Title of Invention	"DEVICE FOR INSTANTANEOUS MEASUREMENT OF FUEL EFFICIENCY OF AN AUTOMOBILE"
Abstract	Each individual driver of an automobile has his or her own characteristic driving pattern. For example, some drivers may accelerate and brake too often, others may tend to use clutch more often than required, some others (in manual transmission vehicles) may drive the vehicle in a lower or a higher gear for longer or smaller period of time than required, etc. Seldom do they realise the fuel being wasted by their faulty driving due to unavailability of proper information which can guide them. The invention is an attempt to provide to the drivers of an automobile, a device capable of showing them the distance covered by them at each moment with respect to the fuel they are consuming OR the fuel consumed by them at each moment with respect to the distance they are covering. By using this information, the drivers would be able to control reckless or faulty driving and thereby save fuel, reduce environmental pollution, reduce accident hazards as well as reduce maintenance cost and wear & tear of the automobile. The information will also help them in understanding the general condition of the automobile engine and thereby enable them to take preventive measures as and when there is indication of higher fuel consumption with respect to the distance covered over a period of time compared to some period of time in the past. The information will also be helpful in comparing different automobiles with respect to their fuel efficiency. A green and red visual indicator will provide additional information to the driver that whether he is driving in the optimum range or a sub-optimum range at any point in time without actually trying to read the value at every point in time. The device can be aptly called ECOMETER because it helps in economising as well as helps in preserving the environment.

Title of Invention

"DEVICE FOR INSTANTANEOUS MEASUREMENT OF FUEL EFFICIENCY OF AN AUTOMOBILE"

Abstract

Each individual driver of an automobile has his or her own characteristic driving pattern. For example, some drivers may accelerate and brake too often, others may tend to use clutch more often than required, some others (in manual transmission vehicles) may drive the vehicle in a lower or a higher gear for longer or smaller period of time than required, etc. Seldom do they realise the fuel being wasted by their faulty driving due to unavailability of proper information which can guide them. The invention is an attempt to provide to the drivers of an automobile, a device capable of showing them the distance covered by them at each moment with respect to the fuel they are consuming OR the fuel consumed by them at each moment with respect to the distance they are covering. By using this information, the drivers would be able to control reckless or faulty driving and thereby save fuel, reduce environmental pollution, reduce accident hazards as well as reduce maintenance cost and wear & tear of the automobile. The information will also help them in understanding the general condition of the automobile engine and thereby enable them to take preventive measures as and when there is indication of higher fuel consumption with respect to the distance covered over a period of time compared to some period of time in the past. The information will also be helpful in comparing different automobiles with respect to their fuel efficiency. A green and red visual indicator will provide additional information to the driver that whether he is driving in the optimum range or a sub-optimum range at any point in time without actually trying to read the value at every point in time. The device can be aptly called ECOMETER because it helps in economising as well as helps in preserving the environment.

