EA043958B1 - METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING REFUELING OPERATIONS - Google Patents

Description

Cross reference to related applications

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/662,520, filed April 25, 2018, entitled System for Validating an Access to a Service; US Provisional Patent Application No. 62/662539, filed April 25, 2018, entitled System and Method for Automatic Customer Identification; US Provisional Patent Application No. 62/662561, filed April 25, 2018, entitled Mobile Devices Association with Objects and Persons; US Provisional Patent Application No. 62/662569, filed April 25, 2018, entitled Fulltime Learning for Detection or Identification Systems; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/698555, filed July 16, 2018, entitled System and Method for Analyzing Images of Vehicles, the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Field of technology to which the invention relates

The invention relates to refueling in general, and to automation and authentication of refueling operations in particular.

State of the art

The refueling transaction at a gas station or charging station is usually done using a credit or debit card. The user enters their debit or credit card or charge card into a specific payment terminal to complete the transaction. In some cases, a vehicle identification device (usually equipped with an RFID reader) is used for charging or refueling. In other cases, a mobile payment method is used. This mobile payment typically generates a PIN code in response to a charging or refueling request. In some cases, the user needs to enter various data, such as a PIN code and the selected fueling device, into a payment terminal or phone.

The essence of the invention

The term computing device as used herein refers to a device that includes a processor. Examples of such devices are a personal computer, a laptop computer, a server, a tablet, a cellular device, a driver's mobile device, an in-vehicle computing device, and an IOT (Internet of Things) device.

The term site in this document refers to a charging station or gas station. Refueling may refer to, for example, gasoline, gas, hydrogen, biological fuel, etc. The charging operation involves electronic charging, which can be realized, for example, by replacing the battery or connecting to a charger.

The term property or vehicle property refers herein to properties that enable vehicle identification using techniques such as image processing and deep learning. Such properties may be general properties or unique properties. Such common properties may be associated with properties that are common to the model and manufacturer of the vehicle. Such general properties include, for example, color, make, license plate, vehicle size, vehicle type, and vehicle model. Such shared properties may also include entities that are authorized to supply energy to the vehicle (eg, a driver, a family member, an employee of a company that owns a fleet of vehicles, etc.).

Unique properties may include properties that are specific to a particular vehicle and that may change over time. Such unique properties may be explicit (human-discernible) or implicit (embedded in neural networks or discovered by neural networks). Examples of obvious properties are specific damage to the vehicle, color of the vehicle, sticker, etc. Explicit properties can be identified by object detection technologies, such as convolutional or neural networks. An example of such a neural network is the YOLO real-time object detection tool.

The term signature as used herein refers to one or more values that are calculated from common properties or from unique properties or a combination thereof, and each property may be assigned a specific weight.

The signature may be used to associate two vehicles in the same time slot, in one example such association may allow the vehicle to be identified.

A signature from one or more captured data (snapshots) of the same vehicle can be used as a reference in the re-identification process.

The weighting of a property in re-identification, and in particular unique properties, may depend on the time of capture; thus, a recent event has a greater impact on the signature value than an old event. Examples of such events are an accident or a tire change.

In another example, the weight of a property may be increased during the reference signature update process if it is significantly different from the same property in the reference signature. An example of such a scenario is an accident that significantly changes the appearance of the starboard side of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the property is also assigned a weight when calculating similarity between signatures. In such an embodiment, the property that

- 1 043958 makes it possible to better distinguish an element from other objects; a higher weighting factor can be assigned. For example, a property that identifies a unique sticker on a vehicle may have a high weighting factor and may influence signature similarity more than other properties.

Each object can have a signature, and a vehicle's signature can be composed of the signatures of other objects. In one example value, a license plate signature may be derived from the number of digits in the license plate and the position of each digit in the license plate. The vehicle signature may be derived from the license plate signature and/or other signatures of other properties or any combination thereof. Such another signature could be, for example, the signature of a vehicle's headlights.

The term confidence level refers herein to a value that represents the level of confidence in identifying a vehicle. Such a value can be derived by comparing the properties of an element or signature of an element with the properties or signature of another element. If the value is above the threshold, the confidence level can lead to vehicle identification. In one example, the confidence level of identifying a vehicle by comparing a signature that is calculated from captured vehicle data with an existing signature may be 90%.

The level of confidence may also be affected by exclusion methods. For example, the confidence level of identifying a vehicle whose license plate is hidden may increase due to the fact that the vehicle is the only vehicle on site in the time window when calculating the confidence level.

Another example is reduced (or invalidated) confidence in a vehicle identification if the same vehicle was recently identified at a location distant from the current location.

The term power supply in this document refers to refueling or charging. Refueling can be carried out, for example, with gas, gasoline or hydrogen biological materials or any other materials that can provide energy to the vehicle.

The term energy supply device as used herein refers to the fuel pump or charger of an electric vehicle.

The term transaction or energy supply transaction herein refers to the transaction of supplying energy to a vehicle. Such a transaction can be requested by any entity authorized to process the payment (authorized entity), regardless of its location. The transaction does not necessarily entail the transfer of money. An example of a non-remittance transaction is where the vehicle is owned by a fleet and the transaction is completed at an internal facility.

The term authorized entity as used herein refers to an entity that is authorized to perform a transaction. The subject may be a person or a computing device, such as an autonomous vehicle computing device. In one example, an authorized entity is authorized to provide energy to a plurality of vehicles. In other examples, an authorized entity shares permission to power a vehicle with other authorized entities (eg, when powering a family vehicle or a vehicle belonging to a fleet of vehicles).

The term capture device refers to any device that is configured to capture images, sequences of images, videos, etc. The capture device includes sensors that convert the optical input into images, where the optical input can be visible light (for example, in a camera), radio waves, microwaves, terahertz waves, ultraviolet light, infrared light, x-rays, gamma rays and/or any other light spectrum. This also includes 2D and 3D sensors. Examples of capture device technologies may include CCD, CMOS, NMOS, etc. 3D sensors can be implemented using a variety of technologies, including: stereo camera, active stereo camera, time-of-flight camera, structured light camera, radar, ranging camera, etc. The capture devices may be located adjacent to the energy supply device and may capture the energy supply area, or may be located at various other locations on the site and may capture the entire site or portions thereof.

The term capture refers to a still image or video.

The term requester as used herein refers to a computing device or a person.

The term power supply area herein refers to an area surrounding a particular power supply device in which a vehicle can park for power supply by that particular power supply device. This area can be configured when the system is installed on site.

When determining this area, the distance between the fuel inlet or socket and the power supply device, the position of the power supply device, the length of the hose or charging cable, etc. are taken into account.

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The definition can be done manually or through a learning process.

During the training, you can learn the locations on the lot where vehicles are parked, the location of the energy supply devices, the distance between the fuel inlet and the outlet and the energy supply device, the position of the energy supply device, and the length of the hose or charging cable.

The energy supply area can be defined by X and Y coordinates.

