JP7471274B2 - Energy consumption estimation device, energy consumption estimation method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an energy consumption estimation device, an energy consumption estimation method, and a program.
This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-52844, filed on March 20, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

In an electric vehicle equipped with a motor for driving and a battery that supplies power to the motor, for example, information on the available driving distance is provided to the driver. Since the available driving distance of an electric vehicle varies depending on the power consumption of the battery, the power consumption of the battery is a factor in calculating the available driving distance of the electric vehicle.

However, battery power is also consumed by the operation of an air conditioner mounted on an electric vehicle, and a lot of power is consumed when the air conditioner is operating. In order to detect the power consumed by the battery, there is a calculation device that calculates the battery power consumption taking into account the operating state of the air conditioner (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The calculation device has ON-time map data when the air conditioner is ON and OFF-time map data when the air conditioner is OFF. When the air conditioner is ON and a first predetermined time or more has passed since the last time the air conditioner was turned ON, the calculation device calculates the cruising distance per unit of power consumption using the ON-time map data. When the air conditioner is OFF and a second predetermined time or more has passed since the last time the air conditioner was turned OFF, the calculation device calculates the cruising distance per unit of power consumption using the ON-time map data.

JP 2014-54124 A

The calculation device in Patent Document 1 calculates the possible driving distance per unit of power consumption by turning the air conditioning unit on and off, but does not take into account the operating state of the air conditioning unit according to the load, etc. For this reason, the calculation device in Patent Document 1 has room to improve the accuracy of estimating the possible driving distance per unit of power consumption, and further the power consumption of the battery to calculate the possible driving distance.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide an energy consumption estimation device, an energy consumption estimation method, and a program that can estimate battery power consumption with greater accuracy.

The energy consumption estimation device, the energy consumption estimation method, and the program according to the present invention employ the following configuration.
(1): An energy consumption estimation device according to one embodiment of the present invention is an energy consumption estimation device that is mounted on a vehicle and estimates the energy consumption of an air conditioning unit operating under set operating conditions, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires information including an environmental state around the vehicle, and a calculation unit that calculates the energy consumption in a next time cycle based on a feedback value of the energy consumption in a previous time cycle and the information acquired by the acquisition unit.

(2): In the above aspect (1), the calculation unit further calculates the room temperature for the next time cycle based on a feedback value of the vehicle's room temperature for the previous time cycle and the information.

(3): In the above aspect (1) or (2), a prediction unit is further provided that predicts the driving state of the vehicle in the next time cycle, and the calculation unit calculates the energy consumption in the next time cycle based on the driving state predicted by the prediction unit.

(4): In the above aspect (3), the calculation unit prohibits calculation of the energy consumption for the next time cycle further based on the driving state when the prediction unit does not satisfy a specified condition.

(5): In any of the above aspects (1) to (4), the system further includes a generation unit that generates a model using the feedback value of the consumed energy in the previous time cycle and the information as input data and the consumed energy in the next time cycle as output data, and the calculation unit calculates the consumed energy in the next time cycle using the model generated by the generation unit.

(6): In the above aspect (5), the generation unit generates the model through machine learning.

(7): In any of the above aspects (1) to (6), the device further includes a providing unit that provides information based on the consumed energy calculated by the calculation unit.

(8): In any of the above aspects (1) to (7), the environmental condition is at least one of the humidity, outside temperature, and amount of solar radiation surrounding the vehicle.

(9): In any of the above aspects (1) to (8), the vehicle is an electric vehicle that receives power for driving from a battery.

(10): Another aspect of the energy consumption estimation method of the present invention is an energy consumption estimation device that is mounted on a vehicle and estimates the energy consumption of an air conditioning unit operating under set operating conditions, and acquires information including the environmental state around the vehicle, and calculates the energy consumption in a next time cycle based on a feedback value of the energy consumption in the previous time cycle and the acquired information.

(11): A program according to another aspect of the present invention causes an energy consumption estimation device, which is mounted on a vehicle and estimates the energy consumption of an air conditioning unit operating under set operating conditions, to acquire information including the environmental conditions surrounding the vehicle, and calculate the energy consumption in the next time cycle based on a feedback value of the energy consumption in the previous time cycle and the acquired information.

According to (1) to (11), battery power consumption can be estimated more accurately.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle 10 including an estimation device 100. FIG. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram of a generation process of an air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processes executed by each unit of the estimation device 100. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a process for generating data created in a process for estimating air conditioning energy consumption. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a process for generating data created in a process for estimating air conditioning energy consumption. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a process for generating data created in a process for estimating air conditioning energy consumption. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an estimation system including an estimation device 100 according to a second embodiment.

