Automated fueling system with remote service facility to operate multiple refueling stations

• US 6,390,151 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1998
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokheim Sas (Cognetas LLP)
• Original Assignee: Tokheim Sas (Cognetas LLP)
• Inventors: Goggin, William, Christman, Gary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): JACYNA, J CASIMER
• Application Number:
  US09/218,516
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 141/94, 141/98, 141/231, 705/413, 700/231, 700/232, 700/236, 700/237, 700/282, 700/283
• US Class Current: 141/231
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2007/0442 interface for orders and payments
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2007/0473 optically
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/0401 arrangements for automatically fuelling vehicles, i.e. without human intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/145 by wireless communication means, e.g. RF, transponders or the like
• 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 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines

Abstract

A central system controller located at a remote service facility performs the centralized processing of the various refueling transaction requests originating from a network of service station sites. The transaction request is transmitted by the customer from a vehicle RF transceiver to a dispenser-equipped RF transceiver where it is routed through an on-site dedicated controller to the central system controller over a long-haul communications link. The central system controller processes the transaction and directs the dedicated controller to render operative control of the fuel dispenser and an associated hydraulic arm assembly that selectively maneuvers the nozzle assembly into fueling engagement with the vehicle in an automated fashion. The central system controller is connected to other commercial retailers such as online merchants to permit the customer to request additional transactions unrelated to the refueling activity. Video linkage between the system controller and other commercial retailers is also possible.

Claims

1. A system for delivering fuel to a vehicle having a fuel inlet positioned for refueling at a service station site, said system comprising:

a fuel dispensing system including a nozzle assembly, said fuel dispensing system being operative to selectively dispense fuel;

an actuator assembly operatively associated with said fuel dispensing system, said actuator assembly being operative in response to suitable control commands applied thereto to selectively cause said nozzle assembly to be placed into mating fueling engagement with a fuel inlet of the vehicle, and said actuator assembly being operative in response to suitable control commands applied thereto to selectively cause said nozzle assembly to become disengaged from the fuel inlet of the vehicle;

means for operatively providing information including, at least in part, transaction signals relating to a refueling request associated with said vehicle;

a controller operatively connected to said actuator assembly, operatively connected to said fuel dispensing system, and operatively connected to said information providing means, said controller being operative to control the operation of said actuator assembly, said controller being operative to control the dispensing of fuel by said fuel dispensing system, and said controller being operative to transmit the information provided by said information providing means;

remote system control means, disposed remote from said service station site and operatively connected to said controller, for processing the information transmitted by said controller, generating control information based upon the processed refueling request information, said generated control information being representative of control action to be taken by said controller with respect to a refueling operation for the vehicle, and transmitting the generated control information to said controller,

a first communications device integral with said vehicle and having at least one of a transmit capability and a receive capability;

said information providing means further including;

a second communications device operatively connected to said controller and having at least one of a transmit capability and a receive capability, said second communications device being disposed at said service station site in a manner sufficient to enable operative communications with said first communications device while said vehicle is disposed in refueling relationship relative to said fuel dispensing system;

said operative communications between said first communications device and said second communications device including said transaction signals relating to the refueling request, each one of said first communications device and said second communications device further comprises a respective wireless communications assembly;

said actuator assembly further including a robotics assembly,

a vision system operatively connected to said controller, said vision system being arranged to provide video signals representative of the positional relationship of said actuator assembly relative to said vehicle and relative to said nozzle assembly;

a communications link arranged to provide a communications pathway between said controller and said remote system control means, and

a communications network operatively connected to said remote system control means, said communications network being arranged to provide communications access to at least one merchant to enable the execution of a transaction therewith by said remote system control means in accordance with an associated transaction request operatively received from said controller.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said communications network further comprises:

an internet facility including a respective electronic commerce site for each one of said at least one merchant that enables the operative processing of transaction requests characterized by electronic commerce activity.

