Fuel Supply Control Apparatus with Visual Confirmation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Highly volatile fuel oils are not accurately recognized by sensors, leading to unintended supply objects being supplied to containers due to user carelessness.

Innovation Solution

A supply control apparatus that includes an image projection system to display a fuel type confirmation image, an image-capturing system to detect user interactions, and a control unit to lock or unlock the refueling process based on user confirmation of the fuel type.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If sensor detection is used to identify fuel type, then the refueling process can be automated, but highly volatile fuel oils are not accurately recognized leading to erroneous supply

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomation of refueling processVSAvoidfuel type recognition accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary confirmation process between the sensor detection and the actual refueling execution. A display device shows the detected fuel type to the user, who must visually confirm it before refueling proceeds. This intermediary step allows automated detection to be combined with human verification, ensuring accurate identification of volatile fuel oils while maintaining automation benefits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by displaying the sensor-detected fuel type information to the user and requiring confirmation. This feedback loop ensures that the automated detection results are verified before acting on them, preventing erroneous refueling of highly volatile fuel oils while preserving the efficiency of automated detection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If user confirmation step is added to verify fuel type, then erroneous refueling is prevented, but the refueling operation time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverefueling accuracyVSAvoidrefueling operation time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection and displays the fuel type information to the user before the refueling operation begins. This preliminary action allows the user to verify the correct fuel type in advance, preventing erroneous refueling while minimizing time loss during the actual refueling process since the confirmation is quick and the refueling can proceed immediately upon user approval.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3604206B1Supply control apparatus, supply control method, and program
Publication Date: 2025.06.11 NEC CORP
  • EP3604206B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3604206B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3604206B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A supply control apparatus includes a display information output unit configured to output display information to allow a user to recognize an identifier of a supply object and information to prompt the user to decide on the supply object when the supply object is supplied to a supply destination container and a supply control unit configured to remove a supply limit for the supply destination container of the supply object when a decision operation in which the user confirming the display information decides on the supply object is detected.