EXHAUST PURIFICATION APPARATUS, AUTOMOBILE, AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Abstract

An exhaust purification apparatus includes a microwave irradiation device; a fine particle collection filter that collects fine particles contained in an exhaust gas; and a controller. The microwave irradiation device includes: an annular microwave transmission line; a first microwave generator; a second microwave generator; and a microwave measurement circuit coupled at least one of to the annular microwave transmission line, between the annular microwave transmission line and the first microwave generator, or between the annular microwave transmission line and the second microwave generator. A microwave generated by the first microwave generator and a microwave generated by the second microwave generator have the same frequency and different phases, and the controller determines whether or not a predetermined amount or more of depositions is deposited in the fine particle collection filter, based on the characteristics of a microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit,

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-046738, filed on Mar. 10, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The embodiments discussed herein are related to an exhaust purification apparatus, an automobile, and a management system.

BACKGROUND

An exhaust purification apparatus using a diesel particulate filter (DPF) has been practically used as a device for collecting fine particles such as particulate matter (PM) contained in an exhaust gas. In this exhaust purification apparatus, since fine particles such as the PM are deposited on the DPF as the device is used, it is required to regenerate the DPF. As a method of regenerating the DPF, there has been disclosed a method using a high frequency electromagnetic wave such as a microwave emitted from a microwave irradiation device. Specifically, this method regenerates the DPF by irradiating an electromagnetic wave such as a microwave to the DPF so as to heat and burn the fine particles such as the PM deposited on the DPF.

Related techniques are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-220219 and Japanese Patent No. 5628818.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the embodiments, an exhaust purification apparatus is provided including: a microwave irradiation device; a fine particle collection filter configured to collect fine particles contained in an exhaust gas; and a controller. The microwave irradiation device includes: an annular microwave transmission line; a first microwave generator coupled to the annular microwave transmission line; a second microwave generator coupled to the annular microwave transmission line; and a microwave measurement circuit coupled to at least one of the annular microwave transmission line, between the annular microwave transmission line and the first microwave generator, and between the annular microwave transmission line and the second microwave generator. A microwave generated by the first microwave generator and a microwave generated by the second microwave generator have the same frequency and different phases, and the controller determines whether or not a predetermined amount or more of depositions is deposited in the fine particle collection filter, based on the characteristics of a microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit.

The object and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are explanatory views (1) of the structure of an exhaust purification apparatus according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a standing wave generated in an annular waveguide according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a structure of an exhaust purification apparatus in which one microwave generator is coupled to the annular waveguide;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are views illustrating the intensity distribution of a microwave in the exhaust purification apparatus illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are views illustrating the intensity distribution of a microwave in the exhaust purification apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of characteristics of a microwave detected in a microwave measuring circuit;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a control method 1 of the exhaust purification apparatus;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view (2) of the structure of the exhaust purification apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a table used for a control method 2 of the exhaust purification apparatus;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the control method 2 of the exhaust purification apparatus;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view (3) of the structure of the exhaust purification apparatus in the first embodiment;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of an automobile according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view of a management system according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating a route management system according to a third embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a view illustrating a system configuration of the route management system according to the third embodiment;

FIG, 16 is a view illustrating an example of a hardware device of a route management server;

FIG, 17 is a view illustrating an example of a driving pattern database;

FIG. 18 is a view illustrating an example of a vehicle database;

FIG. 19 is a view illustrating an example of a shipment database;

FIG. 20 is a view illustrating an example of a congestion database;

FIG. 21 is a view illustrating an example of a reference deposition amount database;

FIG. 22 is a view for explaining the function of each device of the route management system according to the third embodiment;

FIG. 23 is a view for explaining the function of an estimated amount calculating circuit;

FIG. 24 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a navigation device;

FIG. 25 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a route management server;

FIG. 26 is a flowchart for explaining the process performed by the estimated amount calculating circuit;

FIG. 27 is a view for explaining an example of a traveling route;

FIG. 28 is a first view illustrating an example of congestion information;

FIG. 29 is a second view illustrating an example of congestion information; and

FIG. 30 is a view for explaining the determination made by a forced regeneration determination circuit.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the exhaust purification apparatus as described above, the DPF is regenerated by irradiating an electromagnetic wave such as a microwave to the DPF, so that the fine particles such as the PM are dielectrically heated, oxidized, and decomposed. Therefore, when a predetermined amount of fine particles such as the PM is deposited in the DPF, it is efficient to regenerate the DPF. However, the fine particles such as the PM deposited in the DPF cannot be seen from the outside of the DPF, and it is difficult to grasp an exact amount of the deposited fine particles such as PM.

Therefore, there has been a demand for an exhaust purification apparatus capable of accurately measuring an amount of fine particles such as the PM deposited in the DPF.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described. For example, identical members will be denoted by the same reference numeral, and overlapping descriptions thereof will be omitted. In the present disclosure, an occurrence of a microwave intensity distribution may be referred to as an occurrence of a portion where a microwave intensity is strong and a portion where a microwave intensity is weak.

First Embodiment

Next, an exhaust purification apparatus according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate an exhaust purification apparatus 100 to which a microwave irradiation device according to the first embodiment is attached.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a main part of the exhaust purification apparatus to which the microwave irradiation device according to this embodiment is attached, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken in the direction of flow of an exhaust gas in the exhaust purification apparatus. The exhaust purification apparatus 100 includes, for example, a fine particle collection filter 10, a cylindrical housing 20, a first microwave generator 41, a second microwave generator 42, a controller 60, and a microwave measurement circuit 70. An annular waveguide 30 is installed around the housing 20 to serve as an annular microwave transmission line, and for example, holes (not illustrated) are formed on the side of the housing 20, which corresponds to the inner side of the annular waveguide 30, so that a microwave leaks into the housing 20 and is irradiated to the fine particle collection filter 10, In the present embodiment, the frequencies of microwaves generated in the first microwave generator 41 and the second microwave generator 42 are between 0.1 GHz and 3 GHz, particularly in the vicinity of 2.45 GHz. In the present disclosure, fine particles such as PM may be referred to as soot.

The fine particle collection filter 10 is formed by, for example, a DPF. For example, the DPF is formed by a honeycomb structure in which adjacent vents are alternately closed, and an exhaust gas is discharged from vents different from vents at the entrance.

The housing 20 is made of a metallic material such as stainless steel and includes a housing body 20a covering the periphery of the fine particle collection filter 10, and an inlet port 20b and an outlet port 20c which are coupled to the housing body 20a. In the exhaust purification apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, for example, an exhaust gas discharged from, for example, an engine flows from the inlet port 20b into the housing 20 in a direction indicated by a broken line arrow A, and is purified while passing through the fine particle collection filter 10 installed in the housing body 20a. Thereafter, the exhaust gas purified by the fine particle collection filter 10 is discharged from the outlet port 20c in a direction indicated by a broken line arrow B.

The first microwave generator 41 is coupled to the annular waveguide 30 by a first connection waveguide 51, and the second microwave generator 42 is coupled to the annular waveguide 30 by a second connection waveguide 52. The microwave generated in the first microwave generator 41 propagates through the first connection waveguide 51 in a direction indicated by a broken line arrow C and is supplied into the annular waveguide 30. The microwave generated in the second microwave generator 42 propagates through the second connection waveguide 52 in a direction indicated by a broken line arrow D and is supplied into the annular waveguide 30.

The frequency of the microwave generated by the first microwave generator 41 is equal to the frequency of the microwave generated by the second microwave generator 42. The exhaust purification apparatus according to this embodiment includes the fine particle collection filter 10, the annular waveguide 30, the first microwave generator 41, the second microwave generator 42, the first connection waveguide 51, the second connection waveguide 52, the controller 60, and the microwave measurement circuit 70.

A distance L between the center 51a of a connecting portion between the annular waveguide 30 and the first connection waveguide 51 and the center 52a of a connecting portion between the annular waveguide 30 and the second connection waveguide 52 is formed to be (2N−1)×λ/4. Here, λ is the wavelength of a microwave supplied into the annular waveguide 30, and N is a positive integer. The distance L may not be too long. For example, the distance L may be λ/4, 3λ/4, 5λ/4 or λ/4.

