System and method for providing route guidance to a requesting vehicle

• US 8,321,125 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Tengler, Steven C., Johnson, Richard A., Watkins, Gary A., Tretyak, Laurence J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US12/490,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20100332113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 701/123, 701/408, 701/410, 701/412, 701414-415, 701/420, 701/421, 701/423, 701/428, 701/430, 701/431
• US Class Current: 701/410
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing a recommended route, based, in part, on fuel consumption, to a requesting vehicle using data collected from other vehicles. The system includes, but is not limited, to a communication system that is configured to receive vehicle data from a plurality of vehicles. A data storage system is in communication with the communication system and is configured to store the vehicle data as compiled vehicle data. A processor is in communication with the data storage system and the communication system. The processor is configured to utilize the compiled vehicle data to calculate a recommended route that is based, in part, on fuel consumption. The communication system is further configured to transmit the recommended route to the requesting vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for providing route guidance to a requesting vehicle, the system comprising:

a communication system configured to receive vehicle data from a plurality of vehicles;

a data storage system in communication with the communication system, the data storage system being configured to store the vehicle data as compiled vehicle data; and

a processor in communication with the data storage system and the communication system, the processor being configured to utilize the compiled vehicle data to calculate a recommended route that is based, in part, on fuel consumption,

wherein the communication system is further configured to transmit the recommended route to the requesting vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication system comprises a wireless communication system.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication system comprises a cellular telecommunication system.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication system is further configured to transmit the recommended route to the requesting vehicle in response to an interrogation signal transmitted by the requesting vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to utilize road data to minimize travel expense.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the recommended route comprises the greenest route.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the compiled vehicle data comprises geographic information and fuel consumption information and wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the recommended route by correlating the geographic information with the fuel consumption information.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the compiled vehicle data further comprises time of day information, date information and temperature information and wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the recommended route by correlating the geographic information and the fuel consumption information with the time of day information, the date information and the temperature information and wherein the recommended route comprises a travel route for the requesting vehicle that is optimized for fuel consumption at a time and at a date and at temperature conditions existing when the calculation is performed.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the recommended route utilizing a subset of the compiled vehicle data.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the recommended route using a subset of the compiled vehicle data comprising vehicle data derived from individual vehicles of the plurality of vehicles that have predetermined characteristics in common with the requesting vehicle.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the recommended route using a subset of the compiled vehicle data comprising vehicle data derived from individual vehicles of the plurality of vehicles that are substantially equivalent to the requesting vehicle.

12. A method for providing route guidance to a requesting vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving vehicle data from a plurality of vehicles;

storing the vehicle data as compiled vehicle data;

receiving an interrogation signal from the requesting vehicle;

utilizing the compiled vehicle data to calculate a recommended rate based, in part, on fuel consumption; and

transmitting the recommended route to the requesting vehicle.