mileage (km) / Fuel efficiency (km / l) / 1000 × 2.32tCO2 / kl (1) 2.32tCO2 / kl is the emission coefficient for gasoline use, and indicates the weight of carbon dioxide equivalent per unit amount of gasoline. For example, if a vehicle 20 equipped with an internal combustion engine with vehicle ID "abc123" in Figure 3 travels 150 km in one month, the CO2 emissions will be 150 km / 15 km / l / 1000 × 2.32 tCO2 / kl = 0.01 kl × 2.32 tCO2 / kl = 0.0232 tCO2 = 23.2 kgCO2.

[0033] The environmental load information creation unit 112 refers to the vehicle specification information of the read driving information of the vehicle 20, and if the vehicle 20 is an electric vehicle, creates the CO2 emissions of the vehicle 20 as environmental load information using the following equation (2). CO2 emissions associated with the use of electric vehicles = Mileage (km) / Electricity cost (km / kWh) × Unit CO2 emissions (kg / kWh) (2) The unit CO2 emissions are determined by the electric power company; for example, for Tokyo Electric Power Company, it will be 0.376 kg / kWh in 2022. For example, if vehicle 20, an electric vehicle with vehicle ID "egf456" in FIG. 3, travels 150 km in one month, the CO2 emissions will be 150 km / 8 km / kWh × 0.376 kg / kWh = 7.05 kg.

[0034] The simulation unit 113 creates virtual environmental load information from vehicle specification information and mileage information regarding environmental load information for a predetermined period when the vehicle 20a used by the user, which is equipped with an internal combustion engine, is changed to an electric vehicle. Specifically, the simulation unit 113 acquires, for example, vehicle specification information of the user's vehicle 20a and mileage information for a set predetermined period (i.e., one month) from the driving information stored in the driving information storage unit 122. The simulation unit 113 also displays the electric vehicle performance information stored in the electric vehicle information storage unit 123 on the user's user terminal 40A, accepts from the user a selection of an electric vehicle that the user wishes to change to, and acquires the average electricity consumption of the accepted electric vehicle from the electric vehicle performance information stored in the electric vehicle information storage unit 123. The simulation unit 113 uses the acquired mileage information of the vehicle 20a, the accepted average electricity consumption of the electric vehicle, and equation (2) to create virtual environmental load information, which is the CO2 emissions (environmental load information) for a predetermined period (one month) if the internal combustion engine-equipped vehicle 20a used by the user is changed to an electric vehicle.

[0035] The output unit 114 creates a first ranking of the environmental load information of multiple vehicles 20 that belong to the same specified area (Yokohama City) as the home location of the vehicle 20a equipped with an internal combustion engine used by the user, and outputs the first ranking and the second ranking of the environmental load information of multiple vehicles 20 that are virtual environmental load information to the user terminal (information terminal) 40A of the user. Specifically, the output unit 114 creates a first ranking of the environmental load information (CO2 emissions) of the user's vehicle 20a, for example, in the environmental load information of multiple vehicles 20 created by the environmental load information creation unit 112 whose home location is "Yokohama City." In addition, the output unit 114 creates a second ranking of the environmental load information of multiple vehicles 20 created by the environmental load information creation unit 112 whose home location is "Yokohama City" for the virtual environmental load information created by the simulation unit 113 when the user's vehicle 20a is changed to an electric vehicle. The output unit 114 outputs the created first ranking and second ranking of the vehicle 20a to the user terminal 40A of the user of the vehicle 20a. The configuration of the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 has been described above.

[0036] <In-vehicle device 30> FIG. 6 shows the overall configuration of the in-vehicle device 30. As shown in FIG. 6, the in-vehicle device 30 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, a sensor unit , a display unit 35, and an input unit .

[0037] The control unit 31 is composed of an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a microprocessor, and controls each unit constituting the in-vehicle device 30. The CPU executes a program read from a ROM or a storage unit 32, and exchanges signals with, for example, a communication unit 33, a sensor unit 34, a display unit 35, and an input unit 36. In this way, the processing in this embodiment is realized by the cooperation of hardware and software (programs). Note that the in-vehicle device 30 may be composed of an in-vehicle ECU device known to those skilled in the art.

[0038] The information transmission unit 311 transmits location information 321, time information 322, vehicle specification information 323, mileage information 324, etc., from the storage unit 32 described below to the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 via wireless communication using the communication unit 33.

[0039] The storage unit 32 is configured with a semiconductor memory or the like, and stores various information such as a control program called firmware or an operating system, and a program that executes a function of transmitting driving information including at least position information, time information, vehicle specification information, and mileage information to the vehicle substitution simulation device 1. In the drawing, position information 321, time information 322, vehicle specification information 323, and mileage information 324 are illustrated as information stored in the storage unit 32. Note that the storage unit 32 may store information other than these.

