Combination of fluid level measurements from independent compartments with maximum redundancy

A method of estimating fluid related quantities of a first fluid compartment and a second fluid compartment disposed in or connected to a moveable platform, wherein the first fluid compartment is independent of the second fluid compartment, wherein the first fluid compartment has disposed therein a first fluid level sensor and a second fluid level sensor, wherein the second fluid compartment has disposed therein a third fluid level sensor and a fourth fluid level sensor, and wherein at least one additional fluid level sensor is in either the first fluid compartment or the second fluid compartment, the method comprising:

• combining, by a processor, measurements from the first fluid level sensor, the second fluid level sensor, the third fluid level sensor, the fourth fluid level sensor and the additional fluid level sensors into a first unified calculation;
• calculating by the processor, using the first unified calculation, all of (1) a first fluid orientation estimate which is common to both compartments and (2) a first fluid height estimate for the first compartment, and (3) a first fluid height estimate for the second compartment, whereby (1), (2), and (3) form a first set of results;
• responsive to determining if outlier data exists, rejecting, by the processor, outlier measurements from any sensor that produces the outlier data, but retaining remaining measurements from remaining non-outlier sensors, whereby revised data is formed;
• responsive only to there being enough non-outlier measurements, combining, by the processor, the revised data into a second unified calculation;
• and
• responsive only to there being enough non-outlier measurements, calculating by the processor, using the second unified calculation, all of (4) a second fluid orientation estimate which is common to both compartments and (5) a second fluid height estimate for the first compartment, and (6) a second fluid height estimate for the second compartment, whereby (4), (5), and (6) form a second set of results.

A computer comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-recordable storage medium connected to the processor, the non-transitory computer-recordable storage medium storing program code which, when executed by the process, performs a computer-implemented method of estimating fluid related quantities of a first fluid compartment and a second fluid compartment disposed in or connected to a moveable platform, wherein the first fluid compartment is independent of the second fluid compartment, wherein the first fluid compartment has disposed therein a first fluid level sensor and a second fluid level sensor, and wherein the second fluid compartment has disposed therein a third fluid level sensor and a fourth fluid level sensor, the program code comprising:
• program code for combining, by a processor, measurements from the first fluid level sensor, the second fluid level sensor, the third fluid level sensor, the fourth fluid level sensor into a unified calculation;
• and
• program code for calculating, by the processor, the fluid related quantities from the unified calculation, the fluid related quantities comprising all of:
• (1) a fluid orientation estimate which is common to both the first fluid compartment and the second fluid compartment, (2) a first fluid height estimate for the first fluid compartment, and (3) a second fluid height estimate for the second fluid compartment, whereby (1), (2), and (3) form a set of results.

A computer comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-recordable storage medium storing program code which, when executed by the processor, performs a computer-implemented method of estimating fluid related quantities of a first fluid compartment and a second fluid compartment disposed in or connected to a moveable platform, wherein the first fluid compartment is independent of the second fluid compartment, wherein the first fluid compartment has disposed therein a first fluid level sensor and a second fluid level sensor, wherein the second fluid compartment has disposed therein a third fluid level sensor and a fourth fluid level sensor, and wherein at least one additional fluid level sensor is in either the first fluid compartment or the second fluid compartment, the program code comprising:
• program code for combining, by a processor, measurements from the first fluid level sensor, the second fluid level sensor, the third fluid level sensor, the fourth fluid level sensor and the additional fluid level sensors into a first unified calculation;
• program code for calculating by the processor, using the first unified calculation, all of (1) a first fluid orientation estimate which is common to both compartments and (2) a first fluid height estimate for the first compartment, and (3) a first fluid height estimate for the second compartment, whereby (1), (2), and (3) form a set of results;
• program code for, responsive to determining if outlier data exists, rejecting, by the processor, outlier measurements from any sensor that produces the outlier data, but retaining remaining measurements from remaining non-outlier sensors, whereby revised data is formed;
• program code for, responsive only to there being enough non-outlier measurements, combining, by the processor, the revised data into a second unified calculation;
• and
• program code for, responsive only to there being enough non-outlier measurements, calculating by the processor, using the second unified calculation, all of (4) a second fluid orientation estimate which is common to both compartments and (5) a second fluid height estimate for the first compartment, and (6) a second fluid height estimate for the second compartment, whereby (4), (5), and (6) form a second set of results.