ES2426338B1 - System for driving assistance of motor vehicles based on the management of information on polluting emissions - Google Patents

Abstract

System for the aid to the driving of motor vehicles based on the management of information on polluting emissions. # This system quantifies, in real time, the level of emissions produced by a specific model of vehicle equipped with internal combustion engine based on the knowledge of the instantaneous values of the operating parameters, such as speed, engine speed, gear used, fuel injection information, etc .; This emission information, associated with that of the geographical location of the vehicle at the time of calculation obtained by GPS coordinates, constitutes output data that can be displayed to the driver and / or sent to a central station for subsequent treatment that allows obtaining valuable statistics or set up a map that, in real time and with a minimum cost, indicates the levels of contamination in the area concerned.

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION. The object of this invention is a system that solves the following technical problem: Given a specific model of a motor vehicle running, provided with an internal combustion engine, calculate, in real time, the level of emissions it is producing. To do this, it uses a set of interrelated devices that are used to set the instantaneous values of the vehicle's operating parameters such as: its speed, acceleration, engine speed, gear used, information on fuel injection, etc. From $ 10 values of these specific parameters of vehicle operation, together with those of other circumstantial parameters that are a function of the exact type of fuel used, the age of the vehicle and the characteristics of the terrain of the terrain through which it circulates obtains, once jointly managed by appropriate procedures, real-time information on the

level of pollutant emissions emitted. This information, combined with the exact geographical location of the vehicle obtained by GPS coordinates and associated at the time of calculation, can be shown to the driver and sent to a central data receiver for further processing and practical exploitation.

SECTOR OF THE TECHNIQUE TO WHICH IT BELONGS.

The invention falls within the sector of motor vehicles driven with internal combustion engines and more specifically in the part thereof which refers to the instantaneous calculation or estimation of their operating parameters and their relation to the level of emissions produced in the Calculation time

STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE. There is a special concern for the control and reduction of air emissions of all types of pollutants. As motor vehicles are powered by internal combustion engines, one of the agents that make the greatest contributions of these pollutants, it is vitally important to limit them to the extent possible. There are numerous systems and work areas aimed at achieving this objective. Some of the most relevant trends today are: 1.-Development of propulsion systems based on non-fossil fuels (hydrogen, hydraulic, solar, electric, etc.)

2.-Optimization of internal combustion engines so that their emissions are reduced, including new fuels (bioethanol, biomass or biodiesel) 3.-Optimization of the remaining set of vehicle components with the same objective (aerodynamics, efficiency in the transmission systems or other subsystems; improved traction). 4.-0 Optimization of the infrastructures involved in transport, for example the use of absorbent materials for firm or with a better interaction with the vehicle.

However, to date, the development of systems that help modify the behavior of the driver of the vehicle for the benefit of a reduction in

The emissions produced by the latter are scarce, being very limited the use of feedback of the level of emissions in real time or decayed in time and even less of a group of drivers or in a global environment. The fundamental pollutants referred to in the previous paragraph

They are:

one.

Carbon dioxide. CO,. It occurs in all combustion of carbon-based products.

2.

Nitrogen oxides. NO ~ It occurs during the combustion process as a reaction between nitrogen and oxygen in the air.

3.

Sulfur dioxide. S02. It is born in combustion processes as a combination of sulfur present in fuels with oxygen.

Four.

Ozone. 0 3

5.

Volatile organic compounds cavo

6.

Particles. Solid bodies of small size in suspension. They are characterized by their equivalent diameter in microns. For example PM10

7.

Organic pollutants As polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), dioxins and other compounds.

8. Heavy metals. In order to reduce emissions it is essential that the driver has the necessary feedback; This way you will be able to modify your behavior. This feedback should be done from three perspectives: temporal, geographical and social. The real-time feedback belongs to the time perspective, consisting of the indications on emissions shown by the instrument panel or other device available at the time of driving as well as the feedback decayed in time, with summaries of consumption by

journey or daily or on any other time horizon. For the latter it is it is necessary to add to the emission information the time and place in which produced, process all this data and provide it to the driver or agent interested. A second group of information is that associated with geographic coordinates and temporary such as pollution routes, route proposal systems alternatives, etc. the recipients of this information being the driver or interested third parties. Regarding social information, it can refer to a single driver or a group, that is, the aggregate information of several drivers, or the position of An individual in a group.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS. For a better understanding of the description that will be made below, accompanies Figure 1 in which they are schematized, in a block diagram, the different component devices that constitute the entire system and its interrelationships To make the corresponding references to said components numbers and letters that identify them are used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND METHOD OF USE. The driving aid system object of the invention provides information on polluting emissions to the driver of the vehicle or other agents interested at the right time, so that it is possible to take the appropriate decisions to reduce the pollutant emissions generated. The fundamental novelties of this invention are the following:

