JP2010071736A - System, method, and program for providing battery information - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem wherein traveling on a scheduled travelling route cannot be conducted with high efficiency and at low cost. <P>SOLUTION: A scheduled traveling route of a vehicle driven by the electric power of a battery is acquired; the status of using electric power, when the vehicle travels on the scheduled traveling route is deduced, for outputting electric power corresponding to the status of usage; battery information representing a battery to be mounted is acquired; and the battery information is provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery information providing apparatus, a method, and a program for providing information related to a battery suitable for traveling on a scheduled travel route.

Conventionally, a technique for notifying the charging time of a main power source for an electric vehicle necessary for reaching a destination is known (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-112121 A

In the prior art, it was not possible to travel on the planned travel route efficiently. That is, in the conventional technology, the battery mounted on the vehicle is fixed, and a battery suitable for traveling on the planned travel route cannot be selected. Therefore, there are other batteries that are more advantageous in terms of power and energy density, and even if the batteries that are fixedly mounted on the vehicle are disadvantageous, they must drive as they are.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide information related to a battery suitable for traveling efficiently on a planned travel route.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a battery indicating a battery to be mounted in order to estimate the use state of power when the vehicle travels on the planned travel route and output the power according to the use state Guide information. That is, when battery information indicating a battery to be mounted in order to cover electric power when traveling on the planned travel route is guided, the user can mount the battery to be mounted on the vehicle according to the guidance and drive the vehicle. it can. Therefore, it is possible to provide information related to a battery that can efficiently travel on the planned travel route.

  The planned travel route acquisition unit only needs to be able to acquire the planned travel route after the current position in the host vehicle. Here, the planned travel route may be information indicating a route set in advance as a route from the travel start position of the host vehicle to the destination, or may be obtained by estimating a route ahead of the current position of the host vehicle. It may be information indicating the route taken, and various configurations can be adopted.

  The power usage status estimation means only needs to be able to estimate the power usage status when traveling on the planned travel route. Here, the usage status is various information indicating the power used during traveling. That is, the power usage status indicates the power to be output from the battery when traveling on the planned travel route, and various parameters can be used as long as the battery to be mounted on the vehicle can be specified by the power usage status. Can be an estimated value of the usage status of the power.

  For example, if the work rate required for the vehicle at each position on the planned travel route is estimated, it is possible to estimate the power usage status for driving the vehicle at the power rate. It is possible to specify a battery to be mounted in order to output power. In addition, if the cumulative use energy of the vehicle at each position on the planned travel route is estimated, it is possible to estimate the power use situation that covers the cumulative use energy, and to output the power corresponding to the use situation It is possible to specify a battery to be mounted on the battery.

  The power required by the vehicle at each position on the planned travel route can be acquired based on the weight of the vehicle, the friction coefficient, air resistance, acceleration resistance, gradient resistance, front projection area, and the like. The work rate related to the vehicle corresponds to the usage state of electric power used when traveling on the planned travel route at the work rate. For example, if the transmission efficiency of a motor or the transmission efficiency of a transmission shaft mounted on a vehicle is used, the work rate required for the vehicle is calculated as the output performance required for the battery (the upper limit of the output work rate). ). Therefore, it is possible to specify a battery to be mounted in order to drive the vehicle at a work rate required by the vehicle.

  Furthermore, the cumulative use energy of the vehicle at each position on the planned travel route can be acquired based on the weight of the vehicle, the friction coefficient, the air resistance, the acceleration resistance, the gradient resistance, the front projection area, and the like. The accumulated use energy related to the vehicle corresponds to the use state of electric power used when the accumulated use energy is consumed and the vehicle travels on the planned travel route. For example, if the transmission efficiency of the motor or the transmission efficiency of the transmission shaft mounted on the vehicle is used, the battery capacity and the amount of charged energy for covering the cumulative use energy in the vehicle can be acquired. Therefore, it is possible to specify a battery to be mounted in order to cover the cumulative use energy of the vehicle. Note that the accumulated use energy is an accumulated value of energy required at each position on the planned travel route. Therefore, when regenerative energy is charged to the battery, the accumulated use energy may be taken into consideration.

  The battery information acquisition means specifies a battery to be mounted in order to output power according to the usage status based on the usage status of power when traveling on the planned travel route, and acquires battery information indicating the battery I can do it. Here, the battery to be mounted is a battery capable of supplying sufficient power when traveling on the planned travel route using the battery.

