METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY MONITORING FUEL TANK ULLAGE IN AN AUTOMATED FUEL AUTHORIZATION PROGRAM

• US 20140195047A1
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: KING, MICHAEL CHARLES, FADLER, RICK, MCQUADE, CHARLES MICHAEL
• Granted Patent: US 9,856,129 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/237
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/302 using electrical or electro-mechanical means B67D7/307 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3215 using a plurality of channels network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083

Abstract

Described herein is a fuel authorization program that vehicles enrolled in the fuel authorization program to provide fuel tank sensor data in each fuel authorization request, so that an amount of fuel authorized will be limited to the amount needed to fill the vehicle'"'"'s fuel tank, reducing a likelihood that fuel will be diverted. In at least some embodiments, the fuel authorization controller at the vehicle automatically uses the fuel tank sensor data and known tank size to include in a fuel authorization request sent to a fuel vendor data defining how much fuel is required to fill the vehicle fuel tanks. In at least some embodiments, the fuel vendor consults data from a source other than the vehicle (such as records maintained by the fuel authorization program) to determine how large the vehicles fuel tanks are, and to calculate how much fuel is required.

Claims

1. A method for administering a fuel authorization program, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) automatically sending a fuel authorization request from a vehicle fuel authorization processor at an enrolled vehicle to a vendor fuel authorization processor at a fuel vendor, by having the vehicle fuel authorization processor automatically implement the steps of;

(i) obtaining a fuel tank reading from a fuel tank sensor at the vehicle to provide an indication of how much fuel is required to fill a vehicle fuel tank;

(ii) retrieving fuel authorization credentials from a memory at the vehicle;

(iii) communicating the indication of how much fuel is required and vehicle fuel authorization credentials from the vehicle to the fuel vendor;

(b) automatically using the vendor fuel authorization processor to analyze the vehicle fuel authorization credentials to determine if the vehicle is authorized to receive fuel;

(c) after determining the vehicle is enrolled in the fuel authorization program and is authorized to receive fuel, automatically using the vendor fuel authorization processor to enable fuel delivery at the fuel pump the vehicle is proximate to in a quantity sufficient to fill the fuel tank based on the indication of how much fuel is required communicated from the vehicle to the fuel vendor;

(d) automatically using the vendor fuel authorization processor to determine if fuel delivery was terminated early at the fuel pump to prevent spillage; and

if so, automatically using the vendor fuel authorization processor to send a communication from the fuel vendor to the vehicle indicating that less fuel was delivered than was requested;

(e) in response to receiving the communication from the fuel vendor that less fuel was delivered than was requested, automatically using the vehicle fuel authorization processor to apply a calibration factor at the vehicle, so that subsequent fuel tank readings will be more accurate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of automatically using the vendor fuel authorization processor to send the communication indicating that less fuel was delivered than was requested comprises the step of automatically communicating to the vehicle how much fuel was actually delivered.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of automatically using the vehicle fuel authorization processor to apply the calibration factor at the vehicle comprises the step of automatically using the vehicle fuel authorization processor to apply a calibration factor that tends to overcompensate based on how much fuel was actually delivered.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of automatically using the vehicle fuel authorization processor to apply the calibration factor at the vehicle comprises the step of automatically using the vehicle fuel authorization processor to apply a calibration factor that tends to undercompensate based on how much fuel was actually delivered.

5. A non-transitory memory medium having machine instructions stored thereon for facilitating a fuel transaction with a vehicle, the machine instructions, when implemented by a processor, carrying out the functions of steps (b), (c), and (d) of claim 1.

6. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 8, further having machine instructions stored thereon for implementing the step of claim 2.

7. A method for administering a fuel authorization program, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) automatically sending a fuel authorization request from a vehicle fuel authorization processor at an enrolled vehicle to a vendor fuel authorization processor at a fuel vendor, by having the vehicle fuel authorization processor automatically implement the steps of;

(i) obtaining an initial fuel tank reading from a fuel tank sensor at the vehicle to provide an indication of how much fuel is required to fill a vehicle fuel tank;

(ii) retrieving fuel authorization credentials from a memory at the vehicle;

(iii) communicating the indication of how much fuel is required and vehicle fuel authorization credentials from the vehicle to the fuel vendor;

(b) automatically using the vendor fuel authorization processor to analyze the vehicle fuel authorization credentials to determine if the vehicle is authorized to receive fuel;

