Measurement system

Abstract

To inexpensively measure a Nox concentration in the atmosphere within a predetermined region.SOLUTION: A measurement system includes: a vehicle 2 having a motor 11 that generates driving force, an engine 12 driven through combustion or driven in a non-combustion state by using the driving force applied from the motor 11, a catalyst that performs purification while activated, an exhaust gas sensor 15 that acquires a state of gas in an exhaust pipe, a position measurement section 16 that acquires positional information, and a transmission section 17 that transmits information on the state of the gas and the positional information; and a server 3 that processes the information received from the vehicle 2. When the motor 11 drives the engine 12 in the non-combustion state and the catalyst 13 is in the inactivate state, the vehicle 2 acquires information on gas flowing in the exhaust pipe by using the exhaust gas sensor 15, acquires the positional information from the position measurement section 16 and transmits the acquired information to the server 3. The server 3 calculates a state of the atmosphere within a predetermined region where the vehicle 2 is traveling by using the information received from the vehicle 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to measurement systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are known to be contained in exhaust gases when vehicles are running, and NOx concentrations in the atmosphere are particularly being measured.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that the beacon measures the Nox concentration in the atmosphere, and if the Nox concentration in the atmosphere in the area where the vehicle is currently traveling is higher than a reference value, lean driving is prohibited to suppress Nox emissions. It is also known to install a Nox sensor in the vehicle cabin or engine intake system and record the detected Nox value in the atmosphere by linking it to a location on a map. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-280984 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described in Patent Document 1, in order to detect Nox on the beacon side or in the vehicle cabin or engine intake system, a dedicated Nox sensor must be installed, which increases costs.

[0006] Furthermore, when it is desired to measure the amount of emissions from vehicles within a specified area, it is possible to first measure the amount of emissions from the vehicle itself using an exhaust gas sensor attached to each vehicle. However, in reality, the amount of emissions varies depending on the condition of the engine, the condition of the vehicle itself, traffic conditions, and the driving operation of the driver, so it is difficult to accurately grasp the amount of emissions within a specified area, including other vehicles.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a measurement system that measures atmospheric Nox concentrations within a given area at low cost. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The measurement system according to the present disclosure comprises a vehicle having a motor that generates driving force, an engine that is driven by combustion or in a non-combustion state by driving force provided by the motor, a catalyst that, in an active state, purifies exhaust gas generated by combustion in the engine and flowing through an exhaust pipe, an exhaust gas sensor that acquires the state of the gas flowing through the exhaust pipe, a position measurement unit that acquires position information, and a transmission unit that transmits the acquired information on the state of the gas and the position information, and a server that processes information received from the vehicle, wherein, when the motor drives the engine in a non-combustion state and the catalyst is in an inactive state, the vehicle detects the gas flowing through the exhaust pipe and acquires information using the exhaust gas sensor, acquires position information using the position measurement unit, and transmits the acquired gas information and the position information to the server, and the server uses the information received from the vehicle to calculate the state of the atmosphere within a specified area in which the vehicle is traveling. This allows atmospheric emissions to be measured by the exhaust gas sensor without the vehicle generating any emissions, and the information can be transmitted to the server, where it can be processed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a measurement system that measures the Nox concentration in the atmosphere within a predetermined area at low cost. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a measurement system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow of the measurement system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of measurement timing according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, a measurement system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a measurement system 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the measurement system 1 includes a vehicle 2 and a server 3.

[0012] The vehicle 2 is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

[0013] The vehicle 2 includes a motor 11, an engine 12, a catalyst 13 provided in an exhaust pipe, a powertrain system 14, an exhaust gas sensor 15, a position measurement unit 16, a transmission unit 17, and an arithmetic and control unit 18. It has the following characteristics.

[0014] The motor 11 is a mechanism for generating driving force for running the vehicle 2. Typically, the motor 11 converts electric power provided by a battery (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 2 into driving force to operate the wheels of the vehicle 2.

[0015] The engine 12 is a mechanism that generates driving force for running the vehicle 2. Typically, the engine 12 generates driving force by burning gasoline or the like to operate the wheels of the vehicle 2. When combustion occurs in the engine 12, exhaust gas with a high concentration of Nox flows through an exhaust pipe provided to the engine 12.

[0016] In this description, it is assumed that the engine 12 can be driven in a non-combustion state by the driving force of the motor 11 and can operate the wheels of the vehicle 2.

[0017] When the catalyst 13 is in an active state, it purifies the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust pipe, and the catalyst temperature becomes high. On the other hand, when it is not necessary to purify the exhaust gas, the catalyst 13 is in an inactive state, does not purify the exhaust gas, and the catalyst temperature becomes low.

