FUEL TRACKING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATED CHAIN-OF-CUSTODY TRACKING AND THEFT PREVENTION IN EQUIPMENT RENTALS
A fluid tracking system and system use a reader device to read asset identification devices coupled to equipment assets to obtain unique asset identifiers. Data including amounts of fluid dispensed to the equipment assets and the unique asset identifiers are received. Custody of the fluid from the one or more fluid dispensers to the equipment assets is tracked for monitoring the amounts of the fluid dispensed to the equipment assets. One or more of (a) theft of the fluid and/or (b) a fault with the equipment assets or engines of equipment assets is identified based on the custody of the fluid that is tracked.
1 . A fluid tracking system comprising:
a reader device configured to read a plurality of asset identification devices, the asset identification devices including a first asset identification device coupled to a first equipment asset and a second asset identification device coupled to a second equipment asset, the first equipment asset and the second equipment asset being different from each other, the first asset identification device configured to obtain a first unique asset identifier from the first equipment asset, the second asset identification device configured to obtain a second unique asset identifier from the second equipment asset that differs from the first unique asset identifier; and
a controller configured to receive data including a first amount of fluid dispensed to the first equipment asset from one or more fluid dispensers, a second amount of the fluid dispensed to the second equipment asset from the one or more fluid dispensers, the first unique asset identifier, and the second unique asset identifier,
the controller configured to track custody of the fluid from the one or more fluid dispensers to the first equipment asset and to the second equipment asset for monitoring the first amount of the fluid dispensed to the first equipment asset and for monitoring the second amount of the fluid dispensed to the second equipment asset, the controller configured to identify one or more of (a) theft of the fluid or (b) a fault with the first equipment asset, with the second equipment asset, with a first engine of the first equipment asset, or with a second engine of the second equipment asset based on the custody of the fluid that is tracked.
2 . The fluid tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more fluid dispensers include a fuel vehicle configured to haul fuel as the fluid from a stationary fuel pump station to a remote location where the first equipment asset and the second equipment asset are located, the reader device configured to be coupled with the fuel vehicle to read the asset identification devices and obtain the first unique asset identifier and the second unique asset identifier at the remote location, and further comprising:
a nozzle sensor coupled with the fuel vehicle and configured to measure the first amount of the fluid dispensed to the first equipment asset and the second amount of the fluid dispensed to the second equipment asset, the nozzle sensor configured to directly or indirectly output the amounts of the fluid dispensed to the controller.
3 . The fluid tracking system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a nozzle sensor configured to be coupled with a nozzle coupled with the one or more fluid dispensers, the nozzle sensor configured to measure one or more characteristics of the nozzle or the fluid, the controller configured to determine whether any of the fluid dispensed from the one or more fluid dispensers is dispensed to a non-equipment asset based on the one or more characteristics.
4 . The fluid tracking system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the fluid that is dispensed to a non-equipment asset is stolen, dispensed into a container other than the first equipment asset and or the second equipment asset, or dispensed into equipment or a vehicle other than the first equipment asset and the second equipment asset based on the one or more characteristics.
5 . The fluid tracking system of claim 4 , wherein the nozzle sensor includes an accelerometer configured to measure movements of the nozzle as the one or more characteristics,
the controller configured to examine the movements of the nozzle that are measured to determine whether (a) the nozzle moved from at least one of the fluid dispensers to the first equipment asset or the second equipment asset to dispense the fluid and then back to the at least one of the fluid dispensers or (b) the nozzle moved from at least one of the first equipment asset or the second equipment asset and then to the non-equipment asset to dispense the fluid before being returned to the at least one of the fluid dispensers.
6 . The fluid tracking system of claim 4 , wherein the nozzle sensor includes a pressure sensor configured to measure fluid pressures within one or more of the nozzle or a hose connecting the nozzle to at least one of the fluid dispensers as the one or more characteristics,
the controller configured to examine the fluid pressures to determine whether (a) the nozzle moved from at least one of the fluid dispensers to the first equipment asset or the second equipment asset to dispense the fluid and then back to the at least one of the fluid dispensers or (b) the nozzle moved from at least one of the first equipment asset or the second equipment asset and then to the non-equipment asset to dispense the fluid before being returned to the at least one of the fluid dispensers.
7 . The fluid tracking system of claim 4 , wherein the nozzle sensor includes a flow rate sensor configured to measure rates of fluid flow out of the nozzle as the one or more characteristics,
the controller configured to examine the rates of fluid flow to determine whether (a) the nozzle moved from at least one of the fluid dispensers to the first equipment asset or the second equipment asset to dispense the fluid and then back to the at least one of the fluid dispensers or (b) the nozzle moved from at least one of the first equipment asset or the second equipment asset and then to the non-equipment asset to dispense the fluid before being returned to the at least one of the fluid dispensers.
8 . The fluid tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to track the amounts of the fluid dispensed to each of the first equipment asset and the second equipment asset, the controller configured to communicate with the first equipment asset and the second equipment asset to monitor usage of the first equipment asset and the second equipment asset.
9 . The fluid tracking system of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to identify potential theft of the fluid by comparing the amounts of the fluid dispensed to each of the first equipment asset and the second equipment asset with the usage of each of the first equipment asset and the second equipment asset.
