System and method for automated vehicle performance analytics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10844820-B2
Application number	US-201816204344-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2018
Priority date	Nov 29, 2018
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle includes a controller programmed to activate a fuel savings feature upon satisfaction of transition conditions and inhibit the transition according to satisfaction of inhibit conditions. The controller is further programmed to accumulate data indicative of the inhibit conditions and a time associated with the conditions being satisfied over a drive cycle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle provided with a fuel savings feature, comprising:
a controller programmed to
responsive to detecting an inhibit condition in a presence of an activation condition for the fuel savings feature being satisfied, inhibit an activation of the fuel saving feature;
responsive to the activation condition being satisfied and the fuel savings feature not being activated, accumulate data indicative of the inhibit condition and a time associated with the inhibit condition, the time being calculated from an occurrence of the activation condition to an occurrence of a deactivation condition for the fuel savings feature;
estimate an amount of fuel consumed during the time of the inhibit condition;
calculate a fuel cost using the amount of fuel and a fuel price, and an amount of CO2 caused by the consumption of the amount of fuel;
generate an improvement suggestion for a user to operate the vehicle to avoid further triggering the inhibit condition; and
output for display the improvement suggestion with the fuel cost and amount of CO2.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the fuel savings feature is an engine start/stop feature.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to, responsive to a request to transfer data, transfer the data and the time to a server.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to estimate a value indicative of an impact on fuel economy associated with the data and the time.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to estimate a fuel cost associated with the data and the time.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to accumulate the data and time over an ignition cycle.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to accumulate the data and the time over a lifetime of the vehicle.

8. A method comprising:
inhibiting, by a controller, a fuel savings feature for a vehicle responsive to satisfaction of an inhibit condition in a presence of activation conditions for the fuel savings feature being satisfied;
accumulating, by the controller, data indicative of the inhibit condition and a time associated with the inhibit condition, the time being calculated from an occurrence of at least one activation condition to an occurrence of a deactivation condition for the fuel savings feature;
transferring, by the controller, the data and time to a server;
estimating, by the controller, an amount of fuel consumed during the time of the inhibit condition;
calculating a fuel cost using the amount of fuel and a fuel rice and an amount of CO2 caused by the consumption of the amount of fuel;
generating an improvement suggestion for operating the vehicle to avoid further triggering the inhibit condition; and
outputting, by the controller via a human machine interface (HMI), the improvement suggestion with the fuel cost and amount of CO2.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising aggregating, by the server, data from vehicles having a same nameplate and model year.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising, requesting, by a server, transfer of the data and time at periodic intervals from the controller.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising accumulating the data and time over an ignition cycle and a vehicle lifetime.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Meroux Dominique
• Jiang Zhen
• Zhang Chen
• Kreucher Rebecca

Classifications

• Y02T10/40

  Engine management systems · CPC title

• F02N2200/102

  Brake pedal position · CPC title

• F02N2200/101

  Accelerator pedal position · CPC title

• F02N2200/061

  Battery state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• F02N2200/123

  Information about vehicle position, e.g. from navigation systems or GPS signals · CPC title