Patent ID: 6234390
Filing Date: 2001-05-22
Classification: F01N,G07B,G07C,G07F,Y02T

Abstract:
A process for at least one of acquiring and paying a fee for pollutants in the exhaust of a combustion unit provided with a start system and an exhaust channel, especially of an internal combustion engine, there being at least one pollutant sensor in the exhaust channel which produces, via a converter, an electrical signal, the signal being sent to a detector unit which outputs the signal to a computer in a form which can be processed as a control signal, and the computer makes available a value signal at an output which corresponds to the determined pollutant content, the value signal is formed from the control signal and is sent to a debiting unit which makes available a debiting signal by which the amount corresponding to the respective pollutant content is debited from a memory, the memory can be filled with monetary units by a chip card which is charged with monetary units via a chip card reader, the process comprising the steps of:providing a chip card charged with monetary units;inserting the chip card into the chip card reader, the chip card remains in the reader during operation of the internal combustion engine for use as the memory;debiting from the chip card an amount of monetary units corresponding to the respective instantaneous pollutant content;generating and transmitting at least one warning signal by at least one of the computer and the debiting unit, said at least one warning signal corresponding to one of an amount of monetary units below a lower boundary value and an amount which is not present on the chip card;inputting said warning signal into a control unit provided with said combustion unit;preventing starting of one of the combustion unit and a motor vehicle if the chip card is not completely inserted or the chip card is uncharged or has an insufficient quantity of remaining monetary units.