  Therefore, the battery to be mounted may vary depending on what parameter is used as a parameter indicating the power usage status, but here, the battery to be mounted in order to output power corresponding to the usage status. By guiding, it is only necessary to allow the user to determine the battery to be mounted and prompt the user to travel on the planned travel route with high efficiency and low cost. For example, when the power required by the battery is specified as the power usage state in order to output the power required by the vehicle by the vehicle, the power for outputting the power is specified. The battery is specified as a battery to be mounted. Further, when the energy required for the battery to cover the cumulative use energy of the vehicle is specified as the power usage status, the battery for outputting the energy is specified as the battery to be mounted. In addition, if the parameters indicating the power usage status are the work rate required by the vehicle and the cumulative use energy of the vehicle, the battery that realizes both the work rate and the cumulative use energy is specified as the battery to be mounted. Is done.

  Furthermore, based on the usage state of the power when traveling on the planned travel route, a battery that is necessary for outputting the power according to the usage state may be acquired and used as the battery to be mounted. For example, when the vehicle travels with the minimum battery necessary to cover the power for traveling on the planned travel route, the vehicle can travel on the planned travel route using the battery. In addition, when the capacity of the battery is proportional to the weight and the minimum battery becomes the battery with the minimum weight, the weight of the vehicle is reduced by mounting the minimum battery. For this reason, by mounting the battery guided by the battery information on the vehicle and traveling, the vehicle can travel on the planned travel route with high efficiency using the battery. In addition, by charging the battery with the minimum necessary battery to output the electric power required for traveling on the planned travel route, the charge amount for the battery can be set to the minimum charge amount. Is possible. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the cost required for charging. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from running without mounting an excessive battery and to run the vehicle in a state where the battery is insufficient.

  Furthermore, the battery to be mounted to output the electric power according to the above-described usage situation can be specified based on various indicators. For example, if the battery is specified by the number or type, the battery travels along the planned travel route. It is possible to clearly guide the battery required to complete the process. Specifically, if the number is used as an index, the minimum required battery can be specified based on the lower limit value of the number of batteries capable of outputting the above-described power and accumulated usage energy. According to this configuration, it is possible to acquire battery information indicating a battery that reduces the weight of the vehicle as much as possible, and by running the vehicle with this battery mounted, the vehicle can be driven with high efficiency. be able to.

  Furthermore, if the type of battery is used as an index for identifying the minimum required battery, it is possible to easily identify the battery necessary for outputting the electric power corresponding to the work rate and cumulative use energy in the vehicle described above. it can. Of course, in the case of the same type of battery, when the size such as weight or capacity is different, the size may be adopted as an index for specifying the minimum necessary battery.

  In addition, the performance of a battery varies depending on the type, and generally, the power density (W / kg) and the energy density (Wh / kg) are in a trade-off relationship. That is, in the battery currently on the market, the energy density is generally lower as the battery has a higher power density, and the power density tends to decrease as the energy density increases. Therefore, when the planned travel route includes a section that requires traveling at a high power, the types of batteries that can output electric power for driving the vehicle at the power are limited. Therefore, if the work rate as the output performance required for the battery is specified as the power usage when traveling on the planned travel route, the work rate required by the vehicle to travel on the planned travel route is output. Therefore, it is possible to identify the type of battery that needs to be installed.

  Further, when the accumulated use energy necessary for traveling on the planned travel route is specified, the number of batteries that are required to be mounted at least in order to cause the vehicle to output the accumulated use energy can be specified for each type. Therefore, if the combination of the most advantageous type and number of batteries is specified while taking the above trade-offs into account, both the work rate required for the vehicle and the accumulated energy used for the vehicle to travel on the planned travel route are determined. It is possible to specify the minimum required battery state that can output Here, the most advantageous battery type and number can be determined on the basis of various indicators, for example, the combination of batteries with the smallest total weight or the lowest charging cost. A combination of batteries can be employed.

  Furthermore, as a method for identifying the minimum number and type of batteries required, the number of high-power batteries is identified based on the work rate, and then the number of high-energy density batteries is identified based on the accumulated energy used. You may employ | adopt the structure to do. Specifically, when there is a high power battery capable of causing the vehicle to output a work rate equal to or higher than a predetermined standard and a high energy density battery having an energy density higher than that of the high power battery, the planned travel route If the power required by the vehicle at each position is specified, it is possible to specify whether or not there is a high power ratio section where the power required for the vehicle exceeds a predetermined reference.

  When the planned travel route includes the high power section, a high power battery is required. Therefore, the minimum high power required to output the power required for the vehicle in the high power section. Get the number of batteries. Once the battery to be used in the high power section is identified, the maximum accumulated energy at each position is determined from the maximum accumulated energy at each position so that the remaining energy required for traveling on the planned travel route can be covered. The residual energy excluding the output energy output from the vehicle by the high power battery is specified. Then, the minimum number of high energy density batteries necessary for outputting the residual energy from the vehicle is acquired. That is, a high energy density battery with a higher energy density can store more energy with the same weight compared to a high power battery. Therefore, if a high power battery is used in a section where a high power is required, and the remaining energy is covered by a high energy density battery, the minimum battery required to achieve more efficient driving. The state of can be specified.

