Vehicle status monitoring apparatus

• US 20100305805A1
• Filed: 05/17/2010
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Kazuhi
• Application Number:
  US12/801,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20100305805A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/228 Warning displays
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0822 related to action of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0825 related to prevention of engine restart failure, e.g. disabling automatic stop at low battery state
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0833 Vehicle conditions F02N11/0822, F02N11/0825 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/084 State of vehicle accessories, e.g. air condition or power steering
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0814 Bonnet switches
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/106 Driver presence, e.g. detected by door lock, seat sensor or belt sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/123 Information about vehicle position, e.g. from navigation systems or GPS signals
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2300/302 using data communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A vehicle status monitoring apparatus monitors a vehicle status in which it is possible to control an engine to stop the engine in a case where the vehicle status satisfies first conditions and a user operation satisfies second conditions. The vehicle status monitoring apparatus calculates level information indicative of an amount of occurrence of a state in which the user operation does not satisfy the second conditions while the vehicle status satisfies the first conditions. A user is informed of the calculated level information.

Claims

1. A vehicle status monitoring apparatus for monitoring a vehicle status in which it is possible to control an engine to stop the engine in a case where the vehicle status satisfies first conditions and a user operation satisfies second conditions, the apparatus comprising:

a first judging part that judges whether the vehicle status satisfies the first conditions;

a second judging part that judges whether the user operation satisfies the second conditions;

a calculation part that calculates level information indicative of an amount of occurrence of a state in which the user operation does not satisfy the second conditions while the vehicle status satisfies the first conditions; and

a controller that controls an informing apparatus to inform a user of the level information.

2. The vehicle status monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the level information comprises

a percentage of number of times that the user operation does not satisfy the second conditions while the vehicle status satisfies the first conditions.

3. The vehicle status monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the level information comprises

a percentage of time duration when the user operation does not satisfy the second conditions while the vehicle status satisfies the first conditions.

4. The vehicle status monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller controls the informing apparatus so that the informing apparatus provides the level information while the vehicle is stopping.

5. The vehicle status monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the first conditions include a condition that the vehicle is stopping.

6. The vehicle status monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the controller controls the informing apparatus so that the informing apparatus provides information showing a level of fuel efficient driving while the vehicle is running.

7. The vehicle status monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller controls the informing apparatus so that the informing apparatus provides information about a difference between the level information and a target value of the level information.

8. The vehicle status monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

the informing apparatus that informs the user of the level information.

9. An engine control system that is capable of controlling an engine to stop the engine, the system comprising:

a first judging part that judges whether a vehicle status satisfies first conditions;

a second judging part that judges whether a user operation satisfies second conditions;

a first controller that stops the engine in a case where the vehicle status satisfies the first conditions and the user operation satisfies the second conditions;

a calculation part that calculates level information indicative of an amount of occurrence of a state in which the user operation does not satisfy the second conditions while the vehicle status satisfies the first conditions; and

a second controller that controls an informing apparatus to inform a user of the level information.

10. The engine control system according to claim 9, further comprising

the informing apparatus that informs the user of the level information.

11. A vehicle status monitoring method of monitoring a vehicle status in which it is possible to control an engine to stop the engine in a case where a vehicle status satisfies first conditions and a user operation satisfies second conditions, the method comprising the steps of:

judging whether the vehicle status satisfies the first conditions;

judging whether the user operation satisfies the second conditions;

calculating level information indicative of an amount of occurrence of a state in which the user operation does not satisfy the second conditions while the vehicle status satisfies the first conditions; and

controlling an informing apparatus to inform a user of the level information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the level information comprises

a percentage of number of times that the user operation does not satisfy the second conditions while the vehicle status satisfies the first conditions.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the level information comprises

a percentage of time duration when the user operation does not satisfy the second conditions while the vehicle status satisfies the first conditions.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein

the controlling step controls the informing apparatus so that the informing apparatus provides the level information while the vehicle is stopping.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein

the first conditions include a condition that the vehicle is stopping.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein

the controlling step controls the informing apparatus so that the informing apparatus provides information showing a level of fuel efficient driving while the vehicle is running.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein

the controlling step controls the informing apparatus so that the informing apparatus provides information about a difference between the level information and a target value of the level information.