-

According to U.S. Patents 6,594,579 or 6,988,033, which determine the energy efficiency of the vehicle's fuel consumption, the system object of the invention also estimates the emissions of pollutants produced by it. -The U.S. patents 6,148,656 6 3,998,095 show different systems for measuring the emission of pollutants through physical devices. Unlike these inventions, the invention described calculates pollutant emissions from the vehicle's operating parameters instead of directly measuring them with specific devices, which is something really expensive and difficult to perform, especially when the vehicle is in movement. -In addition, the system object of the invention is able to estimate the emissions of

pollutants in real time. All this allows the quality of the information provided to the driver to be high, its cost low and the timing of the supply optimal. The composition of the system object of the invention is described below, broken down into its different devices. Each of the blocks (On) of Figure 1 represents a device that communicates with its corresponding set of sensors and actuators (SIAr.) Or with other devices, whose functions are described below; block (C) represents the driver of the vehicle or another interested agent.

For the designation of each device the English terminology has been used as it is the standard admitted in the market. Thus ECU is the acronym for Electronic Control Unit, OBO for On Board Diagnosis and GPS for Global Positioning System: Motor Device (Molor ECUl (01 Fig. 11, It is responsible for controlling the operation of the vehicle's engine, taking readings of the operating sensors installed by the manufacturer thereof, such as the temperature sensor of the exhaust gases, the instantaneous consumption, the engine speed, the speed, the accelerator, the gear that is being used and any other sensors that the vehicle will incorporate; this device will process the information acquired and will generate outputs that will guide the driver on the actions that are pertinent to perform. Device Instruments (ECUl Instruments (02. Fig. 1. It is responsible for supplying the driver the desired information, inside the vehicle Diagnosis Device on Board (OBD ECU) <03. Fig. 1) 'It is responsible for taking data

from other different vehicle devices mostly from the Motor device

(01, Fig1) And generates outputs related to emission control, originating

an alarm serial in case any device does not work properly

or exceed the previously established maximum value for emission production. However, it does not provide quantitative information on the emissions of the products mentioned in the section regarding the State of the Art. GPS device (GPS ECU) (04. Fig. 1) It is responsible for receiving information on the geographical position of the vehicle, its speed and acceleration and, with the help of maps, information on the characteristics of the terrain orography (pending ) through which it circulates.

Emissions Device (ECU Emissions) <06 Fig. one). It receives information from the rest of the devices, processes it and generates data on the emissions of the products mentioned in the section referring to the State of the Art.

It is also to this device (06) that the driver of the vehicle facilitates the

values of the circumstantial configuration parameters if it were

necessary, for example, the exact type of refueling, the age of

vehicle.

S

External Communication Device (External Communication ECU), (05.

E! Gjl. It is responsible for sending abroad the information generated in the

Emissions device (06, Fig. 1).

Central Data Device (07 Fíg, H. Complete the system this device

located outside the remote vehicle, which is responsible for receiving, and processing

10

the data coming from it, constituting these information that,

previously agreed in a timely manner, is finally communicated to the agent

recipient, for example the driver of the vehicle.

The driver of the vehicle is represented in the diagram in Fig. 1 by the

block e

fifteen

Communications between the different devices (On) are described as

continuation:

Communication between the devices: Motor (01), Instruments (02) and Diagnosis a

Board (03) (Fia 1), This communication is made using the system used for

standard form by the vehicle manufacturer. In the industry they exist in the

twenty

several systems sanctioned by experience; this is the case of

called CAN Bus (Controller Area Network Bus), (B, Fig. 1) developed by the

Robert Bosch GmbH and protected by DE3826774 and others; East

It is a standard system for motor vehicles but there are equivalent airs

They can also be used.

25

Communication between devices: Emissions (06), and Data Center (Dl)

(Fig. 1): It is done in real time through the device Communication with the

Outside (05) (Fig1), The Central Data device (D7) may process the information received, store it and, if necessary, send it to the Driver (e) (Fig. 1) Communication between the Emissions Device (OS), the Device Instruments (02) and the Driver (C) (Fig. 1: The communication between the Emissions Device (06) and the Instruments Device (D2) will be carried out via the Bus (B) (Fig. 1). The Instruments device (D2 ) is built by a man-machine interface where the information would appear in a visual or auditory way, that is to say sensitive to the Driver (e), who could capture it in real time to use it directly and immediately to improve the driving of the vehicle.

