METHOD FOR REFUELING MOTOR VEHICLES

• US 20150266482A1
• Filed: 02/26/2015
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: QUIX, Hans Guenter, VAN BEBBER, David, MONDRZYK, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,371,071 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03019 Filling of gas tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03203 during refueling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/209 Fuel quantity remaining in tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/00 Estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters for road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub unit, e.g. by using mathematical models
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes determining, via a vehicle computer, that a current fuel-tank fill-level matches a stored fill-level, stored prior to a refueling process. The method also includes calculating an average fuel-consumption when the current fill-level matches the stored fill-level, based on distance traveled since the refueling process and a total amount of fuel received by the vehicle, as indicated by stored fuel-dispensed data received from one or more fuel pumps, since the stored fill-level was stored.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, via a vehicle computer, that a current fuel-tank fill-level matches a stored fill-level, stored prior to a refueling process; and

calculating an average fuel-consumption when the current fill-level matches the stored fill-level, based on distance traveled since the refueling process and a total amount of fuel received by the vehicle, as indicated by stored fuel-dispensed data received from one or more fuel pumps, since the stored fill-level was stored.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein fuel-dispensed data is received by the vehicle wirelessly from a fuel pump during the refueling process.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the total amount of fuel received by the vehicle includes an aggregate amount of fuel represented by fuel-dispensed data received over a plurality of refueling processes since the stored fill-level was stored.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, before the start of the refueling process, a fuel-tank fill-level only if the motor vehicle is in a horizontal position.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, before the start of the refueling process, a fuel-tank fill-level only if fuel present in the fuel tank is not sloshing.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, before the start of the refueling process, a fuel-tank fill-level only if there is no lateral vehicle acceleration.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating the total distance traveled based on a current odometer value compared to an odometer value stored when the stored fill-level was stored.

8. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine, via a vehicle computer, that a current fuel-tank fill-level matches a stored fill-level, stored prior to a refueling process; and

calculate an average fuel-consumption when the current fill-level matches the stored fill-level, based on distance traveled since the refueling process and a total amount of fuel received by the vehicle, as indicated by stored fuel-dispensed data received from one or more fuel pumps, since the stored fill-level was stored.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein fuel-dispensed data is data received by the vehicle wirelessly from a fuel pump during the refueling process.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the total amount of fuel received by the vehicle includes an aggregate amount of fuel represented by fuel-dispensed data received over a plurality of refueling processes since the stored fill-level was stored.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

store, before the start of the refueling process, a fuel-tank fill-level only if the motor vehicle is in a horizontal position.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

store, before the start of the refueling process, a fuel-tank fill-level only if fuel present in the fuel tank is not sloshing.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

store, before the start of the refueling process, a fuel-tank fill-level only if there is no lateral vehicle acceleration.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

calculate the total distance traveled based on a current odometer value compared to an odometer value stored when the stored fill-level was stored.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

determining that a current fuel-tank fill-level matches a stored fill-level, stored prior to a refueling process; and

calculating an average fuel-consumption when the current fill-level matches the stored fill-level, based on distance traveled since the refueling process and a total amount of fuel received by the vehicle, as indicated by stored fuel-dispensed data received from one or more fuel pumps, since the stored fill-level was stored.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein fuel-dispensed data is received by the vehicle wirelessly from a fuel pump during the refueling process.

17. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the total amount of fuel received by the vehicle includes an aggregate amount of fuel represented by fuel-dispensed data received over a plurality of refueling processes since the stored fill-level was stored.

18. The storage medium of claim 15, the method further comprising:

storing, before the start of the refueling process, a fuel-tank fill-level only if the motor vehicle is in a horizontal position.

19. The storage medium of claim 15, the method further comprising:

storing, before the start of the refueling process, a fuel-tank fill-level only if fuel present in the fuel tank is not sloshing.

20. The storage medium of claim 15, the method further comprising:

storing, before the start of the refueling process, a fuel-tank fill-level only if there is no lateral vehicle acceleration.