Eco-drive support device and method

• US 20090143934A1
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Motonaga, Yutaka, Saito, Kan
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,560 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

An eco-drive support device that notifies a driver of the eco-friendliness of a vehicle driving operation being performed by the driver includes: an operating unit that calculates eco-drive support information that indicates the eco-friendliness of the vehicle driving operation being performed by the driver; and a notification control unit that controls a notifying unit to notify the driver of the eco-drive support information, if there is a request from an input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information. In this device, the notification control unit controls the notifying unit to notify the driver of the eco-drive support information though there is not a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information, if a predetermined condition for providing the eco-drive support information is satisfied.

Claims

1. An eco-drive support device that notifies a driver of eco-friendliness of a vehicle driving operation being performed by the driver,

the eco-drive support device comprising:

an operating unit that calculates eco-drive support information that indicates the eco-friendliness of the vehicle driving operation being performed by the driver; and

a notification control unit that controls a notifying unit to notify the driver of the eco-drive support information, when there is a request from an input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information,

the notification control unit controlling the notifying unit to notify the driver of the eco-drive support information though there is not a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information, when a predetermined eco-drive support information providing condition is satisfied.

2. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, under the eco-drive support information providing condition, the driver is notified of the eco-drive support information when an operation result of the operating unit is likely to show that the eco-drive support information indicates high eco-friendliness.

3. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 2, wherein a check is made to determine whether the operation result is likely to show that the eco-drive support information indicates high eco-friendliness, based on road category information.

4. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the notification control unit controls the notifying unit to notify the driver of the eco-drive support information, when the eco-drive support information providing condition is satisfied and the operation result of the operating unit shows that the eco-drive support information indicates high eco-friendliness, even though there is not a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information.

5. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the operation result is likely to show that the eco-drive support information indicates high eco-friendliness, when the amount of change in the vehicle driving operation stays within a predetermined range over a predetermined period of time.

6. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, under the eco-drive support information providing condition, the driver is notified of the eco-drive support information when a remaining energy amount in the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

7. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the remaining energy amount in the vehicle is a remaining battery level in the vehicle.

8. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the remaining energy amount in the vehicle is a remaining fuel level in the vehicle.

9. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, under the eco-drive support information providing condition, the driver is notified of the eco-drive support information when there is a request from outside the vehicle for a provision of the eco-drive support information to the driver.

10. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, under the eco-drive support information providing condition, the driver is notified of the eco-drive support information when a period in which there is not a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information is equal to or longer than a predetermined period.

11. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the notification control unit further controls the notifying unit to notify the driver that the eco-drive support information providing condition is satisfied, when controlling the notifying unit to notify the driver of the eco-drive support information though there is not a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information.

12. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the notification control unit further controls the notifying unit to notify the driver of a reason that the eco-drive support information providing condition is satisfied, when controlling the notifying unit to notify the driver of the eco-drive support information though there is not a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information.

13. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, after the notifying unit notifies the driver of the eco-drive support information, the notification control unit controls the notifying unit to end the notification of the eco-drive support information, when the eco-drive support information providing condition is not satisfied though there is a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information.

14. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, after the notifying unit notifies the driver of the eco-drive support information, the notification control unit controls the notifying unit to end the notification of the eco-drive support information, when a safety problem is raised by notifying the driver of the eco-drive support information though there is a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information.

15. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the notification control unit further controls the notifying unit to notify the driver that the notification of the eco-drive support information has been ended, when controlling the notifying unit to end the notification of the eco-drive support information after the notifying unit notifies the driver of the eco-drive support information.

16. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the notification control unit further controls the notifying unit to notify the driver of a reason that the notification of the eco-drive support information has been ended, when controlling the notifying unit to end the notification of the eco-drive support information after the notifying unit notifies the driver of the eco-drive support information.

17. An eco-drive support method for notifying a driver of eco-friendliness of a vehicle driving operation being performed by the driver,

the eco-drive support method comprising the steps of:

calculating eco-drive support information that indicates the eco-friendliness of the vehicle driving operation being performed by the driver; and

notifying the driver of the eco-drive support information, when there is a request from an input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information,

the driver being notified of the eco-drive support information, when a predetermined eco-drive support information providing condition is satisfied, though there is not a request form the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information.