WO2011007449A1

WO2011007449A1 - Fuel consumption estimation device, fuel consumption estimation method, and fuel consumption estimation program

Info

Publication number: WO2011007449A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/062986
Authority: WO
Inventors: 要一伊藤; 隆一郎森岡; 光男安士; 雅俊柳平
Original assignee: パイオニア株式会社
Priority date: 2009-07-17
Filing date: 2009-07-17
Publication date: 2011-01-20
Also published as: JPWO2011007449A1

Abstract

A fuel consumption estimation device estimates a vehicle fuel consumption in accordance with a fuel consumption estimation equation formed by velocity information, acceleration information, and a predetermined coefficient. The fuel consumption estimation device includes an actual fuel consumption acquisition means, an estimated fuel consumption acquisition means, a comparison means, and a correction means. The actual fuel consumption acquisition means acquires an actual fuel consumption of a vehicle in accordance with an oil supply amount. The estimated fuel consumption acquisition means acquires an estimated fuel consumption according to the fuel consumption estimation equation. The comparison means compares the actual fuel consumption to the estimated fuel consumption to determine which is greater. The correction means corrects the value of the coefficient according to the comparison result obtained by the comparison means.

Description

Fuel consumption estimation device, fuel consumption estimation method, fuel consumption estimation program

The present invention relates to a fuel consumption estimation device for estimating fuel consumption.

Conventionally, in order to manage fuel consumption and fuel costs, a fuel consumption estimation method for estimating fuel consumption has been devised. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 describes that fuel consumption can be explained by three factors of stop time, travel speed, and vehicle speed fluctuation, and describes a fuel consumption estimation formula composed of these three factors and a predetermined coefficient. . Patent Document 1 discloses an on-vehicle device attached to a vehicle, a server that manages fuel consumption information of the vehicle based on information transmitted from the on-vehicle device, a terminal on the vehicle management company side that manages ownership of the vehicle, Is connected via a network, and the server calculates the fuel consumption value based on the behavior information indicating the behavior of the vehicle itself detected by the vehicle-mounted device and the information on the traveled position of the vehicle, and manages the fuel consumption information. ing.

JP 2006-48541 A

By the way, when estimating the fuel consumption using the fuel consumption estimation formula described in Non-Patent Document 1, it is necessary to improve the estimation accuracy by correcting the coefficient of the fuel consumption estimation formula with the actual fuel consumption. Here, the actual fuel consumption is calculated from the travel distance from the previous refueling and the current refueling amount. However, when obtaining the actual fuel consumption, if the refueling completion state at the previous refueling and the refueling completion state at the current refueling are not the same state, the accurate actual fuel consumption cannot be obtained. There is a risk that accurate correction of the estimation formula cannot be performed. This point is not described in Patent Document 1.

Examples of problems to be solved by the present invention include the above. An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel consumption estimation device capable of accurately correcting a fuel consumption estimation formula.

The invention according to claim 1 is a fuel consumption estimation device that estimates the fuel consumption of a vehicle based on a fuel consumption estimation formula composed of speed information, acceleration information, and a predetermined coefficient, and the travel distance traveled by the vehicle The actual fuel consumption obtaining means for obtaining the actual fuel consumption of the vehicle based on the fuel amount corresponding to the travel distance, the estimated fuel consumption obtaining means for obtaining the estimated fuel consumption based on the fuel consumption estimation formula, and the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption are compared. And a correction unit that corrects the value of the coefficient based on a comparison result by the comparison unit.

The invention according to claim 8 is a fuel consumption estimation method for estimating a fuel consumption of a vehicle based on a fuel consumption estimation formula composed of speed information, acceleration information, and a predetermined coefficient, the travel distance traveled by the vehicle The actual fuel consumption acquisition step for obtaining the actual fuel consumption of the vehicle based on the fuel amount corresponding to the travel distance, the estimated fuel consumption acquisition step for obtaining the estimated fuel consumption based on the fuel consumption estimation formula, and the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption are compared. And a correction step of correcting the value of the coefficient of the fuel consumption estimation formula based on the comparison result of the comparison step.

The invention according to claim 9 is a fuel efficiency estimation program that is executed by a computer and estimates a fuel efficiency of a vehicle based on a fuel efficiency estimation formula that includes speed information, acceleration information, and a predetermined coefficient. The actual fuel consumption obtaining means for obtaining the actual fuel consumption of the vehicle based on the traveled distance and the fuel amount corresponding to the travel distance, the estimated fuel consumption obtaining means for obtaining the estimated fuel consumption based on the fuel consumption estimation formula, the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption The computer is caused to function as a comparison unit that compares the values of the fuel efficiency estimation equation and a correction unit that corrects the value of the coefficient of the fuel consumption estimation formula based on a comparison result of the comparison unit.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a fuel consumption estimation system. It is a figure which shows the apparatus structure of a navigation apparatus. It is a figure which shows the apparatus structure of a server. It is a schematic diagram which shows the method of correct | amending a fuel consumption estimation formula. It is a flowchart which shows the correction control process of the fuel consumption estimation type | formula which concerns on 1st Example. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the database which concerns on 2nd Example. It is a flowchart which shows the correction control process of the fuel consumption estimation type | formula which concerns on 2nd Example. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the travel distance and gasoline remaining amount which concern on the application example of 2nd Example.

In one aspect of the present invention, a fuel consumption estimation device that estimates a fuel consumption of a vehicle based on a fuel consumption estimation formula configured from speed information, acceleration information, and a predetermined coefficient includes the travel distance traveled by the vehicle and the travel distance. Actual fuel consumption obtaining means for obtaining the actual fuel consumption of the vehicle based on the corresponding fuel supply amount, estimated fuel consumption obtaining means for obtaining the estimated fuel consumption based on the fuel consumption estimation formula, and comparison means for comparing the actual fuel consumption with the estimated fuel consumption And correction means for correcting the value of the coefficient based on the comparison result by the comparison means.

The fuel consumption estimation device is for estimating the fuel consumption of a vehicle based on a fuel consumption estimation formula composed of speed information, acceleration information, and a predetermined coefficient, and includes actual fuel consumption acquisition means, estimated fuel consumption acquisition means, and comparison means. And a correction means. The actual fuel consumption acquisition means obtains the actual fuel consumption of the vehicle based on the travel distance traveled by the vehicle and the amount of refueling corresponding to the travel distance. The estimated fuel consumption acquisition means obtains the estimated fuel consumption based on the fuel consumption estimation formula. The comparison means compares the actual fuel consumption with the estimated fuel consumption and obtains the magnitude relationship. The correction unit corrects the coefficient value based on the comparison result by the comparison unit. By doing in this way, it becomes possible to correct | amend a fuel consumption estimation formula correctly.

