WO2001033386A2 - Systeme et procede de gestion de stock - Google Patents

Systeme et procede de gestion de stock Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2001033386A2
WO2001033386A2 PCT/CA2000/001232 CA0001232W WO0133386A2 WO 2001033386 A2 WO2001033386 A2 WO 2001033386A2 CA 0001232 W CA0001232 W CA 0001232W WO 0133386 A2 WO0133386 A2 WO 0133386A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
fuel
pumps
volume
pump
consolidator
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/CA2000/001232
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2001033386A3 (fr
Inventor
John Robert Lowndes
Original Assignee
Timeline Technology Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Timeline Technology Inc. filed Critical Timeline Technology Inc.
Priority to AU78966/00A priority Critical patent/AU7896600A/en
Publication of WO2001033386A2 publication Critical patent/WO2001033386A2/fr
Publication of WO2001033386A3 publication Critical patent/WO2001033386A3/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
    • G06Q10/087—Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an inventory management system and method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for managing and controlling the inventory of a fueling station, such as a motor vehicle fuel sales station.
  • a fuel inventory management system comprising: a probe to determine the volume of fuel in a storage tank; at least two fuel sales pumps each operable to deliver a volume of fuel from said storage tank to a consumer and to measure said volume of fuel delivered; at least two accumulators, each accumulator operable to store data representing the measured delivered volume from each respective pump; a consolidator operable to determine differences between changes in volume indicated by said probe and said measured delivered volumes from said at least two accumulators for each of said at least two fuel sale pumps; and a storage device to store said determined differences, said consolidator operable to employ said stored determined differences to create a corrected consolidation between volume changes in said storage tank and fuel volumes delivered by said at least two fuel pumps.
  • a method of managing fuel inventory at a fuel delivery station including a fuel storage tank and at least two fuel delivery pumps comprising the steps of:
  • Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a prior art reconciliation system for a service station
  • FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of an inventory control system in accordance with the present invention
  • FIG 3 shows a flowchart of the operation of the inventory control system of Figure 2.
  • FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of another embodiment of an inventory control system in accordance with the present invention.
  • Figure 1 shows a prior art reconciliation system 36.
  • System 36 includes a tank level probe 40 which produces an output 44 which indicates the level of fuel in a storage tank 48.
  • Output 44 can be processed, manually or automatically, to determine the volume of fuel in tank 48 by considering the known geometry of tank 48.
  • Probe 40 can also provide temperature information so that temperature compensation can be performed for the volume of fuel in tank 48.
  • Tank 48 has one or more fuel delivery lines 52 which feed one or more fuel sales pumps 56.
  • Each fuel sales pump 56 includes a flow meter 60 that provides an output 64 representing the volume of fuel which flows through pump 56.
  • Outputs 64 are applied to an accumulator 68 which provides an output 72 representing the total volume of fuel which the pumps have delivered, i.e. - the sum of the volumes represented by outputs 64, in a selected time period.
  • Reconciliation is then performed between the change in volume of fuel in storage tank 48 and the volume of fuel delivered by pumps 56 over some period of time, for example a two day period.
  • a reconciliation error of 1% to 2% of the total fuel delivered by pumps 56 may have to be accepted. This error can result from temperature compensation errors at pumps 56, inaccuracies in the geometry of storage tank 48 employed to determine the volume of fuel in tank 48, leakage from storage tank 48 or fuel delivery lines 52, drift and/or inaccuracies in flow meters 60, etc.
  • FIG. 2 shows an inventory management system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention wherein like components to those shown in Figure 1 are indicated with like reference numerals.
  • the output 64 of each flow meter 60 is applied to its own accumulator 104.
  • Accumulators 104 are connected to a consolidator 108, which is also connected to the output 44 of probe 40.
  • Consolidator 108 can be any suitable device for operating on the data outputs from accumulators 104 and output 44 from probe 40 to consolidate the inventory.
  • consolidator 108 is a ruggedized general purpose computer, such as an IBM PC compatible computer in an industrial enclosure, which executes a program, as described below, to consolidate inventory.
  • accumulators 104 can be memory or other data storage in the computer.
  • consolidator 108 is a general purpose computer which is located at a remote location from the service station and which receives the data outputs via a suitable communications network, such as the Internet, a dedicated telecommunications link or by physical transfer of a tape, disk or the like holding the necessary information.
