圖1是展示具備自助加油功能的一加油系統100之一實施例之示意圖。如圖1所示，該加油系統100包含一加油設備101、一終端電腦設備102、一自助加油機103、及一自助繳費機104。
該加油設備101係加油站所常設之通常由加油站員工所操作之已知加油設備。該終端電腦設備102亦係加油站所常設，用以與加油設備101通聯以控制該加油設備101或接收來自該加油設備101之資訊。在一些實施例中，該終端電腦設備102可為一銷售點(Point of Sale, POS)系統。
該自助加油機103及該自助繳費機104係加油站為了額外提供自助加油服務所增設之機台。該自助繳費機104與自助加油機103連線，因此，該自助繳費機104可連線控制該自助加油機103，而該自助加油機103亦可將資訊傳送至該自助繳費機104。
該自助繳費機104通常可提供使用者一或多種付款方式，因此該自助繳費機104可包含讀卡機、收鈔/驗鈔機、電子支付讀取裝置等繳費模組，視加油站欲提供哪些支付功能而定。
根據圖1，自助加油使用者使用時，使用者可透過該自助繳費機104設定所欲使用的支付方式、所欲加油的油種、油量、及/或金額，藉由使用該自助繳費機104啟動自助加油流程後，該自助繳費機104指示該自助加油機103進行解鎖，以便使用者可取出對應的自助加油機103的油槍來進行自助加油。當使用者完成自助加油並掛回油槍後，該自助加油機103會將已加油的油種、油量、及/或金額之相關資訊傳送至該自助繳費機104，以供使用者進行確認及支付費用。
然而，使用上述自助加油系統仍存在許多問題。首先，為了提供自助加油之服務，除現有之加油設備及終端電腦設備之外，加油站還需額外增設該自助加油機及該自助繳費機，增設之自助加油機及自助繳費機通常偏高（市場上自助加油機及自助繳費機之單機價格通常在數十萬台幣），增設此等機台會造成加油站營運上巨大的成本增加。再者，在裝設自助加油機時，有時會需要動用地底工程更改加油站之地底結構，其工程費工耗時且公安要求極為嚴格。更甚者，自助繳費機亦需時常進行維修或維護，例如，自助繳費機內之讀卡機常因使用而損耗，而每次讀卡機發生異常時皆易造成使用者無法進行支付，而加油站於每次異常時都需要立即進行維修。更甚者，自助繳費機通常提供紙本明細及發票，需要人力定期補充明細及發票所用之紙張；有些自助繳費機提供現金繳費及找零的功能，需要人力定期補充機台內的鈔票或零錢，上述問題均造成額外之人力負擔。
再者，對於自助加油使用者而言，在進入加油站之加油島格後，使用者必須主動至自助繳費機前進行操作，才能開始自助加油的流程，對使用者而言，開始自助加油的流程在操作上並不方便。並且，由於在不同加油站之自助加油機裝設位置亦不相同，有時會造成使用者需在自助繳費機與自助加油機間多次移動或長距離移動，或需多次於兩者間交替操作，或需等待自助繳費機回應或發票收據等之列印，造成使用者之不便。並且，各加油站現有之自助繳費機之機型或配置可能均不相同，且操作上亦不簡便，使用者在每次進入不同加油站時都必須重新適應不同自助繳費機之操作，且每次使用自助繳費機都需重新做輸入及設定，對使用者而言極為不便且費時。如此，不但造成使用者之不便與每位使用者操作時間增加，對加油站而言亦降低其單位時間所能接收之來客量，降低加油站的服務效率及收益。
圖2展示根據本發明之一些實施例的一自助加油系統200之示意圖。在本發明之一些實施例中，該自助加油系統200包含一加油設備201、一終端電腦設備202、及一伺服器設備203。在本發明之一些實施例中，該自助加油系統200更包含一影像裝置204。根據本發明之一些實施例，該影像裝置204為可選用的(optional)。
該加油設備201可包含數個油槍用以提供不同油品，且針對不同油槍設有鎖定/解鎖裝置。該終端電腦設備202用以與加油設備201通聯以控制該加油設備201或接收來自該加油設備201之資訊。在本發明之一些實施例中，該終端電腦設備202可為一銷售點(Point of Sale, POS)系統。
該伺服器設備203與該終端電腦設備202可以各種有線或無線之方式進行連接。在本發明之一些實施例中，該伺服器設備203與該終端電腦設備202係透過無線網路進行連接。該伺服器設備203與該影像裝置204亦可以各種有線或無線之方式進行連接。在本發明之一些實施例中，該伺服器設備203與該影像裝置204係透過無線網路進行連接。在本發明之一些實施例中，該伺服器設備203位於加油站之場站之外。
在本發明之一些實施例中，該影像裝置204包括一影像擷取模組(未圖式)。在本發明之一些實施例中，該影像裝置204更包括一影像辨識模組(未圖式)。在本發明之一些實施例中，該伺服器設備203亦可包括一影像辨識模組(未圖式)。該伺服器設備203或該影像裝置204通常為第三方之自助加油服務提供者所提供，然在某些情況下，亦可能為加油站營運方本身所設置。在本發明之一些實施例中，該影像裝置204位於加油站之場站之內。
在本發明之一些實施例中，該伺服器設備203可與自助加油使用者(或車主)之使用者設備205通聯以進行自助加油。該使用者設備205可包括一手機、一平板電腦、一筆記型電腦、一穿戴式電子裝置或其他行動電子裝置。
根據圖2，在本發明之一些實施例中，自助加油使用者之車輛進入具有該自助加油系統200之加油站後，該伺服器設備203會基於來自該影像裝置204之資訊及來自使用者設備205之一確認加油之信息而發送一加油請求至該終端電腦設備202，該終端電腦設備202回應於該加油請求而對該加油設備201進行解鎖，以便自助加油使用者自行操作該加油設備201以允許該車輛進行自助加油。
詳細來說，在自助加油使用者之車輛進入具有該自助加油系統200之加油站後，該影像裝置204之該影像擷取模組會擷取該車輛及該車輛之車牌之影像。在該影像裝置204更包括一影像辨識模組之情況下，該影像裝置204之該影像辨識模組會對所擷取之影像進行辨識，並將所擷取之影像的一辨識結果傳送至該伺服器設備203。或者，在該伺服器設備203包括一影像辨識模組之情況下，該影像裝置204亦可將所擷取之影像直接傳送至該伺服器設備203，而由該伺服器設備203之該影像辨識模組對該影像裝置204所擷取之影像進行辨識，並產生一辨識結果以獲取使用者相關資料。該伺服器設備203針對該辨識結果進行判斷，並將一確認請求發送至自助加油使用者之使用者設備205。回應於該確認請求，該自助加油使用者之使用者設備205可發送一確認加油之信息至該伺服器設備203。在自該使用者設備205接收該確認加油之信息後，該伺服器設備203發送一加油請求至該終端電腦設備202，該終端電腦設備202回應於該加油請求而對該加油設備201進行解鎖，以便自助加油使用者自行操作該加油設備201以允許該車輛進行自助加油。
根據圖2，在本發明之一些實施例中，自助加油使用者之車輛進入具有該自助加油系統200之加油站後，在(1)該影像裝置204並未擷取或無法擷取影像、或(2)該影像裝置204已擷取影像但並未辨識或無法辨識該影像或辨識失敗、或(3)該影像裝置204無法將所擷取之影像及/或辨識結果傳送至該伺服器設備203、或(4)不存在該影像裝置204之情況下，該伺服器設備203可基於來自自助加油使用者之一使用者設備205之資訊而發送一加油請求至該終端電腦設備202，該終端電腦設備202回應於該加油請求而對該加油設備201進行解鎖，以便自助加油使用者自行操作該加油設備201以允許該車輛進行自助加油。在此等實施例中，在自助加油使用者之車輛進入具有該自助加油系統200之加油站後，自助加油使用者可利用該使用者設備205取得加油站的場站資料並將該場站資料傳送至該伺服器設備203，亦可利用該使用者設備205將車輛之車牌資訊傳送至該伺服器設備203。
根據本發明之一些實施例，自助加油使用者可利用該使用者設備205，透過與加油站進行近場通訊(Near-field communication, NFC)、掃描加油站之二維條碼或四維條碼(QR-Code)、或手動輸入等方式來取得加油站的場站資料，並透過得到的場站資料而傳送一進場紀錄至該伺服器設備203。
根據本發明之一些實施例，自助加油使用者可利用該使用者設備205手動輸入使用者相關資料，並將該使用者相關資料傳送至該伺服器設備203。根據本發明之一些實施例，使用者相關資料包括會員資料。根據本發明之一些實施例，會員資料包括使用者基本資料、使用者之車輛之車牌號碼、使用者使用紀錄、使用者加油油種、使用者偏好、及使用者付款方式之至少一者。根據本發明之一些實施例，該自助加油使用者亦可利用該使用者設備205將其他資訊傳送至該伺服器設備203。根據本發明之一些實施例，該使用者設備205係利用一應用程式(Application, APP)透過有線或無線傳輸之方式將使用者相關資料傳送至該伺服器設備203。
在該伺服器設備203獲得該場站資料及該使用者相關資料後，對該場站資料及該使用者進行判斷，並將一確認請求發送至自助加油使用者之使用者設備205。回應於該確認請求，該自助加油使用者之使用者設備205可發送一確認加油之信息至該伺服器設備203。在自該使用者設備205接收該確認加油之信息後，該伺服器設備203發送一加油請求至該終端電腦設備202，該終端電腦設備202回應於該加油請求而對該加油設備201進行解鎖，以便自助加油使用者自行操作該加油設備201以對該車輛進行自助加油。
圖3是根據本發明之一些實施例的一自助加油之方法之流程圖。
如圖3所示，首先，自助加油使用者之車輛進入具有該自助加油系統200之加油站(步驟301)。接著，伺服器設備203獲得加油站的場站資料及使用者相關資料(步驟302)。接著，該伺服器設備203基於所獲得之場站資料及使用者相關資料，對自助加油使用者之使用者設備205發出一確認請求(步驟303)。接著，使用者判斷是否同意該確認請求(步驟304)，若不同意，則自助加油中止(步驟305)；若同意，則透過該使用者設備205發送一確認加油之信息至該伺服器設備203(步驟306)。接著，在自該使用者設備205接收該確認加油之信息後，該伺服器設備203發送一加油請求至該終端電腦設備202(步驟307)。接著，該終端電腦設備202回應於該加油請求而對該加油設備201進行解鎖(步驟308)，以便進行自助加油(步驟309)。接著，在自助加油完成後，自助加油結束(步驟310)。
圖4展示根據本發明之一些實施例的自助加油之方法之循序圖。
如圖4所示，根據本發明之一些實施例，自助加油使用者之車輛進入具有本發明之自助加油系統200之加油站後，影像裝置204會擷取該車輛及該車輛之車牌之影像，判斷車輛停止且辨識出對應的車牌號碼。影像裝置204並將一辨識結果傳送至該伺服器設備203，且將場站資料亦傳送至該伺服器設備203，以建立一進場紀錄。該伺服器設備203於檢查是否可以啟用自助加油後，若可以啟用，則針對該辨識結果進行判斷，並將一確認請求發送至自助加油使用者之使用者設備205。其中針對該辨識結果進行判斷包括：透過車牌找到對應的使用者、判斷該使用者是否為會員、判斷使用者之付款資格等，且其中將一確認請求發送至自助加油使用者之使用者設備205包括發出車輛進場通知以通知使用者目前車輛已進入自助加油場地。