  The predetermined standard may be defined in advance so that the type of the battery can be specified based on whether or not the output of the power exceeding the standard is possible. The upper limit value of the work rate that can be output to is used as a reference. In order to determine whether or not a specific power can be output, it is preferable to make a determination based on whether or not a specific power can be continuously output.

  Furthermore, the battery information guide means only needs to be able to guide information related to the battery to be mounted in order to output electric power according to the usage situation, and may be a guide that prompts the user to load or unload the battery. The guidance may indicate that the battery is excessive or insufficient. Needless to say, it may be configured to automatically load and unload a battery by automatically controlling a device on which the battery is mounted.

  Furthermore, the method for identifying the battery to be mounted to output the power corresponding to the usage status based on the usage status of the power when traveling on the planned travel route is also applied as a program or method for performing this process. Is possible. Further, the battery information providing device, method, and program as described above may be realized as a single device, or may be realized by using components shared with each unit included in the vehicle, or the vehicle. In some cases, it is realized in cooperation with each unit that is not mounted on, and includes various aspects. Further, some changes may be made as appropriate, such as a part of software and a part of hardware. Furthermore, the present invention can be realized as a recording medium for a program for controlling the battery information providing apparatus. Of course, the software recording medium may be a magnetic recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, or any recording medium to be developed in the future.

Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
(1) Configuration of navigation device:
(2) Battery information guidance processing:
(3) Other embodiments:

(1) Configuration of navigation device:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device 10 including a battery information providing device according to the present embodiment. The navigation device 10 includes a control unit 20 including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like and a storage medium 30, and the control unit 20 can execute a program stored in the storage medium 30 or the ROM. In the present embodiment, a navigation program 21 having a function of guiding battery information can be executed as one of the programs.

  A vehicle on which the navigation device 10 according to the present embodiment is mounted includes a motor 40 that uses electric power stored in the battery 42 as a power source. The motor 40 is connected to a power transmission mechanism (not shown), and drives the vehicle by converting the rotational driving force into the driving force of the vehicle by the power transmission mechanism. That is, the vehicle in the present embodiment is an electric vehicle driven by the battery 42.

  The power control circuit 41 is a circuit that charges the battery 42, acquires power from the battery 42, and transmits it to other components. In the present embodiment, the battery 42 is charged with power supplied from an external commercial power source (not shown) through a power line and power generated by the motor 40. In other words, a part of the regenerative energy generated in the vehicle is transmitted to the motor 40, and the electric power generated by the motor 40 at this time is acquired by the power control circuit 41 and the battery 42 is charged. .

  In the present embodiment, the battery 42 mounted on the vehicle can be selected from a plurality of types (two types of battery A and battery B in FIG. 1), and each type of battery is N and M, respectively. (N and M are natural numbers of 1 or more). Further, in the present embodiment, the battery A is a high power battery that can continuously output a power that is larger than the power that the battery B can output continuously, and the battery B has more energy than the high power battery. It is a high energy density battery with high density.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the output performance for each type of battery. The vertical axis represents the power density (power density: W / kg), and the horizontal axis represents the energy density (Wh / kg). In FIG. 2, the solid circles indicate the power density and energy density distribution ranges in a typical lithium ion secondary battery, and the alternate long and short dashed lines indicate the lead-acid battery and the electric double layer capacitor, respectively. , Distribution range of power density and energy density in capacitors.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in various types of batteries, generally, a battery having a higher power density has a lower energy density, and the power density tends to decrease as the energy density increases. For example, an electric double layer capacitor tends to have a higher work density than a lithium ion secondary battery, but an electric double layer capacitor has a lower energy density than a lithium ion secondary battery. Therefore, when the electric double layer capacitor is a high power battery, the lithium ion secondary battery is a high energy density battery. In the present embodiment, two types of batteries having different characteristics are appropriately selected as described above, and an optimum combination (a combination that is more efficient than a single vehicle) for traveling on the planned travel route is acquired to specify battery information. It will be.

  In the present embodiment, the power control circuit 41 is controlled by the vehicle ECU 43. That is, the vehicle ECU 43 can output a control signal to the power control circuit 41, and outputs a control signal to the power control circuit 41 so that the motor 40 generates a rotational driving force. Therefore, in the present embodiment, driving or stopping of the vehicle, charging by the motor 40, driving of the motor 40 by discharging of the battery 42 is selected by a control signal output from the vehicle ECU 43.

The vehicle ECU 43 outputs various signals to the control unit 20 in response to control signals from the control unit 20. In the present embodiment, a signal indicating information related to the battery 42 is output as one of the signals. That is, a signal indicating the type and the upper limit number of batteries that can be mounted as the battery 42 and the type and number of currently mounted batteries is output. Based on the signal, the control unit 20 acquires the type and the upper limit number of batteries that can be mounted as the battery 42 and the type and number of currently mounted batteries.
The user I / F unit 44 is an interface unit for providing various types of information to the user or inputting user instructions, and includes a display, a speaker, a button, a microphone, and the like (not shown).

