Reefer fuel tax reporting for the transport industry

• US 9,305,405 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Golden, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Ouellette, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US11/768,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,206 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/1.1, 731/144.2, 7311452-11454
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/667 Arrangements of transducers for ultrasonic flowmeters; Circuits for operating ultrasonic flowmeters
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/001 with electric, electro-mechanic or electronic means G01F9/008 and G01F9/02 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/02 using infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic waves

Abstract

A fuel tax measuring and reporting tool is provided for a mobile refrigeration unit that is capable of providing state-by-state fuel tax reporting, automatically, relating to fuel consumed by a mobile refrigeration unit. Fuel use of an engine powering the refrigeration unit is measured based on either power consumption by, or fuel flow to, the engine. Processing of this data locally or remotely allows accurate fuel tax reporting in connection with transmission of this data from the site of the mobile refrigeration unit.

Claims

1. A mobile system for measuring fuel consumption of a mobile refrigeration unit in a transportation unit operable to connect to a vehicle for transportation, the mobile system comprising:

an untethered system for measuring fuel consumption of the mobile refrigeration unit in an untethered transportation unit operable to attach to the vehicle, the untethered system measuring fuel consumption of the mobile refrigeration unit separately from measurement of fuel consumption of the vehicle used to transport the mobile refrigeration unit, the untethered system comprising;

an ultrasonic flow meter coupled to a passageway supplying fuel to a refrigeration unit engine, of said mobile refrigeration unit, from a gas tank, wherein the ultrasonic flow meter ultrasonically measures a flow rate of said fuel supplied through said passageway to said refrigeration unit engine;

from said gas tank;

a processor, coupled to said ultrasonic flow meter, being programmed to detect a location of said mobile refrigeration unit, derive up-to-the-minute fuel consumption data of the mobile refrigeration unit using said flow rate received from said ultrasonic flow meter, and derive fuel tax data using said detected location and said fuel consumption data; and

a transmitter, coupled to said processor, operable to transmit said fuel consumption data and said fuel tax data to a remote location, wherein the transmitter is operable to directly transmit the fuel consumption data and the fuel tax data to the remote location and to forward the fuel consumption data and the fuel tax data to an attached vehicle for reporting in combination with the vehicle'"'"'s fuel data.

2. A mobile system as recited in claim 1 wherein said transportation unit comprises one of a truck, a dolly, a container and a trailer.

3. A mobile system as recited in claim 1 wherein said remote location comprises a network management facility.

4. A mobile system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a memory coupled to said processor, said memory being capable of storing said fuel consumption data derived by said processor.

5. A mobile system as recited in claim 1 wherein said refrigeration unit engine is coupled to said ultrasonic flow meter.

6. A mobile system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to automatically transmit, via the transmitter, said fuel tax data to a government taxing authority associated with the detected location.

7. A mobile system as recited in claim 1, wherein the untethered system is operable to use at least one of power from the vehicle, additional data from the vehicle, and communications from the vehicle.

8. A mobile system as recited in claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic flow meter comprises sensors configured to clamp onto the outside of the fuel passageway supplying fuel to a refrigeration unit engine to measure fuel flow without interfering with the flow of fuel through the fuel passageway.

9. A mobile system as recited in claim 1, wherein the fuel consumption data is supplied in a read-only format.

10. A mobile system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control fuel consumption by the refrigeration unit engine.

11. A mobile system as recited in claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to control at least one of temperature control and timed temperature regulation of the refrigeration unit.

12. A mobile system for measuring fuel consumption of a mobile refrigeration unit in a transportation unit operable to connect to a vehicle for transportation, the mobile system comprising:

an untethered system for measuring fuel consumption of the mobile refrigeration unit in an untethered transportation unit operable to attach to the vehicle, the untethered system measuring fuel consumption of the mobile refrigeration unit separately from measurement of fuel consumption of the vehicle used to transport the mobile refrigeration unit, the untethered system comprising;

an ampere meter, coupled to a refrigeration unit engine of said mobile refrigeration unit, to measure current usage of said refrigeration unit engine, wherein the current usage measured represents power used by said refrigeration unit engine;

a processor, coupled to said ampere meter, being programmed to detect a location of said mobile refrigeration unit, derive up-to-the-minute fuel consumption data of the mobile refrigeration unit using said current usage measured by said ampere meter, and derive fuel tax data using said detected location and said derived fuel consumption data; and

a transmitter, coupled to said processor, operable to transmit said fuel consumption data and said fuel tax data to a remote location, wherein the transmitter is operable to directly transmit the fuel consumption data and the fuel tax data to the remote location and to forward the fuel consumption data and the fuel tax data to an attached vehicle for reporting in combination with the vehicle'"'"'s fuel data.

