IE20160227A1 - An oil tank monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an oil tank monitoring system for determining the level of oil (1) in an oil tank (2) comprising a monitoring unit (3) and an associated remote receiver (4), the monitoring unit (3) comprising a level sensor for detecting the level of oil (1) in the oil tank (2) and a transmitter for communicating oil level information to the receiver (4), the oil tank monitoring system comprising means for mounting the monitoring unit (3) inside the oil tank (2) on an inner surface of a lid (7) closing the oil tank (2).

Description

COPY 1 6 0 2 7 AS £LflDGED -1- “An oil tank monitoring system” introduction 5 The present invention relates generally to heating systems, and more particularly to oil-based heating systems.

Many heating systems in domestic dwellings, schools and the like use oil as their fuel which is generally stored in small tanks located outside the building or in the ground near the building. in order to insure that an adequate supply of fuel is available to the 10 building iumace, each fuel tank must be periodically refilled by making a fuel oil delivery to the tank location. Fuel oil deliveries are presently made by a central distributor utilizing fuel oil tanker delivery trucks.

Residential fuel oil tanks must be filled before the supply of fuel runs out however it is uneconomicai for the fuel oil distributor to refill the tanks on a set schedule because 15 in many residences the pattern of usage varies widely, for example during the warmer seasons the fuel oil consumption is at a minimum. ln addition, recent trends in energy conservation practices by consumers and alternate energy sources such as solar energy have made fuel oil consumption predictions based on past history even less reliable than they have been in the past. Therefore, a number of prior art oil tank 20 monitoring systems have been developed in order to monitor the fuel—oil level in residential fuel storage tanks.

Generally, these systems communicate iuel~oil level information from a monitoring unit mounted on the oil tank to a remote receiver station, typically mounted within the house. The receiver displays the information relating to the oil level in the oil tank and 25 is designed to report when the fuel-oil level within the customer's oil tank has fallen to a predetermined level so that the customer can schedule a delivery of fuel-oil to replenish the oil tank supply before it runs out.

Commonly used oil tank monitoring systems comprise a monitoring unit mounted on the outside of the oil tank, typically on top of the oil tank by drilling a hole in the top of 30 the oil tank to receive the monitoring unit. However if the oil tank is overfilled the monitoring unit is flooded and will no longer function properly.

Another problem arises in that these systems can be tricky to install and usually require specialised drilling equipment to mount the monitoring unit on the oil tank and often require the service of an installer which increases installation time and cost.

A further problem arises due to theft of oii from the oil storage tank. This is a particular problem in a school, church or business premises where there is nobody about for much of the time.

Therefore there is a need to provide a solution to the problems cited above.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an oil tank monitoring system which can be quickly and easily installed in new and existing tank locations. it is another object of the present invention to provide an oil tank monitoring system simple in construction and low in cost. it is yet another object of the present invention to provide an oil tank monitoring system which warns of the occurrence of theft of oil from the oil storage tank.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of the preferred embodiments detailed below.

Statements of invention According to the invention, there is provided an oil tank monitoring system for determining the level of oil in an oil tank comprising a monitoring unit and an associated remote receiver, the monitoring unit comprising a level sensor for detecting the level of oil in the oil tank and a transmitter for communicating oil level information to the receiver, the oil tank monitoring system further comprising means for mounting the monitoring unit inside the oil tank on an inner surface of a lid closing the oil tank.

Advantageously the invention provides an oil tank monitoring system easy to install at a low cost. Furthermore, as the monitoring unit is mounted inside the oil tank on an inner surface of the lid closing the oil tank, the monitoring unit is protected by the lid from damage. Moreover the monitoring unit is located in a space under the lid where there is generally a neck in the oil tank that is above the maximum level of filing the oil tank, thus the monitoring unit can never get flooded by oil even if the oil tank is overfilled.

