JP2004069375A - Fuel consumption display device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel consumption display device for vehicles which displays trip distance information and fuel consumption information in an easily understandable way. <P>SOLUTION: This fuel consumption display device for vehicles is equipped with an instrument cluster 1 which has a trip meter 7 for displaying a mileage of a vehicle, a monitor 14 which has a fuel consumption display portion 16 provided apart from the instrument cluster 1, and a fuel consumption calculation portion 9(1) which calculates a fuel consumption of the vehicle and causes the display portion 16 to display it. The trip meter 7 can display two or more trip distances on the basis of two or more measuring standards by switching. The display portion 16 has a trip average fuel consumption mode which displays fuel consumption which corresponds to a trip distance displayed in the trip meter 7, interlocking it with a switchover of display of the trip meter 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle fuel efficiency display device that calculates fuel efficiency and displays the calculated fuel efficiency to an occupant.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the combination meter disposed in front of the driver, an odometer for displaying the total mileage or a mileage based on a measurement start reference arbitrarily set by the driver (hereinafter, such a mileage is referred to as a trip distance). ) Is generally arranged. In recent years, a trip meter capable of setting a plurality of measurement start criteria and switching and displaying a plurality of trip distances has been put to practical use.
[0003]
Conventionally, the fuel consumption was calculated by the so-called full tank method from the display of the trip meter and the refueling amount at the time of full tank indicated on the slip received at the gas station. In recent years, in response to an increase in interest in environmental conservation and energy saving, interest in fuel efficiency has also increased, and a vehicle may be equipped with a fuel efficiency meter as a standard. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 11-20508 describes a display device that sequentially switches and displays outside air temperature, average fuel efficiency before a predetermined travel distance, and instantaneous fuel efficiency in addition to two trip distances.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the device described in the above publication, only the average fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption are displayed, and the fuel consumption corresponding to the trip distance that can be arbitrarily set by the driver cannot be displayed. Further, even if such a display is possible, the relationship between the distance and the fuel consumption cannot be displayed simultaneously because there is only one display unit, and it is difficult to grasp the relationship between the distance and the fuel consumption. In addition, the number of switching operations required to obtain a desired display increases, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of operability.
[0005]
At the same time, it is conceivable to increase the display area so as to display the mileage and fuel consumption, but the combination meter in front of the driver must also display speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, voltmeter, etc. Displaying too much information in the combination meter at the same time becomes complicated and makes it difficult to grasp the displayed information.
[0006]
An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle fuel efficiency display device capable of displaying trip distance information and fuel efficiency information in an easily understandable manner.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The fuel efficiency display device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a combination meter having a trip meter for displaying a mileage of the vehicle, a monitor having a fuel efficiency display unit provided separately from the combination meter, and calculating a fuel efficiency of the vehicle. A fuel efficiency calculation unit for displaying on the fuel efficiency display unit, wherein the trip meter can switch and display a plurality of trip distances based on a plurality of measurement standards, and the fuel efficiency display unit is displayed on the trip meter. A trip average fuel consumption mode in which the fuel consumption corresponding to the trip distance is displayed in conjunction with the switching of the display of the trip meter.
[0008]
The fuel efficiency display device for a vehicle according to claim 2 is characterized in that the fuel efficiency display unit further has an instantaneous fuel efficiency mode for displaying the instantaneous fuel efficiency at that time.
[0009]
The fuel efficiency display device for a vehicle according to claim 3 is characterized in that the fuel efficiency display unit further has a remaining travel distance mode for displaying a travelable distance estimated from the remaining fuel amount.
[0010]
According to the fuel consumption display device for a vehicle according to claims 1 to 3, a monitor having a fuel consumption display portion is provided separately from the combination meter having the trip meter, and the display of the trip meter and the display of the fuel consumption display portion are provided. Can be switched in conjunction with each other, so that the trip distance and the average fuel efficiency can be simultaneously grasped. At this time, a plurality of trip distances can be set, but the display of the trip meter and the display of the fuel efficiency display section are switched in conjunction with each other, so that the driver can easily grasp the display contents. Also, since the fuel consumption display section can display the instantaneous fuel consumption at that time and the travelable distance estimated from the remaining fuel amount, various information can be provided to the driver.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a fuel efficiency display device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a fuel efficiency display device for a vehicle according to the present embodiment.
[0012]
A combination meter module (hereinafter referred to as a module) 1 is provided with a speedometer 2, a tachometer 3, an oil temperature gauge 4, a fuel gauge 5, an odometer 6 for displaying the total mileage of the vehicle, and a driver. A trip meter 7 for displaying the traveling distance based on the arbitrary measurement standard is also provided. The module 1 is mounted in an instrument panel in front of the driver so that the driver can easily see the module.
[0013]
The odometer 6 and the trip meter 7 are integrated with the speedometer 2 as a liquid crystal display unit. The upper part of the liquid crystal display is the trip meter 7 and the lower part is the odometer 6. As described above, the trip meter 7 sets an arbitrary measurement reference by the driver and displays a travel distance (referred to as a trip distance) from the measurement reference. In the present embodiment, two measurement standards can be set in the trip meter 7, and these can be switched and displayed. The setting of the measurement reference (which also resets the previous setting at the same time) and the switching of the display are performed by a knob 8 protruding from the front of the module 1.