  The GPS receiver 45 receives radio waves from GPS satellites and outputs a signal for calculating the current position of the vehicle via an interface (not shown). The control unit 20 acquires this signal and acquires the current position of the vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 46 outputs a signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the wheels provided in the vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown) and acquires the speed of the vehicle. The gyro sensor 47 detects angular acceleration for turning in the horizontal plane of the vehicle, and outputs a signal corresponding to the direction of the vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown) and acquires the traveling direction of the vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 46 and the gyro sensor 47 are used for correcting the current position of the vehicle specified from the output signal of the GPS receiver 45. In addition, the current position of the vehicle is corrected as appropriate by checking with map information 30a described later.

  The control unit 20 executes the navigation program 21 to acquire battery information indicating a battery suitable for traveling on the planned travel route, and guides the battery information. For this reason, the navigation program 21 includes a scheduled travel route acquisition unit 21a, a power usage state estimation unit 21b, a battery information acquisition unit 21c, and a battery information guide unit 21d.

  Further, the storage medium 30 stores map information 30a for performing guidance by the navigation program 21. The map information 30a includes vehicle data such as node data indicating nodes set on a road, link data indicating connection between nodes, height difference (gradient) between nodes, road friction and air resistance corresponding to each link, and the like. It includes a resistance coefficient for evaluating the resistance acting at times, data indicating the facilities attached to the road, such as resting facilities and destinations, etc., specifying the position of the host vehicle, specifying the planned driving route, destination It is used for guidance to the vehicle, identification of the usage status of electric power when traveling on the planned travel route, and the like.

  The planned travel route acquisition unit 21a is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize the function of acquiring the planned travel route of the vehicle. That is, the control unit 20 identifies the current position of the vehicle based on the signal output from the GPS receiving unit 45 by the process of the planned traveling route acquisition unit 21a, and selects the destination input by the user I / F unit 44. get. Then, the route from the current position to the destination is searched by a known algorithm with reference to the map information 30a, and the searched route is acquired as planned traveling route information.

  The power usage state estimation unit 21b is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of estimating the power usage state when the vehicle travels on the planned travel route. That is, the control unit 20 acquires parameters for evaluating the vehicle specifications and the running operation, such as the weight of the vehicle and the above-described resistance coefficient, by the processing of the power usage state estimation unit 21b, and The gradient change and the acceleration and vehicle speed planned at each position are acquired, and the work rate required for the vehicle when the vehicle is driven at the acceleration and vehicle speed is calculated for each position. Further, by integrating the work rate at each position along the planned travel route, a cumulative use energy that is a cumulative value of energy used during travel is calculated for each position.

  The vehicle is driven by the rotational force of the motor 40 driven by the power of the battery 42 being transmitted to the wheels via a transmission shaft or the like. Therefore, the loss is estimated in advance based on the transmission efficiency of the motor 40 and the transmission efficiency of the transmission shaft mounted on the vehicle, and the control unit 20 converts the electric power of the battery 42 into the propulsive force of the vehicle through the loss. As a premise, the power usage state corresponding to the above-described work rate and accumulated work energy is acquired. That is, the control unit 20 estimates the power as output performance required by the battery 42 to output the above power in the vehicle based on the above loss. Further, the battery capacity or the charged energy amount required for the battery 42 in order to use the above-mentioned accumulated use energy in the vehicle is estimated based on the above-mentioned loss.

  The battery information acquisition unit 21c acquires battery information indicating a minimum battery necessary for outputting power corresponding to the usage status based on the usage status of the power when the vehicle travels on the planned travel route. Is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize the above. That is, the control unit 20 is required for the battery 42 in order to use the power as the output performance required for the battery 42 and the accumulated use energy in the vehicle by the processing of the battery information acquisition unit 21c. Based on the battery capacity (or the amount of charged energy), the minimum number of high-power batteries required to travel on the planned travel route is obtained, and the maximum number of accumulated energy used at each position is calculated. The minimum number of high energy density batteries required to output residual energy excluding output energy from the high power battery is obtained.

  The battery information guide unit 21d is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of guiding battery information (a minimum number of necessary high workability batteries and a minimum necessary number of high energy density batteries). That is, the control unit 20 acquires the type and number of batteries that are currently mounted as the battery 42 via the vehicle ECU 43, compares them with the above-described battery information, and if they match, the mounted content of the battery 42 is determined. The user I / F unit 44 outputs a notification indicating that the change is not necessary because it is not necessary to change the value. On the other hand, when the type and number of batteries currently installed do not match the above-described battery information, the user I / F unit 44 outputs a notification indicating the battery to be changed.

