JP2005163584A - Fuel economy information supply system, fuel economy information server device, and on-vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular fuel economy information supply system, a fuel economy information server device, and an on-vehicle control device capable of receiving latest fuel economy information at any time if needed, and capable of changing fuel economy information according to change of a road condition. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicular fuel economy information display system includes a server device including vehicle type-by-type road fuel economy data base including fuel economy information corresponding to road conditions including weather and road classification, and an on-vehicle information display capable of searching guidance route of a vehicle and storing vehicle information including type and year model of the vehicle, and calculating fuel consumption rate of the vehicle, remain fuel quantity and fuel quantity necessary to a destination. When the server device receives vehicle information and guidance route from the on-vehicle information display, the server sends fuel economy information to the on-vehicle information display corresponding to the vehicle information and guidance route from the vehicle type-by-type road fuel economy data base. The on-vehicle information display calculates necessary fuel quantity based on received fuel economy information and informs the results. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel efficiency information providing system, a fuel efficiency information server apparatus, and an in-vehicle control apparatus that can calculate a travelable distance of a vehicle from the fuel efficiency corresponding to the type of road on which the vehicle is traveling and the road conditions and the remaining fuel amount.

  As the vehicle travels, the current position is detected by GPS (Global Positioning System), etc., and the current position is displayed on the display device together with the road map, and an appropriate route from the current position to the destination is displayed. A navigation device that is set and guided by a display device, an audio output device, or the like contributes to an efficient and safe driving of the driver.

  In addition, as a method for determining the fuel supply timing, the remaining amount of fuel is obtained by a fuel remaining amount sensor that detects the remaining amount of fuel. The distance that can be traveled is calculated. On the other hand, a method has been adopted in which a local point is obtained from a position detection device such as a navigation device, and a gas station is searched for at a point close to the previously calculated travelable distance on the travel route of the vehicle.

  In the above method, since the future driving distance is calculated based on the average fuel consumption of the vehicle, when the fuel consumption deteriorates (changes) due to traffic congestion, mountain road driving, etc., it is not possible to reach the planned refueling point The problem arises. In addition, there is a problem that refueling is not possible when there are no gas stations when the planned refueling point is in the mountains or on an expressway.

  In order to solve the above problem, it is possible to calculate the cruising distance of the vehicle from the remaining amount of fuel according to the road condition (road type, weather, etc.) on which the vehicle is planned to travel, and from the road condition and the remaining fuel amount. A navigation device has been proposed that can display the amount of fuel required to reach a destination and a fueling point (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-297034

  In the example of Patent Document 1, the driver must register the fuel consumption of the vehicle according to the road type (city area, highway, mountain road, etc.) and road conditions in advance in the navigation device. That is, it is necessary to always measure and record the fuel consumption, which is very laborious and increases the driver's load. For roads where the driver is not actually driving, there is no other way than using information on roads with similar conditions or vehicle catalog data (for example, 10.15 mode). There is a problem in terms of accuracy.

  In the navigation device, information such as a road type is set corresponding to the road data included in the map data of the navigation device. For this reason, the navigation apparatus needs to secure a storage area for holding fuel consumption information corresponding to all roads in advance. This means that if fuel efficiency information is held by subdividing by time zone or weather, a corresponding storage area is required. Therefore, the cost is increased by the amount of the storage medium.

  In order to reduce the load on the driver, there is a method of storing fuel consumption information in all road conditions for all commercially available car models in the storage medium of the navigation device, but it takes a lot of effort to collect fuel consumption information A huge storage area is required. In addition, since the fuel consumption information required by the driver is limited to a few models at most, most of the fuel consumption information is unnecessary for the driver. It seems to feel resistance to paying (included in the price of the equipment). In addition, there are cases in which the labor and cost associated with maintenance and management of such a large amount of fuel efficiency information cannot be ignored.

  Against the background of the above circumstances, the subject of the present invention is that the latest fuel consumption information can be received at any time as necessary, and information on traffic congestion and weather is generated when a decrease in fuel consumption occurs on a specific road due to traffic congestion or weather. An object is to provide a fuel consumption information providing system, a fuel consumption information server device, and an in-vehicle control device that can change fuel consumption information without any change.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

(Fuel consumption information provision system)
The present invention is to provide a fuel consumption information providing system for solving the above-mentioned problems. That is, according to claim 1, a fuel efficiency database including fuel efficiency information corresponding to road conditions is provided for each type of vehicle, and a fuel efficiency information server device capable of transmitting information stored in the fuel efficiency database to the outside, On-board control mounted on a vehicle, comprising position acquisition means for acquiring the current position, fuel consumption calculation means for calculating the fuel consumption rate of the vehicle, and vehicle information storage means for storing vehicle information including the vehicle type and year of the vehicle A fuel efficiency information providing system including a device, wherein the fuel efficiency information server device and the in-vehicle control device are connected to each other via a communication network so that they can transmit and receive each other. A fuel efficiency information providing system comprising database updating means for updating the contents of a fuel efficiency database based on information and a fuel consumption rate; Composed of Te.

  According to this configuration, the fuel efficiency information server device creates a fuel efficiency database corresponding to road conditions such as the road type of each vehicle based on position information and fuel efficiency information from each vehicle. Since the fuel consumption data collected is data when the vehicle actually travels on the road, it is not fuel efficiency information that only applies to specific conditions far from the actual driving conditions described in the catalog. It is possible to construct a database having highly accurate fuel consumption information that matches the actual usage situation.

