Claims:I/We Claim:

1. A vehicle (100) comprising:
an ignition key (101) of said vehicle (100) operable in one of ON and OFF state;
at least one fuel level sensor (102) for generating fuel level data in a fuel tank (103) of said vehicle (100);
an instrument cluster (107) for displaying said fuel level data and a fuel theft data; and
a fuel theft detection system (105) comprising:
a controller (106) communicatively coupled to said at least one fuel level sensor (102) for generating said fuel theft data based on fuel level data during said ON state and said OFF state of said ignition key (101), and transmit said fuel theft data to said instrument cluster (107).
2. The vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller receives and stores said fuel level data at regular pre-determined time intervals in said ON state of said ignition key (101).
3. The vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said controller (104):
determines a last fuel level data recorded as a first fuel reading from said stored fuel level data, prior to transition of said ignition key (101) from said ON state to said OFF state based on predetermined data conditioning criteria, and
determines a latest fuel level data recorded as a second fuel reading from said stored fuel level data, post transition of said ignition key (101) from said OFF state to said ON state based on said predetermined data conditioning criteria.
4. The vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein said controller (104) compares said first fuel reading with said second fuel reading, if a deviation in said second fuel reading as compared to said first fuel reading is more than a pre-calibrated threshold value then a fuel theft data is generated indicative of a fuel theft from said fuel tank (103) and is displayed on said instrument cluster (107).
5. The vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a telematics control unit (106) communicatively coupled to said controller for transmitting said fuel theft data to at least one of said instrument cluster (107) and a display device (111).
6. The vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 3, said predetermined data conditioning criteria comprises a vehicle tilt determined to be less than a predefined value, an engine speed determined to be less than a predefined value, and fluctuations in said fuel level data are within a tolerance range.
7. The vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein said controller (104) flushes said stored fuel level data after determining said first fuel reading and said second fuel reading.
8. The vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fuel theft detection system (105) is one of partially or wholly embodied in said instrument cluster (107).
9. A method for detecting fuel theft in a vehicle (100), the method employing a fuel theft detection system (105), the method comprising steps of:
receiving a fuel level data by a controller (104) of said fuel theft detection system (105) from at least one fuel level sensor (102);
storing said received fuel level data by said controller (104) at regular pre-determined time intervals in an ON state of an ignition key (101) of said vehicle (100);
generating a fuel theft data based on said fuel level data at said ON state and an OFF state of said ignition key (101) of said vehicle (100); and
transmitting said fuel theft data for displaying on an instrument cluster (107) of said vehicle (100).
10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the steps of generating said fuel theft data comprises:
determining a first latest fuel level data as a first fuel reading from said stored fuel level data, prior to transition of said ignition key (101) from said ON state to said OFF state, based on predetermined data conditioning criteria, and
determining a second latest fuel level data as a second fuel reading from said stored fuel level data, post transition of said ignition key (101) from said OFF state to said ON state, based on said predetermined data conditioning criteria.
11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising comparing said first fuel reading with said second fuel reading by said controller (104) to generate said fuel theft data, if a deviation in said second fuel reading as compared to said first fuel reading is more than a pre-calibrated threshold value then said fuel theft data is generated indicative of a fuel theft from said fuel tank (103) and is displayed on said instrument cluster (107).
12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising transmitting said fuel theft data to at least one of said instrument cluster (107) and a display device (111) by a telematics control unit (106) communicatively coupled to said controller (104).
13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said predetermined data conditioning criteria comprises a vehicle tilt less than a predefined value, an engine speed less than a predefined value, and fluctuations in said fuel level data are within a tolerance range.
14. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising flushing said stored fuel data by said controller (104) after determining said first fuel reading and said second fuel reading.
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter relates to a fuel theft detection system and a method thereof. More particularly, a fuel theft detection system to detect pilferage of fuel from vehicle’s fuel tank is disclosed.

BACKGROUND
[0002] Fuel theft is one of the major concerns for vehicle owners. Vehicles with an internal combustion engine have a fuel tank to store fuel. In three and four wheeled vehicles, it is difficult to steal fuel since the fuel tank is not exposed outside the chassis. However, in two-wheeled vehicle, it is easier to steal due to the design and location of the fuel tank. Whether a vehicle uses carburettor or a fuel injection mechanism, the fuel has to travel from the fuel tank to the dispensing mechanism such as the fuel injector or the carburettor. In such scenario, it is possible for someone to disconnect the fuel line and pilfer the fuel and the same might go unnoticed by the user of the vehicle. In the long term this will have an economic impact on the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0003] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.

