Vehicle Environmental Impact Verification Through Dual Refueling Reports

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods cannot reliably determine a vehicle's environmental impact due to the indistinguishable chemical composition of environmentally friendly and harmful fuels like biomethane and fossil methane, leading to potential engine damage and legal repercussions, and lack of tamper-proof verification of refueling processes.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a vehicle and a data processing unit where both the gas station and the vehicle independently report refueling processes, allowing the data processing unit to correlate and verify the environmental impact through sensor data and certificates, ensuring tamper-proof recording of fuel origin and consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If chemical analysis is used to verify fuel origin, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases and the method becomes inapplicable since fossil methane and biomethane have identical chemical compositions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefuel origin verificationVSAvoidchemical analysis system

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces chemical analysis methods with an information processing system that uses notification messages from gas stations and vehicle sensors to verify fuel origin. Instead of physical chemical testing, the system uses data communication and processing to determine fuel characteristics, thereby avoiding the complexity of chemical analysis equipment while achieving verification purposes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces notification messages as intermediaries between the gas station and the vehicle to convey fuel origin information. These messages act as carriers that transmit verified fuel characteristics without requiring direct chemical analysis, enabling trust-based verification through information exchange rather than physical measurement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the vehicle simply records fuel usage, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to lack of tamper-proof verification

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefuel recordingVSAvoidfuel origin verification

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the gas station sends notification messages to the vehicle about the fuel dispensed, and the vehicle's sensor unit sends feedback about the actual refueling process. This two-way communication creates a verified record that prevents tampering while maintaining ease of operation through automated data exchange.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The gas station sends notification messages about the fuel to be dispensed before the actual refueling occurs. This preliminary action establishes the expected fuel characteristics in advance, allowing the system to verify compliance during and after the refueling process without requiring complex real-time analysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If the gas station alone reports refueling processes, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to potential unilateral manipulation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereporting systemVSAvoidrefueling verification

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the reporting functions of both the gas station and the vehicle into a single verification system. The gas station's notification messages about fuel dispensed are combined with the vehicle's sensor data about actual refueling, creating a comprehensive and tamper-resistant verification record that cannot be manipulated by either party alone.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4597401A1Method for determining an environmental influence of a vehicle

Publication Date: 2025.08.06 CRYOSHELTER BIOLNG GMBH

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AI summary

The invention relates to a method for determining an environmental influence of a vehicle (1) in a system comprising the vehicle (1) and a data processing unit (9), wherein the vehicle has a sensor unit (10) which detects a refuelling process, a withdrawal process or a consumption of fuel, wherein the method comprises the following steps: - sending a first message to the data processing unit (9), wherein the first message contains a characteristic value of an environmental influence, e.g.a CO2 balance, the selected fuel or an identification of the origin of the selected fuel, - in the vehicle (1), sending a second reporting message with a vehicle identification to the data processing unit (9), - in the data processing unit (9), creating a data entry comprising the vehicle identification and the characteristic value of the CO2 balance of the fuel or the identification of the origin of the fuel, - determining the environmental impact of the vehicle (1) on the basis of said data entry.