GUIDANCE CONTROL DEVICE, GUIDANCE CONTROL METHOD, AND GUIDANCE CONTROL PROGRAM

• US 20110106368A1
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: MIURA, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,483 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0057 Frequency analysis, spectral techniques or transforms
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/663 Road slope
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/666 Determining road conditions by using vehicle location or position, e.g. from global navigation systems [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0015 Transmission control for optimising fuel consumptions
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/022 Calculation or estimation of optimal gear ratio, e.g. best ratio for economy drive or performance according driver preference, or to optimise exhaust emissions
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/66 Road conditions, e.g. slope, slippery
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

Guidance control device, methods and programs control an in-vehicle apparatus of a vehicle. The devices, methods, and programs access vehicle state information that specifies a state of the vehicle and determine whether a vehicle state condition is established based on the accessed vehicle state information. The devices, methods, and programs access driving environment information that specifies a driving environment of the vehicle and determine whether a driving environment condition is established based on the accessed driving environment information. The devices, methods, and programs generate guidance based on whether the vehicle state condition is established and whether the driving environment condition is established and cause the generated guidance to be output on a display.

Claims

1. A guidance control device installed in a vehicle for controlling an in-vehicle apparatus, the guidance control device comprising:

a controller configured to;

access vehicle state information that specifies a state of the vehicle;

determine whether a vehicle state condition is established based on the accessed vehicle state information;

access driving environment information that specifies a driving environment of the vehicle;

determine whether a driving environment condition is established based on the accessed driving environment information;

generate guidance based on whether the vehicle state condition is established and whether the driving environment condition is established; and

cause the generated guidance to be output on a display.

2. The guidance control device according to claim 1, wherein:

when the vehicle state condition is not established, and the driving environment condition is established before the control of the in-vehicle apparatus, the generated guidance indicates that the control of the in-vehicle apparatus is performed based on establishment of the driving environment condition.

3. The guidance control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the in-vehicle apparatus is an automatic transmission of the vehicle;

the control of the in-vehicle apparatus is a shift control of the automatic transmission;

the controller is configured to;

specify an actual fuel consumption of the vehicle in a predetermined travel segment; and

when the shift control is not performed and the driving environment condition is established in the predetermined travel segment, estimate a tentative fuel consumption of the vehicle under the assumption that the shift control was performed in the predetermined travel segment; and

the generated guidance indicates the fuel consumption and the tentative fuel consumption when the shift control is not performed and the driving environment condition is established in the predetermined travel segment.

4. The guidance control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the in-vehicle apparatus is an automatic transmission of the vehicle;

the control of the in-vehicle apparatus is a shift control of the automatic transmission;

the controller is configured to;

specify an actual fuel consumption of the vehicle in a predetermined travel segment; and

when the shift control is performed due to establishment of only the driving environment condition in the predetermined travel segment, estimate a tentative fuel consumption of the vehicle under the assumption that the shift control was not performed in the predetermined travel segment; and

the generated guidance indicates the actual fuel consumption and the tentative fuel consumption when the shift control is performed due to establishment of only the driving environment condition in the predetermined travel segment.

5. The guidance control device according to claim 1, wherein the driving environment information includes:

position information that specifies a current position of the vehicle; and

road information that specifies a shape of a road.

6. The guidance control device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine whether the vehicle is traveling on a downhill road based on the accessed vehicle state information;

determine whether an accelerator of the vehicle is off based on the accessed vehicle state information;

determine whether a brake of the vehicle is on based on the accessed vehicle state information; and

conclude that the vehicle condition state is established when the vehicle is traveling on a downhill road, the accelerator is off, and the brake is on.

7. The guidance control device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine an upper limit shift speed for the vehicle based on the accessed driving environment information;

specify a current shift speed for the vehicle based on the accessed driving environment information;

determine whether the specified upper limit shift speed is less than the specified current shift speed;

determine whether an accelerator of the vehicle is off based on the accessed driving environment information; and

conclude that the driving environment condition is established if the specified upper limit shift speed is less than the specified current shift speed, and the accelerator is off.