[0004] Fig. 1 exemplarily illustrates a schematic diagram of a connected vehicle with gateway device i.e., telematics control unit that can communicate to the cloud server.
[0005] Fig. 2 exemplarily illustrates a schematic diagram of a vehicle with Bluetooth connectivity.
[0006] Fig. 3 exemplarily illustrates a schematic diagram of a non-connected vehicle i.e., there is no gateway device e.g., a telematics control unit which communicates with a server.
[0007] Fig. 4 exemplarily illustrates a flow diagram of a method to detect fuel theft from the fuel tank of a vehicle.
[0008] Fig. 5 exemplarily illustrates a flow diagram of logic followed by the controller to detect fuel theft from the fuel tank of a vehicle

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0009] A fuel gauge is used to indicate the fuel level in a vehicle. At present, the fuel gauge used in the vehicle does not give an accurate reading if the fuel is siphoned off in small quantities. This happens because the fuel gauge does not provide intermediate readings in its display. Also, it causes inconvenience for a vehicle owner to remember the readings of fuel level in fuel tank of the vehicle from a fuel gauge every time he turns on and off the ignition key.
[00010] Short selling of fuel at petrol pumps can be one of the most common fuel frauds. A vehicle owner is charged for a certain amount of fuel and is delivered less than the amount of fuel that he is charged for. Here, the vehicle owner cannot do much since the reading of fuel gauge is either insufficient to determine the quantity of fuel or inaccurate.
[00011] There are systems available to address the problem of fuel theft. The most accurate of these systems includes measuring the fuel level in the fuel tank through fuel level sensors. The fuel level data is taken continuously by these systems and stored in a memory unit. Further, an average value is taken to determine the fuel level data over the distance travelled. There are two major problems with this system. Firstly, it does not provide real time analysis as the values stored in their memory unit is analysed later. Secondly, the average value of fuel level in fuel tank of the vehicle determined by it is not always accurate as the fuel level sensors take the reading of fuel level in fuel tank during fuel sloshing, when vehicle is parked in inclined position or when vehicle is moving uphill and downhill.
[00012] Therefore, there exists a need for a fuel theft detection device and method thereof to prevent above mentioned drawbacks in current mechanism.
[00013] A connected vehicle is capable of connecting over networks to nearby devices as it includes various communication devices whether embedded or portable which enables in-vehicle connectivity with other devices present in the vehicle and also enable connection of the vehicle to external devices, networks, applications and services. A gateway device like telematics control unit is present in a vehicle which enables it to connect with other devices, networks or servers etc.
[00014] According to present subject matter, a vehicle is disclosed with fuel level sensor (FSU), plurality of other sensors to correctly determine the fuel level in fuel tank of the vehicle. An instrument cluster for displaying vehicular data and fuel theft data. An ignition key operable in one of ON and OFF state. A fuel theft detection system comprising of a controller and a telematics control unit which work together to perform the function of detecting fuel theft and transmit the same to user device. The controller and/or telematics control unit may be provided separately or may be integrated in the instrument cluster. A memory unit may be provided with the controller to store the fuel theft data. A telematics control unit is also provided in the vehicle to receive data from the controller and send it to a display device in possession of the vehicle owner such as speedometer, instrument cluster, server, mobile, laptop etc.
[00015] In an embodiment, the fuel level data is monitored and stored by the controller. The controller is communicatively coupled to at least one fuel level sensor for generating fuel theft data based on ON state and OFF state of ignition key, and transmit fuel theft data to instrument cluster. The controller will identify the state of ignition key of the vehicle. If the ignition key is in ON state, the controller will continuously record the readings from various sensors to determine the level of fuel in fuel tank of the vehicle. One or more sensors are attached on the vehicle to determine the correct reading of the fuel level in the fuel tank. These sensors are FSU, tilt detection sensors, speed sensor, pressure sensor, temperature sensors etc. The controller will take the readings from the one or more sensors in terms of voltage which will be converted in terms of volume and send the information to a display device which is in possession of a user. Further, the controller will continuously record the readings at regular pre-determined intervals. The time interval to record the data of fuel level by the controller is configurable by the user on a user device through an application.
