JP2013104683A - Information providing device during battery quick charge to vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a user with useful information in a waiting time at a charging station, in an electric vehicle requiring battery charge at the charging station.SOLUTION: An information providing device comprises a control unit (10) for retrieving information provided to a vehicle occupant. The control unit (10) is configured to determine a planned charging position for a battery (54) according to an instruction regarding a charging place for the battery (54), to retrieve information provided to the vehicle occupant from information sources inside or outside the vehicle, and to provide the vehicle occupant with the retrieved information after the vehicle reaches the planned charging position or during charge to the battery (54) in the planned charging position.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information providing device that provides information to users of electric vehicles such as electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs), and in particular, when charging a battery in a charging station. It is related with the information provision apparatus which provides useful information to the user of an electric vehicle in the waiting time which generate | occur | produces.

  In an electric vehicle including a battery such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, it is necessary to charge the battery with a dedicated charger or a commercial AC power source periodically according to the remaining capacity of the battery. For this reason, the maintenance of the charging station provided with the exclusive charger which can charge the battery of an electric vehicle rapidly is advancing.

  In such battery charging at the charging station, a waiting time (start waiting time) corresponding to the degree of congestion of the charging station occurs until the electric vehicle that has arrived at the charging station actually starts charging. Even after the electric vehicle starts charging, a waiting time (charging waiting time) corresponding to the remaining battery capacity occurs until the charging is completed.

  In particular, in quick charging at a charging station, it is expected that the charging operation itself will take several minutes to several tens of minutes, and the electric vehicle must wait for a considerable time to wait for charging. An event is expected.

  For the purpose of shortening the waiting time at such a charging station, conventionally, an on-vehicle device of an electric vehicle and an information center connected to be communicable with the on-vehicle device are provided. Collect information on the current position of the electric vehicle and remaining battery level from the in-vehicle device to predict the congestion trend of each charging station, and exist around the current position of the in-vehicle device in response to a request from the in-vehicle device There is known an information providing system that transmits congestion prediction information about a charging station to the in-vehicle device (see Patent Document 1).

  However, even if the waiting time until the start of charging (start waiting time) can be shortened by the conventional information providing system, there is a limit to the degree of shortening. Therefore, even if the conventional information providing system is used, the user of the electric vehicle still needs to wait for a considerable time until the battery charging is completed after arrival at the charging station.

  By the way, in such a waiting time, the user of the electric car usually has to spend time in the car or in the store of the charging station without any particular action. In particular, many charging stations assume self-operation where the user of the electric vehicle himself performs the charging operation, and charging is often performed at midnight or on closed days that are outside the service providing time other than charging. is expected. In this case, the activity of the user of the electric vehicle is further restricted, and the vehicle will wait for completion of charging.

  Therefore, if useful information can be provided to the user of the electric vehicle during such a waiting time, it is useful for the user.

JP 2011-13893 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide useful information to a user within a waiting time at a charging station in an electric vehicle that requires battery charging at the charging station. Is to be able to spend the waiting time comfortably.

  The present invention is an information providing device that is mounted on a vehicle including a battery that is charged from the outside of the vehicle and provides information to an occupant of the vehicle, and includes a control unit that searches for information to be provided to the occupant, The control unit determines a scheduled charging position of the battery according to an instruction regarding a charging place of the battery, searches for information to be provided to the occupant from an information source inside or outside the vehicle, and the vehicle charges the charging. An information providing apparatus configured to provide the searched information to a passenger after arriving at a planned position or while the battery is being charged at the planned charging position.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the control unit requires charging of the battery at the planned charging position based on the current position of the vehicle, the planned charging position, and the current remaining capacity of the battery. An information providing device configured to calculate a stop time of the vehicle including an estimated time and to search for information that can be provided within a time according to the stop time as information to be provided to the occupant. .

  In another aspect of the present invention, the control unit provides the occupant with the vehicle until the vehicle reaches the planned charging position or until charging of the battery is started at the planned charging position. An information providing apparatus that searches for information to be provided.

