Method for analysis of vehicle performance characteristics
First Claim
1. A method for the analysis of vehicle performance data for a vehicle under test, comprising the steps of:
- a) measuring the concentration of a plurality of exhaust constituents over the course of a test protocol;
b) identifying a plurality of test intervals during the duration of said test protocol and determining the concentration of each of said constituents thereat;
c) creating a graph of concentration value over the course of said test protocol for each constituent;
d) creating a corresponding graph of reference concentration value over the course of said test protocol for each constituent;
e) comparing the value of each constituent graph and its corresponding reference graph value at each of said test intervals;
f) classifying the result of each comparison into one of a plurality of comparison zones;
g) creating an array of said classifying results; and
h) comparing said array to a reference to determine the vehicle performance.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for the analysis of performance characteristics of a vehicle includes the measuring of a plurality of performance variables over the course of a predefined test protocol, typically providing for the variation of operating parameters during the duration of the test. Each variable is compared to an appropriate reference at a chosen number of points or "test sites" during the test, and the results of each comparison is classified as being above, below or within tolerance. The comparison results are tabulated into a value matrix. The matrix is compared to a series of reference matrices, each of which is associated to a different cause, such as bad timing, fouled spark plug, poor cylinder compression, and the like. Association of the values in the matrix to a reference matrix allows the problem as reflected by the measured performance variable values to be identified.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A method for the analysis of vehicle performance data for a vehicle under test, comprising the steps of:
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a) measuring the concentration of a plurality of exhaust constituents over the course of a test protocol; b) identifying a plurality of test intervals during the duration of said test protocol and determining the concentration of each of said constituents thereat; c) creating a graph of concentration value over the course of said test protocol for each constituent; d) creating a corresponding graph of reference concentration value over the course of said test protocol for each constituent; e) comparing the value of each constituent graph and its corresponding reference graph value at each of said test intervals; f) classifying the result of each comparison into one of a plurality of comparison zones; g) creating an array of said classifying results; and h) comparing said array to a reference to determine the vehicle performance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification