JP2006275597A - Navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation system calculating the remaining quantity or supply quantity of fuel necessary for running a planned cruise path which eliminated wiring work for inputting the output of fuel remaining quantity sensor in the navigation system. <P>SOLUTION: An operation part for inputting supply quantity of fuel and fuel consumption by operation of a user and a control means for obtaining consumption of fuel necessary for running the specified distance by using the input fuel consumption and calculating the remaining quantity of fuel by subtracting the consumption from the input supply quantity are provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device that calculates the remaining amount or replenishment amount of fuel necessary for traveling on a planned traveling route.

The navigation function can be used to predict the amount of gasoline used. This prediction of gasoline usage can be used for various functions. As an example of its use, a function for predicting a fuel empty point (see Patent Document 1) and a function for searching for the farthest final gas station among the gas stations located within the travelable distance (see Patent Document 2) were considered. .
JP-A-11-180185 JP 2000-39328 A

  In order to predict the above-described fuel empty point and to search for the farthest final filling station among the filling stations located within the travelable distance, the remaining amount of fuel must be detected. Conventionally, the remaining amount of fuel is detected by a remaining fuel sensor installed in the fuel tank.

  However, in order for a general user to provide wiring for inputting the output of the fuel remaining amount sensor to the navigation device, first, the cover covering the cord serving as the output of the fuel remaining amount sensor must be removed. There are often hooks when removing the cover, so you must look for it and take care not to break the cover. Next, the appropriate code must be searched for, but it is difficult for ordinary users to find it. Then, an electric tap is attached to the cord and a line for taking out a signal is added. The extracted signal line is connected to the navigation device. Such wiring work is a very difficult installation for general users.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and uses an operation unit that inputs a fuel supply amount and a fuel consumption by a user's operation, and the fuel consumption that is input a fuel consumption amount necessary for traveling a predetermined distance. Control means for calculating the remaining amount of the fuel by subtracting the consumption amount from the input fuel supply amount.

  Further, the operation unit performs an input operation of a fuel tank full fuel amount and an input operation that full tank refueling has been performed, and the control means is based on the full tank information from the operation unit, The remaining amount of fuel is calculated with the full value as the initial value.

  Also, a display unit for displaying the replenishment amount of the fuel is provided, the operation unit performs an input operation of a full tank amount of fuel in the fuel tank, and the control means subtracts the remaining amount from the full tank amount and The fuel supply amount is displayed on the display unit.

  Further, the operation unit performs an input operation of a fuel supply amount when the fuel is full, and the control means calculates a predicted replenishment amount when the fuel is full, and calculates the input fuel amount when the fuel is full. The input fuel consumption is corrected by comparison.

  The present invention provides an operation unit that inputs a fuel amount and fuel consumption by a user's operation and a fuel consumption amount required to travel a predetermined distance using the input fuel consumption, and the input fuel supply. Control means for calculating the remaining amount of the fuel by subtracting the consumption from the amount.

  Thus, the full tank can be obtained without performing a full tank detection wiring operation which is very difficult for general users, and the remaining amount of fuel or the replenishment amount can be displayed. Moreover, utilization of the function which estimates a fuel empty point, the function which searches the furthest last filling station among the filling stations located within the driving | running | working distance etc. can be accelerated | stimulated.

  Further, according to the present invention, the operation unit performs an input operation of a fuel supply amount when the fuel is full, and the control means calculates a predicted replenishment amount when the fuel is full, and this is input when the fuel is full. The fuel consumption is compared to correct the input fuel consumption.

  Thereby, the fuel consumption can be corrected.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device mounted on a vehicle (not shown) powered by gasoline.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device includes at least GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning means (4), HDD (Hard Disk Drive) (5), speech synthesis circuit (6), display unit (7), speaker. (8) It is comprised so that the operation part (9), ROM (2), RAM (3), and a control circuit (1) may be included.

  The GPS positioning means (4) uses a radio wave signal (GPS signal) from a GPS satellite to specify the latitude, longitude, altitude, etc. of the vehicle.

