System for calculating and collecting a road usage charge for a motor vehicle

Abstract

System for calculating and collecting a road usage charge for a motor vehicle (1) powered by a drive unit (3), comprising a first control unit (20) arranged in or on the motor vehicle (1) and a second control unit (30) arranged outside the motor vehicle (1), wherein the first control unit (20) can exchange data with the second control unit (30), wherein the first control unit (20) generates a characteristic value dependent on actual energy consumption and / or actual exhaust emissions from data of the drive unit (3) during operation of the drive unit (3) and continuously stores it in a writable intermediate memory (23) of the first control unit (20), which reflects an environmental impact actually caused by the operation of the drive unit (3) in a defined time interval,wherein the first control unit (20) transmits the current value of the stored parameter to the second control unit (30) as part of the data exchange and clears the intermediate memory (23) after successful transmission of the parameter to the second control unit (30), and wherein the second control unit (30) calculates a road usage charge payable by the owner or driver of the motor vehicle (1) for that motor vehicle (1) for the time interval, characterized in that a first control unit (20) arranged in or on the motor vehicle (1) and a second control unit (30) arranged outside the motor vehicle (1) comprise, wherein the first control unit (20) can exchange data with the second control unit (30),wherein the first control unit (20) generates a data set dependent on actual energy consumption and / or actual exhaust emissions from data of the drive unit (3) during operation of the drive unit (3) and continuously stores it in a writable intermediate memory (23) of the first control unit (20), which represents an environmental impact actually caused by the operation of the drive unit (3) in a defined time interval, wherein the second control unit (30) transmits a formula to the first control unit (20) at the beginning of the data exchange, according to which the first control unit (20) generates a characteristic value for the time interval to be evaluated within the framework of this data exchange from the current values ​​of the stored data set, wherein the first control unit (20) transmits the generated characteristic value to the second control unit (30) and clears the intermediate memory (23) after successful transmission of the characteristic value to the second control unit (30),and wherein the second control unit (30) uses the transmitted parameter to calculate a road usage charge payable by the owner or driver of the motor vehicle (1) for that motor vehicle (1) for the time interval.

Description

The present invention relates to a road usage output calculation and sampling system for an automobile.For a motor vehicle which is permitted to operate in a state, a so-called motor vehicle control is usually raised by the state of its permission and is charged to the owner of the motor vehicle. For the determination of the level of the motor vehicle control to be provided by the owner of the motor vehicle, the control authority authorized by the state to collect the motor vehicle control usually uses motor vehicle categories into which the motor vehicle to be controlled is grouped. Usually, a distinction is made here between passenger motor vehicles and commercial motor vehicles, usually on the basis of a registration number which a governmental agency has granted for all motor vehicles permitted for operation in the state, as a function of the vehicle type or for each individual vehicle.A known criterion for determining the height of the motor vehicle control system to be provided for the respective motor vehicle is the differentiation between different weight classes. This criterion is intended to take into account the individual wear of the roads due to high vehicle weights and is therefore used in particular in the motor vehicle control specification for commercial vehicles.Another known criterion for determining the height of the motor vehicle control system to be equipped for the respective motor vehicle is the differentiation between different performance classes of the drive engine of the motor vehicle. Assuming that high-performance motor vehicles achieve comparatively high travel route outputs, this criterion can take account of the individual wear of the roads due to frequent and rapid driving and is therefore used in particular in the motor vehicle control specification for passenger motor vehicles.Another known criterion for determining the height of the motor vehicle control system to be equipped for the respective motor vehicle is the differentiation between different displacement classes of the drive engine of the motor vehicle. This criterion is also used in particular in motor vehicle control specification for passenger vehicles.Clearly, the operation or driving of a motor vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine loads the environment due to its fuel consumption. As a criterion which is directed towards resource consumption or resource conservation for defining the level of the motor vehicle control to be issued for the respective motor vehicle, consideration is given to the motor vehicle consumption, which is determined in standardized tests by the respective manufacturer of the motor vehicle to be controlled as a so-called standard consumption within the scope of type approval of the motor vehicle construction pattern to which the motor vehicle to be controlled is to be assigned on the basis of its approval code, and which is present in the control authority authorized to issue the motor vehicle control.The problem with the use of such a standard consumption is that the tests used hitherto for this purpose, on account of their standardized test conditions, only insufficiently depict which fuel quantity the vehicle to be controlled actually consumes-that is to say under real operating conditions.Without doubt, the operation or driving of a motor vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine also loads the environment on account of the combustion exhaust gases emitted by the internal combustion engine during operation. A modern criterion, which is oriented toward environmental pollution, for defining the height of the motor vehicle control system to be provided for the respective motor vehicle is the differentiation between different exhaust gas classes. Known classifications in exhaust gas classes take into account both the exhaust gas quality or exhaust gas composition and the exhaust gas quantity, which