Driving behavior feedback interface

• US 8,738,262 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2012
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Syed, Fazal Urrahman, Filev, Dimitar Petrov, Nallapa, Venkatapathi Raju, Bryan, Paul Stephen, Skaff, Ryan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH-STEWART, DEMETRA R
• Application Number:
  US13/443,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20130173129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

One or more embodiments of the present application may provide a system and method for monitoring driver inputs and vehicle parameters, assessing a driver'"'"'s cruising speed behavior, and providing short-term and/or long-term feedback to the driver relating to the driver'"'"'s cruising speed behavior. The cruising speed behavior feedback can be used to coach future cruising speed behavior that may translate into better long-term driving habits, which in turn may lead to improvements in fuel economy or vehicle range. Moreover, the cruising speed behavior feedback can be adapted to a driver based upon how responsive the driver is to the feedback.

Claims

1. A control system comprising:

a controller configured to receive input indicative at least of vehicle acceleration, vehicle deceleration and vehicle speed, and output at least one cruising speed score based upon the input when vehicle acceleration is below an acceleration threshold and vehicle deceleration is below a deceleration threshold; and

an interface communicating with the controller and configured to display a cruising speed feedback indicator indicative of the at least one cruising speed score.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the interface includes a cruising speed feedback gauge for displaying the cruising speed feedback indicator, and wherein the interface is configured to adjust the cruising speed feedback indicator within the cruising speed feedback gauge based on the at least one cruising speed score.

3. The control system of claim 2, wherein the at least one cruising speed score indicated by the cruising speed feedback indicator includes one of a long-term cruising speed score and an instantaneous cruising speed score.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein the interface is further configured to adjust a color of at least a portion of the cruising speed feedback gauge based on the other of the long-term cruising speed score and the instantaneous cruising speed score.

5. The control system of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to generate the instantaneous cruising speed score based upon the vehicle acceleration, the vehicle deceleration and the vehicle speed.

6. The control system of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to normalize at least the vehicle acceleration and the vehicle deceleration based upon vehicle speed prior to generating the instantaneous cruising speed score.

7. The control system of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to calculate an adapted vehicle speed value prior to generating the instantaneous cruising speed score, the adapted vehicle speed value being based on the vehicle speed and the long-term cruising speed score.

8. The control system of claim 7, wherein the adapted vehicle speed value is calculated by multiplying the vehicle speed by the long-term cruising speed score.

9. The control system of claim 7, wherein the instantaneous cruising speed score is generated based on the adapted vehicle speed value using a look-up table.

10. The control system of claim 3, wherein the long-term cruising speed score is based at least in part upon the instantaneous cruising speed score, a previous long-term cruising speed score, and a forgetting factor for weighting the instantaneous cruising speed score and the previous long-term cruising speed score.

11. The control system of claim 10, wherein the forgetting factor is based on whether the previous long-term cruising speed score is less than the instantaneous cruising speed score.

12. A method for controlling a vehicle display comprising:

receiving input indicative at least of vehicle acceleration, vehicle deceleration and vehicle speed;

generating at least one cruising speed score based upon the input when vehicle acceleration is below an acceleration threshold and vehicle deceleration is below a deceleration threshold; and

displaying a cruising speed feedback gauge having a cruising speed feedback indicator indicative of the at least one cruising speed score.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of generating the at least one cruising speed score comprises:

comparing the vehicle acceleration to the acceleration threshold;

comparing the vehicle deceleration to the deceleration threshold;

generating an instantaneous cruising speed score based upon the vehicle speed when the vehicle acceleration is below the acceleration threshold and the vehicle deceleration is below the deceleration threshold; and

calculating a long-term cruising speed score based on the instantaneous cruising speed score.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one cruising speed score indicated by the cruising speed feedback indicator includes one of the long-term cruising speed score and the instantaneous cruising speed score.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

normalizing one or more of the vehicle acceleration and the vehicle deceleration based upon vehicle speed prior to generating the instantaneous cruising speed score.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

calculating an adapted vehicle speed value prior to generating the instantaneous cruising speed score, the adapted vehicle speed value being based on the vehicle speed and the long-term cruising speed score.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the instantaneous cruising speed score is generated based on the adapted vehicle speed value using a look-up table.

18. A display control system comprising:

a controller configured to receive input indicative of vehicle acceleration, vehicle deceleration and vehicle speed, generate an instantaneous cruising speed score based on the input when vehicle acceleration is below an acceleration threshold and vehicle deceleration is below a deceleration threshold, and provide a cruising speed feedback signal corresponding to a long-term cruising speed score based upon the instantaneous cruising speed score; and

a display in communication with the controller and including a cruising speed feedback gauge configured to display a cruising speed feedback indicator indicative of the long-term cruising speed score.

19. The display system of claim 18, wherein the display is further configured to adjust a color of at least a portion of the cruising speed feedback gauge based on the long-term cruising speed score.