阅读说明：本技术 车辆燃料液位显示系统和方法 (Vehicle fuel level display system and method ) 是由 马哈茂德·尤瑟夫·加纳姆 大卫·杰弗里·贝雷尔 于 2020-04-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开提供了“车辆燃料液位显示系统和方法”。公开了用于在车辆点火器关闭时确定和显示车辆操作的当前燃料液位的方法和装置。示例性车辆包括具有燃料传感器的燃料箱、一个或多个外部车辆显示器以及处理器。所述处理器被配置为在车辆点火器关闭时确定所述燃料箱的当前燃料液位,确定填充所述燃料箱的费用,并在所述一个或多个外部车辆显示器上显示所述当前燃料液位和填充所述燃料箱的所述费用。(The present disclosure provides a vehicle fuel level display system and method. Methods and apparatus for determining and displaying a current fuel level for vehicle operation when a vehicle ignition is off are disclosed. An exemplary vehicle includes a fuel tank having a fuel sensor, one or more external vehicle displays, and a processor. The processor is configured to determine a current fuel level of the fuel tank when a vehicle ignition is turned off, determine a cost of filling the fuel tank, and display the current fuel level and the cost of filling the fuel tank on the one or more external vehicle displays.)

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a fuel tank including a fuel sensor;

one or more external vehicle displays; and

a processor configured to:

determining a current fuel level of the fuel tank;

determining a cost of filling the fuel tank; and is

Displaying the current fuel level and the cost of filling the fuel tank on the one or more external vehicle displays when a vehicle ignition is off.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to display the current fuel level and the cost of filling the fuel tank on the one or more external displays in response to determining (i) that the vehicle ignition is off and (ii) that a fueling port of the fuel tank is open.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receiving a target fuel tank input quantity, wherein (i) a quantity of fuel corresponding to the target fuel tank input quantity and (ii) a starting fuel level is below a full fuel level are combined;

determining a target final fuel level based on the target fuel tank input quantity;

and is

Automatically stopping the fueling operation in progress in response to determining that the current fuel level matches the target final fuel level.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the target fuel tank input amount comprises one or more of a target amount of money, a target amount of fuel to be added, and the target final fuel level.

5. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to, in response to determining that the current fuel level matches the target final fuel level, either (i) blink one or more vehicle lights or (ii) emit a sound using a vehicle horn.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle further comprises a communication system configured for vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine the current fuel level of the fuel tank based on fueling data received via V2I communication.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle further comprises one or more exterior-facing cameras, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the current fuel level of the fuel tank based on images captured by the one or more exterior-facing cameras.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: determining a geographic location of the vehicle; and is

Determining the cost of filling the fuel tank based on the geographic location.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle further comprises a communication system configured for vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine the fee to fill the fuel tank based on price data received via V2I communication.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle further comprises one or more exterior-facing cameras, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine the cost of filling the fuel tank based on images captured by the one or more exterior-facing cameras.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle further comprises a communication system configured to communicate with a remote computing device, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine the cost of filling the fuel tank based on price data received from the remote computing device.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the current fuel level and the cost of filling the fuel tank to a remote computing device.

13. A method, comprising:

determining a current fuel level of a fuel tank of a vehicle, the fuel tank including a fuel sensor;

determining a cost of filling the fuel tank; and

displaying the current fuel level and the cost of filling the fuel tank on one or more external vehicle displays when a vehicle ignition of the vehicle is turned off.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying the current fuel level and the cost of filling the fuel tank on the one or more external displays in response to determining that (i) the vehicle ignition is off and (ii) a fueling port of the fuel tank is open.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining the current fuel level of the fuel tank based on fueling data received via a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) through a communication system of the vehicle configured for V2I communication.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle fuel tank information displays and more particularly to an external display of fuel level and the expense required to fill the fuel tank.

