WO1999042962A1 - Fuel dispenser - Google Patents
Fuel dispenser Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1999042962A1 WO1999042962A1 PCT/GB1999/000554 GB9900554W WO9942962A1 WO 1999042962 A1 WO1999042962 A1 WO 1999042962A1 GB 9900554 W GB9900554 W GB 9900554W WO 9942962 A1 WO9942962 A1 WO 9942962A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- display
- mode
- display means
- fuel dispenser
- customer
- Prior art date
Links
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 65
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 17
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000004973 liquid crystal related substance Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000020169 heat generation Effects 0.000 abstract description 3
- 230000035945 sensitivity Effects 0.000 description 9
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 8
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000013475 authorization Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000013410 fast food Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 230000006870 function Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012795 verification Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F13/00—Coin-freed apparatus for controlling dispensing or fluids, semiliquids or granular material from reservoirs
- G07F13/02—Coin-freed apparatus for controlling dispensing or fluids, semiliquids or granular material from reservoirs by volume
- G07F13/025—Coin-freed apparatus for controlling dispensing or fluids, semiliquids or granular material from reservoirs by volume wherein the volume is determined during delivery
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F9/00—Details other than those peculiar to special kinds or types of apparatus
- G07F9/02—Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S345/00—Computer graphics processing and selective visual display systems
- Y10S345/902—Menu display
Definitions
- the present invention relates to fuel dispensers.
- the dispensers include various types of payment means, such as
- dispensers allow the customer to purchase services, such as car washes, and goods such
- the fuel dispenser In order to make customer interfaces more efficient and easy to use, the fuel dispenser
- each fuel dispenser is identical to each fuel dispenser.
- stickers and decals have been used to provide initial instructions, such as "press here to
- the present invention provides a fuel dispenser comprising: a housing and delivery
- proximity sensing electronics associated with said housing and adapted
- the dispenser is arranged so that the position is within a predetermined
- the fuel dispenser is capable of sensing the proximity or location of a customer relative
- the control system may provide a dimmer display in the first mode and a brighter display
- the first and second modes may correspond to inactive and active 3 display states, respectively. If the display is a liquid crystal display, or like display, having
- control system may be adapted to operate the back-lighting in a reduced
- the back-lighting may
- control system may provide a first display having graphics and/or video
- the information displayed may be graphics information from a graphic
- control system associated with or controlled by the control system.
- Another aspect of the present invention integrates the proximity sensing electronics and
- the display electronics wherein the display is configured to operate in a highly sensitive
- sensing electronics may include one or more proximity sensors located at various points
- the sensors may be used to simply sense the approach and/or presence of a customer
- control system 4 may be adapted to determine the approximate relative location of a customer with respect
- the fuel dispenser and adjust aspects of the display accordingly.
- the display For example, the
- location information determined by the control system may be used to adjust the viewing
- Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of operating a fuel dispenser.
- the method includes the steps of operating a fuel dispenser display means in a first mode
- These devices are acceptable. These devices include infrared sensors and radio frequency (RF)
- sensors such as radar systems.
- the touch screen display is used to sense proximity,
- a touch screen display capable of operating at various frequencies and sensitivities
- Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a fuel dispenser constructed according to the present invention
- Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a display and associated dispenser electronics
- Figure 3 is a schematic representation of a display associated with plural proximity sensors
- Figure 4 is a flow chart of a basic process of controlling a display based on proximity of
- Figures 5 A and 5B are a flow chart of a basic process of controlling a fuel dispenser display based on proximity and location of a customer according to the present invention.
- a fuel dispenser generally designated 10
- a fuel dispenser is shown constructed
- the fuel dispenser provides a fuel delivery path from
- the delivery path includes a fuel
- a fuel delivery line 12 having a fuel metering device 14.
- a fuel delivery line 12 communicates
- the dispenser 10 generally includes a control system (hereinafter referred to as controller
- the controller 20 may receive volume data from the
- metering device 14 through cabling 24 as well as provide control of fuel delivery.
- controller 20 may provide audible signals to an audio module and speaker 26 in order to
- the dispenser 10 may be equipped with a card reader 28 or a cash acceptor 30 and a
- the dispenser controller 20 may read data from a
- the service station based controller generally communicates with a remote credit card verification authority to ascertain whether a transaction proposed
- the dispenser 10 may also include various types of displays, preferably, one or more alpha
- numeric displays 36 in addition to a high resolution graphics display 40.
