Fuel efficiency calculation system, fuel efficiency calculation method, and program

Abstract

To provide a fuel efficiency visualization system, a fuel efficiency visualization method, and a program that calculate and visualize vehicle fuel efficiency from data recorded in an ECU.SOLUTION: A fuel efficiency visualization system comprises: a plurality of acquisition units 121 to 124 for acquiring fuel efficiency based on vehicle data acquired from a vehicle 20; and a switching unit 13 for switching to another acquisition unit that calculates the fuel efficiency based on the vehicle data if any one of the plurality of acquisition units 121 to 124 cannot acquire the fuel efficiency.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel consumption calculation system, a fuel consumption calculation method, and a program, particularly to a fuel consumption calculation system, a fuel consumption calculation method, and a program for calculating the fuel consumption of a vehicle. calculation

Background Art

[0002] Many vehicles used in the transportation industry, such as trucks, do not have functions related to so-called eco-driving and cannot confirm fuel consumption. On the other hand, in ordinary cars, in recent years, due to the increasing social concern about environmental problems, there are vehicles with a function of calculating fuel consumption and displaying it near the instruments.

[0003] Also, there is a known technology that can present fuel consumption to users even in vehicles without a fuel consumption display function. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle device that automatically acquires vehicle information including the driving distance from the previous refueling from a vehicle by a user's mobile communication terminal, transmits it to a server together with the current fuel filling amount input by the user, and displays the fuel consumption calculated by the server on the screen of the mobile communication terminal. According to this invention, since the mobile communication terminal automatically acquires vehicle information, the user can easily receive a fuel consumption calculation service.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Incidentally, fuel efficiency, as well as the mileage and fuel consumption used to calculate it, are sometimes measured or calculated by the functions of a so-called diagnostic system (OBDII) and recorded in the ECU. By utilizing this mechanism, users can receive fuel efficiency calculation services more easily than with the device described in Patent Document 1, without needing to perform any operation. However, since the data management items managed by the ECU differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, there may be cases where the management items for fuel efficiency or the mileage and fuel consumption used to calculate it do not exist. Therefore, vehicles that lack the necessary management items may not be able to have their fuel efficiency calculated.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides a way to control vehicle fuel efficiency even when the management items managed by the ECU are different. calculation Fuel efficiency calculation System, fuel efficiency calculation We provide methods and programs.

[0007] The first invention disclosed herein is a fuel consumption calculation system for calculating the fuel consumption of a vehicle, comprising: a first acquisition unit that determines whether a fuel consumption item is present in the data items of vehicle data acquired from the vehicle, and if the data item includes the fuel consumption item, acquires the fuel consumption data; and if the data item does not include the fuel consumption item, Determine whether or not the fuel consumption item is included. death, fuel consumption If there is an item, retrieve the corresponding data. fuel consumption The fuel efficiency is calculated and obtained based on the mileage obtained from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. 2nd Acquisition section, A third acquisition unit that, if the data item does not include the fuel consumption item, determines whether there is a fuel injection amount item, acquires the corresponding data if there is a fuel injection amount item, and calculates and acquires the fuel consumption based on the acquired fuel injection amount and the mileage acquired from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data; a fourth acquisition unit that, if the data item does not include the fuel consumption item, determines whether there is an intake airflow rate item, acquires the corresponding data if there is an intake airflow rate item, and calculates and acquires the fuel consumption based on the acquired intake airflow rate and the mileage acquired from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data; The present invention provides a fuel efficiency calculation system comprising a switching unit that switches between the first, second, third, and fourth data acquisition units depending on the presence or absence of each of the aforementioned data items.

[0008] The second invention disclosed herein relates to the fuel efficiency of the first invention. calculation It is a system, The second acquisition unit determines whether the vehicle data contains the fuel consumption item. If the vehicle data contains the fuel consumption item, it calculates and acquires the fuel efficiency based on the acquired fuel consumption and the mileage acquired or calculated from the vehicle data. If the vehicle data does not contain the fuel consumption item, the switching unit switches from the second acquisition unit to the third acquisition unit or the fourth acquisition unit. To provide.

