Information processing device, system, method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device for performing a travel control that optimizes a total amount of energy consumed by a plurality of vehicles as a whole.SOLUTION: An information processing device for controlling travels of a plurality of vehicles equipped with electric motors and internal combustion engines comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires, from each of the plural vehicles, a traveling plan which includes a scheduled travel route from a starting point to a destination point and a target charging rate of an on-vehicle battery at a time of arrival at the destination point; an estimating unit for estimating an expected amount of regenerative energy that can be recovered by regenerative braking of the electric motor in traveling based on the traveling plan for each of the plurality of vehicles; a setting unit for deriving a threshold common to the plurality of vehicles for selecting traveling using the electric motors based on an estimated sum of expected amounts of a plurality of regenerative energies, and for setting a first section in which only the electric motor is driven and a second section in which at least the internal combustion engine is driven on a planned travel route based on the derived threshold; and a communication unit that provides the plurality of vehicles with the first section and the second section set by the setting unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device that provides information regarding driving to a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In a hybrid vehicle equipped with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, by generating a driving plan that controls efficient use of both driving powered by the electric motor and driving powered by the internal combustion engine, the amount of energy consumed by the vehicle can be reduced, thereby improving fuel efficiency.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a device that generates a driving plan that optimizes the energy consumed by a vehicle by taking into account the driving environment. In the method described in Patent Document 1, a driving plan is generated based on a speed pattern generated based on the vehicle's driving route and traffic conditions obtained from an external source. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-070101 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the case where multiple vehicles are driven simultaneously, the method described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 makes it possible to generate a driving plan that optimizes the energy consumed by each individual vehicle. However, it is not possible to generate a driving plan that optimizes the total energy consumed by the multiple vehicles by consolidating all the energy consumed by the multiple vehicles. Therefore, there is room for further study on driving control that optimizes the total energy consumed by the multiple vehicles.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an information processing device and the like that can perform driving control that optimizes the total energy consumed across multiple vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the disclosed technology is an information processing device that controls the driving of multiple vehicles equipped with electric motors and internal combustion engines as power sources, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires from each of the multiple vehicles a driving plan including a planned driving route from a starting point to a destination point and a target power storage rate, which is the power storage rate of a battery installed in the target vehicle upon arrival at the destination point; an estimation unit that estimates, for each of the multiple vehicles, a predicted amount of regenerative energy, which is energy that can be recovered by regenerative braking of the electric motor when driving based on the driving plan; a setting unit that derives a threshold common to the multiple vehicles for selecting driving using the electric motor based on a combined value that adds up the multiple predicted amounts of regenerative energy estimated by the estimation unit, and sets, based on the derived threshold, a first section in which the vehicle drives only the electric motor and a second section in which the vehicle drives at least the internal combustion engine, respectively, on the planned driving route; and a communication unit that provides the multiple vehicles with the first and second sections set by the setting unit. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the information processing device and the like of the present disclosure, driving control can be performed that optimizes the total energy consumed across multiple vehicles. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system including an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Diagram 2] Vehicle functional block diagram [Diagram 3] 1 is a flowchart of an example of a driving control process executed by a driving control device. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a generation process executed by an information processing device. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for generating an operating scenario in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a threshold correction process in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart of an example of a process for generating a vehicle allocation pattern in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a running power profile. [Figure 9] A diagram showing the regenerative energy region in the driving power profile. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the charge storage rate of a battery. [Figure 11] A diagram showing an example of a method for determining a threshold (limitation based on an upper limit of tolerance) [Figure 12] A diagram showing an example of a method for determining a threshold (limitation based on the lower allowable limit) [Figure 13] An example of dividing a vehicle's driving route into smaller routes [Figure 14] An example of multiple combination patterns created by the vehicle dispatch control unit [Figure 15] An example of one combination pattern (dispatch pattern) selected by the dispatch control unit DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The information processing device according to the present embodiment uses a running power profile that shows a time series of changes in the running power generated by the power source expected when the multiple vehicles run from the starting point to the destination point to quantitatively estimate the total regenerative energy recovery amount of the multiple vehicles at an early stage. Then, based on the consumption status of this total regenerative energy, the information processing device performs control to appropriately rearrange the routes on which the multiple vehicles run. This enables suitable running control that takes into account the target charge rate of the on-board battery. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [Embodiment] <Configuration> Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a system including an information processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the system illustrated in Fig. 1, the information processing device 10 is configured to be capable of wireless communication with a plurality of vehicles 20.

[0012] The information processing device 10 is a device for controlling the routes along which each of a plurality of vehicles 20 travels. The information processing device 10 is constructed in a server owned by, for example, a service provider or a management company.

[0013] The information processing device 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an acquisition unit 110, an estimation unit 120, a setting unit 130, a communication unit 140, a storage unit 150, and a vehicle dispatch control unit 160.

[0014] The acquisition unit 110 acquires vehicle-related information (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle information") from each of the multiple vehicles 20. An example of this vehicle information is a driving plan including a planned driving route (such as an initially set route) from the departure point of the vehicle 20 to the destination point and a target charge rate of the on-board battery at the time of arrival at the destination point. The vehicle information also includes a notification that the vehicle is at the initially set time and a notification that the absolute difference value of the power integration value is equal to or greater than a reference value. The vehicle information related to this notification will be described later. The estimation unit 120 estimates an expected amount of regenerative energy, which is energy that can be recovered by regenerative braking in the multiple vehicles 20, based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 110. The setting unit 130 sets a section in which an electric motor is used and a section in which an internal combustion engine is used in each driving route of the multiple vehicles 20, based on a threshold value derived from the total value of the multiple expected amounts of regenerative energy estimated by the estimation unit 120 and the target charge rate. The communication unit 140 provides (transmits) information on the sections set by the setting unit 130 to the multiple vehicles 20. The storage unit 150 stores the driving history of the vehicle 20 from the departure point to the destination point. This driving history may be acquired from the storage unit of the vehicle 20. The vehicle allocation control unit 160 creates a vehicle allocation pattern indicating the actual driving route from the departure point to the destination point along which the multiple vehicles 20 should actually travel. The vehicle allocation pattern will be described later.

[0015] The information processing device 10 is typically configured by a computer having a memory, a processor, and an interface. The processor of the information processing device 10 realizes each of the above-mentioned functions by, for example, reading and executing a program stored in a non-transitory memory.

[0016] The vehicles 20 are delivery vehicles used for services in which multiple vehicles travel multiple predetermined routes, such as parcel delivery services and vending machine refill services. The vehicles 20 of this embodiment are automobiles equipped with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as power sources, and efficiently control the routes along which the vehicles 20 travel based on information provided by the information processing device 10.

[0017] Fig. 2 shows an example of a functional block of the vehicle 20. The vehicle 20 shown in Fig. 2 is equipped with each of the following components: a cruise control device 210, an internal combustion engine ECU 220, an internal combustion engine 221, a transmission 222, an electric motor ECU 230, an electric motor 231, a battery ECU 240, a battery 241, an EPSECU 250, an EPS device 251, a brake ECU 260, a brake device 261, a cruise control ECU 270, a driving assistance ECU 280, an automatic driving ECU 290, a manager ECU 300, a storage unit 310, and a communication unit 320. Each of the components is connected to be able to communicate with each other via an in-vehicle network 400 such as a controller area network (CAN) or Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0018] In addition to the configuration described above, the vehicle 20 may be equipped with a variety of devices, such as an accelerator pedal sensor, a brake pedal sensor, a camera, an obstacle sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a GPS sensor, and various other sensors, as well as a navigation system, but these are not shown in the present disclosure.

[0019] The internal combustion engine 221 and the electric motor 231 are an actuator (ACT) that serves as a power source for driving the vehicle 20. The electric motor 231 also serves as a generator that generates electricity by regenerative braking when the vehicle 20 is decelerating or traveling downhill, and as a braking device that generates braking force.

[0020] The internal combustion engine ECU 220 is an electronic control unit (ECU: Electric Control Unit) that controls the internal combustion engine 221 and the transmission 222, which changes the rotation speed between the input and output, to generate driving torque and braking torque by engine braking.

[0021] The electric motor ECU 230 is an electronic control unit that controls the electric motor 231 to generate a driving torque and to generate a braking torque by regenerative braking.

[0022] The battery 241 is a secondary battery (such as a lithium ion battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, or a lead storage battery) that is configured to be chargeable and dischargeable. The battery 241 can supply electric power to the electric motor 231 and other devices by discharging, and can be charged with electric power (recovered energy) obtained by regenerative braking of the electric motor 231 or electric power (generated energy) obtained by powering operation using the internal combustion engine 221. The battery ECU 240 is an electronic control unit that controls the charging and discharging of electric power of the battery 241.

[0023] The EPS (electric power steering) device 251 is an actuator that performs steering to change the steering angle of the wheels to change the traveling direction of the vehicle 20. The EPSECU 250 is an electronic control unit that controls the EPS device 251.

[0024] The brake device (foot brake device) 261 is an actuator that generates a braking force by frictional force against a member that rotates together with the wheel. The brake ECU 260 is an electronic control unit that controls the brake device 261.

[0025] The driving control ECU 270 is an electronic control unit that controls the internal combustion engine ECU 220 and the electric motor ECU 230 according to a driving mode, which will be described later.

[0026] The driving assistance ECU 280 is an electronic control unit that executes various functions for assisting driving of the vehicle 20, such as collision avoidance (PCS), adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane keeping (LKA), and lane departure warning (LDW). The driving assistance ECU 280 outputs instructions for controlling the motion of the vehicle 20, such as acceleration / deceleration and steering angle, based on information about the vehicle 20 acquired from various sensors. The functions and number of the driving assistance ECUs 280 are not limited.

[0027] The autonomous driving ECU 290 is an electronic control unit that executes the autonomous driving function. Based on information about the vehicle 20 acquired from various sensors, the autonomous driving ECU 290 outputs instructions to control the motion of the vehicle 20, such as acceleration / deceleration and steering angle, in order to execute the autonomous driving function.

[0028] The manager ECU 300 is an electronic control unit that issues instructions to the EPSECU 250, the brake ECU 260, the cruise control ECU 270, etc. (hereinafter, these ECUs are collectively referred to as "actuator ECUs") based on instructions from the driving assistance ECU 280, the automatic driving ECU 290, etc. For example, the manager ECU 300 issues acceleration instructions to the cruise control ECU 270, steering instructions to the EPSECU 250, and deceleration instructions to the cruise control ECU 270 and the brake ECU 260.

[0029] When the manager ECU 300 receives instructions from a plurality of driving assistance ECUs 280 and the like, the manager ECU 300 performs a process called arbitration based on a predetermined rule to determine which instruction to follow to control the vehicle 20, and issues an instruction to the actuator ECU based on the result of the arbitration. The details of the driving operations manually performed by the driver or the like on the steering wheel, brake pedal, accelerator pedal, and the like may be acquired by the manager ECU 300 and may be subject to arbitration processing by the manager ECU 300, or may be acquired by the actuator ECU, which may individually arbitrate between the manual driving operations by the driver and the instructions from the manager ECU 300.

[0030] The storage unit 310 stores a driving history of the vehicle 20. The driving history is a history of when the vehicle 20 was driven in the past, and is information on the driving power generated in the power sources (the internal combustion engine 221 and the electric motor 231) at each time point during the period in which the vehicle 20 was driven. The driving power is made up of the driving power of the internal combustion engine 221, the driving power of the electric motor 231, and the absorbed power of the electric motor 231. This driving history can be generated, for example, by periodically storing in the storage unit 310 the driving power derived and acquired based on various sensors provided in the vehicle 20 while a power supply system (not shown) of the vehicle 20 is in an on state. The storage unit 310 may be provided, for example, as a part of a navigation system (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 20.

[0031] The communication unit 320 is capable of wireless communication with the information processing device 10 as well as with a server outside the vehicle (not shown) and other vehicles, and can receive driving history of entities other than the driver obtained based on the driving results of other vehicles.

[0032] The driving control device 210 is an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls the driving of the vehicle 20. The driving control device 210 includes components of a control unit 211 and a derivation unit 212.

[0033] The control unit 211 controls the driving of the vehicle 20 based on the driving scenario and the vehicle allocation pattern provided by the information processing device 10. The driving scenario and the vehicle allocation pattern will be described later. The derivation unit 212 derives the deviation between the driving power based on the driving history and the driving power based on the actual driving.

[0034] Each ECU of the vehicle 20 described above is typically configured by a computer equipped with a memory, a processor, and an interface. The processor of each ECU realizes each function by, for example, reading and executing a program stored in a non-transitory memory. These ECUs are connected to each other by communication lines, and can operate cooperatively by appropriately communicating with each other.

[0035] The above-described configurations of the devices mounted on the vehicle 20 and the configuration of the driving control device 210 are merely examples, and may be added, replaced, modified, or omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the functions of each device may be implemented by being integrated into one device or distributed among multiple devices as appropriate.

[0036] For example, the driving control device 210 may be provided as an independent ECU, or may be provided as part of the manager ECU 300 or the driving control ECU 270, or the functions of the driving control device 210 may be distributed to the manager ECU 300 or the driving control ECU 270, etc.

[0037] Also, for example, the cruise control device 210, the cruise control ECU 270, the driving assistance ECU 280, the automatic driving ECU 290, and the manager ECU 300 may be provided as a single ECU.

[0038] <Processing> An example of control and processing executed by the information processing device 10 and the vehicle 20 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail below with further reference to FIGS.

