Abstract:
An automatic truck tank fill system that includes an arrangement to automatically shut off the flow of material to a truck tank. The arrangement includes break-away connections that minimize damage to the fill system in an event that the truck tank is moved with the fill system still connected to the truck tank.

Description:
This applications claims the benefit of provisional Ser. No. 60/285,011 filed Apr. 19, 2001. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates in general to equipment for filling mobile tanks, and more particular, to an automatic truck tank fill system. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Many industrial vehicles that use water often have water storage tanks attached to them. Such industrial vehicles include water trucks for street cleaning, fire trucks, and cement concrete trucks. Typically, these trucks are filled manually by an operator, usually the driver of the truck. The operator must remain at the truck while the truck is being filled with water in order to stop the water flow whenever the operator sees that the tank is full. Oftentimes, that individual will become distracted at times and allow the tank to overflow. The water used to fill these tanks is usually classified as processed water and, thus, any runoff is not cost effective. Also, processed water running off into the ground is usually considered an environmental risk. Reducing the amount of processed water runoff will, in turn, reduce treatment costs associated with clean-up of the runoff water, thereby lowering water contaminant volumes and, thus, the possibility of EPA-generated questions concerning water runoff. 
     Typically, automatic truck tank fill systems are not used because the truck is movable. Also, filling a truck tank may take a considerable amount of time. If an operator does not monitor the filling of the truck tank, it is very common in the industry that movable trucks will take off with the hose attachments still in place, thereby damaging the water refill system and/or truck. This usually occurs when the operator of the fill system is not the driver of the truck. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned problems by providing a simple, robust, automatic truck tank fill system that will automatically shut off when the truck tank is full and will not damage the truck and/or automatic truck tank fill system if the truck pulls out when the fill system is still attached to the truck. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is an automatic truck tank fill system that may be used to fill tanks on trucks such as concrete trucks and street cleaning water trucks. The automatic truck tank fill system includes a conduit adapted to be in fluid communication with a fluid supply source, a valve connected to one end of the conduit, a sensor for determining the presence of a fluid material connected to an opposite end of the conduit, and a controller in electrical communication with the valve and the sensor, wherein the controller causes the valve to open and close. The conduit can be in fluid communication with a fluid supply source that supplies fluid material such as water. The conduit includes a pipe having a first end and a second end and a flexible hose having a first hose end and a second hose end. The second end of the pipe is coupled to the first hose end of the hose. The second end of the pipe can also be releasably coupled to the first hose end of the hose using a hose breakaway connector. The hose breakaway connector permits the hose to detach from the pipe when a pulling force is applied to the hose, thus preventing damage to the pipe and the fluid supply source. The conduit can also include a fill spout connected to the second hose end of the hose. 
     The valve, which can be a control solenoid valve, is installed adjacent the first end of the pipe. The sensor, which can be a level sensor, is attached to the fill spout. The sensor is capable of being in a first state and a second state. The controller is electrically and releasably connected to the sensor using an electronic breakaway connector. The electronic breakaway connector easily disconnects the sensor from the controller when a pulling force is applied to the sensor, thus preventing damage to the controller when a truck pulls out with the fill system still connected to the truck tank. 
     The controller includes a start control and a stop control. The start control when activated, transmits a signal to the controller causing the valve to open. The stop control when activated, transmits a signal to the controller causing the valve to close. Also, the sensor when activated from the first state to the second state, transmits a signal to the controller thereby causing the valve to close. The sensor, which can be made of stainless steel, is activated from the first state to the second state when fluid material in the tank comes in contact with the sensor, thus indicating that the truck tank is full. 
     The present invention can also include a pump in fluid communication with the conduit. The pump is also in electrical communication with the controller. The start control when activated, transmits a signal to the controller causing the pump to start and the valve to open. The stop control when activated, transmits a signal to the controller causing the pump to stop and the valve to close. Also, when the sensor is activated from the first state to the second state, a signal is transmitted to the controller thereby causing the valve to close and the pump to stop. 
