Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07C—TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
  • G07C5/00—Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
  • G07C5/004—Indicating the operating range of the engine

Definitions

• the invention relates to a system for minimising the costs for operation and maintenance of internal combustion engines, and more specifically, but not exclusively, internal combustion engines which are mounted in vehicles and even more specifically heavy vehicles.
• An internal combustion engine has a varying efficiency depending on at which motor speed the engine is working.
• an internal combustion engine has a motor speed interval in which the engine has an optimum efficiency. Operation outside this interval results in a lower efficiency and consequently losses in form of increased fuel consumption and an increased wear of the engine and in the case of a car also the tyres.
• a system for reducing the fuel consumption of engines is disclosed in EP-646708 Bl . This patent relates to an apparatus for reducing the supply of fuel to the engine a while after full throttle has been performed and maintained by automatically controlling a fuel supply means. The reduction of the fuel supply is adjusted so that the motor speed of the engine will not be reduced significantly at constant load.
• the system has no memory function in that it does not take an earlier driving behaviour into account, i.e. it is the instantaneous fuel consumption that is affected.
• An object with the present invention is to provide a significant improvement of the total economy of an internal combustion engine.
• An object with the present invention is more specifically to reduce the fuel consumption, reduce the wear of the engine, reduce the discharge of ecologically harmful substances through the exhaust fumes and in the case of a car also reduce the wear of the tyres of the vehicle.
• a further object is to improve the driver's driving behaviour by reading objective data from the vehicle by means of a control unit during operation, process the data and generate an output signal which is presented to the driver of the vehicle, e.g. through presentation means in form of a display. The output signal may further be used to generate a control signal to the fuel supply means of the engine .
• Fig 1 is a schematic block diagram of the system according to the invention.
• Fig 2 is a flow chart of the method according to the invention.
• Fig 3 is a graph of a torque curve of an internal combustion engine with the economical region indicated.
• the invention is based on a system which measures the relevant factors that control the consumption of energy and the working economy of an engine 1 and transforms these factors to quantifiable data.
• the system provides conditions for optimal use of provided engine energy. Data are transferred into easily interpretable symbols which can trigger corrective measures in systems that supervise the way to assimilate the consumed energy and which otherwise affect the working economy.
• the system is characterised in that corrective measures can be taken based on stored as well as momentary information. Corrective measures may be triggered by both human and intelligent mechanical control systems.
• the fields of application of the system are mainly in the transport sector with special emphasis on vehicles intended for transport of goods and people by sea and land.
• the system is characterised in that through continuos measuring, registration and transformation to easily interpreted information it facilitates the corrective measures that in every moment are necessary to provide for an optimum use of provided energy.
• a feature when presenting data is that only the information which shall give rise to a corrective measure is presented.
• This kind of selective presentation is specially adapted for maximising the human ability to perceive and react to relevant information during a long period.
• the information is presented on a display 2 which is adapted to be placed where it is easily observed.
• a feature of the information which is presented on the above-mentioned display unit 2 is that it is arranged in a manner which makes it possible for a person, who shall interpret and react on the provided information, to survey the process momentarily and during a period back in time. With this principle of continuos presentation, both the information which leads to corrective measures and the confirmation that the measure has been performed are documented together with the result thereof.
• Another characteristic in the way of providing information is that the relevant information is presented in a form which prioritise a reflex-based perception of information and as a consequence thereof reflex-based reactions on this information instead of information that calls for an intellectual effort in form of registration, evaluation, and transformation to an adequate measure.
• the relevant factors are normally derived from the measuring and registration systems 3 that are located in the actual engine or vehicle.
• Another characteristic for the way to register and evaluate data is a built-in method for every specific unit to revise the need of kinetic energy on a running basis due to the influence of external factors. Thereby it is possible to distinguish between the energy that has been supplied to the engine 1 for compensating for the influence of external, non-affectable factors, such as wind, topography, and load, and energy that has been supplied for affectable factors such as speed, motor speed, and output power.
• the calculation is performed by a control unit 4, which has been developed for this purpose, using a specific formula for the energy consumption.
• the system registers retardation within the time specified for use according to the above, this will be registered as a negative deviation in both the registration system and on the display 2.
• the amount of negative deviation increases with the time of retardation and the amount of retardation.
