JP2013038955A - Drive support system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drive support system that enables a user to easily recognize whether or not a vehicle can reach a home or the like according to electric energy of a battery.SOLUTION: The drive support system for a vehicle, including a motor as a drive source, detects the present electric energy of the battery for supplying electric power to the motor, calculates required electric energy in which a distance between a present vehicle position and a preset location (e.g. a home) is expressed by electric energy, and relatively displays the present electric energy and the required electric energy for the vehicle to reach the preset location.

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support apparatus for a vehicle having a motor as a drive source.

  An electric vehicle supplies electric power from a battery to a motor and travels with a driving force of the motor. Therefore, in the case of an electric vehicle, the vehicle cannot be driven unless it is charged before the amount of power of the battery becomes insufficient. For this reason, it is important to know whether or not it is possible to reach the home or a normal charging spot other than the home by the remaining amount of power of the battery. In the invention described in Patent Document 1, a return from the current position to the home position is made based on the travelable distance with respect to the remaining amount of battery power, the path distance from the current position of the vehicle to the home position, and the distance correction coefficient (road gradient). It is determined whether it is possible, and warns when it is predicted that it cannot return with a margin.

JP 2004-229448 A

  In the invention described in Patent Document 1, it is determined whether the vehicle can return to the home position, and a warning is output when it is predicted that the vehicle cannot be returned. When the warning is given at the timing when it becomes impossible to return or when it becomes impossible to return, the user (driver) suddenly knows only that the amount of power of the battery is insufficient. Therefore, even if the user himself / herself can reach home or the like, even when the user can reach the vehicle, the power margin cannot be determined and the EV [Electric Vehicle] cannot be traveled with peace of mind.

  Then, this invention makes it a subject to provide the driving assistance device which a user can grasp | ascertain easily whether it can reach a house etc. according to the electric energy of a battery.

  A driving support apparatus according to the present invention is a driving support apparatus for a vehicle having a motor as a drive source, the power amount detecting means for detecting the current power amount of a battery that supplies power to the motor, and the current position of the vehicle. The required power amount calculating means for calculating the required power amount that represents the distance to the preset point in terms of the power amount, the current power amount detected by the power amount detecting means, and the required power amount calculated by the required power amount calculating means. Display means for displaying.

  In this driving support device, the current power amount of the battery is detected by the power amount detection means. Further, in the driving support device, the required electric energy calculating means calculates the electric energy required for traveling with the motor the distance between the current position of the vehicle and a preset point. The preset point is a point set in advance as a point where the battery can be charged, and includes, for example, a charging spot (charging station) for performing normal charging other than home and home, and a destination. And in a driving assistance device, the present electric power amount and the required electric energy to the preset point are displayed on a display means. Thus, in the driving support device, the current power amount and the required power amount up to the preset point can be displayed, so that the current power amount and the required power amount can be relatively grasped, and the user himself / herself can present the current power amount. Thus, it is possible to easily determine whether or not it is possible to reach a preset point, and even if it is determined that it is reachable, it is possible to easily determine how much power is available. As a result, the user can travel EV with peace of mind, and can stop at the charging spot with a margin when it is determined that the amount of power is insufficient or when it is determined that there is a possibility of a shortage.

  The display means of the driving support apparatus of the present invention displays the current power amount and the required power amount side by side. Thus, by displaying the current power amount and the required power amount side by side, it is easy for the user to compare the current power amount and the required power amount, and it is possible to easily determine how much power is available. In addition, about how to arrange | position, what kind of arrangement, such as up and down and right and left, may be sufficient.

  In the display means of the driving support apparatus according to the present invention, the current power amount and the required power amount are displayed by changing the luminance or the color tone stepwise. In this way, it is possible to easily determine how much power is available by changing the luminance or color tone stepwise.

  In the driving support device of the present invention, the preset point is the home. In this driving support device, the required electric energy calculating means calculates the electric energy required to travel the distance to the home by the motor, and displays the current remaining electric energy and the required electric energy to the home on the display means. . In this way, the driving support device can easily determine whether or not to return to the home by displaying the current power amount and the required power amount to the home.