Full Text	The invention relates to "A device for instantaneous measurement of fuel efficiency of an automobile". This device is meant for any automobile and it measures and displays an instantaneous value of distance covered per unit of fuel consumed (or vice versa) by it at any point in time. The device can be calibrated to give such value either in terms of a ratio or in terms of units as per standard systems of measurement such as kilometers per litre or litres per kilometer etc. The invention uses a flow meter and a speedometer to take inputs to an electric circuit / electronic processor. The circuit / processor processes the information and gives an instantaneous output, the value of which is displayed on an analog or digital display unit in the automobile. Background of invention with regard to drawbacks associated with known art: At present automobiles do not have any such device that gives the instantaneous value of fuel consumed with respect to distance covered. Presently, most automobiles have two devices that give instantaneous values - an RPM meter and a Speedometer. The RPM (revolutions per minute) meter has no direct relevance with fuel consumed by the automobile at any given instant with respect to distance covered by it. This meter only indicates the number of revolutions of the engine shaft with respect to time. The Speedometer also has no direct relevance with fuel consumed by the automobile at any given instant with respect to distance covered by it. This meter indicates the speed of the automobile (distance covered with respect to time in terms of say kilometers per hour or miles per hour etc). The driver of the automobile has no information about the actual fuel that the vehicle is consuming at any particular instance with respect to the distance that it is covering. This information is extremely important for any driver and if available can actually inspire them to reduce fuel consumption significantly. Object of invention : The object of the invention is to provide the drivers of automobiles with a device that has extensive use as well as will result in a whole lot of benefits for the public at large. Each individual driver of an automobile has his or her own characteristic driving pattern. For example, some drivers may accelerate and brake too often, others may tend to use clutch more often than required, some others (in manual transmission vehicles) may drive the vehicle in a lower or a higher gear for longer or smaller time than required, etc. Seldom do they realise the fuel being wasted by their faulty driving. The invention is an attempt to provide to the drivers of an automobile, a device capable of showing them the distance covered by them at each moment with respect to the fuel they are consuming or vice versa. By using this information, the drivers would be able to control,reckless and faulty driving and thereby save fuel, reduce environmental pollution, reduce accident hazards as well as reduce maintenance cost of the automobile. The information will also help in understanding the general condition of the automobile engine and thereby enable taking preventive measures as and when there is indication of higher fuel consumption with respect to the distance covered or lower distance covered with respect to the fuel consumed over a period of time compared to some time in the past. The information will also be helpful in comparing different automobiles with respect to their fuel efficiency. Typical graph showing Mileage vs Speed of an automobile (Figure Removed) Detailed description of the invention : The said device involves taking two electrical inputs, one which comes from the flow of fuel to the engine with respect to time and the other which comes from the speed of the automobile i.e. from distance covered with respect to time. The first input of Flow rate can be taken from a suitable point in the fuel supply pipe going to the engine and the second input of Speed can be taken from a suitable point either directly from the axle of the wheel or from a suitable point in the speedometer of the automobile to which the said device is attached. The present invention is a device for instantaneous measurement of fuel efficiency of an automobile comprising a flow measurement meter (1), a speed measurement meter (2), an electric circuit/electronic processor (3) and a display unit (4) wherein the said flow measurement meter is connected witti the said electric circuit/electronic processor tlirough a set of cable wires/conducting metal, the said speed measurement meter is connected with the said electric circuit/electronic processor through another set of cable wires/conducting metal and the said electric circuit/electronic processor connected with the said display unit through a seprate set of cable wires/conducting metal wherein the said flow measurement meter measures the flow rale of fuel to the engine and converts the same into an electric/electronic output e1 that goes from the said flow measurement meter to the said electric circuit/electronic processor through cable wires/conducting metal, the said speed measurement meter measures the speed of the automobile and converts the same into an electric/electronic output e2 that goes from the said speed measurement meter to the said electric circuit/electronic processor through cable wires/conducting metal wherein the said electric circuit/electronic processor instantaneously and continuously keeps performing the mathematical operation of division of the two inputs e1 and e2 into a resultant electric/electronic output e2/e1 (or e1/e2) that goes from the said electric circuit/electronic processor to the said display unit through cable wires/conducting metaf wherein the said display unit converts the electric/electronic signal e2/e1 (or e1/e2) into an analog display (figure 2) or into a digital display which corresponds to the distance covered per unit of fuel consumed (or vice versa). Mathematically, if: Flow rate (F) = Volume of fluid flowing per unit of time through the fuel supply pipe to engine of the automobile, and Speed (S) = Distance covered per unit of time by the automobile then Fuel Consumption per unit of distance covered (C) = F ÷ S or [F/S] Alternatively Distance covered per unit of fuel consumption (M) = S ÷F or [S/F] If F is measured in litres per hour and S is