  In another aspect of the present invention, when the searched information is provided from an information source outside the vehicle, the control unit waits until the vehicle reaches the planned charging position, or Before the charging of the battery at the scheduled charging position is started, the searched information is acquired from the information source and stored in the storage device, and the stored information is provided to the occupant. It is an information providing device.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus further includes a storage device that stores a category of information that the occupant desires to provide, and the control unit stores information that matches the category stored in the storage device. It is an information providing device that searches for information to be provided.

  According to the present invention, in an electric vehicle that requires battery charging at a charging station, such as an electric vehicle (EV) or a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV), the user is provided with useful information within a waiting time at the charging station, The user can spend the waiting time comfortably.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The information providing apparatus according to the present embodiment determines a charging station where the host vehicle should charge the battery based on the current position of the host vehicle, and the estimated remaining battery when the host vehicle reaches the charging station. The waiting time (stop time) at the charging station is predicted from the amount and the like. Then, the content that can be provided to the user within the predicted stop time is searched from the broadcast radio wave during the period until it reaches the charging station, and the content is acquired if necessary (recording, downloading, etc.) Then, when the waiting time starts after arrival at the charging station, the searched content is provided to the user.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The information providing apparatus 1 performs wireless communication with the vehicle control unit 10, the operation display unit 20 that is both an information display unit and an information input unit, and a server that receives broadcast radio waves or is outside the host vehicle. A communication control unit 22 that is a communication interface, a GPS unit 24 that receives a GPS radio wave transmitted from a GPS satellite, identifies the current position of the host vehicle, and outputs the current position information to the vehicle control unit 10. Have. Here, the operation display part 20 is comprised by the liquid crystal display device provided with the touch panel, for example. The GPS unit 24 includes a gyro sensor (not shown). In addition to information from the GPS radio wave, the GPS unit 24 includes traveling direction information from the gyro sensor and a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) provided in the host vehicle. The current position of the host vehicle is specified based on the vehicle speed information.

  The vehicle control unit 10 controls the operation of the internal combustion engine 50 such as the engine and the motor 52 and manages the remaining capacity of the battery 54 and the like, and the vicinity of the current position of the host vehicle. A navigation control unit (NCU, Navigation Control) that displays various types of information such as maps and road information on the operation display unit 20, searches for a route to a destination specified by the user, and displays the searched route. Unit) 14 and a storage device 16 for storing map information and other information. Further, when the NCU 14 searches for a route to the destination, the NCU 14 refers to the map information in the storage device 16 and provides information such as the distance and undulation of the searched route to the energy management means 104 (described later) of the ECU 12. To do.

  Here, the ECU 12 and the NCU 14 are computers each having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a program is written, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for temporary storage of data, and the like. And the NCU 14 are communicably connected to each other via a communication bus or the like. The storage device 16 can be configured by a reading device that reads information recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a fixed disk device (HDD, Hard Disk Drive) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of the ECU 12.
The ECU 12 includes an engine control unit 100 that controls the operation of the internal combustion engine 50, a power control unit 102 that controls the operation of the motor 52, and an energy management unit 104 that controls the torque sharing between the internal combustion engine 50 and the motor 52 in the vehicle driving operation. And have. Each means described above is a function realizing means realized by the ECU 12 executing a program. The computer program can be stored in any computer-readable storage medium.

  The engine control means 100 controls the operation of the internal combustion engine 50 such as supply and stop of fuel to the internal combustion engine 50, adjustment of the fuel injection amount, control of ignition timing in the combustion cycle, and torque adjustment by a throttle valve (not shown). I do.

  The power control unit 102 controls current supply from the battery 54 to the motor 52 to control the driving torque of the motor 52, and charges the battery 54 using electric power obtained by the regenerative power generation operation of the motor 52. Further, the power control means 102 manages the remaining capacity (remaining battery capacity) of the battery 54 using a state of charge (SOC) sensor (not shown) or the like, and the remaining battery capacity becomes a predetermined amount or less. When this happens, a charge request signal indicating that the battery needs to be charged using an external power supply is output to the NCU 14.

