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H₂

Automatic vehicle detection & fueling authorization

Technology comparison & system design for a hydrogen refueling operator.

RESULT

ANPR with a smart recognition model proved the most accurate path; it needs a clear field of view and a mount that covers both small cars and large trucks.

Infographic of the optical identification path: ANPR camera with IR reads the plate, OCR result is checked against the fleet whitelist and fueling is released
FIG. 01 — SELECTED: ANPR + IR → OCR → WHITELIST → RELEASE

THE CHALLENGE

Fleet drivers lose time on authorization at the dispenser: cards fail, apps need accounts. The operator wanted fueling to start the moment a known vehicle arrives; the open question was which identification technology does that most reliably.

Beyond reading a plate or a tag, every candidate had to authenticate against the whitelist on the authentication server and survive the edge cases: two vehicles arriving at once, vehicles on both sides of the dispenser fueling at different pressure levels, and re-authentication when an aborted fueling restarts.

WHAT I BUILT

I tested and compared three identification paths against the same authentication server: an ANPR camera with IR illumination, active BLE tags, including a variant with an activation button, and HF RFID.

Locating the vehicle mattered as much as detecting it: multiple antennas pointing in different directions tell left from right for BLE and RFID; BLE channel sounding estimates distance, but only holds up with an unobstructed view.

WHAT CHANGED

BLE works but loses reliability with metal between tag and antenna; HF RFID read dependably but was too costly per vehicle.

The comparison closed with a clear technology recommendation and tested handling for simultaneous arrivals, two-sided dispensers and re-authentication.

Infographic of the radio identification path: an active BLE tag in the cab is detected at the dispenser, multiple antennas pointing in different directions locate the tag and assign the fueling side, whitelist match releases fueling
FIG. 02 — FIELD-TESTED: BLE TAG → DIRECTIONAL ANTENNAS → WHITELIST → RELEASE
Infographic of the field-tested HF RFID path: a passive 13.56 MHz transponder is read at the dispenser, multiple antennas pointing in different directions resolve the read direction, and the ID is checked against the whitelist
FIG. 03 — FIELD-TESTED: HF RFID → DIRECTIONAL ANTENNAS → WHITELIST
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CONTACT

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