Computer-controlled auxiliary fuel tank system with multi-function monitoring system and user calibration capabilities

• US 7,206,720 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2005
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Todd Lapant
• Original Assignee: Todd Lapant
• Inventors: LaPant, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Barbee; Manuel L.
• Application Number:
  US11/066,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 702/55, 702/100, 702/113, 702/149, 731/19.A, 731/172, 701/30, 701/31, 701/34, 701/123, 701/124
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/06 characterised by fuel reserve systems
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/221 relating to the failure of actuators or electrically driven elements
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/0088 Multiple separate fuel tanks or tanks being at least partially partitioned
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/18 characterised by provision of main and auxiliary pumps
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/804 containing circuits handling parameters other than liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/20 of apparatus for measuring liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/008 where the other variable is the flight or running time
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/023 with electric, electro-mechanic or electronic means

Abstract

This invention is directed toward a computer-controlled auxiliary fuel tank system that works with both gas and diesel-fueled vehicles, and can operate independently, or in combination with an auxiliary fuel tank, auxiliary fuel pump, sending unit, check valves, inlet and outlet fuel lines, wiring harness, computer module, auxiliary emissions canister assembly, vehicle installation means, and LCD and LED display devices. The invention is not dependent upon any other computer systems and is fully transparent to any on-board systems. In addition to overseeing the transfer of fuel from the auxiliary tank to the OEM tank, the fuel monitoring system (FMS) monitors a variety of functions of the vehicle, and from that data can calculate and display a wide range of information for the user, and is fully user calibratable. The invention not only warns of low fuel situations, but also provides a wide range of diagnostic tools to analyze and display problems with the fuel system.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring the condition of a fuel system of a vehicle, comprising:

a computer harness by which a computer-based fuel monitoring system (FMS) is attached to a vehicle, and,

a computer control module which includes a Liquid Crystal or other Display (LCD) upon which can be displayed one or more performance characteristics of a vehicle, and,

the computer-based fuel monitoring system (FMS) which performs tests of the main OEM fuel system and failures of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) fuel system in vehicles having only a main OEM fuel system, and which performs tests on both the auxiliary and main OEM fuel supply systems and failures of both auxiliary and main OEM fuel supply systems in vehicles having both main OEM fuel systems and auxiliary fuel systems, in accordance with selected sequencing programs,

where, the FMS is fully calibratable by the user of the device, and,

where the FMS is capable of performing one or more calculations based on monitoring the rise and fall of one fuel injector, where, one of the one or more calculations based on monitoring the rise and fall of one fuel injector is that the FMS can calculate the revolutions per minute (RPM) of a vehicle'"'"'s enginebased on the rise and fall of one fuel injector and,

where the user can calibrate the FMS to his/her particular vehicle without any additional programming, and,

where, the FMS can function without depending upon or communicating with any on-board OEM computer, such that it is fully transparent to any on-board system.

2. The device of claim 1, where, the user of the device uses the device on a vehicle with a main fuel tank and at least one auxiliary fuel tank, and, the FMS monitors and measures the levels of fuel in both the OEM main tank and the auxiliary tank, and causes to be transferred fuel from the auxiliary fuel tank to the main fuel tank such that the amounts of fuel in the main and auxiliary fuels tanks are approximately equal.

3. The device of claim 2, where, for vehicles with a main fuel tank and at least one auxiliary fuel tank, the auxiliary fuel pump pumps fuel from the auxiliary fuel tank into the main tank through an port in the main fuel tank.

4. The device of claim 1, where, the user of the device can calibrate the FMS with information supplied with the device.

5. The device of claim 1, where, the user of the device can calibrate the FMS with a Fuel Tank Calibration Table supplied by the manufacturer of the device.

6. The device of claim 1, where, the FMS can be programmed by the user for a specific make, model and year of vehicle.

7. The device of claim 1, where, the FMS system can estimate fuel usage through its monitoring of the rise and fall of one fuel injector, and extrapolate from this information the amount of fuel a vehicle is using on a “

snapshot”

basis, as well as short-term and long-term time periods.

8. The device of claim 1, where, the FMS can monitor the injector “

ON”

time, by directly measuring one or more injectors or obtaining the information directly from the OEM system, where the FMS can use this information relating to the injector “

ON”

time to calculate the volume of fuel used per a specific time interval, and thereby calculate the instant GPH, the average GPH, and the instant and average MPG.

9. The device of claim 1, where, the FMS is able to calculate vehicle speed and distance traveled by counting the pulses from the OEM vehicle speed sensor, and is able to measure the level of fuel in the OEM fuel tank through values received from the OEM fuel sending unit.

10. The device of claim 1, where, the FMS is designed so that a user of the device can create a custom fuel gauge calibration based upon data measured from the OEM fuel tank sending unit to the OEM fuel gauge.

11. The device of claim 1, where, the FMS allows the user of the device to calibrate or adjust each measuring device of the FMS, including but not limited to the odometer, injector calibration, fuel tank table, and fuel gauge table.