[0039] (1) Driving control processing 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a driving control process executed by the driving control device 210 of each vehicle 20. This driving control process is started, for example, when a driver or the like turns on the power supply system of the vehicle 20 to start a trip, and is executed until the power supply system of the vehicle 20 is turned off to end the trip.

[0040] (Step S301) The control unit 211 judges whether or not it is the initial setting time when the control of the driving mode based on the driving scenario described later has not yet started. If it is the initial setting time (S301, Yes), the process proceeds to step S304, and if it is not the initial setting time (S301, No), the process proceeds to step S302.

[0041] (Step S302) The derivation unit 212 derives an absolute difference E_d(t) of the power integrated value from the starting point (t=0) to the current point (t=T). The absolute difference E_d(t) of the power integrated value is a numerical value indicating the absolute difference between an integrated value ΣP_present(t) of the magnitude of the running power obtained by the vehicle 20 actually running and an integrated value ΣP_past(t) of the magnitude of the running power calculated based on a running power profile described later, as shown in the following formula [1]. This absolute difference E_d(t) of the power integrated value is derived at a constant period after the vehicle 20 leaves the starting point, for example. When the absolute difference E_d(t) of the power integrated value is derived, the process proceeds to step S303. E_d(t)=|ΣP_past(t)-ΣP_present(t)| …[1]

[0042] (Step S303) The control unit 211 judges whether the absolute difference E_d(t) of the power integrated value derived by the derivation unit 212 exceeds the reference value C. This judgment is made to reconsider whether the driving scenario needs to be reviewed. Therefore, the reference value C is set to an appropriate predetermined value that can determine that the driving scenario needs to be regenerated when the change in the running power based on the driving scenario generated at the starting point deviates significantly from the running power profile set from the past running history (S303, Yes), and the driving scenario needs to be regenerated. If the absolute difference E_d(t) of the power integrated value exceeds the reference value C (E_d(t)>C) (S303, Yes), the process proceeds to step S304 to regenerate the driving scenario. On the other hand, if the absolute difference E_d(t) of the power integrated value does not exceed the reference value C (E_d(t)≦C) (S303, No), the process proceeds to step S306 to continue the driving mode control according to the current driving scenario.

[0043] (Step S304) When the control unit 211 determines in step S301 that the vehicle is currently in the initial setting state where the control of the driving mode based on the driving scenario has not yet started, the control unit 211 notifies the information processing device 10 of the initial setting state as vehicle information. When the control unit 211 determines in step S303 that the absolute difference E_d(t) of the power integrated value exceeds the reference value C, the control unit 211 notifies the information processing device 10 of E_d(t)>C as vehicle information. When making this notification, the control unit 211 notifies the information processing device 10 of a target power storage rate SOC_tgt, which is a target power storage rate (SOC: State Of Charge) of the battery 241 at the time when the vehicle 20 arrives at the destination point, as vehicle information. This target power storage rate SOC_tgt is specified by, for example, the driver of the vehicle 20 or a management center outside the vehicle. The notification of the vehicle information is performed via the communication unit 320 of the vehicle 20.

[0044] (Step S305) The control unit 211 acquires a driving scenario and a vehicle allocation pattern (described later) of the vehicle 20 from the information processing device 10. The driving scenario and the vehicle allocation pattern are acquired via the communication unit 320 of the vehicle 20. The processing of step S305 may be performed after waiting a predetermined time from the processing of step S304 so that a driving scenario and a vehicle allocation pattern reflecting the contents notified in the above step S304 can be acquired. When the driving scenario and the vehicle allocation pattern are acquired, the processing proceeds to step S306.

[0045] (Step S306) The control unit 211 controls the driving mode of the vehicle 20 based on the driving scenario and the vehicle allocation pattern. More specifically, the control unit 211 determines a section in which the magnitude of the driving power is equal to or less than the threshold of the driving scenario as a "first section" in the route instructed by the vehicle allocation pattern, and determines a section in which the magnitude of the driving power exceeds the threshold of the driving scenario as a "second section." In the first section, the control unit 211 selects the "electric motor mode" in which only the electric motor 231 is driven as the driving mode, and notifies the driving control ECU 270. In response to this notification, the driving control ECU 270 causes the electric motor ECU 230 to control the driving by the electric motor 231. In addition, in the second section, the control unit 211 selects, for example, the "internal combustion engine mode" in which only the internal combustion engine 221 is driven as the driving mode, and notifies the driving control ECU 270. In response to this notification, the driving control ECU 270 causes the internal combustion engine ECU 220 to control the driving by the internal combustion engine 221.

[0046] In the electric motor mode, regenerative braking is performed by the electric motor 231, and the kinetic energy of the vehicle 20 is recovered as electric power. When a certain level of deceleration is required because the driver depresses the brake pedal hard or the driving assistance ECU 280 issues a high-priority command for rapid deceleration to avoid a collision or the like, the manager ECU 300 and the brake ECU 260 control the brake device 261 to generate a sufficient braking force.

[0047] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the driving scenario sets the driving mode for the second section to the internal combustion engine mode in which only the internal combustion engine 21 is driven for driving. However, since the charge rate of the battery 241 is controlled to be substantially constant in hybrid driving, the "hybrid mode" in which at least the internal combustion engine 21 is driven for driving may be selected as the driving mode for the second section instead of the internal combustion engine mode.

[0048] (Step S307) The control unit 211 judges whether the vehicle 20 has arrived at the destination point. If the vehicle 20 has arrived at the destination point (S307, Yes), the process proceeds to step S301 to generate a driving scenario and a vehicle allocation pattern to the next destination point. On the other hand, if the vehicle 20 has not yet arrived at the destination point (S307, No), the process proceeds to step S302 to reconsider whether the current driving scenario and vehicle allocation pattern need to be reviewed.

[0049] (2) Information generation processing 4 is a flowchart showing an example of information generation processing executed by the information processing device 10. This information generation processing is started when, for example, vehicle information (including a notification that the initial setting is being performed, a notification that the absolute difference value E_d(t) of the power integrated value exceeds the reference value C, and a notification of the target power storage rate SOC_tgt of the battery 241 when arriving at the destination) is received from the vehicle 20.

[0050] (Step S401) The communication unit 140 judges whether or not a notification that it is the initial setting time has been received from each of the vehicles 20 for each of the multiple vehicles 20. For a vehicle 20 that has been notified that it is the initial setting time (S401, Yes), the process proceeds to step S403. On the other hand, for a vehicle 20 that has not been notified that it is the initial setting time (S401, No), the process proceeds to step S402.

[0051] (Step S402) The communication unit 140 judges whether or not a notification has been received from a vehicle 20 for each of the multiple vehicles 20 that the absolute difference value E_d(t) of the power integrated value exceeds the reference value C. For a vehicle 20 that has been notified that the absolute difference value E_d(t) of the power integrated value exceeds the reference value C (S402, Yes), the process proceeds to step S407. On the other hand, for a vehicle 20 that has not been notified that the absolute difference value E_d(t) of the power integrated value exceeds the reference value C (S402, No), the process proceeds to step S401.