Background

Typically, vehicles include a fuel tank having one or more fuel gauges that collect information about the level or amount of fuel remaining in the fuel tank. This information is then displayed to the vehicle operator during operation of the vehicle to indicate to the operator how much fuel is remaining so he or she can determine whether to go to a refueling station to replenish the fuel tank.

Some fuel gauges and displays provide only rough calculations of fuel levels, such as empty, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full. These vehicles may not indicate the gallon volume to the operator, but may only provide the remaining fuel volume relative to the fuel tank size.

Disclosure of Invention

The appended claims define the application. This disclosure summarizes aspects of the embodiments and should not be used to limit the claims. Other implementations are contemplated in accordance with the techniques described herein and are intended to fall within the scope of the present application, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description.

Exemplary embodiments for displaying to an operator the fuel level in a fuel tank, the number of gallons required to fill the fuel tank, and/or the cost of filling the fuel tank are shown. An exemplary disclosed vehicle includes a fuel tank including a fuel sensor. The vehicle also includes one or more external vehicle displays. The vehicle also includes a processor configured to determine a current fuel level of the fuel tank. The processor is further configured to determine a cost of filling the fuel tank. And the processor is further configured to display the current fuel level and the cost of filling the fuel tank on the one or more external vehicle displays when a vehicle ignition is off.

In some examples, the processor is further configured to display the current fuel level and the cost of filling the fuel tank on the one or more external displays in response to determining that (i) the vehicle ignition is off and (ii) a fueling port (fuel filler) of the fuel tank is open. In some examples, the processor may be further configured to receive a target fuel tank input amount, wherein (i) a fuel level corresponding to the target fuel tank input amount and (ii) a starting fuel level below a full fuel level are combined; determining a target final fuel level based on the target fuel tank input quantity; and automatically stopping the fueling operation in progress in response to determining that the current fuel level matches the target final fuel level. The target fuel tank input amount may include one or more of a target amount of credit, a target amount of fuel to be added, and the target final fuel level. Further, the processor may be configured to, in response to determining that the current fuel level matches the target final fuel level, (i) flash one or more vehicle lights or (ii) emit a sound using a vehicle horn.

In some examples, the vehicle may be configured for vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication. The vehicle may determine the current fuel level and/or the cost of filling the fuel tank based on vehicle-to-infrastructure communications. In some examples, the vehicle may include one or more externally facing cameras, and the vehicle may determine the current fuel level and/or the cost of filling the fuel tank based on images captured by the one or more cameras.

In some examples, the vehicle may determine a cost of filling the fuel tank based on a geographic location of the vehicle. Further, the vehicle may be configured for communication with a remote computing device that may provide information regarding vehicle location, fuel prices, etc., and wherein the vehicle may be configured to transmit fuel level and/or cost of filling the fuel tank to the remote computing device.

A disclosed example method includes determining a current fuel level of a fuel tank of a vehicle, the fuel tank including a fuel sensor. The method also includes determining a cost of filling the fuel tank. The method also includes displaying a current fuel level and the cost of filling a fuel tank on one or more external vehicle displays when a vehicle ignition of the vehicle is off.

Drawings

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the embodiments illustrated in the following drawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale and related elements may be omitted or, in some cases, the scale may have been exaggerated in order to emphasize and clearly illustrate the novel features described herein. In addition, the system components may be arranged in various ways, as is known in the art. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary vehicle according to the teachings herein.

FIG. 2 shows a vehicle at a refueling station according to the teachings herein.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of electronic components of the vehicle of fig. 1.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating various methods for displaying fuel level and cost of filling a fuel tank in accordance with the teachings herein.

Detailed Description

While the present invention may be embodied in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described some exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.

