JP5359391B2 - Navigation device and destination reachability determination method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device having a function of determining whether or not an electric vehicle can reach a destination with the current remaining battery capacity and a method for determining whether or not the destination can be reached.

  Conventionally, for example, a technique described in Patent Document 1 below is known as a technique for determining whether or not an electric vehicle can reach its destination with the current remaining battery capacity. The technology described in Patent Document 1 collects data related to battery consumption for each road link from a plurality of electric vehicles, obtains an average value thereof, and calculates the battery consumption of each road link included in the route to the destination. The average value and the current remaining battery amount are compared to determine whether or not the electric vehicle can reach the destination with the current remaining battery amount.

JP 2006-115623 A

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, whether or not the destination can be reached is determined based on the average value of the battery consumption of the road links included in the route to the destination. If the power consumption by vehicle auxiliary equipment such as wipers, lamps, and air conditioners fluctuates greatly depending on the situation, it is impossible to correctly estimate the mileage of the electric vehicle according to the current remaining battery capacity, There was a problem that it was not possible to accurately determine whether or not the ground could be reached.

  The present invention was devised in view of the above-described conventional problems, and is a navigation device capable of accurately determining whether or not an electric vehicle can reach a destination with the current remaining battery amount. And it aims at providing the destination reachability determination method.

The present invention estimates the amount of electric power consumed by the auxiliary vehicle until the electric vehicle reaches the destination based on the environmental information of the route from the current location to the destination, and the current battery remaining in the electric vehicle is estimated. The amount of power that can be used for driving is calculated by subtracting the amount of power consumed by this vehicle auxiliary device from the amount, and the amount of power that is required for driving to reach the destination is calculated and used for driving. The amount of electric power that can be used and the amount of electric power required for traveling are compared to determine whether or not the electric vehicle can reach the destination with the current remaining battery amount. And when estimating the amount of power consumed by the vehicle supplementary note, the route from the current location to the destination is divided into a plurality of passage sections, and a passage time zone through which the electric vehicle passes for each of the plurality of passage sections is obtained, Environmental information in the passage time zone for each passage section is acquired to estimate the amount of power consumed by the vehicle accessory.

  According to the present invention, it is determined whether or not the electric vehicle can reach the destination with the current remaining battery amount in consideration of the power consumption of the auxiliary vehicle based on the environmental information of the route. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the destination can be reached and to notify the driver of accurate information.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the navigation apparatus for electric vehicles to which this invention is applied. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a series of processes executed by a navigation ECU when an own vehicle driver performs an operation input for designating a destination in the navigation device of the first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the process in step S102 of FIG. It is a figure explaining the specific example of the method of calculating the electric energy consumed by the air conditioner until it reaches a destination. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the process in FIG.2 S102 performed by navigation ECU in the navigation apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. In the navigation apparatus of 3rd Embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the flow of a series of processes performed by navigation ECU, when the own vehicle driver performs the operation input which designates the destination. It is a flowchart which shows the process following FIG.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a navigation device for an electric vehicle to which the present invention is applied. This navigation device is mainly composed of a navigation ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 1 which is an electronic control device for controlling various operations in the navigation device. Connected to the navigation ECU 1 are a GPS receiver 2, a vehicle speed sensor 3, a gyro sensor 4, a map data storage device 5, a display 6, a speaker 7, an operation input device 8, a power consumption calculation table 9, and a communication device 10. ing.

  The GPS receiver 2, the vehicle speed sensor 3, and the gyro sensor 4 are sensors used for grasping the position and movement of an electric vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “own vehicle”) on which a navigation device is mounted. The navigation ECU 1 obtains the absolute position of the own vehicle from a GPS signal periodically input from the GPS receiver 2 and interpolates the position and direction using sensor signals input from the vehicle speed sensor 3 and the gyro sensor 4 as needed. By doing so, it is possible to always grasp the accurate current position and direction of the own vehicle.

  The map data storage device 5 provides map data to the navigation ECU 1 and has a recording medium such as a DVD in which map data including link data and node data is written. The map data storage device 5 appropriately reads out necessary map data from the recording medium in response to a command from the navigation ECU 1 and provides it to the navigation ECU 1. In addition to the DVD described above, various recording media such as a CD, a memory card, and a hard disk can be used as the recording medium. Further, a configuration may be adopted in which necessary map data is acquired from an information center or the like that distributes map data using a communication device 10 described later. In this case, the map data storage device 5 is not necessary.

  The display 6 and the speaker 7 are used to present various information generated by the processing in the navigation ECU 1 to the driver of the own vehicle. Specifically, the display 6 displays a map image around the own vehicle, information on the route to the destination, and the like, and the speaker 7 outputs an announcement for guiding the own vehicle to the destination by voice. . In the present embodiment, in particular, when the navigation ECU 1 calculates the route to the destination, it is determined whether or not the destination can be reached with the current remaining battery amount. Or using the speaker 7 to present to the driver of the vehicle.