are determined in standardized tests by the respective manufacturer of the motor vehicle to be controlled as so-called standard exhaust gas values within the scope of the type approval of the motor vehicle construction pattern to which the motor vehicle to be controlled is to be assigned on the basis of its approval characteristic number, and which are available to the control authority authorized to collect the motor vehicle control.The problem with using such standard exhaust gas values is that the tests used hitherto for this purpose, on account of their standardized test conditions, only insufficiently map the exhaust gas quantity and the exhaust gas composition which the vehicle to be controlled actually emits-that is to say under real operating conditions. As measures for this problem, US 2010 / 0161391 A1, US 2015 / 0088618 A1 and US 2010 / 0076878 A1 are mentioned. In this document, a method for acquiring an exhaust-gas emission-dependent motor vehicle control is proposed, in which a type of penalty control is calculated on the basis of exhaust-gas data of the motor vehicle internal combustion engine for those driving portions in which the internal combustion engine actually emits an unacceptably high pollutant quantity. For this purpose, the exhaust gas composition is measured periodically or continuously in the motor vehicle during operation of the internal combustion engine outside the engine warm-up, by means of an exhaust gas sensor installed in the motor vehicle. Only the measured exhaust gas composition of measurement cycles running through without errors is checked by means of an algorithm implemented in a vehicle-mounted electronic control unit for belonging to a first class "pre-written exhaust gas composition" and a second class "non-regulation exhaust gas composition", optionally taking into account different limit values for different environmental zones. At least the number of measurements classified into the second class "non-regulation-compliant exhaust gas composition" is stored in a memory of the vehicle-mounted control device and transmitted as a characteristic variable to an external electronic control device in a random or event-oriented time pattern. After the characteristic variable has been transmitted, the memory of the vehicle-mounted control device is deleted, but the transmitted characteristic variable can also be archived in a special ring memory for documentation purposes. In the external control unit, a due additional control is then determined on the basis of the transmitted characteristic variable as a penalty for the temporary operation of the motor vehicle with unacceptably high exhaust gas emission.Furthermore, so-called toll fees are known for the collection of a type of motor vehicle control, which toll fees the driver or the owner of the motor vehicle has to pay to the operator of the roads for the use of defined - public or private - roads in the area of the state that collects the toll fees depending on the route, i.e. depending on the route length being traveled - or else on a daily basis. In this way, those motor vehicles which are not registered in the state and yet use the operator's roads can and should also be involved in the costs of maintaining these roads.The present invention is based on the object of specifying a system for calculating and acquiring an alternative road use output for a motor vehicle which is oriented in a manner which can be perceived by the driver or owner of the motor vehicle on the environmental load caused by the operation of the motor vehicle on public or private roads.This object is achieved according to the invention by a system having the features of claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments and developments emerge from the dependent claims.Accordingly, a system for calculating and increasing a road usage output for a motor vehicle that can be driven by a drive unit is proposed, comprising a first control unit arranged in or on the motor vehicle (i.e. fixed to the vehicle) and a second control unit arranged outside the motor vehicle (i.e. external to the vehicle), wherein the first control unit can exchange data with the second control unit.In a first aspect of the invention, it is proposed that the first control device generates a characteristic variable dependent on an actual energy consumption and / or on an actual exhaust gas emission from data of the drive device during operation of the drive device and continuously stores it in a writable intermediate memory of the first control device. This characteristic variable particularly advantageously depicts an environmental load actually produced during a defined time interval by the operation of the drive unit. In the course of the data exchange, the first control device transmits the current value of the stored characteristic variable to the second control device. After successful transmission of the characteristic variable to the second control device, the first control device clears its buffer. Using the transmitted characteristic variable, the second control device calculates a road use output to be paid for for this motor vehicle by the owner or the driver of the motor vehicle for the time interval.The actual exhaust emission may take into account both the actual amount of exhaust emitted and the actual exhaust composition emitted.In the invention according to the first aspect, it is provided that the characteristic variable is generated by means of a formula which is stored in the memory of the first control device.The calculation is preferably made by the second control device. In this case, the calculated road usage output can be stored in a memory of the second control device or transmitted from the second control device to an external data memory for storage.Furthermore, in the invention according to the first aspect, it can be provided that the second control device, after clearing the value of the characteristic variable, transmits an updated formula to the first control device, on the basis of which the first control device is intended to generate the characteristic variable in the following time interval.In a second aspect of the invention, it is proposed that the first control device generates from data of the drive device during operation of the drive device a data set dependent on an actual energy consumption and / or on the actual dependent data set and continuously stores it in a writable intermediate memory of the first control device. This data record particularly advantageously depicts an environmental load actually produced during a defined time interval by the operation of the drive unit. The second control device