FUEL OPTIMIZATION DISPLAY

• US 20130046449A1
• Filed: 10/03/2011
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Certusoft, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sermet Yucel
• Inventors: Ycel, Sermet, Headrick, William D., Martin, Samuel E., Paterlini, M. Germana, Magnuson, Jon M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,886,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/51
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0218 Calculation or estimation of the available ratio range, i.e. possible gear ratios, e.g. for prompting a driver with a display
• 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 2063/426 with means for advising the driver for proper shift action, e.g. prompting the driver with allowable selection range of ratios
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals

Abstract

The present invention is an apparatus and method for guiding the driver of a vehicle in selecting an accelerator pedal position and transmission gear to improve a score. The score may be a weighted average of a fuel economy score and a drivability score. A curve showing the best score for each gear may be shown on a display as a function of accelerator pedal and transmission gear number, along with the current accelerator pedal and gear number of the vehicle. The driver may improve the score by changing to an accelerator pedal and/or gear selection that is closer to the curve. The curve may be calculated, using a model based on forces and torques upon the vehicle, from data acquired by monitoring the vehicle and/or from external sources.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a) an electronic display;

b) a first indicator on the display showing a best accelerator pedal position corresponding to a particular transmission gear number of a moving vehicle, wherein the best accelerator pedal position corresponding to the particular transmission gear number is determined by optimizing a score based upon a reference function that, for the transmission gear number, depends a fuel consumption and a drivability, wherein the drivability is estimated using a dynamics model of the vehicle and collected data that pertains to the vehicle; and

c) a second indicator on the display showing the current accelerator pedal position and current transmission gear, as obtained from the vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position of the first indicator, and the score corresponding to the first indicator, change over time as the vehicle moves.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display further shows the score corresponding to the first indicator and the score corresponding to the second indicator.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the fuel consumption for the first indicator is calculated using the dynamics model and collected data that pertains to the vehicle.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the fuel consumption for the second indicator is measured from the vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

d) a third indicator on the display, not necessarily distinct from the first indicator, showing an accelerator pedal position and a transmission gear number corresponding to the score from the reference function that has optimum score from the reference function among all combinations of accelerator pedal positions and transmission gear number available on the vehicle.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein best accelerator pedal positions, corresponding respectively to each transmission gear number of the vehicle, are shown by indicators on the display.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display is contained in the vehicle.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display further shows trip statistics regarding fuel efficiency and drivability.

10. A method, comprising:

a) obtaining current accelerator pedal position and current transmission gear number from a vehicle;

b) calculating using electronic processing equipment a target accelerator pedal position and a target transmission gear number that optimize a score based on a reference function; and

c) displaying the current accelerator pedal position, current transmission gear number, target accelerator pedal position, and target transmission number.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle is a virtual vehicle that is simulated by execution of logic on electronic processing equipment.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the pedal position and accelerator pedal position of the vehicle are set by a virtual driver that is simulated by execution of logic on electronic processing equipment.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a) a sensor that includes a connector compatible with a matching connector in a vehicle and that, when so connected, monitors current accelerator pedal position and current gear number as the vehicle moves;

b) a physical dynamics model that relates torques or forces on the vehicle to current accelerator pedal position and current gear number; and

c) electronic processing equipment that employs logic to estimate fuel usage of the vehicle using the physical dynamics model.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the connector and matching connector are J1939 connectors.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the sensor obtains current accelerator pedal position or current gear number from a communication network in the vehicle.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the sensor uses a geographical positioning system to determine the vehicle position.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the sensor contains wireless communication hardware and logic that the sensor uses to request and receive environmental data across a network from remote sources.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the sensor contains wired or wireless communication hardware and logic, which the sensor uses to communicate with, and provide relevant data to, the logic that estimates fuel usage of the vehicle.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the sensor contains wired or wireless communication hardware and logic, which the sensor uses to communicate with, and provide relevant data to, logic that estimates actual or reserve acceleration of the vehicle.

20. A method, comprising:

a) connecting a sensor to a communication system in a vehicle;

b) monitoring by the sensor current accelerator pedal position and current gear number of the vehicle as the vehicle moves; and

c) executing by processing hardware a model that relates torques or forces on the vehicle to the current accelerator pedal position and the current gear number;

21. A system, comprising:

a) a trip dynamics logger that, when installed in a moving vehicle

(i) monitors driver controls of the vehicle and physical properties of its engine, driveline, rear axle, and tires, and

(ii) saves information from the monitoring in tangible storage; and

b) a trip dynamics kernel that computes scores for fuel efficiency and drivability of the vehicle using the saved information.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the trip dynamics logger contains wired or wireless communication hardware and logic, which the logger uses to communicate with, and provide relevant data to, the trip dynamics kernel.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the trip dynamics logger contains wired or wireless communication hardware and logic, which the logger uses to communicate with a sensor that connects to the vehicle and monitors state of an engine, drivetrain, or axle in the vehicle.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the trip dynamics logger contains wireless communication hardware and logic that the logger uses to request and receive environmental data across a network from remote sources.

25. A physical dynamics model, comprising:

a) a set, containing a plurality of variables, that includes

(i) torques exerted on a transmission and on a wheel of a vehicle,

(ii) accelerator pedal position,

(iii) gear number,

(iv) fuel usage, and

(v) acceleration or reserve acceleration of the vehicle;

b) a set containing a plurality of physical dynamics equations

(i) based on data from observations of operation of the same or similar vehicles, and

(ii) governing relationships of actual or virtual accelerator pedal position and actual virtual gear number to the torques, and of the torques to the current fuel usage and reserve acceleration; and

c) electronics processing equipment that calculates, using logic in some combination of hardware and software, values of variables in the set of variables based upon equations in the set of equations.

26. The physical dynamics model of claim 25, wherein the set of variables includes current fuel usage, and the current fuel usage is obtained dynamically from observation of components of a moving vehicle.

27. The physical dynamics model of claim 25, wherein the set of variables includes current reserve acceleration, and the current reserve acceleration is calculated dynamically using data from observation of components of a moving vehicle and an equation in the set of equations.

28. The physical dynamics model of claim 25, wherein a fuel efficiency is calculated using an equation in the set of equations based upon optimizing a reference function over permissible values of accelerator pedal position and gear number, using a virtual driver.

29. The physical dynamics model of claim 25, wherein a drivability is calculated using an equation in the set of equations based upon optimizing a reference function over permissible values of accelerator pedal position and gear number, using a virtual driver.

30. The physical dynamics model of claim 25, wherein a score that combines fuel efficiency and drivability is calculated using an equation in the set of equations based upon optimizing a reference function over permissible values of accelerator pedal position and gear number, using a virtual driver.

31. A method, comprising:

a) dynamically calculating using an electronic device a drivability score, specified by a first scoring function, and a fuel efficiency score, specified by a second scoring function, for a moving vehicle; and

b) saving the drivability score and the fuel efficiency score in tangible storage.

32. A vehicle feedback system, comprising:

a) dynamically monitoring state of accelerator pedal and gear controls in the vehicle as it moves;

b) computing indicia of actual vehicle performance and optimal vehicle performance relative to a reference function; and

c) providing guidance for improving vehicle performance based on the indicia.

d) repeating steps a through c.