# US 11,027,650 B2 · Method and apparatus for improving operation of a motor vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,027,650 B2 - Document ID: US11027650B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/677,396 - Filed: 2019-11-07 - Published: 2021-05-13 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2019-11-07 - Assignees: NIO USA, Inc. - Applicants: NIO USA, Inc. - Inventors: James Peng - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11027650B2 ## CPC - B60L 15/2045: {for optimising the use of energy} - B60Q 9/00: Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 {, e.g. haptic signalling} - B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC] - B60L 58/16: responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH] - G07C 5/08: Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time - B60L 2240/36: Temperature of vehicle components or parts - B60L 2240/62: Vehicle position - B60L 2240/642: Slope of road - B60L 2240/66: Ambient conditions - B60L 2240/662: Temperature - B60L 2240/68: Traffic data - B60L 2250/16: by display - B60L 2260/52: drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance - Y02T 10/64: Electric machine technologies in electromobility - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A device includes a microprocessor and a computer readable medium coupled to the microprocessor. The computer readable medium includes instructions stored thereon that cause the microprocessor to receive output from at least one sensor monitoring a travel context of a vehicle and determine, based on the output received, a condition of the vehicle. The instructions cause the microprocessor to determine, based on the determined condition of the vehicle, modified driving operations to improve the operation of the vehicle. The instructions cause the microprocessor to construct a message describing the determined modified driving operations and communicate one or more modified driving operations to an operator for potential implementation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of improving vehicle operation by monitoring and adjusting an operation of a continuously moving vehicle, the method comprising: monitoring, by a processor disposed within said vehicle, a state of a battery; obtaining, by the processor, from a plurality of sensors disposed within said vehicle, data related to conditions external to the vehicle; determining, by the processor, based at least in part on the monitored state of the battery and the obtained data, a maximum distance that the vehicle may travel before refueling and/or recharging is required; determining, by the processor, one or more possible improvements in driving conditions to increase the maximum distance; determining, by the processor, a modified driving operation based on the determined one or more possible improvements in driving conditions; constructing, by the processor, in real time, a message describing the determined modified driving operation; determining, by the processor, based upon a set of predetermined conditions, whether to communicate the message to an operator of the vehicle; and communicating, by the processor, the message to an operator of the vehicle via a travel context-adjusted display device if the determination of whether to communicate the message to an operator of the vehicle indicates that the message should be communicated. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said monitored state of a battery comprises one or more of voltage, temperature, state of charge, depth of discharge, state of health, state of power, state of safety, coolant flow, and current. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said obtained data comprises one or more of weather conditions, traffic conditions, road conditions, elevation, slope, and excess fuel consumption. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said set of predetermined conditions comprise one or more of: a setting to automatically communicate all messages; a time interval; an input voice command; an input switch, button, or touchscreen command; a recurrence frequency of a monitored condition; and a priority level. ### Claim 5 A vehicle, comprising: a processor; a plurality of sensors; a travel context-adjusted display device; and a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions, which when executed by the processor while the vehicle is in continuous motion, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: monitoring a state of a battery; obtaining, from said plurality of sensors, data related to conditions external to the vehicle; determining, based at least in part on the monitored state of the battery and the obtained data, a maximum distance that the vehicle may travel before refueling and/or recharging is required; determining one or more possible improvements in driving conditions to increase the maximum distance; determining a modified driving operation based on the determined one or more possible improvements in driving conditions; constructing, in real time, a message describing the determined modified driving operation; determining, based upon a set of predetermined conditions, whether to communicate the message to an operator of the vehicle; and communicating the message to an operator of the vehicle via a travel context-adjusted display device if the determination of whether to communicate the message to an operator of the vehicle indicates that the message should be communicated. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The vehicle of claim 5, wherein said monitored state of a battery comprises one or more of voltage, temperature, state of charge, depth of discharge, state of health, state of power, state of safety, coolant flow, and current. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The vehicle of claim 5, wherein said obtained data comprises one or more of weather conditions, traffic conditions, road conditions, elevation, slope, and excess fuel consumption. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The vehicle of claim 5, further comprising a user interface configured to receive an input from an operator of the vehicle indicating that the determined modified driving operation should be implemented, wherein the processor is configured to communicate said determined modified driving operation in response to said input to one or more actuators to control one or more vehicle components to implement said determined modified driving operations. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vehicle of claim 8, wherein said user interface comprises one or more of a button and a voice command module. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The vehicle of claim 5, wherein said processor is configurable by an operator to operate in at least two modes, wherein, when said processor is configured to operate in a first of said at least two modes, said processor is configured to communicate said determined modified driving operation to one or more actuators to control one or more vehicle components to implement said determined modified driving operation without receiving a signal from a user interface. ### Claim 11 (depends on 5) The vehicle of claim 5, wherein said set of predetermined conditions comprise one or more of: a setting to automatically communicate all messages; a time interval; an input voice command; an input switch, button, or touchscreen command; a recurrence frequency of a monitored condition; and a priority level. ### Claim 12 (depends on 5) The vehicle of claim 5, further comprising an audio module to audibly communicate said message to said operator. ### Claim 13 A vehicle, comprising: a processor; a plurality of sensors; a travel context-adjusted display device; and a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions, which when executed by the processor while the vehicle is in continuous motion, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: identifying an operator of the vehicle; obtaining data related to driving operations of the vehicle by the operator; associating said driving operations with said operator; constructing a driver profile associated with said operator based at least in part on said driving operations, wherein said driver profile comprises driver preferences; storing said driver profile in a database; monitoring a state of a battery; obtaining, from said plurality of sensors, data related to conditions external to the vehicle; determining, based at least in part on the monitored state of the battery and the obtained data, a maximum distance that the vehicle may travel before refueling and/or recharging is required; determining a possible improvement in a driving condition to increase the maximum distance; determining a set of modified driving operations based on the determined possible improvement in a driving condition; identifying a preferred modified driving operation from the set of modified driving operations based at least in part on said driver profile; constructing, in real time, a message describing said preferred modified driving operation; determining, based upon a set of predetermined conditions, whether to communicate the message to an operator of the vehicle; and communicating the message to the operator of the vehicle via a travel context-adjusted display device if the determination of whether to communicate the message to an operator of the vehicle indicates that the message should be communicated. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The vehicle of claim 13, wherein said monitored state of a battery comprises one or more of voltage, temperature, state of charge, depth of discharge, state of health, statue of power, state of safety, coolant flow, and current. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The vehicle of claim 13, wherein said obtained data comprises one or more of weather conditions, traffic conditions, road conditions, elevation, slope, and excess fuel consumption. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The vehicle of claim 13, further comprising a user interface configured to receive an input from an operator of the vehicle indicating that the preferred modified driving operation should be implemented, wherein the processor is configured to communicate said preferred modified driving operation in response to said input to one or more actuators to control one or more vehicle components to implement said preferred modified driving operation. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The vehicle of claim 16, wherein said user interface comprises one or more of a button and a voice command module. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The vehicle of claim 13, wherein said processor is configurable by an operator to operate in at least two modes, wherein when said processor is configured to operate in a first of said at least two modes said processor is configured to communicate said preferred modified driving operation to one or more actuators to control one or more vehicle components to implement said preferred modified driving operation without receiving a signal from a user interface. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The vehicle of claim 13, wherein said set of predetermined conditions comprise one or more of: a setting to automatically communicate all messages; a time interval; an input voice command; an input switch, button, or touchscreen command; a recurrence frequency of a monitored condition; and a priority level. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The vehicle of claim 13, further comprising an audio module to audibly communicate said message to said operator.