measured in kilometre per hour then C = [F/S] can be measured in litres per kilometre or gallons per mile etc and M = [S/F] can be measured in kilometres per litre or miles per gallon etc. Enclosed Figure 1 shows a pictorial representation of the invention and its components. For the purpose of calibrating the display for C or M in units according to a standard system of measurement, proper calibration is required such that magnitude of el (the electrical output from flow measuring device) & e2 (the electrical output from speed measuring device) are same for the same absolute value of flow rate and speed respectively. This will ensure that the resultant magnitude of e2/e1 (or e1/e2) corresponds to the true ratio of flow rate and speed in the same system of measurement. For example the magnitude of el at say 20 litres/hour should be equal to the magnitude of e2 at the same absolute value of speed i.e. at 20 kilometers/hour, so that, e2/e1 will be 1 kilometer/litre (20/20 kilometer/hour x hour/litre). Relationships between e1 & flow rate and between e2 & speed should both be linear. However, if only a ratio between F and S is desired to be displayed without reference to any units as per a system of measurement, then the precise calibration as described above is not required as long as the condition of linearity mentioned above is being met. The resultant magnitude of e2/e1 (or e1/e2) will then merely show a ratio between fuel consumed and distance covered. This indication of e2/e1 (or e1/e2) can still be very useful for the driver to compare the ratio between two time periods. Therefore, the higher the ratio of e2/e1 (or lower the ratio of e1/e2), the better the fuel efficiency of the automobile. A modification to the said device, where instead of the input from the wheel axle for speed, the input is taken from the engine shaft for revolutions per unit of time, the device will give the instantaneous value of fuel consumption with respect to engine revolutions. Another modification to the said device could be to include a parameter of density of fuel used in the processor to convert the volume flow into mass flow and provide the output in terms of distance covered per unit of mass of fuel consumed as opposed to the volume of fuel consumed. Basic equipment forming part of the invention : 1. A flow sensor (flow meter) with linear characteristics of flowrate versus electrical output, over a normal range of flow, with a set of cable wires that connect it to the electric circuit / electronic processor. 2. A speed measuring device with linear characteristics of speed versus electrical output over a normal range of speed, with a set of cable wires that connect it to the electric circuit / electronic processor. 3. An electric circuit / electronic processor 4. An analog display with a pointer that moves over a calibrated scale with green and red indicator on the display that shows the optimum limits of operation under each gear (Figure 2), with a set of cable wires that connect it to the electric circuit / electronic processor. The word "speedometer" mentioned in this specification specifically applies to a device which measures and displays the instantaneous speed of the automobile at any point in time. A brief description of the accompanying drawings / figures: There are two drawings/figures accompanying this specification : - Figure 1 is a flowsheet depicting how the information will flow to enable the device to work. It shows that an electrical or electronic input each will be taken from two instruments viz. a Flowmeter (1 in Figure 1) and a Speedometer / gear arrangement coupled with wheel axle / transmission (2 in figure 1). These information will be transmitted to the electric circuit / electronic processor (3 in figure 1) through two separate sets of cable wires to the electric circuit / electronic processor and a resultant electrical / electronic output will go to the display unit (4 in figure 1). e1 represents the flow rate of fuel (in terms of say litre/hr) e2 represents the speed of the vehicle (in terms of say km/hr) e2/e1 represents distance covered per unit of fuel consumed (in terms of km/litre) Relationships between e1 & flow rate and between e2 & speed should both be linear Proper calibration should ensure that magnitude of el & e2 are same for the same absolute value of flow rate and speed respectively. This will ensure that the resultant magnitude of e2/e1 corresponds to the true ratio of flow rate and speed. For example the magnitude of e1 at say 20 litre/hr should be equal to the magnitude of e2 at the same absolute value of speed i.e. at 20 km/hr, so that, e2/e1 will be 1 km/litre (20/20 km/hr x hr/litre). - Figure 2 shows a typical layout of the Analog Display Unit with green and red indicators. The green and red areas can be marked by relevant experts using the invention according to their guidelines of acceptable and unacceptable range of fuel consumption for each gear. The green will show the acceptable range while the red will show unacceptable range. Hence when the needle is on green portion, the driver will know that he is within the acceptable range of fuel consumption with respect to distance covered and hence there is no problem in either his driving or with the engine or with the load in the automobile. An exception to this will be when the automobile is stationery and therefore display will show the maximum reading since the speed will be zero (in case the display corresponds to km per litre). The calibration of the display unit can be done by the manufacturer in accordance with whether it is desirable to show the display as a ratio or whether it is desirable to show the display as a unit (like kilometers per litre or miles per gallon etc). It can also be calibrated in accordance with whether manufacturer wants the pointer needle to move in a clockwise direction when the fuel consumption increases with respect to distance covered or whether the manufacturer wants the pointer needle to move in the anti-clockwise direction when the fuel consumption increases with respect to distance covered. A digital display will not be very effective because, being an instantaneous value, the same will change so fast in a digital display that either it will not be readable at all or, for a driver to read the instrument, he / she may have