ENERGY-SAVING DRIVING PROMOTION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20080319601A1
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Takeshi, Adachi, Akito, Tsuge, Sadamu, Okane, Yukihiro, KOMEDA, Osamu
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion

Abstract

An energy-saving driving promotion system includes: a vehicle state detecting device; a current value calculating device that calculates a current value associated with an accelerator operation amount or a vehicle drive power; a recommended value calculating device that calculates a recommended value associated with the accelerator operation amount or the vehicle drive power; an indicator device that indicates a relationship between the calculated recommended value and the calculated current value; and an acceleration intention determining device that determines whether a driver intends to accelerate. If the acceleration intention determining device determines that the driver intends to accelerate, the recommended value calculating device calculates a larger recommended value when the acceleration intention determining device determines that the driver intends to accelerate than when the acceleration intention determining device determines that the driver does not intend to accelerate.

Claims

1. An energy-saving driving promotion system comprising:

a vehicle state detecting device that detects a vehicle state;

a current value calculating device that calculates a current value associated with an accelerator operation amount or a vehicle drive power, based on the detected vehicle state;

a recommended value calculating device that calculates a recommended value associated with the accelerator operation amount or the vehicle drive power, based on the detected vehicle state;

an indicator device that indicates a relationship between the calculated recommended value and the calculated current value; and

an acceleration intention determining device that determines whether a driver intends to accelerate, based on the detected vehicle state, wherein

if the acceleration intention determining device determines that the driver intends to accelerate, the recommended value calculating device calculates a larger recommended value when the acceleration intention determining device determines that the driver intends to accelerate than when the acceleration intention determining device determines that the driver does not intend to accelerate.

2. The energy-saving driving promotion system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device that stores a first map, which defines a relationship between vehicle speed and the recommended value, and a second map, which defines a relationship between vehicle speed and the recommended value, wherein the recommended value in the second map is larger than the recommended value in the first map for any given vehicle speed, wherein

if the acceleration intention determining device determines that the driver does not intend to accelerate, the recommended value calculating device calculates the recommended value using the first map, and if the acceleration intention determining device determines that the driver intends to accelerate, the recommended value calculating device calculates the recommended value using the second map.

3. The energy-saving driving promotion system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an uphill driving determining device that determines whether the vehicle is driving uphill, wherein

the acceleration intention determining device determines that the driver intends to accelerate if the uphill driving determining device determines that the vehicle is driving uphill.

4. The energy-saving driving promotion system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an overtake driving determining device that determines whether a vehicle is overtaking a preceding vehicle, wherein

the acceleration intention determining device determines that the driver intends to accelerate if the overtake driving determining device determines that the vehicle is overtaking.

5. The energy-saving driving promotion system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an index value calculating device that calculates an index value indicating a driver'"'"'s intention to accelerate based on the detected vehicle state, wherein

the acceleration intention determining device determines that the driver intends to accelerate if the calculated index value exceeds a predetermined first threshold.

6. The energy-saving driving promotion system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a provisional determination device that provisionally determines that the driver intends to accelerate if the calculated index value exceeds a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold, wherein

the indicator device is a lamp that indicates whether the calculated current value exceeds the calculated recommended value, and

if the provisional determination device provisionally determines that the driver intends to accelerate, the lamp remains in its current state for a predetermined period of time.

7. The energy-saving driving promotion system according to claim 6, wherein even if the provisional determination device provisionally determines that the driver intends to accelerate, the lamp changes its current state if, within the predetermined period of time, the acceleration intention determining device determines that the driver intends to accelerate, and the current value exceeds the calculated recommended value.

8. The energy-saving driving promotion system according to claim 5, wherein the index value is a rate of change in accelerator operation amount.

9. An energy-saving driving promotion method comprising:

detecting a vehicle state;

calculating a current value associated with an accelerator operation amount or a vehicle drive power, based on the detected vehicle state;

calculating a recommended value associated with the accelerator operation amount or the vehicle drive power, based on the detected vehicle state;

indicating a relationship between the calculated recommended value and the calculated current value; and

determining whether a driver intends to accelerate, based on the detected vehicle state, wherein

if it is determined that the driver intends to accelerate, a larger recommended value is calculated when it is determined that the driver intends to accelerate than when it is determined that the driver does not intend to accelerate.

10. The energy-saving driving promotion method according to claim 9, further comprising:

storing a first map which defines a relationship between vehicle speed and the recommended value, and a second map which defines a relationship between vehicle speed and the recommended value, wherein the recommended value in the second map is larger than the recommended value in the first map, wherein

if it is determined that the driver does not intend to accelerate, the recommended value is calculated using the first map, and if it is determined that the driver intends to accelerate, the recommended value is calculated using the second map.

11. The energy-saving driving promotion method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the vehicle is driving uphill, wherein

it is determined that the driver intends to accelerate if it is determined that the vehicle is driving uphill.

12. The energy-saving driving promotion method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the vehicle is overtaking a preceding vehicle, wherein

it is determined that the driver intends to accelerate if it is determined that the vehicle is overtaking.

13. The energy-saving driving promotion method according to claim 9, further comprising:

calculating an index value indicating a driver'"'"'s intention to accelerate based on the detected vehicle state, wherein

it is determined that the driver intends to accelerate if the calculated index value exceeds a predetermined first threshold.

14. The energy-saving driving promotion method according to claim 13, wherein a lamp that indicates whether the calculated current value exceeds the calculated recommended value is provided, the energy-saving driving promotion method further comprising:

provisionally determining that the driver intends to accelerate if the calculated index value exceeds a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold, wherein

if it is provisionally determined that the driver intends to accelerate, the lamp remains in its current state for a predetermined period of time.

15. The energy-saving driving promotion method according to claim 14, wherein the lamp changes its current state, even if it is provisionally determined that the driver intends to accelerate, if it is determined, within the predetermined period of time, that the driver intends to accelerate, and the calculated current value exceeds the calculated recommended value.

16. The energy-saving driving promotion method according to claim 13, wherein the index value is a rate of change in accelerator operation amount.