Method and system for detecting and providing representative information on particulate emissions from vehicle brake system use - Patents.com

Abstract

1. A method for detecting and providing information representative of particulate emissions from the use of a braking system of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining vehicle identification data entered by a driver of the vehicle by a portable electronic device (2) mounted on the vehicle; Acquiring vehicle driving data (DG) while the vehicle is traveling by a plurality of sensors of a portable electronic device (2) mounted on the vehicle; storing, by at least one data processing module of the portable electronic device mounted on the vehicle, the acquired driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1) as a first time series (S-DG) of points, each point associated with a respective driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1), in at least one memory module of the portable electronic device mounted on the vehicle; transmitting, by a portable electronic device (2) mounted on the vehicle, the vehicle driving data (DG) stored as a first time series (S-DG) in at least one memory module of the portable electronic device (2) mounted on the vehicle to a remote computer; The method includes a step of performing, by a data processing unit of the remote computer (200), a first processing of the received vehicle driving data (DG) to determine a representation of the vehicle driving data (DG) as a second time series (S-EF) of points each representative of an actual braking event (EF), each point having associated therewith a respective vehicle driving data (DG). The method comprises, for each braking event represented by a point of the second time series (S-EF), calculating by a data processing unit of the remote computer (200): determining a value of a first physical magnitude (G1;TR) of the braking system of the vehicle based on a first subset (S1) of driving data (DG) of the vehicle for points of the second time series (S-EF) corresponding to braking events (EF) and on one or more of a plurality of pieces of information (PI) coming from sources external to the remote computer (200) and to the portable electronic device (2) of the vehicle, the plurality of pieces of information (PI) consisting of first information representative of the environment in which the vehicle is driving, second information (I2) representative of the road conditions on which the vehicle is driving, and third manufacturing information (I3) of the vehicle (1); determining a value of a second physical magnitude (G2;TR) of a braking system of the vehicle by applying a second determination calculation module (M2) of the second physical magnitude (G2;TR) based on a second subset (S2) of vehicle driving data (DG) at times of a second time series (S-EF) corresponding to a braking event (EF) and on one or more pieces of information (PI) obtained from a remote computer (200) and from sources external to the vehicle's portable electronic device (2); determining one or more values ​​representative of particulate emissions (EP) due to the braking event (EF) by applying a third particulate emissions (EP) calculation module (M3) based on a third subset (S3) of the vehicle's driving data (DG) at a time of the second time series (S-EF) corresponding to the braking event (EF), a value of a first physical magnitude (PR) of the vehicle's braking system, a value of a second physical magnitude (TR) of the braking system, and one or more pieces of information from a plurality of pieces of information (PI) coming from sources external to the remote computer (200) and the vehicle's portable electronic device (2); The method includes providing the determined value or values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions (EP) due to a braking event (EF) to a driver by a portable electronic device (2) mounted on the vehicle.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD TO WHICH THEINVENTION BELONGS

[0002] The present invention relates to a method, and associated system, for detecting and providing information representative of particulate emissions due to use of a vehicle's braking system. [Background technology]

[0003] Background technology

[0004] For some time, the European Union (EU) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been working to reduce particulate emissions (EP) by providing guidelines, regulations, and standards.

[0005] Road transport is certainly one area where some of the largest sources of particulate matter can be identified.

[0006] In these areas, the major regulatory and technological efforts in recent years have focused primarily on reducing exhaust emissions resulting from exhaust gases, with little effort being made to limit so-called non-exhaust emissions, e.g. emissions resulting from brake wear (particulate matter resulting from material wear due to the sliding contact between brake pads and brake discs during braking) and tyre wear.

[0007] Non-exhaust emissions depend on the technology, i.e. the materials used and the general configuration of the braking system, on the one hand, and on the driver's braking style, on the other hand.

[0008] In fact, from this perspective, it has been verified that certain parameters under the exclusive control of the driver, such as the pressure applied to the braking system by the brake pedal and the braking speed, significantly influence the particulate matter emissions of the braking system.

[0009] Therefore, a very promising approach to reduce wear emissions of the entire brake system is to focus on driving and braking style, in addition to design and structural improvements of the brake system. Indeed, particulate matter emissions vary considerably depending on the driving style and how the driver brakes, but the brake system remains the same.

[0010] It is therefore desirable to have the option of "teaching" the driver how to brake correctly to reduce emissions, based on the ability to provide the driver with information about braking style and the resulting impact in terms of particulate matter emissions, in real time while driving.

[0011] In this regard, solutions are currently known for characterizing the driving style in terms of the efficiency of reducing non-exhaust emissions, for example making the driver aware of his braking actions in order to reduce the non-exhaust emissions due to the braking actions of the brake system.

[0012] For example, methods are known for calculating particulate emissions of a braking system by modelling the braking system itself by means of semi-empirical algorithms derived starting from a dynamic bench characterisation of the braking system itself.

[0013] Operationally, such methods are based on the presence of physical sensors within the vehicle to measure vehicle speed, and / or vehicle acceleration / deceleration, and / or vehicle brake system temperature, and / or brake pressure, and / or vehicle motor torque, and / or brake torque, vehicle inclination, etc., physical magnitudes necessary to estimate the emission level of the brake system.

[0014] Such sensors communicate the detected physical magnitude to a vehicle control unit, which is configured to execute the aforementioned pre-stored algorithm to provide information representative of particulate emissions due to use of the vehicle's braking system, e.g., an index proportional to the particulate emissions estimated based on the applied model, which can be displayed by the driver on an on-board computer or other electronic device in the passenger compartment.

[0015] These implementations are not without flaws.

[0016] Firstly, the fact that the aforementioned algorithms must necessarily be stored in the vehicle's control unit means that the vehicle must be taken to a dedicated center during installation, which means that the vehicle cannot be used during the setup period.

[0017] Furthermore, since the aforementioned algorithms are physically present in the vehicle, software updates must be performed manually at an authorized center.

[0018] Thus, in addition to making the vehicle unavailable for the entire period that it is at an authorized center for the update, the control unit will inevitably have algorithms that are not always updated to the latest version, with the risk of reducing the precision and accuracy of the implemented method. Updates are in fact carried out to make corrective or improving changes, to adapt to new market trends or to comply with the introduction of new regulations. Frequent updates are therefore desirable.

[0019] Furthermore, the versatility of the aforementioned methods is strongly limited by the fact that the accuracy of the available algorithms increases with increasing specificity of the vehicle parameters, which depend on the vehicle itself (characterized by brand and model) and on the respective braking system (characterized by size, material, etc.).

[0020] Again, each control unit that a vehicle is equipped with has specific software characteristics (firmware) and it is not conceivable to have specific algorithms that can be installed on each control unit based on the technical specifications of a single vehicle in question.

[0021] Thus, to date, the algorithms available in the prior art methods are limited to utilizing physical magnitudes detectable by a very limited set of physical sensors present on average in most vehicles in order to be implementable in any vehicle.

[0022] Finally, if additional physical sensors are required other than those already installed on the vehicle and already connected to the control unit (if not directly present in the vehicle), the configuration or update time (and therefore vehicle downtime) will increase, necessarily avoiding configuring the vehicle to enable the above-mentioned method.

[0023] In view of the above, there is a strong need today for a more accurate, precise, versatile, easily and timely continuously updatable method and system for detecting and providing information representative of particulate emissions from use of a vehicle's braking system so as to enable drivers to improve their driving and braking style to reduce the vehicle's non-exhaust emissions. Summary of the Invention

[0024] Summary of the Invention

[0025] The object of the present invention is to devise and provide a more accurate, precise, versatile, easily and timely continuously updatable method for detecting and providing information representative of particulate emissions due to the use of a vehicle's braking system, which makes it possible to at least partially avoid the drawbacks mentioned with reference to the prior art and in particular enables the driver to improve his driving and braking style in order to reduce the vehicle's non-exhaust emissions.

[0026] Such an object is achieved by a method for detecting and providing information representative of particulate emissions due to use of a braking system of a vehicle as claimed in claim 1.

[0027] The invention further relates to a system for detecting and providing information representative of particulate emissions due to use of a braking system of a vehicle, adapted to implement the method described above.

[0028] Further advantageous embodiments of the method and system are the subject of the respective dependent claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Further characteristics and advantages of the method and system according to the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments, given by way of indicative and non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

[0031] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows, by means of a block diagram, a method for detecting particulate emissions and providing representative information due to the use of a vehicle braking system according to the invention.

[0032] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates, from a logical point of view, by means of a functional block diagram, a system for detecting and providing representative information of particulate emissions due to the use of a vehicle's braking system according to the invention.

[0033] [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 illustrates, from a logical perspective, the components of the system of the present invention by means of respective functional block diagrams. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates, from a logical perspective, the components of the system of the present invention by means of respective functional block diagrams. [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 illustrates, from a logical perspective, the components of the system of the present invention by means of respective functional block diagrams.

[0034] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates, by means of a block diagram, the sequence of operations performed by the components of the system of the invention.

[0035] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a user interface included within the system of the present invention for displaying to a user information representative of particulate emissions due to use of a vehicle's braking system.

