JP6089362B2 - Travelable route calculation device and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cruising route calculation device and a computer program.

  In recent years, electric vehicles have been developed, but at present, the cruising range is short (less than 200 km). Therefore, even if the electric vehicle is a day drive, it may be necessary to stop at the charging station on the way to go or return to charge the battery.

For this reason, it is important for the driver how much the vehicle can travel with the current remaining battery level.
For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a cruising range that is simply displayed as a numerical value. By displaying the cruising distance numerically, the driver can grasp the cruising distance.

JP 2005-096647 A

However, simply displaying the cruising range may not be sufficiently useful information for the driver.
On the other hand, if it is possible to present to the driver a place (range) that can be reached with the current remaining battery capacity (climbing capacity), it is more beneficial for the driver.

  For example, if it is possible to present to the driver a place where the current battery remaining amount (climbing capacity) can be reciprocated from home (reachable point when reciprocating), the driver can go from home on a day drive. Can be confirmed.

  In addition, even if the departure point and destination are not round trips, if you can show the driver where you can take a detour (reachable point when detouring) from the departure point to the destination, The driver can see where he can detour before reaching his destination.

  Here, as a reachable point that can be reciprocated from the departure place, it is conceivable to simply obtain a place that can be reached with half the remaining battery power. However, this can be inaccurate.

For example, when the forward path is an uphill and the return path is a downhill, the power consumption of the return path is smaller than the power consumption of the outbound path. For this reason, there is a possibility that the vehicle can reach farther than a point that can be reached from the departure point with half the battery remaining power.
Conversely, when the forward path is a downhill and the return path is an uphill, the power consumption of the return path is larger than the power consumption of the forward path. For this reason, if it goes from the departure place to a place that can be reached with half of the remaining battery power, it may not be possible to return to the departure place.

Further, there may be a case where traffic conditions such as occurrence of traffic congestion change between the forward path and the return path, and the power consumption of the outbound path and the power consumption of the return path are not equal.
Furthermore, the forward path and the return path may be different paths, and in this case also, the power consumption of the forward path and the power consumption of the return path are not equal.

  In this way, in order to more accurately determine how far you can reach from the home that is starting from your home and returning to your destination home, simply “battery level” The idea of “a point that can be reached with half the power” is not appropriate.

  In addition, the idea of simply finding “a point that can be reached with half of the remaining battery power” cannot find a place to detour.

  Therefore, an appropriate method for obtaining a point that can be reached in a cruising manner from the starting point to the destination is desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances.

(1) The present invention is a device that calculates a cruising route of a vehicle, and searches for a first route for traveling in a direction away from the departure point based on the road map data, using the departure point as a base point. Based on the forward direction search process, the reverse direction search process for searching for the second route for traveling in the direction approaching the destination based on the road map data, and cruising to the determination target point A determination process for determining sex, and the determination target point is a point that can be reached from the departure point by the first route and can reach the destination by the second route, In the determination process, the estimated value of the first energy consumption when traveling on the first route from the departure point to the determination target point and the second route traveled from the determination target point to the destination of the case Based on the estimated value of the second energy consumption is cruising route calculation apparatus characterized by cruising potential for the determination target point is determined.

According to the present invention, the first route for traveling in the direction away from the departure place and the second route for approaching the destination can be obtained. Then, a point that can be reached from the starting point by the first route and that can reach the destination by the second route is set as a determination target point, and energy consumption when passing through the determination target point in the first route and the second route is calculated. By estimating, the possibility of cruising to the determination target point can be determined.
Therefore, for example, it is possible to determine whether or not a certain point is a point that can be reached in a reciprocable manner, or whether or not a certain point is a point that can be detoured.

(2) It is preferable that the starting point and the destination are the same point. In this case, it can be determined whether or not the determination target point is a point that can be reached in a reciprocable manner. The departure point and the destination may be different points.