- the zoom image display 36 in addition to a high resolution graphics display 40.
- graphics display 40 will have an associated graphics display keypad 42 adjacent the
- display will preferably receive video and graphics images from one or more video sources
- the dispenser may have an additional general keypad 44.
- the displays 36, 40 and keypads 42, 44 may be integrated into a single device.
- the controller 20 is 7 desirably comparable to the microprocessor based control systems used in CRIND (card
- TRIND tag or transponder reader in the dispenser
- the fuel dispenser will include proximity sensing means adapted to provide a signal to the
- control system indicating a customer is within (1) a predetermined proximity of the
- the proximity sensing means may be provided by one or
- proximity sensors 48 or a highly sensitive touch screen display configuration, such
- the proximity sensors 48 may be mounted anywhere on or near the fuel dispenser 10 and configured to provide a signal to the controller 20 indicative of
- the touch screen 40 will operate in a highly sensitive mode wherein the display is sensitive
- control system to his or her presence in this highly sensitive mode.
- the controller 20 may
- the display's viewing angle to optimize customer viewing based on customer location.
- audio instructions or a greeting may be provided
- the control system includes controller 20 and memory 22 coupled to the video
- mixer and driver electronics 46 touch screen electronics 58
- touch screen electronics 58 touch screen electronics 58
- the video mixer and driver electronics are coupled to the graphics
- the video source 52 which provides running audio and/or video for display.
- the video source may include, but is not limited to, laser disks, DVD's, the Internet and video cameras.
- touch screen electronics 58 typically provide signals to the controller 20 indicative of where the display 40 has been touched in order to differentiate customer inputs and
- the display 40 and touch screen electronics 58 may be configured to
- this field will extend up to several feet in front of the
- the display is a capacitive touch screen display capable of
- Micro touchTM This display could sense a customer coming
- the controller 20 may be adapted to control display back-lighting 54 through back-lighting
- control electronics 56 may be decreased
- the back-lighting is increased or turned on to the normal operating level in order to make the display content readily visible to the customer as well
- controller 20 may also be coupled to one or more proximity
- proximity sensors 48 may be used instead of or in addition to a display
- controller 20 may be configured to monitor the relative proximity of a customer measured
- This information may be used to control the dispenser and display 40.
- top and bottom of the display may be used to adjust the vertical viewing angle based on
- bottom of the display provides a more enhanced control of viewing angles on both the horizontal and vertical planes.
- the dispenser is equipped with a touch screen display 40 capable of operating
- the process begins (block 100) wherein the controller 20 operates the display 40 at a high sensitivity (block 102).
- the process begins (block 100) wherein the controller 20 operates the display 40 at a high sensitivity (block 102).
- controller 20 will preferably turn off or reduce the back-lighting (block 104) to conserve
- controller 20 may
- this display occurs during periods
- the controller 20 will monitor the display 40 and associated touch screen electronics 58
- the controller 20 will turn on or increase the back-lighting to a preferred level (block 112) and/or provide a second video/graphics display (block 114).
- the second display is 11 preferably adapted to provide instructions or welcoming information corresponding to the
- the controller 20 will typically reduce the
- process begins anew (block 102) wherein the display is operated at a high sensitivity
- controller 20 will monitor for the presence of a customer to start a new fuelling operation.
- Figures 5 A and 5B are a flow chart representing the basic process of providing advanced control based on determining the location of a customer relative to the dispenser and/or
- This process typically requires at least two proximity sensors, one of which may be
- the MicrotouchTM display may control sensitivity by varying the operational frequency.
- the process begins (block 200) wherein the display is operated in a first mode.
- the display is operated in a first mode.
- mode may relate to the type of information displayed, whether the display is in an active
- the first mode relates to display operation during non- fuelling
- the controller 20 monitors for the presence of a customer relative to the fuel
- the controller 20 operates the display in
- a second mode which typically attracts the attention of a customer, provides instructions
- the controller 20 may
- the controller 20 will continue to monitor customer location throughout the fuelling operation (block 220). If a change in location is detected (block 222), the controller 20 will
- the end of a fuelling operation may be determined by sensing the nozzle handle being pulled down, detecting the absence
- the video modes may include various audio modes instead of, or in addition to, the video modes.