  According to claim 2, the vehicle-mounted control device in the fuel consumption information providing system of the present invention includes route search means for searching for a guide route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination, and the fuel consumption information server device includes the contents of the fuel consumption database. When the vehicle information and the guidance route information are received from the in-vehicle control device, the fuel efficiency information server device retrieves the vehicle information and the fuel efficiency information corresponding to the guidance route retrieved by the database search unit. It can be configured to transmit to the control device. With this configuration, it is possible to transmit fuel consumption information on the guidance route on the database to the vehicle, and the driver can obtain highly accurate fuel consumption information. Accordingly, the driver can efficiently set an operation schedule such as a refueling period or a rest period.

  According to claim 3, when the fuel consumption information server device in the fuel consumption information providing system of the present invention receives vehicle information, data including the current position and destination of the vehicle from the in-vehicle control device, the vehicle is based on the fuel consumption database. The low fuel consumption route and the fuel consumption searched by the low fuel consumption route search means are provided, and the low fuel consumption route search means for searching the best fuel consumption route from the current position to the destination and the fuel consumption information of the low fuel consumption route is provided. A configuration in which information is transmitted to the in-vehicle control device can be taken. With this configuration, even when the vehicle is not provided with route search means, the driver can obtain the optimum route information to the destination together with highly accurate fuel consumption information. Accordingly, the driver can efficiently set an operation schedule such as a refueling period or a rest period. In addition, knowing the route to travel leads to having a mental margin, and driving with a margin leads to accident prevention.

  According to claim 4, the in-vehicle control device in the fuel consumption information providing system of the present invention can also be configured to include a notifying means for notifying the fuel consumption rate. With this configuration, the driver can grasp the current fuel consumption rate of the vehicle and can efficiently set an operation schedule such as a fueling time.

  According to claim 5, the in-vehicle control device in the fuel consumption information providing system of the present invention includes the required fuel calculation means for calculating the fuel amount required to travel the guide route based on the fuel consumption information, and the required fuel amount. It is possible to take a configuration in which the notification means is notified. Even with this configuration, the driver can efficiently set an operation schedule such as a refueling period or a rest period.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the in-vehicle control device includes a necessary fuel calculation unit that calculates a fuel amount necessary to travel on the low fuel consumption route based on the fuel consumption information, and the notification unit notifies the necessary fuel amount. Can take. Even with this configuration, the driver can efficiently set an operation schedule such as a refueling period or a rest period.

  According to claim 7, the in-vehicle control device in the fuel efficiency information providing system of the present invention includes a remaining fuel measuring means for measuring the remaining fuel of the vehicle, and when the remaining fuel of the vehicle is less than the required fuel amount, A configuration for notifying the fact by the notifying means can be used. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the remaining fuel from becoming zero and making it impossible to travel by encouraging the driver to refuel.

  According to the eighth aspect, the in-vehicle control device in the fuel consumption information providing system of the present invention can be configured so that when the remaining fuel of the vehicle falls below a predetermined amount, the notification means notifies the fact. Even with this configuration, it is possible to prevent the remaining fuel from becoming zero and making it impossible to travel by encouraging the driver to refuel.

  In the fuel consumption information providing system of the present invention, maintenance and management of a database of fuel consumption information and the like is performed by an information center in which a fuel consumption information server device is installed. Also, the vehicle fuel consumption calculation and other processes are periodically executed by the in-vehicle control device. Therefore, comfortable driving can be supported without increasing the burden on the driver. Further, it is not necessary to secure a storage area for fuel consumption information or the like on the in-vehicle control device side. For this reason, the cost that must be newly borne by the user is related to the operation of the fuel efficiency information server device. However, if a large number of users are expected, the burden cost per person becomes low.

(Fuel efficiency information server device)
Moreover, this invention is providing the fuel consumption information server apparatus for solving the said subject. That is, according to claim 9, a fuel efficiency database including fuel efficiency information corresponding to road conditions for each vehicle type, a communication means for connecting to a communication network, and a current position of the vehicle received from the vehicle by the communication means And a database updating means for updating the contents of the fuel consumption database based on the vehicle information including the vehicle type and year of the vehicle, and the fuel consumption rate, and configured as a fuel efficiency information server device.

  According to this configuration, the fuel efficiency information server device creates a fuel efficiency database corresponding to road conditions such as the road type of each vehicle based on position information and fuel efficiency information from each vehicle. Since the fuel consumption data collected is data when the vehicle actually travels on the road, it is not fuel efficiency information that only applies to specific conditions far from the actual driving conditions described in the catalog. It is possible to construct a database having highly accurate fuel consumption information that matches the actual usage situation.

  According to claim 10, when the fuel information server device of the present invention receives the vehicle information and the information of the guide route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination by the communication means, the vehicle information and the vehicle A database search means for searching for fuel consumption information corresponding to the current position may be provided, and the fuel consumption information searched by the database search means may be transmitted to the vehicle by the communication means. With this configuration, it is possible to transmit fuel consumption information on the guidance route on the database to the vehicle, and the driver can obtain highly accurate fuel consumption information. Accordingly, the driver can efficiently set an operation schedule such as a refueling period or a rest period.