  In the driving support device according to the present invention, when the destination is set between the current position of the vehicle and a preset point, the required power amount calculating means sets the current position of the vehicle via the destination in advance. The required power amount is calculated by expressing the distance to the determined point as the power amount. In this driving support device, when the required electric energy calculation means calculates the electric energy necessary for traveling with the motor over the distance when going through the destination, the current electric energy and the destination are passed through the display means Displays the required amount of power. In this way, the driving support device displays whether the current power amount and the necessary power amount when passing through the destination are displayed, so that it is easy to determine whether or not a predetermined point can be reached even when passing through the destination. I can judge.

  According to the present invention, by displaying the current power amount and the required power amount up to a preset point, the current power amount and the required power amount can be relatively grasped, and the user himself / herself sets the current power amount in advance. It is possible to easily determine whether or not it is possible to reach the designated point, and it is possible to easily determine how much power is available even if it is determined that the point can be reached.

It is a block diagram of the navigation apparatus concerning this Embodiment. It is an example of the display image regarding electric energy. It is another example of the display image regarding electric energy.

  Embodiments of a driving assistance apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the element which is the same or it corresponds in each figure, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the driving support device according to the present invention is applied to a navigation device mounted on an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle according to the present embodiment includes a battery that can be charged from the outside and a motor as a drive source, supplies electric power from the battery to the motor, and travels with the driving force of the motor. The navigation device according to the present embodiment has a function of presenting information related to the amount of power to the user (driver). In the present embodiment, only the function of the navigation device will be described.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the navigation apparatus 1 which concerns on this Embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the navigation device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an example of a display image related to the electric energy. FIG. 3 is another example of a display image related to the electric energy.

  The navigation device 1 relatively displays the current power amount of the battery and the power amount necessary for returning to the home (or the home via the destination) while the vehicle is traveling. For this purpose, the navigation device 1 includes a power amount detection unit 2, a required feedback power amount calculation unit 3, an information integration unit 4, and a display unit 5. The feedback electric energy calculation unit 3 and the information integration unit 4 are configured in an ECU [Electronic Control Unit] of the navigation device 1.

  In the present embodiment, the electric energy detection unit 2 corresponds to the electric energy detection means described in the claims, and the feedback electric energy calculation unit 3 and the information integration unit 4 need to be described in the claims. The display unit 5 corresponds to the display unit described in the claims.

  The power amount detection unit 2 is a sensor (in particular, an SOC sensor) that detects the current power amount (remaining charge amount) of the battery. In the present embodiment, SOC [State Of Charge] (ratio (%) of remaining power amount to maximum battery power amount) is used as the power amount. When the power amount detection unit 2 detects the current power amount at regular intervals, the power amount detection unit 2 outputs the detected power amount to the information integration unit 4.

  The return electric energy required calculation unit 3 calculates the amount of electric power necessary to travel from the current position of the vehicle to the home (however, if the destination is set, the home via the destination) by the motor. . The current position of the vehicle is detected by the navigation device 1 at regular intervals. The home is registered in advance by the user in the point registration of the navigation device 1. When the required electric energy calculation unit 3 calculates the necessary electric energy to the home at regular time intervals, the required electric energy is output to the information integration unit 4.

  An example of a calculation method in the feedback electric energy required calculation unit 3 will be described. The route search function of the navigation device 1 searches for a route from the current position to the home, and calculates the required amount of power from the distance of the route. Further, when traveling in the past, the distance of the route from the current position to the home is recorded, and the required amount of power is calculated from the recorded distance of the route. As a result, when the current position is on a route that has passed in the past, there is no need to perform a route search in the navigation device 1, and the calculation load can be reduced. Furthermore, the necessary amount of electric power may be calculated in consideration of environmental information such as road gradient in the route (which affects the electric load of the motor). In addition, a linear distance from the current position to the home is calculated, and a necessary amount of power is calculated from the linear distance. Thus, the calculation load can be suppressed, and the navigation apparatus 1 having a low calculation capability is suitable. If the destination is set halfway, the amount of power required from the current position to the destination and the amount of power required from the destination to the home are calculated.

  The information integration unit 4 integrates the current power amount detected by the power amount detection unit 2 and the required power amount calculated by the required feedback power amount calculation unit 3 to obtain the maximum battery power amount (SOC: 100%) and the current power amount. An image that relatively represents the electric energy (SOC: a%) and the required electric energy up to the home is created. Here, the required electric energy to the home is converted into SOC (b%), and the current SOC (a%) and the SOC required to home (b%) are relative to the SOC of 0 to 100%. Image. Further, the used SOC ((100-a)%) area and the remaining SOC (a%) area are color-coded, and the remaining SOC area is color-coded in stages. When the information integration unit 4 creates an image at regular time intervals, the information integration unit 4 outputs the image information to the display unit 5.