Below, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the energy consumption estimation device, the energy consumption estimation method, and the program of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the vehicle 10 is assumed to be an electric vehicle (electric car), but the vehicle 10 may be any vehicle equipped with a secondary battery that supplies power for running, and may also be a hybrid car or a fuel cell vehicle. In the following specification, the energy consumption estimation device may be referred to as an estimation device, and the energy consumption estimation system may be referred to as an estimation system.

First Embodiment
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[Vehicle 10]
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle 10 including an estimation device 100. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 10 includes, for example, a motor 12, drive wheels 14, a brake device 16, a vehicle sensor 20, a PCU (Power Control Unit) 30, a battery 40, a battery sensor 42 such as a voltage sensor, a current sensor, and a temperature sensor, a communication device 50, an air conditioning device 60, a charging port 70, a converter 72, an outside air temperature sensor 82, a humidity sensor 84, a sunlight sensor 86, a room temperature sensor 88, a display device 90, and the estimation device 100.

The motor 12 is, for example, a three-phase AC motor. The rotor of the motor 12 is connected to the drive wheels 14. The motor 12 outputs power to the drive wheels 14 using the supplied electric power. The motor 12 generates electricity using the kinetic energy of the vehicle when the vehicle decelerates.

The brake device 16 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, and an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder. The brake device 16 may include a backup mechanism that transmits hydraulic pressure generated by operating the brake pedal to the cylinder via a master cylinder. The brake device 16 is not limited to the configuration described above, and may be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that transmits hydraulic pressure from a master cylinder to the cylinder.

The vehicle sensor 20 includes an accelerator opening sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, and a brake depression sensor. The accelerator opening sensor is attached to the accelerator pedal, detects the amount of accelerator pedal operation, and outputs the accelerator opening to the control unit 36. The vehicle speed sensor includes, for example, wheel speed sensors attached to each wheel and a speed calculator, and combines the wheel speeds detected by the wheel speed sensors to derive the vehicle speed (vehicle speed), which is output to the control unit 36. The brake depression sensor is attached to the brake pedal, detects the amount of brake pedal operation, and outputs the brake depression to the control unit 36.

The PCU 30 includes, for example, a converter 32, a VCU (Voltage Control Unit) 34, and a control unit 36. The configuration in which these components are collectively configured as the PCU 34 is merely an example, and these components may be arranged in a distributed manner.

The converter 32 is, for example, an AC-DC converter. The DC side terminal of the converter 32 is connected to the DC link DL. The battery 40 is connected to the DC link DL via the VCU 34. The converter 32 converts the AC generated by the motor 12 into DC and outputs it to the DC link DL.

The VCU 34 is, for example, a DC-DC converter. The VCU 34 boosts the power supplied from the battery 40 and outputs it to the DC link DL.

The control unit 36 includes, for example, a motor control unit, a brake control unit, and a battery/VCU control unit. The motor control unit, the brake control unit, and the battery/VCU control unit may each be replaced with a separate control device, such as a motor ECU, a brake ECU, and a battery ECU.

The control unit 36 controls the motor 12 in the motor control unit based on the output of the vehicle sensor 20. The control unit 36 controls the brake device 16 in the brake control unit based on the output of the vehicle sensor 20. The control unit 36 calculates the SOC (State Of Charge; hereinafter also referred to as "battery charging rate") of the battery 40 in the battery/VCU control unit based on the output of the battery sensor 42 attached to the battery 40, and outputs it to the VCU 34 and the estimation device 100. The control unit 36 outputs information on the vehicle speed output by the vehicle sensor 20 to the estimation device 100. The VCU 34 increases the voltage of the DC link DL in response to instructions from the battery/VCU control.

The battery 40 is, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery. The battery 40 stores power introduced from a charger 200 external to the vehicle 10 and discharges the power to run the vehicle 10. The battery sensor 42 includes, for example, a current sensor, a voltage sensor, and a temperature sensor. The battery sensor 42 detects, for example, the current value, voltage value, and temperature of the battery 40. The battery sensor 42 outputs the detected current value, voltage value, temperature, etc. to the control unit 36.

The communication device 50 includes a wireless module for connecting to a cellular network or a Wi-Fi network. The communication device 50 communicates with a weather information server (not shown) and receives and acquires weather information provided by the weather information server. The weather information includes, for example, information such as outside temperature, humidity, and amount of solar radiation. The communication device 50 outputs the acquired weather information to the estimation device 100.

The air conditioner 60 is mounted on the vehicle 10 and adjusts the air condition inside the vehicle cabin to adjust the environment inside the vehicle cabin. The air conditioner 60 is controlled by an air conditioner ECU that accepts settings made by user operation. The air conditioner ECU controls the air conditioner 60 under the operating conditions set by the user. For example, when the user turns the air conditioner 60 ON, the air conditioner ECU starts the air conditioner 60, and when the user turns the air conditioner 60 OFF, the air conditioner ECU stops the air conditioner 60.

