METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING A ROUTE FOR EFFICIENT ENERGY CONSUMPTION

• US 20110309926A1
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Eikelenberg, Nicole Leonarda Wilhelmina, Arndt, Christoph, Kirchner, Ulf, Ploumen, Serve
• Granted Patent: US 9,631,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/439
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/00 Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects

Abstract

Various embodiments relate to determining a route for efficient energy consumption. Data defining one or more routes and one or more consumption influencing parameters which influence a consumption of an energy source of the vehicle along the one or more routes may be received at a vehicle computer. Based on the route data and the consumption influencing parameters, at least one route which minimizes the consumption of the energy source for the vehicle may be determined. For the at least one route, one or more braking strategies may be determined for implementation by a vehicle operator in the vehicle in accordance with reducing the consumption of the vehicle energy source. The one or more braking strategies may be output in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for optimizing energy consumption in a vehicle along a route, the system comprising:

at least one computer at a vehicle configured to;

receive data defining one or more routes;

receive one or more consumption influencing parameters which influence a consumption of an energy source of the vehicle along the one or more routes;

based on the route data and the consumption influencing parameters, determine at least one route which minimizes the consumption of the energy source for the vehicle;

for the at least one route, determine one or more braking strategies for implementation by a vehicle operator in the vehicle in accordance with reducing the consumption of the vehicle energy source; and

output the one or more braking strategies in the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the braking strategies include at least one of regenerative braking, conventional braking, engine braking, coasting, and shutting down the engine of the vehicle when in a stationary state.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one vehicle computer configured to determine the route which minimizes the consumption of the energy source is further configured to:

segment the route into a plurality of segments;

determine a consumption value for each of the plurality of segments of the route; and

determine whether the route minimizes the consumption of the energy source based on the consumption value for each of the plurality of segments.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the consumption values for each of the plurality of segments are summed determine whether the route minimizes the consumption of the energy source.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the consumption influencing parameters includes a driving style of the vehicle operator.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the at least one vehicle computer is further configured to:

identify the vehicle operator based on a vehicle operator identifier; and

obtain the driving style of the vehicle operator once the vehicle operator is identified.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the driving style include a braking behavior of the vehicle operator, the vehicle computer being further configured to determine the one or more braking strategies in accordance with the braking behavior of the vehicle operator.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the consumption influencing parameters include vehicle parameters, weather-related parameters, traffic parameters, and route-dependent parameters.

9. A computer-implemented method for optimizing energy consumption in a vehicle along a route, the method comprising:

receiving at a vehicle computer data defining one or more routes;

receiving at the vehicle computer one or more consumption influencing parameters which influence a consumption of an energy source of the vehicle along the one or more routes;

based on the route data and the consumption influencing parameters, determining at the vehicle computer at least one route which minimizes the consumption of the energy source for the vehicle;

for the at least one route, determining at the vehicle one or more braking strategies for implementation by a vehicle operator in the vehicle in accordance with reducing the consumption of the vehicle energy source; and

outputting the one or more braking strategies in the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the outputting includes outputting through at least one of a haptic output, acoustic output, or optical output.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein determining the route which minimizes the consumption of the energy source further includes

segmenting the route into a plurality of segments;

determining a consumption value for each of the plurality of segments of the route; and

determining whether the route minimizes the consumption of the energy source based on the consumption value for each of the plurality of segments.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the consumption influencing parameters includes a driving style of the vehicle operator.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising recording driving data for the vehicle operator for determining the driving style.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving driving data that deviates from the recorded driving data; and

updating the driving style of the vehicle operator based on the deviating driving data.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising storing at the vehicle computer the driving style for at least two vehicle operators.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the driving style include a braking behavior of the vehicle operator, the method further comprising determining the one or more braking strategies in accordance with the braking behavior of the vehicle operator.

17. A device for optimizing energy consumption in a vehicle along a route, the device being configured to:

receive data defining one or more routes;

receive one or more consumption influencing parameters which influence a consumption of an energy source of the vehicle along the one or more routes;

based on the route data and the consumption influencing parameters, determine at least one route which minimizes the consumption of the energy source for the vehicle;

for the at least one route, determine one or more braking strategies for implementation by a vehicle operator in the vehicle in accordance with reducing the consumption of the vehicle energy source; and

output the one or more braking strategies in the vehicle.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the consumption influencing parameters includes a driving style of the vehicle operator.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the device is further configured record driving data for the vehicle operator for determining the driving style.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the driving style includes a braking behavior of the vehicle operator, the device being further configured to determine the one or more braking strategies in accordance with the braking behavior of the vehicle operator.