[0052] (Step S403) The acquisition unit 110 acquires the destination point of the vehicle 20 notified in step S401. The destination point is given by, for example, latitude / longitude information. This destination point is an end point where the vehicle 20 ends its journey as a trip, or an arbitrary intermediate point set on the route to the end point. The acquisition unit 110 typically acquires the destination point from the vehicle 20. When the destination point for the target vehicle 20 is acquired, the process proceeds to step S404.

[0053] (Step S404) The acquisition unit 110 acquires a running power profile of the vehicle 20 that has acquired the destination point in step S403. The running power profile is power information that indicates, in a time series, changes in running power that occur in the power source (the internal combustion engine 221 and the electric motor 231) at each point in time, which are predicted during the running of the vehicle 20 from the starting point (current point) to the destination point. FIG. 8 shows an example of a running power profile. In FIG. 8, the horizontal axis indicates the elapsed time from the start of the running, and the vertical axis indicates the running power. The running power profile acquired by the acquisition unit 110 is generated (or extracted) based on, for example, information stored in the storage unit 150 or the storage unit 310 of the vehicle 20, that is, based on the past running history of the same route from the starting point to the destination point.

[0054] A simple example of generation will be described. For example, if a route is traveled from a departure point to a destination point at approximately the same time and along the same route, it is considered that the change pattern of the traveling power generated in the power source will be approximately the same in multiple past traveling histories stored corresponding to this route. In this case, the traveling power profile may be generated based on any one of the multiple past histories. Furthermore, if the traveling history is assigned attributes such as the day of the week and time period on which the traveling was performed, the traveling power profile may be generated based on the traveling history that has a large number of attributes that match the current traveling.

[0055] In addition, when there are multiple driving histories that are candidates for the running power profile, for example, any one of them may be used as the running power profile, or the running power profile may be an average of the multiple running histories. In addition, when the running history is vehicle information (such as vehicle speed) other than power information that indicates the change in running power that occurred in the power source during running in a time series, the running power profile may be generated based on the vehicle information. The method of generating the running power profile is not limited, and the above-mentioned methods may be appropriately combined. When the running power profile is acquired for the target vehicle 20, the process proceeds to step S405.

[0056] (Step S405) The estimation unit 120 estimates the regenerative energy E_est, which is energy obtained by regenerative braking of the electric motor 231 from the departure point of the vehicle 20, whose destination point was acquired in step S403, to the destination point. The estimation of the regenerative energy E_est is performed based on the running power profile. Specifically, a period in which the running power is a negative value (less than 0) in the running power profile is a period in which it is expected that regenerative energy can be recovered, and the time integral value of the magnitude of the running power in this period, that is, the area of ​​the region shown by hatching in FIG. 9, is calculated as the estimated regenerative energy E_est. When estimating the regenerative energy E_est, the estimated value may be corrected taking into account variable factors such as an increase in vehicle weight due to loading luggage, bad weather, etc. When the regenerative energy E_est for the target vehicle 20 is estimated, the process proceeds to step S406.

[0057] It is to be noted that the running power profile stored in the storage unit 150 or the storage unit 310 of the vehicle 20 as the above-mentioned past running history may be approximate data rather than actual data due to restrictions on the memory capacity of the storage unit 150 or the storage unit 310 of the vehicle 20. In such a case, in order to improve the estimation accuracy of the regenerative energy E_est, an integrated value of the negative running power may be stored as a running history separately from the running power profile.

[0058] (Step S406) The acquisition unit 110 acquires the target power storage rate SOC_tgt of the vehicle 20 notified in step S401. This target power storage rate SOC_tgt is notified from the vehicle 20. For example, if there is a charging facility at the destination, the battery 241 can be charged, so it is possible to set the target power storage rate SOC_tgt lower than the standard value. Also, if there is a plan to use a lot of power at the destination, it is possible to set the target power storage rate SOC_tgt higher than the standard value. When the target power storage rate SOC_tgt for the target vehicle 20 is acquired, the process proceeds to step S407.

[0059] (Step S407) The acquisition unit 110 acquires the initial power storage rate SOC_stt of the vehicle 20 notified in the above step S401 or S402. The initial power storage rate SOC_stt is the power storage rate of the battery 241 at the time when a driving scenario is to be generated. In the case of the vehicle 20 notified in the above step S401 that the initial setting is being performed, the initial power storage rate SOC_stt is the power storage rate of the battery 241 at the start of traveling when a driving scenario is generated for the first time, and in the case of the vehicle 20 notified in the above step S402 that the absolute difference value E_d(t) of the power integrated value exceeds the reference value C, the initial power storage rate SOC_stt is the power storage rate of the battery 241 during traveling (midway) when a driving scenario is generated again. The acquisition unit 110 can acquire the initial power storage rate SOC_stt of the battery 241 from the battery ECU 240 of the vehicle 20 or the like. When the initial power storage rate SOC_stt is acquired for the target vehicle 20, the process proceeds to step S408.

[0060] (Step S408) The setting unit 130 performs a process (driving scenario generation process) for generating driving scenarios for multiple vehicles 20. A driving scenario is information that sets threshold values ​​in a time series for dividing a route from a current point to a destination point into a section where the vehicle 20 runs using only the electric motor 231 (hereinafter referred to as a "first section") and a section where the vehicle 20 runs using at least the internal combustion engine 221 (hereinafter referred to as a "second section"). This driving scenario generation process will be described later. Once the driving scenario is generated, the process proceeds to step S409.

[0061] (Step S409) The setting unit 130 performs a process (dispatch pattern generation process) of generating a dispatch pattern for the multiple vehicles 20. The dispatch pattern indicates a route (actual travel route) from a departure point to a destination point that should actually be traveled for each of the multiple vehicles 20. This dispatch pattern generation process will be described later. When the dispatch pattern is generated, the process proceeds to step S410.

[0062] (Step S410) The communication unit 140 transmits the driving scenario generated in step S408 and the vehicle allocation pattern generated in step S409 to each of the multiple vehicles 20. This vehicle allocation pattern is transmitted to, for example, a smartphone of the driver of each vehicle 20. This makes it possible to realize driving control in the multiple vehicles 20 that optimizes the total energy consumed by the multiple vehicles 20 as a whole.

[0063] (3) Operation scenario generation process The driving scenario generating process shown in step S408 in Fig. 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the driving scenario generating process executed by the information processing device 10.