[0009] A third invention disclosed herein is a fuel consumption calculation system according to the first or second invention, wherein the third acquisition unit determines whether or not there is a fuel injection amount item in the vehicle data, and if there is a fuel injection amount item in the vehicle data, it acquires the fuel injection amount, calculates the fuel consumption amount from the acquired fuel injection amount, and then calculates and acquires the fuel consumption amount based on the fuel consumption amount and the mileage acquired or calculated from the vehicle data, and if there is no fuel injection amount item in the vehicle data to, the switching part The system switches from the third acquisition unit to the fourth acquisition unit, The fourth acquisition unit then uses the vehicle data to obtain the There is no item for inspiratory flow rate. It was determined that In that case, the system provides a fuel efficiency calculation system that terminates the process.

[0010] The fourth invention disclosed herein is a fuel consumption calculation system relating to any one of the first to third inventions, wherein the fourth acquisition unit determines whether or not there is an intake air flow rate item in the vehicle data, and if there is an intake air flow rate item in the vehicle data, it acquires the intake air flow rate, calculates the fuel injection amount from the acquired intake air flow rate, and further calculates the fuel consumption amount from the fuel injection amount, and then calculates and acquires the fuel consumption based on the fuel consumption amount and the mileage acquired or calculated from the vehicle data, and if there is no intake air flow rate item in the vehicle data to, the switching part The system switches from the fourth acquisition unit to the third acquisition unit, The third acquisition unit then uses the vehicle data to obtain the There is no item for fuel injection amount. It was determined that In that case, terminate the process. Fuel efficiency calculation system To provide.

[0011] The fifth invention disclosed herein relates to the fuel efficiency of any one of the first to fourth inventions. calculation A system, the above 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Acquired in the acquisition section The aforementioned Fuel efficiency is the fuel consumption from the time the vehicle is ignited until the time of acquisition, or the fuel consumption from the time of the last refueling until the time of acquisition. calculation We provide the system.

[0012] The sixth invention disclosed in this specification is a fuel consumption calculation method executed by a fuel consumption calculation system for calculating the fuel consumption of a vehicle, which includes determining whether there is a fuel consumption item among the data items of the vehicle data acquired from the vehicle, and if the data item includes the fuel consumption item, a first step of acquiring the fuel consumption data, and if the data item does not include the fuel consumption item, Determine whether or not the fuel consumption item is included. and, fuel consumption if there is an item, acquiring the corresponding data, and the acquired fuel consumption and calculating and acquiring the fuel consumption based on the driving distance acquired from the vehicle data or the driving distance calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. 2nd step; If the data item does not include the fuel consumption item, a third step is to determine whether there is a fuel injection amount item, and if there is a fuel injection amount item, obtain the corresponding data, and calculate and obtain the fuel consumption based on the obtained fuel injection amount and the mileage obtained from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data; and a fourth step is to determine whether there is an intake airflow item if the data item does not include the fuel consumption item, and if there is an intake airflow item, obtain the corresponding data, and calculate and obtain the fuel consumption based on the obtained intake airflow and the mileage obtained from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. and a switching step of switching the first, second, third, and fourth steps according to the presence or absence of each of the data items, and provides a method including the same.

[0013] The seventh invention disclosed in this specification is a fuel consumption calculation system for calculating the fuel consumption of a vehicle, which determines whether there is a fuel consumption item among the data items of the vehicle data acquired from the vehicle, and if the data item includes the fuel consumption item, a first acquisition unit for acquiring the fuel consumption data, and if the data item does not include the fuel consumption item, Determine whether or not the fuel consumption item is included. and, fuel consumption if there is an item, acquiring the corresponding data, and the acquired fuel consumption and calculating and acquiring the fuel consumption based on the driving distance acquired from the vehicle data or the driving distance calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. 2nd acquisition unit; A third acquisition unit determines whether a fuel injection amount item is present if the data item does not include the fuel consumption item, acquires the corresponding data if a fuel injection amount item is present, and calculates and acquires the fuel consumption based on the acquired fuel injection amount and the mileage acquired from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. A fourth acquisition unit determines whether an intake airflow rate item is present if the data item does not include the fuel consumption item, acquires the corresponding data if an intake airflow rate item is present, and calculates and acquires the fuel consumption based on the acquired intake airflow rate and the mileage acquired from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. and provides a computer-readable program for causing the same to function as a switching unit that switches the first, second, third, and fourth acquisition units according to the presence or absence of each of the data items.