SOME APPLICATIONS OF THE INVENTION, Among the possible applications of the described system are the following: 1 -, - With a sufficiently high number of vehicles that have the described system can be generated ~ pollution maps "in order to know in real time the degree of pollution that affects the geographical areas of interest.The problem of generating pollution maps is solved today by the installation of numerous pollution sensing stations that are extraordinarily expensive each.The proposed invention constitutes an effective solution to the problem of estimating these values in any geographical area without requiring the high economic investment required to establish a measuring station in the vicinity of each

One of the interested areas.

21. · The proposed system would allow the establishment of the collection of a specific pollution charge produced by each driver, depending exclusively on the pollution caused by the vehicle or segmented depending on the geographical area in which the pollution is implemented.

produce This mechanism would solve a technical problem that is currently attacked in a rough way by means of the registration tax, which measures the theoretical emissions of a vehicle without taking into account the actual use made of it, that is, it quantifies and penalizes it even though the vehicle is stationary 31 • -The proposed system allows, even if there are no nearby pollution measuring stations, instant detection of ~ hot spots ~ of contamination, due to traffic jams for example, with the possibility of generating a sensitive alarm when an excessive level of contamination is reached . This solution is extremely useful in closed environments, such as tunnels. 4 -, - Real-time detection of vehicle faults that result in excessive contamination. This detection has different applications such as advising the driver to go to the nearest workshop and repairing the fault, cut off as soon as possible the emission of pollutants, which would only be detected in the following Technical Vehicle Inspection (ITV) or notify the Competent Authority of the anomalous operation of the object vehicle that, in this way, could be intercepted and even immobilized if necessary. 5a.-report on the ~ ecological impact ~ caused by the different profiles

drivers' performance personnel since, for example, it is proven that an aggressive driver "pollutes to a greater extent than another who does not have such consideration. 63 ._ Preparation of statistics on the ecological footprints produced by the different models of the different vehicle brands obtained in real conditions, which would complement and clarify the results of the tests carried out by the manufacturers in controlled environments.

EXAMPLE OF REALIZATION. The operation of the system for one of the most relevant cases defined by the following parameters is shown below: · Vehicle type: Tourism. Fuel: Petrol · Emission subject to calculation: CO, · Source of estimate: Frey et al., Road grade esfimation for on · road vehicle

emissions modeling using light detection and ranging data. ISSN: 1096-2247 · Monthly information added For each moment in which the emission of the specified pollutant is estimated, the specific power of the required vehicle (hereinafter PEVR) is calculated, following the mathematical formula listed below:

PEVR = (O, 27813.6) v · ({O, 305 / 3.6) to + 9.81 sen (arctan (r / 100)) + 1, 132) +

+ (0.0000065 / 3.6 ') v' The meaning and units of the different variables that appear are:

v: vehicle speed, expressed in meters per second.

a: vehicle acceleration expressed in meters per second square (m / s2)

r: pending in percentage. PEVR: Specific Power of the Vehicle Required, expressed in kilowatts per ton (kw / t). The three variables v, a and r, the latter with the help of maps, are calculated from GPS device data, so the generic system represented in the Figure 1 is simplified, devices 01.02 and D3 not being necessary (Fig.

one ).

With this value of the PEVR thus calculated, the interval in which this magnitude is found is selected from those indicated below:

· Interval 1: PEVR less than -2 · Interval 2: PEVR greater than or equal to -2 and less than O · Interval 3: PEVR greater than or equal to O and less than 1. · Interval 4: PEVR greater than or equal to 1 and less than 4.. Interval 5: PEVR greater than or equal to 4 and less than 7. · Interval 6: PEVR greater than or equal to 7 and less than 10. · Interval 7: PEVR greater than or equal to 10 and less than 13. . Interval 8: PEVR greater than or equal to 13 and less than 16. · Interval 9: PEVR greater than or equal to 16 and less than 19.. Interval 10: PEVR greater than or equal to 19 and less than 23 · Interval 11: PEVR greater than or equal to 23 and less than 28. · Interval 12: PEVR greater than or equal to 28 and less than 33. · Interval 13: PEVR greater than or equal to 33 and less than 39. · Interval 14: PEVR greater than or equal to 39. Once the interval to which it belongs is known, the CO2 emission value is assigned according to the following values: · Interval 1: 1,7 · Interval 2: 1,5 · Interval 3: 1,1. Range 4: 2.2 · Range 5: 2.9 · Range 6: 3.5 · Range 7: 4.1 · Range 8: 4.6. Range 9: 5.2 · Range 10: 5.6

Interval 11: 6.5 . Range 12: 7.7 Interval 13: 9.0 Interval 14: 10.9

5 The units of CO2 emissions being expressed in grams per second. In this calculation, zero value for acceleration has been considered. The information is stored during the defined period to perform the aggregate calculations (one month in this application example) and then processed for shipment to the driver. This accumulates all estimated CO2 emissions in the

10 period indicated. The pollutants will be estimated by equivalent procedures specific to each product.