Embodiments of the invention disclose a system and methods for performing and authenticating a refueling or charging transaction.

In some embodiments, the system allows a driver or multiple drivers who register with the system to be able to perform a vehicle energy transaction through a computing device. The system allows a fleet manager to authorize drivers to power one or more vehicles in a fleet of vehicles through a computing device.

In some embodiments, once installed, the system links the site capture devices to one or more computing devices to process captured vehicle data. The communication is intended to authenticate and control the transaction and prevent fraud.

In some embodiments, the system identifies vehicles that enter the site. In some embodiments, the system authenticates the originator of the request to refuel or charge the vehicle. In some embodiments, the system initiates authentication and monitors the refueling process, detects potential fraud, and takes preventative action. Transaction authentication includes vehicle authentication and vehicle location authentication, and may also include authentication of the requester's location. In some embodiments, the system documents the transaction and reports events associated with the transaction, including visual images from the capture device.

In accordance with some embodiments, the system uses vehicle properties that are configured during installation and properties learned through online training, as well as the identification of the originator of the transaction request, to authenticate the energy supply transaction.

Embodiments of the invention may be implemented as a computer process (method), a computing system, or as an article of manufacture, such as a computer program product or non-transitory computer-readable medium. A computer program product may be a computer storage medium readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program with instructions for executing a computer process on a computer and network devices. A computer program product may also be a signal distributed on a medium, readable by a computing system, and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process.

One technical problem addressed by the present invention is how to identify the license plate number of a vehicle.

CCTV camera identification only gives bad results. In addition, environmental conditions can affect the detection result during capture.

Another technical challenge is how to eliminate the need to install special equipment on site and in vehicles. This problem can arise, for example, when using RFID readers to identify a car.

Another technical challenge is preventing fraud. Methods known in the art are vulnerable to fraud such as transferring a fueling device to an unauthorized vehicle, using the transaction to refuel or charge another vehicle or canister by removing the hose from the vehicle's fueling inlet after authorizing the transaction and inserting the hose into the fueling inlet hole of another vehicle or into a canister, or by using a refueling card intended for refueling an unauthorized vehicle for refueling and an unauthorized vehicle, etc.

Another technical challenge is to enable a more efficient energy supply transaction with fewer steps.

Another technical challenge is to prevent a vehicle from parking in an unauthorized area.

Another technical challenge is preventing unauthorized users from refueling.

One exemplary embodiment of the disclosed subject matter is a method, the method including: receiving a request to refuel a vehicle at a site; receiving captured vehicle data; if the location of the vehicle,

- 3 043958 discovered from the captured data is within a certain energy supply area of the site, then retrieving from the data store the identification of the pump associated with the energy supply area; and causing the computing device to control the pump to begin priming.

According to some embodiments, if the location of the vehicle detected from the captured data is outside the power supply area, then a warning is issued or refueling is prevented. According to some embodiments, the method further includes determining an energy supply area according to one element selected from the group consisting of a vehicle type, a hose length of the energy supply device, a distance between the fuel inlet of the vehicle and the energy supply device, a location the power supply device, the position of the power supply device, the process of learning the locations on the site where vehicles are parked, and the process of learning the structure of the site.

In some embodiments, the method further includes selecting a pump head, the selection being made in accordance with selecting one from the group consisting of a vehicle brand, a vehicle fuel type, and a charging method. According to some embodiments, the method further includes instructing the computing device to unlock the selected nozzle and begin the power supply process. In some embodiments, the captured vehicle data is associated with the originator of the request. In some embodiments, the request originates from a mobile device associated with the vehicle. According to some embodiments, the method further includes authenticating the vehicle. According to some embodiments, the method further includes receiving an indication of a refueling transaction associated with a particular vehicle and refueling site; obtaining captured vehicle data on site; access to the vehicle profile associated with the vehicle; analyzing the captured data to identify at least one discrepancy between the vehicle profile and the vehicle; and updating the vehicle profile according to the discrepancy. According to some embodiments, the method further includes receiving an indication of a refueling transaction associated with the vehicle and the site; in response to the received indication, accessing information related to the vehicle; obtaining captured vehicle data on site; generating sample data containing an image of the vehicle based on the captured data and information related to the vehicle; and adding sample data to the dataset. According to some embodiments, the method further includes obtaining image data depicting a refill transaction; analyzing the image data to detect a first portion of the image data depicting a connection of the fuel nozzle to the vehicle; analyzing the image data to detect a second portion of the image data depicting detachment of the fuel nozzle from the particular vehicle; and generating a visual summary of the refill transaction comprising at least a detected first portion of image data and a detected second portion of image data, while omitting at least a third portion of image data located between the detected first portion and the detected second portion. According to some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting the request to a second requester to confirm the transaction. According to some embodiments, the method further includes confirmation of the transaction by the second entity. According to some embodiments, the method further includes obtaining image data depicting the refill transaction. According to some embodiments, the method further includes analyzing the image data to detect a first portion of image data depicting the connection of the fuel nozzle to a particular vehicle; analyzing the image data to detect a second portion of the image data depicting detachment of the fuel nozzle from the particular vehicle; and generating a visual summary of the refill transaction comprising at least a detected first portion of image data and a detected second portion of image data, while omitting at least a third portion of image data located between the detected first portion and the detected second portion. According to some embodiments, the method further includes archiving the generated visual summary in a digital archive along with information related to the fueling transaction. According to some embodiments, the image data comprises a sequence of frames, the detected first portion contains at least a portion of the first frame, the detected second portion contains at least a portion of the second frame, and the third portion contains at least all of the frame located after the first frame, and before the second frame in the sequence of frames. According to some embodiments, the method further includes analyzing image data to detect an image of a person's face associated with a refill transaction; and archiving the detected facial image of the person associated with the refueling transaction in a digital archive along with information related to the refueling transaction.

According to some embodiments, the method further includes analyzing image data to detect an image of a specific vehicle; and archiving the detected image of a particular vehicle in a digital archive along with information related to the refueling transaction. According to some embodiments, the method further includes obtaining an indication of a confidence level associated with the refueling transaction; in response to the first confidence level value, generating a visual summary with first level details; and in response to the second confidence level value, generating a visual summary with the second level details, the second level being higher than the first level. According to some embodiments, the method further includes analyzing the image data to detect a fourth portion of the image data depicting a vehicle; and including a fourth portion of the image data in the generated visual summary of the refill transaction.

One exemplary embodiment of the disclosed subject matter is a method, the method including: receiving an event indicating the start of refueling of a vehicle, while refueling, receiving a plurality of captured vehicle data; processing the plurality of captured data to identify a plurality of vehicle locations; each is respectively associated with corresponding captured data from the plurality of captured data; identifying vehicle movement from multiple locations; as a result of identification, performing a mitigation action for a motion-related event.