The air conditioner 60 is capable of setting operating conditions such as set temperature, set air volume, and operating time. For example, the set temperature of the air conditioner 60 can be adjusted to three levels, "high," "medium," and "low," the operating time can be adjusted to three levels, "long," "medium," and "short," and the set air volume can be adjusted to three levels, "strong," "medium," and "weak." For example, when a user operates the air conditioner 60 to set the temperature to "low," the air conditioner ECU adjusts the set temperature of the air conditioner 60 to "low." These adjustment levels may be other than three levels. It may also be possible to specify operating conditions, such as a set temperature of "28°C."

The lower the set temperature of the air conditioner 60, the greater the energy consumption of the air conditioner 60. The higher the set air volume of the air conditioner 60, the greater the energy consumption of the air conditioner 60. The longer the operating time of the air conditioner 60, the greater the energy consumption of the air conditioner 60. The energy consumption of the air conditioner 60 is the energy (power consumption) consumed by the battery 40 due to the operation of the air conditioner 60. The air conditioner ECU of the air conditioner 60 outputs ON-OFF information of the air conditioner 60 and information on the operating conditions to the estimation device 100. For example, when the air conditioner 60 is turned ON or OFF, the air conditioner 60 outputs ON-OFF information to the estimation device 100, and when the air conditioner 60 is turned ON or the operating conditions are changed, the air conditioner 60 outputs information on the operating conditions to the estimation device 100.

The charging port 70 is provided facing the outside of the body of the vehicle 10. The charging port 70 is connected to the charger 200 via a charging cable 220. The charging cable 220 has a first plug 222 and a second plug 224. The first plug 222 is connected to the charger 200, and the second plug 224 is connected to the charging port 70. Electricity supplied from the charger 200 is supplied to the charging port 70 via the charging cable 220.

The charging cable 220 includes a signal cable attached to the power cable. The signal cable mediates communication between the vehicle 10 and the charger 200. Therefore, each of the first plug 222 and the second plug 224 is provided with a power connector for connecting the power cable and a signal connector for connecting the signal cable.

The converter 72 is provided between the charging port 70 and the battery 40. The converter 72 converts the current, e.g., AC current, introduced from the charger 200 via the charging port 70 into a current, e.g., DC current, to be supplied to the battery 40. The converter 72 outputs the converted DC current to the battery 40.

The outside air temperature sensor 82 and humidity sensor 84 are installed, for example, in locations that are less susceptible to the heat of the engine, vehicle body, or road surface, for example, near the front bumper. The outside air temperature sensor 82 measures the outside air temperature of the vehicle 10. The outside air temperature sensor 82 outputs information on the measured outside air temperature to the estimation device 100. The humidity sensor 84 measures the humidity outside the vehicle 10. The humidity sensor 84 outputs information on the detected humidity to the estimation device 100.

The sunlight sensor 86 is installed on the instrument panel or front windshield of the vehicle 10, and measures the amount of sunlight around the vehicle 10. The sunlight sensor 86 outputs information about the measured amount of sunlight to the estimation device 100. The room temperature sensor 88 is attached, for example, to the inside lower part of the instrument panel, and measures the interior temperature (room temperature) of the vehicle 10. The room temperature sensor 88 outputs information about the measured interior temperature to the estimation device 100.

The outside air temperature sensor 82, humidity sensor 84, sunlight sensor 86, and room temperature sensor 88 output their respective information at a predetermined time interval. The predetermined time here may be any time, for example, 1 second, 10 seconds, 1 minute, or 1 hour. In the embodiment, the predetermined time is 1 second. The outside air temperature sensor 82, humidity sensor 84, sunlight sensor 86, and room temperature sensor 88 may output their respective information at the same time and at the same time interval, or may output their respective information at different times and at different time intervals.

The display device 90 includes a display unit 92 and a display control unit 94. The display unit 92 displays information according to the control of the display control unit 94. The display control unit 94 causes the display unit 92 to display information output by the estimation device 100, for example, information on the available driving range. The available driving range refers to the distance that the vehicle 10 can travel using the power of the battery 40. The information provided by the display device 90 based on the power consumption of the battery 40 may be information other than the available driving range of the vehicle 10, for example, information on the deterioration state of the battery 40. The display device 90 and the estimation device 100 may be collectively referred to as an estimation display system.

