Vehicle substitution simulation device and vehicle substitution simulation method

Abstract

To grasp, when a user purchases an electric vehicle for replacing an internal combustion engine vehicle with it, necessity for charging the electric vehicle at some place outside his own home.SOLUTION: A vehicle replacement simulation apparatus 1 according to the present invention includes: a vehicle information acquiring unit 110 for acquiring travel information including positional information and time information of an internal combustion engine vehicle 20 of a user collected during a predetermined time and for acquiring travel distance information including departure position information, parking position information, time information and travel distance of the vehicle 20; a simulation processing unit 111 for calculating a necessary charging amount based on the travel distance information of the vehicle 20 and an electric vehicle performance information, for calculating parking time at a house of the user to estimate a possible charging amount at the house based on the parking time at the house, and for further estimating charging information including either a charging amount or the number of charging times necessary for charging outside the house from the amount of charging that can be performed at home; and an output processing unit 112 for outputting the charging information to an information processing device 40 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 estimate the mileage and home parking time from the transition of position information of an internal combustion engine vehicle currently owned by a user, and estimate charging information including either the number of times or the amount of charging of the user, particularly outside the home, if the user were to replace the internal combustion engine vehicle with an electric vehicle (electric automobile) and adopt a driving mode similar to the current driving mode. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, various efforts have been made to achieve carbon neutrality in order to realize a sustainable society. For this reason, automobile manufacturers and others have begun selling EVs (electric vehicles) that do not emit gases such as carbon dioxide while driving, and for users, choosing an electric vehicle is becoming an issue to consider when purchasing their next vehicle. On the other hand, at present, it has been pointed out that the distance that an electric vehicle can travel on a single charge (distance per charge) is generally shorter than the distance that an internal combustion engine vehicle (e.g., a gasoline vehicle) can travel on a full tank of gasoline. It has also been pointed out that the time required to charge an electric vehicle is generally longer than the time it takes to fill up an internal combustion engine vehicle (e.g., a gasoline vehicle). For this reason, it is not easy for users to grasp, in particular, how many times and how long they will need to charge at charging facilities outside the home if they were to replace their current internal combustion engine vehicle with an electric vehicle and drive in the same manner as their current internal combustion engine vehicle, and this has not yet resolved the concerns users have when considering replacing their current vehicle. In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for accurately calculating the amount of power consumption of a battery required for an electric vehicle to travel on a road link. Specifically, a technique for accurately calculating the amount of power consumption of a battery required for an electric vehicle to travel on a specific road section according to the estimated number of stops on the road section is disclosed. However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 does not allow a user to grasp, in particular, how many times charging will be required at a charging facility outside the home, how much charging time, etc. will be required, if the user were to replace the current internal combustion engine vehicle with an electric vehicle and adopt a driving mode similar to that of the internal combustion engine vehicle currently owned. Therefore, in order to grasp how many times charging will be required at a charging facility outside the home, the user himself must analyze the driving mode of the current internal combustion engine vehicle, calculate the predicted amount of power consumption, and further calculate how many times charging will be required at a charging facility outside the home, etc., from the predicted amount of power consumption calculated by the user himself, which is practically difficult for the user. For this reason, the anxiety of the user when considering replacing the vehicle has not been resolved. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6236887 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If a user were to replace their current internal combustion engine vehicle with an electric vehicle (electric car) and drive it in a similar manner to their current vehicle, it would be desirable to be able to estimate charging information including either the amount of charging or the number of charging times that would be required, especially at charging facilities outside the user's home, thereby alleviating the anxiety that users have when considering a replacement vehicle.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a vehicle substitution simulation device and a vehicle substitution simulation method that estimate the mileage and home parking time from the transition of the position information of an internal combustion engine vehicle currently owned by a user, and estimate charging information including either the number of times or the amount of charging required at a charging facility outside the user's home, especially, if the user were to replace the internal combustion engine vehicle with an electric vehicle (electric automobile) and adopt a driving mode similar to the current driving mode. By doing so, it is possible to alleviate the user's anxiety by providing objective information for the user when considering replacing the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) A vehicle substitution simulation device according to one aspect of the present invention (e.g., vehicle substitution simulation device 1 described later) includes a map information storage unit (e.g., map information storage unit 121 described later) that stores map information including road information and charging facility information including locations of charging facilities, an electric vehicle information storage unit (e.g., electric vehicle information storage unit 123 described later) that stores electric vehicle performance information related to the driving performance of an electric vehicle equipped with an electrically driven motor, and a vehicle information storage unit (e.g., electric vehicle information storage unit 123 described later) that acquires driving information including at least position information and time information of an internal combustion engine vehicle (vehicle 20 described later) equipped with an internal combustion engine of a user, which is collected within a predetermined period of time, and stores at least departure position information, parking position information, time information, and driving information of the internal combustion engine vehicle equipped with the internal combustion engine of the user during the predetermined period of time. the vehicle information acquisition unit (for example, the vehicle information acquisition unit 110 described later) that acquires mileage information including travel distance; a simulation processing unit (for example, the simulation processing unit 111 described later) that calculates the required amount of power from the mileage information of the internal combustion engine vehicle during the specified period and the electric vehicle performance information, calculates the parking time at the user's home, estimates the amount of charging that can be performed at the user's home based on the parking time at the user's home, and further estimates charging information including either the amount of charging or the number of charging times outside the home based on the map information from the amount of charging that can be performed at the home; and an output processing unit (for example, the output processing unit 112 described later) that outputs the charging information to an information terminal of the user.

