Method and device for providing driver feedback

• US 9,619,950 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2013
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Hennessey, Giles, Serras-Pereira, Jose, Gardiner, Andrew, Robertson, Duncan, Smith, David, Shewakramani, Mehul
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US14/370,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20140340211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 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: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0095 Automatic control mode change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/052 characterised by provision for recording or measuring trainee's performance devices for psychotechnics, e.g. for vehicle drivers A61B5/16, A61B5/18
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of evaluating at least one operating parameter of a motor vehicle. A system variable relating to an operating parameter of the vehicle is measured. A look-up map (A; S; B) associated with the operating parameter is accessed. The look-up map (A; S; B) comprises of one or more sets of threshold values (R₀, R₁, R₂, R₃, R₄) and a comparison is made between the measured system variable and the threshold values (R₀, R₁, R₂, R₃, R₄). An economy rating (E₁, E₂, E₃, E₄, E₅) is obtained from the look-up map and an indicator output based on the economy rating (E₁, E₂, E₃, E₄, E₅) to provide the driver with feedback. The present invention also relates to a device for providing driver feedback.

Claims

1. A method of evaluating at least one operating parameter of a motor vehicle and providing driver feedback, the method comprising:

measuring a first system variable related to a first operating parameter of the vehicle;

accessing a first look-up map from a plurality of look-up maps, each of said plurality of look-up maps being associated with a respective vehicle operating mode and associated with said first operating parameter, the first look-up map comprising one or more sets of first threshold values;

comparing the first system variable to said first threshold values and determining a first economy rating; and

outputting a first economy indicator based on said first economy rating.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving vehicle mode data, determining a vehicle operating mode in dependence on said received vehicle mode data, and accessing the first look-up map from the plurality of look-up maps in dependence on the determined vehicle operating mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first look-up map comprises a plurality of sets of said first threshold values, each set relating to a particular vehicle operating condition.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each set of first threshold values is associated with a predetermined range of vehicle speeds, the method comprising determining a speed of the motor vehicle, and selecting a set of first threshold values of the first look-up map for comparison with the first system variable in dependence on the determined vehicle speed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said first threshold values correspond to a steady-state measure of the first system variable of the vehicle;

or said first threshold values correspond to a measure of a rate of change of the first system variable of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising selecting said first look-up map from a plurality of look-up maps associated with said first operating parameter, the selection being performed based on a property of the measured first system variable.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising applying a modifier to said first economy rating to generate the first economy indicator.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising repeating the steps of measuring, accessing, comparing and outputting for at least one additional system variable relating to a different operating parameter of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising outputting at least one additional indicator based on an economy rating determined for said at least one additional system variable.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform all the steps of the method of claim 1.

11. A system for providing driver feedback in response to an evaluation of at least one operating parameter of a motor vehicle, the system comprising:

a data bus for receiving sensor data corresponding to a first system variable related to a first operating parameter of the vehicle;

a storage device storing a first look-up map associated with said first operating parameter, the first look-up map comprising at least one set of first threshold values;

a processor configured to compare said sensor data with a set of said first threshold values and to determine a first economy rating; and

an output device for outputting a first economy indicator based on said first economy rating;

wherein the storage device stores a plurality of look-up maps, each of said plurality of look-up maps being associated with a respective vehicle operating mode, the processor being configured to select the first look-up map for comparison with said sensor data from said plurality of look-up maps.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to receive vehicle operating mode data, to determine a vehicle operating mode in response to receiving said vehicle operating mode data, and to select the first look-up map from said plurality of look-up maps in dependence on the determined vehicle operating mode.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first look-up map comprises a plurality of sets of said first threshold values, each set relating to a particular vehicle operating condition.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each set of first threshold values is associated with a predetermined range of vehicle speeds, the processor being configured to determine a speed of the motor vehicle, and to select a set of first threshold values of the first look-up map for comparison with the first system variable in dependence on the determined vehicle speed.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said first threshold values correspond to a steady-state measure of the first system variable of the vehicle;

or said first threshold values correspond to a measure of a rate of change of the first system variable of the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein said data bus is configured to receive sensor data relating to a plurality of operating parameters of the vehicle and the processor is configured to compare said sensor data relating to each operating parameter with a respective set of threshold values stored in said storage device to determine respective economy ratings.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to apply a modifier to said first economy rating to generate the first economy indicator.

18. A vehicle having a system for providing driver feedback as claimed in claim 11.