METHOD AND SYSTEM OF ROUTE SCHEDULING AND PRESENTING ROUTE-BASED FUEL INFORMATION

• US 20160349075A1
• Filed: 05/28/2015
• Published: 12/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Son, Hyunji
• Granted Patent: US 9,638,542 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers

Abstract

A system of route scheduling for a vehicle presents fuel information for a vehicle. The system receives vehicle related drive information and fuel information from the vehicle via a vehicle interface, including fuel tank capacity, a current fuel level, and fuel economy, calculates routes to points from a current vehicle position based on the drive related information of sensors, estimates first fuel amounts for reaching the points based on the calculated routes and the fuel economy, selects fuel stations within a predetermined range of the calculated routes based on their locations, estimates second fuel amounts for reaching the fuel stations based on their locations, the fuel economy and the current vehicle position, obtains fuel prices of the fuel stations from a network, and instructs a screen to display the fuel prices, the point information, the locations of the fuel stations, the fuel tank capacity and the current fuel level along with a segment.

Claims

1. A method of displaying fuel information for a vehicle, comprising:

obtaining fuel tank capacity information of the vehicle;

obtaining current fuel level information of the vehicle;

obtaining fuel economy information of the vehicle;

obtaining point information of one or more points, each point information of each point comprising location information;

calculating routes to the one or more points based on location information of the one or more points and a current vehicle position;

estimating first fuel amounts for reaching the one or more points based on the calculated routes, fuel economy information;

selecting one or more fuel stations within a predetermined range of the calculated routes based on location information of the one or more fuel stations;

estimating second fuel amounts for reaching at the one or more fuel stations based on the obtained locations of the fuel stations, the fuel economy information and the current vehicle position;

obtaining fuel price information of the one or more fuel stations from a network; and

displaying the point information, the locations of the fuel stations, the fuel price information, the fuel tank capacity information and the current fuel level information along one or more segments of parameter.

2. The method of displaying fuel information for the vehicle of claim 1,

wherein the selected one or more fuel stations are the nearest one or more fuel stations from the current vehicle position.

3. The method of displaying fuel information for the vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

computing a drivable distance based on the current fuel level information and the fuel economy information;

wherein the selected one or more fuel stations are the farthest one or more fuel stations within the drivable distance from the current vehicle position.

4. The method of displaying fuel information for the vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

computing a drivable distance based on the current fuel level information and the fuel economy information;

wherein the selected one or more fuel stations have substantially lowest fuel prices within the drivable distance from the current vehicle position.

5. The method of displaying fuel information for the vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

allowing a user to select at least one of a point among the one or more points and a fuel station among the one or more fuel stations;

displaying at least one of fuel price or amount of fuel to be fed at the selected fuel station if the fuel station is selected; and

displaying at least one of fuel price or amount of fuel to be fed for reaching to the selected point, if the point is selected.

6. The method of displaying fuel information for the vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

computing a drivable distance based on the current fuel level information, the fuel economy information and a reference point;

searching a landmark within the driving distance from a reference point; and

displaying the reference point, the drivable distance and the landmark along the segment.

7. The method of displaying fuel information for the vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying at least one of fuel price or amount of fuel to be fed at a nearest fuel station for reaching to the one or more points from the nearest fuel station.

8. The method of displaying fuel information for the vehicle of claim 1,

wherein obtaining the point information of the one or more points is executed by accessing one of user entries, search results of Points of Interest, driving history including visited points, location information obtained from social media, near future events in a calendar of a user in the vehicle, an address book of the user, and contexts of communications related to the user in the vehicle.

9. The method of displaying fuel information for the vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying logos associated with brands of the fuel stations with the locations of the fuel stations along the segment, respectively.

10. The method of displaying fuel information for the vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a whole or part of the segment indicating a whole or partial route corresponding to a motorway in a distinctive manner.

11. A system of route scheduling for a vehicle, comprising:

a processor;

one or more sensors configured to sense drive related information;

a memory comprising a map database;

a screen; and

a vehicle interface configured to receive vehicle related drive information and fuel information from the vehicle;

wherein the fuel information regarding the vehicle comprises;

fuel tank capacity information of the vehicle current fuel level information of the vehicle; and

fuel economy information of the vehicle;

and wherein the processor is configured to obtain point information of one or more points, each point information of each point comprising location information, to calculate routes to the one or more points based on location information of the one or more points and a current vehicle position based on the drive related information of the one or more sensors, to estimate first fuel amounts for reaching the one or more points based on the calculated routes and the fuel economy information, to select one or more fuel stations within a predetermined range of the calculated routes based on location information of the one or more fuel stations, to estimate second fuel amounts for reaching at the one or more fuel stations based on the obtained locations of the fuel stations, the fuel economy information and the current vehicle position, to obtain fuel price information of the one or more fuel stations from a network, and to instruct the screen to display the fuel price information, the point information, the locations of the fuel stations, the fuel tank capacity information and the current fuel level information along with one or more segments of parameter.

12. The system of route scheduling for the vehicle of claim 11,

wherein the selected one or more fuel stations are the nearest one or more fuel stations from the current vehicle position.

13. The system of route scheduling for the vehicle of claim 11,

wherein the processor is configured to compute a drivable distance based on the current fuel level information and the fuel economy information;

and

wherein the selected one or more fuel stations are the farthest one or more fuel stations within the drivable distance from the current vehicle position.

14. The system of route scheduling for the vehicle of claim 11,

wherein the processor is configured to compute a drivable distance based on the current fuel level information and the fuel economy information;

and

wherein the selected one or more fuel stations have substantially lowest fuel prices within the drivable distance from the current vehicle position.

15. The system of route scheduling for the vehicle of claim 11, further comprising:

wherein the processor is configured to instruct a screen to display at least one of point information of the one or more points or fuel station information of the one or more fuel stations, to allow a user to select at least one point among the one or more points and a fuel station among the one or more fuel stations, to instruct the screen to display at least one of fuel price or amount of fuel to be fed at the selected fuel station if the fuel station is selected, and to instruct the screen to display at least one of fuel price or amount of fuel to be fed for reaching to the selected point, if the point is selected.

16. The system of route scheduling for the vehicle of claim 11,

wherein the processor is configured to compute a drivable distance based on the current fuel level information, the fuel economy information and a reference point;

wherein the processor is configured to compute search a landmark within the drivable distance from a reference point by using the map database; and

wherein the processor is configured to instruct the screen to display the reference point, the drivable distance and the landmark along with the line on the screen.

17. The system of route scheduling for the vehicle of claim 11,

wherein the processor is configured to instruct the screen to display at least one of fuel price or amount of fuel to be fed at a nearest fuel station for reaching to the one or more points from the nearest fuel station.

18. The system of route scheduling for the vehicle of claim 11,

wherein the processor is configured to obtain the point information of the one or more points by accessing at least one of user entries, search results of Points of Interest, driving history including visited points, location information obtained from social media, near future events in a calendar of a user in the vehicle, and contexts of communications related to the user in the vehicle.

19. The system of route scheduling for the vehicle of claim 11,

wherein the processor is configured to instruct the screen to display logos associated with brands of the fuel stations with the locations of the fuel stations along the segment, respectively.

20. The system of route scheduling for the vehicle of claim 11,

wherein the processor is configured to instruct the screen to display a whole or part of the segment indicating a whole or partial route corresponding to a motorway in a distinctive manner.