System for assisting fuel-efficient driving

• US 8,224,561 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2008
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2007
• 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: Kim, Dong Sun, Shin, Dong Jin, Kim, Sung Yun, Kim, Kyu Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US12/328,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20090281715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 701/123, 701/29, 701/51, 701/54, 701/70, 701/79, 701/439, 701/104, 731/13, 731/14, 7311452-11454, 731/144.2, 731/144.3, 731/144.7, 731/144.8, 732/90, 477/37, 477/35, 477/151, 477/168, 340/439, 340/450.2
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/004 Indicating the operating range of the engine economical driving B60R16/0236, F02B77/084; measuring liquid fuel of an engine G01F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a system for assisting fuel-efficient driving, which can advise a driver to perform fuel-efficient driving by displaying a current fuel economy corresponding to a current driving state on a graph such that a driver can compare the current driving state with a target driving state for achieving an optimum fuel economy of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for assisting fuel-efficient driving, comprising:

a collection unit for collecting driving state information of a vehicle;

a storage unit for storing a fuel consumption map over a variety of driving conditions, wherein the fuel consumption map classifies the driving conditions into several regions which represent various levels of fuel consumption efficiency; and

a calculation unit for calculating a current fuel consumption level and a target driving condition for achieving an optimal fuel consumption level of the vehicle, based on the information from the collection unit 10 and the fuel consumption map; and

a display control unit for graphically displaying the current fuel consumption level and the optimal fuel consumption level on a display such that a driver can compare the current fuel consumption level with the optimal fuel consumption level so as to pursue the target driving condition, wherein the several regions which represent various levels of fuel consumption efficiency are displayed on the display unit, each region variably increasing or decreasing width on a bar graph on the display depending on the current driving state of the vehicle.

2. The system for assisting fuel-efficient driving as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the regions comprise a low fuel consumption range, a moderate fuel consumption range and a high fuel consumption range;

the fuel consumption ranges are visualized as the bar graph on the display such that fuel consumption levels in the fuel consumption ranges can be compared with each other; and

the current fuel consumption level is displayed on the bar graph as a pointer and the pointer moves in accordance with changes of the current fuel consumption level responding to acceleration changes of the vehicle.

3. The system for assisting fuel-efficient driving as set forth in claim 2, wherein the display control unit further displays a current fuel consumption range where the current fuel consumption level is among the fuel consumption ranges.

4. The system for assisting fuel-efficient driving as set forth in claim 2, wherein the calculation unit periodically stores a current fuel consumption range where the current fuel consumption level is among the fuel consumption ranges while the driver drives the vehicle and makes a statistical data for the stored current fuel consumption ranges, and wherein the display control unit is operable to display this statistical data on the display upon demand from the driver.

5. The system for assisting fuel-efficient driving as set forth in claim 2, wherein the calculation unit periodically stores a current vehicle speed while the driver drives the vehicle and makes a statistical data for stored current vehicle speeds, and wherein the display control unit is operable to display this statistical data on the display upon demand from the driver.

6. The system for assisting fuel-efficient driving as set forth in claim 1, wherein the display control unit further displays whether or not fuel is cut.

7. The system for assisting fuel-efficient driving as set forth in claim 1, wherein the driving state information collected by the collection unit 10 comprises at least one of a vehicle speed, a brake pedal position value, a TPS value, a transmission gear position, a engine RPM, and whether or not fuel is cut.