- an audible message may be
- the present invention provides a fuel dispenser capable of sensing the approach, relative
- the invention draws customers'
Abstract
The present invention provides a fuel dispenser capable of sensing the proximity and/or location of a customer relative to the fuel dispenser without requiring direct customer contact and controlling the display or aspects of the display accordingly to conserve energy, reduce heat generation or draw the customer's attention to the display once the customer is within a relative proximity to the fuel dispenser.
Description
1 FUEL DISPENSER
The present invention relates to fuel dispensers.
In recent years, traditional fuel dispensers have evolved into elaborate point-of-sale (POS)
devices having sophisticated control electronics and user interfaces with large displays and
touch-pads or screens. The dispensers include various types of payment means, such as
card readers, to expedite and further enhance fuelling and retail ordering transactions.
Nowadays, a customer is not limited to the purchase of fuel at the dispenser. More recent
dispensers allow the customer to purchase services, such as car washes, and goods such
as fast food or convenience store products at the dispenser. Once purchased, the customer need only to pick up the goods and services at the station store or at the outlet of a vending machine.
In order to make customer interfaces more efficient and easy to use, the fuel dispenser
displays have grown larger and the menu and instruction interfaces have become more
complicated. The resulting increase in size and complexity has led to significant increases
in power consumption and heat buildup, primarily due to the large displays, and, in
particular, the back- lighting associated with these displays. The increase in heat buildup
has resulted in the need to add auxiliary cooling systems to cool the multiple displays in
each fuel dispenser.
In addition to the increased power consumption and heat generation, station operators have found that many customers fail to recognize the need to interact with the customer
2 interface to initiate dispenser operation and card authorisation, even though various
stickers and decals have been used to provide initial instructions, such as "press here to
begin." Many customers fail to recognise or even read the information on the display and
search for other "hard" buttons to initiate fuelling.
The present invention provides a fuel dispenser comprising: a housing and delivery
hardware for delivery of fuel to a vehicle; display means within said housing having a first
and second mode; proximity sensing electronics associated with said housing and adapted
to sense proximity of a customer relative to said housing; and a control system coupled
with said display means and said proximity sensing electronics and adapted to operate said
display means in the first mode and operate said display means in the second mode when a customer is in a predetermined position relative to said dispenser.
Advantageously, the dispenser is arranged so that the position is within a predetermined
proximity relative to said dispenser.
The fuel dispenser is capable of sensing the proximity or location of a customer relative
to the fuel dispenser without requiring direct customer contact and controlling the display
or aspects of the display accordingly to conserve energy, reduce heat generation or draw
the customer's attention to the display once the customer is within a relative proximity to
the fuel dispenser.
The control system may provide a dimmer display in the first mode and a brighter display
for the second mode. The first and second modes may correspond to inactive and active
3 display states, respectively. If the display is a liquid crystal display, or like display, having
back-lighting, the control system may be adapted to operate the back-lighting in a reduced
level in the first mode and at an increased level in the second mode. The back-lighting may
be turned completely off or reduced in some fashion to conserve energy. Reducing or
eliminating back-lighting during non-fuelling periods helps avoid the need to add active
cooling systems to the dispensers. These systems require additional energy for operation
and add significant expense to the cost of manufacturing dispensers.
Alternatively, the control system may provide a first display having graphics and/or video
information pertaining to periods between transactions in the first mode, and a second
display pertaining to periods of transaction, especially the beginning of a transaction, in the second mode. The information displayed may be graphics information from a graphic
generator associated with the control system or new video information from a video source
associated with or controlled by the control system.
Another aspect of the present invention integrates the proximity sensing electronics and
the display electronics wherein the display is configured to operate in a highly sensitive
mode to sense customers proximate to the display in the first mode and in a less sensitive
mode to provide a touch screen display in the second mode. Alternatively, the proximity
sensing electronics may include one or more proximity sensors located at various points
on the fuel dispenser to sense the proximity of a customer relative to the fuel dispenser.
