CO2 INFORMATION DISPLAY AND METHOD

• US 20100241339A1
• Filed: 03/17/2009
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Brehob, Diana D., Proietty, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,055,437 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/109
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0602 Fuel pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0612 determined by estimation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0614 Actual fuel mass or fuel injection amount
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1445 the characteristics being related to the exhaust flow
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1454 the characteristics being an oxygen content or concentration or the air-fuel ratio
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/187 using a hot wire flow sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/401 Controlling injection timing F02D41/402 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A method and system for estimating CO2 produced by an internal combustion engine disposed in a vehicle and transmitting the CO2 produced to a display device within the vehicle are disclosed. Estimated CO2 produced is based on amount of fuel consumed and fuel composition, e.g., alcohol content in a gasoline-alcohol blend. The amount of fuel consumed is computed based on fuel pulse width commanded to fuel injectors disposed in the engine, the pressure drop across the fuel injectors, and fuel injector nozzle cross-section. Instantaneous CO2 produced and/or average CO2 produced can be computed and displayed. Instantaneous CO2 produced is averaged over a short interval with the display updated regularly. Average CO2 produced is averaged over a typically longer interval, being reset, in one embodiment, by an operator of the vehicle depressing a reset button.

Claims

1. A method for displaying CO2 information, comprising:

determining an estimated CO2 produced over an interval by an internal combustion engine disposed in a vehicle based on at least an amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle during the interval; and

displaying the estimated CO2 produced on a display device within the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the estimated CO2 produced to an electronic device not permanently coupled to the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of fuel consumed is estimated by:

estimating an amount of air delivered to the engine during the interval based on at least one sensor located in an engine intake;

determining the fuel-air ratio delivered to the engine based on an exhaust gas oxygen sensor; and

computing the amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle during the interval based on the amount of air delivered and the fuel-air ratio.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the vehicle includes an electronic control unit, the engine includes fuel injectors which receive fuel pulse width commands from the electronic control unit and a fuel pressure sensor located in a fuel rail upstream of the fuel injectors, the fuel injectors have nozzles of a known cross-sectional area, the method further comprising:

estimating the amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle during the interval based on a signal from the fuel pressure sensor, the fuel pulse widths commanded, and the cross-sectional area of the fuel injector nozzles.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the engine is supplied of a fuel of a particular composition and the estimated CO2 produced is further based on the composition of the fuel used in the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the interval is defined by a reset event and the estimated CO2 produced is an accumulated mass of CO2 produced displayed on the display device in units of mass of CO2 since a last reset event.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the vehicle has an operator reset button and the reset event occurs when such operator reset button is actuated.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the reset event is a key on event of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein a wheel speed sensor is coupled to the electronic control unit from which distance traveled can be estimated, the interval is a defined time interval, the estimated CO2 produced is average CO2 produced displayed in units of mass of CO2 per distance traveled, and the average CO2 produced is computed as:

(amount of fuel consumed over the defined time interval) times (CO2 produced per amount of fuel consumed) divided by (distance traveled over the defined time interval), and CO2 produced per amount of fuel consumed, with values of CO2 produced per amount of fuel consumed being stored in the electronic control unit, the values of CO2 produced per amount of fuel consumed being based on the type of fuel being consumed.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the defined time interval is based on time elapsed since a last reset event, such last reset event being effected by actuation of an operator reset button.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the display device displays instantaneous CO2 produced, the method further comprising:

regularly and repeatedly updating display at the defined time interval which is in the range of 1 to 60 seconds.

12. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

estimating a quantity of alcohol in the fuel supplied to the engine based on at least one of a signal from a fuel sensor disposed in a fuel system supplying fuel to the engine and an exhaust gas oxygen sensor disposed in an exhaust system of the engine; and

modifying the estimated CO2 produced based on alcohol content of the fuel.

13. A system for computing CO2 produced by a fuel oxidizing device configured to oxidize fuel having a fuel composition, comprising:

a fuel storage device for storing fuel for the fuel oxidizing device;

a metering device configured to meter the fuel delivered to the fuel oxidizing device from the fuel storage device, and operable to output a signal related to the amount of fuel passing through the metering device;

a display device; and

an electronic control unit coupled to the metering device, the electronic control unit being configured to;

estimate an amount of fuel delivered to the fuel oxidizing device based on the amount of fuel passing through the metering device, compute an estimated CO2 produced by the fuel oxidizing device based at least on part on the amount of fuel delivered and the fuel composition; and

displaying the estimated CO2 produced on the display device.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a vehicle into which the fuel oxidizing device and the display device are mounted;

an operator reset button coupled to the display device, wherein the estimated CO2 produced is average CO2 produced over a period of time elapsed since last reset of the operator reset button.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising a fuel sensor coupled to the electronic control unit, wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to estimate fuel composition of the fuel oxidizing device based on the fuel sensor signal and further bases the estimated CO2 produced on fuel composition.

16. A method for estimating CO2 produced by a fuel oxidizing device, comprising:

determining an amount of fuel supplied to the fuel oxidizing device;

computing an estimated CO2 produced based on the amount of fuel supplied to the fuel oxidizing device over a defined period of time; and

displaying estimated CO2 produced on a display device.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the estimated CO2 produced is further based on fuel composition of fuel supplied to the fuel oxidizing device and fuel composition is estimated based on a signal from a fuel sensor disposed in a fuel supply of the fuel oxidizing device.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the fuel oxidizing device is one of an internal combustion engine, a power plant, a fuel cell, and a gas turbine engine.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the fuel oxidizing device and the display device are disposed in a vehicle.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the fuel oxidizing device is an internal combustion engine, the fuel is metered to the fuel oxidizing device by controlling a fuel pulse width commanded to fuel injectors coupled to the engine, the amount of fuel supplied is determined based on at least the fuel pulse width and a fuel pressure upstream of the fuel injectors.