In a preferred embodiment of the fuel consumption estimation apparatus, the correction means determines whether to correct the coefficient value based on the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption. This eliminates the need to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula using inaccurate actual fuel consumption information.

In a preferred embodiment of the fuel consumption estimation device, the correction means calculates a difference between the actual fuel consumption obtained based on the current fuel supply amount and the estimated fuel consumption from the previous fuel supply to the current fuel supply. When the predetermined threshold value is exceeded, the coefficient value is not corrected. For example, the correction means obtains a distribution of the difference between the past actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption, and whether or not the difference between the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption obtained based on the current refueling amount is 2σ or more away from the average of the distribution. When it is determined that the difference is 2σ or more away from the average of the distribution, the coefficient value is not corrected.

In another aspect of the fuel consumption estimation apparatus, the correction means does not correct the coefficient value when the current fuel supply amount is less than a predetermined amount. Here, the certain amount is, for example, a half amount of the fuel tank capacity. Thereby, about the actual fuel consumption used for correction | amendment of a fuel consumption estimation formula, the difference | error with a true actual fuel consumption can be suppressed.

In another aspect of the fuel consumption estimation apparatus, the correction unit may calculate the estimated fuel consumption when the estimated fuel consumption is larger than the actual fuel consumption when the difference does not exceed the predetermined threshold. The coefficient value is corrected to the smaller side, and when the actual fuel consumption is larger than the estimated fuel consumption, the coefficient value is corrected to the side on which the estimated fuel consumption increases. Thereby, the estimated fuel consumption calculated | required based on a fuel consumption estimation formula can be approximated to an actual fuel consumption.

In another aspect of the fuel consumption estimation device, when the difference exceeds the predetermined threshold, the fuel consumption estimation device includes an estimation unit that estimates whether or not the completion state of the current refueling is clearly not full. The estimation means sets a non-full tank refueling flag for the current refueling when it is determined that the completion of the current refueling is not clearly full. Thereby, it can be clarified that the current refueling was not full. In this way, for example, when obtaining the distribution of the difference between the estimated fuel efficiency and the actual fuel efficiency, the value when the non-full tank refueling flag is set can be excluded, and the fuel efficiency estimation formula can be further corrected. It becomes possible to carry out accurately.

In another aspect of the fuel consumption estimation device, when the estimated fuel consumption is larger than the actual fuel consumption, and the non-full tank refueling flag is set for the previous refueling, The coefficient value is not corrected. By doing so, it is possible to reliably exclude the value of the actual fuel consumption when the tank is not full at the time of the previous refueling, and it becomes possible to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula more accurately.

In another aspect of the fuel consumption estimation apparatus, the correction unit may perform a predetermined number of times before the previous time when the estimated fuel consumption is larger than the actual fuel consumption and the difference exceeds a predetermined threshold. When the non-full tank refueling flag is set for the refueling over a range of times, the total actual fuel consumption, which is the actual fuel consumption based on the sum of the refueling amounts from the previous refueling to the current refueling, is obtained, and the predetermined When the difference between the total estimated fuel consumption, which is the estimated fuel consumption from the previous refueling to the current refueling, and the total actual fuel consumption exceeds a predetermined threshold, and when the difference does not exceed the predetermined threshold Corrects the value of the coefficient in accordance with the total actual fuel consumption and the total estimated fuel consumption. By doing in this way, even if the non-full tank flag is set for the predetermined number of times of refueling before the previous time, it is possible to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula accurately.

In another aspect of the present invention, a fuel consumption estimation method for estimating a fuel consumption of a vehicle based on a fuel consumption estimation formula configured from speed information, acceleration information, and a predetermined coefficient includes a travel distance traveled by the vehicle and the travel distance. An actual fuel consumption obtaining step for obtaining the actual fuel consumption of the vehicle based on a corresponding fuel supply amount, an estimated fuel consumption obtaining step for obtaining an estimated fuel consumption based on the fuel consumption estimation formula, and a comparison step for comparing the actual fuel consumption with the estimated fuel consumption And a correction step of correcting the value of the coefficient of the fuel consumption estimation formula based on the comparison result of the comparison step. This method also makes it possible to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula accurately.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, a fuel efficiency estimation program that is executed by a computer and estimates a fuel efficiency of a vehicle based on a fuel efficiency estimation formula that includes speed information, acceleration information, and a predetermined coefficient is obtained when the vehicle has traveled. An actual fuel consumption obtaining means for obtaining an actual fuel consumption of the vehicle based on a travel distance and a fuel amount corresponding to the travel distance; an estimated fuel consumption obtaining means for obtaining an estimated fuel consumption based on the fuel consumption estimation formula; the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption; The computer is caused to function as comparison means for comparing the values, and correction means for correcting the value of the coefficient of the fuel consumption estimation formula based on the comparison result by the comparison means. This program can also correct the fuel consumption estimation formula accurately.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a fuel consumption estimation system according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel consumption estimation system according to the first embodiment includes a navigation device 1, a personal computer 2, and a server 3. The navigation device 1 is a car navigation device mounted on a vehicle. The personal computer 2 is, for example, a personal computer of the user of the navigation device 1.

The navigation device 1 measures the time when the vehicle travels, the vehicle position, the speed, the acceleration, etc. at regular intervals (for example, every 3 seconds) or at regular intervals (for example, every 25 m) and stores them as a travel history. Further, when the user refuels the vehicle, the navigation device 1 stores the time at that time as refueling date / time information. The user connects the navigation device 1 to the personal computer 2 after the driving of the vehicle is completed. When the navigation device 1 is connected to the personal computer 2, the navigation device 1 transmits a travel history to the personal computer 2, and transmits the travel history to the server 3 from the personal computer 2 via the Internet 4.

Further, at this time, the navigation device 1 transmits the refueling date / time information to the personal computer 2. The user inputs the refueling amount at the refueling date corresponding to the refueling date information to the personal computer 2 and transmits the refueling date information and the refueling amount to the server 3 as the refueling information via the Internet 4.