     The present invention can also include radio frequency units wherein the controller communicates with the sensor by radio frequency waves. A first radio frequency unit is connected to the sensor and a second radio frequency unit is connected to the controller, wherein the first radio frequency unit communicates with the second radio frequency unit. 
     The present invention further includes an alarm electrically connected to the controller. The alarm can be a visual display such as blinking lights or an audible sound. The controller activates the alarm when the valve closes and/or the pump shuts off. 
     In operation, filling a truck tank using an automatic truck tank fill system includes the steps of first placing a truck tank adjacent a fill system. Next, a level sensor in a first state is provided. Third, one end of a conduit and the level sensor is placed into an opening in the tank. Fourth, the tank is filled with fluid material flowing from the conduit which is in fluid communication with a fluid supply source. Finally, the fluid material flowing in the tank is stopped when the sensor is in a second state. An alarm can also be activated when material flowing to the tank is stopped. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an automatic truck tank fill system made in accordance with the present invention having a fill spout inserted into a truck tank; 
     FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control scheme of the automatic truck tank fill system shown in FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 3 is a partial front elevation view of a second embodiment of an automatic truck tank fill system that is similar to that shown in FIG. 1, having radio frequency units. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 shows an automatic truck tank fill system  10  made in accordance with the present invention. The fill system  10  includes a conduit  11  in fluid communication with a fluid supply source  38 ,  38 ′. The conduit  11  includes a pipe  12  having a first end  14  and a second end  16  and a flexible hose  18  having a first hose end  20  and second hose end  22 . The first end  14  of the pipe  12  is coupled to the first hose end  20  of the hose  18 . A hose breakaway connector  26  is used to releasably couple the first end  14  of the pipe  12  to the first hose end  20  of the hose  18 . Breakaway connectors are well known in the art and therefore will not be discussed herein. The second hose end  22  is connected to a fill spout  28 . The fill spout  28  is adapted to fit inside an opening  24  of a truck tank  30 . The fill spout  28  also has an attached level sensor  32  for determining the presence of a fluid material such as water whenever the material comes in contact with the sensor  32 . Typically, this occurs when the truck tank  30  is full. The level sensor  32  is capable of being in a first state and a second state and can be operated through optics, electrical resistance and/or electrical compacitance. The sensor  32  is electrically connected to a controller  42  via a sensor wire  34 . The sensor wire  34  can include an electronic breakaway connector  36  positioned therebetween for electrically and releasably connecting the sensor  32  to the controller  42 . Adjacent the second end  16  of the pipe  12  is a control solenoid valve  40  that opens and closes, thereby starting and stopping the material flow to the truck tank  30 . The controller  42  having a start control  44  and a stop control  46  is electronically connected to the valve  40 . The controller  42 , which is powered by a power supply  48 , causes the valve  40  to open and close. A supply line  52  is attached to the second end  16  of the pipe  12  and is used to supply material from a fluid supply source through the conduit  11  to the truck tank  30 . 
     Shown in phantom in FIG. 1 is a pump  54  in fluid communication with the pipe  12 . A pump line  52 ′ attached to the second end  16  at the pipe  12  and is used to supply material from a fluid supply source  38 ′ through the pump  54  and the conduit  11  to the truck tank  30 . The pump  54  is also electronically connected to the controller. Also shown phantom in FIG. 1 is an alarm  50  electrically connected to the controller  42 . The alarm  50  can be an audible or visible display. 
     FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control scheme  60  for the automatic truck tank fill system  10 . The power supply  48  is used to supply power to the controller  42 . The controller  42  having the start control  44  and the stop control  46  is used to operate the fill system  10 . When the start control  44  is activated, a signal is transmitted to the controller  42  causing the valve  40  to open. If the pump  54  (shown in phantom) is used, activating the start control  44  will transmit a signal to the controller  42  causing the pump  54  to start and the valve  40  to open. When the stop control  46  is subsequently activated, a signal is transmitted to the controller  42  causing the valve  40  to close and/or the pump  54  to stop. 