  According to claim 11, when the fuel efficiency information server device of the present invention receives vehicle information and information including the current position and destination of the vehicle, the fuel efficiency information server apparatus reaches the destination from the current position of the vehicle based on the fuel efficiency database. The fuel efficiency route search means for searching for the fuel efficiency route with the best fuel efficiency and the fuel efficiency information of the fuel efficiency route is provided, and the fuel efficiency route and the fuel efficiency information retrieved by the fuel efficiency route search means are transmitted to the vehicle by the communication means. It is also possible to take a configuration to With this configuration, even when the vehicle is not provided with route search means, the driver of the vehicle can obtain the optimum route information to the destination together with highly accurate fuel consumption information. Accordingly, the driver can efficiently set an operation schedule such as a refueling period or a rest period. In addition, knowing the route to travel leads to having a mental margin, and driving with a margin leads to accident prevention.

  The fuel efficiency information server device of the present invention creates a fuel efficiency database for each road type based on the fuel efficiency information from the vehicle and distributes the database to each vehicle so that the driver does not register the fuel efficiency in advance. It is possible to receive information provision services. In addition, the vehicle side does not need to have information regarding roads for each road type in advance, and vehicle-mounted equipment for exchanging information with the fuel efficiency information server device can be manufactured at low cost.

(In-vehicle control device)
Moreover, this invention is providing the vehicle-mounted control apparatus for solving the said subject. That is, according to claim 12, position acquisition means for acquiring the current position of the vehicle, fuel consumption calculation means for calculating the fuel consumption rate of the vehicle, and vehicle information storage for storing vehicle information including the vehicle type and year of the vehicle Means for transmitting a vehicle current position, vehicle information, and fuel consumption rate to a fuel efficiency information server device including a fuel efficiency database including fuel efficiency information corresponding to road conditions for each vehicle type. It is comprised as a vehicle-mounted control apparatus characterized by having a communication means. With this configuration, it is possible to send the fuel consumption corresponding to the traveling state of each vehicle type to an external device (for example, a fuel consumption information server device).

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the vehicle-mounted control device includes route search means for searching for a guide route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination, and the vehicle information and the information on the guide route are obtained by the communication means. The vehicle information and the fuel consumption information corresponding to the guide route can be received from the fuel consumption information server device. With this configuration, the driver can obtain highly accurate fuel consumption information. Accordingly, the driver can efficiently set an operation schedule such as a refueling period or a rest period.

  According to the fourteenth aspect, the vehicle-mounted control device of the present invention transmits vehicle information, data including the current position of the vehicle and the destination to the fuel efficiency information server device by the communication means, and the vehicle current position is transmitted from the fuel efficiency information server device. It is possible to adopt a configuration for receiving the fuel-efficient route with the best fuel consumption from the vehicle to the destination and fuel consumption information of the fuel-efficient route. With this configuration, even when the vehicle is not provided with route search means, the driver can obtain the optimum route information to the destination together with highly accurate fuel consumption information. Accordingly, the driver can efficiently set an operation schedule such as a refueling period or a rest period. In addition, knowing the route to travel leads to having a mental margin, and driving with a margin leads to accident prevention.

  According to the fifteenth aspect, the in-vehicle control device of the present invention can also be configured to have a notifying means for notifying the fuel consumption rate. With this configuration, the driver can grasp the current fuel consumption rate of the vehicle and can efficiently set an operation schedule such as a fueling time.

  According to the sixteenth aspect, the in-vehicle control device of the present invention includes the necessary fuel calculating means for calculating the fuel amount necessary for traveling on the guide route based on the fuel efficiency information, and the necessary fuel amount is notified by the notifying means. It is also possible to take a configuration to Even with this configuration, the driver can efficiently set an operation schedule such as a refueling period or a rest period.

  According to the seventeenth aspect, the in-vehicle control device of the present invention includes the necessary fuel calculation means for calculating the fuel amount necessary for traveling on the low fuel consumption route based on the fuel efficiency information, and the necessary fuel amount is notified by the notification means. It is possible to take a configuration for informing. Even with this configuration, the driver can efficiently set an operation schedule such as a refueling period or a rest period.

  According to claim 18, the in-vehicle control device of the present invention includes the remaining fuel measuring means for measuring the remaining fuel of the vehicle, and when the remaining fuel of the vehicle is less than the required fuel amount, the notification means notifies that. Can be used. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the remaining fuel from becoming zero and making it impossible to travel by encouraging the driver to refuel.

  According to the nineteenth aspect, the in-vehicle control device of the present invention can be configured so that when the remaining fuel of the vehicle falls below a predetermined amount, the notification means notifies the fact. Even with this configuration, it is possible to prevent the remaining fuel from becoming zero and making it impossible to travel by encouraging the driver to refuel.

  The vehicle-mounted control device of the present invention does not need to have information on roads for each road type in advance in the vehicle, and a storage device for that amount is unnecessary, so that it can be manufactured at low cost.