(3) In the determination process, the possibility of cruising to the determination target point is determined on the basis of the remaining cruising capacity of the vehicle and the sum of the first energy consumption and the second energy consumption. preferable.
In this case, the possibility of cruising to the determination target point can be determined in light of the remaining cruising capacity of the vehicle (for example, the remaining battery level in the electric vehicle and the remaining fuel level in the vehicle having the internal combustion engine).
When determining the possibility of cruising to the point to be judged, it is not limited to the current cruising capacity of the vehicle, but may be judged using the cruising capacity when the battery is fully charged or the assumed cruising capacity. good.

(4) The information for estimating the first energy consumption includes information indicating a road gradient on the first route, and the information for estimating the second energy consumption includes the first energy consumption. Information indicating the slope of the road in the two routes is preferably included.
In this case, each of the first energy consumption and the second energy consumption can be estimated more accurately according to the road gradient.

(5) The present invention viewed from another viewpoint is a computer program for causing a computer to function as the cruising route calculation device according to any one of (1) to (4).

  According to the present invention, a novel method for obtaining a point that can be reached in a cruising manner from the starting point to the destination can be obtained.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the information system provided with the navigable route calculation apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the cruising route calculating apparatus. It is a flowchart of the process which calculates | requires the reachable area which can reciprocate. (A) is a figure which shows the 1st path | route and 2nd path | route searched, (b) is a figure which shows the difference in the power consumption in a 1st path | route and a 2nd path | route. It is explanatory drawing when a departure place and a destination differ.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1. Information system]
FIG. 1 shows an example of an information system provided with an arithmetic device for a cruising route. The information system includes an in-vehicle device 3 and a server 5.
The server 5 can communicate with the in-vehicle device 3 having a wireless communication function via the roadside communication device 4 that performs wireless communication.
The in-vehicle device 3 is not limited to a device that is fixedly mounted on the vehicle, and may be any device that is used on the vehicle. As the in-vehicle device 3, other than a device that is fixedly installed on the vehicle 2, for example, A mobile terminal such as a smartphone carried by a driver (passenger) may be used.

  The vehicle 2 of the present embodiment is an electric vehicle that has a rechargeable battery 7 and travels by a travel motor (main machine) that is driven by using the battery 7 as a power source. The vehicle 2 includes an auxiliary machine in addition to the traveling motor that is the main machine. An auxiliary machine is a device that uses the power of the battery 7 in the vehicle 2, such as a headlight, a wiper, and an air conditioner, although it is not directly related to traveling.

  The in-vehicle device 3 has a computer, acquires information on the electric vehicle 2 on which the in-vehicle device 3 is mounted, and transmits the information to the server 5 via the roadside communication device 4. Furthermore, information generated by the server 5 (display data, which will be described later) is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 3 via the roadside communication device 4.

The in-vehicle device 3 includes an input unit 3a for a driver (passenger; user) to input various information, a position acquisition unit 3b that can acquire information on the current position, and a display unit 3c. I have.
The input unit 3a includes, for example, a touch panel operated by a driver, and the driver can input various information such as the number of passengers and time of the vehicle by inputting characters.
The position acquisition unit 3b is composed of a device having a GPS function, for example, and acquires information on the current position.
The display unit 3c includes a display and can display various display data on the screen.
Further, the in-vehicle device 3 can acquire information on the remaining battery level (remaining power amount) in the battery 7 of the vehicle 2 and the power usage amount of the auxiliary equipment (usage status of the auxiliary equipment).

  A large number of roadside communication devices 4 are installed on roads in each region. Each roadside communication device 4 includes a communication device and a communication controller, can wirelessly communicate with the in-vehicle device 3, and can communicate with the server 5 by wire (or wirelessly). The roadside communication device 4 may be a wireless base station that performs wireless communication with a mobile terminal as the in-vehicle device 3.

  The server 5 includes one or a plurality of computers, a storage unit 15 including a hard disk storing a computer program and various information, a communication device 16 including a communication interface for communicating with the roadside communication device 4, And an arithmetic device 17 having a function of performing arithmetic processing.

