# US 10,119,657 B2 · Propane tank continuous monitoring system

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 10,119,657 B2
- Document ID: US10119657B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/814,374
- Filed: 2017-11-15
- Published: 2018-03-15
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2012-06-19
- Applicants: Shailendra Suman
- Inventors: Shailendra Suman
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10119657B2

## CPC

- F17C 13/026: {having the temperature as the parameter}
- F17C 13/023: {having the mass as the parameter}
- F17C 13/028: {having the volume as the parameter}
- G08B 25/08: using communication transmission lines {(G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence)}
- G08C 17/02: using a radio link
- H04Q 9/00: Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
- F17C 2201/0104: cylindrical
- F17C 2201/032: with substantially vertical main axis
- F17C 2201/058: portable (<30 l)
- F17C 2205/0308: Protective caps
- F17C 2221/035: Propane butane, e.g. LPG, GPL
- F17C 2223/0153: Liquefied gas, e.g. LPG, GPL
- F17C 2223/033: Small pressure, e.g. for liquefied gas
- F17C 2250/032: using computers
- F17C 2250/034: using wireless transmissions
- F17C 2250/0417: with electrical means
- F17C 2250/0421: Mass or weight of the content of the vessel
- F17C 2250/0426: Volume
- F17C 2250/0439: Temperature
- F17C 2250/0465: Vibrations, e.g. of acoustic type
- F17C 2250/0491: Parameters measured at or inside the vessel
- F17C 2250/0495: the indicated parameter is a converted measured parameter
- F17C 2260/024: Improving metering
- F17C 2270/0745: Gas bottles
- F17C: VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES (storing fluids in natural or artificial cavities or chambers in the earth B65G5/00; construction or assembling of bulk storage containers employing civil-engineering techniques E04H7/00; variable-capacity gas-holders F17B; liquefaction or refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25)
- G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G08C: TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS (fluid pressure transmitting systems F15B; mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member into a different variable G01D5/00; mechanical control systems G05G)
- H04Q: SELECTING (switches, relays, selectors H01H; wireless communication networks H04W)

## Abstract

An apparatus, system and method for measuring quantity of a material are disclosed. One or more sensors are used to measure the quantity of the material are measured and error causing parameters are also measured. Error causing parameters are processed by executing one or more correction methodologies to determine a correction output. The quantity of the material is measured by using the correction output. One or values associated with the quantity of the material are measured and displayed. The one or more values are transmitted to a server and informative messages are received from the server.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system comprising:
a first sensor coupled to a storage tank that contains material, the sensor operable to:
transmit an outgoing acoustic signal into the material at a first time; and
receive an incoming acoustic signal at a second time,
a second sensor configured to measure a temperature associated with the material;
a communications port;
a memory operable to store a set of computer instructions; and
a processor operable to execute the set of computer instructions to:
determine a quantity of the material in the storage tank based on the first time, based on the second time, and based on the temperature; and
cause an indication of the quantity to be transmitted to an external entity via the communications port.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 in which, in determining the quantity of material, the processor is operable to:
determine a round-trip propagation time of the signal from the bottom of the storage tank to a surface of the material and back based on the difference between the second time and the first time;
determine a propagation speed of the signal within the material based on the temperature;
determine a distance from the bottom of the storage tank to the surface based on the propagation time and based on the propagation speed, thereby determining a depth of the material;
determine a geometry of the storage tank; and
determine the quantity of the material based on the depth of the material and the geometry of the storage tank.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2,
in which, in determining a geometry of the storage tank, the processor is operable to determine that the storage tank is a cylinder with a first cross-sectional area, and
in which, in determining the quantity of the material based on the depth of the material and the geometry of the storage tank, the processor is operable to determine quantity as depth multiplied by the cross-sectional area.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2,
in which, in determining a geometry of the storage tank, the processor is operable to:
determine that the storage tank is a cylinder with an inwardly curved base; and
determine a shape correction factor based on the curvature of the base, and
in which, in determining the quantity of the material based on the depth of the material and the geometry of the storage tank, the processor is operable to determine quantity as proportional to the round-trip propagation time multiplied by the sum of the shape correction factor and one, minus the shape correction factor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 in which the indication of the quantity is one of: (a) an indication of a percentage of the material remaining in the storage tank; and (b) an indication of an absolute quantity of the material remaining in the storage tank.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, in which the measured temperature is denoted T with units of degrees Celsius, the system further comprising:
determining a thermal correction factor, kthem, based on the temperature T,
in which, in determining the quantity of material in the storage tank, the processor is operable to:
determine that the storage tank is a cylinder with an inwardly curved base; and
determine a shape correction factor, kshape, based on the curvature of the base,
determine a first round-trip travel time, toffull, representative of a first difference between the second time and the first time that would be expected in the event that the storage tank was full,
determine a second round-trip travel time, tof, representative of a measured second difference between the second time and the first time,
determine the quantity as a percentage of fuel remaining in the storage tank, in which the quantity is determined as (tof/toffull)*(1+kshape)/(1+ktherm*(T−25 C))−kshape.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6 in which ktherm is in the range of −%0.8*1/C to −%0.7*1/C, and in which kshape is in the range 0.1 to 0.2.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 in which the first sensor and the second sensor are collocated within a common enclosure.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8 in which the enclosure comprises a flexible material.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8 in which the processor is located in a separate enclosure.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10 in which the separate enclosure includes a display in communication with the processor.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 in which the first sensor is a piezoelectric transducer.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 further comprising a magnet to couple the first sensor to the storage tank.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 in which, in measuring a temperature associated with the material, the sensor is operable to measure a temperature of the material.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 in which, in measuring a temperature associated with the material, the sensor is operable to measure a temperature of a shell of the storage tank.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 in which the first sensor and the second sensor are contained within a first housing, and in which the processor is contained within a second housing, the system further comprising a first communication link traversing the distance between the first and second housings.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16 further comprising:
a first jack contained within the second housing, in which the first communication link is a first cable interfacing to the first jack at one end of the first cable;
a second jack contained within the second housing;
a third sensor contained within a third housing separate from the second housing; and
a second cable interfacing to the second jack at one end of the second cable, and to the third sensor at the other end of the second cable.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17 in which the third sensor is in proximity to a cooking grill and in which the third sensor is operable to:
collect a second temperature associated with the cooking grill; and
transmit an indication of the second temperature to the processor via the second cable.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, in which the communication link is a cable that is attached to the first housing at one end of the cable and to the second housing at the other end of the cable.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16 in which the second housing also contains a display that is operable to display the quantity.

### Claim 21

A system comprising:
a first sensor coupled to a storage tank that contains material, the sensor operable to:
transmit an outgoing acoustic signal into the material at a first time; and
receive an incoming acoustic signal at a second time,
a communications port;
a memory operable to store a set of computer instructions and an indication of the tank geometry; and
a processor operable to execute the set of computer instructions to:
determine a quantity of the material in the storage tank based on the first time, based on the second time, and based on the indication of the tank geometry; and
cause an indication of the quantity to be transmitted to an external entity via the communications port.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The system of claim 21,
in which the indication of the tank geometry is a shape correction factor; and
in which, in determining the quantity of the material, the processor is operable to determine quantity as proportional to the difference between the second time the first time multiplied by the sum of the shape correction factor and one, minus the shape correction factor.