VEHICLE FUEL CONSUMPTION MONITOR AND FEEDBACK SYSTEMS

• US 20150134226A1
• Filed: 11/11/2013
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SmartDrive Systems, Inc. (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SmartDrive Systems, Inc. (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Palmer, Jason, Sljivar, Slaven
• Granted Patent: US 9,610,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/101
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/06 Combustion engines, Gas turbines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/10 Change speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/00 Input parameters relating to overall vehicle dynamics
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/16 Pitch
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/18 Roll
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/209 Fuel quantity remaining in tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/00 Input parameters relating to exterior conditions, not covered by groups B60W2552/00, B60W2554/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18009 related to particular drive situations
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

Excess fuel consumption monitor and feedback systems for vehicles include sensor arrays of two primary types including those sensors deployed as part of a vehicle manufacturer established sensor suite and sensors deployed as after-market sensors. Together, these sensor suites include sensors coupled to vehicle subsystems and operating environments associated with the vehicle. Data from these sensors may be used as parametric inputs to drive algorithmic calculations which have outputs that express excess fuel consumption. Expressions of excess fuel consumption may be made instantaneously as real-time feedback to a vehicle operator/driver and/or a fleet manager as part of a summary report.

Claims

1. A system configured to detect excess fuel consumption in a vehicle, the excess fuel consumption detection system comprising:

an engine computer system including one or more vehicle subsystem sensors configured to generate output signals conveying vehicle feedback information related to operation of mechanical systems of the vehicle;

one or more external supporting sensors configured to generate output signals conveying vehicle environment information; and

one or more processors configured to provide information processing capabilities in the excess fuel consumption detection system, the one or more processors configured to;

determine one or more vehicle parameters based on the vehicle feedback information and/or the vehicle environment information, the one or more vehicle parameters indicating one or more vehicle characteristics;

detect a vehicle maneuver associated with excessive fuel consumption based on the vehicle feedback information and/or the vehicle environment information;

determine a target fuel consumption amount for the vehicle maneuver by estimating an amount of fuel that would have been consumed by the vehicle at the time of the vehicle maneuver if the vehicle had been operated so as to prevent detection of the vehicle maneuver, the target fuel consumption amount being determined based on the vehicle feedback information, the vehicle environment information, and the determined vehicle parameters;

determine a consumption difference between an actual fuel consumption amount and the target fuel consumption amount; and

