Estimating vehicle energy loss due to environmental conditions

Abstract

A computer system (13) comprising processing circuitry (17) configured to: receive a propulsion energy consumption indication (Wprop) of an amount of energy needed for propulsion of a vehicle (1) along a route segment (25), and a total elevation difference indication (Δh) of a total elevation difference along the route segment (25); estimate a first energy loss component (WRR,def) of the vehicle (1) due to tire rolling deformation along the route segment (25); and estimate a second energy loss component (Wenv) of the vehicle (1) due to environmental conditions along the route segment (25) based on the propulsion energy consumption indication (Wprop), the total elevation difference indication (Δh), and the first energy loss component (WRR,def).

Description

ESTIMATING VEHICLE ENERGY LOSS DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONSTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The disclosure relates generally to vehicle energy loss estimation. In particular aspects, the disclosure relates to estimating vehicle energy loss due to environmental conditions along a route segment. The disclosure can be applied to heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks, buses, and construction equipment, among other vehicle types. Although the disclosure may be described with respect to a particular vehicle, the disclosure is not restricted to any particular vehicle.BACKGROUND

[0002] Accurate range estimation is important to provide for efficient use of electric vehicles. It is, however, difficult to accurately predict the energy needed to propel a vehicle along a given route. This is especially the case, as the energy needed to propel the vehicle is dependent on the environmental conditions along the route.

[0003] It would be desirable to enable an improved estimation of the energy needed to propel a vehicle along a given route.SUMMARY

[0004] According to a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a computer system comprising processing circuitry configured to: receive a propulsion energy consumption indication of an amount of energy needed for propulsion of a vehicle along a route segment, and a total elevation difference indication of a total elevation difference along the route segment; estimate a first energy loss component of the vehicle due to tire rolling deformation along the route segment; and estimate a second energy loss component of the vehicle due to environmental conditions along the route segment based on the propulsion energy consumption indication, the total elevation difference indication, and the first energy loss component. The first aspect of the disclosure may seek to enable a more accurate estimation of an energy loss component of a vehicle traveling along a route segment, due to environmental conditions along the route segment. A technical benefit may include that the estimation of this energy loss component due to environmental conditions can be used toprovide other vehicles about to travel along the same route segment with valuable information about the environmental conditions along the route segment. Such information can, in turn, be used to improve the range estimations for these vehicles. The present disclosure is based on the realization that the estimation of the energy loss component due to environmental conditions can be made more accurate by estimating an energy loss component due to tire rolling deformation along the route segment, and to estimate the energy loss component due to environmental conditions along the route segment taking into account the energy loss component due to tire rolling deformation. In particular, this enables improved isolation of the energy loss due to direct interaction between the vehicle and the environment, which may result from, for example, air drag and energy dissipation resulting from displacement of water or snow on the road surface by the tires. Hereby, the quality of information about the environmental conditions along the route segment, that may be provided for use in other vehicles, can be improved. It should be noted that the energy loss component due to tire rolling deformation is the total tire rolling deformation of all tires of a particular vehicle or vehicle combination.

[0005] The propulsion energy consumption indication should be understood to indicate the amount of energy needed for propulsion of the vehicle, and thus excludes any energy that may be used for powering energy consumers not involved in the propulsion of the vehicle. The propulsion energy consumption indication may, furthermore, exclude energy losses occurring in the transfer of energy from a propulsion energy source and the vehicle wheels. Alternatively, such losses may be negligible, and / or may be eliminated based on an estimation of such losses, which may, for example, be based on a driveline model. Furthermore, the estimation of the second energy loss component may be further improved by taking into account any difference in the kinetic energy of the vehicle between an end of the route segment and a beginning of the route segment.

[0006] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the processing circuitry may be configured to subtract, from the propulsion energy consumption, a potential energy difference for the vehicle resulting from the total elevation difference, and the first energy loss component, to estimate the second energy loss component. A technical benefit may include that a more accurate estimation of the energy loss component due to environmental conditions along the route segment can be achieved.

[0007] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the processing circuitry may be configured to: estimate a third energy loss component of the vehicle due to inherent road properties along the route segment; and estimate the second energy loss component additionally based on the third energy loss component. A technical benefit may include that a more accurate estimation of the energy loss component due to environmental conditions along the route segment can be achieved. The present inventor has realized that there is energy loss along the route segment that directly relates to inherent road properties along the route segment, and that the estimation of the energy loss component due to environmental conditions along the route segment can be further improved by taking into account the energy loss directly related to the inherent road properties, for example by subtracting the third energy loss component from the amount of energy needed for propulsion of the vehicle along the route segment. Examples of inherent road properties resulting in energy loss include road compressibility and straightness. Traveling on a soft road will, for example, result in a rolling resistance component due to compression of the road. Cornering will result in more energy loss than traveling along a straight line. Inherent road properties for the route segment may, for example, be known from data from other vehicles that have previously traveled along the route segment, and the processing circuitry may be configured to receive an indication of inherent road properties for the route segment. The third energy loss component may be estimated based on the received indication and vehicle parameters, such as the vehicle weight and the vehicle speed, etc.

