In recent years, sophisticated electronic subsystems have been, used in the heavy-duty vehicle industry, particularly with tractor-trailer combinations involving data transmission. State emissions testing is usually applied on the basis of a manufacturer's weight rating for a vehicle, e.g. light heavy duty, medium heavy duty and heavy duty. Diesel engines used in heavy-duty vehicles are divided into service classes according to gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWRs). Federal law (40 CFR 86.094 et seq.) defines the various categories of heavy-duty vehicle service classes according to GVWRs of above 8,500 lbs. A light heavy-duty diesel engine designation applies to an engine used in a vehicle having a GVWR of between 8,500 lbs. and 19,500 lbs. A medium heavy-duty diesel engine designation applies to an engine used in a vehicle having a GVWR of between greater than or equal to 19,500 lbs. and less than or equal to 33,000 lbs. A heavy-duty diesel engine designation applies to an engine used in a vehicle having a GVWR of greater than 33,000 lbs. Basic emission standards are expressed in g/bhp·hr (“g/bhp-hr” means grams/brake horsepower-hour) and require emission testing over the Heavy-Duty Federal Test Procedure (FTP) Transient Cycle, although some heavy-duty gasoline vehicles have pertinent emission standards expressed in grams/mile (g/mile).
Emissions tests are usually required annually with a vehicle registration. Typically, vehicles, such as light duty diesel-powered vehicles undergo emissions testing using dynamomenter measurements. A dynamometer places a load on an engine and measures its performance. In some jurisdictions, trucks within the heavy duty diesel class are not required to undergo annual emissions inspection and must simply adhere to opacity standards few visible smoke. Such tests usually require that a vehicle be taken out of service, whether through measurements taken at a State emissions facility or for exhaust opacity measurements at a weigh station or through an on-the-road enforcement program using specially equipped emissions testing vehicles.
Portable emission measurement systems (PEMS) have been under development for some time. The United States of America as represented by the Adminstrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,148,656 and 6,382,014 awarded to Leo Breton entitled “Real-Time On-Road Vehicle Exhaust Gas Modular Flowmeter and Emissions Reporting System”, better known as ROVER. ROVER is a PEMS device that provides a method for measuring mass flow from engines. Mass flow measurement in turn provides a method for measuring emissions.
Today's vehicles have, an on-board electronic control unit (“ECU”) and include electronic subsystems such as vehicle security, engine operations, and monitoring, etc. PEMS may also be added. There are several methods for providing data communications within vehicles. Communication systems compliant with the Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE) standard J1708 and the more recent SAE standard J1939 are generally used for data communications in the heavy-duty vehicle environment. In 2007 and 2010, a series of on-board diagnostic (OBD) regulations are slated to go into effect for heavy duty trucks. These standards are similar in nature to the OBD requirements applied to passenger cars in 1996 and following. Many states require cars to pass an OBD test every year. Such a requirement will be applied to heavy duty trucks as well. This will require taking the track out of service, and taking it to an OBD testing center resulting in downtime for each truck. Many of the OBD tests are run on the vehicle in a continuous manner, and the test station simply queries the ECM for the latest test results. Other tests are run in an on-demand manner.
Along with concern over vehicle emissions control, there is a need to maximize truck time-in-service. Taking a vehicle such as a truck out of service for emissions testing and/or reporting causes considerable down-time. Consequently, a need exists to maximize vehicle usage in connection with complying with regulations requiring vehicle testing, such as emissions testing.
Some of the features and advantages of the present invention have been stated, others will become apparent as the description proceeds when taken in conjunction with me accompanying drawings, in which;
Applicable reference numerals have been carried forward.
Tractor-trailer combination 10 also preferably includes various electronic subsystems 16. For example, tractor 11 may include electronic subsystems such as an anti-locking brake system (“ABS”), a data communication system, a fuel monitoring system, and an engine power monitoring system. Trailer 12 may include electronic subsystems 17 such as a weight detection system, a trailer power monitoring system, a refrigeration system, an ABS, and a backup data communication system, such as understood by those skilled in the art. Other examples of these electronic subsystems 17 and features which may be monitored and/or controlled by the apparatus disclosed herein are illustrated, but not limited to the following for a tractor/trailer combination in Table I below;
Electronic subsystems 17 may be connected to each other via electrical conductors (not shown) such as twisted pair wire or other wiring standards or schemes. Electronic subsystems 16, for example, can be accessed through a connector such as a six-pin Deutch connector, a 7-pin connector or other well-known connectors (not shown) used within tractor or trailer environments. Also, tractor 11 provides a convenient location for a driver or any authorized person to inspect the operational conditions of the tractor-trailer combination 10,
It should be understood that the term “receiver” is used throughout to denote any device remotely located from NMC 20 which is capable of receiving data from NMC 20. As such, the term receiver encompasses both wireless and wireline devices. In addition, the receiver typically includes a transmitter for transmitting data to NMC 20.