The estimation device 100 includes an acquisition unit 110, a vehicle speed prediction unit 120, a generation unit 130, a calculation unit 140, a derivation unit 150, a provision unit 160, and a storage unit 170. The acquisition unit 110, the vehicle speed prediction unit 120, the generation unit 130, the calculation unit 140, the derivation unit 150, and the provision unit 160 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (non-transient storage medium) such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (non-transient storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and installed by inserting the storage medium into a drive device. The storage unit 170 is realized by the storage device described above.

The estimation device 100 derives the energy consumption of the air conditioning device 60 based on the environmental conditions around the vehicle and the operating conditions of the air conditioning device 60 set by the user, and estimates the cruising distance of the vehicle 10 based on the derived energy consumption and the SOC of the battery 40, and presents it to the user. The estimation device 100 derives the energy consumption of the air conditioning device 60 as a numerical value for each time cycle. One time cycle may be any time interval, and may be, for example, a relatively short time interval such as 0.1 ms, or a relatively long time interval such as 1 second.

One time cycle may be the same as the predetermined time for the outside air temperature sensor 82, the humidity sensor 84, the sunlight sensor 86, and the room temperature sensor 88 to output their respective information, or it may be shorter or longer. In the embodiment, one time cycle is 0.1 ms. In the embodiment, one time cycle is longer than the predetermined time.

The acquisition unit 110 acquires information output by the control unit 36, such as the SOC of the battery 40 and the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10. The acquisition unit 110 acquires information output by the air conditioning unit 60, such as the ON-OFF and operating conditions of the air conditioning unit 60. The acquisition unit 110 acquires information on the outside temperature, humidity, amount of solar radiation, and temperature inside the vehicle output by the outside temperature sensor 82, humidity sensor 84, sunshine sensor 86, and room temperature sensor 88, respectively. The outside temperature, humidity, and amount of solar radiation are examples of the "environmental state" of the present invention. The acquisition unit 110 may acquire information such as the outside temperature, humidity, and amount of solar radiation included in the weather information provided by the weather server instead of or in addition to the outside temperature, humidity, and amount of solar radiation output by the outside temperature sensor 82, humidity sensor 84, sunshine sensor 86, and room temperature sensor 88, respectively. The acquisition unit 110 may correct the outside air temperature, humidity, and amount of solar radiation output by the outside air temperature sensor 82, humidity sensor 84, sunlight sensor 86, and room temperature sensor 88, respectively, based on meteorological information provided by a weather server.

The acquisition unit 110 calculates and acquires the output value of the air conditioning unit 60 based on information on the operating conditions output by the air conditioning unit 60. The estimation device 100 acquires information on the environmental state at intervals longer than one time cycle, for example. For this reason, the acquisition unit 110 acquires information such as the outside air temperature every few time cycles. The acquisition unit 110 stores the various acquired information in the memory unit 170.

The acquisition unit 110 calculates the energy consumed by the air conditioner 60 (hereinafter referred to as "air conditioning energy consumption") for a few seconds immediately after the air conditioner 60 starts operating (hereinafter referred to as "initial time") based on information on the vehicle interior temperature and operating conditions. The acquisition unit 110 calculates the output of the air conditioner 60 based on the operating conditions output by the air conditioner 60. The acquisition unit 110 stores information on the vehicle interior temperature output by the room temperature sensor 88 and the calculated air conditioning energy consumption in the memory unit 170. The initial time immediately after the air conditioner 60 starts operating may be set to any time, and may be, for example, 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, etc. In the embodiment, the initial time is 3 seconds.

The vehicle speed prediction unit 120 predicts the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 in the next time cycle based on the vehicle speed information output by the control unit 36. The vehicle speed prediction unit 120, for example, stores the past several pieces of vehicle speed information within a predetermined time period output by the control unit 36 in the memory unit 170, and predicts the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 in the next time cycle based on the past several pieces of vehicle speed information.

The vehicle speed prediction unit 120 predicts the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 in the next time cycle when a predetermined condition is met, for example, when the vehicle speed information for the past few times within a predetermined time is available, and prohibits prediction of the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 in the next time cycle and does not predict the vehicle speed when the vehicle speed information for the past few times within a predetermined time is not available. When predicting the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 in the next time cycle, the vehicle speed prediction unit 120 also predicts whether the vehicle 10 is stopped or not. The vehicle speed prediction unit 120 stores information on the predicted vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 in the next time cycle and whether it is stopped or not in the memory unit 170. The vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 and whether it is stopped or not are examples of a driving state.

The generation unit 130 generates an air conditioning energy consumption estimation model for estimating air conditioning energy consumption using each piece of information acquired by the acquisition unit 110. The generation unit 130 performs machine learning using each piece of information from the acquisition unit 110 as input data and the in-vehicle temperature and air conditioning energy consumption as output data and external input data, and generates the air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 shown in FIG. 2.

