A novel approach to transparent and accurate fuel dispensing for consumer protection

Abstract

Consumer rights are exploited around the world and it is necessary for to protect consumer rights by means of safeguarding consumers from various unfair trade practices. Those most vulnerable to such exploitation must be shielded, and this is achieved through consumer protection measures. One such example of unethical behavior is fuel stealing at fuel stations. To overcome this critical issue, a low-cost fuel quantity sensing and monitoring system is proposed in this paper. A fuel detection system will ensure the exact quantity of fuel filled in fuel tank and will detect fuel theft, if any, at fuel pumps. An embedded system is developed for this purpose, consisting of sensors, display devices, communication devices and microcontroller. The quantity of fuel filled in the tank is transmitted to mobile phone of the consumer to avoid fuel theft. Performance of the system is validated by comparing the displayed amount of fuel dispensed and actual filled in the tank and achieve 99.95% accuracy. With this consumer right to get the value for amount paid for the petrol will be protected. This novel feature can be added in the fuel tank of the smart vehicle development and design as a future scope.