[00016] Whenever the ignition key is transitioning from ON to OFF state, the controller will determine if the predetermined data conditioning criteria are met or not. The predetermined data conditioning criteria comprises a vehicle tilt less than a predefined value, an engine speed less than a predefined value, and fluctuations in said fuel level data are within a tolerance range. The controller determines a last fuel level data recorded as a first fuel reading from the stored fuel level data, prior to transition of the ignition key from ON state to OFF state based on predetermined data conditioning criteria. Similarly, the controller determines a latest fuel level data recorded as a second fuel reading from the stored fuel level data, post transition of the ignition key from OFF state to ON state based on the predetermined data conditioning criteria
[00017] When ignition key transitions from ON state to OFF state, the controller will check if predetermined data conditioning criteria of the vehicle is met, the last reading of the fuel level of the fuel tank out of series of readings stored in the memory unit of the controller is considered as the first reading of the fuel level in fuel tank of the vehicle. The readings other than the last reading of the fuel level will be flushed from the memory unit of the controller as soon as first fuel reading is recorded. Similarly, when the ignition key transitions from OFF state to ON state, the controller will again determine if predetermined data conditioning criteria is met or not. The controller will not work till the predetermined data conditioning criteria is met. Further, once the data conditioning criteria is met after the ignition key is ON, the controller will record latest fuel level data as a second reading of fuel level in the fuel tank. The first and the second readings of the fuel level in fuel tank is determined by the controller based on the inputs from different sensors. Fuel level data sent to the controller by different sensors is received in terms of voltage. The controller, then converts this data in terms of volume and send it to its memory unit for storage purposes. The controller will then retrieve the data from the memory unit and compare the first reading of fuel level in the fuel tank of the vehicle with the second reading of the fuel level in the fuel tank of the vehicle and if a deviation in the second fuel reading is present when compared to the first fuel reading and the deviation is more than a pre-calibrated threshold value then a fuel theft data is generated by the controller which is indicative of a fuel theft from the fuel tank. Further, the controller will send fuel theft notification to the user device which is in possession of the user.
[00018] Sometimes, when the vehicle is parked and it is stifling outside then the fuel will evaporate from the fuel tank. While indicating a fuel theft, the controller will take account of the evaporative losses of the fuel in the fuel tank of the vehicle.
[00019] The present subject matter discloses a connected vehicle which has a gateway device such a telematics control unit which can communicate to a server. In such a vehicle, the fuel level is continuously monitored by the controller of the vehicle by taking inputs from the fuel level sensor. Fuel level sensor measures the quantity of the fuel available in the fuel tank and relays the information in terms of voltage to the controller. The controller will process the data and convert voltage value in terms of volume. The instrument cluster or speedometer is used to display the information of fuel availability in the fuel tank. The controller may also transfer several predefined information in addition of fuel level to other interfaced controllers including telematics control unit via a compatible communication protocol such a Controlled Area Network (CAN), Local Interconnect Network (LIN) etc. The controller checks for the predetermined data conditioning criteria and stores the fuel level data continuously in its memory unit when the ignition key transitions from ON to OFF state and vice-versa. A tilt sensor is used to offset the impact of inclination or orientation of the vehicle when the rider is going uphill, downhill or taking turns. A tilt sensor will be useful if the vehicle is standing on the side stand and the fuel tank is not parallel to the ground. After considering the inputs from various sensors, the controller determines the first fuel reading which is the last fuel level data recorded prior to transition of ignition key from ON state to OFF state and second fuel reading which is the latest fuel level data recorded post the transition of ignition key from OFF state to ON state. The controller then, computes the difference in the fuel level of fuel tank. If any discrepancy is found, it will send a notification to the display device in which an application is installed to receive vehicular data. Such display device is in possession of the vehicle owner/ user indicating the incidence of fuel pilferage.
[00020] In another embodiment, a vehicle may not have a gateway device such as a telematics control unit to send communication regarding the vehicular data to user device installed with the application. Based on the inputs, the controller will compare the first fuel reading and second fuel reading and if there is any discrepancy, a notification can be displayed on speedometer or instrument cluster. An analog to digital convertor device may be used for converting the analog values to digital values so that it can be displayed on a digital instrument cluster.