  The energy management unit 104 instructs the engine control unit 100 and the power control unit 102 to perform drive operation switching control and torque sharing control between the internal combustion engine 50 and the motor 52, or from the motor 52 to the battery 54. Control the charging timing. Thereby, for example, the energy management unit 104 obtains information about the distance and undulation of the travel route from the NCU 14, and the operation switching timing between the internal combustion engine 50 and the motor 52 and the battery 54 due to regenerative power generation of the motor 52. The fuel consumption of the entire drive system composed of the internal combustion engine 50 and the motor 52 is maintained in the best state or a predetermined target state.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of the NCU 14.
The NCU 14 includes a location information acquisition unit 200, a charging request reception unit 202, a charging location determination unit 204, a route search unit 206, a stop time calculation unit 208, a content search unit 210, a content provision unit 212, a desired Category acquisition means 214. Each means described above is a function realizing means realized by the NCU 14 executing a program. The computer program can be stored in any computer-readable storage medium.

The position information acquisition means 200 acquires the current position information of the host vehicle from the GPS unit 24 at predetermined time intervals.
The charge request reception unit 202 receives a charge request signal indicating that the remaining battery capacity is equal to or less than a predetermined amount from the ECU 12 or inputs a charge request command (charge) performed by the user via the operation display unit 20. A request for charging is received by acquiring (request input).

  The charging position determination means 204 is the current position of the host vehicle acquired by the position information acquisition means 200 in response to the charging request reception means 202 receiving a charging request signal or acquiring a charging request input from a user. The station information including the name and position information of the charging station for a predetermined number of nearest charging stations is acquired from the map information stored in the storage device 16 and displayed on the operation display unit 20. On the other hand, for example, the user designates one desired charging station from among the predetermined number of charging stations via the operation display unit 20, and the charging position determination means 204 determines the position of the designated charging station. It is determined as the planned charging position.

The route searching means 206 searches the route to the designated station from the location information of the designated charging station (designated station), the current location information of the host vehicle, and the map information stored in the storage device 16, and the route searched. Route information including information on the position of each point on the route, the distance of the route, and the undulation of the route is output.
The stop time calculation means 208 is used when the host vehicle reaches the designated station based on the distance and undulation information of the route included in the route information and the current remaining battery information provided by the power control means 102 of the ECU 12. The estimated value of the remaining battery capacity is calculated, and the estimated time from the start of charging to the completion of charging (the estimated waiting time for charging) is calculated as the waiting time at the designated station, that is, the stopping time, based on the calculated remaining battery capacity. .

  The content search unit 210 matches the desired category based on the calculated stop time and a user's desired category acquired in advance by the desired category acquisition unit 214 described later, and the stop time calculation unit 208 calculates the content search unit 210. The information content (compatible content) that can be provided to the user within the stopping time is searched from the storage device 16 and all media that can be received or accessed via the communication control unit 22. Further, the searched compatible content is acquired according to circumstances and stored in the storage device 16.

The content providing unit 212 displays the information content searched or acquired by the content searching unit 210 on the operation display unit 20 and provides it to the user while the host vehicle is stopped at the designated station.
Desired category acquisition means 214 is a user-entered desired category according to the user's operation on operation display unit 20, that is, a category of content desired to be provided from content providing means 212 during a waiting time at a designated station. To get. The acquired desired category is stored in the storage device 16 as user information, for example.

  The desired category can be specified by genre such as “movie”, “news”, “TV”, etc. If it is “movie”, “news” such as “SF movie”, “horror movie”, etc. "Sports news" and "economic news", and "TV" can be "variety programs" and "documentary programs". Furthermore, it is possible to input a desired category for a genre such as “music” or “game”. The desired category input method via the operation display unit 20 may be selected by the user from a predetermined category, or the user may input a free word representing the desired content.

  Next, an operation procedure of the information providing apparatus 1 will be described. In the following description, it is assumed that the above desired category has already been input by the user and stored as user information in the storage device 16.

