Driving Performance Assessment via Electrical Energy Consumption
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for assessing driving performance are inadequate as they rely on blunt measures like fuel consumption, which vary by vehicle type and conditions, and are not applicable to non-motorized vehicles, lacking accuracy for individual trip evaluations and comparisons across different drivers and vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that continuously reads and analyzes driving data from vehicles using standardized interfaces, categorizes trips into historic groups based on similarity and conformity measures, and calculates energy consumption-based performance parameters to assess driver performance independently of vehicle type and conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fuel consumption is used to measure driving performance, then environmental impact can be tracked, but the measurement is inaccurate because different vehicles have different fuel consumption profiles and identical vehicles perform differently under different conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the measurement parameter from fuel consumption to electrical energy consumption. This allows accurate measurement across different vehicle types (ICE vehicles with hybrid systems, pure electric vehicles) because electrical energy consumption can be reliably measured via the CAN-bus interface in all these vehicles, eliminating the inaccuracy of fuel consumption measurements across different vehicle profiles
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal measurement approach that works across multiple vehicle types (ICE, hybrid, electric) and different driving conditions. By measuring electrical energy consumption from the 12V battery through the CAN-bus interface, the system achieves both precision in measurement and versatility in applicability, as the same measurement method works for all vehicle types without requiring vehicle-specific calibration
2Loss of information
If fuel consumption data is used for driving performance assessment, then environmental impact can be evaluated, but reliable data is not readily available for many vehicle types including non-motorized vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent develops a universal data collection system using the CAN-bus interface and 12V battery electrical consumption measurement that can be applied to ICE vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and electric vehicles. This approach ensures reliable data availability across all these vehicle types, whereas fuel consumption data is unavailable for electric vehicles and non-motorized vehicles
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical measurement approach (fuel consumption measurement requiring physical fuel flow sensors) with an electrical measurement approach (monitoring electrical energy consumption via CAN-bus). This substitution enables reliable data collection in electric vehicles where no fuel is consumed, and in hybrid vehicles where the 12V battery electrical consumption reflects overall vehicle energy state
3Quantity of substance
If standardized digital interfaces like CAN-bus are used to collect driving data, then data can be obtained from multiple vehicle systems, but the data requires complex processing to account for different vehicle configurations and conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the specific electrical energy consumption data from the 12V battery through the CAN-bus interface, rather than processing all available driving data from multiple vehicle systems. This extraction approach reduces data processing complexity while maintaining the ability to assess driving performance accurately, as electrical energy consumption is a sufficient proxy for overall vehicle energy consumption and driver behavior
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses electrical energy consumption from the 12V battery as an intermediary parameter that reflects overall vehicle energy consumption patterns. This intermediary measurement simplifies the complex relationship between multiple vehicle systems (engine, transmission, accessories) and driver behavior, providing a single metric that captures driving performance without requiring complex multi-parameter processing
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 1c
AI summary
Method for automatically assessing performance of a driver (110) of a vehicle (100) for a particular trip, wherein current driving data sets, comprising basic driving data are repeatedly read from the vehicle, which method comprises the steps a) collecting previous-trip driving data sets, comprising instantaneous vehicle energy consumption, for different previous trips,different drivers and different vehicles; b) grouping said previous-trip driving data sets into basic historic groups and calculating a respective group performance parameter; c) further grouping said previous-trip driving data sets into extended historic groups; d) mapping each current-trip data set to said extended historic groups; and e) calculating a current-trip performance parameter based upon the group performance parameter values of the respective basic historic groups corresponding to previous-trip driving data sets comprised in the extended historic group to which a current-trip data set was matched in step d. The invention also relates to a system.