接著，如圖4所示，在使用者設備205收到該確認請求後，該使用者設備205向該伺服器設備203發送一確認加油之信息。在本發明之一些實施例中，該確認加油之信息包含一授權付款信息，其包括透過選取付款方式，作預先授權(圈存)之動作。回應於該授權付款信息，該伺服器設備203可透過一支付平台跟銀行或金融機構作事先授權。支付平台會將授權成功之信息通知該伺服器設備203。回應於該授權成功之信息，該伺服器設備203可通知使用者授權成功，此時使用者設備205上可顯示一狀態訊息，包括顯示「自助加油開始」或其他類似之訊息。並將一加油請求發送至該終端電腦設備202，以通知該終端電腦設備202解鎖油槍。加油請求可包含使用者加油油種，且該終端電腦設備依據該使用者加油油種來解鎖一特定油槍。接著，該終端電腦設備202可回應於該加油請求而發出一確認回應(ack)給該伺服器設備203。並且，該終端電腦設備202可回應於該加油請求而對該加油設備201發送一解鎖信號至該加油設備201以對其油槍進行解鎖，並在解鎖油槍後發送一已解鎖通知給該伺服器設備203，以回覆解鎖狀態給該伺服器設備203。接著，回應於該已解鎖通知，該伺服器設備203可發出一確認回應(ack)給該終端電腦設備202，並發送一可加油訊息至該使用者設備205，以通知使用者目前油槍已解鎖可以取油槍，此時使用者設備205上可顯示一狀態訊息，包括顯示「油槍已解鎖」或其他類似之訊息。
接著，在使用者取出油槍後，在加油設備201偵測到取出油槍後，加油設備201可向該終端電腦設備202通知已取槍。回應於該已取槍之通知，該終端電腦設備202可發送一開始加油通知至該伺服器設備203。回應於該開始加油通知，該伺服器設備203可發出一確認回應(ack)給該終端電腦設備202，並發送一狀態變更訊息給該使用者設備205，通知使用者目前油槍已被取用。隨後，加油設備201偵測到油量變更，加油設備201可向該終端電腦設備202通知油量變更。回應於該油量變更之通知，該終端電腦設備202發送一進行加油通知至該伺服器設備203，以通知該伺服器設備203目前之油種、加油量、及加油金額或其他訊息。回應於該進行加油通知，該伺服器設備203可發出一確認回應(ack)給該終端電腦設備202，並發送一狀態變更訊息給該使用者設備205，通知使用者目前之油種、加油量、及加油金額。隨著加油持續進行，該伺服器設備203可在加油進行之期間內的一或多個時間點持續發送一或多個狀態變更訊息給該使用者設備205，而使用者設備205上可對應地持續顯示一或多個狀態訊息，包括顯示「持續更新加油量/加油金額」或其他類似之訊息。
接著，在使用者掛回油槍後，在加油設備201偵測到掛回油槍後，加油設備201可向該終端電腦設備202通知已掛槍。回應於該已掛槍之通知，該終端電腦設備202可發送一結束加油通知至該伺服器設備203。回應於該結束加油通知，該伺服器設備203可發出一確認回應(ack)給該終端電腦設備202，並發送一狀態變更訊息給該使用者設備205，告知使用者目前油槍已掛回、加油結束、加油量、及加油金額或其他訊息，此時使用者設備205上可顯示一狀態訊息，包括顯示「加油完成，付款中…」或其他類似之訊息。並且，加油設備201可結算加油之油種、加油量、及加油金額，並向該終端電腦設備202通知結算。回應於該結算之通知，該終端電腦設備202可透過最後的結算金額去計算使用者需付多少金額，發送一結算及請款通知至該伺服器設備203，以通知該伺服器設備203結算金額及需向使用者請款之金額。回應於該結算及請款通知，該伺服器設備203可發出一確認回應(ack)給該終端電腦設備202，並向支付平台作請款，其中請款之金額小於或等於預先授權之授權金額。支付平台於支付該請款之金額後，通知該伺服器設備203已請款成功。回應於已請款成功之通知，該伺服器設備203發送一訂單結帳成功訊息給該使用者設備205，通知使用者付款完成並顯示訂單資訊，使用者設備205上可對應地顯示一狀態訊息，包括顯示「加油訂單」或其他類似之訊息。到此，可視為自助加油結束。
圖5展示根據本發明之一些實施例的自助加油之方法之循序圖。
圖5與圖4之差異之處在於，圖5中，在自助加油使用者之車輛進入具有該自助加油系統200之加油站後，有下列情況之一或多者：(1)該影像裝置204並未擷取或無法擷取影像、(2)該影像裝置204已擷取影像但並未辨識或無法辨識該影像或辨識失敗、(3)該影像裝置204無法將所擷取之影像及/或辨識結果傳送至該伺服器設備203、或(4)不存在該影像裝置204。在上述情形下，該伺服器設備203無法自該影像裝置204獲得場站資料及/或使用者相關資料。
因此，圖5中，在自助加油使用者之車輛進入具有該自助加油系統200之加油站後，該伺服器設備203自使用者設備205獲得加油站的場站資料，亦可自使用者設備205獲得使用者相關資料。根據本發明之一些實施例，該使用者設備205可利用一應用程式(Application, APP)透過有線或無線傳輸之方式將使用者相關資料傳送至該伺服器設備203。根據本發明圖5之實施例，自助加油使用者可利用該使用者設備205，透過與加油站進行近場通訊(Near-field communication, NFC)、掃描加油站之二維條碼或四維條碼(QR-Code)、或手動輸入等方式來取得加油站的場站資料，並透過得到的場站資料而傳送一進場紀錄至該伺服器設備203。該伺服器設備203於檢查是否可以啟用自助加油後，若可以啟用，則針對該場站資料及該使用者相關資料進行判斷，並將一確認請求發送至自助加油使用者之使用者設備205。其中針對該使用者相關資料進行判斷包括：透過包括例如車牌號碼之使用者相關資料找到對應的使用者、判斷該使用者是否為會員、判斷使用者之付款資格等，且其中將一確認請求發送至自助加油使用者之使用者設備205包括發出車輛進場通知以通知使用者目前車輛已進入自助加油場地。
本發明之一些實施例更提供一種可安裝於使用者設備205上的應用程式產品。應用程式產品包含：一輸入介面及一顯示介面。輸入介面可用以輸入加油站之場站資料及使用者相關資料之至少一者，顯示介面可顯示一確認加油選項。當使用者選取該確認加油選項經選取後該應用程式產品向一伺服器設備發送一確認加油之信息。該顯示介面更可顯示一進行加油訊息、一狀態變更訊息及一結束加油訊息，以即時通知使用者開始加油、加油進度、結束加油並進行付款等訊息。
由上述內容可知，本發明所提出之自助加油之系統及方法，其無須於加油站內額外增設自助加油機台及自助繳費機台，可以有效降低提供自助加油之硬體設置之成本支出。再者，由於無須於加油站內額外增設自助加油機台及自助繳費機，自無須維修或維護之必要，因而可大量地降低加油站自助加油服務之人事費用及整體營運成本。本發明利用加油站現有的常設加油機台與終端電腦設備(POS系統)，透過本發明之伺服器設備之利用，藉由將伺服器設備與加油站現有的終端電腦設備通聯，可直接將自助加油之服務及行動支付方式導入，而由於該伺服器設備通常可由第三方之服務提供者所提供，且僅需一組伺服器設備便可與多個加油站之終端電腦設備連線，不需於多個加油站內架設多個機台，因此，不但無須增加加油站的營運成本，對第三方之服務提供者而言亦是最經濟且有效的服務提供方式。
此外，對於自助加油使用者而言，本發明提供諸多優點。舉例而言，傳統自助加油情況中，在使用者進入加油站之加油島格後，使用者必須主動至自助繳費機前進行操作，才能開始自助加油的流程，對使用者而言，開始自助加油的流程在操作上並不方便。並且，傳統自助加油在不同加油站之自助加油機裝設位置亦不相同，有時會造成使用者需在自助繳費機與自助加油機間多次移動或長距離移動，或需多次於兩者間交替操作，造成使用者之不便；本發明中可透過使用影像裝置對車輛之車牌進行辨識，而使終端電腦設備能夠主動向使用者之使用者設備(例如手機)發送通知，從而可開始自助加油的流程，因而簡化使用者開始自助加油的流程之操作，對使用者來說更加省時省力。並且，本發明中，使用者僅需於加油站之自助加油機前直接操作其使用者設備(例如手機)，使用者無須在加油站多次移動或交互操作不同之機台。再者，各加油站現有之自助繳費機之機型或配置可能均不相同，且操作上亦不簡便，使用者在每次進入不同加油站時都必須重新適應不同自助繳費機之操作，且每次使用自助繳費機都需重新選擇付款方式、輸入統一編號、設定發票載具等步驟，對使用者而言極為不便且費時；本發明中使用者僅需於其使用者設備(例如手機)之應用程式中設定一次，之後再次使用應用程式進行自助加油時均可省略上述步驟，對使用者而言更為簡便且省時省力。並且，現有之自助加油在使用者結束加油後，使用者尚須回到自助繳費機前操作並等待發票及收據之列印等，額外花費車主之時間；本發明中使用者僅需在結束加油掛回油槍後，即可在其使用者設備(例如手機)上收到消費明細或發票等，便可直接離去，大幅減少使用者之等待時間。此外，由於本發明可簡化並加速使用者於加油站內自助加油之流程，每一位使用者在自助加油站內的停留時間亦會縮短，對加油站而言亦可於單位時間內接收更多客人，提升加油站的服務效率及收益。
綜上所述，本發明提出之方案對於使用者、加油站營運者、及第三方自助加油服務提供者而言，均為成本最低且效益最高之方案。
在前文說明書中，已參考本發明之特定例示性實施例描述本發明。然而，將顯而易見，在不脫離如隨附申請專利範圍中所陳述之本發明之更廣泛精神及範疇之情況下，可對其作出各種修改及改變。因此，本說明書及圖式應被視為一闡釋性含義而非一限制性含義。
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a refueling system 100 with self-service refueling function. As shown in FIG. 1 , the refueling system 100 includes a refueling device 101 , a terminal computer device 102 , a self-service refueling machine 103 , and a self-service payment machine 104 . The refueling device 101 is a known refueling device that is permanently installed at a gas station and is usually operated by gas station employees. The terminal computer equipment 102 is also permanently installed in the gas station, and is used for communicating with the gas filling equipment 101 to control the gas filling equipment 101 or receive information from the gas filling equipment 101 . In some embodiments, the terminal computer device 102 may be a point of sale (POS) system. The self-service refueling machine 103 and the self-service payment machine 104 are machines added by the gas station to provide additional self-service refueling services. The self-service payment machine 104 is connected to the self-service gas machine 103 , so the self-service payment machine 104 can connect and control the self-service gas machine 103 , and the self-service gas machine 103 can also transmit information to the self-service payment machine 104 . The self-service payment machine 104 can usually provide users with one or more payment methods. Therefore, the self-service payment machine 104 may include payment modules such as a card reader, a banknote receiving/checking machine, and an electronic payment reading device, depending on the gas station to provide which payment functions are available. According to FIG. 1 , when the self-service refueling user uses, the user can set the desired payment method, the oil type, oil quantity, and/or amount to be used through the self-service payment machine 104 , and then use the self-service payment machine 104 . 