3. A system for delivering fuel to a vehicle positioned for refueling at a service station site, said system comprising:

a fuel dispensing system including a nozzle assembly, said fuel dispensing system being operative to selectively dispense fuel;

an actuator assembly operatively associated with said fuel dispensing system, said actuator assembly being operative in response to suitable control commands applied thereto to selectively cause said nozzle assembly to be placed into mating fueling engagement with a fuel inlet of said vehicle, said actuator assembly being operative in response to suitable control commands applied thereto to selectively cause said nozzle assembly to become disengaged from the fuel inlet of said vehicle;

means for providing position signals representative of the position of said actuator assembly relative to said vehicle and relative to said nozzle assembly means for providing position signals includes a vision system arranged to provide video signals representative of the positional relationship of said actuator assembly relative to said vehicle and relative to said nozzle assembly;

a first wireless communications device integral with said vehicle and having at least one of a transmit capability and a receive capability;

a second wireless communications device associated with said service station site and having at least one of a transmit capability and a receive capability, said second wireless communications device being disposed at said service station site in a manner sufficient to enable operative communications with said first wireless communications device while said vehicle is disposed in refueling relationship relative to said fuel dispensing system;

a controller operatively connected to said fuel dispensing system, operatively connected to said actuator assembly, operatively connected to said means for providing position signals, and operatively connected to said second wireless communications device;

said controller being operative to control the operation of said fuel dispensing system and to control the operation of said actuator assembly, said controller being operative to transmit the actuator assembly position signals provided by said position signal providing means, and said controller being operative to transmit information which is operatively provided by said first wireless communications device to said second wireless communications device, said information including, at least in part, transaction signals relating to a refueling request associated with said vehicle;

remote system control means, disposed remote from said service station site and operatively connected to said controller, for providing said controller with command control information representative of an operative control action to be taken by said controller with respect to a refueling operation for said vehicle, said command control information being developed based upon a processing activity performed by said remote system control means involving the actuator assembly position signals transmitted by said controller and the information transmitted by said controller,

wherein the operating functions performed by said remote system control means further includes;

(a) evaluating the information received from said controller to make a decision regarding a selective one of approval and denial of the refueling request, generating dispenser control signals based on the evaluation of the information and developed in accordance with said refueling decision, said generated dispenser control signals being representative of a selectable refueling activity for said fuel dispensing system, and transmitting said generated dispenser control signals to said controller;

(b) evaluating the video signals received from said controller, generating actuator assembly control signals based on the video signals evaluation, said generated actuator assembly control signals being representative of an operational repositioning activity for said actuator assembly relative to maneuvering said nozzle assembly into a selective one of engagement and disengagement relative to the fuel inlet of said vehicle, and transmitting said generated actuator assembly control signals to said controller; and

(c) evaluating data representative of an operational state of said fuel dispensing system received from said controller to determine if the selected refueling activity has been completed, and, upon an affirmative determination of the completion of refueling activity, transmitting to said controller control signals sufficient to operate said actuator assembly to cause the disengagement of said nozzle assembly from the fuel inlet of said vehicle;

a communications link arranged to provide a communications pathway between said controller and said remote system control means,

wherein said actuator assembly includes;

a robotics assembly, and

a communications network operatively connected to said remote system control means, said communications network being arranged to provide communications access to at least one merchant to enable the execution of a transaction therewith by said remote system control means in accordance with an associated transaction request operatively received from said controller.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein said communications network further comprises:

an internet facility including a respective electronic commerce site for each one of said at least on merchant that enables the operative processing of transaction requests characterized by electronic commerce activity.