[0040] The position information 321 includes position information (latitude and longitude) of the in-vehicle device 30 (that is, the vehicle 20) obtained by receiving a GPS satellite signal using a GPS sensor included in the sensor unit 34, which will be described later. The time information 322 includes the time information when the position information of the in-vehicle device 30 is measured by the GPS sensor included in the sensor unit . The vehicle specification information 323 includes information about the specifications of the vehicle 20 (for example, the vehicle model, the type of engine, fuel efficiency or power consumption, vehicle ID, etc.) registered by the user or the dealer of the vehicle 20, etc. The mileage information 324 includes the difference between the odometer (or trip meter) value when the ignition switch or power switch of the vehicle 20 is turned on and the odometer (or trip meter) value when the ignition switch or power switch is turned off, as the mileage of the vehicle 20.

[0041] The communication unit 33 has a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or the like, and realizes wireless communication with the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 via a communication network (not shown) in accordance with standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), 5G (5th Generation), or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The communication unit 33 is used to transmit, to the vehicle substitution simulation device 1, driving information including, for example, position information 321, time information 322, vehicle specification information 323, and driving distance information 324.

[0042] The sensor unit 34 is configured by, for example, a GPS sensor, etc. The sensor unit 34 receives a GPS satellite signal by the GPS sensor, measures the position information (latitude and longitude) of the in-vehicle device 30 (vehicle 20), and acquires time information when the position information is measured.

[0043] The display unit 35 is configured by a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence panel. The input unit 36 ​​is configured with an input device (not shown) such as a physical switch called a numeric keypad or a touch panel provided over the display surface of the display unit 35, and allows the user to perform selection operations.

[0044] Note that a user terminal 40, which will be described later, may be used to communicate with the vehicle substitution simulation device 1. For example, when a user carrying the user terminal 40 gets into the vehicle 20 and turns on the ignition switch or power switch of the vehicle 20, the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 40 are connected (paired), and transmission of driving information including position information measured by the user terminal 40, time information, vehicle specification information set in the user terminal 40 by the user, etc., from the user terminal 40 to the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 may be started; and when the ignition switch or power switch of the vehicle 20 is turned off, the pairing between the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 40 may be released, and transmission of the driving information to the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 may be terminated. The in-vehicle device 30 has been described above.

[0045] <User terminal 40> The functional blocks of the user terminal 40 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the user terminal 40 includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, a communication unit 43, a sensor unit 44, a display unit 45, and an input unit 46.

[0046] The control unit 41 is composed of an arithmetic processing unit such as a microprocessor, and controls each unit constituting the user terminal 40. Details of the control unit 41 will be described later.

[0047] The memory unit 42 is composed of semiconductor memory, etc., and stores various information such as control programs called firmware and operating systems, and programs that perform the function of receiving and displaying the results of the vehicle substitution simulation processing from the vehicle substitution simulation device 1.

[0048] The communication unit 43 has a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and the like, and realizes wireless communication and wired communication with the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 via a communication network not shown in the figure, in accordance with standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), 5G (5th Generation), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0049] The sensor unit 44 is configured by, for example, a GPS sensor, etc. The sensor unit 24 receives a GPS satellite signal by the GPS sensor, measures the position information (latitude and longitude) of the user terminal 40, and acquires time information when the position information is measured.

[0050] The display unit 45 is configured with a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence panel. The display unit 45 displays the results of the vehicle substitution simulation process received from the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 via the communication unit 43. Furthermore, if the vehicle 20 owned by the user is a vehicle 20a equipped with an internal combustion engine, the display unit 45 may receive and display electric vehicle performance information from the electric vehicle information storage unit 123 from the vehicle substitution simulation device 1.

[0051] The input unit 46 is composed of input devices such as physical switches called a numeric keypad and a touch panel overlaid on the display surface of the display unit 45. By outputting a signal to the control unit 41 based on an operation input from the input unit 46, for example, pressing the numeric keypad by the user or touching the touch panel, it is possible to realize an operation by the user to select an electric vehicle, an operation to instruct the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 to perform vehicle substitution simulation processing, and the like.

[0052] In addition, although not shown, the user terminal 40 may also be equipped with a speaker, a microphone, etc. This allows information to be output as voice from the speaker, and various selections and instructions by the user input through the microphone can be input to the control unit 41 using voice recognition technology.