For example, the generation unit 130 generates an air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 consisting of a neural network model that receives the outside temperature, humidity, solar radiation, vehicle speed, and whether or not the vehicle is stopped acquired by the acquisition unit 110 as inputs, and outputs the inside-vehicle temperature (inside-vehicle temperature estimate) and air conditioning energy consumption (air conditioning energy consumption estimate). Furthermore, the inside-vehicle temperature estimate and past values of air conditioning energy consumption estimated by the air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 become external inputs of the air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172. The input may be at least one of the outside temperature, humidity, solar radiation, vehicle speed, and whether or not the vehicle is stopped. The inside-vehicle temperature does not have to be included in the external input. The generation unit 130 learns about a single step.

The air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 is, for example, a NARX (Nonlinear Auto Regressive eXogenous) neural network model. The NARX neural network model is a nonlinear autoregressive time series model that feeds back data obtained as output and utilizes it as an external input with autocorrelation. The generation unit 130 stores the generated air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 in the memory unit 170.

The calculation unit 140 reads out the air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 and the in-vehicle temperature and air conditioning energy consumption estimate value for the current time cycle from the memory unit 170. The calculation unit 140 further reads out the information on the outside air temperature, humidity, and solar radiation amount acquired by the acquisition unit 110, as well as the vehicle speed predicted by the vehicle speed prediction unit 120 and information on whether the vehicle is stopped or not.

When estimating the air-conditioning energy consumption, the calculation unit 140 first performs a single-step estimation of the air-conditioning energy consumption after the ignition switch is turned ON, using as input the past value of the air-conditioning energy consumption before the estimation starts. After that, the calculation unit 140 performs a multi-step estimation by feeding back the estimated air-conditioning energy consumption value and repeating the single-step estimation.

The outside air temperature, humidity, and solar radiation information acquired by the acquisition unit 110 is information obtained every few time cycles, and here the most recent information is read out. The calculation unit 140 inputs the outside air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, vehicle speed, whether the vehicle is stopped, and the interior temperature estimate and air conditioning energy consumption estimate for the current time cycle into the air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 to calculate the interior temperature estimate and air conditioning energy consumption estimate for the next time cycle. In this way, the air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 used for the interior temperature estimate and air conditioning energy consumption estimate is composed of a NARX neural network model, and the interior temperature estimate and air conditioning energy consumption estimate, which are output data, are fed back and used as input data.

If the vehicle speed prediction unit 120 has not predicted the vehicle speed and whether or not the vehicle 10 is stopped for the current time cycle, the calculation unit 140 calculates the in-vehicle temperature and air-conditioning energy consumption estimates for the next time cycle, excluding the vehicle speed and whether or not the vehicle 10 is stopped. The calculation unit 140 stores the calculated in-vehicle temperature and air-conditioning energy consumption for the next time cycle in the memory unit 170.

The derivation unit 150 reads out the air conditioning energy consumption calculated by the calculation unit 140 and the SOC of the battery 40 acquired by the acquisition unit 110 from the storage unit 170, and estimates the cruising range of the vehicle 10. The derivation unit 150 calculates the amount of energy for calculating the cruising range, for example, by subtracting a numerical value corresponding to the air conditioning energy consumption from the SOC of the battery 40. The derivation unit 150 estimates the cruising range of the vehicle 10 based on the calculated amount of energy for calculating the cruising range. The derivation unit 150 stores information on the estimated cruising range of the vehicle 10 in the storage unit 170.

The providing unit 160 outputs information on the remaining cruising distance estimated by the derivation unit 150 to the display device 90 and provides it. The providing unit 160 outputs information on the remaining cruising distance of the vehicle 10, which is information based on the power consumption of the battery 40, to the display device 90. The information on the remaining cruising distance is provided to the user by the display device 90 displaying it on the display unit 92.

Next, an example of processing in the estimation device 100 will be described. The estimation device 100 updates the air-conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 when the ignition switch of the vehicle 10 is turned ON and the switch of the air-conditioning device 60 is turned ON. Next, the estimation device 100 uses the updated air-conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 to derive the air-conditioning energy consumption of the air-conditioning device 60 and estimate the cruising distance of the vehicle 10.

Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the estimation device 100. The estimation device 100 starts up after the ignition switch of the vehicle 10 is turned ON, and as shown in Figure 3, determines whether the air conditioning device 60 is ON (step S110). If it is determined that the air conditioning device 60 is not ON, the process proceeds to step S200.

