Vehicle Gear Advice Using OBD Feedback for Fuel-Efficient Shifting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods fail to effectively provide real-time feedback to drivers on when their vehicles are not in optimal gear, leading to reduced fuel efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus using an onboard diagnostics (OBD) adapter to determine the current gear, speed, and coasting state of a vehicle, providing an indication to the driver when the vehicle is not in an optimal gear based on predetermined thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If real-time gear monitoring and feedback system is implemented, then fuel efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors drive unit speed and gear position via OBD adaptor, compares actual gear with optimal gear determined from speed thresholds, and provides real-time feedback to the driver through visual or audible signals when suboptimal gear selection is detected, enabling corrective action to improve fuel efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
An OBD adaptor serves as an intermediary component that interfaces with the vehicle's existing diagnostic system to extract speed and gear data, while a separate processing system analyzes this data and generates feedback signals, thereby adding monitoring functionality without directly modifying the vehicle's core systems
2Loss of information
If continuous monitoring of drive unit speed and gear position is performed, then driving behavior feedback is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs monitoring and comparison operations at periodic intervals rather than continuously, checking drive unit speed and gear position at defined sampling rates, which reduces computational load and energy consumption while still providing timely feedback for gear optimization
Solution Approach 2:
Speed threshold tables defining optimal gear ranges are pre-calculated and stored in memory before operation, allowing the system to perform simple threshold comparisons rather than complex real-time optimization calculations, thereby minimizing processing energy requirements during actual driving
3Ease of operation
If gear optimization feedback is provided only based on speed thresholds, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system enhances basic speed-threshold comparisons by incorporating additional parameters such as drive unit fuel consumption rate and coasting state detection, where coasting is identified when speed exceeds thresholds while fuel consumption drops below certain levels, allowing more precise determination of optimal gear opportunities without significantly complicating the overall operation
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and apparatus for providing an indication to a driver of a geared vehicle that the vehicle is not in an optimal gear is disclosed. The method comprises determining a current gear of the vehicle and determining a current speed of a drive unit of the vehicle. An indication is then provided to the driver of the vehicle that the vehicle is not in an optimal gear when: (i) the determined current speed of the drive unit is greater than a predetermined threshold; and (ii) the determined current gear of the vehicle is less than a maximum gear of the vehicle. A method and apparatus is also disclosed for determining a score indicative of the amount of time during a journey on a road network that a geared vehicle is driven in an optimal gear.