JP2012242329A - Distance-to-empty estimation device and navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To estimate a distance to empty by use of the current power remaining in an in-vehicle battery without setting a destination.SOLUTION: A navigation device 6 specifies the nearest main road from the current position of an electric vehicle 1 to set a temporary route from the current position, including the main road, and acquires meteorological information on the route from a meteorological information server 10. The navigation device acquires estimated battery consumption on condition that the vehicle travels on the temporary route that satisfies consumption conditions of a battery 2, such as the meteorological information, a state of use of vehicle equipment 4, and presence of a power generator 3, from a battery consumption information server 9 of a data center 8, to estimate the distance to empty in comparison to the power remaining in the battery 2.

Description

  The present invention relates to a travelable distance estimation device that estimates the distance that can be traveled by the remaining capacity of a vehicle-mounted battery in an electric vehicle, and a navigation device that uses this travelable distance estimation device.

  Since an electric vehicle is driven by electricity, the electric vehicle stores electric power by charging the in-vehicle battery with a charging facility. However, since charging facilities are not sufficiently spread at present, the remaining capacity of the in-vehicle battery becomes zero when traveling in a place where there is no charging facility, and it may become impossible to travel. Therefore, it is required to accurately estimate how far the vehicle can travel with the remaining capacity of the in-vehicle battery.

  A conventional travelable distance estimation system (see, for example, Patent Document 1) searches a route by setting a destination in an electric vehicle, and acquires battery consumption for each link constituting the searched route from a data center. The available travel distance when the electric vehicle travels along the route is estimated by comparing the remaining capacity of the in-vehicle battery and the battery consumption for each link.

JP 2006-115623 A

Since the conventional travelable distance estimation system is configured as described above, there is a problem that the travelable distance cannot be estimated unless the destination is set.
In addition, when a generator such as solar power generation or wind power generation is mounted on an electric vehicle, the remaining capacity of the on-board battery during driving depends on the weather etc. There was a problem that it was not possible to estimate a safe driving distance.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problem, and it is possible to estimate the distance that can be traveled with the current remaining capacity of the in-vehicle battery without setting the destination. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device and a navigation device using the travelable distance estimation device.

  A travelable distance estimation device according to the present invention includes a current position acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a current position and a traveling direction of an electric vehicle, and map data acquisition that acquires map data including the current position acquired by the current position acquisition unit. And a route setting unit that sets a road in the traveling direction from the current position as a temporary route among roads in a display range by map data, and for each road link that constitutes a route set by the route setting unit, A battery consumption information acquisition unit that acquires information on battery consumption necessary for traveling set in the link from a battery consumption information source, a battery remaining capacity acquisition unit that acquires a remaining capacity of the in-vehicle battery, and a battery consumption information acquisition unit By comparing the acquired battery consumption for each road link with the remaining battery capacity acquired by the battery remaining capacity acquisition unit, A distance estimation unit that estimates a travelable distance when traveling along the road, and a display unit that displays the travelable distance on the route estimated by the distance estimation unit on the map data acquired by the map data acquisition unit. Is.

  In addition, the navigation device according to the present invention can travel with the remaining capacity of the in-vehicle battery when displaying the road around the electric vehicle or displaying the route to the searched destination using the above-described travelable distance estimation device. Whether or not to distinguish is displayed.

  According to the present invention, the provisional route is set based on the current position and the traveling direction, and the travelable distance when traveling along the route is estimated, so the vehicle can be mounted without setting the destination. The travelable distance can be estimated with the current remaining capacity of the battery.

  In addition, according to the present invention, there is provided a navigation device that can estimate the distance that can be traveled with the current remaining capacity of the vehicle-mounted battery without setting the destination, and can distinguish and display whether or not the vehicle can travel. can do.

It is a system block diagram which shows the structure of the travelable distance estimation apparatus using the navigation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. In Embodiment 1, it is a table which shows an example of the prediction battery consumption when there exists charge by a solar power generator which a battery consumption information server memorize | stores. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the navigation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1, and shows the case where a destination is not set. 3 is an example of a map display screen by the navigation device according to the first embodiment. It is an example of the display screen of the driving | running | working distance by the navigation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1, and shows the case where it is fine. It is an example of the display screen of the driving | running | working distance by the navigation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1, and shows the case where it is cloudy. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the navigation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1, and shows the case where a destination is set. 3 is an example of a display screen of a travelable distance by the navigation device according to the first embodiment. 3 is an example of a display screen of a distance that can be traveled between night and day by the navigation device according to the first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the navigation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention, and is a case where a destination is not set. 10 is an example of a display screen of a travelable range by the navigation device according to the second embodiment. It is a system block diagram which shows the structure of the driving distance estimation apparatus using the navigation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the travelable distance estimation device using the navigation device 6 includes an electric vehicle 1, a data center 8 that can communicate with the electric vehicle 1 via a mobile communication network 7, and the like, and mobile communication. It is comprised from the weather information server 10 which can communicate with the electric vehicle 1 via the network 7 grade | etc.,.