The server 3 can obtain the estimated fuel consumption using the fuel consumption estimation formula based on the travel history. Moreover, the server 3 calculates | requires an actual fuel consumption based on driving | running | working log | history and refueling information, compares an estimated fuel consumption with an actual fuel consumption, and correct | amends a fuel consumption estimation formula based on the comparison result.

First, the configuration of the navigation device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows a device configuration of the navigation device 1 mounted on the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 2, the navigation device 1 includes a self-supporting positioning device 10, a GPS receiver 18, a system controller 20, a disk drive 31, a data storage unit 36, a communication interface 37, a communication device 38, a display unit 40, and an audio output. A unit 50, an input device 60, and a connection interface 70 are provided.

The self-supporting positioning device 10 includes an acceleration sensor 11, an angular velocity sensor 12, and a distance sensor 13. The acceleration sensor 11 is made of, for example, a piezoelectric element, detects vehicle acceleration, and outputs acceleration data. The angular velocity sensor 12 is composed of, for example, a vibrating gyroscope, detects the angular velocity of the vehicle when the direction of the vehicle is changed, and outputs angular velocity data and relative azimuth data. The distance sensor 13 measures a vehicle speed pulse composed of a pulse signal generated with the rotation of the vehicle wheel.

The GPS receiver 18 is a radio wave 19 that carries downlink data including positioning data (GPS data) from a plurality of GPS satellites to be used for detecting the absolute position of the vehicle from latitude and longitude information. This is the part that receives

The system controller 20 includes an interface 21, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 22, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 23, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 24, and is configured to control the entire navigation device 1. .

The interface 21 performs an interface operation with the acceleration sensor 11, the angular velocity sensor 12, the distance sensor 13, and the GPS receiver 18. From these, acceleration data, relative azimuth data, angular velocity data, GPS positioning data, absolute azimuth data and the like are input to the system controller 20 in addition to the vehicle speed pulse. The CPU 22 controls the entire system controller 20. The ROM 23 includes a nonvolatile memory (not shown) in which a control program for controlling the system controller 20 is stored. The RAM 24 stores various data such as route data preset by the user via the input device 60 so as to be readable, and provides a working area to the CPU 22.

The system controller 20, a disk drive 31 such as a CD-ROM drive or a DVD-ROM drive, a data storage unit 36, a communication interface 37, a display unit 40, an audio output unit 50, an input device 60 and a connection interface 70 are connected to the bus line 30. Are connected to each other.

The disk drive 31 reads and outputs content data such as music data and video data from a disk 33 such as a CD or DVD under the control of the system controller 20. The disk drive 31 may be either a CD-ROM drive or a DVD-ROM drive, or may be a CD and DVD compatible drive.

The data storage unit 36 is configured by, for example, an HDD or the like, and stores various data used for navigation processing such as map data.

The communication device 38 includes, for example, an FM tuner, a beacon receiver, and the like, and acquires information distributed from a VICS (Vehicle Information Communication System) center or the like.

The display unit 40 displays various display data on the display screen of the display 44 under the control of the system controller 20. For example, when displaying map data as display data on the display screen, the system controller 20 reads map data from the data storage unit 36, and the display unit 40 is read from the data storage unit 36 by the system controller 20. Map data is displayed on the display screen. The display unit 40 includes a graphic controller 41 that controls the entire display unit 40 based on control data sent from the CPU 22 via the bus line 30, and image information that can be displayed immediately, such as a VRAM (Video） RAM) memory. A buffer memory 42 that temporarily stores, a display control unit 43 that controls display of a display 44 such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) based on image data output from the graphic controller 41, and a display 44 are provided. Configured. The display 44 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display device having a diagonal of about 5 to 10 inches, and is mounted near the front panel in the vehicle.

The audio output unit 50 performs D / A (Digital-to-Analog) conversion of audio digital data sent from the CD-ROM drive 31, DVD-ROM 32, RAM 24, or the like via the bus line 30 under the control of the system controller 20. A D / A converter 51 to perform, an amplifier (AMP) 52 that amplifies the audio analog signal output from the D / A converter 51, and a speaker 53 that converts the amplified audio analog signal into sound and outputs the sound into the vehicle. It is prepared for.

The input device 60 includes keys, switches, buttons, a remote controller, a voice input device, and the like for inputting various commands and data. The input device 60 is disposed around the front panel and the display 44 of the main body of the in-vehicle electronic system mounted in the vehicle. When the display 44 is a touch panel system, the touch panel provided on the display screen of the display 44 also functions as the input device 60.

The connection interface 70 is an interface for communicating with the personal computer 3, and is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or a wireless communication interface. When the navigation device 1 is connected to the personal computer 3 via the connection interface 70, the navigation device 1 can communicate with the personal computer 3.

In the navigation device 1 described above, the system controller 20 uses the self-supporting positioning device 10 or the GPS receiver 18 as a travel history with time, vehicle position, speed, acceleration, etc. measured at regular intervals or at regular intervals. Store in the data storage unit 36. Moreover, the system controller 20 calculates | requires fueling date information based on the map data memorize | stored in the data storage unit 36, and the measured own vehicle position. Specifically, the system controller 20 determines that the vehicle has been refueled when the vehicle has been located at a position such as a gas station registered in the map data for a predetermined time or more, and the date and time at that time is the refueling date information. Is stored in the data storage unit 36. When the navigation device 1 is connected to the personal computer 3 via the connection interface 70, the system controller 20 transmits the travel history and the refueling date / time information stored in the data storage unit 36 to the personal computer 3.

Next, the configuration of the server 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the server 3.

As described above, the server 3 calculates the estimated fuel consumption using the fuel consumption estimation formula. Further, the server 3 obtains the actual fuel consumption based on the fuel supply information, compares the estimated fuel consumption with the actual fuel consumption, and corrects the fuel consumption estimation formula based on the comparison result. Therefore, the server 3 functions as a fuel consumption estimation device in the present invention.

Specifically, the server 3 includes an estimated fuel consumption acquisition unit 301, an actual fuel consumption acquisition unit 302, a fuel consumption comparison unit 303, a coefficient correction unit 304, and a database 305. The estimated fuel consumption acquisition unit 301, the actual fuel consumption acquisition unit 302, the fuel consumption comparison unit 303, and the coefficient correction unit 304 are realized by the CPU of the server 3 executing a program. The database 305 is stored in the hard disk of the server 3 or the like.