The storage unit 15 includes a road network database 15a that stores road map data (road network data) of each region, and a traffic information database 15b that stores traffic information. Note that the storage unit 15 may be any storage unit 15 that can acquire data via an internal bus or an external interface of the computer, and need not be built in the computer.
The road network database 15a has information on the road network, and the length, gradient, road type, etc. of each road link constituting the road network, and other requirements for the electric vehicle 2 to travel on each road link. Static traffic information necessary for calculating (estimating) the power consumption of the battery 7 is included.

The traffic information database 15b stores dynamic traffic information that changes over time. Examples of the dynamic traffic information include information on road congestion, temperature, weather, accident occurrence, and the like. The dynamic traffic information is also used to calculate (estimate) the power consumption of the battery 7 required for traveling on the road link.
Note that the static traffic information and the dynamic traffic information may be stored outside the server 5. In this case, the server 5 may acquire static traffic information or dynamic traffic information stored outside as needed.

[2. Travelable route calculation device]
The server 5 has a plurality of functional units that perform various functions, and one of these functional units is the cruising route calculation device 1. The server 5 includes a computer having a CPU, an internal memory, and the like, and a computer program for causing the server 5 to function as the cruising route calculation device 1 is installed in the storage unit 15. Each function (the functions of the acquisition unit 18 and the calculation unit 19) provided in the cruising route calculation device 1 is exhibited when the computer program is executed by the server 5 (computer).

As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle device 3 transmits request information i <b> 1 in order to acquire information (display data) on the reachable range of the vehicle 2 from the server 5. The request information i1 may be transmitted based on an operation performed by the input unit 3a by the driver (user of the in-vehicle device 3), or may be transmitted periodically.
The in-vehicle device 3 transmits, to the server 5, transmission information used for calculating the cruising route of the vehicle 2 together with the request information i1 when transmitting the request information i1.
The transmission information includes, for example, the current location (departure location), destination, and time (current time (departure time) or arrival time at the destination) of the vehicle 2, the remaining battery level of the battery 7, and the vehicle ID of the vehicle 2 ( Information such as the type of vehicle 2), the amount of electric power used by the auxiliary equipment of vehicle 2, and the number of passengers of vehicle 2 can be included.

The current location transmitted to the server 5 is acquired by the position acquisition unit 3b. The time transmitted to the server 5 can be the one input from the input unit 3a by the driver (user of the in-vehicle device 3).
The battery remaining amount transmitted to the server 5 is acquired from a battery remaining amount monitoring function unit (not shown) of the battery 7. The battery remaining amount is an example of surplus information indicating the cruising surplus capacity at the current location (current time) of the vehicle 2.
The remaining power information transmitted to the server 5 is not limited to the remaining battery level but may be the remaining fuel level (in the case of the vehicle 2 having an engine).
Further, the surplus information transmitted to the server 5 may be information indicating the power consumption of the vehicle 2. For example, when the server 5 knows the remaining battery level of the vehicle 2 in the past, the in-vehicle device 3 transmits information indicating the power consumption from the past time to the server 5. Also good. In this case, the server can obtain the battery remaining amount of the vehicle 2 at the present time by subtracting the power consumption from the battery remaining amount at the past time. Note that the amount of fuel consumed may be used instead of the amount of power consumed.