Another advantage of the invention is that there is no wiring required as the monitoring unit and the receiver communicate by radiosignals. in an embodiment of the invention the means for mounting the monitoring unit inside the oil tank include cooperating realeasably interengageable fastening means for coupling the monitoring unit to the inner surface of the Ho and securing them against each other. in an embodiment the fastening means comprises hook and pile fastening tape strips for mounting on the monitoring unit and the lid for coupling a side of the monitoring unit to an inner surface of the lid and securing them against each other.

The advantage of hook and pile fastening tape strips is that it securely holds the monitoring unit against the inner surface of the iicl. Moreover, hook and pile fastening tape strips are easy to use and do not require qualified personnel to install the monitoring unit of the oil tank monitoring system of the invention. in another embodiment the fastening means is a clip mount comprising corresponding realeasably interengageable male and female parts for mounting on the monitoring unit and the iid for coupling a side of the monitoring unit to an inner surface of the lid and securing them against each other.

The advantage of a clip mount, for exampie plastic clip mount, is that it is easy to use and install and it securely holds the monitoring unit against the inner surface of the lid. in an embodiment the level sensor comprises an emitter and an associated ultrasound detector, the emitter being adapted for generating a sonic pulse towards the surface of the oil within the oil tank, the ultrasound detector being adapted to detect the return echo of the pulse reflected off the surface of the oil.

Advantageously, the level sensor allows measuring and monitoring the oil level in the oil tank. in an embodiment the level sensor measures the oil level in the oil tank at preset time intervats. in an embodiment the receiver is adapted for receiving a signal from the monitoring unit and disoiays a digitai disptay of the amount of oii in the oii tank.

Advantageousiy the receiver can be placed remoteiy from the oit tank in a place that is convenient for the customer. Moreover the digitai dispiay ole-ariy indicates to the customer the ievei of oii in the oit tank and if it is time to order oil. in an embodiment the receiver ptugs into a standard eiectrical socket which provides power to operate the receiver. in an embodiment the oii tank monitoring system further comprises an antenna.

Advantageousty, when the oi? tank is a metai tank and/or is a reiativeiy tong way away from the receiver, the antenna aiiows strengthening and relaying the monitoring units signat to the receiver. indeed depending on the oil tanks thickness and composition, it might biock or interfere with radio waves. Eiectricaity conductive metais such as copper or steei can refiect and absorb the radio waves and consequentiy interferes with their transmission. in an embodiment the oil tank monitoring system comprises an aiarm unit for producing an atarm signal when the monitoring unit detects preset aiarrn conditions inciioating the oii tank is being tampered with. in an embodiment the monitoring unit inciudes a motion sensor associated to the aiarm unit. Advaniageousty the motion sensor is buiit—in the monitoring unit which is mounted on the iid of the oii tank.

Advantageousiy, the motion sensor can detect if the lid is being removed, damaged or tampered with and send an aiarm signai to the receiver that the oi! tank is being damaged or tampered with. in an embodiment the preset alarm conditions indicating the oii tank is being tampered with include the ievei sensor detecting a sudden or continuous oii tevet drop or the motion sensor detecting that the Sid is removed or damaged.

Advantageousiy, in addition to monitoring the levei of oii in the oil tank, the oi! tank - 5 - monitoring system according to the invention is adapted to set off an aiarm at the receiver in the house when there is a dramatic drop in oii levels. in an embodiment the alarm unit inciudes means for ringing or texting a phone in response to a sensed aiarm condition. An incident or a theft can thus advantageously be reported in reai time to the customer.

A second aspect of the invention concerns a kit for forming the oil tank monitoring system as described above comprising a monitoring unit. an associated receiver and mounting means for mounting the monitoring unit to the inner surface of the iid of an oil tank.

Advantageousiy, the kit of parts according to the invention can be easiiy used by manufacturers, instaiiers or customers themselves.

