Driving evaluation apparatus, driving evaluation program, and driving evaluation method

• US 20050288850A1
• Filed: 06/17/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 7,346,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0625 Fuel consumption, e.g. measured in fuel liters per 100 kms or miles per gallon
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/606 Driving style, e.g. sporty or economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/00 Electrical control of supply of combustible mixture or its constituents F02D43/00 takes precedence ; control of engine starters F02N11/08, electrical control of engine ignition timing F02P5/145

Abstract

There are provided a driving evaluation method for evaluating a fuel consumption rate of driving a vehicle in certain driving interval on the basis of driving data acquired at time of driving in the driving interval, including: calculating an energy consumption efficiency in the driving interval; calculating a driving environment variable indicative of an environment factor which exerts an influence on energy consumption by driving in the driving interval; selecting a probability density function or a cumulative distribution function corresponding to the calculated driving environment variable from a plurality of probability density functions or cumulative distribution functions having the energy consumption efficiency as a probability variable; and calculating an evaluation value for evaluating a fuel consumption rate of driving in the driving interval by using the selected probability density function or the selected cumulative distribution function and the calculated energy consumption efficiency.

Claims

1. A driving evaluation apparatus for evaluating a result of driving a vehicle in certain driving interval on the basis of driving data acquired at time of driving in the driving interval, comprising:

an energy consumption efficiency calculator calculating an energy consumption efficiency in the driving interval, by using the driving data;

a driving environment variable calculator calculating a driving environment variable indicative of an environment factor which exerts an influence on energy consumption by driving in the driving interval, on the basis of the driving data;

a function storing unit storing a plurality of probability density functions or cumulative distribution functions having the energy consumption efficiency as a probability variable;

a function selector selecting the probability density function or the cumulative distribution function corresponding to the calculated driving environment variable; and

an evaluation value calculator calculating an evaluation value for evaluating a result of driving in the driving interval by using the selected probability density function or the selected cumulative distribution function and the calculated energy consumption efficiency.

2. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a function updater updating the selected probability density function or the selected cumulative distribution function by using the calculated energy consumption efficiency.

3. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, the driving environment variable calculator comprising:

a driving force calculator calculating driving force in a vehicle travel direction;

an air resistance calculator calculating air resistance in the vehicle travel direction;

an accelerating resistance calculator calculating accelerating resistance in the vehicle travel direction; and

an average driving road resistance calculator calculating average of driving road resistance which is obtained by subtracting the air resistance and the accelerating resistance from the driving force, as the driving environment variable.

4. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, the driving environment variable calculator comprising:

a vehicle speed calculator calculating interval start point speed and interval end point speed as vehicle speeds at start and end points in the driving interval;

a vehicle weight calculator calculating interval start point weight and interval end point weight as vehicle weight at the start and end points in the driving interval; and

a kinetic energy change calculator calculating, as the driving environment variable, a kinetic energy change amount between the start point and the end point by using the interval start point speed, the interval end point speed, the interval start point weight, and the interval end point weight.

5. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, the driving environment variable calculator comprising:

a vehicle altitude calculator calculating interval start point altitude and interval end point altitude as altitudes of the vehicle from a reference position at start and end points in the driving interval;

a vehicle weight calculator calculating interval start point weight and interval end point weight as weight of the vehicle at the start and end points in the driving interval; and

a potential energy change calculator calculating, as the driving environment variable, a potential energy change amount from the start point to the end point by using the interval start point altitude, the interval end point altitude, the interval start point weight, and the interval end point weight.

6. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving environment variable calculator includes an average vehicle distance calculator calculating, as the driving environment variable, an average of vehicle distance between the vehicle and a forward vehicle.

7. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the energy consumption efficiency calculator calculates energy consumption amount and travel distance in the driving interval, and calculates energy consumption rate as the energy consumption efficiency on the basis of the travel distance and the energy consumption amount.

8. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the evaluation value calculator calculates reference energy consumption rate as energy consumption rate corresponding to a reference probability indicative of a given target driving skill level, using the probability density function or the cumulative distribution function selected by the function selector, and

calculates, as the evaluation value, difference between the energy consumption amount and expected energy consumption amount in the case of driving at the reference energy consumption rate, by using the reference energy consumption rate, the energy consumption rate, and the energy consumption amount.

9. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the energy consumption efficiency calculator calculates energy consumption amount in the driving interval, travel distance in the driving interval, and racing energy consumption amount as energy amount consumed by racing in the driving interval and

calculates, as the energy consumption efficiency, no-racing energy consumption rate which is expected energy consumption rate in the case where no racing is performed, on the basis of no-racing energy consumption amount as difference between the energy consumption amount and the racing energy consumption amount and the travel distance.

10. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the evaluation value calculator calculates no-racing reference energy consumption rate as energy consumption rate corresponding to a reference probability indicative of a given target driving skill level, by using the probability density function or the cumulative distribution function selected by the function selector,

calculates no-racing reference energy consumption amount as energy amount consumed in the case where driving is performed at the no-racing reference energy consumption rate, and

calculates the evaluation value by adding the racing energy consumption amount to difference between the no-racing energy consumption amount and the no-racing reference energy consumption amount.

11. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the energy consumption efficiency calculator calculates energy consumption amount in the driving interval, travel distance in the driving interval, and idling energy consumption amount as energy amount consumed by idling for predetermined time or longer in the driving interval, and

calculates, as the energy consumption efficiency, no-idling energy consumption rate which is expected energy consumption rate in the case where no idling is performed for the predetermined time or longer, on the basis of no-idling energy consumption amount as difference between the energy consumption amount and the idling energy consumption amount and the travel distance.

12. The driving evaluation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the evaluation value calculator calculates no-idling reference energy consumption rate as energy consumption rate corresponding to a reference probability indicative of a given target driving skill level, by using the probability density function or the cumulative distribution function selected by the function selector,

calculates no-idling reference energy consumption amount as energy amount consumed in the case where driving is performed at the no-idling reference energy consumption rate, and

calculates the evaluation value by adding the idling energy consumption amount to difference between the no-idling energy consumption amount and the no-idling reference energy consumption amount.

13. A driving evaluation program for evaluating a result of driving a vehicle in certain driving interval on the basis of driving data acquired at time of driving in the driving interval and for making a computer execute, comprising:

calculating an energy consumption efficiency in the driving interval, by using the driving data;

calculating a driving environment variable indicative of an environment factor which exerts an influence on energy consumption by driving in the driving interval, on the basis of the driving data;

selecting a probability density function or a cumulative distribution function corresponding to the calculated driving environment variable from a plurality of probability density functions or cumulative distribution functions having the energy consumption efficiency as a probability variable; and

calculating an evaluation value for evaluating a result of driving in the driving interval by using the selected probability density function or the selected cumulative distribution function and the calculated energy consumption efficiency.

14. A driving evaluation method for evaluating a result of driving a vehicle in certain driving interval on the basis of driving data acquired at time of driving in the driving interval, comprising:

calculating an energy consumption efficiency in the driving interval, by using the driving data;

calculating a driving environment variable indicative of an environment factor which exerts an influence on energy consumption by driving in the driving interval, on the basis of the driving data;

selecting a probability density function or a cumulative distribution function corresponding to the calculated driving environment variable from a plurality of probability density functions or cumulative distribution functions having the energy consumption efficiency as a probability variable; and

calculating an evaluation value for evaluating a result of driving in the driving interval by using the selected probability density function or the selected cumulative distribution function and the calculated energy consumption efficiency.

15. The driving evaluation method according to claim 14, the calculating the energy consumption efficiency comprising:

calculating energy consumption amount and travel distance in the driving interval, and calculating energy consumption rate as the energy consumption efficiency on the basis of the travel distance and the energy consumption amount.

16. The driving evaluation method according to claim 15, the calculating the evaluation value comprising:

calculating reference energy consumption rate as energy consumption rate corresponding to a reference probability indicative of a given target driving skill level, using the selected probability density function or the selected cumulative distribution function, and

calculating, as the evaluation value, difference between the energy consumption amount and expected energy consumption amount in the case of driving at the reference energy consumption rate, by using the reference energy consumption rate, the energy consumption rate, and the energy consumption amount.

17. The driving evaluation method according to claim 14, wherein the calculating the energy consumption efficiency comprising:

calculating energy consumption amount in the driving interval, travel distance in the driving interval, and racing energy consumption amount as energy amount consumed by racing in the driving interval, and

calculating, as the energy consumption efficiency, no-racing energy consumption rate which is expected energy consumption rate in the case where no racing is performed, on the basis of no-racing energy consumption amount as difference between the energy consumption amount and the racing energy consumption amount and the travel distance.

18. The driving evaluation method according to claim 17, the calculating the evaluation value calculator comprising:

calculating no-racing reference energy consumption rate as energy consumption rate corresponding to a reference probability indicative of a given target driving skill level, by using the selected probability density function or the selected cumulative distribution function,

calculating no-racing reference energy consumption amount as energy amount consumed in the case where driving is performed at the no-racing reference energy consumption rate, and

calculating the evaluation value by adding the racing energy consumption amount to difference between the no-racing energy consumption amount and the no-racing reference energy consumption amount.

19. The driving evaluation method according to claim 14, wherein the calculating the energy consumption efficiency comprising:

calculating energy consumption amount in the driving interval, travel distance in the driving interval, and idling energy consumption amount as energy amount consumed by idling for predetermined time or longer in the driving interval, and

calculating, as the energy consumption efficiency, no-idling energy consumption rate which is expected energy consumption rate in the case where no idling is performed for the predetermined time or longer, on the basis of no-idling energy consumption amount as difference between the energy consumption amount and the idling energy consumption amount and the travel distance.

20. The driving evaluation method according to claim 19, wherein the calculating the evaluation value comprising:

calculating no-idling reference energy consumption rate as energy consumption rate corresponding to a reference probability indicative of a given target driving skill level, by using the selected probability density function or the selected cumulative distribution function,

calculating no-idling reference energy consumption amount as energy amount consumed in the case where driving is performed at the no-idling reference energy consumption rate, and

calculating the evaluation value by adding the idling energy consumption amount to difference between the no-idling energy consumption amount and the no-idling reference energy consumption amount.