[0008] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the processing circuitry may be configured to: receive temperature values indicative of tire temperatures at a sequence of times, a tire force indication, and a vehicle speed indication; and estimate the first energy loss component based on known vehicle tire properties, and the received temperature values, vehicle tire force indication, and vehicle speed indication. A technical benefit may include that an adequate estimation of the first energy loss component can be achieved with limited requirements on measurements and processing.

[0009] The temperature values may comprise a time series of temperature values, each being indicative of an instantaneous temperature of the vehicle tire. The instantaneous temperature of the vehicle tire may, for example, be the rubber temperature measured from an inside of the tire, or the temperature of the gas enclosed by the tire, or the temperature of a thread surface of the outside of the tire, or the temperature of a shoulder of the tire, or acombination of one or more of these temperatures. Alternatively, the temperature values may comprise more than one time series of temperature values, such as one time series of temperature values of the rubber temperature measured form the inside of the tire and one time series of the temperature of the gas enclosed by the tire, and so on.

[0010] It should be noted that the tire force indication may be any indication of at least a dominant force acting on the vehicle tire and from which conclusions regarding the magnitude of the rolling induced deformation of the vehicle tire can be drawn. According to one example, the tire force indication may be an indication of a total force, i.e. a magnitude of the force vector. However, the magnitude of a dominant force component, or a magnitude of a projection in of the total force vector in a plane may be a sufficiently good tire force indication, depending on the requirements of the application.

[0011] The vehicle speed indication may be an indication of the longitudinal speed of the vehicle, or an indication of the rotational speed of the vehicle tire.

[0012] The known vehicle tire properties may, for example, include one or several of tire construction type, the so-called “tangent delta” of the rubber material of the tire, and the tire pressure at a given temperature, etc. It should be noted that the tire pressure at a given temperature is an indirect measure of the amount of gas in the tire. An alternative known vehicle tire property may thus be the tire inflation, i.e. the amount of gas in the tire. The tire inflation may be estimated from the tire pressure and the temperature. Other known vehicle tire properties may include, for example, geometric properties of the vehicle tire, the heat capacity of the tire material, the tire mass etc.

[0013] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the processing circuitry may be configured to provide an indication of the second energy loss component. A technical benefit may include that the indication of the second energy loss component due to environmental conditions along the route segment can be used for improving the energy consumption estimation for other vehicles about to travel along the route segment, when the vehicle providing the indication has recently traveled along the route segment.

[0014] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the processing circuitry may be configured to: determine a vehicle-independent environmental parameter set based on the second energy loss component, and vehicle parameters; and provide the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set. A technical benefit mayinclude that the indication of the second energy loss component due to environmental conditions along the route segment can be used for improving the energy consumption estimation for other vehicles with widely different vehicle parameters, such as different sizes and weights, when the vehicle providing the indication has recently traveled along the route segment.

[0015] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the processing circuitry may be configured to determine the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set using a predefined model of energy loss due to environmental conditions. A technical benefit may include that determination of the vehicle independent environmental parameter set can be simplified.

[0016] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the vehicle parameters may include air drag coefficients, vehicle speed, and vehicle mass; and the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set may include headwind speed, crosswind speed, and a road surface condition parameter. A technical benefit may include that determination of the vehicle independent environmental parameter set can be simplified.

[0017] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the computer system may comprise: first processing circuitry configured to: estimate the total energy loss due to propulsion resistance along the route segment; estimate the first energy loss component due to tire rolling deformation along the route segment; and estimate the second energy loss component due to environmental conditions along the route segment; and second processing circuitry configured to: determine the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set; and provide the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set. A technical benefit may include that the first processing circuitry and the second processing circuitry may be optimized, at least in some respect, to their respective tasks. Furthermore, the processing by the second processing circuitry, which may be offline processing, may be carried out independently of the processing by the first processing circuitry, which may be online processing. Moreover, the second processing circuitry may be configured to perform processing not only related to one particular vehicle, but to each of a plurality of vehicles.

[0018] The computer system according to examples of the present disclosure may advantageously be included in a vehicle.

[0019] For examples of the computer system comprising first processing circuitry and second processing circuitry, the first processing circuitry may be included in a vehicle. Thesecond processing circuitry may be provided externally to the vehicle, such as in a so-called cloud server.

[0020] According to a second aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a computer- implemented method, comprising: receiving a propulsion energy consumption indication of an amount of energy needed for propulsion of a vehicle along a route segment, and a total elevation difference indication of a total elevation difference along the route segment; estimating a first energy loss component of the vehicle due to tire rolling deformation along the route segment; and estimating a second energy loss component of the vehicle due to environmental conditions along the route segment based on the propulsion energy consumption indication, the total elevation difference indication, and the first energy loss component. The second aspect of the disclosure may seek to enable a more accurate estimation of an energy loss component of a vehicle traveling along a route segment, due to environmental conditions along the route segment. A technical benefit may include that the estimation of this energy loss component due to environmental conditions can be used to provide other vehicles about to travel along the same route segment valuable information about the environmental conditions along the route segment. Such information can, in turn, be used to improve the range estimations for these vehicles. The present disclosure is based on the realization that the estimation of the energy loss component due to environmental conditions can be made more accurate by estimating an energy loss component due to tire rolling deformation along the route segment, and to estimate the energy loss component due to environmental conditions along the route segment taking into account the energy loss component due to tire rolling deformation. In particular, this enables improved isolation of the energy loss due to direct interaction between the vehicle and the environment, which may result from, for example, air drag and energy dissipation resulting from displacement of water or snow on the road surface by the tires. Hereby, the quality of information about the environmental conditions along the route segment, that may be provided for use in other vehicles, can be improved.