[0014] According to the present invention, the fuel consumption of a vehicle can be calculation calculated even when the management items managed by the ECU are different.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] [Figure 1]This figure illustrates an overview of the fuel consumption calculation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows the functional configuration of the fuel consumption calculation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure schematically shows the fuel consumption data DB142 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure schematically shows a vehicle master DB143 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing the fuel consumption calculation process of the fuel consumption calculation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In the following drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same numbers or reference numerals throughout the description of the embodiments.

[0017] [Basic concept / basic configuration] Figure 1 shows the fuel consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention. calculation This is a diagram illustrating the overview of System 1. As shown in the diagram, fuel consumption calculation System 1 is fuel calculation The device 10 includes multiple target vehicles 20 and client computers (hereinafter referred to as client PCs) 30, such as the drivers of the vehicles 20, maintenance companies that maintain the vehicles 20, and transportation companies that manage the vehicles 20. The multiple vehicles 20 and client PCs 30 communicate fuel efficiency via wireless networks 40 such as 4G and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or the internet 50. calculation It is connected to device 10.

[0018] In this embodiment, fuel consumption calculationDevice 10 is a cloud server, but it may also be on-premises. Furthermore, one or more client PCs 30 are sufficient, and as shown in the diagram, they may be portable devices such as laptop computers or smartphones. Alternatively, they may be stationary devices such as desktop computers.

[0019] Fuel efficiency calculation System 1 is a system that acquires or calculates the fuel efficiency of vehicle 20 based on live data acquired from vehicle 20, and presents the acquired or calculated fuel efficiency to client PC 30. Here, live data refers to data on the operating status of the equipment that makes up the vehicle, recorded in the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of vehicle 20, and includes detection results detected by sensors installed in vehicle 20, and calculation results calculated from the detection results.

[0020] Fuel efficiency calculation Device 10 acquires vehicle data from vehicle 20, including live data and vehicle identification information for identifying vehicle 20, such as the vehicle registration number (so-called license plate number) and vehicle identification number.

[0021] Fuel efficiency calculation If the live data of the acquired vehicle data includes fuel efficiency data, the device 10 acquires the fuel efficiency data.

[0022] Also, if fuel consumption data is not included in the live data, calculation The device 10 acquires fuel consumption data from live data to be used to calculate fuel efficiency data, and calculates fuel efficiency data based on the acquired fuel consumption data. In detail, fuel efficiency calculation Device 10 acquires fuel consumption data and mileage data from live data and calculates fuel efficiency data. If mileage data is not included in the live data, it may be calculated from the live data, or it may be acquired separately from the vehicle 20's navigation system or the vehicle's trip meter, etc.

[0023] Furthermore, if the live data does not include fuel consumption data, then fuel efficiency calculation The device 10 acquires fuel injection amount data or intake air flow rate data and calculates fuel consumption data based on the acquired data. In detail, fuel consumption calculation The device 10 calculates fuel consumption data based on fuel injection amount data or intake air flow rate data, and calculates fuel efficiency data based on the calculated fuel consumption data and mileage data.

[0024] Fuel efficiency calculation Device 10 acquires or calculates fuel consumption data Client PC Send to 30. Fuel efficiency calculation The device 10 may transmit fuel consumption data in response to a request from the client PC 30, or it may automatically transmit the data to the client PC 30 once it has been acquired or calculated.

[0025] Thus, fuel efficiency calculation Even if the live vehicle data acquired from the vehicle 20 does not include fuel efficiency data, the device 10 can calculate fuel efficiency data if the live data includes fuel consumption data, fuel injection amount data, or intake air flow rate data that can be used to calculate fuel efficiency data.

[0026] This allows the vehicle's fuel efficiency to be monitored even if the management items managed by the ECU are different. Calculate, It can be visualized. Therefore, regardless of the manufacturer, the fuel efficiency of a vehicle can be calculated and visualized from the data recorded in the ECU.

[0027] [Fuel efficiency] calculation [System Functional Configuration] Figure 2 shows the fuel consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention. calculation This diagram illustrates the functional configuration of System 1. As shown in the diagram, fuel efficiency calculation System 1 is fuel calculation Device 10 and fuel calculation The device 10 includes a vehicle 20 connected via a network and a client PC 30.

