Touchless Fuel Dispenser Interface With Driver Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel dispensers require customers to physically interact with dirty or germ-infested interfaces and repeatedly enter fueling preferences for each transaction, leading to inefficiencies and potential health risks.
Innovation Solution
Intelligent fuel dispensers equipped with image sensors and processors that use facial recognition, vehicle identification, and gesture analysis to determine customer identity and preferences, allowing for touchless interactions and personalized fueling experiences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If customers physically interact with the fuel dispenser interface, then the fueling process can be initiated and controlled, but customers are exposed to dirty surfaces, toxins, and germs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical contact with the interface (buttons, keypads, touchscreens) with optical recognition systems (cameras, image sensors) and wireless communication technologies. The processor captures images of customers and vehicles, identifies features through pattern recognition, and processes commands without requiring physical contact, thereby eliminating exposure to contaminants while maintaining operational functionality.
2Reliability
If customers reenter fueling preferences each time, then the system maintains simplicity and reliability, but the process becomes repetitive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by capturing customer preferences, vehicle information, and identification data during the first interaction and storing them in the processor's memory. Subsequent fueling sessions automatically retrieve this pre-stored information through image recognition and pattern matching, eliminating the need for repeated data entry while maintaining system reliability through consistent data retrieval protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically identifying returning customers through image recognition, retrieving their stored preferences, and configuring the fueling process without human intervention. The processor autonomously matches captured images with stored customer profiles and applies saved preferences, reducing both time loss and maintaining operational simplicity.
3Device complexity
If the fuel dispenser uses basic detection methods, then the device complexity remains low, but it cannot provide personalized fueling experiences or identify customer preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing the processor to perform multiple functions: capturing images, identifying customer faces, recognizing vehicle features, reading license plates, determining preferences, and controlling fuel dispensing. This multi-functional approach enables personalized fueling experiences while managing device complexity through integrated processing rather than separate specialized components.
Data Source
AI summary
In general, intelligent fuel dispensers are provided. In at least some implementations, an intelligent fuel dispenser can determine customer identities and/or other characteristics and provide customized fueling sessions based on the determined customer identities and/or other characteristics. In at least some implementations, the fuel dispenser includes a touchless interface allowing customers to complete fueling sessions with minimal physical contact with the fuel dispenser.