Claims (8)

1.-System for driving assistance of motor vehicles based on the

S

Information management on pollutant emissions, characterized by

Understand the following devices:

A motor device capable of periodically collecting the values of

operating parameters captured by the sensors installed in the vehicle

Such as: exhaust gas temperature sensor, consumption sensor

10

instantaneous, engine speed sensor, speed sensor, sensor

acceleration, gear sensor that is being used.

An Instrument device consisting of a man-machine utility (visual or

auditory) that receives and shows the driver real-time information in the

vehicle interior

fifteen

A diagnosis device on board, which reads the information collected by the

Motor device and generates alarm signals when the sensors installed in the

vehicle indicate a malfunction of the engine and when the amounts of

pollutant gases generated by it exceed a threshold value previously

settled down.

twenty

A GPS device that supplies the values of the geographic coordinates and,

with the help of maps, of the slope of the land of the place where the

vehicle, as well as its speed and acceleration.

An External Communication device capable of transmitting in real time the

data generated by the other devices, to a remote Data Center.

25

An Emissions device that receives information from other devices and

is able to quantify the amount of each of the different pollutants

issued.

A remote Central Data device that receives data in real time coming from the vehicle and processes them. 2. System for the aid to the driving of motor vehicles based on the management of the information on polluting emissions, according to claim 1, characterized in that the fuel used in the vehicle can be gasoline, 9a501eo, biodiesel, bioethanol or biomass, interchangeably. 3. System for the aid to the driving of motor vehicles based on the management of the information on polluting emissions, according to claim 1, characterized in that the system is applicable interchangeably in vehicles whose propulsion system is formed by internal combustion engines or engines hybrids 4.-Procedure for the implementation of the system of the preceding claims, characterized in that by means of a set of devices that using the instantaneous values of the parameters of operation of the vehicle, consists in obtaining the level of polluting emissions, so that The Emissions device uses the information provided by the Motor device about the instantaneous consumption value of the vehicle to make an assessment of CO2 emissions, NO ~, 802, 0 3, VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds), HC particles, PAH, or any other,; This assessment will be shown to the driver of the vehicle in real time by means of the Instruments device and together with the data provided, with the help of maps, by the GPS device, and at the time of the assessment, it will also be sent in real time, by means of the External Communication device, to the remote Central Data device, where it will be processed conveniently for convenient operation. 5. Method according to claim 41, characterized in that in order to carry out an assessment of CO2 emissions, the Emissions device uses exclusively the information of speed M, acceleration (a) of the vehicle and slope (r) of the 5 terrain provided, with the help of maps, by the GPS device; With these data, the estimated Specific Power of the Vehicle can be calculated using the following mathematical formula: PEVR = (0.278 / 3.6) v '«0.305 / 3.6) to + 9.81 sen (are tan (r / 1 00)) + 1, 132) + (0.0000065 / 3.6 ') v'. lOn which (v) is vehicle speed in meters per second, (a) is its acceleration in meters per second squared, (r) is the slope of the land expressed in percentage and (PEVR) is the Specific Power of the Estimated Vehicle expressed in kiolowatios per ton (kw / t). The CO2 emission assessment will be carried out following stages i) and ii) that a The following are indicated: i) Calculating the PEVR, as indicated above. ii) Determining the interval in which the value of the PEVR is found and a from this the value of the CO2 emission in gIs. This assessment will be shown in real time to the driver of the vehicle through the 20 device Instruments and together with the vehicle position data and slope of the terrain provided by the GPS device at the time of the assessment, it will also be sent, through the device Communication with the Exterior, in real time, to the remote device Central de Data where it will be processed conveniently for exploitation. 6. Procedure according to claim 48, characterized in that the Emissions device uses the age of each specific type and model of vehicle as an additional parameter in the procedure for calculating polluting emissions and for generating alarms when the permitted contamination threshold is exceeded for vehicles with that age. 5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the Emissions device uses the exact class of fuel used in each type and specific model of vehicle as an additional parameter in the procedure for calculating polluting emissions and for generating alarms when it is exceeded. the pollution threshold allowed for user vehicles according to the fuel that 10 use. 8. Method according to claim 48, characterized in that the Emissions device combines the information related to the calculation of pollutant emissions with the geographical and temporal coordinates of the place where they were produced, 15 providing the interested agent with the so-called "pollution maps" of the vehicle. 9. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the Emissions device performs both the calculations of instantaneous emissions of the vehicle and the calculation of arithmetic or geometric averages of emission values in a period 20, at a given engine speed, in a preset speed range or in specific geographical environments, including urban and interurban environments.