Adaptive driving behavior adjusting method for electric vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides an adaptive driving behavior adjusting method for an electric vehicle, intended for solving the problem that existing energy recovery approaches fail to fully satisfy endurance mileage extending requirements of electric vehicles and the problem that a charging or battery-swapping time cannot be accurately determined. The method comprises the steps of: estimating an endurance mileage of the electric vehicle; acquiring information of a location of the nearest charging pile or a destination by means of a GPS; acquiring information of a lane in which the electric vehicle is currently traveling by means of the GPS; and the electric vehicle selectively enters a forced adaptive driving mode or an optional adaptive driving mode, based on endurance mileage of the electric vehicle, the information of the location of the charging pile or the destination and the information of the lane. By means of the method, the electric vehicle can be prevented from roadside breakdown or failing to arrive at the destination due to failure to get recharged in time, and a driver can be warned to extend the endurance mileage in time when feasible, so that not only can electric energy be saved, thereby increasing the endurance mileage, but also breakdown due to power shortage can be prevented and the driving experience can be improved.

Claims

1. An adaptive driving behavior adjusting method for an electric vehicle, which is performed by an engine control unit (ECU) of the vehicle, comprising the steps of: estimating an endurance mileage of the electric vehicle by the ECU; acquiring information of a location of the nearest charging pile or a destination through a navigation positioning system or real traffic reports; acquiring information of a lane in which the electric vehicle is currently traveling through the navigation positioning system or real traffic reports; and the electric vehicle to selectively entering a forced adaptive driving mode or an optional adaptive driving mode, based on the endurance mileage of the electric vehicle, the information of the location of the charging pile or the destination and the information of the lane, wherein when the distance between the electric vehicle and the charging pile or the destination is greater than the endurance mileage but the difference therebetween is less than an upper threshold distance, or when the distance between the electric vehicle and the charging pile or the destination is less than the endurance mileage but the difference therebetween reaches a lower threshold distance, the electric vehicle enters the forced adaptive driving mode.

2. The adaptive driving behavior adjusting method according to claim 1, wherein the step of estimating an endurance mileage of the electric vehicle further comprises: acquiring state of charge of the electric vehicle; acquiring an actual vehicle speed of the electric vehicle; acquiring a load state of the electric vehicle; acquiring terrain of a current road; and estimating the endurance mileage of the electric vehicle based on the state of charge, the actual vehicle speed, the load state and the terrain of the current road.

3. The adaptive driving behavior adjusting method according to claim 2, wherein the information of the lane includes an average vehicle speed, the terrain, and a speed limit, and/or the load state includes an air conditioning state and a low-voltage load state.

4. The adaptive driving behavior adjusting method according to claim 3, wherein when the state of charge of the electric vehicle is less than threshold state of charge and the average vehicle speed is greater than a threshold vehicle speed, the electric vehicle enters the optional adaptive driving mode.

5. The adaptive driving behavior adjusting method according to claim 4, wherein when the conditions for entering the forced adaptive driving mode and for entering the optional adaptive driving mode are simultaneously satisfied, the electric vehicle preferentially enters the forced adaptive driving mode.

6. The adaptive driving behavior adjusting method according to claim 5, wherein the threshold vehicle speed is 40 KM/hour; and/or the lower threshold distance is from 10 to 30 KM.

7. The adaptive driving behavior adjusting method according to claim 6, wherein when the electric vehicle enters the forced adaptive driving mode while satisfying the condition for the optional adaptive driving mode, the electric vehicle cruises at a constant speed of 40 KM/hour with hazard warning flashers turned on.

8. The adaptive driving behavior adjusting method according to claim 7, wherein when the electric vehicle enters the forced adaptive driving mode but does not satisfy the condition for the optional adaptive driving mode, the electric vehicle travels at the average vehicle speed with the hazard warning flashers turned on.

9. The adaptive driving behavior adjusting method according to claim 8, wherein when the electric vehicle enters the optional adaptive driving mode, the electric vehicle prompts the driver to confirm whether to enter the optional adaptive driving mode in order to increase the endurance mileage.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 illustrates a simulation result diagram of endurance mileage of two electric vehicles with different parameters such as different vehicle weight and battery power.

(2) FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an adaptive driving behavior adjusting method according to the invention.

(3) FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method for estimating endurance mileage according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(4) The preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring first to FIG. 1, the diagram illustrates a simulation result of the endurance mileage of two electric vehicles with different parameters such as different vehicle weight and battery power. As can be seen from FIG. 1, for electric vehicles with different parameters, the maximum endurance mileage is usually achieved at the speed of about 40 KM/hour. When the vehicle speed is greater than 40 KM/hour, the higher the speed is, the lower the endurance mileage is; and when the vehicle speed is less than 40 KM/hour, the higher the vehicle speed is, the higher the endurance mileage is. Therefore, through intelligent adjustment, the vehicle speed can be as close to 40 KM/hour as possible, thereby increasing the endurance mileage of the electric vehicle and improving the economic performance of the vehicle.