104 After starting the self-service refueling process, the self-service payment machine 104 instructs the self-service refueling machine 103 to unlock, so that the user can take out the corresponding oil gun of the self-service refueling machine 103 for self-service refueling. When the user completes self-service refueling and hangs the oil gun back, the self-service fuel dispenser 103 will transmit the information about the type of oil, oil quantity, and/or amount that has been refueled to the self-service payment machine 104 for the user to confirm. and payment of fees. However, there are still many problems with using the above self-service refueling system. First of all, in order to provide self-service refueling services, in addition to the existing refueling equipment and terminal computer equipment, the gas station also needs to add the self-service refueling machine and the self-service payment machine. The added self-service refueling machine and self-service payment machine are usually on the high side ( The single-machine price of self-service gas machines and self-service payment machines on the market is usually in the hundreds of thousands of Taiwan dollars). Furthermore, when installing a self-service gas dispenser, it is sometimes necessary to use underground works to change the underground structure of the gas station, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming and the requirements of public security are extremely strict. What's more, self-service payment machines also need to be repaired or maintained from time to time. For example, the card reader in the self-service payment machine is often worn out due to use, and every time the card reader is abnormal, it is easy for the user to be unable to make payments, and Every time a gas station is abnormal, it needs to be repaired immediately. What's more, self-service payment machines usually provide paper details and invoices, which require manpower to regularly replenish the paper used for the details and invoices; some self-service payment machines provide cash payment and change functions, requiring manpower to regularly replenish the banknotes or change in the machine. , the above problems all cause additional manpower burden. Furthermore, for self-service refueling users, after entering the refueling island of the gas station, the user must take the initiative to operate in front of the self-service payment machine to start the self-service refueling process. The process is not convenient to operate. In addition, since the installation locations of self-service refueling machines in different gas stations are also different, sometimes users need to move between the self-service payment machine and the self-service refueling machine for many times or a long distance, or need to move between the two many times. Alternate operations, or waiting for a response from the self-service payment machine or printing of invoices, etc., cause inconvenience to users. In addition, the models or configurations of the existing self-service payment machines at different gas stations may be different, and the operation is not easy. Users must re-adapt to the operation of different self-service payment machines every time they enter different gas stations, and each Every time you use the self-service payment machine, you need to re-enter and set it up, which is extremely inconvenient and time-consuming for users. This not only causes inconvenience to users and increases the operating time of each user, but also reduces the number of passengers that the gas station can receive per unit time, thereby reducing the service efficiency and revenue of the gas station. FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a self-service refueling system 200 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments of the present invention, the self-service refueling system 200 includes a refueling device 201 , a terminal computer device 202 , and a server device 203 . In some embodiments of the present invention, the self-service refueling system 200 further includes an imaging device 204 . According to some embodiments of the present invention, the imaging device 204 is optional. The refueling equipment 201 may include several oil guns for supplying different oil products, and a locking/unlocking device is provided for different oil guns. The