13. A mobile system as recited in claim 12 wherein said transportation unit comprises one of a truck, a dolly, a container and a trailer.

14. A mobile system as recited in claim 12 wherein said remote location comprises a network management facility.

15. A mobile system as recited in claim 12 further comprising a memory coupled to said processor, said memory being capable of storing said fuel consumption data derived by said processor.

16. A mobile system as recited in claim 12 wherein said refrigeration unit engine is coupled to said ampere meter.

17. A mobile system as recited in claim 16 wherein said refrigeration unit engine is a diesel engine.

18. A mobile system as recited in claim 12, wherein the processor is further programmed to automatically transmit, via the transmitter, said fuel tax data to a government taxing authority associated with the detected location.

19. A mobile system as recited in claim 12, wherein the untethered system may use but does not require at least one of power from the vehicle, additional data from the vehicle, and communications from the vehicle.

20. A mobile system as recited in claim 12, wherein the ultrasonic flow meter comprises sensors configured to clamp onto the outside of the fuel passageway supplying fuel to a refrigeration unit engine to measure fuel flow without interfering with the flow of fuel through the fuel passageway.

21. A mobile system as recited in claim 12, wherein the fuel consumption data is supplied in a read-only format.

22. A mobile system as recited in claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to control fuel consumption by the refrigeration unit engine.

23. A mobile system as recited in claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to control at least one of temperature control and timed temperature regulation of the refrigeration unit.

24. A method of reporting fuel consumption of a mobile refrigeration unit in a transportation unit operable to connect to a vehicle for transportation, the method comprising:

ultrasonically measuring a flow rate of fuel supplied through a passageway between a refrigeration unit engine of said mobile refrigeration unit and a gas tank via an ultrasonic flow meter via an untethered system, the untethered system measuring fuel consumption of the mobile refrigeration unit separately from measurement of fuel consumption of the vehicle used to transport the mobile refrigeration unit;

detecting a location of said mobile refrigeration unit;

calculating up-to-the-minute fuel consumption data of the mobile refrigeration unit using said flow rate through said passageway that was ultrasonically measured, and fuel tax data using said detected location and said fuel consumption data; and

automatically reporting said fuel consumption data associated with the detected location to a remote location via a transmitter operable to directly transmit the fuel consumption data to the remote location and to forward the fuel consumption data to an attached vehicle for reporting in combination with the vehicle'"'"'s fuel data.

25. A method of reporting fuel consumption as recited in claim 24 wherein said fuel consumption data and said fuel tax data is transmitted to a remote location via at least one of a terrestrial communication system or a satellite communication system.

26. A method as recited in claim 25 wherein said terrestrial communication system is at least one of CDMA, GSM, or UTMS.

27. The method as recited in claim 24, further comprising controlling a timed temperature regulation of the refrigeration unit.

28. A method of reporting fuel consumption of a mobile refrigeration unit in a transportation unit operable to connect to a vehicle for transportation, the method comprising:

measuring current usage of a refrigeration unit engine of the mobile refrigeration unit, wherein the current usage measured represents power used by said refrigeration unit engine via an ampere meter of an untethered system, the untethered system measuring fuel consumption of the mobile refrigeration unit separately from measurement of fuel consumption of the vehicle used to transport the mobile refrigeration unit;

detecting a location of said mobile refrigeration unit;

calculating, by a processor, up-to-the-minute fuel consumption data of the mobile refrigeration unit using said current usage measured, and fuel tax data using said detected location and said fuel consumption data; and

automatically reporting said fuel consumption data associated with the detected location to a remote location via a transmitter operable to directly transmit the fuel consumption data to the remote location and to forward the fuel consumption data to an attached vehicle for reporting in combination with the vehicle'"'"'s fuel data.

29. A method of reporting fuel consumption as recited in claim 28 wherein said fuel consumption data and said fuel tax data is transmitted to a remote location via at least one of a terrestrial communication system or a satellite communication system.

30. A method as recited in claim 29 wherein said terrestrial communication system is at least one of CDMA, GSM, or UTMS.