# US 11,305,654 B2 · Apparatus for controlling energy consumption and method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,305,654 B2 - Document ID: US11305654B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/551,256 - Filed: 2019-08-26 - Published: 2020-01-09 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2019-07-11 - Assignees: LG Electronics Inc. - Applicants: LG Electronics Inc. - Inventors: Na Young Yi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305654B2 ## CPC - B60L 15/2045: {for optimising the use of energy} - B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC] - B60L 3/0038: {relating to sensors} - B60L 3/12: Recording operating variables {; Monitoring of operating variables} - B60L 2240/72: Charging station selection relying on external data - B60L 2260/52: drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance - B60L 2260/54: Energy consumption estimation - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An apparatus for controlling energy consumption of a vehicle includes an input unit configured to receive an input of a destination, a sensor unit configured to sense environment information of an area around the vehicle, and a control unit configured to calculate an amount of energy available from an energy supply source, estimate a movable distance of the vehicle based on the calculated amount of energy, and compare the estimated movable distance with a distance to the destination to thereby determine whether to activate a power saving driving mode. The control unit searches for a route to a position corresponding to the destination and divides the route into a plurality of sectors. The power saving driving mode is a mode in which the sensor unit is deactivated in at least one of the plurality of sectors. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for controlling energy consumption of a vehicle including an energy supply source, the apparatus comprising: an input unit configured to receive an input of a destination; a sensor unit configured to sense environment information of an area around the vehicle; a communication unit configured to receive traveling information from an information providing server; and a control unit configured to calculate an amount of energy available from the energy supply source, estimate a movable distance of the vehicle based on the calculated amount of energy, and compare the estimated movable distance with a distance to the destination to thereby determine whether to activate a power saving driving mode, wherein the control unit searches for a route to a position corresponding to the destination and divides the route into a plurality of sectors, wherein the power saving driving mode is a mode in which the sensor unit is deactivated in at least one of the plurality of sectors, and wherein the control unit receives traveling information for the route searched from the communication unit, detects numbers of intersections per unit distance on the route according to the received traveling information, evaluates a similarity of the numbers of the intersections per unit distance, and sets sectors having similar numbers of intersections per unit distance as one sector. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit receives traveling information for the route searched from the communication unit, detects one or more vehicle densities according to one or more positions on the route according to the received traveling information, evaluates a similarity of the detected vehicle densities, and sets sectors having similar vehicle densities as one sector. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the communication unit receives a remote control signal based on a downlink grant of a fifth generation (5G) network connected for operation of autonomous driving, and wherein the control unit controls the vehicle to be driven according to the remote control signal when the estimated movable distance exceeds the distance to the destination. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive weather information from a weather center, and wherein the control unit receives weather information for the route searched from the communication unit, detects precipitation amounts of the route in accordance with the received weather information, evaluates a similarity about the detected precipitation amounts, and sets sectors having similar precipitation amounts as one sector. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an output unit configured to output a sound or an image, wherein the control unit controls the output unit to output information about at least one function which is restricted when the sensor unit is deactivated in the power saving driving mode. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor unit comprises a plurality of sensor modules, and wherein the control unit selects at least one sensor module to be deactivated among the plurality of sensor modules in the power saving driving module based on the calculated amount of energy. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising an output unit configured to output a sound or an image, wherein the control unit controls the output unit to output information about at least one function which is restricted when one of the sensor modules is deactivated in the power saving driving mode. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an output unit configured to output a sound or an image, wherein the sensor unit comprises a plurality of sensor modules, wherein the input unit designates at least one sensor module among the plurality of sensor modules according to a user's input and inputs a deactivation signal to the control unit, and wherein the control unit controls the output unit to display at least one sensor module to be deactivated among the plurality of sensor modules in the power saving driving module based on the calculated amount of energy, and deactivates at least one of the sensor modules designated according to a signal inputted through the input unit. ### Claim 9 An apparatus for controlling energy consumption of a vehicle including an energy supply source, the apparatus comprising: an input unit configured to receive an input of a destination; a sensor unit configured to sense environment information of an area around the vehicle; a control unit configured to calculate an amount of energy available from the energy supply source, estimate a movable distance of the vehicle based on the calculated amount of energy, and compare the estimated movable distance with a distance to the destination to thereby determine whether to activate a power saving driving mode; and an output unit configured to output a sound or an image, wherein the control unit searches for a route to a position corresponding to the destination and divides the route into a plurality of sectors, wherein the power saving driving mode is a mode in which the sensor unit is deactivated in at least one of the plurality of sectors, wherein the sensor unit comprises a plurality of sensor modules, wherein the input unit designates at least one sensor module among the plurality of sensor modules according to a user's input and inputs a deactivation signal to the control unit, wherein the control unit controls the output unit to display at least one sensor module to be deactivated among the plurality of sensor modules in the power saving driving module based on the calculated amount of energy, and deactivates at least one of the sensor modules designated according to a signal inputted through the input unit, and wherein the control unit recalculates a movable distance estimate in consideration of a state of the at least one deactivated sensor module according to the input of the input unit, and when the recalculated movable distance estimate exceeds a distance to the destination, the control unit calculates an extra amount of energy based on a difference between the movable distance estimate and the distance to the destination, and controls the output unit to display one or more functions usable by the calculated extra amount of energy. ### Claim 10 A method for controlling energy consumption of a vehicle including an energy supply source, the method comprising: a first step of receiving an input of a destination; a second step of receiving traveling information; a third step of calculating an amount of energy available from the energy supply source, estimating a movable distance of the vehicle based on the calculated amount of energy, and comparing the estimated movable distance with a distance to the destination to thereby determine whether to activate a power saving driving mode; and a fourth step of searching for a route to a position corresponding to the destination and dividing the route into a plurality of sectors, wherein the power saving driving mode is a mode in which a sensor unit is deactivated in at least one of the plurality of sectors, and wherein the fourth step includes searching for a route to a position corresponding to the destination, detecting numbers of intersections per unit distance on the route according to the received traveling information, evaluating a similarity of the numbers of the intersections per unit distance, and setting sectors having similar numbers of intersections per unit distance as one sector. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the fourth step includes searching for a route to a position corresponding to the destination, detecting one or more vehicle densities according to one or more positions on the route according to the received traveling information, evaluating a similarity of the detected vehicle densities, and setting sectors having similar vehicle densities as one sector. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving weather information, and wherein the fourth step further includes searching for a route to a position corresponding to the destination, detecting precipitation amounts on the route in accordance with the received weather information, evaluating a similarity of the detected precipitation amounts, and setting sectors having similar precipitation amounts as one sector. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising outputting information about at least one function which is restricted when the sensor unit is deactivated in the power saving driving mode. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising selecting at least one sensor module to be deactivated among a plurality of sensor modules of the vehicle in the power saving driving module based on the calculated amount of energy. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising outputting information about at least one function which is restricted when the sensor module to be deactivated is deactivated in the power saving driving mode. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: a fifth step of selecting at least one sensor module to be deactivated among a plurality of sensor modules in the power saving driving module based on the calculated amount of energy, and displaying the selected sensor module; a sixth step of designating at least one sensor module among the plurality of sensor modules, and receiving an input of a signal to deactivate the designated sensor module; and a seventh step of deactivating the at least one sensor module designated according to the signal inputted at the sixth step. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising: an eighth step of recalculating a movable distance estimate in consideration of a state of the at least one sensor module deactivated at the seventh step; a ninth step of, when the recalculated movable distance estimate exceeds a distance to the destination, calculating an extra amount of energy based on a difference between the movable distance estimate and the distance to the destination; and a tenth step of displaying one or more functions usable by the calculated extra amount of energy. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program configured to perform the method of claim 10.