[0014]
On the left side of the trip meter 7, there is a display unit for indicating which of the trip distances based on the two metrics is displayed. The two trip distances are set as an A set and a B set, and by displaying the letter A or the letter B on the display section, it is easy to see which trip distance is being displayed.
[0015]
The module 1 is communicably connected to a main ECU 9 mounted on a vehicle. The main ECU 9 is also communicably connected to an engine ECU 10 that comprehensively controls the engine. These ECUs 9 and 10 are electronic control units including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and input / output ports.
[0016]
The module 1 receives various signals from the main ECU 9 and performs various displays based on those signals. A signal from the engine ECU 10 is sent to the module 1 via the main ECU 9 (or may be sent directly). For example, a sensor for detecting the number of revolutions of the engine is also connected to the engine ECU 10, and a signal indicating the number of revolutions of the engine is sent from the engine ECU 10 to the module 1 via the main ECU 9. The rotation speed is displayed on the tachometer 3.
[0017]
An outside air temperature sensor 11 and a fuel remaining amount sensor 12 are also connected to the main ECU 9. The outside air temperature sensor 11 is mounted at a position where the outside air temperature can be measured, and the fuel remaining amount sensor 12 is mounted along with the fuel tank. The fuel remaining amount sensor 12 of the present embodiment can detect the amount of fuel in the tank instead of detecting only that the amount of fuel is low (detecting how many liters remain). Is a sensor). As a result, the display of the fuel remaining meter 5 can be displayed fairly accurately.
[0018]
The module 1 is also connected to a wheel speed sensor 13. The wheel speed sensor 13 is connected to each wheel, and sends out the rotation speed of the wheel as a vehicle speed pulse. The module 1 calculates the vehicle speed based on the vehicle speed pulse, and displays the calculated vehicle speed on the speedometer 2. It should be noted that only the vehicle speed pulse of any one of the wheels may be transmitted to the module 1 as a representative value, or a combination of vehicle speed pulses of several wheels may be transmitted. The vehicle speed pulse from the wheel speed sensor 13 is also sent to the engine ECU 10 and used for engine control. If there is a brake ECU or the like that performs ABS control, it is also sent to such an ECU. The transmission of the vehicle speed pulse to the module 1 may be performed via such an ECU.
[0019]
In the present embodiment, a sub-display (monitor) 14 for displaying various information including fuel efficiency is provided separately from the module 1 described above. The sub-display 14 is built in the center of the upper surface of the instrument panel, and the display information can be shared by many occupants. The sub-display 14 has two display units. One is a clock display unit 15 arranged on the left side, which displays only the time. A small button used to set the time is provided on the right of the clock display unit 15. The other is a fuel efficiency display section 16 arranged on the right side.
[0020]
The sub-display 14 is communicably connected to the module 1 described above, and switches and displays various data such as fuel efficiency received from the module 1 on the fuel efficiency display unit 16. In the present embodiment, the fuel efficiency display section 16 can switch and display four display modes of instantaneous fuel efficiency, average fuel efficiency, remaining mileage, and outside air temperature. The display mode is switched by a switching button 17 provided on the right side of the fuel efficiency display section 16. By pressing the switch button 17, the above-described four modes are sequentially switched and displayed in a cyclic manner.
[0021]
Information displayed in each display mode will be described. The instantaneous fuel consumption is the fuel consumption in the past several seconds. The consumed fuel amount can be obtained by the engine ECU 10. The engine ECU 10 controls the combustion of the engine, determines the fuel injection amount, and gives an injection instruction to the injector. That is, the engine ECU 10 can calculate the fuel consumption for the past several seconds. The distance traveled in the past several seconds can be easily calculated from the detection result of the wheel speed sensor 13. From these pieces of information, the fuel efficiency for the past several seconds is calculated, and this is always sent to the sub-display 14. When the display mode is the instantaneous fuel consumption mode, the sub-display 14 displays the received instantaneous fuel consumption.
[0022]
Note that the instantaneous fuel consumption may be calculated by the engine ECU 10 and then sent to the sub-display 14 via the main ECU 9 and the module 1, or the fuel injection amount data received from the engine ECU 10 and the detection result of the wheel speed sensor 13 May be calculated by the module 1 based on the sub-display 14 and transmitted to the sub-display 14. Further, the instantaneous fuel consumption data may be transmitted from the module 1 to the sub-display 14 at the moment when the mode of the sub-display 14 becomes the instantaneous fuel consumption mode, without always transmitting the instantaneous fuel consumption data to the sub-display 14.
[0023]
Next, the average fuel efficiency is the average fuel efficiency over the entire trip distance set in the trip meter 7. That is, it is the fuel efficiency from the reset of the trip meter 7 to the present. As described above, since two trip distances can be set here, two average fuel efficiencies also exist. The calculation of the average fuel efficiency can also be calculated in accordance with the calculation of the instantaneous fuel efficiency described above. If the fuel consumption (injection) amount determined by the engine ECU 10 is integrated in accordance with the trip distance, the calculation can be easily performed. When the display mode is the trip average fuel efficiency mode, the sub-display 14 displays the average fuel efficiency.
