Patent Application
20200299125
The present disclosure relates to a device and method for facilitating secure fuel delivery to a vehicle and, more specifically, to such a device and method that optimizes wireless communication between a vehicle and a fuel authorization system to reduce communication failures between a reader/interrogator associated with the fuel authorization system and a wireless communication tag associated with each vehicle, while ensuring the integrity of the fuel delivery process, simultaneously reducing instances of fuel theft and accommodating vehicles of varying physical geometries.
Automatic fuel authorization systems are commonly used for vehicles forming part of a fleet. The fuel authorization system forms part of a fleet management system and is commonly used as a tool to secure the fueling process. Fuel authorization system are in place to try to reduce to a minimum fuel theft at the fuel delivery pump by ensuring that only authorized vehicles may be fueled at the fuel delivery pump. It should be appreciated that the devices and methods described herein have equal applicability to traditional non-fleet fueling businesses, gas stations and the like utilized daily by consumers, as will be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the present disclosure.
Fuel authorization system generally includes a remote fuel authorization server that authorizes fuel delivery at a fuel delivery pump for vehicles identified as an authorized fleet member. Wireless communication between the fuel authorization server and a communication device associated with the vehicle allows the server to identify and authenticate the vehicle. One example of a wireless communication device is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. The tag may comprise a memory that includes, but is not limited to, vehicle identification, type of fuel required and fuel payment data. The tag associated with each vehicle is typically located proximate the vehicle fuel tank filler neck inlet area. In order to gain authorization and activate fuel dispensing operations, the vehicle identification data must be corroborated and/or authenticated by the authorization server. The vehicle data is communicated to the authorization system wirelessly. Examples of communication protocols include but are not limited to RF-based communications, for example, ISO 14443A, ISO 14443B, ISO 15693, ISO/IEC 18000, Near Field Communications (NFC), Bluetooth, Zigbee, and WiFi. Accordingly, the reader/interrogator, disposed on or otherwise associated with a fuel dispensing nozzle, wirelessly reads the vehicle identification (and other available data) and communicates that information to the authorization server via the reader/interrogator associated with the fuel delivery nozzle. Critically, in order to obtain fuel authorization, the reader/interrogator must be able to accurately and properly read the vehicle tag, utilizing wireless communication and communicate that information to the authorization server.
However, there is a practical limit to capability of the reader/interrogator. If a reader is too powerful, and the read distance too large, the authorization server may authorize fuel delivery with the pump nozzle removed from the vehicle fuel tank delivery neck. A read range that is too large permits theft by allowing separate and discrete fuel containers, and even other vehicles located nearby, to receive fuel. Ideally, the read range between the reader and the tag should be small enough to require the fuel delivery nozzle to be inserted in the vehicle fuel tank delivery neck before the reader can recognize and identify the vehicle tag. In addition, once identification and authorization is completed, if the fuel delivery nozzle is removed from the vehicle fuel tank delivery neck, communication should end and fuel delivery should terminate. But a read range that is too small can give rise to other wireless communication problems between the reader and tag. For example, physical orientation of the reader antenna relative to the tag antenna influences communication, as does the physical configuration of the vehicle proximate the fuel tank delivery neck and the large amount of metal comprising the vehicle itself.
U.S. published patent application 2016/0012261 (the '261 application), entitled RFID Reader and Method for Securing Fuel Delivery With a Fuel Dispensing Nozzle, assigned to Orpak Systems, LTD., Israel, is one example of a wireless communication system for identification and authorization for dispensing fuel. Notably, the '261 application identifies a number of problems that lead to read errors with fuel dispensing authorization systems using RFID. These include variance in the placement and location of the RFID tag and communication antennae on the vehicle side, the geometry of the fuel-tank delivery inlet area and materials forming the fuel-tank inlet area, the distance from the vehicle tag to the RFID nozzle reader antennae, the type of nozzle utilized, the fuel dispensing nozzles geometry not congruent with the geometry of the fuel-tank delivery inlet area, the shape of the fuel tank delivery neck, the like and/or any combination thereof that may lead to communication errors and/or read failures between the vehicle tag and the nozzle reader. (See '261 application at [0009].) The solution proposed by the '261 application is to locate the RFID reader around the fuel dispensing nozzle and to adjust the communication channel and/or frequency of the reader to more closely respond to the capability of the vehicle tag. (See '261 application at [0011-12].)
