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EP-4739981-A1 - METHOD, SYSTEM AND VEHICLE

EP4739981A1EP 4739981 A1EP4739981 A1EP 4739981A1EP-4739981-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method (8) for suggesting charging stops (2) along a route (3) for a battery-electric vehicle (5), - in which pools (19) of battery-electric vehicles (5) with similar driver data (15) and/or vehicle data (16) are generated in a computer arrangement (6) for a multiplicity of battery-electric vehicles (5) on the basis of driver data (15) and/or vehicle data (16) in conjunction with a vehicle ID (17) identifying the particular vehicle (5), - in which a plurality of drivers each use a navigation device (11) to calculate in each case a route (3) comprising in each case at least one charging stop (2), - in which the calculated routes (3) are transmitted, together with the particular charging stop (2) and the associated vehicle ID (17), to the computer arrangement (6), - in which at least two vehicles (5), which are assigned to the same pool (18) and in which the associated routes (3) have a charging stop (2) falling in similar time windows (23) and lying within a predetermined local radius, are identified on the basis of the vehicle ID (17), - in which the drivers of the identified vehicles (5) are informed of the option of modifying the particular calculated route (3) in such a manner that at least one charging stop (2) on the route (3) coincides temporally and locally with a charging stop (2) of another vehicle (5) in the same pool (19), - in which, if at least two drivers use this option of modifying the calculated route (3), the calculated routes (3) of the two vehicles (5) are modified in such a manner that the charging stops (2) on the two routes (3) falling in similar time windows (23) and lying locally in the same radius coincide locally and temporally.

Inventors

  • BOOTZ, CHRISTIAN
  • Kühnel, Marian

Assignees

  • Mercedes-Benz Group AG

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241112

Claims (10)

  1. 1. Method (8) for proposing charging stops (2) along a route (3) for a battery electric vehicle (5), - in which, in a computer arrangement (6) of a plurality of battery-electric vehicles (5), driver data (15) and/or vehicle data (16) of the respective vehicle (5) are stored and classified in conjunction with a vehicle ID (17) identifying the respective vehicle (5) in order to generate interest groups (19) of battery-electric vehicles (5) with similar driver data (15) and/or vehicle data (16), - in which several drivers of battery-electric vehicles (5) each calculate a route (3) by means of a navigation device (11), each route including at least one charging stop (2), - in which the calculated routes (3) are transmitted to the computer arrangement (6) together with the respective charging stop (2) and the associated vehicle ID (17), - in which at least two vehicles (5) are identified by means of the vehicle ID (17), which are assigned to the same interest group (18) and in which the associated routes (3) each have a charging stop (2), which fall within similar time windows (23) and are located within a predetermined local radius, - in which the drivers of the identified vehicles (5) are informed that there is the possibility of modifying the respective calculated route (3) in such a way that at least one charging stop (2) of the route (3) coincides in time and place with a charging stop (2) of another vehicle (5) of the same interest group (19), - in which, in the event that at least two drivers use this option to modify the calculated route (3), the calculated routes (3) of the two vehicles (5) are modified in such a way that the charging stops (2) of the two routes (3) which fall within similar time windows (23) and are located within the same geographical radius coincide spatially and temporally.
  2. 2. Method (8) according to claim 1, characterized in that Vehicle data (16) are at least one member of the following group: - Vehicle brand, such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, VW etc., - Vehicle model, such as A-Class, 3 Series, Taycan, ID.3 etc., - Vehicle type, such as sedan, station wagon, convertible, off-road vehicle, SUV, sports car, etc. - Vehicle equipment, such as fragrance system, entertainment system, etc., - Vehicle configuration, such as sports configuration, tuning configuration, comfort configuration, luxury configuration, etc.
  3. 3. Method (8) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that Driver data (15) are at least one member of the following group: - Driving characteristics, such as solo travel, family travel, etc., - Driving behavior, such as on-road, off-road, long-distance, short-distance, etc., - Personal data, such as gender, age, partner status, number of children, dog owner, radio stations listened to, music genres listened to, destination city, destination country, etc.
  4. 4. Method (8) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vehicle ID (17) is a member of the following group: - chassis number, - Vehicle registration number.
  5. 5. Method (8) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the identification of vehicles (5) which are assigned to the same interest group (19) and for which the associated routes (3) each have a charging stop (2), which fall within similar time windows (23) and are located within a predetermined local radius, is carried out permanently, so that the drivers of the identified vehicles (5) are informed, even while driving along the respective calculated route (3), that there is the possibility of modifying the calculated route (3).
  6. 6. Method (8) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - in the event that three or more vehicles (5) are identified which are assigned to the same interest group (19) and for which the associated routes (3) each have a charging stop (2) which fall within similar time windows (23) and are located within a predetermined local radius, those drivers are preferably informed about the possibility of modifying the calculated route (3) for which the driver data (15) and/or vehicle data (16) match the greatest.
  7. 7. Method (8) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - vehicle groups (36) are generated in the computer arrangement (6) in which vehicles (5) are grouped together, the routes (3) of which have been modified for joint charging at the same charging stop (2), - that in the event that three or more vehicles (5) are identified which are assigned to the same interest group (19) and for which the associated routes (3) each have a charging stop (2) which fall within similar time windows (23) and are located within a predetermined local radius, those drivers whose vehicles (5) are in the same vehicle group (36) are preferably informed about the possibility of modifying the calculated route (3).
  8. 8. Method (8) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the computer arrangement (6) offers drivers who use the possibility of modifying the calculated route (3) the possibility of forming a driver group (37) whose members have met at a common charging stop (2) by means of the method (8), and which is stored in the computer arrangement (6), - that in the event that three or more vehicles (5) are identified which are assigned to the same interest group (19) and whose associated routes (3) each have a charging stop (2) which fall within similar time windows (23) and are located within a predetermined local radius, those drivers who are members of the same driver group (37) are preferentially informed about the possibility of modifying the calculated route (3), - in particular, drivers have the possibility of adding other drivers to the driver group (37), even if they have not met these other drivers through the process (8) at a joint charging stop (2).
  9. 9. System (1) for suggesting charging stops (2) along routes (3) of battery electric vehicles (5), - with a computer arrangement (6) configured to carry out the method (8) according to one of the preceding claims, - with a communication device (7) which is configured so that the computer arrangement (6) can communicate with vehicles (5) for data exchange.
  10. 10. Battery electric vehicle (5), - with a vehicle battery (10), - with a navigation device (11) which is configured in such a way that it can calculate a route (3) taking into account a current state of charge of the vehicle battery (10), which route can have at least one charging stop (2) depending on the current state of charge of the vehicle battery (10), - with a communication device (12) which can communicate with an external computer arrangement (6), - with a control device (13) which is coupled to the navigation device (11) and to the communication device (12) and which is configured so that the vehicle (5) can communicate with the computer arrangement (6) of the system (1) according to claim 9 and can participate in the method (8) according to one of claims 1 to 8.