The estimated fuel consumption acquisition unit 301 obtains the estimated fuel consumption using the fuel consumption estimation formula based on the travel history received from the personal computer 3. If the estimated fuel consumption is FCC, the estimated fuel consumption from the previous refueling to the current refueling is Fc, and the travel distance from the previous refueling to the current refueling is Ds, the fuel efficiency estimation formula is: 1).

Here, the estimated fuel consumption Fc is represented by the following equation (2), where t is time and the estimated fuel consumption per unit time is fc.

Specifically, the estimated fuel consumption amount Fc is obtained by adding the estimated fuel consumption amount fc per unit time to the time from the previous refueling to the current refueling. The estimated fuel consumption amount fc per unit time can be obtained from the following equation (3), where v is the speed per unit time and dv / dt is the acceleration per unit time. Here, h, k1, k2, and k3 indicate coefficients.

That is, the estimated fuel consumption acquisition unit 301 obtains the estimated fuel consumption fc per unit time by obtaining the speed v and acceleration dv / dt per unit time based on the travel history and substituting them into the equation (3). . Then, the estimated fuel consumption acquisition unit 301 adds the calculated estimated fuel consumption fc by the time from the previous refueling to the current refueling, as shown in Expression (2), so that The estimated fuel consumption Fc until the current fueling is obtained, and the estimated fuel consumption FCC is obtained by dividing the travel distance Ds by the obtained estimated fuel consumption Fc.

Note that the formula of the estimated fuel consumption fc per unit time is not limited to the formula shown in the formula (3). For example, although the equation (3) is a cubic equation of speed, it is not limited to this, and a linear equation or a quadratic equation of velocity may be used instead.

The actual fuel consumption acquisition unit 302 obtains the actual fuel consumption based on the travel history and the refueling information received from the personal computer 3. Specifically, the actual fuel consumption acquisition unit 302 obtains the actual fuel consumption by dividing the travel distance Ds by the current fuel supply amount.

The fuel consumption comparison unit 303 compares the estimated fuel consumption obtained by the estimated fuel consumption acquisition unit 301 with the actual fuel consumption obtained by the actual fuel consumption acquisition unit 302 to obtain a magnitude relationship between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption.

The coefficient correction unit 304 corrects the coefficient h of the fuel consumption estimation formula according to the comparison result between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption performed by the fuel consumption comparison unit 303, that is, according to the magnitude relationship between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption. To do. Specifically, the coefficient correction unit 304 increases the coefficient h to increase the estimated fuel consumption when the actual fuel consumption is larger than the estimated fuel consumption, that is, when the actual fuel consumption is better than the estimated fuel consumption. Correct. On the other hand, when the estimated fuel consumption is larger than the actual fuel consumption, that is, when the estimated fuel consumption is better than the actual fuel consumption, the coefficient correction unit 304 corrects the coefficient h so that the estimated fuel consumption becomes smaller. . Specifically, the coefficient correction unit 304 corrects the coefficient h so that the estimated fuel consumption matches the actual fuel consumption. Instead of doing this, the coefficient correction unit 304 obtains the average of the coefficient h corrected so that the estimated fuel efficiency and the actual fuel efficiency coincide with all the past coefficients h, and the obtained average is obtained. A new coefficient h may be used. Alternatively, the coefficient correction unit 304 obtains an average of the coefficient h corrected so that the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption coincide with each of the past several times of the coefficient h, and the obtained average is obtained. A new coefficient h may be used. By doing in this way, the server 3 can obtain the estimated fuel efficiency close to the actual fuel efficiency by the fuel efficiency estimation formula.

(Method for correcting fuel consumption estimation formula)
Next, a method for correcting the fuel consumption estimation formula will be described in detail. As described above, in the server 3, the actual fuel consumption acquisition unit 302 obtains the actual fuel consumption by dividing the travel distance Ds by the current fuel supply amount. That is, in this method, the actual fuel consumption is calculated on the assumption that the actual fuel consumption consumed since the previous refueling is equal to the current refueling amount. However, the actual fuel consumption consumed since the previous refueling may not be equal to the current refueling amount. For example, if the tank was filled at the previous refueling but was not filled at the current refueling, it is compared with the actual fuel consumption actually consumed from the previous refueling. As a result, the amount of refueling will be reduced. Therefore, in this case, the actual fuel consumption calculated using the current fuel supply amount is calculated to be larger than the true actual fuel consumption. That is, the actual fuel consumption calculated using the current fuel supply amount is true It will be calculated better than the actual fuel consumption. Therefore, if the fuel consumption estimation formula is corrected based on the actual fuel consumption obtained by using the current fuel supply amount, it is difficult to accurately correct the estimated fuel consumption.

Therefore, in the correction method of the fuel consumption estimation formula according to the first embodiment, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether or not the difference between the actual fuel consumption calculated using the current fuel supply amount and the estimated fuel consumption exceeds a predetermined threshold value. If the difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the actual fuel consumption consumed from the previous refueling is not equal to the current refueling amount. Therefore, the correction of the coefficient h in the fuel consumption estimation formula is not performed. In the following description, the term “actual fuel consumption” simply indicates the actual fuel consumption obtained using the fuel supply amount unless otherwise specified. That is, the “actual fuel consumption” here may be different from the true actual fuel consumption based on the actual fuel consumption.

4 (a) and 4 (b) are diagrams showing a specific method for determining whether or not to correct the coefficient of the fuel consumption estimation formula.

First, the method shown in FIG. In this method, every time the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption are obtained, the coefficient correction unit 304 stores the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption in the database 305 in association with the refueling date and time, Find the difference distribution from the actual fuel consumption. Then, as shown in FIG. 4A, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether or not the difference between the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption obtained by the current refueling is more than a predetermined threshold, for example, 2σ or more from the average of the distribution. If the difference is determined to be 2σ or more away from the average of the distribution, the actual fuel consumption obtained by the current refueling is assumed to be inaccurate information, and the coefficient h of the fuel consumption estimation formula is corrected. Suppose there is nothing. “Σ” indicates a standard deviation.

