Vehicle-mounted solar cell systems

Abstract

This invention provides an in-vehicle solar cell system that can estimate power generation while taking the roof shape into consideration. [Solution] The on-board solar cell system comprises a solar panel arranged along the outer surface of the vehicle's roof, an acquisition unit that acquires location information, which is information about the vehicle's position, shape information, which is information about the shape of the vehicle's roof, and time information, and an estimation unit that uses the acquired location information, shape information, and time information to estimate the amount of power generated by the solar panel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle solar cell system.

Background Art

[0002] Various solar cell systems in which solar panels are mounted on vehicles have been proposed. Patent Document 1 discloses a solar cell system that estimates the power generation amount of a solar panel using the parking position of a vehicle and the current date and time.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As a mounting position of the solar panel, the roof of the vehicle can be mentioned. Many roofs have a curved shape. In Patent Document 1, the power generation amount with respect to a flat surface is estimated, and since the shape of the roof is not taken into account, there is a risk that the estimation accuracy of the power generation amount will decrease.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.

[0006] (1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an in-vehicle solar cell system is provided. This in-vehicle solar cell system includes a solar panel arranged along the outer surface of the roof of the vehicle, position information which is information regarding the position of the vehicle, shape information which is information regarding the shape of the roof of the vehicle, and time information which is information regarding time, an acquisition unit that acquires the position information, the shape information, and the time information, and an estimation unit that estimates the power generation amount of the solar panel using the acquired position information, the shape information, and the time information. This type of in-vehicle solar cell system includes an estimation unit that estimates the amount of power generated by the solar panel using location information, shape information (information about the shape of the roof), and time information. Therefore, it can estimate the amount of power generated while considering the shape of the roof in addition to the location and time information. This suppresses a decrease in the accuracy of power generation estimation compared to a configuration in which the amount of power generated is estimated from location information and time information without considering the shape of the roof. (2) In the above-described vehicle-mounted solar cell system, the estimation unit estimates the amount of power generated for each direction the vehicle is facing, and the vehicle-mounted solar cell system may further include a calculation unit that uses the estimated amount of power generated to calculate the maximum power generation direction, which is the direction in which the vehicle is facing that maximizes the amount of power generated. This type of on-board solar cell system includes a calculation unit that uses the estimated power generation amount to calculate the maximum power generation direction, which is the direction of the vehicle that maximizes power generation, thus enabling the calculation of the vehicle's orientation suitable for power generation. (3) The above-described vehicle solar cell system may further include a vehicle turning unit for turning the vehicle so that the vehicle faces the calculated maximum power generation direction. This type of on-board solar cell system includes a vehicle turning unit that rotates the vehicle to orient it towards the calculated maximum power generation direction, thus allowing the vehicle to be oriented in a direction suitable for power generation. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating an in-vehicle solar cell system in one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart showing the procedure for turning a vehicle around. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A. Embodiments: A1. System configuration: Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an in-vehicle solar cell system 100 (hereinafter also referred to as "System 100") in one embodiment of the present disclosure. System 100 is mounted on a vehicle V and generates electricity by receiving light from the sun S. System 100 also estimates the amount of electricity generated by the parked vehicle V. System 100 comprises a solar panel 200 and a control device 300.

[0009] Note that the X, Y, and Z axes shown in the diagram represent axes that intersect each other. The X axis is parallel to the left-right direction of the vehicle V. The Y axis is parallel to the front-rear direction of the vehicle V. The Z axis is parallel to the vertical direction.

[0010] <Configuration of Solar Panel 200> The solar panel 200 converts light energy into electrical energy. The solar panel 200 in this disclosure is arranged along the outer surface of the roof RF of the vehicle V. The right side of Figure 1 shows a magnified view of the roof RF of the vehicle V as seen in the X-axis direction. The roof RF has a curved shape that is convex in the +Z direction. The solar panel 200 in this embodiment includes three panels arranged in parallel along the Y-axis direction. Specifically, the solar panel 200 includes a first panel 201 located on the front side of the roof RF, a second panel 202 located behind the first panel 201, and a third panel 203 located behind the second panel 202. The electricity generated by the solar panel 200 is stored in a battery (not shown) mounted on the vehicle V.