(5) Referring next to FIG. 2, the adaptive driving behavior adjusting method of an electric vehicle of the invention comprises the steps of: estimating an endurance mileage of the electric vehicle; acquiring information of a location of the nearest charging pile or a destination by means of a GPS; acquiring information of a lane in which the electric vehicle is currently traveling by means of the GPS; and the electric vehicle selectively enters a forced adaptive driving mode or an optional adaptive driving mode, based on endurance mileage of the electric vehicle, the information of the location of the charging pile or the destination and the information of the lane.

(6) As shown in FIG. 3, in the technical solution of the invention, the step of estimating an endurance mileage of the electric vehicle further comprises: acquiring state of charge of the electric vehicle; acquiring an actual vehicle speed of the electric vehicle; acquiring a load state of the electric vehicle; acquiring terrain of a current road; and estimating the endurance mileage of the electric vehicle based on the state of charge, the actual vehicle speed, the load state and the terrain of the current road.

(7) Preferably, the information of the lane includes an average vehicle speed, terrain and a speed limit, and the load state includes an air conditioning state and a low-voltage load state. Specifically, the terrain may be information such as uphill, downhill, turning and road surface evenness. The low-voltage load may be the power consumption of accessories such as a radio, a CD player and lighting lamps.

(8) More preferably, when the distance between the electric vehicle and the charging pile or the destination is greater than the endurance mileage, or when the distance between the electric vehicle and the charging pile or the destination is less than the endurance mileage but the difference therebetween reaches a threshold distance, the electric vehicle enters the forced adaptive driving mode. The destination herein may be an energy supply station such as a battery swap station, and can also be other places that the driver wants to reach. Most preferably, the vehicle directly determines the destination as the nearest charging pile or battery swap station when the conditions for entering the forced adaptive driving mode are satisfied, as avoiding breaking down from power shortage is the first consideration for the electric vehicle.

(9) More preferably, when the state of charge of the electric vehicle is less than threshold state of charge and the average vehicle speed is greater than a threshold vehicle speed, the electric vehicle enters the optional adaptive driving mode. The threshold state of charge can be, for example, 30% of the full charge. Of course, this ratio can be adjusted as needed.

(10) More preferably, when the conditions for entering the forced adaptive driving mode and for entering the optional adaptive driving mode are simultaneously satisfied, the electric vehicle preferentially enters the forced adaptive driving mode. As described above, avoiding breaking down from power shortage is a first consideration for the electric vehicle, so the forced adaptive driving mode has a higher priority than the optional adaptive driving mode.

(11) More preferably, the threshold vehicle speed is 40 KM/hour, and the threshold distance is from 10 to 30 KM. As described above, electric vehicles with different parameters generally achieve the maximum endurance mileage at the speed of about 40 KM/hour, and therefore, determining the threshold vehicle speed as 40 KM/hour contributes to the determination and execution of the endurance mileage extending operation. In addition, the threshold distance is mainly set as a precaution against a situation where the road condition continues to deteriorate after the vehicle enters the forced adaptive driving mode, so the distance can be adjusted according to the daily road condition of the area through which the vehicle is traveling, preferably ranging from 10 to 30 KM.

(12) More preferably, when the electric vehicle enters the forced adaptive driving mode while satisfying the condition for the optional adaptive driving mode, the electric vehicle cruises at a constant speed of 40 KM/hour with hazard warning flashers turned on. Otherwise, when the electric vehicle enters the forced adaptive driving mode but does not satisfy the condition for the optional adaptive driving mode, the electric vehicle travels at the average vehicle speed with the hazard warning flashers turned on. As described above, when the electric vehicle is to enter the optional adaptive driving mode, the electric vehicle first prompts the driver that it is possible to enter the optional adaptive driving mode to increase the endurance mileage, and the driver decides whether to enter the mode or not.

(13) Heretofore, the technical solutions of the invention have been described with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art can readily understand that the protection scope of the invention is obviously not limited to these particular embodiments. Without departing from the principle of the invention, a person skilled in the art may make equivalent modifications or substitutions to related technical features, and the technical solutions after these modifications or substitutions shall fall within the scope of protection of the invention. For example, the adaptive driving behavior adjusting method of the invention may be performed by any suitable controller, such as an ECU, that controls the driving mode of an electric vehicle. Any changes made in this regard do not depart from the principles of the invention and therefore shall fall within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, although the application describes the adaptive driving behavior adjusting method of the invention in a particular order, the invention is obviously not limited to this particular order, and those skilled in the art can adjust the order as needed without changing the basic principles.