Existing fuel authorization systems do not recognize nor address the problems arising from antenna orientation, the variation in the physical geometries of vehicles and the expanse of metal comprising the vehicle that can and do interfere with wireless communication. The present disclosure improves upon existing systems and enhances the ability of a wireless reader/interrogator associated with a fuel delivery nozzle to successfully communicate with the tag associated with a vehicle by making the reader and its antenna repositionable relative to the vehicle. Further, the reader is repositionable while the fuel delivery nozzle is positioned in and out the fuel inlet of a vehicle. By permitting reorientation of the reader/interrogator, the position of the reader/interrogator relative to the tag may be altered to improve communication. Permitting repositioning with the fuel delivery nozzle positioned in the fuel inlet of the vehicle, a position permitting improved or enhanced communication between the reader and a tag associated with the vehicle can be determined while accommodating a limited read range between the reader and tag. Repositioning includes rotation of the reader/interrogator about the fuel delivery nozzle and axial movement of the reader/interrogator along the fuel delivery nozzle.
According to aspects of the present disclosure, a connector is provided for attaching a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader to a fuel dispensing nozzle. The connector comprises a bracket affixed to and surrounding a fuel dispensing nozzle, at least a portion of the bracket is configured to rotate relative to the nozzle while another portion of the bracket remains fixed relative to the nozzle; and a housing is affixed to the bracket and configured to receive an RFID reader. The housing is repositionable by rotating the bracket and housing relative to the fuel dispensing nozzle. The repositioning of the housing can be done with the fuel delivery nozzle positioned in the fuel inlet of the vehicle or outside of the fuel inlet of the vehicle.
According to aspects of the present disclosure, a connector is provided for attaching a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader to a fuel dispensing nozzle. The connector comprises a collar assembly configured to surround and engage a fuel dispensing nozzle; a rotating bracket assembly engaged with the collar assembly and configured to rotate relative to the collar assembly; and a housing affixed to the rotatable bracket and configured to receive an RFID reader. The housing is repositionable by rotating the rotating bracket assembly and housing relative to the collar assembly and fuel dispensing nozzle. The repositioning of the housing and the rotating bracket assembly can be done with the fuel delivery nozzle positioned in the fuel inlet of the vehicle or outside of the fuel inlet of the vehicle.
According to aspects of the present disclosure, an embodiment of a connector is provided where a fixed collar assembly is mounted to a fuel dispensing nozzle, a rotating bracket assembly interfaces with and rotates relative to the fixed collar assembly and an RFID housing is connected to the rotating bracket such that the RFID housing and rotating bracket rotate relative to the fixed collar assembly to reposition the RFID bracket and the housing relative to the vehicle in which the fuel dispensing nozzle is positioned. One or more stabilizing members are provided to stabilize or hold the position of the rotating bracket assembly at discrete orientations or positions relative to the collar assembly, but also allow the rotating bracket assembly to move between the discrete positions. A radio frequency reader or reader module is contained within the housing and designed to communicate wirelessly with a radio frequency tag associated with a vehicle. Ideally, the tag is positioned proximate the fuel receiving inlet, but may not be positioned consistently among different vehicles. Improved communication between the reader and the tag may be available if the reader is repositionable relative to the tag. For this reason, the reader housing, containing the reader or reader module, is repositionable relative to the fuel dispensing nozzle and the vehicle.
According to aspects of the present disclosure, an embodiment is provided wherein a stabilizer or stabilizing member comprises a biased ball bearing and detent system. In one instance, a fixed collar assembly is secured to a fuel dispensing nozzle. The collar assembly comprises one or more collar members affixed to the nozzle and one or more bushings affixed radially outward of the collar members. A series of detents are positioned around the outer surface of the one or more bushings. A rotating bracket assembly surrounds the collar assembly. One or more bearings are positioned in the rotating bracket assembly and the one or more bearings are biased inwardly toward the collar assembly to interface with the detents. When one or more bearings are positioned in a detent, the rotating bracket assembly is stabilized and the RFID housing stays in set position. The strength of the bias is adequate to hold the housing in position, but not so strong as to inhibit movement or repositioning of the RFID housing from one position to another position. The bias may be provided by a coiled spring or other structures known to those of skill in the art to bias the bearing inwardly toward the detents. It should also be appreciated that the biasing member and one or more bearings may alternatively be disposed in the collar assembly and the detents positioned along a surface of the rotating bracket assembly that is proximate the collar assembly. The stabilizing members can be arranged such that the housing can move between fixed angular positions, for example every 15 or 30 degrees, and can move in either direction, clockwise or counterclockwise. The number of biased bearings and detents and their position can vary.
