Method and apparatus for automatically monitoring fuel tank ullage in an automated fuel authorization program

• US 9,828,233 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: McQuade, Charles Michael, Fadler, Rick
• Primary Examiner(s): Detweiler, James
• Application Number:
  US14/206,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20140195045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• 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 between a vehicle equipped with a vehicle Radiofrequency (RF) transmitter, a vehicle RF receiver, a vehicle directional Infrared (IR) transmitter directed outwardly from the vehicle'"'"'s windshield, and at least one or more of a microcontroller, a processor executing instructions stored on memory, or an application-specific integrated circuit logically connected to said vehicle RF transmitter RF receiver, and directional IR transmitter, and a fuel vendor having a station RF transmitter, a station RF receiver, a station IR receiver located proximate to a fuel pump to which the vehicle is proximate, and a processor connected to said station RF transmitter, RF receiver, and IR receiver, said vehicle RF transmitter and receiver and said station RF transmitter and receiver capable to form an RF data link therebetween, and said vehicle directional IR transmitter and said station IR receiver capable to form an IR data link therebetween, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) in response to receiving a radiofrequency (RF) query from the station RF transmitter by the vehicle RF receiver, thereby establishing an RF data link therebetween, automatically implementing the steps of;

(i) obtaining, by the vehicle'"'"'s at least one or more of a microcontroller, a processor executing instructions stored on memory, or an application-specific integrated circuit, a fuel tank level indication from a fuel tank level indicator at the vehicle to provide an indication of how much fuel is required to fill a vehicle fuel tank;

(ii) establishing an IR data link between the vehicle directional IR transmitter and the station IR receiver, thereby unambiguously identifying the fuel pump to which the vehicle is proximate; and

(iii) in response to establishing the IR data link, communicating the indication of how much fuel is required to fill the vehicle fuel tank and vehicle fuel authorization credentials from the vehicle to the fuel vendor processor, using at least one of the RF data link and the IR data link;

(b) automatically, by the fuel vendor processor, using the vehicle fuel authorization credentials to determine if the vehicle is enrolled in the fuel authorization program and if the vehicle is authorized to receive fuel; and

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

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of automatically communicating the vehicle fuel authorization credentials from the vehicle to the fuel vendor processor comprises the step of dynamically retrieving data from at least one of a vehicle data bus and a non-removable, non-transitory vehicle memory at the vehicle, thereby reducing a likelihood that the vehicle fuel authorization credentials are being used with an nonenrolled vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data retrieved from the at least one of the vehicle data bus and the non-removable, non-transitory vehicle memory comprises a vehicle identification number (VIN).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the fuel level indicator includes fuel injector sensors, configured to determine how much fuel has passed through the engine fuel injectors, indicating how much fuel has been consumed by the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the fuel level indicator further includes an engine hour meter, configured to determine how many hours the vehicle'"'"'s engine has been operated, which can be used in addition to or in place of how much fuel has passed through the engine fuel injectors to determine how much fuel the vehicle has consumed.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the fuel level indicator further includes an odometer, configured to determine how many miles or kilometers the vehicle has traveled, which can be used in addition to or in place of how much fuel has passed through the engine fuel injectors or how many miles or kilometers the vehicle has traveled to determine how much fuel the vehicle has consumed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the station'"'"'s associated IR receiver is located on a canopy, adjacent to the fuel pump to which the vehicle is proximate.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle directional IR transmitter is positioned in the vehicle and directed to transmit and receive IR signals through the front windshield of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle directional IR transmitter is directed upward, to communicate with the station'"'"'s associated IR receiver located on a station canopy.

4. A fuel authorization system to be installed in a vehicle and used for administering a fuel authorization program between the vehicle and a fuel vendor participating in the fuel authorization program;

the fuel vendor having a station Radiofrequency (RF) transmitter, a station RF receiver, a fuel pump to which the vehicle is proximate having an associated Infrared (IR) receiver, and a processor connected to said station RF transmitter, RF receiver, and associated IR receiver;

where the fuel authorization program is based on exchanging data between the vehicle and the fuel vendor processor, IR and RF communication, comprising;

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

b) a vehicle RF transmitter and RF receiver, the vehicle RF transmitter and receiver for exchanging data between the vehicle and the fuel vendor processor over an RF data link formed between the vehicle RF transmitter and receiver and the station RF transmitter and receiver;

(c) a vehicle directional IR transmitter directed outwardly from the vehicle'"'"'s windshield for transmitting data between the vehicle and the fuel vendor processor over an IR data link formed between the vehicle directional IR transmitter and the station'"'"'s associated IR receiver;

(d) a at least one or more of a microcontroller, a processor executing instructions stored on memory, or an application-specific integrated circuit logically connected to said vehicle RF transmitter, RF receiver, and directional IR transmitter, which, in response to receiving an RF query from the fuel vendor over the RF data link, automatically implements the functions of;

(i) obtaining a fuel tank level indication from the fuel tank level sensor at the vehicle to provide an indication of how much fuel is required to fill the vehicle'"'"'s fuel tank,

(ii) establishing the IR data link between the vehicle directional IR transmitter and the station'"'"'s associated IR receiver, thereby unambiguously identifying the fuel pump to which the vehicle is proximate to the fuel vendor; and

(iii) communicating the indication of how much fuel is required to fill the vehicle'"'"'s fuel tank and vehicle fuel authorization credentials from the vehicle to the fuel vendor processor, using at least one of the RF data link and the IR data link.

5. The fuel authorization system of claim 4, wherein the at least one or more of a microcontroller, a processor executing instructions stored on memory, or an application-specific integrated circuit automatically implements the functions of communicating the vehicle fuel authorization credentials from the vehicle to the fuel vendor processor by dynamically retrieving data from at least one of a vehicle data bus and a non-removable, nontransitory vehicle memory at the vehicle, thereby reducing a likelihood that the vehicle fuel authorization credentials are being used with an non-enrolled vehicle.