Method and apparatus for measuring the volume of fuel in a tank
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for dynamically measuring a volume of fuel in a fuel tank, comprising:
- a fuel level sensor mounted on said fuel tank;
a fuel meter configured to produce an electrical indication when a predetermined volume of fuel passes through said fuel meter;
a rewritable memory for storing a look-up table, wherein said look-up table stores correspondences between volumes of fuel in said fuel tank and levels of fuel in said fuel tank; and
a controller configured to receive outputs from said fuel level sensor and said fuel meter and convert the output from said fuel level sensor into a fuel volume by utilizing said look-up table,wherein when said controller detects said electrical indication from said fuel meter, said controller calculates a current level of fuel from said output from said fuel level sensor and calculates a current volume of fuel by decrementing/incrementing a previous volume of fuel by said predetermined volume of fuel, and said controller rewrites said look-up table with said calculated current volume of fuel corresponding to said current level of fuel, andwherein the controller further calculates heating degree days and oil consumption, and issues an alarm when a result of a comparison of said heating degree days and said oil consumption is outside a predetermined range.
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Abstract
An apparatus for dynamically measuring a volume of fuel in a fuel tank of unknown geometry includes a fuel level sensor mounted on the fuel tank, a fuel meter for measuring a volume of fuel being consumed, and a rewritable look-up table storing correspondence between volumes of fuel and levels of fuel in the fuel tank. The loop-up table is rewritten as the oil in the tank is consumed. A system website is used for remotely monitoring the fuel tank of a building.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. An apparatus for dynamically measuring a volume of fuel in a fuel tank, comprising:
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a fuel level sensor mounted on said fuel tank; a fuel meter configured to produce an electrical indication when a predetermined volume of fuel passes through said fuel meter; a rewritable memory for storing a look-up table, wherein said look-up table stores correspondences between volumes of fuel in said fuel tank and levels of fuel in said fuel tank; and a controller configured to receive outputs from said fuel level sensor and said fuel meter and convert the output from said fuel level sensor into a fuel volume by utilizing said look-up table, wherein when said controller detects said electrical indication from said fuel meter, said controller calculates a current level of fuel from said output from said fuel level sensor and calculates a current volume of fuel by decrementing/incrementing a previous volume of fuel by said predetermined volume of fuel, and said controller rewrites said look-up table with said calculated current volume of fuel corresponding to said current level of fuel, and wherein the controller further calculates heating degree days and oil consumption, and issues an alarm when a result of a comparison of said heating degree days and said oil consumption is outside a predetermined range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system for remotely monitoring a fuel tank of a building, the system comprising:
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a fuel gauge mounted on the fuel tank of the building and provided with a wireless transmitter for transmitting fuel level measurements; and a computer for receiving said fuel level measurements transmitted by said fuel gauge, wherein said computer calculates whether a measured fuel level is below a predetermined level and issues an alarm in response to said calculation, wherein the computer further calculates heating degree days and oil consumption, and issues an alarm when a result of a comparison of said heating degree days and said oil consumption is outside a predetermined range. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. A system for remotely monitoring a fuel tank of a building, the system comprising:
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a fuel gauge mounted on the fuel tank of the building and provided with a wireless transmitter for transmitting fuel level measurements; and a computer for receiving said fuel level measurements transmitted by said fuel gauge wherein said computer calculates whether a measured fuel level is below a predetermined level and issues an alarm in response to said calculation, wherein a user interacts via an Internet with said computer using a system website, wherein the computer further calculates and displays to a user a fuel usage report for a requested period of time in response to a user'"'"'s request, and wherein the computer further calculates heating degree days and an oil consumption, and issues an alarm when a result of a comparison of said heating degree days and said oil consumption is outside a predetermined range.
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11. A system for remotely monitoring a fuel tank of a building, the system comprising:
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a fuel level sensor mounted on said fuel tank; a fuel meter configured to produce an electrical indication when a predetermined volume of fuel passes through said fuel meter; a rewritable memory for storing a look-up table, wherein said look-up table stores correspondences between volumes of fuel in said fuel tank and levels of fuel in said fuel tank; and a controller configured to receive outputs from said fuel level sensor and said fuel meter and convert the output from said fuel level sensor into a fuel volume by utilizing said look-up table, wherein when said controller detects said electrical indication from said fuel meter, said controller calculates a current level of fuel from said output from said fuel level sensor and calculates a current volume of fuel by decrementing/incrementing a previous volume of fuel by said predetermined volume of fuel, and said controller rewrites said look-up table with said calculated current volume of fuel corresponding to said current level of fuel, and said fuel gauge mounted on the fuel tank of the building is provided with a wireless transmitter for transmitting fuel level measurements, and further comprising a computer for receiving said fuel level measurements transmitted by said fuel gauge, wherein said computer calculates whether a measured fuel level is below a predetermined level and issues an alarm in response to said calculation, wherein a user interacts via an Internet with said computer using a system website, wherein the computer further calculates and displays to a user a fuel usage report for a requested period of time in response to a user'"'"'s request, and wherein the computer further calculates heating degree days and an oil consumption, and issues an alarm when a result of a comparison of said heating degree days and said oil consumption is outside a predetermined range.
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Specification