As described above, some vehicle fuel gauges and displays also include indicators that show when the fuel tank is empty, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full. However, these displays do not indicate the number of gallons remaining or the number of gallons required to fill the fuel tank. Thus, the vehicle operator can only guess how much fuel he or she may need to add to fill the fuel tank. Additionally, for vehicle operators who wish to pay with cash or for gasoline stations that do not have a credit card reader at the pump, the operator may need to guess how much fuel needs to be added and/or have to give the credit card to an attendant when pumping fuel. Some vehicles also display fuel level only when the vehicle ignition is activated, thereby preventing the vehicle operator from viewing the fuel level display change when fuel is added to the fuel tank. This makes it difficult for the driver to fill the fuel tank to a desired level below the full level of the fuel tank.

Thus, a vehicle operator may benefit from knowing how many gallons need to be filled into the fuel tank, knowing the current fuel level at which to fill the fuel tank, and a display to view this information while the vehicle ignition is off and refueling is ongoing. This may allow the operator to be more confident that the tank is full, or he or she may stop filling at a particular level, and allow the operator to accurately prepay for the exact amount of fuel they are adding.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system that provides relevant fuel level and cost information to the vehicle operator prior to refueling and while refueling is ongoing. To provide one or more of the benefits described above, exemplary embodiments may include a vehicle having a fuel tank with a fuel gauge. The fuel gauge may consist of two main parts, a sending unit mounted in the fuel tank and a display unit presented on the vehicle dashboard. An exemplary vehicle may provide information to a user based on a fuel gauge, such as via one or more displays viewable from outside the vehicle, particularly near a fuel filler port that is typically located near the rear of the vehicle. The one or more displays may display the number of gallons required to fill the fuel tank.

In some examples, the vehicle may also determine the cost of filling the fuel tank. This may be determined based on the number of gallons required multiplied by the fuel cost (determined in one or more ways discussed in further detail below). The fee may also be displayed to the user via one or more displays.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary vehicle 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle 100 may be a standard fuel powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, and/or any other mobility-enabled type of vehicle. Vehicle 100 includes mobility-related components such as a powertrain having an engine, transmission, suspension, drive shaft, and/or wheels, among others. Vehicle 100 may be non-autonomous, semi-autonomous (e.g., some conventional motor functions are controlled by vehicle 100), or autonomous (e.g., motor functions are controlled by vehicle 100 without direct driver input).

In the illustrated example, the vehicle 100 includes a fuel tank 102. As shown in fig. 1, the fuel tank 102 may be located on the underside near the rear of the vehicle 100. The fuel tank 102 may have a particular capacity, such as 12 or 16 gallons. The fuel tank 102 may include a fuel sensor 104, which may be used to determine the amount or level of fuel in the fuel tank. The fuel sensor 104 or fuel gauge may include a transmitting unit in the fuel tank 102 and an indicator 106d located on the dashboard or instrument panel of the vehicle 100.

As shown in fig. 1, the fuel tank 102 may also include a shaft connected to a fuel filler neck 112. The fuel filler neck may be a baffle or plate positioned to cover an opening of the fuel tank 102. When the operator wants to add fuel to the fuel tank, he or she can open the fueling port by inserting the nozzle of the air pump into the shaft. Some vehicles may include a cap that must be unscrewed to insert the nozzle. Other vehicles may be uncovered such that an operator need only insert a nozzle to open the fueling port. Some vehicles may also include a hinged door that opens to expose the fuel filler neck. Other vehicles may not include hinged doors.

The vehicle 100 may also include a plurality of external displays 106 a-106 d. Displays 106a and 106b are located on the rear view mirror of vehicle 100. Display 106c is located on the rear window of vehicle 100, near fueling port 112. During vehicle fueling, one or more of these displays are still in the operator's field of view even if the vehicle ignition is off. The information displayed on these displays may include the starting fuel level, the current fuel level at the time of refueling, the cost of filling the fuel tank 102, and so forth. In some examples, the vehicle 100 may be connected (e.g., via the communication system 120) to a remote computing device 140, which may serve as an additional display for various information, such as starting fuel level, current fuel level, cost, and the like.

