FUEL-SAVING DRIVING DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS, IN-VEHICLE SYSTEM, DRIVING CONTROL DEVICE, AND FUEL-SAVING DRIVING DIAGNOSTIC PROGRAM

• US 20110137511A1
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), DENSO Corporation, Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), DENSO Corporation, Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Masaki, Sugiura, Hiroaki, Nonomura, Junichi, Miura, Naoki, Yamatani, Yoshio, Takeuchi, Shojiro, Harumoto, Satoshi, Kiyo, Kouei, Tauchi, Nobutaka
• Application Number:
  US13/056,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20110137511A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• 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 diagnostic apparatus detects that the vehicle stops based on a vehicle speed indicating a speed of a vehicle, and detects that the vehicle is in an idling state indicating a state in which the vehicle is idled when a number of engine revolutions of the vehicle whose stop is detected is a predetermined threshold or more. The fuel-saving driving diagnostic apparatus determines whether the vehicle in the idling state is in a parking state based on a selection lever and/or a parking brake of the vehicle in the detected idling state. Then the fuel-saving driving diagnostic apparatus diagnoses fuel-saving driving based on an idling parking time for which the parking state of the vehicle is maintained.

Claims

1. A fuel-saving driving diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a stop detection unit that detects that a vehicle stops;

an idling stop detection unit that detects that the vehicle is in an idling state, which is a state in which the vehicle is idled, when a number of engine revolutions of the vehicle detected by the stop detection unit is a predetermined threshold or more;

an idling parking determination unit that determines whether the vehicle in the idling state is in a parking state based on a selection lever or a parking brake of the vehicle in the idling state detected by the idling stop detection unit; and

an idling parking time counting unit that counts an idling parking time that is an elapsed time for which the parking state of the vehicle determined by the idling parking determination unit is maintained,

wherein fuel-saving driving is diagnosed based on the idling parking time counted by the idling parking time counting unit.

2. The fuel-saving driving diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stop detection unit detects that the vehicle stops, when the vehicle is neither waiting at stoplights nor waiting at railroad crossing nor being caught in traffic jam.

3. The fuel-saving driving diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an idling parking frequency counting unit that counts an idling parking frequency that is of a frequency at which the vehicle in the idling state is in a parking state; and

an average idling parking time computing unit that computes an average idling parking time, which is a time for which the vehicle in the idling state maintains the idling state in one-time stop state, based on the idling parking frequency counted by the idling parking frequency counting unit and the idling parking time counted by the idling parking time counting unit.

4. The fuel-saving driving diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the fuel-saving driving diagnostic apparatus counts an elapsed time for which the vehicle in the idling state maintains the parking state, if a person other than a driver is not present in the vehicle, an engine water temperature of the vehicle is higher than a predetermined threshold, and a temperature in the vehicle is lower than predetermined threshold.

5. The fuel-saving driving diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an advice notification unit that notifies the driver of advice on fuel-saving driving based on the average idling parking time computed by the average idling parking time computing unit.

6. The fuel-saving driving diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an advice notification unit that rates fuel-saving driving of the driver based on the average idling parking time computed by the average idling parking time computing unit and notifies the driver of advice on the fuel-saving driving based on the rating result.

7. The fuel-saving driving diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a predetermined time elapses after the vehicle in the idling state is determined to be in the parking state by the idling parking determination unit, the vehicle is determined to be in an idling-left state, which is a state being left in an idling state, and the driver is notified of advice on the fuel-saving driving.

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. A computer readable, non-transitory medium having stored therein a fuel-saving driving diagnostic program, the fuel-saving driving diagnostic program causing a computer to execute a process comprising:

firstly detecting that the vehicle stops;

secondly detecting that the vehicle is in an idling state, which is a state in which the vehicle is idled, when a number of engine revolutions of the vehicle detected in the firstly detecting is a predetermined threshold or more;

determining whether the vehicle in the idling state is in a parking state based on a selection lever or a parking brake of the vehicle in the idling state detected in the secondly detecting; and

counting an idling parking time that is of an elapsed time for which the parking state of the vehicle determined in the determining is maintained,

wherein fuel-saving driving is diagnosed based on the idling parking time counted in the counting.