Vehicle fuel consumption monitor and feedback systems
AssigneeSmartDrive Systems, Inc.
InventorsJason Palmer, Slaven Sljivar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Excess fuel consumption monitor and feedback systems for vehicles include sensor arrays of two primary types including those sensors deployed as part of a vehicle manufacturer established sensor suite and sensors deployed as after-market sensors. Together, these sensor suites include sensors coupled to vehicle subsystems and operating environments associated with the vehicle. Data from these sensors may be used as parametric inputs to drive algorithmic calculations which have outputs that express excess fuel consumption. Expressions of excess fuel consumption may be made instantaneously as real-time feedback to a vehicle operator/driver and/or a fleet manager as part of a summary report.
Claims18
A system configured to detect and report excess fuel consumption in vehicles, wherein the vehicles include a first vehicle, wherein the first vehicle is associated with a first driver, and wherein the first vehicle includes a user interface for interaction with the first driver, the system comprising:
- one or more processors configured via computer-readable instructions to:
- detect a first vehicle maneuver based on one or more first vehicle parameters related to operation of the first vehicle, wherein the first detected vehicle maneuver includes one or more of hard acceleration, hard braking, driving at a constant speed in a suboptimal gear, speeding beyond an optimal top speed, idling unnecessarily, hard cornering, over revving the engine of the first vehicle, inefficiently shifting gears, inefficient acceleration, inefficient braking, inefficient operation of the first vehicle given prevailing driving conditions, and/or speeding uphill;
- determine actual fuel consumption by the first vehicle during the first detected vehicle maneuver;
- determine feedback information for the first driver, wherein the feedback information is based on at least one of the first vehicle maneuver and the actual fuel consumption as determined;
- provide the feedback information in real-time to the first driver, wherein the feedback information is provided through the user interface included in the first vehicle;
- generate a report based on both of the first vehicle maneuver and the actual fuel consumption;
- and
- effectuate presentation of the report to a fleet manager of a fleet of vehicles that includes the first vehicle.
A method to detect and report excess fuel consumption in vehicles, wherein the vehicles include a first vehicle, wherein the first vehicle is associated with a first driver, and wherein the first vehicle includes a user interface for interaction with the first driver, the method comprising:
- detecting a first vehicle maneuver based on one or more first vehicle parameters related to operation of the first vehicle, wherein the first detected vehicle maneuver includes one or more of hard acceleration, hard braking, driving at a constant speed in a suboptimal gear, speeding beyond an optimal top speed, idling unnecessarily, hard cornering, over revving the engine of the first vehicle, inefficiently shifting gears, inefficient acceleration, inefficient braking, inefficient operation of the first vehicle given prevailing driving conditions, and/or speeding uphill;
- determining actual fuel consumption by the first vehicle during the first detected vehicle maneuver;
- determining feedback information for the first driver, wherein the feedback information is based on at least one of the first vehicle maneuver and the actual fuel consumption;
- providing the feedback information in real-time to the first driver, wherein the feedback information is provided through the user interface included in the first vehicle;
- generating a report based on both of the first vehicle maneuver and the actual fuel consumption;
- and
- effectuating presentation of the report to a fleet manager of a fleet of vehicles that includes the first vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.