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Fuel-level-detection system, calibration method, and calibration system

  • US 6,907,371 B2
  • Filed: 05/08/2003
  • Issued: 06/14/2005
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2003
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A vehicle, comprising:

  • (a) one or more rigid and strong frame structures to which a majority of other components of said vehicle are directly or indirectly engaged and from which a majority of other components of said vehicle derive support directly or indirectly;

    (b) a suspension system that is engaged to and supports said one or more frame structures above the ground and that provides the vehicle with a relatively low resistance to movement along the ground;

    (c) one or more body structures including an occupant cabin that is/are engaged to and supported by said one or more frame structures and within which occupants and/or cargo of said vehicle may reside;

    (d) a powerplant that is mounted to said frame structures and that is operable to provide power to drive said vehicle;

    (e) a fuel reservoir that is mounted directly or indirectly to said frame structures and/or said body structures of said vehicle, and within which fuel may be stored for consumption by said powerplant;

    (f) a fuel-level detection system;

    (g) wherein said fuel-level detection system comprises a fuel-level sensor mounted in said fuel reservoir;

    (h) wherein said fuel-level detection system comprises a fuel-level indicator that is mounted in said occupant cabin;

    (i) wherein said fuel-level detection system further comprises a fuel-level-signal-translating system that communicatively links said fuel-level sensor and said fuel-level indicator;

    (j) wherein said fuel-level-signal-translating system receives raw fuel-level signals from said fuel-level sensor and translates them into processed fuel-level signals that are communicated to said fuel-level indicator;

    (k) wherein said vehicle further comprises one or more computer(s) that are either communicatively linked to or are part of said fuel-level-signal-translating system and that are also communicatively linked to said fuel-level sensor;

    (l) fuel-level-detection calibration logic, which is embodied in hardware and/or software of said one or more computer(s) and that may be activated when said fuel reservoir is empty to cause said one or more computer(s) to perform a fuel-level-detection calibration method which comprises the steps of;

    activating said fuel-level sensor and causing it to produce a raw fuel-level signal that corresponds to an empty state of said liquid-fuel tank; and

    configuring signal-conversion logic of said fuel-level-signal-translating system in a manner dependent upon the characteristics of said raw fuel-level signal that corresponds to an empty state of said fuel-reservoir;

    said one or more computer(s) configuring said signal-conversion logic of said fuel-level-signal-translating system in a manner such that, thereafter, a raw fuel-level signal with characteristics equal to said raw fuel-level signal that corresponds to said empty state of said fuel reservoir will be translated into a processed fuel-level signal that will cause said fuel-level indicator to indicate an empty stats of said fuel-reservoir;

    (m) said fuel-level sensor and said fuel-level-signal-translating system are constructed in such a manner that said raw fuel-level signals and/or intermediate signals have values that are linearly related to a height of fuel in said fuel reservoir;

    (n) said fuel-level-detection calibration logic is configured such that it causes said computer(s) to perform the step of;

    integrating into said fuel-level-signal-translating system signal-conversion look-up tables and/or equations that convert said raw fuel-level signals or intermediate signals that are linearly related to said height of said fuel in said fuel reservoir into processed fuel-level signals that are linearly related to a volume of fuel in said fuel reservoir.

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