Evaluation system for vehicle operating conditions and evaluation method thereof

• US 7,024,306 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2003
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Miyama, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Miyama, Inc.
• Inventors: Minami, Katsuaki, Kumagai, Satoshi, Hamuro, Takao, Nagahara, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US10/625,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 701 29- 30, 701 35- 36, 701/123, 701/1, 73112-114, 731/181, 731/182, 731/19.A, 340438-439, 340/441, 340/450.2, 340/450, 340/457.4, 123445-446, 123/495, 123/512, 123/436, 123/406.23, 123/352, 123/406.12, 702176-178, 702182-186
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/228 Warning displays
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0625 Fuel consumption, e.g. measured in fuel liters per 100 kms or miles per gallon
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/045 Detection of accelerating or decelerating state detection thereof in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable

Abstract

A calculation unit (3) determines whether or not an operation which worsens fuel economy has been performed, and if it is determined that an operation which worsens fuel economy has been performed, the calculation unit (3) respectively calculates the actual amount of consumed fuel and an amount of fuel that would have been consumed had the operation that worsens fuel economy not been performed. The calculation unit (3) then calculates an amount of fuel consumed in excess due to the operation which worsens fuel economy by subtracting the amount of fuel that would have been consumed had the operation that worsens fuel economy not been performed from the actual amount of consumed fuel. A display (4) displays the calculated excess fuel consumption amount.

Claims

1. An evaluation system for operating conditions applied to a vehicle, comprising:

a controller which functions to;

determine whether or not an operation which worsens fuel economy has been performed;

when it is determined that the operation which worsens fuel economy has been performed, respectively calculate an actual amount of consumed fuel and an amount of fuel which would have been consumed had the operation which worsens fuel economy not been performed; and

calculate an amount of fuel consumed in excess due to the operation which worsens fuel economy by subtracting the amount of fuel which would have been consumed had the operation which worsens fuel economy not been performed from the actual amount of consumed fuel,

the evaluation system further comprising a display device for displaying the calculated excess fuel consumption;

wherein the controller further functions to determine that the operation which worsens fuel economy has been performed when the vehicle accelerates by a greater acceleration than a predetermined rapid acceleration determination value; and

wherein the controller further functions to;

rank the driving skill of a driver based on the frequency with which operations which worsen fuel economy are performed; and

reduce the rapid acceleration determination value as the driving skill rank increases.

2. An evaluation system for operating conditions applied to a vehicle, comprising:

a controller which functions to;

determine whether or not an operation which worsens fuel economy has been performed;

when it is determined that the operation which worsens fuel economy has been performed, respectively calculate an actual amount of consumed fuel and an amount of fuel which would have been consumed had the operation which worsens fuel economy not been performed; and

calculate an amount of fuel consumed in excess due to the operation which worsens fuel economy by subtracting the amount of fuel which would have been consumed had the operation which worsens fuel economy not been performed from the actual amount of consumed fuel,

the evaluation system further comprising a display device for displaying the calculated excess fuel consumption;

wherein the controller further functions to determine that the operation which worsens fuel economy has been performed when the vehicle decelerates by a greater deceleration than a predetermined rapid deceleration determination value; and

wherein the controller further functions to;

rank the driving skill of a driver based on the frequency with which operations which worsen fuel economy are performed; and

reduce the rapid deceleration determination value as the driving skill rank increases.

3. An evaluation system for operating conditions applied to a vehicle, comprising:

a controller which functions to;

determine whether or not an operation which worsens fuel economy has been performed;

when it is determined that the operation which worsens fuel economy has been performed, respectively calculate an actual amount of consumed fuel and an amount of fuel which would have been consumed had the operation which worsens fuel economy not been performed; and

calculate an amount of fuel consumed in excess due to the operation which worsens fuel economy by subtracting the amount of fuel which would have been consumed had the operation which worsens fuel economy not been performed from the actual amount of consumed fuel,

the evaluation system further comprising a display device for displaying the calculated excess fuel consumption;

wherein the controller further functions to;

calculate a drive force of the vehicle based on the vehicle operating conditions;

calculate an excess drive force by subtracting a running resistance from the calculated drive force; and

calculate an excess drive force ratio by dividing the excess drive force by a drive force at full load, and

the display device displays the calculated excess drive force ratio.

4. The system as defined in claim 3, wherein the controller further functions to:

determine whether or not the vehicle is running at a higher vehicle speed than the specified vehicle speed;

calculate an air resistance actually faced by the vehicle based on a current vehicle speed;

calculate an air resistance faced by the vehicle when running at the specified vehicle speed;

calculate an excess air resistance by subtracting the air resistance received when running at the specified vehicle speed from the actually faced air resistance; and

when it is determined that the vehicle is running at a higher vehicle speed than the specified vehicle speed, calculate as an excess drive force a value obtained by adding the excess air resistance to a value obtained by subtracting a running resistance from the calculated drive force.

5. The system as defined in claim 3, wherein the controller further functions to:

determine whether or not an upshift is possible based on the driving conditions of the vehicle at present and following an upshift;

calculate a fuel consumption amount assuming an upshift has been performed based on the operating conditions of the vehicle following an upshift;

calculate a reduced fuel consumption amount assuming an upshift has been performed by subtracting the fuel consumption following an upshift from a current fuel consumption; and

when an upshift is possible, calculate as the excess drive force a value obtained by converting the reduced fuel consumption amount reduced by an upshift into a drive force.

6. The system as defined in claim 3, wherein the controller further functions to rank the driving skill of a driver based on the frequency with which operations which worsen fuel economy are performed, and

the display device modifies a display format of the excess drive force ratio in accordance with the driving skill rank.

7. The system as defined in claim 6, wherein the display device displays the excess drive force ratio in a bar graph format such that the length of the displayed bars increases as the driving skill rank rises even at an identical excess drive force ratio.