The electric vehicle 1 includes a battery 2 that drives the electric vehicle 1, a generator 3 that supplies power to the battery 2, vehicle equipment 4 such as an air conditioner, a headlight, a defogger, and a wiper, and a mobile communication network 7. The communication device 5 and the navigation device 6 communicate with each other, and the navigation device 6 can communicate with the data center 8 via the mobile communication network 7 by the communication device 5. In addition, this communication apparatus 5 may be the structure with which the navigation apparatus 6 is uniquely provided besides the electric vehicle 1 being mounted.
The battery 2 can be charged from a charging facility such as a charging station, and can also be charged from a generator 3 that generates power using natural energy, such as solar power generation and wind power generation. Further, the battery 2 notifies the navigation device 6 of the remaining battery capacity. The vehicle device 4 notifies the navigation device 6 of vehicle information indicating the use status of an air conditioner and the like, and information indicating the presence and type of the generator 3.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the navigation device 6.
The navigation device 6 includes a map data storage unit 61 that stores map data, a navigation ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 62 that controls the entire navigation device, a current position acquisition unit 63 that acquires the current position of the host vehicle, and a weather information server 10, a weather information acquisition unit 64 that acquires weather information from 10, a battery remaining capacity acquisition unit 65 that acquires the remaining capacity of the battery 2, a vehicle information acquisition unit 66 that acquires vehicle information from the vehicle device 4, and a predicted battery consumption amount A battery consumption information acquisition unit 67 acquired from the data center 8, an input unit 68 that receives user operations and inputs information, and a display unit 69 that displays a map image based on map data on the screen.

The map data stored in the map data storage unit 61 includes a map image and information such as roads and facilities (particularly charging facilities) existing in the map image. This road information includes a start point and an end point (node), and a line (road link) connecting these nodes. Each road link is given a link number, a link cost according to the distance, and a priority according to the type of road, and a high priority is set for main roads such as national roads and expressways.
The map data storage unit 61 may be configured separately from the navigation device 6 so that necessary map data is acquired via the communication device 5 each time.

  The navigation ECU 62 includes a map data storage unit 61, a current position acquisition unit 63, a weather information acquisition unit 64, a remaining battery capacity acquisition unit 65, a vehicle information acquisition unit 66, a battery consumption information acquisition unit 67, an input unit 68, and a display unit 69. Is a calculation processing unit that gives instructions to each unit, and, as a minimum function, a map data acquisition unit 62-1 that acquires map data in a necessary range from the map data storage unit 61, and sets or inputs a temporary route A route setting unit 62-2 that performs a route search from the information, and a distance estimation unit 62-3 that estimates a distance that can be traveled with the current remaining battery capacity when traveling along the route. In addition to this, the navigation ECU 62 has a function of performing route guidance.

  Based on the output data of various sensors such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver that measures its own position from a signal sent from an artificial satellite, the current position acquisition unit 63 The traveling direction is detected and output to the navigation ECU 62. In addition, instead of acquiring the current date and time from the GPS signal, the current position acquisition unit 63 may have the navigation device 6 provided with a built-in clock to measure the current date and time.

The weather information acquisition unit 64 sends weather information such as weather, temperature, wind speed, and wind direction at an arbitrary date and time at an arbitrary position according to an instruction from the navigation ECU 62 via the communication device 5 and the mobile communication network 7. 10 and output to the navigation ECU 62.
The battery remaining capacity acquisition unit 65 acquires information on the remaining battery capacity notified from the battery 2 and outputs the information to the navigation ECU 62.
The vehicle information acquisition unit 66 acquires vehicle information of the electric vehicle 1 such as the usage status of the vehicle equipment 4 and the presence or absence of the generator 3 and outputs the vehicle information to the navigation ECU 62.

The battery consumption information acquisition unit 67 transmits the battery consumption condition instructed from the navigation ECU 62 to the data center 8 via the communication device 5 and the mobile communication network 7, and acquires the predicted battery consumption that matches the condition. To the navigation ECU 62.
The battery consumption conditions include the link number of a road link that constitutes the route for which the travelable distance is to be estimated, the type of the electric vehicle 1 that can affect the consumption of the battery 2, the usage status of the vehicle equipment 4 such as an air conditioner, The presence or absence of the machine 3, and the type of the generator 3 (such as solar power generation or wind power generation) when the generator 3 is mounted. Furthermore, when the generator 3 is mounted, weather information when traveling along a route that is an estimation target of the travelable distance is also included.

  The data center 8 shown in FIG. 1 includes a battery consumption information server (battery consumption information source) 9 that stores the predicted battery consumption for each battery consumption condition, and receives a request from the navigation device 6 via the mobile communication network 7. The predicted battery consumption corresponding to the battery consumption condition is read from the battery consumption information server 9 and transmitted to the request source. The battery consumption information server 9 can communicate with the navigation device 6 via the mobile communication network 7 and the communication device 5 of the electric vehicle 1.