[0007] According to (1) above, when a user replaces an internal combustion engine vehicle with an electric vehicle, the user can easily understand to what extent charging outside the home is required, which will help alleviate the user's concerns.

[0008] (2) In the information analysis device described in (1) above (for example, information analysis device 1 described later), the electric vehicle information storage unit may further include the electric vehicle performance information for each vehicle type of the plurality of electric vehicles, and the simulation processing unit (for example, simulation processing unit 111 described later) may estimate the charging information for each vehicle type of the plurality of electric vehicles, and the output processing unit (for example, simulation processing unit 112 described later) may output the charging information for each vehicle type of the plurality of electric vehicles.

[0009] According to (2) above, it becomes possible to understand, for each of several vehicle types, the extent to which a user will need to charge outside the home if they switch to an electric vehicle.

[0010] (3) In the vehicle substitution simulation device (e.g., the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 described later) described in (1) or (2) above, the map information storage unit (e.g., the map information storage unit 121 described later) may include power supply performance information regarding the power supply performance of a charger (e.g., a rapid charger) in the charging facility information, and the simulation processing unit (e.g., the simulation processing unit 111 described later) may calculate a charging time for a predetermined period as charging information from the power supply performance information and the electric vehicle performance information.

[0011] According to (3) above, it will be possible to more accurately grasp how much time a user will need to spend charging outside the home if they switch to an electric vehicle.

[0012] (4) In the vehicle substitution simulation device described in (1) to (3) above (e.g., the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 described later), the map information storage unit (e.g., the map information storage unit 121 described later) may include information regarding refueling facilities for refueling an internal combustion engine in the map information, and the simulation processing unit (e.g., the simulation processing unit 111 described later) may calculate the charging information by excluding from the driving information of the internal combustion engine vehicle (vehicle 20 described later) driving information in which the internal combustion engine vehicle has the refueling facility as its destination for the purpose of refueling the internal combustion engine.

[0013] According to (4) above, when a user trades in their vehicle for an electric vehicle, it is possible to more accurately calculate the required charging time outside the home by excluding trips to refueling facilities that are unrelated to the electric vehicle.

[0014] (5) A vehicle substitution simulation method according to the present invention is a vehicle substitution simulation method executed by a computer, comprising the steps of: a map information storage step of storing map information including road information and charging facility information including locations of charging facilities; an electric vehicle information storage step of storing electric vehicle performance information relating to the driving performance of an electric vehicle equipped with an electrically driven motor; a vehicle information acquisition step of acquiring driving information including at least position information and time information of an internal combustion engine vehicle (vehicle 20 described below) equipped with an internal combustion engine of a user, which is collected within a predetermined period of time, and acquiring driving distance information including at least departure position information, parking position information, time information, and driving distance of the internal combustion engine vehicle equipped with the internal combustion engine of the user during the predetermined period; a simulation processing step of calculating a required amount of power from mileage information of the internal combustion engine vehicle and the electric vehicle performance information during the predetermined period, calculating a parking time of the user at home, estimating an amount of charging that can be performed at the user's home based on the parking time of the user at home, and further estimating charging information including an amount of charging that needs to be performed outside the home from the amount of charging that can be performed at home or a number of charging times outside the home based on the map information; an output processing step of outputting the charging information to an information terminal of the user; Equipped with.

[0015] According to the method (5) above, the same effects as those of the vehicle substitution simulation device (1) above can be achieved. Effect of the Invention

[0016] The present invention aims to provide a vehicle substitution simulation device and a vehicle substitution simulation method that estimate the mileage and home parking time from the transition of the position information of an internal combustion engine vehicle currently owned by a user, and estimate charging information including either the number of charging times or the charging amount required at a charging facility outside the user's home, if the user were to replace the internal combustion engine vehicle with an electric vehicle (electric automobile) and adopt a driving mode similar to the current driving mode. In this way, it is possible to provide objective information for the user when considering replacing the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle substitution simulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a vehicle substitution simulation device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of electric vehicle information according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4A] 5 is a flowchart showing a vehicle substitution simulation process according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4B] 5 is a flowchart showing a vehicle substitution simulation process according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] 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 a basic configuration of a vehicle substitution simulation system 100. The vehicle substitution simulation system 100 includes a vehicle substitution simulation device 1, a vehicle 20, an FCD (Floating Car Data) database system (also called a "vehicle driving information database system") 30, a communication network 60, and an information processing device 40. As described later, the vehicle substitution simulation system 100 may include a mobile terminal 20A carried by a user, and the mobile terminal 20A may acquire vehicle driving information of the vehicle 20 and transmit it to the vehicle driving information database system 30. The vehicle 20 is an internal combustion engine vehicle (e.g., a gasoline vehicle), a connected car based on telematics technology, capable of communicating with a connected system (not shown) operated by the vehicle manufacturer of the vehicle 20, and configured to transmit position information, vehicle operation information, vehicle behavior information, etc. of each vehicle 20 together with time information to an FCD database system (vehicle driving information database system) 30 via a communication network 60. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the vehicle 20 refers to an internal combustion engine vehicle. Vehicle driving information including position information, vehicle operation information, and vehicle behavior information of each vehicle 20 is stored in association with a vehicle ID in a FCD (Floating Car Data) database system (vehicle driving information database system) 30. In addition, a customer ID for identifying the owner of the vehicle 20 identified by the vehicle ID is associated with the customer ID in, for example, a connected system.

