METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FUEL ISLAND AUTHORIZATION FOR TRUCKING INDUSTRY USING PROXIMITY SENSORS

• US 20140263628A1
• Filed: 03/10/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: MCQUADE, CHARLES MICHAEL, FADLER, RICK, SCHOELERMAN, RYAN
• Granted Patent: US 9,607,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2007/0457 of the car
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2007/0459 by interrogating a transponder
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/0401 arrangements for automatically fuelling vehicles, i.e. without human intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/08 Arrangements of devices for controlling, indicating, metering or registering quantity or price of liquid transferred arrangement of flow- or pressure-control valves B67D7/36; computing, calculating, counting G06; coin-freed apparatus for dispensing fluids G07F13/00; prepayment devices for metering liquids G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/145 by wireless communication means, e.g. RF, transponders or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10415 the interrogation device being fixed in its position, such as an access control device for reading wireless access cards, or a wireless ATM banking machines in general G07F19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4015 using location information
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/12 Card verification

Abstract

A fuel authorization program based on equipping fuel station, fuel pumps, and vehicles with components to enable automatic fuel authorization for enrolled vehicles. The program includes fuel pumps including a pump transmitting sensor that automatically emits a pump ID. As a vehicle pulls in next to the pump a vehicle coupling receiving sensor detects the pump ID signal and a proximity link is created. The vehicle sensor passes the pump ID via hardwire or Bluetooth to vehicle fuel authorization processor (which can be part of a telematics device). The vehicle processor transmits the pump ID (and any fuel authorization credentials needed, such as a PIN or VIN) via WI-FI to a Station processor for fuel vendor authorization. If approved, the pump is enabled. As the vehicle moves away the coupling sensor link is broken and the vehicle transmits a “disconnect” message via Wi-Fi and the pump is disabled.

Claims

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

(a) automatically detecting a vehicle approaching a fuel pump;

(b) automatically transmitting a fuel pump ID from a proximity transmitter component disposed at the fuel pump, in response to detecting the approaching vehicle, such that the pump ID is not continuously being broadcasted, but is only broadcast in response to detecting the approaching vehicle;

(c) receiving the fuel pump ID using a proximity receiver component disposed at an enrolled vehicle proximate to a fueling port for receiving fuel, the vehicle receiver proximity component being logically coupled to a vehicle based fuel authorization processor component;

(d) automatically conveying the pump ID received by the proximity receiver component to the vehicle based fuel authorization processor component in response to receiving the pump ID at the proximity receiver component;

(e) automatically using a station wireless data link to send the pump ID from the vehicle based fuel authorization processor component to a station fuel authorization processor component in response to obtaining the fuel ID at the vehicle based fuel authorization processor component; and

(f) automatically using the fuel ID at the station fuel authorization processor component in response to receiving the pump ID and fuel ID at the station fuel authorization processor component, to determine if the vehicle is enrolled in the fuel authorization program and is authorized to receive fuel, and if so, automatically enabling fuel delivery at the fuel pump identified by the pump ID.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of automatically detecting the vehicle approaching the fuel pump comprises the step of automatically detecting a signal from a motion sensor proximate the fuel pump.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of automatically disabling the fuel pump when the motion sensor indicates the vehicle has moved away from the fuel pump.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of automatically detecting the signal from the motion sensor proximate the fuel pump comprises the steps of:

(a) installing a motion sensor above the fuel pump, the motion sensor being able to calculate a distance between the motion sensor and an object beneath the motion sensor, the motion sensor ignoring any distance that indicates that no object is between a ground surface and the motion sensor;

(b) ignoring any objects detected by the motion sensor where a distance detected by the motion sensor indicates that the object does not meet a predefined size, the predefined size having been selected such that objects corresponding to passenger vehicles are ignored, whereas objects corresponding to larger commercial vehicles are detected;

(c) automatically generating the signal to transmit the fuel pump ID from the proximity transmitter component when an object larger than the predefined size is detected.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of automatically detecting the vehicle approaching the fuel pump comprises the step of automatically detecting a signal from a pressure sensor proximate the fuel pump.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of automatically disabling the fuel pump when the pressure sensor indicates the vehicle has moved away from the fuel pump.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of automatically detecting the vehicle approaching the fuel pump comprises the step of automatically detecting that a current position of the vehicle as reported by a position sensing component at the vehicle, which is then communicated over a network to the fuel station at which the fuel pump is located, corresponds to the location of the fuel station.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of automatically detecting the vehicle approaching the fuel pump comprises the step of detecting the proximity receiver component disposed at the enrolled vehicle using the proximity transmitter component disposed at the fuel pump.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of automatically disabling the fuel pump when the proximity transmitter component can no longer detect the proximity receiver component disposed at the enrolled vehicle, indicating the vehicle has moved away from the fuel pump.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the station wireless data link is Wi-Fi.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the proximity receiver component and the vehicle based fuel authorization processor component communicate over a vehicle wireless data link, the vehicle wireless data link being separate and distinct form the station wireless data link.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(a) automatically obtaining a current vehicle location from a position sensing component at the vehicle, in response to receiving the pump ID at the vehicle based fuel authorization processor component, the vehicle location being required by the fuel vendor for fuel authorization;

(b) automatically using the station wireless data link to send the current vehicle location along with the pump ID from the vehicle based fuel authorization processor component to the station fuel authorization processor component in response to obtaining the current vehicle location at the vehicle based fuel authorization processor component; and

(c) automatically using the current vehicle location at the station fuel authorization processor component in response to receiving the pump ID and the current vehicle location at the station fuel authorization processor component, to determine if the vehicle location generally corresponds to the location of the fuel station, and if so, automatically enabling fuel delivery at the fuel pump identified by the pump ID.

14. A fuel island for refueling a vehicle, the fuel island comprising:

(a) a fuel dispensing device;

(b) a sensor for detecting a vehicle approaching the fuel island; and

(c) a proximity component on the fuel dispensing device, the proximity component including a controller implementing the function of automatically broadcasting a unique pump identifier in response to receiving a signal from the sensor indicating that the vehicle has been detected.

15. The fuel island of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to implement the function of sending a signal to a fuel authorization controller when the proximity component on the fuel dispensing device can no longer detect the vehicle, such that the pump can be disabled at that time.

16. The fuel island of claim 14, wherein the proximity component controller further implements the function of automatically conveying a unique vehicle identifier to a fuel authorization controller in response to receiving the unique vehicle identifier from a vehicle.

17. A vehicle configured to participate in a fuel authorization program, the vehicle comprising:

(a) a proximity component disposed proximate to a fueling port for receiving fuel, the vehicle proximity component being logically coupled to a vehicle data bus to acquire a unique vehicle identifier;

(b) a wireless data link capable of establishing a data link with a fuel vendor controlling a fuel pump that can be used to refuel the vehicle; and

(c) a controller configured to implement the following functions;

(i) detecting a pump proximity component at a fuel pump;

(ii) acquiring a unique pump identifier from the pump proximity component;

(iii) acquiring a unique vehicle identifier from the vehicle data bus in response to detecting a pump proximity component at a fuel pump;

(iv) establishing a wireless data link with the fuel vendor to convey the unique pump identifier and the unique vehicle identifier to the fuel vendor.