Fuel dispenser flow meter fraud detection and prevention

• US 8,757,010 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2012
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Inventors: Williams, Rodger K., Payne, Edward A., Scott, Christopher E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, JAMEL E
• Application Number:
  US13/452,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20130110286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 738/617.7, 73/11.6
• US Class Current: 73/861.77
• 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 7/16 Arrangements of liquid meters
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/20 of rotary type
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/075 with magnetic or electromagnetic coupling to the indicating device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A fuel flow meter assembly for detecting fraud caused by tampering. The fuel flow meter assembly includes a fuel flow meter comprising a shaft and a displacement sensor operatively connected to the fuel flow meter shaft for generating information representative of an amount of fuel delivered through the fuel flow meter. At least one transponder is coupled with one of the fuel flow meter shaft and the displacement sensor. At least one interrogator electronics is coupled with the other of the fuel flow meter shaft and the displacement sensor. The at least one interrogator electronics is configured for remote electronic communication with the at least one transponder.

Claims

1. A fuel flow meter assembly for detecting fraud caused by tampering, said fuel flow meter assembly comprising:

a fuel flow meter comprising a shaft;

a displacement sensor operatively connected to said fuel flow meter shaft for generating information representative of an amount of fuel delivered through said fuel flow meter;

at least one transponder coupled with one of said fuel flow meter shaft and said displacement sensor; and

at least one interrogator electronics coupled with the other of said fuel flow meter shaft and said displacement sensor, said at least one interrogator electronics configured for remote electronic communication with said at least one transponder.

2. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least one transponder is embedded in said fuel flow meter shaft.

3. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least one transponder is coupled with a disc, said disc being coupled for rotation with said fuel flow meter shaft.

4. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 1, wherein a unique ID is stored in a memory of said at least one transponder.

5. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 4, wherein said at least one interrogator electronics is configured to request said unique ID from said at least one transponder upon initiation of a fueling transaction.

6. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least one interrogator electronics is configured to interrogate said at least one transponder during each rotation of said fuel flow meter shaft.

7. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 6, wherein said at least one interrogator electronics transmits information representative of responsive signals from said transponder to a fuel dispenser control system.

8. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 7, wherein said fuel dispenser control system is configured to compare said information representative of an amount of fuel delivered through said fuel flow meter with the number of times said at least one interrogator electronics has interrogated said at least one transponder during a fueling transaction.

9. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least one interrogator electronics is configured to store historical and performance information of said fuel flow meter on said at least one transponder.

10. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 1, wherein said displacement sensor is a pulser.

11. A fuel flow meter assembly comprising:

a fuel flow meter comprising a shaft;

a capacitive displacement sensor operatively connected to said fuel flow meter shaft for generating information representative of an amount of fuel delivered through said fuel flow meter; and

capacitive sensing electronics in communication with said capacitive displacement sensor.

12. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 11, further comprising a displacement sensor comprising at least one transponder and interrogator electronics configured for remote electronic communication with said at least one transponder.

13. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 11, wherein said capacitive displacement sensor comprises a reader and an encoder.

14. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 13, wherein said encoder is coupled for rotation with said fuel flow meter shaft.

15. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 13, wherein said reader and said encoder each comprise a printed circuit board having one or more conductive layers defined thereon.

16. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 15, wherein said one or more conductive layers of said reader comprise a ground plane and a plurality of radial segments isolated from said ground plane by a gap.

17. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 16, wherein said capacitive sensing electronics monitor changes in capacitance between said ground plane and each of said plurality of radial segments.

18. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 13, wherein each of said reader and said encoder are formed in the shape of a disc.

19. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 11, wherein said capacitive displacement sensor comprises a reader having a plurality of conductive pads defined thereon and an arm coupled for rotation with said flow meter shaft.

20. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 19, further comprising at least one interrogator electronics.

21. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 20, further comprising at least one capacitive element coupled with said arm.

22. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 19, wherein said reader disc further comprises a signal ring.

23. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 22, further comprising at least two conductive elements coupled with said arm.

24. A fuel flow meter assembly comprising:

a fuel flow meter comprising a shaft; and

a displacement sensor operatively connected to said fuel flow meter shaft for generating information representative of an amount of fuel delivered through said fuel flow meter;

said displacement sensor comprising;

at least one transponder operatively coupled for rotation with said fuel flow meter shaft; and

at least one interrogator electronics configured for remote electronic communication with said at least one transponder.

25. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 24, wherein said at least one transponder is coupled with a disc, said disc being coupled for rotation with said fuel flow meter shaft.

26. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 24, wherein said at least one transponder comprises a plurality of transponders.

27. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 24, wherein said at least one interrogator electronics is configured to interrogate said at least one transponder during each rotation of said fuel flow meter shaft.

28. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 27, wherein said at least one interrogator electronics transmits information representative of responsive signals from said transponder to a fuel dispenser control system.

29. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 28, wherein said fuel dispenser control system is configured to determine at least one of the rate of rotation, direction of rotation, and the position of said fuel flow meter shaft.

30. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 27, further comprising a first antenna and a second antenna in communication with said at least one interrogator electronics, said first antenna being orthogonal to said second antenna.

31. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 30, wherein said interrogator electronics comprises received signal strength indicator (RSSI) electronics.

32. The fuel flow meter assembly of claim 31, wherein said interrogator electronics are configured to determine the angular position of said fuel flow meter shaft based on the strength of signals received from said at least one transponder.

33. A fuel flow meter assembly comprising:

a fuel flow meter comprising a shaft;

a displacement sensor operatively connected to said fuel flow meter shaft for generating information representative of an amount of fuel delivered through said fuel flow meter;

a capacitive sensor coupled with said displacement sensor to detect tampering with said displacement sensor; and

capacitive sensing electronics in communication with said capacitive sensor.