  First, when the user operates an activation key switch (not shown) of the host vehicle, the ECU 12 and the NCU 14 are turned on, and the ECU 12 starts operation control of the internal combustion engine 50 and the motor 52. Further, the NCU 14 periodically acquires the current position information of the own vehicle from the GPS unit 24 at a predetermined time interval, and configures a map display screen as shown in FIG. 4, for example, including a map around the current position of the own vehicle. And displayed on the operation display unit 20.

  The map display screen shown in FIG. 4 displays a map 300 showing the vicinity of the current position of the host vehicle, and function selection buttons 301 to 308 for selecting and executing various functions on the right side of the map 300. Is displayed. Further, a detailed map display button 309 for displaying a detailed map by changing the scale of the map 300 and a wide map display button 310 for displaying a wide map are also displayed below the map 300.

  In the process according to the present invention (information providing process), the charge request accepting unit 202 of the NCU 14 receives a charge request signal from the ECU 12 or acquires a charge request input from a user via the operation display unit 20. To start its execution. Here, the charging request input from the user is acquired by the charging request reception unit 202 when the user presses the function selection button 303 written as “charging request” shown in FIG. 4, for example.

Next, the procedure of the information providing process of the information providing apparatus 1 will be described according to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the information providing process, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the content search process included in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the information providing process (FIG. 5) is started, first, the NCU 14 stores the current position information of the host vehicle that the position information acquisition unit 200 periodically acquires by the charging position determination unit 204 and the storage device 16. Based on the map information, a predetermined number of charging stations closest to the current position of the host vehicle are specified, and a charging station selection screen, for example, a screen as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the operation display unit 20 (S101).

  In the screen example of FIG. 7, the name of the specified nearest charging station (such as “charging station A”), the distance from the host vehicle, and an arrow indicating the direction of the charging station relative to the traveling direction of the host vehicle are displayed. The station selection buttons 320 to 324 are listed. On the left side of the station selection buttons 320 to 324, a scroll bar 325 for displaying other station selection buttons not displayed on this screen is displayed. Furthermore, an OK button 326 and a cancel button 327 are also displayed at the bottom of this screen.

  On this screen, the user presses the station selection button corresponding to the desired charging station from among the station selection buttons 320 to 324 and presses the OK button 326, thereby specifying one desired charging station. can do. By this user input, the charging position determining means 204 specifies the designated charging station (designated station) and decides the position of the designated station as the planned charging position (S102).

  In the example of FIG. 7, the nearest charging stations are listed and displayed in the order of the distance from the current position of the host vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, each map information stored in the storage device 16 When the service providing information about the charging station and the charging capability information of the charging facility (for example, the charging characteristic map described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-112932) are included, the charging position determination unit 204 The charging stations may be ranked on the basis of the presence / absence of the content providing service and the charging speed and displayed on the operation display unit 20. In this case, the charging position determination unit 204 displays each charging station in the order of the above ranks, displays the charging station at the top of the rank as a recommended station, and sets the position of the recommended station as a planned charging position. It is good also as what acquires user approval about.

  Subsequently, the NCU 14 searches the route from the current position of the host vehicle to the planned charging position by referring to the map information stored in the storage device 16 by the route search means 206, and points on the route of the searched route. The route information including information on the position, the distance of the route, and the undulation of the route is output to the stop time calculation means 208 (S103). Alternatively, a route that can reach the designated station in the shortest time in consideration of road speed restrictions, traffic jam information, and the like can be obtained.

  Next, the NCU 14 uses the stop time calculation means 208 to determine the remaining battery level of the host vehicle when reaching the designated station based on the remaining battery level of the host vehicle and the distance and undulation of the route included in the route information. Based on the estimated amount of remaining battery power, an estimated time from charging start to completion at the designated station (predicted waiting time for charging) is calculated as a stop time at the designated station (S104). Here, the estimated amount of remaining battery power is calculated by, for example, calculating an estimated value of battery consumption until reaching the designated station based on the distance and undulation information of the route, and using the estimated value as the current remaining battery power. It can be obtained by subtracting from.