[0021] The propulsion energy consumption indication should be understood to indicate the amount of energy needed for propulsion of the vehicle, and thus excludes any energy that may be used for powering energy consumers not involved in the propulsion of the vehicle. The propulsion energy consumption indication may, furthermore, exclude energy losses occurring in the transfer of energy from a propulsion energy source and the vehicle wheels.Alternatively, such losses may be negligible, and / or may be eliminated based on an estimation of such losses, which may, for example, be based on a driveline model. Furthermore, the estimation of the second energy loss component may be further improved by taking into account any difference in the kinetic energy of the vehicle between an end of the route segment and a beginning of the route segment.

[0022] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the method may comprise subtracting, from the propulsion energy consumption, a potential energy difference for the vehicle resulting from the total elevation difference, and the first energy loss component, to estimate the second energy loss component. A technical benefit may include that a more accurate estimation of the energy loss component due to environmental conditions along the route segment can be achieved.

[0023] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the method may comprise: estimating a third energy loss component of the vehicle due to inherent road properties along the route segment; and estimating the second energy loss component additionally based on the third energy loss component. A technical benefit may include that a more accurate estimation of the energy loss component due to environmental conditions along the route segment can be achieved. The present inventor has realized that there is energy loss along the route segment that directly relates to inherent road properties along the route segment, and that the estimation of the energy loss component due to environmental conditions along the route segment can be further improved by taking into account the energy loss directly related to the inherent road properties, for example by subtracting the third energy loss component from the amount of energy needed for propulsion of the vehicle along the route segment. Examples of inherent road properties resulting in energy loss include road compressibility and straightness. Traveling on a soft road will, for example, result in a rolling resistance component due to compression of the road. Cornering will result in more energy loss than traveling along a straight line. Inherent road properties for the route segment may, for example, be known from data from other vehicles that have previously traveled along the route segment, and the method may comprise receiving an indication of inherent road properties for the route segment. The third energy loss component may be estimated based on the received indication and vehicle parameters, such as the vehicle weight and the vehicle speed, etc.

[0024] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the method may comprise: receiving temperature values indicative of tire temperatures at a sequence of times, a tire force indication, and a vehicle speed indication; and estimating the first energy loss component based on known vehicle tire properties, and the received temperature values, vehicle tire force indication, and vehicle speed indication. A technical benefit may include that an adequate estimation of the first energy loss component can be achieved with limited requirements on measurements and processing.

[0025] The temperature values may comprise a time series of temperature values, each being indicative of an instantaneous temperature of the vehicle tire. The instantaneous temperature of the vehicle tire may, for example, be the rubber temperature measured from an inside of the tire, or the temperature of the gas enclosed by the tire, or the temperature of a thread surface of the outside of the tire, or the temperature of a shoulder of the tire, or a combination of one or more of these temperatures. Alternatively, the temperature values may comprise more than one time series of temperature values, such as one time series of temperature values of the rubber temperature measured form the inside of the tire and one time series of the temperature of the gas enclosed by the tire, and so on.

[0026] It should be noted that the tire force indication may be any indication of at least a dominant force acting on the vehicle tire and from which conclusions regarding the magnitude of the rolling induced deformation of the vehicle tire can be drawn. According to one example, the tire force indication may be an indication of a total force, i.e. a magnitude of the force vector. However, the magnitude of a dominant force component, or a magnitude of a projection in of the total force vector in a plane may be a sufficiently good tire force indication, depending on the requirements of the application.

[0027] The vehicle speed indication may be an indication of the longitudinal speed of the vehicle, or an indication of the rotational speed of the vehicle tire.

[0028] The known vehicle tire properties may, for example, include one or several of tire construction type, the so-called “tangent delta” of the rubber material of the tire, and the tire pressure at a given temperature, etc. It should be noted that the tire pressure at a given temperature is an indirect measure of the amount of gas in the tire. An alternative known vehicle tire property may thus be the tire inflation, i.e. the amount of gas in the tire. The tire inflation may be estimated from the tire pressure and the temperature. Other known vehicletire properties may include, for example, geometric properties of the vehicle tire, the heat capacity of the tire material, the tire mass etc.

[0029] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the method may comprise providing an indication of the second energy loss component. A technical benefit may include that the indication of the second energy loss component due to environmental conditions along the route segment can be used for improving the energy consumption estimation for other vehicles about to travel along the route segment, when the vehicle providing the indication has recently traveled along the route segment.

