Method and System for Calculating an Energy Efficient Route

• US 20140005943A1
• Filed: 09/06/2013
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navteq B.V.
• Inventors: Stille, Johannes
• Granted Patent: US 9,506,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects

Abstract

A method and system for calculating an energy efficient route is disclosed. A route calculation application calculates one or more routes from an origin to a destination. For each of the routes, the route calculation application uses segment cost data associated with each segment in the route. The segment cost is calculated by adjusting an energy consumption value by subtracting a bias term for each segment with known slope data. The bias term causes segment costs associated with segments having a slope that can be traveled with typical efficiency, a zero slope, and an unknown slope to be substantially the same. The bias term also causes the segment cost associated with a segment with a slope that can be traveled efficiently to be less than the segment cost associated with a segment with unknown slope, and the segment cost associated with a segment with a slope that causes inefficient travel to be greater than the segment cost associated with a segment with unknown slope.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing a segment cost for a road segment;

performing a comparison of a first elevation of a start of the road segment to a second elevation of an end of the road segment;

determining whether the road segment is an uphill segment or a downhill segment based on the comparison of the first elevation to the second elevation;

subtracting, with a processor, a potential energy term from the segment cost when the road segment is the uphill segment; and

adding, with the processor, the potential energy term from the segment cost when the road segment is the downhill segment.