METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ASSESSING THE TRIP PERFORMANCE OF A DRIVER

• US 20180286145A1
• Filed: 12/15/2016
• Published: 10/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Greater Than AB, Co.
• Original Assignee: Greater Than SA
• Inventors: LINDELOF, Anders
• Granted Patent: US 10,388,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/02 responsive to conditions relating to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0652 Speed change rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2756/10 Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/11 Passenger cars; Automobiles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/13 Bicycles; Tricycles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time

Abstract

Method for automatically assessing performance of a driver (110) of a vehicle (100) for a particular trip, wherein current driving data sets, comprising basic driving data are repeatedly read from the vehicle, which method comprises the steps a) collecting previous-trip driving data sets, comprising instantaneous vehicle energy consumption, for different previous trips, different drivers and different vehicles; b) for each of said current-trip driving data sets, selecting a corresponding previous-trip data set; c) calculating the value of said second trip performance parameter based upon the respective values of a first trip performance parameter for each of said selected previous-trip driving data sets, which first trip performance parameter is calculated for the previous-trip data set in question as a relative trip performance of the previous-trip data set in question in relation to the trip during which the previous-trip data set was observed. The invention also relates to a system.

Claims

1. Method for automatically assessing performance of a driver of a current vehicle for a particular current trip, wherein updated current-trip driving data sets are repeatedly read from the vehicle, which current-trip driving data sets each comprises data from at least a predetermined set of basic driving data parameters, wherein new such current-trip driving data sets are read from the vehicle at consecutive observation time points separated by at the most a predetermined observation time period, wherein the method comprises calculating the value of a second trip performance parameter by the steps

a) collecting previous-trip driving data sets, each observed at a respective one of a plurality of different observation time points, for a plurality of different previous trips made by a plurality of different drivers and a plurality of different vehicles, which previous-trip driving data sets each comprises parameter values for at least a certain predetermined set of qualified driving data parameters in turn comprising the said basic parameter set, and which parameter values are each read either as a respective instantaneous value or a respective average value read across a certain respective time period of at the most 5 seconds of length;

b) for each of said current-trip driving data sets, selecting at least one corresponding previous-trip data set based upon a basic driving data set similarity measure, arranged to measure similarity between driving data sets, and/or based upon a basic group conformity measure arranged to measure conformity for a current-trip data set to a basic historic group of previous-trip driving data sets;

c) calculating the value of said second trip performance parameter based upon the respective values of a first trip performance parameter for each of said selected previous-trip driving data sets, which first trip performance parameter is calculated for the previous-trip data set in question as a relative trip performance of the previous-trip data set in question in relation to the trip during which the previous-trip data set was observed.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the first trip performance parameter value for one of said previous-trip driving data sets is communicated from a central server to the vehicle performing the trip during which the previous-trip data set in question was observed, such as to a portable electronic device arranged at the vehicle in question, and presented to the driver of that vehicle in connection to that trip.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein said previous-trip driving data sets are classified into one of a plurality of different predetermined basic historic groups based upon said basic similarity measure, wherein each current-trip data set is mapped to at the most one of said basic historic groups based upon said basic group conformity measure.

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein each of said previous-trip driving data sets are further mapped to at the most one of said basic historic groups, at the time comprising previous-trip driving data sets observed before the previous-trip data set in question was observed, based upon said basic group conformity measure.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein the said qualified driving data parameters comprise instantaneous energy consumption, wherein the method comprises a step in which a relative instantaneous vehicle energy consumption value is calculated for said previous-trip driving data sets, which relative energy consumption is relative to a total energy consumption for a respective trip during which the previous-trip data set in question was observed, and wherein the first trip performance parameter value is calculated based upon such calculated relative energy consumption values.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein, for the respective basic historic group to which each current-trip data set is mapped, and for each further basic historic group to which each previous-trip data set comprised in the basic historic group in question is in turn mapped, a respective relative instantaneous vehicle energy consumption value is calculated, which relative energy consumption is relative to a total energy consumption for a respective trip during which the previous-trip data set in question was observed, and wherein each of said first trip performance parameters is calculated based upon an average value of said relative instantaneous energy consumption values.

