MANAGEMENT OF VEHICLE FUELING SAFETY

• US 20170081169A1
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Published: 03/23/2017
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,087,064 B2
• Time in Patent Office: 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 the fuel pump or inserted into a vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure;

monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump to detect when the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from the fuel pump; and

activating an alarm 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.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving input from the at least one sensor comprises receiving input from a first sensor provided on the fuel pump nozzle and capable of sensing when 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 a second sensor provided on a fuel pump cradle and capable of sensing when 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 to detect when the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from 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 includes:

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, said method further including 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 to detect when the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from 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 to detect when the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from the fuel pump includes 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 the fuel pump or inserted into a vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure;

monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump to detect when the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from the fuel pump; and

activating an alarm 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.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said receiving input from the at least one sensor comprises receiving input from a first sensor provided on the fuel pump nozzle and capable of sensing when the fuel pump nozzle is inserted into a vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said receiving input from the at least one sensor comprises receiving input from a second sensor provided on a fuel pump cradle and capable of sensing when 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 to detect when the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from 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 includes:

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, said method further including 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 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 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 the fuel pump or inserted into a vehicle'"'"'s tank enclosure;

monitoring the vehicle adjacent to the fuel pump to detect when the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from the fuel pump; and

activating an alarm 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.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said receiving input from the at least one sensor comprises receiving input from a first sensor provided on the fuel pump nozzle and capable of sensing when the fuel pump nozzle is inserted into a 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 a second sensor provided on a fuel pump cradle and capable of sensing when 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 to detect when the vehicle is preparing to move or is starting to move away from the fuel pump comprises monitoring an area adjacent the fuel pump with one or more video cameras.