Fuel-saving management system

• US 8,478,481 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2004
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HINO Motors Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HINO Motors Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Igarashi, Hajime, Shimizu, Kenji, Tajika, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOYER, DALE S
• Application Number:
  US10/595,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20070213920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,149 Days
• Field of Search: 701/114, 701/33.4, 701/33.6, 701/33.7, 701/33.9, 701/70, 701/99, 701/123
• US Class Current: 701/33.6
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers

Abstract

A fuel-saving management system allowing fuel-saving management and associated driver assistance. The system includes, mounted on a vehicle, information detectors detecting various information on the driving state of the vehicle, an information processor, in addition to processing the information detected by the information detectors, generating a warning when processed information satisfies required warning conditions, and an information storage device storing the processed information. In this system, when either a time during which the processed information is maintained to satisfy the required warning conditions, or an elapsed time of the processed information exceeds a previously set time, the information processor stores the occurrence of this overtime event into the information storage device. A setter allowing modification of the required warning conditions, and a printer outputting the information relating to the processed information are also mounted.

Claims

1. A fuel-saving management system comprising, on a motor vehicle:

information detectors for detecting, respectively, vehicle speed, engine speed, and a fuel flow rate as information on a running state of the vehicle;

an information-processing device for processing the information detected by the information detectors, the information-processing device also generating a warning to a driver when the vehicle speed, the engine speed and the fuel flow rate satisfy required warning conditions; and

an information storage device storing occurrence values;

wherein the required warning conditions are satisfied by

the detected engine speed exceeding a previously-set engine speed warning value,

the detected vehicle speed not exceeding a previously set vehicle speed value, and

the detected fuel flow rate exceeding a previously set fuel flow rate value;

wherein the information-processing device stores an occurrence value into the information storage device only if the required warning conditions are satisfied for a duration that exceeds a previously set duration value.

2. A fuel-saving management system comprising, on a motor vehicle:

information detectors for detecting, respectively, vehicle speed and an accelerator angle;

an information-processing device for processing the information detected by the information detectors, the information-processing device also generating a warning to a driver when the vehicle speed and the accelerator angle satisfy required warning conditions; and

an information storage device storing occurrence values;

wherein the required warning conditions are satisfied by

the vehicle speed exceeding a previously set vehicle speed warning value and a previously set vehicle speed value, and

the accelerator angle exceeding a previously set accelerator angle value;

wherein the information-processing device stores an occurrence value into the information storage device only if the required warning conditions are satisfied for a duration that exceeds a previously set duration value.