Method for determining an expected consumption value of a motor vehicle

• US 9,519,875 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Lamprecht, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Trivedi, Atul
• Application Number:
  US14/380,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20150019118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 701/123
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A method for determining an expected consumption value of a motor vehicle for a predetermined driving situation—includes detecting actual consumption values and storing these values upon each occurrence of the predetermined driving situation, and further estimating the expected consumption value on the basis of the stored consumption values. Furthermore, a check is made whether the expected consumption value satisfies a predetermined significance criterion. If this is the case, the expected consumption value is used for a range determination for the motor vehicle; if this is not the case, an estimated value for the expected consumption is determined and used for range determination for the motor vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for determining an expected consumption value of a motor vehicle for a predetermined driving situation, comprising the steps of:

a) acquiring and storing respective actual consumption values at each occurrence of the predetermined driving situation, wherein the predetermined driving situation is characterized with reference to at least one of a speed, a driven road category, an incline of a driven roadway and a traffic condition,

b) checking based on the stored consumption values whether a statistically significant database for estimating a consumption exists for the predetermined driving situation, said statistically significant database defined by a median consumption and a mean interquartile range for each speed class,

b1) if yes, determining the expected median consumption and determining therefrom a driving range for the motor vehicle,

b2) if no, determining an estimated value for the expected consumption for the predetermined driving situation based on stored consumption values of the motor vehicle for another driving situation at a second speed belonging to a different non-overlapping second speed class having a median consumption that is comparable to the median consumption for the first speed class, wherein the interquartile ranges for the first and second speed class overlap,

substituting the expected consumption value of the motor vehicle traveling with the first speed of the first speed class with the median consumption of the second speed class, and

determining, from a remaining quantity of energy of the motor vehicle and the expected consumption value of the motor vehicle, the driving range of the motor vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumption values of the at least one other motor vehicle are obtained from at least one other motor vehicle of identical type or identical engine configuration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the different driving situation is selected based on a cluster analysis across all encountered driving situations, so that at least one distribution measure of the stored consumption values of the different driving situation matches the respective distribution measure of the stored consumption values for the predetermined driving situation within the scope of a predetermined proximity measure.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one distribution measure is at least one of a median and a mean interquartile range of the stored consumption values.

5. An apparatus for determining an expected consumption value of a motor vehicle for a predetermined driving situation, comprising:

a sensor determining quantities characterizing an actual driving situation, wherein the quantities comprise at least one of a speed, a driven road category, an incline of a driven roadway and a traffic condition, and actual consumption values of the motor vehicle, and

a memory unit, and

a control device coupled to the sensor and the memory unit by way of a bus system,

the control device configured to

a) acquire and store in the memory unit respective actual consumption values at each occurrence of the predetermined driving situation,

b) check based on the stored consumption values whether a statistically significant database for estimating a consumption exists for the predetermined driving situation, said statistically significant database defined by a median consumption and a mean interquartile range for each speed class,

b1) if yes, determine the expected consumption value based on the stored consumption values and determining therefrom a driving range for the motor vehicle,

b2) if no, determine an estimated value for the expected consumption for the predetermined driving situation based on stored consumption values of the motor vehicle at a second speed belonging to a different non-overlapping second speed class having a median consumption that is comparable to the median consumption for the first speed class, wherein the interquartile ranges for the first and second speed class overlap, and to substitute the expected consumption value of the motor vehicle traveling with the first speed of the first speed class with the median consumption of the second speed class, and to determine, from a remaining quantity of enemy of the motor vehicle and the expected consumption value of the motor vehicle, the driving range of the motor vehicle.