[0019] The position information of the vehicle 20 includes, for example, position information (latitude, longitude) of the vehicle 20 measured by receiving a GPS signal using a GPS sensor. Note that the positioning accuracy of the position information may be further improved based on angular velocity and acceleration measured by, for example, a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor. The vehicle behavior information is information related to the behavior of the vehicle 20, and includes, for example, engine speed, vehicle speed, traveling direction of the vehicle 20, wheel speed, and acceleration (longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, and vertical acceleration). The vehicle operation information is information related to the driving operation by the driver, and includes, for example, ignition on / off information, the amount of operation of various pedals (the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, etc.), the steering wheel angle, on / off operation information of various lamps (on / off information of the headlights, small lamps, brake lamps, hazard lamps, turn signals, etc.), the amount of operation of the wipers, etc.

[0020] In the present embodiment, the vehicle 20 transmits vehicle driving information to the FCD (Floating Car Data) database system (vehicle driving information database system) 30, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the user may carry the mobile terminal 20A and get into the vehicle 20, and turn on a start switch of the vehicle 20 such as an ignition switch, so that the vehicle 20 and the mobile terminal 20A are connected (paired), and the position information and the mobile ID measured by the mobile terminal 20A may be transmitted to the FCD (Floating Car Data) database system (vehicle driving information database system) 30. Furthermore, the mobile terminal 20A may acquire vehicle driving information of the vehicle 20 and transmit it to the FCD (Floating Car Data) database system (vehicle driving information database system) 30.

[0021] In this embodiment, an information processing device 40 may be provided as a client terminal of the vehicle substitution simulation device 1. The information processing device 40 includes, for example, a PC, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a mobile terminal, etc., and may be a client terminal owned by a user who is the owner of the vehicle 20. In this case, the user may instruct (input) a simulation process for a case in which an internal combustion engine vehicle owned by the user is replaced with an electric vehicle via the information processing device 40 to the vehicle substitution simulation device 1, and output information related to the simulation result output from the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 may be displayed on the information processing device 40. The above has described an outline of the system configuration in the present embodiment 1. Next, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 will be described.

[0022] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a 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.

[0023] The control unit 11 is composed of an arithmetic processing device such as a microprocessor, and controls each unit constituting the vehicle substitution simulation device 1. The control unit 11 will be described in detail later.

[0024] The storage unit 12 is composed of a semiconductor memory or the like, and stores various programs such as control programs called firmware and operating systems, programs for acquiring vehicle information, performing simulation processing, and output processing, and also various other information such as map information, charging facility information, and electric vehicle performance information. 2, the storage unit 12 includes a map information storage unit 121 and an electric vehicle information storage unit 123. In the present embodiment, the map information includes charging facility information, but is not limited to this. The charging facility information may be stored in a charging facility information storage unit (not shown).

[0025] The map information storage unit 121 stores facility information including road information, facility type information indicating attributes of each facility for a plurality of facilities, and location information of the facility linked to the facility. In the present embodiment, the facility information includes charging facility information. The charging facility information includes, for example, facility type information indicating the charging facility, a charging facility identification number (charging facility identification ID) for identifying the charging facility, a charging facility name, location information of the charging facility (including road information facing the charging facility), a telephone number, an address, business hours, and power supply performance information of a charger installed in the charging facility. Here, the power supply performance information indicates, for example, a charging method (normal charging, rapid charging) and an output amount (power supply amount per hour; in the case of the CHAdeMO standard, it is approximately 20 kW to 50 kW, and there are also rapid charging of 60 kW, 90 kW, 150 kW, 250 kW, etc., unique to each manufacturer). Note that the map information storage unit 121 may include, for example, refueling facility (gas station) information in addition to the charging facility information. The refueling facility information includes, for example, facility type information indicating the refueling facility, the name of the refueling facility, and location information of the refueling facility (including information about the road facing the refueling facility).

[0026] The electric vehicle information storage unit 123 stores electric vehicle performance information for each vehicle type of electric vehicles sold by vehicle manufacturers, etc. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of electric vehicle information. As shown in Fig. 3, 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 (Wh / km), mileage per charge, compatible normal charging (normal charging 3 kW or 6 kW), and compatible quick charging (maximum compatible quick charging output; for example, maximum 50 kW, maximum 70 kW output). An electric vehicle is not capable of any normal charging or any rapid charging, and the normal charging output amount and rapid charging output amount that the model of the electric vehicle can support are determined in advance according to the model of the electric vehicle. As shown in Fig. 3, by selecting the model of the electric vehicle, the normal charging output and rapid charging output that the electric vehicle can support are determined.

[0027] The storage unit 12 has been described above, but for example, the facility information stored in the map information storage 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) or the like connected to the communication network 60. Furthermore, this information may be appropriately corrected in response to user input or the like.

[0028] The communication unit 13 has a DSP and the like, and realizes wireless communication or wired communication with other devices (such as the above-mentioned server) via a communication network 60 in compliance with standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), and 5G (5th Generation) and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The communication network 60 is realized by a network such as the Internet or a mobile phone network, or a network that combines these. A LAN (Local Area Network) may also be included as part of the network.

[0029] The display unit 14 is configured with 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 composed of 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. As described above, when the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 is provided with an information processing device 40 as a client terminal, a user may instruct (input) to the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 via the information processing device 40 the simulation processing in the case where the internal combustion engine vehicle owned by the user is replaced with an electric vehicle, and output information regarding the simulation results output from the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 may be displayed on the information processing device 40.

[0030] Next, the control unit 11 will be described in detail. The control unit 11 is composed of 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 transmits and receives signals to and from the communication unit 13. In this way, the processing in this embodiment is realized by the cooperation of the hardware and software (programs).

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 11 includes, as functional blocks, a vehicle information acquisition unit 110, a simulation processing unit 111, and an output processing unit 112.

[0032] The vehicle information acquisition unit 110 acquires driving information, including location information and time information, of a user's vehicle 20 equipped with an internal combustion engine from the vehicle driving information database system 30 for each day of a specified period specified by the user. Based on the driving information for each day of a specified period obtained from the vehicle driving information database system 30, when the user leaves home in the morning, drives between intermediate locations that are parking locations including a destination such as a daily workplace, and returns home in the evening (or at night), the vehicle information acquisition unit 110 acquires the departure time and return time from home, as well as information including the distance traveled between each intermediate location, and the arrival time and departure time at each intermediate location, as driving distance information for the user's vehicle 20 on weekdays (each day of the week). In addition, when a user departs from home on a Saturday or Sunday holiday, travels to a destination other than the workplace (e.g., a restaurant, park, entertainment facility, etc.) which is the weekday destination, travels between intermediate locations which are parking locations, and returns home in the evening (or at night), the vehicle information acquisition unit 110 may acquire the departure time and return time from home, as well as acquire information including the distance traveled between each intermediate location, and the arrival time and departure time at each intermediate location, as mileage information for the user's vehicle 20 on the holiday. By doing so, as described below, if vehicle 20 is replaced with an electric vehicle, it is possible to easily grasp, for example, how much charging is required outside the home on weekdays and how much charging is required outside the home on holidays.

[0033] The simulation processing unit 111 calculates, based on the mileage information of the user's vehicle 20 for a specified period (e.g., one month) acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 110, for each vehicle type stored in the electric vehicle information storage unit 123, the amount of charging or the number of charging times outside the home for a specified period if the vehicle 20 is replaced with an electric vehicle corresponding to that vehicle type. In this case, when one or more vehicle types are specified by a user, for example, the simulation processing unit 111 may refer to the electric vehicle information storage unit 123 to obtain electric vehicle performance information such as battery capacity, average power consumption, and charging time (fast charging) from the electric vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle type, and perform a simulation for each vehicle type. The simulation processing unit 111 may select a plurality of vehicle models with different battery capacities, average power consumption, charging times (quick charging), etc. from the electric vehicle information stored in the electric vehicle information storage unit 123, and perform a simulation for each vehicle model. For example, a simulation may be performed for each vehicle model AC illustrated in FIG.

[0034] In addition, the simulation processing unit 111 may exclude driving for the purpose of refueling the vehicle 20 from the target of the vehicle substitution simulation of this embodiment, since the driving becomes unnecessary when the vehicle is replaced with an electric vehicle. Specifically, the simulation processing unit 111 may determine whether or not a route (parking location) corresponds to a refueling facility by referring to map information, and if the route corresponds to a refueling facility, may exclude, for example, route-to-route driving information immediately before the refueling facility is the destination and route-to-route driving information immediately after the refueling facility is the departure point from the target of the vehicle substitution simulation. By doing so, it is possible to more accurately calculate the amount of charging time required outside the home when the user replaces the vehicle with an electric vehicle.

[0035] Similarly, the simulation processing unit 111 may exclude from the vehicle substitution simulation of this embodiment driving information, from driving distance information of the vehicle 20, driving information in a case where the vehicle leaves home and does not return home in the evening (or night) (for example, to a travel destination, a business trip destination, etc.), since this driving information differs from a normal driving pattern. By doing so, it is possible to more accurately calculate how much charging time is required outside the home in the user's daily driving pattern when the user replaces the vehicle with an electric vehicle.

[0036] Before describing the simulation processing unit 111, a predetermined period of time, the chargeable capacity at home, and the amount of power required to travel the entire travel distance (or the travel distance between stopover points) of the electric vehicle will be described.