  FIG. 3 is a table showing an example of the predicted battery consumption when there is charging by solar power generation, which is stored in the battery consumption information server 9 of the data center 8. In this table, the link number of the road link, its distance, and the predicted battery consumption according to the weather (clear, cloudy, rain) are registered. The link number of the road link corresponds to the link number of the road link of the road information stored in the map data storage unit 61 of the navigation device 6. In addition, this example shows the predicted battery consumption by weather of the electric vehicle 1 including the generator 3 that generates power using sunlight (hereinafter referred to as the solar generator 3). The predicted battery consumption is highest when it is “rain” when there is no charge by the solar power generator 3 (ie, it is equivalent to the case where the solar power generator 3 is not provided), and “cloudiness” increases the amount of solar radiation. And when it is “sunny”, charging by the solar power generator 3 increases, so that the battery consumption is reduced.

  Further, in the table of FIG. 3, the predicted battery consumption corresponding to the distance and weather of each road is registered, but the battery consumption varies depending on factors other than the distance and weather. You may make it register consumption. As a specific example, depending on the surrounding environment of the road, such as the presence or absence of a tunnel and the presence or absence of an overpass, the power generation amount of the solar power generator 3 varies or the battery consumption itself varies depending on the slope of the road. The estimated battery consumption for each road link may be set in consideration of these fluctuation factors.

Furthermore, a table that takes into account factors other than the weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy) as the fluctuation factor of the power generation amount of the solar power generator 3 may be created. The table may be a large amount, small at night, etc.), a table that takes into account variations according to the season, a table that combines these factors, and the like.
Alternatively, instead of preparing a table for each variation factor, correction information such as a weighting factor may be prepared for each variation factor. In this case, the battery consumption information server 9 selects a weighting factor according to the battery consumption condition received from the navigation device 6, performs correction to multiply the weighting factor by the predicted battery consumption, and calculates the corrected predicted battery consumption. Just output.

Further, since the running performance and the battery consumption vary depending on the model of the electric vehicle 1, the battery consumption information server 9 stores as many tables as shown in FIG. 3 according to the model of the electric vehicle 1. Keep it. Alternatively, the battery consumption information server 9 may store correction information such as a weighting factor according to the vehicle type of the electric vehicle 1.
Further, since the battery consumption varies depending on the use state of the vehicle equipment 4 such as an air conditioner, a headlight, a defogger, and a wiper, the battery consumption information server 9 registers the predicted battery consumption when the vehicle equipment 4 is used. Correction information such as a table in which the table and the estimated battery consumption when not in use are registered, or a weighting factor according to use / non-use may be stored.

  In addition, the battery consumption information server 9 may be provided with a table in which the predicted battery consumption is registered according to fluctuations in wind speed or the like, for example, for the generator 3 that generates power using wind power. For example, when driving in places with high wind speeds (such as along the sea), the battery charge increases, so the estimated battery consumption decreases, and when driving in places with low wind speeds (such as in the forest), the battery charge decreases. Therefore, the predicted battery consumption increases.

Next, the estimation operation of the travelable distance of the navigation device 6 will be described.
First, an example of operation when the route from the departure point to the destination is not set for the navigation device 6 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. Conventionally, when there is no destination setting, there is no battery consumption information for the distance traveled ahead, so the travelable distance can be estimated only by comparing the battery consumption information for the distance traveled so far and the remaining battery capacity. There wasn't. Therefore, the estimation accuracy of the travelable distance was low. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, focusing on the fact that most drivers tend to select a large number of main roads, it is assumed that they enter the main road from the currently running road and run along the main road. To set a temporary route.

  In step ST <b> 1, the current position acquisition unit 63 acquires the current date and time, the current position, and the traveling direction, and outputs them to the navigation ECU 62. In subsequent step ST2, the map data acquisition unit 62-1 of the navigation ECU 62 acquires a predetermined range of map data including the current position from the map data storage unit 61, and the route setting unit 62-2 moves the host vehicle in the traveling direction. Identify the closest major road if you continue. Then, the route setting unit 62-2 uses the currently running general road and the identified main road as a temporary route, and extracts the road information of this route from the previously acquired map data. The road link priority set in advance in the road information included in the map data is used to determine whether the road being traveled is a general road or a main road, and whether the road in the traveling direction is a general road or a main road. May be determined based on whether or not is higher than a predetermined threshold. In addition, the direction of travel after entering the main road is determined based on the direction in which the traffic volume (the number of vehicles per unit time, the average travel speed, etc.) is large based on VICS (registered trademark) and the history information of the navigation device 6. What is necessary is just to determine according to predetermined conditions, such as a direction with many frequency | counts of driving | running | working of a vehicle.

