Method and system for providing location specific fuel emissions compliance for a mobile vehicle

• US 7,062,371 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Gault, Thomas A., Groskreutz, Bruce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): KWON, JOHN
• Application Number:
  US10/921,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20060041370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 701/101, 701/103, 701/109, 701/114, 701/115, 180/167
• US Class Current: 701/109
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/701 Information about vehicle position, e.g. from navigation system or GPS signal
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2422 Selective use of one or more tables

Abstract

A method and system for providing location specific fuel emissions compliance for a mobile vehicle including determining a mobile vehicle location, determining a current emissions zone based on the mobile vehicle location, determining at least one location specific emissions parameter based on the current emissions zone, and modifying at least one mobile vehicle function based on the location specific emissions parameter.

Claims

1. A method for providing location specific fuel emissions compliance for a mobile vehicle, the method comprising:

determining a mobile vehicle location;

determining a current emissions zone based on the mobile vehicle location;

determining at least one location specific emissions parameter based on the current emissions zone;

modifying at least one mobile vehicle function based on the location specific emissions parameter,

determining a fuel type;

identifying a proximate fueling location based on the mobile vehicle location and the fuel type; and

sending the proximate fueling location to a selected output.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a current emissions zone comprises:

receiving an emissions zone lookup table;

determining the current emissions zone from the emissions zone lookup table; and

updating the emissions zone lookup table with the emissions zone lookup table update.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the determining the current emissions zone from the emissions zone lookup table comprises:

comparing the mobile vehicle location to a plurality of emissions zone definitions stored in an emissions zone lookup table; and

selecting the current emissions zone based on the comparing.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining at least one location specific emissions parameter comprises:

comparing the current emissions zone to a plurality of emissions zones stored in the emissions zone lookup table; and

selecting the location specific emissions parameter based on the comparing.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending mobile vehicle fuel emissions data to a selected output.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the fuel type is selected from the group consisting of gasoline, electricity, hydrogen, natural gas, methane, ethanol, methanol, and diesel.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected output is selected from the group consisting of a display, a speaker, a navigation system, a memory, a printer, and a wireless transmission.

8. A system for providing location specific fuel emissions compliance for a mobile vehicle, the system comprising:

means for determining a mobile vehicle location;

means for determining a current emissions zone based on the mobile vehicle location;

means for determining at least one location specific emissions parameter based on the current emissions zone;

means for modifying at least one mobile vehicle function based on the location specific emissions parameter,

means for determining a fuel type;

means for identifying a proximate fueling location based on the mobile vehicle location and the fuel type; and

means for sending the proximate fueling location to a selected output.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the means for determining a current emissions zone comprises:

means for receiving an emissions zone lookup table update

means for determining the current emissions zone from the emissions zone lookup table; and

means for updating the emissions zone lookup table with the emissions zone lookup table update.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the means for determining the current emissions zone from the emissions zone table comprises:

means for comparing the mobile vehicle location to a plurality of emissions zone definitions stored in an emissions zone lookup table; and

means for selecting the current emissions zone based on the comparing.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the means for determining at least one location specific emissions parameter comprises:

means for comparing the current emissions zone to a plurality of emissions zones stored in the emissions zone lookup table; and

means for selecting the location specific emissions parameter based on the comparing.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the fuel type is selected from the group consisting of:

gasoline, electricity, hydrogen, methane, ethanol, methanol, natural gas, and diesel.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the selected output is selected from the group consisting of a display, a speaker, a navigation system, a memory, a printer, and a wireless transmission.

14. A computer readable medium storing a computer program including computer program code for providing location specific fuel emissions compliance for a mobile vehicle comprising:

computer program code for determining a mobile vehicle location;

computer program code for determining a current emissions zone based on the mobile vehicle location;

computer program code for determining at least one location specific emissions parameter based on the current emissions zone;

computer program code for modifying at least one mobile vehicle function based on the location specific emissions parameter;

computer program code for determining a fuel type;

computer program code for identifying a proximate fueling location based on the mobile vehicle location and the fuel type; and

computer program code for sending the proximate fueling location to a selected output.

15. The computer usable medium of claim 14 wherein the computer program code for determining a current emissions zone comprises:

computer program code for receiving an emissions zone lookup table update

computer program code for determining the current emissions zone from the emissions zone lookup table; and

computer program code for updating the emissions zone lookup table with the emissions zone lookup table update.

16. The computer usable medium of claim 15 wherein computer program code for determining the current emissions zone from the emissions zone lookup table comprises:

computer program code for comparing the mobile vehicle location to a plurality of emissions zone definitions stored in an emissions zone lookup table; and

computer program code for selecting the current emissions zone based on the comparing.

17. The computer usable medium of claim 14 wherein computer program code for determining at least one location specific emissions parameter comprises:

computer program code for comparing the current emissions zone to a plurality of emissions zones stored in the emissions zone lookup table; and

computer program code for selecting the location specific emissions parameter based on the comparing.