If it is determined that the air conditioner 60 is ON, the acquisition unit 110 acquires information on the SOC of the battery 40 and the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 output by the control unit 36 (step S120). The acquisition unit 110 acquires information on the outside air temperature, humidity, and solar radiation amount as environmental conditions output by the outside air temperature sensor 82, humidity sensor 84, and sunshine sensor 86, respectively (step S120). Next, the acquisition unit 110 acquires information on the interior temperature of the vehicle 10 output by the room temperature sensor 88 and information on the operating conditions output by the air conditioner 60, and calculates and acquires the output value of the air conditioner 60 based on the acquired interior temperature of the vehicle 10 and the operating conditions of the air conditioner 60 (step S130). The acquisition unit 110 calculates and acquires the air conditioning energy consumption of the air conditioner 60 based on the acquired information on the interior temperature and the output value of the air conditioner 60 (step S130). The acquiring unit 110 stores the acquired information on the interior temperature and the air-conditioning energy consumption in the storage unit 170 (step S140).

Figures 4 to 6 are diagrams showing an example of a process for generating data created in the process of estimating air conditioning energy consumption. Figure 4 shows an example of data before the initial time has elapsed. When estimating air conditioning energy consumption, before the initial time has elapsed, the acquisition unit 110 acquires the measured in-vehicle temperature value, the calculated air conditioning output value, and the calculated air conditioning energy consumption value (calculated air conditioning consumption E value), and stores them in the memory unit 170 as the data shown in Figure 4. Before the initial time has elapsed, the estimated device time and the actual time match. Before the initial time has elapsed, the estimated in-vehicle temperature value and the estimated air conditioning energy consumption value (estimated air conditioning consumption E value) are not stored.

Of the numerical values shown in Figure 4, the measured interior temperature is information about the interior temperature output by the room temperature sensor 88, and the calculated air conditioning output value is the output value of the air conditioning unit 60 calculated based on the operating condition information output by the air conditioning unit 60. The calculated air conditioning energy consumption value is the value of energy consumption of the air conditioning unit 60 obtained by integrating the output value of the air conditioning unit 60. The model input values in Figure 2 are predicted values obtained by a prediction device other than the estimation device 100, such as outside temperature, humidity, solar radiation, etc., based on meteorological information.

For example, when the actual time is 0 seconds and the estimated device time is "0", the acquisition unit 110 stores the numerical values "28" in the vehicle interior room temperature measured value field, "0" in the air conditioning output calculated value field, and "0" in the air conditioning energy consumption calculated value field. When the actual time is 1 second and the estimated device time is "1", the acquisition unit 110 adds and stores the numerical values "27.99" in the vehicle interior room temperature measured value field, "50" in the air conditioning output calculated value field, and "0" in the air conditioning energy consumption calculated value field. When the actual time is 2 seconds and the estimated device time is "2", the acquisition unit 110 adds and stores the numerical values "27.98" in the vehicle interior room temperature measured value field, "100" in the air conditioning output calculated value field, and "50" in the air conditioning energy consumption calculated value field.

Next, the estimation device 100 determines whether the initial time has elapsed (step S150). If it is determined that the initial time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S130, and the acquisition unit 110 repeats the processes of steps S130 and S140. If it is determined that the initial time has elapsed, the calculation unit 140 reads out the air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 stored in the memory unit 170, as well as the information on the environmental state, vehicle speed, whether the vehicle is stopped, the interior temperature of the current time cycle, and the air conditioning energy consumption, and estimates the interior temperature and air conditioning energy consumption of the next time cycle (step S170). If the vehicle speed prediction unit 120 has not predicted the vehicle speed and whether the vehicle is stopped of the vehicle 10 of the current time cycle, the calculation unit 140 estimates the interior temperature and air conditioning energy consumption of the next time cycle using information excluding the vehicle speed and whether the vehicle is stopped of the vehicle 10.

Figure 5 shows an example of data generated in the process of estimating air conditioning energy consumption, from the time the initial time has elapsed until the air conditioning display energy estimate for a specified time is calculated. In the embodiment, the specified time is 20 seconds. The specified time does not have to be this time, and may be a short time such as 1 minute or 5 minutes, or a long time such as 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 3 hours.

After the initial time has elapsed, the calculation unit 140 calculates an in-vehicle room temperature estimate and an air conditioning energy consumption estimate for each time cycle until a specified time is reached. As shown in FIG. 5, the calculation unit 140 stores the calculated in-vehicle temperature estimate and air conditioning energy consumption estimate. At this time, the measured in-vehicle temperature, the air conditioning output calculation value, and the air conditioning energy consumption calculation value are not stored. After the initial time has elapsed, the actual time is much shorter than the estimated device time. The in-vehicle temperature estimate and the air conditioning energy consumption estimate are both numerical values output by the air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 shown in FIG. 2. The air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 is calculated and stored for each time cycle.