7. Method according to claim 3, the said basic parameter set comprises instantaneous vehicle velocity, wherein the method further comprises a step in which, for said basic historic groups, a characteristic vehicle velocity function is calculated regarding the value of said relative instantaneous vehicle energy consumption for different vehicle velocity parameter values, and wherein the said first trip performance parameter value is further calculated based upon a weighting of said relative instantaneous energy consumption values using said characteristic vehicle velocity function.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of classifying said previous-trip driving data sets into a set of collections, wherein each of said collections only comprises previous-trip driving data sets for a particular class of vehicles, wherein all previous-trip driving data sets of one and the same vehicle are classified into one and the same collection, based upon a basic class conformity measure between driving data sets for the vehicle in question and a set of class-defining parameters;

classifying the current vehicle into a particular current class of said set of classes based upon said basic class conformity measure;

wherein the first and second trip performance parameter values are calculated based upon only the said respective relative instantaneous vehicle energy consumption values for previous-trip driving data sets in said current collection.

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein the said basic parameter set comprises instantaneous vehicle velocity and instantaneous engine rotation speed, and wherein the said class-defining parameters comprise, for each class of vehicles, a characteristic engine rotation speed for a particular vehicle velocity.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined observation time period is at the most 10 seconds, preferably at the most 5 seconds, more preferably at the most 2 seconds.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein parameter values of said basic parameter set are automatically recorded by the vehicle and either communicated to a portable electronic device arranged at the vehicle, which portable electronic device communicates, via a wireless link, said parameter values to a central server, or communicated, via a wireless link, directly from the vehicle to said central server.

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein the second trip performance parameter value is calculated by and communicated, via a wireless link, from a central server (150) to the vehicle (100), such as to a portable electronic device (130) arranged at the vehicle (100), and presented to the driver (110).

13. Method according claim 12, wherein a value of the second trip performance parameter is calculated repeatedly, more preferably at least every 10 minutes, more preferably at least every 2 minutes, more preferably at least every 30 seconds, during the current trip, wherein the current trip is considered to be the current trip up to the moment at which the value of the second trip performance parameter is calculated and for the purposes of calculating the second trip performance parameter value in question, and wherein the currently calculated such value is communicated to the vehicle and presented to the driver upon calculation.

14. System for automatically assessing performance of a driver of a current vehicle for a particular current trip, which system is arranged to repeatedly read updated current-trip driving data sets from the vehicle, which current-trip driving data sets each comprises data from at least a predetermined set of basic driving data parameters, wherein the system is arranged to read new such current-trip driving data sets from the vehicle at consecutive observation time points separated by at the most a predetermined observation time period, wherein the system comprises a server arranged to calculate the value of a second trip performance parameter, wherein the server is arranged to collect previous-trip driving data sets, each observed at a respective one of a plurality of different observation time points, for a plurality of different previous trips made by a plurality of different drivers and a plurality of different vehicles, which previous-trip driving data sets each comprises parameter values for at least a certain predetermined set of qualified driving data parameters in turn comprising the said basic parameter set, and which parameter values are each read either as a respective instantaneous value or a respective average value read across a certain respective time period of at the most 5 seconds of length, wherein the server is arranged to, for each of said current-trip driving data sets, select at least one corresponding previous-trip data set based upon a basic driving data set similarity measure, arranged to measure similarity between driving data sets, and/or based upon a basic group conformity measure arranged to measure conformity for a current-trip data set to a basic historic group of previous-trip driving data sets, and wherein the server is arranged to calculate the value of said second trip performance parameter based upon the respective values of a first trip performance parameter for each of said selected previous-trip driving data sets, which first trip performance parameter is calculated for the previous-trip data set in question as a relative trip performance of the previous-trip data set in question in relation to the trip during which the previous-trip data set was observed.