Vehicle information system for motor vehicles with at least two engines, motor vehicle and method

• US 9,052,987 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2012
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Schneider, Tobias, Bauer, Roland, Weber, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Gimie, Mahmoud
• Application Number:
  US13/621,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 701/99, 701/101, 701/102, 701/110, 123/27.GE, 123/DIG.8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 25/00 Controlling two or more co-operating engines
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A vehicle information system for a motor vehicle is equipped with at least two engines, with at least two vehicle controllers each allocated to an engine. Each vehicle controller exhibits at least two distance measuring devices, which are designed to acquire the distances covered by the motor vehicle with the respective engine, a current consumption acquisition device, which is designed to acquire the current consumption of the respective engine, and an output device, which is designed to output the acquired distances and acquired current consumption.

Claims

1. A vehicle information system for a motor vehicle equipped with a first engine and a second engine, comprising:

a first controller allocated to the first engine; and

a second controller allocated to the second engine;

wherein the first controller and the second controller comprise;

at least two distance measuring devices that are configured to acquire distances covered by the motor vehicle;

a current consumption acquisition device that is configured to acquire a current engine consumption; and

an output device that is configured to output the distances and the current engine consumption;

wherein at least one of the at least two distance measuring devices comprises a respective reset device that is configured to reset a counter reading.

2. The vehicle information system according to claim 1,

wherein at least one vehicle controller comprises a third distance measuring device, and

wherein the third distance measuring device is configured to acquire the distances covered by the motor vehicle and automatically reset after the motor vehicle is idle for a prescribed period.

3. The vehicle information system according to claim 1, wherein a vehicle controller comprises a calculator that is configured to calculate an average consumption from data acquired for the current engine consumption.

4. The vehicle information system according to claim 3,

wherein at least one vehicle controller comprises a communications interface,

wherein the vehicle controller is configured to exchange the data about the distances with at least one other vehicle controller via the communications interface and calculate a total distance covered by the motor vehicle with the calculator.

5. The vehicle information system according to claim 4,

wherein the at least one vehicle controller is configured to record data about a current state of the motor vehicle via the communications interface,

wherein the current consumption acquisition device is further configured to acquire the current engine consumption based on the data about the current state of the motor vehicle.

6. The vehicle information system according to claim 4, wherein the communications interface is a CAN interface.

7. The vehicle information system according to claim 3, further comprising a user interface comprises at least one input interface that is configured to query a price of fuel,

wherein the vehicle controller is configured to calculate a price difference for fuel consumed over a first distance covered with the first engine and the second engine in relation to a second distance covered with the first engine, and display the price difference with the output device of the user interface.

8. The vehicle information system according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle controller is a program-controlled device.

9. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a first engine;

a second engine; and

a vehicle information system, comprising;

a first controller allocated to the first engine; and

a second controller allocated to the second engine;

wherein the first controller and the second controller comprise;

at least two distance measuring devices that are configured to acquire distances covered by the motor vehicle;

a consumption acquisition device that is configured to acquire a current engine consumption; and

an output device that is configured to output the distances and the current engine consumption;

wherein at least one of the at least two distance measuring devices comprises a respective reset device that is configured to reset a counter reading.

10. The motor vehicle according to claim 9,

wherein at least one vehicle controller comprises a third distance measuring device, and

wherein the third distance measuring device is configured to acquire the distances covered by the motor vehicle and automatically reset after the motor vehicle is idle for a prescribed period.

11. The motor vehicle according to claim 9, wherein a vehicle controller comprises a calculator that is configured to calculate an average consumption from the data acquired for the current engine consumption.

12. The motor vehicle according to claim 11,

wherein at least one vehicle controller comprises a communications interface,

wherein the vehicle controller is configured to exchange data about the distances with at least one other vehicle controller via the communications interface and calculate a total distance covered by the motor vehicle with the calculator.

13. The motor vehicle according to claim 12,

wherein the at least one vehicle controller is configured to record data about a current state of the motor vehicle via the communications interface,

wherein the consumption acquisition device is further configured to acquire the current engine consumption based on the data about the current state of the motor vehicle.

14. A method for calculating information, comprising:

acquiring a covered distance covered by a motor vehicle with a first motor vehicle controller and a second motor vehicle controller, wherein the first motor vehicle controller and the second motor vehicle controller are separately configured to acquire the covered distance;

acquiring a current consumption with the first motor vehicle controller and the second motor vehicle controller;

outputting the covered distance and the current consumption via an output device;

allocating another distance covered by the motor vehicle; and

automatically resetting the covered distance after the motor vehicle is idle for a prescribed period.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising calculating an average consumption from the current consumption.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising recording data about a current state of the motor vehicle provided by a vehicle system on a data bus via a communications interface,

wherein the covered distance acquired based on the data about the current state of the motor vehicle.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

querying a price of fuel;

calculating a price difference for fuel consumed over a first distance covered with a first engine and a second engine in relation to a second distance covered with the first engine; and

displaying the price difference via a user interface.