Vapor recovery system for low temperatures
View Patent ↗A fuel dispensing apparatus for dispensing fuel to a motor vehicle tank comprises a fuel dispensing means, a vapor recovery system for recovering vapor from the motor vehicle tank, and a monitoring system for monitoring the functioning of the vapor recovery system. The monitoring system is arranged to shut off the fuel dispensing means in case of detection of a malfunction in the vapor recovery system. The monitoring system comprises a temperature sensor. The monitoring system is arranged to, in case the temperature measured by the temperature sensor lies in a predetermined temperature range, ignore any detected malfunction and refrain from shutting off the fuel dispensing means.
1. A fuel dispensing apparatus for dispensing fuel to a motor vehicle tank, comprising
a fuel dispensing means,
a vapor recovery system for recovering vapor from the motor vehicle tank, and
a monitoring system adapted to monitor the functioning of the vapor recovery system, which monitoring system is arranged to shut off the fuel dispensing means in case of detection of a malfunction in the vapor recovery system,
wherein the monitoring system comprises a temperature sensor arranged to measure a temperature and a central control unit, the central control unit programmed to ignore the detected malfunction and continue to dispense fuel to the motor vehicle tank by the fuel dispensing means based on the measured temperature being within a predetermined range, the central control unit monitoring system further programmed to shut off the fuel dispensing means so that fuel is stopped from being dispensed to the motor vehicle tank in response to the detected malfunction, based on the measured temperature being outside of the predetermined range.
2. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring system is arranged to shut off the vapor recovery system in case the measured temperature lies in the predetermined temperature range.
3. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor is arranged to measure the temperature of the vapor.
4. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the temperature sensor is arranged to measure the temperature of the vapor.
5. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor is arranged to measure the ambient temperature.
6. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the temperature sensor is arranged to measure the ambient temperature.
7. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined temperature range is below about −10° C.
8. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the predetermined temperature range is below about −10° C.
9. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the predetermined temperature range is below about −10° C.
10. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the predetermined temperature range is below about −10° C.
11. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the predetermined temperature range is below about −10° C.
12. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the predetermined temperature range is below about −10° C.
13. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the predetermined temperature range is below about −10° C.
14. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor is part of a vapor measuring means, which in turn is part of the vapor recovery system, which measuring means is in the form of a fluidistor.
15. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the temperature sensor is part of a vapor measuring means, which in turn is part of the vapor recovery system, which measuring means is in the form of a fluidistor.
16. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the temperature sensor is part of a vapor measuring means, which in turn is part of the vapor recovery system, which measuring means is in the form of a fluidistor.
17. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the temperature sensor is part of a vapor measuring means, which in turn is part of the vapor recovery system, which measuring means is in the form of a fluidistor.
18. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the temperature sensor is part of a vapor measuring means, which in turn is part of the vapor recovery system, which measuring means is in the form of a fluidistor.
19. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the temperature sensor is part of a vapor measuring means, which in turn is part of the vapor recovery system, which measuring means is in the form of a fluidistor.
20. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the temperature sensor is part of a vapor measuring means, which in turn is part of the vapor recovery system, which measuring means is in the form of a fluidistor.
21. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the temperature sensor is part of a vapor measuring means, which in turn is part of the vapor recovery system, which measuring means is in the form of a fluidistor.
22. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the temperature sensor is part of a vapor measuring means, which in turn is part of the vapor recovery system, which measuring means is in the form of a fluidistor.
23. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the temperature sensor is part of a vapor measuring means, which in turn is part of the vapor recovery system, which measuring means is in the form of a fluidistor.
24. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the temperature sensor is part of a vapor measuring means, which in turn is part of the vapor recovery system, which measuring means is in the form of a fluidistor.
25. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the temperature sensor is part of a vapor measuring means, which in turn is part of the vapor recovery system, which measuring means is in the form of a fluidistor.
26. A fuel dispensing apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the temperature sensor is part of a vapor measuring means, which in turn is part of the vapor recovery system, which measuring means is in the form of a fluidistor.
27. A fuel dispensing method, comprising the steps of
dispensing fuel to a motor vehicle tank by a fuel dispensing means,
recovering vapor from the motor vehicle tank by a vapor recovery system,
monitoring the functioning of the vapor recovery system by a monitoring system,
detecting, by the monitoring system, a malfunction in the vapor recovery system,
measuring a temperature,
based on the measured temperature being within a predetermined range, ignoring the detected malfunction and continuing to dispense fuel to the motor vehicle tank by the fuel dispensing means, and
based on the measured temperature being outside of the predetermined range, responding to the detected malfunction by shutting off the fuel dispensing means so that fuel is stopped from being dispensed to the motor vehicle tank.
28. A fuel dispensing method according to claim 27 , further comprising the step of, based on the measured temperature being within the predetermined range, shutting off the vapor recovery system.
29. A fuel dispensing method according to claim 27 , wherein the measured temperature is the temperature of the fuel.
30. A fuel dispensing method according to claim 28 , wherein the measured temperature is the temperature of the fuel.
31. A fuel dispensing method according to claim 27 , wherein the measured temperature is the ambient temperature.
32. A fuel dispensing method according to claim 28 , wherein the measured temperature is the ambient temperature.
33. A fuel dispensing method according to claim 27 , wherein the predetermined temperature range is below about −10° C.
34. A fuel dispensing method according to claim 28 , wherein the predetermined temperature range is below about −10° C.
35. A fuel dispensing method according to claim 29 , wherein the predetermined temperature range is below about −10° C.
36. A fuel dispensing method according to claim 30 , wherein the predetermined temperature range is below about −10° C.