The vehicle 100 may also include one or more lights 114, such as headlamps, tail lights, floodlights, and the like. The one or more lights may be controlled by the processor 110 of the vehicle for one or more purposes, such as those discussed in further detail below.

The vehicle 100 may also include one or more cameras 130 a-130 b. The cameras 130 a-130 b may be externally facing cameras configured to capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle 100. Thus, each of the cameras 130a and 130b may be mounted inside or outside the vehicle, may include multiple sub-assemblies, and/or the processor 110 may be configured to stitch together images from multiple cameras to provide a complete image. The camera 130a is shown mounted to the roof of the vehicle 100. The camera 130b is shown mounted to the rear side of the rear view mirror of the vehicle 100. Fig. 1 shows two cameras 130a and 130b, however it should be understood that a greater or lesser number of cameras may be used and that the positions of the cameras may be different than those shown in the figure.

The vehicle 100 may also include a communication system 120. The communication system 120 may be configured to communicate with one or more remote computing devices and/or infrastructure. In the illustrated example, the communication system 120 can include a Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) module. The DSRC module includes one or more antennas, one or more radios, and software to communicate with one or more nearby vehicles via vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, to communicate with one or more infrastructure-based modules via vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications, and/or more generally to communicate with one or more nearby communication devices (e.g., mobile device-based modules) via vehicle-to-outside (V2X) communications. In particular, this may include the remote computing device 140. As discussed in further detail below, various information may be transmitted and received by the communication system 120.

The processor 110 may be configured to perform one or more functions or actions such as those described herein. In particular, the processor 110 may be configured to determine a fuel level of the fuel tank 102. In some examples, the fuel level may be determined using a fuel gauge 104. The determined fuel level may be a starting fuel level. The starting fuel level may be the fuel level at vehicle shut-down, particularly when the vehicle is shut-down after an operator enters or reaches a gas station. The processor 110 may also determine the current fuel level. When the vehicle is shut down, the current fuel level may change over time as fuel is added to the fuel tank 102 during the filling process. The processor may be configured to determine and monitor any change in fuel level over time. Any change in the current fuel level and the fuel level over time as fuel is added may be determined based on the fuel sensor 104, based on information received via V2I communication, via information collected by one or more onboard cameras, and/or based on other information. In some examples, the starting fuel level may be determined based solely on the fuel sensor 104, and any change in fuel level may be determined based on V2I communications and/or information collected by one or more vehicle cameras.

The V2I communication may provide the amount of fuel to be added to the processor 110. The fuel pump may have an accurate reading of the fuel flowing into the vehicle. The processor may determine the current fuel level based on the starting fuel level determined by the fuel sensor 104 and the refueling amount received from the fuel pump via the V2I communication. In some examples, the vehicle 100 may communicate directly with the fuel pump (e.g., via the communication system 212 of the fuel pump 210 in fig. 2). Alternatively, the vehicle 100 may communicate with a separate computing system (i.e., a centralized server or other system) associated with the pump 210 at the gas station via V2I communication.

In some examples, the processor 110 may also be configured to determine a current fuel level of the fuel tank based on images captured by the one or more externally facing cameras 130a and/or 130 b. The camera may be configured to capture an image of the display 214 of the fuel pump 210, which may be indicative of the amount of fuel added to the fuel tank 102. FIG. 2 shows one example of a display 214 in which the field of view of the camera 130a includes the fuel pump 210. When fuel is added to the fuel tank 102, the addition amount is displayed on the display 214. The vehicle 100 may perform image recognition and/or analysis to determine the amount of fuel added, and the amount added may be used to determine the current fuel level (e.g., by combining the starting fuel level with the amount of fuel added).

In some examples, the processor 110 may also be configured to determine a cost of filling the fuel tank 102. This may include first determining a fuel price. The fuel price may be determined in one of several ways.