In some embodiments, the event is a fraud event. In some embodiments, the event is a security event. In some embodiments, mitigation includes preventing or preventing fueling. According to some embodiments, the method further includes detecting a second event when the nozzle is removed from the fuel inlet of the vehicle and inserted into the second vehicle, and identifying fraud. According to some embodiments, the method further includes detecting a second event when the nozzle is removed from the vehicle's fuel inlet and inserted into the canister, and identifying fraud. According to some embodiments, the method further includes event notification. According to some embodiments, the method further includes identifying a second vehicle in the energy supply area and detecting fraud. According to some embodiments, the method further includes locating a vehicle away from the center of an energy supply area and detecting fraud. According to some embodiments, the method further includes identifying a person in the energy supply field and detecting fraud. According to some embodiments, the method further includes identifying a vehicle outside of the energy supply area and detecting fraud. According to some embodiments, the method further includes identifying another vehicle parked adjacent to the refueling vehicle in a suspicious manner and detecting fraud. According to some embodiments, the method further includes identifying a vehicle from a list of suspicious vehicles and detecting fraud. According to some embodiments, the indication that a refill associated with a refill transaction is being performed for the first time is based on information from the dispenser associated with the refill transaction. According to some embodiments, the method further includes analyzing at least one captured refill transaction data to identify a dispenser associated with the refill transaction. According to some embodiments, the method further includes, in response to determining that fraud is suspected, providing an indication to the user. According to some embodiments, the method further includes, in response to determining that fraud is suspected, instructing the fueling station to stop.

Another exemplary embodiment of the disclosed subject matter is a method, the method including: receiving captured vehicle data while refueling the vehicle; processing the captured data to identify the location of the vehicle inlet; identification is carried out in accordance with the vehicle model; processing the captured data to detect the event of removal of the nozzle from the inlet of the vehicle; and if an event is detected, then taking mitigation action. In some embodiments, the event is a fraud event.

In some embodiments, the event is a security event. In some embodiments, mitigation includes preventing or preventing fueling. According to some embodiments, the method further includes detecting a second event when the nozzle is removed from the fuel inlet of the vehicle and inserted into the second vehicle, and identifying the fraud. According to some embodiments, the method further includes detecting a second event when the nozzle is removed from the vehicle's fuel inlet and inserted into the canister, and identifying fraud. According to some embodiments, the method further includes event notification. According to some embodiments, the method further includes identifying a second vehicle in the energy supply area and detecting fraud.

According to some embodiments, the method further includes locating a vehicle away from the center of an energy supply area and detecting fraud.

According to some embodiments, the method further includes identifying a person in the energy supply field and detecting fraud. According to some embodiments, the method further includes identifying a vehicle outside of the energy supply area and detecting fraud. According to some embodiments, the method further includes identifying a vehicle from a list of suspicious vehicles and detecting fraud. According to some embodiments, the indication that a refill associated with a refill transaction is being performed for the first time is based on information from the dispenser associated with the refill transaction. According to some embodiments, the method further includes analyzing at least one captured refill transaction data to identify a dispenser associated with the refill transaction. According to some embodiments, the method further includes, in response to determining that fraud is suspected, providing an indication to the user. According to some embodiments, the method further includes, in response to determining that fraud is suspected, instructing the fueling station to stop. According to some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting an alert upon detection of a vehicle leaving the energy supply area without payment.

Another exemplary embodiment of the disclosed subject matter is a method, the method including receiving a capture event of captured vehicle data; generating a vehicle signature from captured data; comparing the signature with a second signature; wherein the second signature is associated with the identified vehicle and the comparison results in a confidence level; and if the confidence level exceeds a threshold, then identifying the vehicle as an identified vehicle.

In some embodiments, the signature is generated in accordance with a unique property extracted from the captured data, or in accordance with a common property extracted from the captured data, or a combination thereof. According to some embodiments, a method wherein if the confidence level exceeds a threshold, re-identification is performed to generate an improved confidence level. According to some embodiments, the method wherein the re-identification involves comparing a unique property with another unique property extracted from previous captured data associated with the vehicle. According to some embodiments, the method further comprises, if the improved confidence level is below a certain threshold, identifying fraud.

In some embodiments, the method includes fraud associated with changing a vehicle license plate or substituting a vehicle license plate. According to some embodiments, the method further includes performing linking between a plurality of captured vehicle data from a plurality of locations on the site to improve the vehicle signature. According to some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a request for refueling, wherein the identified vehicle is associated with the originator of the request. In some embodiments, the request originates from a mobile device associated with the vehicle. According to some embodiments, the signature comprises at least one property, wherein the at least one property includes one selected from the group consisting of color, vehicle type, vehicle profile, and vehicle make of at least a portion of the registration identifier of at least measures of one vehicle, visually identifiable damage to at least one vehicle, sticker affixed to at least one vehicle.

In some embodiments, if the confidence level does not exceed a threshold, the sender of the request is notified to refuel the vehicle. According to some embodiments, the method includes authenticating the location of the vehicle to perform a refueling transaction. According to some embodiments, the second signature is taken from a list of vehicles associated with the requester for refueling

- 6 043958 vehicle. According to some embodiments, the method further includes receiving an indication of a refueling transaction associated with a specific vehicle and refueling site; obtaining captured vehicle data on site; access to the vehicle profile associated with the vehicle; analyzing the captured data to identify at least one discrepancy between the vehicle profile and the vehicle; and updating the vehicle profile according to the discrepancy. According to some embodiments, the method further includes receiving an indication of a refueling transaction associated with the vehicle and the site; in response to the received indication, accessing information related to the vehicle; obtaining captured vehicle data on site; generating sample data containing an image of the vehicle based on the captured data and information related to the vehicle; and adding sample data to the dataset.

According to some embodiments, the method further comprises obtaining image data depicting a fueling transaction; analyzing the image data to detect a first portion of the image data depicting a connection of the fuel nozzle to the vehicle; analyzing the image data to detect a second portion of the image data depicting detachment of the fuel nozzle from the vehicle; and generating a visual summary of the refill transaction comprising at least a detected first portion of image data and a detected second portion of image data, while omitting at least a third portion of image data located between the detected first portion and the detected second portion. According to some embodiments, the threshold value is determined in accordance with the probability of detecting the vehicle at the site. In some embodiments, the threshold is determined by a request or usage pattern, or the absence of a pattern.

Brief description of several types of drawings

The present disclosed subject matter will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which corresponding or like numerals or symbols indicate corresponding or like components. Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings provide exemplary embodiments or aspects of the disclosure and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. On the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a block diagram of an environment for authenticating a transaction in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter;

fig. 2 shows a flowchart of a transaction authentication script in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter;

fig. 3 shows a flowchart of a method for identifying and authenticating a vehicle in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter;

fig. 4 shows a flowchart of a method for authenticating a vehicle during refueling in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter;

fig. 5 shows a flowchart of a method for preventing fueling or charging fraud in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter;

fig. 6 shows a block diagram of an application module in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter;

fig. 7 shows a block diagram of an on-site computing device in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter;

fig. 8 shows a block diagram of a central computing unit installed in a mobile device, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of an environment for authenticating a transaction in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

The environment 100 includes a central computing device 101, an on-site computing device 102, a plurality of grip devices 103, a vehicle 109, a plurality of power supply devices 105, a power supply device controller 106, a POS (point of sale) computing device 107, and a bank card server 108. , a fleet map server 104 , an oil company computing device 111 , and a loyalty server 110 .

