Electric fueling system for a vehicle that requires a metered amount of fuel
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B65B-003/04
B65B-031/00
B64D-037/00
출원번호
US-0271527
(2008-11-14)
등록번호
US-8225822
(2012-07-24)
발명자
/ 주소
Erben, Erik M
Trujillo, Janet
Wong, Jonathan M
출원인 / 주소
Honeywell International Inc.
대리인 / 주소
Shumaker & Sieffert, P.A.
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
2인용 특허 :
21
초록▼
An electric fueling system for a vehicle that requires a metered amount of fuel comprising: a control box comprising a plurality of switches, a battery, a controller circuit card assembly, and a plurality of light emitting diodes; a flow meter coupled to the control box and to a vehicle; a pump coup
An electric fueling system for a vehicle that requires a metered amount of fuel comprising: a control box comprising a plurality of switches, a battery, a controller circuit card assembly, and a plurality of light emitting diodes; a flow meter coupled to the control box and to a vehicle; a pump coupled to the flow meter, to the control box, and to a fuel canister; and a housing that contains the control box, flow meter, and pump. The controller circuit card assembly has control logic such that the controller circuit card assembly manages the functions of setting the fuel level, de-fueling the vehicle, fueling the vehicle, and changing the brightness of the light emitting diodes, wherein the control logic receives inputs from the plurality of switches, the flow meter, the battery, and the pump and provides outputs to the plurality of light emitting diodes and the pump.
대표청구항▼
1. An electric fueling system for a vehicle, the electric fueling system comprising: a fuel canister;a control box comprising: a plurality of switches, wherein at least one of the switches of the plurality of switches is configured to receive user input indicating a desired fuel level of the vehicle
1. An electric fueling system for a vehicle, the electric fueling system comprising: a fuel canister;a control box comprising: a plurality of switches, wherein at least one of the switches of the plurality of switches is configured to receive user input indicating a desired fuel level of the vehicle,a battery,a controller circuit card assembly configured to receive user input via the plurality of switches, anda plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the controller circuit card is configured to provide an output to the plurality of light emitting diodes;a flow meter coupled to the control box and to the vehicle, wherein the flow meter is configured to measure an amount of fuel delivered to the vehicle;a pump coupled to the flow meter, to the control box, and to the fuel canister, wherein the pump is configured to de-fuel and refuel the vehicle; anda housing that contains the control box, the flow meter, and the pump,wherein the controller circuit card assembly is configured to control fueling and de-fueling of the vehicle based on the user input and input from the flow meter, and provide an output to the pump. 2. An electric fueling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of switches includes a SET FUEL switch that is configured to receive user input indicating a fuel level dispensed into the vehicle, a FUEL switch that is configured to receive user input that activates a fuel operation comprising at least one of a refuel operation or a de-fuel operation, a DE-FUEL switch that is configured to receive user input that activates the de-fuel operation, and a DAY/NIGHT toggle switch that is configured to control a brightness associated with at least one light emitting diode of the plurality of light emitting diodes. 3. An electric fueling system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes includes a ten segment array of light emitting diodes to indicate a fuel level, a light emitting diode to indicate whether the FUEL switch is activated, a light emitting diode to indicate whether the DE-FUEL switch is activated, and a 3 segment array of light emitting diodes to indicate a battery level of the battery. 4. An electric fueling system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the controller circuit card assembly comprises control logic configured to manage a plurality of functions including setting the fuel level, de-fueling the vehicle, fueling the vehicle, and changing a brightness associated with the at least one light emitting diode of the plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the control logic is configured to receive one or more inputs from at least one of the plurality of switches, the flow meter, the battery, and the pump, and provide one or more outputs to the plurality of light emitting diodes and the pump based on the one or more inputs. 5. An electric fueling system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a filter placed inline between the pump and the fuel canister; anda header tank placed inline between the flow meter and the vehicle. 6. An electric fueling system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the vehicle, wherein the vehicle is an unmanned aerial vehicle. 