effectuate presentation of the consumption difference to a user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicle subsystem sensors are configured to generate output signals conveying vehicle feedback information related to one or more of the actual fuel consumption by the vehicle, an engine of the vehicle, a breaking system of the vehicle, a transmission of the vehicle, or a drive train of the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more external supporting sensors are configured such that the vehicle environment information includes information related to movement and/or an orientation of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more external supporting sensors are configured such that the vehicle environment information related to movement includes information related to one or more of a position, a velocity, or an acceleration of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more external supporting sensors include one or more of a video camera, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or a geo-location device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured such that the vehicle maneuver associated with excessive fuel consumption includes one or more of hard acceleration, hard braking, driving at a constant speed in a suboptimal gear, speeding beyond an optimal top speed, idling unnecessarily, hard cornering, over revving the engine of the vehicle, inefficiently shifting gears, inefficient acceleration, inefficient braking, inefficient operation of the vehicle given prevailing driving conditions, or speeding uphill.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured such that effectuating presentation of the consumption difference to a user includes effectuating presentation of the consumption difference to a driver of the vehicle while the driver is in the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are configured to control an audio feedback device to provide an audio indication of the consumption difference to the driver.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are configured such that the audio indication provided by the audio feedback device is a voice that communicates information related to the consumption difference.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more external supporting sensors are non-standard aftermarket sensors installed in the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicle subsystem sensors include one or more of a fuel flow rate transducer, an oxygen sensor, or a manifold air pressure sensor.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicle subsystem sensors include one or more of an engine airflow rate transducer, an air to fuel ratio sensor, or an exhaust O₂ sensor.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the air to fuel ratio sensor is a Lambda Sensor.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to electronically store the determined vehicle parameters and determine the target fuel consumption amount based at least in part on the stored parameters.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to effectuate presentation of the consumption difference to a user in real-time and/or at a later time.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to communicate information related to one or more of the determined parameters, the maneuver associated with excess fuel consumption, the actual fuel consumption amount, the target fuel consumption amount, the consumption difference, or a driver of the vehicle to an external computing workstation.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the external computing workstation is configured to generate one or more reports related to the information communicated by the one or more processors.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to detect excess fuel consumption due to inefficient operation of the vehicle.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the engine computer system is configured to collect data from the one or more vehicle subsystem sensors and generate output signals conveying vehicle feedback information related to operation of mechanical systems of the vehicle.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the actual fuel consumption amount for the vehicle maneuver by estimating an amount of fuel actually consumed by the vehicle during the vehicle maneuver, the actual fuel consumption amount being determined based on the vehicle feedback information.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more processors are configured such that estimating the amount of fuel actually consumed by the vehicle includes measuring the amount of fuel actually consumed by the vehicle.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured such that the vehicle characteristics include one or more of a weight of the vehicle, a maintenance status of the vehicle, a number of gears in the transmission of the vehicle, drivetrain friction of the vehicle, rolling friction of the vehicle, friction of the vehicle engine, efficiency of the vehicle engine, aerodynamic drag on the vehicle, a current wind speed and/or direction of wind blowing against the vehicle, air density of air the vehicle is travelling through, an incline of the road the vehicle is travelling on, or gear ratios for the gears in the vehicle.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors are configured such that the weight of the vehicle is the current loaded weight of the vehicle.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to associate the consumption difference between the actual fuel consumption amount and the target fuel consumption amount with a driver of the vehicle.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the consumption difference between the actual fuel consumption amount and the target fuel consumption amount based on information from other similar vehicles driven by the driver.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the consumption difference between the actual fuel consumption amount and the target fuel consumption amount based on one or more of a route driven by the vehicle or a portion of the route driven by the vehicle.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more vehicle subsystem sensors include a first sensor associated with a first vehicle parameter;

the one or more external supporting sensors include a second sensor and third sensor associated with the first vehicle parameter; and

responsive to the output signals of one of the first sensor, the second sensor, or the third sensor being unavailable, the first vehicle parameter is determined based on the remaining available output signals from two of the three sensors.

28. A method to detect excess fuel consumption in a vehicle, the excess fuel detection method comprising:

generating output signals conveying vehicle feedback information related to operation of mechanical systems of the vehicle;

generating output signals conveying vehicle environment information; and

determining one or more vehicle parameters based on the vehicle feedback information and/or the vehicle environment information, the one or more vehicle parameters indicating one or more vehicle characteristics;

detecting a vehicle maneuver associated with excessive fuel consumption based on the vehicle feedback information and/or the vehicle environment information;

determining a target fuel consumption amount for the vehicle maneuver by estimating an amount of fuel that would have been consumed by the vehicle at the time of the vehicle maneuver if the vehicle had been operated so as to prevent detection of the vehicle maneuver, the target fuel consumption amount being determined based on the vehicle feedback information, the vehicle environment information, and the determined vehicle parameters;

determining a consumption difference between an actual fuel consumption amount and a target fuel consumption amount; and

effectuating presentation of the consumption difference to a user.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the vehicle characteristics include one or more of a weight of the vehicle, a maintenance status of the vehicle, a number of gears in the transmission of the vehicle, drivetrain friction of the vehicle, rolling friction of the vehicle, friction of the vehicle engine, efficiency of the vehicle engine, aerodynamic drag on the vehicle, a current wind speed and/or direction of wind blowing against the vehicle, air density of air the vehicle is travelling through, an incline of the road the vehicle is travelling on, or gear ratios for the gears in the vehicle.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising determining the actual fuel consumption amount for the vehicle maneuver by measuring an amount of fuel actually consumed by the vehicle during the vehicle maneuver, the actual fuel consumption amount being measured based on the vehicle feedback information.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the vehicle maneuver associated with excessive fuel consumption includes one or more of hard acceleration, hard braking, driving at a constant speed in a suboptimal gear, speeding beyond an optimal top speed, idling unnecessarily, hard cornering, over revving the engine of the vehicle, inefficiently shifting gears, inefficient acceleration, inefficient braking, inefficient operation of the vehicle given prevailing driving conditions, or speeding uphill.