Remaining fuel amount measuring apparatus for a fuel tank

• US 5,826,459 A
• Filed: 04/03/1997
• Issued: 10/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Kataoka, Ichiro, Narama, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Biegel, Ronald L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCALL, ERIC SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US08/833,050
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 73/1.73, 73/113, 73/290 R, 73/305, 73/308, 73/309, 73/312, 73/313, 73/314
• US Class Current: 73/290.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/303 characterised by means to prevent fault-level readings due to turbulence of the fluid, e.g. special float housings
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/36 using electrically actuated indicating means G01F23/38 takes precedence

Abstract

In a remaining fuel amount measuring apparatus, a CPU captures remaining fuel amount data detected by a fuel sender unit at prescribed periods through a voltage conversion circuit and A/D conversion circuit, compiles the captured remaining fuel amount data into blocks each composed of a prescribed number of data samples to be successively stored in a RAM. The CPU reads the block data as necessary and subjects the read data to data processing such as simple averaging, weighted averaging or removal of abnormal values. The CPU displays the remaining fuel amount after the data processing on a fuel meter.

Claims

1. A remaining fuel amount measuring apparatus for a fuel tank, comprising:

detecting means for detecting an amount of fuel remaining in the fuel tank to output remaining fuel amount data;

block data storage means for capturing the remaining fuel amount data outputted from said detecting means at prescribed periods and compiling the captured remaining fuel amount data into blocks each composed of a prescribed number of data to be successively stored;

simple average computing means for computing a simple average for each block on the basis of the block data stored in said block data storage means;

weighted average computing means for computing a weighted average by further averaging the simple averages of a plurality of blocks on the basis of the simple average for a newest block and that for at least one past block computed by said simple average computing means; and

remaining fuel amount outputting means for converting the weighted average computed by said weighted average computing means into a remaining fuel amount to be outputted.

2. A remaining fuel amount measuring apparatus for a fuel tank according to claim 1, further comprising:

abnormal value range computing means for computing a range to exclude abnormal value data from said captured remaining fuel amount data on the basis of past remaining fuel amount data;

abnormal value removing means for removing the abnormal data from each block data stored in said block data storage means on the basis of the range computed by said abnormal value range computing means;

wherein said simple average computing means computes the simple average for each block on the basis of each block data with the abnormal value data removed by said abnormal value removing means.

4. A remaining fuel amount measuring apparatus for a fuel tank according to claim 2, further comprising:

variation tendency computing means for computing a variation tendency of the simple average among a plurality of blocks on the basis of the simple average for the newest block and that for at least one past block computed by said simple average computing means,

wherein said abnormal range computing means computes the range to exclude the abnormal value data from said captured remaining fuel amount on the basis of the variation tendency computed by said variation tendency computing means.

7. A remaining fuel amount measuring apparatus for a fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein when said block data storage means captures less than said prescribed number of data in a particular prescribed period, said apparatus uses a previously determined simple average as a backup simple average for said particular prescribed period.

3. A remaining fuel amount measuring apparatus for a fuel tank, comprising:

detecting means for detecting an amount of fuel remaining in the fuel tank to output remaining fuel amount data;

block data storage means for capturing the remaining fuel amount data outputted from said detecting means at prescribed periods and compiling the captured remaining fuel amount data into blocks each composed of prescribed number of data to be successively stored;

abnormal value range computing means for computing a range to exclude abnormal value data from said captured remaining fuel amount data on the basis of a past remaining fuel amount data;

abnormal value removing means for removing the abnormal data from each block data stored in said block data storage means on the basis of the range computed by said abnormal value range computing means;

simple average computing means for computing a simple average for each block on the basis of each block data with the abnormal value data removed by said abnormal value removing means; and

remaining fuel amount outputting means for converting the simple average for a newest block computed by said simple average computing means into a remaining fuel amount to be outputted.

5. A remaining fuel amount measuring apparatus for a fuel tank according to claim 3, further comprising:

variation tendency computing means for computing a variation tendency of the simple average among a plurality of blocks on the basis of the simple average for the newest block and that for at least one past block computed by said simple average computing means,

wherein said abnormal range computing means computes the range to exclude the abnormal value data from said captured remaining fuel amount on the basis of the variation tendency computed by said variation tendency computing means.

6. A remaining fuel amount measuring apparatus for a fuel tank, comprising:

detecting means for detecting an amount of fuel remaining in the fuel tank to output remaining fuel amount data;

block data storage means for capturing the remaining fuel amount data outputted from said detecting means at prescribed periods and compiling the captured remaining fuel amount data into blocks each composed of a prescribed number of data to be successively stored;

simple average computing means for computing a simple average for each block on the basis of the block data stored in said block data-storage means;

dispersion computing means for computing a dispersion of a newest block data on the basis of newest block data stored in said block data storage means;

number-of-times computing means for computing number-of-times of a weighted average, the number-of-times constituting a parameter of the weighted average which is computed by further averaging the simple averages of a plurality of blocks on the basis of the dispersion of the newest block computed by the dispersion computing means;

weighted average computing means for computing the weighted average with the parameter of the number-of-times computed by the number-of-times computing means, on the basis of the simple average for the newest block and that for at least one past block computed by said simple average computing means; and

remaining fuel amount outputting means for converting the weighted average computed by said weighted average computing means into a remaining fuel amount to be outputted.