transmits to the first control device at the beginning of the data exchange a formula, on the basis of which the first control device generates a characteristic variable for the time interval to be evaluated in the context of this data exchange from the current values of the stored data record. The first control unit transmits this generated characteristic variable to the second control unit. After successful transmission of the characteristic variable to the second control device, the first control device clears its buffer. Using the transmitted characteristic variable, the second control device calculates a road use output to be paid for for this motor vehicle by the owner or the driver of the motor vehicle for the time interval.Here again, the actual exhaust emission may take into account both the actual amount of exhaust gas emitted and the actual exhaust composition emitted.Here, too, the calculation is preferably performed by the second control device, wherein the calculated road usage output can be stored in a memory of the second control device or transmitted from the second control device to an external data memory for storage.If the motor vehicle has an internal combustion engine as a drive unit, the energy consumption considered within the scope of the first and second aspect of the invention is the fuel consumption of this internal combustion engine.If the motor vehicle has an electric motor as the sole drive unit, the energy consumption considered within the scope of the first and second aspect of the invention can be that amount of electrical energy which is taken from an energy store installed in the motor vehicle. Alternatively, the energy consumption considered within the scope of the first and second aspect of the invention can also be that amount of electrical energy which is added to an energy store installed in the motor vehicle from outside the motor vehicle.In a development of the invention both according to the first and according to the second aspect, it can be provided that data relevant for a delivery discount are taken into account in the generation of the characteristic variable. Alternatively, data relevant to a delivery discount can be transmitted from the first control device to the second control device in addition to the characteristic variable. An example of output-discount-relevant data is route portions or time portions in which the motor vehicle is operated within the time interval with a predefined number of passengers. Another example of output-discount-relevant data is route portions or time portions in which the motor vehicle is driven purely by electric motor within the time interval, provided that the motor vehicle has both an internal combustion engine and at least one electric motor as drive units.In another development of the invention both according to the first and according to the second aspect, it can be provided that data relevant for professional or commercial use of the motor vehicle are taken into account in the generation of the characteristic variable. Alternatively, data can be transmitted from the first control device to the second control device in addition to the characteristic variable, which data are relevant for professional or commercial use of the motor vehicle. Such data relevant for professional or commercial use of the motor vehicle are created in the first control unit preferably on the basis of manual driver inputs "private use", "professional use within the scope of non-commercial activity" and "commercial use", which presupposes that the motor vehicle has an input device suitable for this purpose.To increase the security against data loss and data abuse, it can be provided in the invention both according to the first and according to the second aspect that the characteristic variable transmitted to the second control device is additionally stored in a writable backup memory of the first control device before the temporary memory is deleted.In a third aspect of the invention, it is proposed that the first control device generates a data record dependent on the actual energy consumption and / or on the actual exhaust gas emission from data of the drive device during operation of the drive device and continuously stores it in a writable intermediate memory of the first control device. This data record particularly advantageously depicts an environmental load actually produced during a defined time interval by the operation of the drive unit. The first control device transmits the current values of the stored data set to the second control device during the data exchange. After the data record has been transmitted to the second control device, the first control device clears its buffer. Using the transmitted data record, the second control device calculates a road usage output to be paid for this motor vehicle by the owner or the driver of the motor vehicle for the time interval.Here again, the actual exhaust emission may take into account both the actual amount of exhaust gas emitted and the actual exhaust composition emitted.Here, too, the calculation is preferably performed by the second control device, wherein the calculated road usage output can be stored in a memory of the second control device or transmitted from the second control device to an external data memory for storage.If the motor vehicle has an internal combustion engine as a drive unit, the energy consumption considered within the scope of the third aspect of the invention is the fuel consumption of this internal combustion engine.If the motor vehicle has an electric motor as the sole drive unit, the energy consumption considered within the scope of the third aspect of the invention can be that amount of electrical energy which is taken from an energy store installed in the motor vehicle. Alternatively, the energy consumption considered within the scope of the third aspect of the invention can also be that amount of electrical energy which is added to an energy store installed in the motor vehicle from outside the motor vehicle.In a development of the invention according to the third aspect, it can be provided that the transmitted data record additionally contains data which are relevant for a delivery discount. Suitable data relevant to the delivery discount are, for example, route portions or time portions in which the motor vehicle is operated within the time interval with a predefined number of passengers. Another example of output-discount-relevant data is route portions or time portions in which the motor vehicle is driven purely by electric motor within the time interval, provided that the motor vehicle has both an internal combustion engine and at least one