[0028] [Vehicle Functional Configuration] As shown in the figure, the vehicle 20 is equipped with ECUs 21 and 22, sensors 23 to 26, and a transmitter 27. The ECUs 21 and 22 acquire detection results from each connected sensor, i.e., the current values ​​of the physical state quantities to be detected, at predetermined timings or continuously, in order for the vehicle 20 to perform optimally, and perform optimal control based on the detection results. Furthermore, the ECUs 21 and 22 associate the detection results from each sensor with live data management item names, for example, assigning 40mm to the fuel injection amount item. 3 The time is recorded in seconds. Multiple ECUs 21 and 22 are provided for each function of the target vehicle 20, such as the engine ECU, vehicle control ECU, brake ECU, etc.

[0029] Each sensor is, for example, an atmospheric pressure sensor 23, an intake valve sensor 24 that detects the opening degree of the intake valve, an airflow sensor 25 that detects the intake airflow rate of the intake manifold, an engine speed sensor 26, and a shift position sensor.

[0030] Furthermore, the ECU21 is equipped with an OBDII (On Board Diagnostics) 210. The OBDII 210 is a fault diagnosis program that diagnoses abnormalities or malfunctions in the vehicle 20. The OBDII 210 records the detection results of each sensor 23-26 connected to the ECU21 and 22 in the ECU, and diagnoses abnormalities or malfunctions in the vehicle 20 based on the detection results of each sensor 23-26. In addition, if the OBDII 210 determines that a problem has occurred, it outputs a pre-set DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code) according to the type of problem and records it in the ETC21 along with the live data at the time of the diagnosis. Here, a DTC is a fault code consisting of letters and four digits, which indicates the location and nature of the malfunction.

[0031] The transmitter 27 is a communication device that conforms to the CAN standard and is detachably attached to, for example, a car navigation system or CAN (Controller Area Network) terminal in a vehicle 20. The transmitter 27 is connected to the ECUs 21 and 22 via an in-vehicle network such as CAN, and acquires live data and fault codes from the ECUs 21 and 22.

[0032] Furthermore, the transmitter 27 transmits fuel consumption data via the network. calculation The device 10 is connected to the vehicle data, including vehicle identification information and live data, and fuel consumption data. calculation The information is transmitted to device 10. Vehicle identification information may be managed by ECUs 21 and 22, or by transmitter 27. 。

[0033] The transmitter 27 includes, in the vehicle data, transmitter identification information to identify the transmitter 27, the version of the installed software, the installation date, etc., and fuel efficiency. calculation It may also be transmitted to device 10. Fuel consumption calculation If device 10 has pre-managed this information for each vehicle, then the information obtained from transmitter 27 and fuel consumption calculation By comparing it with information that the device 10 has managed in advance, the fuel consumption calculation It can be used for authentication to access device 10.

[0034] [ Fuel efficiency calculation [Functional configuration of the device] Fuel efficiency calculation As shown in Figure 2, the device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a fuel consumption acquisition unit 12, a switching unit 13, and a storage unit 14.

[0035] The storage unit 14 includes a live data database (hereinafter, in this specification and drawings, the database may be referred to as DB) 141, a fuel efficiency database 142, and a vehicle master database 143. In this embodiment, Fuel efficiency calculation Since device 10 is a cloud server, it is desirable that the storage unit 14 be composed of cloud storage or a distributed ledger.

[0036] The communication unit 11 communicates with the transmitter 27 of the vehicle 20 and the client PC 30. Specifically, the communication unit 11 acquires vehicle data from the transmitter 27 of the vehicle 20. The communication unit 11 also transmits the fuel consumption data acquired by the fuel consumption acquisition unit 12 to the client PC 30.

[0037] The fuel efficiency acquisition unit 12 comprises a first acquisition unit 121, a second acquisition unit 122, a third acquisition unit 123, and a fourth acquisition unit 124. Each acquisition unit of the fuel efficiency acquisition unit 12 associates live data with vehicle identification information of vehicle data acquired from the transmitter 27 of the vehicle 20 and records it in the live data DB 141, and also acquires fuel efficiency data from the live data.

[0038] In detail, the first acquisition unit 121 associates live data with vehicle identification information and temporarily records it in the live data DB 141, then determines whether or not there is a fuel efficiency item in the live data. If there is a fuel efficiency item in the live data, the first acquisition unit 121 acquires the fuel efficiency data associated with the fuel efficiency item. The first acquisition unit 121 records the acquired fuel efficiency data in the fuel efficiency data DB 142, associating it with the vehicle identification information. On the other hand, if the first acquisition unit 121 determines that there is no fuel efficiency item in the live data, the switching unit 13 transfers the processing to the second acquisition unit 122.

