Management system and method for exhaust purification apparatus

• US 8,595,144 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2010
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shibamori, Kazuhiro, Tsukada, Hidenobu, Nakamura, Kazunori, Kowatari, Yoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruhl, Denis
• Application Number:
  US12/823,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20110004559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 705/307, 705/400
• US Class Current: 705/307
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/0097 the purifying devices are arranged in a single housing
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2610/03 the substance being hydrocarbons, e.g. engine fuel
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/0253 adding fuel to exhaust gases
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/103 Oxidation catalysts for HC and CO only
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/106 Auxiliary oxidation catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/1433 using a model or simulation of the system
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0812 Particle filter loading
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/021 Introducing corrections for particular conditions exterior to the engine conjoint control of vehicle sub-units for propelling the vehicle B60W30/18
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/029 the exhaust gas treating apparatus being a particulate filter
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions

Abstract

In a server 10, a standard setting section 11 establishes a standard amount of deposits and a standard amount of money of a maintenance charge in advance; a first calculating section 12 calculates the maintenance charge by multiplying the standard amount of money by a ratio of a deposition level at returning to a standard deposition level; a memory section 13 stores in memory an engine operating time, the number of regeneration sequences performed, and a reduction coefficient table; a second calculating section 14 establishes a reduction coefficient based on the reduction coefficient table and reduces the maintenance charge after reduction by multiplying the maintenance charge calculated by the first calculating section 12 by the reduction coefficient; and a third calculating section 15 calculates an amount of refund by subtracting the value of the maintenance charge from the value of a maintenance guarantee.

Claims

1. A management system for an exhaust purification apparatus, the exhaust purification apparatus comprising:

a filter disposed in an engine exhaust system for trapping particulate matter contained in exhaust gases;

a regenerating device for regenerating the filter by burning to remove the particulate matter deposited in the filter; and

operating means for operating the regenerating device,

the exhaust purification apparatus being mounted in a vehicle that is to be rented to a user by an administrator and later returned to the administrator by the user, the system comprising;

amount of deposits acquisition means for acquiring an amount of deposits of the particulate matter deposited in the filter; and

billing means for billing a maintenance charge according to the amount of deposits at returning acquired by the amount of deposits acquisition means,

wherein the billing means includes;

a first calculating section for calculating the maintenance charge according to the amount of deposits at returning acquired by the amount of deposits acquisition means,

a memory section for storing an engine operating time for a period of time that begins with renting and ends with returning, the number of regeneration sequences performed by the regenerating device as invoked by the operating means and a reduction coefficient table that establishes reduction coefficients according to the engine operating time and the number of regeneration sequences performed, and

a second calculating section for determining the reduction coefficient based on the reduction coefficient table stored in the memory section and according to the engine operating time and the number of regeneration sequences performed stored in the memory section such that the reduction coefficient increases as the engine operating time increases while the reduction coefficient decreases as the number of regeneration sequences performed increases, and then reducing the maintenance charge calculated by the first calculating section based on the reduction coefficient.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the billing means further includes:

a standard setting section for setting in advance a standard amount of deposits and a standard amount of money of the maintenance charge corresponding to the standard amount of deposits;

said first calculating section calculates the maintenance charge using a ratio of a value that represents the amount of deposits at returning to a value that represents the standard amount of deposits.

3. The system according to claim 2,

wherein the standard amount of deposits is a limit amount that results in a damaged exhaust purification apparatus when an amount of the particulate matter that exceeds the standard amount of deposits is deposited in the filter.

4. The system according to claim 2,

wherein the standard amount of deposits is a permissible upper limit amount that is less than the limit amount that results in a damaged exhaust purification apparatus.

5. The system according to claim 2,

wherein the standard amount of money is a value of a maintenance guarantee received from the user upon renting, and

the billing means includes a third calculating section for calculating an amount of refund by subtracting a value of the maintenance charge from the value of the maintenance guarantee.