Note that the method shown in FIG. 4B may be used instead of the method shown in FIG. In this method, the coefficient correction unit 304 stores the estimated fuel consumption in the database 305 in association with the refueling date, and obtains the estimated fuel consumption distribution based on them. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the coefficient correction unit 304 obtains an average of the estimated fuel consumption distribution, and whether the actual fuel consumption obtained by the current refueling is away from the average by a predetermined threshold, for example, 2σ or more. If it is determined that the actual fuel consumption is 2σ or more away from the average, the correction of the coefficient h of the fuel consumption estimation formula is performed on the assumption that the actual fuel consumption obtained by the current refueling is inaccurate information. Do not do it.

Furthermore, instead of using the method shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines the threshold based on a notarization error included in the actual fuel consumption information, for example, an error such as a trip meter. Alternatively, the threshold value may be determined based on a statistical error in a full state. Even in these cases, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether or not the difference between the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption obtained by the current refueling is larger than the threshold, and if the difference is larger than the threshold, It is assumed that the actual fuel consumption calculated by the current refueling is inaccurate information and the fuel consumption estimation formula is not corrected.

As described above, in the correction method of the fuel consumption estimation formula according to the first embodiment, the coefficient correction unit 304 actually consumes the fuel consumption from the previous refueling when the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption exceeds a predetermined threshold. It is assumed that the actual fuel consumption amount and the current refueling amount are significantly different from each other, and specifically, the correction of the coefficient h of the fuel consumption estimation formula is not performed assuming that the fuel tank is not full. By doing so, inaccurate actual fuel consumption information can be excluded when correcting the fuel consumption estimation formula. In other words, it is possible to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula only when the actual fuel consumption obtained by the current refueling is close to the true actual fuel consumption, and it becomes possible to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula accurately. .

Next, the correction control process of the fuel consumption estimation formula according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the correction control process of the fuel efficiency estimation formula according to the first embodiment. This correction control process is performed every time the server 3 receives the fuel supply information.

In the correction control process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, when the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption exceeds a predetermined threshold, the coefficient h of the fuel consumption estimation formula is not corrected, and the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption are not corrected. If the difference does not exceed a predetermined threshold, the coefficient h of the fuel consumption estimation formula is corrected according to the magnitude relationship between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption. This will be described in detail below.

First, in step S100, the actual fuel consumption acquisition unit 302 determines whether or not the current fuel supply amount is sufficient to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula. This is because the actual fuel consumption obtained by using an insufficient fuel supply amount has a large error from the true actual fuel consumption. For example, if the actual fuel consumption acquisition unit 302 determines that the current fuel supply amount is less than half of the fuel tank capacity, the actual fuel consumption acquisition unit 302 determines that the current fuel supply amount is not sufficient to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula. When it is determined that the amount of fuel supplied is equal to or more than half of the fuel tank capacity, it is determined that the current amount of fuel is sufficient to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula. When the actual fuel consumption acquisition unit 302 determines that the current amount of refueling is not sufficient (step S100: No), this control process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined that the current fuel amount is sufficient (step S100: Yes), the actual fuel consumption acquisition unit 302 obtains the actual fuel consumption based on the travel history and the current fuel amount in step S101, The process proceeds to S102. By performing the processing of step S100, it is possible to prevent the actual fuel consumption from being obtained using an insufficient fuel supply amount, and to suppress an error from the true actual fuel consumption for the actual fuel consumption used for correcting the fuel consumption estimation formula. it can.

In step S102, the actual fuel consumption acquisition unit 302 extracts the fuel consumption estimation section in the travel history based on the fueling date and time in the fueling information. That is, the fuel consumption estimation section is a travel section between the previous fueling time and the current fueling time. In subsequent step S103, the estimated fuel consumption acquisition unit 301 obtains the estimated fuel consumption of the fuel consumption estimation section using the fuel consumption estimation formula based on the speed and acceleration in the fuel consumption estimation section.

In step S104, the fuel consumption comparison unit 303 compares the estimated fuel consumption with the actual fuel consumption to obtain a magnitude relationship between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption. If it is determined that the estimated fuel consumption is equal to the actual fuel consumption, the fuel consumption comparison unit 303 ends this control process. On the other hand, if the fuel consumption comparison unit 303 determines that the estimated fuel consumption is greater than the actual fuel consumption, the process proceeds to step S105. If the fuel consumption comparison unit 303 determines that the actual fuel consumption is greater than the estimated fuel consumption, The process proceeds to S107.

In step S105, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether or not the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption exceeds a threshold value. If the coefficient correction unit 304 determines that the difference exceeds the threshold value (step S105: Yes), the coefficient correction unit 304 ends the control process, and determines that the difference does not exceed the threshold value (step S105: No). ), The process proceeds to step S106. In step S106, the coefficient correction unit 304 ends the present control process after correcting the coefficient h of the fuel consumption estimation formula so that the estimated fuel consumption is reduced.

In step S107, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether or not the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption exceeds a threshold value. If the coefficient correction unit 304 determines that the difference exceeds the threshold value (step S107: Yes), the coefficient correction unit 304 ends the control process, and determines that the difference does not exceed the threshold value (step S107: No). ), The process proceeds to step S108. In step S108, the coefficient correction unit 304 corrects the coefficient h of the fuel consumption estimation formula so that the estimated fuel consumption increases, and then ends this control process.

When the coefficient h is corrected, in step S102 at the next refueling, the estimated fuel efficiency acquisition unit 301 obtains the estimated fuel efficiency using a fuel efficiency estimation formula to which the corrected value of h is applied.

As can be seen from the above description, in the first embodiment, when the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption exceeds a predetermined threshold, the coefficient h of the fuel consumption estimation formula is not corrected. By doing in this way, it becomes possible to correct | amend a fuel consumption estimation formula correctly.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Similarly to the fuel consumption estimation system according to the first embodiment, the fuel consumption estimation system according to the second embodiment includes a navigation device 1, a personal computer 2 and a server 3, as shown in FIG. Further, the configurations of the navigation device 1 and the server 3 have the same configurations as those shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively, and the server 3 functions as a fuel consumption estimation device.

In the second embodiment, when it is clearly determined that the tank is not full, the non-full tank refueling flag is set, and when the non-full tank refueling flag is set at the previous refueling, fuel consumption estimation is performed. The equation is not corrected.

Specifically, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether or not the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption exceeds a predetermined threshold, as described in the first embodiment, and determines the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption. If the difference exceeds the predetermined threshold, the non-full tank refueling flag is set assuming that the current refueling is not clearly full. In the following, in order to distinguish from the threshold values described in the first embodiment, a threshold value for determining that the tank is clearly not full is referred to as a “non-full tank determination threshold value”.

