Emisson validation system

• US 5,343,906 A
• Filed: 05/15/1992
• Issued: 09/06/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Biodigital Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Biodigital Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Tibbals, Harry F. III
• Primary Examiner(s): CUSICK, ERNEST
• Application Number:
  US07/884,531
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 141/1, 141/87, 141/94, 141/95, 141/98, 141/311 R, 141/360, 73/23.31, 73/23.32, 73/23.33
• US Class Current: 141/83
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/00 Arrangement in connection with fuel supply of combustion engines or other fuel consuming energy converters, e.g. fuel cells; Mounting or construction of fuel tanks tanks in general B65D, F17C; supplying combustion engines with combustible mixtures or constituents F02M
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 5/02 Supplying fuel to vehicles; General disposition of plant in filling stations apparatus for transferring measured quantities of petrol, oil, or the like from storage space to vehicles B67D
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/14 responsive to input of recorded programmed information, e.g. on punched cards
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/348 by interrogating an information transmitter, e.g. a transponder B67D7/145 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery

Abstract

An emissions validation system is comprised of a plurality of sensors (42), (36), (26) and (34) for monitoring the various emissions and diagnostic aspects of a vehicle (10). An emissions validation system (18) is operable upon refuelling through a refuelling line (20) to interface through an interface (14) to a CPU (28). The CPU (28) retrieves the stored dam and transfers it through the interface (14), through an electrical line (22) to a main CPU (26) in the emissions validation system (18). The main CPU (26) then evaluates this dam, in addition to monitoring the amount of fuel that is placed back into the vehicle'"'"'s tank (32). This allows a complete record of the vehicles history to be maintained.

Claims

1. An emissions validation system, comprising:

a vehicle refueling system having;

a sensor for sensing emission parameters of a vehicle over a predetermined period of time;

a memory device for storing said sensed emission parameters of the vehicle over said predetermined period of time to provide a history of said sensed emission parameters over said predetermined period of time,

a vehicle interface device for allowing said stored accrued emission parameters to be accessed, and

a fuel intake port for allowing fuel to be input to a fuel tank on the vehicle; and

a fuel station for storing an accrued history of said sensed emission parameters of the vehicle indicating the history of the emission parameters of the vehicle, over a larger period of time than said predetermined period time, said fuel station having

a main fuel tank,

a fuel station interface device for being interfaced with said vehicle interface device,

a fuel dispensing system for delivering fuel to the fuel intake port of the vehicle,

a fuel flow meter for sensing the fuel delivered to the vehicle,

a database for containing said accrued history of said sensed emission parameters of the vehicle, and

a processor for controlling said vehicle interface device and said fuel station interface device to access said accrued emission parameters from said memory device in said vehicle refueling system and operable to update said accrued history with said accessed accrued emission parameters over said predetermined period of time.

2. The validation system of claim 1 wherein said predetermined period of time over which said accrued emission parameters are accrued is initiated upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

3. The validation system of claim 2 wherein said predetermined event comprises the delivery of fuel to the vehicle and access of said stored accrued emission parameters by said fuel station.

4. The validation system of claim 1 wherein said processor is operable to compare said accessed accrued emission parameters from said vehicle interface device with predetermined standards and to provide a validation if said accessed accrued emission parameters meets or exceeds said standards.

5. The validation system of claim 4 wherein said processor is operable to inhibit fuel dispensing by said fuel dispensing system if said accessed accrued emission parameters do not meet said predetermined standards.

6. The validation system of claim 1 wherein said accrued history of emission parameters comprise in addition an accrued history of emission parameters of a fleet of vehicles of which the vehicle is a subset of and wherein said processor is operable to further update said fleet accrued history of emission parameters in conjunction with updating said accrued history of emission parameters of the vehicle.

7. The validation system of claim 1 wherein said vehicle interface device comprises a connector disposed proximate to the fuel intake port of said vehicle, and said fuel station interface device comprises a mating connector for being mated with said connector proximate to said fuel intake port on the vehicle when said fuel dispensing system is connected to said fuel intake port.