     The sensor  32  is in the first state, when the sensor  32  is not in contact with the fluid material in the truck tank  30 . No signal is transmitted to the controller  32  when the sensor  32  is in the first state. When the sensor  32  is activated from the first state to the second state by the material in the truck tank  30  contacting the sensor  32 , shown in FIG. 1, a signal is transmitted to the controller  32  causing the valve  40  to close and/or the pump  54  to stop. The controller  42  also has a potentiometer that is capable of compensating for the relative resistance of the fluid such as water contacting the sensor  32 . An adjustable timer can be used to delay the closing of the valve  40  and/or the stopping of the pump  54  after the sensor  32  or the stop control  46  is activated in order to effectively fill the truck tank  30  to the maximum desired level. In addition, the controller  42  causes the alarm  50  (shown in phantom) to activate when the valve  40  closes. Activation of the alarm  50  will produce either an audible sound or visual display, thus alerting the operator that the truck tank  30  is full and/or material flow to the truck tank  30  has stopped. 
     The control scheme  60  also has a fail safe mode. If there is an electrical power interruption where the power supply  48  ceases to supply power to the controller  42 , the controller  42  will cause the valve  40  to close and/or the pump  54  to shut off. The valve  40  is normally in the closed position when there is no electrical power. When power is subsequently restored to the controller  42 , the valve  40  remains closed and/or the pump  54  remains shut off. This fail safe arrangement requires the user to activate the start control  44  to continue the filling process. 
     FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of an automatic truck tank fill system  70  that is similar to the fill system shown in FIG. 1, except that the sensor wire  34  and the electronic breakaway connector  36  are eliminated and replaced with radio frequency units  72 ,  74 . A level sensor  32 ′ is electrically connected to a controller  42 ′ by way of radio frequency waves. A first radio frequency unit  72  is attached to the sensor  32 ′ and a second radio frequency unit  74  is attached to the controller  42 ′. The first radio frequency unit  72  is used to transmit a signal from the sensor  32 ′ to the second radio frequency unit  74 . The second radio frequency unit  74  is used to receive the signal from the first radio frequency unit  72  and transmit the received signal to the controller  42 ′. 
     In operation, the driver of the truck tank places the truck tank  30  adjacent to the automatic truck tank fill system  10 . The fill spout  28  and the attached level sensor  32  in a first state is inserted into the opening  24  of the truck tank  30  by the operator. The operator then activates the start control  44  thereby opening the valve  40  and/or starting the pump  54 . Fluid material from the fluid supply source  38 ,  38 ′, starts to flow to the truck tank  30 . The operator does not need to watch the filling of the truck tank  30 . When the material in the truck tank  30  contacts the level sensor  32 , thus indicating that the truck tank  30  is full, the sensor  32  will activate to a second state, thereby causing the controller  42  to close the valve  40  and/or shut off the pump  54 . The alarm  50  will activate when the valve  40  closes, thus alerting the operator that the truck tank  30  is fill. The operator then removes the fill spout  28  from the opening  24  in the truck tank  30 . Next, the operator then shuts off the alarm  50  by activating the stop control  46 . If the operator is inattentive to the alarm  50 , or if the automatic truck tank system  10  does not have the alarm  50 , it is possible that the operator could move his truck with the fill spout  28  still inside the opening  24  of the truck tank  30 . If this occurs, the hose breakaway connector  26  will cause hose  18  to disconnect from the pipe  12  and the electronic breakaway connector  36  will cause the sensor wire  34  to disconnect from the controller  42 , thereby reducing the damage to the fill system  10 . 
     While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. The presently preferred embodiments described herein are meant to be illustrative only and not limited as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breath of the appended claims and any and all equivalence thereof.