7. A method for fueling a ducted fan unmanned aerial vehicle using an electric fueling system, the method comprising: equalizing static electricity between the unmannned aerial vehicle and the ground;attaching a first fuel line from the electric fueling system to a fuel canister, wherein the electric fueling system comprises (a) a control box comprising a plurality of switches, a battery, a controller circuit card assembly, and a plurality of light emitting diodes, (b) a flow meter coupled to the control box and to the unmanned aerial vehicle, (c) a pump coupled to the flow meter, to the control box, and to the fuel canister, and (d) a housing that contains the control box, flow meter, and pump, wherein the plurality of switches include a SET FUEL switch, DE-FUEL switch, FUEL switch, and DAY/NIGHT toggle switch;attaching a second fuel line from the electric fueling system to the unmanned aerial vehicle;applying power to the electric fueling system;setting the fuel level, if necessary, via a SET FUEL switch;de-fueling the unmanned aerial vehicle;fueling the unmanned aerial vehicle; andin response to a stop condition being indicated on one of the plurality of light emitting diodes, disconnecting the electric fueling system from the unmanned aerial vehicle and from the fuel canister. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein setting the fuel level comprises the steps of: determining whether the desired set fuel level is 100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, or 20%; andin response to this determination, starting at a default set fuel level of 100% and, if the desired set fuel level is less than 100%, pressing the SET FUEL switch to decrease the default set fuel level in 20% increments until the desired set fuel level is reached, wherein, when the set fuel level is at 20% and the SET FUEL switch is pressed once more, the set fuel level returns to 100%. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein de-fueling and fueling the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises the steps of: pressing the FUEL switch;setting the DE-FUEL and FUEL light emitting diodes to ON;setting the fuel pump to a reverse flow mode;pumping fuel from the unmanned aerial vehicle into the fuel canister;monitoring fuel flow rate and time at the flow meter to verify whether the fuel flow rate is low or zero;if the fuel flow rate is low or zero, incrementing a low de-fuel counter to determine whether the low de-fuel counter is greater than or equal to 45 seconds; if the low de-fuel counter is less than 45 seconds, returning to the step of monitoring fuel flow rate and time at the flow meter to verify whether the fuel flow rate is low or zero;if the low de-fuel counter is greater than or equal to 45 seconds, setting the DE-FUEL light emitting diode to OFF and proceeding to a step of setting the fuel pump to a forward flow mode;if the fuel flow rate is not low or zero, resetting the counter and determining whether the total time is greater than 4 minutes; if the total time to de-fuel is greater than 4 minutes, activating an emergency stop;if the total time to de-fuel is less than or equal to 4 minutes, incrementing total time and returning to the step of monitoring fuel flow rate and time at the flow meter to verify whether the fuel flow rate is low or zero;setting the fuel pump to a forward flow mode;pumping fuel from the fuel canister to the unmanned aerial vehicle;monitoring fuel flow rate and dispersed fuel level at the flow meter to verify whether the dispersed fuel level is at the set fuel level; andif the dispersed fuel level is greater than or equal to the set fuel level, setting the FUEL light emitting diode to OFF;if the dispersed fuel level is less than the set fuel level, determining whether the fuel flow rate is greater than or equal to a pre-set low/no fuel rate; if the fuel flow rate is greater than or equal to the pre-set low/no fuel flow rate, returning to the step of monitoring fuel flow rate and dispersed fuel level at the flow meter to verify whether the dispersed fuel level is at the set fuel level;if the fuel flow rate is less than the pre-set low/no fuel flow rate, activating an emergency stop. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: after the step of applying power, toggling between a DAY mode and a NIGHT mode by pressing the DAY/NIGHT toggle switch, wherein toggling between a DAY mode and a NIGHT mode comprises determining whether the switch is set to DAY mode, and, if the switch is set to DAY mode, setting the brightness of the light emitting diodes to DAY mode, and, if the switch is not set to DAY mode, setting the brightness of the light emitting diodes to NIGHT mode. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: after the step of toggling between a DAY mode and a NIGHT mode, initializing the controller circuit card assembly that comprises the steps of starting a blink timer, setting the fuel level to 100%, waiting for a predetermined amount of time set on the blink timer, and querying whether the SET FUEL, DE-FUEL, FUEL, or DAY/NIGHT toggle switch is pressed, then if one of the switches is pressed, performing the associated operation, otherwise returning to the step of waiting for a predetermined amount of time set on the blink timer. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes includes a ten segment array of light emitting diodes to indicate FUEL LEVEL, a light emitting diode to indicate whether the FUEL switch is activated, a light emitting diode to indicate whether the DE-FUEL switch is activated, and a 3 segment array of light emitting diodes to indicate battery level, and wherein the DE-FUEL or FUEL light emitting diodes each blink in response to input from the blink timer while the system is de-fueling or fueling, respectively, during normal operation. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes blink at a faster rate than during normal operation in response to activation of the emergency stop. 14. A method for de-fueling a ducted fan unmanned aerial vehicle using an electric fueling system, the method comprising: equalizing static electricity between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the ground;attaching a first fuel line from the electric fueling system to a fuel canister, wherein the electric fueling system comprises (a) a control box comprising a plurality of switches, a battery, a controller circuit card assembly, and a plurality of light emitting diodes, (b) a flow meter coupled to the control box and to the unmanned aerial vehicle, (c) a pump coupled to the flow meter, to the control box, and to the fuel canister, and (d) a housing that contains the control box, flow meter, and pump, wherein the plurality of switches include a SET FUEL switch, DE-FUEL switch, FUEL switch, and DAY/NIGHT toggle switch;attaching a second fuel line from the electric fueling system to the unmanned aerial vehicle;applying power to the electric fueling system;de-fueling the unmanned aerial vehicle; andin response to a stop condition being indicated on one of the plurality of the light emitting diodes, disconnecting the electric fueling system from the unmanned aerial vehicle and from the fuel canister. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein de-fueling the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises the steps of: pressing the DE-FUEL switch;setting the DE-FUEL light emitting diode to ON;setting the fuel pump to a reverse flow mode;pumping fuel from the unmanned aerial vehicle into the fuel canister;monitoring fuel flow rate and time at the flow meter to verify whether the fuel flow rate is low or zero; andif the fuel flow rate is low or zero, incrementing a low de-fuel counter to determine whether the low de-fuel counter is greater than or equal to 45 seconds;if the low de-fuel counter is less than 45 seconds, returning to the step of monitoring fuel flow rate and time at the flow meter to verify whether the fuel flow rate is low or zero;if the low de-fuel counter is greater than or equal to 45 seconds, setting the DE-FUEL light emitting diode to OFF;if the fuel flow rate is not low or zero, resetting the counter and determining whether the total time to de-fuel is greater than 4 minutes;if the total time to de-fuel is greater than 4 minutes, activating an emergency stop;if the total time to de-fuel is less than or equal to 4 minutes, incrementing total time to de-fuel and returning to the step of monitoring fuel flow rate and time at the flow meter to verify whether the fuel flow rate is low or zero. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: after the step of applying power, toggling between a DAY mode and a NIGHT mode by pressing the DAY/NIGHT toggle switch, wherein toggling between a DAY mode and a NIGHT mode comprises determining whether the switch is set to DAY mode, and, if the switch is set to DAY mode, setting the brightness of the light emitting diodes to DAY mode, and, if the switch is not set to DAY mode, setting the brightness of the light emitting diodes to NIGHT mode. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: after the step of toggling between a DAY mode and a NIGHT mode, initializing the controller circuit card assembly that comprises the steps of starting a blink timer, setting the fuel level to 100%, waiting for a predetermined amount of time set on the blink timer, and querying whether the SET FUEL, DE-FUEL, FUEL, or DAY/NIGHT toggle switch is pressed, then if the one of the switches is pressed, performing the associated operation, otherwise returning to the step of waiting for a predetermined amount of time set on the blink timer. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes includes a ten segment array of light emitting diodes to indicate FUEL LEVEL, a light emitting diode to indicate whether the FUEL switch is activated, a light emitting diode to indicate whether the DE-FUEL switch is activated, and a 3 segment array of light emitting diodes to indicate battery level, and wherein the DE-FUEL light emitting diode blinks in response to input from the blink timer while the system is de-fueling during normal operation. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes blink at a faster rate than during normal operation in response to activation of the emergency stop.
Cycon James P. (Orange CT) Rosen Kenneth M. (Guilford CT) Whyte Andrew C. (Norwalk CT), Unmanned flight vehicle including counter rotating rotors positioned within a toroidal shroud and operable to provide al.
Ebbert Marvin D. (San Diego CA) Gustin Russell G. (Jamul CA) Horbett Edward G. (San Diego CA) Edwards Jack J. (El Cajon CA) Adcock Clifton L. (San Diego CA), Unmanned vertical take-off and landing, horizontal cruise, air vehicle.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.