(2) Battery information guidance processing:
Next, battery information guidance processing performed by the navigation device 10 in the above configuration will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the battery information guidance process. This process is executed when the planned travel route is set. First, the control unit 20 acquires the planned travel route by the process of the planned travel route acquisition unit 21a (step S100).

  Next, the control unit 20 estimates the power usage status through the processing of the power usage status estimation unit 21b (step S105). That is, in order to use the work rate as the output performance required by the battery 42 and the accumulated use energy in the vehicle in order to output the work rate required by the vehicle at each position on the planned travel route. The battery capacity (or charged energy amount) required for the battery 42 is acquired. In FIG. 4A, the power required for the vehicle at each position is indicated by a solid line, and in FIG. 4B, the accumulated use energy of the vehicle at each position is schematically indicated by a solid line, and the horizontal axis indicates the current position of the vehicle. It is the distance from. As shown in FIG. 4A, the power required by the vehicle to travel on the planned travel route takes a positive or negative value, and the vehicle is propelled by the motor 40 in a section where the power is positive. Therefore, the electric power stored in the battery 42 is used. Further, the battery 42 is charged by regenerative energy in a section where the power is negative.

  Next, the control part 20 acquires the battery information which shows the battery required at least in order to drive | work a driving planned route in step S110-S130 by the process of the battery information acquisition part 21c. Specifically, first, the amount of energy Ep consumed in the high work rate section is acquired (step S110). That is, the control unit 20 identifies a high power section Z that requires a work rate that is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference Th (in this example, an upper limit value of the work rate that can be output to the vehicle by the high energy density battery). To do. Then, the energy amount Ep consumed in the high work rate interval is acquired by integrating the work rate in the high work rate interval Z over the interval. In the example shown in FIG. 4A, the predetermined reference Th is indicated by a broken line, and the high work rate section Z is indicated by a one-dot chain line arrow.

  Next, the control unit 20 uses the power of the high power battery and uses the power of the high power battery, and the minimum number of high power batteries required when traveling without using the power of the high energy density battery. Is acquired (step S115). That is, the work rate that can be output to the vehicle by the high energy density battery is smaller than the work rate in the high work rate section, and the output performance of the high energy density battery is insufficient when paying attention to the work rate. Therefore, the energy amount Ep is output to the vehicle by the high power battery, and the minimum number of high power batteries required to output the energy amount Ep to the vehicle is acquired.

  Next, the control unit 20 acquires the maximum value Emax of accumulated use energy (step S120). That is, the power used as indicated by the solid line in FIG. 4A is integrated along the planned travel route to obtain the accumulated energy used as indicated by the solid line in FIG. 4B. Then, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 4B, the maximum value Emax of the cumulative use energy on the planned travel route is acquired.

  Next, the control unit 20 acquires the residual energy (Emax-Ep) (step S125), and acquires the number of high energy density batteries that can output the residual energy (Emax-Ep) to the vehicle ( Step S130). That is, the minimum number of high energy density batteries required to output the residual energy (Emax−Ep) to the vehicle is acquired. Here, the residual energy (Emax−Ep) is the energy required by the vehicle to complete the travel in the sections other than the high power section, and in FIG. 4B, the energy amount Ep is indicated by a one-dot chain line, the residual energy. (Emax−Ep) is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

  Also, the high energy density battery has a higher energy density than the high power battery. Accordingly, if a high energy density battery is selected instead of a high power battery as a battery to cover the remaining energy (Emax−Ep), and the number of the high energy density batteries is acquired, the planned travel routes for the two types of batteries are obtained. The minimum number necessary for traveling can be specified, and the weight can be set to the minimum weight.

  Therefore, in the process shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 20 guides the battery information by the process of the battery information guide unit 21d in steps S135 to S150. Specifically, first, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the vehicle ECU 43, and acquires the type and number of batteries installed in the vehicle based on the output signal from the vehicle ECU 43 (step S135).

  Next, whether the control unit 20 needs to change the battery mounting contents in the current vehicle as compared with the number of high power batteries and the number of high energy density batteries acquired in steps S115 and S130 described above. It is determined whether or not (step S140). When it is determined that it is necessary to change the battery mounting content in the current vehicle, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the user I / F unit 44 to notify the battery to be changed (step S145). ). In addition, when it is not determined that it is necessary to change the battery mounting content in the current vehicle, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the user I / F unit 44 to notify that the change is not required (step S150). . As a result, the user chooses to replace or maintain the battery as appropriate according to the guidance of the user I / F unit 44, and the minimum battery required for traveling on the planned travel route before traveling is the vehicle. It is possible to make it mounted on.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 20 starts the navigation program 21 when the vehicle starts to travel on the planned travel route while a battery necessary for traveling on the planned travel route is mounted on the vehicle. Through this process, a control signal is output to the vehicle ECU 43, and the battery 42 is appropriately selected in the course of traveling. That is, control is performed so that power is acquired from the high-power battery when traveling in a high-power section within the planned travel route, and power is acquired from a high-energy density battery when traveling in another section. As a result, when traveling along the planned travel route, the vehicle can be driven with the minimum necessary battery, and the vehicle can be driven with the weight of the vehicle as light as possible. For this reason, it is possible to drive the planned travel route efficiently. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from running without mounting an excessive battery and to run the vehicle in a state where the battery is insufficient. Furthermore, since a battery capable of outputting the work rate necessary for traveling on the planned travel route is mounted, the vehicle can be smoothly traveled without causing output shortage.