  By the way, it is also possible to use a vehicle navigation device as at least a part of the vehicle-mounted control device of the present invention. As is well known, the vehicle navigation apparatus includes the position detection means, the notification means, and the route search means according to the present invention, and the vehicle-mounted control device can be easily configured by adding each other means. Is possible. In addition, a fuel sensor that forms part of a fuel gauge can be used as part of the remaining fuel measuring means. Therefore, it is not necessary to develop and manufacture a dedicated in-vehicle control device, and the in-vehicle control device can be realized at a relatively low cost by a method of remodeling the vehicle navigation device.

  The vehicle navigation system and the fuel efficiency information supply system that can receive the latest fuel efficiency information whenever necessary, and can change the fuel efficiency information when there is a decrease in fuel efficiency on a specific road due to traffic jams or weather. Realized by including a combination of information server devices.

(Fuel consumption information provision system)
Hereinafter, a fuel consumption information providing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a fuel consumption information providing system using a vehicle navigation apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention as an in-vehicle control apparatus. A vehicle navigation device (hereinafter referred to as a navigation device) 100 is connected to an information center 14 via a transmission / reception device 13 to perform data communication.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the navigation apparatus 100 as an embodiment of the present invention. The navigation device 100 includes a position detector 1, a map data input device 6, an operation switch group 7, a remote control (hereinafter referred to as a remote control) sensor 11, a speaker 15 for voice guidance, etc. (notification means of the present invention), an external memory 9, a display device 10, a control circuit 8 connected thereto, and a remote control terminal 12.

  The position detector 1 has a known geomagnetic sensor 2, a gyroscope 3, a distance sensor 4, and a GPS receiver 5 for GPS that detects the position of the vehicle based on radio waves from a satellite. Since these sensors 2, 3, 4, and 5 have errors of different properties, they are configured to be used while being complemented by a plurality of sensors. Depending on the accuracy, a part of the sensors described above may be used, and further, a steering rotation sensor, a wheel sensor of each rolling wheel, or the like may be used. The position detector 1 corresponds to the position detecting means in the present invention.

  The map data input device 6 is a device for inputting various data including so-called map matching data for improving the accuracy of position detection and road data representing road connections from the storage medium 18. As a storage medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, or hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as HDD) is generally used because of the amount of data, but other media such as a memory card may be used.

  As the operation switch group 7, for example, a touch switch or a mechanical switch integrated with the display device 10 is used. The touch switch is composed of infrared sensors that are finely arranged vertically and horizontally on the screen of the display device 10. For example, when the infrared ray is cut off with a finger, a touch pen, or the like, the cut-off position becomes a two-dimensional coordinate value (X, Y). A pointing device such as a mouse or a cursor may be used. Various instructions can be input by the operation switch group 7 and the remote control terminal 12.

  The display device 10 is composed of a color liquid crystal display. On the screen of the display device 10, a vehicle current position mark input from the position detector 1, map data input from the map data input device 6, and a map are displayed. The additional data such as the guidance route to be displayed is superimposed and displayed, and a menu button for setting route guidance, guidance during route guidance, and a screen switching operation is displayed on this screen. The display device 10 corresponds to the notification unit in the present invention.

  The transmission / reception device 13 (communication means of the present invention) is a device for performing communication with the information center 14. Information received from the outside via the transmission / reception device 13 is processed by the control circuit 8. In addition, as a device used as the transmission / reception device 13, a mobile communication device such as a car phone or a mobile phone may be used.

  Further, by connecting a mobile communication device such as a mobile phone 17 or a car phone to the communication unit 19, connection to an external network is possible and connection to the Internet or the like is possible. Furthermore, by communicating with an ETC (Automatic Toll Collection System, ETC: Electronic Toll Collection) vehicle-mounted device 16, the fee information received by the ETC vehicle-mounted device 16 from the ETC road device can be taken into the navigation device 100. Moreover, it is also possible to connect with an external network by the ETC onboard equipment 16. A configuration may be adopted in which communication with the information center 14 is performed via the mobile phone 17 or the ETC vehicle-mounted device 16.

  The control circuit 8 is configured as a normal computer, and includes a well-known CPU 81, ROM 82, RAM 83, I / O 84 which is an input / output circuit, and a bus line 85 which connects these configurations. The CPU 81 controls the program and data stored in the ROM 82 and RAM 83. The ROM 82 has a program storage area 82a and a data storage area 82b. A navigation program (hereinafter referred to as a navigation program) 82p is stored in the program storage area 82a. Data necessary for the operation of the navigation program 82p is stored in the data storage area 82b. The navigation program 82p operates on the RAM 83 in such a manner that the navigation program work memory 83w is used as a work area. When an HDD is used for the map data input device 6, the functions of the ROM 82 and the RAM 83 may be implemented by the HDD. The control circuit 8 corresponds to the fuel consumption calculation means, the route search means, and the required fuel calculation means in the present invention.

  Further, the external memory 9 stores information and data necessary for the operation of the navigation device. The external memory 9 is configured to retain the stored contents even when the accessory switch of the vehicle is turned off (that is, the navigation device 100 is turned off). The external memory 9 corresponds to vehicle information storage means in the present invention.

  The control circuit 8 is connected to a fuel sensor 20 that measures the state of the remaining fuel in the vehicle. For this, a dedicated fuel sensor may be used, or a fuel sensor installed in a fuel tank (not shown) used for display of a fuel gauge (not shown) provided in a meter panel of a vehicle driver's seat (see FIG. (Not shown) may be used. The fuel sensor 20 corresponds to the remaining fuel measuring means in the present invention.

