# US 11,906,109 B2 · Method for displaying a fill level of a pressure vessel, and pressure vessel assembly

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

- Number: US 11,906,109 B2
- Document ID: US11906109B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/797,897
- Filed: 2021-02-08
- Published: 2023-04-06
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-06
- Assignees: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
- Applicants: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
- Inventors: Markus Koban; Andreas Pelger
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906109B2

## CPC

- F17C 13/025: {having the pressure as the parameter}
- B60K 15/03006: {Gas tanks (B60K15/07 takes precedence)}
- G01F 23/80: Arrangements for signal processing
- B60K 2015/03019: {Filling of gas tanks}
- F17C 2221/012: Hydrogen
- F17C 2221/033: Methane, e.g. natural gas, CNG, LNG, GNL, GNC, PLNG
- F17C 2223/0123: gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
- F17C 2223/036: Very high pressure (>80 bar)
- F17C 2250/0408: Level of content in the vessel
- F17C 2250/043: Pressure
- F17C 2270/0168: by vehicles
- Y02E 60/32: Hydrogen storage
- 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)
- B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A method for displaying a fill level of a pressure vessel includes measuring an actual fill level of the pressure vessel, calculating a displayable fill level based on the actual fill level, and displaying the displayable fill level via a display device. In the method, during refueling between a first filling point (FP1) and a second filling point (FP2), the displayable fill level is increased in relation to the actual fill level in accordance with a predefined characteristic curve.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for displaying a fill level of a pressure vessel, comprising:
measuring an actual fill level of the pressure vessel;
calculating a displayable fill level based on the actual fill level; and
displaying the displayable fill level via a display device, wherein
during refueling between a first filling point (FP1) and a second filling point (FP2), the displayable fill level is increased in relation to the actual fill level in accordance with a predefined characteristic curve, wherein
the predefined characteristic curve is used independently of other measured variables to determine the relationship between the actual fill level and the displayable fill level.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein during the calculation the displayable fill level is increased or remains equal in comparison to the actual fill level.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein the calculation during the refueling takes place differently from the calculation during withdrawal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, wherein during refueling below the first filling point (FP1), the displayable fill level corresponds to the actual fill level.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4, wherein the characteristic curve extends linearly between a first fill level value (FW1) at the first filling point (FP1) and a second fill level value (FW2) at the second filling point (FP2).

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein during refueling between the second filling point (FP2) and a third filling point (FP3), the displayable fill level is calculated linearly between a second fill level value (FW2) at the second filling point (FP2) and 100% at the third filling point (FP3).

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method according to claim 6, wherein the second fill level value (FW2) corresponds to a ratio of the second filling point (FP2) to the third filling point (FP3).

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the characteristic curve assigns the displayable fill level to each actual fill level.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method according to claim 8, wherein the characteristic curve entirely or partially has a slope >1.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method according to claim 9, wherein the characteristic curve reaches the second fill level value (FW2), which is less than 100%, at the second filling point (FP2).

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method according to claim 10, wherein after each refueling at a filling station, a maximum actual fill level reached is stored, and
in a next refueling, a last maximum actual fill level reached at the filling station or a value which is calculated based on maximum actual fill levels previously reached at the filling station is used as the third filling point (FP3) and/or as a filling point from which the displayable fill level of 100% is calculated.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method according to claim 11, wherein the displayable fill level is 100% during refueling above the second filling point (FP2) or above the third filling point (FP3).

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method according to claim 12, wherein, if after an end of a refueling, a predefined actual fill level is not reached, the actual fill level is used as the displayable fill level.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method according to claim 13, wherein
during withdrawal the displayable fill level is calculated via a fourth filling point (FP4) and a fifth filling point (FP5),
the fourth filling point (FP4) corresponds to the fill level actually reached during a refueling and the fifth filling point (FP5) is predefined, and
between the fifth filling point (FP5) and the fourth filling point (FP4), the displayable fill level extends linearly between 100% at the fourth filling point (FP4) and a fifth fill level value (FW5) at the fifth filling point (FP5).

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method according to claim 14, wherein during withdrawal below the fifth filling point (FP5), the displayable fill level corresponds to the actual fill level.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method according to claim 15, further comprising calculating a range based on the actual fill level and the displayed fill level.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

A pressure vessel arrangement, comprising:
a pressure vessel;
a device configured to measure an actual fill level of the pressure vessel;
a display device; and
an electronic control device that is configured to execute a method according to claim 16.