The microwave supplied from the first microwave generator 41 to the annular waveguide 30 via the first connection waveguide 51 and the microwave supplied from the second microwave generator 42 to the annular waveguide 30 via the second connection waveguide 52 are deviated from each other by π/2, that is, λ/4, in terms of phase. As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 2, standing waves W₁ and W₂ are generated in the annular waveguide 30 by the microwave generated in the first microwave generator 41 and the microwave generated in the second microwave generator 42, respectively. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along dash-dot line 1A-1B in FIG. 1B.

In the present embodiment, the standing wave W₁ generated by the microwave from the first microwave generator 41 and the standing wave W₂ generated by the microwave from the second microwave generator 42 are deviated from each other by π/2 in terms of phase. Therefore, the antinode of the standing wave W₁ generated by the microwave from the first microwave generator 41 becomes the node of the standing wave W₂ generated by the microwave from the second microwave generator 42. Similarly, the node of the standing wave W₁ generated by the microwave from the first microwave generator 41 becomes the antinode of the standing wave W₂ generated by the microwave from the second microwave generator 42. As a result, the position of the node of one of the standing waves becomes the position of the antinode of the other standing wave, complementing each other, so that an intensity distribution of microwaves may be suppressed from occurring in the annular waveguide 30. That is, it is possible to suppress an occurrence of a portion where the microwave intensity is strong and a portion where the microwave intensity is weak, in the annular waveguide 30. The microwave in the annular waveguide 30 leaks from holes (not illustrated) formed on the inside of the annular waveguide 30 on the side of the fine particle collection filter 10 and is irradiated to the tine particle collection filter 10. Therefore, in the present embodiment, since the intensity of the microwave irradiated to the fine particle collection filter 10 may be made substantially uniform, the fine particle collection filter 10 may be uniformly heated.

In the present embodiment, the center 51a of the connecting portion between the annular waveguide 30 and the first connection waveguide 51 corresponds to the node of the standing wave W₂ generated by the microwave from the second microwave generator 42. Therefore, there is no possibility that the microwave from the second microwave generator 42 is incident into the first connection waveguide 51. Similarly, the center 52a of the connecting portion between the annular waveguide 30 and the second connection waveguide 52 corresponds to the node of the standing wave W₁ generated by the microwave from the first microwave generator 41. Therefore, there is no possibility that the microwave from the first microwave generator 41 is incident into the first connection waveguide 51.

The exhaust purification apparatus of the present embodiment may generate microwaves in the first microwave generator 41 and the second microwave generator 42 either simultaneously or alternately. The control for alternately generating microwaves in the first microwave generator 41 and the second microwave generator 42 is performed by the controller 60.

Next, the intensity distributions of microwaves in the exhaust purification apparatus 100 of the present embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B and an exhaust purification apparatus to which the microwave irradiation device having one microwave generator illustrated in FIG. 3 is attached will be described. The microwave irradiation device having one microwave generator illustrated in FIG. 3 has, for example, a fine particle collection filter 10, a cylindrical housing 20, a microwave generator 941. An annular waveguide 30 is installed around the housing 20, and the microwave generator 941 is coupled to the annular waveguide 30 by a connection waveguide 951. That is, the microwave irradiation device illustrated in FIG. 3 has the structure where one microwave generator 941 is coupled to the annular waveguide 30 by the connection waveguide 951.

A microwave generated in the microwave generator 941 propagates through the connection waveguide 951 in a direction indicated by a broken line arrow E and is supplied into the annular waveguide 30. The microwave supplied into the annular waveguide 30 forms a standing wave in the annular waveguide 30 and is irradiated to the fine particle collection filter 10.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the intensity distribution of a microwave irradiated by the microwave irradiation device having one microwave generator illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 4A illustrates the microwave intensity distribution of the fine particle collection filter 10 in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of an exhaust gas, and FIG. 4B illustrates the microwave intensity distribution of the fine particle collection filter 10 in the flow direction of the exhaust gas indicated by a broken line arrow F. FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the intensity distribution of a microwave irradiated by the microwave irradiation device of the present embodiment. FIG. 5A illustrates the microwave intensity distribution of the fine particle collection filter 10 in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of an exhaust gas, and FIG. 5B illustrates the microwave intensity distribution of the fine particle collection filter 10 in the flow direction of the exhaust gas indicated by a broken line arrow G.

In the microwave irradiation device having one microwave generator illustrated in FIG. 3, a difference between the portion where the microwave intensity is strong and the portion where the microwave intensity is weak becomes large as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. When the difference between the portion where the microwave intensity is strong and the portion where the microwave intensity is weak is large, a temperature unevenness occurs in the fine particle collection filter 10. As a result, a region from which the fine particles such as PM are removed and a region from which the fine particles are not sufficiently removed are formed, and the regeneration of the fine particle collection filter 10 may not be satisfactorily performed.

As described above, the difference between the portion where the microwave intensity is strong and the portion where the microwave intensity is weak becomes large because only one microwave is supplied to the annular waveguide 30, and because the microwave intensity distribution occurs corresponding to the antinode and node of the standing wave generated due to the supplied microwave.

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, in the microwave irradiation device according to the present embodiment, the difference between the portion where the microwave intensity is strong and the portion where the microwave intensity is weak is small. When the difference between the portion where the microwave intensity is strong and the portion where the microwave intensity is weak is small, the fine particle collection filter 10 is substantially uniformly heated without the occurrence of temperature unevenness. As a result, the fine particles such as the PM in the fine particle collection filter 10 may be uniformly removed, and the regeneration of the fine particle collection filter 10 may be satisfactorily performed.

In the microwave irradiation device according to the present embodiment, the reason why the difference between the portion where the intensity of the microwave is strong and the portion where the intensity of the microwave is weak is small is that two microwaves whose phases are deviated from each other by π/2 are supplied to the annular waveguide 30. As a result, in the annular waveguide 30, the node of the standing wave generated by one microwave becomes the antinode of the standing wave generated by the other microwave, and the node of the standing wave generated by the other microwave becomes the antinode of the standing wave generated by the one microwave. In this way, in the present embodiment, the difference between the portion where the intensity of the microwave is strong and the portion where the intensity of the microwave is weak may be made small, so that the fine particle collection filter 10 may be substantially uniformly heated by the irradiated microwave.

Method of Measuring Fine Particles such as PM Being Deposited

Next, a method of measuring fine particles such as PM which are being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 in the exhaust purification apparatus of the present embodiment will be described. The microwave measurement circuit 70 is used for the measurement. In the present embodiment, the microwave measurement circuit 70 is coupled to the annular waveguide 30 and measures the intensity of a microwave which is generated by the first microwave generator 41 or the second microwave generator 42 and propagates through the annular waveguide 30. For the microwave measurement circuit 70, for example, a Schottky diode formed of Si is used.

Specifically, in a case where the fine particles such as PM are being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 when a microwave with predetermined power is irradiated from the first microwave generator 41 or the second microwave generator 42, the microwave is absorbed by the fine particles such as the PM being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10. The amount of microwave absorbed depends on the amount of fine particles such as the PM being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10.

Therefore, when the amount of fine particles such as the PM being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 is large, the absorption of the microwave increases, and the intensity of the microwave in the annular waveguide 30 decreases. Thus, the intensity of the microwave detected by the microwave measurement circuit 70 also becomes low. In addition, when the amount of fine particles such as the PM being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 is small, the absorption of the microwave decreases, and the intensity of the microwave in the annular waveguide 30 does not substantially decrease. Thus, the intensity of the microwave detected by the microwave measurement circuit 70 also becomes high.

Therefore, by measuring the intensity of the microwave in the microwave measurement circuit 70, it is possible to grasp the amount of fine particles such as the PM being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10. In this case, the intensity of the microwave generated by the first microwave generator 41 or the second microwave generator 42 to measure the amount of fine particles such as the PM being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 is set to be lower than that for removing fine particles such as PM.

More specifically, a case where fine particles such as PM are being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. When the microwave generated by the first microwave generator 41 or the second microwave generator 42 is supplied to the annular waveguide 30, the microwave resonates at a predetermined resonance frequency in the annular waveguide 30.

In a state in which nothing is being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10, since the microwave propagating through the annular waveguide 30 resonates at a predetermined resonance frequency and fine particles such as PM are not present in the fine particle collection filter 10, the microwave is hardly absorbed. Therefore, in the microwave measurement circuit 70, a microwave with relatively high intensity is detected at a predetermined resonance frequency.