  The HDD (5) stores map information (map data), service information, and the like. As service information, the location of the gas station, telephone number, business hours, price of gasoline, and the like are stored. Note that the map data or the like is not limited to the HDD (4), but may be a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or the like.

  The voice synthesizing circuit (6) generates a voice of a designated character code.

  A display part (7) is comprised, for example from a liquid crystal panel, and displays map information, gasoline information, etc.

  The speaker (8) emits navigation guidance voice or the like, or emits gasoline information.

  The operation unit (9) includes at least a four-way key (91) for operating scrolling and cursor movement, an execution key (92) for operating execution, a route registration key (93) for performing route registration operation, and gasoline. It is configured to include a gasoline key (94) for inputting data relating to the remaining amount calculation and a full tank key (95) for operating that there is a full tank. The cursor displayed on the display unit (7) is moved by the four-way key (91) and the execution key (92) is operated to input various inputs, for example, the amount of fuel supply and fuel consumption. Can do.

The ROM (2) stores a control program for operating the navigation device, and the RAM (3) stores information necessary for the control circuit (1) to perform processing, for example, the remaining amount of gasoline. This stores the travel schedule route, the full tank amount, the standard fuel consumption, and the like necessary for predicting and calculating the vehicle. The RAM (3) is stored by a vehicle battery (not shown). The storage unit for storing the control program for operating the navigation device may be a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory). It is a central part that performs the above-described operation control, etc., and organically controls the driving of each member of the navigation device to control the navigation operation in an integrated manner.

  For example, the control unit (1) captures GPS signals from the GPS positioning means (4) at regular intervals (periodically), and displays the remaining amount of gasoline, the amount of gasoline to a predetermined gas station, and the like. It has become.

  Further, the control unit (1) corrects the standard fuel consumption from the amount of fuel that is input when the gasoline is full.

  The operation of the above configuration will be described. In the navigation device, as shown in FIG. 2, a planned travel route from the home (departure point) to the destination is registered in advance by the operation of the user, and the route is stored in the RAM (3).

  Further, in order to predict the amount of gasoline used and calculate the remaining amount of gasoline, as shown in FIG. 3, the full tank amount, the standard fuel efficiency, the fuel efficiency coefficient corresponding to the type of road, the fuel efficiency corresponding to the use of the air conditioner The coefficient and the coefficient of fuel consumption corresponding to the use of the snow tire are stored in advance in the RAM (3).

  The full tank amount and standard fuel consumption are set by the user. This standard fuel efficiency is automatically corrected based on the amount of fuel input when the gasoline is full.

  As the road type coefficient, the air conditioner coefficient, and the snow tire coefficient, data stored in the ROM (1) is transferred to the RAM (3) as initial values. These coefficients can be changed by the user.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the fuel consumption is standard fuel consumption × coefficient of road type to be traveled × coefficient of air conditioner × snow tire coefficient. The air conditioner ON / OFF detection may be detected directly by connecting the signal line of the air conditioner ON / OFF switch to the navigation device, or it may be detected using a temperature sensor, set by the user. May be. The presence or absence of snow tires is set by the user. For example, the initial value of fuel consumption when driving with a normal tire on an expressway with a standard fuel consumption of 12 km / L and an air conditioner ON is 12 km / L × 0.9 × 1.0 = 10.8 km / L Become.

  The predicted use amount of the planned travel route of gasoline is obtained by calculating the distance and the fuel consumption for each road type of the planned travel route, and accumulating these.

  The remaining amount of gasoline is calculated by calculating the amount of gasoline used in actual driving by the GPS positioning means (4) and subtracting this from the full tank amount.

  The remaining amount of gasoline can use a remaining fuel sensor provided in the gasoline tank as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. However, in order for a general user to provide wiring for inputting the output of the fuel remaining amount sensor to the navigation device, first, the cover covering the cord serving as the output of the fuel remaining amount sensor must be removed so as not to be damaged. I must. Next, search for the corresponding code. Finding this is difficult for ordinary users. Then, an electric tap is attached to the cord and a line for taking out a signal is added. The extracted signal line is connected to the navigation device. Such wiring work is a very difficult installation for general users. Therefore, in this embodiment, the amount of fuel required to travel a predetermined distance is obtained using the fuel consumption input by the user, and the remaining fuel is obtained by subtracting the amount of fuel consumption from the amount of fuel input by the user. Calculate the amount.