[0036] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 illustrates, by way of a block diagram, a method for detecting and providing information representative of particulate emissions due to use of a vehicle braking system according to the invention.

[0037] It is noteworthy that equal or similar elements among the figures are designated by the same numeric or alphanumeric references. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] Description of Some Preferred Embodiments

[0039] Referring now to the aforementioned figures, reference numeral 100 generally indicates a system for detecting and providing information representative of particulate emissions due to use of a vehicle's braking system (hereinafter also referred to simply as the detection and providing system or simply the system) according to the present invention.

[0040] In this specification, by "vehicle" is meant any vehicle or motorcycle, also of commercial type, having two, three, four or more wheels, shown only diagrammatically in Figure 1 and generally designated by the reference numeral 1.

[0041] Furthermore, "brake system" means the totality of all components (mechanical and / or electrical or electronic, as well as brake fluid) that contribute to the application of the vehicle's service brakes or the application of the vehicle's parking brakes.

[0042] Referring to FIG. 1, the system 100 is configured with a portable electronic device 2 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "portable electronic device 2") mounted on a vehicle.

[0043] The portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle is the driver's portable electronic device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, etc.) on which software applications (applications or apps) can be installed that can make the portable electronic device 2 an integral part of the implementation of the system 100, as described below.

[0044] By portable electronic device "in-vehicle" it is meant that the portable electronic device 2 is within the passenger compartment of the vehicle 1 and is free to move about the passenger compartment while the vehicle 1 is moving (e.g., resting on the passenger seat if it is vacant or in a glove box or other holder within the vehicle 1), or is mounted in the vehicle, e.g., on the dashboard.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 1, the portable electronic device 2 comprises at least one data processing module 3, for example a microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0046] The portable electronic device 2 further comprises at least one memory module 4 operatively connected to said at least one data processing module 3 .

[0047] The at least one memory module 4 may be either internal or external to the at least one data processing module 3 (eg, as shown in FIG. 1).

[0048] It is worth noting that the at least one memory module 4 is configured to store one or more program codes (including the software applications introduced above) executable by the at least one data processing module 3 to perform the respective functions of the portable electronic device 2, including those necessary to implement the system 100 of the present invention.

[0049] The portable electronic device 2 further comprises a user interface 5 (display) operatively connected to the data processing module 3 .

[0050] The user interface 5 is configured to enable the driver to interact with the portable electronic device 2 and in particular to view information representative of particulate matter emissions due to use of the braking system of the vehicle 1 during implementation of the system 100 .

[0051] An example of a user interface 5 of a portable electronic device 2 is shown diagrammatically in FIG.

[0052] The portable electronic device 2 is arranged to obtain identification data DV of the vehicle 1 entered by the driver of the vehicle 1 .

[0053] The identification data DV of the vehicle 1 can be entered by means of a user interface 5, and in particular by means of a software application, described below, installed on the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1 to enable it to be used in the system 100.

[0054] Furthermore, identification data DV of the vehicle 1 is necessary for the implementation of the system 100, as will be explained below.

[0055] The identification data DV of the vehicle 1 includes the following information for identifying the type of vehicle:

[0056] - Brand of vehicle 1;

[0057] - Model of vehicle 1;

[0058] - Vehicle 1 segment.

[0059] Returning to FIG. 1, the portable electronic device 2 further comprises a number of sensors 6 (illustrated as a single block in the figure for simplicity of representation) operably connected to at least one data processing module 3.

[0060] The multiple sensors 6 are configured to acquire driving data DG of the vehicle 1 while the vehicle 1 is traveling.

[0061] The multiple sensors 6 are configured with at least one GPS module, one magnetometer (compass), one accelerometer, and one gyroscope included in the portable electronic device 2.

[0062] The driving data DG of the vehicle 1 that may be acquired by a plurality of sensors 6 during the driving of the vehicle 1 and the possible movement of the portable electronic device 2 is configured as follows.

[0063] - vehicle 1's position (latitude and longitude);

[0064] - speed of vehicle 1;

[0065] - acceleration of vehicle 1;

[0066] - Altitude of vehicle 1.

[0067] In this regard, at least one data processing module 3 of the portable electronic device 2 is configured to store the acquired driving data DG of the vehicle 1 in at least one memory module 4 of the portable electronic device 2 as a first time series S-DG of points, each point having respective driving data DG of the vehicle 1 associated therewith.

[0068] Referring again to FIG. 1, the portable electronic device 2 comprises at least one data communication module 7 operatively connected to at least one data processing module 3 .

[0069] The at least one data communication module 7 comprises one or more data communication units configured to enable the portable electronic device 2 to establish at least one direct wireless connection (e.g. with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC or similar technology) directly with other devices and to establish at least one wireless connection with a data communication network, e.g. the Internet, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1 and indicated by the reference NTW, in order to communicate remotely with other remote devices or apparatuses.

[0070] In this respect, the portable electronic device 2 is configured, by means of at least one data communication module 7, to establish a data communication channel in wireless mode with the vehicle 1, for example by employing Bluetooth® technology.

[0071] Furthermore, the portable electronic device 2 is arranged to communicate data by means of at least one data communication module 7, via a data communication network NTW, to a remote computer which will be described below.

[0072] Returning to FIG. 1, the system 100 further comprises a remote computer 200, such as a cloud server or an on-premise data center.

[0073] The remote computer 200 is arranged for data communication with a portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle by way of a data communication network NTW.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 1, a portable electronic device 200 comprises at least one data processing unit 201, for example a microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0075] The remote computer 200 further comprises at least one memory unit 202 operatively connected to said at least one data processing module 201 .

[0076] The at least one memory unit 202 may be either internal or external to the at least one data processing unit 201 (eg, as shown in FIG. 1).

[0077] It is worth noting that the at least one memory unit 202 is configured to store one or more program codes executable by the at least one data processing unit 201 to perform respective functions including those necessary to implement the system 100 of the present invention.

[0078] Returning to the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle, while the vehicle 1 is traveling, the NFC vehicle 1 traveling data DG stored as a first time series S-DG in at least one memory module 4 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle is configured to transmit to the remote computer 200.

[0079] The data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to perform a first processing of the received driving data DG of the vehicle 1 to determine a representation of the vehicle's driving data DG as a second time series S-EF of points, each of which represents an actual braking event and each point having a respective driving data DG of the vehicle 1 associated therewith.

[0080] Furthermore, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is adapted to store in the memory unit 202 of the remote computer 200 a second time series S-EF of points each representative of an actual braking event EF.

[0081] As an example, the second time series S-EF is stored in the form of a table, where each row of the table represents a point in the series that represents a braking event EF. In that row, the running data DG of the vehicle 1 corresponding to that braking event is stored.

[0082] This table can be obtained by processing a previous table previously stored in the memory unit 202 of the remote computer 200, where each row corresponds to a point of the time series S-DG received from the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle.

[0083] The rows of the table (sequence points) correspond to acquisitions made at regular time intervals, for example every second.

[0084] For example, a braking event lasting 10 seconds is represented in the series by the driving data GD of vehicle 1 corresponding to 10 points.

[0085] Therefore, the table including the second time series S-EF can include in one row the running data DG of the vehicle 1 corresponding to a braking event as an aggregation of the running data GD of the vehicle 1 present in ten rows.

[0086] According to an embodiment, and with particular reference also to FIG. 6, the execution of said first process by at least one data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 comprises the following operations:

[0087] The data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to apply at least one noise reduction filter FK, such as a Kalman filter, to the received first time series of points S-DG (raw vehicle driving data DG1) to reduce noise and improve its quality, and to obtain an intermediate time series of points S-DG', each point associated with the driving data DG of the vehicle 1.

[0088] Furthermore, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to identify, within the filtered first intermediate time series S-DG', points corresponding to a braking event EF based on the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 associated with each point by application of a set control logic LC.

[0089] For example, such a discrimination can be made by comparing the deceleration data of the vehicle 1 with a deceleration threshold value, which may be a fixed value or may be variable as a function of the vehicle speed 1.

[0090] According to another embodiment, such identification can be made by representative data of the brake pedal travel of the vehicle 1 being available if such data is available as provided by an electronic control unit and / or by certain sensors of the vehicle 1.

[0091] Furthermore, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 unit is configured to determine a further intermediate time series S-EF' of points corresponding to actual braking events EF by aggregating together the identified points corresponding to braking events EF, each point having respective driving data DG of the vehicle 1 associated therewith.

[0092] Furthermore, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to apply a correctness and consistency check filter FC to the further intermediate time series S-EF' to remove points corresponding to errors and obtain a second time series of points S-EF (final data set).

[0093] For example, if speed data for vehicle 1 is present in the driving data DG of vehicle 1 associated with a point of the further intermediate time series S-EF', this data can be compared with the maximum permissible speed value for the type of vehicle 1 declared by the driver, and if the speed data is unrealistic (e.g., much higher) compared to the maximum permissible speed value for the type of vehicle 1, such a point is removed from the further intermediate time series S-EF'.

