Flow signal monitor for a fuel dispensing system

• US 5,361,216 A
• Filed: 07/02/1992
• Issued: 11/01/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Progressive International Electronics Inc.
• Original Assignee: Progressive International Electronics Inc.
• Inventors: Warn, Walter E., Carr, Fred K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZANELLI, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US07/907,548
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 364/509, 364/510, 364/551.01, 364/465, 364/178, 364/478, 364/479, 364/DIG. 1, 364/229.41, 364/229.5, 73/3, 395/275, 395/325, 141/94, 141/98
• US Class Current: 700/283
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/08 Arrangements of devices for controlling, indicating, metering or registering quantity or price of liquid transferred arrangement of flow- or pressure-control valves B67D7/36; computing, calculating, counting G06; coin-freed apparatus for dispensing fluids G07F13/00; prepayment devices for metering liquids G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/228 using digital counting

Abstract

The present invention relates to a flow signal monitoring system for monitoring data signals in a data wire between fuel dispensers and the dispenser controller for collecting, storing, and later down-loading information relating flow quantity signals. The system includes an electronic communication translator which is attached to the wire. The design of the monitoring system is such that it is coupled to the data wire, however, it is electrically isolated from the data wire. When the dispenser and remote dispenser controller are communicating in current loop communication protocol, the system uses a configuration circuit with an opto-coupler having a light emitting diode and transistor for transforming the data signals into corresponding computer logic signals. When the dispenser and controller are communicating in voltage level communication protocol, a comparator is used to transform the data signals into corresponding computer logic signals. The computer logic signals are sent to a microprocessor with read-only memory and read-and-write memory for processing. The system further includes a data field selector which instructs the microprocessor to select and process data fields relating to flow quantity, and to discard all other data signals. Information on the amount of fuel dispensed at each fueling position in the dispenser is stored in memory. This information can be down-loaded to other devices including tank monitors, printer, and display devices.

Claims

1. A flow signal monitoring system having a microprocessor for monitoring a digital data stream in a data wire between at least one fuel dispenser and a dispenser controller, wherein said data stream includes a plurality of data fields including one data field comprising a command code, pump number, pump status, and dispensed fuel volume and a value containing information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position which is collected and stored for down-loading to a display, a printer, or tank monitor;

comprising;

(a) an electronics communication translator means, connected to said data wire between said at least one fuel dispenser and said dispenser controller, for converting said data stream into a computer logic data stream having corresponding data fields including information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position;

(b) a microprocessor including plural input-output ports, programmable read only memory, programmable read and write variable memory, said microprocessor having bus means connecting said communication translator with at least one of said microprocessor ports for receiving said computer logic data stream;

(c) a programmable data field selector means, having bus connection to at least one of said microprocessor ports, for instructing said microprocessor to recognize, select and process said corresponding data fields containing information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position, and to discard all other data fields; and

(d) a memory means, coupled to said microprocessor, for receiving and storing information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position.

2. A flow signal monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein:

said communication translator means uses an opto-coupler means including a light emitting diode and transistor for converting said data stream into said computer logic data stream.

3. A flow signal monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein:

said communications translator means uses a comparator means for converting said data stream into said computer logic data stream.

4. A flow signal monitoring system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a communication interface means, coupled to said microprocessor and said memory means, for down-loading stored information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position to said tank monitor.

5. A flow signal monitoring system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a communications interface means, coupled to said microprocessor and said memory means, for down-loading stored information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position to said printer.

6. A flow signal monitoring system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a communications interface means, coupled to said microprocessor and said memory means, for down-loading stored information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position to said display.

7. A flow signal monitoring system as recited in claim 6, wherein:

said display is a liquid crystal display means for displaying the amount of fuel dispensed.

