Monitoring apparatus for tanks and the like

• US 7,760,085 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2007
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Montalbano Technology SPA
• Original Assignee: Montalbano Technology SPA
• Inventors: Noli, Luca, Oriana, Giuseppe, Lertora, Francesco, Grosso, Daniele
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams; Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kolb; Nathaniel
• Application Number:
  US11/938,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20080110255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 732/91, 340/539.31
• US Class Current: 340/539.31
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/04 Tank inlets B60K15/077 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/0406 Filler caps for fuel tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03197 Systems for exchanging data
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03361 for checking the quality or quantity of fuel during filling of fuel tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03434 for preventing theft of fuel locks for filler caps B60K15/0409; locking of the inlet cover B60K2015/0561
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0493 Means for checking absence or presence of closure cap
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/804 containing circuits handling parameters other than liquid level

Abstract

A monitoring apparatus for tanks and the like, comprising detecting means (4; 506) to detect the filling level of a tank, detecting means (5, 106; 206) to detect the opened and closed states of opening/closing means (6) of said tank, and gathering and processing means (106) to gather and process the detected data, characterized in that said processing means (106) are integrated with an RFID unit (116) which can communicate said data with at least one appropriate remote transceiver unit (7).

Claims

1. A monitoring apparatus for a tank or the like, comprising

detecting means (5, 106;

206;

17, 101) to detect the opened and closed states of opening/closing means (10;

6) of said tank, and

gathering and processing means (1;

106) to gather and process the detected data,

wherein

said gathering and processing means (106;

1) are integrated with an RFID unit (116;

221) which communicates said data with at least one suitable remote transceiver unit (7);

said detecting means for the state of said opening/closing means (6) of said tank comprise sensing means (206;

17, 101) which are positioned on said opening/closing means (6;

10), the said processing means (106) being arranged in said opening/closing means (6;

10) of said tank, and provided with powering means (401;

306);

said opening/closing means comprise a filler cap (6;

10) comprising two portions (11, 12) which are coupled to each other and can be in relative motion with each other, said relative motion being associated with the opened or closed state of said filler cap;

said gathering and processing means (1;

106) is positioned within one of said portions (11, 12) of said filler cap (10);

said portions (11, 12) are coupled to switching means (101, 17) which can switch on or switch off a circuit component of the powering circuit (401) of said processing means (1), said circuit component being adapted to modify the electrical features of the power supply for said processing means (1); and

said switching means comprise two contacts (101) which are arranged on one of said portions (11), said contacts cooperating with a metal plate (17) which is arranged on the other portion (12).

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the said portions is provided with a permanent magnet, and said sensing means comprises a Hall effect sensor (206).

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said portions (11, 12) of said filler cap (10) are provided with blocking means (13, 16, 14, 15) to block said relative motion, said blocking means (13, 16, 14, 15) being arranged to securely and detachably block said portions (11, 12) in positions which correspond to the opened and closed states of said filler cap (10), respectively.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said detecting means for the state of said opening/closing means comprise an RFID unit (5) which is arranged near said tank and which communicates with said RFID unit (116), said RFID unit (116) being integrated into said processing means (106), the said processing means (106) being arranged in said opening/closing means (6) of said tank, and provided with powering means (306).

5. A monitoring apparatus for a tank or the like, comprising

detecting means (5, 106;

206;

17, 101) to detect the opened and closed states of opening/closing means (10;

6) of said tank,

detecting means (4;

506) for the filling level of the tank; and

gathering and processing means (1;

106) to gather and process the detected data,

wherein

said gathering and processing means (106;

1) are integrated with an RFID unit (116;

221) which communicates said data with at least one suitable remote transceiver unit (7);

and

said tank is a fuel tank of a motor vehicle, said motor vehicle being provided with an electronic control unit (20) in communication with suitable peripheral devices (3, 4) through a suitable CAN/LIN network (2), an RFID card (5) being provided with an interface (105) to said network, said interface being able to communicate with said RFID unit (116) integrated into said processing means (106).

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said detecting means for the filling level of the tank comprise means (4) which is positioned inside the tank itself and communicates with said RFID unit (116) integrated into said processing means (106) through an RFID unit (5) which is connected to said means (4).

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said detecting means for the filling level of the tank comprises sensing means (506) arranged in said opening/closing means of the tank, said sensing means being connected to said processing means (106).

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said sensing means (506) to sense the filling level and said sensing means (206) to sense the state of said opening/closing means are connected to said processing means (106) through a multiplexer (606).