5. A system enabling the delivery of fuel to each one of a plurality of vehicles each positioned for refueling at an associated one of a plurality of service station sites, said system comprising:

a plurality of fuel delivery arrangements each operatively associated with a respective one of said plurality of vehicles;

each respective one of said plurality of fuel delivery arrangements comprising;

a respective fuel dispensing assembly including a respective nozzle assembly,

a respective means for operatively providing information including, at least in part, transaction signals relating to a refueling request for the vehicle operatively associated with said respective one fuel delivery arrangement,

a respective actuator assembly disposed to enable operative engagement with said respective fuel dispensing assembly at the respective nozzle assembly thereof,

said respective actuator assembly being operative in response to suitable control commands applied thereto to selectively place said nozzle assembly associated therewith into mating fueling engagement with a fuel inlet of the associated vehicle, and said respective actuator assembly being operative in response to suitable control commands applied thereto to selectively disengage said nozzle assembly associated therewith from the fuel inlet of the associated vehicle, and

a respective controller operatively connected to said respective information providing means, operatively connected to said respective actuator assembly, and operatively connected to said respective fuel dispensing assembly,

said respective controller being operative to perform operating functions comprising controlling the operation of said respective actuator assembly, controlling the dispensing of fuel by said respective fuel dispensing assembly, and transmitting the information received by said respective information providing means;

remote system control means, disposed remote from each one of said plurality of service station sites and operatively connected to each respective controller associated with each respective one of said plurality of fuel delivery arrangements, for processing the respective information received from each respective one of said controllers, generating for each respective one of said controllers control information which is based upon the processed information associated therewith and which is representative of control action to be taken by said respective one controller with respect to a refueling operation for the vehicle associated therewith, and for transmitting to each respective one of said controllers said respective generated control information associated therewith;

a plurality of first communications devices each integral with a respective one of said plurality of vehicles and each having at least one of a transmit capability and a receive capability,

each respective means for providing information associated with each respective one of said plurality of fuel delivery arrangements further includes;

a respective second communications device operatively connected to the respective controller associated with said respective one fuel delivery arrangement and having at least one of a transmit capability and a receive capability, said second communications device being disposed at said service station site associated therewith in a manner sufficient to enable operative communications with said respective first communications device associated therewith while said vehicle associated therewith is disposed in refueling relationship relative to said respective fuel dispensing assembly associated therewith;

said operative communications between said respective first communications device and said respective second communications device associated therewith including said transaction signals relating to the refueling request, wherein each respective one of said plurality of first communications devices further comprises a respective wireless communications assembly;

each respective second communications device associated with each respective one of said plurality of first communications devices further comprises a respective wireless communications assembly;

each respective actuator assembly associated with each respective one of said plurality of fuel delivery arrangements includes a respective robotics assembly;

a plurality of communications links each arranged to provide a respective communications pathway between said remote system control means and each respective one of said plurality of fuel delivery arrangements, and

a communications network operatively connected to said remote system control means, said communications network being arranged to provide communications access to at least one merchant to enable the execution of transactions therewith by said remote system control means in accordance with associated transaction requests operatively received from corresponding ones of said plurality of fuel delivery arrangements.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein said communications network further comprises:

an internet facility including a respective electronic commerce site for each one of said at least one merchant that enables the operative processing of transaction requests characterized by electronic commerce activity.

7. A system enabling the delivery of fuel to each one of a plurality of vehicles each positioned for refueling at an associated one of a plurality of service station sites, said system comprising:

a plurality of fuel delivery arrangements each operatively associated with a respective one of said plurality of vehicles;

each respective one of said plurality of fuel delivery arrangements comprising;

a respective fuel dispensing assembly including a respective nozzle assembly,

a respective actuator assembly operatively associated with said respective fuel dispensing assembly, said respective actuator assembly being operative in response to suitable control commands applied thereto to selectively cause said respective nozzle assembly to be placed into mating fueling engagement with a fuel inlet of the respective vehicle associated with said respective one fuel delivery arrangement, and said respective actuator assembly being operative in response to suitable control commands applied thereto to selectively cause said respective nozzle assembly to become disengaged from the fuel inlet of said associated vehicle,

a respective means for providing position signals representative of the position of said respective actuator assembly relative to said associated vehicle and relative to said respective nozzle assembly,

