Eco-drive support device and method

• US 8,224,560 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Motonaga, Yutaka, Saito, Kan
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWDER, LINDSAY
• Application Number:
  US12/292,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20090143934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/123, 731/145.2, 731/145.3, 340/439
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

An eco-drive support device that notifies a driver of the eco-friendliness of a vehicle driving operation being performed by the driver includes: an operating unit that calculates eco-drive support information that indicates the eco-friendliness of the vehicle driving operation being performed by the driver; and a notification control unit that controls a notifying unit to notify the driver of the eco-drive support information, if there is a request from an input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information. In this device, the notification control unit controls the notifying unit to notify the driver of the eco-drive support information though there is not a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information, if a predetermined condition for providing the eco-drive support information is satisfied.

Claims

1. An eco-drive support device that notifies a driver of eco-friendliness of a vehicle driving operation being performed by the driver, the eco-drive support device comprising:

an operating unit that calculates eco-drive support information, wherein the eco-drive support information indicates the eco-friendliness of the vehicle driving operation being performed by the driver;

a notification control unit that controls a notifying unit to notify the driver of the eco-drive support information, when there is a request from an input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information, the input unit being handled by the driver; and

a notification terminating unit that is operable by the driver in order to terminate notification of the eco-drive support information when the eco-drive support information is notified though there is not the request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information, the notification terminating unit being different from the input unit;

wherein the notification control unit controls the notifying unit to notify the driver of the eco-drive support information and a reason that the eco-drive support information providing condition is satisfied though there is not a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information, when a predetermined eco-drive support information providing condition is satisfied,

and wherein after the notification terminating unit is operated and notification of the eco-drive support information is terminated, the notification control unit controls the notifying unit to notify the driver of the eco-drive support information only when there is the request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information, and does not use the same eco-drive support information providing condition as used before the notification terminating unit was operated.

2. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, under the eco-drive support information providing condition, the driver is notified of the eco-drive support information when a road on which the vehicle is traveling is suitable for a fuel-saving driving operation.

3. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the road is an expressway.

4. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the notification control unit controls the notifying unit to notify the driver of the eco-drive support information, when the eco-drive support information providing condition is satisfied and an operation result of the operating unit shows that the eco-drive support information indicates high eco-friendliness, even though there is not a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information.

5. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, under the eco-drive support information providing condition, the driver is notified of the eco-drive support information when an amount of change in the vehicle driving operation stays within a predetermined range over a predetermined period of time.

6. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, under the eco-drive support information providing condition, the driver is notified of the eco-drive support information when a remaining energy amount in the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

7. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the remaining energy amount in the vehicle is a remaining battery level in the vehicle.

8. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the remaining energy amount in the vehicle is a remaining fuel level in the vehicle.

9. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, under the eco-drive support information providing condition, the driver is notified of the eco-drive support information when there is a request from outside the vehicle for a provision of the eco-drive support information to the driver.

10. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, under the eco-drive support information providing condition, the driver is notified of the eco-drive support information when a period in which there is not a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information is equal to or longer than a predetermined period.

11. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the notifying unit includes a display and a speaker,

the notification control unit controls the display to change a content of the display from a predetermined information that is different from the eco-drive support information into the eco-drive support information when the eco-drive support information is notified,

the notification control unit controls the display to change the content of the display from the eco-drive support information into the predetermined information when notification of the eco-drive support information is terminated,

the notification control unit controls the display to display both the eco-drive support information and the reason that the eco-drive support information providing condition is satisfied, and controls the speaker to notify the driver with a voice message that the eco-drive support information providing condition is satisfied, when the eco-drive support information is notified though there is not the request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information, and

the notification control unit controls the speaker to notify the driver with the voice message that notification of the eco-drive support information is terminated when notification of the eco-drive support information is terminated.

12. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, after the notifying unit notifies the driver of the eco-drive support information, the notification control unit controls the notifying unit to end the notification of the eco-drive support information, when the eco-drive support information providing condition is not satisfied though there is a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information.

13. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, after the notifying unit notifies the driver of the eco-drive support information, the notification control unit controls the notifying unit to end the notification of the eco-drive support information, when a safety problem is raised by notifying the driver of the eco-drive support information though there is a request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information.

14. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the notification control unit further controls the notifying unit to notify the driver that the notification of the eco-drive support information has been ended, when controlling the notifying unit to end the notification of the eco-drive support information after the notifying unit notifies the driver of the eco-drive support information.

15. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the notification control unit further controls the notifying unit to notify the driver of a reason that the notification of the eco-drive support information has been ended, when controlling the notifying unit to end the notification of the eco-drive support information after the notifying unit notifies the driver of the eco-drive support information.

17. The eco-drive support device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the operating unit transmits the eco-drive support information, which is a result of the calculation of the operating unit, to the notification control unit at regular intervals, and

the eco-drive support information providing condition being satisfied is not a case where each of the regular intervals has passed.

16. An eco-drive support method for notifying a driver of eco-friendliness of a vehicle driving operation being performed by the driver, the eco-drive support method comprising:

calculating eco-drive support information that indicates the eco-friendliness of the vehicle driving operation being performed by the driver; and

notifying the driver of the eco-drive support information, when there is a request from an input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information, the input unit being handled by the driver,

wherein the driver is notified of the eco-drive support information and a reason that the eco-drive support information providing condition is satisfied, when a predetermined eco-drive support information providing condition is satisfied, though there is not a request form the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information,

wherein a notification terminating unit is provided, the notification terminating unit being operable by the driver in order to terminate notification of the eco-drive support information when the eco-drive support information is notified though there is not the request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information, the notification terminating unit being different from the input unit, and

wherein after the notification terminating unit is operated and notification of the eco-drive support information is terminated, the driver of the eco-drive support information is notified only when there is a subsequent request from the input unit for notification of the eco-drive support information, and the eco-drive support information providing condition is different from the eco-drive support information providing condition as used to provide the eco-drive support information before the notification terminating unit was operated.