Method of communicating conditions within a storage tank level

• US 6,700,503 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2001
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Energy & Automation Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Masar, Lubomir, Boylan, Gerald T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang, Hung Q
• Application Number:
  US10/017,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20030028336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.01, 340/618, 340/870.02, 733/13, 733/02, 702/188
• US Class Current: 340/870.01
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/48 Arrangements of indicating or measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/063 using electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/804 containing circuits handling parameters other than liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system for monitoring the conditions within a storage tank includes a sensor communicating data indicative of conditions within the storage tank to a base controller. The data is decoded and arranged into a graphical display of the conditions of the storage tank. The graphical display includes a representation of storage tank conditions including the configuration of the storage tank, current fluid levels and temperature within the storage tank. The graphical display also includes a historical database of conditions within the storage tank that may be displayed graphically to track usage. The base controller is connected to a communications network such that data indicative of conditions with the storage tank can be communicated to remote users through a wireless communication network by way of alphanumeric messages.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring conditions within a storage tank, the method including the steps of:

a. sensing conditions within the storage tank with a sensor;

b. positioning the sensor within the storage tank and a cellular modem in proximity and in communication with the sensor, the storage tank being located within a tank storage area;

c. sending data indicative of conditions within the storage tank from the sensor to the cellular modem;

d. sending the data indicative of conditions within the storage tank from the cellular modem to a base controller, wherein the base controller is located remotely and outside of the tank storage area;

e. predefining a tank configuration with the base controller;

f. using the data to recall the tank configuration;

g. preparing a graphical representation of conditions within the storage tank for viewing and using the data and tank configuration to generate the graphical configuration; and

h. displaying the graphical representation to provide information on conditions within the storage tank.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the step of transmitting the data from the base controller over a communications network to a remote user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) is further defined by sending data indicative of conditions within the storage tank in response to a prompt signal sent from the base controller.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further includes the step of predefining a polling schedule and automatically sending a prompt signal from the base controller based on the predefined polling schedule.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the polling schedule includes definitions for automatically transmitting data over the communications network to a remote user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the communication network transmits the data over a wireless connection to a display device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation includes a representation of the storage tank configuration and fluid level.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation further includes a representation of the total volume capacity of fluid able to be stored within the storage tank, the current volume of fluid, and the current available volume within the storage tank.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a graph is provided along with the graphical representation to communicate previous levels of fluid within the storage tank.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a table of data is provide along with the graphical representation to communicate numerical data gathered from the sensor.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation includes the time that data represented by the graphical representation was obtained from the sensor and the temperature of the fluid within the storage tank.

12. A system for monitoring conditions within a storage tank comprising;

a sensor for sensing conditions within the storage tank;

a cellular modem in proximate communication with the sensor for transmitting data indicative of the conditions within the storage tank;

a communication network through which data from the sensor is communicated to a base controller;

the base controller including a decoding means to translate the data, a storage means to store the data, and a transmitter to forward data;

a graphical representation of data transmitted from the sensor to communicate the conditions within a storage tank tailored to the specific storage tank configuration, wherein the specific tank storage configuration is definable by a unique identifier, and the graphical representation is displayable upon a recall of the unique identifier upon receipt of data indicative of the conditions within the storage tank, and

a remote display device to receive data sent from the base controller through the communication network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the communications network includes a wireless network and the remote display device is a cellular phone such that said the data transmitted over the communications network is displayed as an alphanumeric message on the cellular phone.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the data is transmitted by the base controller to the display device according to a predetermined polling schedule.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the graphical representation includes a graphical representation of the storage tank configuration.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the graphical representation includes a representation of the fluid level within the storage tank.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the graphical representation includes calculated volumes of fluid stored within the storage tank.

18. A method of monitoring conditions within a storage tank, the method including the steps of:

a. positioning a sensor within the storage tank, the storage tank being located within a storage tank area;

b. sensing conditions within the storage tank with the sensor;

c. sending data indicative of conditions within the storage tank from the sensor to a cellular modem;

d. sending the data indicative of conditions within the storage tank from the cellular modem to a base controller, wherein the base controller is located remotely and outside of the tank area;

e. receiving, decoding and storing the data at the base controller;

f. detecting a unique identifier within the data;

g. using the unique identifier to recall a predefined storage tank configuration;

h. displaying a graphical representation of the conditions within the storage tank by using the unique identifier to recall the predefined storage tank configuration;

i. transmitting the data from the base controller over a communications network to a remote user, and

j. viewing the data on a wireless display device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein step is further defined by the communications transmitting the data over a wireless connection to a display device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein step is further defined by sending data indicative of conditions within the storage tank in response to a prompt signal sent from the base controller.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the method further includes the step of defining a polling schedule and automatically sending a prompt signal from the base controller based on the defined polling schedule.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the polling schedule includes definitions for automatically transmitting data over the communications network to a remote user.

23. A system for monitoring conditions within a storage tank comprising;

a sensor for sensing conditions within the storage tank within a tank area;

a cellular modem in proximate communication with the sensor for transmitting data indicative of the conditions within the storage tank;

a communication network through which the data from the sensor is communicated;

a base controller;

comprising a decoding means for interpreting the data and detecting a unique identifier within the data, a storage means for storing the data, and a transmitter for forwarding the data through a wireless network, wherein the base controller is operative for using the unique identifier to recall a predefined storage tank configuration and for displaying a graphical representation of the conditions within the storage tank by using the unique identifier to recall the predefined storage tank configuration from the storage means; and

a remote display device for receiving the data forwarded from the base controller through the wireless network.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the communications network and the remote display device is a cellular phone such that the data transmitted over the communications network is displayed as an alphanumeric message on the cellular phone.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the data is transmitted by the base controller to the display device according to a predetermined polling schedule.