[0037] The parking time during the time period during which charging is possible at home (for example, the time from the time of returning home on the previous day to the time of departure on the current day) is set as the charging time during which charging is possible at home. Note that the time (rounded down to the nearest minute) from the time of returning home on the previous day to the time of departure on the current day, which is acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 110, may be calculated as the home charging time for each day. Note that when the user sets the home charging time period in advance, the time during which charging is possible at home may be set as a default value. Since normal charging at home supplies 3 kWh or 6 kWh of power per hour depending on the type of electric vehicle, the maximum charge amount that can be charged at home can be calculated by multiplying the amount of power supplied per hour by the home charging time (day of the week j). For example, if the available charging time at home is 13 hours, the charge amount is 39 kWh or 78 kWh. In the following explanation, the charge amount that can be charged at home is referred to as the "home charging amount." In this case, the charge amount of the battery of the electric vehicle when departing from home (referred to as the "charge amount at departure") is the sum of the remaining battery charge on the previous day and the home charge amount. Charge amount at departure = Battery remaining from the previous day + Charge amount at home (Formula 1) Here, if the parking time at home is X hours, as mentioned above, the maximum charge amount that can be charged by normal charging at home is 3X (kWh) or 6X (kWh) depending on the type of electric vehicle. For example, if the parking time at home is X = 13 hours, the home charging capacity PH is 39 kWh or 78 kWh, respectively. However, since the battery cannot be charged beyond its capacity, "the remaining battery charge from the previous day + the home charging amount" does not exceed the battery capacity. In other words, the home charging amount does not exceed the charging amount obtained by subtracting the remaining battery charge from the battery capacity.

[0038] The simulation processing unit 111 can determine the charge amount required for the electric vehicle to travel between the route points by calculating the product of two values ​​as shown in Equation 1 based on the travel distance information (travel distance between route points, etc.) for each day within a predetermined period acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 110 and the average electricity consumption (Wh / km) of the electric vehicle. Note that the average electricity consumption is set for each type of electric vehicle as shown in Fig. 3. Amount of charge required for electric vehicle to travel between stopovers = Average electricity cost × Travel distance between stopovers (Formula 2) In addition, the charge amount required to travel the entire distance on that date (referred to as the "required charge amount") can be calculated using Equation 3. Amount of charge required to drive an electric vehicle for its entire driving distance = Σ 経由地間 Amount of charge required for electric vehicles to travel between destinations = average electricity cost × total distance traveled (Formula 3) When the charge amount required to travel the entire travel distance of an electric vehicle exceeds the charge amount at the time of departure of the electric vehicle, charging outside the home is necessary. In this case, by charging when the remaining battery amount is low, the charge amount (charging time) per charge increases, but the number of charges can be reduced. Conversely, when charging when the remaining battery amount is high, charging cannot be more than (battery capacity-current charge amount), so the number of charges increases, but the charge amount (charging time) per charge can be reduced. The user may select one of the options before the simulation process, for example. Alternatively, the user may consider which option to select based on the simulation results.

[0039] Next, the processing of the simulation processing unit 111 will be described. For the sake of simplicity, the following description will be given with four weeks as an example of the predetermined period. Each week in the predetermined period is identified by week (j), where j (1≦j≦4), for example, the first week, the second week, the third week, the fourth week, and so on. Week (j) (1≦j≦4) includes the days of the week, Monday (j), Tuesday (j), Wednesday (j), Thursday (j), Friday (j), Saturday (j), and Sunday (j). The predetermined period is not limited to four weeks. It may be any period. For example, if the current travel information of the vehicle 20 is similar for each day of the week, the predetermined period may be one week including Monday to Sunday (or Sunday to Saturday).

[0040] First, the simulation processing unit 111 calculates the necessity of charging outside the home during driving on the first Monday (1), which is the first day of the predetermined period. The amount of charge of the electric vehicle when leaving home on Monday (1) is set to only the amount of home charging on that day (Monday (1)), with the remaining battery charge on the previous day set to zero. Note that the remaining battery charge on the previous day may be set to any value other than zero. The simulation processing unit 111 compares the amount of electricity required to travel the entire distance on Monday (1) (referred to as "required charge amount (Monday (1))") with the amount of charge in the electric vehicle at the time of leaving home on Monday (1) (referred to as "charge amount at departure (Monday (1))"). Required charging amount (Monday (1)) ≦ Charging amount at departure (Monday (1)) (Condition 1) If the above conditions are met, it can be determined that charging outside the home is not necessary. In this case, the remaining battery charge of the electric vehicle after returning home will be the remaining battery charge before home charging at the time of leaving home on the following Tuesday (1) (referred to as "Remaining Charge (Monday (1))"). This can be calculated using Equation 4. Remaining amount when I get home on Monday Remaining charge(Monday(1)) = Charge amount at departure(Monday(1)) - Required charge amount(Monday(1)) (Formula 4) vice versa, Required charging amount (Monday (1)) > Charging amount at the time of departure (Monday (1)) (Condition 2) If the above condition is satisfied, it is possible to calculate that the amount of charging required outside the home is at least the amount calculated by Equation 5. In this embodiment, the amount of charging outside the home is assumed to be the shortfall (minimum required amount of charging) shown in Equation 5. This clarifies the minimum amount of charging required outside the home. Amount of charging outside the home (Monday (1)) = Required charging amount (Monday(1)) - Charging amount at the time of departure (Monday(1)) (Formula 5)

[0041] Hereinafter, the amount of charging outside the home on Monday (1) will be represented as f(Monday (1)). Similarly, the amount of charging outside the home on each day of the week (j) will be represented as f(day of the week (j)). In this way, when charging outside the home is not required, f(day of the week(j))=0, and when charging outside the home is required, f(day of the week(j)) becomes a positive value. Furthermore, if f(Monday(1)) is zero, then the remaining amount(Tuesday(1)) will be greater than or equal to 0. Conversely, if f(Monday(1)) is a positive value, then the remaining amount(Tuesday(1)) will be 0, as mentioned above.