According to another embodiment, the stabilizers or stabilizing members comprise first and second sets of attracting magnets. The magnets stabilize the position of the rotating bracket assembly and RFID housing relative to the fixed collar assembly at discrete locations while also permitting movement of the rotating bracket assembly between the discrete locations. As one example, a first set of magnets are positioned in the collar assembly with each individual magnet spaced from adjacent magnets. The second set of magnets is positioned in the rotatable bracket assembly and magnets are spaced apart. The rotatable bracket is stabilized in a fixed position when at least some of the first and second magnets are radially aligned. As an alternative, one of the first and second set of magnets may be a single magnet. The attractive force between the magnets is sufficiently strong to hold or stabilize the position of the rotatable bracket assembly. The attractive strength between the magnets however is not too strong that it cannot be overcome by manually moving the rotatable housing to the next position. The magnets can be arranged such that the housing can move between fixed angular positions, such as every 15 or 30 degrees, and can move in either direction, clockwise or counterclockwise. The number of magnets and the position where the magnets are aligned can vary.
According to aspects of the present disclosure and in connection with yet another embodiment, the stabilizers or stabilizing members may act axially relative to the fuel nozzle rather than radially. For example, detents could be formed in the side walls of the collar assembly and the one or more biased bearings are positioned in the rotatable bracket assembly to engage the detents. In operation, the one or more bearings would be biased axially to move in and out of the detents. Conversely, the one or more biased bearings could be positioned in the collar assembly and the detents located in the rotatable bracket assembly, but the movement of the one or more bearings remains in the axial direction. Similarly, in the context of the stabilizing members being magnets, the magnets may be disposed within the collar assembly and the rotatable bracket assembly to align axially rather than radially relative to the fuel nozzle.
According to aspects of the present disclosure, the RFID housing may also be configured to move linearly, along the fuel dispensing nozzle. Repositioning of the RFID housing thus may be rotational, linear or both. For example, the collar assembly may comprise a releasable clamping mechanism allowing the connection between the collar assembly and the fuel dispensing nozzle to be loosened, repositioned axially along the nozzle, and reengaged. Alternatively, a guide may be positioned along a length of the nozzle and the collar assembly configured to move linearly along the guide. Other mechanisms occurring to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of this disclosure are deemed to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
According to aspects of the present disclosure, a method for enhancing the wireless communication between a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with a vehicle and an RFID reader associated with a fuel delivery system is also provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises providing a bracket configured to attach to a nozzle of a fuel delivery system; attaching the bracket to the nozzle of a fuel delivery system; attaching to the bracket a housing configured to hold an RFID reader; and repositioning the housing and at least a portion of the bracket relative to the nozzle. The method also includes repositioning of the housing with the nozzle positioned the fuel inlet of a vehicle.
According to aspects of the present disclosure, embodiments permit changing the frequency of the RFID reader antenna to match the frequency of the RFID tag associated with the vehicle. The resonant frequency of the reader antenna and tag antenna can vary with changes in temperature. Because the RFID reader and tag are located outside each is subject to a wide variety of changes in environment. However, the reader resonant frequency does not change nearly as much as the resonant frequency of the tag. Therefore, being able to vary the frequency of the reader antenna to match that of the tag antenna improves communication. The reader antenna can be altered by a microcontroller sensing the temperature via on-board temperature sensors and then adjusting the operational frequency of the reader via firmware configuration of the microcontroller which controls the RFID reader to correspond to the assumed frequency of operation of the tag. Following the change in operational frequency, the reader will then re-tune its RFID driver circuit to be resonant at the new operational frequency. As one example, the effective capacitance of a parallel bank of capacitors within an RLC driver circuit is changed. According to aspects of the present disclosure, a plurality of temperature zones will be defined. In one embodiment there may be three temperature zones. In the middle temperature zone (which may extend for example from −10° C. to +40° C., the reader will operate at a predetermined frequency (e.g., 125 kHz). Above +40° C. the system will change the operational frequency to second predetermined frequency (e.g., 121 kHz), and below −10° C. the system will change the operational frequency to a third predetermined frequency (e.g., 129 kHz). It should be appreciated that the number of zones and the predetermined frequencies may vary.
Further still, it should be expected that no two vehicles will necessarily use the same tag nor operate precisely at the same frequency. Therefore, according to aspects of the present disclosure, the system microprocessor may be configured to permit the microprocessor to optimize communication with the tag by scanning through a plurality of RFID frequencies and identifying the frequency which best suites communication with a specific vehicle tag.
According to aspects of the present disclosure, communication performance may also be improved by adding shielding to the RFID housing to address potential sources of interference with communication between the RFID reader and tag. This may be accomplished in a number of ways as would be known by a person of ordinary skill in the art. As one example, biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BoPET or Mylar) may form an effective shield.