terminal computer device 202 is used for communicating with the fueling device 201 to control the fueling device 201 or receive information from the fueling device 201 . In some embodiments of the present invention, the terminal computer device 202 may be a point of sale (POS) system. The server device 203 and the terminal computer device 202 can be connected in various wired or wireless ways. In some embodiments of the present invention, the server device 203 and the terminal computer device 202 are connected through a wireless network. The server device 203 and the image device 204 can also be connected in various wired or wireless ways. In some embodiments of the present invention, the server device 203 and the image device 204 are connected through a wireless network. In some embodiments of the present invention, the server device 203 is located outside the depot of the gas station. In some embodiments of the present invention, the imaging device 204 includes an image capturing module (not shown). In some embodiments of the present invention, the image device 204 further includes an image recognition module (not shown). In some embodiments of the present invention, the server device 203 may also include an image recognition module (not shown). The server device 203 or the image device 204 is usually provided by a third-party self-service gas service provider, but in some cases, it may also be provided by the gas station operator itself. In some embodiments of the invention, the imaging device 204 is located within the depot of a gas station. In some embodiments of the present invention, the server device 203 can communicate with the user device 205 of the self-service fuel user (or vehicle owner) for self-service fueling. The user equipment 205 may include a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a wearable electronic device or other mobile electronic devices. According to FIG. 2, in some embodiments of the present invention, after the self-service refueling user's vehicle enters a gas station with the self-service refueling system 200, the server device 203 will be based on the information from the image device 204 and the information from the user equipment One of 205 confirms the refueling information and sends a refueling request to the terminal computer device 202, and the terminal computer device 202 unlocks the refueling device 201 in response to the refueling request, so that the self-service refueling user can operate the refueling device 201 by himself. Allows self-service refueling for this vehicle. Specifically, after the self-service refueling user's vehicle enters the gas station with the self-service refueling system 200 , the image capturing module of the imaging device 204 captures images of the vehicle and the license plate of the vehicle. When the image device 204 further includes an image recognition module, the image recognition module of the image device 204 will recognize the captured image, and transmit a recognition result of the captured image to the image device 204. Server device 203 . Alternatively, in the case where the server device 203 includes an image recognition module, the image device 204 can also directly transmit the captured image to the server device 203, and the image recognition by the server device 203 The module identifies the image captured by the image device 204, and generates an identification result to obtain user-related information. The server device 203 judges the identification result, and sends a confirmation request to the user device 205 of the self-service fuel user. In response to the confirmation request, the user device 205 of the self-service fuel user may send a fuel confirmation message to the server device 203 . After receiving the refueling confirmation message from the user device 205, the server device 203 sends a refueling request to the terminal computer device 202, and the terminal computer device 202 unlocks the refueling device 201 in response to the refueling request, In order for the self-service refueling user to operate the refueling device 201 by himself, the vehicle can be refueled by himself. According to FIG. 2, in some embodiments of the present invention, after the vehicle of the self-service refueling user enters a gas station with the self-service refueling system 200, (1) the image device 204 does not capture or cannot capture an image, or (2) The image device 204 has captured the image but does not recognize or cannot recognize the image or fails to recognize the image, or (3) The image device 204 cannot transmit the captured image and/or the recognition result to the server device 203, or (4) in the absence of the image device 204, the server device 203 can send a refueling request to the terminal computer device 202 based on information from a user device 205 of a self-service refueling user, the terminal The computer device 202 unlocks the refueling device 201 in response to the refueling