System for providing fuel-efficient driving information for vehicles

• US 8,055,439 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Jeong, Jae Hoon, Shin, Dong Jin, Ji, Sang Woo
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby; Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US12/276,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20090157290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/213, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

A system for providing fuel-efficient driving information for a vehicle includes a fuel-efficient driving area calculation unit and a display unit. The fuel-efficient driving area calculation unit calculates a variable fuel-efficient driving area, which is divided into economical, semi-economical, and uneconomical regions, depending on the increase or decrease of the speed of the vehicle, calculates a current fuel efficiency of the vehicle, receives information about the type and condition of a road from a GPS, and adjusts the regions in the fuel-efficient driving area to prompt the driver to increase or decrease the vehicle speed in advance. The display unit displays the fuel-efficient driving area using information calculated by the fuel-efficient driving area calculation unit, and indicates the current fuel efficiency using the regions.

Claims

1. A system for providing fuel-efficient driving information for a vehicle, the system comprising:

a fuel-efficient driving area calculation unit for calculating a variable fuel-efficient driving area, which is divided into economical, semi-economical, and uneconomical regions, depending on an increase or decrease of speed of the vehicle, calculating a current fuel efficiency of the vehicle, receiving information about the type and condition of a road from a Global Positioning System (GPS), and adjusting the regions in the fuel-efficient driving area to prompt the driver to increase or decrease the vehicle speed in advance; and

a display unit for displaying the fuel-efficient driving area using information calculated by the fuel-efficient driving area calculation unit, and indicating the current fuel efficiency with the regions.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein, on an inclined road, the fuel-efficient driving area calculation unit adjusts the economical region towards a direction of an increase of speed at a predetermined location or time point before the vehicle enters an uphill road and adjusts the economical region towards a direction of a decrease of speed from a predetermined location or time point at which the vehicle enters a downhill road.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein, on a curved road, the fuel-efficient driving area calculation unit adjusts the economical region towards a direction of a decrease of speed at a predetermined location or time point before the vehicle enters the curved road.

4. The system as set forth in claim 3, wherein the range of the economical region is reduced and the range of the semi-economical region is extended.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a three-axis gyro sensor so that the fuel-efficient driving area calculation unit more accurately detects inclined roads.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the display unit classifies accumulated fuel efficiency information according to fuel-efficient driving area, and displays statistical data based on the accumulated fuel efficiency information.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the display unit classifies the accumulated speed information at regular intervals according to speed, and displays statistical data based on the accumulated speed information.