Ecological driving system

• US 7,440,840 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Tsukamoto, Akira, Tauchi, Nobutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolfe, Jr.; Willis R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoang; Johnny H.
• Application Number:
  US11/526,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20070073468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 701/110, 701/112, 701/115, 701101-105, 701/113, 701/114, 702182-188
• US Class Current: 701/110
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18054 at stand still, e.g. engine in idling state hill holding B60W30/18118
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

There is a need for making a user fully conscious about environmentally friendly driving. In an ecological driving system, a CPU allows a display apparatus to distinctively display fuel consumption according to the following idling states. One idling state results from engine warm-up. Another is useless idling state. Still another idling state results when a vehicle waits for turning to the left at an intersection or stops at a roadside. Yet another idling state results when the vehicle waits for turning to the right at an intersection. Still yet another idling state results when the vehicle waits forward at an intersection or stops due to traffic congestion.

Claims

1. An ecological driving system in a vehicle, the ecological driving system comprising:

state detecting means for detecting states including a first state and a second state of the vehicle;

computing means for computing (i) first data on a fuel consumption in the first state and (ii) second data on a fuel consumption in the second state; and

reporting means for reporting the first data and the second data, mutually distinctively,

wherein the state detecting means uses a vehicle speed, an acceleration, and an opening of an accelerator as criteria to detect states including;

an idling state, including the first state and the second state, where an engine of the vehicle idles;

a void acceleration state where the accelerator is opened with the vehicle speed not increased;

a sudden acceleration state where the vehicle accelerates suddenly;

a normal driving state where the vehicle drives normally; and

a constant-speed driving state where the vehicle drives at a constant speed; and

wherein the computing means computes, with respect to a fuel consumption, data in the idling state, data in the void acceleration state, data in the sudden acceleration state, data in the normal driving state, and data in the constant- speed driving state, and

the reporting means reports the five computed data, mutually distinctively.

2. The ecological driving system according to claim 1, wherein

the first state is an idling state of an engine of the vehicle resulting from temporary stopping during vehicle travel, and

the second state is an idling state of the engine not resulting from temporary stopping during vehicle travel.

3. The ecological driving system according to claim 2, wherein

the first state resulting from temporary stopping during vehicle travel includes an idling state when the vehicle waits forward at an intersection or stops due to congestion, an idling state when the vehicle waits for turning to left at an intersection, and an idling state when the vehicle waits for turning to right at an intersection.

4. The ecological driving system according to claim 2, wherein

the second state resulting not from temporary stopping during vehicle travel includes an idling state for engine warm-up and a useless idling state, which takes place not for engine warm-up when the vehicle is outside of a road.

5. The ecological driving system according to claim 1, wherein

the state detecting means further uses an engine temperature and position information obtained from navigating means, which determines whether the vehicle is on a road, as additional criteria to detect idling states, which are classified into:

a warm-up idling state for engine warm-up;

a useless idling state which takes place not for engine warm-up when the vehicle is outside of a road; and

an idling state resulting from temporary stopping during vehicle travel,

the computing means computes, with respect to a fuel consumption, data in the warm-up idling state, data in the useless idling state, and data in the idling state resulting from temporary stopping during vehicle travel, and

the reporting means reports the three computed data, mutually distinctively.

6. The ecological driving system according to claim 1, wherein,

when a user specifies beginning and end time points, the reporting means reports data on fuel consumptions in individual states from the user-specified beginning time point to the end time point.

7. The ecological driving system according to claim 1, wherein,

when a user uses navigating means to specify a destination, the reporting means reports data on fuel consumptions in individual states detected from a departure place to the destination.

8. The ecological driving system according to claim 7, wherein,

after the vehicle reaches the destination, the reporting means reports data on fuel consumptions in individual states detected for a period from when the vehicle departs from the departure place and to when the vehicle reaches the destination.

9. The ecological driving system according to claim 1, wherein

the reporting means reports data on fuel consumptions in individual states with respect to each other.