The vehicle ID (vehicle type) transmitted to the server 5 may be acquired from a control unit (not shown) of the vehicle 3 or may be registered in the storage device 15 of the in-vehicle device 3.
The auxiliary machine power transmitted to the server may be obtained from a control unit (not shown) that controls the auxiliary machine in the vehicle 3, or the usage status of the control unit (not shown) that controls the auxiliary machine in the vehicle 3. And the in-vehicle device 3 may calculate the power used by the auxiliary device.
The number of passengers transmitted to the server is input from the input unit 3a. Further, when there is no input from the input unit 3a, the number of persons set as a default value (for example, one or two persons) may be transmitted to the server 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, the acquisition unit 18 of the server 5 together with the request information i <b> 1 transmitted from the in-vehicle device 3, the current location and time of the vehicle 2 (current time (departure time) or arrival time at the destination). , Information such as the remaining battery capacity of the battery 7 (remaining capacity information indicating the remaining cruising capacity), the vehicle ID of the vehicle 2 (model of the vehicle 2), the amount of power used by the auxiliary equipment of the vehicle 2, and the number of passengers of the vehicle 2 is acquired ( Step S1).
When the server 5 acquires the request information i1, the server 5 uses the information such as the remaining battery level (remaining power information) acquired together with the request information i1 to calculate a range (a reachable area) in which the vehicle 2 can be reciprocated. (Step S2). This calculation is performed by the calculation unit 19.
When the server 5 obtains a roundtrip reachable area (reachable range) as a calculation result, the server 5 generates information i2 (display data) indicating the determined reachable range, and transmits the information i2 to the in-vehicle device 3 (step) S3).

When receiving the information i2 (display data) indicating the calculation result from the server 5, the in-vehicle device 3 generates a display screen using the information i2 (display data) and displays it on the display unit 3c. The in-vehicle device 3 generates a display screen showing a range on which the vehicle 2 can be reciprocated on the display road map based on the display data.
This makes it easy for the driver of the vehicle 2 to intuitively understand how far the vehicle 2 can travel.

[3. Calculation of service area that can be reciprocated]
FIG. 3 shows a procedure for calculating a service area that can be reciprocated by the calculation unit 19 (step S2).
In the calculation of the service area that can be reciprocated, first, the remaining battery setting process is performed as the cruising reserve value used for the calculation (step S11).
In the setting process (step S11), the remaining battery information (remaining capacity information indicating the remaining cruising capacity at the current location (departure point)) included in the information acquired from the in-vehicle device 3 is used as the cruising remaining capacity value in the service area calculation. Set as a quantity.
The battery remaining amount as the cruising surplus value is used for comparison with the power consumption (energy consumption) consumed by traveling on a route passing through a certain point (determination target point).
Note that the remaining cruising power value may not be the remaining battery capacity. For example, the remaining cruising value may be the remaining fuel amount of the vehicle 2.

  Following the setting process (step S11), two route search processes, a forward direction search process (step S12) and a reverse direction search process (step S13), are performed. Both of the two route search processes are performed based on road map data (road network data) stored in the road network database 15.

In the forward direction search process in step S12, one or a plurality of first routes for traveling in a direction away from the departure point (current location) are searched with the departure point (current location) as a base point.
In the reverse direction search process in step S13, one or a plurality of second routes for traveling in a direction approaching the destination are searched for using the destination as a base point.

Hereinafter, the forward direction search process and the backward direction search process will be described based on a specific example of FIG.
FIG. 4A shows road map data (road link structure) around the home serving as a starting point and a destination. In FIG. 4A, the home is on a road that can be passed in both directions. Further, in FIG. 4A, lanes whose traveling direction is a direction from the left side to the right side in the drawing are shown as a first link, a second link, a third link, a fourth link, and a fifth link. In addition, lanes whose traveling direction is the direction from the right side to the left side in the figure are shown as the sixth link, the seventh link, the eighth link, the ninth link, and the tenth link. Moreover, the direction of the arrow in each link indicates the traveling direction of the vehicle in each link.
It is assumed that the home is on the third link and the eighth link shown in FIG.

When the reachable point is determined with the home as the departure point and the destination, in the forward direction search process (step S12), one or a plurality of first routes for traveling in the direction away from the home (departure point) (forward direction) is obtained. The search is based on the starting point of the home. That is, a route along the direction of the arrow of each link is searched from the home as a base point.
Therefore, in the case of the road link structure shown in FIG. 4 (a), the first forward path “the third link → the fourth link → the fifth link →... A second forward path “8th link → 9th link → 10th link →...” Is searched.