[0094] Returning to the system 100 of Figures 1 and 2, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to determine, for each braking event represented by a point in the second time series S-EF, a value of the first physical magnitude G1 of the braking system of the vehicle 1 by applying a first calculation module M1 of the first physical magnitude G1, based on a first subset S1 of the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 at a point in the second time series S-EF corresponding to the braking event EF and one or more pieces of information PI coming from sources external to the remote computer 200 and the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1.

[0095] The multiple pieces of information PI consist of a first piece of information I1 representative of the environment in which the vehicle 1 is traveling on the route, a second piece of information I2 representative of the road conditions on which the vehicle 1 is traveling on the route, and a third piece of information I3 on ​​the production of the vehicle 1.

[0096] The first calculation module M1 is an algorithm or mathematical model representing a so-called "virtual sensor" for determining the value of a first physical magnitude G1 of the vehicle braking system.

[0097] The first subset S1 of driving data DG of the vehicle 1 used as input for the first algorithm or mathematical model M1 depends on a first physical magnitude G1 that can be determined by the first algorithm or mathematical model M1.

[0098] The first information I1 representative of the environment in which the vehicle 1 is traveling on the route consists of, for example, the so-called environmental data below.

[0099] - Outside temperature for vehicle 1;

[0100] - Weather conditions;

[0101] - Moisture level outside vehicle 1;

[0102] -PM10 level (mass of airborne particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less, MG).

[0103] The first information I1 is detected at the location of the vehicle 1 indicated by a GPS present in a portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1.

[0104] It is worth noting that the first information I1 can be obtained from the remote computer 200, for example, by querying a particular external service reachable by a respective network address known by the remote computer 200.

[0105] The second information I2 representative of the road conditions along the route along which the vehicle 1 is traveling is configured as follows.

[0106] - The type of road the vehicle is traveling on (urban, suburban, highway, etc.);

[0107] - the gradient of the road on which vehicle 1 is traveling;

[0108] - the altitude of the road along which vehicle 1 travels;

[0109] - Road traffic conditions.

[0110] Third information I3 about the construction of vehicle 1:

[0111] - weight of vehicle 1;

[0112] - Technical specifications of vehicle 1's braking system (e.g. brake disc size, brake caliper type, wheelbase of vehicle 1, centre of gravity of vehicle 1, and many others).

[0113] It is worth noting that the second information I2 can also be obtained from the remote computer 200, for example by querying certain external services reachable by respective network addresses known by the remote computer 200.

[0114] The third information I3 is determined by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 according to identification data DV of the vehicle 1 entered by the driver by means of the user interface 5 into the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1 .

[0115] It is worth noting that one or more of the pieces of information PI used as input in the first calculation module M1 depends on a first physical magnitude G1 determinable by the first calculation module M1.

[0116] An embodiment of the determination of the first physical magnitude G1 is described below with reference to FIG.

[0117] Returning to the system 100 of Figures 1 and 2, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to determine, for each braking event represented by a point of the second time series S-EF, a value of the second physical magnitude G2 of the braking system of the vehicle 1 by applying a second calculation module M2 of a second physical magnitude G2 based on a second subset S2 of the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 of the point of the second time series S-EF corresponding to the braking event EF and one or more pieces of information of said plurality of information PI coming from sources external to the remote computer 200 and the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1.

[0118] The second calculation module M2 is an algorithm or a mathematical model.

[0119] The second calculation module M2 is an algorithm or a mathematical model representing a so-called “virtual sensor” for determining the value of a second physical magnitude G2 of the braking system of the vehicle 1 .

[0120] The second subset S2 of driving data DG of the vehicle 1 used as input for the second calculation module M2 depends on a second physical magnitude G2 determinable by the second calculation module M2.

[0121] It is worth noting that the one or more pieces of information I1 of the plurality of pieces of information PI used as input in the second calculation module M2 depends on a second physical magnitude G2 determinable by a second algorithm or mathematical model M2.

[0122] One embodiment of the determination of the second physical magnitude G2 is described below with reference to FIG.

[0123] Returning to the system 100 of Figures 1 and 2, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is further configured to determine one or more values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP by applying a third particulate matter emission calculation module M3 based on a third subset S3 of the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 of a point of the second time series S-EF corresponding to a braking event EF, a value of the first physical magnitude PR of the vehicle braking system 1, a value of the second physical magnitude TR of the braking system 1, and one or more pieces of information PI coming from sources external to the remote computer 200 and the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1.

[0124] In an embodiment, the one or more values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP that can be determined by the third calculation module M3 consist of a value V1 representative of the mass of particulate matter particles having a diameter below a set value (PN10 level - mass in MG of particles in the air having a diameter below 10 micrometers) and / or a value V2 representative of the number of particles in the air having a diameter below a set value (PM10 level - number of particles in the air having a diameter below 10 micrometers).

[0125] The third calculation module M3 is an algorithm or a mathematical model.

[0126] The third calculation module M3 is an algorithm or mathematical model representing a so-called "virtual sensor" for determining a value V1 representative of the mass of particulate matter particles having a diameter below a set value (PM10 level) and / or a value V2 representative of the number of particulate matter particles having a diameter below a set value (PN10 level).

[0127] The third subset S3 of driving data DG of the vehicle 1 used as input for the third calculation module M3 depends on a first physical magnitude G1 determinable from the first calculation module M1 and on a second physical magnitude G2 determinable from the second calculation module M2.

[0128] It is noteworthy that one or more pieces of information I1 of the plurality of pieces of information PI used as input in the third calculation module M3 depend on a first physical magnitude G1 determinable from the first calculation module M1 and a second physical magnitude G2 determinable from the second calculation module M2.

[0129] In this regard, an embodiment of the determination of said at least one value representative of particulate matter emission EP is explained below with reference to FIG.

[0130] It is worth noting that the data processing unit 202 of the remote computer 200 is configured to store the value of the first physical magnitude G1 determined by the first calculation module M1, the value of the second physical magnitude G2 determined by the second calculation module M2, and one or more values ​​representative of the particulate matter emission EP determined by the third calculation module M3 in a respective database (either internal or external to the remote computer 200).

[0131] At a general level, it is worth noting that the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to associate one or more pieces of information PI of said plurality of pieces of information with data from a respective pre-prepared database (either internal or external to the remote computer 200) and to derive values ​​and / or calculation coefficients to be provided to said first calculation module M1, second calculation module M2 and third calculation module M3.

[0132] In other words, tables of data corresponding to one or more pieces of information from the plurality of pieces of information PI are associated with tables of data from the respective databases, and by cross-referencing these data with each other it is possible to derive the corresponding calculation coefficients to be used for that particular combination of cross-referenced data with each other.

[0133] "Associate" means to link, assign one or more pieces of information of said plurality of information PI with data of the respective database previously prepared, so as to derive values ​​and / or calculation coefficients to be provided to said first calculation module M1, second calculation module M2 and third calculation module M3, making it possible to enrich the values ​​estimated / calculated by the respective calculation modules ("virtual sensors").

[0134] For example, a database consisting of representative weather data can be obtained by employing specific (climate-controlled) benches to carry out experimental tests under controlled conditions reproducing different weather situations, such as humidity, the presence of snow or rain, etc.

[0135] Furthermore, a database of representative data of the vehicle's experimental parameters can be created based on the brake disc / pad material pairs associated with the braking system installed in the vehicle 1 as declared by the driver.

[0136] Such a database may be associated with, for example, the brand and model of the vehicle 1 .

[0137] For example, if a driver declares that he has vehicle 1 of brand A and model B, it is possible to trace back from the database the type of braking system of vehicle 1 with the use of set materials for which empirical coefficients for particulate matter emissions are available.

[0138] When determining said one or more values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP, the data processing unit 202 of the remote computer 200 adopts said set empirical coefficients in the first calculation module M1, the second calculation module M2 and the third calculation module M3 for the vehicle 1 declared by the driver.

[0139] Returning again to the system 100 of Figures 1 and 2, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to provide the determined one or more values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP due to a braking event EF to the driver in real time.

[0140] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the first physical magnitude G1 is the temperature TR of the brake system of the vehicle 1.

[0141] "Temperature TR of the brake system of vehicle 1" means the temperature of the components of the brake system of vehicle 1, such as the front brake discs, the rear brake discs, the brake calipers at each corner of vehicle 1, and the brake fluid.

[0142] In this embodiment, the first subset S1 of vehicle driving data DG comprises:

[0143] - Vehicle 1's speed VC.

[0144] In this embodiment, the plurality of pieces of information PI include the following:

[0145] The first information I1 includes a weather CM.

[0146] The second information I2 comprises the gradient PD of the road along which the vehicle 1 travels.

[0147] - said third information I3 comprises: the weight of the vehicle 1; the technical specifications ST of the braking system of the vehicle 1;

[0148] As a non-limiting example, if the temperature TR of the braking system of the vehicle 1 is the temperature of the brake disc (e.g. the front), such temperature TR can be determined as a function of the history (sum) of the kinetic energy dissipated on the brake disc times the heat capacity (CP) of the material, from which the heat transfer coefficient (h) and the time since the last braking (t b ) products must be subtracted.