The vehicle 109 enters the site to perform refueling or charging. An authorized transaction subject's computing device (not shown in the drawing) communicates with the on-site computing device 102 to complete the transaction. If there is no computing device 102 on site, the computing device may communicate directly with the central computing device 101.

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Capture devices 103 are configured to capture captured data from vehicles 109 that are on site. Capture devices 103 are located at various locations on the site and provide captured data of the vehicle 109 at various locations on the site. Captured data can be used to identify vehicle properties and generate a signature. The captured data can also be used to determine the location of the vehicle at a specific time and to select energy supply devices and a hose or charging cable to perform energy supply. Captured data can also be used to report events related to a transaction to an authorized subject. Captured data can also be used to detect and report fraud associated with a transaction.

Capture devices 103 communicate with on-site computing device 102 and transmit captured data to on-site computing device 102. Capture devices 103 may include closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras that may be deployed at various locations on the site as a separate and independent feed or as part of the site's security system.

The on-site computing device 102 receives the captured data from the capture devices and performs the process of identifying the properties and location of the vehicle from the captured data. The on-site computing device 102 is also configured to identify the nearest power supply device to the vehicle for which a refueling request is issued.

The on-site computing device 102 may communicate with the point of sale (POS) computing device 107 to complete the transaction and to authenticate the fueling or charging transaction. The on-site computing device 102 may communicate with the central computing device 101 to authenticate the vehicle and to authenticate the authorized entity. The operation of the on-site computing device 102 is explained in more detail in FIG. 3. The on-site computing device 102 may communicate with the power supply device controller 106 to control the power supply device controller 106. In some other embodiments, the central computing device may communicate with the point of sale (POS) computing device 107.

A plurality of power supply devices 105 are adapted to supply power to a vehicle. Locking and unlocking of the plurality of power supply devices 105 is performed by the power supply device controller 106 in accordance with instructions from the central computing device.

The central computing device 101 is configured to execute and authenticate the transaction. The central computing device 101 is explained in more detail in FIG. 8.

The central computing device 101 is connected to the point of sale computing device 107 and to the power supply device controller 106 to control the power supply device controller.

Oil company computing device 111 is connected to central computing device 101, to on-site computing device 102, to point of sale 107, and to energy supply device controller 106. The oil company computing device 111 is configured to transmit data from the on-site computing device 102 to the point of sale 107, from the energy supply controller 106 to the central computing device 101, and vice versa.

The oil company computing device 111 is also configured to store data associated with the fueling transaction. Such data includes images, reports, commands, etc. Oil company computing device 111 is also configured to load balance communications between sites and the central computing device to improve communication performance. The oil company computing device 111 may also be configured to perform tasks associated with the central computing device 101 and the site computing device 102.

It should be noted that the number of devices is approximate and more or less devices may be represented.

In some embodiments, the on-site computing device 102 also performs the operations of the central computing device 101. In some other implementations, the central computing device 101 also performs the operations of the on-site computing device 102.

In some embodiments, an on-site computing device 102, a sensor 103, a plurality of pumps and injectors 105, a pump computing device 106, and a POS (point of sale) computing device 107 are located on the site.

In some embodiments, the bank card server 108, fleet card server 109, loyalty server 104, and central computing device 101 are located off-site and can communicate with the site via an Internet network.

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Communications on site can be carried out, for example, via wired or wireless communication protocols such as Ethernet, Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi and/or NFC, or via the Internet. Communication between the site and off-site computer devices can be through, for example, an Internet cloud, an oil company intranet, a dedicated telephone line, etc.

Fig. 2 shows a flowchart of a fueling or charging transaction authentication scenario in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

At step 200, the system is installed at the sites. The installation process may include configuring data sets related to the capture devices and power supply devices at each of the sites. The installation process includes modeling and site investigation. In some embodiments, the system is trained to be able to identify vehicle models, the location of energy supply devices on a site, the topology of a site, etc.

At step 203, users register in the system. The user may be a private user or the administrator of a fleet of vehicles or a driver in such a fleet. Registration can be done online or through an application on a mobile device.

The registration process may include configuring general properties of each vehicle for which the user is authorized to supply energy, configuring details that identify the authorized entity (name, mobile phone number of the cellular device associated with the user, contact information for each user, etc. ), and details for making the payment (for example, credit card number, bank account number, amount allowed for payment).

Registration may include linking the user to a vehicle. Registration may also involve linking multiple users to multiple vehicles. Registration may also involve linking a user to multiple vehicles. Registration can also involve linking multiple users to a vehicle.

Registration can be performed by a private user or a user who is an employee of a company that owns a fleet of vehicles.

At step 205, the vehicle enters the site.

As a result, capture devices capture captured vehicle data at various locations on the site. The captured data is processed to identify and authenticate the vehicle. The vehicle identification and authentication process is explained in more detail in FIG. 3.

Captured data can be transmitted to other computing devices, which may be located on site or remotely from the site. Captured data can also be transferred to the control room or designated persons for any actions required as a result of identification.

It should be noted that the process of vehicle capture and vehicle identification and authentication is performed continuously and periodically.

The system can also identify the authorized entity associated with the vehicle and can send a message to the authorized entities of the vehicle to notify the vehicle's arrival at the location. The notification message may prompt an off-site authorized entity to submit a request for an energy supply transaction.

At step 207, the system receives a request from a requester for an energy supply transaction. The request includes the identity of the requester.

In one embodiment, a request is received from the driver of a vehicle while parking adjacent to an energy supply device within an energy supply area. In such a case, a request to start the energy supply process can be sent from the mobile device of the vehicle driver. In such a case, the request may also include the location of the mobile device.

In another embodiment, the request may be received from an authorized entity that is located off-site and authorizes the driver to refuel. For example, when the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle or when the vehicle is not being driven by an authorized entity.

The request may also be received from a computing device embedded in the vehicle.

The request can be initiated manually or automatically. An example of automatic initiation is the detection of a driver's mobile device in the immediate vicinity of the site. Such detection can be accomplished by methods such as geofencing.

The request may include the location of the fueling site, the identity of the requester, the identification of the vehicle, and the time of the request.

At step 210, the system verifies that the requester is an authorized entity.

The system can check whether the driver is authorized to refuel at this site or that his fuel consumption is within the quota. In some embodiments, the system authenticates the location of the requester and verifies that the requester is on site.

If the requester is not authorized, then at step 212 the operation ends and the system sends warning messages; such warning messages can be sent to the fleet manager.

Otherwise, operation proceeds to step 215.

At step 215, the central computing device identifies the site from which the event was received according to location. In one example, the identification corresponds to the location of the requester's mobile device.