request, so that the self-refueling user operates the refueling device 201 by himself to allow the vehicle to perform self-refueling. In these embodiments, after the self-refueling user's vehicle enters a gas station with the self-refueling system 200, the self-refueling user can use the user device 205 to obtain the station information of the gas station and use the station information To the server device 203 , the user device 205 can also be used to transmit the license plate information of the vehicle to the server device 203 . According to some embodiments of the present invention, the self-service refueling user can use the user equipment 205 to perform Near-field communication (NFC) with the gas station, scan the two-dimensional barcode or four-dimensional barcode (QR- Code), or manual input, etc., to obtain the station information of the gas station, and send an entry record to the server device 203 through the obtained station information. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the self-service refueling user can use the user device 205 to manually input user-related data, and transmit the user-related data to the server device 203 . According to some embodiments of the present invention, the user-related data includes member data. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the member information includes at least one of user basic information, the license plate number of the user's vehicle, the user's usage record, the user's fuel type, the user's preference, and the user's payment method. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the self-service refueling user may also utilize the user device 205 to transmit other information to the server device 203 . According to some embodiments of the present invention, the user equipment 205 uses an application (Application, APP) to transmit the user-related data to the server equipment 203 through wired or wireless transmission. After the server device 203 obtains the station information and the user-related information, it judges the station information and the user, and sends a confirmation request to the user device 205 of the self-service refueling user. In response to the confirmation request, the user device 205 of the self-service fuel user may send a fuel confirmation message to the server device 203 . After receiving the refueling confirmation message from the user device 205, the server device 203 sends a refueling request to the terminal computer device 202, and the terminal computer device 202 unlocks the refueling device 201 in response to the refueling request, In order for the self-service refueling user to operate the refueling device 201 by himself/herself to refuel the vehicle by himself/herself. 3 is a flowchart of a method for self-service refueling according to some embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3 , first, the vehicle of the self-service refueling user enters a gas station with the self-service refueling system 200 (step 301 ). Next, the server device 203 obtains the station data and user-related data of the gas station (step 302). Next, the server device 203 sends a confirmation request to the user device 205 of the self-service refueling user based on the obtained site data and user-related data (step 303 ). Next, the user judges whether to agree to the confirmation request (step 304 ), if not, the self-service refueling is terminated (step 305 ); (step 306). Next, after receiving the refueling confirmation message from the user device 205, the server device 203 sends a refueling request to the terminal computer device 202 (step 307). Next, the terminal computer device 202 unlocks the fueling device 201 in response to the fueling request (step 308 ), so as to perform self-service fueling (step 309 ). Next, after the self-service refueling is completed, the self-service refueling ends (step 310). 4 shows a sequence diagram of a method for self-service refueling according to some embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4 , according to some embodiments of the present invention, after the vehicle of the self-service refueling user enters a gas station with the self-service refueling system 200 of the present invention, the image device 204 will capture the image of the vehicle and the license plate of the vehicle, It is judged that the vehicle is stopped and the corresponding license plate number is recognized. The imaging device 204 transmits an identification result to the server device 203, and also transmits the site information to the server device 203, so as to establish an entry record. After checking whether the self-service refueling can be enabled, the server device 203 judges the identification result if it can be enabled, and sends a confirmation request to the user equipment 205 of the self-service refueling user. Judging the identification result includes: finding the corresponding user through the license plate, judging whether the user is