FIG. 5 is an example of a map display screen by the navigation device 6, and the host vehicle 100 is superimposed on the map image. When the host vehicle 100 is traveling on a general road 101 (solid arrow direction), the navigation ECU 62 identifies the nearest main road 102 when traveling in that direction, for example, a direction with a large amount of traffic (illustrated example). Then, the broken arrow direction) is determined. Then, road information of a temporary route including the general road 101 and the main road 102 is extracted from the map data.
When the host vehicle 100 is traveling on the main road 102, only the road information on the main road 102 needs to be extracted.

  In subsequent step ST3, the navigation ECU 62 instructs the weather information acquisition unit 64 to acquire the weather information of the current date and time on the temporary route from the weather information server 10. Further, the navigation ECU 62 instructs the vehicle information acquisition unit 66 to acquire vehicle information representing the usage status of the vehicle device 4. In step ST4, the navigation ECU 62 instructs the battery consumption information acquisition unit 67 to link the link number of the road link constituting the temporary route, the vehicle type of the host vehicle, the presence / absence and type of the generator 3, weather information, and vehicle information. Is transmitted to the battery consumption information server 9 of the data center 8, and the predicted battery consumption that matches this battery consumption condition is acquired from the battery consumption information server 9.

When the navigation ECU 62 acquires the weather information, the navigation ECU 62 calculates the estimated passage time of each road link constituting the temporary route, and acquires the weather information of the estimated passage time for each road link from the weather information server 10. It may be.
Further, the total distance of the temporary route is set to a distance that can be traveled with, for example, 100% of the remaining capacity of the battery 2, or set to a predetermined distance (100 km or the like). The communication information amount of the server 9 and the processing load of the navigation device 6 may be adjusted.

  In subsequent step ST5, the navigation ECU 62 instructs the battery consumption information acquisition unit 67 to acquire the current remaining capacity of the battery 2. Then, the distance estimation unit 62-3 of the navigation ECU 62 compares the predicted battery consumption and the remaining capacity of each road link constituting the temporary route, and the remaining capacity is equal to or less than the total value of the predicted battery consumption. Estimate that the link number of the link is reachable. Further, the distance estimation unit 62-3 estimates the total distance from the road link at the current position to the road link estimated to be reachable as the travelable distance.

  In subsequent step ST6, the navigation ECU 62 instructs the current position acquisition unit 63 to acquire the current position of the host vehicle, and whether or not the closest main road has been changed (that is, turn right or left while driving on the main road). (Step ST6 “NO”) is repeated. When the main road is changed (step ST6 “YES”), the process returns to step ST1, resets the temporary route, and reestimates the travelable distance.

  Note that the navigation ECU 62 returns to step ST3 when there is no change (step ST6 “NO”) instead of the flow of repeating the process of step ST6 until there is a change in the closest main road, and the current position at the new current position. It is also possible to re-estimate the travelable distance by acquiring the weather information and vehicle information of the date and time again.

Further, the travelable distance estimated in step ST5 is instructed from the navigation ECU 62 to the display unit 69 and displayed on the map image.
FIG. 6 is an example in which the travelable distance is displayed on the map display screen of FIG. 5, and shows a case where the weather information is “sunny”. As shown in FIG. 6, by changing the display color of the road corresponding to the road link that can be reached with the current remaining capacity among the road links constituting the general road 101 and the main road 102 that are temporary routes. The user is notified of the travelable range. The display mode only needs to be recognizable by the user. For example, the display color of the road may be changed to a conspicuous color, or the display width of the road may be increased. Further, the travelable distance may be displayed on the screen by text information such as “travelable distance 160 km”.
FIG. 7 is an example in which the travelable distance is displayed on the map display screen of FIG. 5, and shows a case where the weather information is “cloudy”. When it is cloudy, the amount of charge by the solar power generator 3 is smaller than when it is sunny, so the predicted battery consumption obtained from the battery consumption information server 9 is a large value. Therefore, the travelable distance is shortened as shown in FIG.

Although illustration is omitted, when the weather information is “rain”, the amount of charge by the solar power generator 3 is smaller (or substantially absent) than when the weather information is clear and cloudy. The predicted battery consumption obtained from (1) becomes a larger value. Therefore, the travelable distance is further shorter than in FIGS. Moreover, also when the electric vehicle 1 is not provided with the solar power generator 3, the travelable distance is further shorter than those in FIGS.
Moreover, you may make it display the charging equipment 103 on a map image based on the information of the charging equipment contained in map data.

  By performing the above, it is possible to more accurately estimate the travelable distance without setting the destination. The navigation device 6 when the generator 3 is not mounted on the electric vehicle 1 can also estimate the travelable distance in the same manner as described above.