• the system is also characterised by a technique to indicate a best possible use of the engine 1 and/or whether it generates the expected power at defined combinations of motor speed, throttle and load by detecting substances in the exhaust fumes.
• the concentration of the detector substance constitutes a measure of the capacity of the engine 1 to deliver power and the driving behaviour of the driver respectively.
• control unit which can be programmed by means of an external PC 5 for every vehicle.
• the control unit is preferably programmed in a high level language, such as C, and has an external memory 6 (eeprom, ram or the like) that stores all vehicle data.
• the energy supplied to the vehicle at a speed increase is the theoretical kinetic energy multiplied by an efficiency. This is not an absolute measure but merely a relative measure that increases exponentially with the speed:
• Wk v 2 * m / 2 It does not matter which mass we choose as the relationship is linear and we are only interested in a relative measure.
• the supplied energy according to the above is called the invested energy and is presented as an amplitude on a bar on the display 2.
• the maximum value of the bar corresponds to the energy that the driver supplies to the vehicle when he performs a speed increase from 0 to 90 km/h during a time interval t.
• the invested energy is reduced with a percentage rate rl and a fixed rate r2 per second;
• Winvest Winvest - Winvest * rl (k) - r2 (k)
• a specific power is needed to maintain e.g. a vehicle at a constant speed.
• the power need is a function of the total load; for example physical load, air resistance, roll resistance, and topography. These factors represent an unavoidable energy loss, which the driver has no influence on with the exception of speed selection, as the air resistance is exponentially dependent on the speed according to;
• the present invention calculates the total load at every instance. At acceleration and retardation the mass may be derived from the time it takes for a specific engine 1 to obtain a specific speed increase or retardation.
• the calculated optimum need for power which determines an unavoidable loss factor k of the vehicle, is continuously compared with the load point of the engine 1.
• An engine 1 can generate a specific power at different loads where every load has a specific efficiency. Operation of the engine 1 at a higher efficiency results in a better economy.
• a load point is a function of motor speed and torque.
• the efficiency at the actual load point is continuously compared with all possible load points that generate the same power and with their efficiency. The difference between the efficiency of the actual load point and the load point with the highest efficiency is continuously monitored.
• a difference between the actual load point and the optimum load point generates an error message .
• the interest rates rl and r2 are in their simplest form a constant multiplied by the loss factor k.
• the interest rates may however be calculated from more complex relationships, e.g. an acceleration of the vehicle at a poor efficiency of the engine 1 may result in a longer reduction period than if the acceleration occurs at an optimum efficiency (correct motor speed interval) .
• W_lost will be weighted and presented in the diagram.
• the momentary load is used to know which gear with the highest efficiency the driver may choose without loosing speed (too low power output) .
• the economy zone (green zone) shrinks at high load.
• the economy zone normally lies between approximately 1200 and 1700 rpm, but if the load is high the green zone may shrink to 1400 - 1700 rpm.
• the zone normally shrinks from low rpm up to higher rpm with increased load. However, the green zone might expand to e.g. 1000 - 1700 if the load decreases.
• the control unit 4 stores in two different locations how many seconds the engine 1 has been operating in every motor speed during its working life.
• the motor speed value when the engine 1 has been operating with supply of fuel (throttle) is stored in one location and the motor speed spectrum without restrictions is stored in the other location. This is done in order to be able to distinguish between running the engine at too high motor speeds and motor braking.
• Motor speed, speed, throttle and economy (curve) is stored four times per second in a memory unit tied to the driver.
• the data are subsequently used for evaluation of the driving.
• the evaluation is preferably made in a PC 5 where the programme supplies the driver with feedback of how good/bad he drives and advise of how he might improve his way of driving.
• the best way to reach an optimum use of supplied kinetic energy to engine driven vehicles is to; a. influence the driver to drive economically by: providing continuous feedback during driving indicating to the driver if he is driving correctly or not. At incorrect behaviour, the system calls for corrective measures or a control unit triggers an automatic correction. registering driving behaviour so that it may be followed up, evaluated, and corrected by means of information, education, and incentive. providing a basis for systems that may give stimulus towards a correct driving behaviour. detecting substances in the exhaust fumes that show a high correlation with an uneconomical driving behaviour. b. see to that the engine 1 is in a condition which provides best power by; evaluating the power need of the engine 1 and calling for measures when negative deviations occur.
• the judgements of a correct or incorrect behaviour are based on how the torque of the specific engine 1 is used in dependence of load, speed change, and speed. Tracer substances in the exhaust fumes provide a complementary basis for forming a judgement.
• the aim is to minimise the motor speed at every load and speed. This is true for engines equipped with EDC . For engines without EDC the demand is added that the throttle shall not provide more energy/fuel than the engine 1 can make use of.
• the system is based on a control unit 4.