[0018] The powertrain system 14 controls the driving states of the motor 11 and the engine 12. As a specific example, when a large driving force is required for the vehicle 2, the powertrain system 14 can generate driving force by burning fuel in the engine 12. Furthermore, when the driving force required for the vehicle 2 is small, the powertrain system 14 can perform control so that the vehicle runs using only the driving force of the motor 11 and with the engine 12 in a non-combustion state.

[0019] The exhaust gas sensor 15 is installed in the exhaust pipe of the vehicle 2 and acquires the state of the gas passing through the exhaust pipe. For example, the exhaust gas sensor 15 can acquire the Nox concentration in the gas. Note that the description will be given assuming that the exhaust gas sensor 15 is installed after the exhaust gas has passed through the catalyst 13 in the exhaust pipe of the vehicle 2, i.e., downstream of the catalyst 13, but it may also be installed upstream of the catalyst 13.

[0020] The position measurement unit 16 acquires information about the position where the vehicle 2 is traveling. The position measurement unit 16 can use a GPS (Global Positioning System).

[0021] The transmitting unit 17 transmits the information acquired by the exhaust gas sensor 15 to the server 3.

[0022] The calculation control unit 18 performs calculations and controls related to various determinations in the vehicle 2. For example, the calculation control unit 18 can determine whether the engine 12 in the vehicle 2 is in a combustion state, whether the engine 12 is running in a non-combustion state, and the catalyst temperature and activation state.

[0023] Furthermore, based on these determinations, the calculation control unit 18 can control the timing of data acquisition by the exhaust gas sensor 15, control the acquisition of a position by the position measurement unit 16, and control the transmission of information to the server 3. However, the determinations, calculations, and controls that can be performed by the calculation control unit 18 are not limited to these.

[0024] The server 3 receives and processes information from the exhaust gas sensors 15 transmitted from the multiple vehicles 2. More specifically, the server 3 can calculate the state of atmospheric emissions within a predetermined area based on measurement information measured by the exhaust gas sensors 15 as emissions in the atmosphere from the multiple vehicles 2 traveling within the predetermined area and the location information of each vehicle 2 at the time of measurement.

[0025] Here, server 3 is described as a server with a calculation function, but it may also be a server that simply operates as a database that stores a large amount of measurement information and location information, in which case another calculation device may also be installed.

[0026] Next, the operation of the measurement system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows an example of the operation flow of the measurement system 1. Note that in the following, for some processes, descriptions that indicate that they are controlled by the calculation control unit 18 may be omitted.

[0027] When the vehicle 2 meets a predetermined condition, the calculation control unit 18 turns on a request for local emission measurement (step S1). Note that in this description, the local area refers to a predetermined range in which the vehicle 2 travels, the emissions are Nox, and the target to be measured is the Nox concentration.

[0028] Specifically, the calculation control unit 18 sets the request for local emission measurement to ON and proceeds to step S2 when the vehicle 2 is stopped or starting due to a traffic light or the like and the engine 12 is not combusting, when the vehicle 2 is traveling at a low speed due to traffic congestion or the like and the engine 12 is not combusting, or when the vehicle 2 is traveling at a high-speed steady state and the engine 12 is not combusting.

[0029] For example, when the vehicle 2 starts from a stopped state and accelerates, the amount of emissions increases. Furthermore, when the vehicle 2 is traveling at a low speed, the temperature of the catalyst 13 drops, and emissions are emitted without being purified by the catalyst 13. Furthermore, when the vehicle 2 is traveling at a high-speed steady state, if the engine 12 is rotating at a high speed and under a high load, the fuel consumption increases, and the Nox concentration in the exhaust gas increases. Taking these factors into consideration, the calculation control unit 18 can request measurement of local emissions when the vehicle 2 is in a condition suitable for local emission measurement. In other words, the measurement system 1 can appropriately change the conditions for determining that the environment in the vehicle 2 is suitable for measurement.

[0030] The calculation control unit 18 determines whether or not the engine 12 of the vehicle 2 is capable of driving the vehicle 2 while the engine 12 is in a non-combustion state (step S2). That is, it determines whether or not the required driving force of the vehicle 2 can be achieved by the motor 11 alone. If the calculation control unit 18 determines that the vehicle 2 can be driven by the driving force of the motor 11 alone (Yes in step S2), the process proceeds to step S3. If the calculation control unit 18 determines that the vehicle 2 cannot be driven by the driving force of the motor 11 alone (No in step S2), the process ends.

[0031] The calculation control unit 18 determines whether the catalyst 13 provided in the exhaust pipe is in an inactive state (step S3). It is assumed here that the exhaust gas sensor 15 is provided downstream of the catalyst 13. If the calculation control unit 18 determines that the catalyst 13 is in an inactive state (Yes in step S3), the process proceeds to step S4. If the calculation control unit 18 determines that the catalyst 13 is not in an inactive state but is in an active state (No in step S3), the process ends because it is considered that atmospheric emissions cannot be measured correctly.

[0032] The vehicle 2 drives the engine 12 with the motor 11 (step S4). At this time, the engine 12 is in a non-combustion state.

