FUEL-CONSUMPTION PROJECTING APPARATUS, FUEL-CONSUMPTION PROJECTING METHOD, FUEL-CONSUMPTION PROJECTING PROGRAM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20120029803A1
• Filed: 04/07/2009
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Yasushi, Mitsuo, Yanagidaira, Masatoshi
• Application Number:
  US13/263,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20120029803A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0625 Fuel consumption, e.g. measured in fuel liters per 100 kms or miles per gallon
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/023 with electric, electro-mechanic or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

A fuel-consumption projecting apparatus estimates fuel consumption by a vehicle for a given interval. A projecting unit uses a first equation to project the fuel consumption before the vehicle begins travel along the given interval. An estimating unit uses a second equation that sets acceleration during travel as a variable, to estimate fuel consumption occurring during travel. A correcting unit corrects the first equation, based on the fuel consumption projected by the projecting unit and the fuel consumption estimated by the estimating unit.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A fuel-consumption projecting apparatus that projects fuel consumption by a vehicle for a given interval, the fuel-consumption projecting apparatus comprising:

a projecting unit that using a first equation, projects the fuel consumption before travel begins along the given interval;

an estimating unit that using a second equation that sets vehicle acceleration occurring during travel as a variable, estimates the fuel consumption occurring during travel;

a correcting unit that corrects the first equation, based on the fuel consumption projected by the projecting unit and the fuel consumption estimated by the estimating unit.

15. The fuel-consumption projecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the first equation is a function that set vehicle speed as a variable, and

the second equation is a function that sets the vehicle acceleration and the vehicle speed as variables.

16. The fuel-consumption projecting apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

an average-speed information acquiring unit that acquires for each unit interval in the given interval, preliminarily stored average speed information; and

a traveling-speed information acquiring unit that acquires acceleration information and speed information for the vehicle in transit, wherein

the projecting unit uses the average speed information acquired by the average-speed information acquiring unit to project the fuel consumption before travel along the given interval begins, and

the estimating unit uses the acceleration information and the speed information acquired by the traveling-speed information acquiring unit to estimate the fuel consumption.

17. The fuel-consumption projecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the correcting unit calculates a correction coefficient from the fuel consumption projected by the projecting unit and the fuel consumption estimated by the estimating unit, and appends the correction coefficient to the first equation to correct the first equation.

18. The fuel-consumption projecting apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the correction coefficient is a ratio of the fuel consumption projected by the projecting unit and the fuel consumption estimated by the estimating unit.

19. The fuel-consumption projecting apparatus according to claim 18, wherein

the correcting unit regards the ratio of the projected fuel consumption before travel begins along the given interval and the estimated fuel consumption occurring during travel along the given interval as the correction coefficient.

20. The fuel-consumption projecting apparatus according to claim 18, wherein

the projecting unit, during travel along the given interval, substitutes into the first equation, the speed information acquired by the traveling-speed information acquiring unit and recalculates the fuel consumption,

the correcting unit regards the ratio of the fuel consumption recalculated by the projecting unit and the fuel consumption estimated by the estimating unit during travel along the given interval, as the correction coefficient.

21. The fuel-consumption projecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the correcting unit corrects the first equation, if during travel along the given interval, road type of a road traveled by the vehicle does not change.

22. The fuel-consumption projecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the projecting unit uses equation (1) below as the first equation to project the fuel consumption

fc₁(x)=h·

(m₁+m₂·

x²+m₃·

x³+m₄·

x) 

 

(1)

Where,

fc₁;

fuel consumption per unit time (cc/sec)

x;

speed

23. The fuel-consumption projecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the estimating unit uses equation (2) as the second equation to estimate the fuel consumption.

24. A fuel-consumption projecting method of projecting fuel consumption by a vehicle for a given interval, the fuel-consumption projecting method comprising:

projecting the fuel consumption before travel begins along the given interval, by using a first equation;

estimating the fuel consumption occurring during travel, the fuel consumption being estimated by using a second equation that sets vehicle acceleration occurring during travel as a variable; and

correcting the first equation, based on the fuel consumption projected at the projecting and the fuel consumption estimated at the estimating.

25. A non-transitory, computer-readable recording medium storing therein a fuel-consumption projecting program that causes a computer to execute:

projecting fuel consumption by a vehicle for a given interval, by using a first equation before travel begins along the given interval;

estimating the fuel consumption occurring during travel, the fuel consumption being estimated by using a second equation that sets vehicle acceleration occurring during travel as a variable; and

correcting the first equation, based on the fuel consumption projected at the projecting and the fuel consumption estimated at the estimating.