Description

Procedure, system and vehicle The present invention relates to a method for suggesting charging stops along a route for a battery-electric vehicle. The invention also relates to a system for implementing the method and a battery-electric vehicle that can be used in the system for implementing the method. Vehicles can be equipped with a navigation system to determine a route to a destination. For vehicles with combustion engines, the vehicle's range plays a minor role, as refueling stations are widespread and can be found almost everywhere. In contrast, for battery-electric vehicles, longer journeys may require at least one charging stop along the route, as the number of available charging stations is still small compared to the number of refueling stations. From DE 102022 119 014 A1 a system and a method for suggesting a charging station along a route are known, in which a charging point suitable for a charging stop is determined depending on the current range of the vehicle or the current charge state of the vehicle battery and is shown in a display of a navigation device in addition to the route. From DE 102020 110 588 A1, it is known to take into account the range of a battery-electric vehicle or the current state of charge of a vehicle battery when calculating a route in order to provide at least one charging stop along the route, so that the route leads the vehicle via the respective charging stop to the desired destination. In the known method, two different routes are first determined, with one route containing a larger number of shorter charging stops, while the other route contains a smaller number of longer charging stops. By comparing the two routes, the one that promises the shortest overall travel time is then selected. The scheduling of charging stops is unpopular with drivers (male/female/diverse), Because a charging stop typically takes significantly longer than a refueling stop, drivers feel like their time is wasted and unused, which is detrimental to the acceptance of battery-electric vehicles. The present invention addresses the problem of improving the quality of charging stops for drivers of battery-electric vehicles in order to increase the acceptance of battery-electric vehicles. This problem is solved according to the invention by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims. The invention is based on the general idea of synchronizing the routes of at least two vehicles with regard to a charging stop, so that two or more vehicles can meet at a predetermined charging station for a joint charging stop. Care is taken to ensure that the associated drivers have common interests. This enables an exchange of interests between the drivers during the joint charging stop, making the charging stop more entertaining. This largely compensates for the aforementioned disadvantages of time-consuming charging stops. In order to bring together drivers with the same or similar interests at such a shared charging stop, driver data and/or vehicle data from a large number of battery-electric vehicles are stored and classified in a computer arrangement, along with a vehicle ID that identifies the respective vehicle. This classification is carried out by grouping vehicles with similar driver data and/or similar vehicle data into interest groups. This approach is based on the realization that drivers whose vehicles have similar or even identical driver data and/or vehicle data are relatively likely to have similar interests and therefore commonalities. When meeting up for a shared charging stop, the drivers can then have a lively exchange, which makes the waiting time during the charging stop pleasant, entertaining, and memorable. This significantly improves the acceptance of the charging stops for the drivers. The procedure proposes that several drivers of battery electric vehicles each because, using a navigation device, each calculates a route that includes at least one charging stop. The calculated routes are transmitted to the computer system together with the respective charging stop and the associated vehicle ID. Subsequently, at least two vehicles are identified on the basis of the vehicle ID, which are assigned to the same interest group and for which the associated routes each have a charging stop, which fall within similar time windows and whose locations are within a predetermined local radius. The time windows of the charging stops of the at least two routes are particularly similar if they overlap in time, resulting in a significant simultaneous stopping time. The local radius can be predetermined in such a way that a maximum detour and/or a maximum detour time, i.e. a maximum time required for the detour, for example 5 minutes, can result. The radius and/or a maximum detour and/or a maximum detour time can in particular be determined by the respective driver. The drivers of the vehicles identified in this way are infor