For example, when the actual time is 3 seconds and the estimated device time is "3", the calculation unit 140 adds and stores the numbers "27.97" in the in-vehicle room temperature measurement field, "150" in the air conditioning output calculation field, and "150" in the air conditioning energy consumption calculation field, but does not store any numerical values in the in-vehicle temperature estimate field and the air conditioning energy consumption estimate field. When the actual time is 3.0001 seconds and the estimated device time is "4", the calculation unit 140 adds and stores the numbers "27.96" in the in-vehicle temperature estimate field and "300" in the air conditioning energy consumption estimate field.

When the actual time is 3.0002 seconds and the estimated device time is "5", the calculation unit 140 adds and stores the numerical values "27.95" in the in-vehicle temperature estimate field and "500" in the air conditioning energy consumption estimate field. In the same manner, the calculation unit 140 thereafter adds and stores numerical values in the in-vehicle temperature estimate field and the air conditioning energy consumption estimate field at the estimated device time every time the actual time increases by 0.0001 seconds. For example, the numerical values in the in-vehicle temperature estimate field and the air conditioning energy consumption estimate field at the actual time of 3.0005 seconds are as shown in FIG. 5.

Next, the calculation unit 140 determines whether or not the air conditioning energy consumption estimate for the specified time period has been calculated (step S180). If it is determined that the air conditioning energy consumption estimate for the specified time period has not been calculated, the calculation unit 140 returns to step S170 and repeats the process of step S170.

Figure 6 shows an example of data calculated as an estimated value of air conditioning energy consumption for a specified time period during the data generation process created in the process of estimating air conditioning energy consumption. For example, as shown in Figure 6, when the actual time is 3.0016 seconds, the calculation unit 140 calculates an estimated value of the vehicle interior room temperature and an estimated value of air conditioning energy consumption for 17 time cycles from "4" to "20" in the estimation device time, and adds and stores the calculated values in the memory unit 170. When the air conditioner 60 is not ON, the air conditioning energy consumption is 0.

Next, the derivation unit 150 estimates the cruising distance of the vehicle 10 based on the information on the SOC of the battery 40 and the information on the air conditioning energy consumption stored in the memory unit 170 (step S200). The cruising distance is calculated as the distance that the vehicle 10 can travel with the power obtained by subtracting the power based on the estimated air conditioning energy consumption value from the SOC of the battery 40. If it is determined in step S110 that the air conditioning device is not ON, the derivation unit 150 calculates the cruising distance of the vehicle 10 by setting the estimated air conditioning energy consumption value to 0. The derivation unit 150 stores the estimated cruising distance information in the memory unit 170 (step S210). Next, the provision unit 160 outputs the cruising distance information stored in the memory unit 170 to the display device 90 (step S220). In this way, the estimation device 100 ends the process shown in FIG. 3.

According to the first embodiment described above, the energy consumption of the air conditioning device 60 is used when estimating the energy consumption of the battery 40 used when calculating the cruising range of the vehicle 10. Therefore, the energy consumption of the battery 40 can be estimated taking into account the energy consumption of the air conditioning device 60, so that the energy consumption of the battery 40 can be estimated more accurately. When estimating the energy consumption of the air conditioning device 60, the energy consumption of the air conditioning device 60 in the next time cycle is calculated based on the energy consumption estimate value, which is a feedback value of the energy consumption, and information including information on the environmental state. Therefore, the calculated energy consumption of the air conditioning device 60 is obtained by feedback, so that the energy consumption of the air conditioning device 60 can be estimated more accurately.

The air conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172 used when estimating the energy consumption of the air conditioning device 60 uses a NARX neural network model in which data obtained as output is fed back and used as an external input. As a result, the logic for the learning stage, from data collection to learning, can be configured simply, making it possible to build a robust system. Even if the logging times of learning data for different driving cycles are different, learning can be performed without matching the time length between data, and overlearning can be made less likely to occur. Furthermore, for the estimation stage, estimation can be performed for any time using the same model, allowing for flexibility in terms of the length of the estimation time.

As the air-conditioning energy consumption estimation model, a neural network of the NARX neural network model, in particular, other neural network models that feed back the output as an external input, may be used. Without using a neural network, the air-conditioning energy consumption may be estimated by a rule base based on each data input to the input layer of the air-conditioning energy consumption estimation model 172.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Figure 7 is an overall configuration diagram showing an example of an estimation system 1 including the estimation device 100 of the second embodiment. The estimation device 100 of the first embodiment was provided in the vehicle 10, but the estimation device 100 of the second embodiment is provided in, for example, an external server 400 operating on the cloud. The external server 400 includes the estimation device 100 and an external communication device 410.

The external communication device 410 includes a wireless module for connecting to a cellular network or a Wi-Fi network. The external communication device 410 is communicatively connected to the communication device 50 of the vehicle 10 via the network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a provider device, a wireless base station, etc.