[0024]
However, as described above, two trip distances are set, and two average fuel efficiencies also exist. The fuel efficiency display section 16 displays the average fuel efficiency corresponding to the trip distance (A set or B set) displayed by the trip meter 7 at that time. If the display of the trip meter 7 is switched while the fuel efficiency display section 16 is in the trip average fuel efficiency display mode, the average fuel efficiency displayed on the fuel efficiency display section 16 is switched in conjunction. Since the driver (occupant) is displayed in a state where the average fuel efficiency and the trip distance are always consistent, the driver (occupant) can grasp the trip distance and the fuel efficiency without being confused. Note that the calculation of the average fuel efficiency may be performed by the ECUs 9 and 10 or the module 1, and the transmission may be in any form.
[0025]
When the driver wants to know the trip distance, he just needs to move his line of sight to the combination meter, and when he wants to know the average fuel efficiency, he can look at the sub-display 14, so that the information can be obtained simply. If both are displayed in one place (close to each other), it is difficult to grasp them. However, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily grasp the information. Further, since the trip distance and the average fuel efficiency are displayed at the same time even if the location is different, there is no need to perform the switching operation when both information are to be viewed. Further, although a plurality of trip distances can be set, the display of the trip meter 7 and the display of the fuel consumption display section 16 are linked, so that there is no confusion.
[0026]
The following are examples of specific usage modes of the trip average fuel efficiency mode. At one trip distance, the fuel is reset at the same time as the fuel is full, and the fuel efficiency similar to the so-called full-fuel method is displayed on the fuel efficiency display unit 16. On the other hand, the reset is performed at the same time as the engine is turned on. The fuel consumption per driving is displayed on the fuel consumption display section 16. Alternatively, it is also conceivable to calculate the fuel efficiency for one day (there are several runs during the day during excursions).
[0027]
Next, the remaining mileage is a mileage considered to be possible to run with the fuel amount at that time based on the remaining fuel amount detected by the remaining fuel amount sensor 12 and the fuel consumption rate. For calculating the remaining mileage, the section fuel efficiency is used. The section fuel efficiency is fuel efficiency at a predetermined past traveling distance (for example, 30 km). The calculation of the section fuel efficiency can also be performed in accordance with the calculation of the above-described instantaneous fuel efficiency and the like. When the display mode is the remaining mileage mode, the sub-display 14 displays the remaining mileage calculated in this manner. In the present embodiment, the section fuel consumption is only used for calculating the remaining mileage and is not displayed on the fuel consumption display unit 16. In the outside air temperature display mode, the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 11 is displayed on the fuel efficiency display unit 16.
[0028]
The vehicle fuel consumption display device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the fuel efficiency display section is provided in the sub-display 14, but when the apparatus has a navigation system, it may be provided in the monitor of the navigation system. Further, in the present embodiment, the sub-display 14 simply receives the already-calculated display data and only performs display. However, the data on which the calculation is based may be received, and the calculation may be performed in the sub-display 14. However, according to the above-described embodiment, the number of circuits for performing calculations can be reduced, so that the configuration can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, since the fuel consumption display section is provided separately from the trip meter, and the display of the trip meter and the display of the fuel consumption display section can be switched in conjunction with each other, the trip distance and the average fuel consumption can be simultaneously grasped. Becomes possible. At this time, a plurality of trip distances can be set, but the display of the trip meter and the display of the fuel consumption display section are switched in conjunction with each other, so that the driver can easily grasp the display contents.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a vehicle fuel consumption display device of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Combination Meter Module 2 Speedometer 3 Tachometer 4 Oil Temperature Meter 5 Fuel Remaining Meter 6 Odometer 7 Trip Meter 8 Knob 9 Main ECU
10 Engine ECU
11 Outside temperature sensor 12 Fuel remaining sensor 13 Wheel speed sensor 14 Sub-display 15 Clock display unit 16 Fuel consumption display unit 17 Changeover switch

Claims (3)

A combination meter having a trip meter that displays the mileage of the vehicle,
A monitor having a fuel consumption display unit provided separately from the combination meter,
A fuel efficiency calculation unit that calculates the fuel efficiency of the vehicle and displays the fuel efficiency on the fuel efficiency display unit,
The trip meter can switch and display a plurality of trip distances based on a plurality of metrics,
The fuel efficiency display unit has a trip average fuel efficiency mode in which a fuel efficiency corresponding to a trip distance displayed on the trip meter is displayed in conjunction with switching of the display of the trip meter. Display device. The fuel efficiency display device according to claim 1, wherein the fuel efficiency display further includes an instantaneous fuel efficiency mode for displaying an instantaneous fuel efficiency at that time. The fuel efficiency display device according to claim 1, wherein the fuel efficiency display unit further includes a remaining travel distance mode for displaying a travelable distance estimated from a remaining fuel amount.

Images