[0064] (Step S501) The setting unit 130 derives the total required electric energy ΣE_need. This total required electric energy ΣE_need is a value obtained by adding up, for a plurality of vehicles 20, electric energy E_need required for bringing the charge rate of the battery 241 to the target charge rate SOC_tgt at the time when each vehicle 20 arrives at the destination point. The required electric energy E_need of each vehicle 20 is derived by the following formula [2] based on the estimated regenerative energy E_est, the initial charge rate SOC_stt, and the full charge capacity C_f of the battery 241. In addition, the total required electric energy ΣE_need is derived by the following formula [3]. The variable x is the number of vehicles 20. When the total required electric energy ΣE_need is derived, the process proceeds to step S502. E_need=E_est+(SOC_stt-SOC_tgt)×C_f …[2] ΣE_need=E1_need+E2_need+…+Ex_need …[3]

[0065] (Step S502) The setting unit 130 applies the threshold P_swt to the traveling power profile to estimate a change in the charge storage rate SOC_clc of the battery 241 expected for the plurality of vehicles 20 from the current location to the destination. The threshold P_swt is a value of the traveling power that provides a timing for switching between the first section in which only the electric motor 231 is driven for the vehicle traveling described above and the second section in which at least the internal combustion engine 221 is driven for the vehicle traveling, and can take a value between zero and the maximum power that the vehicle 20 can output. As the threshold P_swt, one value that is commonly applied to the plurality of vehicles 20 is used. For the threshold P_swt, an initial value is set in advance such that the region of low traveling power where the efficiency of the internal combustion engine 21 becomes poor becomes the first section, and this initial value is appropriately corrected according to the contents of the processing. The current location becomes the starting point in the driving scenario generation processing performed at the time of initial setting. When the change in the charge storage rate SOC_clc of the battery 241 of each vehicle 20 is estimated, the processing proceeds to step S503.

[0066] An example of a change in the estimated power storage rate SOC_clc of the battery 241 is shown in Fig. 10. As illustrated in Fig. 10, in the first section (period [1] in the figure) in the traveling power profile where the traveling power is equal to or greater than zero and equal to or less than a threshold, power is consumed by the powering control of the electric motor 231, so the power storage rate SOC_clc of the battery 241 decreases. On the other hand, in the first section (period [0] in the figure) where the traveling power is less than zero, power is charged because the electric motor 231 performs regenerative control, so the power storage rate SOC_clc of the battery 241 increases. Also, in the second section (period [2] in the figure) where the traveling power profile exceeds the threshold, power is not consumed by the electric motor 231, so the power storage rate SOC_clc of the battery 241 is maintained.

[0067] (Step S503) The setting unit 130 judges for each of the multiple vehicles 20 whether there is an intermediate point where the storage rate SOC_clc of the battery 241, the change of which is estimated from the current point to the destination point, reaches an upper limit value or a lower limit value allowed for the battery 241. The allowable upper limit value of the battery 241 is, for example, a storage rate at which the battery 241 is in an overcharged state. The allowable lower limit value of the battery 241 is, for example, a storage rate at which the battery 241 is in an overdischarged state. The allowable upper limit value and / or the allowable lower limit value of the storage rate of the battery 241 may be a common value for the multiple vehicles 20. If there is an intermediate point where the storage rate SOC_clc reaches the allowable upper limit value or the allowable lower limit value (S503, Yes), the process proceeds to step S507. On the other hand, if there is no intermediate point where the storage rate SOC_clc reaches the allowable upper limit value or the allowable lower limit value (S503, No), the process proceeds to step S504.

[0068] (Step S504) The setting unit 130 calculates the total motor traveling energy ΣE_mg. This total motor traveling energy ΣE_mg is a value obtained by adding up, for a plurality of vehicles 20, estimated values ​​of motor traveling energy E_mg consumed by the motor 231 from the current point to the destination point, which is calculated based on the charge rate SOC_clc of the battery 241 whose change is estimated in each vehicle 20. The motor traveling energy E_mg of each vehicle 20 is calculated based on an integrated value of the traveling power in the first section in which the traveling power is equal to or greater than zero in the traveling power profile to which the current threshold value P_swt is applied. Note that, in the case where there is a threshold value determined in step S507 described later, the current threshold value P_swt and the determined threshold value are applied to the corresponding period, respectively, to calculate the motor traveling energy E_mg. In addition, the total motor traveling energy ΣE_mg is derived by the following formula [4]. The variable x is the number of vehicles 20. When the total motor traveling energy ΣE_mg is calculated, the process proceeds to step S505. ΣE_mg=E1_mg+E2_mg+…+Ex_mg …[4]

[0069] (Step S505) The setting unit 130 judges whether the total motor traveling energy ΣE_mg is equal to the total required electric energy ΣE_need (ΣE_mg=ΣE_need). This judgment is made to judge whether the total required electric energy ΣE_need is being consumed without excess or deficiency at the current threshold value P_swt. If the total motor traveling energy ΣE_mg is equal to the total required electric energy ΣE_need (S505, Yes), the process proceeds to step S506. On the other hand, if the total motor traveling energy ΣE_mg is not equal to the total required electric energy ΣE_need (S505, No), the process proceeds to step S508.

[0070] (Step S506) The setting unit 130 determines (confirms) the current threshold P_swt as the regular threshold to be applied from the threshold undetermined point to the destination point. The threshold undetermined point in this step is the current point in each vehicle 20 if the power storage rate SOC_clc changes without ever reaching the allowable upper limit or allowable lower limit of the power storage rate of the battery 241, and is the intermediate point where the power storage rate SOC_clc last reached the allowable upper limit or allowable lower limit if the power storage rate SOC_clc reaches the allowable upper limit or allowable lower limit of the power storage rate of the battery 241 at least once. When the threshold from the undetermined point to the destination point is determined, the process proceeds to step S509.

[0071] (Step S507) The setting unit 130 determines (confirms) the current threshold value P_swt as the regular threshold value to be applied from the threshold undetermined point to the midpoint. In this step, the threshold undetermined point in each vehicle 20 is the current point if this current midpoint is the midpoint where the power storage rate SOC_clc reaches the allowable upper or lower limit of the power storage rate of the battery 241 for the first time, and is the previous midpoint if this midpoint is the midpoint where the power storage rate SOC_clc reaches the allowable upper or lower limit of the power storage rate of the battery 241 for the second or subsequent time. There is no limit to the number of midpoints. Once the threshold value from the undetermined point to the midpoint has been determined, the process proceeds to step S504.

[0072] (Step S508) The setting unit 130 executes a process of correcting the current threshold P_swt (threshold correction process). The threshold correction process will be described later. After the threshold P_swt is corrected, the process proceeds to step S502.

[0073] (Step S509) The setting unit 130 generates data for each vehicle 20 by connecting one or more thresholds determined in steps S506 and S507 in a time series, and stores this generated data in the storage unit 150 as a driving scenario to be applied to the travel of each vehicle 20 from the current point to the destination point. When the driving scenario is stored, this driving scenario generation process ends.

[0074] (4) Threshold correction process The threshold correction process shown in step S508 in Fig. 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the threshold correction process executed by the information processing device 10.