In the first embodiment, the vehicle 10 transmits various pieces of information to be provided to the estimation device 100 to the external server 400 using the communication device 50. The external server 400 receives the various pieces of information transmitted by the vehicle 10 via the external communication device 410 and outputs the information to the estimation device 100.

The estimation device 100 stores various information etc. transmitted by the vehicle 10 in the memory unit 170, estimates information on the remaining driving distance, and transmits it to the vehicle 10 using the external communication device 410. The vehicle 10 receives the information on the remaining driving distance transmitted by the estimation device 100 via the communication device 50, and outputs it to the display device 90. The display device 90 displays the output information on the remaining driving distance on the display unit 92.

According to the second embodiment described above, the energy consumption of the battery 40 can be estimated with greater accuracy. Since the estimation device 100 is provided in an external server outside the vehicle 10, the device mounted on the vehicle 10 can be simplified. A part of the estimation device 100 may be provided outside the vehicle 10, and information may be generated in each of the estimation devices 100 outside and inside the vehicle 10, and the generated information may be transmitted and received. For example, the generation unit 130 in the estimation device 100 provided in the vehicle 10 in the first embodiment may be omitted. The generation unit 130 may be provided in the external server 400 of the second embodiment, etc.

The above describes the form for implementing the present invention using embodiments, but the present invention is in no way limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

1... Estimation system 10... Vehicle 12... Motor 20... Vehicle sensor 36... Control unit 40... Battery 42... Battery sensor 50... Communication device 60... Air conditioning device 70... Charging port 82... Outside air temperature sensor 84... Humidity sensor 86... Sunlight sensor 88... Room temperature sensor 90... Display device 92... Display unit 94... Display control unit 100... Estimation device 110... Acquisition unit 120... Vehicle speed prediction unit 130... Generation unit 140... Calculation unit 150... Derivation unit 160... Provision unit 170... Memory unit 172... Air conditioning energy consumption estimation model

Claims (12)

An energy consumption estimation device that estimates energy consumption of an air conditioning device that is mounted on a vehicle and operates under set operating conditions,
An acquisition unit that acquires information including an environmental state around the vehicle;
a calculation unit that calculates the second estimated value using a model in which a first estimated value, which is an estimated value of the consumed energy in a previous time cycle, and the information are input data, and a second estimated value, which is an estimated value of the consumed energy in a next time cycle, is output data,
Energy consumption estimation device. the calculation unit inputs the second estimated value of the previous time cycle into the model as the first estimated value of the current time cycle to calculate the second estimated value, and calculates estimated values of the consumed energy for a plurality of time cycles;
The energy consumption estimation device according to claim 1 . The calculation unit further calculates the room temperature of the next time cycle based on a feedback value of the room temperature of the vehicle of the previous time cycle and the information.
The energy consumption estimation device according to claim 1 or 2 . A prediction unit predicts a running state of the vehicle in a next time cycle,
The calculation unit calculates the consumed energy in the next time cycle based on the running state predicted by the prediction unit.
The energy consumption estimation device according to claim 1 . The calculation unit prohibits calculation of the consumed energy in the next time cycle further based on the running state when the prediction unit does not satisfy a predetermined condition.
The energy consumption estimation device according to claim 4 . A generation unit that generates a model using the first estimated value and the information as input data and the second estimated value as output data,
The calculation unit calculates the consumed energy in a next time cycle by using the model generated by the generation unit.
The energy consumption estimation device according to claim 1 . The generation unit generates the model by machine learning.
The energy consumption estimation device according to claim 6 . A providing unit that provides information based on the consumed energy calculated by the calculating unit.
The energy consumption estimation device according to claim 1 . The environmental condition is at least one of the humidity, the outside temperature, and the amount of solar radiation around the vehicle.
The energy consumption estimation device according to claim 1 . The vehicle is an electric vehicle that receives power for traveling from a battery.
The energy consumption estimation device according to claim 1 . An energy consumption estimation device that is mounted on a vehicle and estimates energy consumption of an air conditioning device that operates under set operating conditions,
Acquire information including an environmental condition around the vehicle;
calculating the second estimated value using a model in which a first estimated value, which is an estimated value of the consumed energy in a previous time cycle, and the information are used as input data, and a second estimated value, which is an estimated value of the consumed energy in a next time cycle, is used as output data;
Energy consumption estimation method. An energy consumption estimation device that estimates the energy consumption of an air conditioning device that is mounted on a vehicle and operates under set operating conditions,
Acquire information including an environmental condition around the vehicle;
a first estimate value, which is an estimate value of the consumed energy in a previous time cycle, and the information are used as input data, and a second estimate value, which is an estimate value of the consumed energy in a next time cycle , is used as output data to calculate the second estimate value .
program.

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