electric motor as drive units.In another development of the invention according to the third aspect, it can be provided that the transmitted data record additionally contains data which are relevant for professional or commercial use of the motor vehicle. Such data relevant for professional or commercial use of the motor vehicle are created in the first control unit preferably on the basis of manual driver inputs "private use", "professional use within the scope of non-commercial activity" and "commercial use", which presupposes that the motor vehicle has an input device suitable for this purpose.In order to increase the security against data loss and data abuse, it can be provided in the invention according to the third aspect that the data record transmitted to the second control device is additionally stored in a writable backup memory of the first control device before the intermediate memory is deleted.In the following, advantageous embodiments are proposed which are suitable for the invention according to all three aspects.Thus, to increase the security of the data exchange, it can be provided, for example, that the second control device must acknowledge the data transmission that has taken place as "successfully transmitted" to the first control device before the first control device can delete the current values of the temporarily stored data set.As data of an internal combustion engine, an actual fuel consumption or a parameter of the internal combustion engine equivalent to the actual fuel consumption may be used, which is summed or integrated during the time interval over the operating time of the internal combustion engine. Such data-for example the injection quantity and injection time of the fuel constantly supplied to the internal combustion engine-are already available in the engine control unit of a modern internal combustion engine, i.e. do not have to be measured or calculated separately for the system according to the invention.However, it is also possible for an electronic transmission control unit of an automatic or automated transmission of the motor vehicle to calculate the actual fuel consumption or the parameter equivalent to the actual fuel consumption and to transmit it to the first control unit. Modern motor vehicles often have automatic or auto-matched transmissions with an intelligent operating or shifting strategy, in which operating characteristic maps of the internal combustion engine are also used within the scope of finding the gears of the transmission that match the respective driving situation, for example in order to adapt the gear proposal to the lowest possible fuel consumption. Modern examples of such an operating or switching strategy can be found, for example, in the non-prepublished patent applications DE 102015215749.0 and DE 102015215751.2, the content of which is intended to be considered in its entirety as part of the present description.As data of an internal combustion engine, an actually emitted exhaust gas quantity of the internal combustion engine may also be used, which is summed up or integrated during the time interval over the operating time of the internal combustion engine. If the exhaust gas quantity is not present as a measurement variable, the actually currently emitted exhaust gas quantity can be calculated comparatively well from the current fuel injection quantity and the currently supplied air quantity, taking into account the engine temperature. An additional classification of the amount of exhaust gas emitted according to proportions of predefined pollutant components makes it possible to adapt the road use output to the different hazardousities of the pollutant components contained in the exhaust gas.In a further development of the invention, it can be provided that data relevant for a delivery additive are taken into account in the generation of the characteristic variable. The advantage of such use is of a withdrawing nature. Suitable data relevant to the delivery aggregate are, for example, route portions or time portions in which the motor vehicle is operated within the time interval above a predefined travel speed. In a simple embodiment for this purpose, this speed threshold can be predefined as a constant which is oriented, for example, on a standard highway speed. In another embodiment, the driving speed threshold can also be predefined in multiple stages or on the basis of a mathematical formula. In yet another configuration, the driving speed threshold can also be predefined as a variable which is based on the maximum speed, prescribed by the legislator, for a route section being driven on.In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is proposed that the data exchange between the first and second control units takes place wirelessly. This allows a wide range of applications of the invention and the consideration of many individual interests of both the charged party and the charged party.The wireless data exchange can take place, for example, automatically after the predefined time interval has elapsed, in each case initiated by the second control device or else by the first control device. Alternatively, the wireless data exchange can also take place automatically on predefined noon.The time interval can be predefined within wide limits. A cost-effective time interval from the standpoint of billing is an entire year, but also a half year or a quarter year or a month or a week or a day. If the system according to the invention is used, for example, in the manner of a toll charge for selected routes, it is considered to be client-friendly if a predefined number of days, for example a weekend, is defined as the time interval. Expediently, the time interval is predefined by the second control device, that is to say by the charged party. By contrast, it is considered to be client-friendly if the time interval is selectable by the owner or driver of the motor vehicle.As an alternative to the wireless data exchange, it can also be provided that the data exchange between the first and second control units takes place via a motor vehicle-fixed data interface. In this case, the time interval is defined from the time difference between the current data exchange and the previous data exchange. It can be provided in practice that this time difference is rounded over entire days.The data exchange between the first and second control units via a motor vehicle-fixed data interface can take place, for example, in the context of legally prescribed cyclic checking of the motor vehicle by an authorized institution (TÜV, DEKRA,... ) or in the context of a workshop stay, for example using an interface or a diagnostic control