Sensor system for fuel transport vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9291609-B2
Application number	US-201313787430-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2013
Priority date	Apr 30, 2012
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

An exemplary sensor system for a fuel transport vehicle can comprise a fuel marker sensor positioned between a fuel storage chamber of the vehicle and an access valve for the fuel storage chamber of the vehicle. The fuel marker sensor can be configured to measure one or more characteristics of one or more fuel markers present in the fuel adjacent the sensor, such as when the marked fuel is unloaded at a retail station. The one or more characteristics can comprise concentration and/or identity of the one or more fuel markers in the fuel. Based on the measured characteristics of the one or more fuel markers, the sensor system can identify the fuel and/or can determine whether the fuel has been adulterated after the marked fuel was last measured, such as when the marked fuel was loaded into the vehicle.

First claim

We claim:

1. A sensor system for a fuel transport vehicle, the system comprising:
a fuel marker sensor positioned along a flow pathway between a fuel storage chamber of a fuel transport vehicle and an access valve for the fuel storage chamber, the fuel marker sensor configured to measure one or more characteristics of one or more fuel markers in fuel adjacent the fuel marker sensor.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more characteristics of the one or more fuel markers comprises a concentration of at least one of the one or more fuel markers in the fuel.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more characteristics of the one or more fuel markers comprises an identity of at least one of the one or more fuel markers in the fuel.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel marker sensor is configured to measure the one or more characteristics as the fuel flows past the fuel marker sensor.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel marker sensor is configured to measure the one or more characteristics when the access valve is closed.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel marker sensor is configured to make plural measurements per second of the one or more characteristics during a fuel dispensing event.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the fuel markers comprises nanoparticles having an average diameter of less than one nanometer.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel marker sensor comprises at least two light sources that emit light in two respective mutually exclusive wavelength ranges and at least two light detectors that measure intensity of light received as a function of wavelength.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the fuel marker sensor comprises a filter for each light detector, the filters transmitting light in different wavelength ranges to the respective filters.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein a first filter comprises a narrowband filter and a second filter comprises a long pass filter.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein a first filter is configured to transmit light to a first light detector in a first wavelength range corresponding to a wavelength range in which at least one of the one or more fuel markers fluoresces when excited by light from a first light source, and a second filter is configured to transmit light to a second light detector in a second wavelength range corresponding to a wavelength range in which a second fuel, similar to the fuel including the one or more fuel markers but without any fuel markers, fluoresces when excited by light from a second light source, the first and second wavelength ranges being mutually exclusive.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the fuel marker sensor further comprises a lens having a spherical aberration configured to direct light from the first and second light sources over a three dimensional region of the fuel adjacent to the fuel marker sensor, and configured to direct light fluoresced from the fuel and the one or more fuel markers in the region of the fuel toward the first and second light detectors.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel marker sensor comprises a lens having a spherical aberration typical of a 25.4 mm diameter, 30 mm focal length spherical plano-concave lens.

14. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller positioned on the vehicle and electrically coupled to the fuel marker sensor and configured to determine the one or more characteristics of the one or more fuel markers based on information received from the fuel marker sensor.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the identities of plural different markers in the fuel based on respective spectral patterns of light fluoresced by the different markers.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the concentration of at least one fuel marker of the one or more fuel markers based on the intensity of light fluoresced by the at least one fuel marker relative to the intensity of light fluoresced by the fuel.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the identity of the fuel based on the identities of the one or more fuel markers present in the fuel.

18. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an access valve sensor configured to detect whether the access valve is closed based on proximity of an access valve handle relative to the access valve sensor;
a hatch sensor configured to detect whether an upper hatch of the fuel storage chamber is closed based on proximity of the hatch relative to the hatch sensor; and
a fuel level sensor configured to measure the level of fuel within the fuel storage chamber based on fuel pressure adjacent to the access valve.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel marker sensor is attached to a light transparent annular spacer positioned between the access valve and a conduit from the fuel storage chamber to the access valve, such that the fuel marker sensor is in optical communication with fuel present within the spacer.

Assignees

• Ut Battelle Llc

Inventors

• Earl Dennis Duncan
• Mcintyre Timothy J
• West David L

Classifications

• C10L1/003 Primary

  Marking, e.g. coloration by addition of pigments · CPC title

• G01N33/2882

  Markers · CPC title

• G01N33/22 Primary

  Fuels; Explosives · CPC title