Fuel efficiency information management server, fuel efficiency information management system, and fuel efficiency information management method

• US 8,831,865 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2010
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sengoku, Koji, Ishido, Yuichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ROBERT T
• Application Number:
  US13/500,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: 701/123, 701/1, 701/70, 701/99, 701/101
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

Provided are a server, a system and a method by which a utility value of information relating to fuel efficiency of a vehicle can be improved. A fuel efficiency information management server (100) functions so that a driver of each vehicle or a third party is informed of a ranking corresponding to the fuel efficiency level of each vehicle, together with a travel state factor of each vehicle when the fuel efficiency is achieved, through a system of eco-information.

Claims

1. A fuel efficiency information management method comprising steps of:

determining, by a processor, a fuel efficiency and a travel state factor serving as a variation factor of the fuel efficiency in a predefined period for each of a plurality of vehicles, the variation factor including at least a vehicular model, a manipulated amount of an accelerator, a manipulated amount of a brake pedal, a frequency of idling, number of boarding passengers, and an active amount of time of an air conditioner;

storing a map information of a road which includes slop angle or type of up or down, or a road traffic information of a road which includes traffic flow or frequency of occurrence of traffic jams;

calculating the fuel efficiency when a value or content of a specified travel state factor, which is defined through operations on a predefined terminal device by a user, in a plurality of actual travel state factors is altered to a different value or content;

determining, by a processor, a frequency of ups and downs or an average slope angle of a road traveled by the vehicle on the basis of a temporal position of the vehicle with reference to the map information stored in the data base;

correcting the fuel efficiency to be higher than an actual value as the frequency of the ups and downs becomes higher or the average slope becomes greater;

transmitting an eco-information containing the specified travel state factor and a ranking corresponding to a corrected fuel efficiency to the predefined terminal device; and

displaying the eco-information of each vehicle containing a ranking corresponding to a level of the fuel efficiency and the travel state factor via the predefined terminal device.

2. A fuel efficiency information management method comprising steps of:

determining, by a processor, a fuel efficiency and a travel state factor serving as a variation factor of the fuel efficiency in a predefined period for each of a plurality of vehicles;

storing a map information of a road which includes slope angle or type of up or down, or a road traffic information of a road which includes traffic flow or frequency of occurrence of traffic jams;

determining, by a processor, traffic flow or frequency of occurrence of traffic jams of a road traveled by the vehicle in a travel period of the vehicle on the basis of a temporal position of the vehicle with reference to the road traffic information stored in the data base;

correcting the fuel efficiency to be higher than an actual value as the traffic flow becomes heavier or the frequency of occurrence of traffic jams become greater;

transmitting an eco-information containing the specified travel state factor and a ranking corresponding to a corrected fuel efficiency to a predefined terminal device; and

displaying the eco-information of each vehicle containing a ranking corresponding to a level of the fuel efficiency and the travel state factor via the predefined terminal device.

3. A fuel efficiency information management server comprising:

a first support calculation processing element configured to determine a fuel efficiency and a travel state factor serving as a variation factor of the fuel efficiency in a predefined period for each of a plurality of vehicles, the variation factor including at least a vehicular model, a manipulated amount of an accelerator, a manipulated amount of a brake pedal, a frequency of idling, number of boarding passengers and an active amount of time of an air conditioner; and

a second support calculation processing element configured to transmit an eco-information of each vehicle containing a ranking corresponding to a level of efficiency and the travel state factor recognized by the first support calculation processing element to a predefined terminal device; and

a data base configured to store a map information of a road which includes slope angle or type of up and down, or a road traffic information of a road which includes traffic flow or frequency of occurrence of traffic jams;

wherein;

the first support calculation processing element is configured to;

calculate the fuel efficiency when a value or content of a specified travel state factor, which is defined through operations on the predefined terminal device by a user, in a plurality of actual travel state factors is altered to a different value or content,

determine a frequency of ups and downs or an average slope of a road traveled by the vehicle on the basis of a temporal position of the vehicle with reference to the map information stored in the data base, and

correct the fuel efficiency to be higher than an actual value as the frequency of the ups and downs becomes higher or the average slope angle becomes greater, or

the first support calculation processing element is configured to;

determine traffic flow or frequency of occurrence of traffic jams of a road traveled by the vehicle in a travel period of the vehicle on the basis of a temporal position of the vehicle with reference to the road traffic information in the data base, and

correct the fuel efficiency to be higher than an actual value as the traffic flow becomes heavier or the frequency of occurrence of traffic jams becomes greater; and

the second support calculation processing element is figured to;

transmit the eco-information containing the specified travel state factor and a ranking corresponding to a corrected fuel efficiency to the predefined terminal device.

4. A fuel efficiency information management system comprising a fuel efficiency management device mounted in a vehicle and a fuel efficiency information management server,

wherein the fuel efficiency information management server is provided with

a first support calculation processing element configured to determine a fuel efficiency and a travel state factor serving as a variation factor of the fuel efficiency in a predefined period for each of a plurality of vehicles, the variation factor including at least a vehicular model, a manipulated amount of an accelerator, a manipulated amount of a brake pedal, a frequency of idling, number of boarding passengers and an active amount of time of an air conditioner;

and

a second support calculation processing element configured to transmit an eco-information of each vehicle containing a ranking corresponding to a level of efficiency and the travel state factor recognized by the first support calculation processing element to a predefined terminal device,

a data base configured to store a map information of a road which includes slope angle or type of up and down, or a road traffic information of a road which includes traffic flow or frequency of occurrence of traffic jams;

wherein;

the first support calculation processing element is configured to;

calculate the fuel efficiency when a value or content of a specified travel state factor, which is defined through operations on the predefined terminal device by a user, in a plurality of actual travel state factors is altered to a different value or content,

determine a frequency of ups and downs or an average slope of a road traveled by the vehicle on the basis of a temporal position of the vehicle with reference to the map information stored in the data base, and

correct the fuel efficiency to be higher than an actual value as the frequency of the ups and downs becomes higher or the average slope angle becomes greater, or

the first support calculation processing element is configured to;

determine traffic flow or frequency of occurrence of traffic jams of a road traveled by the vehicle in a travel period of the vehicle on the basis of a temporal position of the vehicle with reference to the road traffic information in the data base, and

correct the fuel efficiency to be higher than an actual value as the traffic flow becomes heavier or the frequency of occurrence of traffic jams becomes greater; and

the second support calculation processing element is figured to;

transmit the eco-information containing the specified travel state factor and a ranking corresponding to a corrected fuel efficiency to the predefined terminal device,

wherein the fuel efficiency information management device is configured to measure the fuel efficiency and the travel state factor serving as the variation factor of the fuel efficiency for the vehicle in the predefined period and transmit the measurement result to the fuel efficiency information management server.