TSU radiophysicists are working to create a SMART-cap for gas tanks of cars, which will inform owners of an attempt to steal fuel. The prototype of the device is now ready, and by the end of 2021, the team will present the final product, ready to enter the market.
Three students of the Faculty of Radiophysics are working on the project: Ivan Protopopov, Alexander Kiselev, and Alexey Bersenev. They received 500,000 rubles to implement their idea.
- A motion sensor and an audio speaker will be built into the gas tank cap. You can add LEDs, and if an unauthorized opening is made, the tank cap will emit a light-sound signal to scare the attacker away, and an SMS message will be sent to the owner. To disable the siren, you will need to send a reverse SMS. It puts out quite an alarm, - said Alexander Kiselev.
The developers believe that the device will be in demand by transport companies and oil and gas companies for the injection and unloading of oil, and sawmills.
The tank cap will solve the problem of unauthorized draining of fuel from the tanks of trucks and will check whether the drivers themselves drain the fuel. For example, when refueling at the station, the driver will need to obtain the approval of the dispatcher to open the lid. The device will be universal and also suitable for cars.
- Now there are no ready-made solutions to the problem: an alarm system is not put on the fuel tanks, and existing covers with a lock and code can be cracked. We conducted a patent search, and in Russia there are no analogs. In South Korea, a camera is installed on the lid and the search takes place ex-post facto. In the USA there is a similar system, but it needs to be separately reconstructed for different tasks, that is, disassembled, all the sensors re-inserted, and it is much more expensive, - explained Alexey Bersenev.
The team has already assembled a prototype device, consisting of a microcontroller, a GSM module for sending SMS, a motion sensor, speaker, LEDs, and a battery. The next stage is the assembly of the final sample and the fire safety test.
The dimensions of the finished SMART-cap, according to preliminary estimates, are 5 cm in diameter and 4 cm in height, weight, and not more than 400 g. It will be charged from the battery and hold a charge for two days. The price will be 10-15,000 rubles, depending on the configuration.