The Summary is neither intended nor should it be construed as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present invention. Moreover, reference made herein to “the present disclosure” or aspects thereof should be understood to mean certain embodiments of the present disclosure and should not necessarily be construed as limiting all embodiments to a particular description. The present disclosure is set forth in various levels of detail in the Summary as well as in the attached drawings and the Detailed Description and no limitation as to the scope of the present disclosure is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this Summary.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the present disclosure or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.
Turning to
Slots 48 are formed in the outer surface 50 of the collars 22a and 22b to receive connecting posts 52 formed on the inner surface 54 of the bushings 24a and 24b. According to one embodiment, a plurality of detents 56 is spaced along the outer surface 58 of the bushings 24a and 24b. Depending upon the radial thickness of the bushings 24a and 24b, a plurality of projections 60, corresponding to the detents 56 may be formed on the inner surface 54 of the bushing 24a and 24b. To accommodate the radially inward curvature of the projections 60, indentations 62 corresponding to the projections 60 may be formed in the outer surface 50 of the collars 22a and 22b. The interconnection of the posts 52 in the slots 48, together with the nesting of the inner surface 54 of the bushings 24a and 24b and the outer surface 50 of the collar members 22a and 22b assist in maintaining the bushings 24a and 24b in a fixed position relative to the collars 22a and 22b. Alternatively, the inner surface of the bushings 24a and 24b and the outer surface 50 of the collar members 22a and 22b may be configured differently, for example in a saw-toothed pattern, as smooth surfaces or in other ways as would be appreciated by those of skill in the art upon review of the present disclosure, to enhance maintaining the bushings 24 and collar members 22 in a fixed position relative to each other. Also, according to aspects of the present disclosure, the bushings 24a and 24b alternatively may comprise a single C-shaped member or three or more arcuate shaped members that connect to the collar members.
The rotational wings 28a and 28b are configured to interface with the bushings 24a and 24b. In one embodiment, the wings are generally crescent-shaped with a generally arcuate-shaped inner surface 66. When assembled with the front plate 30 and back plate 32, the inner surface 66 of the rotational wings align with the outer surface 50 of the bushings 24a and 24b. Cavities 68 are formed in the wings 64. The cavities 68 receive stabilizers or stabilizing members 34. The stabilizing members 34 as illustrated comprise a spring 72, a ball bearing 74 and a plurality of detents 56. The spring 72 biases the bearing 74 radially inwardly toward the outer surface 50 of the collar 22a and 22b. As illustrated, there are four detents 56 spaced along the outer surface 50 of each of the bushings 24a and 24b, and there are two bearing assemblies positioned in each rotational wing 28. Together with the front plate 30 and rear plate 32, the wings 74 and stabilizing members 34 comprise a rotating bracket assembly 26. Screws 78 extend through apertures 80a, 80b and 80c in the front plate 30, wings 28 and back plate 32, respectively to secure the component pieces together. Internally threaded posts 82 in the rear plate 32 receive the screws 78. As explained below, screws 84 extend through apertures 86a, 86b and 86c, and engage internally threaded post 88 to secure the RFID housing 18 to the rotating assembly 26.
While two wings 28a and 28b are illustrated, it should be appreciated that the rotating bracket assembly 26 may comprise a single wing 28 or three or more wings 28. Although the wings 28a and 28b are symmetrically positioned relative to the collar assembly 20, the wings may be asymmetrically positioned.
According to aspects of the present disclosure, a second embodiment 90 of a rotating bracket assembly is illustrated in
Screws 118 extend through apertures 120a, 120b and 120c in the front plate 114, wings 108 and back plate 116, respectively to secure the component pieces together. Internally threaded posts 122 in the rear plate 116 (not shown) receive the screws 118. Screws 124 extend through apertures 126a, 126b and 126c, and engage internally threaded post 128 to secure the RFID housing 18 to the rotating assembly 90.
Assembly and operation of a rotational RFID housing will now be described in connection with the embodiment of
As illustrated in
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An alternative rear plate 32′ is illustrated in
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In operation, depending upon the configuration of the fuel nozzle 14, the RFID housing 18 is able to 360 degrees about the nozzle 14. However, in many instances, access to the fuel inlet port of a vehicle requires opening of a hinged door. The hinged door may not permit a full 360-degree rotation of the RFID housing 18, but it will permit approximately 180 degrees of rotation, if not more. Similarly, some nozzles 14 are configured in a manner that prevents 360 degrees of rotation.
While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and alterations are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure, as set forth in the following claims. Other modifications or uses for the present disclosure will also occur to those of skill in the art after reading the present disclosure. Such modifications or uses are deemed to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2017/057428 | 11/28/2017 | WO | 00 |
