Driving evaluation apparatus, driving evaluation program, and driving evaluation method

• US 7,346,449 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2005
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Dalena
• Application Number:
  US11/154,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20050288850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 701/122, 701/123, 701/99, 180/65.4, 180/65.1, 180/65.3, 180/65.2, 180/65.8, 180/243, 318/55, 318/61, 318/64, 318/66, 318/90, 318/153, 318/565, 702/57, 702/60, 607/72, 607/73
• US Class Current: 701/123
• 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 2200/606 Driving style, e.g. sporty or economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/00 Electrical control of supply of combustible mixture or its constituents F02D43/00 takes precedence ; control of engine starters F02N11/08, electrical control of engine ignition timing F02P5/145

Abstract

There are provided a driving evaluation method for evaluating a fuel consumption rate of driving a vehicle in certain driving interval on the basis of driving data acquired at time of driving in the driving interval, including: calculating an energy consumption efficiency in the driving interval; calculating a driving environment variable indicative of an environment factor which exerts an influence on energy consumption by driving in the driving interval; selecting a probability density function or a cumulative distribution function corresponding to the calculated driving environment variable from a plurality of probability density functions or cumulative distribution functions having the energy consumption efficiency as a probability variable; and calculating an evaluation value for evaluating a fuel consumption rate of driving in the driving interval by using the selected probability density function or the selected cumulative distribution function and the calculated energy consumption efficiency.

Claims

1. A driving evaluation apparatus for evaluating a result of driving a vehicle in a certain driving interval on the basis of driving data acquired at a time of driving in the driving interval, comprising:

an energy consumption efficiency calculator calculating an energy consumption efficiency in the driving interval, by using the driving data;

a driving environment variable calculator calculating a driving environment variable indicative of an environment factor which exerts an influence on energy consumption by driving in the driving interval, on the basis of the driving data;

a function storing unit storing a plurality of probability density functions or cumulative distribution functions having the energy consumption efficiency as a probability variable;

a function selector selecting a probability density function or a cumulative distribution function corresponding to the calculated driving environment variable; and

an evaluation value calculator calculating an evaluation value for evaluating a result of driving in the driving interval by using the selected probability density function or the selected cumulative distribution function and the calculated energy consumption efficiency, wherein

the energy consumption efficiency calculator calculates an energy consumption amount in the driving interval, a travel distance in the driving interval, and a racing energy consumption amount as an energy amount consumed by racing in the driving interval and

calculates, as the energy consumption efficiency, a no-racing energy consumption rate which is an expected energy consumption rate in the case where no racing is performed, on the basis of a no-racing energy consumption amount as a difference between the energy consumption amount and the racing energy consumption amount and the travel distance.

2. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation value calculator calculates a reference energy consumption rate as an energy consumption rate corresponding to a reference probability indicative of a given target driving skill level, by using the probability density function or the cumulative distribution function selected by the function selector,

calculates a reference energy consumption amount as an energy amount consumed in the case where driving is performed at the reference energy consumption rate, and

calculates the evaluation value by adding the racing energy consumption amount to a difference between the no-racing energy consumption amount and the reference energy consumption amount.

3. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, the driving environment variable calculator comprising:

a vehicle altitude calculator calculating an interval start point altitude and an interval end point altitude as altitudes of the vehicle from a reference position at start and end points in the driving interval;

a vehicle weight calculator calculating an interval start point weight and an interval end point weight as a weight of the vehicle at the start and end points in the driving interval; and

a potential energy change calculator calculating, as the driving environment variable, a potential energy change amount from the start point to the end point by using the interval start point altitude, the interval end point altitude, the interval start point weight, and the interval end point weight.

4. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving environment variable calculator includes an average vehicle distance calculator calculating, as the driving environment variable, an average of vehicle distance between the vehicle and a forward vehicle.

5. A driving evaluation apparatus for evaluating a result of driving a vehicle in a certain driving interval on the basis of driving data acquired at a time of driving in the driving interval, comprising:

an energy consumption efficiency calculator calculating an energy consumption efficiency in the driving interval, by using the driving data;

a driving environment variable calculator calculating a driving environment variable indicative of an environment factor which exerts an influence on energy consumption by driving in the driving interval, on the basis of the driving data;

a function storing unit storing a plurality of probability density functions or cumulative distribution functions having the energy consumption efficiency as a probability variable;

a function selector selecting a probability density function or a cumulative distribution function corresponding to the calculated driving environment variable; and

an evaluation value calculator calculating an evaluation value for evaluating a result of driving in the driving interval by using the selected probability density function or the selected cumulative distribution function and the calculated energy consumption efficiency, wherein

the energy consumption efficiency calculator calculates an energy consumption amount in the driving interval, a travel distance in the driving interval, and an idling energy consumption amount as an energy amount consumed by idling for a predetermined time or longer in the driving interval, and

calculates, as the energy consumption efficiency, a no-idling energy consumption rate which is an expected energy consumption rate in the case where no idling is performed for the predetermined time or longer, on the basis of a no-idling energy consumption amount as a difference between the energy consumption amount and the idling energy consumption amount and the travel distance.

6. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the evaluation value calculator calculates a reference energy consumption rate as an energy consumption rate corresponding to a reference probability indicative of a given target driving skill level, by using the probability density function or the cumulative distribution function selected by the function selector,

calculates a reference energy consumption amount as an energy amount consumed in the case where driving is performed at the reference energy consumption rate, and

calculates the evaluation value by adding the idling energy consumption amount to a difference between the no-idling energy consumption amount and the reference energy consumption amount.

7. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 5, the driving environment variable calculator comprising:

a vehicle altitude calculator calculating an interval start point altitude and an interval end point altitude as altitudes of the vehicle from a reference position at start and end points in the driving interval;

a vehicle weight calculator calculating an interval start point weight and an interval end point weight as a weight of the vehicle at the start and end points in the driving internal; and

a potential energy change calculator calculating, as the driving environment variable, a potential energy change amount from the start point to the end point by using the interval start point altitude, the interval end point altitude, the interval start point weight, and the interval end point weight.

8. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the driving environment variable calculator includes an average vehicle distance calculator calculating, as the driving environment variable, an average of vehicle distance between the vehicle and a forward vehicle.