Devices and methods for determining fuel consumption and searching vehicle routes

• US 9,046,379 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2011
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Mineta, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, ISAAC G
• Application Number:
  US12/987,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20110160990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29.4, 701/54, 701/117, 701/123, 701/200, 701/411, 701/22, 701/423, 701/32.1, 700/38, 700/291, 429/251, 429/403, 429/410, 429/429, 340/439, 290/40.C, 123/348, 123/352, 123/435, 123/436, 123/479, 123/675, 123/684, 123/90.15, 180/65.265
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0125 Traffic data processing

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.

Claims

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.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the fuel consumption initial value formula comprises determining the fuel consumption initial value formula based on average vehicle speed, acceleration energy, and road gradient.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the fuel consumption initial value formula comprises:

computing, for each speed range of the first portion, a cruise fuel consumption amount by multiplying a distance of the interval and a fuel consumption rate determined according to an average vehicle speed;

computing, for each speed range of the first portion, a vehicle speed fluctuation fuel consumption amount based on the distance of the interval and an energy consumption rate for a road category of the interval, wherein the energy consumption rate is determined based on the average vehicle speed and the road category of the interval by using predetermined data indicating an energy consumption per unit distance as a function of an average vehicle speed for each road category;

computing, for each speed range of the first portion, a gradient fuel consumption amount by multiplying the distance of the interval and a gradient fuel consumption rate determined based on a road average gradient and the road category of the interval by using data indicating the gradient fuel consumption rate as a function of the road average gradient for each road category;

computing, for each speed range of the first portion, an estimated fuel consumption amount by adding the cruise fuel consumption amount, the gradient fuel consumption amount, and the vehicle speed fluctuation fuel consumption amount; and

determining the fuel consumption initial value formula based on the estimated fuel consumption amounts of the speed ranges of the first portion.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the average fuel consumption value of a particular speed range using measured probe data subsequently received for that particular speed range.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the actual fuel consumption data is a first set of fuel consumption data,

wherein, for each speed range of the first and second portions of the plurality of speed ranges, the average fuel consumption value is an existing average fuel consumption value, and

wherein after determining the existing average fuel consumption for each speed range of the first and second portions of the plurality of speed ranges based on the first set of fuel consumption data, the method further comprises:

receiving additional actual fuel consumption data captured by a plurality of probe vehicles for the plurality of speed ranges;

calculating, for each speed range for which additional actual fuel consumption data is received, a difference between the existing average fuel consumption value and an average fuel consumption value of the additional actual fuel consumption data received for the each speed range;

calculating a weighted average value of the differences of the speed ranges for which additional actual fuel consumption data is received; and

shifting, for each of the speed ranges 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.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the weighted average value is calculated using the formula:

weighted average value=(Σ

(Δ

d_i×

n_i))/(Σ

n_i),

wherein d denotes speed range, i denotes a sequential number of a speed range, and n denotes a number of received robe vehicle fuel consumption values averaged to determine the existing average fuel consumption value.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising, for each of the speed ranges, saving the updated average fuel consumption value and using the updated average fuel consumption value as the existing average fuel consumption value in a next iteration of the method after receiving subsequent actual fuel consumption data captured by a plurality of probe vehicles for one or more speed ranges of the plurality of speed ranges.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing in a fuel consumption table the updated average fuel consumption values of the plurality of speed ranges of the interval, along with average fuel consumption values of the plurality of speed ranges for other intervals.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the minimum fuel consumption route comprises selecting a route from the departure point to the destination in which a total of the average fuel consumption values of intervals of the route from the fuel consumption table is minimized.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each speed range of the plurality of speed ranges spans 5 mph.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the average fuel consumption values comprises populating a fuel consumption database table with the average fuel consumption values of the plurality of speed ranges of the route interval, along with average fuel consumption values of the plurality of speed ranges for other intervals.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising minimizing fuel consumption of the vehicle by providing to a driver of the vehicle instructions for following the minimum fuel consumption route.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the average fuel consumption values of the first and second portions of the plurality of speed ranges are determined in real-time from the actual fuel consumption data reported by the plurality of probe vehicles.

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:

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.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the weighted average value is calculated using the formula:

weighted average value=(Σ

(Δ

d_i×

n_i))/(Σ

n_i),

wherein d denotes speed range, i denotes a sequential number of a speed range, and n denotes a number of received probe vehicle fuel consumption values averaged to determine the existing average fuel consumption value.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising, for each of the speed ranges, saving the updated average fuel consumption value and using the updated average fuel consumption value as the existing average fuel consumption value in a next iteration of the method after receiving subsequent actual fuel consumption data captured by a plurality of probe vehicles for one or more speed ranges of the plurality of speed ranges.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing in a fuel consumption table the updated average fuel consumption values of the plurality of speed ranges of the interval, along with average fuel consumption values of the plurality of speed ranges for other intervals.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the minimum fuel consumption route comprises selecting a route from the departure point to the destination in which a total of the average fuel consumption values of intervals of the route from the fuel consumption table is minimized.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein each speed range of the plurality of speed ranges spans 5 mph.

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:

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.

18. The route searching device of claim 17, wherein the estimated fuel consumption amount computer processor determines the fuel consumption initial value formula based on average vehicle speed, acceleration energy, and road gradient.

19. The route searching device of claim 17, wherein the fuel consumption data is a first set of fuel consumption data,

wherein, for each speed range of the first and second portions of the plurality of speed ranges, the average fuel consumption value is an existing average fuel consumption value, and

wherein, for each possible route interval, after determining the existing average fuel consumption for each speed range of the first and second portions of the plurality of speed ranges based on the first set of fuel consumption data, the estimated fuel consumption amount computer processor is further configured to:

receive additional actual fuel consumption data captured by a plurality of probe vehicles for the plurality of speed ranges;

calculate, for each speed range for which additional actual fuel consumption data is received, a difference between the existing average fuel consumption value and an average fuel consumption value of the additional actual fuel consumption data received for the each speed range;

calculate a weighted average value of the differences of the speed ranges for which additional actual fuel consumption data is received; and

shift, for each of the speed ranges 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.

20. The route searching device of claim 19, wherein the estimated fuel consumption amount computer processor is configured to, for each of the speed ranges, save the updated average fuel consumption value and use the updated average fuel consumption value as the existing average fuel consumption value in a next iteration after receiving subsequent actual fuel consumption data captured by a plurality of probe vehicles for one or more speed ranges of the plurality of speed ranges.