At step 220, the central computing device issues a command to the on-site computing device to search for vehicles that are associated with the requester and that are currently on the site.

At step 225, the system identifies and confirms the location of the vehicle. Vehicle location authentication is explained in more detail in FIG. 4.

If the vehicle location is authenticated for the transaction, the operation continues at step 235.

Otherwise, at step 230, the system sends a message to the requestor's computing device indicating that the energy supply is not authenticated. The system can also send such a message to the pump controller. The operation can be terminated. In some embodiments, the message is sent to a resolution center.

At step 235, the central or site computing device selects one or more hoses or charging cables to supply energy. One or more hoses or charging cables can be selected according to the vehicle make, its fuel, or the charging type or charging method.

At step 240, the system may send a message to the requester to confirm the power supply process. The message may include vehicle identification, energy supply device identification, hose or charging cable selected, fuel type, name of requester, site location, etc.

Confirmation can be, for example, a click, a gesture, a voice command, etc.

If the requester does not confirm the request, then at step 242 the operation ends.

At step 245, which occurs if the requester confirms the request, the system instructs the pump controller to unlock the selected nozzle or connector and begin the energy supply process. A message indicating charging or refueling may be sent to the point of sale and/or to the central computing device. The point of sale (POS) can communicate with the loyalty server to promote sales. The point of sale (POS) can communicate with the fleet server and/or the bank card to complete the transaction.

Control of the pump may be performed by a central computing device, an on-site computing device, or an oil company computing device.

At step 250, the system starts the fueling or charging fraud prevention process. The fuel fraud prevention process is explained in more detail in FIG. 5.

At step 255, the pump controller determines the end of the refueling or charging process and sends a notification message to the system. The system sends a notification message to the requester's computing device. The notification message may include transaction details.

Fig. 3 shows a flowchart of a method for identifying and authenticating a vehicle in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

In some embodiments, the system overcomes the technical problem associated with vehicle identification by capture.

According to another embodiment, the system solves the problem of how to identify a vehicle that is hidden by another vehicle, a wall or any other object.

According to another embodiment, the system solves the problem of detecting fraud that occurs as a result of replacing a vehicle license plate with a different license plate.

The system correlates captured data from capture devices installed at a gas station or charging station. According to some embodiments, each module associated with the capture device performs an online learning process. The output of each module is periodically sent to the central module, which performs a learning process based on the correlation between the captured data received from the capture devices. The output of the central module's training process is then used in the training process of the modules associated with the capture devices. Thus, each capture device improves the learning process with data that is correlated with other capture devices.

- 10 043958

This process allows you to use capture devices that already exist on site and compensate for incorrect output from one or more devices.

Referring to the drawing:

At step 300, the vehicle enters the site.

At step 305, the vehicle is grabbed by a particular gripping device. The captured data is sent to the computing device for processing. It should be noted that processing may also be performed by an on-site computing device or a local computing device, or a host server, or a capture device.

At step 310, the captured vehicle data is processed by a capture module that processes the captured data of a particular capture device. If the captured data is analog, the module can perform analog-to-digital processing on the captured data.

The module can also determine the location of the vehicle. The location is related to the capture device. The location of the vehicle and the time associated with the location are stored in the data warehouse.

The capture module extracts the unique properties and general properties of the vehicle from the captured data. The capture module generates a vehicle signature from the extracted features.

At step 312, the vehicle signature may be used to identify the vehicle and to generate a confidence level for the identification.

If the confidence level is above the identification threshold, then the vehicle is identified and the operation continues at step 314 to perform re-identification.

Re-identification is intended to adjust the confidence level of the identification.

Otherwise, the operation continues at step 315 to associate with other captured data from other capture devices on the site in an attempt to identify the vehicle by association with the identification performed by the other capture device on the site.

At step 314, the re-identification module performs re-identification. The re-identification process compares the unique properties extracted from the current captured data with the unique properties extracted from previous captured data associated with the identified vehicle. Previous records can be obtained from the same capture device or from another capture device (at the site or at any other site) or from any other database associated with the identified vehicle.

For example, if a vehicle has visible damage, the module recognizes the damage for further image identification processes. Examples of such re-identification models are Siamese networks.

Re-identification generates an updated level of confidence.

If the refined confidence level is below the fraud threshold, the system detects fraud and can take action to reduce the risk. This type of fraud may involve replacing a vehicle's license plate or changing an existing license plate. In such a case, the vehicle signature associated with the detected license plate, which is stored in the data warehouse, is different from the identified vehicle signature, and this results in a low confidence level.

Step 315 describes the process of associating properties that have been learned from a plurality of captured vehicle data at a plurality of locations on the site. Linking (correlation) involves associating a signature calculated from the captured data of a particular capture device with signatures calculated from other captured data from other capture devices. Communication (correlation) solves the technical problem of identifying a vehicle at a location where the vehicle is not completely captured by the capture device (for example, when it is hidden behind another vehicle), and therefore allows identification even in cases where identification using only captured data or from a single capture device is not possible.

At step 315, the captured data of the capture device, as well as the results of the capture, are transmitted to the central module. In some embodiments, the results are transmitted as chunks. The central module performs the linking between a plurality of captured vehicle data from a plurality of locations. In one example, linking parallel sequences of captured data is accomplished by matching fragments.

The linking process can also use the speed and direction of the vehicle detected by the capture device to link with captured data from other capture devices according to the physical relationship between the capture devices. In some embodiments, the model of the physical relationship between the capture devices is updated after successful pairing.

- 11 043958

The linking process can also improve the vehicle signature by adding the vehicle signature to signatures of the same vehicle that have been generated by captured data from different capture devices.

The output of the binding process can be used by capture modules associated with capture devices.

The results of the linking process, as well as updated signatures, can be stored in a data warehouse for future use.

At step 320, the vehicle moves to another location on the site.

As a result, at least one other capture device captures another image of the vehicle, and a module associated with that capture device processes the image. Operation resumes at step 305.

The operation of blocks 305, 310, 315 and 320 may be repeated until the vehicle leaves the site and there is no new vehicle data captured.

Fig. 4 shows a flowchart of a method for authenticating a vehicle during refueling in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

In some embodiments, the authentication process includes identifying a vehicle, identifying a power supply device to be used, authenticating the vehicle, and authenticating a location of the vehicle relative to the power supply device.

The authentication process is a response to an energy supply transaction request received from an authorized entity.

At step 405, the system queries the data store for the identification of one or more vehicles that the requester is authorized to supply power and that are currently on site.

If such a vehicle is not at the site, then at step 410 the system sends notification messages and the process ends.

At step 415, the system retrieves the most recently captured vehicle data at the site from the data store.

At step 430, the system authenticates the location of the vehicle. Authentication may be performed continuously and over a predetermined period to allow the vehicle to arrive in the area to supply energy.

In some embodiments, the system determines, either through a learning process or a configuration process, the X and Y coordinates of the entire power supply area at the site.

The determination may take into account the length of the hose, the location of the energy supply device, as well as the position of the energy supply device and the structure of the site.

