Method and system for filling a gas cylinder
OwnerDarrill Plummer, Gaylord Posod +1inventors
InventorsDarrill Plummer, Gaylord Posod, Marvin Carroll
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A charge station is provided for filling a gas cylinder with gas. The charge station includes a gas output port configured to be fluidly connected to a supply of gas. The gas output port is configured to be fluidly connected to the gas cylinder for filling the gas cylinder with gas from the supply of gas. The charge station also includes a control system operatively connected to the gas output such that the control system is configured to control filling of the gas cylinder, and a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader operatively connected to the control system, the RFID reader configured to read data from an RFID tag on the gas cylinder.
Claims22
A charge station for filling a gas cylinder with gas, said charge station comprising:
- a gas output port configured to be fluidly connected to a supply of gas, the gas output port configured to be fluidly connected to the gas cylinder for filling the gas cylinder with gas from the supply of gas;
- a control system operatively connected to the gas output such that the control system is configured to control filling of the gas cylinder;
- and
- a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader operatively connected to the control system, the RFID reader configured to read data from an RFID tag on the gas cylinder including a hydrostatic test date of the gas cylinder, an end of life date of the gas cylinder and an operating pressure of the gas cylinder, wherein:
- the control system includes a processor and a memory configured to cause the control system to enable a flow of gas from the output port to the gas cylinder for filling the gas cylinder based on data consisting of data read from the RFID tag and from data stored in the memory of the control system, the control system further configured to, prior to enabling the flow of gas for filling the gas cylinder, use the data read from the RFID tag to determine whether or not at least one condition of the following conditions is satisfied:
- (a) end of life date of the first gas cylinder has expired,
- (b) the hydrostatic test date of the first gas cylinder has expired, or
- (c) the operating pressure of the first gas cylinder is not equal to the fill pressure setting of the charge station, and
- display a warning and/or prevent the gas cylinder being filled based upon the following sequence:
- upon a determination that a first one of said conditions (a), (b) or (c) is met, and
- if the first one of said conditions (a), (b) or (c) is not met, upon a determination that a second one of said conditions (a), (b) or (c) is met, and
- if the first and the second one of said conditions (a), (b) or (c) are not met, upon a determination that a third one of said conditions (a), (b) or (c) is met.
A method for filling one or more gas cylinders with gas using a charge station, said method comprising:
- loading a first gas cylinder into a first cylinder dock of the charge station, the first gas cylinder including a first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the first RFID tag having stored thereon at least a hydrostatic test date of the first gas cylinder, an end of life date of the first gas cylinder and an operating pressure of the first gas cylinder;
- reading data from the first RFID tag, said data including the hydrostatic test date of the first gas cylinder, an end of life date of the first gas cylinder and an operating pressure of the first gas cylinder;
- and
- filling the first gas cylinder with gas based on data consisting of data read from the first RFID tag and from data stored in a memory of the charge station, said method comprising:
- prior to filling the first gas cylinder, using the data read from the first RFID tag to determine whether or not at least one condition of the following conditions is satisfied:
- (a) end of life date of the first gas cylinder has expired,
- (b) the hydrostatic test date of the first gas cylinder has expired, or
- (c) the operating pressure of the first gas cylinder is not equal to the fill pressure setting of the charge station, and
- displaying a warning and/or preventing the first gas cylinder being filled based upon the following sequence:
- upon a determination that a first one of said conditions (a), (b) or (c) is met, and if the first one of said conditions (a), (b) or (c) is not met, upon a determination that a second one of said conditions (a), (b) or (c) is met, and if the first and the second one of said conditions (a), (b) or (c) are not met, upon a determination that a third one of said conditions (a), (b) or (c) is met.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.