Management of vehicle fueling safety

• US 10,087,064 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Debeaux, Matthieu, Deleuze, Ivan, Garcia, Guilhaume
• Primary Examiner(s): Duley, Janese
• Application Number:
  US14/860,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20170081169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/064 Drive-off preventing means, e.g. in case of non-payment
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/068 using imaging means, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/32 Arrangements of safety or warning devices; Means for preventing unauthorised delivery of liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/465 Electrical probes sensing the level of the liquid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A method and associated system for managing vehicle fuel safety. Input from at least one sensor is received. The input indicates that a fuel pump nozzle of a fuel pump is disengaged from the fuel pump or inserted into a vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure. The vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump is monitored to detect when the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from the fuel pump. An alarm is activated indicating that the fuel pump nozzle is disengaged from the fuel pump, or inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure, and the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move.

Claims

1. A method for managing vehicle fuel safety, said method comprising:

receiving input from at least one sensor indicating that a fuel pump nozzle of a fuel pump is disengaged from a fuel pump cradle of the fuel pump or inserted into a vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure, wherein the at least one sensor is selected from the group consisting of a first sensor on the fuel pump nozzle and configured to sense whether the fuel pump nozzle is inserted or is not inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure, a second sensor on the fuel pump cradle and configured to sense whether the fuel pump nozzle is in or is not in the fuel pump cradle, and a combination thereof;

monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump, said monitoring the vehicle detecting that the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from the fuel pump while the fuel pump nozzle is inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure; and

activating an alarm indicating a condition of the fuel pump nozzle not being in the fuel pump cradle or being inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure, and the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move, wherein the condition presents a dangerous scenario of the fuel pump nozzle being torn away from a pump housing of the fuel pump resulting in breach of the pump housing and spilt fuel and consequent risk of fire and loss of life.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving input from the at least one sensor comprises receiving input from the first sensor indicating that the fuel pump nozzle is inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving input from the at least one sensor comprises receiving input from the second sensor indicating that the fuel pump nozzle is not in the fuel pump cradle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump comprises monitoring an area adjacent the fuel pump with one or more video cameras.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump includes receiving a live video feed of the one or more video cameras, and wherein the method further comprises:

analyzing the live video feed to determine if the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from the fuel pump.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

triggering monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump in response to receiving input from the at least one sensor indicating that the fuel pump nozzle of the fuel pump is disengaged from the fuel pump or inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump comprises monitoring an area adjacent the fuel pump with a relative movement sensor for monitoring relative movement between the vehicle and the fuel pump.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump comprises using a noise sensor to determine if the vehicle'"'"'s engine is started.

9. A system, comprising:

a processor, a computer readable storage device, a memory, computer program instructions stored in the computer readable storage device and executable by the processor via the memory to implement a method for managing vehicle fuel safety, said method comprising;

receiving input from at least one sensor indicating that a fuel pump nozzle of a fuel pump is disengaged from a fuel pump cradle of the fuel pump or inserted into a vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure, wherein the at least one sensor is selected from the group consisting of a first sensor on the fuel pump nozzle and configured to sense whether the fuel pump nozzle is inserted or is not inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure, a second sensor on the fuel pump cradle and configured to sense whether the fuel pump nozzle is in or is not in the fuel pump cradle, and a combination thereof;

monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump, said monitoring the vehicle detecting that the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from the fuel pump while the fuel pump nozzle is inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure; and

activating an alarm indicating a condition of the fuel pump nozzle not being in the fuel pump cradle or being inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure, and the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move, wherein the condition presents a dangerous scenario of the fuel pump nozzle being torn away from a pump housing of the fuel pump resulting in breach of the pump housing and spilt fuel and consequent risk of fire and loss of life.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said receiving input from the at least one sensor comprises receiving input from the first sensor indicating that the fuel pump nozzle is inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said receiving input from the at least one sensor comprises receiving input from the second sensor indicating that the fuel pump nozzle is not in the fuel pump cradle.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein said monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump comprises monitoring an area adjacent the fuel pump with one or more video cameras.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump includes receiving a live video feed from the one or more video cameras, and wherein the method further comprises:

analyzing the live video feed to determine if the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from the fuel pump.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

triggering monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump in response to receiving input from the at least one sensor indicating the fuel pump nozzle of the fuel pump is disengaged from the fuel pump or inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein said monitoring comprises:

monitoring an area adjacent to the fuel pump with a relative movement sensor.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a signal from a noise sensor to determine if the vehicle'"'"'s engine is started.

17. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable hardware storage device having computer readable program code stored therein, said program code containing instructions executable by a processor to implement a method for managing vehicle fuel safety said method comprising;

receiving input from at least one sensor indicating that a fuel pump nozzle of a fuel pump is disengaged from a fuel pump cradle of the fuel pump or inserted into a vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure, wherein the at least one sensor is selected from the group consisting of a first sensor on the fuel pump nozzle and configured to sense whether the fuel pump nozzle is inserted or is not inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure, a second sensor on the fuel pump cradle and configured to sense whether the fuel pump nozzle is in or is not in the fuel pump cradle, and a combination thereof;

monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump, said monitoring the vehicle detecting that the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from the fuel pump while the fuel pump nozzle is inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure; and

activating an alarm indicating a condition of the fuel pump nozzle not being in the fuel pump cradle or being inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure, and the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move, wherein the condition presents a dangerous scenario of the fuel pump nozzle being torn away from a pump housing of the fuel pump resulting in breach of the pump housing and spilt fuel and consequent risk of fire and loss of life.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said receiving input from the at least one sensor comprises receiving input from the first sensor indicating that the fuel pump nozzle is inserted into the vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said receiving input from the at least one sensor comprises receiving input from the second sensor indicating that the fuel pump nozzle is not in the fuel pump cradle.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump comprises monitoring an area adjacent the fuel pump with one or more video cameras.