Condition evaluation system for engine-driven traveling vehicle

• US 8,494,754 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Inventors: Fukumoto, Toshiya, Nakamura, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Cronin, Stephen K
• Assistant Examiner(s): STAUBACH, CARL C
• Application Number:
  US12/877,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20110172895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 701/123, 701/50, 701101-103, 701/110
• US Class Current: 701/103
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 11/105 characterised by the function converting demand to actuation, e.g. a map indicating relations between an accelerator pedal position and throttle valve opening or target engine torque
• 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 2200/602 Pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2422 Selective use of one or more tables

Abstract

A fuel consumption amount evaluation system is disclosed. The system includes a rotational speed detecting section (5b) for detecting an engine rotational speed of the engine-driven traveling vehicle as a measured rotational speed, an accelerator opening degree detecting section (5a) for detecting an accelerator opening degree, a fuel injection amount calculating means (50) for calculating a fuel injection amount per predetermined unit from the accelerator opening degree and the measured rotational speed, and a mileage evaluating section (54) for effecting a mileage evaluation based on the fuel injection amount calculated by the fuel injection amount calculating means (50).

Claims

1. A condition evaluation system for an engine-driven traveling vehicle, comprising:

a rotational speed detecting section for detecting an engine rotational speed of the engine-driven traveling vehicle as a measured rotational speed;

an accelerator opening degree detecting section for detecting an accelerator opening degree;

a storing section for storing, as a correlation group, a correlation prepared for each accelerator opening degree between an engine rotational speed drop amount from a reference rotational speed which is the engine rotational speed under a zero load condition of the engine and a change in fuel injection amount;

a fuel injection amount calculating means for selecting, from the correlation group, the correlation associated with the accelerator opening degree detected by the accelerator opening degree detecting section, and applying, to the selected correlation, the measured rotational speed detected by the rotational speed detecting section to calculate a fuel injection amount per predetermined unit; and

a mileage evaluating section for effecting a mileage evaluation based on the fuel injection amount calculated by the fuel injection amount calculating means.

2. The condition evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein said fuel injection amount calculating means includes:

a calculation managing section for setting the selected correlation; and

a calculation executing section for deriving the fuel injection amount from the measured rotational speed, based on the correlation set by the calculating managing section.

3. The condition evaluation system according to claim 2, wherein said correlation group is used as an accelerator opening degree-by-degree function for outputting a fuel injection amount per rotation of the engine as said fuel injection amount in response to input of said measured rotational speed, and said accelerator opening degree-by-degree function is generated and stored, into the storing section, in advance for each predetermined accelerator opening degree.

4. The condition evaluation system according to claim 2, wherein an accelerator opening degree-by-degree function comprises a combination of linear functions defined respectively for a plurality of domains.

5. The condition evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein said engine-driven traveling vehicle is a work vehicle mounting an engine-driven utility implement, and said mileage evaluating section uses an operational condition of the implement as a judgment condition for a rule of the mileage evaluation, in addition to the fuel injection amount.

6. The condition evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein information on the mileage evaluation by the mileage evaluating section is displayed on a display panel, together with vehicle speed information of the engine-driven traveling vehicle.

7. A condition evaluation system for an engine-driven traveling vehicle, comprising:

an engine rotational speed detecting section for detecting an engine rotational speed of the engine-driven traveling vehicle as a measured engine rotational speed;

an accelerator opening degree detecting section for detecting an accelerator opening degree;

a storing section for storing, as a correlation group, a correlation prepared for each accelerator opening degree between an engine rotational speed drop amount from a reference rotational speed which is the engine rotational speed under a zero load condition of the engine and an engine load degree;

an engine load degree calculating means for selecting, from the correlation group, the correlation associated with the accelerator opening degree detected by the accelerator opening degree detecting section, and applying, to the selected correlation, the measured rotational speed detected by the rotational speed detecting section to calculate a partial load degree and a maximum load degree for each accelerator opening degree; and

a driving information generating means for evaluating a driving condition of the vehicle based on said engine load degree calculated by said engine load degree calculating means, and generating appropriate driving information for the vehicle.

8. The condition evaluation system according to claim 7, wherein said engine load degree calculating means includes:

a maximum load degree determining section for determining the maximum load degree according to the accelerator opening degree detected by the accelerator opening degree detecting section;

a partial load degree calculating section for calculating the partial load from the measured rotational speed based on the selected correlation; and

a load degree calculating section for calculating the engine load degree from the maximum load degree and the partial load degree.

9. The condition evaluation system according to claim 7, wherein said correlation group comprises an accelerator opening degree-by-degree function that outputs said partial load degree in response to a variable input of said measured rotational speed.

10. The condition evaluation system according to claim 9, wherein an accelerator opening degree-by-degree function comprises a combination of linear functions defined respectively for a plurality of domains.

11. The condition evaluation system according to claim 7, further comprising a shift position detecting section for detecting a speed shift position of the vehicle;

wherein said driving information generating means includes a shift-up evaluating section for determining or evaluating possibility of shift-up operation based on the engine load degree and the speed shift position, and a shift-up information generating section for generating shift-up information based on the evaluation by the shift up operation possibility by the shift-up evaluating section.

12. The condition evaluating system according to claim 7, wherein the engine-driven traveling vehicle is a work vehicle mounting an engine-driven utility implement, and the driving information generating means includes an implement information generating section for generating implement driving assisting information.

13. A condition evaluation system for an engine-driven traveling vehicle, comprising:

a rotational speed detecting section for detecting an engine rotational speed of the engine-driven traveling vehicle as a measured rotational speed;

an accelerator opening degree detecting section for detecting an accelerator opening degree;

a storing section for storing, as a correlation group, a correlation prepared for each accelerator opening degree between an engine rotational speed drop amount from a reference rotational speed which is the engine rotational speed under a zero load condition of the engine and a change in fuel injection amount;

a fuel injection amount calculating means for selecting, from the correlation group, the correlation associated with the accelerator opening degree detected by the accelerator opening degree detecting section, and applying, to the selected correlation, the measured rotational speed detected by the rotational speed detecting section to calculate a fuel injection amount per predetermined unit;

a mileage evaluating section for effecting a mileage evaluation based on the fuel injection amount calculated by the fuel injection amount calculating means;

an engine load degree calculating means for calculating an engine load degree from a partial load degree calculated from the measured engine rotational speed based on a correlation prepared for each accelerator opening degree between an engine rotational speed drop amount from a reference engine rotational speed which is the engine rotational speed under a zero load condition of the engine and a torque change, and also from a maximum load degree for each accelerator opening degree;

a driving information generating means for evaluating a driving condition of the vehicle based on said engine load degree calculated by said engine load degree calculating means, and generating appropriate driving information for the vehicle; and

a display panel for displaying information about the mileage evaluation and the appropriate driving information.