SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FUEL LEVEL ESTIMATION

• US 20180017430A1
• Filed: 07/12/2016
• Published: 01/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Aghili, Mohammad R., Dudar, Aed M., Yang, Dennis Seung-Man
• Granted Patent: US 10,107,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/03519 Valve arrangements in the vent line
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03019 Filling of gas tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0319 with electronic systems, e.g. for controlling fuelling or venting for LPG tanks B60K2015/03013
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03197 Systems for exchanging data
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03203 during refueling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03217 Fuel level sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03514 with vapor recovery means
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/20 of apparatus for measuring liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/22 Checking proper indicating of discrete level by floats
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/00 Measuring volume flow relative to another variable, e.g. of liquid fuel for an engine

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for estimating fuel levels in a fuel tank. In one example, a method may comprise adjusting estimates of a fuel level in a fuel tank based on an amount of fuel added to the fuel tank during a refueling event. The amount of fuel added to the fuel tank may be provided by a vehicle operator via one or more of a dashboard user interface, a wireless device user interface, and a digital camera included within a user device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a refueling report from the vehicle operator;

adjusting an estimated fuel level in a fuel tank based on the refueling report; and

adjusting a fuel gauge based on the adjusted fuel level estimate, the fuel gauge providing a visual indication to the vehicle operator of an amount of fuel included in the fuel tank.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the refueling report comprises receiving the refueling report via input from the vehicle operator on a user interface of a vehicle dashboard, and where the refueling report comprises a numerical value indicating an amount of fuel dispensed into the fuel tank during a refueling event, and where the refueling report is presented on a display screen of a refueling station.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the adjusting the estimated fuel level in a fuel tank based on the refueling report comprises adding the amount of fuel dispensed into the fuel tank during a refueling event to a most recent estimate of the fuel level prior to the refueling event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fuel gauge comprises a dial and mechanically driven needle, and where the adjusting the fuel gauge comprises adjusting an amount of electrical power supplied to an actuator of a fuel gauge needle to adjust the position of the needle to reflect the adjusted fuel level estimate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fuel gauge comprises a digital display, and wherein adjusting the fuel gauge comprises adjusting the digital display to reflect the adjusted fuel level estimate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the refueling report comprises receiving the refueling report from a user device, the user device comprising a wireless device, and where the refueling report is presented on a display screen of a refueling station.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the receiving the refueling report from the user device comprises wirelessly receiving the refueling report from the user device via a wireless connection.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the receiving the refueling report from the user device comprises receiving the refueling report from the user device via a wired connection.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the refueling report is received from the user device via input from the vehicle operator on a user interface of the user device, and where the refueling report comprises a numerical value indicating an amount of fuel dispensed into the fuel tank during a refueling event.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the refueling report comprises a digital image of a fuel reading display of a refueling station, the fuel reading display including an indication of an amount of fuel dispensed into the fuel tank during a refueling event, where the digital image is captured via a camera included on the user device.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising, converting the digital image of the fuel reading display into machine-encoded text corresponding to a numerical value of an amount of fuel dispensed into the fuel tank during a refueling event via one or more optical character recognition (OCR) algorithms.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising, displaying a request for the refueling report to the vehicle operator, and wherein the displaying the request for the refueling report comprises displaying the request for the refueling report on one or more of a first display screen of a vehicle dashboard and a second display screen of a user device, the user device comprising a wireless device.

13. A method for a vehicle, comprising:

adjusting a fuel level reading displayed to a vehicle operator based on;

in a first mode, outputs from a fuel level indicator (FLI) sensor; and

in a second mode, an amount of fuel added to a fuel tank during a most recent refueling event, and an amount of fuel consumed since the most recent refueling event.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising, operating in the first mode when the FLI sensor is not degraded, and switching to adjusting the fuel level reading displayed to the vehicle operator based on, in the second mode, the amount of fuel added to the fuel tank during the most recent refueling event, and the amount of fuel consumed since the most recent refueling event, when degradation of the FLI sensor is detected.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein degradation of the FLI sensor is detected based on one or more diagnostic routines, the diagnostic routines comprising comparing actual outputs of the FLI sensor to predicted outputs of the FLI sensor that would be expected based on fuel consumption rates over a duration of vehicle operation.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising, in response to detecting that the FLI sensor is degraded, displaying a request to a vehicle operator to fill up the fuel tank at a subsequent refueling event when one or more of the amount of fuel added to the fuel tank during the most recent refueling event and the amount of fuel consumed since the most recent refueling event are not known.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the amount of fuel consumed since the most recent refueling event is calculated based on a commanded fuel injection history, the commanded fuel injection history including a record of an amount of fuel commanded to be injected by one or more fuel injectors since the most recent refueling event.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the amount of fuel added to a fuel tank during a most recent refueling event is provided via input from a vehicle operator via one or more of a dashboard user interface located within the vehicle and a user device interface included within a wireless device.

19. A system, comprising:

a fuel level indicator (FLI) sensor for indicating an amount of fuel included within a fuel tank;

a fuel gauge that provides a visual indication of the amount of fuel included within the fuel tank to a vehicle operator; and

a controller with computer-readable instructions stored in non-transitory memory for;

adjusting the fuel gauge based on outputs from the FLI sensor when the FLI sensor is not degraded; and

in response to determining that the FLI sensor is degraded, adjusting the fuel gauge based on a refueling report and an amount of fuel injected by one or more fuel injectors since a most recent refueling of the fuel tank.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the refueling report is wirelessly received from a user device in wireless communication with the controller, the refueling report comprising an indication of an amount of fuel added to the fuel tank during the most recent refueling of the fuel tank.