[0075] (Step S601) The setting unit 130 judges whether the total motor traveling energy ΣE_mg is greater than the total required electric energy ΣE_need (ΣE_mg>ΣE_need). This judgment is made in order to judge how the threshold value P_swt should be corrected. If the total motor traveling energy ΣE_mg is greater than the total required electric energy ΣE_need (S601, Yes), the process proceeds to step S602. On the other hand, if the total motor traveling energy ΣE_mg is not greater than the total required electric energy ΣE_need (S601, No), the process proceeds to step S603.

[0076] (Step S602) The setting unit 130 reduces the threshold value P_swt because the electric energy is insufficient even if all the regenerative energy E_est estimated for the multiple vehicles 20 is consumed. Specifically, the setting unit 130 changes the current threshold value P_swt to a value reduced by a small amount of power ΔP (P_swt←P_swt-ΔP). The small amount of power ΔP can be set arbitrarily based on the performance of the power source, the difference between the total electric motor running energy ΣE_mg and the total required electric energy ΣE_need, and the like. In addition to the above-mentioned method of reducing the threshold value P_swt by the fixed value of power ΔP, a method of setting an intermediate value between the current threshold value P_swt and the lower limit threshold value P_swt_min, which is the minimum threshold value that can be set, as a corrected threshold value (P_swt←(P_swt+P_swt_min) / 2) may be used as a method of reducing the threshold value P_swt in this step S602 (binary search method). When the threshold value P_swt is reduced, this threshold value correction process ends.

[0077] (Step S603) The setting unit 130 increases the threshold value P_swt because the regenerative energy E_est estimated for the multiple vehicles 20 cannot be entirely consumed. Specifically, the setting unit 130 changes the current threshold value P_swt to a value increased by a small amount of power ΔP (P_swt←P_swt+ΔP). The small amount of power ΔP can be set arbitrarily based on the performance of the power source, the difference between the total motor running energy ΣE_mg and the total required electric energy ΣE_need, and the like. In addition to the above-mentioned method of increasing the threshold value P_swt by the fixed value of power ΔP, a method of setting an intermediate value between the current threshold value P_swt and the upper limit threshold value P_swt_max, which is the maximum threshold value that can be set, as a corrected threshold value (P_swt←(P_swt+P_swt_max) / 2) may be used as a method of increasing the threshold value P_swt in step S603 (binary search method). When the threshold value P_swt is increased, this threshold value correction process ends.

[0078] In addition, when generating a driving scenario, depending on the acquired traveling power profile and initial power storage rate SOC_stt, it may not be possible to both consume all of the regenerative energy E_est estimated for the multiple vehicles 20 and obtain the target power storage rate SOC_tgt at the time of arrival at the destination. In such a case, the driving scenario may be generated by prioritizing either the consumption of all of the estimated regenerative energy E_est or the attainment of the target power storage rate SOC_tgt at the time of arrival at the destination. Also, the driving scenario may be generated by prioritizing the power storage rate SOC_clc not reaching the allowable upper limit value or the allowable lower limit value.

[0079] 11 and 12 show an example of a method for determining the threshold value P_swt that is an operation scenario. Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example where there is an intermediate point where the power storage rate SOC_clc reaches the allowable upper limit value of the battery 241. Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example where there is an intermediate point where the power storage rate SOC_clc reaches the allowable lower limit value of the battery 241.

[0080] In FIG. 11, first, a threshold value (a) that is an initial value of the threshold value P_swt is applied to the traveling power profile to estimate a change (a) in the battery storage rate SOC_clc of the battery 241. However, with this change (a), the target battery storage rate SOC_tgt cannot be obtained when the vehicle arrives at the destination, so the threshold value P_swt is corrected downward to a threshold value (b1). Although the target battery storage rate SOC_tgt cannot be obtained with this threshold value (b1), there is an intermediate point P1 where the battery storage rate SOC_clc reaches an allowable upper limit value, so the threshold value from the starting point to the intermediate point P1 is determined to be the threshold value (b1). Then, finally, a threshold value (c1) is determined from the intermediate point P1 to the destination, which is a change (c1) that can obtain the target battery storage rate SOC_tgt when the vehicle arrives at the destination. With this method, a driving scenario is generated in which the switching control of the traveling mode is performed based on the threshold value (b1) during the time from the starting point to the intermediate point P1, and the switching control of the traveling mode is performed based on the threshold value (c1) during the time from the intermediate point P1 to the destination.

[0081] In FIG. 12, first, a threshold value (a) that is an initial value of the threshold value P_swt is applied to the traveling power profile to estimate a change (a) in the battery storage rate SOC_clc of the battery 241. However, with this change (a), the target battery storage rate SOC_tgt cannot be obtained when the vehicle arrives at the destination, so the threshold value P_swt is revised upward to a threshold value (b2). Although the target battery storage rate SOC_tgt cannot be obtained with this threshold value (b), there is an intermediate point P2 where the battery storage rate SOC_clc reaches the allowable lower limit value, so the threshold value from the starting point to the intermediate point P2 is determined to be the threshold value (b2). Then, finally, a threshold value (c2) is determined from the intermediate point P2 to the destination, which is a change (c2) that can obtain the target battery storage rate SOC_tgt when the vehicle arrives at the destination. With this method, a driving scenario is generated in which the switching control of the traveling mode is performed based on the threshold value (b2) during the time from the starting point to the intermediate point P2, and the switching control of the traveling mode is performed based on the threshold value (c2) during the time from the intermediate point P2 to the destination.

[0082] (5) Vehicle allocation pattern generation process The vehicle allocation pattern generation process shown in step S409 in Fig. 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the vehicle allocation pattern generation process executed by the information processing device 10.

[0083] (Step S701) The dispatch control unit 160 generates a plurality of combination patterns for routes along which the plurality of vehicles 20 are to travel. The plurality of combination patterns are all route patterns obtained by subdividing a plurality of routes from a starting point to a destination point along which the plurality of vehicles 20 are to travel into several small routes according to a predetermined condition, and combining these small routes in an order in which they can be traveled. Examples of the predetermined condition include a condition in which all delivery vehicles return to the office once during a break between the morning and afternoon, and some or all of the plurality of vehicles 20 gather or join at an arbitrary point. The number of predetermined conditions is not limited. When a plurality of combination patterns for the routes are generated, the process proceeds to step S702.

