Fleet Fueling Station Reader Control for Accurate Vehicle Authorization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fleet fuel management systems are prone to human errors such as lost or misused charge cards, incorrect fuel types, and inaccurate fuel consumption reporting, leading to inefficiencies and potential damage to vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A fuel dispensing station with a controller that uses a moveable reader and sensor to authenticate vehicles and authorize the correct type of fuel, integrated with a network for real-time monitoring and data reporting, enabling accurate fueling and billing processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If manual fueling process with driver reporting is used, then system complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and reliability of fuel consumption data deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The fueling system performs self-service by automatically identifying vehicles through RFID tags, authorizing fuel dispensing based on pre-stored information, and recording fuel consumption data without requiring manual driver input or reporting. This eliminates human error while maintaining relatively simple operational procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical processes (drivers physically carrying charge cards, manually selecting fuel types, and writing down consumption data) with automated electronic systems including RFID readers, controllers, and digital databases that automatically capture and process fueling information.
2Reliability
If automated reader system is implemented, then measurement precision and reliability improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller serves multiple functions: it stores vehicle information and authorization codes, processes RFID tag readings, controls fuel dispensing flow, and records consumption data. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each task, thereby limiting the increase in overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The RFID tag acts as an intermediary that carries vehicle identification and authorization information between the vehicle and the fuel dispensing system. This intermediary simplifies the interaction by providing all necessary information in a single readable format, reducing the complexity of authentication and authorization processes.
3Loss of information
If driver manually reports fueling events, then loss of information is minimized, but loss of time due to manual processes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously and automatically records fueling events as they occur, maintaining an uninterrupted digital trail of all fuel dispensing transactions. This eliminates the discontinuous manual reporting process where drivers must later recall and report fueling events, ensuring no information is lost and reducing time expenditure.
Data Source
AI summary
A fleet fueling system may be implemented with controllers electronically interfacing with fuel dispensers at dispensing stations and communicating via a wide area network with one or more computing device implementing multiple subsystems. Hardware components and subsystems may be configured to avoid operating errors and provide end-to-end functionality, including one or more of: avoiding damage to movable readers that can collect information about assets positioned at fuel dispensing stations, selectively authorizing fuel to be dispensed based on the types and amount of fuel those assets are authorized to receive, quickly and reliably entering information about assets, providing analytics relating to fuel usage per asset, predicting future fuel needs at each of multiple fuel dispensing sites and scheduling fuel deliveries based on predicted needs, and detecting or correcting operating errors in the system.