[0053] Next, the control unit 41 will be described in detail. The control unit 41 is configured by a microprocessor having a CPU, RAM, ROM, I / O, etc. The CPU executes a program read from the ROM or storage unit 42, and exchanges signals with, for example, the communication unit 43, the sensor unit 44, the display unit 45, and the input unit 46. In this way, the processing in this embodiment is realized by the cooperation of the hardware and software (programs).

[0054] The result receiving unit 411 receives the results of the first ranking and the second ranking created by the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 via the communication unit 43. The result receiving unit 411 displays on the display unit 45 the first ranking of CO2 emissions of the user's vehicles 20a equipped with internal combustion engines among the multiple vehicles 20 in Yokohama City, and the second ranking of CO2 emissions if the vehicles are changed to electric vehicles. This will enable users to easily understand the extent to which switching to an electric vehicle will contribute to improving the local environmental impact, encouraging them to consider switching to an electric vehicle.

[0055] The user terminal 40 is a PC, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like, but is not limited to these and may be a navigation device mounted on the vehicle 20. The configuration of the user terminal 40 has been described above.

[0056] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a vehicle substitution simulation process by the vehicle substitution simulation device 1. Specifically, the flowchart shows an example of a processing flow in which the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 simulates how much CO2 emissions (environmental load) can be reduced when a user switches from a vehicle 20a equipped with an internal combustion engine owned by the user to an electric vehicle and adopts a driving style similar to that of the vehicle 20a. When the above simulation is performed for electric vehicles corresponding to a plurality of different vehicle types, vehicle models are selected one by one, and simulation processing is performed for the selected vehicle model according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8. Once the simulation processing for that vehicle model is completed, the remaining vehicle models are selected one by one and similar processing is performed. This processing is repeated for all specified vehicle models, thereby enabling simulation processing for each of a plurality of different vehicle models.

[0057] In step S10, when the ignition switch or power switch of the vehicle 20 is turned on, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (vehicle information input unit 110) starts receiving driving information including position information, time information, vehicle specification information, and mileage information of the vehicle 20 from the in-vehicle device 30 of the vehicle 20. The vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (vehicle information input unit 110) periodically receives driving information including position information, time information, and mileage information of the vehicle 20 until the ignition switch or power switch of the vehicle 20 is turned off. The vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (vehicle information input unit 110) associates the received driving information with the vehicle ID of the vehicle 20 and stores it in the driving information storage unit 122 of the storage unit 12.

[0058] In step S11, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (home position estimation unit 111) estimates the home position on the map information of each of the multiple vehicles 20 based on the information in the storage area "ON date and time" and the storage area "ON position information" (or the storage area "OFF date and time" and the storage area "OFF position information") in the driving information stored in the driving information storage unit 122.

[0059] In step S12, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (environmental load information creation unit 112) receives, via the communication unit 13, an instruction for the vehicle substitution simulation process from the user terminal 40A of the user, and a selection of an electric vehicle to be changed from the vehicle 20a equipped with an internal combustion engine.

[0060] In step S13, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (environmental load information creation unit 112) reads and acquires from the driving information storage unit 122 the driving information of each of multiple vehicles 20, including vehicle 20a, in the same administrative district where the user's home location of vehicle 20a equipped with an internal combustion engine is located.

[0061] In step S14, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (environmental load information creation unit 112) creates environmental load information (CO2 emissions) for each of the multiple vehicles 20 for a predetermined period (one month) using the driving information acquired in step S13 and equation (1) or equation (2).

[0062] In step S15, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (simulation unit 113) creates virtual environmental load information from vehicle specification information and mileage information regarding environmental load information for a predetermined period when the vehicle 20a equipped with an internal combustion engine used by the user is changed to an electric vehicle.

[0063] In step S16, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (output unit 114) creates a first ranking of the environmental load information of the multiple vehicles 20 that belong to the same predetermined area as the home location, for the environmental load information of the vehicle 20a equipped with an internal combustion engine used by the user. Also, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (output unit 114) creates a second ranking of the environmental load information of the multiple vehicles 20, for the virtual environmental load information created in step S15 when the user's vehicle 20a is replaced with an electric vehicle.

[0064] In step S17, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (output unit 114) outputs the results of the vehicle substitution simulation process of the first ranking and the second ranking for the vehicle 20a calculated in step S16 to the user terminal 40A, and then ends the process.

[0065] As described above, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 according to one embodiment acquires driving information of the vehicle 20a equipped with an internal combustion engine used by the user, and when the user switches to an electric vehicle based on the driving information, creates and compares environmental load information before and after the switch, thereby providing the user with objective information to consider switching to an electric vehicle. This will enable users to easily understand the extent to which switching to electric vehicles will contribute to improving the local environmental impact, encouraging them to consider switching to electric vehicles.