unit which is connected, on the one hand, via the motor vehicle-fixed data interface to the motor vehicle-fixed first control unit and, on the other hand, communicates with the second control unit via a telephone or data line.In the case of bidirectional communication between the first vehicle-mounted control device and the second control device which is arbitrarily located outside the motor vehicle, it can also be provided, for example, for payment of the road use output elevated by the second control device that the second control device plays back the value of the road use output which is currently to be paid to the first control device and the first control device then applies this value to a vehicle-mounted prepaid system.A control device according to the invention, which is designed as a first control device of the system described above, accordingly comprises means for generating the characteristic variable or the data set, means for temporarily storing the characteristic variable or the data set, and means for transmitting the characteristic variable or the data set to the second control device of the system.A control device according to the invention, which is designed as a second control device of the system described above, accordingly comprises means for receiving the characteristic variable or the data record, means for calculating the road use output from the received characteristic variable or from the received data record, and means for accounting for the calculated road use output. In this case, this control device can additionally also comprise means for storing the calculated road use output and / or means for transmitting the calculated road use output and / or the received characteristic variable or the received data set to an external memory. Furthermore, this control device can additionally also comprise means for sending data to the first control device of the system.Means are understood here in particular to mean electronic processors and other electronic interconnections which are suitable for receiving and reading data, calculating data, transmitting data to memories and data.An important benefit of the invention is that the owner / operator of privately used motor vehicles has to pay a road use delivery which primarily only reflects the environmental load actually also arising due to its use.A further important benefit of the invention is that both the operator / underholder of a road network and a commercial motor vehicle fleet operator can charge a consumption-dependent or usage-dependent charge or delivery vehicle-individually or driver-individually, for example also in a prepaid method. A motor vehicle fleet provider can also, for example, carry away the ascertained and recorded charge when using his motor vehicle fleet according to applicable legal regulations completely or proportionally directly and, if necessary, also automatically as a controlled delivery.The invention is explained in greater detail below by way of example with reference to the drawings. Identical or comparable components are also provided with the same reference numerals. The following are shown: FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a first embodiment of a system according to the invention; and FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a second embodiment of a system according to the invention.FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic representation of a first exemplary embodiment of a system according to the invention. The system according to the invention serves for calculating and acquiring a road usage output for a motor vehicle 1, which represents an environmental load actually produced during a predefined time interval by the operation of its drive unit 3.The motor vehicle 1 has a drive train 2, in which the drive unit 3 drives a drive axle 6 of the motor vehicle 1 via a transmission 4. In the present example, the drive unit 3 comprises both an internal combustion engine 10 and an electric motor 15, both connected or operatively connected to an input shaft of the transmission 4; the electric motor 15 is assigned an electrical energy store which can be charged, for example, not only via recuperation from the drive train 2, but also via an external charging station from outside the motor vehicle 1.An engine control unit 11 is provided for controlling and / or regulating the internal combustion engine 10. As further components which can be used within the scope of the invention, there are a fuel quantity measuring system 12 which is, for example, part of an injection system of the internal combustion engine 10 or also accesses data of this injection system, an exhaust gas quantity measuring system 13 which is, for example, part of an exhaust system of the internal combustion engine 10 or accesses data of the engine control unit 11 relevant to the exhaust gas quantity, and an exhaust gas component measuring system 14 which is, for example, likewise part of the exhaust system of the internal combustion engine 10 or accesses data of the engine control unit 11 relevant with respect to the exhaust gas composition of the internal combustion engine 10.The transmission 4 is designed, for example, as an automatic or automated transmission, the gear changes of which are controlled or regulated via an electronic transmission control unit 5. For this purpose, an intelligent shifting or operating strategy can be implemented in the transmission control unit 5 in a known manner, which strategy determines gear proposals that are adapted depending on the situation in question and transmits them to a control module of the transmission control unit 5 that is suitable for this purpose in order to carry out the corresponding gear changes. In this case, the shifting or operating strategy implemented in the transmission control unit 5 can, for example, access current operating data of the entire drive train, but also, for example, operating characteristic maps of the drive unit stored in the transmission control unit 5, in order to ascertain suitable gear suggestions with which the lowest possible fuel consumption can be achieved in the respective driving situation. Examples of current operating data of the drive train are the drive rotational speed of the drive unit (i.e. the crankshaft rotational speed of the internal combustion engine 10 and the rotor rotational speed of the electric motor 15 in the illustrated exemplary embodiment), the drive torque of the drive unit (i.e. the torque of the internal combustion engine 10 and the torque of the electric motor 15 in the illustrated exemplary embodiment), the gear and the output rotational speed of the transmission 4, wheel