(c) after determining the vehicle is enrolled in the fuel authorization program and is authorized to receive fuel, automatically using the vendor fuel authorization processor to enable fuel delivery at the fuel pump the vehicle is proximate to in a quantity sufficient to fill the fuel tank based on the indication of how much fuel is required communicated from the vehicle to the fuel vendor;

(d) after fuel delivery is complete, automatically using the vendor fuel authorization processor to communicate to the vehicle fuel authorization processor how much fuel was dispensed;

(e) after fuel delivery is complete, automatically using the vehicle fuel authorization processor to obtain a subsequent fuel tank reading to determine if a change between the initial fuel tank reading and the subsequent fuel tank reading corresponds to what is expected based on the how much fuel was dispensed;

(f) if the subsequent fuel tank reading is not as expected, automatically using the vehicle fuel authorization processor to apply a calibration factor at the vehicle, so that subsequent fuel tank readings will be more accurate.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of automatically using the vehicle fuel authorization processor to apply the calibration factor at the vehicle comprises the step of automatically using the vehicle fuel authorization processor to apply a calibration factor that tends to overcompensate based on how much fuel was actually delivered.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of automatically using the vehicle fuel authorization processor to apply the calibration factor at the vehicle comprises the step of automatically using the vehicle fuel authorization processor to apply a calibration factor that tends to undercompensate based on how much fuel was actually delivered.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of automatically using the vehicle fuel authorization processor to determine that fuel delivery is complete by at least one of the following techniques:

(a) automatically determining that the vehicle has been powered on;

(b) automatically determining that the vehicle has been placed into gear;

(c) automatically determining that the vehicle has exceeded a predefined RPM;

(d) automatically determining that a data link with the fuel vendor has been terminated;

(e) automatically determining that the vehicle has reached a predetermined speed;

(f) automatically determining that the vehicle has been moved based on data from a telematics device at the vehicle;

(g) automatically determining that the vehicle has been moved based on a position sensing component at the vehicle.

11. A non-transitory memory medium having machine instructions stored thereon for facilitating a fuel transaction with a vehicle, the machine instructions, when implemented by a processor, carrying out the functions of steps (a), (e) and (f) of claim 7.

12. A fuel authorization system to be installed in a vehicle participating in a fuel authorization program, where the fuel authorization program is based on exchanging data between the vehicle and a fuel vendor via both infrared (IR) and radiofrequency (RF) communication, comprising:

(a) a fuel tank sensor for measuring a quantity of fuel in the vehicle'"'"'s fuel tank;

(b) an RF component, the RF component for exchanging data between the vehicle and the fuel vendor over an RF data link;

(c) a fuel authorization controller which, in response to receiving an RF query from the fuel vendor, automatically implements the functions of;

(i) obtaining a fuel tank reading from a fuel tank sensor at the vehicle;

(ii) establishing an RF data link between the vehicle and a fuel vendor; and

(iii) retrieving fuel authorization credentials at the vehicle;

(iv) communicating the fuel tank reading and vehicle fuel authorization credentials from the vehicle to the fuel vendor using the RF data link;

(v) in response to receiving a communication from the fuel vendor that less fuel was delivered than was requested, automatically applying a calibration factor at the vehicle, so that subsequent fuel tank readings will be more accurate; and

(vii) in response to receiving a communication from the fuel vendor defining how much fuel was delivered, automatically obtaining a subsequent fuel tank reading to determine if a change between the initial fuel tank reading and the subsequent fuel tank reading corresponds to what is expected based on the how much fuel was dispensed, and if the subsequent fuel tank reading is not as expected, automatically applying a calibration factor at the vehicle, so that subsequent fuel tank readings will be more accurate.

13. A method for administering a fuel authorization program, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) automatically sending fuel tank readings from a vehicle to a remote monitoring service during vehicle operation;

(b) automatically sending fuel transaction data for the vehicle from a fuel vendor to the remote monitoring service after each fuel transaction;

(c) automatically analyzing the fuel transaction data and the fuel tank readings at the remote monitoring service to determine if a fuel sensor calibration is required; and

if so;

(d) automatically sending fuel sensor calibration data from the remote monitoring service to the vehicle; and

(e) automatically applying the calibration factor at the vehicle, so that subsequent fuel tank readings will be more accurate.