  The display unit 5 is a display of the navigation device 1. The display unit 5 displays the image every time image information is input from the information integration unit 4. The image is basically displayed at all times, but can be erased depending on the setting of the user. The display unit 5 may be a display provided in the combination meter other than the display of the navigation device 1.

  An example of an image to be displayed will be described with reference to FIGS. In this example, the mark indicated by reference numeral HM is the home mark, the mark indicated by reference numeral VM is the current position mark of the vehicle, and the mark indicated by reference numeral GM is the destination mark. Moreover, the strip | belt-shaped graph shown with code | symbol CM is SOC, and shows 0 to 100% of SOC. The black portion (the darkest color portion) US in the band graph CM is a portion indicating the used SOC, and occupies the used SOC ((100-a)%) from the end of 100% of the SOC. This black portion US is a dangerous area, and is an area where the amount of electric power is insufficient before returning to the home with the current electric energy even when the EV travels smoothly. The gradient portion RS in the strip graph CM is a portion indicating the SOC that remains at present, and occupies the current SOC (a%) from the end of 0% of the SOC. The gradient portion RS is color-coded stepwise so that the region from 0% to a% of the SOC gradually increases. The darker the color of the gradient part RS, the higher the possibility that the amount of power will be insufficient. If you run smoothly on EV, you can return to your home with the current amount of power. This is a region where the amount of electric power is insufficient when the amount of electric power used increases due to road environments such as gradients and electric loads other than motors such as air conditioners. Note that the coloration of the gradation may be the coloration with the luminance changed or the coloration with the color tone changed.

  The home mark HM is arranged at the end of 0% of the SOC in the strip graph CM. The current position mark VM is arranged at a position where the required SOC (b%) is left from the end of 0% in the strip graph CM using the required SOC (b%). Therefore, the distance L between the home mark HM and the current position mark VM shown in FIG. 2 indicates a distance obtained by normalizing the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the home to the SOC. The destination mark GM is arranged at a position where the required SOC (c%) is left from the end of 0% in the strip graph CM using the SOC (c%) required from the destination to the home. At this time, SOC (d (= b−c)%) required from the current position to the destination may be used.

  When the current SOC (a%) is larger than the required SOC (b%), the current position mark VM is positioned at a lighter color in the gradient portion RS as the difference between the current SOC and the required SOC is larger. Accordingly, it can be understood that the lighter the color of the current position mark VM in the gradation portion RS, the more power is available, and the darker the color of the current position mark VM in the gradient portion RS is, the less power is available. This is a warning area. In the warning area, it is necessary to reduce the amount of electricity used or to charge the battery in the middle. On the other hand, when the current SOC (a%) is smaller than the required SOC (b%), it can be seen that the current position mark VM is located in the black portion US, which is a danger area where the amount of power is insufficient. In this case, it is necessary to charge in the middle, but since the user can grasp at an early stage, a charging spot (such as a charging station) can be searched with a margin.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, since the current position mark VM is located in the gradient portion RS, it can be grasped at a glance that the current SOC (a%) is larger than the required SOC (b%), and the EV is smoothly performed. It turns out that it is possible to return to the home with the current amount of electric power without having to charge the vehicle when traveling. In particular, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 3, it can be seen that it is possible to return to the home with the current power amount even via the destination. In the case of the examples of FIGS. 2 and 3, the position of the current position mark VM is darker in the gradient portion RS in the example of FIG. In the example of FIG. 2, the tip of the triangle of the current position mark VM points in the opposite direction of the home mark HM, which indicates that the vehicle is away from the home. In the example of FIG. 3, the triangle of the current position mark VM Is pointed at the destination mark GM, which indicates that the vehicle is approaching the destination when going from the home to the destination and returning from the destination to the home.

  With reference to FIG. 1, the operation | movement in the navigation apparatus 1 is demonstrated. The power amount detection unit 2 detects the power amount of the battery at regular intervals and outputs the detected value to the information integration unit 4. The required feedback power amount calculation unit 3 calculates the amount of power required for traveling with a motor from the current position of the vehicle to the home at regular time intervals, and outputs the required power amount to the information integration unit 4. When the current power amount and the required power amount are input, the information integration unit 4 displays an image that relatively represents the maximum power amount (maximum SOC), the current power amount (current SOC), and the required power amount (required SOC) of the battery. The image information is created and output to the display unit 5. Each time the image information is input, the display unit 5 displays an image that relatively represents the maximum SOC, the current SOC of the battery, and the required SOC up to the home. As described above, the image that relatively represents the maximum SOC, the current SOC, and the required SOC is updated at regular intervals.

