Vehicular diagnostic system

• US 8,437,903 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2005
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dasan Invest Co., Ltd. (Min-Woo Nam)
• Original Assignee: Tantalum Innovations Ltd.
• Inventors: Willard, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Application Number:
  US11/285,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20060116811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,723 Days
• Field of Search: 701/33, 701/29, 701/117.2, 701/109, 701/103, 340/438, 340/439, 340/442, 340/450, 340/450.2
• US Class Current: 701/29.1
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0235 in relation with the state of the exhaust gas treating apparatus control of exhaust gas treating apparatus per se F01N
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1495 Detection of abnormalities in the air/fuel ratio feedback system
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2403 using essentially up/down counters
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

An onboard system for determining vehicle emissions. The emissions are determined in real-time and may be transmitted to a remote terminal for storage and/or analysis. Data is supplied solely to an emissions unit from a vehicle diagnostic system; the vehicle diagnostic system receives vehicle data from vehicle systems and sub-systems.

Claims

1. In a motor vehicle comprising a diagnostic system having an input and an output, and a plurality of vehicle sub-system sensors connected to the input of the diagnostic system, an apparatus for producing data on at least one of fuel consumption and vehicle emissions during operation of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising

an emissions unit disposed on-board the vehicle and having an input connected to the output of the diagnostic system;

a first processing circuit configured and arranged to access stored data including at least one of look-up tables and intuitive models for different types of vehicles, and including a communications interface configured and arranged to obtain vehicle identification data and measured sub-system data from the diagnostic system, and to load data specific to the identified vehicle data from the stored data; and

a second processing circuit configured and arranged to, during operation of the vehicle and on-board the vehicle, calculate at least one of fuel consumption data and emissions data in real time using the stored data and the sub-system data obtained from the diagnostic system, and make the calculated data available in the motor vehicle in real time,

wherein the first processing circuit is configured and arranged to access the stored data by using the vehicle identification data to identify stored data for one of the different types of vehicles that corresponds to the vehicle identification data, and the second processing circuit is configured and arranged to calculate the at least one of fuel consumption data and emissions data using the identified stored data for the one of the different types of vehicles.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output of the diagnostic system is an OBD/OBD-II port.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the emissions unit obtains subsystem data including engine load, engine speed, engine temperature, air change temperature and induced air mass from the diagnostic system, in order to calculate emissions.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the emissions unit also obtains the throttle angle from the diagnostic system.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emissions unit is arranged for connection to additional sensors for calibration, and the calculated results are used to update the look-up tables or the intuitive model.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a communications interface connected to the emissions unit, the communications interface being configured and arranged to transmit calculated emissions data to a remote computer.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprises a vehicle location unit.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the emissions data includes data on at least one of HC, CO and NO_x emissions.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second processing circuit is further configured and arranged for performing calculations at a rate of at least one per second.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the emissions unit is further configured and arranged to communicate with a remote terminal configured and arranged for calculating an effect of driving style on emissions.

20. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the emissions unit is configured and arranged to perform a portion of the emissions data calculation and communicate with a remote terminal configured and arranged to perform the remaining portion of the emissions data calculation.

22. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the emissions unit is further configured and arranged to communicate with a remote terminal configured and arranged to calculate the emissions data, driving style of the driver, and routes traveled.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first processing circuit is configured and arranged to access stored data by using the vehicle identification data to identify stored data for one of the different types of vehicles that corresponds to the vehicle identification data, and the second processing circuit is configured and arranged to calculate the at least one of fuel consumption data and emissions data using the identified stored data for the one of the different types of vehicles to ascertain information presented from the vehicle sub-system sensors to the input of the diagnostic system.

8. Apparatus for producing at least one of fuel consumption and emissions data on-board a vehicle during operation of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

an emissions unit adapted for connection to a vehicle diagnostic system (OBD/OBD-II) port, the emissions unit including

a data storage circuit configured and arranged to store data, the stored data including at least one of look-up tables and intuitive models including data relating to different types of vehicles;

a first processing circuit having access to the stored data and including a communications interface configured and arranged to obtain vehicle identification data and measured sub-system data from the diagnostic system, and to load data specific to the identified vehicle data from the data storage circuit; and

a second processing circuit configured and arranged to, during operation of the vehicle and on-board the vehicle, calculate at least one of fuel consumption data and emissions data in real time using the stored data and the sub-system data obtained from the diagnostic system, and make the data available at the vehicle in real time,

wherein the first processing circuit has access to the stored data by using the vehicle identification data to identify stored data for one of the different types of vehicles that corresponds to the vehicle identification data, and the second processing circuit is configured and arranged to calculate the at least one of fuel consumption data and emissions data using the identified stored data for the one of the different types of vehicles.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the emissions unit obtains subsystem data including engine load, engine speed, engine temperature, air change temperature and induced air mass from the diagnostic system, in order to calculate emissions.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the emissions unit also obtains the throttle angle from the diagnostic system.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the emissions unit is arranged for connection to additional sensors for calibration, and the calculated results are used to update the look-up tables or the intuitive models.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a communications interface connected to the emissions unit, and a remote computer, the communications interface providing a connection to the remote computer for transmission of calculated emissions data to the remote computer.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a vehicle location unit.

16. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the emissions data includes data on at least one of HC, CO and NO_xemissions.

17. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second processing circuit is further configured and arranged for performing calculations at a rate of at least one per second.

19. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the emissions unit is further configured and arranged to communicate with a remote terminal configured and arranged for calculating an effect of driving style on emissions.

21. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the emissions unit is configured and arranged to perform a portion of the emissions data calculation and communicate with a remote terminal configured and arranged to perform the remaining portion of the emissions data calculation.

23. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the emissions unit is further configured and arranged to communicate with a remote terminal configured and arranged to calculate the emissions data, driving style of the driver, and routes traveled.

25. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first processing circuit is configured and arranged to access stored data by using the vehicle identification data to identify stored data for one of the different types of vehicles that corresponds to the vehicle identification data, and the second processing circuit is configured and arranged to calculate the at least one of fuel consumption data and emissions data using the identified stored data for the one of the different types of vehicles to ascertain information presented in the vehicle sub-system data.