Audit vehicle and audit method for remote emissions sensing

• US 20030040863A1
• Filed: 08/23/2001
• Published: 02/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GSLE Subco, LLC (SPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Inventors: McNeill, Ronald J., DiDomenico, John, Rendahl, Craig S., Gentala, Robert A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,757,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/115
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0406 Intake manifold pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0414 Air temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0418 Air humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/501 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/701 Information about vehicle position, e.g. from navigation system or GPS signal
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/703 Atmospheric pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/18 by measuring intake air flow
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2429 Methods of calibrating or learning
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2454 Learning of the air-fuel ratio control
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2474 Characteristics of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2252 in a vehicle exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2273 Atmospheric sampling
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/021 Correlating sampling sites with geographical information, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/2893 Preparing calibration standards

Abstract

An audit vehicle and audit method are provided for testing the performance of a remote emissions sensing system. The vehicle emits known gases. The vehicle includes a gas delivery system and senses and records telemetry information such as vehicle speed read by a sensor on a non-driven wheel, GPS information, atmospheric information, IR light information, road temperature sensing information, and gas flow rate information

Claims

1. An apparatus for dispensing gas from a vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of compressed gas cylinders;

a plurality of shutoff valves, one valve associated with each of the gas bottle for controlling gas flow out of that gas bottles;

a check valve on at least one of gas cylinder that prevents gases from flowing back into the gas cylinder;

a manifold that receives gas from each of the primary valves and leads to a pressure regulator;

an output gas line leading from the pressure regulator; and

a sample gas outlet opening at the end of the output line.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a master release valve located on the outlet gas line downstream of the pressure regulator.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the shutoff and master release valves is a power operated ball valve.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a venturi gas flow sensor on the output gas line.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the valves are controlled remotely.

6. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a central computer that controls the operation of the valves.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of gas cylinders is seven.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the gas cylinders is filled with a purge material.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the purge material is nitrogen.

10. An apparatus for dispensing gas from a vehicle, comprising:

sample gas storage means;

shutoff valve means connected to the storage means for controlling gas flow out of the storage means;

means for preventing gases from flowing into the gas storage means;

a manifold that receives gas from the valve means and leads to a pressure regulator means;

a output gas line leading from the pressure regulator; and

a sample gas outlet opening at the end of the output line.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a master release valve means located on the outlet line downstream of the pressure regulator.

12. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each of the valve means is a power operated ball valve.

13. An apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a venturi gas flow sensor on the outlet pipe.

16. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein gas storage means comprises a plurality of compressed gas cylinders also known as “

gas bottles”

.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein one of the gas bottles is filled with a purge material.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the purge material is nitrogen.

14. An apparatus according to claim 111, wherein each of the shutoff and master release valves are controlled remotely.

15. An apparatus according to claim 111, further comprising a central computer that controls the operation of the valves.

19. A system for recording telemetry data associated with a remote emissions audit vehicle, the system comprising:

a central computer; and

at least one telemetry sensing device comprising at least one of;

a vehicle speed sensor mounted at a wheel of the audit vehicle;

a global positioning system sensor;

an ambient atmospheric condition sensor;

an infrared beam detector;

a pressure transducer used to measure pressure in gas delivery manifold; and

an output gas flow rate sensor;

wherein data from at least one telemetry sensing device is stored by the computer.

20. A method for recording data related to the telemetry of an audit vehicle, comprising the steps of:

driving the audit vehicle past a remote emissions sensor while emitting a sample blend gas; and

recording telemetry data relating to the audit vehicle, the telemetry data including at least one of;

vehicle speed read by a sensor on a wheel of the audit vehicle,

GPS information,

atmospheric information,

IR light information,

road temperature sensing information,

gas manifold pressure information, and

gas flow rate information.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein change of vehicle speed is calculated from speed sensor data and is stored along with other telemetry data.

22. A method according to claim 20, wherein speed and heading data from GPS is compared and stored along with vehicle speed information from a sensor other than the GPS.

23. A method of monitoring gases emitted from at least one gas cylinder on an audit vehicle, comprising the steps of:

controlling at least one valve associated with the gas cylinder to emit gas from the gas cylinder;

measuring the rate of gas flow from the gas cylinder; and

determining the amount of gas used and/or the amount of gas remaining in the gas cylinder.

24. A method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of displaying the determined amount of gas used and/or the determined amount of gas remaining in the gas cylinder.