8. A microprocessor controlled method for collecting and storing information on an amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position in at least one fuel dispenser, utilizing a data line monitor to monitor a data stream in a data wire between said at least one fueld dispenser and a dispenser controller wherein said data stream includes a data field comprising command code, pump number, pump status, and dispensed fuel volume and a value containing information on the amount of fuel dispensed form each fueling position, comprising the steps of:

(a) feeding the data stream in the data wire between said at least one fuel dispenser and dispenser controller into an electronics communication translator means for converting said data stream into a corresponding computer logic data stream including a computer logic data field containing information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position;

(b) feeding said computer logic data stream to an input-output pin of a microprocessor having programmable read only memory and program/nable read and write memory;

(c) coupling said microprocessor to a data field selector means for instructing said microprocessor to recognize, select and process said computer logic data field containing information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position, and to discard all other data fields;

(d) storing information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position in a memory means for keeping track of the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position in said at least one fuel dispenser;

(e) down-loading said information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position from said memory means through a communications interface means to a second device for transferring said information so that said second device now has information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position in said at least one fuel dispenser.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein:

step (a) is practiced by using an opto-coupler means in said communications translator means for converting said data stream into said computer logic data stream.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein:

step (a) is practiced by using a comparator means in said communications translator means for converting said data stream into said computer logic data stream.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein:

step (e) is practiced by down-loading said information on the amount of fuel dispensed form each fueling position through said communications interface means to a computing element in said tank monitor for reconciling the actual amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position with information collected by said tank monitor.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising the step of:

coupling a programmable clock means to said microprocessor and said memory means for instructing step (e) to be carried out at a pre-programmed time.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein:

step (e) is practiced by down-loading said information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position through said communications interface means to a liquid crystal display means for displaying said information.

14. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein:

step (e) is practiced by down-loading said information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position through said communications interface means to a printer for printing said information.

15. A method for operating a microprocessor for collecting, storing, and transmitting information on an amount of fuel dispensed from a fuel dispenser with a flow signal monitoring system, connected to a data wire between the fuel dispenser and a dispenser controller wherein said data wire conducts a data stream including data fields with information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position on said fuel dispenser, including a communications translator for converting the data fields in said data stream in said data wire into a computer logic data stream including computer logic data fields with information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position and a data field selector for instructing the microprocessor to select and process said computer logic data fields with information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position and to discard all other data fields, wherein the information on the amount of fuel dispensed is down-loaded to a tank monitor, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving from said communication translator said computer logic data stream corresponding to the data stream in said data wire between said dispenser and said dispenser controller;

(b) receiving from said data field selector a selector signal including instructions to select data fields with information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position;

(c) parsing said computer logic data stream for selecting and processing data fields with information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position, and discarding all other data fields;

(d) storing the information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position in a memory chip.

16. A method of operating a microprocessor for collecting, storing, and transmitting information on the amount of fuel dispensed as recited in claim 15, further comprising the step of:

transmitting the stored information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position from said memory chip through a communications interface to said tank monitor.

17. A method of operating a microprocessor for collecting, storing, and transmitting information on the amount of fuel dispensed, as recited in claim 15, further comprising the step of:

transmitting the stored information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position at pre-programmed times, wherein said memory chip is coupled to a programmable clock means for instructing the stored information to be down-loaded through a communications interface at pre-programmed times, to said tank monitor.

18. A flow signal monitoring system having a microprocessor, used in combination with a tank monitor, for monitoring data signals in a data wire between at least one fuel dispenser and a dispenser controller without interrupting data signal flow in the data wire, where said data wire conducts a data stream including information on the amount of fuel dispensed form each fueling position in said at least one fuel dispenser which is collected, stored, and later down-loaded to the tank monitor for reconciling the amount of fuel dispensed with the information collected by the tank monitor, comprising:

(a) an electronics communications translator means, connected to said data wire, for translating the data signals in said data stream into a computer logic data stream having data fields corresponding to said data signals in said data wire such that data signal flow in said data wire is not interrupted;

(b) a microprocessor having plural input-output ports, programmable read and write only memory, programmable read and write variable memory, said microprocessor having a bus connecting said communication translator with at least one of said microprocessor ports for receiving said computer logic data stream;

(c) a programmable data field selector means having a bus connection to at least one of said microprocessor ports for instructing said microprocessor as to which of said data fields in said data stream to select and process, and which of said data fields to discard, wherein said data field selector means instructs said microprocessor to parse said computer logic data stream for selecting and processing data fields with information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position, and to discard all other data fields;

(d) a memory means having a bus connection to at least one of said microprocessor ports for storing information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position;

(e) a communications interface means, coupled to said memory means and further coupled to said tank monitor, for down-loading said information on the amount of fuel dispensed from each fueling position at request to said tank monitor.