MULTI-FUNCTIONAL VEHICLE FUEL DISPLAY

• US 20100207755A1
• Filed: 02/16/2009
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Bishop, Steven, Watson, Angela L., Watson, David, Hernandez, Ivette, Sandvig, Craig, Merchant, Sohel, Erdogan, Engin, Sendil, Altay Jun Wakui, Stage, Susanne
• Granted Patent: US 8,082,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/450.200
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/154 Combined instruments with analogue meters and additional displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/215 characterised by the combination of multiple visual outputs, e.g. combined instruments with analogue meters and additional displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/90 Vehicles comprising electric prime movers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

A multi-functional, composite fuel display for displaying both fuel level information and fuel economy information is provided. The fuel level is displayed using a plurality of bar segments, each corresponding to a single unit of fuel. Once a single unit of fuel is consumed, the corresponding bar segment changes size to indicate an average fuel economy for that unit of fuel. The bar segment corresponding to the current unit of fuel being consumed changes size in real time to indicate instantaneous fuel economy. An indicator is provided over the bar segments corresponding to single unit of consumed fuel to indicate average fuel economy for the current tank of fuel.

Claims

1. An information display system for a vehicle, the information display system comprising:

an information display configured to display a fuel gauge including a plurality of bar segments, each bar segment corresponding to a single unit of fuel wherein the plurality of bar segments collectively correspond to a single tank of fuel, each bar segment having a fuel consumed state and a fuel remaining state, the information display further configured to display fuel economy value; and

a controller being configured to;

receive at least one input corresponding to an amount of fuel consumed and at least one input corresponding to a distance traveled by the vehicle;

determine (a) a number of units of fuel remaining within the fuel tank based at least in part upon the amount of fuel consumed, and (b) an average overall fuel economy based at least in part upon the distance traveled by the vehicle; and

transmit the number of units of fuel remaining and the fuel economy value so that the information display displays a bar segment for each unit of fuel in the fuel consumed state and the fuel remaining state and the fuel economy value.

2. The information display system of claim 1, wherein each bar segment in fuel consumed state is displayed in a first color shade and each bar segment in the fuel remaining state is displayed in a second color shade.

3. The information display system of claim 1, wherein a bar segment displayed in the fuel consumed state is sized to represent an average fuel economy value for the unit of fuel to which the bar segment corresponds.

4. The information display system of claim 1, wherein the bar segment displayed to indicate a single unit of fuel currently being consumed by the vehicle is displayed in the fuel remaining state.

5. The information display system of claim 4, wherein the bar segment displayed to indicate the single unit of fuel currently being consumed by the vehicle further indicates instantaneous fuel economy.

6. The information display system of claim 1, wherein the information display is further configured to display the fuel gauge having an average fuel economy indicator corresponding to an average fuel economy value for a current tank of fuel.

7. The information display system of claim 6, wherein the average fuel economy indicator is displayed as a line over the bar segments in the fuel consumed state.

8. The information display system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle further includes an engine and an electric machine, each operable to provide torque to propel the vehicle, the vehicle further including an electric power source configured to provide electric power to the electric machine and a fuel tank configured to provide fuel to the engine.

9. The information display system of claim 1, wherein each bar segment represents a single gallon of fuel.

10. The information display system of claim 1, wherein the fuel economy value is indicated to the driver in miles per gallon (MPG).

11. The information display system of claim 1, wherein the information display is further configured to display the fuel gauge having a numerical fuel economy readout for displaying the fuel economy value.

12. A method for displaying fuel information to an operator of a vehicle via an information display, the method comprising:

receiving one or more vehicle inputs corresponding to current operating characteristics of the vehicle, the one or more vehicle inputs corresponding to an amount of fuel consumed and a distance traveled by the vehicle;

determining the amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle and the amount of fuel remaining within the fuel tank;

displaying a fuel gauge, via the information display, including a plurality of bar segments, each bar segment corresponding to a single unit of fuel wherein the plurality of bar segments collectively correspond to a single tank of fuel, wherein each bar segment corresponding to a single unit of consumed fuel is displayed in a fuel consumed state and each remaining bar segment is displayed in a fuel remaining state based upon the amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle and the amount of fuel remaining within the fuel tank; and

displaying a fuel economy value based at least in part upon the amount of fuel consumed and a distance traveled by the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining an average fuel economy value for each single unit of consumed fuel; and

displaying the bar segment corresponding to each single unit of consumed fuel having a size indicating the corresponding average fuel economy value.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining an instantaneous fuel economy value for the vehicle; and

adjusting the size of the bar segment corresponding to the single unit of fuel currently being consumed to indicate the instantaneous fuel economy value.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a tank average fuel economy value corresponding to an average fuel economy for the amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle for the current tank of fuel; and

displaying an average fuel economy indicator corresponding to the tank average fuel economy value.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the average fuel economy indicator is displayed as a line over the bar segments in the fuel consumed state.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the vehicle further includes an engine and an electric machine, each operable to provide torque to propel the vehicle, the vehicle further including an electric power source configured to provide electric power to the electric machine and a fuel tank configured to provide fuel to the engine.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the fuel gauge further includes a numerical fuel economy readout for displaying the fuel economy value.

19. An information display system for a vehicle, the information display system comprising:

an information display configured to display a fuel gauge including a plurality of bar segments, each bar segment corresponding to a single unit of fuel wherein the plurality of bar segments collectively correspond to a single tank of fuel, each bar segment having a fuel consumed state and a fuel remaining state, the information display further configured to display an average overall fuel economy, an average fuel economy for each single unit of fuel consumed by the vehicle, an average fuel economy for the single tank of fuel, and an instantaneous fuel economy for the vehicle; and

a controller being configured to receive at least one input corresponding to an amount of fuel consumed and at least one input corresponding to a distance traveled by the vehicle,

the controller further being configured to determine a number of units of fuel remaining within the fuel tank based at least in part upon the amount of fuel consumed, an average overall fuel economy value based at least in part upon the distance traveled by the vehicle, an average fuel economy value for each single unit of consumed fuel based at least in part upon the distance traveled by the vehicle over the course of the corresponding unit of consumed fuel, an average fuel economy value for the single tank of fuel based at least in part upon the distance traveled by the vehicle over the course of the current tank of fuel, and an instantaneous fuel economy value,

the controller further being configured to transmit the number of units of fuel remaining, the average overall fuel economy value, the average fuel economy value for each single unit of consumed fuel, the average fuel economy value for the single tank of fuel, and the instantaneous fuel economy value so that the information display displays a bar segment for each unit of fuel in the fuel consumed state and the fuel remaining state, the average overall fuel economy, and an average fuel economy indicator corresponding to the average fuel economy value for the single tank of fuel;

wherein each bar segment in the fuel consumed state is sized to indicate the average fuel economy value for the corresponding single unit of consumed fuel and a bar segment corresponding to the current unit of fuel being consumed is sized to indicate the instantaneous fuel economy value.

20. The information display system of claim 19, wherein the vehicle further includes an engine and an electric machine, each operable to provide torque to propel the vehicle, the vehicle further including an electric power source configured to provide electric power to the electric machine and a fuel tank configured to provide fuel to the engine.