Method and device for evaluating vehicle's fuel consumption efficiency

• US 8,682,572 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Greenroad Driving Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: Greenroad Driving Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Musicant, Oren, Raz, Ofer
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): RINK, RYAN J
• Application Number:
  US12/915,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20110166773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 701/123, 340/439
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/172 Driving mode indication
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/172 Driving mode indication
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/174 Economic driving
• 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: B60W 2540/00 Input parameters relating to occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

A method is provided for evaluating fuel consumption efficiency of a vehicle driven by a driver. The method comprises the steps of: a) collecting data associated with said driver'"'"'s driving performance from a plurality of sensors comprised in the vehicle; b) identifying a plurality of driving events based on the collected data; c) estimating the driver'"'"'s performance in at least one driving event from among the identified plurality of driving events, wherein that at least one event if poorly performed is associated with increased fuel consumption; and d) based on the estimated driver'"'"'s performance of the at least one driving event, evaluating a fuel consumption efficiency of the vehicle driven by that driver.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating fuel consumption efficiency of a vehicle driven by a driver, comprising:

a. collecting data associated with said driver'"'"'s driving performance from a plurality of sensors comprised in said vehicle;

b. identifying, by a processor, a plurality of driving events based on the data collected and determining weighted effects of the driving events, wherein the weightings are based upon a specific driver'"'"'s own performance, wherein each of the weighted effects is the impact of each of these events upon the vehicle'"'"'s fuel consumption when the vehicle is being driven by said driver;

c. estimating, by said processor, the driver'"'"'s performance in at least one driving event from among the identified plurality of driving events, wherein that at least one event when poorly performed is associated with increased fuel consumption, taking into account the weighted effects; and

d. based on the estimated driver'"'"'s performance of the at least one driving event, making an evaluation of a fuel consumption efficiency of the vehicle driven by said driver and providing said evaluation as a readable output to said driver.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

e. providing said driver with real-time information associated with the vehicle fuel consumption based on the driver'"'"'s performance.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of evaluating the fuel consumption efficiency of the vehicle driven by said driver, takes into consideration data associated with at least one of a location, time, traffic condition, and weather condition at which said at least one driving event took place.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one driving event is a member selected from a group consisting of:

braking, braking while reaching a turn, accelerating, turning, acceleration while reaching a turn, acceleration while driving in a turn, braking while driving in a turn, sudden braking in a turn, accelerating while exiting a turn, braking while exiting a turn, lane crossing, or any combination thereof.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of storing the evaluated fuel consumption efficiency of the vehicle driven by said driver, and providing said driver with data analysis and/or one or more recommendations regarding his driving performance based on said fuel consumption efficiency that had been stored.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying one of the driving events as carried out in a way that is wasteful fuel-wise, called a wasteful driving event, and if said wasteful driving event could not have been avoided, canceling said wasteful driving event in making said evaluation of the fuel consumption efficiency.

6. A device for evaluating fuel consumption efficiency of a vehicle driven by a driver and comprising:

a. a plurality of sensors comprised in said vehicle, adapted to collect data associated with said driver'"'"'s driving performance; and

b. a processor adapted to;

(i) identify a plurality of driving events based on the collected data and based on the collected data and determine weighted effects of the driving events, wherein the weightings are based upon a specific driver'"'"'s own performance, wherein each of the weighted effects is the impact of each of these events upon the vehicle'"'"'s fuel consumption when the vehicle is being driven by said driver;

(ii) estimate the driver'"'"'s performance in at least one driving event that when poorly performed is associated with increased fuel consumption, from among the plurality of identified driving events taking into account the weighted effects; and

(iii) evaluate the fuel consumption efficiency of the vehicle driven by said driver.

7. The device according to claim 6, further comprising a display means to enable providing the driver with real time feedback that relates to the vehicle fuel consumption based on the driver'"'"'s performance.

8. The device according to claim 6, further comprising storage means for storing the evaluated fuel consumption efficiency of the vehicle driven by said driver, and wherein said processor is further adapted to provide one or more recommendations regarding the driver'"'"'s driving performance based on said fuel consumption efficiency that had been stored.

12. The device according to claim 6, wherein said processor is adapted to identify one of the driving events as carried out in a way that is wasteful fuel-wise, called a wasteful driving event, and if said wasteful driving event could not have been avoided, said processor is adapted to cancel said wasteful driving event in evaluating the fuel consumption efficiency.

9. A computer program product encoding a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for executing a set of instructions by a computer system comprising one or more computer processors for carrying out a process for evaluating fuel consumption efficiency of a vehicle driven by a driver, and comprising the steps of:

collecting from a plurality of sensors comprised in the vehicle, data associated with the driver'"'"'s driving performance;

identifying a plurality of driving events based on the data collected and determining weighted effects of the driving events, wherein the weightings are based upon a specific driver'"'"'s own performance, wherein each of the weighted effects is the impact of each of these events upon the vehicle'"'"'s fuel consumption when the vehicle is being driven by said driver;

estimating the driver'"'"'s performance in at least one driving event from among the identified plurality of driving events, wherein that at least one event when poorly performed, is associated with increased fuel consumption, taking into account the weighted effect; and

based on the estimated driver'"'"'s performance of the at least one driving event, evaluating a fuel consumption efficiency of the vehicle driven by the driver.

10. The computer readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the set of instructions further comprises instructions to provide the driver with real-time information associated with the vehicle'"'"'s fuel consumption based on the driver'"'"'s performance.

13. The computer readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the set of instructions further comprises instructions to identify one of the driving events as carried out in a way that is wasteful fuel-wise, called a wasteful driving event, and if said wasteful driving event could not have been avoided, to cancel said wasteful driving event in evaluating the fuel consumption efficiency.