  Next, the operation when traveling on the route shown in FIG. 2 will be described. In this embodiment, the road type, the air conditioner, and the snow tire coefficients are used in the calculations shown in FIG. The standard fuel consumption is initially set, and the correction value is used when the fuel is full. FIG. 4 shows the display contents.

  The user's destination gas station is registered in advance in the RAM (3) by the operation of the old force unit (9) as one of the route registration steps. A vehicle filled with gasoline at this gas station leaves home. As shown in “Departure from home” in FIG. 4, when leaving home, the remaining travel distance to the destination is 900 km, the remaining travel distance to return home is 1800 km, the gasoline full tank amount is 55 L (liter), and the remaining gasoline amount is 52L after deducting the amount used from the destination gas station to the home, 3L replenishment amount to fill up, 11km / L standard fuel consumption, driving from the current position (current position is home at this time) to the destination The amount of gasoline required for the trip is 90L, and the amount of gasoline required for traveling to the nearest gas station after landing is 92L for gas station A that is not limited to the return route, and for gas station B that is limited to the return route 94L, the amount of gasoline required to travel to home is 180L, the amount of gasoline required to travel to the destination gas station after returning home is 183L, and the farthest gas station that can avoid running out of gas (this Gasoline amount necessary for traveling to the first service station.) In FIG. 2 at the point is 50L, the control circuit (1) causes a display section to display them (7).

  For the replenishment amount, the amount of fuel required to travel a predetermined distance is obtained using the fuel efficiency described above, and the replenishment amount is obtained from information on the amount of fuel that is not full and the number of times that the full tank has been filled. Then, the remaining amount of fuel is calculated by subtracting the consumption amount from this.

  As described above, the amount of gasoline used is estimated based on the type of road scheduled to travel, the distance of the road, the ON / OFF state of the cooler, and the presence or absence of snow tires. The nearest gas station after arrival at the destination and the farthest gas station that can avoid gas shortage are searched from service information stored in the HDD (5). In this search, business hours are also a search condition, and closed gas stations are excluded. In addition, when there is only one gas station that can avoid gas shortage, or when a predetermined distance is approached to the farthest gas station that can avoid gas shortage ("Running 420km after departure", "After departure" When the gas station that can avoid the gas shortage disappears, the control circuit (1) causes the speaker (8) to emit an alarm sound or a sound. In addition, about the gas station, although the gasoline amount required for arrival is displayed, you may display the replenishment amount required for arrival. Further, the location, telephone number, and business hours of the searched gas station may be displayed.

  In FIG. 4, “traveling 420 km after departure” is a state in which if the gasoline is replenished at the first filling station, the destination can be reached without refueling. At this time, the remaining amount of gasoline is 10L, the amount of gasoline necessary for traveling to the nearest gas station A after arrival at the destination is 50L, and the amount of gasoline required for traveling to the nearest gas station B after arrival at the destination is 52L It is.

  The user can adjust the replenishment amount of gasoline at the first filling station as necessary. For example, if the cost of refueling at the destination does not have to be borne by the user because the parent of the user pays, or if the gasoline at the gas station at the destination is cheap, 50L-10L at the first gas station If the user refuels = 40L, the user can know that the nearest gas station A can be reached. As a result, the user can reduce fuel consumption. Furthermore, if fuel is supplied at the gas station B on the return path as the nearest gas station, fuel can be saved when the user returns home.

  Here, if 53 L is supplied at the first filling station, the tank is full, but only 43 L is supplied. Thereby, it is possible to reach the nearest gas station A after arrival at a destination with a small amount of fuel that does not run out of gasoline. At the first gas station, the amount of oil 43L is input by operating the operation unit (9).

  When the remaining amount of gasoline reaches 10L (predetermined value), the control circuit (1) issues an alarm from the speaker (8). When it is possible to reach the ground, the user can adjust the replenishment amount of the next gasoline as necessary (for example, “If the next refueling station replenishes 40L or more, the destination You can drive to the nearest gas station. ”).

