MX2009011781A

MX2009011781A - Device for the remote monitoring in real time of the fuel level and position in a vehicle.

Info

Publication number: MX2009011781A
Application number: MX2009011781A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Thomas Shaw Obregon
Original assignee: Thomas Shaw Obregon
Priority date: 2009-10-30
Filing date: 2009-10-30
Publication date: 2011-05-02
Also published as: MX344347B

Abstract

A device for the remote monitoring of the fuel level, which includes a fuel tank with a level sensor, high resolution ultrasonic sensors or electromechanical plungers, which provide a lower resolution. Said sensors are located at the upper portion of each fuel tank in a vehicle, the collected readings being sent to an electronic device through analogue interfaces, the voltages being converted into a bus of digital data which are transmitted by a RS232 port to a GPR equipment, said data being sent to the servers by means of a GSM modem, so that the user of the device may access to the information collected in real time by the present invention through the Internet.

Description

REMOTE MONITORING DEVICE IN REAL POSITION TIME AND FUEL LEVEL OF A VEHICLE.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to electronic device for real-time monitoring of the overall position and fuel level of a vehicle by means of telemetry using detectors or ultrasonic sensors in addition to the use of the GPS system and GSM / GPRS communication technology.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the state of the art there are devices that store in memory the fuel level in the tanks of a vehicle at predefined time intervals, in minute intervals, it is stored with the additional information of the global position and some anomaly such as the increase of level, deliberate level decrease, removal of fuel tank plug; The entire data collection is not sent in real time and most devices do not use high resolution ultrasonic sensors to detect minimum level changes.

United Kingdom Patent GB 2,433,999, issued July 11, 2007 to Alien Mathew Emerson, describes and protects an electronic device that stores in a memory the fuel level in a vehicle's tank at predefined time intervals, is stored with the location of your global position in case any anomaly is detected such as increase or decrease of level when the switch is off or when the vehicle is stopped, does not have the capacity to determine how many liters or volume the fuel increased or decreased; in the case of issuing an alarm, it does not mention the type of communication used in the transmission of said signal, nor does it explain how it obtains the fuel level indication data or the disposition of each of them. the measurement and transmission elements and their relation to the memory device.

U.S. Patent No. 7,072,801, issued July 4, 2006, to Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corp and whose inventor is C. Pat James, said patent describes and protects a remote fuel monitoring system for a generator of In addition to the energy, the system consists of a graphical inferióase and user logic and its connections, the interface provides the user with periodic updated data associated with the tank. generator fuel. The interface is connected to a server via a communication network.

U.S. Patent No. 6,714, 857, issued March 30, 2004, to NNT, Inc., and whose inventor is Michael Kapolka et al., Describes and protects a monitoring system that determines the position of the vehicle and the fuel consumption in a specific jurisdiction, as well as the crossing of the borders of said jurisdiction; The system includes a vehicle with a fuel tank, a positioning system and a monitoring device inside said tank. The monitoring generates information such as the fuel level, the position of the vehicle, the information processor is in a remote position with respect to the vehicle that only owns the data collection devices.

International patent application WO 2004/007344, published on January 22, 2004, whose inventor is Potgieter Johannes Hermanus, describes a system that includes means of timers to capture control and record the fuel level at certain time intervals. A controller that fixes, calculates the average fuel level in successive periods of time, only the level and times are stored and in this way can be investigated undue level changes.

For the above described, there is a need for a device that can detect and measure differences in loads or discharges of fuel in liters with accuracy and increased accuracy with respect to the state of the art, with information of place and time of each event, calculates the Vehicle performance in Km / 1 in relation to the distance traveled and the volume of the fuel consumed, when detecting the aforementioned parameters send alarms, e-mails or SMS messages in case of deliberate events not allowed. Each of the events is transmitted to the monitoring system through the GSM / GPRS network together with the information of its global GPS position in a single signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for monitoring the global position and fuel level of the vehicle with the ability to send in real time and in a single event to a remote server the position, time, speed and level of fuel contained in each tank of the vehicle in six-minute intervals.

It is also another object of the present invention to provide a device for monitoring the overall position and fuel level of the vehicle in which a vehicle is used.

GPS equipment with GSM / GPRS modem for data transmission to a remote server.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device for monitoring the overall position and fuel level of the vehicle with a backup battery for when the electrical supply of the battery of said vehicle fails.

It is also another object of the present invention to provide a device for monitoring the overall position and fuel level of the vehicle in which the transmission of data from the analogue digital converter to the GPS / GSM device is made through an RS232 port.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device for monitoring the overall position and fuel level of the vehicle with a high resolution ultrasonic sensor and a waveguide inside the fuel tank, used as the main source of information for monitoring made out of fuel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES.

Figure-1 is an overview of the real-time remote monitoring device of the vehicle's overall position and fuel level.

Figure 2 is a sectional view showing the position of the sensor, the ultrasonic waves emitted and the voltages generated corresponding to the fuel levels.

Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the position of the sensor, the double reflection trip of the ultrasonic waves emitted and the waveguide that avoids the dispersion of the ultrasonic radiation, whose objective is to detect the height of the fuel mirror .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The device is based on the conformation of elements that involve the installation of high resolution ultrasonic sensors or electromechanical floats (low resolution) in the upper part of each fuel tank of the vehicle, fuel levels are detected by means of the sensor and are converted to voltage units that are sent to an analog interface that processes the signals and converts them to digital data series that are transmitted through an RS232 port and cable to the GPS global position device and by means of a modem GSM / GPRS digital information is sent to the servers so that the interested user has access to the position monitoring system and fuel through INTERNET. Even before the device of the present invention, the data of the parameters detected were not sent in real time through the GSM / GPRS network, the parameters are sent together with their global position (GPS), the data is collected by means of the use of high resolution ultrasonic sensors equipped with high precision in the level readings made.

High resolution ultrasonic sensor for measuring fuel levels, provides a fluid level sensor inside a container comprising a transducer to generate ultrasonic waves and additionally a waveguide with a first end operationally coupled to the transducer, a second end immersed inside of the body of the fuel fluid, said second end is separated from the first and defines a distance in which the ultrasonic waves emitted by the transducer travel, the waveguide forces them not to dissipate their energy over the entire surface of the fuel mirror , in this way, a greater precision in the readings is ensured since in the inclined bearing surfaces, the reflection surface of the waves suffers only a negligible inclination. Ultrasonic waves travel through the waveguide and are partially reflected by the surface of the distant end of the waveguide and correspond to the surface level of the fuel, the reflected wave travel back and is detected by the transducer which generates a signal that can be measured and sent to a terminal, in each reflection and depending on the level of fuel the wave has different size of amplitude that is associated with the height of the fuel level inside the tank and therefore detect level changes, decrease or increase, which become voltage signals.

In order to carry out the present invention it was necessary to tie or make compatible the fuel monitoring devices of the state of the art and the GPS equipment, which is solved with a GPS / GSM equipment associated with an RS232 port and that in this way can be received the fuel monitoring data; the GPS / GSM equipment should allow the possibility of sending in a single event the global position information (GPS) and the fuel level, information that should be sent to the remote servers so that it is possible to have access through the Internet. Another problem that is solved is the low accuracy of the electromechanical float readers, which is replaced by a high resolution ultrasonic sensor, which allows, along with the waveguide, to take readings of very low levels of fuel; said waveguide is a tube that extends to the bottom of the fuel tank, a stack of backup so that the device continues to work even when the vehicle's battery is disconnected.

The present invention will be better understood in light of the description of the accompanying figures, Figure 1 represents a schematic view of the remote position and fuel level monitoring device in real time (1) of the present invention, first of all as an important component of the device the fuel tank (3) containing in its interior the volume of fuel (3 a) and that certain levels will be represented with the readings of voltage XI, X2 and X3, said voltages represent a height of the mirror of the surface of fuel (3) generated by the reflection of the waves ultrasonic sensors generated by the detector or high resolution ultrasonic sensor (2) which is able to detect or measure the fuel level and send the voltage signal according to said level, an ultrasonic sensor is used that is more accurate in the measurements , an electromagnetic float can also be used to take the corresponding voltage readings with the fuel level inside the tank; but the float is an element with much less precision in its readings and can lead to erroneous readings that are required at the liters level; The ultrasonic sensor sends a voltage unit according to the level of fuel through a conventional harness. Once the voltage reading corresponding to the measured fuel level has been taken, said readings are sent through a conductive harness (4) to the analog-digital interface (5) that converts the signal from analog to digital voltage, said interface has an associated an RS232 port to which its corresponding cable (6) RS232 is connected. The analog interface that takes the signal or voltage pulse and converts it into a digital signal that corresponds to the fuel level (liters), the interface (5) sends the digital signal to a GPS / GSM (7) device, it does so by means of the RS232 cable connected to the corresponding port on the analog / digital interface; the GPS / GSM equipment (7) sends the corresponding data at the fuel level and global position in real time and at predetermined intervals and through the GSM cellular network (8) connected in turn to the servers (9) that makes it possible to use the Internet (10) to obtain the relevant information in the terminals (11), graphic devices or remote points of access to the user using the WEB system to consult the real-time data generated in the vehicle and inside the fuel tank.

In the state of the art, the GPS / GSM equipment used sends to the WEB servers in an event the global position and the time, in another event, the level of fuel that involves using twice as many resources. The GPS / GSM equipment of the present invention sends in a single event the global position, the time and the fuel level.

The device of the present invention is turned on with the voltage supply of the battery or accumulator of the vehicle, for cases in which the accumulator or main power fails, regulators in the circuit were adapted with rechargeable lithium batteries that provide the energy for when the accumulator fails or is deliberately disconnected.

