method for determining a filling level of a fluid tank in a motor vehicle

• US 20160169728A1
• Filed: 11/30/2015
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: ROMSTOECK, Christian, Feldges, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 10,145,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 9/00 Measuring inclination, e.g. by clinometers, by levels
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/80 Arrangements for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/20 of apparatus for measuring liquid level

Abstract

A method for determining a filling level of a fluid tank in a motor vehicle, enables both a detection of an ascent or a descent of the motor vehicle with the aid of multiple pieces of position data ascertained in succession via a position determination system, and a plausibility check of the measuring value of the filling level sensor, in that a grade of an associated route section is ascertained for the ascertained position data, a selection of at least two route sections having different grades is carried out, and a measuring value of the filling level sensor to be expected is ascertained for each of them, and a comparison of the measuring values to be expected with the measured measuring values is carried out.

Claims

1. A method for determining a filling level of a fluid tank in a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

performing a first calculation of a fluid volume of the fluid tank with a first process using a measuring value of a filling level sensor situated in the fluid tank and information about the inclination of the motor vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the transverse direction of the vehicle;

detecting an ascent or a descent of the motor vehicle with multiple pieces of position data ascertained in succession via a position determination system;

ascertaining a grade of an associated route section in each case for the ascertained position data;

selecting at least two route sections having different grades, and ascertaining a measuring value of the filling level sensor to be expected for each of them; and

performing a plausibility check of the measuring value of the filling level sensor via a comparison of the measuring values to be expected with the measured measuring values.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a second calculation of the fluid volume of the fluid tank is performed with a second process using data about an instantaneous consumption of the fluid of the fluid tank, a comparison of the calculated fluid volume of the two methods being performed and in the case of a match, the fluid volume calculated according to the first process, or otherwise the fluid volume calculated according to the second process, being output as the filling level of the fluid tank.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, if the ascent or the descent of the motor vehicle is detected, the filling level of the fluid tank is determined only according to the second process from data about the instantaneous consumption, and/or in the case of a detection of the ascent or the descent of the motor vehicle, a signal of the filling level sensor is filtered.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a detection of an ascent or a descent of the motor vehicle occurs via a comparison of multiple position data ascertained in succession.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein only those measured measuring values receive clearing for processing with the first process which match the expected measuring values or lie within an established tolerance range.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection of an ascent or a descent of the motor vehicle occurs so that a comparison of the elevation information associated with the position data is performed over a predefined time interval, and in the case of a continuous increase of the elevation, an ascent is inferred, or in the case of a continuous decrease of the elevation, a descent is inferred.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, in addition to the position data, geographical map data about a route which is presently being traveled on is used for detecting an ascent or a descent of the motor vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a comparison of the measuring values to be expected with the measured measuring values is performed in that a first difference is ascertained from the measuring values to be expected, a second difference is ascertained from the measured measuring values, and the first and the second difference are compared to each other.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the ascent or the descent of the motor vehicle is detected, a factor which is a function of the grade is ascertained, and a correction of the measuring signal of the filling level sensor is performed using this factor.

10. A computer readable medium having a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising:

a program code arrangement having program code for determining a filling level of a fluid tank in a motor vehicle, by performing the following;

performing a first calculation of a fluid volume of the fluid tank with a first process using a measuring value of a filling level sensor situated in the fluid tank and information about the inclination of the motor vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the transverse direction of the vehicle;

detecting an ascent or a descent of the motor vehicle with multiple pieces of position data ascertained in succession via a position determination system;

ascertaining a grade of an associated route section in each case for the ascertained position data;

selecting at least two route sections having different grades, and ascertaining a measuring value of the filling level sensor to be expected for each of them; and

performing a plausibility check of the measuring value of the filling level sensor via a comparison of the measuring values to be expected with the measured measuring values.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein a second calculation of the fluid volume of the fluid tank is performed with a second process using data about an instantaneous consumption of the fluid of the fluid tank, a comparison of the calculated fluid volume of the two methods being performed and in the case of a match, the fluid volume calculated according to the first process, or otherwise the fluid volume calculated according to the second process, being output as the filling level of the fluid tank.

12. An electronic control unit, comprising:

a processor configured to determine a filling level of a fluid tank in a motor vehicle, by performing the following;

performing a first calculation of a fluid volume of the fluid tank with a first process using a measuring value of a filling level sensor situated in the fluid tank and information about the inclination of the motor vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the transverse direction of the vehicle;

detecting an ascent or a descent of the motor vehicle with multiple pieces of position data ascertained in succession via a position determination system;

ascertaining a grade of an associated route section in each case for the ascertained position data;

selecting at least two route sections having different grades, and ascertaining a measuring value of the filling level sensor to be expected for each of them; and

performing a plausibility check of the measuring value of the filling level sensor via a comparison of the measuring values to be expected with the measured measuring values.