[0149] TIFF2025500460000002.tif14150

[0150] In an embodiment, in combination with the previous one shown in FIG. 4, the second physical magnitude G2 is the pressure PR present in the brake system of the vehicle 1, for example the brake fluid pressure in a master cylinder.

[0151] In this embodiment, the second subset S2 of vehicle driving data DG comprises:

[0152] - speed of vehicle 1 VC;

[0153] - acceleration AZ of vehicle 1;

[0154] - Deceleration DZ of vehicle 1.

[0155] In this embodiment, the multiple pieces of information PI include the following:

[0156] said first information I1 consists of a temperature TE permanent to the vehicle 1;

[0157] said second information I2 consists of the gradient PD of the road along which the vehicle 1 travels.

[0158] - said third information I3 consists of: the weight of the vehicle 1; the technical specifications ST of the braking system of the vehicle 1;

[0159] As a non-limiting example, the pressure PR present in the braking system of vehicle 1 (e.g., brake fluid pressure in the brake master cylinder) can be determined as the product of a system coefficient δ, which can be derived directly from known vehicle parameters (e.g., brake caliper size, etc.) from an external database, and the average deceleration (Avg_deceleration) of the vehicle, as also shown by the following equation:

[0160] PR=δ*Avg_deceleration.

[0161] In the embodiment combined with the previous one shown in FIG. 5, the third calculation module M3 has as input the temperature value TR determined by the first calculation module M1 and the pressure value PR determined by the second calculation module M2.

[0162] In this embodiment, the third subset S3 of the vehicle driving data DG is configured as follows.

[0163] - speed of vehicle 1 VC;

[0164] - acceleration AZ of vehicle 1;

[0165] - Deceleration DZ of vehicle 1.

[0166] In this embodiment, the plurality of pieces of information PI include the following:

[0167] - said first information I1 consists of a weather CM;

[0168] - said second information I2 does not consist of any information;

[0169] Said third information I3 consists of technical data DM relating to the materials of the brake pads and brake discs of the vehicle 1 .

[0170] As a non-limiting example, the value representative of the particulate matter emission EP is determined as a function of a linear combination of two factors: a first factor α(TR) as a function of the temperature of the brake disc at the end of braking TR, and a second factor β as a function of the average deceleration of the vehicle β(AVG_deceleratIon), to which is added a term γ known per se, which depends on the properties of the material of the brake disc, as also shown in the following equation:

[0171] EP=α(TR)+β(Avg_deceleration)+γ

[0172] At a general level, it is worth pointing out that the availability of the technical specifications of vehicle 1 allows its weight to be known precisely, which has an impact when calculating the change in kinetic energy of vehicle 1 associated with a braking event.

[0173] Furthermore, by knowing the local and instantaneous values ​​of parameters related to the external environment (e.g. temperature, humidity, etc. outside the vehicle), the heat exchange phenomenon between the brake disc and the external environment can be modeled more accurately.

[0174] This strongly influences the temperature values ​​reached by the disc during braking.

[0175] In the case of tests instead performed on electric or hybrid vehicles where regenerative braking is implemented, the respective calculation module (algorithm or mathematical model) is able to determine whether an event recognised as a braking event actually involves physical contact between the brake pads and the brake disc.

[0176] This information is provided as input to a module that calculates a first physical magnitude (eg temperature) and contributes to a more faithful calculation of the temperature reached by the brake disc.

[0177] In an embodiment, in combination with any one of the preceding ones, as shown in FIG. 2, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to determine a brake evaluation index IV based on the determined one or more values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP due to a braking event EF.

[0178] The brake evaluation index IV represents the driver's braking performance.

[0179] As an example, the brake rating index IV can be calculated by employing the following formula:

[0180] IV=a*X 2 + b*X+c

[0181] Where:

[0182] - X is the difference between the final temperature TR (obtained from the first calculation model M1, the "virtual thermal model sensor") and the initial temperature TI of the brake disc (obtained from external ambient temperature data or from a sensor physically mounted on the vehicle 1).

[0183] "a" and "b" are coefficients that depend on the average acceleration / deceleration and the initial temperature TI as described above;

[0184] - On the other hand, "c" is particulate matter emission EP.

[0185] In an embodiment, in combination with the above, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to provide the determined brake assessment value IV to the driver.

[0186] In an embodiment, in combination with the above, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to provide the determined brake rating index IV to the driver in real time.

[0187] In an embodiment, in combination with any one of the previous two, the determined brake evaluation index IV may be provided to the driver by a user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, in particular by application software installed thereon for using the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 in implementing the system 100, and / or by a display module in the vehicle 1 operably connected to the remote computer 200 by a data communication network NTW (described above).

[0188] For example, the brake rating index IV is displayed on the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 by graphical indicators such as traffic lights, speedometer, etc.

[0189] In an embodiment, in combination with any one of the preceding ones, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to determine, for each braking event EF present along the set route, a particulate matter emission coefficient F-EP of the set moving vehicle 1 based on the determined one or more values ​​representative of the particulate matter emission EP due to the braking event EF.

[0190] For example, the emission coefficient E-EP is expressed as a value V1 that represents the mass of particulate matter particles having any diameter less than or equal to a set normalized value (e.g., PM10 / kM) along a set route.

[0191] In this embodiment, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to determine the distance covered by the vehicle 1 during the set route.

[0192] In an embodiment, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured by an additional calculation module M4 to determine the distance covered by the vehicle 1 during the set route based on a plurality of vehicle position data 1 contained in the vehicle driving data DG acquired by a plurality of sensors 6 of the portable electronic device 2 mounted on the vehicle 1.

[0193] When the acquisition frequency of the vehicle's driving data DG is greater than the set reference frequency value, for example every 3 seconds, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to determine the distance covered by the vehicle 1 during the set journey by summing up the geometric distances of the single acquired position values.

[0194] If instead the acquisition frequency of the vehicle 1's driving data DG is lower than the set reference frequency value due to limitations caused by external factors such as, for example, the absence of a GPS signal, an ejected portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, compliance with regulations for protecting the driver's privacy, etc., the set mapped route will be displayed as a dashed line rather than as a continuous line, and therefore will not correspond to the actual distance covered by the vehicle 1, so that it is not possible to accurately and reliably determine the distance covered by the vehicle 1 during the set journey.

[0195] To make this more accurate it is therefore necessary to provide as accurate an estimate as possible of the distance covered by the vehicle 1 during a set journey.

[0196] In one embodiment, in combination with or instead of the above, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to determine the distance covered by the vehicle 1 during the set journey as the distance between the start and end points of a likely route obtained by utilizing an external service (e.g. an API, application programming interface made available by a third party) that allows the vehicle route to be correctly reconstructed despite there not being many points between the start and end points.

[0197] In one embodiment, as an alternative to the above, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to determine the distance covered by the vehicle 1 during a set journey by means of a distance correction model.

[0198] The distance correction model is constructed to estimate the induced error for each road segment (urban, suburban, highway, etc.) starting from a sufficiently large set of examples where errors are introduced taking into account the actual distance traveled and the length of the broken line obtained by joining the GPS signal points on the map.

[0199] The distance correction model therefore provides correction parameters that can be applied by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 to the analysed route in order to calculate the actual distance travelled by the vehicle 1 during the set journey, starting from a distance based on a broken line determined by points obtained from the GPS signal.

[0200] As indicated above, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to provide the determined value or values ​​representative of the particulate matter emissions EP due to the braking event EF to the driver in real time.

[0201] In an embodiment, the determined one or more values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP due to a braking event EF may be provided in real time to the driver by a user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, in particular by a software application installed thereon for employing the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 in implementing the system 100, and / or by a display module of the vehicle 1 operably connected to the remote computer 200 by a data communications network NTW (described above).

[0202] In an embodiment, in any one of the above combinations, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is further configured to provide the determined particulate matter emission coefficient F-EP to the driver.

[0203] In one embodiment, in combination with the preceding, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to provide the determined particulate emission factor F-EP to the driver in real time.

[0204] In one embodiment, in combination with one of the two, the determined factor of particulate matter emissions F-EP may be provided to the driver by a user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, in particular by application software installed therein for using the portable electronic device 2 in relation to the vehicle 1 in implementing the system 100, and / or by a display module in the vehicle 1 operably connected to the remote computer 200 by a data communication network NTW (described above).

[0205] In an embodiment, in combination with any one of the preceding ones, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is further configured to provide the determined value of the first physical magnitude G1 and the determined value of the second physical magnitude G2 to the driver.

[0206] In an embodiment, in combination with the above, the determined value of the first physical magnitude G1 and the determined value of the second physical magnitude G2 may be provided to the driver by a user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, in particular by application software installed thereon for employing the portable electronic device 2 in relation to the vehicle 1 in implementing the system 100, and / or by a display module in the vehicle 1 operably connected to the remote computer 200 by a data communications network NTW (described above).

[0207] In an embodiment, in combination with any one of the above, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to provide the driver with further information representative of the driving performance of the vehicle 1 by the driver.