• This control unit 4 is in turn divided into two units, the vehicle unit and the driver unit.
• the vehicle unit is coupled to and configured for every specific vehicle.
• the driver unit is a driver specific unit, which goes along with the driver when he drives another car or if the driving pattern of the driver shall be transferred to an analysis and/or follow up programme .
• the vehicle unit measures three parameters from the car by means of sensors; motor speed, speed, and throttle.
• the throttle is measured per thousand where a completely released throttle pedal corresponds to 0 and a fully depressed throttle pedal corresponds 1000.
• Load is the weight, air resistance, roll resistance etc. of the vehicle .
• the vehicle unit stores constants and graphs, which are specified for every type of engine, such as:
• the system is further based on registering of information in four basic blocks :
• Block 1 Limits, registers and reports when appointed limits are exceeded whit regards to the factors: - speed
• Block 2 - Driving patterns register and report deviations from recommended driving patterns:
• Block 4 - Engine history registers the total engine time of the vehicle in different motor speed regions differentiated into the categories: - ⁇ ourney
• Block 1 comprises data that are objective and may hence be used as concrete goals.
• Block 1 and 2 are shown on a display when deviation occurs and are classified as an incorrect behaviour which may be followed up and attended by the driver .
• Block 2 constitutes the part of the registration which is based on judgements of what is more or less right or wrong. Even for these judgements, goals may be formulated and followed up. There is, however, no absolute truth which results in that the objectives may be differentiated and adapted to the vehicle fleet, way of transportation, and the education level of the driver. Errors that may occur and measures against them are disclosed below.
• Block 3 describes how the driving time is distributed among different activities during the time every driver makes use of the vehicle.
• Basic data in this block may both be used for planning driving routes as well as setting goals for activities that the driver may influence.
• Block 4 describes the history of the vehicle and act as a basis for forming a judgement of its technical standard and useful life.
• the driver shall always be informed of deviations that are registered as an incorrect behaviour.
• the indication on the driver unit is for this purpose designed so that only deviations are shown and that the magnitude of the error signal is in proportion to the size of the error.
• the principle is simple; the change of the appearance of the area on the display calls for attention while the amount of change controls the impulse and the extent of reaction. Since the driver unit accounts for the most recent driving, preferably 30 seconds, the driver may follow the effect of the corrective measure.
• a driver may chose to switch gear so that he uses all gears, i.e. switch gear from 1, 2, 3, 4 ... highest gear.
• the acceleration will take longer time.
• the driver may change gear at the wrong motor speed, for example at a too high motor speed (a high cost per kW used) , or operate at gears that lie at a too low motor speed. This will lead to a low use of power at a high cost per kW.
• every gear change costs energy.
• An expensive acceleration (per time unit) during a short time pays off better than an acceleration that is somewhat cheaper per time unit during a longer time.
• the driver When travelling at constant speed, the driver may chose a too low gear in order to keep the speed. The motor speed will then lie in a region where every provided kW costs more than necessary. The driver may also choose a gear which is too high and even in this case every kW costs more than necessary. We want the driver to operate the vehicle as close as possible to the optimum motor speed, that is where every kW costs as little as possible. We calculate which gear that lies as close as possible to the optimum motor speed and tip-off the driver to change gear as many steps as necessary (in one gear change) . Also in this case we make sure that the vehicle will obtain a motor speed that is powerful enough not to demand the driver to change gear at every small extra load, such as head wind.
• the driver may immediately select a lower gear in order to climb the hill with a high power without losing speed.
• the driver may shift gear every half step up the hill in order to always use the highest power.
• the disclosure above is directed towards a preferred embodiment in form of a vehicle.
• the invention is used to increase the working economy of for example a power plant that is operated by an internal combustion engine.
• the load changes depend on variable energy needs of the consumers, which make use of the energy from the power plant .
• An example of poor working economy in this context is to increase the energy production in the power plant when it is known, for example through market surveys of the consumption habits of the consumers, that the energy consumption will decrease within a near future .

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Combined Controls Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
• Control Of Vehicle Engines Or Engines For Specific Uses (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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ID=20280087

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

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• 2000
  • 2000-06-14 SE SE0002224A patent/SE0002224L/ not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2001
  • 2001-06-14 AU AU2001274756A patent/AU2001274756A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-06-14 WO PCT/SE2001/001365 patent/WO2001097176A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2001-06-14 EP EP01941399A patent/EP1299863A1/en not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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