During the training process, it is possible to learn from the previous capture of vehicles on the site the location of the energy supply vehicles, the structure of the site, and the location and position of the energy supply devices.

Each captured device data is associated with coordinates that cover the area covered by the captured data.

The system checks the coordinates where the vehicle is located according to the captured vehicle data and checks whether these coordinates are within the refueling area.

If the vehicle is in the refueling area, the vehicle's location is confirmed and operation proceeds to step 435.

Otherwise, at step 440, the operation is completed and a notification message is sent. In one other embodiment, a message is sent to the requester instructing the requester to move the vehicle to the nearest energy supply area.

At step 435, the system retrieves from the data store the identification of the energy supply device that is associated with the location of the vehicle.

At step 445, the system instructs the controller to release the nozzle from the fuel pump or release the connector from the charger to begin the energy supply process.

Fig. 5 shows a flowchart of a method for preventing fueling or charging fraud in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

In some embodiments, the system detects a change in the vehicle's location during refueling to detect fraud.

In other embodiments, the system detects removal of a nozzle from a fuel inlet port or removal of a connector from a connector inlet port during the refueling (charging) process. When an extraction is detected, the system can stop refueling (charging), transmit an image of the vehicle to the fleet manager, or send a warning message. In some embodiments, the longer the extraction detection time, the higher the likelihood of detecting fraud.

This method allows detecting fraud such as transferring a fuel (charger) device to an unauthorized vehicle, using the transaction to fuel or charge another vehicle or canister by removing the nozzle from the vehicle's fuel (charging) port after the transaction is authorized and inserting the nozzle into another vehicle or into a canister, or fraud using a fuel card that is intended to refuel an authorized vehicle, to refuel an unauthorized vehicle, etc.

Referring to the drawing:

At step 500, the energy supply process begins.

At step 510, which is performed periodically and while the energizing process is ongoing, the system analyzes the captured data of a capture device that is associated with the energizing device that performs the energizing.

Steps 515 and 520 are performed independently and simultaneously.

Step 515 is performed periodically while the power supply process continues.

At step 515, the system checks whether there is movement of the vehicle. Motion detection is performed by methods known in the art, such as object detection and tracking.

If there is movement, the operation moves to step 517 to prevent fraud.

Otherwise, operation continues at step 510.

At step 517, the system prevents fraud and can terminate the process. Prevention can be implemented by sending a control message to stop refueling and sending warning messages. Warning messages may include an image of the vehicle while driving. Warning messages can be sent to one or more entities that are authenticated for refueling, a fleet manager, a site computing device, etc. The likelihood of fraud may increase due to the following events: the user has already committed fraud, the vehicle is located away from the center of the energy supply area, there are other vehicles in the energy supply area, the nozzle is moved to another vehicle, etc. The potential for fraud may influence the decision to send an alert. The warning message may include the possibility of fraud. The possibility of fraud may influence the decision to stop refilling.

At step 520, which occurs periodically while the energizing process is ongoing, the system checks to see if the nozzle has been removed from the priming inlet or if the connector has been removed from the connector inlet.

In some embodiments, the system is trained to detect the primer inlet and nozzle (or connector inlet and connector in the case of charging) upon initialization and during site operation. Learning can be done in ways such as active learning. This learning allows detection of removal of a nozzle or connector.

If an extraction event is detected, then operation proceeds to step 517 for mitigation and completion, otherwise operation resumes at step 510 to continue checking.

Fig. 6 shows a block diagram of an application module in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

Application module 600 includes a problem reporting module 601, a user identification module 602, a customer communication module 603, and a sales module 604.

The problem reporting module 601 is configured to report problems related to transactions to a site computing device (not shown in the drawing) and/or a central computing device (not shown in the drawing).

The user identification module 602 is configured to communicate with the central computing device to authenticate the user.

The client communication module 603 is configured to provide a platform for communication with other users in the system.

Product module 604 is configured to communicate with a POS (point of sale) computing device to purchase products through an application.

It should be noted that the user can log in through the application installed on his mobile device or through the web interface.

Fig. 7 shows a block diagram of an on-site computing device in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

The on-site computing device 102 includes a vehicle identification module 1021, capture device modules 1020, a payment module 1024 and a fraud prevention module 1025, an event processing module 1026, a fleet management module 1027, a user communications module 1028, and a storage 1029 data.

Each of the capture device modules 1020 is coupled to a capture device and is configured to identify vehicles and vehicle locations from a captured image of the corresponding capture device.

The vehicle identification module 1021 is configured to associate learning process outputs of the plurality of capture device modules 1020. The process of the capture device modules 1020 and the vehicle identification module 1021 is explained in more detail in FIG. 3.

The payment module 1024 is configured to communicate with a bank card server (not shown in the drawing), a fleet card server (not shown in the drawing), and a loyalty server (not shown in the drawing) to complete a transaction.

The fraud prevention module 1025 is configured to prevent fraud. The fraud prevention method is explained in more detail in FIG. 5.

The event processing module 1026 is configured to manage site events. Such events may include, for example, detection of fraud, etc. Such fraud may include, for example, attempting to refuel an unauthorized vehicle, removing the nozzle from the fuel inlet to fill a canister, etc.

The fleet management module 1027 is configured to communicate with the fleet for fraud alerts, etc.

The user communication module 1028 is configured to communicate with private users to alert about fraud events, etc.

In some cases, the on-site computing device 102 is not installed on the site, and the functionality of the on-site computing device is performed by a central computing device.

Data storage 1029 is configured to store data such as site events, detected license plates, locations of identified vehicles, site power supply device properties, training process data sets, etc.

It should be noted that some or all of the computing device modules at a site may be implemented and executed from a central computing device.

Fig. 8 shows a block diagram of a central computing device installed in a cloud.

The central computing device 101 includes a user-to-user communication module 1011, an event processing module 1012, a fleet management module 1013, a user communication module 1014, a site communication module 1015, a load balancing module 1016, a logging module 1017, and a data storage 1018.

The inter-user communication module 1011 is configured to provide communication between users.

The event processing module 1012 is configured to process events that are received from multiple sites. The event processing module 1012 may also be configured to receive refueling or charging requests and instruct the on-site computing device to begin refueling.

Fleet management module 1013 is configured to communicate with fleet computing devices for registration, payment, reporting, etc.

The user communication module 1014 is configured to communicate with private users for registration, payment, reporting, etc.

The site communication module 1015 is configured to communicate with sites to authenticate vehicles and users and to complete a transaction.

The load balancing module 1016 configures workload sharing among other servers (not shown in the drawing). In some examples, the load balancer 1016 may be implemented as a software, a hardware solution, or a combined software and hardware solution. In some implementations, the load balancer modules 1016 may interact with the registration module 1017 to obtain information about the availability of other servers (not shown in the drawing). In some examples, other servers (not shown in the drawing) may notify the load balancers 1016 of their status, for example, by sending messages: at startup; when stopping calculations; at regular intervals; at the chosen time; in response to requests received from load balancing modules 1016; etc. In some examples, load balancers 1016 may query the status of another server, for example, by sending messages: when the load balancer starts; at regular intervals; at the chosen time; etc.