(3) Other embodiments:
The above embodiment is an example for carrying out the present invention, and a battery to be mounted to output power corresponding to the usage status is specified based on the usage status of power when traveling on the planned travel route. As long as this is done, various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, when specifying the minimum required battery as the battery to be mounted, various conditions can be adopted as conditions for determining that the battery is the minimum required battery in addition to the conditions in the above-described embodiment.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that all of the energy for running in the high power section is covered by the high power battery, but the high energy density battery is used in combination in the high power section. May be adopted. More specifically, in a configuration in which a control signal is output to the vehicle ECU 43 to control to use either or both of the high power battery and the high energy density battery, the high power battery is used in the high power section. And a high energy density battery.

In the high work rate section Z, a high work rate battery and a high energy density battery are used to cause the vehicle to output a work rate equal to or higher than a predetermined reference (for example, Th shown in FIG. 4A). This configuration can be realized by the same configuration as that in FIG. 1 and can be realized by changing a part of the processing shown in FIG. That is, in the process corresponding to step S110 shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 20 integrates a work rate equal to or higher than a predetermined reference Th in a high work rate section (that is, from a work rate indicated by a solid line in FIG. the residual obtained by subtracting the reference Th integrating at high work rate interval within Z) high work rate battery to obtain the amount of energy Ep ₂ to consumed in the high work rate interval by.

Also, instead of step S115 shown in FIG. 3 performs a process to acquire the number of high work rate battery which becomes minimum in order to output the amount of energy Ep ₂ to the vehicle using the power of the high work rate battery . In the process corresponding to steps S125 and S130, the remaining energy (Emax−Ep ₂ ) is acquired, and the number of high energy density batteries that can output the remaining energy (Emax−Ep ₂ ) to the vehicle is acquired. . As a result, the minimum battery required for traveling on the planned travel route is specified. Note that FIG. 4C shows the energy amount Ep ₂ (dashed line) and the residual when a configuration using both a high power battery and a high energy density battery in the high power section is applied to the example shown in FIG. 4A. Energy (two-dot chain line) is shown. Also in the above configuration, by guiding the battery information in steps S135 to S150 shown in FIG. 3, the user can select the optimum battery and mount it on the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to drive the planned travel route with high efficiency and low cost.

  Furthermore, the battery information may be information indicating a battery to be mounted for traveling on the planned travel route, in addition to information indicating a battery necessary for traveling on the planned travel route. For example, it is possible to adopt a configuration that provides guidance indicating at least one of the combinations when there are a plurality of combinations of types and numbers of batteries sufficient to provide power for traveling on the planned travel route. is there.

  Furthermore, an index for specifying a battery to be mounted or a minimum required battery for traveling on the planned travel route is not limited to the combination of the vehicle power and the accumulated energy used as described above. . That is, the usage state of the power when traveling on the planned travel route may be various information indicating the power used during traveling, and the battery to be mounted on the vehicle can be specified by the power used during traveling. As much as possible, various parameters can be power usage situations. For example, it is good also as a structure which determines the battery which should be mounted based on only the accumulated use energy in a vehicle, without considering the work rate in a vehicle. This configuration is realized by executing the processing shown in FIG. 5 in a configuration similar to that in FIG.

  In the process shown in FIG. 5, steps S200 and S220 to S230 are the same as steps S100 and S120 to S130 shown in FIG. In addition, the control unit 20 acquires the accumulated use energy at each position on the planned travel route (step S205), and stores the energy necessary to output the maximum value of the accumulated use energy in the vehicle. The number is acquired (step S210). Then, in steps S220 to S230, the number of batteries currently installed in the vehicle is acquired, and a process for notifying the change of the battery according to the current installation content or notifying that the change is unnecessary is performed. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from traveling with a battery that does not need to be mounted, and to drive the vehicle with high efficiency and low cost. Of course, only the power as the output performance required for the battery in order to output the power required by the vehicle may be used as a parameter indicating the power usage state.

  Furthermore, although the above-mentioned embodiment was an electric vehicle, of course, this invention is applicable with respect to all the vehicles which drive | work using the electric power of a battery. For example, the present invention is applied to a hybrid vehicle (including a plug-in hybrid vehicle) including an engine using a fuel stored in a fuel tank as a power source and a motor using a power stored in a battery as a power source. May be.

