BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates generally to outdoor power machines and more particularly to an apparatus, system, and method for determining the age of fuel contained in a fuel tank of an outdoor power machine.

[0002] In the early 1990s, the United States government made a series of amendments to the Clean Air Act, requiring the use of oxygenated gasoline. The oxygenated fuel was desired because it burned more completely during combustion. While there were other oxygenates used or considered for use in gasoline, i.e., methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), ethanol became the standard because it was viewed to be safer.

[0003] Today, gasoline/ethanol blends are typically of a 90/10 blend or 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol; however, in 2011, the United States Environmental Protection Agency issued a waiver to authorize up to 15% of ethanol blended with gasoline to be sold only for cars and light pickup trucks with a model year of 2001 or newer. Unfortunately, in setting gasoline standards, little thought is given to how these blends affect non- automotive engines. Automotive engines usually include complex fuel injection systems and computers to compensate for the blended fuel and as a result many automotive engines are rated as E85 (85% ethanol) compliant, but small engines are typically void of such compensation measures. As a result, small engine manufacturers are tasked with designing engines around the fuels that are made for automotive use - currently most small engines are rated for use with a 90/10 fuel blend. However, despite these design around, ethanol blended fuels can cause significant problems for small engines.

[0004] Gasoline by its very nature decomposes and breaks down over time. In fact, gasoline can begin to break down in as little as thirty days when stored. As discussed above, ethanol is an oxygenate blended with gasoline to create an oxygenated fuel. High amounts of oxygen in blended fuels can cause gasoline to decay faster. As fuel decays, gum and varnish-like compounds form, thereby creating contaminants that can restrict or block fuel passageways used in small engines. Because automobiles are routinely used, resulting in frequent trips to the gas station, fuel decay is less of a problem; however, outdoor power machines are typically used less frequently, require fewer fill- ups, and are often stored with fuel in their fuel systems. Such decay can at a minimum reduce engine performance and can result in severe damage to the small engine.

[0005] In addition to causing gasoline to decay at a faster rate, ethanol is also a solvent that can damage some rubber and plastic components contained in small engine fuel systems. Additionally, the solvent nature of ethanol can dissolve varnish and gum deposits that have formed in containment vessels such as storage containers, gas tanks, and fuel systems. As a result, if the fuel in a small engine fuel system is not renewed frequently, the deposits can become dislodged and plug the fuel system of the small engine.

[0006] Another issue with ethanol is that it absorbs moisture. As is commonly known, moisture within a fuel system can cause a myriad of problems. One such problem is corrosion of metal components in the fuel system. Further, if enough moisture is absorbed by the ethanol, phase separation can occur. Phase separation occurs when the ethanol/water mix separates from the gasoline - the ethanol/water mix goes to the bottom of the containment vessel and the gasoline goes to the top. This is of particular concern when dealing with two-stroke engines because oil is mixed with the fuel to provide lubrication to the small engine. Since fuel uptake to the engine is typically drawn from a bottom portion of the containment vessel, it is important to have oil present in the bottom portion. When separation occurs, the oil remains mixed with the gasoline, not with the ethanol. As a result, when the fuel system pulls fuel into the small engine, the small engine receives the ethanol/water mix instead of the oil/gasoline mix. This causes the engine to run hot without lubrication and ultimately can cause serious damage to the engine.

[0007] Accordingly, there remains a need for an apparatus, system, and method to monitor the "freshness" of the fuel contained in the fuel system of an outdoor power machine to mitigate many of the issues that arise from the use of ethanol blended fuel in small engines.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] This need is addressed by the present invention, which provides an apparatus, system, and method to monitor and determine an age of fuel contained in a fuel containment vessel.

[0009] According to one aspect of the invention, an outdoor power machine fuel quality determination system includes a fuel monitoring device configured to provide a user with an indication of a quality of fuel contained in a fuel containment vessel. The fuel monitoring device is operably connected to the fuel containment vessel and configured to determine an age of the fuel contained therein and to provide an output indicative of the age of the fuel.

[0010] According to another aspect of the invention, an outdoor power machine fuel monitoring device configured to be operably connected to a fuel containment vessel includes a counter configured to monitor an age of the fuel contained in the fuel containment vessel, an indicator interface configured to provide an indication of a quality of fuel contained in the fuel containment vessel based on the age of the fuel as determined by the counter, and a reset switch configured to initiate a counter.

[0011] According to another aspect of the invention, an outdoor power machine fuel monitoring device configured to be operably connected to a fuel containment vessel includes a housing having a first closed end and a second open end configured to receive a throat of the fuel containment vessel therein, a processing device carried by the housing and configured to process fuel quality data, an indicator interface operably connected to the processing device and configured to generate an indication of a quality of fuel contained in the fuel containment vessel in response to the processing device, and a reset switch configured to initiate the processing device upon the reset switch being operated.

