Tank level sensor and management system

Abstract

A sensor assembly is positioned on an exterior of a tank to measure a fluid level within the tank. The tank is modified to include a surface feature and the sensor assembly is slotted within that surface feature. The sensor assembly includes a sensor device and a control circuit configured to drive the sensor device and evaluate readings to determine the fluid level. The sensor assembly further includes a communications interface to enable communication with a management system via a communications network. The management system can store information (e.g. fill status) related to the tank and additionally communicate with vendors or end users to coordinate resupply.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system, comprising:
 a sensor assembly associated with a tank configured to store a fluid, the sensor assembly including a sensor configured to output a sensor reading indicative of an amount of fluid in the tank;   a remote system configured to store tank information in association with a tank identifier corresponding to the tank; and   a computing device communicatively coupled to the sensor assembly and the remote system, the computing device being configured to acquire the sensor reading from the sensor assembly and communicate the sensor reading acquired to the remote system.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device further communicates the tank identifier corresponding to the tank to the remote system with the sensor reading. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor assembly further includes a temperature sensor configured to output a temperature reading indicative of a temperature associated with the tank. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the computing device is further configured to acquire the temperature reading from the sensory assembly and communicate the temperature reading to the remote system. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device is a mobile device executing computer-executable instructions for a client application that, when executed, configure the mobile device to acquire the sensor reading from the sensor assembly and communicate the sensor reading acquired to the remote system. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the mobile device acquires a location of the tank and communicates the location to the remote system. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a tag associated with the tank and configured to provide the tank identifier. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the tag is at least one of a QR code, a barcode, an NFC tag, or a RFID tag. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a base for supporting the tank. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the sensor assembly is housed within the base. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor is an ultrasound sensor biased against a surface of the tank. 
     
     
         12 . A method, comprising:
 acquiring a measurement indicative of an amount of fluid in a tank with a sensor assembly coupled to the tank;   acquiring the measurement from the sensor assembly with a computing device communicatively coupled to the sensor assembly;   communicating the measurement from the computing device to a remote system, the remote system storing tank information in associated with a tank identifier corresponding to the tank.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the computing device is a mobile device executing computer-executable instructions for a client application that, when executed, carry out acquiring the measurement from the sensory assembly and communicating the measurement to the remote system. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising acquiring a location of the tank and communicating the location to the remote system. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 acquiring the tank identifier with the computing device; and   communicating the tank identifier with the measurement to the remote system.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein acquiring the tank identifier includes reading a tag associated with the tank. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 acquiring a temperature reading indicative of a temperature associated with the tank with a temperature sensor of the sensor assembly;   acquiring the temperature reading with the computing device; and   communicating the temperature reading to the remote system.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising housing the sensor assembly within a base of the tank, wherein the sensor assembly is positioned at center portion of a bottom surface of the tank. 
     
     
         19 . A system, comprising:
 a level sensor system, including:
 a tank configured to store a fluid; 
 a base for supporting the tank; and 
 a sensor assembly housed within the base, the sensor assembly having:
 a sensor configured to output a sensor reading indicative of an amount of fluid within the tank; 
 a memory configured to store the sensor reading; and 
 a communications interface for transmitting the sensor reading to a computing device; 
 
   the computing device communicatively coupled to the sensor assembly and a remote system, the computing device configured to acquire the sensor reading from the memory of the sensor assembly and communicate the sensor reading to the remote system; and   the remote system configured to store tank information received from the computing device in association with a tank identifier corresponding to the tank.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , further comprising a tag attached to the tank, the tag providing the tank identification.