US 7,500,436 B2 · System and method for managing emissions from mobile vehicles

System and method for managing emissions from mobile vehicles

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorsAjith Kuttannair Kumar, Steven Matthew Pelkowski, Mark Bradshaw Kraeling, Glen Paul Peltonen, James Kiss, Daniel Malachi Ballesty, Wolfgang Daum, Bradley Charles Hendrickson, Gerald James Hess, Jr., Glenn Robert Shaffer, Daniel F. Wolf, Leonard Michael Hill, Steven Andrew Kellner

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Abstract

A locomotive (10) is operable in two or more distinct configurations, with the change in configuration being response to a configuration input signal (35). A locomotive configuration is represented by the set of end use device control signals (13) that are generated by the locomotive control systems (22) in response to the respective set of operational input values (27). For a given set of operational input values, a first set of end use device control signals is generated when a configuration input has a first value, and a second set of end use device control signals is generated when a configuration input has a second value. The configuration input variable is responsive to an emission profile associated with the locomotive location. A value of a locomotive emission parameter corresponding to the emission profile is monitored and saved in a storage device (e.g., 104).

Claims17

Dependent claims

A system for monitoring and controlling locomotive engine emissions comprising:

a location determination unit for determining a geographic location of a locomotive;
memory for storing a plurality of predetermined engine emission profiles, one profile for each of a plurality of geographic locations;
a processor in communication with the memory for accessing the engine emission profile for the determined location of the locomotive and generating an engine control command responsive to respective engine emission profile and engine operating parameters;
a control unit on board the locomotive controlling an operation of the locomotive responsive to the engine control command to limit the production of engine emissions to the corresponding emission profile;
a monitor unit monitoring values of an emission parameter of the locomotive indicative of the emissions produced by the engine;
and
memory storing the values of the emission parameter of the locomotive and at least one of the time and the location of the locomotive when the engine emission was monitored.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

11/136,769Filed 25 May 2005 · continuation in part

Priority

22 May 2003

Published

US 2006/0129289 A115 Jun 2006

Granted

10 Mar 2009

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification20 codes

B61L 25/021
Indicating or recording positions or identities of vehicles or trains: measuring and recording of train speed
B60L 15/2045
For control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed: for…
B60L 50/61
Using power supplied by batteries: by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
B61L 15/0058
Indicators provided on the vehicle or train for signalling purposes: on-board optimisation of vehicle or vehicle train operation

Family

Application60/474,151Us provisional application · filed 22 May 2003

Application10/849,314Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 19 May 2004

Application60/590,853Us provisional application · filed 23 Jul 2004

Application11/008,708Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 9 Dec 2004

US 2006/0129289 A1Pre-grant publication · published 15 Jun 2006

US 7,302,895 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 7,131,614 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 2004/0245410 A1Published application

US 2005/0120904 A1Published application

US 7,500,436 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.