  • a single consolidator 108 can be placed in a remote location and employed to consolidate inventory at a variety of service stations. This embodiment also allows inventory to be consolidated at a higher level, such as on an enterprise-wide basis.
  • consolidator 108 operates to consolidate the changes in volume of fuel in a storage tank 48, as indicated by output 44, with the volumes of fuel sold, as indicated by the values of outputs 64 for each corresponding pump 56, as stored in accumulators 104. Consolidator 108 compares measured volumes of fuel sold from each operating pump 56 with the volume changes indicated by output 44 to determine differences between these volumes, which differences are stored, as described below, and used to produce a corrected consolidation 112. In the simplest case, a single pump (e.g. - pump 56a) is operating and consolidator
  • 108 compares the decrease in volume in tank 48 with the volume of fuel sold, as indicated by accumulator 104 for that pump. Any discrepancies between the two volumes are noted and stored by consolidator 108 for that pump.
  • two pumps e.g. - pumps 56a and 56b
  • consolidator 108 will compare the total volume of fuel sold, as indicated by the two pumps, with the change in volume of the fuel in storage tank 48. Again, any discrepancies between the two volumes are noted and stored by consolidator 108 for those pumps.
  • multiple pumps are operating (e.g.
  • consolidator 108 determines the total volume being sold, as indicated by the operating pumps, and compares this volume to the change in volume of fuel in storage tank 48. Again, any determined discrepancies are noted and stored by consolidator 108.
  • consolidator 108 can make a variety of determinations. For example, consolidator 108 can have a stored discrepancy ⁇ a for pump 56a O 01/33386
  • Consolidator 108 can also have a stored discrepancy ⁇ ac for pumps 56a and 56c which indicates that these two pumps indicate that they have delivered a total volume of 1% less fuel than has been removed from storage tank 48. By considering these two discrepancies, consolidator 108 can derive that pump 56c must be delivering a total volume of 1% more fuel than it indicates is has removed from storage tank 48. As will be apparent to those of skill in the art, by determining discrepancies for each possible combination of pumps operating, consolidator 108 can make accurate determinations of the errors in measurements by each pump and errors in measurements by probe 40. The errors determined for each pump 56 and for probe 40 can then be employed by consolidator 108 to provide a corrected reconciliation between the volume of fuel sold and the volume of fuel removed from the storage tank.
  • FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the process employed by system 100.
  • a request is received and authorization for operation of a sales pump is performed. This request can result from a customer operating a self-serve pump or from a pump operator at a full serve station and the authorization enables the pump to commence a sale.
  • the starting volume for storage tank 48 is determined, either from probe 40 or from previously stored volume information and is stored as V st _ ⁇ n at step 204.
  • the volume sold from all of the operating pumps is recorded.
  • the process loops at step 212, back to step 208, updating the recorded volume of fuel sold, until either a sale from an operating pump is complete or until a request to authorize another pump is received. If either test at step 212 is true, the process determines the change in the volume of fuel in storage tank 48, V, c at step 216.
  • step 220 the process determines the delta (" ⁇ "), which is the difference between the change in volume of fuel in storage tank 48 and the recorded amount of fuel sold by the operating pumps 56.
  • this delta is stored, in a storage location corresponding to the pumps 56 which were operating, and V start is determined again.
  • step 228 a determination is made as to whether any pumps 56 remain operating. If at least one pump 56 remains operating, a determination is made at step 232 as to whether a request to authorize a pump is pending. If such a request is pending, the pump is authorized at step 236 and the process proceeds to step 208 where the volume of fuel sold by the operating pumps 56 is recorded.
  • step 228 If, at step 228 it is determined that no pumps 56 remain operating, the process waits at step 200 to receive an authorization request or to service a pending request.
  • undo a request.
  • undo a request.
  • undo a request.
  • undo a request.
  • undo a request.
  • undo a request.
  • step -6 As an example of the process of Figure 3, assume that a request for authorization of pump 56a is received and the pump is authorized at step 200. W aan is determined to be ten thousand litres at step 204 and pump 56a commences its sale and the volume of fuel sold is recorded at step 208 from the flow meter 60 in pump 56a. As pump 56a indicates that twenty-five litres of fuel have been sold, and the process is looping at step 212, a request for authorization of pump 56c is received. As a condition at step 212 is now true, the process proceeds to step-216 wherein V,_ is determined to be nine thousand, nine hundred and twenty-six litres.
  • ⁇ . is determined to be minus one litre or -4% (i.e. (25-26)/25) and is stored in a storage location for pump 56a in consolidator 108 and s ⁇ is set to nine thousand, nine hundred and twenty-six litres.