  In the hybrid vehicle, a plurality of types of batteries can be mounted. For example, as in FIG. 1, N and M high power batteries and high energy density batteries can be mounted. Further, charging / discharging of the battery is controlled by the power control circuit, and the driving timings of the engine and the motor are controlled as prescribed by the vehicle ECU. Therefore, when the vehicle ECU estimates the timing for driving the engine and the motor in accordance with the above-mentioned regulations when traveling on the planned travel route, it is possible to estimate the power usage status when traveling on the planned travel route.

  For example, by extracting only the timing at which the battery is used in the planned travel route, specifying the work rate output to the vehicle by the power of the battery at that timing, and integrating the work rate along the route, The cumulative value of energy resulting from electric power (cumulative energy usage) is specified. As a result, it is possible to acquire the minimum battery required for traveling on the planned travel route by the processing shown in FIG. Therefore, even in a hybrid vehicle, it is possible to start traveling with a battery that is at least necessary to travel on the planned travel route, and it is possible to drive the vehicle with high efficiency and low cost.

Furthermore, the type of battery is not limited to two types, and the present invention may be applied to a vehicle in which a plurality of three or more types of batteries can be mounted. Of course, in the case of the same type of battery, when the size such as weight or capacity is different, the size may be adopted as an index for specifying the minimum necessary battery. Further, the present invention is not limited to the configuration in which the number of high-power batteries is determined first and then the number of high-energy density batteries is determined. For example, three types of batteries, batteries A, B, and C can be mounted on the vehicle, and the maximum amount of energy that can be extracted from each battery A, B, and C as energy for driving the vehicle is X. _{If A} , X _B , and X _C are determined, it is determined whether or not the following expression (1) is satisfied, and a combination of batteries sufficient to output the energy for traveling on the planned travel route to the vehicle is specified. can do.
X _A · α + X _B · β + X _C · γ ≧ Emax (1)
Here, α is the number of batteries A and 0 ≦ α ≦ the upper limit number of batteries A that can be mounted, β is the number of batteries B and 0 ≦ β ≦ the upper limit number of batteries B that can be mounted, and γ is the number of batteries C The number is 0 ≦ γ ≦ the upper limit number of batteries C that can be mounted. Further, Emax is the maximum value of the accumulated energy used when traveling on the planned travel route, and the weight of the vehicle fluctuates depending on α, β, and γ. Therefore, Emax differs from each value for each combination of α, β, and γ. Become.

Furthermore, when the maximum work rates that can be continuously output as the work rates when driving the vehicle from the batteries A, B, and C are Y _A , Y _B , and Y _C , respectively, the conditions shown in the following (2) If it is determined whether or not the condition is satisfied, it is possible to specify a battery necessary for outputting the work rate for traveling on the planned travel route.
(Y _A ≧ Pmax and X _A · α ≧ Ep) or (Y _B ≧ Pmax and X _B · β ≧ Ep) or (Y _C ≧ Pmax and X _C · γ ≧ Ep) (2)
Here, Pmax is the maximum value of the work rate at each position when traveling on the planned travel route, Ep is the amount of energy consumed in the high work rate section, and the weight of the vehicle is determined by α, β, and γ. Since it fluctuates, the Pmax and Ep have different values for each combination of α, β and γ.

  Using the above formulas and conditions, it is possible to specify a battery to be mounted for traveling on the planned travel route. That is, by arbitrarily changing α, β, and γ and obtaining a combination that satisfies the expression (1) and satisfies the condition (2), the battery to be mounted for traveling on the planned travel route is specified. Is possible. Therefore, if a combination that satisfies the expression (1) and satisfies the condition (2) is guided, it is possible to guide a battery to be mounted in order to travel on the planned travel route.

  Furthermore, it is good also as a structure which identifies an advantageous combination from each combination and regards the advantageous combination as the minimum battery required in order to drive | work a driving planned route with high efficiency. For example, the weights of the batteries A, B, and C are specified in advance, and the combination that satisfies the formula (1) and satisfies the condition (2) is the combination having the lightest total battery weight as α, β, and γ. If specified based on this, it is possible to specify the lightest combination from the combinations that can cause the vehicle to output sufficient energy and power to travel on the planned travel route. When the weight of the battery is the lightest, it can be said that the combination can drive most efficiently among the combinations, and the maximum number of excess batteries is eliminated. Therefore, the minimum necessary battery can be specified by the above configuration.