[0066] Each device can be realized by hardware, software, or a combination of these. Furthermore, the navigation method performed by the cooperation of each device included in the navigation system can also be realized by hardware, software, or a combination of these. Here, "realized by software" means that it is realized by a computer reading and executing a program.

[0067] The program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (Random Access Memory)). The program may also be supplied to a computer by various types of transitory computer-readable media. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer-readable media can supply the program to a computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire or optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path.

[0068] The above-described embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment alone, and the present invention can be implemented in various modified forms within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0069] <Variation 1> In the above embodiment, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 is described as being realized by a single server device or the like, but the functions of the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 may be distributed across multiple server devices as appropriate, forming a distributed processing system. Also, the functions of the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 may be realized by using a virtual server function or the like on a cloud.

[0070] <Variation 2> In the above embodiment, the predetermined area is an administrative district such as "Yokohama City," but is not limited to this. For example, the predetermined area may be a large administrative district at the prefecture level such as "Kanagawa Prefecture," or a smaller administrative district such as "Naka ​​Ward, Yokohama City" or "Nishi Ward, Yokohama City."

[0071] Furthermore, this embodiment can contribute to, for example, Goal 7a of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) led by the United Nations: "By 2030, strengthen international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced, environmentally friendly fossil fuel technologies, and promote investment in energy-related infrastructure and clean energy technologies." [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1 Vehicle substitution simulation device 11 Control section 110 Vehicle information input section 111 Home location estimation unit 112 Environmental Impact Information Creation Department 113 Simulation Department 114 Output section 12 Storage section 121 Map information storage unit 122 Traveling information storage unit 123 Electric vehicle information storage unit 13 Communications Department 14 Display section 15 Input section 20a, 20b vehicles 30 Onboard equipment 31 Control Unit 311 Information Transmission Department 32 Storage section 321 Location information 322 Time information 323 Vehicle Specification Information 324 Mileage Information 33 Communications Department 34 Sensor unit 35 Display section 36 Input section 40A, 40B User terminal 41 Control Unit 411 Result Receiving Unit 42 Storage section 43 Communications Department 44 Sensor section 45 Display section 46 Input section 100 Vehicle Substitution Simulation System

Claims

1. a vehicle information input unit that inputs driving information including at least location information, time information, vehicle specification information, and driving distance information from a plurality of vehicles including a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine used by a user and a plurality of electric vehicles; a map information unit that stores map information that can divide a predetermined area; a home position estimation unit that estimates a home position on the map information of each of the plurality of vehicles based on the position information and the time information; an environmental load information creation unit that creates environmental load information for each of a plurality of vehicles whose home positions are estimated to be within the predetermined area of ​​the map information, from the time information, the vehicle specification information, and the mileage information for a predetermined period of time that is set in advance; a simulation unit that creates virtual environmental load information from the vehicle specification information and the mileage information regarding environmental load information for the predetermined period in the case where the vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine used by the user is changed to the electric vehicle; and an output unit that generates a first ranking in the environmental load information of the plurality of vehicles that belong to the same predetermined area as the predetermined area to which the home location belongs, and a second ranking in the environmental load information of the plurality of vehicles in the virtual environmental load information, for the vehicles equipped with the internal combustion engine used by the user, and outputs these to an information terminal of the user; A vehicle substitution simulation device comprising:

2. the map information unit stores information on administrative districts as the predetermined areas, 2. The vehicle substitution simulation device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit creates the first ranking and the second ranking within the same administrative district.

3. 1. A computer-implemented vehicle substitution simulation method, comprising: a vehicle information input step of inputting driving information including at least position information, time information, vehicle specification information, and driving distance information from a plurality of vehicles including a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine used by a user and a plurality of electric vehicles; a map information storage step for storing map information capable of dividing a predetermined area; a home position estimating step of estimating a home position on the map information of each of the plurality of vehicles based on the position information and the time information; an environmental load information creation step of creating environmental load information for each of a plurality of vehicles whose home positions are estimated to be within the predetermined area of ​​the map information, from the time information, the vehicle specification information, and the mileage information for a predetermined period of time; a simulation step of creating virtual environmental load information from the vehicle specification information and the mileage information regarding environmental load information for the predetermined period in the case where the vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine used by the user is changed to the electric vehicle; an output step of creating a first ranking in the environmental load information of the plurality of vehicles that belong to the same predetermined area as the predetermined area to which the home location belongs, and a second ranking in the environmental load information of the plurality of vehicles in the virtual environmental load information, for the vehicles equipped with the internal combustion engine used by the user, and outputting the rankings to an information terminal of the user; A vehicle substitution simulation method comprising:

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