  The operation input device 8 is used by the driver of the own vehicle to input various instructions to the navigation device. Specifically, for example, various input means such as operation switches, joysticks, and touch panels are used in combination. In addition, a voice recognition device that recognizes an utterance voice of the driver of the vehicle and receives an instruction input may be used as the operation input device 8. An instruction input by the driver of the vehicle using the operation input device 8 is sent to the navigation ECU 1.

  The power consumption calculation table 9 stores data necessary for calculating the power consumption associated with the traveling of the host vehicle. Specifically, in the power consumption calculation table 9, as the data for calculating the amount of electric power required for the traveling of the host vehicle, the traveling of the own vehicle while the host vehicle travels a unit distance (for example, 1 km). The average amount of electric power consumed by the drive motor, which is a drive source, is stored for each road type, such as when driving on a general road, when driving on a highway, and when driving on an automobile road. Further, the power consumption calculation table 9 includes, as data for calculating the amount of power consumed by the vehicle auxiliary equipment when the vehicle is running, for example, when the air conditioner of the vehicle is operated. The amount of power consumed per unit time by the device, the amount of power consumed per unit time by the wiper device when the wiper device is activated, and lighting devices such as the headlights of the vehicle In this case, the amount of power consumed by the lamps per unit time is stored. Regarding the power consumption per unit time of the air conditioner, assuming that the air conditioner is an automatic air conditioner that automatically controls the cabin temperature to the set temperature, for each temperature difference between the set temperature and the outside temperature, The amount of power consumption per unit time is stored.

  The communication device 10 communicates with the information center 11 outside the host vehicle and acquires environmental information from the information center 11. That is, the communicator 10 accesses the information center 11 using the mobile communication network in accordance with a command from the navigation ECU 1, and transmits a distribution request for environmental information from the navigation ECU 1 to the information center 11. As a response to the distribution request, when specified environment information (for example, information on the temperature of each place, information on the weather, traffic congestion information, etc.) is transmitted from the information center 11, the environment information is received and navigation is performed. It transmits to ECU1.

  The navigation ECU 1 includes, for example, an arithmetic processing device such as a microcomputer in which various control programs are installed, and the control program is executed by the arithmetic processing device to display a map image on the display 7 or the vehicle from the current location. Various navigation functions such as a function for calculating a route to a destination designated by the driver and a function for guiding the vehicle to the destination are realized. In particular, in the navigation device of the present embodiment, as a function realized by the processing in the navigation ECU 1, when the route to the destination is calculated, the vehicle can reach the destination with the current remaining battery amount. A function of determining whether or not to present to the driver of the vehicle is added.

  In the navigation device of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the navigation ECU 1 is communicably connected to the battery controller 12 and the air conditioner ECU 13 via a communication line of an in-vehicle network system such as a CAN (Controller Area Network). Yes. The battery controller 12 controls the charging / discharging operation of the battery while monitoring the state of the battery mounted on the host vehicle. The air conditioner ECU 13 controls the operation of the air conditioner of the own vehicle. The navigation ECU 1 acquires information on the state of charge (SOC) of the battery through communication with the battery controller 12, and the set temperature of the air conditioner device through communication with the air conditioner ECU 13. Information can be acquired.

  When the navigation ECU 1 calculates the route from the current location to the designated destination according to the operation of the driver of the vehicle using the operation input device 8, the link data (map data) of the road link constituting the route, Various calculation data stored in the power consumption calculation table 9 described above, environmental information acquired from the information center 11 by the communication device 10, battery SOC information acquired from the battery controller 12, and acquired from the air conditioner ECU 13. Whether or not the destination can be reached with the current remaining battery amount is determined using the air conditioner set temperature information.

  Specifically, the navigation ECU 1 includes, for example, environmental information related to the route, such as information about the temperature of each region through which the calculated route passes and information about the weather, and the vehicle supplement stored in the power consumption calculation table 9. Using the data for calculating the power consumption of the machine (for example, the power consumption per unit time of the air conditioner device, wiper device, and lamps), the host vehicle will reach the destination through the calculated route The amount of power consumed by a vehicle auxiliary device such as an air conditioner device, a wiper device, or lamps (hereinafter referred to as auxiliary device power consumption amount Ws) is estimated. Then, based on the information of the battery SOC, the current remaining battery amount (power amount that can be output) Wmax is detected, and based on the remaining battery amount Wmax and the auxiliary machine power consumption amount Ws, the power that can be used for traveling The amount (hereinafter referred to as “usable power amount Wrun”) is calculated.