[0039] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a fuel efficiency data DB142 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The fuel efficiency data DB142 includes vehicle identification information, fuel efficiency data, acquisition Includes information indicating dates, etc.

[0040] Furthermore, the first acquisition unit 121 transmits the acquired fuel efficiency data to the client PC 30 via the communication unit 11. The transmission of fuel efficiency data to the client PC 30 may occur when requested by the client PC 30, or when the first acquisition unit 121 acquires the fuel efficiency data.

[0041] For example, when a request is made from client PC 30, the system retrieves and transmits fuel efficiency data from fuel efficiency data DB 142 based on the vehicle identification number obtained from client PC 30. Also, when the first acquisition unit 121 has acquired fuel efficiency data, it retrieves the notification destination of client PC 30 from vehicle master DB 143 based on the vehicle identification information of the vehicle data, and sends a notification to the retrieved notification destination. At this time, the system may also include vehicle information recorded in vehicle master DB 143 in the notification.

[0042] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle master DB 143 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle master DB 143 includes information such as vehicle identification information, manufacturer, model, year of manufacture, user name, and notification recipient.

[0043] The fuel efficiency acquisition unit 12 may also calculate fuel efficiency data for a predetermined period. Specifically, the fuel efficiency data DB 142 records fuel efficiency data calculated in the past, and the fuel efficiency acquisition unit 12 uses this fuel efficiency data to calculate, for example, the average of the fuel efficiency data for the most recent month.

[0044] When the first acquisition unit 121 determines that there is no fuel consumption item in the live data, the switching unit 13 acquires fuel consumption data by switching the acquisition method according to the data to be used to calculate the fuel consumption data acquired from the live data.

[0045] The switching unit 13 switches between the first acquisition unit 121, the second acquisition unit 122, the third acquisition unit 123, and the fourth acquisition unit 124 according to the live data. In detail, if the live data contains a fuel consumption item and fuel consumption data is acquired, the switching unit 13 switches to the second acquisition unit 122, The live data does not include a fuel consumption item. If the live data includes a fuel injection amount item and fuel injection amount data is acquired, the system switches to the third acquisition unit 123. If the live data includes an intake airflow rate item and intake airflow rate data is acquired, the system switches to the fourth acquisition unit 124.

[0046] The second acquisition unit 122 calculates fuel efficiency data based on fuel consumption data acquired from live data. More specifically, the second acquisition unit 122 calculates fuel efficiency data by dividing the mileage data acquired from live data by the fuel consumption data acquired from live data.

[0047] If the mileage is not included in the live data, the mileage can be obtained using conventional techniques such as obtaining it from the trip meter of the vehicle 20, calculating it based on the engine speed and shift position information of the live data and the tire size in inches stored in the vehicle master DB143, etc., or obtaining the vehicle's position information, which has been determined by GNSS satellites, from the car navigation system installed in the vehicle.

[0048] The second acquisition unit 122 can calculate fuel efficiency data for a predetermined period by acquiring fuel consumption data for that period from live data. Here, the predetermined period may be calculated from the time the ignition is turned on, or from the time of the last refueling. When refueling, for example, a sensor that detects opening and closing is installed on the fuel filler cap, and the detection result of the sensor is included in the live data, which can then calculate the fuel efficiency. calculation The device 10 can detect when refueling is required. Information regarding these predetermined periods is detected by the vehicle's 20's ECUs 21 and 22, and the detection results are recorded in association with live data. The second acquisition unit 122 then records the live data, including the information regarding the predetermined period, into the live data database.

[0049] The third acquisition unit 123 calculates fuel consumption data based on fuel injection amount data acquired from live data. Specifically, the third acquisition unit 123 calculates fuel consumption data for a predetermined period by, for example, the fuel injection amount data per second × (injection time - ineffective injection time) × {engine speed during a predetermined period / (number of cycles / 2)} × number of cylinders. The predetermined period is as explained in the second acquisition unit 122.

