Section setting method, mileage information generation device, and operation assist device

A fuel efficiency information generation device configured to generate fuel-efficiency-information, which is information related to a fuel efficiency of a vehicle that travels between a starting point and a destination point, wherein

• the fuel-efficiency-information generation device is configured to search routes from the starting point to the destination point, and
• the fuel-efficiency-information generation device is further configured to calculate an actual fuel efficiency for each of the searched routes based on information related to a fuel efficiency obtained by connecting change pattern sections of the fuel-efficiency information for each of the sections that are set based on a section setting method comprising:
• collecting fuel efficiency information with a processor, which is information related to fuel efficiency of a vehicle that travels along a single path from the starting point to the destination point and is obtained under a plurality of types of vehicle operations together with location information of the vehicle at each time;
• forming a plurality of change patterns, wherein each change pattern contains the collected fuel efficiency information of the vehicle that travels along the single path from the starting point to the destination point;
• comparing change patterns in the collected fuel efficiency information for each of the location information;
• connecting change pattern sections, which are parts of the change patterns, sequentially from the starting point to the destination point based on a result of the comparison;
• setting, as a section to be used for calculation of actual fuel efficiency, each of the sections is obtained by dividing a route at positions corresponding to connection points of the connected change pattern sections using the fuel-efficiency-information generation device,
• setting a proximate range-determining value for determining whether a distance of a section that is obtained by dividing the route based on the connection points is within a proximate range of a section that is immediately before or after the section;
• integrating the sections that are before and after the connection point into one section if the distance is less than or equal to the proximate range-determining value;
• and
• fixing the sections that are before and after the connection point as separate sections if the section exceeds the proximate range-determining value.

A drive assist device that assists driving of a driver by providing fuel-efficiency information, which is information related to a fuel efficiency of a vehicle that travels between a starting point and a destination point, wherein

• the drive assist device is configured to search routes from the starting point to the destination point, and
• the drive assist device is further configured to provide information related to an actual fuel efficiency for each of the searched routes based on the information related to a fuel efficiency obtained by connecting change pattern sections of the fuel-efficiency information for each of the sections that are set based on a section setting method comprising:
• collecting fuel efficiency information with a processor, which is information related to fuel efficiency of a vehicle that travels along a single path from the starting point to the destination point and is obtained under a plurality of types of vehicle operations together with location information of the vehicle at each time;
• forming a plurality of change patterns, wherein each change pattern contains the collected fuel efficiency information of the vehicle that travels along the single path from the starting point to the destination point;
• comparing change patterns in the collected fuel efficiency information for each of the location information;
• connecting change pattern sections, which are parts of the change patterns, sequentially from the starting point to the destination point based on a result of the comparison;
• setting, as a section to be used for calculation of actual fuel efficiency, each of the sections is obtained by dividing a route at positions corresponding to connection points of the connected change pattern sections using a fuel-efficiency-information generation device,
• setting a proximate range-determining value for determining whether a distance of a section that is obtained by dividing the route based on the connection points is within a proximate range of a section that is immediately before or after the section;
• integrating the sections that are before and after the connection point into one section if the distance is less than or equal to the proximate range-determining value;
• and
• fixing the sections that are before and after the connection point as separate sections if the section exceeds the proximate range-determining value.