a member, judging the payment eligibility of the user, etc., and sending a confirmation request to the user equipment 205 of the self-service refueling user Including issuing a vehicle entry notice to notify the user that the vehicle has entered the self-service refueling site. Next, as shown in FIG. 4 , after the user equipment 205 receives the confirmation request, the user equipment 205 sends a message for confirming refueling to the server equipment 203 . In some embodiments of the present invention, the refueling confirmation message includes an authorization payment message, which includes an action of pre-authorization (loading) by selecting a payment method. In response to the authorized payment information, the server device 203 may pre-authorize a bank or financial institution through a payment platform. The payment platform will notify the server device 203 that the authorization is successful. In response to the authorization success message, the server device 203 may notify the user that the authorization is successful, and at this time, a status message may be displayed on the user device 205, including displaying "self-service refueling" or other similar messages. A refueling request is sent to the terminal computer device 202 to notify the terminal computer device 202 to unlock the oil gun. The refueling request may include the user refueling oil type, and the terminal computer device unlocks a specific oil gun according to the user refueling oil type. Then, the terminal computer device 202 may send an acknowledgment (ack) to the server device 203 in response to the refueling request. In addition, the terminal computer device 202 can send an unlocking signal to the fueling device 201 to the fueling device 201 in response to the fueling request to unlock the fuel gun, and send an unlocked notification to the servo after unlocking the fuel gun The server device 203 returns the unlocked state to the server device 203 . Then, in response to the unlocked notification, the server device 203 can send an acknowledgment (ack) to the terminal computer device 202, and send a refueling message to the user device 205 to notify the user that the oil gun is currently After unlocking, the oil gun can be taken. At this time, a status message can be displayed on the user equipment 205, including a display of "the oil gun has been unlocked" or other similar messages. Next, after the user takes out the oil gun, and after the refueling device 201 detects that the oil gun is taken out, the refueling device 201 can notify the terminal computer device 202 that the gun has been taken out. In response to the notification that the gun has been taken, the terminal computer device 202 may send a notification of the start of refueling to the server device 203 . In response to the refueling start notification, the server device 203 can send an acknowledgment (ack) to the terminal computer device 202, and send a status change message to the user device 205, informing the user that the oil gun has been taken . Subsequently, the refueling device 201 detects a change in the fuel quantity, and the refueling device 201 can notify the terminal computer device 202 of the change in the fuel quantity. In response to the notification of the fuel quantity change, the terminal computer device 202 sends a fueling notification to the server device 203 to notify the server device 203 of the current fuel type, fueling quantity, fueling amount or other information. In response to the refueling notification, the server device 203 can send an acknowledgment (ack) to the terminal computer device 202, and send a status change message to the user device 205, informing the user of the current oil type and refueling amount , and the amount of fuel. As the refueling continues, the server device 203 can continue to send one or more status change messages to the user device 205 at one or more time points during the refueling process, and the user device 205 can correspondingly Continuously display one or more status messages, including the display of "Continuously updated fuel volume/fuel amount" or other similar messages. Next, after the user hangs up the fuel gun, after the fueling device 201 detects that the fuel gun is hung back, the fueling device 201 can notify the terminal computer device 202 that the gun has been hung up. In response to the notification that the gun has been hung up, the terminal computer device 202 may send an end refueling notification to the server device 203 . In response to the end of fueling notification, the server device 203 can send an acknowledgment (ack) to the terminal computer device 202, and send a status change message to the user device 205 to inform the user that the fuel gun has been hung up, At the end of refueling, the amount of refueling, and the amount of refueling or other information, a status message may be displayed on the user equipment 205 at this time, including displaying "refueling