Vehicle route selection based on energy usage

• US 9,702,719 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2015
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Telogis Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Mason, Ralph James, Koch, Jason Mathew, Jelinek, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US14/878,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20160258770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

Vehicle management systems and associated processes can consider energy consumption when selecting routes for fleet vehicles. Vehicle management systems and associated processes are described that, in certain embodiments, evaluate vehicle energy usage based on factors such as terrain or elevation, vehicle characteristics, driver characteristics, road conditions, traffic, speed limits, stop time, turn information, traffic information, and weather information, and the like. The features described herein may also be implemented for non-fleet vehicles, such as in personal vehicle navigation systems.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing energy use of a powered vehicle, the method comprising:

by a computer system comprising computer hardware,

determining navigation instructions to navigate the powered vehicle along a transportation route connecting a plurality of stops via a network of streets in a geographic region;

outputting the navigation instructions for presentation to a driver of the powered vehicle;

determining a vehicle speed recommendation for at least a portion of the transportation route, the vehicle speed recommendation being different from the navigation instructions and being calculated to reduce energy use by the powered vehicle along the portion of the transportation route, the vehicle speed recommendation being lower than a posted speed limit for the portion of the transportation route; and

outputting the vehicle speed recommendation for presentation to the driver while the powered vehicle travels along the portion of the transportation route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle speed recommendation is between 75% of the posted speed limit and 90% of the posted speed limit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle speed recommendation is calculated based, at least in part, on terrain characteristics of the portion of the transportation route.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the terrain characteristics comprise a change in elevation on the portion of the transportation route.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigation instructions comprise turn-by-turn directions for operating the powered vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating and outputting an alert for presentation to the driver in response to determining that the driver did not comply with the vehicle speed recommendation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the alert is an audible alert.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigation instructions and the vehicle speed recommendation are output for presentation on a display positioned inside the powered vehicle.

9. A system for optimizing energy use of a powered vehicle, the system comprising:

processing circuitry comprising physical computer hardware configured to;

determine navigation instructions to navigate the powered vehicle along a transportation route connecting a plurality of stops via a network of streets in a geographic region;

output the navigation instructions for presentation to a driver of the powered vehicle;

determine a vehicle speed recommendation for at least a portion of the transportation route, the vehicle speed recommendation being different from the navigation instructions and being calculated to reduce energy use by the powered vehicle along the portion of the transportation route, the vehicle speed recommendation being lower than a posted speed limit for the portion of the transportation route; and

output the vehicle speed recommendation for presentation to the driver while the powered vehicle travels along the portion of the transportation route.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the vehicle speed recommendation is between 75% of the posted speed limit and 90% of the posted speed limit.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the vehicle speed recommendation is calculated based, at least in part, on terrain characteristics of the portion of the transportation route.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the terrain characteristics comprise a change in elevation on the portion of the transportation route.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the navigation instructions comprise turn-by-turn directions for operating the powered vehicle.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate and output an alert for presentation to the driver in response to determining that the driver did not comply with the vehicle speed recommendation.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the alert is an audible alert.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to output the navigation instructions and the vehicle speed recommendation for presentation on a display positioned inside the powered vehicle.