Driving Style Control System for Fuel Efficiency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for implementing a desired driving style in commercial vehicles are complex and require extensive data collection and evaluation from multiple vehicles, making it difficult for drivers to adopt a consumption-optimized driving style efficiently.

Innovation Solution

A method that defines a desired consumption-optimized driving style by using vehicle-specific and route information to determine actual and target fuel consumption parameters, calculating the difference, and outputting recommendations to the driver for spatially or temporally limited future situations, allowing for simplified data acquisition and real-time feedback.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If driving style information from multiple vehicles is collected and evaluated, then driving style determination becomes more accurate, but system complexity and data processing requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriving style determination accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential driving style information from multiple vehicles that is needed for determination, rather than processing all available data. This selective extraction maintains determination accuracy while reducing system complexity and data processing requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the driving style determination process into distinct components: collecting driving style information from multiple vehicles, evaluating this information separately, and then combining the results. This segmentation allows for more manageable processing of complex data while maintaining overall system accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Manufacturing precision

If comprehensive traffic and route information is used to determine fuel consumption, then consumption optimization accuracy improves, but data acquisition complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefuel consumption calculation accuracyVSAvoiddata acquisition complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a control device that performs multiple functions: it determines future situations, calculates both actual and target fuel consumption, and provides feedback to the driver. This multi-functional approach maintains calculation accuracy while reducing overall system complexity by consolidating data processing in a single device.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent determines the future situation and calculates fuel consumption parameters in advance before the driver needs the information. This preliminary calculation allows comprehensive data processing to occur beforehand, maintaining accuracy while simplifying real-time data acquisition requirements during actual driving.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If real-time feedback is provided to the driver, then driving style implementation improves, but information processing load increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriving style implementationVSAvoidinformation processing load
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the control device provides information to the driver about the difference between actual and target fuel consumption. This feedback loop enables the driver to adjust driving behavior in real-time, improving driving style implementation while the control device manages the processing load through efficient calculation methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2242026B1Method for converting defined operation modes
Publication Date: 2021.05.05 MAN TRUCK & BUS SE
  • EP2242026B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2242026B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2242026B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention relates to a method for implementing a predetermined driving style in vehicles, particularly commercial vehicles. The method comprises the following steps: a) defining the desired driving style; b) recognizing a future situation that is at least spatially or temporally limited; c) determining at least one first actual parameter for this situation; d) determining at least one second target parameter for this situation; e) calculating at least one difference between the first and second parameters; and f) outputting at least one piece of information to a driver, depending on the future situation that is at least spatially or temporally limited.