[0042] Next, the simulation processing unit 111 calculates whether or not charging outside the home is necessary during the trip on Tuesday (1). Specifically, the charge amount required for driving the entire distance on Tuesday (1) (Tuesday (1)) is compared with the charge amount at the time of departure of the electric vehicle when leaving home on Tuesday (1) (Tuesday (1)). Here, charge amount at departure (Tuesday (1)) = remaining charge (Monday (1)) + charge amount at home (Tuesday (1)) It is expressed as: As in the case of Monday(1), condition 1 Required charge amount (Tuesday (1)) ≦ Charge amount at departure (Tuesday (1)) If the above condition is satisfied, it is determined that charging outside the home is not necessary. Furthermore, the remaining charge (Wednesday (1)) can be calculated based on an equation similar to Equation 3. Remaining charge(Tuesday(1)) = Charge amount at departure(Tuesday(1)) - Required charge amount(Tuesday(1)) vice versa, Required charge amount (Tuesday (1)) > Charge amount at departure (Tuesday (1)) If the above condition is met, the amount of charging required outside the home can be calculated based on an equation similar to Equation 4, as follows: Amount of charging outside the home (Tuesday (1)) = Required charge amount (Tuesday(1)) - Charge amount at departure (Tuesday(1))

[0043] Thereafter, the simulation processing unit 111 performs the same process as above for each day of the week up to the last Sunday (4), thereby being able to calculate the amount of charging outside the home for the given period (4 weeks) according to Equation 6. Charging capacity outside the home = Σ 月曜≦曜日≦日曜 Σ 1≦j≦4 f (power capacity on day (j)) (Formula 6) In addition, the number of times charging is performed outside the home can be calculated using Equation 7, assuming that charging is performed in one power supply, as long as the amount of charging outside the home does not exceed the battery capacity of the electric vehicle. Number of times charging outside the home = ♯{day of the week(j); f(power capacity of day of the week(j))>0} (Formula 7) Here, #{day of the week(j); f(power capacity on day of the week(j))>0} indicates the number of days of the week(j) for which f(power capacity on day of the week(j))>0. If the amount of charging outside the home exceeds the battery capacity of the electric vehicle, charging will be divided into two or more charging sessions, for example. In addition, the number of charging times was calculated on the assumption that the required amount of charge is supplied in one charging, but this is not limited to the above. For example, if there is a limit on the charging time for quick charging to within 30 minutes, quick charging within 30 minutes may be counted as one charging time, and the number of charging times within 30 minutes of quick charging may be calculated. Furthermore, as described later, by selecting an available charging facility based on map information (charging facility information included in the map information), the simulation processing unit 111 can more realistically calculate, for example, the charging time outside the home in addition to the amount of charging or the number of charging times outside the home in a specified period of time based on the power supply performance information and electric vehicle performance information of the selected charging facility.

[0044] In the above description, the method of calculating the time available for charging at home (day j) as the time (rounded down to the nearest minute) from the return home time of the previous day to the departure time of the current day, which is acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 110, has been described as an example, but is not limited to this. If the user's departure time and return home time are the same every day, for example, departure at 8:00 and return home at 7:00, the home charging time may be calculated as 12 or 13 hours.

[0045] Furthermore, the simulation processing unit 111 may acquire charging facility information located on the route traveled by the vehicle 20. In this way, when the simulation processing unit 111 determines that charging is necessary outside the home during the simulation, it can estimate, based on the travel distance, which route between intermediate points on which the power capacity will become zero, and can select an available charging facility based on the charging facility information included in the map information before the travel at which the power capacity is estimated to become zero. As a result, the simulation processing unit 111 can more realistically simulate the charging time outside the home in addition to the amount of charging or the number of charging times outside the home in a specified period, based on the power supply performance information and the electric vehicle performance information of the selected charging facility. The simulation processing unit 111 has been described above.

[0046] Next, the output processing unit 112 will be described. The output processing unit 112 outputs charging information including at least either the amount of charging or the number of charging times required outside the home, which is calculated by the simulation processing unit 111 assuming that the vehicle 20 owned by the user is replaced with an electric vehicle and travels in the same manner as the vehicle 20, to the information processing device 40 via the display unit 14 or the communication network 60. To explain this using the above-mentioned simulation as an example, for example, the output processing unit 112 may output the required charging amount and the required number of charging times outside the home for each electric vehicle type and for each day of the week (j) (1≦j≦4) to the display unit 14 or the information processing device 40 as a client terminal. The output processing unit 112 may output, in addition to the required amount of charging and the required number of charges outside the home, to the display unit 14 or the information processing device 40 as a client terminal, for example, the total travel distance and the amount of electricity required to travel the total travel distance for each day of the week (j) (1≦j≦4), the travel distance between each waypoint and the amount of electricity required to travel the travel distance between each waypoint, the amount of battery charge when leaving the home, the amount of battery charge when arriving at each waypoint, etc. This allows the user to easily grasp the progress of the battery charge amount for each day of the week (j) in the case of switching to an electric vehicle, how much charging will be required outside the home, and how much battery will be consumed at each stopover, etc., which will help alleviate the user's concerns. The configuration of each functional unit of the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 exemplified as this embodiment has been described above.