In a first approach, the fuel price may be determined based on the vehicle location. The vehicle location may be determined via GPS or any other mechanism. The vehicle location can then be compared to the known location of the gas station. If the vehicle location is within a threshold distance from the fueling station, the processor may determine that the vehicle is present at the fueling station. The processor may then determine a cost of fuel based on the determined fueling station at which the vehicle is located. This can be via communication with a server or other communication device (e.g., via the communication system 120) that can have a stored list of gas stations and/or fuel prices for each gas station. In some examples, this may include communication with a remote computing device 140, which may include one or more applications (such as Gas Buddy, Gas Guru, Waze) that provide information about fuel prices at various Gas stations. Accordingly, the processor 110 may be configured to determine the geographic location of the vehicle 100 and then determine the cost of filling the fuel tank based on the geographic location (and the starting fuel level).

A second technique for determining the cost of filling the fuel tank 102 may include using V2I communication. The fuel pump 210 may include a communication system 212 for V2I communication, and the pump 210 may transmit the price of fuel to the vehicle 100. The processor may then obtain the received price information and multiply the amount of fuel required to determine the cost of filling the fuel tank 102.

A third technique for determining the cost of filling the fuel tank 102 may include collecting information via one or more vehicle cameras.

Fig. 2 shows that camera 130b includes a gas station marker 220 in its field of view. The gas station logo may display the fuel price, which may therefore be captured by the camera 130 b. The processor may then perform image recognition/analysis to determine the price of the fuel, and thus the cost of refilling the fuel tank 102.

In some examples, an operator of the vehicle 100 may specify the type of fuel desired (e.g., diesel, lead-free, particular octane preferred, etc.). The processor 110 may then determine the correct price for the type of fuel that the operator intends to add to the fuel tank 102 using one or more of the techniques described above.

The processor 110 may also be configured to display the starting fuel level, the current fuel level, and/or the cost of filling the fuel tank 102 on one or more external vehicle displays 106a, 106b, and 106c when the vehicle ignition is off. When the vehicle ignition is off, the instrument panel (end display 106d) may also be off, thereby preventing the operator from determining the fuel level and the cost of filling the fuel tank. The operator may want to view the initial fuel level and/or the current fuel level and the cost of filling the fuel tank when the vehicle is shut down.

In some examples, processor 110 is further configured to display the starting fuel level, the current fuel level, and/or the cost of filling the fuel tank on one or more external displays in response to determining that (i) the vehicle ignition is off and (ii) the fuel filler port 112 of the fuel tank is open. In this manner, the external display does not always display fuel level and/or cost, but the processor 110 instead uses a trigger that turns off the vehicle ignition and opens the fueling port 112 to begin displaying various information via the external display. This may enable an operator located outside the vehicle to see how full the fuel tank is, to see the cost of filling the fuel tank, and to see any updates to these quantities as fuel is added to the fuel tank. Real-time updates enable the user to stop fueling when he or she makes a selection, such as when the fuel tank reaches a certain level (e.g., the fuel tank is half full) or when a certain amount of fuel is added or a certain amount of money is spent (e.g., three gallons or ten dollars).

The operator may also use an external display to confirm that the fuel tank is full after the pump is automatically turned off. In some cases, high pressure in the tank and/or a shaft connected to the fueling port causes premature triggering of the pump shut-off mechanism. However, in this case, the fuel tank may not actually fill up, resulting in the driver inadvertently leaving the gasoline station without the fuel tank filling up. The operator may check again whether the fuel tank is full by looking at a real-time update to the fuel level displayed outside the vehicle before he or she leaves the fuel pump.