[0030] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the method may comprise: determining a vehicle-independent environmental parameter set based on the second energy loss component, and vehicle parameters; and providing the vehicleindependent environmental parameter set. A technical benefit may include that the indication of the second energy loss component due to environmental conditions along the route segment can be used for improving the energy consumption estimation for other vehicles with widely different vehicle parameters, such as different sizes and weights, when the vehicle providing the indication has recently traveled along the route segment.

[0031] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the method may comprise determining the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set using a predefined model of energy loss due to environmental conditions. A technical benefit may include that determination of the vehicle independent environmental parameter set can be simplified.

[0032] According to a third aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a computer program product comprising program code for performing, when executed by the processing circuitry, the method of the second aspect of the disclosure.

[0033] According to a fourth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform the method of the second aspect of the disclosure.

[0034] The disclosed aspects, examples, and / or accompanying claims may be suitably combined with each other as would be apparent to anyone of ordinary skill in the art. Additional features and advantages are disclosed in the following description, claims, anddrawings, and in part will be readily apparent therefrom to those skilled in the art or recognized by practicing the disclosure as described herein.

[0035] There are also disclosed herein computer systems, control units, code modules, computer-implemented methods, computer readable media, and computer program products associated with the above discussed technical benefits.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Examples are described in more detail below with reference to the appended drawings.

[0037] FIG. 1 is an exemplary vehicle according to an example.

[0038] FIG. 2 is an exemplary computer system according to an example.

[0039] FIG. 3 is an exemplary method according to an example.

[0040] FIG. 4 is an exemplary computer system according to an example.

[0041] FIG. 5 is an exemplary method according to an example.

[0042] FIG. 6 is an exemplary route segment.

[0043] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary computer system for implementing examples disclosed herein, according to an example.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The detailed description set forth below provides information and examples of the disclosed technology with sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure.

[0045] Fig. 1 is an exemplary vehicle 1 according to an example. Referring to Fig. 1, the exemplary vehicle 1 comprises a first vehicle member 3 and a second vehicle member 5 coupled to the first vehicle member 3. In this example vehicle 1, the first vehicle member 3 is an electric vehicle, here in the form of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) tractor 3, and the second vehicle member 5 is a semitrailer. It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited this example vehicle 1, but applies to many other vehicles, such as vehicles comprising a single vehicle member or vehicles including an internal combustion engine, etc.

[0046] Referring again to Fig. 1, the BEV tractor 3 has a battery pack 7 and vehicle wheels 9, represented by one of the driving wheels in Fig. 1. As is indicated in Fig. 1, the vehicle wheel 9 comprises a rim 10 and a tire 14, and is arranged to rotate around a rotationalaxis 11 when the vehicle 1 is in motion. Further, the BEV tractor 3 comprises a computer system 13 and at least one tire temperature sensor 15 arranged to measure the temperature of the tire 14. The computer system 13 can receive input wirelessly from the temperature sensor 15, as is schematically indicted by the lightning-shaped arrows in Fig. 1. Any suitable wireless communication protocol may be used, such as Bluetooth®.

[0047] Fig. 2 is an exemplary computer system 13 according to an example. Referring to Fig. 2, the computer system 13 comprises processing circuitry 17 configured to receive a propulsion energy consumption indication WproPof an amount of energy Wpropneeded for propulsion of the vehicle 1 along a route segment, and a total elevation difference indication Ah of a total elevation difference Ah along the route segment, estimate a first energy loss component of the vehicle 1 due to rolling deformation of the tires 14 along the route segment, and estimate a second energy loss component Wenv of the vehicle 1 due to environmental conditions along the route segment based on the propulsion energy consumption indication Wprop, the total elevation difference indication Ah, and the first energy loss component.

[0048] Fig. 3 is an exemplary method according to an example. Referring to the flowchart in Fig. 3, the method first comprises receiving S31, by the processing circuitry 17 of the computer system 13 in Fig. 2, a propulsion energy consumption indication Wprop, and a total elevation difference indication Ah. The propulsion energy consumption indication indicates the amount of energy needed for propulsion of the vehicle, and thus excludes any energy that may be used for powering energy consumers not involved in the propulsion of the vehicle 1. The propulsion energy consumption indication Wpropmay, furthermore, exclude energy losses occurring in the transfer of energy from a propulsion energy source and the vehicle wheels 9. Alternatively, such losses may be negligible, and / or may be eliminated based on an estimation of such losses, which may, for example, be based on a driveline model.