  In the present embodiment, the stop time is calculated based on the estimated amount of the remaining battery level when reaching the designated station. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the target value of the remaining battery level when reaching the designated station. May be set, and the expected charging wait time based on the target value may be calculated as the stopping time. Here, for example, the target value may be determined by the NCU 14 based on the remaining battery capacity and the route information, or may be determined based on an instruction from the user. When setting such a target value of the remaining battery level, the NCU 14 gives the target value to the energy management unit 104, and the energy management unit 104 sets the target value of the above path so that the remaining battery level becomes the target value. Based on the distance and undulation information, the operation switching timing of the internal combustion engine 50 and the motor 52 and the regenerative charging timing of the battery 54 are planned and executed.

  In this embodiment, the estimated waiting time for charging is the stopping time. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the waiting time from the time of arrival at the designated station to the start of charging (estimated waiting time for starting) is included in the above stopping time. It is good. Such a start waiting time can be acquired by, for example, the method described in Patent Document 1.

  Next, the content search unit 210 refers to the desired category from the user information stored in the storage device 16 (S105), and executes a content search process (S106). In the content search processing, content (conforming content) that matches the user's desired category and can be provided within a time corresponding to the calculated stop time is searched, and the name and location of each searched conforming content Catalog information in which content information including such information is collected is stored in the storage device 16. In addition, according to circumstances, the searched content is acquired by recording or downloading and stored in the storage device 16.

Here, content refers to video, images, audio, text, and combinations thereof that can be recorded and transmitted by media, and includes, for example, movies, TV programs, music, and the like. Further, the content may include game software that can be executed by a computer.
Details of the content search process will be described later.

  Next, when the own vehicle arrives at the designated station and stops, the content providing unit 212 refers to the catalog information in the storage device 16 and determines whether the catalog information includes content information of one or more compatible contents. Is determined (S107). When the content information of one or more compatible contents is included in the catalog information (S107, Yes), the content information of all the compatible contents included in the catalog information is displayed on the operation display unit 20. The selected content selection screen is displayed (S108).

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a content selection screen.
In this screen, the content information of the compatible content is listed and displayed as content selection buttons 340 to 344 together with the stop time calculated in step S104 (“95 minutes in the example of FIG. 8)”. In addition, a scroll bar 345, an OK button 346, and a cancel button 347 for displaying content information of other compatible content that is not displayed are also displayed on the screen of FIG.

  The user presses a content selection button corresponding to a desired conforming content from among the content selection buttons 340 listed on the operation display unit 20, and then presses an OK button 346. Desired matching content can be specified.

  In the example of FIG. 7, the content information is displayed on the operation display unit 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the content providing unit 212 provides the degree of approximation with the desired category, the stop time, and the provision. It is also possible to evaluate the suitability of each conforming content based on the degree of coincidence (time difference) with the time required to display the content information of each conforming content on the operation display unit 20 in descending order of suitability.

  Next, in response to the user specifying the desired compatible content, the content providing unit 212 displays the specified compatible content on the operation display unit 20 and executes the service (S109). finish.

  On the other hand, if no content information is included in the catalog information in step S107 (S107, No), a predetermined predetermined message or predetermined content is displayed on the operation display unit 20 (S110). ), The process is terminated.

  In the present embodiment, as conditions for permitting the display start of the information (content) in S108 or S110, the NCU 14 recognizes that the host vehicle has arrived at the designated station, and the ECU 12 recognizes the stop state of the vehicle. Is included. However, it is not limited to the example of the present embodiment, and the fact that the ECU 12 recognizes that the vehicle is being charged may be replaced with or added to the above condition. Further, when the above condition is satisfied, the user may be inquired about whether or not to start displaying information, and the display of information may be started after the user's approval.