  With this configuration, when the navigation program 82p is started by the CPU 81 of the control circuit 8, the driver operates the operation switch group 7 or the remote control terminal 12 to display the navigation device 82p on the display device 10. When the route guidance process for displaying the destination route on the display device 10 is selected from the displayed menu, the following process is performed. That is, when the driver inputs the destination based on the map on the display device 10, the current location of the vehicle is obtained based on the satellite data obtained from the GPS receiver 5, and the optimum route from the current location to the destination is obtained. Processing is performed. Then, the guidance route is displayed on the road map on the display device 10 so as to guide the driver to the appropriate route. In addition, the display device 10 and the speaker 15 which are notification means of the present invention send a message in accordance with the guidance during operation and the operating state.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the information center 14 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the information center 14 includes a transmission / reception device 22 (communication means of the present invention) that communicates with the navigation device 100 and an information server 25 that includes a database 23.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the information server 25. The information server 25 includes a CPU 51, a ROM 52, a RAM 53, and an input / output interface (I / O) 54. The information server 25 includes a computer main body 50 that is connected so as to be able to transmit and receive via a bus line 55. Alternatively, via an input device such as a mouse 57, a recording medium reading means such as a CD-ROM drive 58 or a floppy (registered trademark) disk drive (hereinafter referred to as FDD) 59, an HDD (hard disk drive) 60, and a monitor control unit 61. The whole is constructed as a computer system to which a monitor 62, a printer 63 to be connected, a network control unit 64 and the like for communicating with the transmission / reception device 22 and the like are connected. The information server 25 corresponds to the fuel consumption information server device in the present invention, and the computer main body 50 corresponds to the database search means, the database update means, and the low fuel consumption route search means.

  The HDD 60 stores an operating system program (hereinafter referred to as OS) 60a and an information server program 60b. The information server program 60b operates with the information server work memory 53b secured in the RAM 53 on the OS 60a as a work area in order to realize the function as an information server. This is stored in, for example, a CD-ROM 65 in a computer-readable state and installed in a predetermined storage area on the HDD 60. The RAM 53 is also formed with a work memory 53a for the OS 60a.

  A database 23 is constructed in the HDD 60. The database 23 includes fuel consumption information 30 corresponding to road conditions for each vehicle type as shown in FIG. Even if the same vehicle name is used, if the standard fuel economy such as the 10/15 mode differs depending on the engine displacement or the transmission type (manual or automatic), etc., it is treated as a different vehicle type. Further, road types (road a1, road a2, road a3 in FIG. 4) are defined based on map data stored in this database, such as highways, urban areas, suburbs, and mountain roads. . The fuel consumption due to the weather is stored for each defined road. The database 23 corresponds to the vehicle-specific road fuel consumption database in the present invention.

  In the database 23, fuel efficiency data may be provided for each road by classifying each road into a specific day or a time zone where traffic congestion such as weekdays, holidays, and fifty days is expected.

  Furthermore, in addition to each road, a method of setting fuel consumption information for each region such as Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo may be adopted.

  With this configuration, the information server 25 functions as an information server after executing necessary initialization processing when the information server program 60b is activated by the CPU 51 of the computer main body 50. Thereafter, when a connection request or a search request from the navigation device 100 is generated via the transmission / reception device 22, processing stored in the information server program 60b is executed to transmit / receive necessary data or a search result of the database 23. The data is sent to the navigation device 100 via the device 22.

  The contents of the database 23 are updated as necessary. This is to update the fuel consumption information 30 in the database 23 when vehicle traveling data 31 including vehicle information, current location, and fuel consumption data as shown in FIG. 5 is sent from the traveling vehicle.

  The fuel consumption (fuel consumption rate) in the vehicle travel data 31 is obtained by measuring the current remaining fuel of the vehicle at a certain period, and the amount of fuel used in the period (that is, the difference in the measured remaining fuel value). ) By dividing the travel distance measured simultaneously.

  The remaining fuel measurement process of the navigation program 82p executed in the CPU 81 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. This process is repeatedly performed together with other processes of the navigation device while the navigation device 100 is operating. First, by operating the operation switch group 7 or the remote control terminal 12, the destination is set and the guide route from the current position of the vehicle is searched (S1). Note that the function of searching for a guidance route in a navigation device is well known.

  Next, when there is a periodic data transmission timing or route change (S2: Yes), the corresponding data is transmitted to the information center 14. When the guide route is searched, it corresponds to the condition that “the route has been changed”, so the vehicle travel data 31 of FIG. 5 and the route data 32 of FIG. 6 are transmitted to the information center 14 without waiting for the data transmission timing. (S3). The vehicle travel data 31 and the route data 32 are stored in the external memory 9, and the route data 32 includes data on the departure point (or current location), the destination, the route, and the weather at the current location.

  Further, if it is not a periodic data transmission timing and there is no route change (S2: No), the process proceeds to step S6.

  When the information center 14 receives the vehicle travel data 31 and the route data 32, the information center 14 divides the route data into sections for each road type, and searches the database 23 for route fuel consumption data for each section (S4). This process will be described in detail later. The information center 14 transmits the route fuel consumption data search result to the navigation device 100, and the navigation device 100 stores the received route fuel consumption data search result in the external memory 9 (S5). FIG. 7 shows an example of route fuel consumption data obtained by searching the database 23 based on the route data 32 of FIG. The route fuel consumption data 33 is divided into sections X to A, AB, BC, and C to Y for each road type, and the fuel consumption for each section is stored.

