Devices and methods for determining fuel consumption and searching vehicle routes
First Claim
1. A method for computing fuel consumption for a plurality of speed ranges of a route interval for a vehicle running from a departure point to a destination and for displaying a minimum fuel consumption route from the departure point to the destination, the method comprising:
- receiving actual fuel consumption data reported by a plurality of probe vehicles for a first portion of the plurality of speed ranges, wherein a second portion of the plurality of speed ranges lacks actual fuel consumption data;
determining from the actual fuel consumption data of the first portion of the plurality of speed ranges, using a computer processor, a fuel consumption initial value formula and a trend line associated with the fuel consumption initial value formula;
determining, using a computer processor, for each speed range of the first portion of the plurality of speed ranges, an average fuel consumption value based on the fuel consumption initial value formula and the trend line;
determining, using a computer processor, for each speed range of the second portion of the plurality of speed ranges, an average fuel consumption value based on the fuel consumption initial value formula and the trend line;
determining the minimum fuel consumption route using the average fuel consumption values of the first and second portions of the plurality of speed ranges; and
displaying on a computer display unit the minimum fuel consumption route.
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Abstract
A route searching device according to an embodiment of the invention includes an estimated fuel consumption amount computing unit that computes an estimated fuel consumption amount of each interval constituting plural routes from a departure point to a destination and an optimum route selecting unit that selects a route in which a total of the estimated fuel consumption amount from the departure point to the destination is minimized. The estimated fuel consumption amount may be obtained by adding a cruise fuel consumption amount, a gradient fuel consumption amount, and a vehicle-speed fluctuation fuel consumption amount. In a further aspect, an average fuel consumption value for each speed range of an interval may be determined based on limited fuel consumption data, and fuel consumption values may be updated using measured probe data.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for computing fuel consumption for a plurality of speed ranges of a route interval for a vehicle running from a departure point to a destination and for displaying a minimum fuel consumption route from the departure point to the destination, the method comprising:
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receiving actual fuel consumption data reported by a plurality of probe vehicles for a first portion of the plurality of speed ranges, wherein a second portion of the plurality of speed ranges lacks actual fuel consumption data; determining from the actual fuel consumption data of the first portion of the plurality of speed ranges, using a computer processor, a fuel consumption initial value formula and a trend line associated with the fuel consumption initial value formula; determining, using a computer processor, for each speed range of the first portion of the plurality of speed ranges, an average fuel consumption value based on the fuel consumption initial value formula and the trend line; determining, using a computer processor, for each speed range of the second portion of the plurality of speed ranges, an average fuel consumption value based on the fuel consumption initial value formula and the trend line; determining the minimum fuel consumption route using the average fuel consumption values of the first and second portions of the plurality of speed ranges; and displaying on a computer display unit the minimum fuel consumption route. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 21, 22, 23)
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11. A method for computing fuel consumption for a plurality of speed ranges of a route interval for a vehicle running from a departure point to a destination and for displaying a minimum fuel consumption route from the departure point to the destination, the method comprising:
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determining an existing average fuel consumption value for each speed range of the plurality of speed ranges; after determining the existing average fuel consumption value for each speed range of the plurality of speed ranges, receiving actual fuel consumption data captured by a plurality of probe vehicles for a first portion of the plurality of speed ranges, wherein a second portion of the plurality of speed ranges lacks captured actual fuel consumption data; calculating, using a computer processor, for each speed range for which actual fuel consumption data is received, a difference between the existing average fuel consumption value and an average fuel consumption value of the actual fuel consumption data received for the each speed range; calculating, using a computer processor, a weighted average value of the differences of the speed ranges for which actual fuel consumption data is received; shifting, for each of the speed ranges of the first portion and the second portion of the plurality of speed ranges, the existing average fuel consumption value by the weighted average value to yield an updated average fuel consumption value; and determining the minimum fuel consumption route using the updated average fuel consumption values of the first and second portions of the plurality of speed ranges; and displaying on a computer display unit the minimum fuel consumption route. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A route searching device that computes fuel consumption for a plurality of speed ranges of possible route intervals for a vehicle running from a departure point to a destination, the route searching device comprising:
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an estimated fuel consumption amount computer processor that computes an estimated fuel consumption amount of each speed range of the possible route intervals; and an optimum route selecting computer processor that selects a route in which a total of the estimated fuel consumption amounts of intervals of the selected route from the departure point to the destination is minimized, wherein, for each possible route interval, the estimated fuel consumption amount computer processor computes the estimated fuel consumption amount of each speed range by; receiving actual fuel consumption data reported by a plurality of probe vehicles for a first portion of the plurality of speed ranges, wherein a second portion of the plurality of speed ranges lacks actual fuel consumption data; determining from the actual fuel consumption data of the first portion of the plurality of speed ranges a fuel consumption initial value formula and a trend line associated with the fuel consumption initial value formula; determining for each speed range of the first portion of the plurality of speed ranges, an average fuel consumption value based on the fuel consumption initial value formula and the trend line; and determining for each speed range of the second portion of the plurality of speed ranges, an average fuel consumption value based on the fuel consumption initial value formula and the trend line, wherein the average fuel consumption value is the estimated fuel consumption amount; and a display unit that receives the selected route from the optimum route selecting computer processor and displays the selected route. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification