Vehicle Fuel Delivery Spill Detection and Pump Deactivation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel spills during refueling can go undetected, posing hazards and economic losses due to the lack of effective detection mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A system equipped with a computer programmed to receive data from sensors, including image and thermal data, to identify fuel spills by detecting color and temperature differences, which activates a fuel pump deactivation and vehicle movement away from the spill.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a fuel pump is used to fill the fuel tank, then the fueling process is efficient and quick, but fuel may spill from the fuel pump to an area near the vehicle creating hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of fuel spills using sensors (optical, thermal, capacitive) during the fueling process. By detecting spills in real-time and comparing against baseline conditions, the system can identify spills before they become significant hazards, allowing for immediate pump shutdown to prevent further fuel loss and safety risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the refueling area during fuel pump operation using multiple sensor types. The sensors provide real-time feedback about the presence of fuel spills, and this feedback is processed by a computer system that can automatically shut down the fuel pump when spills are detected, creating a closed-loop safety mechanism that balances efficient fueling with hazard prevention.
2Device complexity
If no detection mechanism is used, then the system is simple and cost-effective, but fuel spills go undetected causing hazards and economic losses
Solution Approach 1:
The detection system is segmented into multiple independent sensor types (optical sensors for color detection, thermal sensors for temperature detection, capacitive sensors for liquid detection) that can be deployed based on specific needs. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high reliability through sensor fusion while maintaining flexibility in implementation complexity - users can select individual sensor types or combine them based on their specific requirements and budget constraints.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Automatically detects fuel spills without human intervention, preventing further fuel loss and potential hazards by deactivating the fuel pump and moving the vehicle away from the spill.
Implementation Method 1
The computer can be further programmed to identify the fuel spill based on the image data by identifying a color difference on a roadway surface greater than a color difference threshold.
Implementation Method 2
The computer can be further programmed to obtain thermal image data from the image sensor. The computer can be further programmed to identify the fuel spill when the thermal image data indicate a temperature difference on a roadway surface greater than a temperature difference threshold.
Implementation Method 3
The fuel pump can connect to the fuel tank to pump fuel into the fuel tank.
Data Source
AI summary
Data are received indicating an amount of pumped fuel provided to a vehicle fuel tank. A vehicle fuel tank fuel volume is received. Upon determining that a difference between the pumped amount of fuel and a detected change in a fuel volume in the fuel tank exceeds a threshold, a fuel pump is deactivated.