  Next, the operation procedure of the content search process (step S106 shown in FIG. 5) will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the process is started, the content search unit 210 first determines whether or not the storage device 16 stores content that can be provided to the user (S201), and if stored (S201, Yes), It is determined whether or not compatible content is included in the content (S202). If the relevant content is included (S202, Yes), the location of each relevant content is specified, and the content information including information such as the name, location, and time required for each relevant content is collected. After the information is stored in the storage device 16 (S203), the process proceeds to the next step S204.
On the other hand, when the storage device 16 does not store the content that can be provided to the user in step S201 (S201, No), or when the content is stored but the content does not include the matching content (S202, No), the process proceeds to step S204.

  Next, the content search unit 210 searches for a radio wave while traveling on the route to the designated station, and determines whether there is a radio wave from which content can be acquired (S204). The radio wave can be, for example, a one-segment TV broadcast wave, a terrestrial digital TV broadcast wave, a public wireless LAN radio wave, or the like. However, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to this, and any radio wave from which content can be acquired can be targeted.

  If there is a radio wave capable of acquiring content in step S204 (S204, Yes), it is determined whether or not the content provided by the radio wave includes a compatible content (S205). ). This determination is made based on, for example, a program guide received by a broadcast wave in the case of a television broadcast wave, a content menu that can be accessed on a predetermined website in the case of a public wireless LAN, and the like. be able to. The predetermined website can be specified in advance by the user using the operation display unit 20, for example.

  Also, when the content provision time zone is defined as in the broadcast wave, for example, is content suitable for content that starts to be delivered by the expected arrival time at the designated station included? It can be determined whether or not. The expected arrival time can be calculated by the NCU 14 according to the distance to the designated station.

  Next, in step S205, when the content provided by the radio wave includes compatible content (S205, Yes), the compatible content is downloaded or recording is started and stored in the storage device 16 (S206). ). That is, if the information source of the content is not the storage device 16 provided in the host vehicle, for example, if it is an information source connected via radio waves, the compatible content is acquired from the information source by recording or downloading. . Note that after starting the recording, the content search unit 210 ends the recording as appropriate after the relevant content ends.

  Next, the content search unit 210 collectively adds content information including information such as the name, location, time required for provision, and broadcast time of each relevant content to the list information stored in the storage device 16 (S207). ), The process proceeds to the next step S208.

  On the other hand, when there is no radio wave from which content can be acquired in step S204 (S204, No), or even if there is a radio wave from which content can be acquired, relevant content is included in the content. If not (S205, No), the process proceeds to step S208.

  Next, when the content search unit 210 arrives at the designated station, the content search unit 210 determines whether or not the local wireless information providing service (local service) capable of acquiring the content is provided at the designated station (S208). ). For example, if the map information stored in the storage device 16 includes service providing information including whether or not the local service is provided for each charging station, the determination for the designated station is performed. This can be done based on service provision information. Alternatively, as the host vehicle approaches the designated station, the communication control unit 22 detects the presence of a local radio wave from a service device installed in the designated station, and the above determination can be made.

  Then, when a local service that can acquire content is provided in step S208 (S208, Yes), it is determined whether or not there is compatible content in the content (S209). This determination can be made, for example, by receiving a content menu or a program guide provided by the local service.

  Subsequently, when there is compatible content among the content provided by the local service (S209, Yes), the storage device 16 stores the content information including the name of the relevant content, the time required for provision, and the like. (S210), and the content search process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when a local service that can acquire the content is not provided in step S208 (S208, No), or even if the local service is provided, suitable content is included in the content that can be acquired by the local service. If not included (S209, No), the content search process is terminated.

  In this embodiment, the route searching means 206 of the NCU 14 searches for the shortest distance or the shortest time route to the designated station (step S103 in FIG. 5), and while the host vehicle travels along the route, Although the content search unit 210 searches for suitable content by the content search process (FIG. 6), the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the route search unit 206 has a difference in distance from the shortest distance route (shortest distance route). A radio wave that is within a predetermined range, or that has a difference in arrival time from the shortest time path (shortest time path) within a predetermined range and that can acquire content is received. It is good also as what searches for an easy route. In this case, the route search means 206 may be configured to display the shortest distance route or the shortest time route and the route that easily receives the radio wave on the operation display unit 20 and the user selects one of them. .