[0050] Next, the third acquisitionUnit 123 calculates fuel efficiency data based on the calculated fuel consumption data. The calculation method is the same as the method performed by the second acquisition unit 122. The third acquisition unit 123 then calculates the fuel consumption data 2nd acquisition part The data may be passed to unit 122, and the fuel efficiency calculation may be performed by the second acquisition unit 122.

[0051] The fourth data acquisition unit 124 calculates fuel consumption data based on intake flow rate data acquired from live data. Specifically, the fourth data acquisition unit 124 first calculates fuel consumption data based on intake flow rate data acquired from live data. For example, it estimates the fuel injection amount data per cycle using intake flow rate data / stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. Next, it calculates the fuel consumption data for a predetermined period by multiplying the fuel injection amount data per cycle by {engine speed during a predetermined period / (number of cycles / 2)} and the number of cylinders. The predetermined period is as explained in the second data acquisition unit 122.

[0052] Next, the fourth data acquisition unit 124 calculates fuel efficiency data based on the calculated fuel consumption data. The calculation method is the same as that of the second data acquisition unit 122. Alternatively, the fourth data acquisition unit 124 may pass the calculated fuel consumption data to the second data acquisition unit 122, and the second data acquisition unit 122 may perform the fuel efficiency calculation.

[0053] Each acquisition unit of the fuel efficiency acquisition unit 12 records the fuel efficiency data acquired by any of the first acquisition unit 121, second acquisition unit 122, third acquisition unit 123, and fourth acquisition unit 124 in the fuel efficiency data DB 142, associating it with the vehicle identification information of the vehicle data. In addition, each acquisition unit of the first acquisition unit 121, second acquisition unit 122, third acquisition unit 123, and fourth acquisition unit 124 transmits the acquired fuel efficiency data to the client PC 30 via the communication unit 11. The timing of the transmission may be when a request is made from the client PC 30, or when each acquisition unit has acquired the fuel efficiency data.

[0054] The functional configuration of this system described above is merely an example, and a single functional block (database and functional processing unit) may be divided, or multiple functional blocks may be combined into a single functional block. Each functional processing unit is realized by a computer program (for example, core software or an application that causes the CPU to execute the above-mentioned processes) stored in a storage device (storage unit) such as ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, SSD (Solid State Drive), or hard disk, which is read by the CPU (Central Processing Unit) built into the device or terminal, and executed by the computer program executed by the CPU. In other words, each functional processing unit is realized by this computer program reading and writing necessary data such as tables from a database (DB) stored in the storage device or from a storage area in memory, and, if necessary, controlling related hardware (for example, input / output devices, display devices, communication interface devices). Furthermore, the database (DB) in the embodiments of the present invention may be a commercial database, but it also means a mere collection of tables and files, and the internal structure of the database itself is not specified.

[0055] Using Figure 5, the fuel consumption according to the embodiment of the present invention calculation System 1 fuel efficiency calculation Let me explain the process. This process is related to fuel consumption. calculation Device 10 executes.

[0056] First, the communication unit 11 acquires vehicle data, including vehicle identification information and live data, from the vehicle 20 (S1). Next, the first acquisition unit 121 determines whether or not there is a fuel efficiency item in the live data acquired in S1. If there is a fuel efficiency item (YES), it acquires the fuel efficiency data associated with the fuel efficiency item and proceeds to S8. On the other hand, if there is no fuel efficiency item (NO), it proceeds to S3 (S2).

[0057] Next, the switching unit 13 is From the first acquisition section 121 2nd acquisition part 122 Switch toThe second acquisition unit 122 determines whether the live data acquired in S1 contains a fuel consumption item. If there is a fuel consumption item (YES), it acquires the fuel consumption data associated with the fuel consumption item and proceeds to S7. On the other hand, if there is no fuel consumption item (NO), it proceeds to S4 (S3).

[0058] Next, the switching unit 13 is From the second acquisition section 122 Third acquisition part 123 Switch to The third acquisition unit 123 determines whether the live data acquired in S1 contains a fuel injection amount item. If there is a fuel injection amount item (YES), it acquires the fuel injection amount data associated with the fuel injection amount item and proceeds to S6. On the other hand, if there is no fuel injection amount item (NO), it proceeds to S5 (S4).