8. The guidance control device according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to:

specify a suitable vehicle speed for a predetermined travel segment; and

determine the upper limit shift speed based on the specified suitable vehicle speed.

9. A controller-implemented guidance control method for controlling an in-vehicle apparatus of a vehicle, the method comprising:

the controller accessing vehicle state information that specifies a state of the vehicle;

the controller determining whether a vehicle state condition is established based on the accessed vehicle state information;

the controller accessing driving environment information that specifies a driving environment of the vehicle;

the controller determining whether a driving environment condition is established based on the accessed driving environment information;

the controller generating guidance based on whether the vehicle state condition is established and whether the driving environment condition is established; and

the controller causing the generated guidance to be output on a display.

10. The guidance control method according to claim 9, wherein:

when the vehicle state condition is not established, and the driving environment condition is established before the control of the in-vehicle apparatus, the generated guidance indicates that the control of the in-vehicle apparatus is performed based on establishment of the driving environment condition.

11. The guidance control method according to claim 9, wherein:

the in-vehicle apparatus is an automatic transmission of the vehicle;

the control of the in-vehicle apparatus is a shift control of the automatic transmission;

the method further comprises;

the controller specifying an actual fuel consumption of the vehicle in a predetermined travel segment; and

when the shift control is not performed and the driving environment condition is established in the predetermined travel segment, the controller estimating a tentative fuel consumption of the vehicle under the assumption that the shift control was performed in the predetermined travel segment; and

the generated guidance indicates the fuel consumption and the tentative fuel consumption when the shift control is not performed and the driving environment condition is established in the predetermined travel segment.

12. The guidance control method according to claim 9, wherein:

the in-vehicle apparatus is an automatic transmission of the vehicle;

the control of the in-vehicle apparatus is a shift control of the automatic transmission;

the method further comprises;

the controller specifying an actual fuel consumption of the vehicle in a predetermined travel segment; and

when the shift control is performed due to establishment of only the driving environment condition in the predetermined travel segment, the controller estimating a tentative fuel consumption of the vehicle under the assumption that the shift control was not performed in the predetermined travel segment; and

the generated guidance indicates the actual fuel consumption and the tentative fuel consumption when the shift control is performed due to establishment of only the driving environment condition in the predetermined travel segment.

13. The guidance control method according to claim 9, wherein the driving environment information includes:

position information that specifies a current position of the vehicle; and

road information that specifies a shape of a road.

14. The guidance control method according to claim 9, further comprising:

the controller determining whether the vehicle is traveling on a downhill road based on the accessed vehicle state information;

the controller determining whether an accelerator of the vehicle is off based on the accessed vehicle state information;

the controller determining whether a brake of the vehicle is on based on the accessed vehicle state information; and

the controller concluding that the vehicle condition state is established when the vehicle is traveling on a downhill road, the accelerator is off, and the brake is on.

15. The guidance control method according to claim 9, further comprising:

the controller determining an upper limit shift speed for the vehicle based on the accessed driving environment information;

the controller specifying a current shift speed for the vehicle based on the accessed driving environment information;

the controller determining whether the specified upper limit shift speed is less than the specified current shift speed;

the controller determining whether an accelerator of the vehicle is off based on the accessed driving environment information; and

the controller concluding that the driving environment condition is established if the specified upper limit shift speed is less than the specified current shift speed, and the accelerator is off.

16. The guidance control method according to claim 15, further comprising:

the controller specifying a suitable vehicle speed for a predetermined travel segment; and

the controller determining the upper limit shift speed based on the specified suitable vehicle speed.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer-executable guidance control program for controlling an in-vehicle apparatus of a vehicle, the program comprising:

instructions for accessing vehicle state information that specifies a state of the vehicle;

instructions for determining whether a vehicle state condition is established based on the accessed vehicle state information;

instructions for accessing driving environment information that specifies a driving environment of the vehicle;

instructions for determining whether a driving environment condition is established based on the accessed driving environment information;

instructions for generating guidance based on whether the vehicle state condition is established and whether the driving environment condition is established; and

instructions for causing the generated guidance to be output on a display.