Next, an operation example in the case where a route from the departure place to the destination is set for the navigation apparatus 6 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.
First, in step ST11, the user operates the input unit 68 to set a destination. The departure point is the current position acquired by the current position acquisition unit 63. In addition, when it is necessary to set a transit point in addition to the destination, the setting is performed at this stage.

  In subsequent step ST12, the map data acquisition unit 62-1 of the navigation ECU 62 acquires a predetermined range of map data including the departure point and the destination from the map data storage unit 61, and the route setting unit 62-2 starts the departure point. Calculate the optimal route from to the destination. Note that the route setting unit 62-2 executes a predetermined route search algorithm using the road information of the map data, and, for example, based on the link cost corresponding to the length of the distance, the link cost connecting from the departure point to the destination is the highest link cost. Search for routes with small. In addition, not only a route with a short distance, but also a route that meets a predetermined condition specified by the user (a route that can be performed without charging, a route that passes through a charging facility, a route that travels for a short time, a route that avoids traffic congestion, etc.) Just search. Alternatively, a plurality of searched routes may be presented to the user and the user may be allowed to select a desired route.

For example, when searching for a route that can be taken without charge from the departure point to the destination, the route setting unit 62-2 corrects the link cost value according to the obtained predicted battery consumption amount, and the predicted battery consumption amount is large. After increasing the link cost of the road link, a route with the lowest corrected link cost is searched. This correction makes it difficult for road links with large predicted battery consumption to be selected as routes. Then, if the total predicted battery consumption of the searched route is equal to or less than the current remaining battery capacity, the route setting unit 62-2 presents the route to the user as a route that can be performed without charging. On the other hand, if the total estimated battery consumption is larger than the current battery remaining capacity, the user is notified that there is no route that can be performed without charging, or the route that has been searched can be routed to the vicinity of the destination without charging. Present to the user.
The above description is an example of route search, and any method may be used as long as it can search for a route according to conditions.

  Subsequent steps ST13 to ST15 are the same as steps ST3 to ST5 shown in FIG. In steps ST3 to ST5, the travelable distance is estimated based on the temporary route. In steps ST13 to ST15, the travelable distance is estimated based on the route searched in step ST12.

FIG. 9 is an example in which the travelable distance is displayed on the route display screen, and the starting point 104, the destination 105, and the route 106 searched in step ST12 are displayed in a light color. Further, in this route 106, the road of the travelable road 107 estimated to be reachable in step ST15 based on the battery consumption condition acquired in step ST13 and the current remaining battery capacity is displayed in a dark color. Further, in this example, since it is not possible to travel the entire route 106 with the current remaining battery capacity, an instruction may be issued from the navigation ECU 62 to the display unit 69 to indicate that charging is required.
From the display screen, the user can know whether or not the destination 105 can be reached with the current remaining battery capacity. Further, in this case, the user determines that the destination 105 cannot be reached. It is possible to consider charging the battery 2 with the charging facility 103.

Note that the navigation ECU 62 may acquire, from the weather information server 10, weather information predicting the weather situation at any date and time input by the user from the input unit 68 instead of the weather information at the current date and time. Similarly, the navigation ECU 62 may acquire arbitrary vehicle information input from the input unit 68 by the user instead of the vehicle information indicating the current usage status of the vehicle device 4. In the case of this configuration, the estimated battery consumption corresponding to the battery consumption condition set by the user can be obtained from the battery consumption information server 9 and the travelable distance can be estimated.
For example, in the electric vehicle 1 equipped with the solar power generator 3, an example is shown in which a travelable distance in a night time zone and a travelable distance in a daytime time zone are estimated and displayed on a map image for one route. Is shown in FIG. In FIG. 10, on the route from the departure point 104 to the destination 105, a road 107a that can be driven during the night time zone and a road 107b that can be driven during the day time zone are superimposed. Since the amount of charge by the solar power generator 3 varies greatly depending on whether it is nighttime or daytime (in the case of daytime, the weather is further sunny or rainy), it can be seen that there is a large difference in the estimated travelable distance.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the navigation device 6 includes the current position acquisition unit 63 that acquires information indicating the current position and the traveling direction of the electric vehicle 1, and the current position acquired by the current position acquisition unit 63. Based on the map data acquisition unit 62-1 that acquires the map data from the map data storage unit 61 and the priority order that indicates the type of road included in the map data, the current position in the advancing direction is displayed in the travel direction of the map data. A route setting unit 62-2 that identifies the main road at the closest position and sets it as a temporary route, a vehicle information acquisition unit 66 that acquires vehicle information indicating the usage status of the vehicle device 4, and a distance estimation unit 62- For each road link constituting the provisional route set by 3, the predicted battery consumption when traveling on the road link under the conditions of use of the vehicle equipment 4 acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 66 The battery consumption information acquisition unit 67 acquired from the battery consumption information server 9 of the data center 8, the battery remaining capacity acquisition unit 65 that acquires the remaining capacity of the battery 2, and the prediction for each road link acquired by the battery consumption information acquisition unit 67 A distance estimation unit 62-3 that compares the battery consumption amount with the remaining capacity of the battery 2 acquired by the battery remaining capacity acquisition unit 65 and estimates a travelable distance when traveling along a temporary route, and map data The display unit 69 is configured to superimpose and display the travelable distance on the temporary route estimated by the distance estimation unit 62-3 on the map data acquired by the acquisition unit 62-1. For this reason, it is possible to estimate the distance that can be traveled with the current remaining capacity of the in-vehicle battery without setting the destination.