completed, payment in progress..." or other similar messages. In addition, the refueling device 201 can settle the oil type, refueling amount, and refueling amount for refueling, and notify the terminal computer device 202 of the settlement. In response to the settlement notification, the terminal computer device 202 can calculate how much the user needs to pay through the final settlement amount, and send a settlement and payment request notice to the server device 203 to notify the server device 203 of the settlement amount and the amount to be requested from the user. In response to the settlement and payment request notification, the server device 203 can send an acknowledgment (ack) to the terminal computer device 202 and request payment from the payment platform, wherein the requested payment amount is less than or equal to the pre-authorized authorized amount . After paying the requested amount, the payment platform notifies the server device 203 that the request has been successful. In response to the notification of successful payment, the server device 203 sends an order checkout success message to the user device 205 to notify the user that the payment is completed and display the order information, and the user device 205 can correspondingly display a status message , including displaying "Fuel Order" or other similar messages. At this point, it can be regarded as the end of self-service refueling. 5 shows a sequence diagram of a method for self-service refueling according to some embodiments of the present invention. The difference between FIG. 5 and FIG. 4 is that, in FIG. 5 , after the self-service refueling user's vehicle enters the gas station with the self-service refueling system 200 , there are one or more of the following conditions: (1) the image device 204 (2) the image device 204 has captured the image but has not recognized or cannot recognize the image or failed to recognize the image, (3) the image device 204 cannot convert the captured image and/or Or the identification result is sent to the server device 203, or (4) the image device 204 does not exist. In the above situation, the server device 203 cannot obtain the site data and/or user-related data from the image device 204 . Therefore, in FIG. 5 , after the self-service refueling user's vehicle enters the gas station with the self-service refueling system 200 , the server device 203 obtains the station information of the gas station from the user device 205 , or can also obtain the station information of the gas station from the user device 205 . Obtain user-related information. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the user equipment 205 can use an application (Application, APP) to transmit the user-related data to the server equipment 203 through wired or wireless transmission. According to the embodiment of FIG. 5 of the present invention, the self-service refueling user can use the user equipment 205 to perform Near-field communication (NFC) with the gas station, scan the two-dimensional barcode or four-dimensional barcode (QR code) of the gas station. -Code), or manual input, etc., to obtain the station information of the gas station, and send an entry record to the server device 203 through the obtained station information. After checking whether the self-service refueling can be enabled, the server device 203 judges the station information and the user-related information if it can be enabled, and sends a confirmation request to the user equipment 205 of the self-service refueling user. The determination of the user-related information includes: finding the corresponding user through the user-related information including the license plate number, determining whether the user is a member, determining the payment eligibility of the user, etc., and sending a confirmation request. The user equipment 205 to the self-refueling user includes issuing a vehicle entry notification to notify the user that the vehicle has entered the self-refueling site. Some embodiments of the present invention further provide an application product that can be installed on the user equipment 205 . The application program product includes: an input interface and a display interface. The input interface can be used to input at least one of the station data of the gas station and the user-related data, and the display interface can display a confirming gas option. When the user selects the confirmation refueling option, the application product sends a refueling confirmation message to a server device. The display interface can further display a refueling message, a status change message and an end refueling message, so as to notify the user of starting refueling, refueling progress, ending refueling and making payment in real time. As can be seen from the above, the self-service refueling system and method proposed by the present invention does not require additional self-service refueling machines and self-service payment