Systems and methods for monitoring and controlling fuel systems
Systems and methods may be provided for monitoring a fuel level of a vehicle. The fuel may be a gaseous fuel, such as natural gas. An electronic control unit may be able to receive a signal from one or more sensors. The electronic control unit may provide a command to drive a fuel gauge to display the fuel level. The electronic control unit may determine the gauge command based on the received signal and a filling compensation scheme. The electronic control unit may be initialized through a user interface. A filling compensation scheme may be selected during initialization. The electronic control unit may be capable of communicating various sensors, gauges, devices, controls and/or other ECUs of varying specifications.
1. A method for determining an amount of fuel in a gaseous fuel containing device, the method comprising:
initializing an electronic control unit to operate with a sensor configured to monitor a condition of the gaseous fuel containing device and/or a fuel gauge;
placing the electronic control unit in communication with the sensor and the fuel gauge;
receiving, at the electronic control unit, an input for a selected compensation scheme chosen from a plurality of compensation schemes;
receiving, at the electronic control unit, a first signal from the sensor;
calculating the amount of fuel in the gaseous fuel containing device based on the input, the first signal, and/or stored data, the amount being calculated with reference to the selected compensation scheme corresponding to the input; and
causing the fuel gauge to display the amount of fuel in the gaseous fuel containing device.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising measuring a pressure within the gaseous fuel containing device using the sensor.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising measuring a temperature of the fuel in the gaseous fuel containing device using the sensor.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising measuring an ambient temperature using the sensor.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving, at the electronic control unit, the input for the selected compensation scheme occurs prior to operation of a vehicle.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of compensation schemes comprises an instruction for providing a gauge command.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the amount of fuel in the gaseous fuel containing device comprises accounting for non-linearity of gas compressibility.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the amount of fuel in the gaseous fuel containing device comprises performing one or more algorithm.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying the amount of fuel in the gaseous fuel containing device in volume measurements.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying the amount of fuel in the gaseous fuel containing device in percentages and/or fractions.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising calibrating a look up table comprising at least one gauge command.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising programming the electronic control unit to operate with another sensor and/or another fuel gauge.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein initializing the electronic control unit comprises setting up the fuel gauge.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein initializing the electronic control unit comprises performing diagnostics.
15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising monitoring a filter change.
16. A method for determining an amount of fuel in a gaseous fuel containing device, the method comprising:
configuring an electronic control unit to:
communicate with a sensor, the sensor configured to monitor a condition of the gaseous fuel containing device and a fuel gauge;
receive an input for a selected compensation scheme chosen from a plurality of compensation schemes;
receive a first signal from the sensor;
calculate the amount of fuel in the gaseous fuel containing device based on the input, the first signal, and/or stored data, the amount being calculated with reference to the selected compensation scheme corresponding to the input; and
cause the fuel gauge to display the amount of fuel in the gaseous fuel containing device.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising initializing the electronic control unit to operate with the sensor and/or the fuel gauge.