DEVICE FOR MONITORING THE PROCESS OF DRIVING A VEHICLE

• US 20110137508A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crambo, S.A., Nilo Garcia Manchado
• Original Assignee: Crambo, S.A., Nilo Gracia Manchado
• Inventors: Garcia Manchado, Nilo
• Granted Patent: US 9,159,177 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/004 Indicating the operating range of the engine economical driving B60R16/0236, F02B77/084; measuring liquid fuel of an engine G01F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

Device for monitoring the process of driving a vehicle consisting of at least the following:

• • a first means of processing a signal; a second means of detecting the vehicle movement; a means for providing an HMI type of interactive display of information for the user; and a means configured for knowing the consumption characteristics of the vehicle and its technical characteristics as far as optimum theoretical behaviour;
  • where the means for processing are configured for calculating the optimum consumption according to the characteristics of the vehicle, establishing the driving parameters required for equating the actual consumption to the optimum consumption, displaying this information to the user in the means available for display.

Claims

1. Device for monitoring the process of driving a vehicle consisting of at least the following:

a first means of processing a signal;

a second means of detecting the vehicle movement;

a means for providing an HMI type of interactive display of information for the user; and

a means configured for knowing the consumption characteristics of the vehicle and its technical characteristics as far as optimum theoretical behaviour;

characterized because

the means for processing are configured for calculating the optimum consumption according to the characteristics of the vehicle, establishing the driving parameters required for equating the optimum consumption to the actual consumption, displaying this information to the user in the means available for display.

2. Device in accordance with claim 1, which includes means for laying out a route and, at the same time, GPS type global positioning means for providing information of the route layout, the type of road, the position of the vehicle in the route and the orography of the route;

all of this configured so that the means for processing of signals generate a consumption profile and for said route.

3. Device in accordance with claim 1, which also include means of detection of the vehicle'"'"'s operational variables in a determined period of time and where these variables are directly related with the consumption of fuel.

4. Device in accordance with claim 1, which include means for knowing the vehicles instant occupancy load.

5. Device in accordance with claim 1, where the technical characteristics of the vehicle are listed in the device database with the following data:

Weights, number of cylinders, engine position, cubic centimetres, diameter stroke, valves per cylinder, type of engine fuel supply, HP/RPM, Torque (Nm)/RPM, type of traction, gearbox, miles per gallon (urban, off road and mixed), CO₂ emissions, suspension and brakes.

6. Device in accordance with claim 2 where the GPS means configured for knowing and establishing the signalling data and road traffic organization, in such a way that they can be displayed to the user in the means available for display.

7. Device in accordance with claim 1, which includes a database with the current legal driving regulation so that the processing means can calculate, according to the information provided by the vehicle and in accordance with the type of driving, a level of risk, a recommendation to prevent such risk and a warning of the legal consequences associated to that risk.

8. Device in accordance with claim 7, which includes a communications emitter-receiver element that is configured for:

(a) sending the generated risky situations to another nearby device and/or an external server;

(b) receive data from other devices and/or an external server in accordance with the location of the device, where said data includes the weather data and the forecast as well as the data relative to traffic;

where the processing means takes this data into account for generating recommendations regarding the risks associated with driving.

9. Device in accordance with claim 1 where the processing means are configured for calculating the estimated safety distance with respect to other devices, displaying this safety distance in the display screen.

10. Device in accordance with claim 1 where the processing means are configured for calculating the economic expenditure associated to the defined route;

at the beginning, as estimated expenditure, and at the end of the route, as accumulated expenditure of the journey, in accordance with the route and the theoretical optimum consumption of this route for a specific vehicle, and instantaneously as accumulated in real time.

11. Device in accordance with claim 1, which includes means for recognizing an external expenditure that is not due to the direct consumption by the vehicle, in such a way that the device has the data relative to fixed costs stored along with one of the following elements:

(a) a form that appears in the means for interaction with the user, configured for entering the cost data, and appears in these means of interaction with the user in an automatic way when the global positioning system detects a cost location that was previously stored in the data storage device;

(b) a means for scanning the expenditure receipt and its optical identification; and

(c) a combination of the above.

12. Device in accordance with claim 1 where the processing means are configured for calculating and displaying on the display screens the distance defined as the distance in metres/seconds the vehicle travels with zero fuel consumption to the preceding vehicle, taking into account that the preceding vehicle is running at the same speed as your vehicle.

13. Device in accordance with claim 1 where the processing means are configured for calculating the optimum acceleration and deceleration from a fuel consumption point of view, indicating to the user if the acceleration is or isn'"'"'t optimum as well as the relation with the optimum gear for minimizing the consumption of fuel.

14. Device in accordance with claim 1 where the processing means are configured for calculating the average time the vehicle is in acceleration and/or deceleration, taking into account the radius of each one of its gears and the efficient speed, and checking the speed at different moments of the route to calculate an efficient acceleration threshold and a range that is outside this efficiency;

when the system detects a time “

t”

that the vehicle has accelerated/decelerated abruptly, this information is provided to the user by means of a graphic and/or aural warning.

15. Device in accordance with claim 1 where said device is connected with a plurality of detectors for detecting the relative location of both vehicles and provide the user with an objective location in order to take advantage of inertia, and this information is able to be shared with the automatic transmission and therefore, change gears according to the distance and behaviour of the vehicle that is located nearby.

16. Device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the movement detection means of the vehicle comprise an accelerometer.

17. Device in accordance with claim 1 wherein it is shown the information of an interesting point, not when it is detectected but when it is detected a direct relationship between the distance of the signal to be shown and the vehicle speed.

18. Device in accordance with claim 1 wherein it is configured to display external information of the type that requires the attention and/or reading on the part of the user, being displayed exclusively for the user when the processing means determine they are in a non-driving position, storing these incoming messages in a buffer whenever it is not possible to safely display them.

19. Device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the information is provided by means of a code of colours and/or large numbers in a way that the user without directly looking, can clearly interpret the recommendations provided by the device.

20. Device in accordance with claim 1 wherein is one selected between:

mobile phone;

FDA;

GPS device;

electronic devices integrated in the vehicle;

a combination of the above.