In some examples, the processor 110 may receive input from an operator via a user interface of the vehicle 100. The input may be indicative of a target fuel tank input quantity. The target fuel tank input amount may be the amount of gallons the operator wishes to add, may be the amount the operator wishes to spend, may be the target final amount of fuel the operator wishes to fill the fuel tank, or may be some other metric. The target fuel tank input may correspond to gallons of fuel that, when combined with the initial fuel level, may be below tank fill. In other words, the user may indicate via the user interface of the vehicle (or via a connected computing device, such as remote computing device 140) that he or she intends to refill the fuel tank below a full fuel level or that the fuel tank is full. The user may also indicate that he or she wishes the fuel pump to automatically stop fueling when a desired level, amount of fueling, or amount spent is reached.

For example, the operator may indicate that he wants to fill the fuel tank 12 gallons until it is full 3/4. In this case, the target tank input is the target final fuel level for a tank full of 3/4 or nine gallons. If the starting fuel level is tank full Y2 or six gallons, the amount of fuel corresponding to the target tank input amount is tank full 1/4 or three gallons. The processor 110 may determine and display the cost of adding three gallons of fuel to the fuel tank. Additionally, the processor 110 may monitor the fuel level as fuel is added, and when the current fuel level matches the target final fuel level (i.e., the tank is 3/4 full or 9 gallons), the processor 110 may take one or more actions to stop the refueling process. For example, the processor 110 may transmit a signal to the pump 210 via V2I communication instructing the fuel pump 210 to shut down. The pump 210 may then be automatically turned off. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle 100 can responsively blink one or more lights 114 and/or beep the automotive horn in response to the current fuel level matching the target final fuel level.

In another example, the target fuel tank input amount may be a target amount of money that the operator wishes to spend. For example, an operator may wish to add ten dollars of fuel. The operator may enter a ten dollar instruction via the user interface, and the processor 110 may convert the ten dollars to a corresponding gallon amount. The processor 110 may then monitor the current fuel level at the time of refueling to stop when the corresponding gallon amount is reached. Alternatively, the processor 110 may monitor the amount of money spent adding fuel to the fuel tank (e.g., via V2I communication and/or cameras 130a and 130 b). The processor 110 may then signal the fuel pump 210 to turn off at an appropriate time, flash one or more lights 114, and/or emit a noise to indicate that a predetermined amount has been spent.

Fig. 3 is an exemplary block diagram of electronic components 300 of vehicle 100. As shown in FIG. 3, electronic components 300 include an in-vehicle computing system 302, an infotainment host unit 320, a communication system 120, sensors 330, an Electronic Control Unit (ECU)340, and a vehicle data bus 350.

The in-vehicle computing system 302 includes a processor 110 (also referred to as a microcontroller unit and controller) and a memory 312. The processor 110 may be any suitable processing device or group of processing devices, such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), one or more Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), and/or one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). The memory 312 may be volatile memory (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM), including non-volatile RAM, magnetic RAM, ferroelectric RAM, etc.), non-volatile memory (e.g., disk memory, flash memory, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), memristor-based non-volatile solid-state memory, etc.), non-alterable memory (e.g., EPROM), read-only memory, and/or a high capacity storage device (e.g., hard disk drive, solid-state drive, etc.). In some examples, memory 312 includes a variety of memories, particularly volatile and non-volatile memories.

The memory 312 is a computer-readable medium on which one or more sets of instructions, such as software for operating the methods of the present disclosure, may be embedded. The instructions may embody one or more of the methods or logic as described herein. For example, the instructions may reside, completely or at least partially, within any one or more of the memory 312, the computer-readable medium, and/or within the processor 110 during execution thereof.

The terms "non-transitory computer-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" include a single medium or multiple media, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. Furthermore, the terms "non-transitory computer-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" include any tangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by a processor or that cause a system to perform any one or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein. The term "computer-readable medium" as used herein is expressly defined to include any type of computer-readable storage and/or storage disk and to exclude propagating signals.