10. The ecological driving system according to claim 1, wherein

the computing means converts an amount of battery charge and discharge into a fuel consumption and

the reporting means reports data on a fuel consumption incorporating the amount of battery charge and discharge.

11. The ecological driving system according to claim 1, wherein the computing means computes a fuel consumption per unit distance, and

the reporting means reports data on the fuel consumption per unit distance in individual states.

12. An ecological driving system in a vehicle, the ecological driving system comprising:

a state detecting unit configured to individually detect, based on at least one of (i) a vehicle speed, (ii) an acceleration, and (iii) an opening of an accelerator, an idling state where an engine of the vehicle idles and a void acceleration state where the accelerator is opened with the vehicle speed not increased;

a computing unit configured to compute first data on a fuel consumption in the idling state and second data on a fuel consumption in the void acceleration state; and

a reporting unit configured to report the first data and the second data, mutually distinctively.

13. The ecological driving system of claim 12, wherein:

the state detecting unit is configured to further individually detect;

a sudden acceleration state where the vehicle accelerates suddenly,

a normal driving state where the vehicle drives normally, and

a constant-speed driving state where the vehicle drives at a constant speed;

the computing unit is configured to further compute third data on a fuel consumption in the sudden acceleration state, fourth data on a fuel consumption in the normal driving state, and fifth data on a fuel consumption in the constant-speed driving state in addition to the first data and the second data; and

the reporting unit is configured to further report the third data, the fourth data, and the fifth data such that the first to fifth data are mutually distinctively reported.

14. The ecological driving system of claim 12, wherein:

the reporting unit is further configured to report the data by using colors.

15. The ecological driving system of claim 12, wherein:

the reporting unit is further configured to report the data each time a predetermined time period elapses or each time driving of the vehicle finishes.

16. The ecological driving system of claim 12, wherein:

the reporting unit is further configured to report the data by using an audio output.

17. The ecological driving system of claim 12, wherein:

the reporting unit is further configured to report data on a fuel consumption associated with a user identified.

18. An ecological driving system in a vehicle, the ecological driving system comprising:

a state detecting unit configured to individually detect states including a first state and a second stated based on at least one of (i) a vehicle speed, (ii) an acceleration, and (iii) an opening of an accelerator, the first state being an idling state where an engine of the vehicle idles, the second state being a void acceleration state where the accelerator is opened with the vehicle speed not increased;

a computing unit configured to individually accumulate the detected states in terms of points to thereby compute accumulation values; and

a reporting unit configured to report the computed accumulation values.

19. The ecological driving system of claim 18, wherein:

the states individually detected by the state detecting unit further include;

a third state being a sudden acceleration state where the vehicle accelerates suddenly,

a fourth state being a normal driving state where the vehicle drives normally, and

a fifth state being a constant-speed driving state where the vehicle drives at a constant speed;

the computing unit is configured to further accumulate the detected first to fifth states the in terms of points to thereby compute accumulation values; and

the reporting unit is configured to report the computed accumulation values with respect to the first to fifth states.

20. The ecological driving system of claim 18, wherein:

the reporting unit is configured to notify a user of information that an environmentally friendly driving is achieved.

21. The ecological driving system of claim 18, wherein:

the reporting unit is further configured to report the data by using colors.

22. The ecological driving system of claim 18, wherein:

the reporting unit is further configured to report the data each time a predetermined time period elapses or each time driving of the vehicle finishes.

23. The ecological driving system of claim 18, wherein:

the reporting unit is further configured to report the data by using an audio output.

24. The ecological driving system of claim 18, wherein:

the reporting unit is further configured to report data on a fuel consumption associated with a user identified.

25. An ecological driving system in a vehicle, the ecological driving system comprising:

a state detecting unit configured to individually detect states of the vehicle including a first state and a second state;

a computing unit configured to individually compute (i) data on a fuel consumption in the first state and (ii) data on a fuel consumption in the second state; and

a reporting unit configured to report information to allow a user of the vehicle to be conscious of an ecological driving based on (i) the computed data on the fuel consumption in the first state and (ii) the computed data on the fuel consumption in the second state.