10 . The fluid tracking system of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to identify one or more of the first equipment asset or the second equipment asset as in need for repair, maintenance, or inspection by comparing the amounts of fluid dispensed to each of the first equipment asset and the second equipment asset with the usage of each of the first equipment asset and the second equipment asset.
11 . The fluid tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to identify a type of the fluid that each of the first equipment asset and the second equipment asset can use from the first unique asset identifier and the second unique asset identifier read by the reader device, the controller configured to control a fluid nozzle to prevent dispensing of the fluid to at least one of the first equipment asset or the second equipment asset responsive to determining that the fluid is different from the fluid type usable by the at least one of the first equipment asset or the second equipment asset.
12 . A method for tracking distribution of fluid, the method comprising:
reading a first asset identification device coupled to a first equipment asset using a reader device to obtain a first unique asset identifier of the first equipment asset;
reading a second asset identification device coupled to a second equipment asset using the reader device to obtain a second unique asset identifier of the second equipment asset, the second equipment asset being different from the first equipment asset;
receiving, at a controller, a first amount of the fluid dispensed to the first equipment asset from one or more fluid dispensers and the first unique asset identifier;
receiving, at the controller, a second amount of the fluid dispensed to the second equipment asset from one or more fluidfluid dispensers and the second unique asset identifier;
tracking custody of the fluid from the one or more fluid dispensers to the first equipment asset and to the second equipment asset for monitoring the first amount of the fluid dispensed to the first equipment asset and for monitoring the second amount of the fluid dispensed to the second equipment asset; and
identifying one or more of (a) theft of the fluid or (b) a fault with the first equipment asset, with the second equipment asset, with a first engine of the first equipment asset, or with a second engine of the second equipment asset based on the custody of the fluid that is tracked.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the one or more fluid dispensers include a fuel vehicle configured to haul fuel from a stationary fuel pump station to a remote location where the first equipment asset and the second equipment asset are located, the reader device coupled with the fuel vehicle to read the first asset identification device and the second asset identification device, and to obtain the first unique asset identifier and the second unique asset identifier at the remote location, the method further comprising:
measuring the first amount of the fuel dispensed to the first equipment asset and the second amount of the fuel dispensed to the second equipment asset at the remote location using a nozzle sensor; and
directly or indirectly communicating the first amount of the fuel and the second amount of the fuel to the controller from the nozzle sensor.
14 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
measuring one or more characteristics of a nozzle that dispenses the fluid or of the fluid using a nozzle sensor; and
determining whether the first amount of the fluid and the second amount of the fluid that is dispensed from the one or more fluid dispensers is dispensed to at least one of the first equipment asset, the second equipment asset, or to a non-equipment asset based on the one or more characteristics.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more characteristics include movements of the nozzle measured using an accelerometer, the method further comprising:
examining the movements of the nozzle that are measured to determine whether (a) the nozzle moved from at least one of the fluid dispensers to the first equipment asset or the second equipment asset to dispense the fluid and then back to the at least one of the at least one of the fluid dispensers or (b) the nozzle moved from at least one of the first equipment asset or the second equipment asset then to the non-equipment asset to dispense the fluid before being returned to the at least one of the fluid dispensers.
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more characteristics include fluid pressures within one or more of a nozzle or a hose connecting the nozzle to at least one of the fluid dispensers, the method further comprising:
examining the fluid pressures to determine whether (a) the nozzle moved from at least one of the fluid dispensers to the first equipment asset or the second equipment asset to dispense the fluid and then back to the at least one of the fluid dispensers or (b) the nozzle moved from at least one of the first equipment asset or the second equipment asset to the non-equipment asset to dispense the fluid before being returned to the at least one of the fluid dispensers.
17 . A fluid tracking system comprising:
a reader device coupled with a fluid dispenser, the reader device configured to interrogate an asset identification device to obtain a unique asset identifier of a rental equipment asset;
an input device coupled with the fluid dispenser, the input device configured to receive a personnel identifier that uniquely identifies a person that distributed fluid to the rental equipment asset from the fluid dispenser;
a nozzle sensor coupled with a nozzle of the fluid dispenser from which the fluid is dispensed, the nozzle sensor configured to monitor one or more characteristics of the nozzle or the fluid dispensed from the nozzle; and
a controller configured to receive the unique asset identifier, the personnel identifier, and the one or more characteristics of the nozzle or the fluid to track an amount of fluid dispensed to the rental equipment asset and determine whether a portion of the fluid dispensed from the fluid dispenser is stolen.
18 . The fluid tracking system of claim 17 , wherein the controller is configured to identify a usable type of the fluid that the rental equipment asset can use based on the unique asset identifier, the controller configured to change a state of a value coupled with the nozzle to prevent dispensing of the fluid based on the usable type of the fluid that the rental equipment asset can use and a dispensed type of the fluid that is dispensed from the fluid dispenser.
19 . The fluid tracking system of claim 17 , wherein the nozzle sensor is configured to measure one or more of movements of the nozzle, fluid pressure within the nozzle or a hose connected to the nozzle, or a rate of flow of the fluid from the nozzle as the one or more characteristics.
20 . The fluid tracking system of claim 17 , wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the fluid that is dispensed is stolen, dispensed into a container other than the equipment asset, or is dispensed into equipment or a vehicle other than the equipment asset based on the one or more characteristics.