[0084] Fig. 13 shows an example in which route A along which vehicle 20a is scheduled to travel, route B along which vehicle 20b is scheduled to travel, and route C along which vehicle 20c is scheduled to travel are subdivided into six small routes A-1, A-2, B-1, B-2, C-1, and C-2. Fig. 14 shows an example of a plurality of combination patterns created by the dispatch control unit 160 based on the six small routes shown in Fig. 13. Pattern No. 1 in Fig. 14 is a combination pattern in which each of vehicles 20a, 20b, and 20c shown in Fig. 13 travels along routes A, B, and C as scheduled, respectively. In the example of Figure 14, it is assumed that the starting point, rest point, and destination are all the same location (such as an office), so there are also combination patterns (such as pattern No. 14) in which the latter sub-routes A-2, B-2, and C-2 are driven before the first sub-routes A-1, B-1, and C-1, combination patterns (such as pattern No. 2) in which some vehicles only drive on the first sub-routes A-1, B-1, and C-1, and combination patterns (such as pattern No. 17) in which some vehicles only drive on the second sub-routes A-2, B-2, and C-2.

[0085] (Step S702) The vehicle dispatch control unit 160 acquires the driving scenarios of the multiple vehicles 20 generated in the above-mentioned driving scenario generation process from the storage unit 150. When the driving scenarios are acquired, the process proceeds to step S703.

[0086] (Step S703) The vehicle allocation control unit 160 selects one combination pattern from among the multiple combination patterns. This one combination pattern indicates an actual travel route along which the multiple vehicles 20 should actually travel, and is selected based on whether or not the total required electric energy ΣE_need derived from the driving scenario of each of the multiple vehicles 20 can be efficiently consumed in order to obtain the target power storage rate SOC_tgt of each of the multiple vehicles 20.

[0087] More specifically, when each vehicle 20 has a different target power storage rate SOC_tgt set at the destination point, the power storage rates SOC_clc of the batteries 241 of the vehicles 20 at the time when the traveling based on the driving scenario (switching between the first section and the second section) is completed are estimated, and a combination pattern that minimizes the total value of the difference between the estimated power storage rate SOC_clc for each vehicle 20 and the target power storage rate SOC_tgt at the time when the vehicle arrives at the destination point can be selected. In addition, when the target power storage rate SOC_tgt at the destination point is made to approach the power storage rate of the battery 241 at the starting point as much as possible, the predicted amount of regenerative energy E_est of the vehicles 20 at the time when the traveling based on the driving scenario (switching between the first section and the second section) is made to approach the power storage rate of the batteries 241 at the starting point as much as possible can be estimated, and a combination pattern that minimizes the difference between the predicted amounts of regenerative energy E_est estimated for each vehicle 20 among the vehicles 20 (has the smallest variation) can be selected. The values ​​used in the above-mentioned operation scenario generation process can be used to estimate the predicted amount of the charge rate SOC_clc and the regenerative energy E_est, and to obtain the target charge rate SOC_tgt.

[0088] Fig. 15 is an example of one combination pattern selected based on the six small routes A-1, A-2, B-1, B-2, C-1, and C-2 shown in Fig. 13. One combination pattern shown in Fig. 15 means that the vehicle 20a travels on the small routes A-1 and C-2, the vehicle 20b travels on the small routes B-1 and A-2, and the vehicle 20c travels on the small routes C-1 and B-2 (pattern No. 11 in Fig. 14).

[0089] The selection of one combination pattern described above is performed not only in the initial stage of determining the travel route from the starting point to the destination point, but also in the stage of re-determining the remaining travel route from the intermediate point to the destination point. For example, in the initial stage, a combination pattern (pattern No. 1 in FIG. 14) in which the vehicle 20a travels on the small routes A-1 and A-2, the vehicle 20b travels on the small routes B-1 and B-2, and the vehicle 20c travels on the small routes C-1 and C-2 is selected, and the vehicle travel starts. When each vehicle 20 finishes traveling on the small routes A-1, B-1, and C-1, one combination pattern is newly selected for the small routes A-2, B-2, and C-2. In this reselection, the vehicle 20 calculates the estimated power storage rate SOC_clc at the time when each vehicle 20 arrives at the destination point after traveling the small routes A-2, B-2, and C-2 based on the power storage rate SOC_clc of the battery 241 at the time when each vehicle 20 finishes traveling the small routes A-1, B-1, and C-1, and reselects the combination pattern that minimizes the total value of the difference between the estimated power storage rate SOC_clc and the target power storage rate SOC_tgt for each vehicle 20. In this way, by changing the route during traveling, when the actual change in the power storage rate SOC_clc of the battery 241 deviates from the estimated value, it is possible to minimize the deviation between the final power storage rate SOC_clc at the time when the vehicle 20 arrives at the destination point and the target power storage rate SOC_tgt.

[0090] The one combination pattern selected in this manner is stored in the storage unit 150 as a vehicle allocation pattern to be provided to the multiple vehicles 20. When one combination pattern (vehicle allocation pattern) is selected, this vehicle allocation pattern generation process ends.

[0091] [Actions and Effects] As described above, the information processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure uses a running power profile that indicates, in time series, changes in running power generated by a power source expected during vehicle running from a starting point to a destination point based on the past running history of the multiple vehicles 20 to quantitatively estimate the total amount of recovered regenerative energy E_est for the multiple vehicles 20 at an early stage. In addition, by utilizing these estimation results, it becomes possible to perform suitable running control that takes into account the target charge rate of the battery 241 of each vehicle 20.

[0092] The information processing device 10 controls the multiple vehicles 20 so that the electric motor 231 drives the internal combustion engine 221 in a region where the engine efficiency is poor, and the internal combustion engine 221 drives in a region where the internal combustion engine 221 is as efficient as possible. When it is estimated that there is a large amount of regenerative energy, such as on a downhill road, the information processing device 10 controls the vehicle 20 to reduce the charge rate of the battery 241 in advance to eliminate or reduce unrecovered energy. The information processing device 10 also controls the driving modes of the multiple vehicles 20 by setting the first and second sections so that the charge rate of the battery 241 does not exceed an allowable upper limit value and does not fall below an allowable lower limit value, thereby preventing the deterioration of the battery 241 from progressing.

[0093] Furthermore, the information processing device 10 performs control to appropriately rearrange the routes along which the multiple vehicles 20 travel, based on the consumption status of the total regenerative energy ΣE_est. With this control, for example, in a driving scenario based on an individual energy balance, a vehicle 20 that has previously traveled along a route in which the regenerative energy E_est that can be recovered is small and therefore the driving period by the electric motor 231 is short, can be made to travel along a different route that can recover a large amount of regenerative energy E_est, thereby realizing driving that allows an efficient energy balance for the multiple vehicles 20 as a whole.

[0094] These controls enable optimal improvement of fuel efficiency while achieving both efficient consumption of the total required electrical energy ΣE_need, including consumption of all of the estimated total regenerative energy ΣE_est, and achieving the target storage rate SOC_tgt when each vehicle 20 arrives at its destination.