Meanwhile, in a state where fine particles such as PM, that is, for example, soot, are being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10, since the microwave propagating through the annular waveguide 30 is absorbed in the fine particles such as PM deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10, the intensity of the microwave decreases and the resonance frequency shifts to the low frequency side. Therefore, in this state, a microwave having a lower frequency and lower intensity than the state in which nothing is being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 is detected in the microwave measurement circuit 70.

Therefore, when fine particles such as PM are being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10, the microwave is supplied from, for example, the first microwave generator 41 to remove the fine particles such as the being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10. Alternatively, the fine particles may be burned and removed by fuel supplied. At this time, ash may be deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 after the fine particles such as the PM are burned.

In a state in which ash is being deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10, in comparison with the state where nothing is being deposited, since the microwave propagating through the annular waveguide 30 is not absorbed by the ash deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10, the intensity of the microwave hardly decreases, but the resonance frequency shifts to the low frequency side. Therefore, in this state, a microwave with a lower frequency and a higher intensity than those in the state where nothing is deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 is detected in the microwave measurement circuit 70.

When ash is deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10, it is necessary to remove the ash from the fine particle collection filter 10. However, since the ash is the remainder after the fine particles such as PM are burned, the ash may not be removed by heating. Therefore, when the ash is deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10, it is necessary to remove the fine particle collection filter 10 and perform maintenance such as water washing.

Control Method 1 of Exhaust Purification Apparatus

Next, the control of the exhaust purification apparatus based on the information measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. This control is performed by, for example, the controller 60.

First, in step S102, a microwave is generated from the first microwave generator 41 or the second microwave generator 42, and the intensity and frequency of the microwave are measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70.

Next, in step S104, it is determined whether or not the peak of the intensity of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70 in step S102 is equal to or less than the predetermined intensity. Specifically, referring to FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the peak of the intensity of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70 is equal to or less than the predetermined intensity indicated by a dash-dot line Pa. When the peak of the intensity of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70 in step S102 is equal to or less than the predetermined intensity, it is determined that a certain amount or more of fine particles such as PM is deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10, and the control proceeds to step S106. Meanwhile, when the peak of the intensity of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70 in step 102 exceeds the predetermined intensity, it is determined that the amount of the fine particles such as PM deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 is less than the certain amount, and the control proceeds to step S108.

In step S106, forced regeneration is started by irradiating a microwave to the fine particles such as the PM deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 or injecting fuel to the fine particles in order to remove the fine particles. Thereafter, the control proceeds to step S102.

In step S108, it is determined whether or not a frequency at which the intensity of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70 in step S102 has the peak is equal to or higher than a predetermined frequency. Specifically, referring to FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the frequency at which the intensity of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70 has the peak is equal to or higher than the predetermined frequency indicated by a dash-dot line Fa. When the frequency at which the intensity of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70 in step S102 has the peak is equal to or higher than the predetermined frequency, it is determined that the amount of ash deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 is less than a certain amount, and the control proceeds to step S102. When the frequency at which the intensity of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70 in step S102 has the peak is lower than the predetermined frequency, it is determined that the certain amount or more of ash is deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10, and the control proceeds to step S110.

In step S110, since it is necessary to perform maintenance on the fine particle collection filter 10, a message or an indicia to inform the fact is displayed on a panel or display (not illustrated), and the control is terminated. Thereafter, the fine particle collection filter 10 is subjected to maintenance by a user.

Thus, based on the information on the intensity and frequency of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70, it is possible to perform, for example, the regeneration of the fine particle collection filter 10.

Control Method 2 of Exhaust Purification Apparatus

Next, another control of the exhaust purification apparatus based on the information measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the control is carried out by using a table illustrated in FIG. 9, based on the information of temperature measured by a thermometer 80 installed at the front stage of the fine particle collection filter 10 and the information of the microwave intensity measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70. A thermocouple is used for the thermometer 80.

The control is performed by the controller 60. That is, the controller 60 determines the start of forced regeneration and the end of regeneration from the information of temperature measured by the thermometer 80 and the information of the microwave intensity measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70, based on the table illustrated in FIG. 9. The control will be described with reference to FIG. 10. In the following description, in the microwave measurement circuit 70, it is assumed that when the detected intensity of the microwave is low, an output voltage output from the microwave measurement circuit 70 becomes high, and when the microwave intensity is high, the output voltage output from the microwave measurement circuit 70 becomes low.

First, in step S202, a microwave is generated from the first microwave generator 41 or the second microwave generator 42, the intensity of the microwave is measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70, and a temperature is measured by the thermometer 80.

Next, in step S204, it is determined whether or not the intensity (output voltage) of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70 and the temperature measured by the thermometer 80 in step S202 correspond to the forced regeneration in the table illustrated in FIG. 9. When it is determined that the intensity and the temperature correspond to the forced regeneration in the table illustrated in FIG. 9, the control proceeds to step S206. When it is determined that the intensity and the temperature do not correspond to the forced regeneration, step S202 is performed again.

In step S206, the forced regeneration is started by irradiating a microwave to the fine particles such as the PM deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 or injecting fuel to the fine particles in order to remove the fine particles.

Next, in step S208, a microwave is generated from the first microwave generator 41 or the second microwave generator 42, the intensity of the microwave is measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70, and a temperature is measured by the thermometer 80.

Next, in step S210, it is determined that the intensity (output voltage) of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70 and the temperature measured by the thermometer 80 in step S208 correspond to the end of the regeneration in the table illustrated in FIG. 9. When it is determined that the intensity and the temperature correspond to the end of the regeneration in the table illustrated in FIG. 9, it is determined that the regeneration of the DPF has ended, and the control proceeds to step S202. When it is determined that the intensity and the temperature do not correspond to the end of the regeneration, step S208 is performed again while the regeneration of the DPF is continued.

As described above, in the present embodiment, for example, the regeneration of the fine particle collection filter 10 may be performed based on the information of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit 70. In addition, the measurement of the intensity of the microwave by the microwave measurement circuit 70 and the measurement of the temperature by the thermometer 80 may be always monitored.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the exhaust purification apparatus of the present embodiment may have a structure in which a first microwave measurement circuit 71 is installed in the first connection waveguide 51 and a second microwave measurement circuit 72 is installed in the second connection waveguide 52.

Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment will be described.

FIG. 12 illustrates an automobile 160 according to the second embodiment, which is equipped with the exhaust purification apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. In the automobile 160 according to the present embodiment, an exhaust gas generated in the automobile 160 may be purified by the exhaust purification apparatus 100.

FIG. 13 illustrates a management system according to the present embodiment. The management system according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of radio base stations 170 and a route management server 200 coupled to the plurality of radio base stations 170. A transceiver 161 is mounted on the automobile 160 and may conduct an information communication by radio with any one of the wireless base stations 170. In the present embodiment, the amount of soot deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 of the exhaust purification apparatus 100 attached to the automobile 160 is detected by the exhaust purification apparatus 100. The amount of soot detected by the exhaust purification apparatus 100 to have been deposited in the fine particle collection filter 10 is transmitted to the radio base station 170 via the transceiver 161 mounted on the automobile 160 and gathered in the route management server 200. The route management server 200 predicts the amount of soot that will be deposited later, based on the amount of the deposited soot, and searches for an optimum route, The obtained optimum route is transmitted from the radio base station 170 to the automobile 160.

Third Embodiment

Hereinafter, a route management system according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 14 is a view for explaining a route management system.

The route management system 150 according to the present embodiment includes a route management server 200 and a car navigation device (hereinafter, referred to as a navigation device) 300 mounted on the automobile 160 of, for example, a deliverer. The route management server 200 and the navigation device 300 communicate with each other by radio via the radio base station 170. In the present embodiment, the automobile may be also referred to as a vehicle. Further, it is assumed that a transceiver corresponding to the transceiver 161 in the second embodiment is included in the car navigation device 300.

The automobile 160 of the present embodiment is, for example, a truck equipped with, for example, a diesel engine. The automobile 160 is provided with a DPF for collecting the PM which contains carbon as a main component and is discharged from the diesel engine. This DPF is the fine particle collection filter 10 in the first embodiment and the like.