[0208] Further information representative of the driving performance of the vehicle 1 by the driver is constituted as follows.

[0209] - Single complete route;

[0210] - Global route indicator;

[0211] - Recorded route history.

[0212] Information about one completed route can be viewed on the map.

[0213] In this case, it involves projecting both the intermediate and final magnitudes calculated by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 onto a map and viewing their spatial trends by a color scale.

[0214] Such a display allows the driver to monitor the actual usage of the vehicle 1 and the associated emissions with good spatial and temporal resolution.

[0215] The global route indicator may be displayed as a numerical value corresponding to the particulate emissions associated with the selected route.

[0216] Such a value may correspond to an emission factor, an average brake rating index for the brakes included in the selected route, or a sum of the amounts of PM10 or PN10 for the brakes included in the selected route.

[0217] Furthermore, it is also possible to display the route average values ​​of some quantities of interest calculated by the algorithm, such as the brake disc temperature or the brake system pressure.

[0218] On the other hand, for recorded driving history, the driver can select a time window and see the distribution of emission factor values ​​associated with the driving made during that time interval, along with several statistical metrics (e.g., maximum, minimum, average).

[0219] Said display can be made by the driver on a display module operatively connected by the data communication network NTW to the remote computer 200 and / or by the user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 .

[0220] Such a display module can also be a portable electronic device 2 in a vehicle 1 .

[0221] In a further embodiment, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to provide the driver with further information representative of the driver's driving style.

[0222] Further information representative of the driver's driving style consists of:

[0223] - Comparison of driver performance with local conditions of fine particle emission levels (PM10). It is worth noting that local concentration data of particulate matter emission levels (PM10) as a function of space and time can be retrieved by online services.

[0224] - a first part attributable to the characteristics of the vehicle 1 and the braking system of the vehicle 1, and a second part attributable to the driving style of the driver. It is worth noting that this decomposition is achieved by creating a target particulate matter emission profile customized for the vehicle 1 based on speed and acceleration limits. Any exceedance of the particulate matter emission budget calculated in this way is attributable to the driving style.

[0225] - Results of a clustering algorithm that places drivers into homogeneous groups according to their braking style, based on the collected driving data DG of vehicle 1.

[0226] In one embodiment, in combination with the above, further information representative of the driver's driving style can be provided to the driver by the user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1, in particular by application software installed thereon for using the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1 in implementing the system 100, and / or by a display module of the vehicle 1 operably connected to the remote computer 200 by a data communication network NTW (described above).

[0227] According to a further embodiment, illustrated in dashed lines in FIG. 1, the system 100 further comprises a second plurality of sensors 8 mounted on the vehicle 1 .

[0228] The second plurality of sensors 8 is configured to acquire at least one value of a further physical quantity G3 of the braking system of the vehicle 1 .

[0229] In this embodiment, the system 100 further comprises a communication device 9 installed in the vehicle 1 operatively connected to said second plurality of sensors 8 installed in the vehicle 1 .

[0230] The communication device 9 is operatively connected to a remote computer 200 by a data communication network NTW.

[0231] The communication device 9 is configured to provide said at least one value of a further physical dimension G3 of the braking system of the vehicle 1 to the remote computer 200 .

[0232] In this embodiment, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 is configured to determine said at least one value representative of the particulate matter emissions EP, also based on a value of an additional physical magnitude GR3, by applying a third particulate matter emissions determination calculation module M3.

[0233] This allows the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 to make use of its value if the further physical magnitude G3 is one or the other between the first physical magnitude G1 or the second physical magnitude G2, without having to rely on a determination by the respective calculation module (M1 or M2).

[0234] Now, with reference to the above-mentioned figures and the block diagram of FIG. 9, a method 800 for detecting and providing information representative of particulate emissions due to use of a braking system of a vehicle 1 (hereinafter also referred to simply as detecting and providing method or simply as method) will be described in accordance with the present invention.

[0235] It should be noted that the components and information described below along with the method description have already been described above with reference to system 100 and therefore will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0236] The method 800 includes the symbolic step of initiating a STR.

[0237] The method 800 comprises a step 801 of obtaining, by means of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, identification data DV of the vehicle 1 entered by the driver of the vehicle 1.

[0238] The identification data DV of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 and of the vehicle 1 have been defined and explained above.

[0239] The method 800 further includes a step 802 of acquiring driving data DG of the vehicle 1 while the vehicle 1 is moving by a plurality of sensors 6 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 .

[0240] The multiple sensors 6 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 and the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 have been defined and explained above.

[0241] The method 800 further includes a step 803 of storing, by at least one data processing module 3 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, in at least one memory module 4 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, the acquired driving data DG of the vehicle 1 as a first time series S-DG of points, each point having respective driving data DG of the vehicle 1 associated therewith.

[0242] The method 800 further includes a step 804 of transmitting, by the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 stored as a first time series S-DG in at least one memory module 4 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 to the remote computer 200 while the vehicle 1 is driving.

[0243] The remote computer 200 and the first time series S-DG are defined and described above.

[0244] The method 800 further includes a step 805 of performing a first processing of the received driving data DG of the vehicle 1 by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 to determine a representation of the vehicle driving data DG as a second time series S-EF of points each representative of an actual braking event EF.

[0245] Each point is associated with driving data DG of the vehicle 1.

[0246] The second time series S-EF has already been defined and described above.

[0247] As already explained above, the second time series S-EF is stored in the memory unit 202 of the remote computer 200 by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 .

[0248] According to an embodiment illustrated by a dashed line in FIG. 8 , the step 805 of carrying out a first processing of the received driving data DG of the vehicle 1 in order to determine a representation of the vehicle driving data DG as a second time series S-EF of points each representative of an actual braking event comprises the following steps:

[0249] - applying 806 by at least one data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 to the received first time series of points S-DG (raw driving data DG of vehicle 1) and applying at least one noise reduction filter FK (e.g. a Kalman filter) for reducing noise and increasing quality to obtain an intermediate time series of points S-DG', each point having associated driving data DG of vehicle 1.

[0250] - Identifying 807, by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, within the first intermediate filtered time series S-DG', points corresponding to braking events EF, based on the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 associated with each point, by application of a set control logic LC. This identification is carried out prior to the following steps.

[0251] - a step 808 of determining, by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, a further intermediate time series S-EF' of points each corresponding to an actual braking event EF by aggregating together the identified points corresponding to braking events EF, each point having associated therewith respective driving data DG of the vehicle 1.

[0252] - a step 809 of applying, by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, to the further intermediate time series S-EF' a correctness and consistency check filter FC in order to remove points corresponding to errors and to obtain a second time series of points S-EF (definitive data set).

[0253] An application example of the correctness check filter FC has been described above.

[0254] Returning generally to the method 800 of FIG. 8 , for each braking event represented by a point of the second time series S-EF, the method 800 comprises applying, by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, a first calculation module M1 of said first physical magnitude G1 based on a first subset S1 of driving data DG of the vehicle 1 at a point of the second time series S-EF corresponding to the braking event EF and on one or more pieces of information PI coming from sources external to the remote computer 200 and the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1,

[0255] The plurality of pieces of information PI consist of a first piece of information I1 representative of the environment in which the vehicle 1 is traveling, a second piece of information I2 representative of the road conditions on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, and a third piece of information I3 on ​​the production of the vehicle 1.

[0256] The first calculation module M1 is an algorithm or a mathematical model (a "virtual sensor").

[0257] The first subset S1 of driving data DG of the vehicle 1 used as input for the first algorithm or mathematical model M1 depends on a first physical magnitude G1 that can be determined by the first algorithm or mathematical model M1.

[0258] An example of the first subset S1 of driving data DG of the vehicle 1 was given above.

[0259] The first information I1, the second information I2, and the third information I3 are as described above.

[0260] It is worth noting that one or more of the pieces of information PI used as input in the first calculation module M1 depends on a first physical magnitude G1 determinable by the first calculation module M1.

[0261] Then, again for each braking event represented by a point of the second time series S-EF, the method 800 comprises a step 811 of determining, by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, a value of a second physical magnitude G2 of the braking system of the vehicle 1 by applying a second calculation module M2 of said second physical magnitude G2 based on a second subset S2 of the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 at the point of the second time series S-EF corresponding to the braking event EF and on one or more pieces of information of said plurality of information PI coming from sources external to the remote computer 200 and the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1.

[0262] The second calculation module M2 is an algorithm or a mathematical model (a "virtual sensor").

[0263] The second subset S2 of driving data DG of the vehicle 1 used as input for the second calculation module M2 depends on a second physical magnitude G2 determinable by the second calculation module M2.

[0264] An example of the second subset S2 of driving data DG of the vehicle 1 has been described above.

[0265] It is worth noting that one or more of said plurality of pieces of information PI used as input in the second calculation module M2 depends on a second physical magnitude G2 determinable by a second algorithm or mathematical model M2.

[0266] Then, again for each braking event represented by a point of the second time series S-EF, the method 800 comprises a step 812 of determining, by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, one or more values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP by applying a third calculation module M3 of particulate matter emissions based on a third subset S3 of the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 for the point of the second time series S-EF corresponding to the braking event EF, the value of the first physical magnitude PR of the vehicle braking system 1, the value of the second physical magnitude TR of the braking system 1, and one or more pieces of information PI coming from sources external to the remote computer 200 and the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1.

