# US 8,751,077 B2 · Route planning device and route planning system

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- Number: US 8,751,077 B2
- Document ID: US8751077B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/034,814
- Filed: 2011-02-25
- Published: 2011-09-15
- Granted: 2014-06-10
- Earliest claimed: 2010-03-09
- Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd.
- Applicants: Tomoaki Hiruta; Mariko Okude; Masatoshi Kumagai
- Inventors: Tomoaki Hiruta; Mariko Okude; Masatoshi Kumagai
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8751077B2

## CPC

- G01C 21/3469: {Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects}
- B60L 53/665: {Methods related to measuring, billing or payment}
- B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC]
- G01C 21/3476: {using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs}
- B60L 2240/622: by satellite navigation
- B60L 2240/70: Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
- B60L 2240/72: Charging station selection relying on external data
- B60L 2250/16: by display
- 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 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
- Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility
- Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations
- Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles
- Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
- Y02T 90/167: Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
- Y04S 30/14: Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)
- 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
- Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS

## Abstract

A route planning device includes: a search unit that searches for a plurality of facilities located near the minimum-cost route from a current position to the destination, where the battery can be charged; a guided route calculation unit that sets a waypoint on the minimum-cost route via which the moving object can be guided to each facility, and calculates a guided route from the waypoint to the each facility and a first power requirement indicating an amount of power required to travel through the guided route; and a facility designating unit that designates a target facility to which the moving object is to be guided, based upon third power requirements each calculated by adding a second power requirement, indicating an amount of power required to allow the moving object to travel from the current position to the waypoint, to the first power requirement and remaining power in the battery.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A route planning device installed in a moving object equipped with a motor driven with a battery, comprising:
an input unit via which a user input is entered by a user;
a minimum-cost route calculation unit that calculates, in response to a destination input indicating a destination entered by the user via the input unit, costs of a plurality of road links included in map information and calculates a minimum-cost route achieving a smallest sum of the costs, which extends from a current position of the moving object to the destination;
a position calculation unit that determines the current position by using a sensor installed in the moving object;
a search unit that searches through the map information for a plurality of facilities located near the minimum-cost route, where the battery can be charged or replaced;
a guided route calculation unit that sets a waypoint on the minimum-cost route via which the moving object can be guided to each of the plurality of facilities, and calculates in advance a guided route from the waypoint to the each of the plurality of facilities and a first power requirement indicating an amount of power required to travel through the guided route;
a facility designating unit that designates a facility among the plurality of facilities as a target facility to which the moving object is to be guided, based upon third power requirements each calculated by adding a second power requirement, indicating an amount of power required to allow the moving object to travel from the current position on the minimum-cost route to the waypoint, to the first power requirement having been calculated in advance and remaining power in the battery; and
a display unit at which a position of the target facility and the guided route corresponding to the target facility are displayed.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A route planning device according to claim 1, wherein:
the waypoint is a node included in the minimum-cost route;
the plurality of facilities satisfy a predetermined search condition set by the search unit; and
a cost of the guided route from the waypoint to the each of the plurality of facilities is smaller than a cost of a guided route from the waypoint to another facility satisfying the predetermined search condition.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A route planning device according to claim 2, wherein:
the predetermined search condition stipulates that the plurality of facilities each be located within a predetermined distance from the waypoint.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

A route planning device according to claim 2, wherein:
the predetermined search condition stipulates that the plurality of facilities each have a history of having been frequently patronized by the user.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

A route planning device according to claim 2, wherein:
the predetermined search condition stipulates that the plurality of facilities each be located within a reachable range from the waypoint, calculated for the moving object based upon the remaining battery power.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

A route planning device according to claim 2, wherein:
the predetermined search condition stipulates that a sum of the cost of the guided route from the waypoint to the each of the plurality of facilities and the cost of a route from the each of the plurality of facilities to the destination achieve a smallest value.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A route planning device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a route guiding unit that guides the moving object to a specific facility, among facilities each designated as the target facility, based upon the guided route, once a number of the facilities each designated as the target facility among the plurality of facilities becomes smaller than a specific value.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

A route planning device according to claim 7, further comprising:
an acquisition unit that obtains information indicating availability conditions at the facilities each designated as the target facility, wherein:
the route guiding unit determines the specific facility based upon the information indicating the availability conditions obtained via the acquisition unit.

### Claim 9

A route planning system, comprising:
a route plan transmission device; and
a route plan reception device installed in a moving object equipped with a motor driven with a battery, wherein:
the route plan transmission device comprises:
a minimum-cost route calculation unit that calculates costs of a plurality of road links included in map information and calculates a minimum-cost route achieving a smallest sum of the costs, which extends from a current position of the moving object to a destination;
a search unit that searches through the map information for a plurality of facilities located near the minimum-cost route, where the battery can be charged or replaced;
a guided route calculation unit that sets a waypoint on the minimum-cost route via which the moving object can be guided to each of the plurality of facilities and calculates in advance a guided route from the waypoint to the each of the plurality of facilities and a first power requirement indicating an amount of power required to travel through the guided route; and
a first communication unit that transmits to the route plan reception device first information indicating the waypoint calculated by the guided route calculation unit, the each of the plurality of facilities, the guided route and the first power requirement and receives second information from the route plan reception device; and
the route plan reception device comprises:
an input unit via which a user input is entered by a user;
a position calculation unit that determines the current position by using a sensor installed in the moving object;
a second communication unit that receives the first information transmitted via the first transmission unit and transmits to the route plan transmission device the second information indicating the destination entered by the user via the input unit and the current position;
a facility designating unit that designates a facility, among the plurality of facilities, as a target facility to which the moving object is to be guided, based upon third power requirements each calculated by adding a second power requirement, indicating an amount of power required to allow the moving object to travel from the current position on the minimum-cost route to the waypoint, to the first power requirement having been calculated in advance and remaining power in the battery; and
a display unit at which a position of the each of the plurality of facilities and the guided route corresponding to the target facility are displayed.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

A route planning system according to claim 9, wherein:
the waypoint is a node included in the minimum-cost route;
the plurality of facilities satisfy a predetermined search condition set by the search unit; and
a cost of the guided route from the waypoint to the each of the plurality of facilities is smaller than a cost of a guided route from the waypoint to another facility satisfying the predetermined search condition.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

A route planning system according to claim 10, wherein:
the predetermined search condition stipulates that the plurality of facilities each be located within a predetermined distance from the waypoint.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

A route planning system according to claim 10, wherein:
the predetermined search condition stipulates that the plurality of facilities each have a history of having been frequently patronized by the user.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

A route planning system according to claim 10, wherein:
the second information further indicates the remaining power in the battery; and
the predetermined search condition stipulates that the plurality of facilities each be located within a reachable range from the waypoint, calculated for the moving object based upon the remaining battery power.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

A route planning system according to claim 10, wherein:
the predetermined search condition stipulates that a sum of the cost of the guided route from the waypoint to the each of the plurality of facilities and the cost of a route from the each of the plurality of facilities to the destination achieve a smallest value.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

A route planning system according to claim 9, wherein:
the route plan reception device further comprises:
a route guiding unit that guides the moving object to a specific facility among facilities each designated as the target facility based upon the guided route, once a number of the facilities each designated as the target facility among the plurality of facilities becomes smaller than a specific value.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

A route planning system according to claim 15, wherein:
the route plan reception device further comprises:
an acquisition unit that obtains information indicating availability conditions at the facilities each designated as the target facility; and
the route guiding unit determines the specific facility based upon the information indicating the availability conditions obtained via the acquisition unit.