The automobile 160 of the present embodiment detects an amount of PM deposited in the DPF and notifies the navigation device 300 of the detected amount of PM.

The automobile 160 also includes an exhaust purification apparatus 100 for cleaning the PM deposited in the DPF. The exhaust purification apparatus 100 cleans and regenerates the DPF by burning and removing the PM captured by the DPF.

The cleaning refers to burning and removing the PM collected by the DPF to regenerate the collecting performance of the DPF. Further, the regeneration of the DPF includes continuous regeneration and forced regeneration. In the following embodiment, the “cleaning” indicates the forced regeneration, and a running route is presented to reduce the number of times of the forced regeneration.

The forced regeneration refers to forcibly regenerating the PM collected in the DPF by using, for example, post injection or injection in an exhaust pipe. The continuous regeneration refers to continuously regenerating the PM collected in the DPF, for example, using NO₂ as an oxidizing agent with NO in an exhaust gas as an oxidation catalyst.

In the route management system 150 according to the present embodiment, the route management server 200 receives candidate running routes from the navigation device 300 to the destination, and the amount of detected PM. Next, the route management server 200 calculates an estimated amount of PM to be deposited until arriving at the destination, for each candidate running route.

Then, the route management server 200 determines whether or not the cleaning (forced regeneration) is performed in the automobile 160 before arriving at the destination, from the sum of the detected amount of PM and the estimated amount of PM.

In other words, in the present embodiment, the route management server 200 estimates how much the amount of PM being currently deposited in the DPF of the automobile 160 increases when the automobile 160 runs on a running route which is one of the candidate running routes. Then, based on the estimation result, the route management server 200 determines whether or not the cleaning (forced regeneration) is performed in the automobile 160 before arriving at the destination.

Then, when the cleaning of the DPF is required, the route management server 200 causes the navigation device to display a running route in which the number of times of the cleaning is reduced.

In the following description, the amount of PM deposited in the DPF will be referred to as a PM deposition amount, and the amount of PM estimated by the route management server 200 to be deposited when running on a running route will be referred to as an estimated PM deposition amount.

As described above, in the present embodiment, based on the estimated PM deposition amount which is the sum of the PM deposition amount detected in the automobile 160 and the PM deposition amount estimated to be deposited by running on the running route, a running route with the less number of times of cleaning is presented to the driver of the automobile 160.

Hereinafter, the system configuration of the route management system 150 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is a view for explaining the system configuration of the route management system.

The route management system 150 of the present embodiment includes a route management server 200 and a navigation device 300.

The navigation device 300 may be fixed to the automobile 160 or may be a portable navigation device implemented by, for example, a portable terminal. In addition, the navigation device 300 acquires the PM deposition amount detected in the exhaust purification apparatus 100 installed in the automobile 160.

The navigation device 300 extracts a candidate running route when a navigation start request is input together with, for example, a driver ID for identifying a driver, an identifier for identifying a vehicle, a departure point, or a destination. Then, the navigation device 300 notifies the route management server 200 of the information input along with the start request, the candidate running route, and the PM deposition amount of the vehicle on which the navigation device is mounted.

The route management server 200 of the present embodiment includes a driving pattern database 210, a vehicle database 220, a shipment database 230, a congestion database 240, a reference deposition amount database 250, and a route management processing circuit 260.

The driving pattern database 210 of the present embodiment stores information indicating a driving pattern for each driver. In other words, the driving pattern database 210 stores information indicating the easiness of PM deposition in the DPF for each driver.

The vehicle database 220 of the present embodiment stores information indicating the easiness of PM deposition in the DPF for each vehicle. The shipment database 230 of the present embodiment stores information indicating the easiness of PM deposition in the DPF for each shipment. The congestion database 240 stores information indicating the easiness of PM deposition in the DPF for each extent of congestion.

The reference deposition amount database 250 stores information indicating the reference value of the PM deposition amount for each road. Details of each of the above-mentioned databases will be described later.

The route management processing circuit 260 calculates the estimated PM deposition amount for each running route based on, for example, the information identifying the driver or the vehicle, the candidate running route, and the PM deposition amount acquired from the navigation device 300. Then, based on the estimated. PM deposition amount, the route management processing circuit 260 determines whether or not the forced regeneration is performed before the automobile 160 arrives at the destination. When it is determined that the forced regeneration is performed, the route management processing circuit 260 causes another running route to be displayed on the navigation device 300.

The route management server 200 of the present embodiment will be further described below. FIG. 16 is a view illustrating an example of a hardware device of the route management server.

The route management server 200 of the present embodiment includes an input device 201, an output device 202, a drive device 203, an auxiliary storage device 204, a memory device 205, an arithmetic processing device 206, and an interface device 207 which are interconnected via a bus B.

The input device 201 is intended to input various kinds of information and is implemented by, for example, a keyboard or a mouse. The output device 202 is intended to output various kinds of information and is implemented by, for example, a display. The interface device 207 includes, for example, a modem or a LAN card and is used for connection to a network.

A route management program is at least a portion of various programs for controlling the route management server 200. The route management program is provided by, for example, distribution of a storage medium 208 or downloading from a network. Examples of the storage medium 208 storing the route management program may be various types of storage media, including a storage medium that optically, electrically or magnetically records information such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk or a magneto-optical disk, and a semiconductor memory that electrically records information such as a ROM or a flash memory.

When the storage medium 208 storing the route management program is set in the drive device 203, the route management program is installed from the storage medium 208 into the auxiliary storage device 204 via the drive device 203, The route management program downloaded from the network is installed in the auxiliary storage device 204 via the interface device 207.

The auxiliary storage device 204 stores the installed route management program and also stores, for example, required files and data. The memory device 205 reads and stores the route management program from the auxiliary storage device 204 when a computer is activated. Then, the arithmetic processing circuit 206 implements various processes to be described later in accordance with the route management program stored in the memory device 205.

Further, since the navigation device 300 of the present embodiment is implemented by a computer having the same hardware configuration as that of the route management server 200 illustrated in FIG. 16, explanation of which will be omitted.

Next, each of the databases of the route management server 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 21. Each of the databases to be described below may be provided in the auxiliary storage device 204 of the route management server 200 or may be stored in an external storage device of the route management server 200.

FIG. 17 is a view illustrating an example of the driving pattern database. The driving pattern database 210 of the present embodiment has, as information items, a driver ID and a driving pattern which are associated with each other. In the following description, the information including the value of the item “driver ID” and the value of the item “driving pattern” will be referred to as driving pattern information.

The value of the item “driver ID” is an identifier for identifying a driver who drives a vehicle, and is assigned to each driver.

The value of the item “driving pattern” is further associated with three items. The items associated with the item “driving pattern” are items indicating the shape of a road, including “straight,” “gentle curve,” and “sharp curve” in the example of FIG. 17. Here, the “sharp curve” may refer to a curve having a curve radius equal to or smaller than a threshold set for the curve radius of a road and the “gentle curve” may refer to a curve having a curve radius larger than the threshold.

In the example of FIG. 17, the number of the items indicating the shape of the road is three. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The number of the items indicating the shape of the road may be fewer or more.

The values of the item “driving pattern” and the item “straight” are index values indicating the easiness of PM deposition in the DPF when the driver indicated by the driver ID drives the vehicle on a straight road. The values of the item “driving pattern” and the item “gentle curve” are index values indicating the easiness of PM deposition in the DPF when the driver indicated by the driver ID drives the vehicle on a gently curved road. The values of the item “driving pattern” and the item “sharp curve” are index values indicating the easiness of PM deposition in the DPF when the driver indicated by the driver ID drives the vehicle on a sharp curved road.

Here, the easiness of PM deposition in the DPF of the present embodiment will be described. The route management server 200 of the present embodiment collects the running history and the PM deposition amount for each driver ID and generates the driving pattern database 210 from the running history and the history of the PM deposition amount.

Then, from the running history and the history of the PM deposition amount, the reference PM deposition amount is calculated in advance for the three items associated with the item “driving pattern.”

For example, based on the running history and the PM deposition amount for each driver ID, the route management server 200 sets the average value of the PM deposition amount for each driver ID when running on a predetermined straight section on a road, as the reference value of the PM deposition amount on the straight road. Further, the route management server 200 sets the average value of the PM deposition amount for each driver ID when running on a predetermined gently curved section on a road, as the reference value of the PM deposition amount on the gently curved road. Further, the route management server 200 sets the average value of the PM deposition amount for each driver ID when running on a predetermined sharp curved section on a road, as the reference value of the PM deposition amount on the sharp curved road.