  In addition, the navigation ECU 1 calculates road type information included in the link data of the road links constituting the calculated route, and data for calculating the power consumption in the drive motor stored in the power consumption calculation table 9. Is used to calculate the amount of power required for traveling to reach the destination through the route calculated by the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the required amount of power Wm). Then, it is determined whether or not the destination can be reached by comparing the available power amount Wrun and the required power amount Wm.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart (main flow) showing a flow of a series of processing executed by the navigation ECU 1 when the own vehicle driver performs an operation input for designating a destination, and FIG. 3 shows step S102 in FIG. 5 is a flowchart (subroutine) showing details of processing in FIG. Hereinafter, the method for determining whether or not the destination can be reached will be described in more detail with reference to these flowcharts.

  When the own vehicle driver performs an operation input for designating a destination using the operation input device 8, the navigation ECU 1 firstly has a route from the current position of the own vehicle to the destination designated by the driver in step S101 of FIG. Is calculated. The calculation of the route from the current location to the destination may be performed using a known route search technique such as the Dijkstra method that obtains the route that minimizes the link cost by adding the cost of the road link connected to the destination. .

  Next, in step S102, the navigation ECU 1 estimates the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws consumed by the vehicle auxiliary machine until the host vehicle reaches the destination through the route calculated in step S101. The estimation of the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws is performed, for example, according to a subroutine shown in FIG.

  That is, first, in step S201, the expected boarding time until arrival at the destination is calculated based on the road type and distance of the roads constituting the route calculated in step S101, the average vehicle speed of the host vehicle, and the like.

  Next, in step S202, the route calculated in step S101 is divided into a plurality of sections (hereinafter referred to as passing sections), and each divided passing section is automatically determined from the estimated boarding time obtained in step S201 and the current time. Each time zone (hereinafter referred to as a transit time zone) through which the vehicle passes is obtained.

  Next, in step S203, the information center 11 outside the host vehicle is accessed by communication using the mobile communication network by the communication device 10, and environmental information related to the route calculated in step S101, specifically, step S202. The information center 11 acquires information on the temperature in the passage time zone for each passage section on the route obtained in step 1 and information on the weather.

  Next, in step S204, communication using an in-vehicle network system such as CAN is performed with the air conditioner ECU 13 to acquire information on the air conditioner set temperature.

  Next, in step S205, the information about the air temperature in the passage time zone of each passage section on the route acquired in step S203, the air conditioner set temperature information acquired in step S204, and the power consumption calculation table 9 are stored. Air conditioner consumption consumed by the air conditioner until the vehicle reaches the destination based on the air conditioner power consumption per unit time according to the temperature difference between the set air conditioner temperature and the temperature Electric power Ws_ac is calculated. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the route from the current location to the destination is divided into five sections of route sections A to E, the passing time zone of the passing section A is 11:00 to 12:00. In this time zone, the temperature change in the passage section A is 26 ° C to 29 ° C, the passage time zone in the passage section B is 12:00 to 13:00, and the temperature change in the passage section B in this time zone is from 29 ° C. The passage time zone of the passage section C is 30: 00 to 14:00, the temperature change of the passage section C in this time zone is 30 to 33 ° C., the passage time zone of the passage section D is 14: 00 to 15 At 0:00, the temperature change in the passage section D in this time zone is 33 to 31 ° C., the passage time zone in the passage section E is 15:00 to 16:00, and the temperature change in the passage section E in this time zone is 31 Suppose that the air conditioner set temperature is 25 ° C from 29 ° C to 29 ° C. Portion indicated by ring can represent approximate workload of air conditioning apparatus until the vehicle reaches the destination, it is possible to obtain the air conditioning power Ws_ac from the workload.

  Next, in step S206, based on the information about the weather in the passage time zone of each passage section on the route acquired in step S203, the operation time of the wiper device until the vehicle reaches the destination is determined. Based on the wiper operation time and the data related to the power consumption of the wiper device per unit time stored in the power consumption calculation table 9, the wiper device consumes the vehicle until it reaches the destination. Wiper power consumption Ws_wp is calculated.

  Next, in step S207, based on the passing time zone of each passing section on the route obtained in step S202 and the information on the weather acquired in step S203 and the information on the route and the like calculated in step S101, The operation time of the lamps until the host vehicle reaches the destination is obtained, and the lamp operation time and the consumption of the lamps per unit time stored in the power consumption calculation table 9 are calculated. Based on the data relating to the power, the lamp power consumption Ws_lt consumed by the lamps until the host vehicle reaches the destination is calculated.

  Next, in step S208, the air conditioner power consumption Ws_ac calculated in step S205, the wiper power consumption Ws_wp calculated in step S206, and the lamp power consumption Ws_lt calculated in step S207 are added, and the vehicle is the target. A total auxiliary power consumption amount Ws consumed by the auxiliary vehicle until reaching the ground is calculated.