Further, in the reverse direction search process (step S13), one or a plurality of second routes for traveling in a direction approaching the home (destination) is searched for based on the home that is the destination. That is, a route along the reverse direction of the arrow of each link is searched from the home.
Therefore, in the case of the road link structure shown in FIG. 4A, as the second route (reverse route), a first reverse route “third link → second link → first link →...”, The second reverse direction path “8th link → 7th link → 6th link →...” Is searched.

In FIG. 4 (a), since the road structure is simple, the number of searched routes is small for both the first route and the second route, but in the case of a complicated road structure including branches and intersections, there are many routes. The first route and the second route are searched.
In addition, the lengths of the first route and the second route to be searched are set as a length sufficient to obtain a later-described determination target point.

  For each link that constitutes the first route searched in the forward direction search process (step S12) and each link that constitutes the second route searched in the reverse direction search process (step S13), a vehicle is provided for each link. An estimated value of power consumption (energy consumption) is calculated.

  Since the road map data in the storage unit 15 includes length information indicating the length of each link, based on the length of each link, an estimated value of power consumption when traveling through each link is obtained. Can be calculated.

  In this embodiment, the calculation of the estimated value of power consumption is not only the length of each link, but also static traffic information and dynamic traffic information, and information acquired from the in-vehicle device 3 (departure time or arrival time, vehicle ID (vehicle type), auxiliary machine power consumption, number of passengers) is also used.

Since the power consumption of the motor of the vehicle 2 varies not only with the travel distance of the vehicle but also with the road gradient, the calculation of the power consumption is performed in consideration of the road gradient information included in the static traffic information. Thus, the estimated value of the power consumption can be calculated more accurately.
For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the fourth link is a downhill and the seventh link is an uphill, even if the fourth link and the seventh link are the same road, the consumption at the seventh link. electric energy X ₇ is larger than the power consumption amount X ₄ of the fourth link.

In addition, since the power consumption of the vehicle changes due to accidents and traffic jams even at the same distance, it is possible to estimate power consumption more accurately by performing calculations that also take into account dynamic traffic information such as accident and traffic jam information on the relevant road links. A value can be calculated. Note that, based on the departure time or the arrival time, traffic congestion prediction information in a time zone in which a link travels may be obtained, and the power consumption may be estimated in consideration of the traffic congestion prediction information.

In addition, since the motor performance and the like vary depending on the vehicle model, the estimated value of the power consumption can be calculated more accurately by performing the calculation taking the vehicle ID (vehicle model) into consideration.
Furthermore, since the power consumption of the vehicle is affected by the power consumption of the auxiliary equipment (headlight, wiper, air conditioner) of the vehicle 2, more accurate calculation is performed by taking the power consumption of the auxiliary equipment into account. It is possible to calculate an estimated value of power consumption.
Furthermore, since the power consumption of the vehicle 2 is affected by the number of passengers, the estimated value of the power consumption can be calculated more accurately by performing a calculation in consideration of the number of passengers.

In the present embodiment, the determination process is performed after the forward direction search process and the backward direction search process (step S14). In the determination process, the possibility of cruising to a determination target point on the first route and the second route is determined.
The determination target point is selected as a point that can be reached from the home (departure point) by the searched first route and can reach the destination by the searched second route.
For example, FIGS. 4A and 4B show a case where the end point of the fifth link (start point of the sixth link) is set as the determination target point.

In this case, in the determination process, based on the estimated value of the power consumption of each link constituting the first route (the third link → the fourth link → the fifth link) from the home (departure place) to the determination target point, An estimated value of the first integrated power (first energy consumption) when traveling on the first route (third link → fourth link → fifth link) is obtained.
Further, in the determination process, based on the estimated value of the power consumption of each link constituting the second route (sixth link → seventh link → eighth link) from the determination target point to the home (destination), An estimated value of the second integrated power (second energy consumption) when traveling on two routes (sixth link → seventh link → eighth link) is obtained.

  Further, in the determination process, the power consumption when reciprocating between the home and the determination target point is the sum of the first integrated power (power consumption in the forward direction) and the second integrated power (power consumption in the reverse direction). An estimate of the quantity).