Next, the route management server 200 calculates the ratio of the PM deposition amount on the predetermined straight road to the reference PM deposition amount from the running history and the PM deposition amount for each driver ID. This ratio is an index value indicating the easiness of PM deposition when a driver indicated by each driver ID drives a vehicle on a straight road.

The easiness of PM deposition when running on a gentle curve or a sharp curve is also determined in the same way.

In FIG. 17, in the driving pattern corresponding to the driver ID “1,” the value of “straight” is 0.9, the value of “gentle curve” is 1.2, and the value of “sharp curve” is 0.8.

Therefore, it may be understood that when the driver indicated by the driver ID “1” drives the vehicle on a straight road, the PM deposition amount tends to be smaller than the reference value, and when the driver drives the vehicle on a gentle curve or sharp curve, the PM deposition amount tends to be larger than the reference value.

The driving pattern database 210 of the present embodiment may be prepared in advance by, for example, an administrator of the route management system 150 and stored in the route management server 200.

FIG. 18 is a view illustrating an example of the vehicle database. The vehicle database 220 of the present embodiment has, as information items, a vehicle ID and the easiness of PM deposition, which are associated with each other. The value of the item “vehicle ID” indicates an identifier for identifying a. vehicle. The item “easiness of PM deposition” indicates the easiness of PM deposition for each vehicle. In the following description, the information including the value of the item “vehicle ID” and the item “easiness of PM deposition ” is referred to as vehicle information.

The value of the item “easiness of PM deposition” in the vehicle database 220 may be given in advance based on, for example, the weight of the vehicle or the total displacement amount. Further, in the present embodiment, 1.0 is set as the reference value for item “easiness of PM deposition.”

For example, in a case where a vehicle of a specific vehicle type is regarded as a vehicle serving as the reference for “easiness of PM deposition” from the weight of the vehicle, for example, the total displacement amount, the item “easiness of PM deposition” for this vehicle is 1.0.

In FIG. 18, for a vehicle with the vehicle ID “100,” the item “easiness of PM deposition” is “1.5.” Therefore, it may be understood that the vehicle with the vehicle ID “100” is a vehicle in which PM is more likely to be deposited than the reference vehicle.

The vehicle database 220 of the present embodiment may be prepared in advance by, for example, the administrator of the route management system of the present embodiment and stored in the route management server 200.

FIG. 19 is a view illustrating an example of the shipment database. The shipment database 230 of the present embodiment includes, as information items, a shipment ID, weight, and the easiness of PM deposition. In the shipment database 230, the item “shipment ID” is associated with the other items, and the information including the value of the item “shipment ID” and the values of the other items is referred to as shipment information.

The value of the item “shipment ID” is an identifier for identifying a shipment and is assigned to each shipment. The value of the item “weight” indicates the weight of the shipment indicated by the shipment ID. The item “easiness of PM deposition” indicates the easiness of PM deposition for each shipment.

The value of the item “easiness of PM deposition” in the shipment database 230 may be determined based on the reference weight and the weight of the shipment.

For example, it is assumed that when a shipment with the weight of 10 kg is mounted on a vehicle, the PM deposition amount deposited in the DPF is the reference value and the value of the item “easiness of PM deposition” is 1.0. In this case, a value indicating the radio of the PM deposition amount deposited in the DPF for another shipment on the vehicle to the reference value is the value of the item “easiness of PM deposition” of the another shipment.

In the example of FIG. 19, the easiness of PM deposition for a shipment having a shipment ID of “10” and a weight of “50 kg” is “1.5,” and it may be understood that the PM tends to be easily deposited, as compared with a case where the reference shipment is mounted on the vehicle.

For example, when a shipment is loaded on a vehicle, the shipment database 230 may store a shipment ID and a weight. Further, in the present embodiment, for example, when the shipment ID and the weight are stored, the value of the item “easiness of PM deposition” may be calculated from the relationship with the weight of the reference shipment.

FIG. 20 is a view illustrating an example of the congestion database. The congestion database 240 of the present embodiment has, as information items, a section and the easiness of PM deposition, which are associated with each other. In the following description, the information including the value of the item “section” and the item “easiness of PM deposition” is referred to as congestion information.

The value of the item “section” is a value for specifying a section of a road. Typically, in road information provided to, for example, a car navigation device, a road is managed with a plurality of sections. The value of the item “section” indicates these sections. Specifically, the value of the item “section” indicates position information P of a start point and an end point of a section. In FIG. 20, for example, a section “P1, P2” indicates a section where the start point is the point P1 and the end point is the point P2. In addition, the position information may be indicated by latitude and longitude.

The item “easiness of PM deposition” is further associated with three items. The items correlated with the item “easiness of PM deposition” are items indicating the state of traffic congestion on a road, including “no congestion,” “light congestion,” and “heavy congestion” in the example of FIG. 20. Here, the “no congestion” indicates, for example, a state in which a vehicle can run at a speed equal to or higher than a predetermined speed. The “light congestion” indicates, for example, a state in which a train of vehicles which run at a low speed equal to or less than a predetermined speed or repeat stopping/starting is 1 km or more long or is maintained for 15 minutes or more. The “heavy congestion” indicates, for example, a state in which a train of vehicles which run at a low speed equal to or less than a predetermined speed or repeat stopping/starting is 20 km or more long.

In the present embodiment, the PM deposition amount when a vehicle runs on each section where no congestion occurs is taken as a reference value, and in this case, the value of the item “easiness of deposition of PM” is 1.0. In addition, in the present embodiment, the value of the item “light congestion” indicates the ratio of the PM deposition amount when a vehicle runs on each section where light congestion occurs, to the reference value. Further, in the present embodiment, the value of the item “heavy congestion” indicates the ratio of the PM deposition amount when a vehicle runs on each section where heavy congestion occurs, to the reference value.

In FIG. 20, in the section “P1, P2,” the value of the item “easiness of PM deposition” is 1.1 for the light congestion and 1.3 for the heavy congestion.

The congestion database 240 of the present embodiment may be prepared in advance by, for example, the administrator of the route management system 150 of the present embodiment and stored in the route management server 200.

FIG. 21 is a view illustrating an example of the reference deposition amount database. The reference deposition amount database 250 of the present embodiment has, as information items, a section and a reference deposition amount, which are associated with each other. In the following description, the information including the value of the item “section” and the value of the item “reference deposition amount” will be referred to as reference deposition information.

The value of the item “reference deposition amount” indicates the reference value of the PM deposition amount when a vehicle runs on the corresponding section. At this time, it may be preferable that the vehicle running on the corresponding section is a vehicle serving as the reference when the vehicle database 220 is generated. In addition, it may be preferable that no congestion occurs on a road indicated by the section.

The reference deposition amount for each section may be the average value of the PM deposition amount for each section in the running history for every driver collected by the route management server 200.

For example, the reference deposition amount database 250 of the present embodiment may be stored in advance by, for example, the administrator of the route management system 150 of the present embodiment.

Next, the function of each device of the route management system 150 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 22. FIG. 22 is a view for explaining the function of each device of the route management system.

First, the function of the route management server 200 of the present embodiment will be described. The route management server 200 of the present embodiment has a route management processing circuit 260. The route management processing circuit 260 is implemented by the arithmetic processing circuit 206 of the route management server 200 reading and executing the route management program, for example, from the memory device 205.

The route management processing circuit 260 of the present embodiment includes an information acquisition circuit 261, an estimated amount calculation circuit 262, a forced regeneration determination circuit 263, and a running route output circuit 264.

The information acquisition circuit 261 acquires a variety of information such as a driver ID, a vehicle ID, a candidate running route, and a PM deposition amount transmitted from the navigation device 300.

The estimated amount calculation circuit 262 calculates an estimated PM deposition amount, which is an estimated amount of PM deposition when running on the candidate running route, from the variety of information acquired by the information acquisition circuit 261. Details of the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 of the present embodiment will be described later.