NMC 20 is coupled to one or more dispatch stations 14 via Internet connection, dialup connection or direct connection (e.g., local, area network) 30. Communication system 4 may be used to track and communicate with vehicles in a fleet. Each MCT is mounted in a vehicle or is part of a mobile device optimally geographically located within the operational boundaries of wireless network 4. Dispatch station 14 may receive and/or transmit data between each MCT 32, 34, 36 and 38 via NMC 20 and wireless network 4. The data communicated therebetween may include digital information transmitted in packet format and such communications may occur as a consequence of being polled from NMC 20 or they may be event driven. Further, such communications may be message based without requiring data streaming.
Embedded processor 21 is preferably connected through electrical conductors 28 to electronic subsystem controllers 24. Each controller 24 preferably includes a microprocessor operating according to stored programs designed to perform various functions related to monitoring and/or controlling electronic subsystems within the tractor-trailer combination 10 of FIG 1. In one aspect, electronic subsystem controllers 24 may advantageously communicate with each other through various types of communication technology, including J1939, J1587, power line carrier (“PLC”) technology, infrared technology, radio frequency technology, and other communications technologies as well understood by those skilled in the art. Additionally, each electronic subsystem controller 24 may preferably include a signal generator (not shown) for generating a signal related to the operation of a vehicle such as the tractor-trailer combination 10. For example, each controller 24 may generate a number of output control signals in the form of relay contact closures or other signals to one of the electronic subsystems. Data communication apparatus 19, via Embedded Communication Processor 21 is connected to each electronic subsystem controller 24 allowing vehicle electronic subsystems such as emissions control and/or monitoring to report real time emissions data to a remote location. Further, in another aspect, subsystems may be controlled remotely from a remote data, communications terminal (not shown) through data communication apparatus 19. Date communication apparatus 19 may be used to provide wireless communications such as between the tractor-trailer combination 10 traveling on the road and a data communications terminal or system located at a remote location away from the vehicle. The remote location, for example, may be a State-run emissions control center, a weigh station, a fuel distribution station, an office building, a dispatch center, a fleet management center, a vehicle (especially a vehicle having emissions monitoring equipment), etc.
A second wireless data communication protocol is used to provide communications between a vehicle and a location remote from the vehicle. As such, the second data communication protocol, for example, may be a radio frequency (RF) data communication protocol, an infrared (IR) data communication protocol, a satellite data communication protocol, or a microwave or other high frequency data communication protocol. For instance, communications may occur with satellite 33 (shown in
In the illustrated embodiment shown in
At the NMC, dispatch station, State Emissions Control Center, etc., data is provided to message de-encapsulation device (not shown) which de-encapsulates the received message. The received message may be provided to a monitoring device, facility or computer (not shown).
With reference to
Next, data of a local-area vehicle communication protocol (i.e., SAE J1939) is encapsulated within data of an over-the-air communication protocol (i.e., RF data communication protocol), as shown in block 53. As shown in block 54, the data of the over-the-air communication protocol is then wirelessly transmitted from a transceiver within the vehicle to a transceiver remotely located from the vehicle assuming that a window in an over-the-air communication channel between the vehicle and the remote data communications terminal is available. In connection with a determination whether data is being transmitted (block 55), wherein no such window is provided, the data stored in the buffer remains there until a current data transmission has been completed. If the remote data communications terminal is not transmitting data, the data stored in the buffer can be extracted from or transferred from the buffer for transmission as shown in block 54. The electronic subsystems of the vehicle may then be directly observed, monitored, disposed, or impacted by interaction with the remote terminal, e.g. the NMC. In one optional aspect, a confirmation may be received from a remote location verifying its receipt of emissions data sent wherein further attempts are made to transmit the data should no confirmation be received. Further, emissions data may be reported without pulling the vehicle out of service.
As illustrated in
As has been described, the present Invention provides an apparatus and method for providing data communications between a vehicle and a remote data communications terminal. It is understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing may be utilized by any type of vehicle, including passenger vehicles such as automobiles, sedans, sports utility vehicles, trucks, boats, military vehicles, and is particularly advantageous with heavy-duty vehicles such as tractor and/or trailer combinations, recreational vehicles, agricultural tractors, transportation vehicles, etc.
It is also important to note that although the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functional data communications system, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the present invention are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media utilized to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of signal bearing media include, without limitation, recordable type media such as floppy disks or CD ROMs and transmission type media such as analog or digital communications links.
The above description and drawings are only illustrative of preferred embodiments that achieve the objects, features and advantages of the present invention, and it is not intended that the present invention be limited thereto. Any modification of the present invention that comes within the spirit and scope of the following claims is considered to be part of the present invention. Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. Although the terra State Emissions Control facility has been used throughout it is contemplate that this term apply to any emissions control facility whether state owned or not or whether such a term be more appropriately applied to a facility owned or operated by some other government entity, e.g. province. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may he devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.