Vehicle mass emission measurement

• US 6,387,706 B1
• Filed: 04/13/2000
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sensors, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sensors, Inc.
• Inventors: Eden, Gideon
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Jill
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sines, Brian J.
• Application Number:
  US09/548,448
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 436/127, 436/179, 702/183, 422/94, 73/233.1, 731/181, 731/16, 73/233.2, 73/23, 73/28, 738/634.1, 374/123
• US Class Current: 436/127
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2252 in a vehicle exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/2264 with dilution
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0011 Sample conditioning in general G01N1/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0018 by diluting a gas
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/20 Oxygen containing

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring vehicle exhaust emission includes sampling vehicle exhaust and a dilute mixture of vehicle exhaust and ambient air. A first analyzer measures concentrations of gas components of undiluted vehicle exhaust. A second analyzer measures concentration or temperature of at least one exhaust gas component present in the dilute mixture gas component. Flow rate of the dilute mixture, the concentration and/or temperature of the at least one dilute mixture gas component and undiluted gas concentration are analyzed by a microprocessor to produce mass emissions of the vehicle exhaust gas components.

Claims

1. A method of measuring vehicle exhaust mass emission, comprising:

sampling undiluted vehicle exhaust and a dilute mixture of vehicle exhaust and ambient air;

measuring concentrations of undiluted gas components of said vehicle exhaust;

measuring the temperatures of the undiluted exhaust gas, the dilute mixture and the ambient air;

measuring flow rate of said dilute mixture; and

resolving said concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components, said temperatures and said flow rate of said dilute mixture to mass emissions of said exhaust gas components.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said resolving includes compensating the heat loss of said dilute mixture to the ambient temperature.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said resolving said concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components, said temperatures and the flow rate of said dilute mixture to the mass of said exhaust gas components includes:

$M_e=M_d<br><br>\frac{T_d-T_a}{T_e-T_a}$

where;

M_e is mass of the exhaust;

M_d is mass of the dilute mixture;

T_d is measured temperature of the dilute mixture;

T_a is measured temperature of ambient air; and

T_e is measured temperature of the vehicle exhaust gas.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said sampling undiluted vehicle exhaust and a dilute mixture of vehicle exhaust and ambient air includes providing an exhaust inlet adapted to collect vehicle exhaust and a dilution air inlet connected with said exhaust inlet to provide a dilute mixture of vehicle exhaust and dilution air.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said measuring concentrations of undiluted gas components includes providing a gas analyzer which measures concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components from said exhaust inlet.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said measuring the temperatures of the undiluted gas, the dilute mixture and the ambient air includes providing a temperature analyzer which measures the temperatures of the vehicle exhaust gases, the dilution air and said dilute mixture of vehicle exhaust and dilution air.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said temperature analyzer comprises temperature probes.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said temperature probes are selected from a group consisting of thermistors, RTDs and thermocouple devices.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said measuring flow rate includes providing a meter which measures flow rate of said dilute mixture.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said resolving includes providing a processor which resolves said concentration of the undiluted exhaust gas components and said temperatures to mass of the exhaust gas components.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said processor compensates heat loss of said dilute mixture resulting from the temperature difference between said dilute mixture and the ambient air.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said sampling undiluted vehicle exhaust and a dilute mixture of vehicle exhaust and ambient air includes providing a blower for propelling the dilute mixture of exhaust and dilution air.