Brief Descrigtion of the Drawings The invention will be more cieariy understood by the foiiowing description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of exampie oniy, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic iiiustration of the oii tank monitoring system according to the invention for monitoring a fuel-oil tank for the heating of a househoid; Figure 2 is a detail view of a monitoring unit of the monitoring system mounted in the oii tank; Figure 3 is a detaii perspective view of the monitoring unit; Figure 4 is a detail pian view of the monitoring unit; Figure 5 is a detail underneath pian view of the monitoring unit; Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of the iid of the oil tank and the monitoring unit; Figure 7’ is a oetaii perspective view of a receiver of the monitoring system piugged in a standard eiectricat socket; Figure 8 is a detaii perspective View of a receiver and an aiarm unit of the monitoring system mugged in a standard eiectricai socket; and Figure 9 is a detait rear eievationai View of a receiver of the monitoring system.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments in this specification, it will be understood that the term “oii tank” is used to refer to a fuei-oii tank or a waste oi: tank, water tank, admixture tank, detergent tank or any other iiquid tank that requires monitoring. it wiii 3150 be understood that the term “signal” is used to refer to a radio signal, wireiess signal, Biuetooth Signet, or any other type of sigrrat that is adapted for the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerais designate identicai or corresponding parts throughout the severai views, there is shown an oii tank monitoring system according to the invention.

The oii tank monitoring system for determining the ievei of oi! 1 in an oii tank 2 comprises a monitoring unit, indicated generaiiy by the reference numeral 3, and an associated remote receiver, indicated generaiiy by the reference numerai 4 as best shown on figure 1. The receiver 4 witi in use be located at a distance from the cat? tank 2 within a dweiiing 5 associated with the oii tank 2. The monitoring unit 3 comprises a tevei sensor for determining the ievei of oi! ‘t in the oi! tank 2 and a transmitter for communicating oil ievei 1 infomtation to the remote receiver 4. The oi! tank monitoring system further comprises means 10, 11, 12 for mounting the monitoring unit 3 inside the oii tank 2 on an inner surface 6 of a tie! 7 dosing the oii tank 2. As can be seen in Figure 6 the {id it has a oyiindrtcai skirt 24 extending outwardiy and downwardly form the inner surface 6 thus forming a recess within which the monitoring unit 3 is housed in use. it will be noted that the skirt 24 extends downwardly beyond the monitoring unit 3 which is thus protected when mounted within the lid 7.

As shown in figures 2 to 5, the monitoring unit 3 includes a transmitter and a level sensor enclosed in a housing comprising an inner side 8 and an outer side 9 as best shown in figure 3. The outer side 9 of the monitoring unit 3 is provided with hook and plie fastening tape strips 10, 11 for coupiing the monitoring unit 3 to corresponding hook and pile fastening tape strips 12 fixed on the inner surface 6 of the lid 7 to secure the monitoring unit 3 on the inner surface 6 of the lid 7. The monitoring unit 3 is powered by batteries.

The level sensor comprises an emitter 13 and an associated ultrasound detector 14.

The emitter 13 is adapted for generating a 41 KHz sonic pulse 15 towards the surface 16 of the oil 1 within the oil tank 2. The ultrasound detector 14 is adapted to detect the return echo 17 of the pulse 15 reflected off the surface 16 of the oil 1.

The transmitter of the monitoring unit 3 is adapted to communicate the level of oil 1 in the oil tank 2 to the remote receiver 4, for example by emitting an outgoing 868 MHz wireless radio signal 18.

Referring in particular to figure "7, the receiver 4 is adapted for receiving the signal 18 from the monitoring unit 3 and provides a digital display 19 of the amount of oil in the oil tank 2. The receiver 4 is adapted for plugging into a standard electrical socket 20 connected to the mains power source as shown in figures 7 and 8. For example, in use the receiver 4 may conveniently be mounted in an electrical socket 20 in a kitchen of a dwelling 5 associated with the oil tank 2.

The digital display 19 of the receiver 4 shows the amount of oil in the oil tank 2 by displaying an indicator 21 comprising two digits and/or letters indicating the percentage volume of oil 1 remaining in the oil tank 2, for example 70 for 70% of the total volume of oil 1 ieft in the oil tank 2 or FF for 100% of the volume of oil 1 is remaining in the oil tank 2. Another feature of the digital display 19 is that when the level of oil 1 in the oil tank 2 drops below 20%, the indicator 21 on the digital display 19 flashes to alert the customer to schedule an oil delivery before oii runs out.

