FUEL EFFICIENT INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE VEHICLE

• US 20180118030A1
• Filed: 11/15/2017
• Published: 05/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iQar Inc.
• Original Assignee: Invently Automotive Inc. (iQar Inc.)
• Inventors: Koebler, Martin, Goldstein, Nicole G., Brown, Stephen J., Harper, Jason H.
• Granted Patent: US 10,821,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/20 Output arrangements, i.e. from vehicle to user, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• 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: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/44 Wheel Hub motors, i.e. integrated in the wheel hub
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/443 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/445 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/645 Type of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/647 Surface situation of road, e.g. type of paving
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/665 : Light intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/667 : Precipitation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/68 : Traffic data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 : by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 : by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 : Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/50 : by future state prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 : Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/62 : charged by low-power generators primarily intended to support the batteries, e.g. range extenders
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 : responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/16 : responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/12 : for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 : Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 1/10 : by utilising wheel movement for accumulating energy, e.g. driving air compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/586 : the retarders being of the electric type
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/04 : Hill descent control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/36 : Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/18 : operated by wayside apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 : initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 : including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 : Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/12 : using control strategies taking into account route information estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 : Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 : Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 : of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/103 : Speed profile
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 : Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 : Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 : Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 : using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 : Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 : communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 : using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 : where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 : where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle comprising a drive train, an internal combustion engine, a sensor interface, a storage device and a processing device. The sensor interface may be configured to receive sensor data samples during operation of a vehicle. The storage device may be configured to store the sensor data samples over a number of points in time. The processing device may be configured to (i) analyze the sensor data samples stored in the storage device to detect a pattern and (ii) manage fuel supplied to the internal combustion engine in response to (a) current conditions and (b) operational parameters of the vehicle. The pattern is used to determine the current conditions. The fuel supplied to the internal combustion engine is managed to enable efficient fuel usage.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a drive train;

an internal combustion engine;

a sensor interface configured to receive sensor data samples during operation of a vehicle;

a storage device configured to store said sensor data samples over a number of points in time; and

a processing device configured to (i) analyze said sensor data samples stored in said storage device to detect a pattern and (ii) manage fuel supplied to said internal combustion engine in response to (a) current conditions and (b) operational parameters of said vehicle, wherein (a) said pattern is used to determine said current conditions and (b) said fuel supplied to said internal combustion engine is managed to enable efficient fuel usage.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said operational parameters of said vehicle vary from vehicle to vehicle.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said operational parameters of said vehicle are based on a manufacturer of said vehicle.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said processing device is further configured to enable a mechanical control of a gas and air-flow mixture supplied to said internal combustion engine.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said processing device is further configured to transmit an electrical signal to a computer-based motor controller to control a gas and air-flow mixture supplied to said internal combustion engine.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a communication device configured to connect to a remote database, wherein said current conditions associated with a route segment are stored in said remote database with previously stored conditions associated with said route segment.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein (i) said remote database is configured to store historical information for a plurality of said route segments, (ii) said historical information comprises said current conditions and said previously stored conditions and (iii) said historical information comprises data received from a plurality of vehicles.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said operational parameters of said vehicle comprise (i) performance capabilities of said vehicle based on component parts of said vehicle and a historical performance of said vehicle and (ii) parameters such as aerodynamic parameters, rolling resistance parameters, drive train efficiency parameters and motor efficiency parameters.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said current conditions are determined by deriving inferences from said sensor data samples.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said current conditions comprise at least one of:

drag, wind resistance, tire resistance, a location relative to a destination, traffic patterns, an amount of light energy, a position of the sun, geographical information, an elevation of said vehicle, a grade of a road, a location of stoplights, a timing of stoplights, weather, a wind direction, a wind velocity, a temperature, air pressure, moisture, visibility, an amount of vibration, a fuel supply, a battery supply, a condition of tires of said vehicle, a condition of a motor of said vehicle, a condition of a power train of said vehicle, a time of day, a day of the week, a date, and traction.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein (i) said processing device further comprises a classification module and (ii) said sensor data samples are implemented as arrays of data.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said classification module is configured to classify said arrays of data into clusters associated with one or more of said current conditions.

13. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said sensor data samples are received from one or more sensors configured to monitor said vehicle.

14. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said sensor data samples are received from one or more sensors configured to monitor an environment external to said vehicle.

15. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said sensor data samples are received from one or more sensors configured to monitor data from a remote database.

16. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a communication device configured to connect to a telemetry system, wherein (i) said vehicle is configured to receive information about a plurality of route segments from said telemetry system and (ii) said processing device is configured to associate said current conditions with said route segments.

17. The vehicle according to claim 16, wherein said route segments are used to predict an amount of fuel usage by said internal combustion engine to reach a destination.

18. The vehicle according to claim 16, wherein said fuel supplied to said internal combustion engine is managed by increasing a speed of said vehicle when said current conditions indicate said vehicle is on a downhill and said route segments indicate a next route segment is uphill.

19. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein (i) said sensor data samples are received from one or more driver-related sensors and (ii) said processing device is further configured to generate a likelihood that a particular driver is operating said vehicle based upon said pattern.