The sensors may be used to simply sense the approach and/or presence of a customer
relative to the fuel dispenser or may be configured to provide signals to the control system indicative of varying degrees of relative proximity. In the latter case, the control system
4 may be adapted to determine the approximate relative location of a customer with respect
to the fuel dispenser and adjust aspects of the display accordingly. For example, the
location information determined by the control system may be used to adjust the viewing
angle to optimize customer viewing or may be used to change the font or point size of text
appearing on the display.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of operating a fuel dispenser.
The method includes the steps of operating a fuel dispenser display means in a first mode;
sensing a customer within a predetermined proximity relative to the fuel dispenser; and operating the fuel dispenser display means in a second mode upon sensing the customer within the predetermined proximity.
In those embodiments having dedicated proximity sensors, any type of proximity sensing
devices are acceptable. These devices include infrared sensors and radio frequency (RF)
sensors, such as radar systems. When the touch screen display is used to sense proximity,
a touch screen display capable of operating at various frequencies and sensitivities is
preferred.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in
the art after reading the following description of the preferred embodiments when
considered with the drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a fuel dispenser constructed according to the present invention;
5 Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a display and associated dispenser electronics
constructed according to the present invention;
Figure 3 is a schematic representation of a display associated with plural proximity sensors
constructed according to the present invention;
Figure 4 is a flow chart of a basic process of controlling a display based on proximity of
a customer according to the present invention; and
Figures 5 A and 5B are a flow chart of a basic process of controlling a fuel dispenser display based on proximity and location of a customer according to the present invention.
In the following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts
throughout the several figures. It should be understood that the illustrations are for the
purpose of describing preferred embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit
the invention thereto.
As best seen in Figure 1, a fuel dispenser, generally designated 10, is shown constructed
according to the present invention. The fuel dispenser provides a fuel delivery path from
an underground storage tank to a vehicle (not shown). The delivery path includes a fuel
delivery line 12 having a fuel metering device 14. A fuel delivery line 12 communicates
with a fuel delivery hose 16 outside of the dispenser 10 and a delivery nozzle 18. The
nozzle 18 provides manual control of fuel delivery to the vehicle.
6 The dispenser 10 generally includes a control system (hereinafter referred to as controller
20) and associated memory 22. The controller 20 may receive volume data from the
metering device 14 through cabling 24 as well as provide control of fuel delivery. The
controller 20 may provide audible signals to an audio module and speaker 26 in order to
provide various beeps, tones and audible messages to an operator. These messages may
include warnings, instructions and advertising.
The dispenser 10 may be equipped with a card reader 28 or a cash acceptor 30 and a
receipt printer 32. With these options, the dispenser controller 20 may read data from a
magnetic strip when a card is inserted in the card reader 28 and communicate to a
service-station-based controller, such as the G-site controller sold by Gilbarco, Inc. of
Greensboro, North Carolina. The service station based controller generally communicates with a remote credit card verification authority to ascertain whether a transaction proposed
to be charged to or debited from the account associated with the card inserted in the card
reader 28, is authorised.
The dispenser 10 may also include various types of displays, preferably, one or more alpha
numeric displays 36 in addition to a high resolution graphics display 40. Preferably, the
graphics display 40 will have an associated graphics display keypad 42 adjacent the
display or integrated with the graphics display 40 to provide a touch screen interface. The
display will preferably receive video and graphics images from one or more video sources
52 and graphics generator 50 through video mixer and driver electronics 46 (as shown in
Figure 2). The dispenser may have an additional general keypad 44. Notably, the displays 36, 40 and keypads 42, 44 may be integrated into a single device. The controller 20 is
7 desirably comparable to the microprocessor based control systems used in CRIND (card
reader in the dispenser) and TRIND (tag or transponder reader in the dispenser) type units
sold by Gilbarco, Inc. under the trademark THE ADVANTAGE.
The fuel dispenser will include proximity sensing means adapted to provide a signal to the
control system indicating a customer is within (1) a predetermined proximity of the
dispenser, (2) a relative proximity with respect to the dispenser, or (3) a relative location
with respect to the dispenser. The proximity sensing means may be provided by one or
more proximity sensors 48 or a highly sensitive touch screen display configuration, such
as display 40.