  When the navigation ECU 1 estimates the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws by the above processing, next, in step S103 of FIG. 2, the navigation ECU 1 performs communication using the in-vehicle network system such as CAN with the battery controller 12 to perform the battery SOC. And the current remaining battery amount Wmax is detected.

  Next, in step S104, the navigation ECU 1 subtracts the auxiliary machine power consumption amount Ws estimated in step S102 from the current battery remaining amount Wmax detected in step S103, thereby driving within the current battery remaining amount Wmax. The usable electric energy Wrun that can be used for the calculation is calculated.

  Next, in step S105, the navigation ECU 1 calculates the road type of each road composing the route calculated in step S101 and the power consumption by the drive motor stored in the power consumption calculation table 9. Is used to calculate the required electric energy Wm necessary for traveling for the host vehicle to reach the destination. Specifically, the navigation ECU 1 classifies the route calculated in step S101 into unit distances such as 1 km, judges the road type of each class, and stores the power consumption calculation table 9 for each class. The power consumption is determined from the stored data regarding the power consumption by the drive motor per unit distance. Then, the power consumption amount Wm required for traveling for the host vehicle to reach the destination is calculated by adding the power consumption amounts of all sections of the route.

  Next, in step S106, the navigation ECU 1 compares the available power amount Wrun calculated in step S104 with the required power amount Wm calculated in step S105, and the available power amount Wrun becomes equal to or greater than the required power amount Wm. That is, it is determined whether or not the vehicle can reach the destination with the current remaining battery amount Wmax.

  If the result of determination in step S106 is that the available power amount Wrun is greater than or equal to the required power amount Wm and it is determined that the vehicle can reach the destination with the current remaining battery amount Wmax, the navigation ECU 1 proceeds to step S107. , The battery remaining amount after reaching the destination (= Wrun−Wm) is obtained, and the distance that the vehicle can travel with the remaining battery amount after reaching the destination is calculated. In step S108, a value obtained by adding the distance calculated in step S107 to the route distance from the current location to the destination is displayed as a travelable distance on the display 6 together with the route distance, and the series of processes is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S106 is that the available power amount Wrun is less than the required power amount Wm and it is determined that the vehicle cannot reach the destination with the current remaining battery amount Wmax, navigation In step S <b> 109, the ECU 1 presents to the driver of the vehicle the information that the vehicle cannot reach the destination with the current remaining battery amount Wmax through a message display on the display 6 or a voice announcement from the speaker 7. In step S110, the map data stored in the map data storage device 5 is used to search for a power supply point (power supply facility) that is within the reachable range with the usable power amount Wrun calculated in step S104. The information is displayed on the display 6. Then, when an operation input of the own vehicle driver for selecting any one of the power supply points displayed on the display 6 is made (YES in step S111), in step S112, the power supply point selected by the own vehicle driver is passed through the transit point. A new route is calculated, and the processes after step S102 are repeated. However, in this case, in step S102, the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws consumed between the power supply point selected in step S111 and the destination is calculated, and in step S103, the remaining battery power Wmax is calculated as the full charge power amount. In step S105, the necessary power amount Wrun necessary for traveling from the power supply point selected in step S111 to the destination is calculated. Note that if the power supply point cannot be detected in step S110 or if the power supply point is not selected (NO in step S111), the process ends.

  As described above in detail with reference to specific examples, according to the navigation device of the present embodiment, until the vehicle reaches the destination using the environmental information related to the route from the current location to the destination. Since the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws consumed by the vehicle auxiliary machine is estimated during this period, the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws can be accurately estimated. Then, by subtracting this auxiliary machine power consumption amount Ws from the current remaining battery amount Wmax, a usable power amount Wrun that can be used for traveling of the host vehicle is calculated, and this usable power amount Wrun and the travel to the destination are calculated. By comparing the necessary power amount Wm required for the vehicle, it is determined whether or not the vehicle can reach the destination with the current remaining battery amount Wmax. This makes it possible to present accurate information to the driver of the vehicle.

  Further, according to the navigation device of the present embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle can reach the destination with the current remaining battery amount Wmax, the distance that can be traveled with the remaining battery amount after reaching the destination is calculated, Since the value obtained by adding the distance to the route distance to the destination is displayed on the display 6 as a travelable distance, what timing should the power supply be performed after the vehicle reaches the destination? The driver can be easily recognized, and convenience is improved.

  Further, according to the navigation device of the present embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle cannot reach the destination with the current remaining battery amount Wmax, it is within a range that can be reached with the usable power amount Wrun that can be used for traveling. The power supply point is searched for, and the information is displayed on the display 6, so that the driver of the vehicle can easily recognize where the power supply should be performed on the way to the destination. Improves. Furthermore, when one of the power supply points displayed on the display 6 is selected, a new route is calculated that uses the selected power supply point as a transit point, so the operation burden on the driver of the vehicle is reduced. It can be greatly reduced, further improving convenience.