to concentrate too much on the instrument rather than on the road and this is not desirable. Benefits of the Invention : Some of the situations where this information can be useful are : > For changing gears : The driver will know from the said invention as to when to shift from a lower to a higher gear or vice versa. As soon as the pointer in the said invention crosses a particular point, the driver will know that its time to change the gear. This situation is common with many drivers since they do not know how the actual fuel consumption is getting affected with their different actions. > For those who speed up and brake too often : While driving on congested streets, drivers who speed up and use brakes too often will tend to avoid doing so since it will be clearly visible with the invention as to how much additional fuel they are buming for the same distance covered. > While driving at high speeds : A driver will desist from driving at high speeds because he would be able to see for himself how the fuel consumption is getting affected by overspeeding. At present, since there is no such device that gives the magnitude of increase in fuel consumption, the drivers tend to forget that the fuel consumption goes up by overspeeding. > While waiting on long signals : Many a times, drivers forget to switch off their engines while waiting on the traffic signals just because there is no indication of the fuel that they are consuming. All the above situations will result in the following benefits with the said invention: 1. Automobile drivers, in general, will become more economy conscious 2. There will be a huge saving in fuel consumed by every automobile thereby resulting in savings for the automobile owner 3. Huge consen/ation of precious oil for the countrry/world as a whole 4. Reduction in overall pollution levels in cities as well as congested areas thereby resulting in better health standards for every citizen 5. Lesser accidents on road thereby also resulting in a higher feeling of safety among all those who use the roads 6. Smoother flow of traffic thereby resulting in saving of time for every automobile user 7. Reduction in wear & tear of every automobile engine thereby resulting in additional savings of time and money for the automobile owners 8. It will also enable the driver get a warning signal well in time to take preventive measures. As soon as the driver notices a more than usual fuel consumption of the automobile than what it normally is, he / she would know that there is some problem in the automobile and the same can be corrected in time. The invention will also hep in checking that whether a problem has been actually rectified or not. 9. It will also help in comparing efficiency and working of different automobile engines 10. Besides the above, it will provide the driver with a more relevant information rather than a less relevant one as provided by the RPM meter 11. The flow of fuel to the engine can be measured by placing a small flowmeter on the pipe that carries the fuel to the engine. This will give the quantity of fuel flowing to the engine per unit of time. 12. The distance covered by the vehicle per unit of time can be measured by the existing speedometer that all vehicles already have. If feasible, this information can be utilised without the need to have another speed measuring device. 13. Once these two quantities are available, they need to be converted into electronic / electrical signals and fed into an electric circuit / electronic processor so as to bring out a resultant signal which corresponds to the division of one with the other For example, if fuel consumed per unit of time is f and speed (distance covered per same unit of time) is s, then what is required is f/s i.e. fuel consumed per unit of distance covered. Accordingly a suitable electric circuit bridge / electronic processor can be used for this purpose. What is important to keep in mind is the calibration and linearity of the two values being measured. 14. This electrical signal can then be converted and calibrated to display the value of the resultant fuel consumed per unit of distance covered (or vice versa) by the same principle as is done for the existing speedometers or rpm meters and placed on the dashboard of the vehicle. 15. While the flow meter, speedometer, electric circuits / electronic processors pertorming instantaneous arithmetic functions and analog and digital display units already exist in the prior art, no one has thought of utilising them to create a new device that would be so useful for every driver that it would be wanted it in every vehicle. 16. The invention will be a boon for every automobile driver, and has extreme utility for everyone and is perfectly capable of industrial manufacturing. 17. Despite instruments like flow meter and speedometers being in use for several years, it has not been obvious to people skilled in the prior art to develop a device which by combining the outputs of these two instruments in a particular manner (as described in this invention) through an electric circuit / electronic processor can actually give rise to and display a totally new and highly useful measure for any vehicle owner - the measure of instantaneous fuel efficiency of a vehicle. claim 1. A device for instantaneous measurement of fuel efficiency of an automobile comprising a flow measurement meter (1), a speed measurement meter (2), an electric circuit/electronic processor (3) and a display unit (4) wherein the said flow measurement meter is connected with the said electric circuit/electronic processor through a set of cable wires/conducting metal, the said speed measurement meter is connected with the said electric circuit/electronic processor through another set of cable wires/conducting metal and the said electric circuit/electronic processor connected with the said display unit through a separate set of cable wires/conducting metal. 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein output is displayed on an analog or digital display unit. 3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a set of green and red visual indicators on the analog/digital display unit of the said device. 4. A device for instantaneous measurement of fuel efficiency of an automobile substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Full Text

