Bio-fuels vehicle fueling system

• US 8,485,233 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chevron USA Incorporated (Chevron Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Chevron USA Incorporated (Chevron Corp.)
• Inventors: Allinson, Paul Anthony, Munson, Curtis Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): NIESZ, JASON KAROL
• Application Number:
  US11/937,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20110000579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,077 Days
• Field of Search: 700/241, 141/100, 141/104, 141/105, 141/107, 141/234, 141/285, 141/301, 141/302
• US Class Current: 141/104
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/0498 Arrangements specially adapted for transferring biofuels, e.g. ethanol-gasoline mixture
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/348 by interrogating an information transmitter, e.g. a transponder B67D7/145 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/74 Devices for mixing two or more different liquids to be transferred coin-freed apparatus G07F13/06
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/743 electrically or electro-mechanically operated

Abstract

A system for custom fueling a motor vehicle including: a fuel dispenser configured and adapted to blend fuels from two or more tanks while dispensing; a processor in communication with the fuel dispenser and configured and adapted to receive a set of fuel blend information for a motor vehicle, wherein the set of fuel blend information includes in-warranty bio-diesel blend ranges and customer fuel blend preferences; a fuel blend selection module operably connected to the processor for receiving the set of fuel blend information, processing the set of fuel blend information, and returning fuel blend instructions which are then provided to the fuel dispenser for dispensing fuel per the fuel blend instructions.

Claims

1. A system for custom fueling a motor vehicle to comply with the motor vehicle warranty comprising:

a. a fuel dispenser, the fuel dispenser blending petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuels from two or more tanks while dispensing;

b. a processor in communication with the fuel dispenser, the processor receiving a set of petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuel blend information and customer preferences for a motor vehicle;

c. a fuel blend selection module operably connected to the processor, the fuel blend selection module receiving the set of petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuel blend information and customer preferences, the fuel blend selection module identifying in-warranty bio-diesel blend ranges and customer fuel blend preferences in accordance with the set of petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuel blend information, the fuel blend selection module processing the set of fuel blend information and customer preferences, and the fuel blend selection module returning petroleum derived diesel and bio-diesel fuel blend instructions which are then provided to the fuel dispenser for dispensing petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuel per the fuel blend instructions.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electronic calendar in communication with the processor, the electronic calendar providing the current date to the set of fuel blend information for use by the fuel blend selection module.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of fuel blend information further comprises whether the vehicle engine is a full-time or part-time HCCl engine for use by the fuel blend selection module.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an ambient temperature-reading device in communication with the processor, the ambient temperature-reading device providing ambient temperature to the set of fuel blend information.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a wireless transceiver in communication with the processor, the wireless transceiver receiving the set of fuel blend information from the motor vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a USB port in communication with the processor, the USB port receiving the set of fuel blend information for the motor vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data structure encoded in a non-transient medium operably connected to the processor, the data structure receiving customer identifying information provided by the customer and the data structure returning customer preferences to be added to the set of fuel blend information.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the fuel blend selection module comprises at least one lookup table having fuel blend instructions associated with each unique set of fuel blend information, wherein upon receipt of the fuel blend information, the processor accesses the at least one lookup table for the associated fuel blend instructions which are then provided to the fuel dispenser for dispensing fuel per the fuel blend instructions.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor in communication with the fuel blend selection module, the at least one sensor measuring the quality and composition of the available fuels for use by the fuel blend selection module.

10. The system of claim 9, where the at least one sensor comprises near infra-red sensors for estimating octane numbers for gasoline, for estimating cetane number for diesel, and for determining the nature of biodiesel by quantifying the oxygen content.

11. The system of claim 9, where the at least one sensor comprises inline vibratory cells for measuring density.

12. The system of claim 9, where the at least one sensor comprises micro-electro-mechanical systems-based micro-sensors, the micro-electro-mechanical systems-based micro-sensors measuring density and specific molecule concentration.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the fuel dispenser blends fuels and additives for cleaning or preventing engine deposits or cleaning fuel injectors from two or more tanks while dispensing.

14. A method for custom fueling a motor vehicle to comply with the motor vehicle warranty comprising:

a. inputting a set of petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuel blend information for a motor vehicle sufficient to determine in-warranty bio-diesel blend ranges to a processor;

wherein the processor is in communication with a fuel dispenser configured and adapted to blend petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuels from two or more tanks while dispensing, wherein the set of petroleum-derived diesel and biodiesel fuel blend information is sufficient to determine in-warranty biodiesel blend ranges, and wherein the processor is communication with a fuel blend selection module operably connected to the processor and configured and adapted for receiving the set of petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuel blend information, processing the set of petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuel blend information, and returning in-warranty petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuel blend instructions which are then provided to the fuel dispenser for dispensing petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuel per the fuel blend instructions;

b. passing the set of petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuel blend information to the fuel blend selection module, whereby fuel blend instructions are returned; and

c. passing the petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuel blend instructions to the fuel dispenser for dispensing of petroleum-derived diesel and bio-diesel fuel according to the fuel blend instructions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the set of fuel blend information input via wireless transmitter/transceiver is sufficient to determine customer fuel blend preferences.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising adding the current date to the fuel blend instructions for use by the fuel blend selection module.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising adding whether the vehicle engine is a full-time or part-time HCCl engine to the set of fuel blend information for use by the fuel blend selection module.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising adding the ambient temperature to the set of fuel blend information for use by the fuel blend selection module.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the inputting step is via a wireless transceiver in communication with the processor.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the inputting step is via a USB port in communication with the processor.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising inputting customer identifying information provided by the customer to a data structure encoded in a non-transient medium, and operably connected to the processor and configured and adapted for receiving customer identifying information provided by the customer and returning customer preferences to be added to the set of fuel blend information.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising passing the set of fuel blend information to at least one lookup table operably connected to the fuel blend selection module and having fuel blend instructions associated with each unique set of fuel blend information.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising passing to the fuel blend selection module data from at least one sensor configured and adapted for measuring the quality and composition of the available fuels.

24. The method of claim 22, where the at least one sensor comprises near infra-red sensors for estimating octane numbers for gasoline, for estimating cetane number for diesel, and for determining the nature of biodiesel by quantifying the oxygen content.

25. The method of claim 22, where the at least one sensor comprises inline vibratory cells for measuring density.

26. The method of claim 22, where the at least one sensor comprises micro-electro-mechanical systems-based micro-sensors for measuring density and specific molecule concentration.

27. The method of claim 14, wherein the fuel dispenser is configured and adapted to blend fuels and non-fuel additives from two or more tanks while dispensing and the fuel blend instructions includes at least one additive.