8. An emissions validation system, comprising:

a vehicle refueling system having;

a sensor for sensing performance parameters of a vehicle,

a memory device for storing said sensed performance parameters over said predetermined period of time as accrued performance parameters to provide a history of said sensed performance parameters over said predetermined period of time,

a fuel intake port for allowing fuel to be input to a fuel tank on the vehicle;

a vehicle interface device for allowing said stored accrued performance parameters to be accessed, said vehicle interface device having;

an IC card having a memory and a processing unit associated therewith for storing information in association with said IC card, and

a card reader for allowing access to said IC card for allowing transfer of said accrued performance parameters stored in said memory device to be transferred to said memory associated with said IC card; and

a fuel station for storing an accrued history of said sensed performance parameters of the vehicle indicating the history of the performance parameters of the vehicle, said fuel station having;

a main fuel tank;

a fuel station interface device for being interfaced with said vehicle interface device, said fuel station interface having;

an IC card reader for reading said IC card and allowing transfer of information stored in said associated memory of said IC card relating to said accrued performance parameters of the vehicle to be transferred to said processor in said fuel station;

a fuel dispensing system for delivering fuel to the fuel intake port of the vehicle,

a fuel flow meter for sensing the fuel delivered to the vehicle,

a database for containing said accrued history of said sensed performance parameters of the vehicle, and

a processor for controlling the vehicle interface device and fuel station interface device to access said accrued performance parameters from said memory device associated with said IC card in said vehicle refueling system and operable to update said accrued history with said accessed performance parameters over said predetermined period of time.

9. The validation system of claim 8 wherein said predetermined period of time over which said accrued performance parameters are accrued is initiated upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

10. The validation system of claim 9 wherein said predetermined event comprises the delivery of fuel to the vehicle and access of said stored accrued performance parameters by said fuel station.

11. The validation system of claim 8 wherein said processor is operable to compare said accessed accrued performance parameters from said vehicle interface device with predetermined standards and to provide a validation if said accessed accrued performance parameters meet or exceed said standards.

12. The validation system of claim 11 wherein said processor is operable to inhibit fuel dispensing by said fuel dispensing system if said accessed accrued performance parameters do not meet said predetermined standards.

13. The validation system of claim 8 wherein said accrued history of performance parameters comprise in addition an accrued history of performance parameters of a fleet of vehicles of which the vehicle is a subset and wherein said processor is operable to further update said fleet history of performance parameters in conjunction with updating said accrued history of performance parameters of the vehicle.

14. The validation system of claim 8 wherein said vehicle interface device comprises a connector disposed proximate to the fuel intake port of said vehicle and said fuel station interface device comprises a mating connector for being mated with said connector proximate to said fuel intake port on the vehicle when said fuel dispensing system is connected to said fuel intake port.

15. A vehicle emissions monitoring system, comprising:

a sensor for sensing performance parameters of the vehicle;

a memory device for storing and averaging said performance parameters over a predetermined period of time as accrued performance parameters to provide a history of said performance parameters over said predetermined period of time;

a fuel intake port for allowing fuel to be input to a fuel tank; and

a vehicle interface device for allowing said stored accrued performance parameters to be accessed, said vehicle interface device operating in response to the operation of fuel being input to said fuel intake port, said interface device having;

an IC card having associated therewith an IC card memory and a processing unit, and

a card reader for interfacing between said IC card and said IC card memory device to allow said IC card to process instructions in said associated processing unit to access said stored accrued performance parameters for storage in said associated IC card memory, such that said IC card contains said accrued performance parameters for transport to a remote location.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said vehicle interface device comprises a connector disposed proximate to said fuel intake port for being interfaced with a mating socket upon fuel being introduced to said fuel intake port.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein said memory device is operable to initiate storing of and averaging of said performance parameters upon a predetermined event.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said predetermined event comprises an access of said stored accrued performance parameters from said memory device through said vehicle interface device after introduction of fuel through said fuel intake port.

19. A vehicle emissions monitoring system comprising:

a sensor for sensing emission parameters of the vehicle;

a memory device for storing and averaging said emission parameters over a predetermined period of time as accrued emission parameters to provide a history of said sensed emission parameters over said predetermined period of time;

a vehicle interface device for allowing said stored accrued emission parameters to be accessed; and

a fuel intake port for allowing fuel to be input to a fuel tank;

said vehicle interface device operating in response to the operation of fuel being input to said fuel intake port.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said memory device is operable to initiate storing of and averaging of said performance parameters upon a predetermined event.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said predetermined event comprises an access of said accrued performance parameters from said memory device through said vehicle interface device after introduction of fuel through said fuel intake port.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein said vehicle interface device comprises a connector disposed proximate to said fuel intake port for being interfaced with a mating socket upon fuel being introduced to said fuel intake port.