[00021] As per one aspect of the present invention, the incidents of fuel pilferage in some areas and locations are more prevalent than others. Since, the vehicle owner is unaware of such incidents in a particular locality, he may park his vehicle and might become a victim of fuel theft. In such scenario, the vehicle owner will be notified of a fuel theft with the help of the fuel theft detection system disclosed in the present invention. Based on the notification received, the vehicle owner may report the incident to the local authorities, also he/she will be wary of parking his/her vehicle in such areas and locations from the next time.
[00022] Another aspect of the present invention, when the fuel is being re-filled in the vehicle at fuel pumps, then the incidence of short selling of fuel at the fuel pumps can be reduced significantly with the help of fuel detection system disclosed in present invention. Whenever the ignition key transitions from ON state to OFF state for fuel filling purposes, a last fuel level data is recorded by the controller from the stored fuel level data as a first fuel reading based on predetermined data conditioning criteria taken prior to transition of the ignition key. Similarly, whenever the ignition key transitions from OFF state to ON state, a latest fuel level data from stored fuel level data is recorded based on said predetermined data conditioning criteria by the controller as a second fuel reading taken post transition of ignition key state. This will determine the values before and after filling of the fuel. Hence, the controller will compare the values and determine if a deviation in the second fuel reading is present when compared to the first fuel reading and the deviation is more than the pre-calibrated threshold value then the fuel theft data is generated by the controller which is indicative of the fuel theft from the fuel tank. Based on the difference produced by the controller and the information displayed on display device in possession of the user through telematics control unit, short selling of the fuel can be determined.
[00023] In one aspect of the invention, the analysis produced by the controller are real-time analysis and are produced immediately. Therefore, the user can make quick decisions based on the results produced by the fuel detection system.
[00024] Fig. 1 exemplarily illustrates a schematic diagram of a connected vehicle (100) with gateway device i.e., telematics control unit (106) that can communicate to the cloud server (109). The data related to the level of fuel in the fuel tank (103) is measured by (Fuel Sender Unit) FSU (102) which is a fuel level sensor. The data is provided to a controller (104) which may or may not be integrated with a speedometer or instrument cluster (107) of the vehicle (100). The data is processed by the controller (104) and it determines if there is a difference in the fuel level between the values taken before ignition key (101) is ON and after ignition key is OFF. Further, if there is a difference between the values then an alert notification will be sent to the user (108) by the telematics control unit (106) of the vehicle (100). Telematics control unit (106) has a two-fold communication channel, one with the vehicular network, i.e., the CAN Bus and the other with the cloud server (109). With these communication channels, the Telematics Control Unit (106) is able to gather the data related to fuel theft from the controller (104), which is then transmitted to the cloud server (109). The information related to fuel theft is then made available for the consumer by means of a web application or mobile interface (110).
[00025] Fig. 2 exemplarily illustrates a schematic diagram of a vehicle (100) with Bluetooth connectivity. In an embodiment, fuel level sensor (FSU) (102) determines the level of fuel in fuel tank (103) before the ignition key (101) is OFF and after ignition key (101) is ON. Further, the readings are sent to controller (104) which may or may not be integrated in speedometer or instrument cluster (107). The controller (104) processes the fuel level data received from FSU (102) in terms of voltage by converting it in terms of volume. Controller (104) further compares the readings and indicates fuel theft if there is any deviation in the readings beyond the pre-calibrated threshold value. In case of any discrepancy, an alert notification of fuel theft will be sent to the mobile application (110) on a user device (111) in possession of a user.
[00026] Fig. 3 exemplarily illustrates a schematic diagram of a non-connected vehicle (100) i.e., there is no gateway device e.g., a telematics control unit (106) which communicates with a server (109). In such a vehicle (100), fuel level sensor (FSU) (102) determines the level of fuel in fuel tank (103) before the ignition key (101) is OFF and after ignition key (101) is ON. Further, the readings are sent to controller (104) which may or may not be integrated in speedometer or instrument cluster (107). The controller (104) processes the data received from FSU in terms of voltage by converting it in terms of volume. Controller (104) further compares the readings and indicates fuel theft if there is any deviation in the readings beyond the pre-calibrated threshold value. In case of any discrepancy, an alert notification of fuel theft will be displayed on speedometer and instrument cluster (107).
[00027] Fig.4 exemplarily illustrates a flow diagram for a method to detect fuel theft from the fuel tank (103) of a vehicle (100). Firstly, in a vehicle (100), the controller (104) present in the fuel theft detection system (105) receives a fuel level data from the at least one of fuel level detection sensors (102) which may be attached to the fuel gauge in the vehicle (100) (step 401). Then, the controller (104) stores the received fuel level data at regular pre-determined time intervals in an ON state of an ignition key (101) of the vehicle (100) (step 402). Further, after receiving fuel level data values, the controller (104) will compare the first and second reading of fuel level data and based on the deviation beyond the pre-calibrated threshold value, the controller (104) generates a fuel theft data and sends it to a telematics control unit (106) or directly sends it to the instrument cluster (107) (step 403). Finally, the information related to fuel theft data is being displayed on instrument cluster (107) of the vehicle (100). This information is further sent to the user device (111) based on the availability of telematics control unit (106) available in the vehicle (100) or Bluetooth connectivity (as shown in Fig. 2).
[00028] Fig.5 exemplarily illustrates a flow diagram of logic followed by the controller (104) to detect fuel theft from the fuel tank (103) of a vehicle (100). When the vehicle (100) is already in start mode (step 501), the controller (104) will monitor and store the fuel level data at every ‘x’ seconds (step 503). The controller (104) will receive the inputs from at least one of the various sensors (102) attached in the vehicle body for determining the fuel level in the fuel tank (103) of the vehicle (100). The data is captured at every time interval. Such time interval may be configured by the user. Further, whenever the user stops or slows down the vehicle then the pre-determined data conditioning criteria is checked (step 504). The predetermined data conditioning criteria comprises a vehicle tilt less than a predefined value, an engine speed less than a predefined value, and fluctuations in said fuel level data are within a tolerance range. The controller (104) will check if the ignition key (101) is in an OFF state (step 505). If outcome of event at step 505 is Yes, then the controller (104) determines a last fuel level data recorded as a first fuel reading from the stored fuel level data, prior to transition of the ignition key (101) from ON state to OFF state based on predetermined data conditioning criteria (step 506). When ignition key (101) transitions from ON state to OFF state, the controller (104) will check if predetermined data conditioning criteria of the vehicle is met, the last reading of the fuel level of the fuel tank out of series of readings stored in the memory unit of the controller (104) is considered as the first reading of the fuel level in fuel tank (103) of the vehicle (100). The readings other than the last reading of the fuel level will be flushed from the memory unit of the controller (104) as soon as first fuel reading is recorded.
[00029] The controller (104) will check if the ignition key is ON (step 507). When the ignition key (101) transitions from OFF state to ON state, the controller (104) will again determine if predetermined data conditioning criteria is met (step 508). The controller (104) will not work till the predetermined data conditioning criteria is met. Further, once the data conditioning criteria is met after the ignition key (101) is ON, the controller (104) will record latest fuel level data as a second reading of fuel level in the fuel tank (103) (step 509). The first and the second readings of the fuel level in fuel tank is determined by the controller (104) based on the inputs from different sensors. Fuel level data sent to the controller (104) by different sensors is received in terms of voltage. The controller (104), then converts this data in terms of volume and send it to its memory unit for storage purposes. The controller will then retrieve the data from its memory unit and compare the first reading of fuel level in the fuel tank (103) of the vehicle (100) with the second reading of the fuel level in fuel tank (103) of the vehicle (100) (step 510) and if there is any difference between the readings, the controller (104) will suggest a fuel theft based on the difference (step 511). Further, the controller (104) will send fuel theft notification to the user device which in possession of the user (step 512). If fuel theft is not detected, the controller (104) will keep on monitoring, storing and comparing the fuel level readings received from various sensors attached to the vehicle body (step 502).
[00030] It is to be understood that the aspects of the embodiments are not necessarily limited to the features described herein. Many modifications and variations of the present subject matter are possible in the light of above disclosure.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

100- vehicle
101- ignition key
102- fuel level sensor
103- fuel tank
104- controller
105- fuel theft detection system
106- telematics control unit
107- instrument cluster/speedometer
108- user
109- server
110- mobile application
111- display device in possession of user
401-404- flow diagram of a method to detect fuel theft from the fuel tank of a vehicle
501-512- a flow diagram of logic followed by the controller to detect fuel theft from the fuel tank of a vehicle