machines in the gas station, and can effectively reduce the cost of providing self-service refueling hardware. Furthermore, since there is no need to add additional self-service refueling machines and self-service payment machines in the gas station, there is no need for maintenance or maintenance, which can greatly reduce the personnel costs and overall operating costs of the gas station self-service refueling service. The present invention utilizes the existing permanent gas station and terminal computer equipment (POS system) of the gas station. Through the utilization of the server equipment of the present invention, by connecting the server equipment with the existing terminal computer equipment of the gas station, the self-service can be directly connected to the gas station. Refueling services and mobile payment methods are introduced, and since the server equipment can usually be provided by a third-party service provider, and only one set of server equipment can be connected to the terminal computer equipment of multiple gas stations, there is no need to Setting up multiple machines in multiple gas stations, therefore, not only does not increase the operating cost of gas stations, but also is the most economical and effective way to provide services to third-party service providers. In addition, the present invention provides numerous advantages for self-service fuel users. For example, in the traditional self-service refueling situation, after the user enters the refueling island of the gas station, the user must take the initiative to operate in front of the self-service payment machine to start the self-service refueling process. The process is not convenient to operate. In addition, the installation locations of self-service refueling machines in different gas stations are also different for traditional self-service refueling, which sometimes causes users to move between the self-service payment machine and the self-service refueling machine multiple times or over long distances, or multiple times on two occasions. Alternate operation between the two causes inconvenience to the user; in the present invention, the image device can be used to identify the license plate of the vehicle, so that the terminal computer equipment can actively send a notification to the user's user equipment (such as a mobile phone), so that the user can start The self-service refueling process simplifies the operation of the user to start the self-service refueling process, which is more time-saving and labor-saving for the user. Moreover, in the present invention, the user only needs to directly operate the user equipment (eg, mobile phone) in front of the self-service refueling machine in the gas station, and the user does not need to move multiple times in the gas station or interactively operate different machines. Furthermore, the models or configurations of the existing self-service payment machines at different gas stations may be different, and the operation is not easy. Users must re-adapt to the operation of different self-service payment machines every time they enter different gas stations, and Every time the self-service payment machine is used, it is necessary to re-select the payment method, input the unified number, and set the invoice carrier, which is extremely inconvenient and time-consuming for the user; in the present invention, the user only needs to use his user equipment (such as a mobile phone) The above steps can be omitted when using the app again for self-service refueling, which is simpler and saves time and effort for users. Moreover, in the existing self-service refueling, after the user finishes refueling, the user has to go back to the self-service payment machine to operate and wait for the printing of the invoice and receipt, which takes extra time for the car owner; in the present invention, the user only needs to finish refueling After hanging back the oil gun, you can receive the consumption details or invoices on the user's device (such as a mobile phone), and then you can leave directly, which greatly reduces the user's waiting time. In addition, since the present invention can simplify and speed up the self-service refueling process of users in the gas station, the stay time of each user in the self-service gas station can be shortened, and the gas station can also receive more customers per unit time. , to improve the service efficiency and revenue of gas stations. To sum up, the solution proposed by the present invention is the solution with the lowest cost and the highest benefit for users, gas station operators, and third-party self-service gas service providers. In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific illustrative embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes can be made hereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. Accordingly, the specification and drawings should be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
