Coasting phase indication

• US 8,680,979 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2010
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Hoffmeister, Jan-Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Son M
• Application Number:
  US12/858,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20110043346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,315 Days
• Field of Search: 340435-436, 340/479, 340/901, 340903-904, 340438-439, 340/441, 340/456, 701/41, 701/45, 701/301, 701/302
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2030/1809 Without torque flow between driveshaft and engine, e.g. with clutch disengaged or transmission in neutral
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/60 Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

In a method for outputting information to the driver of a vehicle, the degree of deviation of a current operating point or value of an operating parameter of a drive unit and/or of a drive train of the vehicle from a predetermined range and/or a preferred range for entry to a coasting phase is indicated to the driver.

Claims

1. A method for outputting information to a driver of a vehicle, the method comprising:

defining a predetermined range of a value of an operating parameter of a drive unit or drive train of a vehicle for an entry point to a coasting phase, in which no drive unit is introducing torque into the drive train, wherein the operating parameter is a torque output by the drive unit; and

indicating to the driver a degree of deviation of a current value of the operating parameter of the drive unit or drive train from the predetermined range.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined range is specified on a basis of at least one particular criterion.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the particular criterion relates to an optimization of energy efficiency of the drive unit.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the drive unit comprises an internal combustion engine, and the particular criterion relates to at least one of a minimization of pollutant emissions and an optimization of fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine.

5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprising visually representing information on the degree of deviation by means of an indicator.

6. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises representing the degree of deviation to the driver in a color-coded form.

7. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises projecting information on the degree of deviation onto a windshield of a vehicle by means of an optical element of a head-up display.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined range is represented in an indication area of an indicator, and a field in a bar graph is filled in accordance with a current value of the operating parameter.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information on the degree of deviation is rendered as at least one of spoken and written text.

10. A device for outputting information to a driver of a vehicle, the device comprising:

an apparatus for indicating to the driver a degree of deviation of a current operating parameter of a drive unit which drives the vehicle from a predetermined range for entry to a coasting phase, in which no drive unit is introducing torque into a drive train, wherein the operating parameter is a torque output by the drive unit.

11. The device, according to claim 10, wherein said apparatus has an indicator, by means of which information on the degree of deviation can be represented visually.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein said apparatus is configured to represent the degree of deviation to the driver in a color-coded form.

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein said indicator is a component of an instrument cluster.

14. The device according to claim 10, wherein said apparatus renders the information on the degree of deviation as at least one of spoken and written text.