Intelligent fuel oil monitoring system and method

• US 7,742,871 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ming Chi University of Techology
• Original Assignee: Ming Chi University of Techology
• Inventors: Chen, Yuan-Lin
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US11/980,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20080255755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 701/103, 701/104, 701/123, 340/616, 340/618, 340/623, 340/426.15, 340/438, 340/439, 73/10.2, 73/191, 137/68.14
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/363 using electromechanically actuated indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/008 where the other variable is the flight or running time
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/02 wherein the other variable is the speed of a vehicle

Abstract

An intelligent fuel oil monitoring system includes a fuel level detector coupled to a fuel tank of a motor vehicle to detect the amount of the fuel oil in the fuel tank, a microcontroller coupled to the fuel level detector to receive traveling data of the motor vehicle and to establish an average speed-fuel consumption relationship curve and fuel consumption and travel distance relationship curves at different speeds and to calculate the distance the motor vehicle can travel based on the amount of the fuel oil detected by the fuel level detector subject to the fuel consumption and travel distance relationship curve, and a display unit coupled to the microcontroller and controlled by the microcontroller to display data.

Claims

1. An intelligent fuel oil monitoring system comprising:

a fuel level detector coupled to a fuel tank of a motor vehicle and adapted to detect the amount data of a fuel oil in said fuel tank;

a microcontroller coupled to said fuel level detector and adapted to receive traveling data of said motor vehicle and to establish an average speed-fuel consumption relationship curve and fuel consumption and travel distance relationship curves at different speeds and to calculate the distance the motor vehicle to travel based on the amount data of the fuel oil detected by said fuel level detector subject to said fuel consumption and travel distance relationship curve;

a display unit coupled to said microcontroller and controlled by said microcontroller to display data;

said average speed-fuel consumption relationship curve comprises a linear zone and a nonlinear zone;

the average speed within said linear zone is directly proportional to the fuel consumption;

the average speed within said linear zone is the average of the speed of said motor vehicle at the 10˜

15 minutes before calculating the average speed; and

the fuel consumption is greatly increased because of increasing of wind resistance when increasing the speed which falling in said nonlinear zone.

2. An intelligent fuel oil monitoring method comprising the steps of:

(1) using a fuel level detector to detect the fuel level of a fuel tank;

(2) providing the traveling data of a motor vehicle;

(3) using a computing device to receive the traveling data of said motor vehicle and to establish an average speed-fuel consumption relationship curve and fuel consumption-travel distance relationship curves subject to the received data, wherein said average speed-fuel consumption relationship curve comprises a linear zone and a nonlinear zone;

the average speed within said linear zone is directly proportional to the fuel consumption;

the average speed within said linear zone is the average of the speed of said motor vehicle at the 10˜

15 minutes before calculating the average speed;

the fuel consumption is greatly increased because of increasing of wind resistance when increasing the speed which falling in said nonlinear zone; and

(4) informing the driver of said motor vehicle the value of the rest amount of fuel oil and the mileage the motor vehicle capable to travel.