The infotainment host unit 320 provides an interface between the vehicle 100 and a user or operator. Unit 320 includes a digital and/or analog user interface 324 (e.g., an input device and an output device) to receive input from and display information for one or more users. The input devices include one or more console input devices, such as one or more control knobs, one or more dashboards, one or more digital cameras for image capture and/or visual command recognition, one or more touch screens, one or more audio input devices (e.g., car microphones), one or more buttons, one or more touch pads, and the like. The output device includes a display 322. Further, the output devices may include instrument cluster outputs (e.g., dials, lighting devices), actuators, speakers, and the like.

The communication system 120 includes a wired or wireless network interface for enabling communication with an external network. The communication system 120 further comprises means for controllingHardware (e.g., processor, memory, storage, antenna, etc.) and software wired or wireless network interfaces. In the illustrated example, the communication system 120 includes one or more communication controllers for cellular networks (e.g., global system for mobile communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)), Near Field Communications (NFC), and/or other standards-based networks (e.g., WiMAX (IEEE 802.16m), local area wireless networks (including IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac or others), wireless gigabits (IEEE 802.11ad), etc.). In some examples, the communication system 120 includes a wired or wireless interface (e.g., an auxiliary port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, bluetooth)Wireless node, etc.) for communicatively coupling with a mobile device (e.g., smartphone, wearable device, smartwatch, tablet, etc.). In such examples, the vehicle 100 may communicate with an external network via a coupled mobile device. The one or more external networks may be a public network, such as the internet; private networks, such as intranets; or a combination thereof and may utilize various networking protocols now available or later developed including, but not limited to, TCP/IP based networking protocols.

The sensors 330 are disposed in and/or around the vehicle 100. For example, the cameras 130a and 130b may be mounted such that they are outward facing cameras configured to capture images at directional points outward from the vehicle 100. A fuel filler door sensor 332 may be mounted near fuel filler door 112 to determine whether the fuel filler door is open or closed. Various other sensors may also be included.

The ECU340 monitors and controls the subsystems of the vehicle 100. For example, the ECU340 is a discrete set of electronics that includes their own circuit or circuits (e.g., integrated circuit, microprocessor, memory, storage, etc.) and firmware, sensors, actuators, and/or mounting hardware. The ECU340 transmits and exchanges information via a vehicle data bus (e.g., vehicle data bus 350). Additionally, the ECUs 340 may communicate properties (e.g., status of the ECUs 340, sensor readings, control status, errors, diagnostic codes, etc.) to each other and/or receive requests from each other. For example, vehicle 100 may have tens of ECUs 340 positioned in various locations around vehicle 100 and communicatively coupled by a vehicle data bus 350.

In the illustrated example, the ECU340 includes a body control module 342. The body control module 342 controls one or more subsystems throughout the vehicle 100, such as power windows, power locks, anti-theft systems, power mirrors, and the like. For example, the body control module 342 includes circuitry to drive one or more of relays (e.g., to control windshield wiper fluid, etc.), brushed Direct Current (DC) motors (e.g., to control power seats, power locks, power windows, wipers, etc.), stepper motors, LEDs, etc.

The vehicle data bus 350 communicatively couples the in-vehicle computing system 302, the infotainment host unit 320, the communication system 120, the sensors 330, and the one or more ECUs 340. In some examples, the vehicle data bus 350 includes one or more data buses. Vehicle data bus 350 may be in accordance with a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus protocol, a Media Oriented System Transport (MOST) bus protocol, a CAN Flexible data (CAN-FD) bus protocol (ISO 11898-7), and/or a K-wire bus protocol (ISO 9141 and ISO 14230-1) defined by International Standards Organization (ISO)11898-1, and/or an Ethernet bus protocol^TMBus protocol IEEE802.3 (2002) and the like.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary method 400 for determining and displaying fuel level and cost of filling a fuel tank. The flowchart of fig. 4 represents machine readable instructions stored in a memory (such as memory 312 of fig. 3) and comprising one or more programs that, when executed by a processor (such as processor 110), cause vehicle 100 to implement the exemplary functions and actions described herein. Although the example program is described with reference to the flowchart shown in fig. 4, many other methods of implementing the example functions and acts described herein may alternatively be used. For example, the order of execution of the blocks may be rearranged, varied, eliminated, and/or combined to perform the method 400. Furthermore, since the method 400 is disclosed in connection with the components of fig. 1-3, some of the functionality of those components will not be described in detail below.