  In the above example, the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws is estimated using the temperature and weather information of each region where the route passes as the environment information related to the route, but other than the temperature and weather information. However, if environmental information that affects the operating state of the vehicle auxiliary machine is distributed from the information center 11, it is possible to estimate the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws with higher accuracy by acquiring the environmental information. . In the above example, air conditioner devices, wiper devices, and lamps are illustrated as vehicle auxiliary devices. However, in addition to these, if there is a vehicle auxiliary device whose operating state is changed according to the route environment, By estimating the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws in consideration of the power consumption of the vehicle auxiliary machine, it is possible to estimate the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws with higher accuracy.

  If environmental information cannot be acquired from the information center 11 in real time, past environmental information is accumulated as statistical information in association with the date or time zone for each corresponding area, and the auxiliary information is stored using this statistical information. The power consumption amount Ws may be estimated. Also, when calculating the necessary power amount Wrun required for traveling of the own vehicle, the power amount per unit distance consumed in the past traveling is accumulated as statistical information for each road, and this statistical information is used. The required power amount Wrun may be calculated.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, as environmental information related to the route, in addition to the temperature and weather information of each region through which the route passes, traffic information for each road link constituting the route is acquired, and this traffic information is also taken into account. This is an example in which the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws is estimated with higher accuracy. The configuration of the navigation device of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the processing executed by the navigation ECU 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment except that traffic jam information is used. The description overlapping with the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the characteristic part of the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of the process in which the navigation ECU 1 estimates the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws in the navigation device of the present embodiment (subroutine showing details of step S102 in the main flow shown in FIG. 2). This is an alternative to the subroutine of FIG. 3 described in the first embodiment.

  In the navigation device of the present embodiment, the navigation ECU 1 is consumed by the vehicle auxiliary equipment after the route is calculated in step S101 of FIG. 2 and before the host vehicle reaches the destination according to the subroutine shown in FIG. The auxiliary machine power consumption Ws is estimated.

  That is, first, in step S301, the information center 11 outside the host vehicle is accessed by communication using the mobile communication network by the communication device 10, and the traffic congestion information for each road link constituting the route calculated in step S101, specifically, Obtains information on the degree of link congestion (or link travel time) of each road link from the information center 11.

  Next, in step S302, the route calculated in step S101 is divided into a plurality of sections (passage sections), and each route section divided from the traffic congestion information, the link length, and the current time regarding the road link included in each passage section. The time zone (passing time zone) in which the vehicle passes is obtained.

  Next, in step S303, the information center 11 outside the host vehicle is accessed again by communication using the mobile communication network by the communication device 10, and environmental information related to the route calculated in step S101, specifically, step Information about the temperature in the passage time zone for each passage section divided in S302, information about the weather, and the like are acquired from the information center 11.

  Next, in step S304, communication using an in-vehicle network system such as CAN is performed with the air conditioner ECU 13 to acquire information on the air conditioner set temperature.

  Next, in step S305, information on the temperature in the passage time zone of each passage section on the route acquired in step S303, information on the air conditioner set temperature acquired in step S304, and the power consumption calculation table 9 are stored. Air conditioner consumption consumed by the air conditioner until the vehicle reaches the destination based on the air conditioner power consumption per unit time according to the temperature difference between the set air conditioner temperature and the temperature Electric power Ws_ac is calculated.

  Next, in step S306, based on the information about the weather in the passing time zone of each passing section on the route acquired in step S303, the operation time of the wiper device until the host vehicle reaches the destination is determined. Based on the wiper operation time and the data related to the power consumption of the wiper device per unit time stored in the power consumption calculation table 9, the wiper device consumes the vehicle until it reaches the destination. Wiper power consumption Ws_wp is calculated.

  Next, in step S307, based on the passage time zone of each passing section on the route obtained in step S302 and the information on the weather acquired in step S303 and the information such as the presence / absence of a tunnel on the route calculated in step S101. The operation time of the lamps until the host vehicle reaches the destination is obtained, and the lamp operation time and the lamps per unit time stored in the power consumption calculation table 9 are calculated. Based on the data related to the power consumption, the lamp power consumption Ws_lt consumed by the lamps until the host vehicle reaches the destination is calculated.

  Next, in step S308, the air conditioner power consumption Ws_ac calculated in step S305, the wiper power consumption Ws_wp calculated in step S306, and the lamp power consumption Ws_lt calculated in step S307 are added, and the subject vehicle A total auxiliary power consumption amount Ws consumed by the auxiliary vehicle until reaching the ground is calculated.

