Conservational vehicle routing

• US 8,185,302 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Schunder, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q
• Application Number:
  US12/868,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20110166774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/123, 701/210, 701/209, 701/202
• US Class Current: 701/408
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects

Abstract

A route-determination method includes gathering road-related data in a vehicle navigation system (VNS) for a plurality of routes between two locations. This may include weighting two or more of the possible routes in the VNS based at least on the road-related data. Also, this may include adjusting the weighting in the VNS for each weighted route based on projected fuel consumption and determining an optimal fuel usage route in the VNS based on the adjusted weighting. Further, this may include outputting at least one optimal fuel usage route.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

gathering data in a vehicle navigation system (VNS) for a plurality of routes between two locations;

weighting two or more possible routes in the VNS based at least on the data;

adjusting the weighting in the VNS for each weighted route based on projected fuel consumption;

determining an optimal fuel usage route in the VNS based on the adjusted weighting;

correlating one or more elements of the data to one or more energy generating systems associated with a vehicle, wherein the weighting is based at least in part on an indication, based on the data, that favorable conditions for energy generation occur over a portion or all of the possible route; and

outputting at least one optimal fuel usage route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy generating systems include at least a regenerative braking system or a solar power generator.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one element of the data includes elevation data and the elevation data is correlated with the regenerative braking system.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one element of the data includes stop sign data and the stop sign data is correlated with the regenerative braking system.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one element of the data includes traffic light data and the traffic light data is correlated with the regenerative braking system.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one element of the data includes traffic data and the traffic data is correlated with the regenerative braking system.

7. A computing system for a vehicle comprising:

a processor in communication with at least one memory location, the memory location having instructions that configure the processor to;

gather data in a vehicle navigation system (VNS) for a plurality of routes between two locations;

weight two or more possible routes in the VNS based at least on the data;

adjust the weighting in the VNS for each weighted route based on projected fuel consumption;

determine an optimal fuel usage route in the VNS based on the adjusted weighting;

correlate one or more elements of the data to one or more energy generating systems associated with a vehicle, wherein the weighting is based at least in part on an indication, based on the data, that favorable conditions for energy generation occur over a portion or all of the possible route; and

output at least one optimal fuel usage route.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the energy generating systems include at least a regenerative braking system or a solar power generator.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one element of the data includes elevation data and the elevation data is correlated with the regenerative braking system.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one element of the data includes stop sign data and the stop sign data is correlated with the regenerative braking system.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one element of the data includes traffic light data and the traffic light data is correlated with the regenerative braking system.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one element of the data includes traffic data and the traffic data is correlated with the regenerative braking system.