The method 400 may begin at block 402. At block 404, the method 400 may include determining a starting fuel level. The starting fuel level may be the amount of fuel in the fuel tank when the vehicle reaches a service station and shuts down the vehicle.

The method 400 may then include determining a cost of filling the fuel tank. As mentioned above, this can be determined in several ways. For example, the vehicle geographic location can be determined and compared to the location of various fuel stations. A particular fueling station at which the vehicle is located may be determined and a price for fueling may be determined based on the fueling station. This may include using information received from one or more sources such as a connected remote computing device (e.g., a smart phone) running an application (such as Gas Buddy, Gas Guru) and other applications indicating fuel costs for various Gas stations. Alternatively or additionally, the fuel price may be determined based on communication with V2I of the gasoline station and/or via images of markers external to the gasoline station that are present within the field of view of the vehicle camera.

At block 408, the method 400 may include receiving a target fuel tank input quantity. As described above, the target fuel tank input amount may be gallons to add, amount to spend, target final fuel level, and the like. The target may be input by an operator via a user interface of the vehicle or via a connected computing device (e.g., remote computing device 140).

At block 410, method 400 may include determining whether the vehicle ignition has been turned off and the fueling port has been opened. This indicates that the operator is outside the vehicle and has opened the fueling port. If the igniter has been closed and the fueling port is open, the method 400 may proceed to block 412.

At block 412, the method 400 may include displaying the current fuel level. Block 414 may include displaying the cost of filling the fuel tank. One or both of the current fuel level and the cost of filling the fuel tank may be displayed on one or more external displays of the vehicle. Fueling may then begin at block 416.

At block 418, the method 400 may include determining whether a target fuel tank input amount has been reached. This may include determining whether a target number of gallons have been added, whether the fuel tank has reached a target final fuel level, whether a target amount has been spent, and so forth.

If the goal has been reached, the method 400 may include automatically stopping fueling at block 420. This may be accomplished by transmitting a command or indication to the fuel pump (e.g., via V2I communication), causing the fuel pump to shut down.

Additionally or alternatively, the method 400 may include alerting the operator that the goal has been reached at block 422 by flashing lights of the vehicle, by sounding an alarm, or by taking some other action. This may alert the operator that the liquid level has been reached, thereby allowing the operator to manually stop the fueling operation. The method 400 may then end at block 424.

In this application, the use of the disjunctive is intended to include the conjunctive. The use of definite or indefinite articles is not intended to indicate cardinality. In particular, references to "the" object or "an" and "an" object are intended to also mean one of potentially many such objects. Furthermore, the conjunction "or" may be used to convey simultaneous features rather than mutually exclusive alternatives. In other words, the conjunction "or" should be understood to include "and/or". The term "comprises/comprising" is inclusive and has the same scope as "comprising/comprising", respectively. Additionally, as used herein, the terms "module" and "unit" refer to hardware having circuitry for providing communication, control, and/or monitoring capabilities. The "modules" and "units" may also include firmware that is executed on the circuitry.

The embodiments described above, particularly any "preferred" embodiments, are possible examples of implementations, and are merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the technology described herein. All such modifications are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized in that the current fuel level of the fuel tank is determined based on images captured by one or more externally facing cameras of the vehicle.

According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized by determining a geographic location of the vehicle; and determining a cost of filling the fuel tank based on the geographic location.

According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized by determining a cost of filling the fuel tank based on price data received via vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications through a communication system of the vehicle configured for V2I communications.

According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized in that the cost of filling the fuel tank is determined based on images captured by one or more externally facing cameras of the vehicle.