In the first embodiment, the proximity sensors 48 may be mounted anywhere on or near the fuel dispenser 10 and configured to provide a signal to the controller 20 indicative of
the proximity of a customer with respect to the fuel dispenser. In the second embodiment,
the touch screen 40 will operate in a highly sensitive mode wherein the display is sensitive
to a customer's presence near the display. A customer need not touch the display to alert
the control system to his or her presence in this highly sensitive mode.
Once a customer is detected using the proximity sensing means, the controller 20 may
operate in several ways including alerting the customer that interaction with the touch
screen display is necessary for conducting the fuelling operation, exiting out of a power
saving mode, altering the graphics or video provided at the display 40, and/or changing
the display's viewing angle to optimize customer viewing based on customer location.
Although these actions are preferred, the scope of the invention should not be limited
8 thereto. Those of ordinary skill in the art will quickly recognize various dispenser control
functions that could be facilitated upon sensing the approach and/or location of a customer
relative to a fuel dispenser. For example, audio instructions or a greeting may be provided
through the audio module 26.
Referring now to Figure 2, a schematic for a basic control system and touch screen display
is shown. The control system includes controller 20 and memory 22 coupled to the video
mixer and driver electronics 46, touch screen electronics 58, and back-lighting control
electronics 56. The video mixer and driver electronics are coupled to the graphics
generator 50, which provides graphics for display on the touch screen display 40, and the
video source 52, which provides running audio and/or video for display. The video source may include, but is not limited to, laser disks, DVD's, the Internet and video cameras. The
touch screen electronics 58 typically provide signals to the controller 20 indicative of where the display 40 has been touched in order to differentiate customer inputs and
selections.
As noted above, the display 40 and touch screen electronics 58 may be configured to
operate in a highly sensitive mode wherein the display and touch screen electronics 58 are
able to sense changes in a field emitted from the display 40 without requiring an actual
touching of the display. Preferably, this field will extend up to several feet in front of the
display over a respective fuelling position in front of the dispenser 10.
In the preferred embodiment, the display is a capacitive touch screen display capable of
operating at various frequencies to provide various sensitivity levels. Typically, the
9 increased frequencies provide higher sensitivity. An exemplary capacitive touch screen
display is manufactured by Micro touch™. This display could sense a customer coming
within four (4) feet of the display. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, the controller 20
could increase the frequency and, therefore, the display's sensitivity between fuelling
operations in order to sense the approach and/or presence of a customer at the beginning
of a new fuelling operation.
The controller 20 may be adapted to control display back-lighting 54 through back-lighting
control electronics 56. Depending on the application, the back-lighting may be decreased
from a nominal operating level or turned completely off between fuelling operations, to reduce heat and conserve energy. Preferably, once a customer is detected within a relative
proximity to the fuel dispenser, the back-lighting is increased or turned on to the normal operating level in order to make the display content readily visible to the customer as well
as draw the customer's attention to the display.
As shown in Figure 3, the controller 20 may also be coupled to one or more proximity
sensors 48 located at various positions in numerous possible configurations about the
display 40. These proximity sensors 48 may be used instead of or in addition to a display
40 for sensing proximity. Notably, when multiple proximity sensors 48 are used, the
controller 20 may be configured to monitor the relative proximity of a customer measured
at each of the proximity sensors 48 to determine a relative location of the customer with
respect to the dispenser and display 40. This information may be used to control the
viewing angle on an LCD display and/or change fonts or text sizes accordingly to enhance visibility.
10 For example, if proximity sensors 48 were located on either side of the display 40, the
display could be adjusted so that the horizontal viewing angle is properly adjusted. In other
words, if a person were standing to the right of the display, the control system would
determine that the customer was more proximate to the proximity sensor 48 to the right
of the display than to the proximity sensor 48 to the left of the display. The viewing angle
of the display could be adjusted accordingly. Likewise, proximity sensors 48 located at the
top and bottom of the display may be used to adjust the vertical viewing angle based on
the height of the individual. Combining proximity sensors on either side and the top and
bottom of the display provides a more enhanced control of viewing angles on both the horizontal and vertical planes.