[0267] One or more values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP are provided above according to different embodiments.

[0268] The third calculation module M3 is an algorithm or a mathematical model ("virtual sensor").

[0269] The third subset S3 of the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 used as input for the third calculation module M3 depends on a first physical magnitude G1 determinable by the first calculation module M1 and on a second physical magnitude G2 determinable by the second calculation module M2.

[0270] An example of the third subset S3 of driving data DG of the vehicle 1 has been described above.

[0271] It is noteworthy that one or more pieces of information I1 of the plurality of pieces of information PI used as input in the third calculation module M3 depend on a first physical magnitude G1 determinable by the first calculation module M1 and a second physical magnitude G2 determinable by the second calculation module M2.

[0272] Returning generally again to the method 800 of FIG. 8, the method 800 comprises a step 813 of providing, by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, the determined one or more values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP due to the braking event EF to the driver in real time.

[0273] Thus, the method 800 includes the symbolic step of terminating the ED.

[0274] In one embodiment, in combination with any one of the preceding ones, as indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 8, the method 800 comprises a step 814 of storing, by the data processing unit 202 of the remote computer 200, the value of the first physical magnitude G1 determined by the first calculation module M1, the value of the second physical magnitude G2 determined by the second calculation module M2, and one or more values ​​representative of the particulate matter emission EP determined by the third calculation module M3 in a respective database (either internal or external to the remote computer 200).

[0275] In one embodiment, in combination with any one of the preceding ones, as indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 8, the method 800 comprises a step 815 of associating, by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, one or more pieces of information of said plurality of pieces of information PI with data of a respective database previously prepared and stored in the respective memory unit 202, to derive values ​​and / or calculation coefficients to be supplied to said first calculation module M1, second calculation module M2 and third calculation module M3.

[0276] An example of such a database is provided above.

[0277] In one embodiment, in combination with any one of the above, the first physical magnitude G1 is the temperature TR of the vehicle brake system 1 as defined above.

[0278] In this embodiment, the first subset S1 of vehicle driving data DG consists of:

[0279] - Vehicle 1's speed VC.

[0280] In this embodiment, the plurality of pieces of information PI include the following:

[0281] said first information I1 consists of a weather CM;

[0282] said second information I2 consists of the gradient PD of the road along which the vehicle 1 travels.

[0283] - said third information I3 consists of: the weight of the vehicle 1; the technical specifications ST of the braking system of the vehicle 1;

[0284] In an embodiment, in combination with the previous one, the second physical magnitude G2 is the pressure PR present in the braking system of the vehicle 1 (eg the brake fluid pressure in a brake master cylinder).

[0285] In this embodiment, the second subset S2 of the vehicle driving data DG is configured as follows.

[0286] - speed of vehicle 1 VC;

[0287] - acceleration AZ of vehicle 1;

[0288] - Deceleration DZ of vehicle 1.

[0289] In this embodiment, among the multiple pieces of information PI,

[0290] said first information I1 consists of a temperature TE permanent to the vehicle 1;

[0291] said second information I2 consists of the gradient PD of the road along which the vehicle 1 travels.

[0292] - said third information I3 consists of: the weight of the vehicle 1; the technical specifications ST of the braking system of the vehicle 1;

[0293] In one embodiment, in combination with the previous, the third calculation module M3 has as input the temperature value TR determined by the first calculation module M1 and the pressure value PR determined by the second calculation module M2.

[0294] In this embodiment, the third subset S3 of the vehicle driving data DG is configured as follows.

[0295] - speed of vehicle 1 VC;

[0296] - acceleration AZ of vehicle 1;

[0297] - Deceleration DZ of vehicle 1.

[0298] In this embodiment, among the multiple pieces of information PI,

[0299] - said first information I1 consists of a weather CM;

[0300] - said second information I2 does not consist of any information;

[0301] Said third information I3 consists of technical data DM relating to the materials of the brake pads and brake discs of the vehicle 1 .

[0302] In one embodiment, in combination with any of the above, as indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 8 , the method 800 further comprises a step 816 of determining, by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, a brake evaluation index IV based on the determined one or more values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP due to the braking event EF.

[0303] The brake rating index IV is representative of the driver's braking performance as defined above.

[0304] In one embodiment, in combination with the above, the method 800 comprises a step 817 of providing, by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, the determined brake rating index IV to the driver.

[0305] In the embodiment shown in combination with the previous one, the step of providing the determined brake rating index IV to the driver 817 is performed in real time by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 .

[0306] In one embodiment, in combination with any one of the previous two, the determined brake evaluation index IV is provided to the driver by a user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, in particular by application software installed thereon for using the portable electronic device 2 in relation to the vehicle 1 in implementing the system 100, and / or by a display module in the vehicle 1 operably connected to the remote computer 200 by a data communication network NTW (described above).

[0307] For example, the brake rating index IV is displayed on the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 by graphical indicators such as traffic lights, speedometer, etc.

[0308] In an embodiment, in combination with any one of the preceding ones, as indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 8 , the method 800 further comprises a step 818 of determining, by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, for each braking event EF present along the set route, a particulate matter emission coefficient F-EP of the set moving vehicle 1 based on the determined one or more values ​​representative of the particulate matter emission EP due to the braking event EF.

[0309] As described above, the particulate matter emission coefficient F-EP is expressed as a value V1 that represents the mass of particulate matter particles having any diameter less than or equal to a set normalized value (e.g., PM10 / kM) along a set route.

[0310] In this embodiment, again shown in dashed lines in FIG. 8, the method 800 further comprises a step 819 of determining, by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, the distance traveled by the vehicle 1 during the set journey.

[0311] In an embodiment combined with the previous ones, the distance covered by the vehicle 1 during the set journey is determined by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, by an additional calculation module M4, based on multiple position data of the vehicle 1 contained in the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 acquired by multiple sensors 6 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1.

[0312] If the acquisition frequency of vehicle driving data DG exceeds a set reference frequency value (as a non-limiting example, every 3 seconds), the distance covered by vehicle 1 during the set driving is determined by summing up the geometric distances between the individual acquired position values.

[0313] In a further embodiment, in combination with or instead of the above, the distance covered by the vehicle 1 during the set journey is determined by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 as the distance between the start and end points of a likely route, obtained by using an external service (described above).

[0314] In a further embodiment, as an alternative to the above, the distance covered by the vehicle 1 during a set journey is determined by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 by means of a distance correction model.

[0315] An example of a distance correction model was described above.

[0316] In one embodiment, in combination with any one of the preceding relating to the particulate matter emission factor F-EP, the method 800 further comprises a step 820 of providing the determined particulate matter emission factor F-EP to the driver by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200.

[0317] In the embodiment shown in combination with the previous one, the step of providing the determined coefficient of particulate matter emissions F-EP to the driver 820 is performed in real time by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 .

[0318] In one embodiment, in combination with any one of the previous two, the determined coefficient of particulate matter emissions F-EP is provided to the driver by a user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, in particular by application software installed therein for using the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 in the implementation of the system 100, and / or by a display module in the vehicle 1 operably connected to the remote computer 200 by a data communication network NTW (described above).

[0319] In a further embodiment, in combination with any one of the preceding ones, step 813 of providing the determined value or values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP due to a braking event EF to the driver is performed in real time by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200.

[0320] According to an embodiment, in combination with the above, the determined value or values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP due to a braking event EF may be provided to the driver by a user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 (in real time or not), in particular by a software application installed therein for using the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 in implementing the system 100, and / or by a display module of the vehicle 1 operably connected to the remote computer 200 by a data communication network NTW (described above).

[0321] In one embodiment, in combination with any one of the preceding, as indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 8, the method 800 further comprises a step 821 of providing, by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, the determined value of the first physical magnitude G1 and the determined value of the second physical magnitude G2 to the driver.

[0322] In one embodiment, in combination with the above, the determined value of the first physical magnitude G1 and the determined value of the second physical magnitude G2 may be provided to the driver by a user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, in particular by application software installed thereon for employing the portable electronic device 2 in relation to the vehicle 1 in implementing the system 100, and / or by a display module in the vehicle 1 operably connected to the remote computer 200 by a data communications network NTW (described above).

[0323] In one embodiment, in combination with any one of the above, as indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 8 , the method 800 further comprises a step 822 of providing the driver by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 with further information representative of the driving performance of the driver's vehicle 1.

[0324] Further information representative of the driving performance of the driver of vehicle 1 is defined and explained above.

[0325] According to an embodiment, in combination with the above, further information representative of the driver's driving performance of the vehicle 1 is provided to the driver by the data communications network NTW (described above), by a display module of the vehicle 1 operably connected to the remote computer 200, and / or by a user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1, in particular by a software application installed thereon for employing the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1 in implementing the system 100.

[0326] Such a display module can also be a portable electronic device 2 in a vehicle 1 .