  In the navigation device of the present embodiment, the navigation ECU 1 estimates the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws that also considers the traffic jam information by the above processing, and then uses the current battery remaining amount Wmax to compensate for this, as in the first embodiment. The usable power amount Wrun is calculated by subtracting the machine power consumption amount Ws. In addition, by calculating the required power amount Wm required for traveling to the destination and comparing the usable power amount Wrun and the required power amount Wm, the vehicle can reach the destination with the current remaining battery amount Wmax. Determine if it can be reached. At this time, in the present embodiment, when calculating the required power amount Wm, it is possible to calculate the required power amount Wm with high accuracy by using the traffic jam information acquired in step S301 in the flowchart of FIG. Become. That is, the power consumption per unit distance by the drive motor varies depending on the running state such as whether the host vehicle is running smoothly or frequently stopped due to traffic jams, and is therefore stored in the power consumption calculation table 9. If the data related to the power consumption by the drive motor per unit distance is corrected for each road link using the information on the degree of congestion, the required power amount Wm can be calculated with higher accuracy.

  As described above in detail with specific examples, according to the navigation device of the present embodiment, as environmental information related to the route from the current location to the destination, the route is added in addition to the temperature and weather information. Congestion information for each road link that constitutes is acquired, and the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws is estimated by taking this traffic jam information into consideration, so the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws can be estimated more accurately. . Further, by calculating the required power consumption Wm in consideration of this traffic jam information, the required power consumption Wm can also be calculated with high accuracy. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the destination can be reached with higher accuracy and to present more accurate information to the driver of the host vehicle.

  In the above example, traffic information related to the route is acquired after the route is calculated, but traffic information from the current location to the destination is acquired first, and this traffic information is taken into account. Alternatively, a route that avoids traffic congestion may be calculated. Alternatively, a plurality of routes may be calculated as routes to the destination, information on each route may be displayed on the display 6, and the vehicle driver may be made to select one of them.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, when it is determined that the destination cannot be reached with the current remaining battery amount Wmax, it is possible to compensate for the amount of power that is insufficient to reach the destination by changing the operating state of the vehicle auxiliary machine. The vehicle driver is notified and the driver of the vehicle is prompted to change the operating state of the vehicle auxiliary machine. Here, the air conditioner set temperature will be described as an example of the operating state of the vehicle auxiliary machine. The configuration of the navigation device of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the processing executed by the navigation ECU 1 is also other than the processing after determining that the current battery remaining amount Wmax cannot reach the destination. Since it is the same as that of the first embodiment (or the second embodiment), the description overlapping with the first embodiment will be omitted below, and only the characteristic part of this embodiment will be described.

  6 and 7 are flowcharts showing a flow of a series of processes executed by the navigation ECU 1 when the own vehicle driver performs an operation input for designating a destination in the navigation device of the present embodiment. Note that the processing from step S401 to step S408 in the flowchart of FIG. 6 is the same as the processing from step S101 to step S108 in the flowchart of FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment.

  In the navigation device of the present embodiment, as a result of the determination in step S406, it is determined that the available power amount Wrun is less than the required power amount Wm, and the own vehicle cannot reach the destination with the current remaining battery amount Wmax. In this case, the navigation ECU 1 first calculates the amount of electric power Wsht (= Wm−Wrun) that is insufficient to reach the destination in step S409. Moreover, in step S410, the information about the temperature in the passage time zone of each passage section on the route and the temperature difference between the air conditioner set temperature and the temperature stored in the power consumption calculation table 9 per unit time. Based on the data related to the power consumption of the air conditioner and the air conditioner power consumption Ws_ac calculated in step S205 of FIG. 3 or step S305 of FIG. A certain power reduction amount Wd is calculated. In step S411, the air conditioner set temperature Tac is calculated such that the power reduction amount Wd becomes equal to or greater than the insufficient power amount Wsht.

  Next, in step S412, the navigation ECU 1 displays information on the display 6 that the target can be reached with the current remaining battery amount Wmax if the air conditioner set temperature is changed to the air conditioner set temperature Tac calculated in step S411. This message is displayed to the driver of the vehicle by a message display or a voice announcement from the speaker 7. In step S413, information on the air conditioner set temperature is periodically acquired through communication with the air conditioner ECU 13, thereby monitoring whether or not an operation for changing the air conditioner set temperature to Tac is performed by the own vehicle driver. To do. Then, when an operation for changing the air-conditioner set temperature to Tac is performed by the own vehicle driver (in the case of YES determination in step S413), the process proceeds to step S407.

  On the other hand, when the predetermined time has passed without the operation of changing the air conditioner set temperature to Tac (in the case of NO determination in step S413), in the next step S414, the current battery remaining amount Wmax is used as the destination. Information indicating that the vehicle cannot be reached is presented to the driver of the vehicle through a message display on the display 6 or a voice announcement from the speaker 7. Further, in step S415, using the map data stored in the map data storage device 5 or the like, a power supply point within the reachable range with the usable power amount Wrun calculated in step S404 is searched, and the information is obtained. It is displayed on the display 6. Then, when an operation input of the own vehicle driver for selecting any one of the power supply points displayed on the display 6 is made (YES in step S416), in step S417, the power supply point selected by the own vehicle driver is passed through the transit point. As described in the first embodiment, the process after step S402 is repeated on the assumption that the battery is fully charged at the power feeding point. Note that if a power supply point cannot be detected in step S415 or if a power supply point is not selected (NO in step S416), the process ends.