[0011] <Configuration of control device 300> Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 300. The control device 300 is mounted on the vehicle V. The control device 300 consists of a computer equipped with a processor 310 and memory 320. The processor 310 executes a program stored in the memory 320 to realize the functions of the acquisition unit 311, the estimation unit 312, the calculation unit 313, and the vehicle turning unit 314.

[0012] The acquisition unit 311 acquires location information, shape information, and time information. Location information is information about the position of vehicle V. Location information is provided by a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), such as a GPS (Global Positioning System), installed in vehicle V. Location information includes information about the direction in which vehicle V is facing. The direction in which vehicle V is facing coincides with the direction of vehicle V's forward movement. Shape information is information about the shape of the roof RF of vehicle V. Shape information includes information about the angle of each part of the roof RF with respect to the horizontal plane (planes parallel to the X and Y axes). Shape information is stored in memory 320. Time information is information about the current time. Time information is provided by a clock installed in vehicle V, an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server outside of vehicle V, etc.

[0013] The estimation unit 312 estimates the amount of power generated by the solar panel 200 using the position information, shape information, and time information acquired by the acquisition unit 311. The estimation unit 312 estimates the amount of power generated by the solar panel 200 by calculating the following equation (1). (Panel output) × (Power loss coefficient) × (Solar radiation) ... (1)

[0014] The panel output is a value specific to the solar panel 200 used. The power generation loss coefficient is a predetermined value that takes into account the loss of power generation that may occur due to external factors. The panel output and power generation loss coefficient are stored in memory 320 in advance. Solar radiation can be estimated using location information and time information. The solar radiation estimated here is the amount of solar radiation relative to the horizontal plane, so the angle of the solar panel 200 is not taken into consideration. Therefore, the estimation unit 312 estimates the amount of power generation more accurately by using shape information in addition to location information and time information. Specifically, the estimation unit 312 estimates the angle of incidence of sunlight at each part of the roof RF using information on the angle of the roof RF for each part included in the shape information. The estimation unit 312 corrects the estimated solar radiation using the estimated angle of incidence. The estimation unit 312 estimates the amount of power generated by the solar panel 200 at each part of the roof RF by substituting the corrected solar radiation into the above equation (1). The estimation unit 312 estimates the total power generation of the solar panel 200 by summing up the estimated power generation amounts for each part of the roof RF.

[0015] The total power generation of the solar panel 200 may be estimated as the sum of the power generation of each panel arranged in each section of the roof RF. In this embodiment, the total power generation of the solar panel 200 is estimated as the sum of the estimated power generation of the first panel 201, the second panel 202, and the third panel 203.

[0016] In this embodiment, the estimation unit 312 estimates the amount of power generated by the solar panel 200 for each direction the vehicle V is facing. The direction the vehicle V is facing is set, for example, as an azimuth angle in a direction parallel to the X and Y axes. In this embodiment, the azimuth angle is set in 1-degree increments from 1 degree to 360 degrees clockwise, with north as the reference direction. The estimation unit 312 estimates 360 different amounts of power generated from 1 degree to 360 degrees and associates the direction with the amount of power generated.

[0017] The calculation unit 313 calculates the maximum power generation azimuth, which is the azimuth of the direction of the vehicle V at which the power generation amount is maximized, by using the power generation amount estimated by the estimation unit 312. Specifically, the calculation unit 313 compares each combination of the azimuth and the power generation amount associated by the estimation unit 312, and calculates the azimuth at which the power generation amount is maximized as the maximum power generation azimuth.

[0018] The vehicle turning unit 314 turns the vehicle V in order to direct the vehicle V toward the maximum power generation azimuth calculated by the calculation unit 313. In the present embodiment, the vehicle turning unit 314 gives an instruction to the control ECU of the vehicle V to turn the vehicle V. The control ECU that has received such an instruction sends control signals to the steering device, the acceleration device, and the deceleration device of the vehicle V to turn the vehicle V.