[0012] According to another aspect of the invention, a method of monitoring a quality of a fuel in a fuel containment vessel, includes the steps of operably connecting a first fuel monitoring device to a first fuel containment vessel, and using the first fuel monitoring device to determine that new fuel has been added to the first fuel containment vessel, monitor an age of the added fuel in the first fuel containment vessel, and produce a first output indicative of the age of the fuel to a user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The invention may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures, in which:

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic of a system according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0015] Figure 2 is a flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0016] Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a fuel monitoring device according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0017] Figures 5 and 6 illustrate an alternate fuel monitoring device according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0018] Figures 7 and 8 illustrate an alternate fuel monitoring device according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0019] Figure 9 is a schematic of the fuel monitoring devices of Figures 3-8; [0020] Figure 10 is a schematic of a processing device; and [0021] Figure 11 is a flow diagram of the method of Figure 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Referring to the drawings wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views, Figure 2 illustrates a fuel monitoring method according to an embodiment of the invention. In general, the method detects when new fuel is added to the fuel containment vessel of an outdoor power machine, block 14, and then monitors the aging of the fuel, block 16, contained in the fuel containment vessel. The method provides a visual indication, block 17, of fuel quality based on the aging of fuel and may instruct a user to take an action, such as adding additional new fuel to the fuel containment vessel or removing the fuel contained in the fuel containment vessel and replacing it with new fuel.

[0023] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary fuel monitoring system 10 which may be used to carry out the method on and/or in coordination with outdoor power machines 13 to provide a user with an indication of the quality of the fuel contained in the outdoor power machine's fuel containment vessel.

[0024] The fuel monitoring system 10 includes at least one fuel monitoring device 11 for providing a user with an indication of the quality of the fuel contained in a fuel containment vessel 12 of the outdoor power machine 13. The fuel monitoring device 11 is operably connected to the fuel containment vessel 12 and is reset each time the fuel containment vessel 12 is filled with new fuel and monitors the amount of time that the fuel has been contained within the fuel containment vessel 12 from the time the new fuel is poured into the fuel containment vessel 12 until the fuel monitoring device 11 is reset again. The system 10 may also include a plurality of fuel monitoring apparatuses 11 for use on fuel containment vessels 12 and 12' that are networked with each other to provide a user with a more accurate representation of the quality of fuel contained in the fuel containment vessel 12 of the outdoor power machine 13. As used herein, the term "networked" refers to a plurality of devices interconnected to enable data exchange between such devices. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 , the devices are connected via a wireless network. The wireless network may be formed via short-range UHF (e.g. BLUETOOH), Wi-Fi, cellular, and/or any other suitable wireless technology.

[0025] The fuel monitoring device 11 may provide a visual indication, such as color (e.g., green = good fuel), text, and/or a combination thereof, as well as, audible alerts such as beeping when the fuel needs replaced or a voice recording stating "Fuel Bad - Change Fuel". As illustrated, the visual indications and/or audible alerts may be provided directly on display 18 of the fuel monitoring device 11 or on a mobile general- purpose computing device such as a tablet and/or smart phone device 19 loaded with an app. For purposes of this application, an "app" is a specialized, self-contained program or piece of software designed to fulfill a particular purpose.

[0026] Once the fuel monitoring device 11 has been reset, the fuel monitoring device

11 begins counting the number of days since last reset and provides an indication to the user indicative of the quality of the fuel contained within the fuel containment vessel

12 and or 12'. As discussed, the indication may be visual and/or audible and is based on pre-determined time intervals associated with a quality index for fuel. Table 1 provides a non-limiting example of time intervals and example indications. It should be appreciated that the time intervals and indications shown in Table 1 are for discussion purposes only and that a user may customize the time intervals and indications.

Table 1

[0027] As illustrated in Figures 3-4, the fuel monitoring device 11 is a self-contained unit and includes a housing 50 having first closed end 51 and a second open end 52 having an engagement surface 53 therein for engaging a throat 27 of a fuel containment vessel 12. The first closed end 51 may contain an indicator interface or screen 20 to provide a user with an indication of fuel quality and a processing device and/or counter 21. The processing device 21, Figure 9, may include a microprocessor or simply a "processor" 22 operably connected to memory 23, and a communications device 24. The communications device 24 includes one or more interface mechanisms for enabling communication with external devices. For example, a network interface chip or card including a wireless transceiver may use known wireless protocols to receive and/or transmit data.

[0028] A reset switch such as a sensor 26 is operably connected to the processing device 21 to indicate when new fuel has been added to the fuel containment vessel 12.

