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Self calibrating home site fuel usage monitoring device and system

  • US 8,909,494 B2
  • Filed: 06/20/2011
  • Issued: 12/09/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2010
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A low cost self-calibrating home site monitor device for use in a system employing a number of monitor devices, each monitor device being coupled to a heating system operated by fuel for accurately computing fuel usage of said heating system, each self-calibrating home site monitor device comprising:

  • (a) a current sensor circuit component coupled to a motor of said heating system operated by fuel for detecting motor current to be used in computing burn times;

    (b) a real time clock component used for measuring run time durations of fuel heating system burn times;

    (c) a microprocessor operatively coupled to the current sensor circuit and to the real time clock unit;

    (d) a memory operatively coupled to the microprocessor for storing burn pre-purge and burn post-purge parameters, and fuel usage rate parameters including an initial burn coefficient and recalibrated burn coefficients;

    (e) said microprocessor being operative to compute said initial burn coefficient using parameters of said home site heating system including nozzle size, pump pressure and nozzle pressure to compute burn times periodically using real time intervals when the heating system is operating, and said burn pre-purge and burn post-purge parameters, and to determine fuel usage using total burn times occurring between two successive fuel deliveries and said recalibrated burn coefficient for the rate of fuel usage value;

    (f) in response to each receipt of delivery time data, said microprocessor being operative to recalibrate the burn coefficient using said delivery time data, which includes an actual amount of fuel required to fill up a fuel tank of said heating system, so as to provide a high degree of accuracy over time in determining actual fuel usage by the heating system to enable efficient scheduling of fuel deliveries; and

    (g) communication interface circuits coupled to the microprocessor for enabling said home site monitor device to establish two way communication for downloading files containing initialization data, said delivery time data, and any change in heating system parameters and for uploading files containing records including recalibrated burn coefficients for the rate of fuel usage values, and most recent fuel usage computed by said microprocessor since a last fuel delivery.

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