System and method for adjusting the fuel economy range calculation for flex fuel vehicles

• US 7,219,539 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Bauerle, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCALL, ERIC SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US11/398,928
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 731/12, 731/13, 731/14, 731/16, 701/99, 701/101, 340/438, 340/439, 340/450, 340/450.2
• US Class Current: 73/114.54
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/001 with electric, electro-mechanic or electronic means G01F9/008 and G01F9/02 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

A flex fuel vehicle mileage range calculating system and method as described herein can effectively be utilized to calculate the mileage range value corresponding to a fuel mixture. The system is suitable for use in all vehicles capable of using various fuel mixtures. The system can calculate a scale factor, update the mileage range value based on the scale factor and, display the updated mileage range value on an on-board display element to correspond to the fuel mixture in the fuel tank.

Claims

1. A method for calculating the mileage range for a vehicle having a fuel tank, the method comprising:

obtaining a current fuel parameter value corresponding to fuel in the fuel tank after a refueling event;

obtaining a past fuel parameter value corresponding to fuel in the fuel tank prior to the refueling event;

calculating a scale factor based on the current fuel parameter value and the past fuel parameter value;

scaling a past fuel consumption value using the scale factor to obtain an adjusted fuel consumption value; and

generating an updated mileage range value based on the adjusted fuel consumption value.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein calculating the scale factor is based on the relationship:

scale factor=new scale factor/old scale factor, where the new scale factor corresponds to the current fuel parameter value and the old scale factor corresponds to the past fuel parameter value.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the current fuel parameter value represents a first ethanol percentage, and the past fuel parameter value represents a second ethanol percentage.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein calculating the new scale factor is based on the relationship:

new scale factor=[1+(first ethanol percentage/85%)*(RangeE0/RangeE85−

1)], where “

RangeE0”

is the mileage range value for E0 fuel, and “

RangeE85”

is the mileage range value for E85 fuel for a full tank of fuel.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein calculating the old scale factor is based on the relationship:

old scale factor=[1+(second ethanol percentage/85%)*(RangeE0/RangeE85−

1)], where “

RangeE0”

is the mileage range value for E0 fuel, and “

RangeE85”

is the mileage range value for E85 fuel for a full tank of fuel.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein generating the mileage range value is based on the relationship:

mileage range value=(accumulated distance/adjusted fuel consumption value)*fuel remaining in the fuel tank, where the accumulated distance is distance driven by the vehicle since the last time the vehicle'"'"'s range calculation was reset.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the adjusted fuel consumption value is based on the relationship:

adjusted fuel consumption value=old fuel consumption value*(scale factor), where the old fuel consumption value is an adjusted fuel consumption value from a prior execution of the mileage range calculation.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein calculating the old scale factor is based on the relationship:

old scale factor=[1+(past fuel parameter value/85%)*(RangeE0/RangeE85−

1)], where “

RangeE0”

is the mileage range value for E0 fuel, and “

RangeE85”

is the mileage range value for E85 fuel for a full tank of fuel.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising displaying indicia of the updated mileage range value corresponding to the adjusted fuel consumption value for different types of fuel mixture.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the current fuel parameter value represents a first oxygen percentage, and the past fuel parameter value represents a second oxygen percentage.

11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing the current fuel parameter value in an on-board computer memory; and

storing the adjusted fuel consumption value in an on-board computer data base.

12. A mileage range calculation system for a vehicle having a fuel tank, the vehicle being configured to consume different types of fuel, the system comprising:

a sensor configured to measure a current fuel parameter value corresponding to fuel in the fuel tank after a refueling event;

a memory for storing a past fuel parameter value and a past fuel consumption value; and

a processing architecture having processing logic configured to;

calculate a scale factor based on the current fuel parameter value and the past fuel parameter value;

scale the past fuel consumption value using the scale factor to obtain an adjusted fuel consumption value; and

generate an updated mileage range value based on the adjusted fuel consumption value.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the current fuel parameter value represents a first ethanol percentage, and the past fuel parameter value represents a second ethanol percentage.

14. A system according to claim 12, wherein the current fuel parameter value represents a first oxygen percentage, and the past fuel parameter value represents a second oxygen percentage.

15. A system according to claim 12, further comprising an on-board display element coupled to the processing architecture, the on-board display element being configured to display indicia of the updated mileage range value.

16. A method for updating a mileage range value for a flex fuel vehicle, the method comprising:

measuring a current fuel parameter value corresponding to fuel for the vehicle after refueling;

measuring a past fuel parameter value corresponding to fuel for the vehicle prior to the refueling;

calculating a scale factor based upon the current fuel parameter value and the past fuel parameter value;

adjusting historical fuel consumption data using the scale factor to obtain updated mileage range data; and

generating an updated mileage range value based upon the adjusted historical fuel consumption data.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the current fuel parameter value represents a current ethanol percentage and the past fuel parameter value represents an ethanol percentage prior to the refueling.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the scale factor is calculated based upon the current ethanol percentage, the ethanol percentage prior to the refueling, a first range value for the vehicle corresponding to a first fuel type, and a second range value for the vehicle corresponding to a second fuel type.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the first fuel type corresponds to a fuel mixture which contains 85 percent ethanol and the second fuel type corresponds to a fuel mixture that contains 0 percent ethanol.

20. A method according to claim 16, further comprising obtaining a remaining fuel value corresponding to the amount of fuel remaining in the vehicle wherein the updated mileage range value is based upon the remaining fuel value.