[0059] Next, the switching unit 13 is From the third acquisition section 123 4th acquisition part 124 Switch to The following is executed. It is determined whether the live data acquired in S1 contains an intake flow rate item. If an intake flow rate item exists (YES), the intake flow rate data associated with the intake flow rate item is acquired and processing proceeds to S6. On the other hand, if an intake flow rate item does not exist (NO), processing ends (S5). S4 The order of steps S5 may be changed. In this embodiment, the first acquisition unit 121, which does not require calculation processing, is executed first. This improves processing speed and fuel efficiency. calculation This reduces the burden on device 10.

[0060] Next, if fuel injection amount data is acquired in S4, the third acquisition unit 123 calculates fuel consumption data based on the fuel injection amount data. (S6) If intake airflow data is acquired in S5, the fourth acquisition unit 124 calculates fuel consumption data based on the intake airflow data (S6).

[0061] Next, the second acquisition unit 122 calculates fuel efficiency data based on the fuel consumption data acquired in S3, or the third acquisition unit 123 calculates fuel efficiency data based on the fuel consumption data calculated in S6, or the fourth acquisition unit 124 calculates fuel efficiency data based on the fuel consumption data calculated in S6 (S7).

[0062] Then, each acquisition unit of the fuel efficiency acquisition unit 12 transmits to the client PC 30 the fuel efficiency data acquired in S2 by the first acquisition unit 121, or the fuel efficiency data calculated in S7 by the second acquisition unit 122, third acquisition unit 123, and fourth acquisition unit 124 (S8).

[0063] As explained above, fuel calculation Even if the live vehicle data acquired from the vehicle 20 does not include fuel efficiency data, if the device 10 includes fuel consumption data, fuel injection amount data, or intake air flow rate data that can be used to calculate fuel efficiency data, the switching unit 13 will switch processing according to each data, thereby enabling the device 10 to acquire fuel efficiency data.

[0064] In this way, by changing the processing for acquiring fuel efficiency data according to the data included in the live data, it is possible to acquire vehicle fuel efficiency data even if the data recorded in the ECU is different. Therefore, regardless of the management items of the ECU installed in the vehicle, the vehicle's fuel efficiency can be calculated and visualized from the data recorded in the ECU. This makes it possible to support vehicles from various manufacturers and to visualize the fuel efficiency of a wide range of vehicles. visualization It is possible.

[0065] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. Furthermore, it is clear from the claims that such modified or improved forms may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention. In the above embodiments, the present invention is described as a product invention, and fuel efficiency is used. calculationThe system has been described, but in the present invention, fuel calculation How the system operates, and fuel consumption calculation It can also be seen as the invention of a program that makes the system function as a whole. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0066] 1. Fuel efficiency calculation system 10 Fuel Efficiency calculation Device 11 Communications Department 12. Fuel efficiency acquisition section 121 First acquisition part 1 2 2 Second acquisition part 1 2 3 Third acquisition part 1 2 4 4th acquisition part 13 Switching section 14 Storage section 141 Live Data Database 142 Fuel Efficiency Data Database 143 Vehicle Master Database 20 vehicles 21,22 ECU 210 OBDII 23-26 Sensors 30 client PCs

Claims

1. A fuel consumption calculation system for calculating the fuel consumption of a vehicle, A first acquisition unit determines whether a fuel efficiency item is present in the data items of the vehicle data acquired from the vehicle, and if the data items include the fuel efficiency item, it acquires the fuel efficiency data. If the aforementioned data item does not include the fuel efficiency item, a second acquisition unit determines whether or not there is a fuel consumption item, and if there is a fuel consumption item, it acquires the corresponding data, and calculates and acquires the fuel efficiency based on the acquired fuel consumption and the mileage acquired from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. If the aforementioned data item does not include the fuel consumption item, a third acquisition unit determines whether or not there is a fuel injection amount item, and if there is a fuel injection amount item, it acquires the corresponding data, and calculates and acquires the fuel consumption based on the acquired fuel injection amount and the mileage acquired from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. A fourth acquisition unit determines whether an intake airflow item is present if the aforementioned data item does not include the fuel consumption item, and if an intake airflow item is present, it acquires the corresponding data, and calculates and acquires the fuel consumption based on the acquired intake airflow and the mileage acquired from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. A switching unit that switches between the first, second, third, and fourth acquisition units depending on the presence or absence of each of the aforementioned data items, A fuel efficiency calculation system equipped with the following features.