Logging modules 1017 are configured to monitor the availability of other servers.

Data storage 1018 is configured to store information about sites, vehicle properties, etc.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. It should be further understood that the terms contains and/or containing, when used in this detailed description, indicate the presence of the stated features, entire parts, steps, operations, elements or components, but do not prevent the presence or addition of one or more other features, entire parts, stages, operations, elements, components or groups thereof.

It should be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the drawing steps may not be performed in the order shown in the drawings. For example, two steps shown one after the other may actually execute almost simultaneously, or steps may sometimes execute in reverse order, depending on the functionality enabled.

Although various inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those skilled in the art would readily recognize many other means, materials, or structures for accomplishing the functions, results, or one or more benefits described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications are considered to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. In summary, those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials and configurations described herein are intended to be exemplary and that actual parameters, dimensions, materials and configurations depend on the particular application or applications for which the invented ideas are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain by no more than routine experimentation, the many equivalents for the particular inventive embodiments described herein. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims, their equivalents, and any claims supported by the present disclosure, embodiments of the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described and stated. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, composition, kit, method, and step described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such functions, systems, products, materials, compositions, kits, methods and steps, unless such functions, systems, products, materials, compositions, kits, methods and steps are mutually incompatible, is within the scope of of the present invention. The embodiments disclosed herein may also be combined with one or more features, functionality or materials, as well as complete systems, devices or methods, to obtain other embodiments and inventions. Moreover, some embodiments may differ from the prior art, in particular, by the absence of one and/or another feature disclosed in the specific prior art reference(s); those. The claims of some embodiments may differ from the prior art by including one or more negative features.

Also, as noted, the various teachings of the invention may be implemented in one or more ways, an example of which has been provided. The steps performed within the method may be arranged in any suitable manner. Accordingly, embodiments may be created in which actions are performed in an order different from that illustrated, which may include performing some actions simultaneously even if shown as sequential actions in the illustrative embodiments.

Any and all references to publications or other documents, including, but not limited to, patents, patent applications, articles, web pages, books, etc., provided anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Moreover, it should be understood that all definitions given and used herein are governed by dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and the ordinary meaning of the terms defined.

The indefinite articles a and an, when used in the detailed description and claims, unless expressly stated otherwise, are to be understood to mean at least one.

The phrase and/or, when used in the detailed description and claims, is to be understood to mean one or both of the elements so combined, i.e. elements that are present together in some cases and separately present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with and/or should be treated the same, i.e. one or more of the elements so combined. Optionally, other elements other than those specifically identified by the expression and/or, whether related or unrelated to the specifically identified elements, may be present. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to A and/or B, when used in connection with a broad expression such as containing, may refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B) ; in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc.

When used herein in specifications and claims, the phrase or is to be understood to have the same meaning as and/or as defined above. For example, when separating elements in a list, either or and/or must be interpreted as including, i.e. joining at least one, as well as including more than one, member or list of elements, and optionally additional unlisted elements. Only expressions explicitly stated in the opposite sense, such as only one of or exactly one of, or, when used in a formula, consisting of, will refer to the addition of exactly one element from a set or list of elements. In general, the term or, when used herein, should be interpreted only as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e., one or the other, but not both) when preceded by exclusivity terms such as either, one of, only one of, or exclusively one of. Consisting essentially of, when used in a claim, shall have its ordinary meaning when used in the field of patent law.

When used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase at least one, when referring to a list of one or more elements, is to be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more elements in the list of elements, but optionally including at least one of each and every element specifically listed in the list of elements, and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows for the possibility that elements other than those specifically identified in the list of elements to which at least one phrase refers may optionally be present, whether related or unrelated to the specifically identified elements. Thus, by way of non-limiting example, at least one of A and B (or, equivalently, at least one of A or B, or, equivalently, at least one of A and/or B) may mean, in one in an embodiment, at least one, optionally including more than one, A, without the presence of B (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, at least one, optionally including more than one, B, without the presence of A (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

In the claims, as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as containing, including, bearing, having, containing, implying, holding, consisting of, etc. must be understood as unlimited, i.e. mean including, but not only. Only the intervening phrases consisting of and consisting essentially of, respectively, must be closed or semi-closed intervening phrases as set forth in the Patent Examination Manual, Section 2111.03, of the US Patent Office.

Claims (33)