[0049] It is also included in the method to estimate S32, by the processing circuitry 17 of the computer system 13 in Fig. 2, a first energy loss component WRR,def of the vehicle 1 due to tire rolling deformation of the vehicle tires 14 along the route segment. The first energy loss component WRR,def can, for example, be estimated based on temperature values indicative of tire temperatures at a sequence of times, a tire force indication, and a vehicle speed indication. The temperature values may be acquired by the at least one temperature sensor 15 in Fig. 1. For the estimation of energy loss due to tire rolling deformation, it is, per se, known to use a predefined vehicle tire model. An example of a suitable predefined vehicletire model may be the so-called “master-curve” referred to in the article "Truck tyre transient rolling resistance and temperature at varying vehicle velocities-Measurements and simulations." Polymer Testing 122: 108004, by Hyttinen, Jukka, et al. Additional input to the predefined tire model may include various known vehicle tire properties. Such known vehicle tire properties may, for example, include one or several of tire construction type, the so-called “tangent delta” of the rubber material of the tire, and the tire pressure at a given temperature, etc. It should be noted that the tire pressure at a given temperature is an indirect measure of the amount of gas in the tire. An alternative known vehicle tire property may thus be the tire inflation, i.e. the amount of gas in the tire. The tire inflation may be estimated from the tire pressure and the temperature. Other known vehicle tire properties may include, for example, geometric properties of the vehicle tire, the heat capacity of the tire material, the tire mass etc.

[0050] There may be more than one temperature sensor arranged to measure the temperature of the tire 14. One or more temperature sensors 15 may be arranged to measure the tire rubber temperature from inside the tire 14. One or more temperature sensors 15 may be arranged to measure the temperature of the gas - typically air - inside the tire 14. One or more temperature sensors may be arranged outside the tire 14 and arranged and configured to measure the thread surface temperature of the tire 14. One or more temperature sensors may be arranged to measure the shoulder temperature of the tire 14. It may be beneficial to have one temperature sensor arranged to measure one of these temperatures, and one temperature sensor arranged to measure another one of these temperature.

[0051] Subsequently, the processing circuitry 17 estimates S33 a second energy loss component Wenv due to environmental conditions along the route segment, based on the propulsion energy consumption indication WproP, the total elevation difference indication Ah, and the first energy loss component WRR,def due to tire rolling deformation along the route segment. The second energy loss component Wenv due to environmental conditions along the route segment may be estimated by subtracting the difference in potential energy of the vehicle 1 given by the total elevation difference indication Ah, and the first energy loss component WRR,def due to tire rolling deformation along the route segment from the propulsion energy consumption Wprop.

[0052] An indication of the second energy loss component Wenv due to environmental conditions along the route segment may then be provided S34. The provision, by thecomputer system 13, of this indication of the second energy loss component Wenv due to environmental conditions along the route segment may be useful for other vehicles about to travel along the route segment.

[0053] Fig. 4 is an exemplary computer system 13 according to an example. Referring to Fig. 4, the computer system 13 comprises first processing circuitry 19 and second processing circuitry 21. Fig. 4 illustrates two examples for the second processing circuitry 21. According to one example, the second processing circuitry 21 may be provided locally, in the vehicle 1, together with the first processing circuitry 19. According to another example, the second processing circuitry 21 may be provided remotely, such as in a server in the cloud 23. In the computer system 13 according to these examples, the first processing circuitry 19 may be configured to receive a number of indications, including a propulsion energy consumption indication WproPof an amount of energy Wpropneeded for propulsion of the vehicle 1 along a route segment, a total elevation difference indication Ah of a total elevation difference Ah along the route segment, a speed difference indication Av of a difference between the vehicle speed at the end of the route segment and the vehicle speed at the beginning of the route segment, temperature values Ttindicative of temperatures of the vehicle tire 14 at a sequence of times, a vehicle tire force indication | |F| |, a vehicle speed indication v, and inherent road properties along the route segment, labeled “Road” in Fig. 4. The first processing circuitry 19 may be configured to estimate the first energy loss component WRR,def of the vehicle 1 due to tire rolling deformation of the vehicle tires 14 along the route segment, to estimate a third energy loss component Wroad of the vehicle 1 due to inherent road properties along the route segment, and to estimate the second energy loss component Wenv of the vehicle 1 due to environmental conditions along the route segment. The second processing circuitry may be configured to determine a vehicle-independent environmental parameter set, and to provide the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set, which may, for example include an average headwind speed vwxalong the route segment, an average crosswind speed vwyalong the route segment, and an average road surface condition parameter cr,Palong the route segment. The average road surface condition parameter cr,Pmay indicate a rolling resistance contribution due to the need for the tires 14 to displace water or snow from the road surface.

[0054] Fig. 5 is an exemplary method according to an example. Additional reference will be made to Fig. 6, which is an illustration of an exemplary route segment 25. Referring to the flow-chart in Fig. 5, the method comprises receiving S51, by the processing circuitry 17 ofthe computer system 13 in Fig. 2, or the first processing circuitry 19 in Fig. 4, a propulsion energy consumption indication WproPof the amount of energy Wpropneeded for propulsion of the vehicle 1 along the route segment 25, a total elevation difference indication Ah of a difference between the elevation I12 at the end of the route segment 25 and the elevation hi at the beginning of the route segment 25, and a speed difference indication Av of a difference between the vehicle speed V2 at the end of the route segment 25 and the vehicle speed vi at the beginning of the route segment 25. As was mentioned above in connection with the flowchart in Fig. 3, the propulsion energy consumption indication Wpropindicates the amount of energy needed for propulsion of the vehicle 1, and thus excludes any energy that may be used for powering energy consumers not involved in the propulsion of the vehicle 1. The propulsion energy consumption indication Wpropmay, furthermore, exclude energy losses occurring in the transfer of energy from a propulsion energy source and the vehicle wheels 9. Alternatively, such losses may be negligible, and / or may be eliminated based on an estimation of such losses, which may, for example, be based on a driveline model.