speeds of the drive axle 6, and if the operating characteristic maps stored in the transmission control unit 5 also comprise a fuel consumption characteristic map of the internal combustion engine 10, the transmission control unit 5 can also determine a value for the actual fuel consumption with good accuracy at any point in time of the operation of the internal combustion engine 10 taking into account the actual driving power or the actual driving resistance.In order to determine characteristic values or a data record which is used for establishing the road use output for the operation of the motor vehicle 1, a first electronic control unit 20 which is fixed to the motor vehicle is provided, comprising a computing processor 21, a data memory 22, a writable buffer memory 23 and a transmitter / receiver module 24. data memory 22 and transmitter / receiver module 23 are in a data connection with the computing processor 21. In addition, an optional safety memory 25 is provided in the control device 20, which is likewise in a data connection with the computing processor 21.In the present exemplary embodiment, the arithmetic processor 21 is in data connection with both the engine control unit 11 and the transmission control unit 5. Preferably, from data of the internal combustion engine 10 which are transmitted to the first control unit 20 by the engine control unit 11 during the ongoing operation of the internal combustion engine 10, the computing processor 21 generates a characteristic variable or a data record which is dependent on the actual fuel consumption and / or on the actually emitted exhaust gas quantity and / or on the actually emitted exhaust gas composition of the internal combustion engine 10, integrates or sums the values of this characteristic variable or this data record in the intermediate memory 23 during the predefined time interval over the operating time of the internal combustion engine 10. The value of the characteristic variable currently stored in the intermediate memory 23, or the values of the data set stored in the intermediate memory 23, accordingly represents the environmental impact which was caused by the operation of the internal combustion engine 10 since the beginning of the predefined time interval.Since the motor vehicle 1 in the present exemplary embodiment also has an additional electric motor drive, it is preferably provided that driving plug-in or time components in which the motor vehicle 1 is operated exclusively by the electric motor 15 are taken into account in the generation of the characteristic variable or of the data record in the sense of a fee discount, on the one hand in order to ascertain the level of delivery as fairly as possible, and on the other hand in order to achieve an effect of a drawing in the direction of improved environmental awareness.As a further option, in the exemplary embodiment shown, an input device 26 is provided which can be operated by the driver of the motor vehicle 1 and by means of which the driver can input data, such as, for example, information regarding the current use of the motor vehicle 1, in the control unit 20. Examples of such data are "private use", "non-commercial professional use", "commercial use", and the number of passengers. Such data can be used within the framework of the system according to the invention when determining the road usage fee in order to determine the level of the delivery as fairly as possible, for example by an increasing number of passengers having a charge-reducing effect on the road usage delivery.In the present exemplary embodiment, the formula for generating the characteristic variable or the data set is stored in the data memory 22 of the first control device 20.In the present exemplary embodiment, the determination and billing of the road use output takes place by a second electronic control unit 30 which is located outside the motor vehicle 1 and can exchange data with the first control unit 20 arranged in the motor vehicle 1. The second control device 30 comprises a computing processor 31, a data memory 32 and a transmitter / receiver module 33. data memory 32 and transmitter / receiver module 33 are in data connection with the computing processor 31. As an additional option, the second control device 30 is connected in terms of data technology to an external data memory 34 in order to increase the safety of the system.In the present exemplary embodiment, the data exchange between the first and second control units 20, 30 takes place wirelessly via the transmitter / receiver module 24 of the first control unit 20 and the transmitter / receiver module 33 of the second control unit 30, as is frequently customary in modern communication technology. If the data connection between the first and second control units 20 operates bidirectionally, then the formula stored in the data memory 22 of the first control unit 20 for generating the characteristic variable or the data set can also be updated, if necessary, by means of a corresponding transmission message of the second control unit 30.At the end of the predefined time interval, the wireless transfer of the value of the environmental load characteristic variable generated by the computing processor 21 currently stored in the buffer 23 of the first control device 20 or the values of the data set generated by the computing processor 21 current in the buffer 23 takes place via the transmitter / receiver module 24 of the first control device 20 to the transmitter / receiver module 33 of the second control device 30, with the result that the computing processor 31 can now calculate the now-due road use output. After the data transmission has taken place, the buffer 22 of the first control device is cleared, it being expedient if the second control device 30 has to acknowledge the successful data transmission to the first control device 20 before the buffer 23 in the first control device 20 can be cleared. In the present exemplary embodiment, it is also provided that the characteristic variable transmitted to the second control unit 30 or the data record transmitted to the second control unit 30 is stored in the writable backup memory 25 of the first control unit 20 before the temporary memory 23 is deleted, which increases the security of the system against data loss and data abuse.The time interval itself and the starting point of the data transmission can be predefined in a variety of ways. Examples of this are a data exchange automatically initiated by the second control device 30 or by the first control device 20 on predefined days of the stitch, in an interval of year, in a half year interval, in a month interval, in a week interval, in