As noted, if the dispenser is equipped with a touch screen display 40 capable of operating
at a higher sensitivity to detect customer proximity, various control capabilities are
available. An exemplary process is shown in Figure 4. The process begins (block 100) wherein the controller 20 operates the display 40 at a high sensitivity (block 102). The
controller 20 will preferably turn off or reduce the back-lighting (block 104) to conserve
energy and reduce heat buildup during this period. Alternatively, the controller 20 may
provide a first video/graphic display. Preferably, this display occurs during periods
between fuelling operations (block 106).
The controller 20 will monitor the display 40 and associated touch screen electronics 58
for an indication of a customer's presence (block 108). If a customer is detected (block
110), the controller 20 will turn on or increase the back-lighting to a preferred level (block 112) and/or provide a second video/graphics display (block 114). The second display is
11 preferably adapted to provide instructions or welcoming information corresponding to the
beginning or start of a fuelling operation. The controller 20 will typically reduce the
sensitivity of the display 40 to provide normal touch-sensitive operations (block 116). The
fuelling operation will continue and the controller 20 will monitor for an end of the
fuelling operation (block 118). At the end of the fuelling operation (block 120), the
process begins anew (block 102) wherein the display is operated at a high sensitivity, the
back-lighting is reduced or turned off, and the first video/graphics display is provided. The
controller 20 will monitor for the presence of a customer to start a new fuelling operation.
Figures 5 A and 5B are a flow chart representing the basic process of providing advanced control based on determining the location of a customer relative to the dispenser and/or
display. This process typically requires at least two proximity sensors, one of which may
be the display 40 operated in a high-sensitivity mode. The Microtouch™ display may control sensitivity by varying the operational frequency.
The process begins (block 200) wherein the display is operated in a first mode. The display
mode may relate to the type of information displayed, whether the display is in an active
or inactive mode, or whether back-lighting is turned off or decreased from a normal
operating level. Typically, the first mode relates to display operation during non- fuelling
periods.
At this point, the controller 20 monitors for the presence of a customer relative to the fuel
dispenser (block 204). Once a customer is detected (block 206), the controller 20 monitors
the proximity signals received at each sensor (block 208) and calculates the relative
12 customer location (block 210) based on these proximity signals. Once the customer is
detected or determined to be in a certain location, the controller 20 operates the display in
a second mode, which typically attracts the attention of a customer, provides instructions
or welcoming information, and/or awakens from an inactive mode. The controller 20 may
change the video/graphic display (block 214), change back-lighting levels (block 216), and
preferably adjust the viewing angle (block 218) based on customer location as discussed
above.
The controller 20 will continue to monitor customer location throughout the fuelling operation (block 220). If a change in location is detected (block 222), the controller 20 will
determine whether the fuelling operation is at an end (block 224) and adjust the viewing angle if the operation is not at an end (block 226 and 218). The end of a fuelling operation may be determined by sensing the nozzle handle being pulled down, detecting the absence
of a detection signal for a select period, or sensing the end of fuel delivery. The modes
may include various audio modes instead of, or in addition to, the video modes. For
example, once a customer is within a certain proximity, an audible message may be
provided alone or in combination with a different display mode.
The present invention provides a fuel dispenser capable of sensing the approach, relative
proximity and/or location of a customer relative to the fuel dispenser and controls the fuel
dispenser accordingly without requiring customer input. The invention draws customers'
attention to the display on approach, provides information to a customer in order to start
the fuelling operation, reduces heat, saves energy, and reduces the number of components necessary to manufacture dispensers providing high-quality, multimedia displays.
13 Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading
the foregoing description. It should be understood that all such modifications and
improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability, but are
properly within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A fuel dispenser comprising: a housing and delivery hardware for delivery of fuel
to a vehicle; display means within said housing having a first and second mode; proximity
sensing electronics associated with said housing and adapted to sense proximity of a
customer relative to said housing; and a control system coupled with said display means
and said proximity sensing electronics and adapted to operate said display means in the
first mode and operate said display means in the second mode when a customer is in a predetermined position relative to said dispenser.
2. A fuel dispenser as claimed in claim 1 wherein said position is within a predetermined proximity relative to said dispenser.
