Automatic determination of an emission value for a motor vehicle

• US 8,047,052 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2009
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arktik GmbH
• Original Assignee: Arktik GmbH
• Inventors: De Vries, Dominic
• Primary Examiner(s): Kirkland, III; Freddie
• Application Number:
  US12/510,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20100024521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 73/233.1, 731/146.9, 731/147.1
• US Class Current: 73/23.31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time

Abstract

The invention concerns the automatic determination of an emission value for a motor vehicle. For this purpose, a system for the automatic determination of an emission value for a motor vehicle 4 is described that comprises the following: a fuel quantity sensor 1, an identification device 3 for registering an account identification, an account database 7 containing at least one account information item for each of a multitude of accounts 8, and a determination device 6, where: the fuel quantity sensor 1 determines a fuel quantity added to the tank and transmits it to the determination device 6; an account identification registered by the identification device 3 is transmitted to the determination device 6 and is associated with the fuel quantity added to the tank; and where the determination device 6 determines the emission value on the basis of the fuel quantity added to the tank and at least one account information item of the account 8 associated with the account identification. This permits a simple and reliable determination of the emission value that also meets with a high degree of acceptance by the users.

Claims

1. Process for the automatic determination of an emission value of a motor vehicle, with the following steps:

Providing a fuel sensor, an identification device for registering an account identification, and an data storage device containing an account database itself containing at least one account information item for each of a multitude of accounts,

Determination of a quantity of fuel that has been put into a tank and/or has been consumed by the motor vehicle by means of the fuel sensor,

Determination of an account identification by means of the identification device,

Association of the determined account identification with the determined quantity of fuel,

Determination of at least one account information of an account associated with the account identification from the account database in the data storage device, wherein the account information at least comprises an account-specific emission key, whereby an emission quantity per the quantity of fuel determined is stored for the account,

Determination of an emission value on the basis of the determined quantity of fuel and at least the determined account information of the account associated with the account identification.

2. Process according to claim 1 where the determined emission value includes an emission quantity and/or an emission fee.

3. Process according to claim 1 where the determined emission fee is automatically debited to a money account, preferably in conjunction with a payment for the quantity of fuel.

4. Process according to claim 1 where the account information comprises an account-specific emission quantity key and/or an account-specific compensation key and/or an account-specific type of compensation.

5. Process according to claim 1 where the type of fuel is determined and taken into account during the determination of the emission value.

6. Process according to claim 1 where a fuel consumption value is determined in the motor vehicle and is taken into account during the determination of the emission value.

7. System for the automatic determination of an emission value for a motor vehicle having a fuel tank, comprising:

a fuel quantity sensor,

an identification device for registering an account identification,

a data storage device having stored therein an account database containing at least one account information item for each of a multitude of accounts, and

a data processing system, including a determination device where;

the determination device is adapted to take a fuel quantity value that is representative of the fuel quantity that was added to the tank and/or consumed by the vehicle as determined by the fuel quantity sensor and, an account identification registered by the identification device, and associating the determined fuel quantity value with the account identification, and

determining an emission value on the basis of the determined fuel quantity value, and the at least one account information item of the account associated with the account identification, and

wherein the account information at least comprises an account-specific emission key, whereby an emission quantity per the quantity of fuel determined is stored for the account.

8. System according to claim 7, where the determined emission value includes an emission quantity and/or an emission fee.

9. System according to claim 8, wherein the data processing system is further adapted to the determine an emission fee from the emission value and automatically debited the emission fee to a money account, preferably in conjunction with a payment for the fuel quantity.

10. System according to claim 8 where a fuel type sensor for distinguishing fuel types is provided that determines the type of the fuel and transmits it to the determination device.

11. System according to claim 8 where the account identification is provided on an identification element, preferably on a machine-readable magnetic card or on a RFID chip.

12. System according to claim 11, where, besides the account identification, the identification element includes at least one account information item.

13. System according to claim 8 where a consumption sensor is provided in the vehicle the consumption sensor being adapted to determine a fuel consumption value and transmitting the determined fuel consumption data to the determination device, and

wherein the determination device is further adapted to take into account the fuel consumption value when determining the emission value.

14. System according to claim 13, further comprising a consumption data storage device disposed in the motor vehicle.

15. System according to claim 13 further comprising a wireless data transmission device disposed in the vehicle and adapted to transmit the fuel consumption data wirelessly to the determination device.