[0029] The sensor 26 indicates when the fuel monitoring device 11 has been removed from a throat 27 of the fuel containment vessel 12. The sensor 26 may be any suitable sensor or switch capable of indicating when the fuel monitoring device 11 has been removed from the throat 27 of the fuel containment vessel 12. For example, the sensor 26 may be a magnetic switch. The sensor 26 includes a first portion 28 carried by the fuel monitoring device 11 and a second portion 29 carried by the throat 27 of the fuel containment vessel 12. When the fuel monitoring device 11 is secured to the throat 27, the first and second portions 28, 29 are in effective/operating proximity to provide a closed circuit, thereby indicating that the fuel monitoring device 11 is in an installed position and the throat 27 is covered and/or sealed. When the fuel monitoring device 11 is removed from the throat 27, the first and second portions 28, 29 separate to provide an open circuit. Once the circuit is opened, the processor 22 begins counting the amount of time the fuel monitoring device 11 has been removed and stops counting when the fuel monitoring device 11 is secured to the throat 27 and the circuit is closed. This time is then stored in the memory 23 for further processing.

[0030] Figures 5-6 show an alternate reset switch such as actuator 26'. Actuator 26' allows a user to manually reset the fuel monitoring device 11. To reset the fuel monitoring device 11 , a user simply presses the actuator 26' to cause the processor 22 to reset and start counting as though new fuel has been added to the fuel containment vessel 12. [0031 ] Figures 7-8 show an alternate reset switch such as fuel level gage 26". Fuel level gage 26" monitors the fuel level of the fuel in the fuel containment vessel 12 and sends a signal to the processor 22 indicating new fuel has been added when the fuel level gage 26" senses that the fuel level has increased.

[0032] It should be appreciated that the fuel monitoring device 11 may employ any combination of reset switches, i.e., sensor 26 independently or sensor 26 in combination with actuator 26' or actuator 26' in combination with fuel level gage 26".

[0033] The indicator screen 20 is operably connected to the processor 22 and receives a signal therefrom indicative of the fuel quality. The indicator screen 20 may provide an indication of the fuel quality to the user in multiple ways. For example, the indicator screen 20 may simply emit a color to indicate fuel quality, display the number of days since new fuel was poured into the fuel tank, a combination of color and days, emit an audible signal when bad quality fuel is present, and/or display text messages indicative of the fuel quality, i.e., "Bad Fuel - Replace". In the case of color, the indicator screen 20 may emit a green color to indicate good fuel quality, a yellow color to indicate average fuel quality, and a red color to indicate bad fuel quality. In the case of combining the number of days with color, the screen may emit a green color for a number less than thirty days, a yellow color for a number between thirty and sixty days, and red color for a number greater than sixty days. It should be appreciated that the indicator screen 20 may be of any suitable type of indicator screen so long as the screen is capable of providing an indication of fuel quality.

[0034] As discussed above, the fuel monitoring device 11 may be used on an external fuel storage device such as fuel containment vessel 12' to provide a user with an indication of fuel quality within the fuel containment vessel 12'. Like fuel containment vessel 12, in the case where sensor 26 was employed, fuel containment vessel 12' would carry the second portion 29 of sensor 26. By using the fuel monitoring device 11 with fuel containment vessel 12', the fuel monitoring device 11 would prevent a user from pouring bad fuel from the fuel containment vessel 12' into fuel containment vessel 12 of the outdoor power machine 13. [0035] Further, a plurality of fuel monitoring apparatuses 11 may be used together to provide a more accurate indication of fuel quality. For example, a first fuel monitoring device 11 may be used on fuel containment vessel 12 and a second fuel monitoring device 11 may be used on a fuel containment vessel 12'. This setup provides a user with a fuel quality index for both the fuel contained in fuel containment vessel 12 and fuel in fuel containment vessel 12' and prevents a user from pouring poor quality fuel into fuel containment vessel 12. For example, if the fuel containment vessel 12 is empty and additional fuel is needed to operate the outdoor power machine 13, then the user can look at the fuel monitoring device 11 on the fuel containment vessel 12' to determine if the fuel in the fuel containment vessel 12' is suitable for use in fuel containment vessel 12. If the fuel monitoring device 11 indicates that the fuel quality in the fuel containment vessel 12' is of poor quality, then the user can replace the fuel in fuel containment vessel 12' prior to pouring the poor quality fuel in fuel containment vessel 12, thereby preventing any fuel issues in the outdoor power machine 13.