CLAIM 1. A method for authenticating a refueling request to perform energy supply operations, the method includes the steps of accepting a request for refueling a vehicle at a site; receiving captured data of said vehicle; applying a learning process to learn a plurality of previous captured data of said site, said learning process to identify from said previous captured data coordinates of vehicle locations when power is supplied; analyzing the coordinates of the energy supply area for said vehicle, said analysis being carried out in accordance with said coordinates of the locations of the energy supply vehicles; analyzing the location coordinates of said vehicle from said first capture data; if the coordinates of said location of said vehicle detected from said captured data are within said power supply area, then said location of said vehicle is authenticated for refueling; retrieving from the data store the identification of a pump associated with said energy supply area; and instructing the computing device controlling said pump to begin said refueling. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of preventing or preventing said refueling if the coordinates of said location of said vehicle detected from said captured data are not in said power supply area. - 16 043958 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a nozzle of said pump, said selection being made in accordance with the selection of one element selected from the group consisting of a brand of said vehicle, a fuel type of said vehicle and a charging method. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said captured data of said vehicle is associated with the originator of the request. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said request comes from a mobile device associated with said vehicle. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle is further authenticated. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving an indication of a refueling transaction associated with a specific vehicle and refueling site; receiving captured vehicle data at said site; access a vehicle profile associated with said vehicle; analyzing said captured data to identify at least one discrepancy between said vehicle profile and said vehicle; and updating said profile of said vehicle in accordance with said discrepancy. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving an indication of a refueling transaction associated with said vehicle and site; in response to the received indication, accessing information related to said vehicle; receiving captured data of said vehicle at said site; generating a sample data containing an image of said vehicle based on said captured data and information related to said vehicle; and adding said sample data to the dataset. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: image data displaying the refill transaction; analyzing the image data to detect a first part of the image data depicting the connection of the filling nozzle with the said vehicle; analyzing the image data to detect a second portion of the image data depicting detachment of the fuel nozzle from the particular vehicle; and generating a visual summary of the refill transaction comprising at least the detected first portion of the image data and the detected second portion of the image data, while omitting at least the third portion of the image data located between the detected first portion and the detected second portion. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: image data displaying the refill transaction; analyzing the image data to detect a first part of the image data depicting the connection of the refill nozzle with a particular vehicle; analyzing the image data to detect a second portion of the image data depicting disconnection of the fuel nozzle from the particular vehicle; and generating a visual summary of the refill transaction comprising at least the detected first portion of the image data and the detected second portion of the image data, while omitting at least the third portion of the image data located between the detected first portion and the detected second portion. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of analyzing the image data to detect an image of a person's face associated with the refill transaction; and archiving the detected facial image of the person associated with the refueling transaction in a digital archive along with information related to the refueling transaction. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of analyzing the image data to detect an image of a specific vehicle and archiving the detected image of a specific vehicle in a digital archive along with information related to the refueling transaction. 13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of obtaining an indication of the confidence level associated with the refill transaction; - 17 043958 in response to the first value of the confidence level, a visual summary with details of the first level is generated, and in response to the second value of the confidence level, a visual summary with details of the second level is generated, with the second level being higher than the first level. 14. A method for authenticating a refueling request to perform an energy supply operation, comprising the steps of receiving first captured data of a first vehicle from a capture device; calculating a first value from any one of at least two of a common property of said first vehicle extracted from said first captured data and a unique property of said first vehicle extracted from said first captured data, a plurality of unique properties of said vehicle extracted from said first captured data and a plurality of general properties of said vehicle extracted from said first captured data; wherein said unique property and said common property are extracted from said first captured data; said first value is a signature of said first vehicle; comparing said first value with a second value, wherein said second value is a second signature calculated from a combination of at least two of any one of said unique property of the second vehicle extracted from the second captured data, and said common property of said second vehicle extracted from said second captured data, a plurality of said unique properties of said second vehicle extracted from said second captured data, and a plurality of said common properties of said second vehicle extracted from said second captured data; wherein said unique property of said second vehicle and said common property of said second vehicle are extracted from the second capture, wherein said comparison results in a confidence level; and if said confidence level exceeds a threshold value, then identifying said first vehicle as a second vehicle; authenticating, through said identification of said first vehicle, a request to refuel said first vehicle and causing the computing device to begin supplying power to said first vehicle, wherein said computing device controls a power supply device associated with said capture device; during said power supply, the captured data of said capture device is analyzed and through said analysis, a change in the location of said first vehicle is identified and said computing device is instructed to terminate said refueling process in response to said change. 15. A method for authenticating a refueling request to perform an energy supply operation, comprising: receiving first captured data from a first capturing device located at a first site location, said first captured data being captured in a first time slot; identifying the vehicle from said first captured data; obtaining the speed and direction of said vehicle; associating with said first gripping device and said first time slot a second gripping device and a subsequent time slot, said association being made in accordance with said speed and said direction, and also in accordance with the physical relationships between the gripping devices at said site; selecting second captured data from said second capturing device, said second captured data being captured in said subsequent time slot; comparing said first captured data with said second captured data; if the confidence level obtained from said comparison exceeds a threshold value, then identifying said vehicle from said second captured data and authenticating, through said identification of said vehicle, a request to refuel said vehicle. 16. A method for authenticating a refueling request to perform an energy supply operation, comprising: receiving first captured data from a first vehicle from a capture device; - 18 043958 calculate a first value from any one of a common property of said first vehicle extracted from said first captured data and a unique property of said first vehicle extracted from said first captured data, a plurality of unique properties of said vehicle extracted from said first captured data data and a plurality of general properties of said vehicle extracted from said first captured data, said first value being a signature of said first vehicle; comparing said first value with a second value, wherein said second value is a second signature calculated from a combination of said unique property of a second vehicle extracted from the second captured data and said common property of said second vehicle extracted from said second captured data, a set said unique properties of said second vehicle extracted from said second captured data and a plurality of said common properties of said second vehicle extracted from said second captured data, wherein said comparison results in a confidence level; if said confidence level exceeds a threshold value, then identifying said first vehicle as a second vehicle; and causing the computing device to begin supplying power to said first vehicle, wherein said computing device controls a power supply device associated with said capture device; during said energy supply, the captured data of said capture device is analyzed; and through said analysis, identifying a change in the location of said first vehicle and causing said computing device to terminate said refueling process in response to said change. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein if said confidence level exceeds said threshold, re-identification is performed to generate an improved confidence level. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein said re-identification comprises comparing said unique property extracted from said first captured data with said unique properties extracted from the initially captured data associated with said vehicle. 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising: receiving an indication of a refueling transaction associated with said vehicle and site; in response to the received indication, accessing information related to said vehicle; receiving captured data of said vehicle at said site; generating a sample data containing an image of said vehicle based on said captured data and information related to said vehicle; and adding said sample data to the dataset. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein said threshold is determined by a request or usage pattern, or the absence of said pattern. 21. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of associating captured data from a plurality of captured data at a plurality of time slots, said association taking into account the speed and direction of said first vehicle extracted from said plurality of captured data, and recalculating said first value by said association to improve said signature of said first vehicle. 22. The method of claim 16, wherein if said first vehicle is identified, then notifying the requesting party that said vehicle has been refueled. 23. The method of claim 16, wherein said second vehicle is included in a list of vehicles associated with the requester for refueling said first vehicle. 24. The method of claim 16, further comprising: receiving an indication of a refueling transaction associated with a specific vehicle and refueling site; receiving captured vehicle data at said site; access the vehicle profile associated with said specific vehicle; analyzing said captured data to identify at least one discrepancy between said vehicle profile and said vehicle; and updating the profile of said specific vehicle in accordance with said discrepancy. 25. The method of claim 19, wherein said threshold value is determined in accordance with the probability of detection of said vehicle at said site. 26. The method of claim 16, wherein said unique property is an implicit property. 27. The method of claim 16, wherein said unique property may change over time. 28. The method of claim 16, wherein said calculating said value comprises associating a first weight with said common property of said first vehicle and a second weight with said unique property of said first vehicle, and a combination of said common property and said unique property in accordance with said a first weight and said second weight. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein said unique property is variable during the time interval and further comprises changing said second weight in accordance with the capture time of said first captured data, thereby giving a higher weight to the later unique property. 30. The method of claim 16, wherein said common property comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of color, vehicle type, vehicle profile, vehicle make, and wherein said unique property comprises at least a portion of a registration identifier, a visually identifiable damage to said first vehicle, a sticker affixed to said first vehicle, and a replacement tire of said first vehicle. 31. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of receiving second captured data of said vehicle, wherein said second captured data is captured at a location different from the location where said first captured data was captured, calculating a first value from any of a common property of said first vehicle extracted from said second captured data, and a unique property of said first vehicle extracted from said second captured data, a plurality of unique properties of said vehicle extracted from said second captured data, and a plurality of common properties of said vehicle extracted from said second captured data. data. 32. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of obtaining second captured data of said vehicle, wherein said second captured data is captured in a time interval different from the location where said first captured data was captured, calculating a first value from any of a common property of said first vehicle a means extracted from said second captured data, and a unique property of said first vehicle extracted from said second captured data, a plurality of unique properties of said vehicle extracted from said second captured data, and a plurality of common properties of said vehicle extracted from said second captured data. 33. The method of claim 15, wherein said first captured data is captured a first time and said second captured data is captured a second time.