The invention relates to "A device for instantaneous measurement of fuel efficiency of an automobile".
This device is meant for any automobile and it measures and displays an instantaneous value of distance covered per unit of fuel consumed (or vice versa) by it at any point in time. The device can be calibrated to give such value either in terms of a ratio or in terms of units as per standard systems of measurement such as kilometers per litre or litres per kilometer etc.
The invention uses a flow meter and a speedometer to take inputs to an electric circuit / electronic processor. The circuit / processor processes the information and gives an instantaneous output, the value of which is displayed on an analog or digital display unit in the automobile.
Background of invention with regard to drawbacks associated with known art:
At present automobiles do not have any such device that gives the instantaneous value of fuel consumed with respect to distance covered. Presently, most automobiles have two devices that give instantaneous values - an RPM meter and a Speedometer.
The RPM (revolutions per minute) meter has no direct relevance with fuel consumed by the automobile at any given instant with respect to distance covered by it. This meter only indicates the number of revolutions of the engine shaft with respect to time.
The Speedometer also has no direct relevance with fuel consumed by the automobile at any given instant with respect to distance covered by it. This meter indicates the speed of the automobile (distance covered with respect to time in terms of say kilometers per hour or miles per hour etc).
The driver of the automobile has no information about the actual fuel that the vehicle is consuming at any particular instance with respect to the distance that it is covering. This information is extremely important for any driver and if available can actually inspire them to reduce fuel consumption significantly.
Object of invention :
The object of the invention is to provide the drivers of automobiles with a device that has extensive use as well as will result in a whole lot of benefits for the public at large.
Each individual driver of an automobile has his or her own characteristic driving pattern. For example, some drivers may accelerate and brake too often, others may tend to use clutch more often than required, some others (in manual transmission vehicles) may drive the vehicle in a lower or a higher gear for longer or smaller time than required, etc. Seldom do they realise the fuel being wasted by their faulty driving. The invention is an attempt to provide to the drivers of an automobile, a device capable of showing them the distance covered by them at each moment with respect to the fuel they are consuming or vice versa. By using this information, the drivers would be able to control,reckless and faulty driving and thereby save fuel, reduce environmental pollution, reduce accident hazards as well as reduce maintenance cost of the automobile. The information will also help in understanding the general condition of the automobile engine and thereby enable taking preventive measures as and when there is indication of higher fuel consumption with respect to the
distance covered or lower distance covered with respect to the fuel consumed over a period
of time compared to some time in the past. The information will also be helpful in comparing different automobiles with respect to their fuel efficiency.
Typical graph showing Mileage vs Speed of an automobile
(Figure Removed)
Detailed description of the invention :
The said device involves taking two electrical inputs, one which comes from the flow of fuel to the engine with respect to time and the other which comes from the speed of the automobile i.e. from distance covered with respect to time.
The first input of Flow rate can be taken from a suitable point in the fuel supply pipe going to the engine and the second input of Speed can be taken from a suitable point either directly from the axle of the wheel or from a suitable point in the speedometer of the automobile to which the said device is attached.
The present invention is a device for instantaneous measurement of fuel efficiency of an automobile comprising a flow measurement meter (1), a speed measurement meter (2), an electric circuit/electronic processor (3) and a display unit (4) wherein the said flow measurement meter is connected witti the said electric circuit/electronic processor tlirough a set of cable wires/conducting metal, the said speed measurement meter is connected with the said electric circuit/electronic processor through another set of cable wires/conducting metal and the said electric circuit/electronic processor connected with the said display unit through a seprate set of cable wires/conducting metal wherein the said flow measurement meter measures the flow rale of fuel to the engine and converts the same into an electric/electronic output e1 that goes from the said flow measurement meter to the said electric circuit/electronic processor through cable wires/conducting metal, the said speed measurement meter measures the speed of the automobile and converts the same into an electric/electronic output e2 that goes from the said speed measurement meter to the said electric circuit/electronic processor through cable wires/conducting metal wherein
the said electric circuit/electronic processor instantaneously and continuously keeps
performing the mathematical operation of division of the two inputs e1 and e2 into a resultant electric/electronic output e2/e1 (or e1/e2) that goes from the said electric circuit/electronic processor to the said display unit through cable wires/conducting metaf wherein the said display unit converts the electric/electronic signal e2/e1 (or e1/e2) into an analog display (figure 2) or into a digital display which corresponds to the distance covered per unit of fuel consumed (or vice versa).
Mathematically, if:
Flow rate (F) = Volume of fluid flowing per unit of time through the fuel supply pipe to engine of the automobile, and
Speed (S) = Distance covered per unit of time by the automobile
then
Fuel Consumption per unit of distance covered (C) = F ÷ S or [F/S]
Alternatively
Distance covered per unit of fuel consumption (M) = S ÷F or [S/F]
If F is measured in litres per hour and S is measured in kilometre per hour
then C = [F/S] can be measured in litres per kilometre or gallons per mile etc
and M = [S/F] can be measured in kilometres per litre or miles per gallon etc.
Enclosed Figure 1 shows a pictorial representation of the invention and its components.
For the purpose of calibrating the display for C or M in units according to a standard system of measurement, proper calibration is required such that magnitude of el (the electrical output from flow measuring device) & e2 (the electrical output from speed measuring device) are same for the same absolute value of flow rate and speed respectively. This will ensure that the resultant magnitude of e2/e1 (or e1/e2) corresponds to the true ratio of flow rate and speed in the same system of measurement. For example the magnitude of el at say 20 litres/hour should be equal to the magnitude of e2 at the same absolute value of speed i.e. at 20 kilometers/hour, so that, e2/e1 will be 1 kilometer/litre (20/20 kilometer/hour x hour/litre).
Relationships between e1 & flow rate and between e2 & speed should both be linear.