  Further, in the present embodiment, the vehicle control unit 10 includes a storage device 16 that stores map information therein, and the NCU 14 independently performs (stand-alone) arithmetic processing and the like related to navigation. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a part of the navigation function of the NCU 14 is entrusted to a server installed outside the host vehicle, and the NCU 14 is necessary for processing to the server via the communication control unit 22. The information can be transmitted and the result of the processing can be received from the server. Further, the NCU 14 may be configured to request and obtain information stored in the server (for example, map information) from the server.

  In the configuration for realizing the navigation function by communicating with the server placed outside the vehicle as described above, for example, the functions of the charging position determination means 204, the route search means 206, the stop time calculation means 208, etc. shown in FIG. The configuration can be outsourced. The user information may be stored in the server, and the function of the desired category acquisition unit 214 may be outsourced to the server. In this case, for example, the user inputs a desired category from a personal computer that is communicably connected to the server via the Internet or the like, and the desired category acquisition unit 214 acquires the input desired category from the personal computer. It can also be done.

  As described above, the information providing apparatus according to the present invention predicts the stop time of the vehicle at the charging station based on the estimated remaining amount of the battery 54 at the time of arrival at the charging station, and sends the information to the charging station. Searching for content that can be provided to the user within the stopping time during movement, etc., acquiring the searched content in some cases, and displaying the content at the stopping time after arriving at the charging station. To provide. Thereby, the user can spend the waiting time in a charging station comfortably.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information provision apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function structure of ECU shown in FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function structure of NCU shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the map display screen displayed on an operation display part by NCU shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the information provision apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a content search process among the operation procedures of the information provision apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the charging station selection screen displayed on an operation display part by NCU shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the content selection screen displayed on an operation display part by NCU shown in FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information provision apparatus, 10 ... Vehicle control part, 12 ... ECU, 14 ... NCU, 16 ... Memory | storage device, 20 ... Operation display part, 22 ... Communication control part 24 ... GPS unit, 50 ... internal combustion engine, 52 ... motor, 54 ... battery, 100 ... engine control means, 102 ... power control means, 104 ... energy management means, 200: Location information acquisition means, 202: Charging request reception means, 204: Charging position determination means, 206: Route search means, 208 ... Stop time calculation means, 210 ... Content search Means 212... Content providing means 214. Desired category obtaining means 300... Map, 301 to 308... Function selection button 309. Display button Down, 320 to 324 ... station selection button, 325, 345 ... scroll bar, 326,346 ··· OK button, 327,347 ... cancel button, 340-344 ... content selection button.

Claims (5)

An information providing device that is mounted on a vehicle having a battery that is charged from the outside of the vehicle and provides information to a passenger of the vehicle,
A controller for searching for information to be provided to the occupant;
The control unit determines a scheduled charging position of the battery according to an instruction relating to a charging location of the battery, searches for information to be provided to the occupant from an information source inside or outside the vehicle, and the vehicle It is configured to provide the searched information to an occupant after arriving at the planned charging position or while the battery is being charged at the planned charging position.
Information providing device. The controller includes an estimated time required for charging the battery at the planned charging position based on the current position of the vehicle, the planned charging position, and the current remaining capacity of the battery. It is configured to calculate a stop time and search for information that can be provided within the time according to the stop time as information to be provided to the occupant.
The information providing apparatus according to claim 1. The control unit searches for information to be provided to the occupant until the vehicle reaches the planned charging position or until charging of the battery is started at the planned charging position.
The information providing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. When the searched information is provided from an information source outside the vehicle, the control unit supplies the battery to the battery until the vehicle reaches the planned charging position or at the planned charging position. Until charging is started, the searched information is acquired from the information source, stored in a storage device, and the stored information is provided to the occupant.
The information providing apparatus according to claim 1. And a storage device for storing a category of information that the occupant desires to provide,
The control unit searches for information that matches the category stored in the storage device as information to be provided to the occupant.
The information providing apparatus according to claim 1.

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