  In particular, when the battery 2 includes a generator 3 that generates power using natural energy, the navigation device 6 includes a weather information acquisition unit 64 that acquires weather information on a temporary route, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 66 is a generator. 3 is acquired, and the battery consumption information acquisition unit 67 responds to the weather information based on the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 64 and the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 66. The predicted battery consumption amount reflecting the charge amount of the generator 3 is obtained from the battery consumption information server 9. Accordingly, in the electric vehicle 1 including the generator 3 such as a solar power generator or a wind power generator using natural energy, the travelable distance is accurately estimated without variation in estimation of the travelable distance due to the weather. be able to.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, the route setting unit 62-2 may perform a route search using the destination input from the input unit 68 instead of setting a temporary route. Based on the current position and the link cost of the road included in the map data, the route is searched according to the link cost from the current position of the electric vehicle 1 to the destination, and the battery consumption information acquisition unit 67 is connected to the route setting unit 62-2. For each road link constituting the searched route, the usage conditions of the vehicle device 4 acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 66, the presence / absence and type of the generator 3, and the conditions of the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 64 apply. The predicted battery consumption is acquired from the battery consumption information server 9, and the distance estimation unit 62-3 acquires the estimated battery consumption for each road link acquired by the battery consumption information acquisition unit 67 and the battery. The remaining capacity of the battery 2 acquired by the remaining battery capacity acquisition unit 65 is compared to estimate the travelable distance when traveling along the searched route, and the display unit 69 of the map data acquisition unit 62-1 The travelable distance on the route estimated by the distance estimation unit 62-3 is superimposed on the acquired map data. For this reason, even when the destination is set, the distance that can be traveled with the current remaining capacity of the in-vehicle battery can be accurately estimated in consideration of the weather and the like.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment, the travelable distance is estimated based on the predicted battery consumption when traveling on the temporary route or the searched route. However, in the second embodiment, not only these routes, The predicted battery consumption is acquired for all roads that can be driven without setting a destination, and the range that can be driven with the current remaining battery capacity is estimated. The travelable distance estimation device according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the travelable distance estimation device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. To do.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the estimation operation of the travelable distance by the navigation device 6 according to the second embodiment.
First, in step ST21, the current position acquisition unit 63 acquires the current date and time and the current position and outputs them to the navigation ECU 62, and the map data acquisition unit 62-1 generates a predetermined range of map data including the current position in the map data storage unit 61. Get from.
In subsequent step ST22, the navigation ECU 62 instructs the weather information acquisition unit 64 to acquire the weather information of the current date and time in the range in which the map data has been acquired from the weather information server 10. Further, the navigation ECU 62 instructs the vehicle information acquisition unit 66 to acquire vehicle information such as the usage status of the vehicle equipment 4 and the presence or absence of the generator 3.

  At the next step ST23, the navigation ECU 62 instructs the battery consumption information acquisition unit 67 to obtain link numbers of all road links existing in the map data acquisition range, the vehicle type of the host vehicle, the presence and type of the generator 3, and the weather. The battery consumption condition including the information and the vehicle information is transmitted to the battery consumption information server 9 of the data center 8, and the predicted battery consumption that matches the battery consumption condition is acquired from the battery consumption information server 9.

  At subsequent step ST24, the battery remaining capacity is instructed from the navigation ECU 62 to the battery remaining capacity acquiring unit 65. Then, the distance estimation unit 62-3 follows the road link connected to the road link at the current position in the range in which the map data is acquired, and for each road link to be traced, from the road link at the current position to the previous road link. The total value of the predicted battery consumption when traveling on the route is compared with the remaining battery capacity, and it is determined whether or not the destination road link can be reached. When the distance estimation unit 62-3 has determined all the routes traced from the road link at the current position in this range, the distance estimation unit 62-3 estimates the road corresponding to the road link determined to be reachable as the travelable range, and performs a series of processes. finish.

  Note that after estimating the travelable range in step ST24, the process may return to step ST21 again to acquire the weather information and vehicle information of the current date and time at the new current position and reestimate the travelable range. .