2. The second acquisition unit determines whether the vehicle data contains the fuel consumption item, and if the vehicle data contains the fuel consumption item, it calculates and acquires the fuel consumption based on the acquired fuel consumption and the mileage acquired or calculated from the vehicle data. The fuel consumption calculation system according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit switches from the second acquisition unit to the third acquisition unit or the fourth acquisition unit if the vehicle data does not contain the fuel consumption item.

3. The third acquisition unit determines whether there is a fuel injection amount item in the vehicle data, and if there is a fuel injection amount item in the vehicle data, it acquires the fuel injection amount, calculates the fuel consumption amount from the acquired fuel injection amount, and then calculates and acquires the fuel consumption amount based on the fuel consumption amount and the mileage acquired or calculated from the vehicle data. The fuel consumption calculation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein if the vehicle data does not contain the fuel injection amount item, the switching unit switches from the third acquisition unit to the fourth acquisition unit, and if the fourth acquisition unit determines that the vehicle data does not contain the intake air flow rate item, the process is terminated.

4. The fourth acquisition unit determines whether or not there is an intake airflow item in the vehicle data, If the vehicle data includes an intake airflow rate item, the intake airflow rate is obtained, the fuel injection amount is calculated from the obtained intake airflow rate, and the fuel consumption is calculated from the fuel injection amount. The fuel consumption is then calculated and obtained based on the fuel consumption and the mileage obtained or calculated from the vehicle data. The fuel consumption calculation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein if the vehicle data does not contain the intake air flow rate item, the switching unit switches from the fourth acquisition unit to the third acquisition unit, and if the third acquisition unit determines that the vehicle data does not contain the fuel injection amount item, the process is terminated.

5. The fuel consumption calculation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fuel consumption acquired by the first, second, third, and fourth acquisition units is the fuel consumption from the time the vehicle is ignited until the time of acquisition, or the fuel consumption from the time of the last refueling until the time of acquisition.

6. A fuel consumption calculation method performed by a fuel consumption calculation system for calculating the fuel consumption of a vehicle, The first step is to determine whether the data items of the vehicle data obtained from the vehicle include a fuel efficiency item, and if the data items include a fuel efficiency item, to obtain the fuel efficiency data. If the aforementioned data item does not include the fuel efficiency item, the second step is to determine whether or not there is a fuel consumption item, and if there is a fuel consumption item, to obtain the corresponding data, and to calculate and obtain the fuel efficiency based on the obtained fuel consumption and the mileage obtained from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. If the aforementioned data item does not include the fuel efficiency item, the third step is to determine whether or not there is a fuel injection amount item, and if there is a fuel injection amount item, to obtain the corresponding data, and to calculate and obtain the fuel efficiency based on the obtained fuel injection amount and the mileage obtained from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. If the aforementioned data item does not include the fuel consumption item, the presence or absence of the intake airflow item is determined, and if the intake airflow item is present, the corresponding data is obtained, and the fuel consumption is calculated and obtained based on the obtained intake airflow and the mileage obtained from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data, in a fourth step. A switching step that switches between the first, second, third, and fourth steps depending on the presence or absence of each of the aforementioned data items, A method that includes this.

7. A fuel consumption calculation system for calculating vehicle fuel consumption, The first acquisition unit determines whether the data items of the vehicle data acquired from the vehicle include a fuel efficiency item, and if the data items include the fuel efficiency item, it acquires the fuel efficiency data. If the aforementioned data item does not include the fuel efficiency item, the second acquisition unit determines whether or not there is a fuel consumption item, and if there is a fuel consumption item, it acquires the corresponding data, and calculates and acquires the fuel efficiency based on the acquired fuel consumption and the mileage acquired from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. If the aforementioned data item does not include the fuel efficiency item, the third acquisition unit determines whether or not there is a fuel injection amount item, and if there is a fuel injection amount item, it acquires the corresponding data, and calculates and acquires the fuel efficiency based on the acquired fuel injection amount and the mileage acquired from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. If the aforementioned data item does not include the fuel consumption item, the fourth acquisition unit determines whether or not there is an intake airflow item, and if there is an intake airflow item, it acquires the corresponding data, and calculates and acquires the fuel consumption based on the acquired intake airflow and the mileage acquired from the vehicle data or the mileage calculated from the data included in the vehicle data. A switching unit switches between the first, second, third, and fourth acquisition units depending on the presence or absence of each of the aforementioned data items. A computer-readable program designed to function as such.

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