a predefined multi-day interval or else on a calendar daily basis. For the operator of the road network for which the road use delivery is issued, it may be advantageous if the time interval is predefined by the second control device 30, so that calculable payment sequences are obtained for the operator within his control year. By contrast, a customer-friendly variant can be considered if the time interval can be selected by the owner or driver of the motor vehicle 1.FIG. 2 shows a simplified schematic representation of a second exemplary embodiment of a system according to the invention. As is easily apparent in FIG. 2, the essential difference from the first exemplary embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1 is that instead of the wireless data exchange between the first and second control units 20, 30, a data exchange via data line 43 is now provided in the second exemplary embodiment.For this purpose, the first control device 20 has a vehicle-mounted data interface 27, to which an external data reading device 40 can be connected via a reading cable 42. The data reading device 40 has an interface 41 which communicates with the computing processor 21 and the buffer 23 of the first control device 20 during the data exchange and reads out the value of the environmental load characteristic variable generated by the computing processor 21 currently stored in the buffer 23 or the values of the data set generated by the computing processor 21 currently stored in the buffer 23 and transmits them to the transmitter / receiver module 33 of the second control device 30 via a data line. Such a data line can be, for example, a cable or else a telephone line. The communication between the first and second control units 20, 30 can also be implemented bidirectionally with the interposition of the data read-out device 40, for example in order to record in the data memory 22 of the first control unit an updated formula, on the basis of which the computing processor 21 has to generate in the future the characteristic quantity required for the calculation and elevation (billing) of the road use output or the data record required for the calculation and elevation (billing) of the road use output.Reference numerals denote reference numerals1 Motor vehicle 2 Drive train 3 Drive assembly 4 Transmission 5 Transmission control unit 6 Drive axle 10 Internal combustion engine 11 Engine control unit 12 Fuel quantity measuring system 13 Exhaust gas quantity measuring system 14 Exhaust gas component measuring system 15 Electric motor 16 Energy store 20 First control unit 21 Computing processor of the first control unit 22 Data store of the first control unit 23 Writable intermediate store of the first control unit 24 Transmitter / receiver module of the first control unit 25 Writable safety store of the first control unit 26 Input device 27 Data interface of the first control unit 30 Second control unit 31 Computing processor of the second control unit 32 Store of the second control unit 33 Transmitter / receiver module of the second control unit 34 External store 40 Data reading unit 41 Interface of the data reading unit 42 Reading cable 43 Data line to the second control unit

Claims

System for calculating and increasing a road use output for a motor vehicle (1) which can be driven by a drive unit (3), comprising a first control unit (20) arranged in or on the motor vehicle (1) and a second control unit (30) arranged outside the motor vehicle (1), wherein the first control unit (20) can exchange data with the second control unit (30), wherein the first control unit (20), during the operation of the drive unit (3), generates from data of the drive unit (3) a characteristic variable which is dependent on an actual energy consumption and / or on an actual exhaust gas emission and continuously stores it in a writable intermediate memory (23) of the first control unit (20), which temporary memory maps an environmental load which actually arises during a defined time interval as a result of the operation of the drive unit (3), wherein the first control device (20) transmits the current value of the stored characteristic variable to the second control device (30) during the data exchange and deletes the buffer memory (23) after successful transmission of the characteristic variable to the second control device (30), and wherein the second control device (30) calculates a road use output to be paid for the time interval by the owner or the driver of the motor vehicle (1) for this motor vehicle (1) using the transmitted characteristic variable, characterized in that a first control device (20) arranged in or on the motor vehicle (1) and a second control device (30) arranged outside the motor vehicle (1), wherein the first control device (20) can exchange data with the second control device (30), wherein the first control device (20) generates a data set dependent on an actual energy consumption and / or on an actual exhaust gas emission from data of the drive device (3) during operation of the drive device (3) and continuously stores it in a writable intermediate memory (23) of the first control device (20), which intermediate memory maps an environmental load actually produced during a defined time interval by operation of the drive device (3), wherein the second control device (30) transmits to the first control device (20) at the beginning of the data exchange a formula on the basis of which the first control device (20) generates a characteristic variable for the time interval to be evaluated in the context of this data exchange from the current values of the stored data set, wherein the first control device (20) transmits the generated characteristic variable to the second control device (30) and deletes the intermediate memory (23) after successful transmission of the characteristic variable to the second control device (30), and wherein the second control device (30) calculates a road usage delivery to be paid for this motor vehicle (1) for the time interval by the owner or driver of the motor vehicle (1) using the transmitted characteristic variable.System according to Claim 1, characterized in that, after the value of the characteristic variable has been deleted, the second control unit (30) transmits an updated formula to the first control unit (20), on the basis of which the first control unit (20) is intended to generate the characteristic variable in the following time interval.System according to one of Claims 1 to 2, characterized in that data which are relevant for a delivery discount are taken into account in the generation of the characteristic variable, or in that data which are relevant