The travelable range estimated in step ST24 is displayed on the map image by instructing the display unit 69 from the navigation ECU 62.
FIG. 12 is an example in which the travelable range is displayed on the map display screen, and shows a case where the dashed-dotted area 108 is “rainy” and the other areas are “clear”. As shown in FIG. 12, the travelable range 109 is notified to the user by changing the display color of the road that can be traveled with the current remaining battery capacity, starting from the position of the vehicle 100. When the electric vehicle 1 includes the solar power generator 3, the predicted battery according to the weather is used at the point 110 in the “sunny” region and the point 111 in the “rain” region 108 that are equidistant from the host vehicle 100. Due to the difference in consumption, a difference occurs in the estimated travelable distance.
Although the real-time performance is inferior because the predicted battery consumption and the remaining battery capacity are compared for all road links, the destination is not set as in the first embodiment, and the battery consumption conditions such as weather conditions are considered. The travelable range can be estimated.

  The navigation ECU 62 may include all the road links of the map data acquired from the map data storage unit 61 as described above as the road for estimating whether or not the vehicle is within the travelable range, but is not limited thereto. Alternatively, for example, a user's selection instruction may be received from the input unit 68 and limited to only arbitrary roads (for example, only main roads with a priority higher than a predetermined threshold), or according to the scale of the map display. It may be limited to only roads to be displayed. In such a configuration, the communication information amount of the navigation device 6 and the battery consumption information server 9 and the processing load of the navigation device 6 can be reduced as compared with the case where all road links are included. In addition, real-time performance is improved.

  From the above, in the navigation device 6 according to Embodiment 2, the battery consumption information acquisition unit 67 has acquired the vehicle information acquisition unit 66 for each road link included in the map data acquired by the map data acquisition unit 62-1. The road link acquired by the battery consumption information acquisition unit 67 is acquired by the distance estimation unit 62-3 from the battery consumption information server 9 by acquiring the predicted battery consumption that meets the conditions of the vehicle information and the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 64. Based on the predicted battery consumption for each route, the predicted battery consumption for each road link traced from the road link corresponding to the current position and the remaining battery capacity acquired by the battery remaining capacity acquisition unit 65 are compared for each route followed. The travelable distance is estimated in the display range based on the map data by estimating the travelable distance, and the display unit 69 displays the map data acquisition unit 62-1. The estimated driving range of the distance estimating unit 62-3 to obtain the map data and configured to overlap the display. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to estimate the distance that can be traveled with the current remaining capacity of the in-vehicle battery without setting the destination, and the electric vehicle 1 uses natural energy. When the generator 3 for generating power is provided, the travelable range can be accurately estimated without causing variations in the estimation of the travelable distance due to the weather.

  In the first and second embodiments, the navigation device 6 obtains weather information from the weather information server 10 outside the vehicle and notifies the battery consumption information server 9 of the weather information, but is not limited thereto. For example, whether the data center 8 communicates with the weather information server 10 independently or includes the weather information server 10, the data center 8 can determine the location based on the location information and date / time information notified from the navigation device 6. You may make it the structure which acquires the weather information of the date.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 13 is a system block diagram illustrating a configuration of a travelable distance estimation device using the navigation device according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 13, the same or corresponding parts as in FIG.
In the first and second embodiments, the navigation device 6 is configured to acquire the predicted battery consumption from the battery consumption information server 9 outside the vehicle and the weather information from the weather information server 10 outside the vehicle. In the third embodiment, the navigation device 6 (or the electric vehicle 1) is configured to include the battery consumption information server 9 and the weather information server 10. The other structure of the navigation apparatus 6 is the same as that of FIG.

When the navigation device 6 includes the battery consumption information server 9, the battery consumption information acquisition unit 67 (shown in FIG. 2) does not pass through the mobile communication network 7 and the communication device 5, and predicts battery consumption from the battery consumption information server 9. Get the quantity.
In the case of this configuration, it is sufficient that the battery consumption information server 9 stores a table of predicted battery consumption according to the type of the electric vehicle 1 and the presence / absence and type of the generator 3. The battery consumption information may be acquired from the outside by the navigation device 6 via the mobile communication network 7 and the communication device 5 and stored in the battery consumption information server 9, or a mobile terminal such as a smartphone may be externally connected. The navigation device 6 may acquire the information and perform wireless communication or the like with the portable terminal and store the information in the battery consumption information server 9. Alternatively, information may be stored in the mobile terminal instead of the battery consumption information server 9, and the navigation device 6 may acquire information from the mobile terminal as needed by wireless communication.

When the navigation device 6 includes the weather information server 10, the weather information acquisition unit 64 (shown in FIG. 2) acquires weather information from the weather information server 10 without going through the mobile communication network 7 and the communication device 5. To do.
In the case of this configuration, the navigation device 6 may periodically acquire weather information for a predetermined period and a predetermined region from the outside via the mobile communication network 7 and the communication device 5 and store the weather information in the weather information server 10. Alternatively, the portable terminal may be acquired from the outside, and the navigation device 6 may perform wireless communication with the portable terminal and store it in the weather information server 10. Alternatively, information may be stored in a mobile terminal instead of the weather information server 10, and the navigation device 6 may acquire information from the mobile terminal as needed by wireless communication.