[0047] A simple simulation is illustrated for the vehicle type information A, B, and C shown in FIG. 3. For electric vehicle A, by ensuring a home charging time of, for example, 7 hours or more, the home charging amount can be made the same as the battery capacity. Similarly, for electric vehicle B, by ensuring a home charging time of 12 hours or more, the home charging amount can be made the same as the battery capacity. Similarly, for electric vehicle C, by setting home charging (normal charging) to 6 kW and ensuring a home charging time of 11 hours or more, the home charging amount can be made the same as the battery capacity. Therefore, in the above case, when applying the simulation, a simple simulation is performed under the condition that the charging amount at departure is equal to the battery capacity of the electric vehicle.

[0048] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in Figures 4A and 4B. Figures 4A and 4B are flowcharts showing a vehicle substitution simulation process by the vehicle substitution simulation device 1. Specifically, the process flow is illustrated in which the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 replaces the vehicle 20 owned by the user with an electric vehicle and simulates charging information including either the charging amount or the number of charging times required, particularly at a charging facility outside the home, when the vehicle 20 is replaced with an electric vehicle and travels in a similar manner to the current vehicle 20. When performing the above simulation for electric vehicles corresponding to each of a plurality of different vehicle types, vehicle models are selected one by one, and simulation processing is performed for the one vehicle model selected using the flowcharts shown in Figures 4A and 4B. 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 making it possible to perform simulation processing for each of a plurality of different vehicle models.

[0049] In step S10, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (vehicle information acquisition unit 110) acquires vehicle mileage information linked to the vehicle identification ID of the vehicle 2020 owned by the user for each day within a predetermined period.

[0050] In step S11, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (simulation processing unit 111) acquires electric vehicle performance information (battery capacity, average power consumption, charging time (normal charging), and charging time (fast charging)) corresponding to the electric vehicle type to be simulated.

[0051] In step S12, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (simulation processing unit 111) sets the first day of a predetermined period to be the target of the simulation processing in the date.

[0052] In step S13, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (simulation processing unit 111) calculates the charge amount of the electric vehicle at the time of departure from home (charge amount at departure) by adding the home charge amount to the battery remaining amount of the previous day. Here, the home charge amount is the maximum amount that can be charged at home among the charge amounts that do not exceed the battery capacity of the electric vehicle when the charge amount at departure added with the battery remaining amount of the previous day is exceeded.

[0053] In step S14, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (simulation processing unit 111) calculates the amount of charge (required amount of charge) of the electric vehicle required to travel a distance equivalent to the total travel distance of the vehicle 20 on the date to be simulated, based on the vehicle mileage information of the vehicle 20 on that date.

[0054] In step S15, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (simulation processing unit 111) compares the required charging amount with the charging amount at the time of departure of the electric vehicle, If the required charging amount≦the charging amount at the time of departure, the process proceeds to step S16. If the required charging amount>the charging amount at the time of departure, the process proceeds to step S20.

[0055] In step S16, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (simulation processing unit 111) sets a function f(date) indicating the amount of charging outside the home to 0, and calculates the remaining battery amount on that date.

[0056] In step S17, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (simulation processing unit 111) sets the date to the day after the relevant date.

[0057] In step S18, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (simulation processing unit 111) judges whether the date is outside the predetermined period. If it is outside the predetermined period, the process proceeds to step S30. If it is within the predetermined period, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0058] In step S20, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (simulation processing unit 111) calculates the outside-home charging amount by subtracting the charging amount at the time of departure from the required charging amount.

[0059] In step S21, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 (simulation processing unit 111) sets the outside-home charging amount to the value of function f (date) indicating the outside-home charging amount, sets the remaining battery amount to zero, and then proceeds to step S17.

[0060] In step S30, the simulation results for a specified period of time estimated when the vehicle 20 is replaced with an electric vehicle of that vehicle type are edited and output to the display unit 14 or the information processing device 40, and the simulation processing based on the electric vehicle of that vehicle type is terminated.

[0061] The above describes the process in which the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 estimates charging information including the amount of charging and / or the number of charging times outside the home that will be required within a specified period of time if the vehicle 20 owned by the user is replaced with an electric vehicle corresponding to a specified vehicle type and the vehicle is assumed to be driven in a similar manner to the vehicle 20 within the specified period of time.

[0062] As a modified example of the process of the vehicle substitution simulation device 1, in step S14 above, when the multiple location information (waypoints) where the vehicle 20 is parked on the relevant date indicates the location information of a refueling facility, a value obtained by subtracting the travel distance between the waypoints immediately before the refueling facility is the destination and the travel distance between the waypoints immediately after the refueling facility is the departure point from the total travel distance of the vehicle 20 on the relevant date may be applied. By doing so, it is possible to more accurately calculate the amount of charging time required outside the home if the user switches to an electric vehicle. In addition, travel information for cases where the user leaves home and does not return home in the evening (or at night) (for example, to a travel destination, a business trip destination, etc.) may be excluded from the target of the vehicle substitution simulation of this embodiment, since this differs from the normal travel pattern. By doing so, it is possible to more accurately calculate the daily required amount of charging and / or number of charging times outside the home when the user replaces the vehicle with an electric vehicle.