Figure 2 shows a section (20) of the fuel tank (3) with the integrated sensor (2) which can be a high resolution ultrasonic or an electromagnetic float, said sensor sends the ultrasonic waves (21) to the surface or fuel mirror, said waves return to the sensor and are processed to generate voltage pulses corresponding to the height of the fuel level (3 a) inside the tank (3), by way of example the level (b) of 30 liters is taken which corresponds to the voltage X3, the level (c) which corresponds to the voltage X2 and the level (d) corresponding to the level of voltage XI produced by the sensor and which are sent via a conventional harness to the analog interface. However, ultrasonic waves (21) possess little energy of such that when they spread over the entire surface of the fuel, they lose amplitude and reflect with diminished energy towards the sensor, a situation that results in loss of resolution and precision in the readings sent. To solve the problem existing in the state of the art and aforementioned a tube is used just below the ultrasonic sensor that carries inside the ultrasonic waves to the bottom of the tank, said tube functions as a waveguide for the ultrasonic radiation emitted and received as reflection by the sensor shown in the following figure.

Figure 3 represents the substantial improvement when integrating a tube with the open lower end or waveguide (32) inside the fuel tank with sensor and integrated waveguide (30), the ultrasonic sensor (2) is located in the internal face of the upper end or fuel tank cap, just below the sensor is placed the tube or waveguide (32) with the open end that goes to the bottom (3b) of the fuel tank, the lower end of said tube it is open (33) of the waveguide. The ultrasonic radiation (21) makes a full round trip (34) due to the reflection of the waves on the mirror surface (31) of the fuel (3 a), said reflection radiation is processed by the sensor transducer for convert the detected difference into pulses of Analog voltages that will be sent to an analog interface through a conventional harness. The ultrasonic sensor (2) is located on the internal face of the upper part of the tank and sends ultrasonic radiation to the surface of the liquid or fuel, it measures the time it takes to return the reflection and with the difference determines a corresponding voltage signal with which will determine the corresponding level of fuel at the same time, without the guidance when the fuel level is too low and by the dispersion, the reflected wave does not reach to return to the sensor and the signal is lost, with the guide tube solves the problem of dispersion and enables the device of the present invention to measure very low levels of fuel and with excellent precision at the level of liters.

Claims

CLAIMS Having sufficiently described the invention, it is considered as novel, with inventive activity and industrial application, therefore, it is claimed as property what is expressed and contained in the following claim clauses.

1. - A remote monitoring device in real time of position and fuel level of a vehicle that consists of: a fuel tank with an ultrasonic sensor located on the inside face of the tank top; a tube attached to the sensor having an open lower end which covers the depth of the tank and which functions as a waveguide for the ultrasonic radiation emitted by the sensor; a conventional harness that connects the sensor with an analog-digital converter or interface; an analog-digital converter provided with an RS232 port, which converts the sensor's voltages into digital data to be sent through the port; an RS232 cable that connects the analog-digital converter port with a GSM / GPRS communication module to send the information to the cellular network at predetermined real-time intervals; a GSM / GPRS communication module provided with a GPS position sensor and a cellular GSM modem that sends the position and fuel level information in a single event; Rechargeable lithium batteries together with an appropriate regulator as backup for the power supply of the device in the event of accidental or deliberate disconnection of the vehicle battery.

2. - The remote monitoring device in real time position and fuel level of a vehicle according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor is located on the upper internal side of the tank and sends ultrasonic radiation through the waveguide towards the liquid or fuel mirror and measures the reflection time of said radiation to determine the fuel level inside the tank, said sensor converts the fuel level into voltage units that are sent through the harness.

3. - The device for real time remote monitoring of position and fuel level of a vehicle according to claim 1, further characterized in that the conventional harness carries or sends corresponding voltage units with the fuel level to the interface that has a converter Analog-digital provided with an RS232 port.

4. - The device for real time remote monitoring of position and fuel level of a vehicle according to claim 1, further characterized in that the analog-digital converter receives a voltage signal that converts into digital data representing the fuel level in liters, to send said data through an RS232 port annexed to it to form the interface.

5. - The remote monitoring device in real time position and fuel level of a vehicle according to claim 1, further characterized in that the RS232 cable carries the digital data corresponding to the fuel level to the GSM / GPRS module that transmits said data towards a GSM cellular network.

6. - The remote monitoring device in real time position and fuel level of a vehicle according to claim 1, further characterized in that the waveguide or tube is located just below the sensor so that its interior hollow travel and return the ultrasonic radiation emitted by the sensor that measures the return time.

7. - The device for real time remote monitoring of position and fuel level of a vehicle according to claim 1, further characterized because the GSM / GPRS module sends the information at predetermined real-time 6 minute intervals.

8. - The device for remote real-time monitoring of position and fuel level of a vehicle according to claim 1, further characterized in that the GSM / GPRS module sends the global position, the time and the fuel level in a single event.

9. - A remote monitoring device in real time of position and fuel level of a vehicle that consists of: a fuel tank with an ultrasonic sensor located inside the tank; a conventional harness that connects the sensor with an analog-digital converter or interface; an analog-digital converter provided with an RS232 port, which converts the sensor's voltages into digital data to be sent through the port; an RS232 cable that connects the analog-digital converter port with a GSM / GPRS communication module to send the information to the cellular network at predetermined real-time intervals; a GSM / GPRS communication module provided with a GPS position sensor and a cellular GSM modem that sends the position information and fuel level in a single event; Rechargeable lithium batteries together with an appropriate regulator as backup for the power supply of the device in the event of accidental or deliberate disconnection of the vehicle battery.