  If the amount of power consumed when reciprocating between the home and the determination target point is equal to the remaining battery level (cruising surplus value), the determination target point is the limit point where the user can reciprocate from the home. In addition, if the power consumption when reciprocating between the home and the determination target point is smaller than the battery remaining amount (cruising surplus value), the determination target point can reciprocate from the home and the battery remaining amount (cruising range) If it is larger than the reserve power value), the determination target point cannot be reciprocated from the home.

Therefore, in the determination process (determination of cruising possibility), the sum of the first integrated power (power consumption in the forward direction) and the second integrated power (power consumption in the reverse direction) and the remaining battery level (cruising remaining power value) And compare. As a result of the comparison, if the remaining battery level is greater, it is determined that the determination target point can be reciprocated from home, and if the remaining battery level is smaller, the determination target point cannot be reciprocated from home. It is determined.
Further, if the sum of the first integrated power (power consumption in the forward direction) and the second integrated power (power consumption in the reverse direction) and the remaining battery level (cruising reserve power value) are substantially equal, the determination target point Is determined to be a reachable point that is the limit of the cruising range.

  The above determination process is performed for a plurality of determination target points on the first route and the second route. Therefore, a plurality of reachable points that are the limits of cruising can be obtained based on the result of the determination process. A set of a plurality of reachable points that are the limits of the cruising range indicates a reachable area (reachable range) that can be reciprocated.

  The determination process may be executed as an end condition for the forward direction search process and the backward direction search process. In this case, a search for a new link is performed so as to extend the first route or the second route until a link that becomes a cruising limit is obtained, and when a link that becomes a cruising limit is obtained, a forward search process and The reverse direction search process ends.

FIG. 5 shows a modification of the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, the starting point and the destination are the same point, but in FIG. 5, the starting point and the destination are different points. In such a case, the calculation shown in FIG. 3 can be performed. When it is determined that the determination target points T ₁ and T ₂ shown in FIG. 5 are reachable points that are the limits of the cruising range, points that can be detoured from the departure point to the destination (arrival of the detour) Sphere).

[4. Addendum]
In addition, embodiment disclosed this time is an illustration and restrictive at no points. The scope of rights of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes all modifications within the scope equivalent to the configurations described in the claims.
For example, in the embodiment disclosed this time, the information system includes a vehicle-mounted device (device mounted on a vehicle). The person may operate a portable terminal such as a personal computer or a smartphone at home or office. That is, the request information i1 may be transmitted from a personal computer or a smartphone at home or office, and the information i2 indicating the reachable range may be received from the server 5.

1: Traveling route calculation device 2: Vehicle (electric vehicle)
5: Server 7: Battery 15: Storage unit 17: Computing device 18: Acquisition unit 19: Computing unit

Claims (5)

An apparatus for calculating a cruising route of a vehicle,
Based on the road map data, a forward direction search process for searching for a first route for traveling in a direction away from the departure point from the departure point;
Based on the road map data, a reverse direction search process for searching for a second route for traveling in a direction approaching the destination with the destination as a base point;
A point that can be reached from the starting point by the first route searched by the forward direction search process and that can reach the destination by the second route searched by the reverse direction search process is selected as a determination target point. Determination processing for determining the cruising possibility to the selected determination target point;
Is configured to run
In the determination process, the estimated value of the first energy consumption when traveling on the first route from the departure point to the determination target point and the second route traveled from the determination target point to the destination A cruising route calculation device characterized in that cruising possibility to the determination target point is determined based on an estimated value of the second energy consumption in the case. The cruising route calculation device according to claim 1, wherein the starting point and the destination are the same point. 3. In the determination process, the possibility of cruising to the determination target point is determined based on the remaining cruising capacity of the vehicle and the sum of the first energy consumption amount and the second energy consumption amount. The described cruising route calculation device. The information for estimating the first energy consumption includes information indicating a road gradient in the first route,
The cruising route calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information for estimating the second energy consumption includes information indicating a road gradient in the second route. A computer program for causing a computer to function as the cruising route calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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