  As described above in detail with reference to specific examples, according to the navigation device of the present embodiment, when it is determined that the destination cannot be reached with the current remaining battery amount Wmax, the destination is reached. Since the air conditioner set temperature Tac that can compensate for the insufficient electric energy Wsht is obtained and information that prompts the user to change the current air conditioner set temperature to this temperature Tac is presented to the driver of the vehicle. It is possible for the driver of the vehicle to easily recognize the necessary action to reach the destination, and convenience is improved.

  In the above example, the amount of power that is insufficient to reach the destination is compensated by changing the air conditioner set temperature. However, the operating state can be arbitrarily changed and consumed by changing the operating state. If it is a vehicle auxiliary machine that can reduce electric power, information that prompts a change in the operating state of the vehicle auxiliary machine may be presented to the driver of the vehicle.

  Hereinafter, as a reference, a correspondence relationship between the above-described embodiment and the constituent elements described in the claims is added. In the navigation device of the above-described embodiment, the process by the navigation ECU 1 that calculates the route to the destination (the process in step S101 in the flowchart of FIG. 2) corresponds to the “route calculating unit” recited in the claims. Further, the communication device 10 that accesses the information center 11 using the mobile communication network and acquires the environment information related to the route from the information center 11 corresponds to the “environment information acquisition means” described in the claims. To do. Further, until the own vehicle reaches the destination using the environment information acquired by the communication device 10 and the data for calculating the power consumption in the vehicle auxiliary machine stored in the power consumption calculation table 9 The processing by the navigation ECU 1 that estimates the amount of electric power Ws consumed by the vehicle auxiliary machine during the period (the processing in step S102 in the flowchart in FIG. 2, the processing shown in the flowchart in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5) is described in the claims Corresponds to “auxiliary power consumption estimation means”. Further, the process by the navigation ECU 1 for calculating the usable power amount Wrun by subtracting the auxiliary machine power consumption amount Ws from the current remaining battery amount Wmax (the process of step S104 in the flowchart in FIG. 2) is described in the claims. Corresponds to “usable electric energy calculation means”. Further, the host vehicle reaches the destination by using the road type information of the road links constituting the route and the data for calculating the power consumption by the drive motor stored in the power consumption calculation table 9. The process by the navigation ECU 1 that calculates the amount of power Wm required for traveling (the process of step S105 in the flowchart of FIG. 2) corresponds to “necessary power amount calculation means” recited in the claims. Further, the process by the navigation ECU 1 that compares the available power amount Wrun and the required power amount Wm to determine whether or not the destination can be reached with the current remaining battery amount Wmax (the process of step S106 in the flowchart of FIG. 2). Corresponds to “reachability determination means” described in the claims. Further, when it is determined that the destination cannot be reached with the current remaining battery amount Wmax, a process by the navigation ECU 1 that searches for a power supply point within a range that can be reached with the usable power amount Wrun (the process of step S110 in the flowchart of FIG. 2). , The process of step S415 in the flowchart of FIG. 7 corresponds to “power supply point searching means” described in the claims. Further, when it is determined that the destination can be reached with the current remaining battery amount Wmax, processing by the navigation ECU 1 that calculates the distance that can be traveled with the remaining battery amount when the destination is reached (in step S107 in the flowchart of FIG. 2). The process (the process of step S407 in the flowchart of FIG. 6) corresponds to “distance calculation means” described in the claims. Further, when it is determined that the destination cannot be reached with the current remaining battery amount Wmax, a process by the navigation ECU 1 (a process of step S409 in the flowchart of FIG. 6) for calculating the amount of electric power Wsh that is insufficient to reach the destination. This corresponds to the “insufficient power calculation means” described in the claims. In addition, the process by the navigation ECU 1 for calculating the decrease Wd of the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws when the air-conditioner set temperature is changed (the process of step S410 in the flowchart of FIG. 6) is described in the claims. It corresponds to “quantity estimation means”. In addition, the process by the navigation ECU 1 for calculating the air conditioner set temperature at which the decrease in the auxiliary machine power consumption Ws becomes an abnormality in the insufficient power amount Wsh (the process in step S411 in the flowchart of FIG. 6) is “operation” described in the claims. It corresponds to “state determination means”. Further, the display 6 for displaying various information processed by the navigation ECU 1 and the speaker 7 for outputting sound include a “judgment result presentation unit”, a “power supply point presentation unit”, a “travelable distance” according to claims. It corresponds to “presentation means” and “change information presentation means”.