  The navigation device 100 calculates the required amount of fuel to the destination based on the received fuel consumption data search result and displays the result on the display device 10 (S6). The required fuel amount is calculated as follows. The storage medium 18 includes road data, and section distances (four sections of X to A, AB, BC, and C to Y in the example of FIG. 7) are obtained from the road data. Assuming that the distance of each section is X to A = 50 km, A to B = 200 km, B to C = 10 km, and C to Y = 40 km, the amount of fuel required for traveling in each section is the fuel consumption of the section Are divided by 5.0 liters (= 50 ÷ 10.0), 2.2 liters (= 20 ÷ 9.0), 1.25 liters (= 10 ÷ 8.0), 6 respectively. .67 liters (= 40 ÷ 8.0), and 15.12 liters of fuel is required to travel the entire XY range.

  Next, the current remaining fuel of the vehicle is measured by the fuel sensor 20. The measured remaining fuel is compared with the required amount of fuel to the destination obtained earlier, and if the current remaining fuel cannot reach the destination (S7: Yes), that fact is displayed on the display device 10 ( S8). Moreover, you may alert | report by audio | voice using the speaker 15. FIG. If the destination can be reached with the current remaining fuel (S7: No), the process proceeds to step S9 without doing anything.

  If the remaining fuel is less than a certain value or the travelable distance is less than a certain value while the vehicle is traveling (S9: Yes), this is displayed on the display device 10 and the nearest gas station is searched. Then, it is displayed on the map data of the display device 10 (S10). In this case, even when the gas station is not displayed due to the setting of the navigation device 100 or the like, the setting is ignored and displayed. In this case, the speaker 15 may be used to notify by voice.

  When the destination of the vehicle is set, the travelable distance is calculated by multiplying the current remaining fuel amount by subtracting the amount of fuel traveling to that destination and the fuel efficiency information of the road that contacts the destination. Sought by. Alternatively, the current remaining fuel amount may be calculated by multiplying the type of road on which the vehicle is currently traveling and the corresponding fuel consumption.

  In addition, if the amount of remaining fuel is reachable to the nearest gas station at the current position of the vehicle, but is not reachable to the next nearest gas station, before the nearest gas station, This is notified using at least one of the display device 10 and the speaker 15.

  Note that the value of the remaining fuel as a display condition can be arbitrarily determined by the user. By operating the operation switch group 7 or the remote control terminal 12, a setting screen (not shown) is displayed, and a value of remaining fuel or a travelable distance is set. The set contents are stored in a predetermined area of the external memory 9. Some vehicles have a function of displaying a fuel warning lamp when the remaining fuel becomes a certain value or less. In the case of such a vehicle, a signal for controlling the state of the fuel warning light is set so that the navigation device can receive the signal, and the nearest gas station is displayed when the signal indicating that the fuel warning light is turned on is received. You may do it.

  When the travel route of the vehicle deviates from the guide route (S11: Yes), the route to the destination is reset (S12), and the information center 14 is set together with the vehicle travel data 31 using the reset route as the destination data. (S3 and subsequent processes are executed).

  The fuel consumption data search process of the information server program 60b executed by the CPU 51 of the information server 25 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. When the vehicle travel data 31 (see FIG. 5) and the route data 32 (see FIG. 6) are received from the navigation device 100 (S21), based on the map data stored in the database 23 from the route data 32, the expressway The road is divided into sections for each road type, such as a city area, a suburb, or a mountain road (S22). And the process described below is performed about all the sections, and the route fuel consumption data 33 (refer FIG. 7) sent to a vehicle (navigation apparatus 100) is produced.

  First, the fuel consumption information 30 stored in the database 23 is searched for a section including the current location of the vehicle (same as the departure location of the route in this embodiment) (S24). If the target section is registered in the database 23 (S25: Yes), the registered content of the database 23 is added to the route fuel consumption data 33 (S26). When the target section is not registered in the database 23 (S25: No), the presence / absence of fuel consumption data of a road type similar to the section is checked, and fuel consumption data of a similar road type is registered in the database 23. In the case (S30: Yes), the data is added to the route fuel consumption data 33 (S31). If the fuel efficiency data of the road type similar to the fuel efficiency data of the target section is not registered in the database 23 (S30: No), the initial value of the fuel efficiency data of the vehicle type of the vehicle (10/15 mode fuel efficiency, etc.) Is added to the route fuel consumption data 33 (S32).

  The above processing is performed for all sections on the route (S27 → S29 → S24), and when the creation of the route fuel consumption data 33 is completed (S27: Yes), this is sent to the vehicle (navigation device 100) (S28).

  Next, a method for performing route search with priority on fuel efficiency will be described using the flowchart of FIG. As a route search condition, the navigation apparatus 100 is set in advance so as to prioritize fuel consumption as a route search condition, in the same manner as a method for prioritizing a known toll road. The setting contents are stored in a predetermined area of the external memory 9. In addition, a method for specifying a priority condition for each route search may be employed.