[0033] The exhaust gas sensor 15 acquires a sensor value (step S5). That is, the exhaust gas sensor 15 acquires a sensor value of the gas flowing through the exhaust pipe of the vehicle 2 while the engine 12 is running in a non-combustion state. This allows the exhaust gas sensor 15 to acquire information on atmospheric emissions while no emissions are being generated in the vehicle 2. In other words, the vehicle 2 can acquire the Nox concentration in the atmosphere at the location where it is running.

[0034] The position measurement unit 16 acquires the position information of the vehicle 2 (step S6). That is, the position measurement unit 16 acquires the position information when the exhaust gas sensor 15 measures the atmospheric emissions in step S5.

[0035] The transmitting unit 17 transmits the gas-related sensor value acquired by the exhaust gas sensor 15 and the position information measured by the position measuring unit 16 to the server 3 (step S7).

[0036] The server 3 calculates the actual state of local emissions within a predetermined area based on the atmospheric emissions received from the multiple vehicles 2 and information on their measurement locations.

[0037] As an example, Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are diagrams showing the timing of measuring atmospheric emissions when the vehicle 2 travels a predetermined distance. Specifically, Figure 3(a) shows the change in vehicle speed (thick line) and the change in engine speed (thin line) over time during the predetermined distance, and Figure 3(b) shows an example of the change in temperature of the catalyst 13 over time, i.e., the activity state of the catalyst 13. In Figures 3(a) and 3(b), the time shown on the horizontal axis is the same time.

[0038] Specifically, in FIG. 3( a ), the area indicated by range A is a time period in which the engine is in a non-combustion state and the vehicle 2 is stopped or is running using the driving force of the motor 11 .

[0039] In addition, in FIG. 3(b), the region indicated by range B is a time period in which the temperature of the catalyst 13 is low and the catalyst 13 is determined to be inactive.

[0040] In Figures 3(a) and 3(b), range A is the time period when the engine is in a non-combustion state, and range C is the time period when range B is the time period when the catalyst 13 is inactive, and this is the time when atmospheric emissions are measured by the exhaust gas sensor 15 in the vehicle 2.

[0041] As a result, in the vehicle 2, when the catalyst 13 is in an inactive state and the air drawn into the engine passes through the catalyst 13 and is discharged as is, the vehicle 2 can obtain Nox concentration data in the air at the vehicle's location using the detection value of the exhaust gas sensor 15 mounted as part of the exhaust purification system. In other words, the vehicle 2 can measure the emissions in the air using the exhaust gas sensor 15 at a timing when the catalyst 13 is not purifying the air and when the vehicle 2 itself is not generating emissions.

[0042] In addition, the server 3 can calculate the actual state of local emissions within this specified area based on information on atmospheric Nox concentration obtained by multiple vehicles 2 traveling within this specified area and the location information of each vehicle 2.

[0043] Therefore, in the measurement system 1, by utilizing the exhaust gas sensor 15 that is originally used in the vehicle 2, it is possible to measure the Nox concentration in the atmosphere within a predetermined area at low cost.

[0044] This allows, for example, the measurement results of the actual emission status in a specific area to be utilized in urban design and the development of exhaust control for reducing emissions.

[0045] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In other words, the above description has been omitted or simplified as appropriate for the sake of clarity, and a person skilled in the art can easily modify, add, or convert each element of the embodiment within the scope of the present invention.

[0046] For example, in the vehicle 2, the catalyst 13 is located upstream of the exhaust gas sensor 15, and measurements are performed when the catalyst 13 is in an inactive state. However, if the catalyst 13 is located downstream of the exhaust gas sensor 15, measurements can be performed under conditions where the engine 12 is in a non-combustion state, regardless of the state of the catalyst 13. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1. Measurement system 2 vehicles 3 Server 11 Motor 12 Engine 13 Catalyst 14 Powertrain System 15 Exhaust gas sensor 16 Position measurement section 17 Transmitter 18 Calculation control unit

Claims

[Claim 1] a motor that generates a driving force; an engine that is driven by combustion or in a non-combustion state by the driving force provided by the motor; a catalyst that, in an active state, purifies exhaust gas generated by combustion in the engine and flowing through an exhaust pipe; an exhaust gas sensor that acquires the state of gas flowing through the exhaust pipe; a position measurement unit for acquiring position information; a vehicle having a transmitter that transmits the acquired gas state information and the location information; a server that processes information received from the vehicle; The vehicle is When the motor drives the engine in a non-combustion state and the catalyst is in an inactive state, the exhaust gas sensor detects gas flowing through the exhaust pipe to acquire information, and the position measurement unit acquires position information, and transmits the acquired gas information and position information to the server; The server Using the information received from the vehicle, calculate the atmospheric conditions within a predetermined area in which the vehicle is traveling. Measurement system.

Images