  • a determination is made at step 228 that at least one pump remains operating (in this example pump 56a is still operating) and the process proceeds to step 232 wherein it is determined that a pump, in this example pump 56c, requires authorization. Pump 56c is authorized at step 236 and the process proceeds to loop between steps 208 and 212.
  • the sale from pump 56a has completed (indicated for example by deactivating the control lever for the pump)
  • one of the conditions at step 212 is true (e.g. - a sale has been completed) and the process proceeds to step 216 wherein V tc is determined to be nine thousand, eight hundred and eighty-five litres.
  • the recorded volume of fuel sold indicated by the respective flow meters 60 of pumps 56a and 56c is determined to be forty-three litres.
  • ⁇ ac is determined to be minus two litres or -4.9% (i.e. (41-43)/41) and is stored in a storage location for pumps 56a and 56c in consolidator 108 and V ⁇ is set to nine thousand, eight hundred and eighty-five litres.
  • step 228 A determination is made at step 228 that at least one pump remains operating (pump 56c is still operating) and the process proceeds to step 232 wherein it is determined that no pump is awaiting authorization. The process thus proceeds to loop at steps 208 and 212 until the sale from pump 56c is completed. As a condition at step 212 is now true, the process proceeds to step 216 wherein V lc is determined to be nine thousand, eight hundred, seventy-five and nine one hundredths litres. In the period between completion of the sale from pump 56a and completion of the sale of fuel from pump 56c, the recorded volume of fuel sold indicated by flow meter 60 of pump 56c, is ten litres.
  • ⁇ c is determined to be minus nine one-hundredths of a litre or - 0.09% (i.e. (9.91-10)/9.91) and is stored in a storage location for pump 56c in consolidator 108 and V , perhaps is set to nine thousand, eight hundred and seventy-five and nine one hundredths litres.
  • a determination is made at step 228 that no pumps remain operating and the process proceeds to step 200 where a request for authorization is awaited.
  • consolidator 108 has data for ⁇ _, ⁇ a _ and ⁇ c .
  • consolidator 108 will eventually have data for each combination of pumps, i.e. - ⁇ a , ⁇ b , ⁇ c , ⁇ d , ⁇ ab , ⁇ ac , ⁇ ad , ⁇ , ⁇ M , ⁇ , ⁇ - b -, ⁇ abd , ⁇ 3C(1 , ⁇ and ⁇ abcd . It is however contemplated that in many cases, especially where more than four pumps are present, this will be more data than required for a desired degree of accuracy and that fewer deltas can be stored.
  • a sufficient set of deltas can be a delta for each individual pump and for each pair of pumps. Any additional information can be derived from such a set of deltas. Of course, other appropriate and sufficient sets of deltas will be apparent to those of skill in the art.
  • consolidator 108 can produce a corrected consolidation 112, representing to a high degree of accuracy the actual amount of fuel sold and fuel held in inventory.
  • each ⁇ for a pump, or combination of pumps can be updated each time at least a portion of a sale involving the pump, or pumps, occurs. It can also be desired to weight changes to each ⁇ over some selected time period or sales volume to average the ⁇ 's, thus avoiding spikes or swings in their values which may occur due to anomalous events.
  • leaks in tank 48 or supply lines 52 can be detected. Such leaks can be determined, for example, by examining the magnitude of the ⁇ 's. In this example, one or more pumps 56 with large ⁇ 's would be tested and recalibrated and the ⁇ 's again determined. If large ⁇ 's still occur, a leak or other problem must exist.
  • FIG 4 shows an inventory management system 300 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention wherein like components to those shown in Figure 2 are indicated with like reference numerals.
  • consolidator 108 supplies an error correction signal 304 to each pump 56.
  • modem fuel sales pumps are microprocessor based systems wherein the output of the flow meter 60 in a pump 56 is converted from a pulse train or other output signal into a sales volume which is displayed to the purchaser.
  • a corresponding error correction signal 304 can be created by consolidator 108 and transmitted to the pump 56. For example, one hundred pulses from a flow meter 60 may nominally represent one litre of fuel sold.
  • Consolidator 108 may determine that ⁇ a , for pump 56a, is -10% (i.e. - pump 56a is delivering 10% less fuel than it otherwise indicates) and an error correction signal 304 can be applied to pump 56a such that now one hundred and ten pulses will represent one litre of fuel sold.
  • error correction signals 304 can be applied to pumps 56 at appropriate intervals, such as after each sale, or each day, etc.
  • modem fuel sales pumps are in fact multi-pump (allowing more than one user to purchase fuel at a time) and/or multi-product (allowing dispensing of different fuel blends, such as regular or premium fuels) units.
  • pump is intended to comprise any mechanism for dispensing and metering a fuel to a purchaser.
  • a multi-pump unit is considered to be multiple pumps, each having its own ⁇ .
  • a multi-product pump if it has only a single flow meter 60 which is used to measure each product, can be considered to be a single pump and can have a single ⁇ which is used irrespective of the product dispensed.

