Systems and methods for fuel quantity measurement
AssigneeSimmonds Precision Products, Inc.
InventorPhilip Paul Buchwald
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In accordance with at least one aspect of this disclosure, a fuel quantity measurement system includes, one or more pressure sensors are configured to operatively connect external to a fuel volume of a fuel tank, and can be operative to sense and output a signal indicative of a pressure outside of the fuel volume. One or more hollow pressure tubes can be configured to be disposed in the fuel volume in the fuel tank. The one or more hollow tubes can have a first end in fluid communication with the fuel volume and a second end configured to be sealed against an ambient environment external to the fuel tank. One or more temperature sensors can be configured to operatively connect within the fuel tank, operative to sense and output a signal indicative of a temperature of the fuel tank.
Claims20
A fuel quantity measurement system, comprising:
- a first pressure sensor operatively connected external to a liquid fuel volume of a fuel tank, operative to sense and output a signal indicative of a pressure inside of the liquid fuel volume and a pressure of an ambient environment external to and surrounding the fuel tank;
- a hollow pressure tube configured to be disposed in the liquid fuel volume, the hollow pressure tube having a first end in fluid communication with the liquid fuel volume and a second end configured to be sealed against the ambient environment external to and surrounding the fuel tank by the first pressure sensor;
- a first temperature sensor operatively connected within the fuel tank, operative to sense and output a signal indicative of a temperature of the fuel tank;
- and
- a module including machine readable instructions configured to cause the module to:
- estimate a quantity of the fuel volume using at least one of the signal indicative of the pressure inside of the fuel volume, the signal indicative of the pressure external to the fuel volume, and the signal indicative of the temperature of the fuel tank to calculate a free surface of the fuel volume;
- and
- calculate a corrected fuel pressure at the first end of the hollow pressure tube to account for at least one of:
- a height of the first pressure sensor relative to a height of the first end of the hollow pressure tube from a bottom of the fuel tank, a compressibility of a fluid held within the hollow pressure tube, and a change in fuel volume in response to a change in temperature of the fuel tank.
A non-transitory computer readable medium including machine readable instructions configured to cause a computer to execute a method, the method comprising:
- transmitting a signal indicative of a hydrostatic fuel pressure at a first end of a hollow pressure tube disposed in a liquid fuel volume of a fuel tank to one or more remote pressure sensors at a second end of the hollow pressure tube to estimate a quantity of the fuel volume in the fuel tank;
- and
- calculating a corrected fuel pressure at the first end of the hollow pressure tube to account for at least one of:
- a height of one or more pressure sensors relative to a height of the first end of the hollow pressure tube from a bottom of the fuel tank, a compressibility of a fluid held within the hollow pressure tube, and a change in fuel volume in response to a change in temperature of the fuel tank;
- wherein the second end of the hollow pressure tube is configured to be sealed against an ambient environment external to and surrounding the fuel tank by a pressure sensor of the one or more remote pressure sensors, the pressure sensor at the second end of the hollow pressure tube configured to sense a pressure of the ambient environment external to and surrounding the fuel tank.
A method, comprising:
- transmitting a signal indicative of a hydrostatic fuel pressure at a first end of a hollow pressure tube disposed in a liquid fuel volume of a fuel tank to one or more remote pressure sensors at a second end of the hollow pressure tube to determine a quantity of the fuel volume in the fuel tank;
- and
- calculating a corrected fuel pressure at the first end of the hollow pressure tube to account for at least one of:
- a height of one or more pressure sensors relative to a height of the first end of the hollow pressure tube from a bottom of the fuel tank, a compressibility of a fluid held within the hollow pressure tube, and a change in fuel volume in response to a change in temperature of the fuel tank;
- wherein the second end of the hollow pressure tube is configured to be sealed against an ambient environment external to and surrounding the fuel tank by a pressure sensor of the one or more remote pressure sensors, the pressure sensor at the second end of the hollow pressure tube configured to sense a pressure of the ambient environment external to and surrounding the fuel tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.