The non-full tank determination threshold value is a value that is set to be equal or stricter than the threshold value described in the first embodiment. For example, in the method shown in FIG. 4A of the first embodiment, when the difference between the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption obtained by the current refueling is more than 2σ from the average of the distribution, the coefficient of the fuel consumption estimation formula Although the correction of h is not performed, in addition to this, in the second embodiment, when the difference is, for example, 3σ or more away from the average of the distribution, it is clearly determined that the state is not full.

If the coefficient correction unit 304 clearly determines that the fuel tank is in a non-full state, it stores the non-full tank refueling flag in the database 305 in association with the fueling date and time in addition to the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption. Thereby, the non-full tank refueling flag is set.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the database 305 at this time. In FIG. 6, the case where the non-full tank refueling flag is set is indicated by “1”, and the case where the non-full tank refueling flag is not set is indicated by “0”. FIG. 6 shows that the non-full tank refueling flag is set when the refueling date is “June 7, 15:10”.

Here, after the non-full tank refueling flag is set, if it is assumed that the next refueling date and time “June 14th 12:30” is filled to be full tank refueling, “June 7 15 : 10 ”to“ June 14 12:30 ”, the amount of fuel supply at“ June 14 12:30 ”is larger than the actual fuel consumption actually consumed. That is, the actual fuel consumption obtained by using the oil supply amount at this time is smaller than the true actual fuel consumption. In other words, the required actual fuel consumption is worse than the true actual fuel consumption. Therefore, in this case, the estimated fuel efficiency is calculated better than the actual fuel efficiency. However, since the actual fuel consumption obtained at this time is inaccurate, the coefficient correction unit 304 should correct the fuel consumption estimation equation even when the tank is full due to the current refueling. Absent. For this reason, in the second embodiment, the coefficient correction unit 304 does not correct the coefficient h of the fuel consumption estimation formula when the non-full tank refueling flag is set at the previous refueling.

As described above, it is possible to reliably exclude the actual fuel consumption value when the tank is not full at the time of the previous refueling, and it becomes possible to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula more accurately. . The coefficient correction unit 304 further corrects the fuel consumption estimation formula by excluding data in which the non-full tank refueling flag is set in the database 305 when obtaining the difference distribution between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption. It becomes possible to carry out accurately.

Next, the correction control process of the fuel consumption estimation formula according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of the correction control process of the fuel efficiency estimation formula according to the second embodiment. This correction control process is performed every time the server 3 receives the fuel supply information.

In the correction control process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, in addition to the correction control process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, when it is clearly determined that the tank is not full, the non-full tank refueling flag is set. When the non-full tank refueling flag is set at the time of refueling, the fuel consumption estimation formula is not corrected. This will be described in detail below.

The processing from step S200 to step S203 is the same as the processing from step S100 to step S103 in the flowchart of FIG.

In step S204, the fuel consumption comparison unit 303 compares the estimated fuel consumption with the actual fuel consumption, and obtains a magnitude relationship between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption. If it is determined that the estimated fuel consumption is equal to the actual fuel consumption, the fuel consumption comparison unit 303 ends this control process. On the other hand, if the fuel consumption comparison unit 303 determines that the actual fuel consumption is greater than the estimated fuel consumption, the process proceeds to step S205.

In step S205, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether or not the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption exceeds a threshold value. If the coefficient correction unit 304 determines that the difference does not exceed the threshold value (step S205: No), the process proceeds to step S206. In step S206, the coefficient correction unit 304 ends the present control process after correcting the coefficient h of the fuel consumption estimation formula so that the estimated fuel consumption increases.

On the other hand, if the coefficient correction unit 304 determines in step S205 that the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption exceeds the threshold (step S205: Yes), the process proceeds to step S207. In step S207, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether or not the tank is obviously full. Specifically, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether or not the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption exceeds a non-full tank determination threshold value. If the coefficient correction unit 304 determines that the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption does not exceed the non-full tank determination threshold value (step S207: No), the coefficient correction unit 304 ends this control process and determines that the difference is not full. If it is determined that the threshold value is exceeded (step S207: Yes), the non-full tank refueling flag is set in the database 305 in correspondence with the current refueling date and time, and then this control process is terminated.

In step S204 described above, if the fuel consumption comparison unit 303 determines that the estimated fuel consumption is greater than the actual fuel consumption, the process proceeds to step S209. In step S209, the coefficient correction unit 304 reads flag information at the time of the previous refueling from the database 305. In subsequent step S210, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether or not the non-full tank refueling flag is set at the previous refueling based on the flag information. If the coefficient correction unit 304 determines that the non-full tank refueling flag has been set during the previous refueling (step S210: Yes), the coefficient correction unit 304 ends this control process, and the non-full tank refueling flag has been set during the previous refueling. If it is determined that it is not set (step S210: No), the process proceeds to step S211. In other words, as described above, when the tank was not fully filled at the time of the previous refueling and the tank was filled with the current refueling, the calculated actual fuel consumption is compared with the true actual fuel consumption. Deteriorate. Therefore, in this case, the estimated fuel consumption is determined to be larger than the actual fuel consumption. However, since the actual fuel consumption at this time is inaccurate, the coefficient correction unit 304 corrects the coefficient h in the fuel consumption estimation formula. Will not be performed. In addition, when it is not made into the full tank state at the time of the last refueling but is made to the full tank state by this refueling, the actual fuel consumption is not determined to be larger than the estimated fuel consumption. Therefore, when it is determined in step S204 that the actual fuel consumption is greater than the estimated fuel consumption, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether or not the non-full tank refueling flag is set at the previous refueling. Absent.

In step S211, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether or not the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption exceeds a threshold value. If the coefficient correction unit 304 determines that the difference does not exceed the threshold value (step S211: No), the process proceeds to step S212. If the coefficient correction unit 304 determines that the difference exceeds the threshold value (step S211: Yes). ), This control process is terminated. In step S212, the coefficient correction unit 304 ends the present control process after correcting the coefficient h of the fuel consumption estimation formula so that the estimated fuel consumption is reduced.

When the coefficient h is corrected, the estimated fuel consumption acquisition unit 301 obtains the estimated fuel consumption using a fuel consumption estimation formula to which the corrected value of h is applied at the next fueling.