[0055] The method includes receiving S52, by the processing circuitry 17 of the computer system 13 in Fig. 2, or the first processing circuitry 19 in Fig. 4, temperature values Ttindicative of temperatures of the vehicle tire 14 at a sequence of times, a vehicle tire force indication | |F| |, a vehicle speed indication v. The temperature values Ttmay be received from the at least one temperature sensor 15 comprised in the vehicle 1. The vehicle tire force indication | |F| | is here an indication of a total force, i.e. a magnitude of the force vector. It should, however, be noted that the vehicle tire force indication may be any indication of at least a dominant force acting on the vehicle tire 14 and from which conclusions regarding the magnitude of the rolling induced deformation of the vehicle tire 14 can be drawn. For example, the magnitude of a dominant force component, or a magnitude of a projection in of the total force vector in a plane may be a sufficiently good vehicle tire force indication, depending on the requirements of the application. The vehicle speed indication v may be an indication of the longitudinal speed of the vehicle 1, or an indication of the rotational speed of the vehicle tire 14.

[0056] It is also included in the method to estimate S 53, by the processing circuitry 17 of the computer system 13 in Fig. 2, or the first processing circuitry 19 in Fig. 4, a first energy loss component WRR,def of the vehicle due to tire rolling deformation of the vehicle tires 14 along the route segment. The first energy loss component WRR,def may be estimated based onthe received temperature values Tt, tire force indication | |F| |, and vehicle speed indication v. As was mentioned above in connection with the flow-chart in Fig. 3, it is, per se, known to use a predefined vehicle tire model to estimate energy loss due to tire rolling deformation. An example of a suitable predefined vehicle tire model may be the so-called “master-curve” referred to in the article "Truck tyre transient rolling resistance and temperature at varying vehicle velocities-Measurements and simulations." Polymer Testing 122: 108004, by Hyttinen, Jukka, et al. Additional input to the predefined tire model may include various known vehicle tire properties. Such known vehicle tire properties may, for example, include one or several of tire construction type, the so-called “tangent delta” of the rubber material of the tire, and the tire pressure at a given temperature, etc. It should be noted that the tire pressure at a given temperature is an indirect measure of the amount of gas in the tire. An alternative known vehicle tire property may thus be the tire inflation, i.e. the amount of gas in the tire. The tire inflation may be estimated from the tire pressure and the temperature. Other known vehicle tire properties may include, for example, geometric properties of the vehicle tire, the heat capacity of the tire material, the tire mass etc.

[0057] In the example method of Fig. 5, it is further included to estimate S54, by the processing circuitry 17 of the computer system 13 in Fig. 2, or the first processing circuitry 19 in Fig. 4, a third energy loss component Wroad of the vehicle 1 due to inherent road properties along the route segment 25. Examples of inherent road properties resulting in energy loss may include road compressibility and straightness. Traveling on a soft road, indicated in Fig. 6 by a soft patch 27 will, for example, result in a rolling resistance component due to compression of the road. Cornering, such as in curved portions 29a-b of the route segment 25, will result in more energy loss than traveling along a straight line. Inherent road properties for the route segment 25 may, for example, be known from data from other vehicles that have previously traveled along the route segment 25. The third energy loss component Wroad may be estimated based on an indication of inherent road properties, and vehicle parameters, such as the vehicle weight and the vehicle speed v, etc.

[0058] Subsequently, the processing circuitry 17 of the computer system 13 in Fig. 2, or the first processing circuitry 19 in Fig. 4, estimates S55 a second energy loss component Wenv due to environmental conditions along the route segment, based on the propulsion energy consumption indication WproP, the total elevation difference indication Ah, the speed difference Av, the first energy loss component WRR,def due to tire rolling deformation alongthe route segment, and the third energy loss component Wroad. The second energy loss component Wenv due to environmental conditions along the route segment may be estimated by subtracting the change in potential energy along the route segment 25 given by the total elevation difference indication Ah, the change in kinetic energy along the route segment 25 given by the speed difference Av, the first energy loss component WRR,def due to tire rolling deformation along the route segment 25, and the third energy loss component Wroad due to inherent road properties along the route segment 25, from the propulsion energy consumption W prop •

[0059] A vehicle-independent parameter set may then be determined S56, by the processing circuitry 17 of the computer system 13 in Fig. 2, or the second processing circuitry 21 in Fig. 4, based on the second energy loss component Wenv, and vehicle parameters. The vehicle parameters may include air drag coefficients, vehicle speed, and vehicle mass, and the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set may include headwind speed vwx, crosswind speed vwy, and a road surface condition parameter cr,P. The vehicle-independent environmental parameter set may be determined using a predefined model of energy loss due to environmental conditions. An example of such a model may be:

[0061] where p is the air density, ci ,C2 ,C3 air drag coefficients, v the vehicle speed, m the vehicle mass, g the gravitational constant, and cr,nthe rolling resistance coefficient on dry asphalt. The vehicle-independent environmental parameters can, for example, be estimated through a non-linear estimation method such as non-linear recursive least squares or an extended Kalman Filter.