  Of course, the above configuration is merely an example, and various other configurations can be employed. For example, if the degree of change in Emax and Pmax can be ignored depending on the weight of the vehicle, it is assumed that Emax and Pmax are constant, and a combination that satisfies the above-described equations (1) and (2) is extracted. good. Furthermore, the battery may be specified in consideration of conditions other than the above-described formula (1) and condition (2). For example, when specifying α, β, and γ satisfying equation (1), α, β, and γ are preferentially increased from a battery having a high energy density, and simultaneously when equation (1) is satisfied for the first time. It may be determined whether or not the condition (2) is satisfied, and when the condition (2) is satisfied, the combination of α, β, and γ may be regarded as a combination indicating a minimum battery. Furthermore, in order to identify a combination of advantageous battery types and numbers, factors other than the total weight of the battery as described above may be considered. For example, a combination of batteries with the lowest charging cost may be considered. An advantageous combination may be used. Further, in a situation where it is possible to select batteries having different purchase costs and use costs, a combination of batteries that provides the lowest purchase cost and use cost may be an advantageous combination.

  Further, the planned travel route may be information indicating a route obtained by estimating a route ahead of the current position of the host vehicle, and various configurations may be employed. Further, in the guidance of battery information, it is only necessary to be able to guide information related to the battery to be mounted, it may be guidance that prompts to load or unload the battery, and indicates an excess or shortage of the battery. It may be a guide. Of course, it may be configured to automatically load and unload a battery by automatically controlling a device to be mounted.

  Furthermore, various configurations can be adopted as the configuration for acquiring the power usage status when traveling on the planned travel route. For example, when the vehicle travels, the history of the work rate and cumulative energy used, etc. And the usage status of power for causing the vehicle to output the work rate and the accumulated work energy according to the history may be acquired. In addition, the operation of the vehicle shaft, wheels, etc. is measured, the torque is obtained based on the rotation of the shaft, etc., the work rate and the accumulated use energy are obtained, and the work rate and the accumulated work energy are output to the vehicle. Power usage status may be acquired.

It is a block diagram of the navigation apparatus containing a battery information provision apparatus. It is a figure which shows the characteristic for every kind of battery. It is a flowchart of a battery information guidance process. (4A) is a graph showing an example of the power of each position, and (4B) and (4C) are graphs showing an example of the accumulated use energy at each position. It is a flowchart of a battery information guidance process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Navigation apparatus, 20 ... Control part, 21 ... Navigation program, 21a ... Planned driving | running route acquisition part, 21b ... Electric power usage condition estimation part, 21c ... Battery information acquisition part, 21d ... Battery information guidance part, 30 ... Storage medium, 30a ... Map information, 40 ... Motor, 41 ... Power control circuit, 42 ... Battery, 44 ... User I / F unit, 45 ... GPS receiver, 46 ... Vehicle speed sensor, 47 ... Gyro sensor

Claims (7)

A planned travel route acquisition means for acquiring a planned travel route of the vehicle driven by the power of the battery;
Power usage status estimating means for estimating the usage status of power when the vehicle travels on the planned travel route;
Battery information acquisition means for acquiring battery information indicating a battery to be mounted in order to output electric power according to the use situation;
Battery information guidance means for guiding the battery information;
A battery information providing apparatus comprising: The battery information acquisition means acquires, as the battery information, information indicating a battery that is at least necessary for outputting electric power according to the usage situation.
The battery information providing device according to claim 1. The battery information acquisition means acquires, as the battery information, information indicating the number and type of batteries to be mounted in order to output power according to the usage situation.
The battery information providing device according to claim 1. The power usage status estimation means acquires the power usage status corresponding to the power required by the vehicle at each position of the planned travel route and the cumulative energy usage of the vehicle at each position. ,
The battery information provision apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3. The battery information acquisition means specifies a high power ratio section where a power higher than a predetermined reference is required in the vehicle based on a power required in the vehicle at each position, and the predetermined information The minimum required to output the power required by the vehicle in the high power section using the high power battery capable of causing the vehicle to output a power exceeding the standard of The number of high-power batteries is acquired, and the residual energy obtained by removing the output energy output from the vehicle by the high-power battery in the high-power section from the maximum value of the accumulated energy of the vehicle at each position Obtaining the number of high energy density batteries having an energy density higher than that of the high power battery required at least for outputting from the vehicle;
The battery information provision apparatus in any one of Claim 3 or Claim 4. A planned travel route acquisition step of acquiring a planned travel route of a vehicle driven by the power of the battery;
A power usage status estimation step for estimating a power usage status when the vehicle travels on the planned travel route;
A battery information acquisition step of acquiring battery information indicating a battery to be mounted in order to output power according to the use situation;
A battery information guide step for guiding the battery information;
A battery information providing method including: A planned travel route acquisition function for acquiring a planned travel route of a vehicle driven by battery power;
A power usage state estimating function for estimating a power usage state when the vehicle travels on the planned travel route;
A battery information acquisition function for acquiring battery information indicating a battery to be mounted in order to output electric power according to the use situation;
A battery information guidance function for guiding the battery information;
Battery information providing program that makes a computer realize.

Images