Technique for inducing economic driving of hybrid vehicle

• US 8,706,334 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2011
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Eom, Ki Tae, Park, Han Gil, Cho, Teh Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): MYHRE, KEVIN C
• Application Number:
  US13/314,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20130090792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/34.4, 701/123, 340/439, 340/438, 340/450, 340/450.2, 180/65.21
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/172 Driving mode indication
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

Disclosed is a technique for inducing economic driving of a hybrid vehicle. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for inducing economic driving of a hybrid vehicle, which can efficiently induce economic driving by stimulating a driver'"'"'s desire to achieve better fuel efficiency by calculating an accumulated mileage based on both fuel consumption and battery consumption, displaying the accumulated mileage as a grade, and assigning score according to that particular driver'"'"'s grade.

Claims

1. An apparatus for inducing economical driving of a hybrid vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a first unit configured to calculate an accumulated driving distance;

a second unit configured to calculate an accumulated consumption;

a third unit configured to calculate an accumulated mileage;

a fourth unit configured to detect a level of an accumulated mileage calculated by the third unit; and

a controller configured to assign a score corresponding to the detected level, and control a display unit to display a graphical image corresponding to the detected level,

wherein the fourth unit sets the level of a current calculated accumulated mileage to be either greater or smaller than the level of a previous calculated accumulated mileage by one level when the level of the current calculated accumulated mileage is either greater or smaller than the level of the previous calculated accumulated mileage by two or more levels.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the accumulated consumption calculation unit calculates the consumption using Formula A below, wherein a conversion factor is a constant to convert the battery consumption into a unit of measurement equivalent to that of the fuel consumption

Consumption=Fuel consumption+(conversion factor×

battery consumption) 

 

[Formula A].

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to synchronize the first unit with the second unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third unit is further configured to accumulate mileage at longer intervals than the intervals used by the first unit.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fourth unit detects the level for accumulated mileage based on the data received by the first, second and third units.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fourth unit calculates the average of the accumulated mileages calculated by the third unit, and detects the level of the average accumulated mileage.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller assigns a score when the level transmitted from the level detection unit is at its highest level.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller accumulates and manages the assigned score.

9. A method for inducing economic driving of a hybrid vehicle, the method comprising:

calculating, by a control unit, an accumulated driving distance by calculating driving distances using vehicle speed information per a unit of time and summing the calculated driving distances;

calculating, by the control unit, an accumulated consumption by calculating fuel consumption and battery consumption converted into an equivalent unit of measurement of the fuel consumption and summing the calculated fuel consumption and battery consumption;

calculating, by the control unit, an accumulated mileage by dividing the accumulated driving distance by the accumulated consumption;

detecting, by the control unit, a level of the calculated accumulated mileage;

assigning, by the control unit, a score to the detected level; and

displaying, by a display unit, a graphical image corresponding to the detected level,

wherein detecting the level further comprises setting the level of the current calculated accumulated mileage to be either greater or smaller than the level of the previous calculated accumulated mileage by one level when the level of the current calculated accumulated mileage is either greater or smaller than the level of the previous calculated accumulated mileage by two or more levels.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein calculating an accumulated consumption is performed using Formula B below wherein a conversion factor is a constant to convert the battery consumption into a unit of measurement equivalent to that of the fuel consumption

Consumption=Fuel consumption+(conversion factor×

battery consumption) 

 

[Formula B].

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the control unit comprises a first and second unit and further comprising synchronizing the calculation provided by the first and second unit.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein calculating an accumulated mileage calculates accumulated mileage at longer intervals than the intervals used in calculating the accumulated driving distances.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting the level further comprises detecting the level for accumulated mileage based on the synchronized calculations.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of detecting the level includes calculating the average of the calculated accumulated mileage, and the level for the average accumulated mileage is detected.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein a score is assigned when the detected level is at its highest level.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein assigning a score further comprises:

accumulating and managing the assigned scores of one or more drivers.