Methods, apparatuses and computer program products for measuring vehicle carbon footprint

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9824365-B2
Application number	US-201514964036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2015
Priority date	Feb 17, 2012
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are provided for determining carbon emissions of one or more vehicles. For instance, in one example embodiment, an apparatus may calculate miles traveled by the vehicles along a predefined route and may calculate a fuel usage of the vehicles for traveling along the route to obtain one or more fuel values. The apparatus may also analyze data indicating the miles traveled and the fuel values to determine fuel efficiency values corresponding to the vehicles traveling the route. The apparatus may also determine an estimate of an amount of carbon emissions for each of the vehicles based in part on applying at least one carbon emission value to respective fuel values associated with corresponding determined fuel efficiency values.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A method comprising:
calculating a fuel usage of a plurality of vehicles for traveling along a predefined route to obtain one or more fuel values;
analyzing data indicating miles traveled by the vehicles along the route and the fuel values to determine fuel efficiency values corresponding to the vehicles traveling the route;
determining, via a processor, an estimate of an amount of carbon emissions for each of the vehicles; and
receiving an indication, from a device, of at least one carbon offset determined based in part on a total carbon emissions estimate of each of the vehicles, that traveled the route during a predetermined time period, in response to sending the total carbon emissions estimate to the device, the carbon offset denotes whether the total carbon emissions estimate exceeds an acceptable level of carbon emissions.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel efficiency values comprise miles per gallon values of the respective vehicles determined for traveling the route.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein prior to receiving the indication, the method further comprises:
summing the estimated carbon emissions associated with each of the vehicles to obtain the total carbon emissions estimate of the vehicles, and
wherein sending the total carbon emissions estimate further comprises sending the total carbon emissions estimate to the device to enable the device to determine the at least one carbon offset.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining that at least one detected code reduces at least one of the fuel efficiency values associated with a corresponding vehicle, among the vehicles, that triggered the code, the code is associated with at least one malfunction of at least one part of the vehicle or abnormal driver behavior of a driver driving the vehicle along the route.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
determining that an estimate of an amount of carbon emissions for the vehicle is increased in response to receipt of an indication of the detected code.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the code comprises at least one of a fault code of a braking system or a code associated with inhibiting shifting of a transmission or reducing a speed of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
calculating the miles in an instance in which the vehicles traverse a first location of a geofence corresponding to an origin of the route and traverse a second location corresponding to an end of the route by subtracting a detected amount of miles traveled by the vehicles as the vehicles traverse the second location from a detected amount of miles of the vehicles as the vehicles traverse the first location; and
calculating the fuel values in response to the vehicles traversing the first location and the second location of the geofence by subtracting a detected amount of fuel used by the vehicles as the vehicles traverse the second location from a detected amount of fuel of the vehicles as the vehicles traverse the first location.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the geofence comprises one or more latitude and longitude coordinates associated with defined points of a geographic area.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein:
the received indication comprises indicia indicating a cost of money owed to an emissions and offset entity in response to the device determining that the carbon offset is above a predetermined threshold.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vehicles transport one or more packages for delivery along the route.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein prior to calculating the fuel usage, the method further comprises receiving an indication that an engine type of the vehicles is the same.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
receiving the indication comprises receipt of indicia indicating a carbon tax charged by an emissions and offset entity in response to a determination that the carbon offset is above a predetermined threshold.

13. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to:
calculate a fuel usage of a plurality of vehicles for traveling along a predefined route to obtain one or more fuel values;
analyze data indicating miles traveled by the vehicles along the route and the fuel values to determine fuel efficiency values corresponding to the vehicles traveling the route;
determine an estimate of an amount of carbon emissions for each of the vehicles; and
receive an indication, from a device, of at least one carbon offset determined based in part on a total carbon emissions estimate of each of the vehicles, that traveled the route during a predetermined time period, in response to sending the total carbon emissions estimate to the device, the carbon offset denotes whether the total carbon emissions estimate exceeds an acceptable level of carbon emissions.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the fuel efficiency values comprise miles per gallon values of the respective vehicles determined for traveling the route.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein prior to receive the indication, the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:
sum the estimated carbon emissions associated with each of the vehicles to obtain the total carbon emissions estimate of the vehicles; and
perform the sending by sending the total carbon emissions estimate to the device to enable the device to determine the at least one carbon offset.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:
determine that at least one detected code reduces at least one of the fuel efficiency values associated with a corresponding vehicle, among the vehicles, that triggered the code, the code is associated with at least one malfunction of at least one part of the vehicle or abnormal driver behavior of a driver driving the vehicle along the route.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:
determine that an estimate of an amount of carbon emissions for the vehicle is increased in response to receipt of an indication of the detected code.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the code comprises at least one of a fault code of a braking system or a code associated with inhibiting shifting of a transmission or reducing a speed of the vehicle.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:
calculate the miles in an instance in which the vehicles traverse a first location of a geofence corresponding to an origin of the route and traverse a second location corresponding to an end of the route by subtracting a detected amount of miles traveled by the vehicles as the vehicles traverse the second location from a detected amount of miles of the vehicles as the vehicles traverse the first location; and
calculate the fuel values in response to the vehicles traversing the first location and the second location of the geofence by subtracting a detected amount of fuel used by the vehicles as the vehicles traverse the second location from a detected amount of fuel of the vehicles as the vehicles traverse the first location.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the geofence comprises one

Assignees

• United parcel service america inc

Inventors

• Bradley David L
• Olsen Iii John A
• Davidson Mark J

Classifications

• G06Q30/018 Primary

  Certifying business or products · CPC title

• G01F9/023

  with electric, electro-mechanic or electronic means · CPC title

• B60R16/0236 Primary

  for economical driving · CPC title

• G01F9/001

  with electric, electro-mechanic or electronic means (G01F9/008 and G01F9/02 take precedence) · CPC title

• G06Q10/00

  Administration; Management · CPC title