The receiver 4 also includes two dials 25, 26 on the back of the receiver 4 for setting the oil tank 2 depth (as shown in figure 9), For example, these two dials 25, 26 can ‘ allow settings in 50 mm intervals up to an oil tank 2 depth of three meters.

The oil tank monitoring system further optionally comprises an antenna 22 (figure 2) mounted on an outer surface of the lid 7. This antenna 22 enables strengthening the emitted outgoing signal 18 to the receiver 4 which may be necessary particularly if the oil tank 2 is a metal oil tank and/or is a relatively long way away from the receiver 4.

As shown in figure 8, the oil tank monitoring system may further comprise an alarm unit 23 for producing an aiarm signal when the monitoring unit 3 detects pre-set alarm conditions indicating the oil tank 2 is being tampered with.

Additionally the monitoring unit 3 may optionally include a motion sensor (not shown in the figures) associated to the alarm unit 23. The motion sensor is built-in the monitoring unit 3 which is mounted on the lid 7 of the oil tank 2. The motion sensor detects if the lid 7 of the oil tank 2 has been moved and/or damaged.

The preset alarm conditions indicating the oil tank 2 is tempered with include the level sensor detecting a sudden or continuous oil level 1 drop andlor the motion sensor detecting that the lid 7 is removed or damaged.

For example, the alarm 23 may be preset to be set off if the level of oil 1 in the oil tank 2 suddenly and continuously drops by more than 5% of the oil tank volume.

The alarm unit 23 is a 13A plug mounted alarm receiver and GSM dialler that includes means for ringing and/or texting one or more phones.

The oii tank monitoring system is easy to install. First hook and pile fastening tape strips 10, ‘ii are attached on the outer side 9 of the monitoring unit 3 and hook and pile fastening tape strips 12 are attached on the inner surface 6 of the lid 7 as shown in figure 6 by adhesive or any other suitable method.

Then the monitoring unit 3 is coupled to the inner surface 6 of the lid 7 by releaseably engaging the hook and pile fastening strips 10, ii, 12. This step can be done by the manufacturer or the supplier of the oil tank 2 or by the customer. ll the oil tank 2 is a metal oil tank an antenna 22 may optionally be fixed on top of the oil tank 2, for example on the outer surface of the lid 7 as shown in figure 2.

The receiver 4 and the alarm unit 23 are plugged into an electrical mains supply socket 20 in the household as shown in figure 8. The depth of the oil tank 2 can be set by selecting two dials at the back of the receiver 4 accordingly to correspond to the oil tank depth. in use, the emitter 13 generates a 41 KHz sonic pulse 15 towards the surface 16 of the oil within the oil tank 2. This sonic pulse 15 is generated at preset time intervals.

The ultrasound detector 14 detects the return echo 17 of the pulse 15 reflected off the surface ‘iii of the oil 1 and this determines the level of oil 1 left in the oil tank.

The transmitter of the monitoring unit 3 then emits an outgoing 868 MHz radio signal 18 indicating the level of oil 1 in the oil tank 2 to the receiver 4.

The receiver 4 transforms this information depending on the depth of the oil tank 2 into a value of percentage of oil left in the oil tank 2 and displays the information on the digital display ‘l9. it the level of oil 1 in the oil tank 2 drops below a pre-set oil level “i, for example 20%, the indicator 21 on the digital display 19 flashes to alert the customer to schedule an oil delivery.

Furthermore when the receiver 4 receives a signal indication: - that the level of oil 1 in the oil tank 2 has suddenly or continuously dropped, — or the motion sensor detects that the lid 7 has been removed or damaged, the alarm unit 23 is activated and produces an alarm signal to inform the customer that the oil tank 2 is being tampered with.