[0095] The above describes one embodiment of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure can be understood not only as an information processing device, but also as a method executed by an information processing device having a processor and a memory, a program, a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing a program, a system including an information processing device and a vehicle, and the like. [Industrial Applicability]

[0096] The information processing device and the like disclosed herein can be used in cases where it is desired to provide a vehicle with information regarding efficient driving. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 10. Information processing device 20, 20a, 20b, 20c Vehicles 110 Acquisition Department 120 Estimation part 130 Setting section 140 Communications Department 150 Storage section 160 Vehicle Dispatch Control Unit 210 Driving control device 211 Control Unit 212 Derivation part 220 Internal Combustion Engine ECU 221 Internal Combustion Engine 222 Gearbox 230 Electric motor ECU 231 Electric motor 240 Battery ECU 241 Batteries 250 EPSECU 251 EPS equipment 260 Brake ECU 261 Brake device 270 Driving control ECU 280 Driving Assistance ECU 290 Autonomous Driving ECU 300 Manager ECU 310 Storage section 320 Communications Department 400 In-vehicle Network

Claims

1. An information processing device that controls the running of two or more vehicles equipped with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as a power source, an acquisition unit that acquires, from a plurality of vehicles having the same starting point and destination point, a driving plan for the vehicle, the driving plan including a planned driving route for the vehicle from the starting point to the destination point and a target power storage rate that is a target power storage rate of a battery mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle arrives at the destination point; an estimation unit that estimates, for each of the plurality of vehicles, an expected amount of regenerative energy that is energy that can be recovered by regenerative braking of the electric motor during traveling based on the traveling plan of each vehicle; a setting unit that derives a threshold common to the plurality of vehicles for selecting traveling using the electric motor on the assumption that the total amount will be consumed when the vehicle arrives at the destination point, based on a total value obtained by adding up the predicted amounts of the regenerative energy estimated by the estimation unit, and sets, for each of the plurality of planned traveling routes, a first section in which the vehicle travels by driving only the electric motor and a second section in which the vehicle travels by driving at least the internal combustion engine, based on the derived threshold; a communication unit that provides information on the first section and the second section set for each planned travel route by the setting unit to a vehicle that is scheduled to travel along each of the planned travel routes.

2. a vehicle allocation control unit that creates a vehicle allocation pattern indicating an actual travel route from the starting point to the destination point along which the plurality of vehicles should actually travel; 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit provides each vehicle with information on the first section and the second section set by the setting unit for each planned driving route of each vehicle, and the vehicle allocation pattern created for each vehicle by the vehicle allocation control unit.

3. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle dispatch control unit estimates a charge storage rate of the battery of each of the plurality of vehicles at a time when driving based on the first section and the second section is completed, and determines the actual driving routes of each of the plurality of vehicles so that a sum of differences between each of the estimated charge storage rates and each of the target charge storage rates is minimized.

4. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle dispatch control unit estimates an expected amount of the regenerative energy for each of the plurality of vehicles at the time when driving based on the first section and the second section is completed, and determines the actual driving routes of each of the plurality of vehicles so as to minimize a difference between the estimated expected amounts of the regenerative energy between the plurality of vehicles.

5. 5. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle dispatch control unit re-creates the vehicle dispatch pattern in which the actual driving routes from the current point to the destination point are switched for two or more vehicles until the plurality of vehicles arrive at the destination point.

6. 6. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit estimates the predicted amount of regenerative energy based on a driving history including information showing, in a time series, changes in power that occurred in the power source when traveling from a starting point to the destination point in the past.

7. 7. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein the estimation unit determines a period in which the power generated in the power source in the driving history is negative as a period in which energy can be recovered, and estimates a time integral value of the magnitude of the power generated in the power source in the period as the predicted amount of regenerative energy.

8. 8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the first section and the second section so that a total value obtained by adding up the predicted amounts of the regenerative energy at the time when the multiple vehicles arrive at the destination is entirely consumed.

9. A system including two or more vehicles each having an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as a power source, and an information processing device that controls the running of the two or more vehicles, The information processing device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires, from a plurality of vehicles having the same starting point and destination point, a driving plan for the vehicle, the driving plan including a planned driving route for the vehicle from the starting point to the destination point and a target power storage rate that is a target power storage rate of a battery mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle arrives at the destination point; an estimation unit that estimates, for each of the plurality of vehicles, an expected amount of regenerative energy that is energy that can be recovered by regenerative braking of the electric motor during traveling based on the traveling plan of each vehicle; a setting unit that derives a threshold common to the plurality of vehicles for selecting traveling using the electric motor on the assumption that the total amount will be consumed when the vehicle arrives at the destination point, based on a total value obtained by adding up the predicted amounts of the regenerative energy estimated by the estimation unit, and sets, for each of the plurality of planned traveling routes, a first section in which the vehicle travels by driving only the electric motor and a second section in which the vehicle travels by driving at least the internal combustion engine, based on the derived threshold; a communication unit that provides information on the first section and the second section set for each planned travel route by the setting unit to a vehicle that is scheduled to travel each of the planned travel routes.

10. A method executed by an information processing device for controlling driving of two or more vehicles equipped with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as a power source, comprising: acquiring, from a plurality of vehicles having the same starting point and destination point, a driving plan for each of the vehicles, the driving plan including a planned driving route for the vehicle from the starting point to the destination point and a target charge storage rate that is a target charge storage rate of a battery mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle arrives at the destination point; estimating, for each of the plurality of vehicles, an expected amount of regenerative energy that is energy that can be recovered by regenerative braking of the electric motor during traveling based on the traveling plan of each vehicle; deriving a threshold common to the plurality of vehicles for selecting traveling using the electric motor based on a sum of the estimated predicted amounts of the regenerative energy, on the assumption that the sum will be consumed in its entirety upon arrival at the destination; setting, on each of the planned travel routes, a first section in which the vehicle travels by driving only the electric motor and a second section in which the vehicle travels by driving at least the internal combustion engine based on the derived threshold value; providing information on the first section and the second section set for each planned travel route to a vehicle that plans to travel each of the planned travel routes.

11. A program to be executed by a computer of an information processing device that includes a processor and a memory and controls the running of two or more vehicles that are equipped with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as a power source, acquiring, from a plurality of vehicles having the same starting point and destination point, a driving plan for each of the vehicles, the driving plan including a planned driving route for the vehicle from the starting point to the destination point and a target charge storage rate that is a target charge storage rate of a battery mounted on the vehicle when the vehicle arrives at the destination point; estimating, for each of the plurality of vehicles, an expected amount of regenerative energy that is energy that can be recovered by regenerative braking of the electric motor during traveling based on the traveling plan of each vehicle; deriving a threshold common to the plurality of vehicles for selecting traveling using the electric motor based on a sum of the estimated predicted amounts of the regenerative energy, on the assumption that the sum will be consumed in its entirety upon arrival at the destination; setting, on each of the planned travel routes, a first section in which the vehicle travels by driving only the electric motor and a second section in which the vehicle travels by driving at least the internal combustion engine based on the derived threshold value; providing information on the first section and the second section set for each of the planned travel routes to a vehicle that is to travel along each of the planned travel routes.

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