[0327] In one embodiment, in combination with any one of the above, as indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 8, the method 800 further comprises a step 823 of providing the driver by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 with further information representative of the driver's driving style.

[0328] Further information representative of the driver's driving style is defined and explained above.

[0329] In an embodiment, in combination with the above, further information representative of the driver's driving style is provided to the driver by the user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, in particular by application software installed thereon for employing the portable electronic device 2 in relation to the vehicle 1 in implementing the system 100, and / or by a display module in the vehicle 1 operably connected to the remote computer 200 by the data communications network NTW (described above).

[0330] According to a further embodiment, in combination with any one of the preceding, as shown by dashed lines in FIG. 8, the method 800 comprises a step 824 of obtaining at least one value of a further physical magnitude G3 of the braking system of the vehicle 1 by means of a second plurality of sensors 8 installed on the vehicle.

[0331] In this embodiment, the method 800 further includes a step 825 of providing the at least one value of a further physical magnitude G3 of the vehicle braking system 1 to a remote computer 200 by a communication device 9 installed in the vehicle 1 operably connected to the second plurality of sensors 8 installed in the vehicle.

[0332] In this embodiment, the step 812 of applying the third determination calculation module M3 of particulate matter emission to determine at least one value representative of the particulate matter emission EP is performed by the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, also based on the value of the additional physical magnitude GR3.

[0333] This allows the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 to utilize the value of the further physical magnitude G3, as described above, if it is one or the other between the first physical magnitude G1 or the second physical magnitude G2, without having to rely on a determination by the respective calculation module (M1 or M2).

[0334] Referring now to the drawings, an embodiment of a method for detecting particulate emissions and providing representative information due to use of a vehicle braking system in accordance with the present invention will now be described.

[0335] The driver enters identification data DV (eg brand and model) of the vehicle 1 by means of a user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 , which identification data DV is captured by the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 .

[0336] While the vehicle 1 is traveling, multiple sensors 6 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 acquire traveling data DG of the vehicle 1, such as the position (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle 1, the speed of the vehicle 1, the acceleration of the vehicle 1, and the altitude of the vehicle 1.

[0337] The data processing module 3 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 stores the acquired driving data DG of the vehicle 1 in at least one memory module 4 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 as a first time series S-DG of points, each point having respective driving data DG of the vehicle 1 associated therewith.

[0338] The portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1 is configured to transmit the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 stored as a first time series S-DG in at least one memory module 4 of the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1 to the remote computer 200 while the vehicle 1 is driving.

[0339] The data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 performs a first processing of the received driving data DG of the vehicle 1 to determine a representation of the vehicle driving data DG as a second time series S-EF of points each representative of an actual braking event EF.

[0340] Each point is associated with driving data DG of the vehicle 1.

[0341] More specifically, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 comprises:

[0342] - applying, by at least one data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200, to the received first time series of points S-DG (raw driving data DG of the vehicle 1) at least one noise reduction filter FK (for example a Kalman filter) for reducing noise and increasing quality to obtain an intermediate time series S-DG' of points, each point having associated driving data DG of the vehicle 1;

[0343] - identifying, within the filtered first intermediate time series S-DG', points corresponding to braking events EF based on driving data DG of the vehicle 1 associated with each point, by application of the configured control logic LC;

[0344] - determining a further intermediate time series S-EF' of points corresponding to actual braking events EF by aggregating the identified points corresponding to braking events EF, each point having associated therewith respective driving data DG of the vehicle 1;

[0345] applying a correctness and consistency check filter FC to the further intermediate time series S-EF' in order to remove the points corresponding to the errors and to obtain a second time series S-EF of points (a definitive data set).

[0346] The data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 stores the second time series S-EF in the memory unit 202 of the remote computer 200 .

[0347] For each braking event represented by a point of the second time series S-EF, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 determines a value (e.g., temperature) of a first physical magnitude G1 of the braking system of the vehicle 1 by applying a first calculation module M1 (algorithm or mathematical model) of said first physical magnitude G1 based on a first subset S1 of the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 for the point of the second time series S-EF corresponding to the braking event EF and one or more pieces of information PI coming from sources external to the remote computer 200 and the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1.

[0348] The plurality of pieces of information PI consist of a first piece of information I1 representative of the environment in which the vehicle 1 is traveling, a second piece of information I2 representative of the road conditions on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, and a third piece of information I3 on ​​the production of the vehicle 1.

[0349] A first subset S1 of the vehicle driving data DG consists of the speed VC of the vehicle 1.

[0350] The first information L1 consists of a weather commercial.

[0351] The second information I2 comprises the gradient PD of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling.

[0352] The third information I3 consists of the weight MS of the vehicle 1 and the technical specifications ST of the braking system of the vehicle 1.

[0353] Then, again for each braking event represented by a point of the second time series S-EF, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 determines a value of a second physical magnitude G2 (e.g., pressure) of the braking system of the vehicle 1 by applying a second calculation module M2 (algorithm or mathematical model) of the second physical magnitude G2 based on a second subset S2 of the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 for the point of the second time series S-EF corresponding to the braking event EF and one or more pieces of information PI coming from sources external to the remote computer 200 and the portable electronic device 2 of the vehicle 1.

[0354] The second subset S2 of the vehicle travel data DG consists of the speed VC of the vehicle 1, the acceleration AZ of the vehicle 1 and the deceleration DZ of the vehicle 1.

[0355] The first information I1 consists of the temperature TE outside the vehicle 1.

[0356] The second information I2 comprises the gradient PD of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling.

[0357] The third information I3 consists of the weight MS of the vehicle 1 and the technical specifications ST of the braking system of the vehicle 1.

[0358] Then, again for each braking event represented by a point of the second time series S-EF, the data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 determines one or more values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP by applying a third calculation module M3 (algorithm or mathematical model) of particulate matter emissions based on the third subset S3 of the driving data DG of the vehicle 1 for the point of the second time series S-EF corresponding to the braking event EF, the value of the first physical magnitude PR of the vehicle braking system 1, the value of the second physical magnitude TR of the braking system 1, and one or more pieces of information PI coming from sources external to the remote computer 200 in the vehicle 1 and the portable electronic device 2.

[0359] The third subset S3 of the vehicle travel data DG consists of the speed VC of the vehicle 1, the acceleration AZ of the vehicle 1, and the deceleration DZ of the vehicle 1.

[0360] The first information L1 consists of a weather commercial.

[0361] The second information I2 does not consist of any information.

[0362] The third information I3 consists of technical data DM relating to the materials of the brake pads and brake discs of the vehicle 1 .

[0363] The one or more values ​​representative of particulate matter emissions EP are provided above and consist of a value V1 representative of the mass of particulate matter particles having a diameter equal to or less than a set value (PM10 level - mass in MG of particles in the air with a diameter equal to or less than 1 micrometer).

[0364] The data processing unit 201 of the remote computer 200 provides the driver in real time with a value V1 representative of the mass of particulate matter particles having a diameter smaller than or equal to a set value through the user interface 5 of the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1, in particular through a software application installed thereon for employing the portable electronic device 2 in the vehicle 1 in implementing the system 100.

[0365] The data processing unit 202 of the remote computer 200 stores in a respective database the value of the first physical magnitude G1 (temperature) determined by the first calculation module M1, the value of the second physical magnitude G2 (pressure) determined by the second calculation module M2, and a value V1 representative of the mass of particulate matter particles having a diameter less than or equal to a set value determined by the third calculation module M3.

[0366] It is noteworthy that the objectives of the present invention are fully achieved.

[0367] In fact, after acquisition of the vehicle's driving data, which is performed at a set acquisition frequency, the vehicle's driving data is transmitted to a remote computer that executes an algorithm, freeing the portable electronic device in the vehicle (the driver's smartphone) from such tasks so as not to limit memory and battery, and instead utilizing a more powerful processor for the calculation part.

[0368] Additionally, each software update is managed at the remote computer, minimizing issues for the user.

[0369] Furthermore, the level of particulate emissions linked to the vehicle's braking system is determined using vehicle driving data detected by sensors on a smartphone installed in the vehicle and determined by a calculation module (so-called virtual sensors), i.e. algorithms or mathematical models that improve the informationality of the initial data, the accuracy and precision of the results obtained by utilizing data sources (databases, APIs, experimental parameters) external to the physical medium on which the aforementioned data and the calculations are performed.

[0370] To meet foreseeable needs, those skilled in the art may modify and adapt the above-described embodiments of the method and related system, or substitute other functionally equivalent elements, without departing from the scope of the appended claims. All features described above as belonging to possible embodiments may be implemented without regard to other embodiments described.