[0019] A2. Turning process of vehicle V: <0​​​​​​​​​​​​According to the system 100 of the embodiment described above, the estimation unit 312 estimates the amount of power generated by the solar panel 200 using location information, shape information which is information regarding the shape of the roof RF, and time information. Therefore, in addition to location information and time information, the shape of the roof RF is taken into consideration when estimating the amount of power generated, and a decrease in the accuracy of power generation estimation can be suppressed.

[0023] Furthermore, the calculation unit 313 uses the estimated power generation amount to calculate the maximum power generation direction, which is the direction of vehicle V that maximizes power generation, thus enabling the calculation of the direction of vehicle V that is suitable for power generation.

[0024] Furthermore, the vehicle turning unit 314 turns the vehicle V to face the calculated maximum power generation direction, thus allowing the vehicle V to face a direction suitable for power generation.

[0025] B. Other embodiments: (B1) In the above embodiment, the acquisition unit 311 may further acquire environmental information. Environmental information is information about the environment surrounding the vehicle V. Environmental information includes information about the presence of obstacles that block sunlight incident on the solar panel 200. Obstacles include, for example, buildings and trees. Environmental information is provided by, for example, radar, cameras mounted on the vehicle V. The vehicle turning unit 314 may also move the vehicle V to a location with few or no obstacles if the environmental information acquired by the acquisition unit 311 includes obstacles. With such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the reduction in the amount of power generated by the solar panel 200 due to obstacles.

[0026] (B2) In the above embodiment, the control device 300 does not need to include a vehicle turning unit 314. Even with such a configuration, the system 100 can estimate the amount of power generated and the direction of maximum power generation, taking into account the shape of the roof RF.

[0027] (B3) In the above embodiment, the control device 300 does not need to include either the calculation unit 313 or the vehicle turning unit 314. Even with such a configuration, the system 100 can estimate the amount of power generated while taking into account the shape of the roof RF.

[0028] (B4) In the above embodiment, the solar panel 200 included three panels, but the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the solar panel 200 may have any number of panels.

[0029] (B5) In the above embodiment, the control device 300 was mounted on the vehicle V, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The control device 300 may be located outside the vehicle V. In such a configuration, the control device 300 may estimate the amount of power generated by communicating with the vehicle V and turn the vehicle V around.

[0030] (B6) In the above embodiment, the direction of the vehicle V was set in 360 ways, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The direction of the vehicle V may be set as any azimuth angle.

[0031] (B7) In the above embodiment, the vehicle turning unit 314 turned the vehicle V by instructing the control ECU of the vehicle V, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The vehicle turning unit 314 may also turn the vehicle V by communicating with a control device of the moving mechanism of the parking space in which the vehicle V is parked, and moving the parking space via such control device. Such a configuration may be realized, for example, by a mechanical parking system.

[0032] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from its spirit. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the summary of the invention can be replaced or combined as appropriate in order to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 100...Vehicle-mounted solar cell system, 200...Solar panel, 201...First panel, 202...Second panel, 203...Third panel, 300...Control device, 310...Processor, 311...Acquisition unit, 312...Estimation unit, 313...Calculation unit, 314...Vehicle turning unit, 320...Memory, RF...Roof, S...Sun, V...Vehicle

Claims

1. This is an in-vehicle solar cell system, Solar panels are positioned along the outer surface of the vehicle's roof, An acquisition unit that acquires location information, which is information regarding the position of the vehicle; shape information, which is information regarding the shape of the roof of the vehicle; and time information, which is information regarding the time. An estimation unit that estimates the amount of power generated by the solar panel using the acquired position information, shape information, and time information, A vehicle-mounted solar power system equipped with these features.

2. The in-vehicle solar cell system according to claim 1, The estimation unit estimates the amount of power generated for each direction the vehicle is facing, The aforementioned vehicle-mounted solar cell system is The system further includes a calculation unit that uses the estimated amount of power generated to calculate the maximum power generation direction, which is the direction of the vehicle that maximizes the amount of power generated. Vehicle-mounted solar power system.

3. The in-vehicle solar cell system according to claim 2, An on-board solar cell system further comprising a vehicle turning unit for turning the vehicle so that it faces the calculated maximum power generation direction.

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