  When a route search with priority on fuel consumption is performed (S41: Yes), destination data is transmitted from the navigation device 100 to the information center 14 in addition to the vehicle travel data 31 (see FIG. 5) (S42). Upon receiving these data, the information center 14 searches the database 23 (S43), searches for a route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination, and if there are a plurality of candidate routes, those routes are searched. The route with the best fuel consumption is taken as a search result by referring to the fuel consumption data for each section. If there is only one route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination, that route is taken as the search result.

  The fuel efficiency data of the searched route is the same as the fuel efficiency data search process of FIG. However, after the route fuel consumption data is searched for all sections, the fuel amount actually required for each section is calculated based on the route fuel consumption data, and the fuel amount required for the entire route is obtained. This calculation is performed for each searched route, and a route that requires the smallest amount of fuel in the entire route is set as a final search result.

  When the route search is completed, the result is transmitted to the navigation device 100. The navigation device 100 performs route guidance based on the received route search result (S44) (S45). Also at the time of route guidance at this time, the remaining fuel measurement process is performed, the required fuel is displayed on the display device, and when the remaining fuel becomes a certain amount or less, this is displayed.

  Further, in the route search in the information center 14, when there are a plurality of candidate routes, all the candidate routes are transmitted to the navigation device 100, and the route on the navigation device 100 (that is, the driver) side is traveled. You may take the method of selecting.

  Further, a method may be adopted in which the vehicle side (navigation device 100) receives all the fuel efficiency information of a road in a range that can be a route search target, and the navigation device 100 performs a route search with priority on fuel consumption.

  Hereinafter, a screen display example of the display device 10 in the remaining fuel measurement process of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. While the information center 14 is calculating the required fuel amount, the display shown in FIG. When the calculation at the information center 14 is completed and the navigation device 100 receives the data, the result is displayed as shown in FIG. In this case, since the remaining fuel is larger than the necessary fuel, the necessary fuel and the remaining fuel are displayed together. Moreover, you may display in the format of the required fuel for every area, and its total. When the required amount of fuel is less than the remaining fuel, a display for urging the driver to refuel as shown in FIG. In this case, you may alert | report by audio | voice using the speaker 15. FIG.

  An example of a screen display when the remaining fuel becomes a certain value or less during traveling will be described with reference to FIG. When the remaining fuel becomes less than a certain value during traveling, a display to the effect of refueling is made as shown in FIG. 12 (a), and then the traveling route (represented by a black circle as shown in FIG. 12 (b)). The gas station (black square mark) around the area is displayed. At this time, a more conspicuous display than other facilities may be performed by blinking the symbol of the gas station. Further, the display of FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B may be alternately repeated at regular intervals until the driver presses any switch. In this case, the speaker 15 may be used to notify by voice.

(Server device)
The configuration and operation of the server device that is the second mode of the embodiment of the present invention are the same as those of the information server 25 (FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 4) in the fuel efficiency information providing system that is the first mode of the embodiment of the present invention. Since this is the same as that shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, description thereof is omitted here.

(In-vehicle control device)
The configuration and operation of the vehicle-mounted control device that is the third mode of the embodiment of the present invention are the navigation device 100 and the peripheral device connected to the navigation device 100 in the fuel efficiency information providing system that is the first mode of the embodiment of the present invention. Since the configuration is the same as (see FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 8, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12), the description is omitted here.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the knowledge of those skilled in the art can be used without departing from the spirit of the claims. Various modifications based on this are possible.

The block diagram which shows the whole structure of the fuel-consumption information provision system as one Example of this invention. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle navigation device as one embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the whole structure of the information server as one Example of this invention. The figure which shows the structural example of fuel consumption information. The figure which shows the structural example of vehicle travel data. The figure which shows the structural example of route data. The figure which shows the structural example of route fuel consumption data. The flowchart for demonstrating a residual fuel measurement process. The flowchart for demonstrating a fuel consumption data search process. The flowchart for demonstrating the method of implementing a route search giving priority to a fuel consumption. Screen display example when calculating required fuel. Screen display example when the remaining fuel falls below a certain value.

Explanation of symbols

7 Operation switch group 8 Control circuit (fuel consumption calculation means, route search means, required fuel calculation means)
9 External memory (vehicle information storage means)
10 Display device (notification means)
12 Remote control terminal 13 Transmission / reception device (communication means)
14 Information center 15 Speaker (notification means)
20 Fuel sensor (remaining fuel measuring means)
22 Transmitter / receiver (communication means)
23 Database (Road Fuel Economy Database)
25 Information server (fuel consumption information server device, database search means, database update means, low fuel consumption route search means)
100 Navigation device (in-vehicle information display device)

Claims (19)