Based on the estimated PM deposition amount calculated by the estimated amount calculation circuit 262, the forced regeneration determination circuit 263 determines whether or not the forced regeneration is performed when a vehicle runs on a running route targeted for calculation of the estimated PM deposition amount. In the present embodiment, for example, when the estimated PM deposition amount becomes larger than a preset threshold value, it may be determined that the forced regeneration is performed.

Based on the determination result of the forced play determination circuit 263, the running route output circuit 264 outputs the running route selected as a running route to be presented to the navigation device 300, to the navigation device 300.

Next, the navigation device 300 of the present embodiment will be described. The navigation device 300 of the present embodiment includes an input reception circuit 310, a PM deposition amount acquisition circuit 320, a route candidate extraction circuit 330, a display controller 340, and a communication circuit 350.

The input reception circuit 310 inputs various kinds of information on the navigation device 300. Specifically, the input reception circuit 310 receives an input of a departure point, a destination, and a driver ID. Further, in the present embodiment, for example, when the navigation device 300 is a portable device not installed in the vehicle, the input reception circuit 310 also receives an input of a vehicle ID of the vehicle on which the navigation device 300 is mounted.

The PM deposition amount acquisition circuit 320 acquires the detected PM deposition amount from the exhaust purification apparatus 100 installed in the vehicle.

The route candidate extraction circuit 330 receives an input of a departure point and a destination and extracts a candidate running route from the departure point to the destination. The candidate running route is extracted as a result of making a request to acquire a candidate running route, for example, to a server in which road information existing outside the route management system 150 is stored.

The display controller 340 causes, for example, the display of the navigation device 300 to display a running route, map information and the like. The communication circuit 350 is responsible for communication between the navigation device 300 and the route management server 200.

Next, the exhaust purification apparatus 100 will be described. The exhaust purification apparatus 100 is installed in the automobile 160 and cleans the PM deposited in the DPF of the automobile 160. The exhaust purification apparatus 100 of the present embodiment has a PM deposition amount detection circuit 110 including the microwave measurement circuit 70. The PM deposition amount detection circuit 110 detects the PM deposition amount deposited in the DPF.

In the example of FIG. 22, the PM deposition amount detection circuit 110 is installed inside the exhaust purification apparatus 100. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The PM deposition amount detection circuit 110 may be installed independently from the exhaust purification apparatus 100.

Next, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 of the route management processing circuit 260 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 23. FIG. 23 is a view for explaining the function of the estimated amount calculation circuit.

The estimated amount calculation circuit 262 of the present embodiment includes a running route selection circuit 271, a road classification circuit 272, an information reference circuit 273, and a calculation circuit 274.

The running route selection circuit 271 selects a running route targeted for calculation of the estimated PM deposition amount from the candidates running routes acquired from the navigation device 300.

The road classification circuit 272 classifies sections of a road included in the selected running route into a straight road, a gentle curve, and a sharp curve. In other words, the road classification circuit 272 classifies sections of a road included in the selected running route to correspond to the items indicating the shapes of the road associated with the item “driving pattern” in the driving pattern database 210.

The information reference circuit 273 refers to a variety of information acquired from the navigation device 300 by the information acquisition circuit 261 and each database of the route management server 200.

The calculation circuit 274 calculates the estimated PM deposition amount for each of the sections classified by the road classification circuit 272 in the selected running route. Details of the calculation of the estimated PM deposition amount by the calculation circuit 274 will be described later.

Hereinafter, the operation of each device of the route management system 150 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 to 26. The processes of FIGS. 24 to 26 to be described below are performed, for example, before a driver starts driving the automobile 160.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the navigation device.

The input reception circuit 310 of the navigation device 300 of the present embodiment receives various inputs (step S1101). Specifically, the input reception circuit 310 receives an input of a driver ID, a departure point, a destination, etc. input by a driver of the automobile 160 on which the navigation device 300 is mounted. Further, for example, upon receiving the input of the driver ID, the input reception circuit 310 may acquire a vehicle ID of the automobile 160 and acquire a shipment ID associated with the vehicle ID in the shipment database 230.

Subsequently, the PM deposition amount acquisition circuit 320 of the navigation device 300 acquires the PM deposition amount detected by the PM deposition amount detection circuit 110 of the exhaust purification apparatus 100 (step S1102).

Subsequently, the route candidate extraction circuit 330 of the navigation device 300 extracts a candidate running route from the departure point and the destination (step S1103). The communication circuit 350 of the navigation device 300 may transmit the information on the departure point and, for example, the destination to an external server and receive a candidate running route acquired by the external server.

Next, the communication circuit 350 of the navigation device 300 transmits the extracted candidate running route to the route management server 200 (step S1104).

Subsequently, the communication circuit 350 of the navigation device 300 determines whether or not the presentation of the recommended running route has been received from the route management server 200 (step S1105).

When it is determined that the presentation of the running route has not been received (“No” in step S1105), the navigation device 300 waits until receiving the presentation of the running route.

When it is determined that the presentation of the running route has been received (“Yes” in step S1105), the navigation device 300 acquires the presentation of the running route (step S1106), the display controller 340 of the navigation device 300 displays the running route on the display (step S1107), and then, the process is ended.

Next, the process by the route management server 200 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 25. FIG. 25 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the route management server.

The route management server 200 of the present embodiment determines whether or not a variety of information has been acquired from the navigation device 300 by the information acquisition circuit 261 of the route management processing circuit 260 (step S1201). Here, the variety of information acquired by the information acquisition circuit 261 is information including a driver ID, a vehicle ID, a shipment ID, a PM deposition amount and a candidate running route.

When it is determined that the variety of information has not been acquired (“No” in step S1201), the route management processing circuit 260 waits until acquiring the above-described variety of information.

When it is determined that the variety of information has been acquired (“Yes” in step S1201), the information acquisition circuit 261 of the route management processing circuit 260 refers to the driving pattern database 210 to acquire driving pattern information corresponding to the acquired driver ID (step S1202).

Next, the information acquisition circuit 261 refers to the vehicle database 220 to acquire the vehicle information corresponding to the acquired vehicle ID (step S1203). Subsequently, the information acquisition circuit 261 refers to the shipment database 230 to acquire the shipment information corresponding to the acquired shipment ID (step S1204).

Next, the information acquisition circuit 261 refers to the congestion database 240 to acquire the congestion information corresponding to the running route from the candidate running route (step S1205). Specifically, the information acquisition circuit 261 may divide a road indicated on the acquired candidate running route into sections, and may acquire the congestion information for each corresponding section in the congestion database 240.

Subsequently, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 of the route management processing circuit 260 selects one from the acquired candidate running routes (step S1206).

Subsequently, the route management processing circuit 260 uses the driving pattern information, the vehicle information, the shipment information, and the congestion information acquired in step S1202 to step S1205 to calculate the estimated PM deposition amount of the candidate running route selected by the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 (step S1207). Details of the process of step S1207 will be described later.

Subsequently, the forced regeneration determination circuit 263 of the route management processing circuit 260 determines whether or not the cleaning (forced regeneration) is performed before arriving at the destination when running on the selected candidate running route (step S1208). In other words, the forced regeneration determination circuit 263 of the present embodiment determines whether or not the calculated estimated PM deposition amount is less than a preset threshold value. In addition, the threshold value serving as the criterion for determination may be held in the forced regeneration determination circuit 263. This threshold value may be predetermined for each vehicle or may be acquired by the navigation device 300 together with the vehicle ID and transmitted to the route management server 200.

When it is determined that the forced regeneration is performed (“No” in step S1208), the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 selects the next candidate running route (step S1209), and the process returns to step S1207.

When it is determined that the forced regeneration is not performed (“Yes” in step S1208), the route management processing circuit 260 determines whether or not the process of step S1207 and the subsequent step has been performed for all the candidate running routes acquired from the navigation device 300 (step S1210).

When it is determined that all the candidate running routes have not been processed (“No” in step S1210), the route management processing circuit 260 proceeds to step S1209.

When it is determined that all the candidate running routes have been processed (“Yes” in step S1210), the route management processing circuit 260 determines whether or not there is a candidate running route for which the forced regeneration is not performed (step S1211).

When it is determined that there is a candidate running route (“Yes” in step S1211), the running route output circuit 264 transmits the corresponding candidate running route to the navigation device 300 as a candidate running route to avoid the forced regeneration (step S1212), and the process is ended.