As can be seen from the above description, in the second embodiment, when it is clearly determined that the tank is not full, the non-full tank refueling flag is set, and the non-full tank refueling flag is set at the previous refueling. When is set, the fuel consumption estimation formula is not corrected. In this way, the fuel efficiency estimation formula can be corrected more accurately.

(Application example of the second embodiment)
Next, an application example of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment described above, when the non-full tank refueling flag is set at the time of the previous refueling, the refueling information at the current refueling is inappropriate information for correcting the fuel consumption estimation formula. As no correction was made. However, in a plurality of pieces of refueling information that are continuous in time, even if each piece of refueling information is inappropriate information for correcting the fuel consumption estimation formula, fuel consumption estimation is performed by using the plurality of pieces of refueling information as a whole. It may be possible to correct the expression accurately. Hereinafter, this will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the travel distance and the remaining amount of gasoline.

For example, if you go to a tourist spot, the gasoline price at a local gas station is high, so it is possible to refuel only the amount necessary to go home and refuel at a cheap gas station near your home. In FIG. 8, “fuel supply Y1” indicates fuel supply at a local gas station, and the fuel supply amount at this time is “Ka”. “Refueling Y2” indicates refueling at a gas station near the house, and the refueling amount at this time is “Kb”. Here, the refueling amount Ka is substantially equal to the fuel consumption amount necessary for returning from the sightseeing spot to the home. The oil supply amount Kb is an oil supply amount when it is supplied until a full tank is reached at a gas station near the house, and is therefore larger than the oil supply amount Ka.

Here, since the actual fuel consumption required for the refueling Y1 is LA / Ka, the result is that the actual fuel consumption is much better than the actual actual fuel consumption, and the actual fuel consumption required for the refueling Y2 is LB / Kb. The result will be worse than fuel consumption. When the method according to the second embodiment described above is used, since the non-full tank flag is set in the fuel supply Y1, the fuel consumption estimation formula is not corrected in the fuel supply Y2. However, the actual fuel consumption (LA + LB) / (Ka + Kb) obtained on the basis of the sum LA + LB of the travel distance and the sum Ka + Kb of the fuel supply amount is a value close to the true actual fuel consumption.

Therefore, in the application example of the second embodiment, the coefficient correction unit 304 has a case where the estimated fuel consumption is larger than the actual fuel consumption obtained by the current refueling, and the difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value. For example, in the case where the difference distribution between the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption is 2σ or more away from the average, if the non-full tank refueling flag is set for the previous n fueling, the nth previous It is assumed that the actual fuel consumption (hereinafter referred to as “total actual fuel consumption”) based on the amount of fuel supplied from the refueling to the current refueling is obtained. Specifically, the coefficient correction unit 304 calculates the sum of the travel distances in the travel history acquired from the nth previous refueling to the current refueling, and the sum of the refueling amounts acquired from the nth previous refueling to the current refueling. Divide by to get the total actual fuel economy.

Next, the coefficient correction unit 304 obtains an estimated fuel consumption (hereinafter referred to as “total estimated fuel consumption”) using an estimated fuel consumption formula based on the travel history acquired from the previous refueling to the current refueling, and It is determined whether or not the difference between the total estimated fuel consumption and the total actual fuel consumption exceeds a predetermined threshold, for example, whether or not the difference is equal to or greater than 2σ from the average of the difference distribution between the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption.

If the coefficient correction unit 304 determines that the difference does not exceed a predetermined threshold, the total actual fuel consumption is assumed to be a value close to the true actual fuel consumption, and according to the total estimated fuel consumption and the total actual fuel consumption, Correct the fuel consumption estimation formula. Specifically, the coefficient correction unit 304 corrects the fuel consumption estimation formula so that the total estimated fuel consumption approaches the total actual fuel consumption. By doing in this way, even if the non-full tank flag is set for the refueling over n times before the previous time, it is possible to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula accurately.

Here, there are two possible methods for calculating n. As a first method, calculation for obtaining the total actual fuel consumption is sequentially performed from n = 2, and the difference between the obtained total actual fuel consumption and the total estimated fuel consumption is calculated from, for example, the average of the difference distribution between the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption. A method of adopting n when entering 2σ or less is conceivable. As a second method, a method of adopting the number retroactive as much as the non-full tank flag is continuously set as the n before the previous refueling can be considered.

As can be seen from the above description, according to the application example of the second embodiment, even when the non-full tank flag is set for n times of fueling before the previous time, accurate correction of the fuel consumption estimation formula is performed. Can be performed.

[Modification]
Next, a modified example of the present invention will be described.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the coefficient correction unit 304 obtains a distribution of the difference between the past estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption, and the difference between the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption obtained by the current refueling is 2σ or more away from the average of the distribution. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, the coefficient correction unit 304 obtains the distribution of the ratio between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption, and the ratio between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption obtained by the current refueling is 2σ or more away from the average of the distribution. It may be determined whether or not.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether or not to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula based on the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption, but is not limited thereto. Alternatively, based on the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the refueling amount, it may be determined whether or not the fuel consumption estimation formula is corrected by determining whether or not the difference exceeds a predetermined value. .

Furthermore, the coefficient correction unit 304 determines whether to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula based on the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption or based on the difference between the estimated fuel consumption and the fuel supply amount. Not limited to. Instead of or in addition to this, the coefficient correction unit 304 may determine whether or not to correct the fuel consumption estimation formula based only on the actual fuel consumption or the fuel supply amount. Specifically, the coefficient correction unit 304 does not correct the fuel consumption estimation formula when the actual fuel consumption or the fuel supply amount falls under the following cases (a) to (d).

(A) Although it is clear that the fuel consumption deteriorates from the driving history, such as being in a heavy traffic jam for a long time, the actual fuel consumption obtained using the current fuel supply amount is the average of the past estimated fuel consumption If better than the catalog value. Here, as a method of determining whether or not the vehicle has been in a traffic jam for a long time, for example, a method of determining whether or not the vehicle speed has been below a certain speed for a predetermined time or more can be considered. .

(B) When the actual fuel consumption calculated using the current fuel supply amount deviates significantly from the catalog value, for example, when the fuel consumption is too high to be achieved even on expressways that are generally said to improve fuel efficiency.

(C) When the payment amount and the amount of oil supply are good values. Here, when it is determined whether or not the payment amount is a good value, it is assumed that the information on the payment amount is included in the refueling information.