  The navigation device 6 is not limited to the configuration including both the battery consumption information server 9 and the weather information server 10, but is configured to include either the battery consumption information server 9 or the weather information server 10. May be.

  In addition to this, the invention of the present application is within the scope of the invention, and can be freely combined with each embodiment, modified with any component in each embodiment, or omitted with any component in each embodiment. Is possible.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric vehicle, 2 Battery, 3 Generator, 4 Vehicle apparatus, 5 Communication apparatus, 6 Navigation apparatus, 7 Mobile communication network, 8 Data center, 9 Battery consumption information server, 10 Weather information server, 61 Map data storage part, 62 Navi ECU, 62-1 Map data acquisition unit, 62-2 Route setting unit, 62-3 Distance estimation unit, 63 Current position acquisition unit, 64 Weather information acquisition unit, 65 Battery remaining capacity acquisition unit, 66 Vehicle information acquisition unit , 67 Battery consumption information acquisition unit, 68 input unit, 69 display unit, 100 own vehicle, 101 general road, 102 main road, 103 charging facility, 104 departure place, 105 destination, 106 route, 107, 107a, 107b Road, 108 rain area, 109 driving range.

Claims (11)

A current position acquisition unit for acquiring information indicating the current position and the traveling direction of the electric vehicle;
A map data acquisition unit for acquiring map data including the current position acquired by the current position acquisition unit;
Among the roads in the display range by the map data, a route setting unit that sets a road in the traveling direction from the current position as a temporary route;
A battery consumption information acquisition unit that acquires information on battery consumption necessary for travel set in the road link from a battery consumption information source for each road link that configures the route set by the route setting unit;
A battery remaining capacity acquisition unit for acquiring the remaining capacity of the in-vehicle battery;
The vehicle consumption information for each road link acquired by the battery consumption information acquisition unit is compared with the remaining capacity of the in-vehicle battery acquired by the battery remaining capacity acquisition unit, and travels along the route set by the route setting unit. A distance estimation unit for estimating the travelable distance when
A travelable distance estimation device comprising: a display unit that superimposes and displays a travelable distance on the route estimated by the distance estimation unit on the map data acquired by the map data acquisition unit. The battery consumption information acquisition unit replaces the route set by the route setting unit, and for each road link included in the map data including the current position acquired by the map data acquisition unit, the battery consumption set for the road link Information from battery consumption sources,
The distance estimation unit is acquired by the battery consumption and battery remaining capacity acquisition unit for each road link traced from the road link corresponding to the current position based on the battery consumption for each road link acquired by the battery consumption information acquisition unit. Comparing the remaining capacity of the in-vehicle battery and estimating the travelable distance for each traced route, and determining the travelable range in the display range by the map data,
The travelable distance estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the travelable range estimated by the distance estimation unit on the map data acquired by the map data acquisition unit. A vehicle information acquisition unit for acquiring vehicle information indicating the presence or absence of a generator that uses natural energy to charge an in-vehicle battery and the type of the generator;
A weather information acquisition unit for acquiring weather information in the display range by the map data acquired by the map data acquisition unit,
The battery consumption information acquisition unit is based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit and the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit, for each road link in which the charge amount of the generator corresponding to the weather information is reflected. The travelable distance estimating device according to claim 1, wherein the information on the battery consumption is acquired from a battery consumption information source. The route setting unit determines the route according to the link cost from the current position of the electric vehicle to the destination based on the current position acquired by the current position acquisition unit and the link cost of the road included in the map data acquired by the map data acquisition unit. Explore
The battery consumption information acquisition unit acquires, for each road link constituting the route searched by the route setting unit, information on a battery consumption set for the road link from a battery consumption information source. 3. The travelable distance estimation device according to 3.   4. The travelable distance estimating device according to claim 3, wherein the generator is one or both of a generator using sunlight and a generator using wind power.   The route setting unit identifies a predetermined type of road closest to the current position in the traveling direction based on information indicating the type of road included in the map data, and temporarily identifies the identified road from the current position. The travelable distance estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the travelable distance estimation device is set to a route of   2. The travelable distance estimating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the battery consumption information acquisition unit acquires information on battery consumption from a battery consumption information source outside the vehicle by communication.   2. The travelable distance estimating device according to claim 1, wherein the battery consumption information acquisition unit acquires battery consumption information from a battery consumption information source in the vehicle.   4. The travelable distance estimating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the weather information acquisition unit acquires the weather information from a weather information source outside the vehicle by communication.   The travelable distance estimating device according to claim 3, wherein the weather information acquisition unit acquires the weather information from a weather information source in the vehicle.   When the road around the electric vehicle is displayed or the route to the searched destination is displayed using the travelable distance estimating device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the in-vehicle battery remains. A navigation device characterized by displaying whether or not it is possible to travel by capacity.

Images