When it is determined that there is no candidate running route (“No” in step S1211), the running route output circuit 264 transmits a notification indicating that there is no corresponding candidate running route to the navigation device 300 (step S1213), and the process is ended.

In the example of FIG. 25, the route management server 200 selects a running route for which no forced regeneration is performed from a candidate running route, and presents the selected running route to the navigation device 300. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, when there is no running route for which the forced regeneration is not performed, the route management server 200 may present a running route having the smallest number of times of forced regeneration to the navigation device 300.

Next, the process performed by the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 26. FIG. 26 is a flowchart for explaining the process performed by the estimated amount calculation circuit. FIG. 26 illustrates details of the process of step S1207 in FIG. 25.

The estimated amount calculation circuit 262 of the present embodiment divides a road included in the selected running route into sections (step S1301). Subsequently, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 classifies the roads of the respective sections into a straight road, a gentle curve, and a sharp curve (step S1302). In other words, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 classifies the roads of the sections into the shapes of a road associated with the driving pattern.

Subsequently, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 refers to the reference deposition amount database 250 to acquire the reference value of the PM deposition amount for each section (step S1303).

Subsequently, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 calculates the estimated PM deposition amount X according to the following equation 1 (step S1304).

[Eq. 1]

X=∫^P2_P1f(section)·a(driverID)·b(vehicleID)·c(shipmentID)·d(section)+PM deposition amount   (1)

In Equation 1, P1 is the position information of a departure point, and P2 is the position information of a destination. f(section) indicates the reference value of the PM deposition amount for each section. The “a(driverID)” of Eq. 1 indicates the driving pattern information including the driver ID, specifically, a value of the driving pattern associated with the driver ID and corresponding to the shape of a road in a section. The “b(vehicleID)” of Eq. 1 is the vehicle information including the vehicle ID and specifically indicates the value of the easiness of PM deposition associated with the vehicle ID.

The “c(shipmentID)” of Eq. 1 indicates the shipment information including the shipment ID, specifically, the value of the easiness of PM deposition associated with the shipment ID. The “d(section)” of Eq. 1 indicates the congestion information for each section, specifically, the value of the easiness of PM deposition associated with the type of congestion for each section.

In other words, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 of the present embodiment obtains, for each section between the departure point and the destination, the product of a value as an index of the easiness of PM deposition associated with various items affecting how the PM is deposited and the reference value of the PM deposition amount for each section calculated from the past history.

This product is the PM deposition amount estimated to increase as the automobile 160 runs on the running route. In the following description, the PM deposition amount estimated to increase will be referred to as an estimated increase PM deposition amount. Then, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 sets the sum of the estimated increase PM deposition amount and the PM deposition amount already deposited in the automobile 160 as the estimated PM deposition amount estimated to be deposited when arriving at the destination.

In the present embodiment, a candidate running route in which the estimated PM deposition amount is less than the threshold value is taken as a running route that may reach the destination without the forced regeneration.

Hereinafter, the process performed by the route management server 200 of the present embodiment will be further described with reference to FIGS. 27 to 30.

FIG. 27 is a view for explaining an example of a running route. FIG. 27 illustrates running routes in which the departure point is a point A and the destination is a point B. In the example of FIG. 27, it is assumed that a first running route and a second running route are candidate running routes in which the departure point is the point A and the destination is the point B.

The road of the first running route includes a section 1 from the point A to a curve 1, a section 2 from the start point of the curve 1 to the end point of the curve 1, a section 3 from the end point of the curve 1 to the start point of a curve 2, and a section 4 from the start point of the curve 2 to the end point of the curve 2. Further, the road of the first running route includes a section 5 from the end point of the curve 2 to the start point of a curve 3, a section 6 from the start point of the curve 3 to the end point of the curve 3, a section 7 from the end point of the curve 3 to the start point of a curve 4, a section 8 from the start point of the curve 4 to the end point of the curve 4, and a section 9 from the end point of the curve 4 to the point B. That is, the first running route includes the nine sections.

The road of the second running route includes a section 11 from the point A to the start point of a curve 5, a section 12 from the start point of the curve 5 to the end point of the curve 5, and a section 13 from the end point of the curve 5 to the point B. That is, the second running route includes the three sections.

In this example, it is assumed that the curves 1 and 2 of the first running route are gentle, and the curves 3 and 4 are sharp. Further, it is assumed that the road in a section between the curves is straight. It is assumed that the curve 5 of the second running route is gentle and the roads of sections other than the curve are straight.

Further, it is assumed that the automobile 160 running from the point A to the point B has the vehicle ID “101,” and the driver of the automobile 160 has the driver ID “1.” Further, it is assumed that a shipment with the shipment ID “10” is loaded on the automobile 160.

Further, in this example, it is assumed that light congestion is occurring in the first running route, and heavy congestion is occurring in the second running route.

In this example, since the road of the section 1 of the first running route is straight, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 acquires a value “0.9” indicating the easiness of PM deposition as the driving pattern information of the section 1 (see FIG. 17). In addition, the road in the section 2 is a gentle curve. Therefore, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 acquires a value “1.2” indicating the easiness of PM deposition as the driving pattern information of the section 2.

Further, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 acquires a value “0.7” indicating the easiness of PM deposition as the vehicle information in the sections 1 to 9 (see FIG. 18). In addition, a shipment with the shipment ID “10” is loaded on the automobile 160. Therefore, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 acquires a value “1.5” indicating the easiness of PM deposition as the shipment information in the sections 1 to 9 (see FIG. 19).

Further, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 acquires a value indicating the easiness of PM deposition depending on the state of congestion occurring in each section, as the congestion information in the sections 1 to 9 of the first running route.

An example of the congestion information in the sections 1 to 9 will be described with reference to FIG. 28. FIG. 28 is a first view illustrating an example of the congestion information.

FIG. 28 represents PM deposition amounts corresponding to the three congestion states, namely, no congestion, light congestion, and heavy congestion, for each of the sections 1 to 9 of the first running route. For example, the values represented in FIG. 28 are records obtained when the driver of the driver ID “1” drove the automobile 160 of the vehicle ID “101” on the first running route in the past, and may be held in the congestion database 240. Further, each of the values represented in FIG. 28 may be, for example, an average value obtained from a plurality of vehicles ran on the first running route in the past.

The estimated amount calculation circuit 262 of the present embodiment acquires a “value indicating the easiness of PM deposition” for each section, which is calculated based on the PM deposition amount in each section and the reference value of the deposition amount in each section.

Then, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 of the present embodiment refers to the reference deposition amount database 250 to obtain the estimated increase PM deposition amount which is the product of the reference value of the PM deposition amount for each section and the “value indicating the easiness of PM deposition” for each section acquired as information of each section. Then, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 sets the sum of the total estimated increase PM deposition amount for each section and the PM deposition amount detected in the navigation device 300 as the estimated PM deposition amount when running on the first running route.

Next, an example of the congestion information in the sections 1 to 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 29. FIG. 29 is a second view illustrating an example of the congestion information.

FIG. 29 represents PM deposition amounts corresponding to the three congestion states, namely, no congestion, light congestion, and heavy congestion, for each of the sections 1 to 3 of the second running route. As in FIG. 28, the values represented in FIG. 29 are records obtained when the driver drove the automobile 60 of the vehicle ID “101” on the second running route in the past, and may be held in the congestion database 240. Further, each of the values represented in FIG. 29 may be, for example, an average value obtained from a plurality of vehicles ran on the second running route in the past.

As in the case of the first running route, the estimated amount calculation circuit 262 obtains the estimated increase PM deposition amount in the sections 1 to 3 and sets the sum of the total estimated increase PM deposition amount and the PM deposition amount detected in the navigation device 300 as the estimated PM deposition amount when running on the second running route.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the estimated PM deposition amount for each running route is calculated. Next, determination by the forced regeneration determination circuit 263 will be described with reference to FIG. 30.

FIG. 30 is a view for explaining the determination by the forced regeneration determination circuit. FIG. 30 illustrates a graph representing the estimated PM deposition amount for each congestion state for each of the first running route and the second running route.

In FIG. 30, a threshold value TH for determining whether or not the forced regeneration is performed is set to 1.5 [g/l]. Further, in FIG. 30, the PM deposition amount acquired from the navigation device 300 is set to 1.3 [g/l].

