Apparatus for informing economical speed of vehicle and method thereof

• US 8,306,725 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2009
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Son, Myunghee, Jeon, Haesook
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Luke
• Application Number:
  US12/629,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20100145600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 701/123, 701/117, 123/468, 123/399, 123/486, 123/396, 123/361, 477/32, 477/43, 340/989, 340/933, 340/911
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

Provided is directed to reduce unnecessary fuel consumption due to unnecessary rapid acceleration when a vehicle drives between intersections, and it is an object to allow for economical driving by reducing the fuel cost, and minimize environmental pollution by minimizing the exhaust gas of vehicle, by providing an economical speed for drivers such that vehicles that have passed through an intersection in accordance with the present traffic light economically drives to the next intersection.

Claims

1. An apparatus for informing an economical speed of a vehicle, comprising:

a passing time measuring unit that measures an intersection-passing time of a vehicle;

a passing velocity measuring unit that measures the passing velocity of the vehicle passing an intersection;

a distance calculating unit that calculates the distance to the next intersection in the course of the vehicle to a destination;

a traffic signal device condition information acquiring unit that acquires condition information of a traffic signal device at the next intersection at the intersection-passing time;

a vehicle condition information acquiring unit that acquires an information on the amount of fuel consumption to the power of the vehicle;

a calculating unit that calculates a driving velocity for reduction of fuel consumption, using the distance to the next intersection, condition information of the traffic signal device, information on the amount of fuel consumption to the power of the vehicle, and the passing velocity; and

an output unit that outputs the driving velocity.

2. The apparatus for informing an economical speed of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the calculating unit calculates an allowed passing velocity at which the vehicle can pass the next intersection without waiting for a light, using the condition information of the traffic signal device and the distance to the next intersection, and then calculates the driving velocity.

3. The apparatus for informing an economical speed of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the condition information of the next traffic signal device includes a lighting period information of the next traffic signal device.

4. The apparatus for informing an economical speed of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the signal device condition information acquiring unit acquires the condition information of the next traffic signal device, using a traffic signal information transmitted from a traffic information management server.

5. The apparatus for informing an economical speed of a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determining unit that determines whether the vehicle can pass the next intersection without waiting for the light while driving at the driving velocity.

6. The apparatus for informing an economical speed of a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein when the vehicle cannot pass the next intersection without waiting for the light, the determining unit determines whether to operate an idle stop control function for the vehicle, and when the idle stop control function is not operated in the vehicle, the determining unit calculates and compares the amount of fuel that the vehicle consumes for acceleration in order to pass the next intersection without waiting for the light and the amount of fuel that the vehicle consumes for waiting for the light at the next intersection after driving at the driving velocity.

7. The apparatus for informing an economical speed of a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the determining unit makes the allowed passing velocity to be outputted from the output unit, when the amount of fuel that the vehicle consumes to accelerate is smaller than the amount of fuel that the vehicle consumes to wait for the light.

8. A method of informing an economical speed of a vehicle, comprising:

measuring a time when a vehicle passes an intersection and a passing velocity of the vehicle;

calculating a distance to a next intersection in the driving course to a destination of the vehicle;

acquiring a condition information of a traffic signal device at the next intersection at the intersection-passing time, by receiving a traffic signal information transmitted from a traffic information management server or the traffic signal device at the next intersection;

calculating an allowed passing velocity at which the vehicle can pass the next intersection without waiting for a light, using the condition information of the traffic signal device and the distance to the next intersection; and

calculating a driving velocity for reduction of fuel consumption by receiving information on the amount of fuel consumption to the power of the vehicle and using the information on the amount of fuel consumption to the output, the passing velocity, and the allowed passing velocity, and then outputting the driving velocity.

9. The method of informing an economical speed of a vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the condition information of the traffic signal device includes the lighting period information of the next traffic signal device.

10. The method of informing an economical speed of a vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining that the vehicle can pass the next intersection without waiting for the light while driving at the driving velocity; and

determining whether an idle stop control function is operated in the vehicle, when the vehicle cannot pass the next intersection without waiting for the light.

11. The method of informing an economical speed of a vehicle according to claim 10, when the idle stop control function is not operated in the vehicle, further comprising:

calculating an amount of fuel that the vehicle consumes to accelerate to pass the next intersection without waiting for the light;

calculating an amount of fuel that the vehicle consumes to wait for the light at the next intersection after driving at the driving velocity; and

comparing the amount of fuel that the vehicle consumes to accelerate with the amount of fuel that the vehicle consumes to wait for the light.

12. The method of informing an economical speed of a vehicle according to claim 10, further comprising:

outputting the driving velocity when the idle stop control function is operated in the vehicle.

13. The method of informing an economical speed of a vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising:

outputting the allowed passing velocity when the amount of fuel that the vehicle consumes to accelerate is smaller than the amount of fuel that the vehicle consumes to wait for the light.

14. The method of informing an economical speed of a vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising:

outputting the driving velocity when the amount of fuel that the vehicle consumes to accelerate is larger than the amount of fuel that the vehicle consumes to wait for the light.