Device and process for vehicle driving evaluation

• US 9,043,125 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2011
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dufournier Technologies
• Original Assignee: Dufournier Technologies
• Inventors: Dufournier, Arnaud
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malhotra, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US13/212,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20130046458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 701/33, 701/38, 701/85, 700/295, 705/30, 734/321, 180/282, 250/372, 382/281
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

Device (10) for vehicle driving evaluation comprising:

• • A means (11) to obtain at least one physical parameter whereby it possible at any time to determine the value of the speed and instantaneous acceleration of a traveling vehicle;
  • A calculation and comparison unit (12) whereby it is possible, from said physical parameter, to calculate an effective parameter that depends on said instantaneous acceleration and to compare said effective parameter with a reference parameter;
  • A driving evaluation unit (13), whereby it is possible to generate a vehicle driving energy score by measuring the variance between said effective parameter and said reference parameter.

Corresponding vehicle driving evaluation process.

Claims

1. A device to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven, comprising:

an obtaining unit configured to obtain at least one physical parameter and to determine, at any given time, a value of a speed and a value of an instantaneous acceleration of a traveling vehicle;

a calculation and comparison unit configured to calculate, from the at least one physical parameter, an effective parameter that depends on the instantaneous acceleration and to compare the effective parameter with a reference parameter;

a driving evaluation unit configured to generate a driving energy score, by measuring a variance between the effective parameter and the reference parameter, wherein the driving energy score for the vehicle is solely or mostly related to how the vehicle is being driven, and is not solely or mainly related to fuel consumption linked to a vehicle engineering feature, and wherein generating the driving energy score includes removing the effects specific to the vehicle and those of the outside ambient conditions; and

a display unit configured to display the driving energy score.

2. The device to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 1, further comprising a geopositioning device.

3. The device to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 2, further comprising a speed and acceleration calculation unit configured to calculate a speed and an acceleration of the vehicle, wherein the speed and the acceleration of the vehicle can be determined from data on a geographical location of the vehicle provided by the geopositioning device, and wherein the speed and acceleration calculation unit is connected to the geopositioning device.

4. The device to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 2, wherein the display unit displays a graphical display related to the driving energy score.

5. The device to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 1, wherein the driving energy score is not solely or mainly related to a physical characteristic of a route traveled.

6. The device to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 1, wherein the driving energy score is not solely or mainly related to an environmental traveling condition.

7. The device to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 1, wherein the driving energy score is not solely or mainly related to a vehicle specification.

8. A process to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven, comprising the following steps:

obtaining, by an obtaining unit configured to obtain, at least one physical parameter, wherein it is possible, at any given time, to determine a value of a speed and a value of an instantaneous acceleration of a traveling vehicle;

calculating, by a calculation and comparison unit configured to calculate, an effective parameter from the at least one physical parameter, wherein the effective parameter depends on the instantaneous acceleration or the speed of the vehicle;

comparing, by a calculation and comparison unit configured to compare, the calculated effective parameter with a reference parameter;

generating, by a driving evaluation unit configured to generate, a driving energy score according to a variance between the effective parameter and the reference parameter, wherein the driving energy score is solely or mainly related to how economically the vehicle is being driven, and is not solely or mainly related to fuel consumption linked to a vehicle engineering feature, and wherein generating the driving energy score includes removing the effects specific to the vehicle and those of the outside ambient conditions; and

displaying, by a display unit, the driving energy score.

9. The process to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 8, wherein the effective parameter and the reference parameter are functions of at least one parameter chosen from a list comprising:

speed, longitudinal acceleration, transverse acceleration, energy, work, power, incline, road bend radius, and geographical location.

10. The process to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 8, wherein the at least one physical parameter is the location of the vehicle at any given time.

11. The process to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 10, wherein the geographical location is determined by a geopositioning system.

12. The process to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 8, wherein the at least one physical parameter is an instantaneous speed.

13. The process to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 8, wherein the physical parameter is an instantaneous acceleration.

14. The process to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 8, wherein the driving energy score is a function of a variance between a measured energy value and a reference energy value.

15. The process to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 14, wherein the reference energy value depends on a rate of energy consumption and on a time or a length of a journey.

16. The process to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 8, wherein the display unit displays a graphical display related to the driving energy score.

17. The process to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 8, wherein the driving energy score is not solely or mainly related to a physical characteristic of a route traveled.

18. The process to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 8, wherein the driving energy score is not solely or mainly related to an environmental traveling condition.

19. The process to evaluate how economically a vehicle is being driven according to claim 8, wherein the driving energy score is not solely or mainly related to a vehicle specification.