Fuel fill volume estimation using virtual zone and fuel tank float

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10240964-B1
Application number	US-201715786825-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 18, 2017
Priority date	Oct 18, 2017
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for fuel fill volume estimation for a vehicle. An example vehicle includes a fuel tank float, a dashboard display, and an engine control module. The engine control module divides a fuel tank into zones. When the vehicle is not in motion and a position of the fuel tank float changes by a threshold amount, engine control module measures an initial fuel level. When the position of the fuel tank float does not change for a threshold period of time, the engine control module measures a final fuel level. Additionally, the engine control module calculates an amount of fuel added to the fuel tank based on the zones associated with the initial fuel level and a final fuel level and display the amount on the dashboard display.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a dashboard display;
a fuel tank float coupled to a fuel sender card and;
an engine control module to:
divide a fuel tank into zones, the zones including a first zone, the first zone being an area of the fuel tank that is not measurable by the fuel sender card;
when the vehicle is not in motion and a position of the fuel tank float changes by a threshold amount, measure an initial fuel level;
when the position of the fuel tank float does not change for a threshold period of time, measure a final fuel level;
responsive to the final fuel level being in one of the zones that is not the first zone and the initial fuel level being in the first zone, calculate an amount of fuel added to the fuel tank based on the measurements of fuel injected to an engine by fuel injectors and measurements of the fuel sender card; and
display the amount on the dashboard display.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the zones are based on a range of the fuel tank float in the fuel tank in relation to a setting on the fuel sender card.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein one of the zones is defined as an area above a top float stop position in the fuel tank.

4. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein one of the zones is defined as an area between a top float stop position and a bottom float stop position in the fuel tank.

5. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the first zone is defined as an area of the fuel tank below a bottom float stop position.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the engine control module is to:
define a third zone as a first area above a top float stop position in the fuel tank;
define a second zone as a second area between the top float stop position and a bottom float stop position in the fuel tank; and
define the first zone as a third area below the bottom float stop position.

7. The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein when the initial fuel level is in the third zone, the engine control module to determine that the amount of fuel added is zero.

8. The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein when the initial fuel level is in the second zone, the engine control module is to calculate the amount of fuel added based on a fuel level measurement of a fuel sender card.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the fuel sender card has a resolution of at least 0.25 liters.

10. A method comprising:
dividing, with a processor of a vehicle, a fuel tank into virtual zones, the virtual zone including a first zone, the first zone being an area of the fuel tank that is not measurable by a fuel sender card coupled to a fuel tank float;
when the vehicle is not in motion and a position of the fuel tank float changes by a threshold amount, measuring an initial fuel level;
when the position of the fuel tank float does not change for a threshold period of time, measuring a final fuel level;
responsive to the final fuel level being in one of the virtual zone that is not the first zone and the initial fuel level being in the first zone, calculating an amount of fuel added to the fuel tank based on measurements of fuel injected to an engine by fuel injectors and measurements of the fuel sender card; and
displaying the amount on a dashboard display.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the virtual zones are based on a position of the fuel tank float in the fuel tank in relation to a setting on the fuel sender card that has an resolution of at least 0.25 liters per pad.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein defining the virtual zones includes:
defining a third zone as a first area above a top float stop position in the fuel tank;
defining a second zone as a second area between the top float stop position and a bottom float stop position in the fuel tank; and
defining the first zone as a third area below the bottom float stop position.

13. A vehicle comprising:
a fuel sender card coupled to a float; and
processors to:
responsive to an initial fuel level being in an area of a fuel tank that is not measurable by the fuel sender card, calculate an added fuel amount based on measurements of fuel injected to an engine by fuel injectors and measurements of the fuel sender card; and

display the added fuel amount on a dashboard display.

14. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the engine control module is to, responsive to the final fuel level being in the one of the zones that is not the first zone and the initial fuel level being in the first zone, calculate an amount of fuel added to the fuel tank by adding an amount of fuel injected to the engine and an amount of fuel in the one of the zones.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Johnston Marla
• Mueller Paul A
• Nikolik Zdravko
• Divis David
• Gorovets Boris
• Dolinsky Jr John

Classifications

• B60K2015/03361

  for checking the quality or quantity of fuel during filling of fuel tank · CPC title

• G01F23/243 Primary

  Schematic arrangements of probes combined with measuring circuits · CPC title

• B60K35/00

  Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles · CPC title

• B60K2015/03217

  Fuel level sensors · CPC title

• B60K15/03 Primary

  Fuel tanks · CPC title