(D) When the actual fuel consumption calculated using the current fuel supply amount deviates significantly from the fuel efficiency standard of the same vehicle type stored in the server 3, for example, the estimated fuel consumption of the same vehicle type or the average of the distribution of actual fuel consumption When it deviates more than 2σ from.

In the system configuration according to each of the above-described embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device 1 transmits traveling history information and refueling date / time information to the server 3 via the personal computer 2. Needless to say, the system configuration to which can be applied is not limited to this. Instead of doing this, the navigation device 1 may directly transmit the travel history information and the refueling date information to the server 3 via the Internet or radio waves.

In addition to directly transmitting the travel history information and the refueling date / time information to the server 3 via the Internet or radio waves, the navigation device 1 inputs a refueling amount to the navigation device 1 or the navigation device 1 itself. By detecting the amount of oil supplied, the navigation apparatus 1 itself may acquire the information on the amount of oil supplied, and the information on the amount of oil supplied together with the travel history information and the information on the date of oil supply may be transmitted directly to the server 3. According to this configuration, it is possible to save the user from having to input the oil supply amount using the personal computer 2.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the server 3 functions as a fuel consumption estimation device. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of doing this, the navigation device 1 may function as a fuel consumption estimation device. That is, in the navigation device 1, the system controller 20 obtains the estimated fuel efficiency from the fuel consumption estimation formula based on the travel history, and obtains the actual fuel efficiency based on the travel history and the fuel supply information. Based on the above, it may be determined whether or not to correct the coefficient of the fuel consumption estimation formula. Furthermore, whether the fuel consumption estimation formula is stored in both the server 3 and the navigation device 1, the navigation device 1 estimates the fuel consumption using the fuel consumption estimation formula, and the server 3 corrects the coefficient of the fuel consumption estimation formula. It may be determined whether or not. In this case, the coefficient of the fuel consumption estimation formula corrected by the server 3 is transmitted to the navigation device 1 every time correction is performed, and the navigation device 1 receives the coefficient of the fuel consumption estimation formula retained from the server 3. Replace with the coefficient. Effects similar to the present invention can also be obtained by the method according to the modification described above.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification. Moreover, it is included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be used in the field of car navigation devices and Web services.

1 Navigation device 2 Personal computer 3 Server

Claims

A fuel consumption estimation device that estimates the fuel consumption of a vehicle based on a fuel consumption estimation formula composed of speed information, acceleration information, and a predetermined coefficient,
An actual fuel consumption obtaining means for obtaining an actual fuel consumption of the vehicle based on a travel distance traveled by the vehicle and a fuel amount corresponding to the travel distance;
Estimated fuel consumption obtaining means for obtaining an estimated fuel consumption based on the fuel consumption estimation formula;
A comparison means for comparing the actual fuel consumption with the estimated fuel consumption;
And a correction unit that corrects the value of the coefficient based on a comparison result by the comparison unit.
2. The fuel consumption estimation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction means determines whether or not to correct the value of the coefficient based on the actual fuel consumption and the estimated fuel consumption.
When the difference between the actual fuel consumption calculated based on the current amount of fueling and the estimated fuel efficiency from the previous fueling to the current fueling exceeds a predetermined threshold, the correction means 3. The fuel consumption estimation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the value is not corrected.
4. The fuel consumption estimation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the correction means does not correct the value of the coefficient when the current fuel supply amount is less than a predetermined amount.
The correction means, when the difference does not exceed the predetermined threshold value, when the estimated fuel consumption is larger than the actual fuel consumption, corrects the coefficient value to the side where the estimated fuel consumption is reduced, 5. The fuel consumption estimation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the actual fuel consumption is larger than the estimated fuel consumption, the coefficient value is corrected to increase the estimated fuel consumption.
In the case where the difference exceeds the predetermined threshold, an estimation means for estimating whether or not the completion state of the current refueling is clearly not in a full tank state is provided,
6. The non-full tank refueling flag is set for the current refueling when the estimation means determines that the completion of the current refueling is not clearly full. The fuel consumption estimation apparatus according to claim 1.
The correction means does not correct the value of the coefficient when the estimated fuel consumption is greater than the actual fuel consumption and the non-full tank refueling flag is set for the previous refueling. The fuel consumption estimation apparatus according to claim 6.
When the estimated fuel consumption is larger than the actual fuel consumption and the difference exceeds a predetermined threshold, the correction means sets a non-full tank refueling flag for a predetermined number of times before the previous time. The total actual fuel consumption, which is the actual fuel consumption based on the sum of the amount of fuel supplied from the previous lubrication to the current lubrication, and from the previous lubrication to the current lubrication. It is determined whether or not the difference between the total estimated fuel consumption, which is an estimated fuel consumption, and the total actual fuel consumption exceeds a predetermined threshold, and if the difference does not exceed the predetermined threshold, the total actual fuel consumption and the total estimated fuel consumption are The fuel consumption estimation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the coefficient value is corrected accordingly.
A fuel consumption estimation method for estimating the fuel consumption of a vehicle based on a fuel consumption estimation formula composed of speed information, acceleration information, and a predetermined coefficient,
An actual fuel consumption obtaining step for obtaining an actual fuel consumption of the vehicle based on a travel distance traveled by the vehicle and a fuel amount corresponding to the travel distance;
An estimated fuel efficiency acquisition step for obtaining an estimated fuel efficiency based on the fuel efficiency estimation formula;
A comparison step of comparing the actual fuel consumption with the estimated fuel consumption;
A fuel consumption estimation method comprising: a correction step of correcting a value of the coefficient of the fuel consumption estimation formula based on a comparison result of the comparison step.
A fuel efficiency estimation program that is executed by a computer and that estimates the fuel efficiency of a vehicle based on a fuel efficiency estimation formula that includes speed information, acceleration information, and a predetermined coefficient,
An actual fuel consumption obtaining means for obtaining an actual fuel consumption of the vehicle based on a travel distance traveled by the vehicle and a fuel amount corresponding to the travel distance;
Estimated fuel consumption obtaining means for obtaining an estimated fuel consumption based on the fuel consumption estimation formula;
Means for comparing the actual fuel consumption with the estimated fuel consumption;
A fuel consumption estimation program that causes the computer to function as a correction unit that corrects the value of the coefficient of the fuel consumption estimation formula based on a comparison result by the comparison unit.