This alarm signal includes producing an alarm sound and/or ringing and/or texting one or more phones. in an alternative embodiment the mount for securing the monitoring unit 3 on the lid 7 is a clip mount comprising corresponding realeasably interengageabie male and female parts for coupling a side of the monitoring unit 3 to an inner surface 6 of the lid 7 and securing them against each other. in an embodiment the monitoring unit 3 continuously measures and monitors the oil level i in the oil tank 2. -1Q.. in alternative embodiments, the digits! display of the receiver may for example display "AL" for alarm, “ESL” for indicating the battery is low, or display “OF” for indicating the oil tank is overfiiled. The receiver may include additional indicators and functionalities such as oil tank temperature indicators. in an embodiment, the oii tank level reading may be avaiiabie for the customer to read on an application on a mobiie phone.

The receiver may also be powered by a battery or aiternative energy sources or any adapted power supply system.

The advantages of the oil tank monitoring system invention include: - Suitabie for almost any oil tank up to three metres tail; ~« Quick and easy to install with no speciaiist toois or skilis required; ~ No wiring or electrical work required; ~ Dispieys clear indicator of total voiume of useabie oii left in the oil tank; ~ Reai-time aiarm; - intuitive and easy to use. in this specification the terms "inciude" and "comprise" and any grammatical variations thereof are used interchangeabiy and should be accorded the widest possible interpretation.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above but may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (1)

1. -1-3.. CLAIMS . An oii tank rnoniioring system for cieiermining the ievei of oii in an oil tank comprising a monitoring unit and an associated remote receiver, the monitoring unit comprising a ievei sensor for detecting the ievei of oii in the oii tank and a transmitter for communicating oii ievei information to the receiver, the oii tank monitoring system further comprising means for mounting the monitoring unit inside the oii rank on an inner surface of e iid oiosing the oii tank. . The oii tank monitoring system according to ciaim 1 wherein the means for mounting iiie monitoring unii inside the oii iank inciudes cooperating reaieasabiy inierengageabie fastening means for ooupiiog the monitoring unit to the inner surface of the lid and securing them against each other. . The oil tank monitoring system according to claim 2, characterised in that ihe fastening means comprises hook and piie fastening tape strips for mounting on the monitoring unit arid the iio’ for ooupiing a side of the monitoring unit to an inner surface of the lid and securing them against each other. . The oil tank monitoring system according to ciaim 2 wherein the fastening means is a ciip mount comprising corresponding reeieasabiy iniarengageaoie male and iemaie parts for mouniing on the monitoring unit and the iid for coupiing a side of the monitoring unit to an inner surface of the iid and securing them against each other. . The oii tank monitoring system aocoroing to any of ciaims '3 to 4 wherein the ievei sensor comprises arr emitter and an associated uiirasound detector, the emirier being adapted for generating a sonic poise towards the surface of the oii within the oil tank, the uitrasourid detector being adapted to detect the return echo of the poise refiecteci off the surface of the oii, ‘i0 10. 11. 12. -12- The oil tank monitoring system according to any of claims 1 to 5 characterised in that the receiver is adapted for receiving a signal from the monitoring unit and displays a digital display of the amount of oil in the oil tank. The oil tank monitoring system according to any of claims 1 to 6 characterised in that the monitoring unit further comprises an antenna. The oil tank monitoring system according to any of claims 1 to 7 wherein the oil tank monitoring system comprises an alarm unit for producing an alarm signal when the monitoring unit detects pre~set alarm conditions indicating the oil tank is being tampered with. The oil tank monitoring system according to any of claims 1 to 8 wherein the monitoring unit includes a motion sensor associated to the alarm unit. The oil tank monitoring system according to claims 8 to 9 wherein pre~set alarm conditions indicating the oil tank is being tampered with include the level sensor detecting a sudden or continuous oil level drop or the motion sensor detecting that the lid is removed or damaged. The oil tank monitoring system according to any of claims 8 to it) wherein the alarm unit includes means for ringing or texting a phone in response to a sensed alarm condition. A kit for forming the oil tank monitoring system as claimed in any preceding claims comprising a monitoring unit, an associated receiver and mounting means for mounting the monitoring unit to the inner surface of the lid of an oil tank,