a respective first wireless communications device integral with said associated vehicle and having at least one of a transmit capability and a receive capability,

a respective second wireless communications device having at least one of a transmit capability and a receive capability, said respective second wireless communications device being disposed at the respective service station site associated with said respective one fuel delivery arrangement in a manner sufficient to enable operative communications with said respective first wireless communications device associated therewith while said associated vehicle is disposed in refueling relationship relative to said respective fuel dispensing assembly, and

a respective controller operatively connected to said respective fuel dispensing assembly, operatively connected to said respective actuator assembly, operatively connected to said respective means for providing position signals, and operatively connected to said respective second wireless communications device,

said respective controller being operative to control the operation of said respective fuel dispensing assembly and to control the operation of said respective actuator assembly, said respective controller being operative to transmit the actuator assembly position signals provided by said respective position signal providing means, and said respective controller being operative to transmit information which is operatively provided by said respective first wireless communications device to said respective second wireless communications device, said information including, at least in part, transaction signals relating to a refueling request associated with said vehicle;

remote system control means, disposed remote from each one of said plurality of service station sites and operatively connected to said respective controller associated with each respective one of said plurality of fuel delivery arrangements, for providing each respective one of said controllers with respective command control information representative of a respective operative control action to be taken by said respective one controller with respect to a respective refueling operation for said vehicle associated therewith, said respective command control information being developed based upon an associated processing activity performed by said remote system control means involving the associated actuator assembly position signals transmitted by said respective one controller and the associated information transmitted by said respective one controller;

wherein each respective means for providing position signals associated with each respective one of said plurality of fuel delivery arrangements further includes a respective vision system arranged to provide video signals representative of the positional relationship of said respective actuator assembly associated therewith relative to said associated vehicle and relative to said associated nozzle assembly;

wherein each respective controller associated with each respective one of said plurality of fuel delivery arrangements is operative to transmit to said remote system control means information transmitted by said respective first communications device associated therewith to said respective second communications device associated therewith, the video signals provided by said respective vision system associated therewith, and data provided by said respective fuel dispensing assembly associated therewith representative of an operational state thereof;

wherein the operating functions performed by said remote system control means in respect of the respective transmissions from each respective controller associated with each respective one of said plurality of fuel delivery arrangements further includes;

(a) evaluating the respective information received from said respective controller to make a respective decision regarding a selective one of approval and denial of the associated refueling request, generating associated dispenser control signals based on the evaluation of the associated information and developed in accordance with said respective refueling decision, said generated dispenser control signals being representative of a respective selectable refueling activity for said associated fuel dispensing assembly, and transmitting said generated dispenser control signals to said respective controller;

(b) evaluating the respective video signals received from said respective controller, generating associated actuator assembly control signals based on the video signals evaluation, said generated actuator assembly control signals being representative of a respective operational repositioning activity for said respective actuator assembly relative to maneuvering said associated nozzle assembly into a selective one of engagement and disengagement relative to the fuel inlet of said associated vehicle, and transmitting said generated actuator assembly control signals to said respective controller; and

(c) evaluating the respective fuel dispensing assembly data received from said respective controller to determine if the associated selected refueling activity has been completed and, upon an affirmative determination of the completion of refueling activity, transmitting to said respective controller control signals sufficient to operate said respective actuator assembly to cause the disengagement of said associated nozzle assembly from the fuel inlet of said associated vehicle;

a respective communications link arranged to provide a respective communications pathway between said remote system control means and each respective controller associated with each respective one of said plurality of fuel delivery arrangements, and

a communications network operatively connected to said remote system control means, said communications network being arranged to provide communications access to at least one merchant to enable the execution of transactions therewith by said remote system control means in accordance with associated transaction requests operatively received from corresponding ones of said plurality of fuel delivery arrangements.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said communications network further comprises:

an internet facility including a respective electronic commerce site for each one of said at least one merchant that enables the operative processing of transaction requests characterized by electronic commerce activity.