However, if only a ratio between F and S is desired to be displayed without reference to any units as per a system of measurement, then the precise calibration as described above is not required as long as the condition of linearity mentioned above is being met. The resultant magnitude of e2/e1 (or e1/e2) will then merely show a ratio between fuel consumed and distance covered. This indication of e2/e1 (or e1/e2) can still be very useful for the driver to compare the ratio between two time periods. Therefore, the higher the ratio of e2/e1 (or lower the ratio of e1/e2), the better the fuel efficiency of the automobile.
A modification to the said device, where instead of the input from the wheel axle for speed, the input is taken from the engine shaft for revolutions per unit of time, the device will give the instantaneous value of fuel consumption with respect to engine revolutions.
Another modification to the said device could be to include a parameter of density of fuel
used in the processor to convert the volume flow into mass flow and provide the output in terms of distance covered per unit of mass of fuel consumed as opposed to the volume of
fuel consumed.
Basic equipment forming part of the invention :
1. A flow sensor (flow meter) with linear characteristics of flowrate versus electrical output, over a normal range of flow, with a set of cable wires that connect it to the electric circuit / electronic processor.
2. A speed measuring device with linear characteristics of speed versus electrical output over a normal range of speed, with a set of cable wires that connect it to the electric circuit / electronic processor.
3. An electric circuit / electronic processor
4. An analog display with a pointer that moves over a calibrated scale with green and red indicator on the display that shows the optimum limits of operation under each gear (Figure 2), with a set of cable wires that connect it to the electric circuit / electronic processor.
The word "speedometer" mentioned in this specification specifically applies to a device which measures and displays the instantaneous speed of the automobile at any point in time.
A brief description of the accompanying drawings / figures:
There are two drawings/figures accompanying this specification :
- Figure 1 is a flowsheet depicting how the information will flow to enable the device to
work. It shows that an electrical or electronic input each will be taken from two
instruments viz. a Flowmeter (1 in Figure 1) and a Speedometer / gear arrangement
coupled with wheel axle / transmission (2 in figure 1). These information will be
transmitted to the electric circuit / electronic processor (3 in figure 1) through two
separate sets of cable wires to the electric circuit / electronic processor and a resultant
electrical / electronic output will go to the display unit (4 in figure 1).
e1 represents the flow rate of fuel (in terms of say litre/hr)
e2 represents the speed of the vehicle (in terms of say km/hr)
e2/e1 represents distance covered per unit of fuel consumed (in terms of km/litre)
Relationships between e1 & flow rate and between e2 & speed should both be linear
Proper calibration should ensure that magnitude of el & e2 are same for the same
absolute value of flow rate and speed respectively. This will ensure that the resultant
magnitude of e2/e1 corresponds to the true ratio of flow rate and speed.
For example the magnitude of e1 at say 20 litre/hr should be equal to the magnitude
of e2 at the same absolute value of speed i.e. at 20 km/hr, so that,
e2/e1 will be 1 km/litre (20/20 km/hr x hr/litre).
- Figure 2 shows a typical layout of the Analog Display Unit with green and red indicators.
The green and red areas can be marked by relevant experts using the invention
according to their guidelines of acceptable and unacceptable range of
fuel consumption for each gear. The green will show the acceptable range while the red will show unacceptable range. Hence when the needle is on green portion, the driver will
know that he is within the acceptable range of fuel consumption with respect to distance covered and hence there is no problem in either his driving or with the engine or with the load in the automobile. An exception to this will be when the automobile is stationery and therefore display will show the maximum reading since the speed will be zero (in case the display corresponds to km per litre). The calibration of the display unit can be done by the manufacturer in accordance with whether it is desirable to show the display as a ratio or whether it is desirable to show the display as a unit (like kilometers per litre or miles per gallon etc). It can also be calibrated in accordance with whether manufacturer wants the pointer needle to move in a clockwise direction when the fuel consumption increases with respect to distance covered or whether the manufacturer wants the pointer needle to move in the anti-clockwise direction when the fuel consumption increases with respect to distance covered.
A digital display will not be very effective because, being an instantaneous value, the same will change so fast in a digital display that either it will not be readable at all or, for a driver to read the instrument, he / she may have to concentrate too much on the instrument rather than on the road and this is not desirable.
Benefits of the Invention :
Some of the situations where this information can be useful are :
> For changing gears : The driver will know from the said invention as to when to shift from a lower to a higher gear or vice versa. As soon as the pointer in the said invention crosses a particular point, the driver will know that its time to change the gear. This situation is common with many drivers since they do not know how the actual fuel consumption is getting affected with their different actions.
> For those who speed up and brake too often : While driving on congested streets, drivers who speed up and use brakes too often will tend to avoid doing so since it will be clearly visible with the invention as to how much additional fuel they are buming for the same distance covered.
> While driving at high speeds : A driver will desist from driving at high speeds because he would be able to see for himself how the fuel consumption is getting affected by overspeeding. At present, since there is no such device that gives the magnitude of increase in fuel consumption, the drivers tend to forget that the fuel consumption goes up by overspeeding.
> While waiting on long signals : Many a times, drivers forget to switch off their engines while waiting on the traffic signals just because there is no indication of the fuel that they are consuming.
All the above situations will result in the following benefits with the said invention:
1. Automobile drivers, in general, will become more economy conscious
2. There will be a huge saving in fuel consumed by every automobile thereby resulting in savings for the automobile owner
3. Huge consen/ation of precious oil for the countrry/world as a whole
4. Reduction in overall pollution levels in cities as well as congested areas thereby resulting in better health standards for every citizen
5. Lesser accidents on road thereby also resulting in a higher feeling of safety among all those who use the roads
6. Smoother flow of traffic thereby resulting in saving of time for every automobile user
7. Reduction in wear & tear of every automobile engine thereby resulting in additional savings of time and money for the automobile owners
8. It will also enable the driver get a warning signal well in time to take preventive measures. As soon as the driver notices a more than usual fuel consumption of the automobile than what it normally is, he / she would know that there is some problem in the automobile and the same can be corrected in time. The invention will also hep in checking that whether a problem has been actually rectified or not.
9. It will also help in comparing efficiency and working of different automobile engines

