FUEL-SAVING DRIVING DIAGNOSIS APPARATUS, IN-VEHICLE SYSTEM, DRIVE CONTROL APPARATUS, AND FUEL-SAVING DRIVING DIAGNOSIS PROGRAM

• US 20110112749A1
• Filed: 07/29/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kiyo, Kouei, Tauchi, Nobutaka, Takeuchi, Shojiro, Harumoto, Satoshi
• Application Number:
  US12/680,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20110112749A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0814 comprising means for controlling automatic idle-start-stop
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A fuel-saving driving diagnosis apparatus detects that a vehicle stopped, counts the number of stops, and determines whether the vehicle raced after detection that the vehicle stopped. After that, in the case where it is determined that the stopped vehicle raced, the fuel-saving driving diagnosis apparatus calculates the number of times of stop followed by racing done by the vehicle. The fuel-saving driving diagnosis apparatus diagnoses fuel-saving driving of a driver based on the counted number of stops and the counted number of times of stop followed by racing.

Claims

1. A fuel-saving driving diagnosis apparatus comprising:

a stop detecting unit that detects that a vehicle stopped;

a stop times counting unit that counts the number of stops detected by the stop detecting unit;

a racing determining unit that determines whether the vehicle raced or not after the stop detecting unit detects that the vehicle stopped;

a racing stop detecting unit that counts the number of times of stop followed by racing which is determined by the racing determining unit; and

a fuel-saving driving diagnosis unit that diagnoses fuel-saving driving based on the number of stops counted by the stop times counting unit and the number of stops followed by racing, counted by the racing stop detecting unit.

2. The fuel-saving driving diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fuel-saving driving diagnosis unit scores fuel-saving driving of a driver from ratio of the number of stops followed by racing which is counted by the racing stop detecting unit in the number of stops counted by the stop times counting unit.

3. The fuel-saving driving diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an advice generating unit that notifies the driver of an advice of fuel-saving driving based on a result of diagnosis of the fuel-saving driving diagnosis unit.

4. The fuel-saving driving diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a racing times counting unit that counts the number of times of racing done by the vehicle detected to be stopped during the stop for each time the stop detecting unit detects that the vehicle stopped;

an average racing times counting unit that calculates an average number of times of racing indicating the number of times of racing done per stop, from the number of stops counted by the stop times counting unit and the number of racing times counted by the racing times counting unit; and

a consumed fuel calculating unit that calculates fuel consumed by the racing from the number of racing times counted by the racing times counting unit, wherein

the advice generating unit selects at least one of the number of racing times counted by the racing times counting unit, the average number of racing times calculated by the average racing times counting unit, and the consumed fuel calculated by the consumed fuel calculating unit based on a predetermined condition, and further notifies it.

5. The fuel-saving driving diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when a select lever of a vehicle is in a P range or an N range, the racing determining unit determines whether the vehicle raced or not.

6. The fuel-saving driving diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when engine speed of a vehicle becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined speed and accelerator open percentage of the vehicle becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the racing determining unit determines that the vehicle raced.

7. An in-vehicle system having a drive control apparatus performing various controls on driving of a vehicle and a fuel-saving driving diagnosis apparatus diagnosing fuel-saving driving of a driver in a vehicle, wherein

the drive control apparatus comprises:

a stop detecting unit that detects that the vehicle stopped; and

a racing determining unit that determines whether the vehicle raced or not after the stop detecting unit detects that a vehicle stopped, and

the fuel-saving driving diagnosis apparatus comprises;

a stop times counting unit that counts the number of times that the drive control apparatus detects that the vehicle stopped;

a racing stop detecting unit that counts the number of times of stop followed by racing which is determined by the drive control apparatus;

and

a fuel-saving driving diagnosis unit that diagnoses fuel-saving driving based on the number of stops counted by the stop times counting unit and the number of times of stop followed by racing, counted by the racing stop detecting unit.

8. A drive control apparatus in an in-vehicle system having the drive control apparatus performing various controls on driving of a vehicle and a fuel-saving driving diagnosis apparatus diagnosing fuel-saving driving of a driver in a vehicle, the drive control apparatus comprising:

a stop detecting unit that detects that the vehicle stopped; and

a racing determining unit that determines whether the vehicle raced or not after the stop detecting unit detects that the vehicle stopped.

9. A computer-readable recording medium that stores therein a computer program for performing a fuel-saving driving diagnosis method, the computer program causing a computer to execute:

a stop detecting step of detecting that a vehicle stopped;

a stop times counting step of counting the number of stops detected at the stop detecting step;

a racing determining step of determining whether the vehicle raced or not after the stop detecting step detects that the vehicle stopped;

a racing stop detecting step of counting the number of times of stop followed by racing which is determined at the racing determining step; and

a fuel-saving driving diagnosis step of diagnosing fuel-saving driving based on the number of stops counted at the stop times counting step and the number of stops followed by racing, counted at the racing stop detecting step.