  In this embodiment, refueling is performed at the nearest gas station A. The predicted replenishment amount up to full tank at this gas station A is 55L-3L = 52L. However, it is actually 48L. There are various reasons for this error, and the major ones are an error in fuel consumption and an error in the full tank refueling operation of the fuel supplier. This fuel consumption error has a standard fuel efficiency and a coefficient. If the fuel efficiency is corrected using only the standard error, even if there is an error in the coefficient, it can be compensated to correct the fuel consumption.

  Therefore, the control circuit (1), when the refueling amount 48L is inputted at this filling station A and the full tank key (95) is operated, the standard replenishment amount from the full replenishment amount to the next full replenishment amount and the actual replenishment amount is standardized. Correct fuel consumption. In the case of the example, the predicted oil supply amount from the full tank at the destination gas station to the full tank at the gas station A is 3L + 92L = 95L, and the actual supply amount is 43L + 48L = 91L. Therefore, the standard fuel efficiency correction value is 95 × 11 ÷ 91 = 11.5 (km / L). The control circuit (1) calculates the predicted amount of gasoline with the corrected standard fuel consumption for the travel after the operation of the full tank key (95).

  In this way, the estimated replenishment amount when the fuel is full is calculated, and this is compared with the refueling amount entered when the user is full.

  In “Destination” in FIG. 4, the gasoline remaining amount becomes 53L. “Driving 470 km after departure from destination” in FIG. 4 is a state in which if the gasoline is replenished at the third filling station, it is possible to reach the home without refueling. At this time, the remaining amount of gasoline is 10L, and the amount of gasoline required for traveling to the destination gas station after returning home is 46L. The user can adjust the replenishment amount of gasoline at the third filling station as necessary. For example, if it is desired to replenish as much as possible at a gas station where payment can be made as much as possible, the user can know that it is possible to reach the gas station just after reaching 46 L-10L = 36 L at the third gas station.

  Here, filling 52 L at the third filling station will fill up, but only 40 L. Thereby, it is possible to reach the gas station A where the train arrives after arrival at home with a small amount of fuel that does not run out of gasoline.

  The control circuit (1) provides route guidance from the destination to the nearest gas station, but is unnecessary as the user knows the route guidance from the home to the nearest gas station. Do not do. Since unnecessary route guidance is not performed in this way, it is not troublesome.

  In the above-described embodiment, the power of the vehicle is gasoline, but other fuels and electric power may be used.

  Further, the gas station at home is not limited to the gas station, and may simply be a gas station designated (registered) by the user.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the principal part of the navigation apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the driving | running route of this invention. It is a figure which shows the setting value for calculating the prediction usage-amount of gasoline. It is a figure which shows the display of the prediction usage-amount of gasoline.

Explanation of symbols

1 Control circuit 3 RAM
4 GPS positioning unit 9 Operation unit 95 Full key

Claims (4)

In a navigation device mounted on a vehicle powered by fuel,
An operation unit for inputting the amount of fuel supplied and the fuel consumption by the operation of the user;
Control means for calculating a remaining amount of the fuel by calculating a consumption amount of fuel necessary for traveling a predetermined distance using the input fuel consumption and subtracting the consumption amount from the input fuel amount supplied A navigation device characterized by that. The operation unit performs an input operation of a full tank amount of fuel in the fuel tank and an input operation that full tank refueling has been performed,
The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit calculates a remaining amount of fuel based on full tank information from the operation unit, with a full time as an initial value. A display unit for displaying the fuel replenishment amount;
The operation unit performs an input operation of a full tank amount of fuel in the fuel tank,
The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays the fuel supply amount on the display unit by subtracting the remaining amount from the full tank amount. The operation unit performs an input operation of a refueling amount when the fuel is full,
4. The control unit according to claim 3, wherein the control unit calculates a predicted replenishment amount when the fuel is full and compares the input fuel amount with the input full fuel amount to correct the input fuel consumption. The navigation device described.

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