10. Besides the above, it will provide the driver with a more relevant information rather than a less relevant one as provided by the RPM meter
11. The flow of fuel to the engine can be measured by placing a small flowmeter on the pipe that carries the fuel to the engine. This will give the quantity of fuel flowing to the engine per unit of time.
12. The distance covered by the vehicle per unit of time can be measured by the existing speedometer that all vehicles already have. If feasible, this information can be utilised without the need to have another speed measuring device.
13. Once these two quantities are available, they need to be converted into electronic / electrical signals and fed into an electric circuit / electronic processor so as to bring out a resultant signal which corresponds to the division of one with the other For example, if fuel consumed per unit of time is f and speed (distance covered per same unit of time) is s, then what is required is f/s i.e. fuel consumed per unit of distance covered. Accordingly a suitable electric circuit bridge / electronic processor can be used for this purpose. What is important to keep in mind is the calibration and linearity of the two values being measured.
14. This electrical signal can then be converted and calibrated to display the value of the resultant fuel consumed per unit of distance covered (or vice versa) by the same principle as is done for the existing speedometers or rpm meters and placed on the dashboard of the vehicle.
15. While the flow meter, speedometer, electric circuits / electronic processors
pertorming instantaneous arithmetic functions and analog and digital display units
already exist in the prior art, no one has thought of utilising them to create a new
device that would be so useful for every driver that it would be wanted it in every
vehicle.
16. The invention will be a boon for every automobile driver, and has extreme utility for everyone and is perfectly capable of industrial manufacturing.
17. Despite instruments like flow meter and speedometers being in use for several years, it has not been obvious to people skilled in the prior art to develop a device which by combining the outputs of these two instruments in a particular manner (as described in this invention) through an electric circuit / electronic processor can actually give rise to and display a totally new and highly useful measure for any vehicle owner - the measure of instantaneous fuel efficiency of a vehicle.