3. A fuel dispenser as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said first mode for said display means is an inactive state and said second mode for said display means is an active
state.
4. A fuel dispenser as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said first mode for said
display means provides a dimmer display and said second mode for said display means
provides a brighter display.
5. A fuel dispenser as claimed in claim 4 wherein said display means is a liquid
crystal display with back-lighting, said control system being adapted to operate said back-lighting at a reduced level in said first mode and at an increased level in said second 15 mode.
6. A fuel dispenser as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said control system
provides a first display on said display means in said first mode and a second display on
said display means in said second mode.
7. A fuel dispenser as claimed in claim 6 wherein said first display is a
non-transaction display and said second display is a pre-transaction display providing
content aiding the customer in beginning a transaction.
8. A fuel dispenser as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein said control system
is associated with a video source for generating video information on said display means.
9. A fuel dispenser as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein said control system
is associated with a graphics generator for generating graphics for display on said display
means.
10. A fuel dispenser as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein said display means
includes a touch screen display comprising said proximity-sensing electronics, wherein
said touch screen display is arranged to operate in a highly sensitive mode in the first mode
to sense proximity of a customer relative to said display means and operate in a less
sensitive mode to provide a touch screen display in said second mode.
11. A fuel dispenser as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein said proximity 16 sensing electronics includes a proximity sensor coupled to said control system.
12. A fuel dispenser as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the proximity sensing electronics
comprises a second proximity sensor, wherein said control system compares said signals
from said proximity sensors to determine a location of the customer relative to said
housing.
13. A fuel dispenser as claimed in claim 12 wherein said second display mode is
operated to adjust viewing in dependence on the detected location of the customer.
14. A fuel dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said display means displays text, said text having a text point size being one size in said first mode and a
larger size in said second mode.
15. A fuel dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising an audio
system and wherein said second mode includes providing audible information through said
audio system.
16. A method of operating a fuel dispenser comprising: operating a fuel dispenser
display means in a first mode; sensing a customer in a predetermined position relative to
the fuel dispenser; and operating the fuel dispenser display means in a second mode upon
sensing the customer in the predetermined position.
17. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein the first operating step includes 17 displaying a first display on the display means and the second operating step includes
displaying a second display on the display means.
18. A method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the first display includes a
non-transaction display and the second display includes a pre-transaction display.
19. A method as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 18 wherein the first operating step
includes operating the display means in a dim mode and the second operating step includes operating the display means in a bright mode.
20. A method as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 19 wherein the first operating step includes operating the display means in an inactive state and the second operating step includes operating the display means in an active state.
21. A method as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 20, further comprising determining
a location of the customer relative to the fuel dispenser.
22. A method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising operating the display means
to adjust a viewing angle of the display in dependence on the detected location of the
customer.
«
23. A customer interaction device comprising: a housing; display means within said
housing having a first and second mode; proximity sensing electronics associated with said housing and adapted to sense proximity of a customer relative to said housing; and a 18 control system coupled with said display means and said proximity sensing electronics and
adapted to operate said display means in the first mode and operate said display means in
the second mode when a customer is in a predetermined position relative to said housing.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
AU26315/99A AU2631599A (en) | 1998-02-23 | 1999-02-23 | Fuel dispenser |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/028,075 US6380853B1 (en) | 1998-02-23 | 1998-02-23 | Customer-sensitive dispenser using proximity sensing devices |
US09/028,075 | 1998-02-23 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1999042962A1 true WO1999042962A1 (en) | 1999-08-26 |
Family
ID=21841439
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/GB1999/000554 WO1999042962A1 (en) | 1998-02-23 | 1999-02-23 | Fuel dispenser |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US6380853B1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2631599A (en) |
WO (1) | WO1999042962A1 (en) |
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FR2931468A1 (en) * | 2008-05-22 | 2009-11-27 | Joseph Emmanuel Amar | BEVERAGE DISPENSER HAVING AN INFORMATION PRESENTATION SYSTEM |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
AU2631599A (en) | 1999-09-06 |
US20020074344A1 (en) | 2002-06-20 |
US6380853B1 (en) | 2002-04-30 |
US6690275B2 (en) | 2004-02-10 |
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