12. The device of claim 1, where, the FMS can work with both gas and diesel engines.

13. The device of claim 1, where, the FMS works with fuel-injected vehicles with digital speed sensors.

14. The device of claim 1, where, the FMS can function without reliance upon any type of a flow meter in any fuel line.

15. The device of claim 1, where, the FMS can work on diesel engines by measuring the fuel rail pressure, thereby compensating for fuel used due to pressure variations in the fuel.

16. The device of claim 1, where, the FMS can be calibrated to be more accurate than OEM built-in trip computer.

17. The device of claim 1, where, the user has the ability to enter in a price per gallon paid for fuel, and the FMS can calculate the cost under a variety of parameters, including price per mile, price per trip, and price per unit time the vehicle is driven.

18. The device of claim 1, where, the FMS can display for the user a number of features, including at least one of the following:

Fuel System (gallons, fuel, fuel %, status), Current (speed, RPM, GPH, MPH), Key On (time, distance, MPG, GPH, MPH, time to empty, distance to empty), Trip (time, distance, MPG, GPH, MPH, time to empty, distance to empty, fuel cost), Total (time, distance, MPG, GPH, MPH, time to empty, distance to empty, fuel cost, average $/gal).

19. The device of claim 1, where, the FMS can also interface with a duel tank system to monitor fuel levels in each tank.

20. The device of claim 1, where the user of the device can program the FMS such that the FMS will notify the user when it determines that one or more parts of a vehicle need to be replaced based on the number of gallons used or the distance traveled, where the one or more parts may include oil filters, air filters, and fuel filters.

21. A device for monitoring the condition of a fuel system of a vehicle, comprising:

a main fuel tank with a neck of other means of filling said main fuel tank, an auxiliary fuel tank with a neck of other means of filling said auxiliary fuel tank, an auxiliary fuel tank pump which pumps fuel from the auxiliary fuel tank into the main fuel tank of a vehicle,

a sending unit,

one or more check valves, and,

one or more fuel lines to connect the auxiliary fuel tank and auxiliary fuel pump to a main fuel tank,

a computer harness by which a computer-based fuel monitoring system (FMS) is attached to a vehicle, and,

a computer control module which includes a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) upon which can be displayed one or more characteristics of a fuel supply of a vehicle, and,

the computer-based fuel monitoring system (FMS) which performs tests of both auxiliary and main OEM fuel supply systems and failures of both auxiliary and main OEM fuel supply systems in accordance with selected sequencing programs,

where, the FMS is fully calibratable by the user, and,

where the FMS is capable of performing one or more calculations based on monitoring the rise and fall of one fuel injector, where, one of the one or more calculations based on monitoring the rise and fall of one fuel injector is that the FMS can calculate the revolutions per minute (RPM) of a vehicle'"'"'s engine based on the rise and fall of one fuel injector, and,

where the user can calibrate the FMS to his/her particular vehicle without any additional programming, and,

where, the FMS can function without depending upon or communicating with any on-board OEM computer, such that it is fully transparent to any on-board system, and

where, for vehicles with a main fuel tank and at least one auxiliary fuel tank, the FMS monitors and measures the levels of fuel in both the OEM main tank and the auxiliary tank, causes to be transferred fuel from the auxiliary fuel tank to the main fuel tank such that the amounts of fuel in the main and auxiliary fuels tanks are approximately equal.

22. A method of monitoring a fuel system for a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

a first step of obtaining and installing in a vehicle a monitoring device, which comprises a computer harness by which a computer-based fuel monitoring system (FMS) is attached to a vehicle, and,

a computer control module which includes a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) upon which can be displayed one or more performance characteristics of a vehicle, and,

the computer-based fuel monitoring system (FMS) which performs tests of the main OEM fuel system and failures of the OEM fuel system in vehicles having only a main OEM fuel system, and both auxiliary and main OEM fuel supply systems and failures of both auxiliary and main OEM fuel supply systems in vehicles having both main OEM fuel systems and auxiliary fuel systems, in accordance with selected sequencing programs,

where, the FMS is fully calibratable by the user of the, and,

where the FMS is capable of performing one or more calculations based on monitoring the rise and fall of one fuel injector, where, one of the one or more calculations based on monitoring the rise and fall of one fuel injector is that the FMS can calculate the revolutions per minute (RPM) of a vehicle'"'"'s engine based on the rise and fall of one fuel injector, and,

where the user can calibrate the FMS to his/her particular vehicle without any additional programming, and,

where, the FMS can function without depending upon or communicating with any on-board OEM computer, such that it is fully transparent to any on-board system,

a second step of using the device.

23. The method of claim 22, where the monitoring device additionally comprises use of the following components to monitor the fuel system of a vehicle:

a main fuel tank with a neck of other means of filling said main fuel tank,

an auxiliary fuel tank with a neck of other means of filling said auxiliary fuel tank,

an auxiliary fuel tank pump which pumps fuel from the auxiliary fuel tank into the main fuel tank of a vehicle.