Mobile distribution station having sensor communication lines routed with hoses

• US 10,815,118 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2018
• Issued: 10/27/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuel Automation Station, LLC (Simon Group Holdings I, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Fuel Automation Station, LLC (Simon Group Holdings I, LLC)
• Inventors: Shock, Ricky Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnett, Nicolas A
• Application Number:
  US16/148,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20190031496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 141 94- 95, 141231
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/0006 Manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/04 for transferring fuels, lubricants or mixed fuels and lubricants
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/40 Suspending, reeling or storing devices supports for storing lengths of hoses, in general B65H75/34
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/465 Electrical probes sensing the level of the liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/845 Trolleys or like movable supports

Abstract

A distribution station includes a mobile trailer, a pump, a manifold connected with the pump, reels, flow passages connected to the manifold and running through the reels, hoses, connected the flow passages via the reels, valves situated between the manifold and the reels and operable to control fluid flow through the flow passages, fluid level sensors connected or connectable with the hoses, and a controller configured to operate the valves responsive to fluid level thresholds to control fluid flow to the hoses.

Claims

1. A distribution station comprising:

a mobile trailer;

a pump on the mobile trailer;

a manifold on the mobile trailer and connected with the pump;

a plurality of reels on the mobile trailer;

a plurality of flow passages, each said flow passage being connected to the manifold and running through a respective one of the reels;

a plurality of hoses, each said hose being connected with a respective one of the flow passages via a respective one of the reels;

a plurality of valves on the mobile trailer, each said valve situated between the manifold and a respective different one of the reels and being operable to control fluid flow through a respective one of the flow passages;

a plurality of fluid level sensors, each said fluid level sensor being connected or connectable with a respective different one of the hoses; and

a controller configured to operate the valves responsive to fluid level thresholds to control fluid flow to the hoses.

2. The distribution station as recited in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine fluid levels based on signals from the fluid level sensors and determine whether one or more of the fluid levels are below one or more of the fluid level thresholds.

3. The distribution station as recited in claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to open the valves for which the fluid levels are below the fluid level thresholds.

4. The distribution station as recited in claim 2, further comprising a plurality of sensor communication lines, each said sensor communication line being connected or connectable with a respective different one of the fluid level sensors, and each said sensor communication line being routed with a respective different one of the hoses.

5. The distribution station as recited in claim 4, wherein each of the hoses includes a tube and a sleeve that circumscribes the tube, and each said sensor communication line is routed in the respective different one of the hoses between the tube and the sleeve.

6. The distribution station as recited in claim 5, wherein each said sensor communication line is routed through a respective different one of the reels.

7. The distribution station as recited in claim 6, further comprising a plurality of connectors, each of the connectors being mounted on a respective different one of the reels and each of the connectors receiving a respective different one of the sensor communication lines.

8. The distribution station as recited in claim 7, wherein each of the reels includes a respective spindle, and each of the sensor communication lines is routed through a respective different one of the spindles.

9. The distribution station as recited in claim 8, wherein controller is operable to open and close the plurality of valves responsive to a fuel level threshold.

10. A distribution station comprising:

a mobile trailer;

a pump on the mobile trailer;

a manifold on the mobile trailer and connected with the pump;

a plurality of reels on the mobile trailer;

a plurality of hoses, each said hose being connected with the manifold and each said hose including a tube and a sleeve that circumscribes the tube;

a plurality of valves on the mobile trailer, each said valve situated between the manifold and a respective different one of the hoses and being operable to control fluid flow from the manifold to the respective different one of the hoses;

a plurality of fluid level sensors, each said fluid level sensor being connected or connectable with a respective different one of the hoses; and

a controller configured to operate the valves responsive to fluid level thresholds to control fluid flow to the hoses.

11. The distribution station as recited in claim 10, wherein the sleeve is a fabric sleeve.

12. The distribution station as recited in claim 10, further comprising bands around the hoses, the bands securing the sleeve on the tube.

13. The distribution station as recited in claim 12, wherein the bands are steel.

14. The distribution station as recited in claim 10, further comprising a communication line between the sleeve and the tube.

15. A distribution station comprising:

a mobile trailer including a pump, a manifold connected with the pump, reels, flow passages connected to the manifold and running through the reels, hoses connected with the flow passages via the reels and each of the hoses including a tube and a sleeve that circumscribes the tube, valves situated between the manifold and the reels and operable to control fluid flow through the flow passages, fluid level sensors connected or connectable with the hoses, and a controller configured to operate the valves responsive fluid level thresholds to control fluid flow to the hoses.

16. The distribution station as recited in claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to determine fluid levels based on signals from the fluid level sensors, determine whether one or more of the fluid levels are below one or more of the fluid level thresholds, and open the valves for which the fluid levels are below the fluid level thresholds.

17. The distribution station as recited in claim 16, further comprising a plurality of sensor communication lines, each said sensor communication line being connected or connectable with a respective different one of the fluid level sensors.

18. The distribution station as recited in claim 17, wherein each said sensor communication line is routed in the respective different one of the hoses between the tube and the sleeve.