# US 11,897,311 B2 · Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, non-transitory storage medium and vehicle control system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,897,311 B2 - Document ID: US11897311B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/248,685 - Filed: 2021-02-03 - Published: 2021-10-07 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-04-01 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha; Denso Corporation - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha; Denso Corporation - Inventors: Hiroyasu Hadano; Takaaki Inokuchi; Tatsunori Katoh; Asuka Marumo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897311B2 ## CPC - B60H 1/00657: {Remote control devices} - B60H 1/00778: {the input being a stationary vehicle position, e.g. parking or stopping} - B60H 1/00899: {Controlling the flow of liquid in a heat pump system (controlling the properties of the refrigerant liquid, e.g. pressure or temperature, B60H1/3204)} - B60H 1/00971: {Control systems or circuits characterised by including features for locking or memorising of control modes} - B60H: ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES ## Abstract A vehicle control device includes a controller configured to execute: receiving a remote signal containing a target temperature in a cabin and an expected traveling start time of a vehicle; performing preheating of the cabin in a second air-conditioning mode in which the preheating is performed by using an electric heat pump when a temperature in the cabin is predicted to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time, the preheating being based on a remote operation; and performing the preheating of the cabin in a first air-conditioning mode in which the preheating is performed by using exhaust heat generated when an internal combustion engine operates when the temperature in the cabin is predicted not to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle control device comprising a controller configured to execute: receiving a remote signal containing a target temperature in a cabin and an expected traveling start time of a vehicle from a remote controller used by a user of the vehicle; performing preheating of the cabin in a second air-conditioning mode when a temperature in the cabin is predicted to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time, the second air-conditioning mode being an air-conditioning mode in which the preheating is performed by using an electric heat pump, the preheating being based on a remote operation; and performing the preheating of the cabin in a first air-conditioning mode when the temperature in the cabin is predicted not to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time, the first air-conditioning mode being an air-conditioning mode in which the preheating is performed by using exhaust heat generated when an internal combustion engine operates. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to further execute, when the temperature in the cabin is predicted not to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time: transmitting, to the remote controller, a signal for prompting the user to select whether to permit execution of the preheating in the first air-conditioning mode; and performing the preheating in the first air-conditioning mode when the controller receives a signal for permitting the execution of the preheating in the first air-conditioning mode from the remote controller. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to further execute, when the controller receives a signal for rejecting the execution of the preheating in the first air-conditioning mode from the remote controller: calculating a reachable temperature which is a temperature in the cabin that is predicted to reach in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time; transmitting, to the remote controller, a signal for prompting the user to change the target temperature to the reachable temperature; and performing the preheating in the second air-conditioning mode when the controller receives a signal for permitting change of the target temperature to the reachable temperature from the remote controller. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to determine the reachable temperature based on at least one of an outside air temperature at a time of reception of the remote signal, a time margin from the time of reception of the remote signal to the expected traveling start time, and a remaining charge level of a battery configured to supply electric power to the electric heat pump. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to predict whether the temperature in the cabin is increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time based on at least one of an outside air temperature at a time of reception of the remote signal, a time margin from the time of reception of the remote signal to the expected traveling start time, and a remaining charge level of a battery configured to supply electric power to the electric heat pump. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The vehicle control device according to claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to predict that the temperature in the cabin is not increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time when the outside air temperature at the time of reception of the remote signal is lower than a predetermined lower limit value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The vehicle control device according to claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to predict that the temperature in the cabin is not increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time when a period required to increase the temperature in the cabin to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode is longer than the time margin. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The vehicle control device according to claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to predict that the temperature in the cabin is not increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time when a consumption of the battery that is required to increase the temperature in the cabin to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode is higher than the remaining charge level of the battery. ### Claim 9 A vehicle control method comprising: receiving, by a computer, a remote signal containing a target temperature in a cabin and an expected traveling start time of a vehicle from a remote controller used by a user of the vehicle; performing, by the computer, preheating of the cabin in a second air-conditioning mode when a temperature in the cabin is predicted to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time, the second air-conditioning mode being an air-conditioning mode in which the preheating is performed by using an electric heat pump, the preheating being based on a remote operation; and performing, by the computer, the preheating of the cabin in a first air-conditioning mode when the temperature in the cabin is predicted not to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time, the first air-conditioning mode being an air-conditioning mode in which the preheating is performed by using exhaust heat generated when an internal combustion engine operates. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The vehicle control method according to claim 9, further comprising: transmitting, by the computer, when the temperature in the cabin is predicted not to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time, to the remote controller, a signal for prompting the user to select whether to permit execution of the preheating in the first air-conditioning mode; and performing, by the computer, the preheating in the first air-conditioning mode when the computer receives a signal for permitting the execution of the preheating in the first air-conditioning mode from the remote controller. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The vehicle control method according to claim 10, further comprising: calculating, by the computer, when the computer receives a signal for rejecting the execution of the preheating in the first air-conditioning mode from the remote controller, a reachable temperature which is a temperature in the cabin that is predicted to reach in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time; transmitting, by the computer, to the remote controller, a signal for prompting the user to change the target temperature to the reachable temperature; and performing, by the computer, the preheating in the second air-conditioning mode when the computer receives a signal for permitting change of the target temperature to the reachable temperature from the remote controller. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The vehicle control method according to claim 11, wherein the reachable temperature is determined based on at least one of an outside air temperature at a time of reception of the remote signal, a time margin from the time of reception of the remote signal to the expected traveling start time, and a remaining charge level of a battery configured to supply electric power to the electric heat pump. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The vehicle control method according to claim 9, wherein prediction is made whether the temperature in the cabin is increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time based on at least one of an outside air temperature at a time of reception of the remote signal, a time margin from the time of reception of the remote signal to the expected traveling start time, and a remaining charge level of a battery configured to supply electric power to the electric heat pump. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The vehicle control method according to claim 13, further comprising predicting, by the computer, that the temperature in the cabin is not increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time when the outside air temperature at the time of reception of the remote signal is lower than a predetermined lower limit value. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The vehicle control method according to claim 13, further comprising predicting, by the computer, that the temperature in the cabin is not increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time when a period required to increase the temperature in the cabin to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode is longer than the time margin. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The vehicle control method according to claim 13, further comprising predicting, by the computer, that the temperature in the cabin is not increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time when a consumption of the battery that is required to increase the temperature in the cabin to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode is higher than the remaining charge level of the battery. ### Claim 17 A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions that are executable by a computer and that cause the computer to perform functions comprising: receiving a remote signal containing a target temperature in a cabin and an expected traveling start time of a vehicle from a remote controller used by a user of the vehicle; performing preheating of the cabin in a second air-conditioning mode when a temperature in the cabin is predicted to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time, the second air-conditioning mode being an air-conditioning mode in which the preheating is performed by using an electric heat pump, the preheating being based on a remote operation; and performing the preheating of the cabin in a first air-conditioning mode when the temperature in the cabin is predicted not to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time, the first air-conditioning mode being an air-conditioning mode in which the preheating is performed by using exhaust heat generated when an internal combustion engine operates. ### Claim 18 A vehicle control system comprising: a remote controller to be used by a user of a vehicle, the remote controller being configured to, when a preheating request containing a target temperature in a cabin and an expected traveling start time of the vehicle is received, transmit a remote signal containing the target temperature and the expected traveling start time; and a control device configured to, when the control device receives the remote signal from the remote controller, perform preheating of the cabin based on the target temperature and the expected traveling start time, the control device including a controller configured to, when the remote signal is received: perform the preheating in a second air-conditioning mode when a temperature in the cabin is predicted to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time, the second air-conditioning mode being an air-conditioning mode in which the preheating is performed by using an electric heat pump; and perform the preheating in a first air-conditioning mode when the temperature in the cabin is predicted not to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time, the first air-conditioning mode being an air-conditioning mode in which the preheating is performed by using exhaust heat generated when an internal combustion engine operates. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The vehicle control system according to claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to, when the temperature in the cabin is predicted not to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time: transmit, to the remote controller, a signal for prompting the user of the vehicle to select whether to permit execution of the preheating in the first air-conditioning mode; and perform the preheating in the first air-conditioning mode when the controller receives a signal for permitting the execution of the preheating in the first air-conditioning mode from the remote controller. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The vehicle control system according to claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to, when the controller receives a signal for rejecting the execution of the preheating in the first air-conditioning mode from the remote controller: calculate a reachable temperature, which is a temperature in the cabin that is predicted to reach in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time; transmit, to the remote controller, a signal for prompting the user to change the target temperature to the reachable temperature; and perform the preheating in the second air-conditioning mode when the controller receives a signal for permitting change of the target temperature to the reachable temperature from the remote controller.