In FIG. 30, in the first running route, for the state of no congestion, the estimated PM deposition amount when arriving at the destination is less than the threshold value TH. In addition, in the first running route, for the state of light congestion or heavy congestion, the estimated PM deposition amount when arriving at the destination is equal to or larger than the threshold value TH.

In contrast, in the second running route, the estimated PM deposition amount does not exceed the threshold value, regardless of the state of congestion. However, the second running route is longer than the first running route and is expected to reach the destination later than the first running route.

The following description will be described by assuming that light congestion is occurring in the first running route and heavy congestion is occurring in the second running route.

In this case, in the first running route, since the estimated PM deposition amount is equal to or larger than the threshold value TH, the forced regeneration determination circuit 263 excludes the first running route, which is a running route where the forced regeneration is performed, from options. In the second running route, since the estimated PM deposition amount is less than the threshold value TH, the forced regeneration determination circuit 263 presents the second running route to the navigation device 300 as a running route where the forced regeneration is not performed.

Therefore, the running route output circuit 264 of the route management server 200 outputs the second running route to the navigation device 300 as a running route for improving fuel efficiency. Upon receiving the output, the navigation device 300 displays information indicating the running route for improving the fuel efficiency and the second running route.

In addition, for example, a case where no congestion is occurring in the first running route will also be described. In this case, even in the first running route, the estimated PM deposition amount is less than the threshold value TH when arriving at the destination.

Therefore, the running route output circuit 264 outputs both the first running route and the second running route to the navigation device 300 as running routes for improving the fuel efficiency.

In this case, the running route output circuit 264 may output, for example, information indicating that the second running route is more improved in the fuel efficiency over the first running route, and the first running route has a shorter running distance than the second running route, to the navigation device 300 along with the running routes.

Upon receiving the output, the navigation device 300 displays the first running route and the second running route as running routes for improving the fuel efficiency. At this time, the navigation device 300 may display each of the running routes in an order of an increasing running distance of a running route or in an order of an increasing PM deposition amount. In addition, the navigation device 300 may receive a sorting operation for changing the order of displaying the running routes described above.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when selecting a running route, the estimated PM deposition amount until arriving at the destination is calculated, by calculating the estimated increase PM deposition amount deposited by running on the running route, and adding the calculated estimated increase PM deposition amount to the PM deposition amount detected from a vehicle. Then, in the present embodiment, a running route for reducing the number of times of cleaning is selected and presented based on the calculated estimated PM deposition amount.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of times of cleaning of the deposited particulate matter.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when calculating the estimated increase PM deposition amount, a value indicating the easiness of PM deposition is assigned to each of the various parameters affecting the PM deposition, such as a driver, a vehicle, a shipment, the shape of a road, and the state of congestion, and the estimated increase PM deposition amount is calculated based on the value. In other words, in the present embodiment, weighting is performed on the various parameters affecting the PM deposition, and the estimated increase PM deposition amount is calculated based on the weight and the reference value of PM deposition amount calculated from the running history collected in the past.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, since the accuracy of the estimation of the PM deposition amount that increases when running on the running route is improved, the accuracy of the determination as to whether or not cleaning is performed may also be improved, and a running route for reducing the number of times of cleaning may be presented.

In the present embodiment, the databases illustrated in FIGS. 17 to 20 have been described as an example of the parameters affecting the PM deposition. However, the kinds of the parameters are not limited thereto. For example, the parameters may include, for example, weather information and information indicating the state of a road surface, and may be any parameters as long as the parameters are related to the cause of the PM deposition.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the navigation device 300 acquires candidate running routes by transmitting the departure point and the destination to an external server. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The route management server 200 of the present embodiment may have a navigation function to receive an input of a departure point and a destination and extract candidate running routes. In that case, the navigation device 300 may transmit the information of the departure point and the destination to the route management server 200.

Further, the automobile 160 described above is equipped with a diesel engine. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The automobile 160 may be a vehicle equipped with an engine other than the diesel engine.

All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions, nor does the organization of such examples in the specification relate to an illustrating of the superiority and inferiority of the invention. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it should be understood that the various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An exhaust purification apparatus comprising:

a microwave irradiation device;

a fine particle collection filter configured to collect fine particles contained in an exhaust gas; and

a controller,

wherein the microwave irradiation device includes: an annular microwave transmission line; a first microwave generator configured to couple to the annular microwave transmission line and generate a first microwave; a second microwave generator configured to couple to the annular microwave transmission line and generate a second microwave; and a microwave measurement circuit configured to couple to at least one of the annular microwave transmission line, between the annular microwave transmission line and the first microwave generator, or between the annular microwave transmission line and the second microwave generator; wherein the first microwave and the second microwave have the same frequency and have different phases, and

the controller determines whether or not a predetermined amount or more of depositions is deposited in the fine particle collection filter, based on the characteristics of a microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit.

2. The exhaust purification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first connection waveguide configured to couple the annular microwave transmission line and the first microwave generator to each other; and

a second connection waveguide configured to couple the annular microwave transmission line and the second microwave generator to each other,

wherein a distance L between a connecting portion between the annular microwave transmission line and the first connection waveguide and a connecting portion between the annular microwave transmission line and the second connection waveguide is L=(2N−1)×λ/4, where, λ is a microwave wavelength and N is a positive integer.

3. The exhaust purification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first connection waveguide configured to couple the annular microwave transmission line and the first microwave generator to each other; and

a second connection waveguide configured to couple the annular microwave transmission line and the second microwave generator to each other,

wherein a distance between a connecting portion between the annular microwave transmission line and the first connection waveguide and a connecting portion between the annular microwave transmission line and the second connection waveguide is one of λ/4, 3λ/4, 5λ/4, and 7λ/4, where, λ is a microwave wavelength.

4. The exhaust purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a phase difference between the first microwave and the second microwave is

5. The exhaust purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the microwave is from 0.1 GHz to 3.0 GHz.

6. The exhaust purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a microwave is irradiated to the fine particle collection filter from the microwave irradiation device.

7. The exhaust purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether or not a predetermined amount or more of soot is deposited in the fine particle collection filter, based on the intensity of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit.

8. The exhaust purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether or not a predetermined amount or more of soot is deposited in the fine particle collection filter, based on the frequency of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit.

9. The exhaust purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether or not soot deposited in the fine particle collection filter has been removed, based on the intensity of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit.

10. The exhaust purification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a thermometer installed in the fine particle collection filter,

wherein the controller determines whether or not the fine particle collection filter is regenerated and the regeneration of the fine particle collection filter has ended, based on a temperature measured by the thermometer and the intensity of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit.

11. The exhaust purification apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller includes a table representing a relationship between the temperature measured by the thermometer used to determine the regeneration of the fine particle collection filter and the intensity of the microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit.

12. An automobile, comprising:

the exhaust purification apparatus as set forth in claim 1.

13. A management system comprising:

an automobile equipped an exhaust purification apparatus and a navigation device including a transceiver;

a radio base station configured to conduct an information communication with the navigation device via the transceiver by radio, wherein

the exhaust purification apparatus comprises:

a microwave irradiation device;

a fine particle collection filter configured to collect fine particles contained in an exhaust gas; and

a controller,

wherein the microwave irradiation device includes: an annular microwave transmission line; a first microwave generator configured to couple to the annular microwave transmission line; a second microwave generator configured to couple to the annular microwave transmission line; and a microwave measurement circuit configured to couple to at least one of the annular microwave transmission line, between the annular microwave transmission line and the first microwave generator, and between the annular microwave transmission fine and the second microwave generator,

a microwave generated by the first microwave generator and a microwave generated by the second microwave generator have the same frequency and have different phases, and

the controller determines whether or not a predetermined amount or more of depositions is deposited in the fine particle collection filter, based on the characteristics of a microwave measured by the microwave measurement circuit.

14. The management system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a route management server configured to communicate with the navigation device via the radio base station and the transceiver by radio, wherein

the route management server includes:

a reception circuit configured to receive information including candidate running routes to a destination from the navigation device;

an estimated amount calculation circuit configured to calculate an estimated amount of PM to be deposited until arriving at the destination, for each candidate running route;

a running route selection circuit configured to select the running route with the less amount of PM to be deposited;

a transmission circuit configured to output information including selected the running route to the navigation device.