[0063] As a result, it is possible to easily grasp charging information including the amount and / or number of charging times outside the home that will be required within a specified period of time if the user replaces the vehicle 20 owned by the user with an electric vehicle corresponding to a specified vehicle type and drives the vehicle in the same manner as the vehicle 20 within the specified period of time. This makes it possible to provide objective information for the user when considering replacing the vehicle 20 with an electric vehicle.

[0064] Each of the devices can be realized by hardware, software, or a combination of these. In addition, the navigation method performed by the cooperation of each of the devices 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.

[0065] The program can be stored and provided to the computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. The non-transitory computer readable media includes various types of tangible storage media. Examples of the 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-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, CD-R / W, and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory)). The program may also be provided to the computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of the transitory computer readable media include electric signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer readable media can provide the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path.

[0066] 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, and the present invention can be implemented in various modified forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0067] <Variation 1> In the above embodiment, the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 is realized by one server device or the like, but the functions of the vehicle substitution simulation device 1 may be distributed to a plurality of server devices as appropriate to form 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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 100 Vehicle Alternative Simulation System 1 Vehicle replacement simulation device 11 Control section 110 Vehicle information acquisition unit 111 Simulation processing section 112 Output Processing Section 12 Storage section 121 Map information storage unit 123 Electric vehicle information storage unit 13. Communications Department 14 Display section 15 Input section 20 Vehicles 20A Mobile Terminal 30 Vehicle driving information database system (FCD database system) 40 Information processing device 60 Communication Network

Claims

1. a map information storage unit that stores map information including charging facility information including road information and locations of charging facilities, and information regarding fueling facilities for supplying fuel to the internal combustion engine; an electric vehicle information storage unit that stores electric vehicle performance information related to the driving performance of an electric vehicle equipped with an electrically driven motor; a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires travel information including at least position information and time information of an internal combustion engine vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine of a user, collected within a predetermined period, and acquires route information including at least departure position information and parking position information, time information, and travel distance information including a travel distance of the internal combustion engine vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine of the user during the predetermined period; a simulation processing unit that calculates an amount of charging required for traveling each route in which the electric vehicle travels the same route as the internal combustion engine vehicle, from traveling distance information of the internal combustion engine vehicle and the electric vehicle performance information on each day within the specified period, calculates a parking time at the user's home and estimates an amount of charging that can be performed at the user's home based on the parking time at the user's home, and further estimates charging information including either an amount of charging or a number of charging times that is required at a charging facility outside the home from the amount of charging that can be performed at the home and the amount of charging required for traveling each of the routes, based on the map information; an output processing unit that outputs the charging information to an information terminal of the user; having The simulation processing unit calculates the charging information by excluding from the driving information of the internal combustion engine vehicle driving information in which the internal combustion engine vehicle has the refueling facility as its destination for refueling the internal combustion engine.

2. the electric vehicle information storage unit further includes the electric vehicle performance information for each vehicle type of a plurality of electric vehicles; the simulation processing unit estimates the charging information for each vehicle type of the plurality of electric vehicles; 2. The vehicle substitution simulation device according to claim 1, wherein the output processing unit outputs the charging information for each vehicle type of the plurality of electric vehicles.

3. the map information storage unit includes power supply performance information related to the power supply performance of a charger in the charging facility information, 3. The vehicle substitution simulation device according to claim 1, wherein the simulation processing unit calculates a charging time within the predetermined period as charging information from the power supply performance information and the electric vehicle performance information.

4. 1. A computer-implemented method for vehicle substitution simulation, comprising: a map information storage step for storing map information including road information and charging facility information including locations of charging facilities, and information regarding fueling facilities for supplying fuel to the internal combustion engine; an electric vehicle information storage step of storing electric vehicle performance information relating to the driving performance of an electric vehicle equipped with an electrically driven motor; a vehicle information acquisition step of acquiring driving information including at least position information and time information of an internal combustion engine vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine of a user, which is collected within a predetermined period of time, and acquiring route information including at least departure position information and parking position information, time information, and mileage information including a mileage of the internal combustion engine vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine of the user during the predetermined period; a simulation processing step of calculating an amount of charge required for the electric vehicle to travel each of the same routes as the internal combustion engine vehicle from travel distance information of the internal combustion engine vehicle and the electric vehicle performance information on each day within the specified period, calculating a parking time at the user's home and estimating an amount of charge that can be charged at the user's home based on the parking time at the user's home, and further estimating charging information including either an amount of charge or a number of charges required at a charging facility outside the home from the amount of charge that can be charged at the home and the amount of charge required for traveling each of the routes, based on the map information; an output processing step of outputting the charging information to an information terminal of the user; Equipped with The vehicle substitution simulation method is characterized in that the simulation processing step calculates the charging information by excluding from the driving information of the internal combustion engine vehicle driving information having the refueling facility as a destination for the internal combustion engine vehicle to refuel the internal combustion engine.

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