A fuel efficiency information server device including a fuel efficiency database including fuel efficiency information corresponding to road conditions for each vehicle type, and capable of transmitting information stored in the fuel efficiency database to the outside;
Position acquisition means for acquiring a current position of the vehicle;
Fuel consumption calculating means for calculating a fuel consumption rate of the vehicle;
Vehicle information storage means for storing vehicle information including the vehicle type and year of the vehicle;
A vehicle-mounted control device mounted on a vehicle with
A fuel consumption information providing system comprising:
The fuel efficiency information server device and the in-vehicle control device are connected to each other through a communication network so that they can be transmitted and received,
The fuel efficiency information server device includes database update means for updating the content of the fuel efficiency database based on the current position of the vehicle, the vehicle information, and the fuel consumption rate sent from the in-vehicle control device. Fuel efficiency information provision system. The in-vehicle control device includes route search means for searching for a guide route from the current position of the vehicle to a destination,
The fuel efficiency information server device includes database search means for searching the content of the fuel efficiency database,
When the vehicle information and the guidance route information are received from the in-vehicle control device, the fuel efficiency information server device controls the in-vehicle control of the vehicle information retrieved by the database retrieval unit and the fuel efficiency information corresponding to the guidance route. The fuel efficiency information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the fuel efficiency information providing system is transmitted to a device. When the fuel efficiency information server device receives the vehicle information, data including the current position and destination of the vehicle from the in-vehicle control device, the fuel efficiency information server device reaches the destination from the current position of the vehicle based on the fuel efficiency database. The fuel efficiency route search means for searching the fuel efficiency information of the best fuel efficiency and the fuel efficiency information of the fuel efficiency route is provided.
2. The fuel efficiency information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the low fuel efficiency route searched by the low fuel efficiency route search means and the fuel efficiency information are transmitted to the in-vehicle control device.   The fuel efficiency information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the in-vehicle control device includes a notifying unit for notifying the fuel consumption rate. The in-vehicle control device includes necessary fuel calculation means for calculating a fuel amount necessary for traveling along the guide route based on the fuel consumption information,
The fuel efficiency information providing system according to claim 2, wherein the required fuel amount is notified by the notification means. The in-vehicle control device includes necessary fuel calculation means for calculating a fuel amount necessary for traveling on the low fuel consumption route based on the fuel consumption information,
The fuel consumption information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the required fuel amount is notified by the notification means. The in-vehicle control device includes a remaining fuel measuring unit that measures the remaining fuel of the vehicle,
The fuel efficiency information providing system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein when the remaining fuel of the vehicle is smaller than the required fuel amount, the notification means notifies the fact.   8. The fuel efficiency information providing system according to claim 7, wherein the in-vehicle control device notifies the fact by the notifying means when the remaining fuel of the vehicle falls below a predetermined amount. A fuel efficiency database containing fuel efficiency information corresponding to road conditions for each vehicle type,
A communication means for connecting to a communication network;
Database update means for updating the content of the fuel efficiency database based on the current position of the vehicle received from the vehicle by the communication means, vehicle information including the vehicle type and year of the vehicle, and the fuel consumption rate;
A fuel efficiency information server device comprising: When the communication means receives the vehicle information and information on the guide route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination, the vehicle information and the fuel efficiency information corresponding to the current position of the vehicle are retrieved from the fuel efficiency database. Equipped with database search means,
The fuel efficiency information server apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the fuel efficiency information searched by the database search means is transmitted to the vehicle by the communication means. When the vehicle information and information including the current position and the destination of the vehicle are received, the low fuel consumption route with the best fuel consumption for reaching the destination from the current position of the vehicle based on the fuel efficiency database and the A fuel efficient route search means for searching fuel efficiency information of a fuel efficient route is provided.
The fuel consumption information server apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the low fuel consumption route searched by the low fuel consumption route search means and the fuel consumption information are transmitted to the vehicle by the communication means. Position acquisition means for acquiring the current position of the vehicle;
Fuel consumption calculating means for calculating a fuel consumption rate of the vehicle;
Vehicle information storage means for storing vehicle information including the vehicle type and year of the vehicle;
Connected to a communication network, for transmitting the current position of the vehicle, the vehicle information, and the fuel consumption rate to a fuel efficiency information server device including a fuel efficiency database including fuel efficiency information corresponding to road conditions for each vehicle type Communication means;
A vehicle-mounted control device comprising: Route search means for searching for a guide route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination,
13. The vehicle information and the guidance route information are transmitted to the fuel consumption information server device by the communication means, and the vehicle information and the fuel consumption information corresponding to the guidance route are received from the fuel consumption information server device. The vehicle-mounted control apparatus as described in.   The communication means transmits data including the vehicle information, the current position of the vehicle and the destination to the fuel efficiency information server device, and the fuel efficiency for reaching the destination from the current position of the vehicle from the fuel efficiency information server device. The vehicle-mounted control device according to claim 12, which receives the best fuel efficiency route and fuel efficiency information of the fuel efficiency route.   The in-vehicle control device according to any one of claims 12 to 14, further comprising an informing means for informing the fuel consumption rate. A required fuel calculation means for calculating a fuel amount necessary for traveling along the guide route based on the fuel efficiency information;
The in-vehicle control device according to claim 13, wherein the required fuel amount is notified by the notification means. A required fuel calculating means for calculating a fuel amount necessary for traveling on the low fuel consumption route based on the fuel efficiency information;
The in-vehicle control device according to claim 14, wherein the required fuel amount is notified by the notification means. A remaining fuel measuring means for measuring the remaining fuel of the vehicle;
The vehicle-mounted control device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein when the remaining fuel of the vehicle is smaller than the required fuel amount, the notification means notifies the fact.   The in-vehicle control device according to claim 18, wherein the notification unit notifies that when the remaining fuel of the vehicle falls below a predetermined amount.

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