Evaluation indication system, evaluation indication method and computer-readable storage medium

• US 9,151,630 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2012
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nonomura, Junichi, Yamakawa, Junki, Mizuno, Hiroyuki, Miura, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CASTRO, PAUL A
• Application Number:
  US13/523,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20130018573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

Evaluation indication systems, methods, and programs display a current position of a vehicle and a map around the current position on a display unit, acquire current evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption in current travel of the vehicle by unit sections, and acquire previous evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption of the vehicle in a past prior to the current travel by unit sections. The systems, methods, and programs indicate the current evaluations and the previous evaluations together by unit sections on the map.

Claims

1. An evaluation indication system comprising:

a memory storing an evaluation indication program; and

a processor that, when executing the stored program;

displays a current position of a vehicle and a map around the current position on a display;

acquires current evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption in a current travel of the vehicle along a route, the route being divided into unit sections and each acquired current evaluation being an evaluation for a unit section of the route;

acquires previous evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption of the vehicle in a past travel of the vehicle along the route that occurred prior to the current travel, each acquired previous evaluation being an evaluation for a unit section of the route;

indicates the current evaluations of the respective unit sections behind the current position of the vehicle with respect to a travel direction along the route on the map; and

indicates the previous evaluations of the respective unit sections ahead of the current position of the vehicle with respect to the travel direction along the route of the vehicle on the map.

2. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program, acquires the previous evaluation for a particular unit section when the vehicle has travelled that particular unit section as part of the past travel.

3. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program:

when the vehicle is travelling from a departure point toward a destination, acquires the current evaluations for the respective unit section from the departure point to the current position; and

when the departure point matches a departure point of the past travel of the vehicle and the destination matches a destination of the past travel of the vehicle, acquires the previous evaluations.

4. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program:

acquires a previous average fuel consumption that indicates an average fuel consumption of the vehicle in the current travel;

acquires a previous average fuel consumption that indicates an average fuel consumption of the vehicle in the past prior to the current travel; and

indicates the current average fuel consumption and the previous average fuel consumption together on the display.

5. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program, indicates the current evaluations and the previous evaluations on the map in different modes.

6. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program, indicates the current evaluations and the previous evaluations on the map in a mode different from that of traffic information indicated on the map.

7. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program and when a current evaluation and a previous evaluation are acquired for the same unit section, indicates the current evaluation and the previous evaluation of the same unit section on the map in different modes that can he distinguished from one another.

8. The evaluation indication system according to claim 7, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program and when the current evaluation and the previous evaluation are acquired for the same unit section, indicates the current evaluation and the previous evaluation of the same unit section at different positions on the map.

9. The evaluation indication system according to claim 7, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program and when the current evaluation and the previous evaluation are acquired for the same unit section:

the map display control unit indicates the current evaluation and the previous evaluation in the same unit section on the map with respective icons having the same shape and different sizes; and

superimposes a smaller one of the icons on a larger one of the icons when the icons overlap each other.

10. The evaluation indication system according to claim 7, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program:

displays a first map that shows the current position and a map around the current position and a second map that shows the current position and a map around the current position on the display; and

indicates the current evaluations on the first map, and indicates the previous evaluations on the second map.

11. The evaluation indication system according to claim 7, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program and when the current evaluation and the previous evaluation are acquired for the same unit section:

indicates the current evaluation of the same unit section on the map; and

highlights the current evaluation of the same unit section different from the previous evaluation of the same unit section.

12. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program and when a power source of the vehicle has been started up and then the vehicle has reached the current position without stopping the power source:

acquires the current evaluations for a section of the route from a position, at which the power source has been started up, to the current position; and

acquires the previous evaluations before a time at which the power source has been started up.

13. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program and when the vehicle has reached the current position after time specified by a user:

acquires the current evaluations for a section of the route from a position of the vehicle at the time specified by the user to the current position; and

acquires the previous evaluations before the time specified by the user.

16. The evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program:

for each unit section along the route, when the current evaluation is acquired, erases the previous evaluation from the map and indicates the current evaluation on the map.

17. The evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program:

for each unit section along the route, when the current evaluation is acquired, indicates the current evaluation at a different position on the unit section from the previous evaluation.

18. The evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein the processor, when executing the stored program:

for each unit section along the route, when the current evaluation is acquired, indicates the current evaluation at a same position on the unit section as the previous evaluation.

14. An evaluation indication method comprising:

displaying a current position of a vehicle and a map around the current position on a display;

acquiring current evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption in a current travel of the vehicle along a route, the route being divided into unit sections and each acquired current evaluation being an evaluation for a unit section of the route;

acquiring previous evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption of the vehicle in a past travel of the vehicle along the route that occurred prior to the current travel, each acquired previous evaluation being an evaluation for a unit section of the route;

indicating the current evaluations of the respective unit sections behind the current position of the vehicle with respect to a travel direction along the route on the map; and

indicating the previous evaluations of the respective unit sections ahead of the current position of the vehicle with respect to the travel direction along the route of the vehicle on the map.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a computer-executable program for performing an evaluation indication function, the program comprising:

instructions for displaying a current position of a vehicle and a map around the current position on a display;

instructions for acquiring current evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption in a current travel of the vehicle along a route, the route being divided into unit sections and each acquired current evaluation being an evaluation for a unit section of the route;

instructions for acquiring previous evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption of the vehicle in a past travel of the vehicle along the route that occurred prior to the current travel, each acquired previous evaluation being an evaluation for a unit section of the route;

instructions for indicating the current evaluations of the respective unit sections behind the current position of the vehicle with respect to a travel direction along the route on the map; and

instructions for indicating the previous evaluations of the respective unit sections ahead of the current position of the vehicle with respect to the travel direction along the route of the vehicle on the map.