  The embodiment of the present invention described above is merely an example of application of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is intended to be limited to the contents disclosed as the above-described embodiment. Not what you want. That is, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific technical matters disclosed in the above-described embodiments, but includes various modifications, changes, alternative techniques, and the like that can be easily derived from this disclosure. For example, in the embodiment described above, all of the processing for calculating the route to the destination and the processing for determining whether or not the destination can be reached with the current remaining battery level are performed on the in-vehicle terminal mounted on the electric vehicle. However, some or all of these processes are performed by an arithmetic processing unit installed outside the electric vehicle such as the information processing center 11, and the result is sent to an in-vehicle terminal mounted on the electric vehicle. It is also possible to implement the present invention in the form of transmission.

1 Navigation ECU
2 GPS receiver 3 Vehicle speed sensor 4 Gyro sensor 5 Map data storage device 6 Display 7 Speaker 8 Operation input device 9 Power consumption calculation table 10 Communication device 11 Information center 12 Battery controller 13 Air conditioner ECU

Claims (9)

A route calculation means for calculating a route from the current location to the destination;
Environmental information acquisition means for acquiring environmental information of the calculated route;
Auxiliary power consumption estimation means for estimating the amount of power consumed by the auxiliary vehicle until the electric vehicle reaches the destination based on the environmental information;
Based on the current remaining battery amount of the electric vehicle and the power consumption amount of the vehicle auxiliary machine, usable electric energy calculating means for calculating the electric energy that can be used for traveling,
Required power amount calculating means for calculating the amount of power required for traveling for the electric vehicle to reach the destination;
Whether the electric vehicle can reach the destination with the current remaining battery level by comparing the power amount calculated by the usable power amount calculating unit with the power amount calculated by the required power amount calculating unit. Reachability determination means for determining whether or not
Determination result presenting means for presenting the determination result by the reachability determination means ,
The supplementary power consumption estimating means divides the route calculated by the route calculating means into a plurality of passage sections, obtains a passage time zone through which the electric vehicle passes for each of the plurality of passage sections, and A navigation apparatus characterized in that the environmental information in the passage time zone is acquired and the amount of power consumed by the vehicle auxiliary equipment is estimated .   The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle auxiliary device includes at least one of an air conditioner device, a wiper device, and lamps included in the electric vehicle.   The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the environmental information includes information on the temperature of each region through which the route passes.   The navigation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the environmental information includes information on weather in each region through which the route passes.   The navigation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the environmental information includes traffic jam information in each road section on the route. A power supply point searching means for searching for a power supply point within a reachable range with the electric energy calculated by the usable electric energy calculating means when it is determined that the destination cannot be reached by the reachability determining means; ,
The navigation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising power supply point presenting means for presenting information on a power supply point searched by the power supply point searching means. A distance calculating means for calculating a distance that can be traveled by the remaining battery amount after reaching the destination when it is determined by the reachability determining means that the destination can be reached;
6. The travelable distance presenting means for presenting a distance obtained by adding the distance to the destination and the distance calculated by the distance calculation means as a travelable distance. The navigation device according to claim 1. An insufficient power amount calculating means for calculating an amount of power that is insufficient to reach the destination when it is determined by the reachability determination means that the destination cannot be reached;
A power consumption reduction amount estimating means for estimating a reduction in power consumption when the operating state of the vehicle auxiliary device is changed;
An operation state determination unit that determines an operation state after the change of the vehicle auxiliary equipment in which the decrease in the power consumption amount estimated by the power consumption decrease amount estimation unit is equal to or greater than the power amount calculated by the insufficient power amount calculation unit. When,
6. The change information presenting means for presenting information prompting to change the operation state of the vehicle accessory to the operation state determined by the operation state determining means, further comprising: The navigation device according to claim 1. A destination reachability determination method by a navigation device mounted on an electric vehicle,
The navigation device estimates the amount of power consumed by the auxiliary vehicle until the electric vehicle reaches the destination based on the environmental information of the route from the current location to the destination,
The navigation device calculates the amount of power that can be used for running by subtracting the amount of power consumed by the vehicle auxiliary device from the current battery remaining amount of the electric vehicle.
The navigation device calculates the amount of power required for traveling for the electric vehicle to reach the destination,
The navigation device compares the amount of power that can be used for traveling with the amount of power that is necessary for traveling, and determines whether the electric vehicle can reach the destination with the current remaining battery capacity ,
The navigation device divides the route from the current location to the destination into a plurality of passage sections when estimating the amount of power consumed by the vehicle supplementary notes, and the passage time for the electric vehicle to pass through each of the plurality of passage sections A destination reachability determination method characterized by obtaining a band, acquiring the environmental information in the passage time period for each passage section, and estimating the amount of power consumed by a vehicle accessory .

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