Mobile Device Fuel Delivery Tracking System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tracking fuel delivery to individual vehicles using fuel trucks is burdensome, error-prone, and often inaccurate due to large tank sizes and incline positioning, leading to many trucks not being equipped with gauges for precise fuel measurement.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device is used to communicate with a fuel truck's meter and vehicle tags to control and track fuel delivery, allowing precise measurement of fuel dispensed to each vehicle, and to manage fuel truck operations, including route tracking and tank levels, without the need for redesigning existing fuel meters or trucks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fuel trucks are equipped with fuel gauges to track fuel delivery, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary that communicates with both the fuel meter on the fuel truck and the central server. This mobile device serves as a mediator that enables accurate fuel delivery tracking without requiring complex modifications to the fuel truck itself. The mobile device captures delivery information and transmits it to the server, resolving the contradiction by adding a simple intermediary component rather than complicating the fuel truck's existing systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the need for complex mechanical fuel gauges and measurement systems on fuel trucks with an electronic/digital information system. Instead of relying on physical gauges that require precise mechanical measurement, the system uses digital communication between the fuel meter, mobile device, and server to track and record fuel delivery data, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining or improving measurement precision.
2Productivity
If manual tracking of fuel delivery is used, then device complexity remains low, but productivity and accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automated self-service tracking where the fuel meter automatically records delivery information, the mobile device automatically captures and transmits data, and the server automatically processes and stores information. This eliminates the need for manual tracking operations while maintaining system simplicity, thereby improving productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the server receives delivery information from mobile devices, processes it, and can provide responses or updates back to the system. This automated feedback loop improves tracking efficiency and accuracy by eliminating manual intervention, while the feedback architecture itself remains relatively simple and scalable.
3Measurement precision
If existing fuel meters are modified to improve tracking accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but ease of manufacture and deployment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the fuel delivery tracking system into separate independent components: the existing fuel meter on the truck, the mobile device for data capture, and the central server for processing. This segmentation allows the existing fuel meters to remain unmodified while still achieving improved tracking accuracy through the additional external components, thereby maintaining ease of manufacture and deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal tracking system that can work with existing fuel meters without modification. The mobile device and server infrastructure serve multiple purposes including tracking fuel deliveries, managing fleet operations, and providing reporting capabilities. This multi-functional approach allows the system to improve measurement precision while remaining compatible with existing fuel truck configurations, easing manufacture and deployment.
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel truck is used to deliver fuel to vehicles parked at one or more locations. While the fuel truck is servicing vehicles, a user of the fuel truck uses a mobile device to assist in the management of fuel delivery. Specifically, each vehicle being serviced has a tag that is a capable of being read by the mobile device. The tag communicates information that identifies the vehicle, and the mobile device communicates with a meter on the fuel truck to track how much fuel is delivered to the identified vehicle. The mobile device also controls the meter such that fuel is allowed to flow only when the mobile device is aware of which vehicle is receiving the fuel. Thus, over time, the mobile device is able to track accurately which vehicle is receiving fuel so that the amount of fuel delivered to each vehicle can be precisely determined.