[0062] In examples where the vehicle-independent environmental parameters are determined by the second processing circuitry 21 in the cloud 23, the second energy loss component Wenv, and the vehicle parameters may be provided from the first processing circuitry 19 in the vehicle 1 to the second processing circuitry 21 in the cloud 23.

[0063] Finally, the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set may be provided S57, by the processing circuitry 17 of the computer system 13 in Fig. 2, or the second processing circuitry 21 in Fig. 4. The vehicle-independent environmental parameter set may be provided to one or more vehicles 31 about to travel along the route segment 25. In Fig. 6,it is schematically indicated that the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set is provided by the second processing circuitry 21 in the cloud 23 to another vehicle 31. The vehicle-independent environmental parameter set can be used by this vehicle 31 to improve its estimation of its expected energy consumption along the route segment 25, which will, in turn, help the vehicle 31 improve its range estimation.

[0064] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a computer system 1000 for implementing examples disclosed herein, such as for implementing examples of the computer system 13 according to examples. The computer system 1000 is adapted to execute instructions from a computer-readable medium to perform these and / or any of the functions or processing described herein. The computer system 1000 may be connected to other machines in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet, or by direct wired or wireless communication. While only a single device is illustrated, the computer system 1000 may include any collection of devices that individually or jointly execute a set of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Accordingly, any reference in the disclosure and / or claims to a computer system, computing system, computer device, computing device, control system, control unit, electronic control unit, processor device, processing circuitry, etc., includes reference to one or more such devices to individually or jointly execute a set of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. For example, control system may include a single control unit or a plurality of control units connected or otherwise communicatively coupled to each other, such that any performed function may be distributed between the control units as desired. Further, such devices may communicate with each other or other devices by various system architectures, such as directly or via a Controller Area Network bus, etc.

[0065] The computer system 1000 may comprise at least one computing device or electronic device capable of including firmware, hardware, and / or executing software instructions to implement the functionality described herein. The computer system 1000 may include processing circuitry 1002, a memory 1004, and a system bus 1006. The computer system 1000 may include at least one computing device having the processing circuitry 1002. The system bus 1006 provides an interface for system components including, but not limited to, the memory 1004 and the processing circuitry 1002. The processing circuitry 1002 may include any number of hardware components for conducting data or indication processing or for executing computer code stored in memory 1004. The processing circuitry 1002 may, forexample, include a general-purpose processor, an application specific processor, a Digital indication Processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit, a Field Programmable Gate Array, a circuit containing processing components, a group of distributed processing components, a group of distributed computers configured for processing, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The processing circuitry 1002 may further include computer executable code that controls operation of the programmable device.

[0066] The system bus 1006 may be any of several types of bus structures that may further interconnect to a memory bus, a peripheral bus, and / or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The memory 1004 may be one or more devices for storing data and / or computer code for completing or facilitating methods described herein. The memory 1004 may include database components, object code components, script components, or other types of information structure for supporting the various activities herein. Any distributed or local memory device may be utilized with the systems and methods of this description. The memory 1004 may be communicably connected to the processing circuitry 1002 and may include computer code for executing one or more processes described herein. The memory 1004 may include non-volatile memory 1008 (e.g., read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, etc.), and volatile memory 1010 (e.g., random-access memory), or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a computer or other machine with processing circuitry 1002. A basic input / output system 1012 may be stored in the nonvolatile memory 1008 and can include the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer system 1000.

[0067] The computer system 1000 may further include or be coupled to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as the storage device 1014, which may comprise, for example, an internal or external hard disk drive or serial advanced technology attachment), HDD for storage, flash memory, or the like. The storage device 1014 and other drives associated with computer-readable media and computer-usable media may provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and the like.

[0068] Computer-code which is hard or soft coded may be provided in the form of one or more modules. The module(s) can be implemented as software and / or hard-coded in circuitry to implement the functionality described herein in whole or in part. The modules may be stored in the storage device 1014 and / or in the volatile memory 1010, which may include an operating system 1016 and / or one or more program modules 1018. All or a portion of the examples disclosed herein may be implemented as a computer program 1020 stored on a transitory or non-transitory computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium, such as the storage device 1014, which includes complex programming instructions to cause the processing circuitry 1002 to carry out actions described herein. Thus, the computer-readable program code of the computer program 1020 can comprise software instructions for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by the processing circuitry 1002. In some examples, the storage device 1014 may be a computer program product storing the computer program 1020 thereon, where at least a portion of a computer program 1020 may be loadable for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by the processing circuitry 1002. The processing circuitry 1002 may serve as a controller or control system for the computer system 1000 that is to implement the functionality described herein.