claim
1. A device for instantaneous measurement of fuel efficiency of an automobile comprising a flow measurement meter (1), a speed measurement meter (2), an electric circuit/electronic processor (3) and a display unit (4) wherein the said flow measurement meter is connected with the said electric circuit/electronic processor through a set of cable wires/conducting metal, the said speed measurement meter is connected with the said electric circuit/electronic processor through another set of cable wires/conducting metal and the said electric circuit/electronic processor connected with the said display unit through a separate set of cable wires/conducting metal.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein output is displayed on an analog or digital display unit.
3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a set of green and red visual indicators on the analog/digital display unit of the said device.
4. A device for instantaneous measurement of fuel efficiency of an automobile substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

1155-del-2000-abstact.pdf

1155-del-2000-claims.pdf

1155-del-2000-complete specification(granted).pdf

1155-del-2000-correspondence-others.pdf

1155-del-2000-correspondence-po.pdf

1155-del-2000-description (complete).pdf

1155-DEL-2000-Description (Provisional).pdf

1155-del-2000-drawings.pdf

1155-del-2000-form-1.pdf

1155-del-2000-form-19.pdf

1155-DEL-2000-Form-2.pdf

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Patent Number

194637

Indian Patent Application Number

1155/DEL/2000

PG Journal Number

47/2004

Publication Date

20-Nov-2004

Grant Date

13-Jun-2006

Date of Filing

14-Dec-2000

Name of Patentee

ANAND GYAN

Applicant Address

C-6/1 (FIRST FLOOR), VASANT VIHAR, NEW DELHI-11057, DELHI, INDIA

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	ANAND GYAN	C-6/1 (FIRST FLOOR), VASANT VIHAR, NEW DELHI-11057, DELHI, INDIA

PCT International Classification Number

G01F 15/00

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1			NA