Fuel optimization display
First Claim
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a) an electronic display;
b) a first indicator on the display showing a best accelerator pedal position corresponding to a particular transmission gear number of a moving vehicle, wherein the best accelerator pedal position corresponding to the particular transmission gear number is determined by optimizing a score that, for the transmission gear number, depends on a current fuel consumption score and a current drivability score, wherein (i) the current drivability score is estimated using a physical dynamics model of the vehicle and collected data that pertains to the vehicle, (ii) the current drivability score depends upon reserve acceleration, and (iii) reserve acceleration is potential current acceleration the vehicle would have if current throttle position of the vehicle were increased to full throttle; and
c) a second indicator on the display showing the current accelerator pedal position and current transmission gear, as obtained from the vehicle.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is an apparatus and method for guiding the driver of a vehicle in selecting an accelerator pedal position and transmission gear to improve a score. The score may be a weighted average of a fuel economy score and a drivability score. A curve showing the best score for each gear may be shown on a display as a function of accelerator pedal and transmission gear number, along with the current accelerator pedal and gear number of the vehicle. The driver may improve the score by changing to an accelerator pedal and/or gear selection that is closer to the curve. The curve may be calculated, using a model based on forces and torques upon the vehicle, from data acquired by monitoring the vehicle and/or from external sources.
22 Citations
33 Claims
-
1. An apparatus, comprising:
-
a) an electronic display; b) a first indicator on the display showing a best accelerator pedal position corresponding to a particular transmission gear number of a moving vehicle, wherein the best accelerator pedal position corresponding to the particular transmission gear number is determined by optimizing a score that, for the transmission gear number, depends on a current fuel consumption score and a current drivability score, wherein (i) the current drivability score is estimated using a physical dynamics model of the vehicle and collected data that pertains to the vehicle, (ii) the current drivability score depends upon reserve acceleration, and (iii) reserve acceleration is potential current acceleration the vehicle would have if current throttle position of the vehicle were increased to full throttle; and c) a second indicator on the display showing the current accelerator pedal position and current transmission gear, as obtained from the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A method, comprising:
-
a) obtaining current accelerator pedal position and current transmission gear number from a vehicle; b) calculating using electronic processing equipment and a physical dynamical model, which takes into account a time-dependent transfer of a propulsive quantity between two elements of a powertrain, a target accelerator pedal position and a target transmission gear number that optimize a score that depends on a current fuel consumption score and current drivability score, wherein (i) drivability depends upon reserve acceleration, and (ii) reserve acceleration is potential current acceleration the vehicle would have if the vehicle were currently given full throttle; and c) displaying the current accelerator pedal position, current transmission gear number, target accelerator pedal position, and target transmission number. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
-
-
19. An apparatus, comprising:
-
a) a sensor that includes a connector compatible with a matching connector in a vehicle and that, when so connected, monitors current accelerator pedal position and current gear number of the vehicle as the vehicle moves; b) a physical dynamics model, which takes into account time-dependent loss of a propulsive quantity between an engine of the vehicle and a transmission of the moving vehicle, and which relates torques or forces on the moving vehicle to current accelerator pedal position and current gear number; and c) electronic processing equipment that employs logic to estimate current fuel usage of the moving vehicle using the physical dynamics model. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
-
-
27. A method, comprising:
-
a) connecting a sensor to a communication system in a vehicle; b) monitoring by the sensor current accelerator pedal position and current gear number of the vehicle as the vehicle moves; and c) executing by processing hardware a model, which takes into account time-dependent loss of a propulsive quantity between an engine of the vehicle and a transmission of the moving vehicle, and which relates torques or forces on the moving vehicle to the current accelerator pedal position and the current gear number to estimate current drivability of the moving vehicle, wherein current drivability depends upon acceleration the moving vehicle would have if the moving vehicle were given full throttle. - View Dependent Claims (28)
-
-
29. A system, comprising:
-
a) a trip dynamics logger that, when installed in a moving vehicle (i) monitors driver controls of the vehicle and physical properties of its engine, driveline, rear axle, and tires, and (ii) saves information from the monitoring in tangible storage; and b) a trip dynamics kernel that optimizes a score that depends upon scores for current fuel efficiency and current drivability of the moving vehicle using the saved information and a physical dynamics model that takes into account a time-dependent transfer of a propulsive quantity between two elements of a powertrain, wherein the current drivability score depends upon reserve acceleration, wherein reserve acceleration is an acceleration the vehicle would have if the vehicle were given full throttle. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
-
-
33. An apparatus, comprising:
-
a) an electronic display; b) a first indicator on the display showing a best accelerator pedal position corresponding to a particular transmission gear number of a moving vehicle, wherein the best accelerator pedal position corresponding to the particular transmission gear number is determined by optimizing a score that, for the transmission gear number, depends on a current fuel consumption and a current reserve acceleration, wherein the current reserve acceleration is estimated using a physical dynamics model of the vehicle and collected data that pertains to the vehicle, and wherein the physical dynamics model takes into account time-dependent losses of a propulsive quantity between an engine of the vehicle and a transmission of the vehicle.
-
Specification