[0069] The computer system 1000 may include an input device interface 1022 configured to receive input and selections to be communicated to the computer system 1000 when executing instructions, such as from a keyboard, mouse, touch-sensitive surface, etc. Such input devices may be connected to the processing circuitry 1002 through the input device interface 1022 coupled to the system bus 1006 but can be connected through other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers 1394 serial port, a Universal Serial Bus port, an IR interface, and the like. The computer system 1000 may include an output device interface 1024 configured to forward output, such as to a display, a video display unit or a cathode ray tube). The computer system 1000 may include a communications interface 1026 suitable for communicating with a network as appropriate or desired.

[0070] The operational actions described in any of the exemplary aspects herein are described to provide examples and discussion. The actions may be performed by hardware components, may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the actions, or may be performed by a combination of hardware and software.Although a specific order of method actions may be shown or described, the order of the actions may differ. In addition, two or more actions may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence.

[0071] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and / or "including" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0072] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0073] Relative terms such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or "lower" or "horizontal" or "vertical" may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element to another element as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements present.

[0074] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0075] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the aspects described above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present disclosure and appended claims. In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed aspects for purposes of illustration only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the disclosure being set forth in the following claims.

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. A computer system (13) comprising processing circuitry (17) configured to: receive a propulsion energy consumption indication (WproP) of an amount of energy needed for propulsion of a vehicle (1) along a route segment (25), and a total elevation difference indication (Ah) of a total elevation difference along the route segment (25); estimate a first energy loss component (WRR,def) of the vehicle (1) due to tire rolling deformation along the route segment (25); and estimate a second energy loss component (Wenv) of the vehicle (1) due to environmental conditions along the route segment (25) based on the propulsion energy consumption indication (Wprop), the total elevation difference indication (Ah), and the first energy loss component (WRR,def).

2. The computer system (13) of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry (17) is configured to: subtract, from the propulsion energy consumption (Wprop), a potential energy difference for the vehicle resulting from the total elevation difference (Ah), and the first energy loss component (WRR,def), to estimate the second energy loss component (Wenv).

3. The computer system (13) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing circuitry (17) is configured to: estimate a third energy loss component (Wroad) of the vehicle (1) due to inherent road properties along the route segment (25); and estimate the second energy loss component (Wenv) additionally based on the third energy loss component (Wroad).

4. The computer system (13) of any of claims 1-3, wherein the processing circuitry (17) is configured to: receive temperature values (Tt) indicative of tire temperatures at a sequence of times, a tire force indication (| |F| |), and a vehicle speed indication (v); andestimate the first energy loss component (WRR,def) based on known vehicle tire properties, and the received temperature values (Tt), vehicle tire force indication (| |F| |), and vehicle speed indication (v).

5. The computer system (13) of any of claims 1-4, wherein the processing circuitry (17) is configured to provide an indication of the second energy loss component (Wenv).

6. The computer system (13) of any of claims 1-5, wherein the processing circuitry (17) is configured to: determine a vehicle-independent environmental parameter set based on the second energy loss component (Wenv), and vehicle parameters; and provide the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set.

7. The computer system (13) of claim 6, wherein the processing circuitry (17) is configured to determine the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set using a predefined model of energy loss due to environmental conditions.

8. The computer system (13) of claim 6 or 7, wherein: the vehicle parameters include air drag coefficients, vehicle speed (v), and vehicle mass; and the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set includes headwind speed (vwx), crosswind speed (vwy), and a road surface condition parameter (cr,P).

9. The computer system (13) of any of claims 6-8, wherein the computer system (13) comprises: first processing circuitry (19) configured to: estimate the total energy loss (WproP) due to propulsion resistance along the route segment (25); estimate the first energy loss component (WRR,def) due to tire rolling deformation along the route segment (25); and estimate the second energy loss component (Wenv) due to environmental conditions along the route segment (25); andsecond processing circuitry (21) configured to: determine the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set; and provide the vehicle-independent environmental parameter set.

10. A vehicle (1) comprising the computer system (13) of any of claims 1-9.

11. A vehicle (1) comprising the first processing circuitry (19) of the computer system (13) of claim 9.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving (S31) a propulsion energy consumption indication (WproP) of an amount of energy needed for propulsion of a vehicle (1) along a route segment (25), and a total elevation difference indication (Ah) of a total elevation difference along the route segment (25); estimating (S32) a first energy loss component (WRR,def) of the vehicle (1) due to tire rolling deformation along the route segment (25); and estimating (S33) a second energy loss component (Wenv) of the vehicle (1) due to environmental conditions along the route segment (25) based on the propulsion energy consumption indication (Wprop), the total elevation difference indication (Ah), and the first energy loss component (WRR,def).

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method comprises: subtracting, from the propulsion energy consumption, a potential energy difference for the vehicle resulting from the total elevation difference, and the first energy loss component, to estimate the second energy loss component.

14. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the method comprises: estimating (S54) a third energy loss component (Wroad) of the vehicle (1) due to road compression along the route segment (25); and estimating (S55) the second energy loss component (Wenv) additionally based on the third energy loss component (Wroad).

15. A computer program product comprising program code for performing, when executed by the processing circuitry (17) comprised in the computer system (13) of any one of claims 1-9, the method of any of claims 12-14.

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