Claims

1. A method (800) for detecting and providing representative information of particulate emissions resulting from use of a braking system of a vehicle (1), the method comprising: A step (801) of acquiring, by a portable electronic device (2) in the vehicle (1), identification data (DV) of the vehicle (1) entered by a driver of the vehicle (1); A step (802) of acquiring driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1) while the vehicle (1) is traveling by a plurality of sensors (6) of the portable electronic device (2) in the vehicle (1); a storing step (803) of storing the acquired driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1) in at least one memory module (4) of the portable electronic device (2) of the vehicle (1) by at least one data processing module (3) of the portable electronic device (2) in the vehicle (1) as a first time series (S-DG) of a plurality of points, each of the plurality of points having the driving data (DG) of the vehicle associated with the point; transmitting (804) the driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1) stored as the first time series (S-DG) in the at least one memory module (4) of the portable electronic device (2) of the vehicle (1) to a remote computer (200); and a step (806) of performing a first processing on the received driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1) by a data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200) to determine a representative of the driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1) as a second time series (S-EF) of a plurality of points, the representative of the driving data (DG) representing an actual braking event (EF), each of the plurality of points having associated driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1), For each braking event represented by the plurality of points of the second time series (S-EF), the method (800) comprises, by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200): - a step (810) of determining a value of a first physical magnitude (G1; TR) of the braking system of the vehicle (1) by applying a first calculation module (M1) of the first physical magnitude (G1; TR) based on a first subset (S1) of the driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1) of the plurality of points of the second time series (S-EF) corresponding to the braking event (EF) and on one or more pieces of information (PI) coming from sources external to the remote computer (200) and the portable electronic device (2) of the vehicle (1), the plurality of pieces of information (PI) consisting of first information representative of the environment in which the vehicle (1) is driving, second information (I2) representative of road conditions on which the vehicle (1) is driving on its route, and third information (I3) related to the production of the vehicle (1); determining (811) a value of a second physical magnitude (G2; PR) of the braking system of the vehicle (1) based on a second subset (S2) of the driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1) of the plurality of points of the second time series (S-EF) corresponding to the braking event (EF) by applying a second calculation module (M2) of the second physical magnitude (G2; PR) and on one or more pieces of information (PI) coming from sources external to the remote computer (200) and the portable electronic device (2) of the vehicle (1); determining (812) one or more values ​​representative of particulate emissions (EP) due to the braking event (EF) based on a third subset (S3) of the driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1) for the point of the second time series (S-EF) corresponding to the braking event (EF), the value of the first physical magnitude (TR) of the braking system, the value of the second physical magnitude (PR) of the braking system, and one or more pieces of information (PI) from sources external to the remote computer (200) and the portable electronic device (2) in the vehicle (1), by applying a third particulate emissions (EP) calculation module (M3); The method (800) includes a step (813) of providing, by the portable electronic device (2) in the vehicle (1), to a driver the determined one or more values ​​representative of the particulate matter emissions (EP) due to the braking event (EF).

2. 2. The method (800) of claim 1, comprising a step (814) of storing, by the data processing unit (202) of the remote computer (200), in respective databases, the value of the first physical magnitude (G1; TR) determined by the first calculation module (M1), the value of the second physical magnitude (G2; PR) determined by the second calculation module (M2), and one or more values ​​representative of the particulate matter emissions (EP) determined by the third calculation module (M3).

3. 2. The method (800) of claim 1, comprising a step (815) of correlating, by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200), one or more pieces of information (PI) with data of respective databases stored in respective pre-prepared memory units (202) in order to derive values ​​and / or calculation coefficients to be supplied to the first calculation module (M1), the second calculation module (M2) and the third calculation module (M3).

4. 2. The method (800) of claim 1, wherein the first physical magnitude (G1; TR) is a temperature (TR) of the braking system of the vehicle (1).

5. 2. The method (800) of claim 1, wherein the second physical magnitude (G2; PR) is a pressure (PR) present in the brake system of the vehicle (1).

6. determining (816) by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200) a brake evaluation index (IV) based on the determined one or more values ​​representative of the particulate matter emissions (EP) due to the braking event (EF); 2. The method (800) of claim 1, comprising a step (817) of providing the determined brake evaluation index (IV) to a driver by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200).

7. 7. The method (800) of claim 6, wherein the step (817) of providing the determined brake evaluation index (IV) to the driver is performed in real time by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200).

8. 7. The method (800) according to claim 6, wherein the determined brake evaluation index (IV) is provided to the driver by a user interface (5) of the portable electronic device (2) in the vehicle (1) and / or by a vehicle display module (1) operably connected to the remote computer (200) via a data communication network (NTW).

9. The method (800) of claim 1 further comprising a step (818) of determining, by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200), for each braking event (EF) present along the set route, a particulate emission factor (F-EP) of the particulate emissions (EP) of the vehicle (1) during the set route traveled based on the determined one or more values ​​representative of the particulate emissions (EP) due to the braking event (EF).

10. 10. The method (800) of claim 9, further comprising a step (819) of determining, by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200), the distance traveled by the vehicle (1) during the set route.

11. 10. The method (800) of claim 9, comprising the step of providing (820) the determined particulate matter emission coefficient (F-EP) to a driver by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200).

12. 12. The method (800) of claim 11, wherein the step (820) of providing the determined particulate matter emission coefficient (F-EP) is performed in real time by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200).

13. 12. The method (800) of claim 11, wherein the determined particulate matter emission coefficient (F-EP) is provided to the driver by a user interface (5) of the portable electronic device (2) in the vehicle (1) and / or by a vehicle display module (1) operably connected to the remote computer (200) via a data communication network (NTW).

14. 2. The method (800) of claim 1, wherein the step (813) of providing the one or more determined values ​​representative of the particulate matter emissions (EP) due to the braking event (EF) to a driver is performed in real time by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200).

15. 15. The method (800) of claim 14, wherein the determined one or more values ​​representative of the particulate matter emissions (EP) due to the braking event (EF) are provided to the driver by a user interface (5) of the portable electronic device (2) in the vehicle (1) and / or by a vehicle display module (1) operatively connected to the remote computer (200) via a data communication network (NTW).

16. 2. The method (800) of claim 1, comprising a step (821) of providing the determined first physical magnitude value (G1; TR) and the determined second physical magnitude value (G2; PR) to a driver by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200), wherein the first physical magnitude value (G1; TR) and the second physical magnitude value (G2; PR) are provided to the driver by the user interface (5) of the portable electronic device (2) in the vehicle (1) and / or by a vehicle display module (1) operatively connected to the remote computer (200) via a data communication network (NTW).

17. The method (800) of claim 1, comprising a step (822) of providing the driver with further information representative of the driver's driving performance of the vehicle (1) by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200), wherein the further information representative of the driver's driving performance of the vehicle (1) is provided to the driver by a vehicle display module (1) operably connected to the remote computer (200) via a data communication network (NTW) and / or by the user interface (5) of the portable electronic device (2) in the vehicle (1).

18. 2. The method (800) of claim 1, comprising a step (823) of providing the driver with further information representative of the driver's driving style by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200), wherein the further information representative of the driver's driving style is provided to the driver by the user interface (5) of the portable electronic device (2) in the vehicle (1) and / or by a vehicle display module (1) operatively connected to the remote computer (200) via a data communication network (NTW).

19. acquiring (824) at least one further physical dimension (G3) of the braking system by a second plurality of sensors (8) installed on the vehicle (1); providing (825) the value of the at least one further physical dimension (G3) of the braking system to the remote computer (200) by a communication device (9) installed on the vehicle (1) operatively connected to the second plurality of sensors (8) installed on the vehicle (1); 2. The method (800) of claim 1, comprising a step (812) of applying the third calculation module (M3) of the particulate matter emissions (EP) to determine one or more values ​​representative of the particulate matter emissions (EP) due to the braking event (EF), the step (812) being performed by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200) also based on the value of the further physical magnitude (GR3).

20. a step (805) of performing a first process on the driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1) to determine a representative of the driving data (DG) of the vehicle as the second time series (S-EF) of a plurality of points representative of actual braking events (EF), applying (806) by at least one of the data processing units (201) of the remote computer (200) to the received first time series (S-DG) of the plurality of points at least one noise reduction filter (F-K) for reducing noise and improving quality to obtain an intermediate time series (S-DG') of points, each point associated with the driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1); a step (807) of identifying, by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200), points in the filtered intermediate time series (S-DG') corresponding to the braking events (EF) based on the driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1) associated with each point by applying a set control logic (L-C); - a step (808) of determining, by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200), a further intermediate time series (S-EF') of points corresponding to actual braking events (EF) by aggregating the identified points corresponding to braking events (EF), each point having associated therewith the driving data (DG) of the vehicle (1); 2. The method (800) of claim 1, further comprising a step (809) of applying a correctness and consistency check filter (FC) to the further intermediate time series (S-EF') by the data processing unit (201) of the remote computer (200) to remove points corresponding to errors and obtain the second time series (S-EF).

21. A system (100) for detecting particulate matter emissions due to use of a braking system of a vehicle (1) while said vehicle (1) is in motion and providing representative information, comprising: at least one data processing module (3); At least one user interface (5); and a portable electronic device (2) mounted on the vehicle (1) including a plurality of sensors (6) operatively connected to the data processing unit (3); a remote computer (200) configured to perform data communication with the portable electronic device (2) in the vehicle via a data communication network (NTW), the remote computer (200) including at least one data processing unit (201); The system (100) is configured to perform a method for detecting and providing representative information about particulate emissions due to use of a braking system of a vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

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