Abstract

Système et procédé de gestion de stock pour la consolidation du stock de carburant dans une cuve de stockage de carburant vendu par une ou plusieurs pompes à carburant. Le système détermine une valeur delta correspondant à des différences déterminées entre des variations dans le volume de carburant stocké dans la cuve de stockage et le volume de carburant indiqué comme étant distribué par une ou plusieurs pompes alimentées par ladite cuve de stockage. Ces valeurs deltas sont mémorisées et sont utilisées par un consolidateur en vue de fournir une consolidation corrigée du stock. Les valeurs deltas sont mémorisées pour chaque pompe et peuvent également être mémorisées pour des combinaisons de pompes fonctionnant simultanément. Le consolidateur peut également employer les valeurs deltas pour fournir un facteur correcteur d'erreur pour chaque pompe, ledit facteur pouvant être appliqué à la pompe pour corriger et réduire le delta. Le consolidateur peut être situé au même emplacement que la cuve de stockage et les pompes, ou situé à distance et connecté au site par un réseau, une liaison télécom, ou bien l'information appropriée peut être fournie au consolidateur via des moyens physiques tels que disque, bande, etc.
PCT/CA2000/001232 1999-10-29 2000-10-27 Systeme et procede de gestion de stock WO2001033386A2 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU78966/00A AU7896600A (en) 1999-10-29 2000-10-27 Inventory management system and method

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA2,288,396 1999-10-29
CA 2288396 CA2288396A1 (fr) 1999-10-29 1999-10-29 Systeme et methode de gestion d'inventaire

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WO2001033386A2 true WO2001033386A2 (fr) 2001-05-10
WO2001033386A3 WO2001033386A3 (fr) 2002-05-16

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CA (1) CA2288396A1 (fr)
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Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2431490A (en) * 2005-10-19 2007-04-25 Hewlett Packard Development Co Data consolidation
US7490108B2 (en) 2005-10-19 2009-02-10 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Data consolidation

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AU2014201257A1 (en) * 2013-12-23 2015-07-09 Liquip International Pty Limited Liquid management system

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0315738A2 (fr) * 1987-11-09 1989-05-17 Tokheim Corporation Système d'étalonnage et d'essai automatiques de compteur
US5297423A (en) * 1992-07-27 1994-03-29 Integrated Product Systems, Inc. Storage tank and line leakage detection and inventory reconciliation method
US5665895A (en) * 1995-06-02 1997-09-09 Veeder-Root Company Apparatus and method for calibrating a storage tank
US5757664A (en) * 1996-06-04 1998-05-26 Warren Rogers Associates, Inc. Method and apparatus for monitoring operational performance of fluid storage systems

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0315738A2 (fr) * 1987-11-09 1989-05-17 Tokheim Corporation Système d'étalonnage et d'essai automatiques de compteur
US5297423A (en) * 1992-07-27 1994-03-29 Integrated Product Systems, Inc. Storage tank and line leakage detection and inventory reconciliation method
US5665895A (en) * 1995-06-02 1997-09-09 Veeder-Root Company Apparatus and method for calibrating a storage tank
US5757664A (en) * 1996-06-04 1998-05-26 Warren Rogers Associates, Inc. Method and apparatus for monitoring operational performance of fluid storage systems

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2431490A (en) * 2005-10-19 2007-04-25 Hewlett Packard Development Co Data consolidation
US7490108B2 (en) 2005-10-19 2009-02-10 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Data consolidation

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2001033386A3 (fr) 2002-05-16
AU7896600A (en) 2001-05-14
CA2288396A1 (fr) 2001-04-29

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