for a delivery discount are transmitted from the first control unit (20) to the second control unit (30) in addition to the characteristic variable.System according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that data which are relevant for a delivery additive are taken into account in the generation of the characteristic variable, or in that data which are relevant for a delivery additive are transmitted from the first control unit (20), in addition to the characteristic variable, to the second control unit (30).System according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that data which are relevant for professional or commercial use of the motor vehicle (1) are taken into account in the generation of the characteristic variable, or in that data which are relevant for professional or commercial use of the motor vehicle (1) are transmitted from the first control device (20), in addition to the characteristic variable, to the second control device (30), wherein the data which are relevant for professional or commercial use of the motor vehicle (1) are created in the first control device (20) on the basis of manual driver inputs "private use", "professional use within the scope of non-commercial activity" and "commercial use".System according to Claim 3, characterized in that route portions or time portions in which the motor vehicle (1) is driven purely by electric motor within the time interval are taken into account as output-discount-relevant data, provided that the motor vehicle (1) has both an internal combustion engine (10) and an electric motor (15) as drive unit.System according to Claim 3, characterized in that route portions or time portions in which the motor vehicle (1) is operated with a predefined number of passengers within the time interval are taken into account as output-discount-relevant data.System according to Claim 4, characterized in that route portions or time portions in which the motor vehicle (1) is operated within the time interval above a predefined travel speed are taken into account as output-addition-relevant data.System according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the second control device (30) has to acknowledge the successfully carried out data transmission to the first control device (20) before the buffer (23) in the first control device (20) can be deleted.System according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the characteristic variable transmitted to the second control unit (30) or the data record transmitted to the second control unit (30) is stored in a writable backup memory (25) of the first control unit (20) before the intermediate memory (23) is deleted.System according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the billing is performed by the second control unit (30), the calculated road use output being stored in a memory (32) of the second control unit (30) or being transmitted from the second control unit (30) to an external data memory (34) for storage.System according to one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, if the motor vehicle (1) has an internal combustion engine (10) as a drive unit (3), an actual fuel consumption or a parameter of the internal combustion engine (10) which is equivalent to the actual fuel consumption is used as data of the drive unit (3), said parameter being summed up or integrated over the operating time of the internal combustion engine (10) during the time interval.System according to Claim 12, characterized in that an electronic transmission control unit (5) of an automatic or automated transmission (4) of the motor vehicle (3) calculates the actual fuel consumption or the parameter equivalent to the actual fuel consumption and transmits it to the first control unit (20).System according to one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, if the motor vehicle (1) has an internal combustion engine (10) as a drive unit (3), an actually emitted exhaust gas quantity of the internal combustion engine (10) is used as data of the drive unit (3), said exhaust gas quantity being summed up or integrated over the operating time of the internal combustion engine (10) during the time interval.The system according to claim 14, characterized in that the emitted exhaust gas quantity is classified according to proportions of predefined pollutant components.System according to one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, if the motor vehicle (1) has an electric motor (15) as the sole drive unit (3), an actual amount of electrical energy is used as data of the drive unit (3), said actual amount of electrical energy being taken from an energy store (16) installed in the motor vehicle (1) during the time interval over the operating time of the electric motor (15) and being summed up or integrated during the time interval.System according to one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, if the motor vehicle (1) has an electric motor (15) as the sole drive unit (3), an actual amount of electrical energy is used as data of the drive unit (3), which is added to an energy store (16) installed in the motor vehicle (1) during the time interval from outside the motor vehicle (1) and is summed up or integrated during the time interval.System according to one of Claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the data exchange between the first and second control units (20, 30) takes place wirelessly.System according to claim 18, characterised in that the wireless data exchange takes place automatically after the end of the predefined time interval, initiated by the second control device (30) or by the first control device (20).The system according to claim 19, characterized in that an integer year or half year or quarter year or month or week or day or predefined number of days is defined as the time interval.System according to Claim 19 or to 20, characterized in that the time interval is predefined by the second control unit (30), or in that the time interval can be selected by the owner or driver of the motor vehicle (1).The system according to claim 18, characterized in that the wireless data exchange takes place automatically on predefined noon.System according to one of Claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the data exchange between the first and second control units (20, 30) takes place via a data interface (27) fixed to the motor vehicle, the time interval being defined from the time difference between the current data exchange and the previous data exchange.System according to claim 23, characterised in that the time difference is rounded over whole days.

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