Fuel efficiency ranking method for vehicle driver and system therefor

• US 8,886,447 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2011
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Hyundai Motor Japan R&D Center Incorporated, Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Hyundai Motor Japan R&D Center Incorporated, Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Sawada, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, MAJDI A
• Application Number:
  US13/095,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20120143484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 701 312- 315, 701 54- 59, 701/123, 7311441-11454
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/645 Type of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/647 Surface situation of road, e.g. type of paving
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/667 Precipitation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

Disclosed is a technique for ranking a driver'"'"'s fuel efficiency among other drivers based on various variables associated with the environment in which the vehicle is being driven. More particularly, the present invention, selects, as a category, one or more factors affecting fuel efficiency, and, as one or more, variables another one or more. Vehicle data is then collected by a communications device which is associated with a particular trip. Next an average of the fuel efficiencies and an average of the variables for the trip are calculated accordingly the selected one more categories. The fuel efficiency of the trip corresponding to a same category for every coordinate point of the variable is then statistically processed to calculate the average of the fuel efficiency and the standard deviation of the fuel efficiency and regularized (processed as a GAP calculation) to determine the ranking of a vehicle driver.

Claims

1. A fuel efficiency ranking method for a vehicle driver, comprising:

selecting as a category one or more factors and selecting as a variable another one or more factors, among a plurality of factors affecting fuel efficiency;

collecting, by a communications device, a vehicle data including the variable and the fuel efficiency associated with a trip whenever a specific vehicle driver performs a trip;

calculating, by the communications device, an average of the fuel efficiency and an average of the variable to set the averages as a fuel efficiency and a variable of the trip upon completion of the trip;

classifying, by a first server, the fuel efficiency and variable of the trip into the category corresponding to the vehicle driver to store them;

statistically processing, by a second server, the fuel efficiency of the trip corresponding to the category corresponding to the vehicle driver for every coordinate point of the variable to calculate an average of the fuel efficiency and a standard deviation of the fuel efficiency;

regularizing, by the second server, the fuel efficiency of the trip based on the standard deviation of the fuel efficiency and the average of the fuel efficiency (hereinafter, the regularized fuel efficiency is referred to as GAP), wherein GAP=(corresponding fuel efficiencies−

average values of fuel efficiencies)/(standard deviation of fuel efficiencies);

ranking, by the second server, each vehicle driver in the order of a magnitude of an accumulated average of the GAP, based on the order in which the corresponding driver'"'"'s GAP value appears on a GAP list; and

transmitting, by the communications device, the resultant ranking evaluation to each vehicle driver via a communications network,

wherein the second server of data center stores a previous GAP value of a previous driver in the GAP list prepared for each trip, and calculates the accumulated average values of GAP for a predetermined term whenever the GAP value is obtained for each trip thereby renewing the GAP list, and

wherein the renewing is performed for other driver'"'"'s GAP values and a corresponding driver'"'"'s GAP value, and a latest GAP lists obtained is listed in the order of the GAP values.

2. The fuel efficiency ranking method according to claim 1, wherein ranking further comprises integrally ranking the accumulated average of the GAP of a vehicle driver corresponding to other categories in the order of the magnitude thereof, wherein the other categories are selected from a group consisting of a vehicle model, distinction between local road and highway, a region, and a time zone.

3. The fuel efficiency ranking method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more factors selected as a category are selected from a group consisting of a vehicle model, distinction between local road and highway, a region, and a time zone.

4. The fuel efficiency ranking method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more factors selected as a variable are selected from a group consisting of temperature, degree of congested traffic, number of crossroads and number of traffic lights.

5. A fuel efficiency ranking system for a vehicle driver that selects as a category one or more factors and, as a variable, one or more factors among a plurality of factors affecting fuel efficiency, the system comprising:

a dedicated short range communications device configured to collect vehicle data including the variable and the fuel efficiency during a trip whenever a specific vehicle driver performs a trip and configured to calculate an average value of the fuel efficiency and an average value of the variable when the trip is finished to thereby transmit the averages as a fuel efficiency and variable of the trip;

a data storing server of a data center configured to classify the fuel efficiency and variable of the trip into the category corresponding to the vehicle driver to store them; and

a collection server of a data center configured to determine the ranking of fuel efficiency based on the variable and fuel efficiency of the trip corresponding to a same category and transmit the result of the ranking to a terminal related to a vehicle driver

wherein the collection server of a data center statistically processes the fuel efficiency of the trip for every coordinate point of the variable to calculate an average of the fuel efficiency and a standard deviation of the fuel efficiency, and regularizes the fuel efficiency of the trip based on the standard deviation of the fuel efficiency and the average of the fuel efficiency (hereinafter, the regularized fuel efficiency is referred to as GAP), and determines the ranking of vehicle drivers in the order of a magnitude of the accumulated average of the GAP.

6. The fuel efficiency ranking system for a vehicle driver according to claim 5, wherein the collection server integrally determines the ranking of the accumulated average value of the GAP of a vehicle driver corresponding to other categories in the order of the magnitude thereof, wherein the other categories are selected from a group consisting of a vehicle model, distinction between local road and highway, a region, and a time zone.

7. The fuel efficiency ranking system for a vehicle driver according to claim 5, wherein the one or more factors selected as a category are selected from a group consisting of a vehicle model, distinction between local road and highway, a region, and a time zone.

8. The fuel efficiency ranking system for a vehicle driver according to claim 5, wherein the factors selected as a variable are selected from a group consisting of temperature, degree of congested traffic, the number of crossroads and the number of traffic lights.

9. A fuel efficiency ranking system comprising:

a communications device configured to collect vehicle data associated with a selected variable and a fuel efficiency during a trip, calculate an average value of the fuel efficiency and an average value of the variable when the trip is finished, and transmit the averages as a fuel efficiency and variable of the trip to a remote location;

a first server at the remote location configured to classify the fuel efficiency and variable of the trip into a user selected category corresponding to the vehicle driver; and

an second server at the remote location to determining the ranking of fuel efficiency based on the variable and fuel efficiency of the trip corresponding to a same category and transmit the result of the ranking to a terminal related to a vehicle driver to provide the driver with a fuel efficiency ranking which is based on the environment in which the vehicle is currently being driven,

wherein the second server statistically processes the fuel efficiency of the trip for every coordinate point of the variable to calculate an average of the fuel efficiency and a standard deviation of the fuel efficiency, and regularizes the fuel efficiency of the trip based on the standard deviation of the fuel efficiency and the average of the fuel efficiency (hereinafter, the regularized fuel efficiency is referred to as GAP), and determines the ranking of vehicle drivers in the order of a magnitude of the accumulated average of the GAP.

10. The fuel efficiency ranking system according to claim 9, wherein the second server integrally determines the ranking of the accumulated average value of the GAP of a vehicle driver corresponding to other categories in the order of the magnitude thereof, wherein the other categories are selected from a group consisting of a vehicle model, distinction between local road and highway, a region, and a time zone.

11. The fuel efficiency ranking system according to claim 9, wherein one or more factors are selected as the category from a group consisting of a vehicle model, distinction between local road and highway, a region, and a time zone.

12. The fuel efficiency ranking system according to claim 9, wherein one or more factors are selected as the selected variable from a group consisting of temperature, degree of congested traffic, the number of crossroads and the number of traffic lights.