[0036] This is particularly important where a user stores fuel in fuel containment vessel 12' for a long period of time or where the fuel containment vessel 12' is, for example, a five gallon can and it takes five months to use all of the fuel contained therein. Likewise, if the fuel monitoring device 11 indicates that the fuel in fuel containment vessel 12 is of poor quality, it prevents the user from simply pouring additional poor quality fuel from the fuel containment vessel 12' into the fuel containment vessel 12 with the belief that fuel containment vessel 12 now contains good quality fuel.

[0037] Additionally, because the plurality of fuel monitoring apparatuses 11 may communicate, using the communications device 24, with each other wirelessly using known wireless protocols, the fuel monitoring device 11 used in conjunction with fuel containment vessel 12' may provide an override to the fuel monitoring device 11 secured to the throat 27 of fuel containment vessel 12. In other words, if a user pours fuel from fuel containment vessel 12' into fuel containment vessel 12, the fuel monitoring device 11 secured to fuel containment vessel 12' transmits the quality of the fuel in the fuel containment vessel 12' to the fuel monitoring device 11 secured to the fuel containment vessel 12. Instead of automatically resetting to a good fuel quality indication, the fuel monitoring device 11 secured to fuel containment vessel 12 would take on the fuel quality indication associated with the fuel monitoring device 11 secured to the fuel containment vessel 12'. Thus, if the fuel monitoring device 11 secured to the fuel containment vessel 12' indicates that the fuel is twenty days old, then the fuel monitoring device 11 secured to fuel containment vessel 12 will also indicate that the fuel is twenty days old and continue counting the days starting at twenty instead of resetting to zero, thereby providing a more accurate indication of the fuel quality in the fuel containment vessel 12.

[0038] In a further example, the fuel monitoring apparatus/apparatuses 11 may be used in cooperation with a controller 30, Figure 10. The controller 30 may include a microprocessor or simply a "processor" 31 operably connected to memory 32, a communications device 33, and a user interface 34. In this scenario, the fuel monitoring device/devices 11 transmit a signal to the controller 30 indicative of the quality of fuel contained in the fuel containment vessels 12, 12'. The fuel monitoring devices 11 do not perform any processing; rather, the controller 30 performs all processing and transmits a signal back to each of the fuel monitoring devices 11 and instructs each of the fuel monitoring devices 11 to display a visual indication of fuel quality for each fuel containment vessel 12, 12'.

[0039] Referring to Figure 11, an exemplary method of monitoring fuel quality will be discussed in more detail. The processing device 21 of the fuel monitoring device 11 begins counting the number of days that fuel has been in the fuel containment vessel 12, 12' once the reset switch has been reset, block 40. As discussed above, the indicator screen 20 provides an indication to the user indicative of the fuel quality - color, number of days, etc. If the fuel monitoring device 11 is removed from the fuel containment vessel 12, 12', block 41, thereby, in the case of sensor 26, separating the first and second portions 28, 29 and opening the circuit, the processing device 21 begins to count the amount of time that the fuel monitoring device 11 is removed from the fuel containment vessel 12, 12'. It should be appreciated that the actuator 26' could also be used to manually start and stop the count. Once the fuel monitoring device 11 has been secured to the fuel containment vessel 12, 12' and the first and second portions 28, 29 have reengaged to close the circuit, the processing device 21 determines a pre-condition of the fuel, blocks 42, 43, and 44. Table 2 illustrates how the processing device 21 determines the pre-condition of the fuel. It should be appreciated that Table 2 is illustration purposes only and that the time intervals and actions may be changed.

Table 2

[0040] Once the processing device 21 determines the pre-condition of the fuel, the processing device 21 may look for override conditions, block 46, that may override the pre-conditions. For example, in the case where the fuel level gage 26" is incorporated into the fuel monitoring system 10, if the time elapsed is between ten seconds and five minutes, but the fuel level gage 26" indicates that no additional fuel has been poured into fuel containment vessel 12, 12', then the processing device 21 may override the pre-condition of "new fuel" and change it to "fuel level check - same fuel". The fuel monitoring device 11 then continues counting the days/time since prior fuel-up, block 47. Likewise, if a plurality of fuel monitoring apparatuses 11 are employed, as described above, and the fuel contained in fuel containment vessel 12' is poured into fuel containment vessel 12, then fuel monitoring device 11 secured to fuel containment vessel 12 will mimic the fuel quality index transmitted from the fuel monitoring device 11 secured to fuel containment vessel 12'. In other words, the fuel monitoring device 11 secured to fuel containment vessel 12 will indicate the same fuel quality as the fuel monitoring device 11 secured to fuel containment vessel 12', as opposed to restarting with a "new fuel" condition.

[0041] The foregoing has described an apparatus, system, and method for determining age of fuel in an outdoor power machine. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

[0042] Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

[0043] The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.