  The user (driver) sees this image, and when the maximum SOC, the current SOC, the home, the current position of the vehicle normalized to the SOC, and the destination are set, the target normalized to the SOC Instantly grasp the relative relationship of the ground. At this time, if it is determined that the current amount of power is insufficient before returning to the home (in the case of a danger zone) or if it is determined that there is a risk that the amount of power is insufficient before returning to the home (warning range) In this case, the user performs charging at a charging spot on the way home, according to the degree of lack. On the other hand, when it is determined that the current amount of power can sufficiently return to the home (in the case of a marginal area), the user returns home without charging on the way home.

  According to this navigation device 1, by displaying the maximum power amount, the current power amount, and the required power amount to the home relatively, the current power amount and the required power amount can be relatively instantaneously grasped, and the user himself Can easily determine whether it is possible to return to the home with the current remaining power amount, and even if it is determined that return is possible, it is possible to easily determine how much power is available. As a result, the user can travel EV with peace of mind, and can stop at the charging spot with a margin when it is determined that the amount of power is insufficient or when it is determined that there is a possibility of a shortage.

  In particular, according to the navigation device 1, the current SOC, home mark, current position mark, and destination mark are indicated on the 0% to 100% SOC band graph, thereby indicating the current position of the home, the vehicle, and the destination. The relative relationship between the position, maximum electric energy, and current electric energy can be grasped instantly. Furthermore, according to the navigation apparatus 1, the used SOC area is displayed in black, and the current remaining SOC area is displayed with a gradation that is lighter than black, so that the dangerous area, warning area, and margin area can be instantaneously displayed. Can grasp.

  In addition, the amount of electricity used in the vehicle varies depending on various conditions such as road trips on the way home, road gradients, etc., and electricity usage other than motors such as air conditioners. The required power amount calculated by the required feedback power amount calculation unit 3 lacks accuracy. In view of this, the danger area, warning area, and margin area are shown by displaying in gradation. Thus, even when the amount of electricity used increases more than expected, the user can see the current position mark that has been in the warning area in advance, and can handle charging in the middle with a margin.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment which concerns on this invention was described, this invention is implemented in various forms, without being limited to the said embodiment.

  For example, in this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a navigation device, but it can also be applied to other devices such as a driving support device, a motor control device, and a meter device. Further, in the present embodiment, all the configurations are configured in the vehicle, but in order to reduce the calculation load, a configuration in which processing such as a required feedback power amount calculation unit is performed outside the center or the like may be employed.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the preset point is the home, but a point other than the home may be set and the reachability to the point may be presented. For example, a charging spot that is always charged, There is a company that has a charging spot and a destination that has a charging spot.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, in order to show the present electric energy and required electric energy, it showed with the image displayed relatively with a strip | belt-shaped graph, However, Other presentation methods, such as a text format, may be sufficient. For example, the values of the current power amount and the required power amount may be displayed side by side vertically and horizontally. In addition, although the SOC color was graded step by step with black and lighter gradients than black, such a gradient need not be provided, or the margin, warning zone and danger zone can be color coded in three stages. Also good.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Navigation apparatus, 2 ... Electric power amount detection part, 3 ... Return electric power required calculation part, 4 ... Information integration part, 5 ... Display part.

Claims (5)

A driving support device for a vehicle having a motor as a drive source,
A power amount detecting means for detecting a current power amount of a battery that supplies power to the motor;
A required power amount calculating means for calculating a required power amount that represents a distance between the current position of the vehicle and a preset point as a power amount;
Display means for displaying the current power amount detected by the power amount detecting means and the required power amount calculated by the required power amount calculating means;
A driving support apparatus comprising:   The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the current power amount and the required power amount side by side.   The driving support device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display means displays the current power amount and the required power amount by changing luminance or color tone in a stepwise manner.   The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the preset point is a home.   When the destination is set between the current position of the vehicle and a preset point, the required power amount calculating means calculates the distance between the current position of the vehicle and the preset point via the destination. The driving assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a required power amount expressed by a quantity is calculated.